Storiesonline.net ------- Sarah's Saga by Cainneach McEinri Copyright© 2006 by Cainneach McEinri ------- Description: Sarah's saga starts with her as a victim of mistaken identity, but fate gives her opportunities, character strength carries her to become a key part of a clan commanding a space ship. Caution: As a part of the story there are several rather horrific short segments as her path crosses some nasty people and some violence. Many of the nastier story codes are for only very brief segments. Codes: MF FF Mult cons rom non-con reluc coer bi het ScFi ESP space BD humil group harem oral beast squirt lac enem mod violent trans ------- ------- Chapter 1 Sarah hurried to close the office. It was late on Thursday evening and her last customer, while seeming interested in a home, spent most of her time talking. She would just have time enough to get home and freshen up before Joe would be ready to leave for the weekend. They were to attend a weekend social outing up in the mountains with his coworkers. She wasn't too keen on it, but had relented, as the outing seemed very important to him. She had spent a good part her free time this week getting things together for the trip. A formal dinner was on the agenda, which required a new dress and shoes. Although standing nearly 6 feet tall, it was difficult to buy clothes, that fit well and go with her dark red hair. Shoes were always a problem because she liked high heels, but that made her quite a bit taller than Joe, which made him very uncomfortable. Walking to her car, she was lost in thought about her relationship with Joe. Things had been a bit strained lately and he seemed to be working a lot of hours. Recently when he was home he was so demanding and intolerant of anything she did or said. Well, maybe she couldn't really judge, since working as a real estate agent had her working some very weird hours. She soon reached her car. As she started to open the door, a woman said "Excuse me". She turned and was hit in the face with a fine mist. "Oh," she breathed and started to fall. The woman quickly reached her to keep her standing. A van pulled up alongside and a man quickly helped the woman lift Sarah into the side door. The woman quickly looked around to see if anyone saw them. The parking lot was empty except for some kids hanging around the bus stop some distance away. While she was looking around, the man had cuffed Sarah's wrists behind her and secured the wrist cuffs to the ankle cuffs. He taped her mouth shut, taped a tube into her nose and turned on the gas. The oxygen with the bit of anesthesia would keep her still until she was at the warehouse. He took time to fondle her breasts. "Nice," he breathed, "too bad we can't have some fun before we take her to our customer." "Leave her alone. We will be in deep shit, if you mess around with this merchandise. Follow me. We need to get her car out of the lot." Liz met them at the warehouse and helped them place Sarah in her van. She paid the two kidnappers and sent them on their way. Liz drove for an hour until she reached another warehouse. The door rolled up, allowing her to enter immediately. Two attendants met and assisted Liz in placing Sarah on a wheeled cart, so they could take her to the preparation room. The tube was initially removed from her nose, and then the tape over her mouth was removed. After removing her clothes, she was placed on a reclining open-bottom chair. Her arms were fastened to the sides of the chair. Her legs were lifted and bent at the knee, then widely spread. Once her legs were positioned, they fastened her knees and ankles to the frame. A woman and a man entered the room. "Are we ready?" Liz nodded yes. "What are the plans for this one?" "First remove her pubic hair permanently, then enlarge her pubes so they will be at least twice their current size. Lengthen her clit so it pokes out of its hood all the time. Before you start, put the enlargement cup on her nipples. Set it so the nipples will stick out about an inch." "You want this done today. The enlargements will take some time to reach their final size." "Yes, but you can estimate the size of the treatment. It will be close enough for this cunt. Flush her clean, and I have a special batch of porridge to begin feeding her as soon as possible." "In order to do that while she is sedated, we will need to fit her with a stomach tube to dose her and a dildo in her ass to let her drain her bowels. Then, in about 4 hours, we will give her another dose. This way, by the time she is fully awake her bowels will be clean. We should catheterize her, as well." "Okay then, give her another 10mg of the sedative so when she wakes up. Everything will be ready for the next stage." Liz departed. They placed cups over both nipples. The cups were pulled tight against her breasts. Tubes were attached to the cups and then to a box. The attendant turned it on. Her nipples were then pulled deeply into the cups. One attendant stroked the hair on her cunt. She looked at the other attendant and commented about how soft her hair was. "Usually it is very stiff." One attendant pulled a cart over and set it between Sarah's legs. She reached up with her tongue, and began to lick Sarah's cunt. "Come on, we have too much work to do." They tilted Sarah's head back and slid a long tube down her throat until slid all the way to her stomach. With a syringe, they injected the laxative into her stomach, following it by a liter of water laced with ginger. One attendant brought over a large covered pail, while the other slid another tube into Sarah's ass. A bulb on this tube was inflated, to hold the tube in place. The other end was attached to the bucket. With that complete, they began to remove her pubic hair with an electrolysis tool. Liz came back in just as they were finishing the hair removal. "Have you injected her pubes yet?" "No." "Good. Let her sedative wear off. Once she is awake, make the injections you need to. When she starts hollering, tell her to be quiet like a good slave, then fit her with the feeding gag. Once she is quiet, show her your air vents." "I can't. I will be punished." "Neither of you will be, because I told you to. Make sure you tell her that she will receive one if she doesn't cooperate. Impress upon her that sex toys and slaves only do what they are told." The two attendants nodded, looking somewhat apprehensive. Several hours later Sarah tried to rub her nose. It itched. She couldn't move her hands. She then realized that she was lying in a strange position and her legs wouldn't move. Opening her eyes, she quickly discovered why she couldn't move her hands. Then she looked around and screamed. Her throat hurt as she screamed. It seemed to be raw and irritated. Looking around the room, she was reminded of a doctor's office. There were white metal cabinets on one wall, and an examining table in the middle of the room. "My God, where am I," she thought. She laid her head back on the table. The last thought she could remember was opening her car; she then saw herself in the mirror. She gasped and blushed. Now she could really see that she was strapped down to a chair-like device with her legs folded up and widely spread. She could just see her labia gaping open with cunt lips that were inflamed and swollen. All of her red pubic hair was gone. She could see a tube coming from her ass and urethra to a pail sitting under her ass. Her arms and wrists were firmly fastened to the side of the chair-like device. Panic rose in her mind as she absorbed her situation. A sound behind her startled her and she screamed as the two technicians walked up beside her. She looked at them fearfully. It took a moment to realize they were both naked, except for a collar with cuffs on their wrists and ankles. "Who are you?" The woman looked up. "You should know better than to talk without permission. Slaves and sex toys only purpose is to submit and provide pleasure." "What?" She screamed. "I am not a slave or a sex toy." The man quickly pressed the gag into her mouth, silencing her. It fastened behind her neck and to the head rest immobilizing her head. Tears ran down the sides of her face. The woman disconnected the tube from the pail and then connected a large enema bag to the tube, letting the cold water flow into her ass. Sarah shivered at the cold and watched her belly swell from the liquid. She then let it drain into the pail. "Good it's clear." With that she released and removed the tube from Sarah's ass. The man handed the woman a long dildo. Sarah groaned as it was slid into her ass. It wasn't painful but neither was it comfortable. She could feel it swell once it was seated in her ass. The woman squeezed her bladder and then began to pull the catheter out. The tube sliding out was uncomfortable and gave a burning sensation. She wiggled trying to ease the pain. The woman looked at her and smiled. "Most of the time we don't lube the catheter before using it. So you got off easy this time." Sarah shivered at the idea. "When is this horrible dream going to end", she wondered as she laid her head back. The technicians pushed a cart up beside the chair. When Sarah saw the tray with the syringe and needles, she started squirming and shouting into her gag. The two paid little attention to her actions, as one sat between her legs. The technician pinched one lip of Sarah's cunt and then began to inject the fluid. She continued the injections until the lip had swollen to nearly double its size and turned quite red. Sarah cried from the pain. She felt each jab as the needle and cold fluid entered her body. She just laid there, as there was no hope of avoiding the treatment she was receiving. She raised her head when she felt the technician push the hood back away from her clit. Through tear-filled eyes she watched as they placed a tube over her clit and began to pull it further into the clear tube. It turned a bright red and began to ache. Her look turned to horror as the man inserted a long needle into the top of the tube and pressed it deep into her clit. The pain was tremendous as she felt the needle slide through her tissue. It then began to burn as the contents from the syringe were forced into her clit as he slowly pulled it out. She lay there gasping for breath as the intense pain and burning slowly subsided. The woman stepped up to Sarah's side and began to make some injections into her breasts and areola. Sarah felt like a visitor to her body as she watched the woman make the injections into her tits. Once the woman was finished they began cleaning up. They came over to her. "We have to do as we are told, as we are slaves like you are. If you don't do as your told you will be punished. If you talk too much then you will lose control of your voice." Sarah looked questioningly. The woman and man opened a small hole in the front of their collars. She covered the hole with her finger. "We didn't believe, so we were given a second vent to our lungs that robs us of our voice." They closed the holes again. They closed their eyes and waited for the pain. Sarah had watched their actions with some confusion. "We are not normally permitted to open or close the hole in our collar. If we do, then we receive a very painful shock from our collar. Our collar is just like yours, except that yours is a temporary one. You are in their hands and they can do anything with you they want." She moved the mechanical dildo to place, its head just touching her cunt lips. She was surprised that it was not cold. The man hung a bag of white liquid above her head and attached the tube to the gag. "You need to drink all of this now." He let it flow into her mouth, quickly filling it. "You don't need to chew, just swallow. If you don't, then we fit you with a stomach tube again and force feed you." Sarah began to swallow. It had kind of a sweet flavor and was gritty. As soon as she finished he hung another bag and connected it to her gag. "You don't need to drink this now, but it will satisfy your thirst. It will only flow if you suck on the gag." With that, they picked up their things and left, leaving Sarah all alone with her thoughts. Liz had watched the whole procedure from the lounge with several others. Liz was surprised when several offered to buy Sarah while they watched. Sarah again looked for a way to release the straps, and resigned herself to waiting for whomever brought her here. She saw the mechanical dildo aimed at her cunt. The dildo was nearly as large in diameter as her wrist, and tipped with a large head. A white substance oozed from the hole in the tip of it. She shivered, as she knew someone intended for it to fuck her and that it would last until someone turned it off. She began to struggled again for a long time before she gave up and begin to cry. The sobbing continued for a while, until she dozed off. The effects on her were tiring and with this compounded to her treatments, she slept for several hours. The dildo pressing against the mouth of her cunt startled her awake. She screamed, as she realized it was not a dream. The bindings on the bench would not let her move. All she could do was watch as the dildo slowly pushed against the mouth of her cunt. It pressed forward, spreading her sore swollen labia apart as the head pushed slowly into the mouth of her cunt. As the head pressed against the mouth of her cunt, it began to softly vibrate. The white liquid on its head eased its way into her cunt, and stopped just as its head slipped past the ring of muscles at her mouth. She looked fearfully at the dildo, with its head lying just inside her. Her labia were still swollen and the dildo appeared to cause them to swell more. She stared at it for a long time, and gradually the feelings of fear disappeared. Slowly she relaxed, and her cunt began to moisten. The dildo softly vibrated in her cunt, causing to become somewhat aroused. She laid there starring at the ceiling for a few moments. As she laid there, she felt a calmness settle over her as she studied her situation. It was clear she was a captive of someone. She wasn't sure what they had done to her body, but she was certain she would survive this ordeal. With renewed interest in trying to understand and perhaps anticipate what was going to happen, she carefully looked around again at the walls of the room, studying them carefully. It was unlike a doctor's office in that the walls were covered with pictures of nude or partially clad men and women. She didn't remember seeing them before. The posters showed people bound in different positions. Other posters were displays of body piercings. Virtually every possible kind of piercing was shown close up. In one poster a woman's clit hood had been removed, exposing her very large clit. The clit had a metal ring through it base. The sight caused Sarah to shiver. She had heard of this but had never seen it. In another the woman's clit was pierced with a horizontal bar placed so it held the clit in front of its hood. Another series of posters seemed to catch her eyes. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. There were several pictures of cuts being made to a woman's breasts and abdomen. In another the cuts were spread open while obviously healing. The last showed the scared woman. The scars on her breasts resembled a daisy flower with an enlarged areola and nipple being the center. The scars on the abdomen were like rays of the sun with her cunt being the sun. After a short time, she felt the dildo slide further into her, she wondered what would happen next. Glancing around, she saw another poster with a woman's breast in a press and a hand pressing pins into the areola. "Is this what they intend to do to me", she wondered. The TV came to life, drawing her attention. The title announced it was a film showing how to do bondage to maximize the discomfort and not cause permanent injury. She tried not to watch, but it was difficult not to. The first segment showed piercings. It detailed how to pierce the clit, tongue, nipple, and cunt, complete with images of the piercings being made. The last portion showed how to use mild surgery for body alterations. A demonstration of how to split a tongue was shown. The demonstrations were done on both a man and a woman, both of whom were awake during the procedure. Sarah was amazed that someone would do that. The last procedure showed how to remove the clit hood without damaging the nerves. In both cases close-ups were shown of the completed procedures. One person's tongue had deliberately been lengthened after it was split. While her attention was drawn to the film, the dildo had pressed fully into her cunt. As the first film ended, it began to make long slow strokes, traversing the full depth of her cunt. Her aroma had filled the room. She watched in the mirror as her lips were pulled out and then pushed in with each stroke. The dildo she had watched with much trepidation when it entered her now felt very good. A new film started and the film's narrator noted, "Sometimes piercings or surgical procedures are done without any anesthetic to punish the rule breakers of our group. When members cause injury to family or club members they are dealt with harshly." She told of one man who was now a permanent resident in an S&M club women's restroom for them to use any way they want. "He was placed there after he was forced to watch his balls being replaced with hollow steel spheres, then each forearm was secured in a block, locking it into position. While he watched, his hand was then slowly cut free from his arm at the wrist and then the two forearm bones pined together." Sarah thought she was going to be sick, as she watch the saw cut through the wrist. The man's face showed the pain he was feeling. Why such severe punishment? He had caused extensive physical injury to a pregnant club member, going beyond what they had agreed to and then failed to respond to her safe word. As a result, she lost her baby. The injuries she received would keep her from having another child and make it very difficult for her to get around. Sarah shuttered. She was startled by the brutality of the treatment, but upon hearing why it seemed to be rather mild, considering the lingering pain he had caused. "In another case," continued the narrator, "a woman beat her 16 year old for not becoming pregnant here at the club. Why the beating? The woman wanted her daughter to carry not one baby but triplets, so she could sell the babies. The daughter didn't want to." The film showed a woman on her hands and knees in a dog kennel. "Notice the restraints that keep her from standing. Her cunt is always seeping a scent, telling the dogs she is in heat. She has been their fuck-toy for a month now. The continual arousal has caused the lips of her cunt to grow larger and hang down. Notice her breasts have grown so large they hang near the ground. She is lactating." Just then, two small puppies came into view and began to nurse at her nipples. "In a few days she will begin the next part in her punishment, where she will be shipped to a baby farm. She will leave here carrying quads. For the next nine months, she will worry whether they are dogs or humans, since she won't remember fucking a man." "In closing, these are two unusually extreme examples of punishment for failure to obey the club rules. Members must remember to abide by their agreements with each other and follow safety guidelines. Slaves and handmaidens must obey their masters and mistresses, and both must abide by the club rules. There are no restraints on the punishment a dungeon toy can be given. As you know, or will know, whipping or painful restraint is the most likely punishment for minor infractions. Hope you enjoyed the movie and welcome to the group." Then the TV went blank. "Welcome to the group?" She shrieked into her gag. "What do they mean welcome to the group?" Sarah started sobbing; the film and its message had undermined the calmness she felt earlier. The uncertainty of lying bound on the bed was wearing on her mind. She kept trying to figure out why she was there. Who would do this to her? She had never been involved in any swapping or S&M club type stuff. Although when she was in college she worked in an exotic dancer for a while. She had the opportunity, but it never appealed to her. A little while later, the TV came on again, but this time it was a romance story filled with lots of explicit sex between the four women and a man. The dildo fucked her each time there was a fuck scene in the movie. When she had an orgasm, she could feel the dildo squirt very warm fluid into her cunt. By the time the film was done, she could feel the fluid leaking and hear it dripping. After the film, she slept fitfully for some time. It was late Friday when Sarah heard the door open. Liz came over to her. Sarah said, "You!" as she saw Liz. Liz had been her last customer at the office. "Why are you doing this to me? Where am I? If you let me go I won't say a thing. I need to go to the bathroom." But her words were muffled by the gag. Ignoring Sarah's comments, Liz said, "Did you like the dildo and the films?" "No." "That may be what you say, but you leaked enough cunt juice to fill a small bowl." Liz turned off the dildo, sliding it out of Sarah's cunt. Sarah moaned as it slid out. Once it was out, all of the fluid trapped inside ran out of her gapping cunt and into the bowl, filling it to the brim. "I will release you so you can use the bathroom in a few moments." Liz then removed the gag. Sarah worked her jaw around until if felt comfortable again. "Why am I here?" "To be the introductory act in the club's sex show tomorrow night is one reason. The other reason is that Frank wants his money back. He wants all $10 million back very soon." Sarah's eyes got very large. She had never seen that much money, let alone had it. "You must be mistaken. I don't have that kind of money and I don't know any Frank that would have that kind of money." "He is not mistaken. Frank has been quite anxious to locate you and get his money back. He has been reluctant to believe his favorite fuck buddy and assistant would take his money and sneak off the island. It was kind of stupid of you to let your picture to be printed in the paper. But with so much money, why are you working. If it was me, I would be on the beach somewhere. Did you think working would keep you from being found?" "You have the wrong person. I have never been to an island and never worked for a Frank. In fact, I don't think I have ever even dated anyone named Frank." "Well, you can protest all you want. Would you like me to show you the pictures from when you danced at the Club Tiger? We know you went with several other dancers to work at the island club." "I did work a Club Tiger while I was in college. I haven't done exotic dancing for years." "Enough of this: we know you are the person. Frank is giving you some time to return the money. I am surprised, as I hear he is as hard as nails. After you arrived, we started the process of making some small changes in you. Some of those you've seen. These changes will keep reminding you to return Frank's money. They are also permanent. If you don't return the money before time for the next treatment, we will make sure you really look like a fuck toy." "You will rest here until just before the show. While you are resting here, you can watch the activities in our dungeon, but nothing here is ever as severe at it is at the island. This whole event is to impress upon you what your new life would be like at the island. Then, tomorrow night you will be the opening act for the weekly live sex show." "The show starts with you and I walking out on stage in your new formal dress. It will look a bit different from when you bought it. One of the handmaidens will make some modifications, it so it is better suited for the show. You will dance as you strip down to stockings and heels. Once you have finished stripping, you will do everything you are told to do. Any resistance will be dealt with quickly. Frank has limited us to the extent we cannot do anything to you that will leave marks. But there are many ways to cause pain and not affect your value." "Value?" "Yes, value as in sold. With some physical enhancements, you would be an excellent candidate for the sex film industry, and would most likely have a short well managed career, beginning with being a sex toy, to sex with animals, to real torture. If Frank was in the film business, he could probably make all of his money back and still have enough of you left to get a good price from a baby farm for you. Scars left from the torture wouldn't affect your value much if you were sold to a baby farm. So it would be wise to pay up; as only pain and suffering will result from not returning the money. In fact, while I was watching you on the monitor, several people offered me a lot of money for you, untrained." Sarah shivered at the future Liz had laid out for her. She didn't feel it would happen as Liz said it would, but she knew there was no choice other than cooperate until she was freed. "Now, there is some chance of you being recognized at the show, so you will be wearing a hood that attaches to your collar." "What collar?" "Oh. You probably didn't notice it, but it is similar the ones the two attendants were wearing. "Oh, my." She murmured. Liz smiled at the worry on Sarah's face. "You don't have the hole yet, but I suspect if you were here long you would. The collar has several levels of pain. On the highest level the pain is so intense that we may need to keep you an extra day, because it usually puts a person out for several hours. Even after that, they have extreme difficulty in moving or even standing. Would you like to try it?" "No, please don't." "Okay, but if you don't do what you're told you will feel it. Understand?" "Yes." "Now let's finish undoing the straps." Liz attached a leash to the collar and released her wrists, then her arms and legs. "Now sit up so the rest of your cunt juice can run out into the bowl." Sarah hesitated, but saw Liz fingering the device in her hand. She rose up, and in doing so could feel the fluid run out of her, almost like she was peeing. "Now, you wanted to use the bathroom, it's this way." Sarah stood up, letting the leash dangle between her breasts. Liz walked with her into the bathroom and stayed with her until she was done. "Now go back and sit in the chair again." Liz picked up the bowl containing her cum and the fluid from the dildo, setting it on the counter. Sarah sat back where she was earlier. She was concerned, but didn't see how she could get away. For some reason, she didn't feel like she was in danger. She wasn't happy with her predicament, but she didn't feel like she was in immediate peril. Liz pushed her back into the chair and began to refasten the straps. "What are you doing?" Liz fastened her back in the chair and moved the dildo so it again pressed against her cunt. The woman attendant placed a new package of food on the hanger. She told Sarah to open her mouth, then slipped another gag into it. A strap lightly held it in place. The food bag was attached to the gag, letting it flow into her mouth. "So, have you figured out what it is. That is the standard food around here for slaves and dungeon toys. But this we flavored with your cunt juice and cum from the dildo." Sarah's mouth had become quite full. "You should swallow or you will choke. Don't worry too much, we won't let you drown in your cum, cereal and breast milk." Sarah's eyes widened. She thought, "breast milk and cum?" The attendant told her to be sure and drink all of it as it would be a while before she ate again. Sarah began to swallow the thick mixture as it flowed into her mouth. Soon she began to feel full. The attendant said, "You need to finish this" and began to squeeze the bottle, forcing more food into her mouth." She struggled to swallow the food. "Either manage to swallow or we put a tube down your throat and pump the rest into your stomach." Sarah redoubled her efforts to swallow the food. Soon the bottle is empty and the attendant shut off the feeding tube. Sarah's stomach was swollen from the food she has swallowed and she felt stuffed. The attendant told her that the full feeling would disappear quickly, once the water was absorbed. She then attached a bag of liquid to the gag. "If you are thirsty just suck on the gag. The liquid will only flow when you suck." Her cunt lips were quite distended and flushed. Her clit was now peaking out of its hood, even though she not aroused. She watched as Liz moved the dildo back until it was pressing against her cunt. Liz saw where Sarah was looking and said, "You will find you are much more easily aroused than you used to be. Your nipples and pubes will probably increase a bit more in size, but the puffiness should soon diminish. Your clit will now always peak out of its hood, even when your pubes swell from arousal. Since you won't be living here for some time yet, you will need to get some silk thongs, otherwise you always be aroused from the cloth rubbing on your clit. You will probably need to start wearing full skirts as well." "Relax and enjoy your rest. By the way, the dildo has a remote control in the lounge from where we have been watching you. It is programmed to keep you entertained and we can make adjustments to it as well. Enjoy." With that the attendant and Liz left the room, ignoring the tears in Sarah's eyes. She wondered as she lay there, what was in store for her. Could she continue working is sales now? Could she control her arousal enough to function? The room darkened slightly to force Sarah's attention to the monitor. She tried to look away or close her eyes, but the movement kept drawing her attention back to it. She watched a series of films ranging from romantically sexual to hard bondage. Intermixed with these were views of different activities in the club's dungeon. She was surprised at the activities in the dungeon. They were not at all what she had imagined. There were all of the implements to restrain and torture someone. Every time she saw them used, both the 'victim' and the tormenter appeared to relish the activity. She only saw two people whipped, and both of those were done after they apparently had angered their master. The slaves were either lounging on cushions or in cages placed around the room. If moved, they were led by a leash. Once she saw dog pick up a women's lead and take her to a bench. He pulled down on the leash and she hastily kneeled at the end of the bench, placing her knees widely spread on two special pads. She then laid forward placing her head in its support. Her full tits hung down. Sarah guessed she must be at least an EEE cup. The dog began to lick her ass and cunt. As he did, the woman's nipples swelled in arousal, becoming extended points on her full tits. Sarah jumped, as she felt the dildo move again in her cunt. She looked down and noticed her nipples swollen with arousal. She was shocked that she had become aroused at the sight of the woman and the dog. Looking further down she could see her labia lips swollen with arousal around the dildo that was slowly stroking and vibrating in her cunt. The stroking dildo caused her clit to rub against its now inadequate hood with each stroke. She glanced at the screen. The dogs cock had slid from its sheath. As he continued licking the woman's cunt, Sarah was shocked when she wondered what it felt like. Her breathing had increased in response to her arousal. The woman's mouth was now filled with a large dildo that she was obviously sucking. The dog mounted her, shoving his cock fully into her cunt pushing forward. She glanced at the woman's head, seeing that she now had the dildo fully in her mouth and down her throat. The dildo fucked her face as the dog fucked her cunt. They kept the tandem action up for a while until the dog came. Just as the dog came, Sarah's dildo flooded her cunt again with hot cum, triggering her own orgasm. Sarah was just stirring, when she noticed that the dog and the dildo had pulled out of the woman. She raised up still quite aroused and squatted over a bowl for a few minutes until the dog nudged her back. She bent down, picking up the bowl with her mouth. She raised it so the contents would flow into her mouth. Sarah was startled when she felt her drink fill her mouth, and then realized she was mimicking the woman swallowing the bowl of cum. When she lowered the bowl, the dog licked it clean. He then rose placing his feet on the woman's shoulders. She lowered her head and began to lick the head of his cock clean. Once the dog was satisfied, he led her back to her original spot and hooked her leash on its holder. The woman turned to kneel on her hands and knees. Once she was in position, a cup was placed over each tit when she placed her mouth over a tube. Sarah could see the cups flexing around the woman's nipples and milk flow down the tube. The woman swallowed until her tummy had swollen somewhat, but stayed in position until the cups were removed from her tits. Sarah was astonished at what she had just seen, and even more astonished at her reaction to the scene. Even reviewing it, she could feel her arousal returning. As she watched, the woman returned to a lounging position on the floor cushions. Text appeared across the bottom of the screen. "Slavery takes many forms. This could be you tomorrow." The screen began to fade just as a Mistress took the woman's leash and led her away. With that, another movie came on the screen, distracting Sarah again from her thoughts. The attendants came back several times to take her to the restroom and refresh her feeding gag. Each time they added her cum to the bag's contents. Then at noon on Saturday, after she had gone to the bathroom they told her to take a shower and clean up. As she washed she noticed the butt plug was still in her ass. She had hardly noticed it the last several times she used the toilet. Once she was clean and dry, they took her back to lie down on the bench. Sarah had hardly laid down in position on the bench when the attendant stepped up and straddles head. Her cunt was right in front of Sarah's face. "See my cunt?" Sarah nodded. "Watch!" The attendant spread her feet. When she did, Sarah saw the attendant's cunt and gasped. Her clit stood well out of its hood. The woman's cunt opens slightly and its lips hung loosely, each nearly an inch long. Sarah could even see the minor lips peaking out of the gap. She can see a light glistening on the lips. Lowering her hips so her cunt was just at Sarah's mouth she said, "Now lick it, so you can see it swell." Sarah hesitated. "Lick, or I will get the controller for your collar." Sarah opened her mouth and licked the attendant's cunt lips. She was surprised at how smooth the lips were. She pulled back and looked. The lips were swollen and the clit had slipped fully from its hood. The attendant raised up above her and spread her legs wider. As she did, the cunt gaped open. Sarah could see a very flushed and wet cunt. "See how quickly I become aroused. The treatment we gave you won't make you quite this responsive, but whoever eventually buys you could make you this way, or even more responsive. Now, since you got me all wet, make me cum with your mouth." Sarah sighed. The attendant lowered her cunt back to Sarah's mouth. She caressed each lip of the woman's cunt and then sucked the lips into her mouth. She could feel them swell as she continued to lick and suck on them. Placing her mouth over the mouth of the cunt, she began to probe it with her tongue. The cum began to flood Sarah's face and mouth. Sarah was surprised as to how much and how sweet it tasted. The woman tilted her pelvis so that Sarah could reach her clit with the tip of her tongue. The woman shivered as more cum flowed over Sarah's face. She could feel it running down her cheeks, soaking her hair. The woman froze and sprayed cum into Sarah's open mouth, then collapsed, covering her mouth and nose. Sarah heard steps behind her. Liz asked the attendant, "What are you doing, since that isn't on the schedule?" The attendant jumped. "You better get off her face, so she can breathe." "We had some extra time and Sarah was interested in the changes we made to her cunt. I showed her mine and how quickly I'm aroused, and then I let her practice oral skills." "How did she do?" "Quite good. Actually, she can eat me anytime she is available." "My, Sarah, I thought you weren't into girl-girl stuff, at least you weren't when you were on the island." "I'm not, but I didn't feel I had a choice. I have never been to your island, but I have licked one or two cunts before. Hers is probably the best I have tasted." "Gee, maybe we should have you do that for the show this evening. But we have a lot scheduled for you. We are going to let you rest on the cot for the next couple of hours, and then we will be back to prepare you for the show." "Let's see how you are doing." She moved down toward Sarah's legs. "Hmm... Very nice. I like your full nether lips and, with the clit so predominant, you will be very popular." "Now get on the bed and lay on your back. Bring your knees up and spread them." A bar was strapped between Sarah's knees to hold them widely spread. "Good... now you can rest until the show." "I saw that you liked the food the attendants gave you. The cum mixed with human milk and cereal. Very high protein and energy, but also good for your complexion." "Now rest, for you will need all of your energy for the show." "What are you going to make me do at the show?" "Just what I told you earlier." Sarah slowly nodded, "Yes, I remember you said that I would do a strip dance. But I was upset I don't think I remembered it all, so could you please tell me again. I know I have to do what you tell me to do, but if I know ahead of time what is expected, maybe I can perform better for this show." "Yes, the better you perform the less painful it will be, however bear in mind we will film it. You will only receive the original tape if you satisfy Frank's request, but that is between you and Frank. For the show, you will do a strip dance, then you will place yourself in bondage and then ride the bouncing rail. You will do that while the second act takes place. At the beginning of the third act you will be released to perhaps participate in sex several times in that act. Then, after the main act, you will serve selected members of the audience in any way they want sexually." Sarah shivered at what was expected. "Now rest." The attendant and Liz left, turning out the lights. Sarah laid there a long time, weighing everything she had heard. Tears coursed down her cheeks as she weighed her options. She decided that the best thing was to cooperate and do her best. It had been a long time since had done a strip dance, and she hoped she remembered the moves. She had been very good at it, but that was a long time ago. Before long she drifted off into a light sleep. ------- Chapter 2 The lights came on, awakening Sarah. The attendant removed the chain from between her ankles and, then the spreader bar. "Stand up." Sarah awkwardly stood up. She was surprised about how hard it was to move without the use of her hands. The attendant unfastened her wrists and removed the belt. "Go to the toilet then use the shower, and hurry up, as we need to get you dressed for the show." As the attendant finished dressing Sarah, Liz came into the room. "Is she ready yet?" "Almost." "Good, we go on in 15 minutes. Did the bra fit?" "Yes." "Did you show her how it came off, and the secrets to the rest of her costume?" "Yes," replied the attendant as she stood. "Sarah, turn around slowly and show me how you look." Liz nodded her head. "This ought to work quite well. Now let's put on her head piece." They slipped a leather mask over Sarah's face, then fastened behind it her head and to her collar. "Sarah, we are hiding a part of your face so you can't be identified by anyone in the audience." "Audience?" "Yes, audience. When there is a show, there usually is an audience. The announcer will refer to you as Penelope the Slut." "There are about 100 people out there to see the show. They are not expecting your addition to the show, but I am sure they will like the bonus. Especially when a few of the couples learn they will get to sexually enjoy your mouth and cunt". Sarah shivered, but notices her cunt was wet. Liz clipped a leash to Sarah's collar. She the said, "Lets go, show time," as she lead Sarah out of the room. Sarah had difficulty keeping up, as it had been a long time since she wore heels this high. Liz led Sarah out on to the stage, as the crowd clapped its approval. Once the group was quiet, the announcer began, "Tonight we have a special presentation, to proceed the scheduled show. We now give you Penelope the Slut." Unclipping Sarah's leash, she was then told to hold her hands over her head and spin, so the audience could see her. She did, and her action was met with considerable applause, as her skirt flared out, showing her legs and more. "Why don't you dance for them now?" The music then started. Sarah was shocked, since it was the same music she had danced to before at the club. In fact, it was her favorite piece. With that, she began to dance. The long gown was easy to dance in, because of the long slits added to the sides coming above her waist. She danced back and forth, letting one long leg at a time slip through the side slit, exposing her ass and hip. She bent over facing the audience, so they could see her tits as they hung in the dress. A quick hand-stand flip gave them a another glimpse of her long legs and hips. As she danced back, spinning across the stage, she slipped the zipper down the back. Letting the strapless gown gape open down the back, she turned to the audience, holding it up while covering her breasts. Lowering her arms, she slowly let it slide down her body, and dropping to the floor. Picking up the dress, she caressed her body with the dress, as she gracefully danced around the stage. Dropping the dress by the cart, she danced back to the front of the stage, caressing her bra-encased tits. She turned from the audience, and released the first part of the bra. Holding it to her breasts, she danced slowly around, holding it to her breasts and then danced some more. She bent down from her waist, letting the bra cups fall away as her hands touched the floor, leaving the bra's halter around her tits. The audience could see her breasts hanging between her legs, with weights dangling from her extended nipples. Dropping the bra cups, released the weights to tug painfully at her recently enlarged nipples. The pain was short, but the stimulation to her cunt caused it to become wetter. Sarah was surprised at the reaction of her body. Standing up, she picked up the bra cups. She danced around the stage, swinging around so the weights were continually pulling at her nipples. Then sailed the bra into the audience. Next, she started to play with her cunt as she danced around the stage. The audience could see that the fabric was dark from her arousal. Pulling the thong to the side she dipped her fingers into her cunt, and then slowly licked them for the audience. The audience was going wild. She then began to remove the thong, sliding it down over her hips and legs, until it dropped to the floor, all the time dancing on the stage. Picking it up, she danced across the stage toward the audience. As she danced, she was swinging it around on her finger, and then threw it out to the audience. She danced back and forth across the front of the stage, emphasizing different parts of her body. Many times she wet her fingers in her cunt and then licked them clean. The crowd went wild each time. The music slowed a bit. A voice in her ear startled her. It was Liz telling her to move back to the center of the stage, and then to dance over next to a table. Liz looked at the table and gasped. On it lay wrist cuffs, two dildos and a clamp. The music changed slightly. Liz told her to just do as she was told. "You will keep dancing, while you put each of those in or on you. First take the black dildo and work it in your ass, so the audience sees you do it while you dance. The dildo is greased, and their still should be some in your asshole. If you want to lick it, or use your cunt to moisten it before you insert it, it will make the insertion easier, but your asshole should still be loose from the one you were wearing earlier." Sarah tentatively picked up the dildo by the tassel. The audience hooted when they saw what it was. She licked it, and then sucked it deeply into her mouth, each time making sure the audience saw her from the side. It was apparent that she was sliding it into her throat each time. She turned her back to the audience; bending over with her feet spread, she pumped the dildo into her cunt several times, before sliding it into her ass part-way. Holding it there, she humped it in the air several times, as she pranced around the stage bent over. Each time she humped, she let it slide further into her ass. Finally she turned sideways to the audience and bent over. Her tits hung down, with the weighted tassels pulling at the nipples. Looking at the audience, she began to lick her lips as she humped her ass while sliding the dildo deep into her ass. Once it was in place, she was startled as she felt it swell slightly, locking it. The audience hooted and hollered. She felt embarrassed. There was a tassel hanging from it, that hit her legs every time she moved. She danced a bit more, becoming more comfortable with it. Liz's voice said "Now the wrist cuffs." Sarah nodded and picked one up. Holding it for the audience to see, she then snapped it around her wrist. Then she did the same with the second wrist cuff. She made sure to keep moving and dancing, causing the weights to pull on her nipples while the weighted tassel on the butt plug kept her arousal high. "Now the last dildo," came Liz's voice. Sarah picked up the large penis dildo. It was soft and ridged like a real cock. The audience got louder when they saw what she was going to do next. Sarah took the dildo and licked it like a popsickle, and took it deeply in her mouth as she danced. She couldn't keep in her mouth long because she was close to winded with all the dancing. She stopped and spread her legs, pulling her cunt open. She could see her cunt lips were very flushed and swollen with arousal. She slid the dildo down to her cunt. The head rubbed back and forth between her enlarged cunt lips. Sarah then noticed how wet she was. She could feel the wetness running down her legs. The dildo slid down to the entrance and then slowly into her cunt. It was so big. She felt so full she wasn't sure she could dance any more. She pumped the cock several times in and out of her cunt. It felt so good she almost came. Liz's voice said "Don't let yourself cum yet". She stopped pumping the cock and slithered over to the table. The voice in her ear said, "The last item is a clit clamp. Take it and dance out to the edge of the stage, then put it on your clit. Then dance around the stage, and keep all four tassels in motion until told to stop." Sarah carefully picked up the clamp. As she danced out to the front of the stage, she examined it to see how it worked. The dildo had her cunt lips spread so that the clit was quite exposed. She held up the clamp, while she spread her clit hood wider with her fingers. The audience was quiet as they realized what she was about to do. She slowly lowered the clamp over her clit, her concentration such that she jumped when she heard voice telling her to release it. The clamp suddenly bit into her clit, the pain caused her to scream. "Now dance," said the voice. Sarah slowly began to dance and strut around the stage. Several minutes later, she was told to return to the center of the stage. In the center of the stage was a small sawhorse, with two foot rests. The voice told her, "Put one foot in the footrest, and then straddle the rail. Now, put your other foot on the rest." Sarah grimaced as all of her weight was placed on her crotch, pushing the dildos in further. The attendants locked her feet to the footrests. Her wrists were pulled behind her head. She felt something attached to the sides of her bra halter. She pushed down with her feet, to take some weight off of the rail. When she did, she felt the halter swell squeezing her breasts. A post was placed behind her back and fastened to her collar, forcing her to sit very straight. The wrist cuffs were attached to the post, so that she had no leverage to lift herself up off the rail. Each shoulder was strapped to a crossbar on the post, and then the attendants placed a circular cage around the sawhorse and locked it shut. Sarah was getting more and more uncomfortable by the moment. The rail hurt. Any movements seemed to tighten the halter squeezing her breasts. The attendants took the nipple tassels and clamped the ends to the cage, pulling her nipples taunt. The tassel from her clit was attached to the cage wall, pulling on it as well. She could feel the discomfort from both. Soon, the attendants returned with three small weights. Sarah saw what they were about to do and begged them not to do it. The attendants then rolled the cage to the side of the stage, near the front. The discomfort of the cage was soon apparent to Sarah. Her entire weight was resting on the dildos and her cunt lips. When she put pressure on the foot rests, the bra compressed her tits more. This let the weights bounce more on the strings tugging on her nipples and clit. Each breath caused the weights to pull at her nipples, as well. She tried to concentrate on the show that had begun. Two women came out on the stage and bowed as the music started. Dancing to the music, they alternately caressed each other while they removed each other's clothes. Soon, they were naked except for their heels and stockings. Then they began to caress each other with their mouths. Soon, they broke for a moment and pulled a bed out to the center of the stage. They then began to make love to one another with their mouths and a vibrating dildo. The sight of the two women caressing each other and the vibration of the dildo inside her resulted in Sarah's increasing arousal. She found that she could move her hips a bit on the dildos without too much added pain. She didn't realize it for some time, but her moving around was causing the dildos to expand. Soon, she shuttered to a climax. She jammed her feet down, squeezing her breasts tighter, making them balloon out. Her movement then caused the weights to bounce and bobble on the slackened strings, pulling her nipples. Sarah moaned thinking, "What did I do", as she came down from her climax, even as the discomfort from her bindings was growing. On the stage, the two women had each climaxed when Sarah did. They arose from the bed and went to the back of the stage. A reclining chair was rolled out on stage. A large man was strapped in the chair, reclining with his knees spread wide. There was a look of fear on his face. A large bottle was inverted, suspended on a post connected to the chair. A tube was attached to the bottle and to a penis gag. It was pressed against his lips. He shook his head no. A hand reached down and stroked his balls. His cock rose. The hand cupped his balls and squeezed. His scream was cut short by the gag slipping into his mouth. The woman next released a clamp on the tube. The man's eyes became very large. "Shallow or you could drown. After all, you like to force others to drink cum. We made this especially for you. It has everything in it you like to force on other people. We even added a few stimulants, to ensure you enjoy the rest of the evening. We wouldn't want you to pass out and miss the pain." One turned to the audience. "The rest of this part of the show will be his preparation for a session in the special dungeon later tonight. Some of you may recognize him, but hopefully it is not from being the object of his attention. He has lost control several times recently in the dungeon, and the most recent time he severely injured two people. After his preparation, he will return to the dungeon for the rest of his initial punishment. If he does well, they may let him leave the dungeon, if not... First we need to clean him up." The chair was rolled over a floor drain. Two buckets were brought out, and the women began to scrub him with scrub brushes. Before long, he was beet red and his skin nearly raw. "Well. it looks like time for a rinse!" A bucket was picked up. The audience was shown label saying "Vinegar solution". It met with applause. She turned and poured it slowly over the man. He screamed and thrashed in the chair, as the vinegar ran over his raw skin. Some of the cum ran out of his mouth. She saw this and slapped his face, telling him that if it happened again, they would get a bigger bottle and pump it into his stomach. "Understand?" He nodded and began to swallow again. After placing a cock ring around his prick, they began caressing and stroking it, until it was fully extended. His testicles were squeezed into separate portions of the sac. They then placed two rings around the sac, keeping the testicles separate. He squirmed, showing the discomfort. A short chain was attached to each ring. As one woman began to hang weights on the string, the other caressed his cock. Soon, his balls were pulled several inches from his crotch. A tubular frame was brought out and slipped over his cock. The top of the frame was clamped just behind the head of the cock. A string was tied to the head of the frame and draped over a pulley. The two women attached a large weight to the string. You could see the fear on his face. He shook his head no. His pleadings clearly showed on his face. After a time, the weight was dropped. His hips leaped up in response to the pain, causing more pain from his balls. More cum oozed from his mouth and some from his nose. The attendant came over and stared at him. "I told you not to let is leak out. Am I going have do something else?" His head shook no. He began to swallow rapidly. She picked a large butt plug from the table. The widest point was three inches in diameter. She held it in front of him. His eyes widened. "You should find this easy, as we know you aren't a virgin. I would put this up your ass dry, but we don't want to tear it YET. Keep sucking." They covered the butt plug with KY. The audience cheered, as they sprinkled ginger on the greased plug. The man had managed to nearly empty the bottle by now. His stomach was bloated. She saw this and patted his head. She removed the tube, but left the gag in his mouth. One of the attendants lifted his stretched ball sac out of the way, while the other filled his ass with the dildo. With some effort, she got it all the way in to the notch. The other released his balls quickly. The sudden tension and pain caused him to thrash in the chair, causing much more pain than initially from the tension on his balls. As he settled down, the woman kneaded his stomach. "Soon this will be quite large, because what you just drank will swell. In fact, it might swell so much you stomach will burst, that maybe just a wish on your part". The women turned to the audience, "he is now ready for the dungeon. It will be tough carrying this chair down the steps, but we don't think he will mind the bumps, too much." The audience laughed as the woman jiggled the chair and he groaned. "He will be available in the dungeon after the show. And later tonight we will finish the torment. See a hostess if you want admission." With that, they began to push the chair off stage. The chair wobbled as it was rolled, causing the suspended weights to bounce. "Now let's return to our caged star. It looks like she is enjoying herself. She seems to like the bra squeezing her breasts, because she has made her breasts swell some more. This will enhance the effect of the weights, because they have more room to swing and bounce now." "Shall we begin?" A cheer went up. Sarah shuttered. After she had orgasmed from watching the girls show, she had been able to keep her mind off of her restraints enough so that her self-induced torment was mild. But her tits were now squeezed so that the nipple strings sagged almost an inch. The cage was slowly lifted over center stage. The movement paused... The moving caused the weights to tug at her nipples. Then, without warning, it dropped nearly to the stage and stopped abruptly. It stayed there until it quit shaking. Then, the cage was yanked back up to its original height. "That's one," chimed the announcer. The bouncing had Sarah squirming. Her cunt and ass hurt terribly. The dildos were vibrating, giving her some degree of arousal. Her breasts were now swollen, due to more pressure on the bra. It was so tight, they hurt all over and were now turning red. She could feel the ache. Just then, the cage dropped again. Sarah screamed so loud no sound was heard. Sarah wondered if she would survive. She knew she would, but the pain was so terrible. The bra squeezed her breasts more, causing the weights to bounce even more. She was bounced again, only this time she went down and right back up. A pause and then another bounce. "What do you think of her? Doesn't she look cute, bouncing in the cage?" The audience applauded. "Next, we will let her demonstrate a new feature of our stage." Sarah felt the cage move to the side. She wondered where it was going. It soon stopped over what appeared to be a tank. "Below her we have two tanks. One contains ice cold water, and the other hot water. In a moment, we will lower her into them. But which shall we do first?" "Audience, hot or cold." The audience noise was deafening. "Okay I didn't understand that, so who wants hot?" "Yea," hollered the audience. "Who wants cold?" "YEA," came the reply. "Well it looks like cold wins." "Now, slow or fast." "Slow," the audience cried in unison. The caged was slowly lowered over the tank. Sarah felt the cold before it touched the water. The audience was cheering. She gasped when her feet entered the water. Her heart was pounding. She was struggling to breathe. The water seemed like it took forever as it crept up her body. The dildos immediately became cold when they touched the water. Her feet were numb. Her nipples tightened. Her breasts were covered with goosebumps. Shivering had set in. She couldn't feel her legs. Her breasts became numb, and didn't hurt as much. The water reached her mouth. She took a deep breath, but she was scared. Then, she felt the water creep over her head, until she was fully immersed. She could feel her body fading away. The cold began to feel warm. She cried to herself, as she knew that soon she would die. Her mind began to fog over. Then she thought she felt the cage move. Suddenly, it pulled quickly upward, the tug of the water pulling her down tight in her restraints. She was dimly aware of being out of the water. The audience gasped, as they saw her slumped in the cage. The cage began to lower her into the hot water. She screamed, she was slowly lowered into the hot water. The warm water felt boiling hot, greatly increasing the pain sensations of the restraints, as she continued to scream from the burning pain. She was just able to take a deep breath as the warm water covered her face. Even then, she had trouble holding her breath as the pain tormented her body. Her mind clouded, as she tried to hold her breath. She slumped, passing out from the pain and lack of air. The operator, expecting the reaction, quickly pulled her up out of the water before she could inhale any water. The cage was set down at the back of the stage. "Let's have a hand for 'Penelope the Slut'. She managed to last much longer than the two slaves we tested this on earlier." Loud applause filled the room, as the two attendants quickly began the process of removing Sarah from the cage. After releasing the cage restraints, they lifted her onto a wheeled table. They secured her to the table, to keep her limp body from rolling off. While Sarah slept, the main act started. The scene was a ceremony, and started with the group entering a hall. The three female attendants were dressed in red velvet. The tops were a vest, with one button holding it closed. The vest was cut so that it just barely covered their nipples, exposing the bottoms of their tits. Each was wearing a corset, also made from red velvet, with a skirt which consisted of several overlapping panels attached to the bottom of the corset. With each step they made you could see their breasts bounce, and a flash of leg through the opening and closing of the skirt panels. Lastly came the honoree, with her escort, Stephen. She was wearing a white cape that fastened down the front, to just below her hips. The cape tapered back, showing her long legs encased in white thigh highs. On her feet were 6 inch high heels, held in place by a locking arch and ankle strap. The official began by saying "Are we ready to begin?" "Do you, Ann, commit yourself to Stephen, without reservation for the rest of your life?" "Yes." "Do you agree to follow any and all direction he gives you without question?" "Yes." "Do you agree to submit freely to any punishment he deems necessary, for not follow his instructions?" "Yes." "How will you address him?" "As Master, or as he wishes." "Do you, Stephen, agree to assume responsibility in total for Ann's welfare?" "Yes." "Do you agree to render appropriate discipline to her as necessary to guide in her duties to you?" "Yes." "With those answers, Ann is now yours forever. Does Ann have her token for Stephen?" "Yes." The first attendant placed a collar into Ann's hands. She turned and, holding it in her hands, says to Setphen, "Please, Master, take this collar and secure me as yours forever." Stephen took the collar. Ann knelt before Stephen. He slipped the collar around her neck, closing the self-locking clasp. With that, Stephen turned to the attendant and said, "Prepare her." With that, the attendant stepped next to Ann and unbuttoned her cape. Sliding it off her shoulders, she left Ann in nothing but a corset, stockings and heels. The corset came to just under her large breasts. A pair of straps went from the corset top around each breast, and then joined above then went over her shoulders. The straps squeezed the breasts at the base a bit, making them swell. To each of the straps was fastened a ring that surrounded the areola, forcing it into an erect cone, supporting the enlarged nipple. The attendant pulled Ann's arms behind her, binding her wrists to the strap below the waist of the corset. A second strap pulled each elbow tight to the back of the corset. This forced Ann's shoulders back, pushing her breasts deeper into the restraining ring. She clipped a leash to the collar and handed it to Stephen. "Ann, your first duty is to thank this gentleman for presiding at this ceremony. So present yourself to him, and ask what you can do for him, in thanks of his presiding here." "Kind sir, what may I do for you, to thank you for presiding at the ceremony?" "You may do two things to thank me today. One, your beauty and attributes have caused me to become quite aroused, so you may relieve that with your mouth now." He stepped forward and quickly slid his rod into her waiting mouth. She immediately began to suck and lick his cock. He looked at Stephen and said, "She is well trained and doing an excellent job. I envy you. For the second part of the thanks, Ann, you can give me your second attendant, to be my handmaiden the rest of the day." Ann hesitated in her sucking, and then continued at a faster pace. "I will have someone stand in her place, while she is mine. This way, her escort will not suffer." He began to breathe rapidly, as his explosion of cum neared. He reached down, grasping Ann's head, pulling it forward and forcing his cock down her throat. The twitching of her throat muscles pushed him over the edge, and he blasted his cum down her throat. He held her head still, with his cock driven deep in her throat, until his orgasm was complete and his cock began to shrink. As he pulled out, Ann took a deep breath. Ann said, "Thank you, sir, for letting me serve you. I trust you will enjoy the company of the second attendant the rest of today. If not, I'm sure Stephen will arrange to make amends." "You did very well. Stephen has acquired a fine lass with you." Stephen motioned for her to stand. Once she did, he turned her to the audience and announced, "May I present my newest handmaiden, Ann" The room greeted her with a round of applause. Stephen led her over toward a small bench with her leash. Pointing down, she knelt on the pillows. Stephen pulled her forward until her shoulders laid on the bench, leaving her as if she was on her hands and knees, however her hands were still secured behind her back. Two clips attached to her collar, holding her head and shoulders in place. Stephen told the two attendants to suck her nipples until they were fully extended. The two scampered to Ann, and began sucking her nipples. Once they were fully extended, Stephen handed them each a nipple clamp to attach to each nipple. The clamps were a spring-loaded set of six jaws attached to a sleeve. The sleeve slid over the nipple and clamped it. Then the six needle-faced jaws were released against the areola. Pulling on the clamp pressed the jaws tighter against the breast. Ann groaned, as the clamps were released. A bell was then attached to each clamp. Stephen stepped behind Ann and began to caress her ass. An attendant brought over a butt plug to him. It was short, but quite large in diameter. He placed it at her rosebud and told her to relax. He slid it into the notch locking it in place. The external part spread her cheeks slightly. Two straps were fastened to her ankles, fed up through the ring in the butt plug, and then fastened to her hair, pulling her head up. Stephen stepped back, and rotated the platform so the audience could see the extent of her bondage. Stephen stepped behind her and placed his cock a the entrance to her cunt. He wet it by sliding it back and forth in her plentiful juices. With the head wet, he quickly pressed it deep into her pussy. She screamed when the large cockhead rammed through the mouth of her cunt. This turned into a moan, as the large cock slid deep into her channel. It seemed so much bigger in her cunt than when she sucked him off before. Once fully embedded, he began to pump her cunt with full forceful strokes, causing the bells to ring, as they swung back and forth to his rhythms. Soon, he filled her channel with hot cum, which oozed out of her around his cock. He told one attendant to clean his cock and the other to clean Ann. One attendant slid a tube into Ann's cunt, and drained her cum into a bottle. Stephen called the two escorts over, and told them they could fuck Ann or let her suck them off. They shifted their costumes to let their cocks out, and quickly took advantage of Ann's mouth and cunt. After each time Ann's cunt was filled, an attendant would drain the mixed cum into the bottle. Once the two escorts had finished, Stephen invited ten couples to come up, to quickly relieve their arousal by using Ann. The women guests desired to fuck Ann were supplied with a special strap-on cock that fit their cunts, as well as being a big cock to fuck Ann. When the user orgasmed, it shot hot fluid into both cunts, to magnify the orgasm. Once the couples had finished with Ann, Stephen released Ann from the bench and bindings. She slowly stood. Her nipples stood out very far in front of her breasts, like two red lights. The attendant released her arms from the bindings. She turned to Stephen and hugged him tightly. Then, turning to the audience, she bowed, along with Stephen and the other performers. The audience gave the players a big hand and a rousing cheer. Sarah did not recover until very near the end of the act. She stirred on the table, but, feeling the restraints, just laid back. Seeing the movement, the attendants came over and released her. "We restrained you to keep you from failing off. Now you need to get up." Sarah slowly stood. The strings still hung from her nipples and clit, with the weights attached. Liz came out and clipped the leash to her collar. "Come, you still have bit to do." With Liz leading her to the center of the stage, Sarah walked unsteadily. Each step caused the weights to bounce, pulling on her nipples and clit. The audience slowly quieted. "Remember her." The audience cheered. "Since she did the opening, she will now do the closing. But before we begin, lets remove these weights." Liz called an attendant to come remove the strings from Sarah's swollen nipples and clit. The attendant slowly removed the clamp from each nipple, carefully watching Sarah tear up from the pain caused by the release. To Sarah, it seemed as if a thousand needles were stabbing her sensitive nipples. The pain escalated greatly, as the attendant then gently rubbed each nipple. Sarah was tempted to pull back to relieve the pain, but the gentleness of the caress kept her still. They released the halter, squeezing her tits. The fresh flow of blood caused them feel as if a thousand needles had bee stuck in them. Then the attendant removed the clit clamp, the suddenly increased blood flow caused it to scream in pain. The intensity caused Sarah's knee's to sag. The attendant leaned against her to keep her from falling, but also lightly caressed her clit, causing a mixture of arousal and pain. The attendant continued her caresses for a few moments, and then quit. The pain had subsided, but Sarah's aroused odor was quite pronounced. Liz thanked the attendant for her assistance. Liz asked, "Would the couple who has her bra cups come on stage?" "Now for collecting her bra, you two have a choice, but you must do it together. You can either fuck her or enjoy her oral talents or a combination. The only restriction is, it must be done now on stage." The couple looked at one another, then the woman said, "We want her lick me to an orgasm while he fucks her. Can we have a low short bench?" An attendant brought one out. Sarah was told to lie on it. The woman lifted up her dress, and lowered her cunt onto Sarah's mouth. She opened her friend's pants and pulled out his cock. She licked the head, for that was all she could get in her mouth, and then tugged it toward Sarah's cunt. She rubbed it slowly up and down her very wet cunt, then placed it at the mouth. She nodded and the man pushed forward, slowly forcing her cunt open to receive him. Everyone could hear Sarah groaning, and saw her spreading her legs wider in an attempt to ease the way in for the cock. Soon, he was half-way in and paused. The heat and tightness of Sarah's cunt had him close to cumming, already. He reached over and opened the blouse of his friend, sliding it back to bare her breasts. He began to knead her breasts and pull on the nipple rings. His friend moaned. Sarah's cunt had loosened a bit, so he pushed the rest of his 10 inches fully into her cunt. As soon as their pelvic bones touched, he began to pump her cunt with his cock. He knew that it was too hot and tight for him to last long. He leaned forward to suck on one of the breasts in front of him, greatly increasing her arousal. The woman's cunt was so tight around Sarah's mouth, she was having trouble breathing and swallowing all of the juice. The pounding in her cunt was another distraction. Soon, the man and woman tensed. Sarah felt the cum squirting in to her womb, and then the woman flooded her face and mouth with cum. Sarah's cunt clamped down on the man's cock, as she began to suffocate. The man realized what was happening, and pulled his friend toward him, breaking the seal on Sarah's face. Sarah gasped for breath. The couple recovered from their orgasm, and lifted off of Sarah. The couple both bent down and kissed Sarah to thank her for the attention and show. Sarah slowly got to her feet. The heels were making it really difficult to stand, with her knees so weak. The audience applauded as the couple left the stage. Liz asked for the couple who had her thong to come up on stage. Another couple came up. Sarah almost gasped. It was her housemate, Joe, with another woman. "What is your choice?" "We would like to both fuck her. He will fuck her face and I'll fuck her cunt." Liz looked at her and asked, "How will you do that?" "Like this." She unbuttoned her dress, and between her legs was a good-sized cock to go with her large breasts. You gasp. She(?) turns to Sarah and tells her to kneel on the bench. "Joe, take your cock out, so she can suck it. Now don't forget to use her mouth like a pussy, and shove your cock down her throat like I showed you." She placed her cock at Sarah's cunt entrance and slamed it in, driving her forward, forcing the other cock into her mouth and down her throat. She gagged and choked. "Keep on fucking her face, she'll figure out how to breathe". Joe turned red. The two fuck Sarah hard from both ends. The woman soon came deep in Sarah's cunt, filling it some more. Joe, fucking her mouth, pushed his cock into her throat and cums. The couple straightened themselves up and left the stage. Liz asked the audience how they liked Sarah's show. The audience loudly applauded and hollered. "Should she be whipped?" Sarah tensed. "No" chimed the audience. "She's that good?" "Yes," came the loud reply. Sarah made an impromptu bow, then leaned back, pulling her cunt open, and with two fingers, slid her hand under her cunt, squeezing her vaginal muscles and pushing cum into her hand. She took it and rubbed it all over her breasts, to the wild applause of the audience. She did it several times, until Liz pulled at her leash to lead her off stage. The audience was so loud you couldn't hear anything. As they started off stage, Ann came over and said, "You wanted this", as she handed Liz the bottle of cum. "Oh, I almost forgot." She turned and pulled Sarah back out on stage. The audience went wild, seeing Sarah. Liz said to the audience, "Ann saved a cocktail for Sarah. Do you want to watch her drink it," as she held up the bottle of mixed cum, "Yea!" Hollered the audience. Liz handed Sarah the bottle and said, "Drink up". Sarah hesitated, as she wondered how she could make this work for her. Sarah took the bottle. She asked Liz to get a feeding tube cap for the bottle. While waiting for Liz, she walked over to the rail-mounted cock. She leaned down and sucked the dildo, making eyes at the audience. She then stepped over the rail, and began to rub the soft rubber cock through her slit while she caressed her nipples. Liz came back with the bottle and feeding tube. "Since you wanted to put on a show, it should be a challenge. You have to drink it all without spilling a drop, while fucking yourself on the dildo you chose. Enjoy. Also, this won't stop until the bottle is empty." Sarah took the tube in her mouth, as Liz hung it above her. The creamy mixed cum began to flow into her mouth. She eased up and let the cock slide into her cunt. She slid down, until her bottom touched the seat. The seat tilted forward, forcing her to place her hands on the bar in front to steady herself. As soon as she did, two straps automatically secured her legs to the seat and trapped her hands to the handle. Sarah almost choked from the shock and her mouth was full of cum. She realized she was royally fucked, in more ways than one. She quickly realized she needed to drink all the cum as quickly as possible before anything else happened. She started sucking on the feeding tube. The audience was very quiet. Sarah was rapidly trying to drain as much out of the bottle as she could. Then the horse started to move. It rocked back and forth like a real horse. This caused her cunt to slide back and forth on the seat and cock, rubbing and squeezing her clit. She could feel the arousal build, but she felt she needed to drink faster to reduce the pressure of the cum in her mouth. Then, the mechanical horse started to trot faster, causing her to bounce up and down. To steady herself, she gripped the handle tighter. The cock seemed to grow larger and deeper inside of her. She realized that she was doing that, by alternately pressing on the handle. She tried to maintain her balance without any pressure on the handle, while still trying to drink the cum. The speed picked up. Then, the cock started thrusting up and down. She kept reminding her self, even with the arousal, that she needed to keep drinking. Soon, the bottle was empty, resulting the the artificial cock spraying the inside of her cunt with hot fluid. Her orgasm went off with a bang. She slumped down on the horse as it stopped, as two attendants rushed out to keep her from falling with the dildo embedded in her cunt. They lowered the dildo and removed the feeding tube from her clenched teeth. She slowly began to come around, as the attendants lifted her off of the horse and helped her stand. The audience applauded, as she stood their slumped between the attendants. Liz said, "Have you ever seen a ride like that?" "No," they responded. "Should we rename it as Penelope's ride?" "Yea," they shouted. "Well, I don't think she is up to doing anything else for you this evening." With that, Liz took Sarah's leash and led her backstage, while the two attendants helped her walk unsteadily in her heels. Sarah slowly became aware of the two attendants supporting her. Liz was quietly talking to a man about the show. Sarah heard him ask that Sarah come to the actor's reception for a while. Liz wasn't enthused, but the man insisted, as the audience expected it. "If she has to do it, this is how I want to do it." "What's going on?" ------- Chapter 3 "Well, you were so good, the manager insisted that you attend the performer's reception, and you will. I know you are tired, but its arranged so you can lie down and rest the whole time... Well, kind of rest." "You asked me to perform, and based on the response I did it well. I always try to do my best. As I said before, you have the wrong person, but I don't think I can change that view at this time. You and Frank have the wrong person, and I can't buy my way out of this because I don't have the money to do it, which creates quite a dilemma for me." Ignoring her comments, Liz said, "First, we need to make some changes to your attire." She told the two attendants to stay with Sarah while she got some things. Returning, the attendant laid them on the table. "Bend over and hold you ankles." As soon as she grasped her ankles Sarah felt something cold press against her asshole, forcing its way inside, and moaned in discomfort. "You should thank me rather than complain, as that will keep someone from fucking your ass." said Liz. A narrow leather strap was laid on Sarah's back and attached to the collar. The two attendants slipped a leather halter with partial cups over her dangling tits and fastened it behind her back, over the back strap. Then, the base of each cup was tightened squeezing her breasts, which forced her breasts outward and made them swell slightly. "Now stand up." Now her breasts ached as they were squeezed by the leather sleeve so they thrust out from her chest. The other attendant put a pair of mitten-style gloves on Sarah's hands, locking them around her wrist. Her arms were pulled behind her, and the wrists clipped to the strap hanging from the collar. Then the back strap was then clipped to the butt plug. "Now for the last item " Liz pickup a clear rubber gag. "Open your mouth wide." Liz slipped the gag into Sarah's mouth. The rubber slipped over her teeth, encasing them and holding her mouth slightly open. A strap fastened the strap behind her head, but it was not really necessary as Sarah's teeth and gums held the gag in place. "Come with me," Liz said as she pulled on Sarah's leash. The two attendants steadied her as she followed Liz. As Sarah walked, she felt something tickling her legs and ass. Glancing in a mirror they passed, she gasped, as she saw a tail hanging from the dildo in her ass. It appeared to start at her tail bone and flow down over her ass to just below her knees. It looked almost like a pony tail. As she was walked, she could feel butt plug move with each step and movement of her arms. They entered a small room, where several of the actors were milling around. Liz told the two attendants to get a set of nipple cups and a canvas swing for Sarah. Sarah stood there, anxiously waiting to see what Liz was up to. Soon the attendants were back. "Sarah, while we are here we need to put these on your nipples so your nipples and areola continue to develop their new enhanced shape." She cupped and squeezed your breast so the nipple swelled outward and into the cup she was holding. Sarah could feel the cup tighten on her nipple and pull somewhat, while the cup pressed against her breast. It felt strange but not uncomfortable. She was amazed that there was no pain associated with the cup, as everything else that was done resulted in some pain. Once both cups were on your breasts, Liz told Sarah to sit in the chair. When she did, Sarah's ass cheeks were held by two canvas cups, somewhat pulling her ass cheeks apart and making her feel more exposed. She lay back without being told, since she found that it was much more comfortable lying back. As soon as she laid back, the attendants picked up her legs by the ankles and fastened them to the arms of the chair. Her knees were then fastened to the arms. A strap is placed over each shoulder, holding her in place on the chair. The chair arms were spread wider, pulling her legs further apart. Sarah realized that her cunt was gapping open, since her legs were spread this way. And it was wet... So wet she could feel the juice running down her ass collecting around the butt plug. One of the attendants stood close to the chair. A man came up and complimented Sarah on her performance, as it he thought it was the best they had had in some time. He talked and caressed her as he slid his cock into her cunt. The whole time he fucked her he caressed her, but never enough for her to cum. He soon flooded her cunt with his cum and then pulled out leaving her cunt gaping open. As soon as he stepped back, the attendant quickly slid a tube up her cunt to extract most of the cum. She placed the tube in the opening of the gag and told Sarah to suck. She did and the cum flowed into her mouth. Liz came back with another woman. The two stood looking at Sarah lying there in the chair. "Liz," the woman said, "we would sure like to use her to demonstrate the new bitch bench. It would help us a whole lot, and should help you get your point across to her. She is a nice looking piece. Once you get her to submit to your commands she should make a good bitch for the videos and live sex shows you have planned for her." "Well that may take some time, as another has a prior interest in her, and I won't cross him. Jackie, why don't you take the attendant and get this new gadget. I'm sure some of the members would like to see it used." Jackie turned and left with the attendant. Liz looked at Sarah and smiled. "You should like this new bench." Soon, the two were back with a bench-like affair. One attendant began to release the restraints holding Sarah in the seat. By the time she was done, Jackie had the bench ready for Sarah. Jackie told Sarah to kneel at the end of the bench. Once Sarah was in position, Jackie raised the seat in front of her. Almost immediately a crowd gathered around to watch. Jackie told the attendant to remove the breast restraint, as the bench seat included one. With the bra removed, they pushed Sarah's chest against the seat, sliding her breasts through two round holes. A stiff elastic strap was attached to the seat and pulled behind her back fastening to the other side so as to hold her chest tight against the pad. Then the two rings around her breast inflated to squeeze them away from her chest, which caused them to balloon slightly. A strap was passed over each shoulder, pulling them tight to the bench. The back strap was loosened slightly, which let her breathe more easily. Jackie turned to the group and said, "The back strap can be tightened to make it difficult for the person to breathe, or it can be removed entirely. Notice the rubber rings around her breasts. Each one has four air chambers that can be individually controlled. As they each expand, they will squeeze her breasts, causing them to swell and pull away from her chest. Each one has a pressure limit switch and timer to prevent permanent damage to the breast. Excessive use will cause the breasts to stretch and sag. The rings also can be equipped with electrodes, to cause muscle stimulation or pain, if set high enough. We will set her's to cause muscle contraction as this will strengthen her shoulder and chest muscles. Her sponsor wants her enlarged breasts to ride high on her chest. This is accomplished by the treatments she received, then strengthening the muscles in order to support her larger breasts. These pads across her back and shoulders will aid in developing the additional muscle mass she needs." She then knelt down in front of Sarah, and she pulled the hood back to expose Sarah's clit. "Her clit is being enlarged as well. This can be assisted by this device." She slipped a clamp over Sarah's clit and closed it. Sarah moaned. as she felt her clit squeezed. Then she felt a tugging sensation. She couldn't see what Jackie had done, but at least it wasn't painful. "The short string attached to the clit clamp is elastic, so with this weight hanging from it, each time she moves it will be gently tugged. This gentle pull will cause it to lengthen. It can be worn at other times as well. However, it should not be attached for more than 4 hours at a time and should be left off for an equal amount of time." Jackie pulled the bench seat down into the horizontal position, forcing Sarah to bend at the hips. She could see her tits hanging down. They seemed to be larger. She felt the rings swell, squeezing them, causing her tits to distend more. The cup on her clit rhythmically tugged, causing constant awareness of it. She could feel the muscles in her back and shoulders twitch in response to the stimulation. Sarah raised her head to look around. As she did, Jackie fastened her head in that position. "This position will make her mouth available while she is held on the bench. The height can be adjusted to put the mouth in more convenient positions. We can raise her shoulders higher to position her mouth for sucking cock or face fucking. or we can lower them a bit, to put her mouth in a convenient orientation to lick cunts or suck a cock when the person is seated. For extended restraint, feeding and watering nozzles are available, such as these. Tonight, we will use them to feed her the cum and pussy juice from her cunt." Jackie stepped behind her. "Now, as you can see, her ass is just the right height for fucking, as is her cunt." Sarah felt her knees being spread and her hips raised.In this position, Sarah could feel her cunt gap open. "Only her cunt will be available for the rest of the reception. To keep her fully ready for fucking we will use this. Jackie swung a warm rod around, placing it between her cunt lips covering the mouth of her cunt." As Jackie stepped back, the rod began to softly vibrate. "When any of you want to fuck her, just rotate the rod to the side, as she will be hot and wet for you. The attendant will replace it for you, after she has emptied her cunt of the cum." Jackie told Liz that they had been using these restraint benches in her kennels, and the dogs really liked them. It kept the bitches in place and always available. "In the kennel, their asses and mouths are available to the dogs as well. If the woman is lactating, we lower her tits so that the puppies can nurse from them. We left several troublesome bitches restrained to the bench for a week. After that, they were quite willing to do anything that was asked of them. If you want, we can bring my two Great Danes up at the end of the reception. I'm sure this new bitch will like it, and I know the attendees will enjoy the view." Sarah shivered in fear. She could feel the muscles in her back and breasts twitching from the stimulation. Turning to Liz, Jackie stated, "We can go off and enjoy ourselves, while she services the attendees." She placed a stool in front of Sarah. and the two of them walked off, while the attendant remained at her side. Sarah looked around with her eyes. She felt the rod move from her cunt, after which a large object forced its way inside. It felt like a cock, but she couldn't see it. It was warm, so it must have been a cock. It thrust deeply into her cunt to press at her cervix. It thrust rapidly back and forth. Each stroke caused a tug on her clit. The thrusts sped up, and soon she felt hot liquid spraying deep in her cunt. As soon as it pulled out, the attendant drained the cum out into a bottle and then placed the rod back in place. Soon another cock slid into her cunt, and quickly took its pleasure then sprayed hot cum into her. Immediately the attendant drained the cum, preparing her for the next cock. Several fucked her mouth and throat, while her cunt was being repeatedly used to deposit cum. Several women came over to have her clean their cunts with her tongue. Joe and his date came over and examined the way Sarah was bound to the bench. He said, "I sure would like to get the girl I live with into one of these. She is one hot fuck, but not nearly as submissive enough. With one of these, I could take that uppity streak out of her." "Why don't you bring her to a party at my house? After a while, I'm sure we could persuade her to see my sex room." "Good idea. She would be a fabulous centerpiece at a party, bound to one of those." He chuckled as they walked off. Sarah was pissed at the way Joe was talking about her. She was pissed at herself for misjudging his intentions. Her arousal caused her to loose her train of thought. Sarah was almost crazy with the constant arousal, to the point that she was constantly moaning but couldn't quite cum. Her breathing was so labored she was light-headed. Jackie came over and complimented Sarah on her performance. "Most sluts would have collapsed by now. I can arrange for you to finally complete your orgasm." Sarah looked at her with pleading eyes. Sarah nodded her head yes. Soon Jackie was back, leading a Great Dane. She led the dog up to Sarah's cunt and said, "Lick!." The dog started licking Sarah's cunt. She almost started to orgasm as soon as he began licking. She was ashamed of what she had agreed to, but her lust was overwhelming any resistance. The animal licked for a while, giving her continuous small orgasms, each one adding a little to the intensity of the next. Then, he began pushing his tongue deep into her cunt. The rough texture of the tongue added to her arousal. She kept trying to push her hips back to add to the feeling. She felt the dog begin to lick her open cunt again. His tongue licked her clit and probe her cunt, seeking the sweet liquid. Periodically, he would lick the pussy juice running down the inside of her thigh. She suddenly realized this was how the woman she had watched in the dungeon felt. She shivered in anticipation. In front of her was a large cock, wet with cum. It pushed into her mouth, through the gag over her tongue, and down her throat. She could just barely breathe. The cock pulled back and she gasped for breathe. The cock began the piston back and forth in her mouth, as the person began to fuck her face. Sarah heard Jackie say "Mount!". Suddenly, she felt hair on her ass and back. She could feel his cock rubbing around her cunt. Then a hand. The dog humped a bit and the cock slid part-way into her cunt. He humped again, after which the dog's cock slid deeply into her cunt. He was as big as the saddle dildo. He started humping her in earnest. She felt the shaft of his cock swell and begin pressing at the lips of her cunt. Each thrust pressed them further apart. Then his knot slipped through the mouth of her cunt, filling her fuller than she ever felt. Once fully in, the dog began to take short rapid strokes. The thrusting of the dog continued to build her arousal to the breaking point. The dog's cock was feeling hotter and hotter, almost like a hot poker. He jammed forward and sprayed her cunt full of hot cum. It was like a firecracker going off in her head, brighter than the sun. She passed out. When she awoke, she felt a tongue lapping at her cunt. She could feel the cum leaking out. The attendant placed a bowl under the clit string, to catch the cum. She could tell it was a dog from the feel of the whiskers. She felt her breasts being squeezed more tightly. Jackie said, "Mount," and the licking stopped. She then felt another cock slide into her dripping cunt. As it rammed forward, it squeezed the cum from her. Great streams of it flowed into the bowl. A crowd had gathered to watch and cheer. The embarrassment took the edge off of her arousal for a while. But the constant thrusting in her cunt soon caused her arousal to climb again. Some time later she awoke. Everyone had left except for Liz, Jackie and one of the attendants. The gag was taken out of her mouth. "Here, this should help your thirst a bit", she said, as she pushed the feeding nozzle into Sarah's mouth. "Just suck on it like a cock. and swallow." As she said that. the cum cocktail began to fill Sarah's mouth. She quickly started swallowing and then sucking to keep from drowning. as the nozzle fit tight against her lips. preventing any of it escaping. Soon, the seed stopped flowing into her mouth. "Very good," said Jackie, as she caressed Sarah's cheek. Turning to Liz, Jackie said, "If you want, we can have the attendant fist her before we let her up. After the two dogs, and the other 15 fucks she's had, she should be loose enough to do it." "No, we don't have enough time. If we had more time though, I would be quite agreeable to it. Could we plan on letting her experience your kennel sometime in the future?" "Sure. Too bad we don't have time for the fisting, as it is an experience she would long remember. Based on the way the two dogs acted, they would like having her to themselves for a while. We could set up the cameras, and maybe make a film, as well." Sarah shivered at the comments from those too. She worried that it might come true. The attendant loosened the straps, then raised the bench so Sarah could be released. Her breasts ached when they were released from the collar and tingled as blood flow increased into them. She felt clammy and somewhat chilled. She shivered. The attendant asked her if she needed something to drink. Sarah nodded. The attendant helped her stand up so she could drink some Gator-aid. As she stood, she was again reminded of the dildo in her ass and the weighted string hanging from her clit. As she drank the Gator-aid, she immediately felt an increase in energy, as the drink helped replenish her fluids, but she still felt a bit dizzy. Eventually, that slowly passed. "Are you ready to go back to your room?" "In a minute. I still feel dizzy. Where is Liz?" "She asked me to take you back to your room. She said she would see you later." "Okay, let's try it." Sarah slowly stood. She was now barefoot, but the cups were still tugging on her nipples and clit. She could now see the attachment to her clit, and the small weight hanging from it. Her clit was quite swollen and red. Looking down, see could see the clamp holding her clit outside of its hood. The lips of her cunt were swollen a bright pink. Her arms were still fastened by the wrist cuffs to the back strap. She was led off out of the room by the leash. She could feel the hair on the butt plug caress her legs as she walked. The flexing of her arms as she walked caused the butt plug to move with each step, reminding her of its presence. She could feel her sensitive cunt lips rubbing together as she walked. Her cunt continued to leak a trail of cum down her leg. Her inflamed breasts ached from the constriction caused by the rings that had tightly squeezed them while she was on the bench. They had been stretched so much that they now sagged on her chest, and rolled back and forth like bags of liquid with each step. Her feet hurt while she walked barefoot. If she had not been so tired from all of the forced sex, she would have been very depressed over the seeing the effects of her abuse. Entering the room she was in earlier, Sarah asked, "What now?" "Get cleaned up. Either I or another attendant will bring you some food later," said the attendant, as she released Sarah's wrists. Then, she took off the back strap and partial mask. With her hands now free, Sarah carefully reached up and gently rubbed her breasts, trying to soothe their discomfort. As she did this she didn't notice the attendant leave until the door closed. Sarah went to take her shower. The warm water felt good coursing over her body. The water running down the string attached to her clit caused a rhythmic tug on her clit, as the water dripped. Looking down between her sagging breasts, she could see the clamp squeezing her clit. She reached down and slowly took the clamp between her fingers, being careful not to pull on it. Slowly squeezing the clamp, her clit slipped out of its jaws. The release and inrush of blood caused it to swell and become very red. The nerves screamed in pain, nearly causing her knees to buckle in the shower. Soon the pain subsided. She started to remove the nipple cups, but couldn't determine how to release them. She could tell that her nipples were stretched, but it wasn't uncomfortable. She pulled on the butt plug to see if she could remove it, but as she pulled, she felt a sharp pain and let go of it. She washed off, but took her time to gently rub the sore spots caused by her restraints. After drying off, she looked around for something to wear, but didn't find anything. Just then, the door opened and an attendant brought her the food she was promised, setting it on the table. As soon as she smelled the food, she realized how hungry she was. She went to sit down, and realized the chair was strange, as it didn't have a full seat. As she sat down, she realized why. It let her sit with the butt plug and tail still in her ass. She quickly finished the meal, as she thought about all the things that happened to her since she has been here. She was surprised at the lack of resistance she exhibited, but she also realized that the most likely way to survive this experience was to comply as much as she could. It surprised her how quickly she adapted to the strip-show and gave the performance she did. She had always enjoyed the interaction with the crowd. She was sad that Joe turned out to be such an asshole. She felt that she had deceived herself about their relationship. Based on his comments, all he wanted was something to fuck when he felt like it. She saw no point in him staying in her house any longer, as the relationship was dead. That realization brought her a sense of relief, which surprised her, as she didn't realize the burden it had become. She was very glad she had never agreed to go along with his suggestions to try bondage games. It scared her now to think about what might have happened. With a full stomach after all that exercise, she began to feel tired. She went over to the bed and laid down on her side, naked. She was soon asleep. The sedative in the food worked quickly to place her in a very deep sleep. While she slept, Liz returned, and with the help of an attendant, prepared Sarah for her trip home. The collar, the nipple cups and butt plug were removed. Liz then took a syringe, and gave Sarah an injection into her ass cheek, and then placed a second shot in her arm. "There, that sedative should keep her sleeping several hours". They lifted her on to a cart, to take her out to the van. Together, they rolled her into the back of the van. The attendant asked, "How will you get her out?" "I will give her another shot, which will let her wake enough to follow directions". Sarah awoke. She was lying in her own bed, naked. Looking around, the clock said it was 11 AM. Looking down, she could see the red stretch marks on her breasts from the restraints. Her nipples were quite red and distended, far more than she could ever remember. She lightly slid her hands over her breasts. She jumped in pain as she touched her nipples, since they were very sore to the touch. She slowly got up. Her body complained of its mistreatment. As she slowly walked to the bathroom, she had to spread her legs so she didn't put pressure on her cunt. She noticed that even her feet hurt. Her image in the mirror shocked her. Her pubic hair was gone, making her fuller cunt lips quite visible. She gasped at how large they were while standing there, even with her slightly spread. Their fullness caused them to push out in front a bit. As she walked over to the mirror, she could feel them rubbing together and aching. In front of the mirror, she spread her legs a bit. As she did, the lips drooped down into slender folds of skin. She could even see her inner lips, just showing between the slender folds of her labia. With her fingers, she spread her lips a bit more, and inner cunt lips dropped down as the outer lips opened lightly. She lightly touched them, causing a shiver to run through her, and they instantly moistened. Then, she noticed her clit peaking out of its hood. It was very red. She quickly found that it was painful to touch. "I need to take a shower". Turning toward the shower, she saw her profile in the mirror. She noticed her breasts now had an appreciable sag, although they didn't seem to sag this much as yesterday. She didn't feel obsessed with her looks, but was comfortable with the fact that she looked attractive. Sarah said, "Oh my, what have they done to me," as she lifted each breast in her hands. The caressed felt good and caused the nipples to enlarge a bit. The warm shower also felt good, and it seemed restore her energy. After she showered, she went to the kitchen to find something to eat, and to figure out what day it was. The Sunday paper was lying on the kitchen table, along with two envelopes. One was from Joe. First, he berated her for standing him up for the company party, and then thanked her for sending a friend over to escort him to the party, though, according to Joe, she should have been there as she had promised. At the party, he learned that he was to travel for the next two weeks and had to leave late Saturday, thus this note. Sarah laid the note down puzzled. What a lying sack of shit. He was probably off with that woman. Who was the girl... the one I saw him with? She slowly opened the second envelope. ------- Sarah, You need to read this carefully. The writing will disappear in a few minutes. and the paper will turn to dust. Frank wants his money and is asking you to send him the account numbers and passwords to the secret bank accounts you set up. There is a number programmed into your cell phone for this. It has Frank's name on it. Just follow the voice prompts when you call. You have a limited time to do this. The sooner you do this. the less painful it will be for you. I am not sure why Frank is coddling you, as the last person who did anything remotely like this ended up starring in dungeon torture films so I'm told. You received a couple of remembrances of this weekend. But first, the owners of the show were very pleased with your performance. They would like you to come back soon, and perhaps be a part of the permanent cast. Jackie is also interested in filming you in her kennels, and perhaps putting you to work in her shows, co-starring with the dogs as their two legged bitch. She showed me several scripts. You would be perfect for them. In case your interested, the guy in the chair had gotten over-enthused in a dungeon scene and killed a man and gravely injured a pregnant woman. Several hours after you saw him, his testicles were crushed, severed, and then feed to him raw. His penis was severed at its base. He was taken to the clinic to recover and have some other changes made, to make him more acceptable to the dungeon mistress. He is now a she, with very big tits and a very long tongue, so long 'she' will have trouble talking and eating; but she won't need to talk in the dungeons. The master and mistresses will find many ways to painfully use her. Oh, a bit more on your remembrances. You probably noticed you nipples are even more prominent as are your areola. They will grow a bit more in length while the areola swell to become a small mound on the front of your larger breasts. In fact, if I get another chance, they will become extremely pronounced. This will make them very good for suckling milk from. Your breasts sag a bit now from being stretched, but they should tighten up a bit in a week or so. You will probably need a larger bra, probably a E cup. That is, if you can wear one, as your nipples are far more sensitive. Your cunt lips look great. If I had known how good they would look, we could have made them a bit bigger. Maybe next time. Your clit is larger and much more sensitive. So you might want to change the way you dress, as any rough covering will irritate it. It will grow a bit more. Now I hope you enjoy your changes. Pay Frank or I will see you again, soon, though I prefer the later. Hmm... maybe Frank will let me buy you when he gets tired of you. If you're not in too bad of shape by then, you would look great in porno films. See ya. ------- Sarah began to cry. She laid her head down on the table and sobbed. As she sobbed, the print faded on the paper. She didn't know what to do. A few minutes later, she looked up to reread the note and the paper was blank. Then it slowly shriveled and turned to dust. The hopelessness of her predicament overwhelmed her. As she fixed lunch, she was in constant turmoil over who to ask for assistance. Every thought turned into a dead end. ------- Chapter 4 Sarah awoke Monday morning just before the alarm. Her mind was still in a quandary over Frank's demands. She was beginning to realize the only way to solve this was to find the real person they were seeking. Where to start? After showering and lightly putting on her makeup, she began to dress for work. Slipping on her thong, she felt it press against her clit. She tried to continue dressing, but every move she made caused the cloth to rub her clit. It was still a bit sore, but after only a few minutes she was wet, so wet she could smell her arousal. She quickly slid the thong off. Looking at the clock, she realized it was getting close to the time she had to leave, since she had to open the office. She quickly decided to not wear the thong and to wear thigh-highs. Her bra was a little tight which caused her nipples to thicken. She finished her outfit off with a sweater and long pleated satin skirt. She put on her usual shoes, but they hurt. Surprisingly, she tried low heels and they felt better. Looking in the mirror, she was surprised at how the little changes she had made improved her appearance. Even though she had the highest sales in the office, maybe dressing a bit nicer would help too. She then realized why she hadn't dressed this way before. The office manager wanted some considerations from her to improve her position. Her sales success didn't give him much leverage, but he still tried. Sarah arrived at the office right on time to open up. As she was going through her messages from this weekend, the sales manager arrived. He commented on her dress, and told her he wanted to talk to her later. Late in the morning, he called her into his office. He chewed her out for taking off the three day weekend, even though her co-agent had covered for her. In his estimate, her being gone had cost them some sales, and he wasn't going to put up with her not pulling her share, even though she was turning an excellent sales volume. However, he could be more lenient if she granted him some favors. Sarah confronted him directly, asking him to be more explicit, as she wasn't sure what he meant, but if he was indicating sex, she would not put out for him, and, if it came down to that, she would leave. "Look, if you want to discuss sex, we can do that at my place." And slid a card over to her. "Just call me before you come and I expect you to call. As for the other, you can leave any time you want or I can fire you. If you leave, I get the word out that you can't be trusted. In that case, no real estate office will hire you, nor even work with you. In addition to that, I will indicate you are also a brazen slut." Sarah started to tear up, but just said, "Let me think about it". She got up and left his office. He was a nice-looking guy, but such an asshole. Maybe she could stall him for a while. "Why all these problems now"? Her co-agent had come into the office. "Sarah, what's wrong?" Sarah responded by apologizing for leaving her on her own over the weekend, and promised to make it up to her. "How about this weekend? My boy friend wants to go to the mountains and spend the weekend in his cabin." "That sounds nice, and I don't see why I can't cover all of our clients. Let's go to the conference room and review our client list. The office manager now wants to know when we are taking several days off." "Interesting. He was a bit upset when you weren't here. He is an interesting person." "Yes. Interesting." Sarah left the office at 5 PM. A sudden puff of wind reminded her she wasn't wearing a thong. The wind swirling under her skirt felt good. She stopped at the mall, to look for some clothes and undergarments. She was surprised at how much better a larger bra felt. She left with several silk bras and matching thongs. To that, she added a couple of full skirts, with blouses and sweaters to match. On the way out, she passed a shoe store. Why not? She left the shoe store with several pair high heel shoes. The four inch heels felt much better than the low heels she wore today. Surprisingly, now the 5 and 6 inch heels very felt comfortable. Any additional height would not go over with her old boy friend, but they still felt good. Hmm, maybe the new look would help her increase her sales, but she would save the 6 inch heels for evening wear. During the next couple of weeks, Sarah spent her time in the evenings trying to locate some of the people she worked with at the dance club, without success. It was like everyone had just disappeared. She couldn't even find the owners of the club. It was a bit frustrating and scary. She and the owners had been good friends, but now it was like they never existed. The office manager kept pushing her to have sex with him. But sales had been very good the last two weeks, so he couldn't push to hard, as his salary benefited from her sales. She thought she saw Liz a couple of times, but when she looked closer it wasn't her. Each time caused her to shiver in fear. The whole time was like waiting for the other shoe to drop. With time, she began to feel much more comfortable with the changes in her appearance, but there was also a general increase in her confidence. She wasn't sure she understood why the change. The increased comfort with herself aided her in closing sales on her real estate listings, and seemed to help in adding new listings. She couldn't see many changes herself, but she had received quite a few compliments from her coworkers. It was like the apprehension over what would happen with Frank and Liz had settled her composure. The logical part of her mind told her it should have the opposite effect, which would make her more cautious and timid. She had resumed working out, and, at times, wondered if restarting had also helped her level of confidence. Her body had tightened up quickly, more quickly than she remembered had happened previously when she worked out routinely. In a short two weeks her lifts were heavier than they had ever been, and they felt good. Her chest had tightened up, causing her breasts to be quite firm and stable on her chest, with no sag. It appeared she had even gained some tone over her shoulders. This surprised her, as everyone she had known with E cups usually had some sag. All this firmness made the enlarged nipples difficult to conceal, because they always were stiff protrusions on the front of her breast. The rubbing of even the silk bra caused them to harden, causing them to be noticeable through her clothes. When Joe returned after the business trip early on Saturday, he was rude and nasty from the moment he arrived. He put her down every time she said or did anything. He disliked her attire. Her 5 inch heels made her too tall. He belittled her success in sales, and attributed them to her bigger tits and slutty look. According to him, her new trimness, dress and bigger tits made her look like a slut. Each snide comment added to her anger with him which was compounded by seeing him at the club with the other person. He made several tart comments about why she had altered her body. Her larger tits were to big and her nipples were always visible carrying her new slut look to a new level. When he told her to get her slut ass in gear and wash his clothes. He was leaving again Sunday for a two week trip, and wouldn't say where he was going. Stepping over to him, Sarah told him to take his all shit and get out. She was tired of his mouth and attitude. He hadn't said one decent word since he had returned that day and she was fed up with it. She should never have let him move in with her. She wanted the money he owed her for living expenses. He swung at her but missed, catching her blouse and ripping it open. Grabbing his arm, she twisted it around behind him while pulling his wrist up between his shoulder blades. He was screaming in pain, and begged her to stop. Sarah dropped his arm, pushing him away. "Now pack your stuff and leave!" As he stood up, he made a lunge at her again, knocking her to the floor. Dazed, she laid there with him holding her hands together. He pulled her skirt up, finding her assbare. "Now, I know your a fucking whore, slut! And now you're going to get what every whore slut needs!" She lay there quietly, knowing he was going to rape her. She knew this was his way of trying to exert dominance. He unzipped his pants and pulled out his cock. Then, pushing himself between her legs, she let him force his cock into her cunt. He slammed it deeply into her wet cunt. "I knew it. You're dripping wet, just as a slut should be. This rough stuff turns you on, cunt. I can fix you up with a much rougher time." She moaned. It did feel good. "You're so fucking wet, I can hardly feel your cunt... Or maybe its just so big from the Johns you let use it. Guess I'll need to get you some restraints, so you know your place." He reached down and pinched her nipple, causing her to scream. "So after we get done here, I'll just take all your clothes and burn them, leaving you naked and hobbled here to service my friends." He smiled, and inadvertently loosened his grip on her hands. Pulling free, she quickly wrapped her arms around him in a bear hug, trapping his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him tightly to her. Then she squeezed the muscles around her cunt, clamping his cock tightly. She tightened her hug, making it difficult to breathe. He began to scream in pain, from his cock's burning hot feeling. The more he screamed the brighter red he turned. He tried to breathe in and he couldn't. His face had turned from triumph to fear. He passed out, but still remained hard. Sarah rolled him on his back. She decided his cock felt much better than her dildo, and rode him to several orgasms before he came. She moved up and forced his mouth open, and then let her cunt drain into his open mouth. She quickly got up. She didn't dally, because she wanted to see the look on his face when he awoke. She ran to get a drink of water and her pistol. Returning, she sat down to wait. He woke up almost as soon as she returned. He swallowed, and almost choking on the cum in his mouth. She laughed. "Don't you like you own cum you always liked to force me to swallow it". He turned to her with a look of contempt. Seeing the pistol pointed at him, fear replaced the look of contempt. She told him to get up and get his things packed now. He begged for a second chance. She laughed, "I should have done this before now. Especially after all of the threats you just made. You never cared for me. Your only interest was in sex and belittling me. Now, get a move on it or we will see how small we can make your balls. That is, if you really have any real ones." He slowly got up. He packed his things and started to leave. As he left, he told her she was a slut and would always be one. Nude dancers never changed. He would be back to make her pay for the way she treated him. After he and his friends got tired of her being their fuck toy and slave, she might be able to get a job fucking animals in porno movies, but that was about all. "You better get your ass in your car, before I shoot your balls off." The cocking of the pistol was audible. Joe ran to his car and quickly left. After he left, Sarah sighed. Thinking back, she realized she should have never let him move in. The companionship in the beginning had been wonderful, then it slowly began to change. She wondered what he meant by the comment about porno films. Was it an empty threat? Did he have a connection with Liz and Frank? He was at the show. "Let's see, it is late on Saturday, I wonder if the locksmith can come change my locks today?" Sarah found a locksmith, and arranged to have the locks changed and then called the alarm company to reset the alarm codes. She was a bit concerned by his threats, and now wished she shared the house with someone else. ------- Sarah was preparing to close the office. It was Thursday, nearly four months since she had last seen Liz. While she was concerned, she was beginning to relax a bit. She hadn't heard anything from Joe since that Saturday when she kicked him out, which was three months ago. She was thankful for that. Sales had been very good the last couple weeks, both in terms of listing and sales. She had heard some grumbling in the office about her success. Generally, they credited her success to her good looks and imposing stature. Thinking of that, she need to go look again for blouses. All of the blouses and sweaters she had purchased three weeks ago were again too tight in the shoulders. This was the third time since the incident with Liz that she had to buy new clothes. Her chest had tightened up some more, adding to the strain on the blouses and sweaters. Maybe she ought to slack off the the workouts, and focus more on jogging. It was probably a good thing she had substituted self defense training for the strength exercises, or she would really be looked at as an amazon. Even at that, she had gained 30 pounds, but her fitness instructor assured her it was a normal weight for her height. As well as she could tell, her height was now nearly 6 and half feet in heels. She could understand the weight increase, but the height increase puzzled her, for, in the last 3 months, her height had increased, she thought, about 4 inches. It was difficult to measure, as she could hardly stand barefoot for any length of time. Even though her breasts were large, they, surprisingly, looked quite natural on her. With herbeing taller, broad-shouldered and with big tits, she had to be careful not to intimidate her customers. Fortunately, her clit did not get much longer. She was not sure what she would have done if it was much longer. Even so, it was enough bigger that it always protruded from its hood and was much more sensitive. This had forced her to seldom wear panties or thongs, even the silk ones, and to wear loose dresses most of the time. The only thing that seemed to help as a short silk half slip to keep her clit from touching her dress. She wondered if these additional changes were something Liz did to her. Anyway it was time to close up, the other agent was ready to leave as well. They closed and locked the office. They went out and got into their cars. As soon as both cars started the other agent drove off. She had been careful after the incident four months ago to always leave with somebody. As soon as the other agent was headed out of the parking lot, she felt a movement behind her and then a sting on her neck. Sarah started to slump forward, but two hands pulled her upright. A man opened the driver's door and pushed Sarah over. He drove over to the edge of the parking lot, to a dark area along-side of a van. The man and a woman carefully lifted Sarah out of the car and laid her in the van. A gag was forced in her mouth, although the sedative was expected to last several hours. Restraints were placed on her ankles and wrists. Liz fastened these together behind her back. Liz told Joe to take her car home and leave her stuff in the car. A ride would be waiting to bring him back so he could help torment Sarah. Joe hurried off in the car. Liz got into the van and started it up. Thinking to herself, "He is in for quite a shock". Joe didn't know that the woman waiting for him was about to change his life forever. Liz wondered how he would like the changes the woman would make in him. She seemed to have a thing for extreme body modifications. Well, at least they were even on favors now. She put the van in gear, and began the trip. It would be several hours before she had Sarah at the clinic/sex club. Frank had never answered her regarding this step to encourage Sarah to return the money, but she had set the wheels in motion, and it was within the scope of what they had agreed too. She smiled, thinking of the changes she had planned for Sarah. They would make it hard for her to be taken seriously as a real estate agent, or in any other office job. The changes would, however, make her very suitable to work in a whore house, sex films or as a performer in live sex shows. "I wonder if Frank would settle for a part of the money and give her to me. I could run her through a few porno films as the unwilling victim; including a fisting or two. Her stature and bigger bust would make it easy to sell films with her as the featured star. Then, after that, several movies of her fucking dogs and horses. Finish up her career with a harsh S&M film. By then she should be more than willing to move to a baby farm. I should be able to get enough of the drug I used on her at the show to keep her pliable. That ought to give me more than enough money to retire, after paying Frank off." It was not often she ran across someone as delectable as Sarah. "Too bad for her she fucked with Frank, but it looks like it could be good for me". Liz drove down the road, enjoying the scenery. Today had been good to her. She wondered what happened to her friend Samantha and her creepy husband John. They seemed to have disappeared, since Samantha arranged for her to help Frank get Sarah to return his money. It was nice of Samantha to put her on to Frank's problem with Sarah, since she could use the money. ------- Sarah slowly woke. She didn't remember going to bed. The last thing she remembered was getting into the car after work. Then she realized she was not in her bed. She was struggling to focus her thoughts as she awakened. A breeze blew through the room before she was fully awake. She felt chilly and reached for the cover. She couldn't move her arm. Her eyes snapped open. The room was dimly lit. She realized she was naked and strapped down to a chair. She tried to move around and found that her legs were fastened tightly to something that was holding them up and spread apart. Her shoulders were held tightly against the table by a strap that ran over each one. She could feel her breasts squeezed into a tight bra. It had to be open cup because she could see her elongated nipples. It reminded her of the halter Liz had her wear before. She could not do much more than wiggle. She was very scared and started to cry. Tears began to course down her cheeks as she thought, "Not again!" She began to sob loudly. After a while, the room lightened a bit and Sarah could begin to make out her surroundings. Once it is bright enough to see, she screamed at the sight of the surroundings. She was in what appeared to be a doctors office. She could now clearly see the position in which she was bound. Her breasts were bound, forcing them to extend further from her chest, but not so tightly that the circulation was cut off. Looking in the overhead mirror, she could see the large cock aimed at her cunt. Sarah was startled, as just then she saw the large cock push at the mouth of her cunt. She could feel and watch the cock press through the mouth of your cunt. It feels larger than it looks as you watch it slide into your cunt. The cock slides full depth and stops. Then swells totally filling her cunt. The swelling pushed the cunt lips out, and caused her clit to rise totally out of its hood. It stood there begging for attention, pulsing in time with the cock throbbing in her cunt. The feeling made her wet. She watched her nipples and clit swell. Then the cock began to slowly retract; just as its head reached the mouth of her cunt it slid back. It continued in a slow rhythm of thrusting back and forth in her. She squeezed the handles in her hands, and the cock swelled more, as the thrusts became more rapid. Then the cock began to ripple, as it stroked back and forth. Sarah's cunt was spasming, as she began to reach her orgasm. As she reached her peak, hot fluid flooded her cunt. She screamed, in response to the orgasm. A cock slipped into her open mouth and flooded it with cum, nearly choking her, until she began swallowing. As she came down from the cum, she could still feel the cock buried deeply in her cunt. As her breathing returned to normal, the cock pulled back from her mouth, letting her close it. Sarah felt someone standing next to her. She looked up and saw Liz. "What are you doing here?" Liz asked, "How do you like your new surroundings? We really liked the show you put on with the cock. Fortunately, the attendant recognized what was happening and turned the cameras on, so we have it on film. We should be able to sell it with very little editing." "I don't do porno films, and I want out of there right now. This Frank stuff has gone on long enough, and I am not the person they are looking for, so leave me alone." "You are here for some more body alterations. These alterations will give you the perfect body for you to begin your participation in live sex shows or videos. That is a much better choice than being the club toy or dungeon pain slut. You will do porno films if and when we decide you will. But, after your alterations here, we will let you sample dungeon life, with perhaps with some brief training to be a sex toy. This will last a few days, perhaps even a week. We have informed your acquaintances that you had a family emergency arise, and will be out of town for a few days, so no one will be concerned about your absence. You have been brought here because you did not seem to take the issue of returning Frank's money seriously. After all, nearly four months have elapsed and you have done nothing about returning the money. This experience ought to reinforce the fact that Frank wants his money back or you will be working in his dungeon." Sarah screamed, "NO." "Joe wanted to be here to help out." "What has he got to do with this? I threw his sorry ass out, but it is to damn bad I didn't shoot his ass when he tried to rape me." "Well, that's not the story he told my friend. He wanted my friend to help him kidnap you, and then train you to be his slave and sex toy. He figured he could make you a movie star in sex films or sell you to a sex or bondage club. In fact, he even went as far as starting to set up a dungeon in which to film your torment." "What?" "Oh, he had all kinds of things planned for you. Fortunately, he met my friend. He did help us kidnap you, but now he is staying with my friend as her pleasure toy, or until she tires of what she turns him into." "Well, let's hear the rest. " "She likes men, but with large tits and big cocks. So from what she said, Joe will have breasts larger than yours, but she will also enlarge his cock. She doesn't like the risk of her clients getting pregnant, or herself for that matter. So, the first time he meets her friends it will be for his castration. She thinks it will really make him submissive, after he watches his testicles removed and replaced with hollow steel spheres. Typically, she then makes the man eat them, sometimes cooked, most times raw. After that treatment, they will do anything she asks, but that may have something to do with the collar they wear." "So you don't need to worry about Joe's idle threats. You do need to pay Frank back. He has clients who would pay a lot to give you a treatment similar to what Joe planned for you in his dungeon." "Oh, God. I didn't take his money. I don't know Frank. Please, you have to believe me. It's not me Frank is looking to find. I will do anything to help get the money back, but it is not me." Sarah starts bawling. "Shut up, or you will be gagged. Your screams will not help you, and we don't want to listen to them. Now shut up and listen. We have scheduled a number of enhancements for your body, and they will be done regardless of your cooperation. You will comply with our instructions, and you will be punished if you try not too. Punishment is always worse than complying. Resistance will only delay the treatment, not stop it. Remember what happened the last time. I have a much larger selection of punishment tools here, as this club has a very nice dungeon." She looks at you, arching her eyebrows, and asks would you like to feel what the punishment is like. "We have all kinds of whips that you could learn to enjoy. Would you like to try some?" You shake your head, no. "This clinic is connected to an Bondage/S&M club. Once your alterations are done, you will be shown the dungeon, and maybe even allowed to sample it as a dungeon toy. But the way it works is like this: The club hires people on a fixed-term closed contract to work here as either toys, slaves or maidens. There are four different positions on the dungeon staff. Mistresses or Masters control the activities of the slaves and toys in the dungeon, while the overall dungeon is supervised by the Dungeon Master and Mistress. Dungeon maidens are assistants of the Mistresses or Masters. Residents or slaves are punished as prescribed by the Mistresses or Masters. Punishments are administered for any number of reasons, and the sole purpose could be the enjoyment of either themselves or the guests. Every new resident gets a chance to be a dungeon maiden. If they fail to meet the standards, they become residents or permanent play things. There aren't any limits on what can be done to the dungeon residents, except one thing. Here, there can be no permanent physical injuries. Where, at the Island, they have the special dungeon into which slaves disappear, or sometimes they are the centerpiece in a barbecue. But back to here; the ones who do not become residents, but fit a specific physical criteria, can be offered the opportunity to go to a baby farm. When their contract is up, they can renew, leave or, if suitable, retire to the baby farm." "Baby farm?" "Yes. There are several. Each is in a nice warm remote location, for women who are pretty but don't make it in the dungeon or wish to retire there. At the farm, women don't have much to do, except deliver at least twins, or sometimes triplets, every 8 to 9 months. The babies are then sold to the highest bidder. So, while you are here, we will make some adjustments to your body. These will make you more desirable as a dungeon or farm staff member. Hope you don't mind. By the way, your exercise program fit in very well with the hormones we gave you before. Your shoulder width has increased nicely and I noticed your back has bulked up. This will help you support your larger breasts." Sarah screamed, "My what?" Liz laughed at your response. "We placed bands around your breasts to stretch them a bit, so that in a few moments they can easily be enlarged a few cup sizes, while still keeping them firm. As a part of these changes, you will soon begin expressing milk." "Please don't do this to me. I don't want larger breasts. What do you mean training?" "Once we have completed the body adjustments, you will be placed in one of the dungeon cells to serve the members as they so choose. Since, this is meant to be only a sample, there will be some limitations on what can be done to you, or even what your are required to do to yourself." Just then, two women came into your area. "These two maidens, Jill and Janet, will be with you while you are here. You will follow any instructions they give you. You are effectively their slave if I am not here, and they can administer punishment, if need be." They immediately start removing the restraints around your breasts. Once free you see them sag a bit. Liz told Janet to rotate the chair. Suddenly the chair started to move up and rotate forward. Sarah screamed as the chair rotated, tipping her forward. Soon, the chair was holding her facing the floor. Liz told Jill to get the G size cup with the special enlarged areola cup. "Please don't," Sarah begged Liz. "Be quiet, or we will use a larger size. As it is, you will only be two cup sizes larger, and this process takes care of the sag you have today." Jill placed a cup over each breast, pressing it tight against Sarah's chest. Janet tightened the cups in place over Sarah's breasts. "Please don't do this to me!" Jill began to hook the cups up to a instrument on the cart. All Sarah could see were wires and tubes hanging down from the cups. Jill looked at Liz and asked, "Should they be firm or soft?" Liz stated, "Ask Sara after all they are her breasts." Jill asked, "Which do you want firm or soft?" Sarah didn't answer. Liz said, " Answer her question bitch or we will make them 4 sizes larger." Sarah told Janet, "Firm", as tears formed in her eyes and dripped on the floor. Sarah heard a switch click then a soft hum started. She felt her breasts being stretched to fill the cups. Janet then slid wires into the cups, piercing her breasts. She could feel them, but there wasn't any pain. When she was done, they looked like pin cushions. Sarah noticed Jill turn a switch, and then her breasts began to tingle all over. It seemed to last for hours, but soon it stopped. Jill began to detach the wires and tubes. "The cups will stay on for at least a day, while your breasts begin generating the new tissue for your nice firm G cup breasts. But while that is taking place, we have some other changes that will look very good on you. Once you've joined Frank in his island dungeon, they will make any changes they want." "One modification a lot of the dungeon maidens ask to have done is alter their tongue. Janet's had hers modified. Usually these voluntary modifications are done to enhance the pleasure they can give or feel, as a dungeon resident it may not be voluntary. Kiss her, Janet, and show her what it feels like." Janet pressed her lips to Sarah's. Her mouth opened a bit and forced her tongue into Sarah's mouth. She then pressed her tongue deep within Sarah's mouth, to the point of almost choking her. She noticed that she had a stud in her tongue, but it felt different, as well. Janet pulled back from Sarah's kiss. Then, sticking out her tongue, Sarah saw that it was split length-wise, with a stud near each tip. "Would like a tongue like that?" You shake your head no, saying, "No, Please." "If you were on staff here, you might not have the choice. On staff, the Masters of the Dungeon will determine what is best for their pleasure. Janet asked for hers, and she has become very talented with it. She also had it lengthened a bit, as you may have noticed. Janet, show her how far you can extend it." Sarah gasped at the sight. Her tongue extended down well below her chin. and was split all the way into her mouth. She then raised it and touched each side of the bridge of her nose. "Her tongue was first lengthened, much the same way your breasts are growing now. She found it difficult to cope with at first, but splitting it down the middle made it easier. Beside, it adds to her many talents. We can't do that to you today, as the process takes several months." "Janet, show how it feels in and on her cunt." The chair was lowered so that Sarah's cunt was at just the right height for Janet to lick. She immediately began to lick Sarah's cunt. It felt like two tongues at the same time. Sarah could feel the heat in her cunt begin to build. Sarah was surprised at how quickly she became aroused. Every stroke of her tongues through Sarah's cunt increased her arousal. Her breathing began to become labored. She could feel her cunt fluids dripping, she was so wet. Then she felt the tongue slide into her cunt. She couldn't believe how deep it was reaching into her cunt. She wanted to wrap her legs around Janet's head and pull her tight into her own cunt. Then the tongues pulled out a bit. One was now stroking Sarah's clit while the other part caressed the inside of her cunt. Soon, her climax was in full swing, her cunt muscles began to rhythmically contract. She had trouble breathing. She could feel her juices running out of her cunt. Her senses overload and everything went dark. Sarah awakened slowly. She could feel someone licking her cunt, but Janet was standing beside you. Sarah figured it must have been Jill. She could smell her aroma on Janet. Her face and hair seemed to be wet. Janet leaned over and gave Sarah a big kiss. She slid her tongue into Sarah's mouth and caressed her mouth with her tongues. It still felt strange, but Sarah liked the sweet taste. "Your climax was so strong you squirted cunt juice all over Janet's face," said Janet. "Janet, get the butt plug and dildo I brought down for her." She left, but was soon back. She was holding what seemed like a large dildo and butt plug out for Liz to inspect. Liz nodded and Janet walked around behind Sarah. Soon, she felt the butt plug slide into her cunt. It was then removed and placed at ass entrance, and then slowly pressed forward. "It hurts," Sarah moaned. Liz nodded to Janet. Janet thrust it into Sarah's ass. Sarah screamed at the pain, as her ass was stretched wide. "If you had relaxed, it wouldn't have hurt." Sarah knew that the butt plug was now firmly seated in her ass. Sarah watched as Jill picked up the dildo. She felt the dildo begin to press into her cunt. Jill pressed it in very slowly. Sarah's cunt was complaining as the dildo stretched her cunt as it was forced in. Sarah started to complain and then thought better of it. Jill soon had the dildo fully inserted. Liz again nodded to Jill, and she began to pump the dildo in and out of Sarah's cunt. Her cunt was getting wetter. Her breathing became shorter as again her arousal grew. The dildo was now making soft slapping sounds as Jill plunged it in and out of Sarah's cunt. The juice from her cunt were running down Jill's arm. Sarah could feel her climax begin as her muscles began to contract. Then the dildo stopped and Jill stepped back. Janet stepped over, pulled Jill's hand to her mouth and began to lick Sarah's juice off her hand and arm. Sarah lay there, aching to cum. Liz pulled the dildo from Sarah's cunt, leaving her with an empty feeling as her cunt gaped open. "Your cunt lips really swell nice when you're fully aroused. They would look better, though, if we made them larger, perhaps twice as large as they are now. That way, you will find it difficult to walk without stimulating them, because they will be partially swollen and wet all the time. Your pheromones will tell everyone around you of your arousal. Your need to wear tall high heels will shift your posture enough to assist in this arousal. You should have discovered by now that your feet hurt when not wearing at least 5" heels." "What did you do to my feet?" "Nothing really. It is a side effect of the last treatment you received, and the fact you wore heels the whole day afterwards." "But I didn't have any choice." "You never have any choice in the dungeon but to submit. The changes today and before are minor and could be only the beginning. You can only change the direction. More changes will continue, until you comply with Frank's request or he gets tired of waiting. Besides, each of these will enhance your pleasure, and give the dungeon members more ways to torment you. All this will result in your being more valuable as a dungeon toy or at auction." "No please, its not me Frank is seeking. Please don't make any more changes to me." Liz told Jill and Janet to bring in the instruments to enhance Sarah's cunt lips. They leave and soon are back with another cart. Jill asked if Sarah would like to watch. She slowly nodded her head. Jill then placed a mirror so Sarah could see her cunt. Janet began to caress Sarah's cunt again. She could feel the arousal return and her lips distended. Jill placed a belt around Sarah's waist. It had several strings hanging down. Jill took a large dildo and pressed it into Sarah's cunt. When she slid it all the way in, the lips of Sarah's cunt slid into cups on either side of the dildo. Janet took the strings, laced them over the dildo and then tied them to the chair. This held the dildo tightly in Sarah's cunt. A hose was attached to the cups covering her cunt lips. She heard a click, then she felt a tugging on her cunt lips. Sarah asked them what are were doing. Janet said, "We are applying a small amount of pressure to your cunt lips, so the outer lips will stretch and fill the cups. Once they have filled the cups, we will give them an injection to help them grow to permanently be the size of the cups when aroused." Jill asked Liz, "Shouldn't we also enlarge her clit as well? Otherwise it will be quite hidden, because this will enlarge the hood. Do we want to enlarge the minor cunt lips?" Liz replied, "Good idea. Her clit is to be the size of her thumb, but about half as long, when aroused. We can do the minor lips with injections once this is done." Sarah pleaded, "Haven't you done enough already?" Liz just laughed. Janet slipped a cup over Sarah's aroused clit. She felt it being pulled into the cup. "Janet, please don't do this to me," she begged. Janet said, "Don't worry, it will be at least as sensitive as before. And, with your enlarged cunt lips, it will look very good." Jill picked up a couple of syringes from the cart. Sarah felt the fear build. Janet saw Sarah's reaction and told her not to worry, since she would hardly feel the needles. Sarah heard a click and the dildo began to vibrate. She could feel her arousal increase. She saw Janet take a syringe and press the needle against the cup on her cunt lip. She watched it slide into the cup, but all she felt was a slight sting, like a bite. She watched Janet empty the syringe and felt the warm liquid enter her cunt lips. Sarah watched with apprehension, as each cunt lip was injected with several syringes of fluid. Janet then took another syringe and pressed the needle into the cup covering Sarah's clit. Sarah watched as the syringe was emptied into her clit. She felt it swell tightly into the cup. Sarah's attention kept being drawn back to the vibrating dildo, and her hovering arousal. Jill and Janet pushed the cart off to the side. Liz told them that they had done a nice job. "Why are you turning me into a freak?" Liz responded, "We are not making you a freak. After these changes you will be of much greater value as a sexual object. We are just making you more valuable to Frank. If you had not stolen the money, then you wouldn't be here under these circumstances. If you had returned the money, you wouldn't be here either. These changes will remind you all the time that you have to return the money. That is, at least until Frank gets tired of waiting. In that case, you will probably end up in his dungeon as a toy. I wonder if he would sell you to me? I know of some nice ways you can make money for me in films, and Jackie still wants you to star with her dogs. You may have to become a performer any way, because, with these changes, you may have difficulty returning to your old job. I am sure you could keep the manager happy by spreading your legs for a while. But I understand he is very much into training submissives." "I'm not going to let that asshole manager fuck me, or even get close to doing it. I didn't take any money. I don't know a Frank. Please let me go." "Tough! Nobody believes you, so just pay up, or suffer. When you leave here, every movement of your legs or hips will add to your arousal. This will be evident to everyone around you by your pheromone perfume and swollen nipples." Sarah began to cry. Her life was a mess and she was very scared. Liz told Janet and Jill to come along. She looked at Sarah and said, "We will be back in later, so we can take the breast cups off and feed you". Sarah felt like her emotions were on a roller coaster. She cried herself to sleep. While Sarah slept, another dose of the drugs Liz had given her were released from the dildo to be absorbed into her system. ------- Chapter 5 Later, Liz, Janet and Jill returned to find Sarah sleeping soundly while she was suspended in the chair. Liz walked around Sarah, assessing the changes taking place in her appearance. Janet turned off the breast enhancer; the sudden silence startled Sarah. She looked around as she awakened, hopeful her dream had ended. Liz asked if she had a good nap and smiled. "Please stop this. Let me go," she moaned. She felt the chair begin to rotate back, making her breasts ache as the chair moved, causing her to moan. As soon as she was on her back, Liz told Jill to disconnect the breast cups from the console. Sarah saw Jill glance toward Janet with a worried look. Janet nodded, after which Jill began to disconnect the console as bidden. Janet and Jill then quickly lifted the cups off Sarah's breasts. Her enhanced breasts hardly settled when the cups were removed, and she gasped at how big they appeared. She could feel the increased weight on her chest. The skin across her breasts felt very tight. "Sarah, would you like to see them in a mirror," asked Janet? Hesitantly, she nodded her head. Jill held a mirror up in front of Sarah. All Sarah could say was, "Oh my," then tears started to roll down her cheeks, as she silently cried. "How will I ever explain this to my friends," she wondered. "They will be very surprised at the change". Tears continued to form in her eyes, in response to her anxiety. "Your big tits look very nice," said Liz with a big smile. "You'll be very popular as a dungeon maiden. Your body is just made for torment, with the increased sensitivity the members will certainly enjoy your screams of anguish. Seeing how good you look with those giant tits, I think you may have more value as a porn star. Perhaps I should see if Frank will let you work for me, so you can repay him from your earnings. The return on your luscious will be much greater than as a dungeon slut. With your height, coloring and new body, you should be a star in no time. I have some friends that would love to have a body like yours in their films." She looked Sarah over, caressing her breasts, pulling on her nipples. "The tightness of the skin across your tits will diminish in a few days and look even better. Now, let's see how your cunt looks." Janet and Jill began by removing the cups from Sarah's clit and labia major. They turned off the dildo and slid it from her cunt, leaving it gaping open. She could feel the cool air on her wet cunt. Her enlarged breasts prevented her from seeing much, but she could sense her cunt gaping open. Liz told Jill and Janet, "Nice job!" Her enthusiasm worried Sarah and she strained to look. Jill saw Sarah's predicament and asked if she wanted to see. Sarah nodded yes. Jill then held a mirror up at an angle. When Sarah saw what they had done, she screamed in shock. Sarah's clit stood above its swollen hood, and her cunt lips were swollen to several times their previous size. Janet said, "They look very nice. They are still a bit swollen from the treatment, and arousal. Once the swelling goes down they will greatly add to your sexual sensations. That will be especially beneficial when you participate in films." Sarah shook her head; she felt that the changes had made her look like a freak. "Oh, what will I do now", she wondered. Janet, seeing Sarah's dismay and growing hysteria, told her to look at her. The comment drew Sarah away from her growing panic. As Sarah looked toward Janet, she spread her legs slightly allowing her cunt lips to fully extend, with her clit clearly peaking out from its hood. While Sarah was looking, Janet said, "You will find your labia and clit are now more sensitive to stimulation, which will enhance your arousal. Your cunt will secrete more fluid when aroused, once the tissue changes are complete. Yours are probably a bit sore now, or I would demonstrate this for you." Seeing that she was still concerned, Janet leaned over and kissed Sarah, and then whispered to her, "Don't worry, you will be fine. Once the soreness is gone and you experience the increased arousal you will be quite pleased." Jill said, "Don't forget, we need to do the minor lips." "Oh, yes. Well, go get the equipment." Janet sat down on a stool between Sarah's legs. Jill pushed Sarah's legs further apart, causing her cunt to gape open again. Sarah moaned as the tendons in her legs complained, as her legs were pushed apart until her outer cunt lips parted, opening her cunt mouth completely to the world. Once in position the leg supports were locked into place painfully stretching her tendons. Sarah could again feel the cool air on her wet cunt. Jill returned with several syringes, and handed one to Janet, telling her that Sarah should still be somewhat numb. "We need to pull the outer lips out of the way." Jill handed Janet two long clips. Sarah watched as Janet slipped them over her swollen cunt lips, closing the jaws to gently grasp the lips. Janet then took a string attached to the clamp and tied it around Sarah's thigh, pulling the lip out and way from the mouth of her cunt. Her cunt lip ached, but she didn't feel any pain. Janet soon had both cunt lips stretched and tied back. Sarah eyes were filled with tears as she watched them work. Then, Jill handed Janet a syringe, and Sarah saw Janet move it toward her cunt. She felt the needle prick her skin, but there isn't any pain. She could feel the cool liquid as it entered her tissue and noticed a slight tightening caused by the swelling. Janet was soon finished, and sat back. Looking up, she saw how apprehensive Sarah looked. "Would you like to see?" Sarah slowly nodded her head, yes. Janet took a mirror and angled it so that Sarah had a better view of her cunt. She realized that this was really the first time she had really seen the inside of her cunt. Others yes, but she had never seen hers so closely. She could see that the outer lips were quite large and full, even as they were stretched. The inner lips were now distended and clearly swollen. Jill said, "You will find these changes really enhance the feelings from a cock or tongue in your cunt. You will be amazed at how much easier it is for you to reach an orgasm and even to have multiple orgasms. Just a gentle sucking along with a little tongue should bring you nearly to an orgasm. I can get aroused by just pressing my legs together when I walk." Janet brought over a big bottle containing a white liquid. She placed a straw in Sarah's mouth and told her to suck. As she did, a sweet and very thick cream filled her mouth, but with a salty after-taste. Sarah finished nearly all of it, and quit drinking. Janet told Sarah that she had to drink all of the cocktail, but she hesitated. "Either you drink it all, or we will pump it into your stomach." Sarah slowly finished the drink. She felt very full, so full her stomach was slightly swollen. Janet, seeing Sarah's concerned look told her, "You will absorb the liquid, so the discomfort will pass quickly. We are going to suspend you again, and let you rest for several more hours." "Why?" "It will help your breasts form correctly and stabilize." "For her, it is a waste of time," said Liz. "With the increased sensitivity of her body, she will be very responsive to any stimulation, making her a favorite among the club members. As sensitive as her tits and cunt are now, it will only take a few caresses before she is fully aroused. Her nipples swollen and begging for attention with her cunt dripping wet with cunt juice. She will be so erotic looking when aroused she will have constant attention at the club." "Wait a minute, what am I doing, with that kind of response she will be a fucking gold mine in sex videos or even live sex shows. I've got to talk to Frank, as he would be assured of getting his money back if he let me use her in porno movies. Once her body is worn out making porno moves, she could easily be sold to a baby farm. Her oversize tits will provide a lot of milk." Sarah silently cried as she listened to Liz rave about what she would soon experience. Jill released the leg braces taking the tension off Sarah's legs, just before the chair was lifted and rotated, suspending her again. Sarah could feel the pull of her larger tits as they hung, unsupported, pulling on her chest. Her forehead rested against a support, letting her look down at her new chest. She could see her nipples and areolae standing on the face of her tits. She heard the door close as her tormentors left. Shortly afterwards, the lights dimmed and it became very quiet. Sarah drifted off to sleep. ------- Some time later, the lights came on. Sarah awakened slowly. As she did, her cunt ached. Looking down between her large tits, she could see the clamps were still from her cunt lips between her slightly spread legs. She looked up and saw Jill. Jill asked, "Sleep well?" Just then, Janet and Liz came into the room. "Please, can you take the clamps off of my cunt." "Oh sorry, we should have done that before we left earlier. Well, let's see how they look." Jill released both lips at the same time, causing Sarah to sigh in relief. She then screamed in pain as the circulation was restored to her labia, waking their nerves to complain about the abuse. "Both pairs of lips have grown quite nicely," said Jill, as she gently massaged them. She took some ointment and rubbed it over each lip. "This should help ease your discomfort." Sarah felt some arousal from Jill's caressing of her her cunt lips. The ointment she rubbed on the lips immediately took away the discomfort, and also caused them to swell and moisten as her arousal grew. "Could you hold a mirror so I can have better view?" asked Sarah hesitantly, since she wanted to see, but was afraid of what she would find. Janet held up a mirror so she could see the four slightly swollen lips of her cunt hanging between her legs, slightly parted because of her spread legs. Sarah was amazed at the sight, but by now was beyond being shocked by the changes they made to her body. Liz told them, "Hurry up, we need to stop coddling this bitch. This has taken much longer than I planned on, and we have several other things for her to experience today." She told Jill and Janet to give Sarah an enema and douche. The enema needed to be very thorough, so thorough that either would drink the water afterward. Jill and Janet just nodded. "You better have her down in the dungeon to service the guests by the time I told you, or she will watch you two being whipped with my special split strap. I just may soak it in brine before we start. I was told you two cunts were the best attendants here, and Alice's favorites. Maybe a good thrashing with my whip would improve your ability to follow instructions." Liz turned and left the room. Jill and Janet quickly brought over a cart. Sarah could see that Janet and Jill's expressions had changed after Liz's outburst. Janet attached the hose from the cart to the butt plug in Sarah's ass. Jill pressed a button on the cart. Sarah heard a click and tug, then felt warm liquid entered her ass. As the flow continued, her belly began to swell. Janet kneaded Sarah's swollen belly, which added to her growing discomfort. Sarah could feel the skin on her belly tighten as it swelled. As the swelling continued, Sarah's discomfort increased. She moaned and her eyes filled with tears. Soon, she didn't know if she could stand the pressure. Then there was a click, and the liquid flow stopped. Janet continued to knead Sarah's belly. She nodded to Jill. Sarah heard a click and felt the fluid flow out of her. Sarah sighed in relief. Janet snickered at Sarah's expression, saying, "That is only the beginning, because we will do this several more times until you are thoroughly clean. Each successive enema is slightly larger than the previous. Some people take as many as 10 cycles before the fluid is clean and clear." Sarah moaned, "Oh. Please don't do this to me." Janet reminded Sarah, "You signed an agreement that committed you to receiving these treatments, and you agreed once the treatments started there was no stopping. If you don't stop your complaining, we will make sure you have something to complain about. We can increase the volume, or we can leave it in longer. Both of those will increase the pain but lengthening the time between releases is the more painful choice. We are not making it as painful as we could." "No. Please don't make it worse. What agreement? I didn't sign anything." Ignoring her comment, Janet looked at Sarah and asked, "What are you offering us in exchange for reducing the pain?" "I don't have anything to give you." Janet said, "Oh. But you do." Sarah looked at her questioningly. "You can give both of us your total obedience. You will obey every instruction given by us until you leave." Sarah didn't answer. Just then, Sarah felt the liquid flow into her again. Janet told Jill to increase the volume to the next level, and then they'd let it soak for a while. Sarah's belly was soon stretched tighter than before. Her gut spasmed, causing her to moan in pain. Janet began to firmly knead Sarah's belly, which only made the spasms worse. Sarah broke out into a cold sweat. Soon she began gasping for breath, as she couldn't seem to get enough air. Her heart was pounding as her gut muscles painfully spasmed, trying to expel the liquid. Sarah began to moan continuously, as Janet worked the fluid around in her gut by kneading her belly. After several minutes Sarah screamed, as her muscles strongly contracted, trying to expel the fluid in her gut, wracking her body with pain. She begged them to release the fluid, then screamed again as a wave of pain wash through her body. Janet said, "Are you willing to obey us?" Sarah hesitated. "Tell us you will obey. Say it!" Janet told Jill to increase the volume to the next level. Sarah's belly swelled even more. The swelling caused the pain and cramps to increase. Her breaths were short and shallow hardly providing enough air. She was sweating profusely. Her heart was pounding. Her body began take on a pasty color. Her vision began to cloud. Sarah again begged them to release the pressure, then passed out. When Sarah woke, she could feel fluid again flowing into her body. She watched her belly swell again. Jill said, "Are you ready to obey?" "Yes. Anything. Please no more." "Without hesitation?" "Yes!" Sarah immediately responded. She heard a click and the fluid began to drain rapidly from her. The relief almost caused her to pass out again. The process was repeated several times, but without the exceptional discomfort. Janet detached the hoses and removed the butt plug. Sarah could feel her ass open to the cold air. Jill told her, "Now, Liz left us this nice new butt plug for your ass. You will like this one, as it is nice and flexible." In her hands was a clear dildo that was as large around as her wrist and about six inches long. It had a slight constriction just before the handle that would lie in the crack of her ass. Two cords hung from one end of the handle and one from the other end. Jill easily slid the dildo into Sarah's stretched, gaping, asshole. She screamed at its contact, as it was extremely cold. Jill grinned. "What's wrong, can't you stand cold? We just cooled it down in ice to give you a nice thrill. I guess it did; look at the goose bumps and puckered nipples!" Looking down, Sarah could see her nipples tightly puckered and her body covered with goose bumps. Janet leaned over and licked one of Sarah's nipples, making it swell even more. Jill pressed the cold dildo further into Sarah's ass, forcing her asshole to open again until her anal muscles slipped into the constriction on the dildo, locking it in her ass. Sarah could feel the cold handle between her ass cheeks, spreading them slightly. She noticed that the nipple Janet had licked was more swollen than the other, but both nipples were swollen hard with arousal. Jill laughed. "I can't wait to give you a cold shower." Janet placed a belt around Sarah's waist, and tightened it just above her hips. The three cords were then tightly tied to the belt, forcing the dildo handle deep between her ass cheeks. One cord passed up the crack of her ass and fastened to the waist belt. The others passed outside each side of her swollen, enlarged, cunt lips to fasten to the waist belt above her hip. Janet took a small bottle with a nozzle on top and slid into Sarah's cunt. The nozzle slid in, until Sarah felt it pressing deep inside her vaginal sheath. Janet squeezed the bottle, emptying the contents into Sarah's cunt. She could feel the warm liquid flowing into her cunt. Quickly removing the nozzle, Jill placed a cup under Sarah's cunt, to catch the out-flow. Jill took the cup and placed it to Sarah's, lips, telling her to drink. She hesitated, but then began to drink. It had the strong taste of Sarah's own fluids, but was also very sweet and refreshing. Jill told Sarah that if she hesitated again, she would learn what the strap felt like on her ass. Sarah nodded in understanding. Janet, in the meantime, placed a large soft dildo into Sarah's cunt. A round strap was secured to the two cords from the dildo in her ass, to press between her swollen cunt lips over the top of the dildo in her cunt then fastened to the belt around her waist. The round strap split, so that her hood was held back and her clit was trapped by the strap. So now, with every little move she made, her clit and hood would be rubbed by the strap while tugging on the dildos. Jill slid Sarah's feet into a pair of high-heeled shoes, until her toes were firmly held under the toe strap. Jill then locked a strap over the arch of Sarah's feet and secured another strap around her ankles. The straps held her feet firmly in the shoes. Her feet were pulled together and a short chain was fastened to the ankle straps. Her hands were then placed in mitten-like gloves, where each finger was held separately. Each mitten was held in place by a locking wrist strap. They unfastened the rest of Sarah's bindings, which had been holding her in the chair. Both Janet and Jill help Sarah sit up, as they knew she would be stiff from the two days she spent immobilized in the chair. Sarah felt the weight of her larger tits pull on her chest and shoulders as she moved to sit up. She was amazed at how heavy her tits felt. Sarah started to slump her shoulders. Janet told Sarah to sit up straight. She continued by telling her that slumping her back was a punishable offense, which usually involved a whipping, after which she would be stretched for several hours. Usually only one whipping and stretching was all that was needed to correct a person's posture. She also told Sarah that if she slumped her shoulders, her back would quickly become very sore, making the pain worse. They then helped Sarah stand. She had difficulty finding her balance, standing in the tall narrow heels, with the dildos in her ass and cunt. The extra weight pulling on her chest added to her difficulty. Jill attached a leash to Sarah's collar. Pulling on the leash, she told Sarah to come with them, and off they walked. The chain between her ankles forced her to take short steps, while the very high heels and extra weight on her chest affected her balance. Sarah quickly found a way to keep up without falling, as she was afraid to get too far behind. Soon, they reached an open door. Jill dropped Sarah's leash, letting it hang between her breasts. They told her to go inside. She entered. Looking around, she saw a large mat, a post in the middle of the room, and a low narrow table, with chains attached to the corners. There was also a wooden horse. Several ropes dangled from the ceiling over the post and horse. "Kneel on the mat, facing the door." When Sarah did, Jill fastened her leash to a ring in the floor. While she was looking around, Sarah heard the door close and latch. She jumped at the sound. Turning back toward the door, she saw that Janet and Jill had left. She didn't know what to do. She continued to survey the room as she knelt on the mat. Hanging on one wall was a selection of whips, clamps and other devices. She cringed at the thought of how painful they might feel. She surmised that the ropes hanging from the ceiling over the horse were to suspend someone straddling the horse, like she had seen in photos. She shivered at what it might feel like. Sarah had been kneeling there for some time when Janet and Jill returned. The door opened with a loud clang. Janet was carrying a large bottle. Jill told Sarah that whenever she heard the lock and was not restrained, she was to kneel facing the door, with her knees fully spread, her shoulders back and her breasts thrust up. She unfastened Sarah's hands from the belt. "Now, kneel correctly." Sarah did as she was told. "Place your hands on your legs". She did so. Janet came over with the bottle. "Time to fill your tummy. Open up." The tip of the bottle was inserted into Sarah's mouth and tilted up, as Janet told her to suck. As soon as she sucked, Sarah could feel it flow into her mouth. It was faster than she could chew, and she started to gag. Janet told Sarah that she didn't need to chew, just swallow. Her mouth filled as fast as she swallowed. The bottle was soon empty. Sarah asked her what she just was given. Janet smiled, "It is a mixture of milk, cereal and cum, like you had before. This is the normal meal for dungeon staff. High protein and high energy. So, if you are going to work here, you will eat a lot of it. It usually tastes pretty good. Sometimes it is made with sour milk, when a dungeon slut is being punished." "While you work in the dungeon over the next several days, both of us will be with you at all times. Especially while you are entertaining members. Normally this is not done, but Liz wants to make sure you fully enjoy your visit with us. She especially wants you to have the full range of experience being a dungeon slut, without being damaged. So the use of needles will be avoided, as will some of the more severe whips." Janet placed a cap over Sarah's head. She said, "This will keep you from being recognized, if someone happens to be here who knows you". The headpiece slipped down over the side of Sarah's head, covering her face half-way down her nose. The openings for her eyes restricted her vision to straight ahead. Two straps were locked to the collar around her neck. "You will now show us how good your oral talents are on me, so we know how much additional training you need to be a suitable cunt-licker." Janet walked over and lay back on the table, and then told Sarah it was time to demonstrate her cunt-licking licking ability. Sarah started to stand up, but Janet instructed her to crawl. "You only stand when told to." Sarah began to caress the inside of Janet's thighs with light kisses. Janet spread her legs, giving Sarah more access. Sarah had only begun caressing her legs a short while before she could smell Janet's arousal. She continued to caress her thighs much as she would like to feel herself, working her way toward Janet's cunt. While Sarah caressed her, Janet beckoned for Jill to come closer. They shared a kiss, then Jill turned and lowered her mound onto Janet's mouth. Janet began to nibble and lick Jill's cunt lips, causing them to swell and moisten with arousal cream. Once her lips were swollen with arousal, Janet turned her attention to caressing the sensitive folds between Jill's cunt lips. As Janet's attention shifted to the valley between her cunt lips, Jill began to slide her cunt back and forth over Janet's mouth. Janet probed deep into the valley between Jill lips with her long split tongue, pushing it into the mouth of her vagina. Jill arousal grew with the constant caress of Janet's talented tongue. Jill watched as Sarah pleasured Janet in earnest, licking and sucking her cunt lips. Sarah hadn't done this very often, but she tried to imagine what would feel good from the times she masturbated. It surprised her how quickly Janet's cunt lips swelled and began leaking their creamy moisture. Sarah nibbled her lips cautiously with her teeth, when she did they became very wet with Janet's cream. She then sucked each of the enlarged cunt lips into her mouth, to caress them with her tongue. With each caress, more of Janet's cream flowed into her mouth to drink. Shifting her attention to Janet's cunt, she licked each along the length of her slit from top to bottom, each time paying special attention to her clit. With each lick, she collected and drank Janet's sweet cream. She found the effort arousing, and felt her cunt moisten. Sarah found that she could place her mouth over Janet's cunt mouth, and licked the opening with her tongue, while rubbing Janet's clit with her nose. Soon, Janet flooded Sarah's mouth with more of her juice, as her legs tightened to hold Sarah's mouth against her cunt. When Janet relaxed from her cum, Sarah licked it all up before they could say anything to her. Seeing Janet cum, triggered Jill to cum as well, spraying her cum into Janet's mouth. After a few moments, Jill rose, releasing Janet's head from between her legs. Janet's face was wet with the cream from Jill's cunt. Janet told Sarah that she had done well, but needed more practice. She liked it when she nibbled on her cunt lips with her teeth, but some would react poorly to it. They might even go as far as whipping her for using her teeth. Now she need to clean Jill's cream her face with her tongue. Sarah crawled around Janet and licked the cunt cream off her face. They kissed several times, each time Janet would explore Sarah's mouth with her long split tongue. Soon, Janet told Sarah, she needed to move back to the pad and display herself. Sarah watched as they went to a small alcove for a few moments and then came back. It was apparent that they had freshened up some. "Its time for your tour, so stand up," said Janet, as she pulled on Sarah's leash. Once she was standing, Jill removed the strap holding the dildo in her cunt, letting her cunt lips droop down, swollen with arousal. Janet replaced the leash with a short lead, and refastened her wrists to the waist belt. Pulling it, she said, "This way." Leaving the cell, Sarah was led into a large room. Sarah shivered, as it looked much like a torture chamber from stories she had read. The outer walls were lined with a door every few feet, and a set of three rings was set into the wall between each door. There were several whipping posts. Jill pointed out a slave tied to one post. Her wrists were tied above her head. The post pressed between her breasts. Sarah then noticed that her nipple rings were linked together behind the post with a chain. Two chains circled the post at her waist. Janet saw where Sarah was looking. "Those chains are attached to her clit and cunt lips, with clamps that squeeze as they tighten. The face of each clamp is covered with small needles. Her ankles are tied to the base of the post. If her ankles weren't tied, she would probably tear some skin off when whipped." Sarah stared at Janet. "She is to get 20 lashes later with a wet narrow strap. One dungeon toy was punished for a major infraction with 100 lashes with a cat without her ankles tied. She tore the clamps off her cunt before the whipping had barely started. She also tore her clit. Every time she passed out, she was sprayed with cold salt water, and 10 strokes were added. After she recovered, her tits were enlarged to over twice your size, and she was sent to the baby farm. She never talked after that night." Sarah was shivering from fear at the story. She didn't know how much to believe. Jill and Janet made sure that Sarah saw every object of torment the dungeon had to offer. Racks, stocks, immersion baths, crosses, x-frames, St. Andrews cross, cages, whipping pillar, and horses. They took her to look in a dungeon cell, where a woman was straddling a narrow bar. Her legs were pulled back behind her, with her ankles attached to a cross bar. Her wrist cuffs were fastened to ropes hanging in front of her. Sarah could see that all of her weight rested on her cunt and clit. The ropes fastened to her wrist cuffs were attached to another rope over her head. A rope led from a clamp on her tongue to a suspended weight. The ropes attached to her wrists and tongue were interconnected, so when she lifted her weight off the bar it lowered the weight, maintaining the tension on her tongue. When her arms weakened, forcing her to press her cunt down on the bar, the tension on her tongue increased. Sarah quivered in fear at seeing the woman suffer. Janet said, "You can see a constant tension is made on her tongue to lengthen it. This is rather painful, and she will most likely loose some feeling in her tongue. What you can't see is the electrified vibrating dildo embedded in her cunt. It will keep her from relaxing too much, as she will spend the rest of the day there. Her Mistress and Master will let her rest for an hour before she joins them for the evening to satisfy their desires." Moving back through the dungeon they passed a man tied, ankles to wrists, over a horizontal bar. His legs were spread and a weight was suspended from the head of his penis. A strap forced his balls tight to the bottom of his ball sac, causing them to stick out behind his legs. Janet said, "He is another dungeon toy, and is scheduled to be whipped his evening. Notice he is bound so that his balls will feel the whip as well. The pain from his balls is extremely intense, like someone squeezing your clit with pliers." Sarah moaned at the thought. Just as they reached the cell where she started, Liz called out to them. "Bring the bitch over here." When they turned, they saw Liz standing in the center of the room, wearing a short leather skirt with knee length high heel boots. Her large tits were encased in an open leather harness, accentuating their size. Jill and Janet led Sarah over to Liz. "Fasten her ankles to the two ropes on the floor, and her wrists to those two ropes." Janet fastened Sarah's ankle cuffs to the anchors in the floor, spreading her legs, while Jill fastened her wrist cuffs to the ropes. "Now, tighten the ropes until I tell you to stop." Sarah felt the ropes pull her arms over her head and then lift her feet off the floor. The ropes continued to tighten, until her shoulders ached. She was afraid. Her body ached. The skin over her tits felt more stretched than before. "Stop." "You look very nice there Sarah. Stretched really makes you an inviting target for torment. Now let's see how loud you can scream." When Liz's arm moved, Sarah saw the long strap in her hand. It appeared to be wet, as something was dripping on the floor. Sarah shivered. "Mistress Liz," said Jill, "the club's rules forbid whipping so soon after the treatments she has received." "Shut up, slut, or you will find yourself at the whipping post." Turning to Sarah, she continued, "We are only going to give her a few strokes." With that, Liz stepped behind Sarah and cracked the strap in the air. Sarah shuddered. Then she felt it hit her ass with a loud smack that echoed through the room. In moments her nerves screamed in pain. She howled, as the pain registered in her mind. Liz smacked Sarah's ass twice on each ass cheek with the tip of the whip, waiting between each stroke for the full effect of the pain to be felt before applying the next stroke. Sarah howled as she felt each wave of pain. Her howling echoed in the open room. Stepping directly behind Sarah, Liz brought the tip of the whip up between her legs, so the tip brutally kissed Sarah's clit and swollen cunt lips. Sarah screamed even louder, and shook as the intense wave of pain flowed through her body. She gasped for breath, as her mind grappled with the pain radiating from her cunt and clit. Her ass burned in pain. Her eyes were swollen from crying. Tears coursed down her cheeks. Liz stepped around in front of Sarah. She smiled, enjoying Sarah's distress, while she waited for her to quiet down. Soon Sarah hung there, her ass, cunt, and clit burning from the whipping they had received. Liz then stepped to the side and delivered a hard blow with the strap across each breast. Sarah began to scream as she saw the strap strike her nipple, and again on the second stroke. She hung there and quietly sobbed. Her whole body shook as she sobbed. The heat and pain burned through her body. Liz quietly said, "Bitch Sarah, you have just received only a taste of what you will beg for in order to avoid other torments, if you don't return Frank's money. Imagine the pain you will feel when hot needles are stuck into your pubes or nipples, or hot wax is dripped over your whipped tits, or the electro-stimulator is connected to your sensitized clit and nipples. If you are smart, you will beg him to let you work for me in sex films, so you can pay back the money you stole. With your naturally enhanced body, you could easily earn enough to return his money. Think about it, BITCH SARAH." A man and woman walked up behind Liz. "Liz, just what the hell are you doing?" Jill and Janet bowed toward the two. Liz turned around quickly. She was a bit taken back seeing the Senior Master and Mistress there with disapproving looks on their faces. "I was just giving this Bitch a taste of the whip." "You know the rules. No whipping within 4 months of receiving any body modifications except for very unusual situations, and only with the permission of Mistress Alice." "Well, this Bitch is not part of this club, so those rules don't apply. Besides, she is destined by her actions to be a dungeon slut before too long anyway, unless she choses one of the other opportunities before her." "Wrong. The rules apply to everyone here, regardless of status. Jill, Janet let her down. Mistress Alice will be informed of this. Liz, another indiscretion and you will kiss the bull whip." The two turned and left. Liz turned to watch Jill and Janet lower Sarah and release her from the restraints. "Bitch Sarah, think about what I said. Now, you two, take the bitch back to the cell and continue with the instructions I gave you earlier." Liz smiled as she watched Sarah stand there sobbing still from the light whipping. "Yes, Mistress Liz," they said with bowed heads. Jill and Janet waited until Sarah had calmed down before leading her back to the cell. Sarah's body now ached all over, both from being stretched and the whipping. Her mind was in turmoil and clouded by the pain. She walked slowly behind Jill and Janet. With each step, her mind cleared a little, she now feared a real whipping. The pain she had just felt was almost too horrible to bear. If the pain the devices shown to her would cause her to beg to be whipped, then they must be awful. Her fear of being placed in them grew, causing her to shiver. Maybe she would be better off begging Frank to let her be a porn star. No one believed her. She felt trapped in a nightmare. She could feel the anxiety boiling inside of her and shuddered. Janet asked, "Are you cold?" She shook her head no. Janet then saw Sarah's concern. "Don't worry, the other torments are not as bad as Liz indicated, at least not here. For some reason, we don't feel you will be a dungeon toy, unless it is your choice, at least not here. Here, every person participates in the dungeon because they want to, and they even go so far as signing a legal contract, giving their permission to be tormented. It is similar to the agreement you signed before you were admitted here." "But, I didn't give Liz permission for any of this." Sarah voice broke, as she sobbed again. Returning to the cell, they walked over to a low pedestal in front of the door. Sarah was told to come over and rest her shoulders on the pedestal. Once she was on her hands and knees, her shoulders were lowered onto the pedestal. The cold leather caused her to jerk back. Janet pushed her down and Jill secured her collar to the pedestal. They placed rings against the front of her breasts and coaxed her tender areolas partially through the rings. These were linked together between Sarah's breasts on one side, and a rope was placed across her back, pulling them tight against her breasts. Sarah winched as they handled her breasts and asked, "What are you doing?" Jill said, "Well, the tissue in your breasts is still growing and firming up. These rings will help form the front of your breasts. It will cause your breasts to be slightly cone-shaped, with your nipples standing tall on the top of a more sharply-coned areole. This will really accentuate your already big areolae and nipples. You will look really erotic, besides, when you wear a wool or tweed top over your nipples, you will be in a continuously-aroused state." "But I always wear a bra." "Not anymore. The increased sensitivity of your nipples and areolas will quickly make any tight covering very painful. In fact, that is one way you will be tormented. The only bra you could even consider wearing would be an open-cup, but your breast enlargement also strengthens their support, so you really don't need a bra." "Oh my. That will make it very difficult to dress for work." Jill and Janet said, "Sorry if you didn't want that, but we have to do what we were told. You did agree to let Liz modify your body, or we wouldn't be here." Sarah didn't respond denying their comment, as they hadn't listened before. No one believed her. Sarah noticed a mirror to the side. She could see her ass sticking up in the air. Her nipples were nearly touching the floor. The rings were, indeed, having the effect Jill described. They spread Sarah's knees apart and secured them to rings on the floor. She could feel her cunt open a bit around the dildo. Her feet were pulled a bit further apart and tied down. They brought over a low bench and placed it in front of her. Sarah told Jill the bench was too low for her head. She responded, "Oh no, it is just the right height. I'll show you in a minute." Just then, Sarah felt something prickle her nipples and breasts. Looking in the mirror, she saw that they had placed what looked like a brush under her breasts. Jill pushed Sarah sideways a bit, causing her breasts to slide across the brush. It felt strange, because it tickled and prickled at the same time. Jill told Sarah that it was designed to keep her both awake and aroused. Jill sat on the bench and slid herself close to Sarah. When she did, Sarah could tell why the bench was there, as her cunt was right at mouth-level. Sarah looked at her. She was told to lick it well. Jill leaned back and placed her feet on Sarah's back, pushing her tits down into the brush. From the way Sarah was positioned, she could lick Jill's whole cunt. When Sarah pushed forward to lick her clit, she felt her breasts drag on the brush. As she licked, she split her concentration between each lip and the trough between them. Several times she plowed deeply through the cunt trough, collecting Jill's cream in her mouth before swallowing. She found she liked the flavor of both Jill and Janet, which surprised her. Sarah continued caressing Jill's cunt until she came, and then licked her cunt clean of its juices. Jill got up. She leaned down and kissed Sarah's cheek, patting her on the head. "You gave me a very nice cum." She told Janet that they needed to take a nap before the members arrived. Janet and Jill closed the door to the dungeon, slid the bolt into place, and dimmed the lights. They lay down on the mat and cuddled together as sleep quickly overtook them. Sarah was very tired and wondered how she could sleep. She found that if she pulled back as far as possible, the cross-piece slightly supported her head, letting her nod off into a light slumber. Sarah dreamed again of being on an island. There were others with her that she felt close to, but she didn't recognize them. She could tell that the island was beautiful. She suspected it must be in a warm climate, as no one was wearing clothes. She could tell the people around her were very tall and well-built. The noise of the cell door bolt sliding back woke Sarah. She watched the door open to let a woman enter. She quietly closed the door, then looked around in the dim light. Jill and Janet were still asleep. Sarah wondered what torment was in store for her now. She came over to toward Sarah. Sarah could see her in the mirror as she looked over Sarah. The woman's voice asked in a soft voice, "Are you the woman who Liz brought in to have her breasts enlarged a couple of days ago?" "Liz forced me to come here, but I'm not sure about the time, but I think so." "Answer the question? Yes or no. When I want an explanation, I will ask." "Yes, Mistress." Sarah noticed the voice had picked up a harsh tone, but she didn't not feel threatened. She was surprised to find she felt somewhat relieved. "You learn quickly. Why are you here, rather than in the recovery room?" "Liz told Jill and Janet bring me here, so I could experience servicing club members as a dungeon toy or club slut. Please help me, I didn't ask for this." The woman walked over to Janet and Jill and nudged them with her foot. When they opened their eyes, they immediately scrambled out of bed and knelt before the woman, just as they had told her to kneel. Bowing their heads, they said, "Good evening, Mistress Alice." "Why is she here, and not in the recovery sling? Both of your are fully aware that breast enlargement requires at least a week in the sling, and from the size of her tits, it appears that it should be longer than a week. I should take you both out to the post right now. You two are the most experienced and knowledgeable attendants here. I am very disappointed. Each of you should expect to receive 20 lashes of the bull whip across your back and crotch." Jill answered, "Please. Mistress, no. We were assigned to Liz, and that is what she instructed us to do. We asked her to confirm the instructions she gave us, and she made it quite clear we were only to follow her instructions. She claimed our rules did not apply to her or her bitch." "I understand this woman was whipped earlier, while you watched." "Mistress, we told her it violated the rules." "You have worked as attendants long enough to know you should have summoned the dungeon monitors." "Yes, Mistress." Their voices quivered as they responded. "Jill, assume the position, with your hands on the bench. Now!" Sarah watched as Jill scrambled to bend over, placing her hands on the bench where she had eaten Janet earlier. Alice quickly gave her a four full strokes with the strap she was carrying across both ass checks, leaving a deep red marks on each. She then brought the strap up between Jill's legs and against her cunt with enough force to make Jill jump. Sarah was amazed that Jill only whimpered as each stroke of the strap cracked across her body. When Jill turned toward Sarah, she could see that her eyes were full of tears. Alice told Jill to release Sarah from her restraints, while Janet received her punishment. Sarah watched as Janet received the same blows from the strap without a whimper. When it was over, she came over and helped Jill, as Alice stood and watched. "As of now, you two are now no longer assisting Liz. You are now assigned directly to me, and will only follow Judy or my instructions. Clear? Your assignment is to continue to take care of this woman until she has fully recovered. An appointment for you two with the whip was still possible." Janet pleaded, "Please Mistress, Liz will whip us for not following her instructions. She has already threatened to whip us." "No, she won't! Effective immediately, she is being placed on probation, and, as we leave, the Senior Master and Mistress monitoring the dungeon will be advised. She has been responsible for several serious rules violations, and using you two as pawns will increase the severity of those violations. She will be severely punished for her actions. You two did as you were told, even though you knew it was not correct procedure. She clouded the issue with her claim of a rules exception. You both know you could have appealed her instructions. So you two will most likely receive a whipping with the strap for your part in this. Now move, before I loose patience with both of you. Maybe a week or two as dungeon sluts would be more appropriate." Janet and Jill scurried to finish releasing Sarah from the bench. Sarah noticed tears running down their faces, as they helped her stand. Her breasts pulled a bit as she stood, and they looked even larger than before. Her nipples were very erect and the areolas were much more predominant, as they rose like small cones on her breast. The woman came over. She asked, "How large did you want your breasts to be?" Sarah looked at her in amazement. "I didn't want larger breasts. I didn't want any of this. Liz told me that they would be G cup." The woman said, "Well, it looks like they will be bigger than that." Looking at Sarah, she asked, "Are you saying Liz did this to you without permission?" "Yes. I left work Thursday night and then the next thing knew I was strapped in the chair in, I guess, the clinic, when I awoke." Alice's face reddened. She then asked the two girls if they knew where Liz was. "No," they both said in unison. "How long has it been since the breast treatment was given?" in a terse tone. "The last step was yesterday afternoon." She muttered, "That woman ought to be horse whipped and then skinned, one strip at a time". Alice said, "Come with me," and they left the cell. Sarah found that she could walk more easily, now that her arms were freed. Walking caused her cunt lips to rub together, causing some arousal. They passed through the hall, past the dreaded dungeon implements, until they reached a small door and, upon entering, Sarah found herself in an elevator. Sarah could see the fear in Janet and Jill's faces, as well as an occasional tear running down their cheeks. A short elevator ride and walk down the hall brought them to a door. Alice opened the door and the four of them entered. This room was very different from any Sarah had seen there. It looked almost like a small sitting room, except that there was a bed-like contraption in the middle of the room. In place of the mattress there was a piece of cloth held to rails along the sides. When lying down, it would be something like being in swing. Alice moved to stand in front of Sarah and then felt her breasts by gently squeezing them. Just the gentle touching caused her nipples to swell and her cunt to become moist. "Jill or Janet, I think we need to use the H-cup belt," said Alice. They came back with a cloth and attached it to the sides of this strange bed. Jill unlocked the straps holding the mask on Sarah's head. She then slipped it off. Sarah's head felt cold, as her sweat evaporated, and she shivered slightly. Janet released the locks on Sarah's high-heeled shoes, and helped her step out of them. As she placed her weight on her bare foot, pain shot up her leg, causing her to scream. She started to fall. Jill caught Sarah, telling her to kneel, and then helped her down onto her knees. Janet then removed the other shoe. The freedom of her feet from the shoes felt good. She wondered if she would be able to walk without shoes again. Alice's asked, "What's wrong?" "My leg hurts when I stand in my bare feet." "Do you always wear heels?" "No. Liz told me today she fixed my feet and legs so I would have to always wear heels. She didn't say it would hurt not to wear them." Alice asked, "When did this happen", as she looked at Jill & Janet "She told me today, that it was started the last time she kidnapped me." "She did what? I would like to hear the rest of your story, but first let's make you a bit more comfortable." Sarah was told to place her knees on the pads at the end of the bed, and lie down on the cloth. As she did, Jill and Janet helped her breasts slide into special openings for them. At the end of the cloth, Sarah could now see special straps to support her head. She was told to place her hands along her sides. Once she did, she felt cloth straps passed over her back and tightened, as they were fastened to the sides of the frame. The support was adjusted to take Sarah's weight off her knees. Her knees were pulled apart and her legs lifted. Each leg was the supported by cloth sling letting her stretch out. Alice told the girls to make sure Sarah's breasts were fully into the sleeves. Sarah tried to look underneath her, but her head was trapped. As she moved it, she felt the strap holding her head tighten. With her head immobilized, she could only look down at the floor, but the head strap took the strain off of her neck. A mirror was placed below her. Alice asked, "Can you see now?" "Yes. Thank you." Sarah could now see, as well as feel, Jill and Janet working very diligently to get her breasts fully into the sleeves. Once they were done, she could see that the sleeves were forcing her breasts into a more natural shape, but, even so, they looked extremely large. The tips of her breasts now more naturally rose to the cone-shaped areolas. Her areolas were now even more pronounced. Her nipples were considerably longer than before. Suddenly, she wondered, "How will I be able to wear normal clothes?' The thought caused her to shudder. Alice came over and sat down where Sarah could see her. "You have been very quiet." "That is because I am afraid to say anything." "Well, to start with, would you like to know why we brought you up here?" "Very definitely, but I am afraid to know, because of everything else that seems to happen when Liz is around." "First, let's start with introductions, I am Mistress of the Dungeon, but just call me Alice. I believe your name is Sarah." "Yes. I would shake your hand but..." said Sarah with a smile in her voice, which amazed her. Alice chuckled. "Ah, you still have a sense of humor. As I started to say, you don't need to be afraid, you are only restrained so your breasts will form correctly. We will have our doctor check you out later. As for Liz, she asked for permission to bring you here, which was okay, as she is a member of the club's extended group. However, what she has done to you is not okay. We operate on a premise of informed consent. What that means, is that you agree with what is being done, and have agreed to participate, even to the point of a signing a written agreement. As a slave, sex toy or whatever, you agree before-hand to participate according to the rules. We have a strong set of rules, and violations of those are severely dealt with." "Your situation is a bit complicated. As I understand it, Frank has a special interest in you, according to Liz, and she brought you here to show you what dungeon life was about. The purpose of that is unclear to me, and I don't know why Frank has an interest in you. The breast enlargement was not originally part of her request, and appears to have been a last-minute addition by Liz. Unfortunately, some parts of the procedure were not done correctly." Sarah moaned, "Oh, no. This is the second time she has made changes to me." Sarah heard Janet and Jill gasp. Alice said, "Just listen first, before you get too concerned. When the breast enlargement was done here, the dial settings appeared to be set for a 2 cup size enlargement, while it was really for a 4 cup size increase, we think, but it may have been more. The method we use for breast enlargement not only increases the size, but also increases the breast's capacity to perform its natural function, and its sensitivity to stimulation. In addition, with this enlargement process, your lactation rate can also be increased. The lactation setting was also tampered with so that the increase was larger than indicated, so when you lactate, your daily volume will be quite large. The amount will really not be known until you actually start lactating, but you will most likely need to express your milk more frequently than the usual 4 to 6 hour intervals. The sensitivity increase just makes it much easier for you to become aroused." Jill and Janet together said, "How? We checked the equipment twice before we started the process." "We know you did, but it appears someone tampered with it. Unfortunately, we did not get a clear view of who it was on the surveillance tapes. That is one reason I was looking for you. The other reason was that the monitors had informed me about the whipping incident." "Now, the reason we brought her up here is, Judy thinks that by using the smaller sleeves for several days we can perhaps minimize the extra enlargement, so the result will be a H-cup rather than a possible J-cup or more. This procedure will not stop the changes in your breasts that will increase the lactation volume. The advent of lactation will cause an increase in cup size, as well. We need you to stay in these sleeves for at least a week, and possibly several weeks in normal sleeves. This should assure that the changes take place correctly. You also need to get up every four hours for a while, to exercise and stretch. So it looks like we need to find you a pair of heels to wear." "What would have happened, if you didn't find the problem?" "Well, your breasts would have enlarged to at least 4 cup sizes larger, and possibly quite a bit more. Plus, without the support while the process was taking place, they would have had considerable sag, most likely several inches. Additionally you would probably have a further increase of 2 cup sizes once lactation starts. That would push you up to about a size of either an K or L cup. Those would be quite prominent, even on your large frame. The procedure we use essentially eliminates sag for a long time, even if your breasts are larger than a N Cup." Sarah started to cry. She could see her tears drop onto the mirror. Someone was caressing the back of her head. Soon, she was out of tears. "Janet and Jill are, I'm sure, now more than willing than ever to stay with you while you are immobilized. A side effect of the process is that it usually causes you to be quite aroused most of the time, as you have probably noticed. We can have a especially trained Great Dane sent up to join the three of you while you are here." "I am not sure about that. My cunt is very tender because of the enlargements made to it." Alice asked, "What?" She looked at Janet. Janet and Jill quietly told Alice about Sarah's treatment. Alice got up, and Sarah soon felt Alice examining her cunt. As tender as it was, the touching caused some arousal. ------- Chapter 6 Alice told Sarah that she should be fine, and the tenderness should go away in a few hours. Then, as an afterthought, she said, "You know, Liz just might find herself tied to the whipping horse tonight." Sarah heard Jill and Janet gasp at the harshness in her voice. Realizing that Sarah was not familiar with it, Alice explained that it was an interesting device. "It is like a whipping post, but is only about 4 inches in diameter and is slightly inclined. A woman lays on it, straddling it. Attached to the post is a large phallus. The phallus is tapered to about three inches in diameter and 10 inches long. It starts with the woman standing over the phallus, with it just inside her cunt. Her knees are bent and her feet are attached foot rest. Her wrists are attached above her head, but not fully extended. She can pull herself up with her arms or push up with her legs, but every movement also lowers her arms or footrest. Every minute or so, she is struck with a whip or cane on her back or butt. The punishment ends when 100 lashes are given, or the phallus is fully embedded in her cunt. That is the first part. The second part is, she is given one hour rest and then laid on a platform covered with damp burlap and a layer of salt. Her ankles are tied to the platform, near her butt, leaving her cunt and asshole available to any torment the members desire. You can imagine how her raw back will feel on the salted burlap. We have had several lose their minds after the treatment, which only lasts a couple of hours. We have a similar punishment for men." "Now, tell me about your relationship with Liz." Sarah told her about the first time Liz abducted her, and Liz's claim that Frank wanted Sarah to return some money of his that she had supposedly stolen. The closest she thought she ever came to knowing Frank was she had some friends who went to an island sex resort after leaving the Time of the Tiger dance club, where they were nude dancers. Sarah told about the changes made in her breasts and cunt. The forced participation in the live sex show, and the session on the bitch bench after the show. She had tried to find some of her old friends, and worried about the threats in the note. There was little she could do, but wait and see. Although she did kick the guy out who was living with her. She reviewed how her body had changed, with the increased ease of arousal, the growth in her breasts and nipples, and the need to wear heels. The heels had made it difficult to workout, but she found ways to accomplish the workouts, without wearing tennis shoes or going barefoot. The workouts apparently caused some increase in her shoulders, but based upon Liz's comments yesterday, Sarah was not sure that all of the changes were due to working out. "How much did you change?" "Well, in the last three months I have had to replace my blouses and sweaters twice. My breasts increased to a solid E cup from a C cup, and from a size 36 to a 40." "That is quite an increase." She went on and related the difficulties at work caused by her physical changes and the asshole who managed the office. And then, finding herself here. Even though she didn't like her office manager, she liked sales. "With being out of the office unannounced, I probably will be looking for a new job." She told Alice about the manager's recent comments to her that she either put out to him or he would trash her reputation in real estate before firing her. Finally, she ran down. "It looks like I need to talk to Frank before we punish Liz. Frank may want to do the punishment himself. At this point, everything you have told me rings true, and it is not like Frank to use this approach to solve this kind of problem. He is usually quite direct in resolving his problems. And, as I said, we are quite serious about the club rules. Again, most of all, I sense what you have told me is true." Sarah sighed with relief, as she heard the sincerity in Alice's voice. Her spirits rose, as she felt someone finally believed her. Alice said she needed to be going to check on the activities in the dungeon, and see what Liz was up to. "You will feel a need satisfy your arousal and I don't believe Jill and Janet will be able to keep you relieved. If you don't want the dog to lick or fuck you, just tell Jill and Janet, as they won't force you. They probably can find a vibrating dildo or an electro stimulator for you that would feel good, as well." She told Janet and Jill to keep an eye on Sarah's breasts. "If they swell more and begin to turn red, then you need to change Sarah to the next larger cup support." With that, Alice stood up, preparing to leave. She gave Janet and Jill a key to the door, with instructions to keep it locked. She indicated that someone would bring their meals to the room. "Now, I need to find Liz and have a chat with her". As Alice started to leave, Sarah asked them if they could remove the butt plug. "I don't know why not, but I didn't notice one when you lay down." Jill and Janet went to remove the butt plug, just as Alice stepped over to see the end of the butt plug handle lying in the crack of her ass. Just as Janet reached for it, Alice told her to wait. She reached over, and pulled her cheeks further apart, to see the plug. "Don't touch that without wearing a pair of latex gloves." "Why?" "That looks like a special butt plug that is made to dispense medication. It is usually used for people who can't take drugs by mouth or injection for some reason. Sarah doesn't appear to be in that category, so be careful when you remove it. Did you touch it before?" "Yes when we inserted. Should we have worn gloves?" "Normally, yes." Alice and Janet watched as Jill carefully pulled it out of Sarah's ass, after putting on a pair of gloves. Alice looked at it. "Just as I suspected, a medication dispenser. Did either of you put the medicine in this?" "No, Liz gave it to us to place in her ass after we gave her an enema." "Jill put that in a jar, and take it to Judy right now. I'll wait here until you get back. Hurry." "What's wrong?" Sarah asked. "We are not sure anything is wrong. The butt plug Liz had in your ass is a medicine dispenser. Jill took it to Judy, our physician, to look at." Shortly Jill was back. She said Judy would look at it as soon as the emergency she was dealing with was under control. With that, Alice left the room, reminding them to keep the door locked. Sarah looked at her enlarged breasts and again began to cry. "Why me," she asked herself, "How can this be stopped? Why did I let them do this?" The tears continued to fall. The cot was a bit constraining but not uncomfortable. The weariness of the day, added to the despair, began to overtake her and Sarah drifted off to sleep. Her dreams were again filled with sexual fantasy. When she awakened she found herself quite aroused, aroused to the point that she could see a puddle of cunt juice on the floor. Her breasts had swelled a bit and her nipples were engorged and stood out like rock-hard points. "Janet, can you please help me, I want to cum so bad it hurts." She knelt by Sarah's head and gently caressed the back of her head. "Would you like a nice big cock to satisfy your need? Or, we can give you relief with either our mouth, a dildo, an electro stimulator or a fist." "Oh please, anything but a cock sounds very good." "Live or artificial." "Oh please, I don't care, just something so I can cum." Sarah heard movement behind her and then felt a long tongue wipe the length of her cunt. She shivered at the pleasant feeling. The tempo of the licking picked up. She tried to spread her legs, but they were restrained. Janet saw Sarah's effort to move, so she loosened the slings supporting her legs. With that, Sarah moved her legs, spreading them wider, but struggled to maintain her position. Janet saw her struggles, and positioned a platform so that she had support for her knees and legs. The warm tongue caressing her large sensitive labia and cunt mouth continued to increasing her arousal. Her breathing quickly increased, as her arousal rapidly grew. She could feel herself climbing to an orgasm, and then it was upon her. She screamed and went rigid. She could hardly breathe fast enough, then it passed. Even though she orgasmed, her arousal level was undiminished and even higher now. Her breathing was rapid and shallow as she tried to catch her breath. "Oh please, help me cum." Janet said, "Are you sure?" "Yes, please." The licking stopped. Sarah felt something warm slide between the lips of her cunt. It felt like a hot poker. Several times, she felt it slide between the swollen lips of her wet cunt, then she felt a hand underneath her. She looked down in the mirror, and saw the hand press a cock deeper into the channel of her cunt. As it slid forward, it caught on the mouth of her cunt and began to press its way through the opening. Sarah moaned, "No, it's too big," as it spread the mouth of her dripping wet cunt. She felt her cunt open more to receive it. It felt so big, yet so good. Looking closer, Sarah saw a dog's feet between her knees, and realized it was the Great Dane. She wanted to say no, but no words escaped her mouth, as the cock slid deeper into her cunt, filling her fuller than she had ever been filled. Her arousal continued to grow. Her cunt was dripping cunt juice. The dog began to thrust his cock repeatedly into her cunt in long slow strokes. With each stroke, Sarah felt something pressing her cunt lips tightly against her legs spreading her further open. His thrusts increased in speed. Each stroke pushed his knot further into her cunt, forcing it wider and wider. Soon, the large knot slipped painfully through the mouth of her cunt. The cock filled her cunt to the maximum. Breathing was so difficult she was light-headed. The dogs pace of thrusts changed to taking short rapid strokes in her cunt. Each stroke pushed at the mouth of her cervix and pulled at her cunt mouth. She felt his cock swell more. He jammed deeply into her cunt, holding still for a moment, as hot cum flood her cunt. It seemed like gallons of hot liquid filling her. She screamed, as her orgasms ripped through her body. Her body tensed and her cunt mouth clamped tightly around the dog's cock as her orgasm peaked. Darkness overcame her while her body was still in the throes of her orgasm. Some time later, she became aware of her surroundings, and realized that she must have passed out. She could feel the cock still buried in her cunt. Looking down, she could see her nipples had relaxed a bit, and there was a bit of cum dripping quietly into a pan underneath her. She felt the dog try to pull his cock out, but the knot was still too large. Before long, the cock had shrunk enough for the dog to pull out of Sarah's cunt, releasing a stream of cum and cunt juice into the pan. Looking down, she was amazed at the amount of creamy cum in the pan. She could feel the cool air on her cunt as it hung open, then she felt something warm cover it. Before she fully registered what it was, she felt Jill's unique tongue caressing the mouth of her cunt and a gentle sucking, as she sucked the juices from Sarah's cunt. Sarah could feel her nipples tightening again from the arousal. Looking down, she could see that they were, indeed, again hard with arousal. They also seemed to be longer than before. Sarah sighed, wondering what she would look like when she could get up. She knew that her breasts would be very large, and if her nipples always stood out that way, it would be very difficult to dress, and very difficult for her to continue her job. "Oh my, if I still have a job". Her fear took the edge off of the arousal caused by Jill licking her cunt. Soon, Jill stopped. Crawling underneath Sarah, she reached up to kiss her. Sarah started to pull back, but there was no place to go. As her lips touched Sarah's, she could taste her cunt juice mixed with the pungent taste of sperm. She deeply explored Sarah's mouth with her tongue. Sarah couldn't help but respond. Jill pulled back, telling Sarah that she tasted very good. Jill moved out from underneath Sarah, sitting off to the side. She asked if Sarah was okay. €Sarah told her that she was as comfortable as, she guessed, she could be, wrapped up in that thing. She told Jill how worried she was about how she would look. Jill said, "I don't think you have anything to worry about. When we were coming up here, I thought you looked great. As Alice told you, your breasts will be larger, but other than that there shouldn't be any changes you don't already know about." "Would you like to watch the monitors in the dungeon, or in the lounge and dining hall?" "I am not sure, but it would, at least, be something to do. How I would see them lying this way, though." "Well, we could set them on the floor at your side, then with a mirror tilted underneath you, you could see the screen. Here, let me set it up, and then you can decide." Once she had moved everything in place, Sarah could see the monitor quite well, even though it looked strange from that angle. Jill placed the remote in Sarah's hand, so she could change the area being observed. Jill brought over a pad, sitting down on the floor, so she could watch as well. ------- Sarah slowly became aware of her surroundings. She realized that she must have dozed off again. The lights were on low, and the monitors were turned off. She then realized that she had been repositioned. Her gloved hands were now bound to the platform below her shoulders. The wraps had been removed from her breasts, and they now hung freely below her. She wondered how long she had slept, but knew it couldn't have been very long. Her head wasn't strapped in place now. As she raised it to try and look around, a strange voice said, "I see you're awake." Sarah tried to look in that direction, but couldn't turn her head for enough. She heard some movement and a woman walked into her view. "Who are you?" "We brought you some food up to eat." "Where are Jill and Janet?" "They are lying down sleeping in the back of the room, see," said the woman, as she moved a mirror and Sarah could barely see them. She was a bit relieved, but... "Why are the wraps removed from my breasts, as Alice said they need to be on for several days or maybe a week?" Ignoring Sarah, she placed a tube next to her mouth and said, "Here, take this so you can eat." "No, just answer the question, and then I will eat." She pushed the tube against Sarah's mouth. Sarah held it tightly shut. Sarah felt a sharp pain on her back and screamed. As soon as she opened her mouth, the tube was placed between her teeth and the mouthpiece covered her mouth. Two straps were quickly fastened behind her head firmly holding the mouthpiece in place. "There, that wasn't so difficult, was it? Now, let's start feeding you. After that we will answer your questions." Sarah soon felt her mouth filling with a soft liquid. The woman told Sarah, "Just swallow, you know it doesn't need chewing." Sarah began to swallow as she realized she again had no choice. "Besides, the food is fortified with special supplements to help your body adjust to the changes." Soon the bottle was empty and she felt very full. In fact, she felt so full that she thought her belly might be sagging. While she was eating, Sarah could hear some movement in the back of the room. The woman soon removed the tube, but left the mouthpiece in place. She started to leave, but then came back. "You asked a question before eating, and I have a few minutes before I have to go back and attend to your friends." That comment caused Sarah's ears to pick up. "It was nice of Liz to bring you here. We have been looking for a woman with your build and features for some time, and we are very glad to have found you. You are probably wondering why I say that." Sarah nodded. "Well, we work for a small group that has a secluded reservation in the tropics where they keep a tribe of women. The women are bred to have between two and six babies at a time, which are sold for adoption. Your features fit an area of great demand, and we need to fill an opening in the group. Your babies should bring a very good price when we sell them. We fixed it so your breasts would be made significantly larger, with the unwitting assistance of Liz. They will be larger in both physical size and in the amount of milk they produce. You will need every bit of it to feed your babies for the first month. Yes, I said babies. You will be bred to have twins the first couple of times, and then with your size, probably move up to at least quads. In fact, before you leave here we will ensure you are pregnant. The tests showed you are close to ovulation, and a couple of hormone shots along with an injection of sperm directly into your cervix, we will make sure you conceive. You will be on the way to the island within a day or so." Sarah shook her head and began to cry. She wondered what she did to gain so much unwarranted attention. She wondered if that was the island in her recent dreams, but the thought doesn't seem right. "The island reservation is quite nice and isolated. There are about 30 women who live there, strictly for providing babies. Several men are there, as well, to provide for maintenance and other needs. They are available for sexual needs, as well. If that is not enough, we also have a number of mechanical devices and animals to satisfy your sexual needs. As you have probably noticed, you are much more easily aroused since the breast treatment and will find that you frequently crave sexual release. Many find it quite satisfying to engage in sexual relations at least once a day and more frequently is often the case. Oh, almost forgot, we have quite a number of visitors that will be available to you for your sexual needs as well. Your main focus will be making healthy babies, and to some extent, providing additional milk. Yes, after the babies are gone you will be required to continue expressing your milk. In fact you will not be permitted to stop lactating once you start." "Now hearing all that you want to go, right?" "No I want to go home," mumbled Sarah. "Do you know what Liz had planned for you?" Sarah shook her head no. "She started out helping Frank on this project to find his missing thief. Liz and her friend pegged you to be it. Why? I'm not sure. After seeing the effect of her changes to you, she intends to convince Frank that he can get his money back by letting her use you as a star in sex and porno films. As your value decreases, you will star in increasingly severe sex films, participating with animals and then in real torture. Once you worth in films is gone, she plans to sell you to a baby farm or a sex club. In fact, it was her friend that brought you to our attention. So now you don't have to worry about films or Liz. Life will be simple for you now, as all you need to do is relax, grow babies and have all the sex couplings you want." Sarah found her stories amazing and scary. She screamed, "No, I just want to go home," but the only sound she heard washer mumbling into a gag. "Thank you for agreeing, and don't worry, we are fixing up your two friends to go with you. It is unfortunate, but they saw my face, so we can't leave them behind." There was a tap on the door then several taps. She went and opened the door slowly. "Did you get the equipment?" A man's voice said, "Yes." "Good. Let's get those two over there hooked up. We don't have much time." The man responded, "Yes, we don't have much time. They are looking all over the building for someone." "Yes, I know. They are looking for Liz. She is peacefully sleeping in an area where they won't look for a while. She should wake up in about 6 hours, and then they should be content to deal with her for a couple of hours. In fact, they have monitors in there, it might be fun to watch as they torment her. But we need to be out of here before they finish, as all hell will break loose once they realize these three are gone." Sarah heard the man go to the back of the room with a cart. The woman moved to stand by Sarah where she bent down and started attaching pads to Sarah's arms and back. Once the pads were in place, they were attached by wires to a box. Each passing moment caused Sarah became more concerned. By the time she was done she was sweating in fear. "Don't worry, these are only to exercise your muscles. They will strengthen the muscles in your back and chest. These need to be strengthened to hold up your large chest." Sarah heard a switch snap, and then her muscles began twitching. She could feel the muscles twitch in rhythm over her back, chest and arms. She tried to ask the woman a question, but all she could do was mumble, with her mouth covered. "If I take the mouthpiece off, will you let me put it back on when its time to eat?" Sarah slowly nodded her head, yes. The straps were released and the woman pulled the mouthpiece from Sarah's mouth. She took a deep breath, and it felt good to be able to move her jaw. "I don't want to go to the island. What are you doing to Jill and Janet?" "Well, we are enlarging their breasts as well. They will not be quite as big as yours. Theirs will grow more slowly, probably to about a H or HH cup which is slightly larger than the cup size Liz intended with your treatments yesterday. They will be pregnant in about 3 months. The three of you will be at the island within a couple of days." "How large did you make my breasts?" "Your tits should be at least a full J cup, if you aren't lactating. But you will always lactate now, so usually lactating causes a increase of about 2 more cup sizes. So probably a L cup at first, then the constant lactation along with a couple of sets of babies, perhaps 2 more cup sizes. But you won't need to worry about cup sizes anymore or clothes either for that matter." "What do you mean?" "It means your breasts will stick out about 9 or 10 inches in front of your chest, if they don't sag. If the formula works like it is supposed to, they won't sag very much. The farm doesn't like for the women's tits to sag, because those that causes problems. Later, they can be sold as sex toys to individuals or clubs." So much had happened, Sarah didn't know what to say. "Oh, the other part I almost forgot is that your nipples will increase in length and thickness, but not a whole lot, or a newborn would have trouble nursing. They will always be somewhat swollen, especially since Liz increased their dormant arousal level." "How are you going to get us out of here?" "Oh that's easy, you will be placed in the bottom of the laundry carts and taken to the laundry. There, we will place you in a large sealed box to be shipped out on the next truck. But you will never see any of it, as you will be asleep the whole time." Sarah shivered at the thought of her future. The woman saw Sarah shiver. "Don't worry, one of our people will be very near the boxes at all times. Once you get to the island, you will find it takes several days to get over being in one position for so long." The man walked up and said, "The other two are progressing nicely. I set their enlargement from HH to J cup with high milk volume. They should be fully inoculated in about four hours." The woman said, "Okay, but that isn't what we discussed." "Yes I know, but with their conditioning, it should not be a problem. They will be very predominant on their smaller chests. This one's should end up being at least a double L cup size before she begins to lactate. So, since all we need to do now is wait, have any objections to me fucking her." The woman said, "No, in fact you could sire her first set of quads. But we need to wait a bit, until I can give her a hormone shot to start ovulation. The earliest we can do it is in about 4 hours, then two hours later; we need to make sure there is plenty of cum waiting for her eggs." Sarah started to comment but realized it was useless, because they would do what they wanted with her. The man slipped out of his pants and shirt. His cock looked like it might have been a model for some of the dildos. It was the as big as some of the dildos she had seen in ads and seemed to be nearly as long as her forearm with a predominate crown. He looked down at her. "Raise your head, bitch." She could only raise it a bit. "Well, that's not quite high enough for you to be able to suck it." With that he walked behind her and knelt. Soon, she felt his warm cock slide between the lips of her cunt several times, each stroke caused them to swell and moisten in spite of being tender. After only a few strokes, his cock was dripping wet with her cunt cream. "Her cunt already has my cock dripping wet. With this sensitivity, she should be very popular with the visitors at the farm." Her hot swollen cunt lips and cream caused his cock to swell further. Then his cock slid all the way back, until the crown was at the bottom of her trough and stopped. She could feel the heat from his cocks crown resting between her cunt lips pulsating. His cock began to slide forward; as it reached the mouth of her cunt her hips flexed slightly catching the head. The cock angled up and slipped through the mouth of her cunt and into her hot, wet, sheath. She was amazed at how easily his large cock entered her cunt. He held still, as the two of them savored the feelings generated from his cock throbbing in the entrance of her vaginal sheath. He began to gently slide it in, a little bit at time, until her cunt was filled with his cock. He began to slowly slide back and forth, in long strokes. With each stroke, she could felt her tits swing back and forth. She could feel her arousal growing. Her cunt was so wet it was dripping into the pan on the floor. Her cunt spasmed as the first small orgasm occurred. He continued to slowly stroke his cock in Sarah's cunt. Her breath quickened. She tried to bring the organisms quicker by moving back toward him, but there was little movement she could make. Her cunt twitched again. She concentrated on tightening her cunt muscles around the cock, which greatly increased her pleasure. The heightened friction caused more orgasmic spasms to which she excreted more of her cream. He slowed his stroking. Sarah pleaded with him to fuck her harder. She could feel the pressure building toward a big orgasm, and begged him to fuck her harder, but his pace never changed. Sarah felt a tugging on her nipples and looked down. His fingers were stroking on her nipples, like he was milking them. Her nipples were as hard as rocks. His tugging on her nipples caused pleasurable feelings run right to her cunt, increasing her sheaths contractions. He continued stroking his cock in her cunt. Her arousal was to the point that she thought she was about to die as her lungs burned from lack of air. He reached down and strummed her clit with his fingers. Her emotions exploded into an exceptionally long strong orgasm. She screamed, fainting from sensory overload. When she awakened, she could still feel his hard cock buried deeply in her cunt, pulsing. Slowly thrusting back and forth. The cream from her cum dripped off her enlarged swollen cunt lips and ran down their legs. The woman came over and patted Sarah's head. "This is only the beginning, as he usually brings a woman to several orgasms before he cums after which they sleep for hours." Sarah moaned as he started stroking her cunt more rapidly again with his cock. Her arousal built more rapidly this time. His continued stoking her hot cunt with his cock brought her cunt to a state of continuous contractions. She was breathing so rapidly she felt smothered. She pleaded for him to bring her to the crest. He responded by slightly increasing the pace. Sarah could feel his cock getting bigger and hotter. His hands were stroking her breasts, and again tugging on her nipples. Her nipples were so hard they hurt. The pace of his fucking picked up. His cock stiffened and grew even hotter. He pushed it deeply inside of her and held it there pulsing deep in her cunt. He moved his hand to Sarah's clit and began to rub it rapidly. She screamed as she felt his hot cum flood her cunt. Her orgasm exploded triggering stars before her eyes before she fell into darkness. ------- When Sarah awakened, she noticed that her hands were free and her legs were no longer tied to the posts. Her head laid against a cloth sling. She could feel the patches and wires were no longer on her back and they were removed from her arms and chest. The cloth sling was again supporting her large breasts. She raised her head to look around. A familiar voice said, "You're awake," and footsteps came closer. Sarah looked up to see Alice. "Where am I? Are we still at your place?" "Yes. Why? Where did you think you would be?" "That woman was going to send me to some baby farm on an island. She even claimed responsibility for making my breasts so large." Sarah just went on and repeated all that the woman had said about the island, until she ran out of steam. "Well, you don't need to worry about the baby farm. She didn't get a chance to give you the hormone shot, so your ovulation was normal and you didn't conceive. The woman and man are restrained in a dungeon cell right at the moment. There is no way for them to get out. In fact, in several hours they probably won't want to." "Why?" "Since both of them like to give others larger breasts, we thought they ought to have bigger ones too. So right now they are watching each other's breasts grow. We haven't decided quite where to stop yet. They are not growing very fast, but they will be much larger than yours. It will take about another month. With at least an O cup size and lactating heavily, they should fit in quite well where they were going to send you three, and when the woman gets there, she will find she is carrying triplets." "How are Jill and Janet?" "They will be fine. Would you like to go join them?" "Yes, but more than that I would like to go home." "Well, with the changes that have been forced on you, we would like for you to stay for at least several more weeks. We have a doctor that would like to look you over then we can talk about it." "I can't, I will loose my job, if I haven't already. Oh..." she cried in anguish, "how will I dress." Tears filled her eyes. "Please calm down. Panicking or a bout of hysteria won't solve a thing. For the moment, it is not in your best interest to try and work. If you spend to many hours on your feet, it will have a very adverse effect on these changes you didn't really want. In fact, it will make them much more difficult to deal with in the future. I think we can make sure you don't lose your job. So let's go see Janet and Jill." She helped Sarah get up off of the bed. As she stood, she became dizzy and held tightly on to the beds post. "Are you okay?" "Just a bit dizzy. Let's stand for a minute." Sarah's feet quickly began to complain and sharp pains jabbed at her legs and she quickly sat down. Alice said, "What's wrong?" "I forgot, I need to wear heels." "Oh yes, I remember. Sit down, and let me get some heels for you to try." She was back shortly, with a selection of high heels. After trying several, they found some that felt comfortable. Soon, Sarah said, "When I first stood, my balance felt strange and I was a little dizzy. I feel better now so let's try it again." They walked slowly out the open door with Alice holding her arm. As Sarah walked, she felt better and she gained confidence again in her balance. Alice guided her down the hall to an elevator, and they went up to the 5th floor. The elevator opened into a large open room that was obviously a living area. On entering, Sarah could see Janet and Jill lying face down in cloth slings similar to where she had been. Their breasts had grown quite a bit. "Alice, how long was I asleep?" "A little over a week. We were quite worried about you, which is why we didn't move you." "Wow, why did I sleep so long? How did I eat, as I don't feel hungry?" "Judy is not sure why you slept so long. We fed you with a bottle, and you automatically swallowed as your mouth filled. Your body was functioning as it was supposed to. She thought that it may have been in response to the treatments you were given. There was a sedative in the mix of drugs Liz had placed in your ass. So perhaps it was a response to that. We don't know for sure." "Judy was expecting you to be groggy when you woke up, so I was pleasantly surprised with how seemed lucid you appeared. Once you had shoes on, you were reasonably steady on your feet, so it seems we were taking steps in the right direction, which will make Judy very happy." Alice and Sarah walked over to toward Jill and Janet. They were asleep. Sarah knelt down next to them and caressed their heads lightly. Alice said, "They were quite worried about how you would feel about them. They felt that it was their fault that those two got into the room." Jill awoke. When she recognized it was Sarah, her look grew fearful and tears filled her eyes. She continued to stroke her hair. "Don't worry, I'm not mad at you. My only worries are how to get this Frank person to believe that I am not the person he is seeking, and how I look. With tits as large as mine, few people will look me in the eye or listen to me." With that Alice knelt down and hugged Sarah, saying, "Don't worry, I think everything will work out. It will be different, but you will be fine." Sarah leaned down and kissed Jill on the cheek. Raising, up she felt light-headed again and started to stumble. Alice grabbed her and led her over to another sling bed, near Jill and Janet. "Lie down here and get some more rest. I'll have our doctor come check you over shortly." Sarah laid down, and Alice covered her with a sheet. Sarah watched her leave the room. Being alone again, her apprehension began to grow again. She was scared even though she felt safe. She didn't know where she was or what was going to happen. Then, she began to cry. Once it started, it was like the dam had broken. Sarah quietly cried herself to sleep. ------- When she awoke, there was light coming in the window. Looking around, Sarah could see Jill and Janet were still lying in the special beds. She had to use the bathroom. Slowly easing out of the sling bed, and slipped shoes on before standing up, she waited a moment to see if her balance was okay. Looking around, she found the bathroom and headed for it at a slow pace. She felt fine, but the weight on her chest did not feel normal yet. She wondered if it ever would feel normal. When she returned to the room, she saw Alice and another woman. "What are you doing up?" "I thought it was better to pee in the toilet than on the bed or floor." Everyone just laughed. It was the first laugh Sarah had heard in a long time. It felt as if a load had been lifted off of her. Janet beckoned Sarah toward her. Moving over to her side, Sarah knelt down and caressed her cheek. She looked up at her with big tears in her eyes and said, "I am so sorry to have let you and Alice down." Smiling at her, Sarah said, "Don't worry, I don't blame you. We are certain you did everything you could." Leaning over, she kissed her cheek again. "Besides, it looks like most everything will be okay now. With our big racks, the three of us will be admired by every man and some women in the room." She laughed, and so did Jill. Sarah was surprised at how much better sher felt physically but also more emotionally comfortable. Jill spoke up, saying, "I told you so." Alice came over and helped Sarah stand as when she moved she tended to be a bit off-balance. She led Sarah over to the other woman. "Sarah, this is Judy, our doctor. She is also a member of the club. She will check you over, to make sure that the changes in your body structure are progressing without complications. She will be following the changes in all three of you for the foreseeable future." Judy asked, "Can you tell me what you know has been done, beyond the breast and cunt lip enlargements here. These are pretty standard, if done correctly, but not without some risk." Sarah shuddered at her comment. "Don't worry, so far you look fine." Sarah repeated to her what the woman had said and indicated in the room, about lactating and breast growth. "What about the butt plug Jill took out of my ass?" "It had a sedative in it that made you very willing to go along with the changes Liz forced on you. It also contained several hormones in slow-release form. The hormones were apparently to enhance your bodies response to the treatments you received. We continued the hormone supplements, which made sense, but at a more appropriate dosage. We need to go over to my office, so I can more thoroughly examine you and run some more tests. There we can also go over the need for the hormone supplements." "I don't know where my clothes are, and I don't think they would fit any more. Based on what Liz kept telling me, I probably couldn't wear them if they did fit." "Well, since clothes are optional here on the estate, you can come as you are. This is our home, which is attached to a private clinic with limited in-patient care and attached to the club facilities. In fact, we are just several floors above the dungeon and room where you spent the two weeks. Alice and I both live here. Jill and Janet are here with us most of the time." Sarah exclaimed, "How long have I been here?" "Well, you have been here in the building a little over two weeks." Sarah looked at Alice. "Well, I guess I will be looking for a new job. I'm sure they have fired me from the real estate office. The manager I worked for will be real happy to do that. He has been looking for a reason for some time, mostly because I wouldn't go to bed with him. He even had the nerve to ask me to spend a weekend with him at his country place for a weekend orgy. On top of that, he said he would trash my reputation in real estate sales if I left." "You don't have to worry, as a friend of a very good friend owns the agency. In fact, after what you have just said, your boss may be in serious trouble." Judy took Sarah's hand and they walked to her office. They went into the examining room. She measured her and then had her lie on the table. As she was examining her cunt, Sarah could feel it begin to moisten. "Tell me more about the sensitivity changes Liz told you about." "Well, it was both Liz and the attendants at the first place Liz took me. They indicated my breasts, in particular my nipples, along with my cunt and clit, would be very sensitive to any covering. The attendants said I might be able to wear silk or satin, as long as it was loose. After the first time, I found the easiest thing to do was to go 'commando' with a long full skirt, but it had to have a satin or silk liner. With a silk liner in my bra, my nipples were always erect, but otherwise fine." "My cunt seemed to be always moist, more so since this last treatment by Liz." She only nodded. She went through the normal physical examination, complete with blood samples. She told Sarah to lie there while she went and ran the tests. She was back shortly. When she entered the room, it seemed like she was frowning. "What's wrong?" Looking at Sarah, she said, "Nothing that will cause you any problems." "What do you mean?" "Well, your breast size looks like it has stabilized at a little more than a K cup. They are very firm, as you have noticed, by the way, they stand up with you lying that way. There aren't any lumps, which is very good. The muscles in your back appear to have grown somewhat, and this will help you carry your larger breasts more comfortably. Your hormone levels are appropriate for a lactating woman, so I suspect you will start lactating shortly. There are still some synthetic steroids in your body. These were also in the dildo Liz had placed in you. These would encourage an increase in muscle growth and enhance the changes they wanted you to undergo. Going back to the lactation, do you know how to manage it?" "No." "Just a minute." She left the room and came back with a package. She said, "This is a breast pump," as she took the item from the package. "This is a manual type. There are also electric versions as well. The electric ones or a human mouth work the best. Do your breasts feel full or tight now?" "I don't know. I never had this much weight on my chest." "Well, since the hormone levels indicate you should be lactating, or nearly ready to, let's see." She bent over and sucked Sarah's nipple into her mouth. She gently licked and sucked. It felt very good. At the same time she could feel cunt moisten and her cunt lips begin to swell. Soon, Sarah's breast felt different to her, then warm and flushed. She noticed that Judy began to swallow as she sucked her nipple. Her cunt was very wet and she could smell her arousal perfume. Judy slowly stopped sucking and the feeling in her breast changed. She lifted her head from Sarah's breast. "I apologize for getting carried away. You are lactating, and it will be only a short period time before they will tell you it is time to let your milk down. Your milk is very sweet, in fact, I would gladly drink it all, but now we need to show you how to use the pump." She picked up the pump and placed it over Sarah's nipple. Pressing it against her breast, she operated the pump. Soon, milk was flowing freely from her breast in response to the pump. She continued until the flow stopped. There were almost 2 oz in the bottle, even after she had suckled some. She handed Sarah the pump and said, "Now you do the other one." She held it against her breast and pumped a bit. Nothing happened, and she stopped. Judy said, "Don't stop yet, since it is the first time, it will take a bit." As she said that, Sarah felt her nipple getting wet. Placing the pump to the nipple again, she began operating it. Shortly the bottle was full. Sarah handed the device to Judy. She took the lid off. Looking at Sarah, she said, "Would you like a taste." She slowly nodded her head. Taking the bottle, she sipped it, and then drank about half of it. It was almost like drinking sugar. Handing it back to Judy, she said, "You can finish it." Judy quickly drank the rest. "Thank you." "Have you ever been around anyone lactating?" "No." "Well, typically, you will need to let your milk down about every 4 to 6 hours. You should try and keep it to every 6 hours. Also, when you get home you should get one of the electric breast pumps." "What do I do with the milk?" "Well, there are a number of choices. You can throw it away, or use it like regular milk, but it does spoil quickly. We can also put you in contact with an organization that will take it and provide it to other mothers who need it. There are some pharmaceutical companies who by fresh human milk." "Well, let me think about it." "Shall we go back to the suite, as I need to check Jill and Janet as well." As Sarah walked down the hall, she ask her how long she needed to stay. "Well, I would like you to stay at least another two weeks, and possibly two more. I want to make sure all of the changes to your body are complete and stabilized." "What will I do with the milk while I'm here?" "Well, I think that will be easy to take care of, I'm sure Janet or Jill would be more than happy to suckle your breasts. Also, have you forgot about me? I like fresh milk." Sarah looked at her strangely, smiling. "Yes, I noticed. If I didn't know better, I would think you set me up for these big milk-laden jugs." She started to protest and then saw your smile. "You might get Alice to empty them, as well. She is the dungeon mistress, but she also has a soft side as well. The two that tried to kidnap Jill, Janet and you will only see the hard side. Those two had a branding iron in their case. Knowing Alice, she just may try it on them." Sarah shivered at her comments. "Generally, this club does not tolerate branding or mutilation. They have, however, done it a few times as punishment for injury to another member or guest." Entering the room, Sarah could see Jill and Janet were dozing on cots. They opened their eyes at the sound of your approach. Judy said, "Jill, would you like to get up for a little bit?" "Oh my, yes. This cot is nice, but it gets old after a while." Jill rose up and Sarah could really tell how much larger her breasts had grown. Judy began to examine her breasts. She asked Jill how they feel. "They pull a bit on my back, but other than that, they feel okay". "Good. You will need to do some back exercises so that you don't start to stoop over. I'll have Alice bring some weights for the three of you to use and show you how to use them. By the way, do you like milk." "Oh, I love milk." "Well, if you ask Sarah later, she might let you have some." Jill looked at Sarah strangely as her face turned red. "She is lactating. In fact, she started while we were in my office." Jill looked back at her and then turned to Judy. "Yea, and I bet you got first taste." Judy turned red as a beet. "Sure, a doctor has to make sure her patients are functioning correctly." "I've seen how you fawn over the lactating women in the club. In fact, I'm surprised you don't have a slave or two who's sole purpose is to supply you with fresh milk." "Keep it up and you just might be that slave. Hum... Let's see, first we will increase your tits a couple of more sizes, with increased lactation volume. Then, not only could I have fresh milk, but we could sell the extra to the health care industry. I'm sure they could use a gallon of fresh milk a day." "What? Just how big are you talking about." "I'm not sure. Perhaps an increase of 2 or 3 cup sizes to your current size with boosted lactation. That will make them about a K cup, but with your smaller stature they will look much larger than Sarah's." Jill looked thoughtfully. "What's in if for me? And what about my friend?" "Are you truly interested?" Judy asked, amazed. Judy was a bit taken aback, as she had started this with a tongue-in-cheek comment, and was receiving a unexpected response from Jill. Jill nodded. "Before this goes further, the four of us need to talk more about the idea. Don't get me wrong, I really like both you and Janet. We just need to be sure this is right for us. Alice needs to be included as you already have an agreement with her. Second, breasts that size on you or Janet could be detrimental to your health. We really need to evaluate your stature, to see if it is feasible." Jill nodded. "I thought you were putting me on about the size, but I think both Janet and I would like a special arrangement with Alice and you." "We can discuss it later, but you need to lie down again." "How many more days?" "Let's see, its been nearly a week, so at least two more days. After that, we can gradually increase your time up. All of that will change if you increase your cup size." Jill smiled at the news. Several hours later Sarah could feel the pressure of the milk in her breasts. She got up from reading her book to get the breast pump. Janet saw her returning with the pump. "Sarah, let me do that." She eased off of the cot and came over to the couch Sarah was sitting on. As she sat down, Sarah handed her the pump. She took it and laid it on the table. "This will work better." She laid across Sarah's lap. Her mouth felt so good, as she pulled Sarah's nipple into her mouth. Janet began to slowly suckle her breast. She could feel the milk let down, easing the pressure on her breast. She was surprised, a bit, at the arousal and wetness of her cunt while nursing. Jill woke from her nap. Noticing that Janet was not on her cot, she looked around. Seeing Janet nursing at Sarah's breast, she said, "The other one is for me." She rose up from the cot and came over to Sarah and Janet. She told Janet to move over, so she can suckle the other breast. Reluctantly, Janet moved around so Jill could reach Sarah's other breast. Soon, she was enjoying the nice warm feeling of both of her breasts being suckled and the milk flowing out. All of this gave her a very warm feeling of arousal. She reached up and caressed each of the girls faces and bodies as they suckled. Just as they finished, Alice came in to the room. Seeing the activity, she said, "It looks like I'm a little late for this feeding." She told Janet and Jill not to stay too long off of the cot. They nodded affirmatively as they continued to suckle. "Sarah," said Alice, "you seemed to be very worried about your home and job." Sarah looked at her with some concern. "You needn't worry. I called the woman who owns the real estate firm where you work. When we got to talking, I remembered meeting her some time ago and we also have several common friends besides the acquaintance I was thinking of earlier. Anyway, I told her you were recovering from some unexpected treatments and were worried about your home and job. She offered to check on your house and take care of any loose ends. I shared your comments about the office manager. I did not give her any details on why you were here, but she told me to tell you not to worry. She assured me that your job was not in jeopardy as you were one of the top agents in that office. I hope I have not over stepped the bounds of our friendship." By the time she finished Sarah's expression had changed from worry to a smile. "Thank you. I hope I have enough to pay for all of this care." "I don't think that will be a problem either. As for the fresh milk, call me the next time you need to let your milk down." She smiled. "Okay. But I only started to use the pump, and these two didn't give me a chance." She laughed. "I know them and they won't. If you're not careful they will be sucking on your breasts every minute they can. If I don't get some of your sweet milk, I'll have to warm your backside and not let you nurse for half a day. I can assure you that you will never forget me after that experience." "How did you know I was lactating?" "Judy and I talked earlier. She also told me about her conversation with Jill." Jill quickly pulled up and turned to Alice. There was a look of concern on her face. She dropped to the floor and knelt before Alice. "Please forgive me for being so forward with someone else before I talked to you, my Mistress. I do not desire to leave you, but the thought of Judy suckling my breasts was so exciting, I just got carried away." "Jill, don't worry. Judy and I have decided on an arrangement for you and Janet between us, if you two agree. After thinking about it a bit, doubling your breast size and lactation rate would make you two very valuable to Judy and me. Human milk commands quite a good price. Perhaps we could make them even a bit bigger, of course you would probably have to crawl rather than walk." Jill looked up, questioningly. Janet had stopped sucking on Sarah's breast and turned toward Alice, with a certain amount of concern showing on her face. Alice noticed the concern, and smiled. "I was only kidding, as Judy told me how she had put you on about that already. I thought I would see if I could get more mileage from it. From the looks on your faces, I sucked both of you in again. Don't worry, as neither of us would intentionally do anything to harm the two of you. But you certainly would look interesting with tits twice your current size." "Now with respect to the special arrangement, Judy and I will talk to both of you later. For now, you don't need to spend as much time on the cots. Why don't we move to the bed, watching you three has made me quite aroused. Sarah's cunt is dripping wet as well." Jill and Janet stood, pulling Sarah up, embracing her with Alice. They soon moved to the bed. ------- Chapter 7 The next day, Judy came into the room with Alice. Janet and Jill looked up, expectantly. Judy began, "Alice and I have discussed your request for us to become your permanent mistresses. As a part of that request, you indicated you would like to enlarge your breasts and begin lactating. We have decided to accept you, with the changes you proposed, as our special handmaidens. As our handmaidens, you will abide by any decision we make for you, without recourse, for as long as it suits us. While serving as our handmaidens, you will wear our collar at all times, and that is all you may wear without our express permission. Your contract will be sealed when you are collared. Prior to our sealing your collars you will: Increase your breasts to no more than a K cup, any larger will be detrimental to your bodies, and this is about as large as will look good on either of you; Your enlarged breasts are to be firm with little sag and a high lactation rate; Your nipples will be enlarged and lengthened to accommodate the high lactation, but not so large that you can't nurse a new born; The extra weight of your tits means you will strengthen your back by exercising along with some growth hormone supplement and electro-muscle stimulation; You will continue to exercise to maintain your posture; Janet's tongue will be lengthened about an inch and then split like Jill's. If she wants to lengthen it more, that is fine; Both of your cunts will be altered to have larger lips and a lengthened clit, a bit like Sarah's, but more pronounced; We are considering piercing your cunt lips and clit, but we haven't decided yet. If any further changes or adjustments are made to your bodies, we will discuss them with you, but it will be only our decision." Janet and Jill just stood and looked at one another for a few minutes. Then, Janet said, "Even though I am not sure about the tongue part, I like the rest." Jill hugged Janet to her. Jill looked at Janet, "I think we agree with the cup size, and I believe both of us would like for them to be as firm as possible." Janet nodded affirmatively. "Those requirements are to be done before we will accept the contract," said Alice. "We will consider any augmentation you suggest." Janet looked thoughtfully at Alice and Judy. "When do we start?" Judy said, "We can start today, if you like. Enlarging your breasts and increasing your back muscles can be done now. This will let us make some corrections to the last treatment you received. We can make the changes to your cunt now, as well. It will leave you sore for several days and the bust increase also means several more weeks of your spending most of the time on the cots." Sarah was amazed at the the thought of what they were doing so willingly. They were placing themselves totally in Alice and Judy's hands, to do with as they pleased. "Judy, I'll go get the cart and equipment," said Jill. "Janet," Judy said, "you need to think about how you want to change your tongue. We will begin lengthening it while your breasts are growing. We will begin by placing it in traction for short periods of time and then letting it relax. Once it has grown to the length we want, then we will wait some time before splitting it. We should split it a little at a time. It will take several months to accomplish it, as we need to be very careful of infection." Janet nodded. "I do like the feel of Jill's tongue, but I hope you don't make it that long." Judy said "I don't have a problem with that," looking at Alice. Alice said, "Its fine with me." Jill returned with the breast enlargement cart. She then went over to the cots and changed the bedding so that they could lie there for the enlargement. They helped each other put the special cups over their breasts and then fastened them in place. Jill said, "Judy, can you and Alice hook everything up." "Yes we can. Jill and Janet, do you realize that you have sealed your association with Alice and I? Once we begin, both of you will belong to both Alice and I until we agree to release you. In fact, you would most likely find it difficult to live anywhere else but here or at a private club somewhere." "Yes, Mistress Judy and Alice," they both responded immediately. They started to go over to the cots. Judy said, "Not yet... I want each of you to sit in these chairs. They came over and sat down. Okay, now pull your knees up, and spread them as wide as you can." Doing that caused both of their cunts to open slightly. "Stay right there, I will be back in a moment." Judy was soon back with a cart. Sarah could see several syringes on it, along with other sealed containers. Judy said, "Okay, I want you and Alice to watch what I'm doing. First, we will numb your cunt lips with a local anesthetic, then we will inject each lip in several places. I know how large I would like to make them, but Alice needs to have her input, so she will need to tell me when to stop. Note that the injections will make them a bit puffy. Once the process is complete, they will be that large, but not as puffy except when aroused." "Sarah, come over here a minute and stand between Jill and Janet, so they can see your cunt." She walked over. Judy asked her to spread her legs. When Sarah did, she could feel her cunt open up. Judy said, "See how her lips hang? That is the effect we are looking to give you, although I would like them about twice the size of Sarah's." Sarah interrupted, "But how do I look now. When I received my treatments, Jill and Janet said mine looked like theirs." Judy looked at you and asked, "You don't know?" "No, I can hardly see my toes with this big rack on my chest, and the mirrors don't help very much." "They may have looked like theirs then, but they now hang down a bit more with the inner lips clearly visible. We will help you take a closer look when we get Jill and Janet sorted out." "The clit is a bit harder to do. I will make an injection in it, near the base. Over several days, it will increase in size, until it's nearly the same size as Sarah's." "Are you in agreement, Alice?" "Yes." Jill and Janet were both nodding affirmatively. With that, Judy began making the injections in the fleshy lips of their cunts. Although Sarah could see Janet and Jill wince in pain when the needle was inserted, neither said a word. When Judy finished, both girls cunt lips looked much larger and quite red. "Okay now, when you feel like it, go over and lie down on your cots." Judy and Alice followed them over and began to make the rest of the connections to the cups covering their breasts. Once completed, Judy checked the settings and turned on the devices. She then took a syringe, and gave each of them a shot in their hip. "The shot," she said, "will help you sleep while the changes are taking place." "Thank you, Mistress," they both replied. Sarah could see that they were already drifting off to sleep. Judy looked at you and smiled. "That is one way to get to drink your milk." "What?" said Sarah, as both Alice and Judy laughed. "With both of them sleeping for the next several days, you only have Alice or I to help you let your milk down." Judy walked with Sarah over to the couch sat down as she pulled Sarah's head over to kiss her. Sarah's arms went around her, to meet her embrace. Sarah felt someone sit down on the other side of her. Glancing over, she saw Alice reach up to caress her arm. Alice then began to kiss and caress Sarah's neck and shoulder. Sarah broke her kiss with Judy and quickly kissed Alice on the cheek. "Let's lie on the bed," said Alice. "It will be more comfortable to enjoy and worship one another there." They pulled back to stand and then pulled Sarah up. Together they walked slowly to the bed, in a tight embrace. As they reached the bed Judy said, "I'll be back in a minute, I need to check on Jill and Janet, since we don't need any more errors around here." Soon she returned, joining Sarah and Alice in a warm embrace on the bed. Together, they relaxed, as they enjoyed sharing their physical love for one another for several hours, before dozing off from fatigue. Sarah awoke with milk leaking down her bare chest from her full breasts. As she started to get up, Alice asked her where she was going. Before she could answer, some milk dripped on Alice. Alice pulled her forward, toward her, and on to the bed, so that she was on her hands and knees. Alice pushed her head underneath Sarah, in order to capture her nipple in her mouth, and started sucking. The commotion awakened Judy. As she opened her eyes, she saw Sarah kneeling on the bed, with Alice suckling at her breast. She slid over to capture her other nipple and began to suckle. Sarah felt a bit funny with the two of them lying underneath her, suckling her breasts, but the sensations felt so good. She knelt there unwilling to move, her mind focused on the release of her milk, the arousal that came from warm mouths sucking on her breasts felt so good. She could feel her labia beginning to swell and moisten adding a fresh odor of pheromones to the room. By the time they drained her tits, Sarah's cunt was so wet it was dripping, and her cunt cream was running down her legs. Judy reached up to slide her fingers along Sarah's cunt lips, brushing her clit with a gentle caresses triggering a massive orgasm. Sarah collapsed on them, trapping their faces under her breasts nearly smothering them. Judy and Alice lifted Sarah and eased out from underneath her. They began to give her a hard time about being ungrateful for their assistance and trying to smother them. Their faces were very stern. Judy said to Alice, "Maybe we ought to show her how we treat those who are ungrateful." "Okay, but she is so beautiful we can't mark her, otherwise we could take her downstairs and whip her really good. I have a new 'cat o nine tails' treated in brine to try out on someone. If I was careful, it wouldn't break the skin." "With a whip in your hands, you don't know what careful is." Sarah shuddered and said, "Please, no. I wasn't trying to smother you. The two of you have taken extremely good care of me these last several weeks. Besides I was beginning to think you were friends, rather than just another of my captors." She could feel the tears filling her eyes. Alice and Judy smiled and began to laugh. Sitting up, Sarah looked at both of them laughing at her but at the same time with worried look in their eyes. "You... ," as she punched both in the shoulder. Judy said, "Oh Sarah, we are sorry we scared you with our kidding, as we went to far. We never wanted to hurt your feelings." "You two are, maybe, the only friends I have now. My looks have changed so much that the people I know may be uncomfortable around me. I also feel like my temperament has changed as well. I am surprised that I didn't put up more resistance to Liz. Although the one reason I didn't, was that I thought all it would is make increase the pain and abuse. I can't help wonder how all of this will affect my work, that is, if I can still work in real estate." "Well, knowing you as I do now," said Judy, "I wouldn't worry about those who are uncomfortable around you. You do have more than two friends here don't, forget Jill and Janet. The drugs Liz gave you here would have blocked any desire you had to strongly resist. The long term impact of that on a person is to make them believe they are submissive so they become very dependent. With that comes acceptance of any punishment as being deserved for their failings, which creates a large responsibility for their master or mistress. If they are not careful, they can destroy their submissive turning them into a human shell. Now that we are beginning to sense your character you may have chosen to not strongly resist until a real opportunity presented itself. Some people are able to pull into themselves, while leaving the appearance they are compliant. We think you have those traits." "Speaking of my friends at home, when can I leave? Besides, I really don't know what I look like. There have been only a few times since I've been here that I saw myself in the mirror. Each time I was looking to see what my next torment was being prepared for me." "As for as staying, it would be wise for your long term health for you to stay at least another week, but we would really be much more comfortable if you stayed at least a couple of more weeks or at least a month. We aren't sure yet that the treatments you received have stabilized or that we understand how all of the treatments given you will finally manifest themselves." Judy stood then taking Sarah's hand and pulled her up off the bed, leading her toward her office. "Where are we going?" "I have a set of wall mirrors and hand mirrors, so you can use to examine yourself." They entered her office and went to a small alcove where there were mirrors on three walls. Sarah moved to stand in the mirrored alcove as Judy set two mirrors at an angle behind her. She looked in the mirrors, carefully examining how she looked from all sides. Her breasts were very prominent and as big as they were, there was virtually no sag. She wondered what her friends would think when they saw her enormous tits. What would she tell them? Judy handed her a hand mirror. She took it and examined how her cunt now looked. Even without the hand mirror, she could clearly see in the wall mirror both pairs of her cunt lips hanging. In her profile, she could see her clit peaking out of its hood, at the top of her cunt. She spread her legs a bit, as she did her labia major separated a bit, her inner lips descended further. As she watched them move, they began to swell a bit. Reaching down, she ran her fingers over them, to feel the moisture form with her touch, wetting her finger, swelling even more. Raising her finger to her mouth, she carefully tasted the liquid from her cunt. The aroma and taste of her cunt caused her to moisten more as she licked her finger clean. Sarah looked at her image over very carefully, and then looked again at her profile. Judy carefully watched her as she was worried about the mental impact of the physical changes Sarah was undergoing. The concern was driven by the knowledge the changes were not sought but forced on her. The changes were not subtle either as they would be difficult to tone down when dressed. Judy said, very softly, "You are very beautiful. Are your new looks acceptable to you?" Her voice thick with emotion, Sarah said, "Yes, I think so. It would have been nice to have had a choice. I am not sure I would ever have initiated them but, I think I can comfortably live with them." Judy sighed in relief hearing her sincerity. "It certainly has changed my appearance, so much so that some may not recognize me. It is going to be difficult to find clothes to wear for work and special occasions." Judy stepped up behind Sarah pulling her close and wrapped her arms around her, with more emotion she again told Sarah, "You are a very beautiful woman, beautiful inside and out. I agree you should have had the choice, like Jill and Janet did." She then proceeded to kiss and nibble Sarah's neck. She watched her nipples stiffen and her cunt lips swell in arousal. Sarah heard her softly say, "I love you". She was shocked. Judy held her arms tight around Sarah. The two of you just stood there for the longest time, enjoying the contact. Sarah turned in her arms, and wrapped her own arms around Judy, telling her, "I care for you very much, so much has happened, I feel unsure of myself." Sarah pressed her lips to Judy's, giving her all the love she could express in a kiss. Soon, the two of you stepped back from each other. The odor of arousal now filled the room. "I think I can live with my new looks," she said with more confidence. "I hope some people realize there is more to me than my big milk-filled tits and giant pussy lips." Judy laughed. "I don't know if I could ever make the commitment to someone like Jill and Janet did earlier. You can tell they really love both of you." "Only the important people will come to that realization. The others don't count." They went back to the other room. "Under the right circumstances, I can see you making the same kind of commitment. Jill and Janet have been hinting at this for sometime. They are very special to us, and we won't have the traditional relationship between a mistress and handmaiden." Alice was there, when they came back into the room. Sarah could tell by her face that she knew something happened to her. "Your look much more relaxed now, Sarah. Maybe we should have had you look in the mirror sooner." "No, it is good you didn't push me, because I probably wasn't ready." Alice stepped up to Sarah and gave her a big hug. The two held each other for a few moments enjoying the contact. Alice suddenly exclaimed, "Oh my. I forgot this is Thursday, and we have a big reception on Friday evening for club members. We have enough time to get ready, but Jill and Janet will not be able to serve, now that we started their changes." Judy said, "I will help." Sarah quickly added, "I guess I can help, as well. You have done an awful lot for me, and I guess that would be one way to help pay for all of this wonderful care I am receiving." "Don't worry about paying us anything. Your care is all taken care of, so this is a vacation for you." "How?" "Liz and the woman," said Alice, "who tried to kidnap you have graciously agreed to cover all the expenses associated with your stay here. It did take a little convincing before they agreed." Sarah looked at her strangely. "Yes, Frank had, as I understand it, a very energetic talk with Liz, along with letting her experience some special physical conditioning. He currently has her earning the money by serving his customers as a sex toy and starring in some of the videos she had planned for you. He said she was very good at her new occupation." "The man and woman were sent to the baby farm where they intended to send Jill, Janet and you. The farm said that her earnings from her first set of babies will be sent here for you. They expressed hope that you recover and do not hold a grudge against them. It was never their intent to have women abducted and sent to their farm. In fact, their participation rules are quite similar to ours. They have started interviewing some of the women obtained from this couple. When I last talked to them, they were very upset, as they had found several others were sent to their place unwillingly. The group is so upset that this pair will most likely rue the day they started their deception." "What could he do at a baby farm?" Judy picked up, saying, "Well, we made a couple of changes in both of them before they left. They both have very large breasts now. In fact, they are so large they have trouble sitting or standing for any length of time. She is constantly aroused, and isn't satisfied unless she fucks several times a day. He now loves to lick pussy, and seldom thinks of fucking anything, that could be because his balls were replaced with a couple of hollow steel balls. The change was made with him watching the operation. She now appears to be a very good baby-maker, as she is currently carrying quads. Oh, and we also increased the size of his cock in both length and diameter. Initially we thought about cutting it off, but making it too big for a woman so he can't use it on anything but a horse, we thought, would have more impact. The baby farm has a number of horses for recreation." "Just how big did you make their breasts?" "Well, when they crawl on their hands and knees, which they will do most of the time, their nipples are about four inches off the floor. Their nipples look like small thumbs on their breasts. They have a special milking stand, which they need to visit every four hours. The farm gets more than a gallon of milk from each every day. While they are on the milking stands, their asses are just the right height for fucking." "How can he be fucked?" Then Sarah realized the obvious and blushed. Alice said, "Yes, in the ass. Some of the women have strap-on dildos they like to use on his ass. The stand also has a seat at the other end, so the person can occupy their time by letting them lick a cunt or cock. So you see, they have a very full day." Judy said, "We also impregnated her before she left. We have some very large, well-built members, so all contributed some cum. Besides getting to fuck her several times, we injected quite a bit of cum through the mouth of her cervix, to make sure all four eggs mated. It will be interesting to see if she makes it 9 months before delivering, and how big the babies will be." "Oh my goodness. I know not to get on the bad side of you two." Judy and Alice reached over and hugged Sarah, kissing her on each cheek before they broke the embrace. Judy and Alice together said, "I don't believe you will. You are not that kind of a person." They looked at each other in shock of speaking in unison. And started to laugh. Sarah joined in with their laughter. When they all calmed down with their arms wrapped tightly around each other. Alice sighed and said, "Well, we still have Saturday to deal with. I know Judy knows what to expect, but you don't. Are you sure you want to do this?" "I think so, but tell me what's involved." ------- Friday morning arrived, and they began to preparing for the reception. Alice brought Sarah a gown to wear. She said, "Janet wore it last so, we may need to make some adjustments in it." Sarah held it up, but couldn't determine how she was supposed to wear it. "Here, it works like this." Alice held it up to in front of her. "See, this is how it is suppose to work?" Sarah nodded, and took the cloth from her. The cloth was very thin. Just then, Judy came in, wearing just heels and stockings. "Would you like me to help?" Sarah nodded again. "Well, first, you need to put your shoes and stockings on, then we can put it on you to see what adjustments we need to make. We need to be ready by 3, and, from the looks of this, we have plenty of work to do. Besides, we need to allow enough time for us to have a bit of time to play," Judy said, as she wrapped Sarah in her arms and kissed her. Their tongues dueled as their hands caressed each other's body, to arouse them. They pulled apart, a bit breathless, and looked deep into each other's eyes, clearly sharing their feelings for each other. After a light kiss, they returned to the task at hand. Closely examining the costume, Sarah found that its skirt was made of two layers, consisting of four panels each. The panels were attached to the waistband with Velcro. She held the short skirt up to her waist, and found that the waistband was wide enough. She fastened the waistband around herself, after positioning the front panel so that it was covering her cunt. Looking in the mirror, she could see that if the waistband slid up, or she bent over, her cunt lips would be visible. The outer skirt panels reached nearly to her ankles, when she held it up to her waist. She quickly realized that this one fit as well, and fastened the ends together, after positioning the slits so they bisected the panels on the first skirt. She walked back and forth in front of the mirror, and realized that the group would enjoy a continuous flash of leg as she walked. Her top was two pieces. Each piece was shaped like a triangle, with an opening for her arm. When put on, the ends of each cloth buttoned over the opposite hip. She realized that this would not fit at all, as her bust was much larger than Janet's was when she wore this. It took Judy and Sarah several hours to create a new blouse for her, and to make some adjustments in her costume, because of all the playing around, caressing, and kissing. Alice stopped by to help drain Sarah's breasts, which led to an even longer dalliance. It was 2:30 when Judy noticed the time, and said, "We must get dressed." Sarah straightened her thigh-high stockings and fastened her shoes. The shoe straps locked around her ankles and over her instep. Sarah wondered if she would be able to stand, as the shoes had very narrow six-inch heels. As they helped each other dress, she asked Judy why the costume was made this way, since the same thing could have been made so it was a bit easier to put on. "Well, it adds some interest to the reception. The guests will be offered the opportunity to play some games, and participate in contests that Alice has arranged or buy raffle tickets. Each winner gets to remove a piece of clothing from one of the servers. The entire costume is eligible for removal, except for stockings and shoes. A winner can have two choices, if they will submit to any request by the group or Alice. I suspect you will be the first to only wear stockings, as you are new, even though your costume has a few more panels. Alice has drafted two other members to help us serve, as well." Sarah shivered at the thought of being stripped naked in front of a group of people, one article of clothing at a time. At the same time, she felt a bit aroused. Judy noticed her reaction. "Are you sure you want to do this?" She nodded, yes. "Well, you need to put this mask on before we go down." She slid it over Sarah's head. It was like a halter, lacing over her head and held a mask over the upper part of her face. It had several straps, which hung down to her neck. As she fastened a collar around Sarah's neck, Judy told her, "We are locking it in place, and will then lock the straps to the collar. This will ensures that only Alice or I can remove it." Once she was done, she said, "No one should be able to recognize you now, unless they know you as well as I do," and laughed. Sarah blushed, then turned and looked into the mirror. "Judy, I think you are right. And right now, I can think of only a few people that know me as well as you do. However, I don't like the mask and I don't like what it implies, especially with me being the only one wearing one. Let's take the mask off." Judy started to speak. "I know I am taking a chance. I hope you and Alice will help me deal with any fall-out." "We will do anything we can for you." With that, Judy unlocked the straps and helped Sarah remove the mask. Once it was off, they brushed her hair out and styled it. Judy wrapped her arms around Sarah from behind, hugging her to herself, and nuzzling her neck. "You know, I am very glad to have met you, even though would have been nicer if we had met under other circumstances. As I said yesterday, you are so completely beautiful and wonderful to be around." "Careful, we will mess up our costumes." Judy then pulled back, helping Sarah stand. Sarah felt a little unsteady in the shoes. Judy told her to walk around a bit, until she got used to them. She tried, but was still having trouble. She was puzzled by her difficulty, since she had recently been wearing heels most of the time Judy told her to stand still for a minute. She took a short strap, and attached it to Sarah's ankle straps. "Why are you doing that?" "I think your steps are too long for walking in these shoes. So, let's try it now." She walked with Sarah for a bit, until she was comfortable walking. The shorter steps made it much easier for her. Judy told Sarah to roll her hips a bit, and it would help even more. Sarah noticed that the shoes, while arching her feet so that she nearly was standing on her toes, were a lot more comfortable than she would have expected. On the way downstairs, the light caress of the fabric on Sarah's nipples caused them to swell considerably. A small damp spot formed on the cloth around her nipples. Just as they arrived at the reception hall, she remembered the tether between her ankles. "Judy, we forgot to take the tether off." "I would leave it on, as it looks good, and will help your stability. Besides, I wouldn't want you to run out on me, because I sure would miss your milk... but most of all, I'd miss you." Sarah gave her a big hug and whispered, "Thanks, and don't worry about me running out on you. You keep sweet talking me, and I just may never leave." "All four of us would like that." The other two servers arrived shortly after Judy and Sarah. Sarah noticed that their costumes were very similar to hers, with the major difference between the four being the color of the costume. Alice explained what was planned for this evening. "All of the servers are off limits to the guests, and the guests are well aware of that. The exception is, they can cop as many feels as they can, even take a lick or two of your cunts, as long as it doesn't effect your serving." She also pointed out the rooms that were off-limits for the evening. "None of you should have trouble this evening with any of these guests. If a member gets pushy with you, tell them they need to talk to Alice. If worse comes to worse, scream." "Sarah, there are two couples I want to make sure you meet this evening. So I will come and get you when we have the opportunity. I know you have never been to anything like this before, so just relax and be yourself. Some of the guests will have slaves or handmaidens with them. The slaves and handmaidens will be bare. Some of them may be hobbled. Handmaidens all wear a solid metal band around their necks. They will also never look you in the eyes, unless given permission. Enjoy yourself." Shortly, the members began to arrive, and the servers were kept very busy serving the members. As the reception progressed, the servers were less pressed to serve the members, Sarah had time to look around at the assembly. She did not recognize any of the members. At times, she forgot she was serving, as she watched the interaction between the members and slaves. Several of the slaves had been trussed up and displayed. In all cases, they were displayed in such a way that any member could use them, or add to their discomfort. Judy was almost wrong about how quickly Sarah would loose her costume. It was interesting, and embarrassing, in the way it was removed. The first winner was called up on stage, then Sarah was called up, as well. The winner removed half of the top. Alice was standing there beside them. He then cupped Sarah's breast in his hands and gently squeezed it. Turning to Alice, he asked, "Is she available?" very loudly, causing Sarah to blush all the way down her chest. Alice said, "Not tonight," then sent her off to serve some more. Sarah walked around with one tit hanging out. Nearly everyone managed to softly caress it or give it a gentle squeeze, each time causing a bit of milk to leak out. Several made comments about how nicely shaped her tit was. Next to be removed was the long skirt, as four times she had to go up on stage so another member could remove it. Sarah found that, once the long skirt was off, a number of people kept asking her to bend over and pick something up. When she realized that they were peaking at her ass and cunt when she bent over, she was embarrassed. She then decided that was what this was all about, so from then on she would spread her feet as she bent over. Every time she would bend over, someone would caress her ass, or slide their fingers up and down her wet cunt. She could tell that her labia were swollen with arousal, as she felt them between her legs when she walked. The motion of her legs when she walked added to her arousal. Quite often, while she was bent over, someone would stroke her breast like they were milking her, resulting in more milk leaking from her nipples. Before long, the arousal resulted in cunt juice running down her leg, soaking her stockings. That, along with milk, would occasionally drip on the floor. Most of the guests were dressed to some degree, a few had on very shear costumes. This contrasted greatly with their slaves and handmaidens. Sarah was side-tracked from serving, when she saw one slave being suspended. The woman's thighs were placed in separate slings, which were attached to the ends of a bar that passed behind her shoulders, holding them widely spread. Her shoulders and arms were strapped to the bar. The bar was then raised, holding her suspended, with her legs widely spread. A short chain connected her ankles to her wrists, pulling them behind her. Then someone called out, "Anyone for darts?" Several members came over to a nearby table. Sarah watched, amazed, as they each picked up a set of small darts and took positions behind a line, facing the suspended slave. The suspended slave was slowly turned, and each took a turn throwing a dart. The darts had to be thrown just right, or they either fell or bounced off on to the floor. Alice saw her watching, and came over behind Sarah. She said, "If you want, you could trade places with her." Sarah jumped, almost dropping her tray. "It looks quite painful. It seems like everyone is focusing on hitting her nipples or cunt." "It can be. It depends on which darts are used. Those have short points and are light weight, so they don't wiggle around much. The nipples are worth 25 points and the clit is 100. Breasts are 5 and the cunt is 25 points. There is also a heavier dart, which has a barbed point. It is really painful." "If you look closely, you'll notice that the slave is aroused. Part of it is the exposure, and part of it is the pain. If the thrower hits her face, she will give them 25 lashes with the bull whip. It can be more." Sarah shivered at the thought of being the target. "I don't think I would like that. It is amazing to see, though." Judy and the other servers made several trips up on stage, as different portions of their costume were removed. Alice called both Judy and Sarah up on stage. A woman was standing there with her. Alice said. "This winner can't decide which of you to disrobe. So, she would like to remove an item from each of you, but, for doing that, she will have to help Sarah serve." The other half of Sarah's top was removed. This brought a round of applause. The last panel of Judy's long skirt was removed. Judy still had half of her blouse on. Alice came over to the winner, and told her to remove her wrap. As she did, Sarah saw that she was a very well-built woman. She had a ring in each nipple and ring through her clit. They were connected at her navel by a small chain. Needless to say, her nipples and clit were very hard. Alice slipped a collar around her neck, and then picked up a special serving tray, that hung from the collar and tray and clipped to her wrists. All she could do was carry the tray. Anyone wishing an item from her tray would need to help themselves, or, they could help themselves to her, as long as the tray didn't spill. Alice looked at Sarah and said, "For the next hour, she will carry the tray for you, but you must do the serving." The winner said, "This isn't what..." Alice turned to her and slapped her face. "You said you would be her slave, if you got a second prize without paying. You got your prize, and now you pay. Since slaves don't question instructions, you will be her slave until all of Sarah's costume is removed." Alice then motioned to the rest of them to go back to serving. As they served the food, nearly everyone made sure to caress or stroke Sarah's breasts. She saw Judy on the other side of the room. Her costume had been reduced to just two panels of the short skirt. Sarah's breasts were now full and leaking. A member came up to her and asked if she would like her to drain them. Sarah looked at her, and told her that they needed to ask Alice. They went to find Alice, with the serving slave tagging along. Finding Alice, Sarah told her what she was asked. "Oh, this is one of the people I wanted you to meet. Nancy, this is Sarah, whom we were talking about earlier. Sarah, Nancy is a very good friend of mine. I am sure she will like your milk as well as I do. In fact, her husband may help her out, if I know him. Why don't the two of you have a seat. Nancy, can I have your slave serve while you are tending to her? Alice turned to the woman assisting Sarah, and told her to lick Sarah's cunt while she was sitting down." Turning to Alice, Nancy said, "Yes, of course. If you see Bob, send him over." With that, they sat down, Nancy leaned over, taking Sarah's nipple into her mouth and began to suck, releasing her milk. It felt so good. Sarah began to caress Nancy's head, as she nursed. A man walked up, and smacked her on the ass. She jumped and screamed. She swung around, asking, "Are you trying to make me bite her, so I get whipped?" "No, no of course not. But, when Alice told me where you were, and that you had asked for help, I was surprised. Normally, you would keep this to yourself." "Sarah, this is Bob." Turning to Bob, she said, "I have heard she has plenty of milk. Usually, a lactating woman barely has enough to satisfy me." "Yes, I know." Bob sat down beside Sarah, caressing her breast, and it began to leak. He placed his mouth over her nipple and gently began to suck. As he did this, Nancy returned to the other nipple. Sarah still had trouble believing how good it felt to have a mouth sucking on her nipples. Her cunt was wet and nearly dripping. When her breasts were drained, Bob and Nancy sat up. Nancy said, "I didn't quite believe Alice, when she told me how sweet your milk was." Nancy sniffed, pushing the slave back from licking Sarah's cunt, she ran her fingers between Sarah's pussy lips. "My, my, you are dripping." She slid her fingers between Sarah's cunt lips then licked her fingers. "Ah, a sweet cunt cream, too." Sarah blushed. "Sarah, if you didn't have to go back to work, I'd eat you out right here. I just love a sweet cunt, and if I didn't, Bob would jump you before you could turn around." They stood, helping Sarah to her feet. As she stood, she could feel more cunt juice run down her leg, making her stocking tops wetter. Just as she left Nancy, she was called to the stage. It seemed that two winners were waiting to finish removing her skirt. She then began serving again by herself, as her temporary slave was released. She was surprised at how comfortable she felt walking among the crowd, serving naked. Even though she had danced nude, she would have been reluctant to do this. The groping was arousing and friendly, which was different than the groping at the dance club. Sometime later, Alice brought another couple over to meet Sarah. She introduced them as Julia and Stan. Julia complemented her on her beauty. She said, "I wish I stood out like you do." Sarah blushed a bit at the compliment. "Julia, I don't believe I am prettier than you. We are just built a bit differently. Besides, I am at bit of a disadvantage, as you can see more of me than I can of you. But, even at that, I believe you are a beauty yourself." As she finished, Julia shrugged her shoulders, and her gown slid to the floor. "Now we're even." "I stand by what I said." Sarah leaned over her serving tray and kissed her. Julia took Sarah's tray and handed it to Stan. Taking Sarah in her arms, she gave her a kiss. Sarah tried to match her in emotion. Soon, the two of them broke apart, breathless. Alice said, "Wow." Stan nodded, and gave Sarah the tray back. Julia said, "If you weren't working, I would love to spend more time with you, and I'm sure Stan would love every minute of it." "From the comments Nancy made about Sarah, you may have trouble getting her alone." They laughed and began to move off, telling Sarah they would see her again. Alice asked, "How you are doing?" "Okay, but I'm getting a bit tired." "Well, lets see, it's 6, and this will last until 9. As it gets close to 9, the number of people will dwindle. Think you can last?" Sarah nodded, yes. "Okay." As she moved off, Alice swatted her on the ass with a loud smack. Sarah jumped, almost spilling the tray. ------- Chapter 8 Later, as she was serving, a woman stepped behind her and whispered, "I need to talk to you alone, please, let's go over here." She took Sarah's arm and guided her toward a far corner, toward one of the rooms that Alice had put off limits. "We can use this room, so we can talk in private." "No, we can't, this room is off limits." "Alice said it was okay, and no one will notice us coming in here." She opened the door and quickly guided Sarah in, before she could respond. Once in the room, the woman quickly put her arm around Sarah's neck putting her in a sleeper hold, holding her off-balance until it took effect. The woman let Sarah slide to the floor. Taking a syringe from a bag near the door, she injected a sedative directly into Sarah's jugular, quickly deepening her sleep. When Sarah awakened, she found herself bound to an examining table in the room. Her arms were bound to a frame, holding them straight out to the sides of the table. Her ankles and legs were strapped to the stirrups, with her legs spread wide apart. Her knees were spread as wide as possible out to the sides, causing her cunt to gape open. She looked around, and saw that the walls were filled with cabinets, of the type she would find in a doctor's office. It reminded her of the room Liz had her in when she first arrived. Sarah moaned, as she shivered in fear. The woman said, "Good, you're awake now, so we can begin, because I sure didn't want you to miss out on any of the pain." "What do you mean? Untie me and let me up. This has gone for enough." "Oh, I will let you up. But first, you are going to suffer dearly for what you and Alice did to my friends." "Who?" "The couple who recruited you to be a breeder for the baby farm. They thought it was strange to meet you here. Somehow Alice thought they were kidnapping you, and had them altered before being shipped to the baby farm. Now my friend can hardly stand, with the big tits you and Alice gave her." "Recruit, hell. She tried to kidnap me. If you don't believe me, ask Alice, Jill or Janet." "I knew you would deny it. Besides, I have known my friend for a long time, and she wouldn't do something like that. Now, it's time to start your suffering and punishment. Oh, don't worry, I shall have my way with Alice this evening, as well. When I get done with the two of you, you will both beg to go to the baby farm, or any place isolated. After we are through here, the two of you will be totally dependent on each other. Alice's punishment will be more severe than yours, as she will loose her hands, while both of you watch. This will make her totally dependent on you taking care of her. Besides, once the addiction sets in, the two of you will never be able to be separated for very long, since the addiction will require you suckle milk from each other's tits several times a day." "As soon as I can get both of you there, my friend will be released from her contract." "What?" Sarah screamed. She pressed a gag into Sarah's mouth. "Your enormous tits will be quite an eye catcher once I decorate them some very nice scars. Those will be complimented with many across your stomach. The pain will be very great, because I brought a very dull scalpel, and an electric cauterizing device. The dull scalpel will tear and pull the tissue as it cuts, leaving a ragged edge. The cauterizing will stop the blood flow, then I will rub a light coating of fine sand into the wound, before covering it with surgical adhesive. You won't be able to cover them up, as any covering will cause an allergic reaction. The scars on your stomach will be painful now and each time your belly stretches from pregnancy." "Let me show you what your scared body will look like. I plan to cut you open along these lines, so your scars will decorate your tits like this. She took a marker and drew straight lines between Sarah's nipple and chest, placing eight lines around each breast. Next, I will cut the hood from around your clit, leaving your clit fully exposed. Each of your large cunt lips will be cut so they will become eight strips of skin hanging between your legs. Last, your tongue will be split all the way to the base, then cauterized and sealed so it stay split. Don't worry, you will live. You may be a bit bloody by the time I get done. Too bad, bitch." She stepped out of Sarah's sight, and came back with two scalpels. Holding one scalpel, she placed the scalpels over a mark on Sarah's breast. Then, looking at her, she said, "Oh, you can't see my art work, or my hand as I cut you." She laid the scalpels on Sarah, and stepped away. She returned with a mirror, and placed it above Sarah's head. Sarah could now see all the marks the woman had made on her. She picked up the scalpels. "Now don't wiggle too much, if you wiggle too much, you could end up with ugly scars." The woman placed a scalpel against Sarah's breast, right on one of the lines. Her hand tensed, as she pressed the knife against Sarah's tit. Sarah could feel the knife pressing against her skin, then penetrate as she started the incision. She could feel and see the knife pulling as it began to slice through her tit flesh, her blood pooling around the knife. Sarah held her breath, waiting for the first rush of pain. Suddenly, the woman's arms flew up, as she fell backward. The scalpels flew out of her hands, and another hand knocked them away before they could land on Sarah. Jill and Janet then appeared standing beside her and, raising her head, she could see Bob and Nancy behind them. Bob told Nancy to get some restraints for the woman, as he pressed her to the floor, with his knee in her back, pulling her wrists up between her shoulders. Alice came rushing into the room. Sarah could see the fear in her face, as she began to sob. Jill pulled the gag out of Sarah's mouth, and now she really began to bawl. Jill leaned down, holding her tight, as Sarah vaguely felt someone release her arms while she sobbed. She immediately wrapped her arms around Jill, hugging her tight. Her fear all came out at once. She couldn't stop crying. Jill and Janet held and caressed her until she began to calm down. Alice asked, "What happened? And what are you two doing up?" "Well, we woke up, and since the three of you weren't there, we decided to look at the monitors. It was very interesting, for a while. Then, we saw that woman coax Sarah in here, which we thought was a bit strange, because you always have this room off-limits for these events. So we turned the monitor and sound on in here. What we saw and heard scared the shit out of us! When we got down here, Bob and Nancy were the first people we found that could help us stop her." "What was she going to do?" "Oh nothing, except cut Sarah up so her stomach and breasts would be grossly scared." "What?" Jill pulled back from Sarah, saying, "Well, first, she was going to cut Sarah on each of these lines." "Oh my, she did cut her," as she noticed the blood streaming from the cut on Sarah's tit. Janet came over and looked. She went and got antiseptic and band aids, while Jill continued talking. "She was going to cauterize the cuts and fill them with sand, so they wouldn't heal shut, thus leaving big scars. Next, she was going to remove the hood around her clit, then make cuts across her cunt lips. After she split Sarah's tongue, she was going to get you in here next for even worse treatment, which included removing your hands and perhaps more." Janet came back with the supplies, and dressed Sarah's cut. "Why?" "Well, she said the woman of the couple who tried to send Sarah and us to the baby farm was her friend. The only way she could get her friend released from her contract was to trade Sarah and you for her friend." "Well, she is mistaken about the release." Alice said, "Bob, would you take the bitch downstairs to the whipping post?" Sarah heard some movement and then saw the woman leave, draped over his shoulder. "On second, thought hang her in the frame by her feet." Nancy went with him. Judy came into the room. She said, "I saw Bob taking someone out of here. What is going on? Jill and Janet, what are you doing up? It is too soon for you to put this much strain on your breasts." Alice broke into the conversation. "Judy, take Jill and Janet upstairs. They may need a sedative to help them rest, then come back downstairs to the whipping post. We may need your assistance there, if I get carried away." "No," said Jill, "first, Judy needs to look at Sarah's cut." "Cut?" "Yes, the bitch had started to cut her breast before we could get here." Judy went over to examine Sarah's breast, then told Jill to get the suture kit. Judy told Sarah to lie back on the table. "This will need stitches, as it's deep, and it's in an area where a butterfly band-aid will not keep it closed. Sarah, can I do this without a local?" She nodded, yes. She watched as Judy rinsed out the wound, and then pulled it together with several small stitches. "That shouldn't leave a scar once it heals." The three of them then left. Alice turned to Sarah. "Are you okay?" Sarah nodded. "Well, let's get you cleaned up. We can take these marks off with rubbing alcohol." Alice brought some over to Sarah, and began to clean the marks off of Sarah. Finally, Sarah told her, "I can do this, if you have something else to do." "Okay. Clean the marks off, then wash your face and freshen up. I will be back in a moment. I need to get someone to help serving now." "You could ask Nancy's slaves. I think Nancy would agree." "Good idea," said Alice, as she left. Soon Alice was back. Sarah had just finished cleaning up. "You did a good job, in fact, you look much better than a few minutes ago." "I feel a bit better now, that woman was scary." "Well, let's go see if we can get to the bottom of this." When they reached the basement of the building, it was damp and wet. This part was very different than the part Sarah had seen before. She could hear water dripping somewhere, and an occasional moan. Bob and Nancy had the woman secured in the frame. From the look on her face, Bob had pulled the bindings to stretch the woman very tight, as the strain on her shoulders was evident. "Has she said anything?" Bob shook his head. Alice walked over to her and pulled her chin up. "What is your name?" No answer. "Who let you in? Who did you come with?" The woman shook her head, no. "Where are you from?" No answer. "She doesn't want to talk. Let's see if she knows how to scream. So... let's spread her legs further apart. It will make it much easier to whip her cunt with the braided strap. Also, change the bindings, and use the wet rawhide cord to tie her wrists to the side of the frame. Make sure the rawhide is tied at the joint, so as it shrinks it will separate her wrist joint. The shrinking rawhide will also put a lot of pressure on her shoulders. The woman moaned, as she was bound tighter in the frame. Soon she was stretched in the frame, with her feet pulled far apart, stretching her cunt open. The tendons and muscles between her legs and crotch were clearly visible. Her arms were also stretched tight. Alice asked the woman again if she was ready to answer the questions. "You know we could leave you here just like this, and let the rawhide dry out. Two things will happen, your hands will go numb from loss of circulation, and your arms will be pulled from you shoulders by tomorrow. So, then, we can have arm roast for dinner. Its been a long time since we've had any long pig meat. Or, lets see, we could put you in the pit with the dogs, they haven't eaten for a while, but that is so noisy. Besides, sometimes they hurt themselves." The woman whimpered, but didn't answer. Alice got a whip out of the cabinet. She stood in front of the woman. "You will like this cat-o-nine tails. The ends are very thin, and have several knots in the ends. I believe there are a couple of shards of glass embedded in each strand. They will cut you every place they touch you. To be here, you had to know the rules, and yet you have knowingly violated them. As a result, you have consented to whatever punishment is deemed appropriate. The same treatment will be given to the person who brought you here. The normal procedure is to leave you at the mercy of whomever is using the dungeon." The woman began to sob. With that, Alice snapped the whip over the woman's cunt, dragging the ends down the inside of her leg, cutting it open. She screamed at the pain. Alice cracked the whip again, leaving a cut down the inside of her other leg. A small trickle of blood ran down her legs, toward her cunt. Nancy's said, "Alice, are sure you want use that whip? I heard the last time you used it, the slave took a long time to recover." "Well, that slave was a member before he nearly killed a member and another slave, neither of whom ever really recovered. I think this person's violations are far more severe than the member you mentioned." Turning to the woman, she said, "You wanted blood. Feel it running down your leg. Soon, there will be more of yours oozing out of your body to drip on the floor. We have a couple of cats that like to lick the blood off of people. Some victims don't like the feel of them climbing up their bodies, though." "Maybe I should use the one with the barbs, as it tears, rather than cuts." She turned toward the cabinet. "Then the cats will get some meat with the blood." Bob said, "Wait Alice, I have another idea." He went over to her and they joined in quiet conversation. Soon Alice walked over to the cabinet and returned with a different-looking whip. It was more like a wide belt or razor strap, with a handle on one end. Standing in front of the woman, she began, "Bob has reminded me of the effectiveness of this strap, when used in conjunction with the brine tank. This has a very rough surface, quite like sandpaper. Every stroke will abraid your skin, making it rough, raw, and very tender. The best part is, it won't affect your looks, so if we decide to sell you at auction, you will still bring a very good price." The woman moaned. Alice drew back the whip and slapped it across one breast, leaving a very raw looking mark. The woman screamed. Another stroke slid down her cunt. She screamed so loud Sarah thought that her ears would burst. Then another, across the other breast and nipple. Alice then methodically began to cover the woman's whole body with a crisscross of strap marks. Each stroke of the strap dragged across the woman's skin, raking off a layer of skin. After a few screams, her mouth was open as if screaming, but there was no sound. Soon, her body was a very bright raw red and crossed with strap marks. In many places, the blood had begun to pool on the surface. After the screams had quieted down, Alice snapped the whip across the woman's cunt. Then again, from the other side, each time dragging it over her clit, leaving the cunt lips raw and bleeding. Her clit, with its hood, were raw and wet with blood. Putting the whip down, Alice went over to the frame and cut the rawhide from her wrists. A wrist cuff was tightly fastened around her wrists, then attached to a chain hanging from the ceiling. Lifting her up by her wrists until they were as high as her feet, she stopped. An ankle was unfastened, then attached to a short bar. The other ankle was unfastened and attached to the bar, and her legs were dropped, letting her swing by her wrists. As she was moved, Sarah could see the woman grimace in pain. Alice moved the hoist so it was over a tub. The woman looked fearfully around. "Do you know what that is?" The woman shook her head no. "It is cold brine. We are going to leave you here for a while. The hoist is going to dip you into the brine until you stop squirming, then lift you out to drip dry. It will repeat again and again until I come back. Don't worry, you won't die, but you might wish you did." With that, the hoist began to slowly lower her into the brine. The screams started as soon as her raw skin touched the brine. The woman pleaded, "Don't do this, please." "Well, she can talk. How about answering the questions?" No answer. The woman was lowered slowly. Then, as her shoulders reached the top of the brine, her descent slowed then hesitated a bit, then she dropped suddenly, causing her to scream, which was silenced when the cold water covered her head. She was raised until her nose was barely above the brine if she tilted her head. This left her puffing to get enough air through her nose, as she couldn't uncover her mouth. Alice turned to us. Let's go, this will operate automatically now. Judy came in then. "Do you need anything?" asked Judy. "No, not now. I left her doing the brine dip, complete with the large dildo." "Well, from what I heard from Jill and Janet, she is getting off easy. I had to give Jill and Janet more sedative than I had expected." "I'm not done yet with this bitch, this is only a warm up." Sarah shivered. She now had an idea what Alice's hard side was like. "I will come back down early in the morning, and I may need you to help me with her." Bob offered to assist as well, but Alice indicated that she thought Judy would be enough assistance. But if she needed more, she would send for him. When they left the room, Alice turned out the lights. In the background, you could hear the woman thrashing in the brine. Nancy and Judy were walking on each side of Sarah, with their arms wrapped around her. Alice said, "Let's go back to the reception. Oh, Nancy, I recruited your two slaves to help out while we were busy." "Oh, that's fine." "When we go back, please don't say anything about where we were or what happened... Okay?" Everyone agreed. "Well, let's try to enjoy the rest of the evening." Judy and Sarah returned to serving. No one seemed to notice that they were gone. After a while, Sarah began to relax and enjoy the conversation and groping. Before long, her cunt was dripping, her fluids running down her legs. Several times members offered the use of their handmaidens mouths to clear the excess moisture from her cunt, or ease the pressure on her breasts. Sarah hesitated the first time, then accepted the offers as they were made. She saw several of the slaves being made to service members. One slave had been strapped to a stand in middle of the room. She was on her hands and knees. Her knees were spread wide, leaving her cunt gaping open. Sarah noticed the handmaiden had several items hanging from her cunt lips. But before she could see more, someone distracted her. Alice came up to her. "It is time for us to put away the serving items, as it is past 9 PM." Sarah then noticed that the crowd had diminished. She asked Alice were everyone went. "They went to the guest rooms. Most of them will stay the weekend, but usually, after the party, everything is self-service. Sometimes, we have a group dinner, but not always. When we do, everyone pitches in to prepare the food." Sarah noticed a cart was being moved behind the table, with the slave on it. Alice followed her eyes and smiled. "She has displeased her master and mistress. She will not get much sleep this evening, if any. And tomorrow they will make her entertain other guests continuously." "Why won't she get much sleep?" "They are going to make sure she is well-fucked this evening, while they sleep. The cart holds a mechanical cock, with a computer control. It can be programmed to respond to the person's responses, and works equally well for men or women. By responses, I mean, it can be set to let the person cum, or to keep bringing them to the edge of orgasm and then stop. It has several accessories, so the clit, cock, breasts, nipples and tongue can all play a role. Since a person could spend a long time in its embrace, it can be set up to feed the person, as well. To anticipate your next question, her food for tonight and the rest of the weekend will consist of cum and cunt juice. The large bottle is full of cum for her to consume tonight." Sarah shivered at the thought of being in that predicament. "Don't worry, I don't think you will experience that, unless you want to." Sarah looked at her strangely. Alice hugged her, and went off to help with the clean up. Soon, everything was cleaned up. Bob and Nancy, as well as their slaves, stayed to help. Sarah went over to them, and thanked them for rescuing her earlier. As they were talking, Alice and Judy came over. Standing on both sides of her, they wrapped their arms around Sarah, pulling her close. It felt very nice. Alice said, "Let's go to bed". Before leaving, Sarah gave Bob and Nancy a hug and kiss of thanks. Both really laid into the kiss, while they explored her body with their hands. She could feel the moisture on her cunt. They parted and went upstairs. Arriving upstairs, Judy immediately went over to check on Jill and Janet. Alice said, "Let's go have a shower." Shortly afterwards, they were in the shower when Judy joined them. "How are they doing?" "They are doing just fine. I just hope they haven't stretched their breasts too much from being up earlier." "What do you mean?" "Well, with breast enlargement the way we do it, it takes a while for the tissue to firm up and develop a solid structure. If you stand too soon, the tissue stretches, causing them to sag. This is why Alice was upset with Liz when your breasts were enlarged. But it doesn't seem to have affected you." "Good", was all Sarah could think to say. Soon, everyone finished washing each other. Sarah stepped out to dry off. Again, everyone helped dry everyone else. It felt so good. Lying down in bed, they each kissed and hugged one another, but everyone was so tired that all of them were soon asleep. When she arose the next morning, Sarah was in bed alone. She looked over at Jill and Janet. They were still sleeping in their slings. Sarah could see that their breasts had grown. Their nipples had lengthened and the areolae had formed small cones on the front of their breasts. They looked different than the way hers had changed. She needed to remember to ask Judy about it. As she got up, she noticed a note lying on the table, with her name on it. It was from Alice. She said they had learned quite a bit from the woman from last evening, and they would be up just after lunch to talk about it. Sarah cleaned up and ate the continental breakfast someone left for her. She tried to read, but her thoughts kept returning to Alice's note. She wondered what news they had. It was soon lunch time. Jill and Janet had finally awakened. Sarah went over to sit with them and chat. She helped them drink their lunch, as Judy has them on a semi-liquid diet. That was easier than trying to eat solid food in the position they were lying. Sarah offered to feed them a banana. They were thrilled. They expressed their gratitude for her assistance this morning. Sarah just caressed their cheeks. They turned their heads and kissed her fingers. The affection caused her to shiver, and her cunt to moisten. Noticing that, she wondered if that was one of the side effects of the changes made to her body. She noted to try to remember to ask Judy. Alice and Judy soon arrived. Sarah could not contain her curiosity, and asked what the news was. She heard Jill and Janet chime in, asking the same question. Alice said, "After lunch, Judy and I will have a private conversation with Sarah. And then the five of us will have a chat." "Oh, okay," responded Jill and Janet. "Have you eaten?" "Yes," they responded. Sarah filled the feeding tubes and then helped them get the feeding tubes in place. Judy's gruel is okay, but the banana was better." "Banana," asked Judy. "Yes. Sarah found a banana for each of us, it was good, and a nice change from the liquid stuff." "Did I do something wrong?" Sarah asked, with a trace of fear in her voice. Judy wrapped her arms around Sarah, hugging her tightly. "No, you did just fine. Thank you for helping them. You are a treasure." Bringing her lips to Sarah's, she kissed her deeply. Their passions were soon rising, as they dueled with their tongues. Alice tapped the two of them on the shoulder, and said, "Lunch time now, passion later." She walked off, laughing and muttering about horny women. After lunch, Alice and Judy took Sarah into Judy's office. As she was walking over with them, she became quite apprehensive. The three of them sat down in the office. Judy began telling Sarah what they had learned. "The woman who came last evening is, apparently, a close acquaintance of the woman that tried to kidnap you nearly 2 months ago." "Two months?" "Yes, it has been that long. Anyway, she brought two vials, containing a type of virus that would have altered both yours and Alice's looks genetically." Sarah gasped at the news. "They would have made drastic changes to your bodies. The virus prepared for you would have increased your stature and increased the width of your hips. The sensitivity of your skin would have changed, so that you could not wear any clothing. Your nipples would lengthen, and grow in diameter to about the size of the little finger on your hand. You would lactate all the time, like you currently are doing, but with increased volume. The increased height, hip and waist size would make it very easy for you to carry six to eight babies to full term and full size." Sarah gasped at all she was told, shaking your head in amazement. "With the weight of your breasts, you most likely would have difficulty standing for any length of time. All in all, it would have made you a very unique woman." Sarah reached over for her and Alice's hands, holding them tightly. "I am thankful she did not succeed. Did you learn what she had in mind for Alice?" Judy looked at Alice, questioningly. Alice nodded and then said, yes, we did. She began an even stranger story. "She was going to sever Alice's hands at her wrist. Then give her a virus which would have turned her partly into a mare. Her legs and ass would have reshaped themselves to become very much like a mare. Her stature would have grown somewhat. Her breasts would grow to be similar to yours and lactate as much. Her body, from the waist down, would be covered with a fine hair. Her skin would not permit any covering on it. Alice would loose her voice and only make sounds like a horse. She could bear either a colt or a human baby, depending on which fucked her when she was in heat. If the child was a girl-child, it would be like her. If it was a male, then it would have the characteristics of the sperm donor. The other change would be that you and Alice could not be separated from one another, as the changes would make the two of you addicted to each other's milk." "What?" "This would require you to nurse from each other's breasts several times daily. The consequences of not doing it would be a slow painful death. But separation would not be an issue, because they were going to spirit you out of here together." "You said they?" Alice says, "Yes, it appears someone else is behind this and working with her." Sarah looked at Alice. "Who did we piss off?" Alice squeezed her hand. "I don't know. The mistress she named doesn't know her. I talked to Frank, and he agreed that this woman has added a twist to this situation." Sarah shivered upon hearing Frank's name. It seemed like whenever he was mentioned something bad happened. Both Judy and Alice slid closer to her, and put their arms around her, pulling Sarah close to them. "I know that Frank's interest in you scares you, and it should, if the initial reason was true. But Frank thinks something is fishy about this effort to get you to return the money. As time has progressed, he is becoming more suspicious of the information he was given about you, to the point he thinks both of you have been used." "This morning, were able to convince the woman to answer our questions about what she had done, and what was planned. We pointed out the errors in the information she had. In fact, it took very little convincing, when we got down there this morning. The effect of the cold brine tank had really gotten to her, as well as the horse-sized cock inserted into her every time she was lowered." Sarah looked at her. "I didn't see any cock." "They are somewhat hidden. One is in the brine. When she was lowered into it, she was forced to straddle a protrusion. Once standing on her feet, the cock slid into her cunt, whether she wanted it or not. Then, when she was lifted out to dry, she was lowered over a small saddle, with a cock that would enter her cunt. The saddle had a nub that can press tightly on the clit. How hard depended upon how much weight she took off her arms. It can be painful. The cycle is about an hour long. The cock is about 10 inches long and a good 3 inches in diameter. So you can see why she was so willing to talk, especially after we offered her a new torment. It was another whipping, then a bigger cock with both a very hot and very cold dip. Hot is hot enough to make your skin bright red. The cold is cold enough to cause hypothermia if it lasts too long. We gave her a sample of the tanks before the questions began." "Unfortunately, she does not know very much. She was told what happened to her friend by, purportedly, a mutual friend of theirs. The story was that we had trapped them, forcibly made changes to their bodies, and then sold them to the baby farm." "We didn't do that." "She didn't know that. This acquaintance then offered her a chance to get even, and perhaps arrange for her friend's freedom from the island. She bought the story, hook, line, and sinker. She is not an aggressive person, so they hypnotized her and, through hypnotic suggestions, prepared her to attack us. And actually, they did quite well with it in a short time, as circumstances are the only thing that kept her from succeeding." "She was given three choices of punishment for her violation of the club rules. She can take the virus she had planned for you, and possibly go to a baby farm if we choose, go to the Island to Frank's dungeon as a permanent resident in the lower chamber, or she can submit to 100 lashes a day for a week with a cat-o-nine tails. The lash can be applied any place on her body, and each day the whipping would be followed by a brine bath." "Susan chose the first, with some modification. She expressed surprise that she could be duped into such a horrendous action, and showed considerable remorse for her actions. As the information she was told about her friends was in error, she wanted to give herself the first shot of the virus, but Alice stopped her. Alice took the vial of virus and told her it would be held in storage, to possibly be given to her some time in the future. Since Alice wouldn't let her take the virus, she proposed submitting publicly to being Alice's handmaiden forever, and to serve the club members as a totally consensual toy for this evening. So, we will have a banquet this evening, after all, where she will make her public testimony." "After tonight, she will submit to several body modifications. The nature of those hasn't been decided, but it will be at least a breast size increase." "What about the milk addiction?" "That would have been the result of medicine both of us were to receive just before we were shipped to the ranch." "Frank has asked for the other virus to be sent to him. He is thinking about using it on Liz. It seems she did more than he ever asked of her, with respect to finding the missing money. In fact, someone is still pilfering his accounts, although to a much lesser extent. Again, he does not believe you are the woman who had worked for him. He also expressed an interest in Susan, if I don't want her. He is very surprised at how nasty this group is, and wonders about the source of these genetic viruses." Sarah sighed in relief, and it showed in her face and poise. They both squeezed her tightly. Alice said, "But there is more. Frank is concerned for your safety, especially if he just stops pursuing you as the person who took his money. So he would like to continue this a bit longer, as a bit of a charade. He is considering asking you to work with a couple of friends of his. You would nominally be an employee of theirs, when they put on shows to demonstrate their equipment. They make equipment for the bondage and S&M market. The word would still be out that he is waiting for you to return the money. This is one way he can keep tabs on you, and appear to humiliate you as well. He still wants his money back, and now he wants the perpetrators as well. Are you willing to help?" "Oh my goodness. He wants me to do this, after sending Liz to torment me? Letting her change my looks? He has the nerve to ask me for help?" "That is not quite correct. However there is more to the story, a friend of Liz's and Liz provided the information that you were the one he was seeking, and offered Liz's assistance in getting you to return the money. This friend is the wife of a one of his business partners. They convinced him that it must have been you. A number of your characteristics fit the person he was seeking, and a little plastic surgery would have been all that was needed for the other changes. He agreed to Liz's assistance, and they developed the plan to get you to give the money back. Your lack of response to Liz's first visit bothered him, because it was not the response he expected of the person he believes stole his money. It was also not the way he would have expected the missing woman to have reacted. Then Liz did something very stupid, she brought you here under false pretenses, and outside their agreement." "From what Frank has learned from Liz, after several intense sessions, she believed you were the person, and just needed stronger persuasion. While she had you undergoing your physical changes, she gave you a couple of shots of a genetic-altering virus that will make your lactating and breast enlargement more natural than we can. From what Frank has learned, you don't need to worry about them sagging, but also you will lactate for many years. The changes have made you much more sensitive to touch and emotions. The other twist that Liz had planned was getting Frank to agree to get his money back from sex and porno films she would make, with you the star. Her plans were to turn you into a do-anything porn star, first in straight sex films then in several films focusing on animal sex. For your final films, she was going to use you in a real no-holds-barred S&M film or two, then, depending on your condition, sell you to a baby farm or a dungeon, wherever she could get the best price. She figured that after about 3 years she would have enough money to retire, after paying Frank his share. Frank is thinking about fulfilling her dreams, but with her in the staring role. He thinks, if it is handled well, she should be able to complete several real S&M films. And the films sell really well, and at good prices, when the BDSM is real rather than staged." Sarah shuddered. "What will I do now? I've noticed the sensitivity, and was going to ask Judy about it. Whenever I kiss, hug or show affection to anyone, my cunt starts to moisten and my nipples stiffen. After just a few kisses or caresses, my cunt is literally dripping. I don't know how I will be able to function outside of here." "We've noticed. Not knowing exactly what Liz had done to you, or if the other woman had given you anything, was one of the reasons we have been reluctant to let you leave. Actually, it was Frank's suggestion, after he had his first very personal chat with Liz. If you think Alice can be tough, you should see Frank in action." Sarah saw Alice in action, and shuddered at what Frank might be like. Her emotions were on a roller coaster. She really liked Alice, Judy, Janet and Jill. She felt, if she could now trust her feelings, that they really had her interest at heart, and cared a great deal for her. She reached over and kissed both Alice and Judy, in turn. "I guess, I will try to help you all find who has caused all these problems." Alice and Judy said, "Good," and hugged her tighter. "We would not have stopped you if you had said no, but we would have been concerned for your welfare." "But I have to tell you, I am very scared. Twice now, I have come very close to disappearing, probably without a trace. Due to this, I now have a large leaking rack for everyone to stare at. How can I dress and be presentable, so I can work? Finally, I have to wonder if there will be other changes?" Judy said, "Well, that rack will just make it harder for you to just disappear." Sarah began to sharply respond, until she saw her smiling, after which she stopped. Alice said, "If things go well, next week we will arrange for you to go home. Once this is over, Judy and I would like you to come back to stay a while. I'm sure Janet and Jill would, as well." The three of them began to kiss and caress one another. It wasn't long before the odor of Sarah's arousal was filling the whole room. Sarah's nipples were so tight they hurt and were leaking. Her cunt was awash in juice. Alice said, "Before we fall on the floor in passion, we need to discuss a couple of things. We only want to tell Janet and Jill the part about the virus, nothing else, for now. Also, would you like to join us this evening, downstairs?" "Will it be safe?" "We think so. I will ask Nancy and Bob to keep an eye on you, and will most likely ask Julia and Stan as well, so you should be fine. There will be plenty of sex. Susan will make her statement of restitution and commitment to Alice, and then fasten herself the in fuck chair. The slave from last night will also be there. Probably longer than she would like to be. So?" "Okay, but I'm not sure I'll fit in, because I don't really know how the club works." ------- Chapter 9 Alice and Judy spent the next hour explaining how things worked, and the differences between members, slaves and handmaidens. Handmaidens were totally the property of the members, and normally had no voice in their treatment. With this absolute control, the handmaidens owner accepted complete responsibility for all aspects of the handmaiden's welfare. A handmaiden owner who willfully breached this trust usually payed dearly, in both money and pain, some never recovered. A slave had defined limits in their agreement with the member, and when the limits were exceeded the agreement was automatically breached. Additionally, the member would be punished for willingly or unwillingly committing breaches in trust or rules by the club. "How will I be considered this evening?" "You will be our guest. This makes you equivalent to a member. For you to become a member, all you need to do is make the request and you will become a full member." "Besides tormenting or fucking Susan and the slave, what else will likely happen?" "Well on a night like tonight, we sometimes have pretend sex slave auctions." Sarah looked at her questioningly. "Well, we have everyone draw numbers. A group of the numbers are then designated to be sex slaves on the first round, with the rest being buyers. One member doesn't participate, and instead acts as auctioneer and referee. Once the bidding or drawing is done, the sex slaves are at the complete disposal of their buyer for an hour or so, with defined limits in terms of treatment. When time is up, roles are reversed and the auction is repeated." "Wow. Sounds wild, but this is all so new to me. In fact, I'm surprised I'm so interested, it is not like me." Judy, says, "Not like the old you. The changes made to you will affect some of your reactions. For example, you've noticed how easily you become aroused. Well, those sensations make it easier for you to act quite wild or more slutty than you would in the past, depending on how you think of those activities or the people involved." "Judy, I think I'm going to owe you a chair." "Why?" "This whole conversation has my cunt dripping. With the caressing you and Alice are giving my back and shoulders only adding to it. If I keep leaking like this, I will need to drink water all the time, or I will become dehydrated." "Don't worry, they clean up very easily. Yes, you need to drink more water than you used to, because you're lactating. Along with the additional water, you will need to include some supplements in your diet, to help with milk production, otherwise you will hurt your body. In particular, without supplements you could experience some bone loss." Alice said, "Let's go talk to Jill and Janet. They are probably dying with curiosity." "Oh, Judy, I meant to ask. Jill and Janet's breasts appear to be shaped differently than mine. Why is that?" "I believe there are two reasons. Your breasts were altered, in part, by a different process than we use. We know Liz tampered with our process; and the woman who wanted you for a baby factory may have complicated it some more, with whatever she gave you. Jill and Janet wanted their breasts to be very pointed, large, firm and to lactate heavily. Achieving that successfully is difficult. When they are lying down, like they are now, their breasts will be full and pointed, with their nipples taking on the appearance of small thumbs. However, when they stand, they will look normal, but with very large nipples. It is an interesting combination, but looks very nice on some. I can assure you that every time something sucks on their nipples they will be as wet or wetter than you are now." "Wow," was all Sarah could think of saying. Alice added, "Come on, let's go talk to them." ------- Alice gave Sarah a light silk gown to wear for the evening. Judy provided a pair of stockings, garter belt and high heel shoes to wear. Judy commented that Sarah looked quite desirable, standing there in just her stockings and shoes. Sarah turned and looked in the mirror. The vision in the mirror was much different than she had expected, and she was quite pleased about how well she looked, even with her larger breasts. Yes, they were larger, but now didn't stand out as much on her 6 foot plus frame. Sarah thought, I wondered why her view was different now than it was the last time she really looked at herself in the mirror. Sarah said, "Judy, these high heel shoes seemed much more comfortable this evening than yesterday." When she slipped on the sheath-style dress, she was pleased with the way she looked. It accentuated her body, without being too obvious, even though the side seams stopped at the top of her hips. As she turned in front of the mirror, she noticed a portion of her hip could be seen through the slit, as it gaped open. Then, as she walked past the mirror, she could see a flash of her leg, stockings and more of her hip with each step. "I was somewhat surprised you had difficulty with the heels last night, since you have been wearing heels almost constantly." "Yes, I was puzzled by that, as well." "Once we were serving, you seemed to have adapted quickly to the heels. The comfort you find standing in the taller heels could be an effect of the treatments Liz gave you. From what Frank said, even she did not know the final effect of the treatments, except that it would remake you look more valuable as a sex toy or sex performer." Later, entering the banquet room, Sarah saw that it had been set up like a restaurant. Off to one side was a buffet line. Several people working on the buffet line looked like slaves. Both Judy and Alice came down to dinner with her. Soon after arriving, Alice disappeared. "Are the slaves putting out the meal?" Judy responded, "Yes. Let's go find our table. Alice has one set aside for us, close to the front." On the way to their table, they stopped and talked to Bob and Nancy, and then to Julia and Stan. Sarah felt very comfortable with them. They soon found their table. Sarah then looked around at the activities taking place in the room. Quite a few people were entering, and she could see the serving line was nearly ready. She saw Bob and Nancy sitting with another woman who was apparently a handmaiden the way she was dressed. The woman was as lovely as Nancy. Sarah's thoughts were disrupted when she saw Alice come back into the room, leading a woman with a leash, whom she recognized as Susan. Susan's hands were tied together behind her head. She was wearing a leather lace bra that was squeezing the base of her tits, pushing them out from her chest like round orbs. They each had a slightly reddish cast. From each nipple was suspended a weighted clamp, which bounced with each step she took. Her breasts bounced and rolled as she moved, causing the weights to repeatedly tug on her nipples. A small chain linked the nipple clamps to a clamp that was fastened to her clit. She was taking small, quick, steps, in her very tall high heels, trying to keep up with Alice. The way she was forced to walk caused her swollen tits to bounce a lot, so each step tugged at her pinched clit almost continuously. Alice led her on to the stage and then pushed her back up to a post, locking her collar to the post. Susan said something to Alice, causing her to slap both cheeks very hard, causing the woman's head to snap around, leaving red handprints on her cheeks. Sarah heard Alice say, "I did not give you permission to talk. Understand? For that transgression, you will wear these until we start." Alice took a clamp from her pocket. Opening the one jaw wide, she pressed it over Susan's cunt lip. Once the lip was fully between the jaws of the clamp, she quickly released it, causing Susan to prance as she tried to adjust to the torment of her cunt lip. Tears filled her eyes as Susan watched Alice prepare to clamp her other cunt lip. Once both lips were clamped, Alice tightened the clamp to squeeze the needle-faced jaws further into the tender flesh. Each time the clamps were tightened, Susan's feet pranced, as she adjusted to the pain. "Now, do you want to misbehave some more," asked Alice. Susan shook her head, no. "Remember the whipping post your collar is fastened to is here for you. You can still change your mind and accept the whipping. If that should become the case, the whipping will begin immediately this evening, and will be for double the strokes. It will continue every day for a week, that is, if you survive. Everyone in here will gladly assist, so the last stroke will be as strong, or stronger than, the first. If you fail to complete what you said you would do this evening, you will be sent to the island. There you will be better off if you begged them to barbecue you for dinner, as it might be less painful. Understand?" Tears rolled down Susan's cheeks as she nodded yes, shaking her bound tits and causing the nipple clamps to bounce pulling on her clit. Alice left her standing there and went off to see how the arrangements were coming. Sarah noticed that Susan occasionally would prance on the stage, and it puzzled her. "Judy, I noticed Susan will be quiet for a while and then prance some." "I suspect Alice has put a dildo up her ass. Some alternate through a vibrating stage, quiet and then shock the person in a random order. The changing sequence keeps the victim from fulling adjusting to the torment." "Oh," said Sarah. "So they can never fully adjust to their torment and relax some?" Judy nodded yes. Once everyone had arrived, a chime sounded, signaling everyone to sit down. Alice walked back on stage and waited for everyone to quiet down. "This evening, we have a woman that wishes to make a commitment to be a handmaiden forever, as well as ask your assistance in another matter." Alice walked over to Susan and caressed her tits lightly with her fingertips across the taunt sensitive skin, causing Susan to prance. Alice took hold of a nipple clamp and pulled, extending the nipple and tit, then flicked the release, letting the tit and nipple snap back. Susan shook her head and pranced, as she tried to adjust to the wave of pain she felt upon the release of the clamp. Her eyes were full of tears as she watched Alice's hands, as Alice's fingers were still lightly caressing her tits. Once she had stopped prancing and shaking for a few moments, Alice pulled on the other nipple clamp until Susan began to prance. As she released the clamp, she pinched the other nipple with her finger tips. Susan pranced and moaned as she felt the pain radiate through her body from her abused nipples. When Susan quieted down, Alice released the bra holding her tits, letting them sag on her chest. Susan again pranced, as blood circulation was again restored to her tits, causing them to ache and complain, as Alice continued to caress them with her finger tips so as to add to the discomfort. Once she settled down, her arms were released and her collar unlocked from the post, leaving her free, except for the hobble. Susan walked unsteadily over to the small table. She began to tell a short story about why she was there this evening. "Last evening," she began, "I committed several very serious violations of the club rules. I did this knowingly. In restitution, I have agreed to do to things, and have asked to announce them to you this evening. Shortly, I will strap myself in the fuck chair, so that I will be available for you to use this evening however you would like. On the table next to the chair are the implements Alice has had me prepare for your use in tormenting me. My transgressions are that yesterday evening I attempted to force a body modification, by way of a genetic virus, on two members here. A part of my actions were to cut their bodies so that they would become permanently grossly scarred. Once these actions were taken, Alice and Sarah were to be crated and shipped to a remote farm. I was convinced to do this by others with false information. I fully accept responsibility for my actions, which would have gravely injured these two wonderful people. When I realized my errors, I asked to be freed so I could to inject myself the with one of the viruses intended for Sarah. Alice refused, but told me an acceptable alternative was to submit to the members of the club and their unfettered torment. I agreed, with one small addition." She then picked up a collar and held it in front of her. "I am deeply ashamed of my actions, and feel I am unworthy to be free." Her voice filled with emotion. "So, with this collar around my neck, I freely commit myself to be Alice's handmaiden forever, or for as long as she wants." She placed the collar around her neck and pushed the ends together until a loud click was heard. "I have now given myself to her, to be her property without reservation, and she may use me in any manner she wishes. No instruction by her ever will be denied. When she is tired of me, she may dispose of me in any manner she chooses." "To assist with your torment of me this evening, I am placing temporary cuffs on my wrists and ankles until the changes she has planned for me are complete. Alice said she will fit me with another more permanent collar and permanent cuffs." With that, she picked up the ankle cuffs and wrapped them around her ankles, and then pushed the latches together, locking them in place. She then did the same with the wrist and elbow cuffs. Once her cuffs were in place, she walked over to the fuck chair. The chair wasn't really a chair, it was a series of straps that held one in a semi-reclining position, so they were fully available. Susan sat back in the seat, raising her legs to the ankle fasteners. By dragging the cuff rings over the snaps, they caught, to holding her ankles spread. She fastened a strap around her legs, just above the knee. A narrow belt went around her hips, with the buckle locking together. She laid back, placing her shoulders against a strap, and then connected her wrist cuffs to hooks at the ends of the strap. Spreading her knees as wide as she could let the hooks capture the knee straps to the frame. Once her waist and legs were captured in the frame, the seat fell away, leaving her suspended by only the straps. She looked very nice, with her legs spread wide and her cunt gaping open. She could move somewhat, but there was no escape until someone released her. Sarah wondered what it would be like suspended like that. She shivered at the thought, and noticed her cunt moisten. Judy saw her and smiled. "So, you would like to try the chair?" Sarah blushed, while her nipples got harder. Alice announced to the crowd, "To answer the question that must be on your minds, as to the apparent lightness of the punishment. This is due to the fact that she did not do this of her free will, she was duped to a great extent into trying what she did. If not for that, she would now be screaming in agony in the dungeon. I accept her offer of her body, after you have used it well. She will be available to everyone here this evening. Slaves will need their owner's supervision, however, before they can torment her. She will be fed any cum that leaks out of her cunt. I expect her to very sore all over by the end of the evening. If it is agreeable with everyone, we will skip the auction, as the two on display should satisfy the general entertainment needs." The group laughed. "While we are dining, I thought we would give her some exercise." Alice walked over to a cart, then rolled it over next to Susan. She picked up a batch of wires and began attaching them to Susan. Once they were all connected, a stand was placed between her legs. A dildo was attached to the arm extending from the stand, with its head positioned just at the mouth of Susan's cunt. Alice stood back, as if checking her work, then turned to the audience. "While we eat, Susan is going to demonstrate a new device. I'm not sure what to call it, but for now lets call it 'The erotic stimulator.' It can be programmed so the stimulator will cause her muscles to twitch in time in a set sequence, or in response to music. The music tempo sets both the frequency and level. The level and frequency will cause her to feel everything from pleasure to pain. As the arousal increases, the dildo will do its job, both in stroke and size. Along with the increase in arousal, there will be more stimulation to the erotic zones, such as nipples and clit. She may cum, but the program will seek to keep her at an extremely aroused state without her cumming. For music, we will use first use 'The 1812 Overture', which is very intense, followed by several love songs, that are erotic in both words and feelings. Every time she cums, the dildo will fill her cunt with hot fertile cum, and, as she mentioned earlier, she is fertile." "When Judy did her physical this afternoon, she found that she was just beginning to release four eggs. Now, let us begin," said Alice, as she started the music. Several people walked over to see how Susan was attached to the device, but most went to the buffet line. As she was going through the serving line with Judy, Sarah heard a moan from Susan. Looking over, she could see Susan wiggling in rhythm with the music. The cock was slowly pressing up her cunt. Judy squeezed Sarah's ass, and she realized that she was holding up the line. She began to move forward, filling her plate as she went. Judy and Sarah sat back down at their table. Soon, Alice joined them. Periodically screams were heard from Susan, as the stimulator caused her to dance to the music. The screams were kind of distracting to Sarah, and she found it difficult to keep from watching. "Alice, you should have seen how excited Sarah got, when she saw Susan secure herself into the chair. I'll bet Sarah would like to sample Susan after we eat. She could sure get desert from Susan's cum-filled cunt. But I'm not sure whether she's interested in Susan, or would like to be restrained in one of those contraptions for a while." Sarah shivered, and her nipples became, once again, hard. She quietly said, "But only for you and Alice. After my recent experiences, you two are probably the only two I could trust. The electronic stimulator sounds interesting, if only it didn't have the pain." "Well, Judy can arrange that, as we have another sling or two," said Alice. "I'm sure we can get Bill, Nancy, Stan and Julia to help out. The stimulator can be programmed so that it is not painful, but that is the only electronic stimulator we have, so you would have to settle for just us." Sarah looked from one to the other of them, then go back to eating, not sure whether they were serious or not. She quietly listened to the conversation and watched the other members in the room. Each moan from Susan caused Sarah's eyes to divert in that direction. Judy commented about how quiet Sarah was, and that her eyes kept glancing over towards Susan. Blushing, she responded, "Yes, I am curious about everything this evening. But your comments also cause me some concern, as I don't know what my limits are now. The last several weeks have seen significant changes forced on me. While I trust you both not to intentionally cause me any pain, I am not sure of where my limit is. So, in effect, I am scared and feel out of control." Just then, Susan screamed and let out a long wailing sound. Everyone looked. Her muscles were rigid, with the dildo pumping her cunt at a rapid pace. Then Sarah noticed that the overture was at its most intense part. Susan's head was shaking back and forth. She was very flushed. Just then the music slowed, and Susan began to relax a bit. "Alice, is she okay?" "Yes, she is just fine." "Well, as soon as we finish, and Susan has finished her dance, let's go relieve some of your curiosity. Don't worry, Alice and I will keep a close eye on you, and on whom you are with." Soon dinner was finished and Susan was lying quietly in the sling. Sarah looked around, to see where to put the dishes. Judy told her not to worry about the dishes, as some of the slaves had been assigned to clean up the area. She pulled Sarah up, starting toward Susan while holding Sarah's hand. Arriving at the sling, Sarah could see that Susan had passed out. Judy told her to get a bottle, so that they could catch her cum when they pulled the dildo out. Judy began to pull the wire connections off of Susan. They were taped, and she jerked them off two at a time. The first two woke Susan. The third caused a loud scream. "Oh, I see you are awake now. Did you enjoy the ride?" "Oh God, it was so intense, I thought I was going to die several times." "Well, it can be set to do that. Our concern is that it might be done accidentally." Sarah returned and helped Judy remove the dildo. Susan released nearly a quart of cum from her cunt, nearly filling the bottle. At Judy's direction, Sarah put the special top on the bottle, and then placed the top in Susan's mouth. Susan hesitated. Judy told her to drink it or she would use the colic syringe. "What's that?" "This," said Judy, as she pointed to the item on the table. There, Sarah saw a large metal syringe, with a foot-long tube on the end. She shivered. "It was made to dose animals with medicine or supplements. It works very well on humans, as well. You fill the syringe, and then force the tube into the throat. Once in position, you empty it, and the animal's reflexes push the liquid into the stomach. The difficulty with some animals, is that you can get fluid in the lungs by mistake. That will suffocate the animal in the worst case, as well as ruin the vocal cords. Even a little liquid in the lungs is very painful, as well as very scary." While Judy was talking, Susan began to rapidly suck the cum out of the bottle. Her facial expression showed her fear. "Well, it looks like she likes it. Would you like some more now?" Susan shook her head, no. "Well, I'm sure you will have an opportunity to drink several gallons before the evening is over. But let's see what we have to play with on the table." On the table next to Susan lay a number of strange items. Most of the items Sarah didn't recognize. There were a number of different styles of whips. There were also paddles of different widths. Several whips were made of lengths of fine rope, or narrow strips of leather fastened to a handle. There were several clamps of different sizes lying on the table. In a clear pouch were several scalpels. When she saw those she shivered, remembering how close she had come to being cut. Judy saw Sarah shiver, and asked her if she knew what all of these were for. She shook her head no. Judy went over to the table and began to explain what each of the items were, and how they could be used. Then she asked, "Why don't we do a small demonstration on Susan with some of the items?" Judy picked up the rope whip. "This can be used like a paddle, like this," saying which, she struck her across the stomach. Susan moaned, but the whip left hardly any mark. "Or, it can be used like this." Pulling her arm up, Judy snapped the whip in the air, causing it to crack loudly. She cracked it again across Susan's breast, catching it with just the tip, causing it to jump. Her breast was stroked several more times with the whip, across the nipple. Susan moaned with each lash of the whip. The whip left several fine red welts across the front of her breasts. Judy soaked some cotton in a liquid, then wiped it across the whip marks, causing Susan to scream again. "You are awfully noisy, for such mild treatment." A dildo gag was placed in her mouth. Judy told her not to spit it out or Sarah would find a bigger one. Judy then picked up another device. It was a narrow, flat, paddle made of leather. She said, "watch this", and smacked Susan across the other breast. Before she stopped moaning, the paddle was brought down across her clit. Across both her cunt lips there were now large red welts. Tears were running down Susan's cheeks, and her eyes were wide with fright. "That ought to warm her up a bit, before we demonstrate each of these instruments." Judy reached over and picked up another, that was like a thin reed attached to a handle. "This is very thin and has some snap to it. There are two general ways to apply it. One is like this," said Judy, as she struck her hard across the stomach with a flick of the wrist. The strike caused Susan to jump and scream, leaving a very angry-looking red welt. "Or like this", said Judy, as she struck the stomach again, but with only a light flick of the wrist, leaving a red mark. "A whip like this, and there are several different kinds, if used like the first stroke would cause considerable tearing of the skin in just a few strokes. Just one more on top of the first stroke would cause bleeding, and a subsequent one would tear the skin. When the torn skin heals, they typically leave scars, as it doesn't take many repeat strokes to make a deep tear. The light strokes, however, don't cause as much apparent damage. However, if excessively applied to a small area, it will result in deep bruising, which can lead to other problems." Sarah reached over and touched the welt. Susan jumped at the touch and squirmed in pain. "Have you ever seen anybody whipped?" "No. I don't understand why anybody would want to feel the pain." "Well, there are two aspects of it. The person being whipped can achieve some sexual satisfaction from the extreme pain from whipping. The other side is, those doing the whipping may also receive sexual satisfaction from the act of dominance, or control. The psychology is rather complicated, because of the number of interactions. A significant one is the aspect of unlimited control or submission. Now I sound like a teacher, while we are supposed to be relaxing. We can discuss the psychology another time, and enough messing around with whips. Well, let's use this one first," said Judy, as she picked up a long flat leather strap. She said, "Watch this," as she swung the long whip over her head. Susan's eyes were very large. The strap smacked as it hit Susan's stomach, while the end wrapped around her body, with the tip landing with a resounding slap across her breasts. Susan screamed into the gag. When Judy pulled the whip loose, there was a large red welt across her breasts and stomach. Judy laid the whip down. "The effect of whipping can be enhanced by an after-treatment, such as this," she said, as she picked up a jar of jell. As soon as she took the lid off, Sarah could smell the jell. "This is a lineament that will help soothe the wounds, but it is not particularly comfortable. Put a pair of gloves on, and rub this onto the places with whip burns." Sarah had hardly begun to rub the jell on Susan, before she started squirming and gasping for breath. Sarah looked questioningly at Judy. "The lineament first gives a cooling sensation, followed by a burning sensation on normal skin. On the abraded skin, it can be very painful." "That is enough of that, so let's try this next." She then handed Sarah a round object with a shinny end, and turned it on. She told Sarah to bring it close to her breast. As soon as it came near, a small arc jumped from the tip to her breast, stabbing her like a needle. She jumped and almost dropped the device. Judy said, "Try it on her." Sarah placed the silver end near Susan, slowly. She tried to pull away, but couldn't get far enough, for the arc snapped. Sarah noticed Susan's muscles twitch when the arc snapped. Judy told Sarah to turn the dial up a bit. She did. Placing it next to Susan's leg, she could see the arc jump more rapidly to her body. "Okay, it looks like you have it set about right. Touch her all over, and be sure to do it over the whip marks. It will really accentuate the discomfort from the whip and jell." Sarah did as instructed, moving back and forth over her chest and then moving down to her legs, letting it arc nearly continuously. Susan's body was rapidly jumping and thrashing. The jerking of her limbs caused her to pull very strongly at the restraints. Her thrashing was so strong, her ankles and wrists were chaffing, even in the padded cuffs. When Sarah got to her inner thighs, the response to the arcs had grown. Her thigh muscles tightened, pulling her cunt open wider. When the arc hit the mark made with the reed, Susan jumped and screamed around her gag. Judy asked, "Why did you miss her nipples and cunt?" "I was saving that for now." Sarah dragged the probe up one side, across the clit, and down the other. Every arc caused Susan to moan and jump. Sarah noticed that Susan had to be enjoying it some, because her cunt and clit were very wet. She reached down with one hand and began to rub Susan's cunt. She pushed several fingers into Susan's cunt, and rubbed her clit with her thumb. By the way she was flexing her hips toward her hand and moaning, Susan seemed to be very close to an orgasm. Sarah slowed down the stroking, and quickly placed the probe tip over Susan's breasts, moving it from one nipple to the other as soon as the arc snapped. Sarah then discovered that pinching her clit forced Susan to scream loudly, spitting out the gag. Her cunt clamped down on Sarah's fingers so hard that she couldn't remove them. Susan passed out. Judy said, "Sarah, that was very good, and you seemed to sense the effect you were having on her. I didn't think you knew anything about this stuff. But, another one or two of those and she would tell you anything. Now, let's add to her discomfort. Take the scalpels out of the case, and lay them on her chest." When Sarah laid the cold scalpels on Susan's chest, she jumped and began to awaken. Soon, she saw what had been laid on her chest. Sarah looked at her and asked, "Do you remember these?" Susan shook her head, and mumbled into the gag, "No, please don't do this!" "Here, take this pen and mark her where we are going some remove strips of skin. It will give her a new appreciation of pain." Sarah looked at Judy questioningly. "These are very special scalpels. If you look closely, you can see that one has a hooked blade, that will cut as deeply as you want, and remove a ribbon of tissue. When the cut heals, it leaves a small, groove-like wound. The second is made so that it only cuts through the skin, and no deeper. You use that when you wish to just remove the skin. So, which would you like to try? Both will leave much nicer scars than she was going to give you." With that, Susan screamed, "Please no, don't do this to me. I didn't mean it," but the sound was muffled by the gag. Sensing Judy's intention, Sarah asked which hurt the most. "They are about the same, but the areas where the skin is removed take a long time to heal and are easily infected. Remember, she will be Alice's property. Are you very artistic?" "A little." "Why don't you draw a design on her breasts? Rather than removing straight groves, we can curve them into artistic shapes. Before they heal, we can add some color to them, to make them like a sculptured tattoo. Then a crowning touch will be to decorate the rest of the breasts with a tattooed scene after the wounds heal. We can do that later, with some special needles and ink. So start drawing, while I get the rest of the stuff ready." Sarah nodded and began drawing. Soon, she had the design done. Judy complimented Sarah on the design. Sarah could see tears in Susan's eyes, and a pleading look on her face. A small voice begged, "Please don't" into her gag. Judy heard her and told her to shut up. Judy took a hood and pulled it over Susan's head. She then took the scalpel and placed it in the case. Sarah started to ask her what she was doing. She put a finger over her lip, indicating silence. She reached into a chest, pulling out a knife-shaped object made of ice. She handed it to Sarah, and someone handed her a red tube-shaped bag. She told Sarah to get in position to start on the right breast. Stepping up next to Susan, Sarah positioned the knife next to a mark. She looked questioningly. Judy nodded. The ice knife made a red, wet, mark across Susan's body. She screamed. Sarah reached the end of the mark and lifted. Judy opened the bag a bit more, and "blood" ran right along where Sarah had made the imaginary cut. Judy told Sarah to hurry up, since they didn't want her to bleed too much. Sarah realized what was planned now, and began the next cut. Every time she rubbed the ice knife across Susan's body, her body tensed tightly against the straps. Soon, imaginary cuts had been made at all the spots. Her chest was all covered in blood, and it was dripping into the tub beneath her. Susan was breathing very heavily, almost hyperventilating. Judy told Sarah to take the hood off. When she saw herself, Susan let out a blood-curdling scream and slumped unconscious in the chair. Judy dumped ice water on her head to revive her. "Okay, the next step in this process is to wax the cuts, like this. Taking the candle handed to her, Judy began over the nipple, pouring warm wax over the breast. The wax sizzled a bit as it hit the blood. A large candle was then handed to Sarah. Judy told her how to do it so that is the victim was not burned. Soon, her breasts were like a large candle. Judy said, "Darn, we should have put a wick on each nipple." She poured cold water over the wax, making it shrink and harden. "Cover her eyes." A slave stepped up and covered her eyes. Judy fit her fingers around the base of the waxed breast, and nodded for Sarah to do the same. Slowly lifting it, pulled the breast up. This caused Susan to moan, then scream. When stretched, without pulling the wax free, Judy quietly said, "When I count three, yank upward." Susan's breasts were pulled up and away from the wax and then snapped back against her chest. Susan screamed at the pain. Her breasts were very red. Susan had passed out again. Judy called a slave over to help clean up. They quickly rinsed Susan with warm water, removing the blood, and generally cleaning her up. Once that was done, Judy took the electric probe and, placing it over her nipple, shocked Susan. She jumped, and her eyes flew open. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. In a few moments, she asked, "What happened, where are the cuts?" Judy responded, "We let you experience what you wanted to give to someone else. You have bound yourself to Alice, and given her the power to do that, and more, if she desires. You gave that power with your own free will, in front of many witnesses. So, when you try to rebel at what you are told, that or worse awaits you. Now, we have a couple of cunts for you to lick clean, while others enjoy your body." Judy told Sarah to sit on her face, so Susan could lick her to an orgasm. "And hurry up, I'm next." Sarah lifted her dress's front panel to the side as she straddled Susan's head, so that her mouth was tight against her cunt. Immediately, Susan began licking her deeply, Sarah could feel the liquid running out of her cunt. Her small orgasm was almost immediate. She moved slightly, so that Susan could reach her clit with her tongue. As soon as she did, Sarah's body was wracked with a large orgasm. It caused Sarah to clamp her legs, sealing Susan's mouth to her cunt, cutting off her breath and flooding her face and nose with cunt juice. It passed quickly, and she felt Susan franticly shaking. Opening her legs, Sarah heard Susan gasping for breath. The man fucking her cunt said, "Her cunt clamped down so hard, I thought she was going to break my dick off." Judy said, "Knowing you, that's not likely." Judy motioned Sarah to move. Then, standing over Susan's head, she said, "With her head hanging down, she can lick your cunt more easily this way, without your suffocating her. "Is that what I did?" "Almost, but looking at how hard her nipples got, I think she got off on it a bit." Judy was having difficulty talking, as her arousal rose very rapidly from Susan's licking. You could see her shake from the orgasm, almost falling over. Sarah stepped over to Judy, so that she could lean against her. The two of them stepped away from Susan. Several people came over to play with her. Sarah heard the smack of a paddle, followed by a whimper. Judy put an arm around Sarah and said, "Let's go have some raw sex together, 'cause I am really turned on now. I sure would like to feel a couple of cocks tonight." Sarah looked at her carefully. She was amazing, in that one minute she was humiliating and scaring the shit out of someone, and the next, she was looking for an orgy. Judy, seeing her questioning look, said, "Most of our club members are not into whippings, torture and similar stuff. They mostly just like bondage and sex. I can do the rough stuff, if I have to. What you saw there was a scheme Alice and I worked out, to show Susan first-hand what the effect of what she hand planned would have been, and to also show her what she had committed herself to. Again, we only permit activities between parties that they have agreed to in advance. In her case, anything goes for Susan or anything any designee of Alice's desires." The two of them entered another room. There were several couples sitting around talking and caressing each other. There was a mat in the center of the room. Judy told Sarah to kneel down on the mat. Sarah slipped her gown off and knelt down. As soon as she did, Judy slid under and began to suck on her breast. Only then did Sarah realize how full she was. Sarah felt another mouth sucking at the other breast. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a man lying on his back. His cock was hard and sticking straight up. A woman straddled it. Placing it at the mouth of her cunt, she dropped down, sliding all of it into her cunt. That caused the man to pull hard on Sarah's nipple. Soon there was a finger exploring her cunt and rubbing her clit. The contact felt good. The hand pulled away. Something began to press at the mouth of her cunt. It pressed forward, forcing her cunt to open wide. It felt so big. He slid it in, slowly. Sarah turned her head, trying to see who it was, but before she could, a hand pulled her chin up, and a cock was pressed to her lips. She opened her mouth and began to lick the head. It just hung in front of her face. A voice said, "Lick it". Sarah began to lick it all over, and, as she did, she realized how large it was. "Now, take it in your mouth." She slipped her mouth over the head. It began to slowly stroke in and out of her mouth. Each stroke bumped the back of her throat. The voice said, "Have you deep-throated before?" She shook her head, no. "You need to learn that, but for now, just suck me off." Sarah could hardly concentrate on the cock in her mouth, because of the mouths on her breasts and the cock in her cunt. Each caused increasing levels of arousal. Her breathing sounded like a steam engine was running through her nose. The cock in her mouth continued to rock back and forth. She could feel it getting hotter. Then it jerked. Two hands grabbed her head, holding it still, as gobs of hot cum issued forth, filling her mouth. He was soon done and stepped away, patting Sarah on the head. Her breasts were still being sucked, and the cock was slowly pushing in and out of her cunt. She could feel a mouth licking her cunt between the cock and her clit. The stimulation was fantastic. She could feel her milk letting down. Her cunt juice continued flowing. The arousal felt so good. Just then, a seat was placed in front of her. A woman sat down on it, placing her cunt right at Sarah's face. She looked up, and recognized her as the woman that was just riding the man's cock next to her. The woman pulled Sarah's mouth down to her cunt and said, "Lick. I filled it up just for you." As she licked along her cunt, Sarah could taste the mixed juices. She pulled her cunt tighter to Sarah and said, "Just stick your tongue in my cunt and suck". As she did, Sarah could feel the fluids flow into her mouth. She could see the woman's abdomen tighten, which caused more cum to flow into her mouth. The woman placed her legs on Sarah's shoulders, opening her cunt up wider and, Sarah's mouth tightened on her cunt. As she did this, the man fucking Sarah's cunt picked up speed. She could feel his cock growing and getting hotter. Her heart rate was so high her head was pounding. Her breathing was rapid, but still she couldn't get enough to breathe. Sarah realized that her cunt had been spasming the whole time. Her milk was gone and the two who had been nursing were now just licking her breasts. Her attention was drawn back to her cunt; It was experiencing continuous convulsions. The cock jammed deeply inside her, spraying her cunt with hot cum, just as the licking on her clit increased The orgasm reached a crescendo, and everything went black. When she awakened, she found herself lying in a swing, similar to the one Susan was in, but she was not restrained. Judy was wiping her face with a cool damp rag. Sarah saw a familiar head between her legs, and realized that Nancy was sucking her cunt. Judy told her to squeeze her cunt. When she did, Sarah felt more cum flow out of her cunt. She then felt Nancy's tongue gathering up the expelled cum. She asked Judy how long she had been out. "Oh, about 20 minutes. I don't think I have seen anyone pass out that long, and we were getting kind of worried about you. Did you enjoy yourself?" "Oh yes, but I don't know how many of those I can live through." "More than you think. Are you comfortable lying in this chair?" "Yes, I think so." Judy leaned down and kissed her. Soon, Nancy had finished sucking all of the cum out of her. She told her slave to clean Sarah up. Coming up beside her, Nancy said, "You really got in to that, didn't you?" She nodded. "It felt wonderful. I have only come close to cumming that hard when I've been with Alice and Judy. Never before that." Nancy bent over and kissed her, pushing her tongue into Sarah's mouth. Sarah pulled her head tight to herself and they dueled with their tongues. Sarah could feel her nipples hardening and her cunt moistening. Nancy soon pulled back, saying, "Wow." The nipples on her breasts stood, rock hard from her arousal. Sarah reached up and caressed her nipples. Judy said, "Didn't I tell you she was passionate." Nancy responded, "Yes, but you understated it greatly." Their nearness and adoration made Sarah feel very comfortable. She started to get up, but realized she needed some help. She asked Nancy if she would help her up. Nancy looked at Judy, and then back at Sarah. "Judy and Nancy were originally planning on having their way with you in this chair. It looks like you could do with a bit of rest first, so..." she gave Sarah a hand, pulling her forward so that she could stand up. Her legs felt weak. Judy and Nancy put an arm around her and helped her walk to the couch and sit down. Nancy asked Sarah, "How did you like the cock, or (should I say) how did you like Bob's cock?" "It was big, and I was afraid it would split me at first, but it filled me up very nicely. I hope I get to try it again." "Everyone says that," they replied, as they laughed. "In your case, I'm sure you will." With that, Nancy kissed her on the cheek. Both of them were caressing the inside of her thighs. Sarah placed her arms around each of them, and began to caress a breast and nipple. Alice came by, as the three of them were sitting there. "Sarah, you have that well-fucked look." "Yes. And with these two stroking my legs, I will be ready to fuck again in no time. Besides, I hope the furniture is stain-proof, because my cunt is dripping again." Alice laughed and walked off, saying she needed to check on Susan. The three of them sat and relaxed a while longer. There was a scream from the room where Alice went to check on Susan. Judy and Nancy were instantly up and headed for the room. Sarah rose to follow them, and as they went through the door, they started to run. Bob rushed past Sarah, toward the door. Reaching the room, she could see a large commotion around the Susan's chair. Alice and Bob were tying someone up on the floor. Sarah could tell by their movements that they were angry. Moving closer, she could see Nancy and Judy frantically trying to release Susan from her bindings. Judy looked up and asked Sarah to help. She gasped when she got close enough to see Susan lying limply in the chair, with her head hanging back at an awkward angle. She was covered with blood, from her neck to her knees. Judy said, "Hold her head up, before she chokes." Lifting her head up, Sarah could see that her mouth was filled with a gag that had a tube running out of it. The tube was attached to a large bag, which contained a white liquid. Sarah held her head with one hand, while she tried to unfasten the gag. "What was someone doing to her?" Judy told Sarah, "Just fold the tube so no more liquid can run into the feeding gag. Once you have the flow stopped, see if you can release the gag. If not, just hold her still until we can help." Sarah did as she asked, and looked down at what Nancy and Judy were doing. She could now see why Susan was bloody. Her breasts had been wrapped tightly with fine wire, forcing them away from her chest. The wire was pulled so tight it was cutting into her tits. She had been cut repeatedly with a whip, from her shoulders to her knees. Sarah shivered at the pain she must have been suffering. Nancy was carefully unwinding the bindings on her breasts, and noticed that the wire was cutting her hands, as well. Alice stepped up and asked Judy what to do next. Judy sent her off to her office for the medical kit and a gurney. Alice left, taking Nancy's slave with her. As they left, Sarah heard the slave sobbing. Judy went to remove the mechanical cock from Susan's cunt. As she started to shrink it, and pull it out Sarah heard her say "oh my". Sarah could see tears running down her cheeks. Nancy asked what else they had done. "It looks like they cut the hood from around her clit, but there is so much blood I can't be sure. She continued working to get the cock out of Susan's cunt. Whenever she pulled on the cock, it pulled on the cunt, as though it was stuck. Nancy said, "See if there is a control for the cock-head." Judy began to turn something, and the swelling behind Susan's cunt began to shrink. Soon the cock slid free. Judy grabbed it, to move it out of the way. As soon as she did, Susan jumped and screamed, almost falling down. "The bastards electrified the cock, and had the head enlarged to the max." Seeing Sarah's questioning look, she responded, "The head on this cock swells up to be as large as a large baby's head." Sarah shivered at the thought of someone trying to pull that out of her cunt, or even fucking her with it. Alice and the slave arrived with the requested supplies. Judy told her to help Sarah remove the feeding gag and tube. With Alice's assistance, the gag was removed, and she found that the tube had been slid into her throat. "Why would you do that?" "The idea was, probably, to force all of that bag of liquid into her stomach. That would painfully stretch her stomach, and it would also stretch all of those cuts on her stomach. If she managed to vomit, she would probably drown slowly. If she could hold it in long enough, she could probably absorb the liquid. In combination with the pain she was being inflicted with, she probably wouldn't be able to do it. With her loosely bound, her frantic attempt to get loose would only make the bindings and the pain worse. Someone definitely wanted her to die slowly. We have one of the perpetrators, although the others managed to get away, for now." Judy and Nancy managed to release Susan from her bindings. The gurney was moved along-side of the chair. Judy asked everyone to help lift the chair, so that the gurney could be rolled underneath. Once she was on the gurney, the chair was detached from the frame. Judy asked, "Alice, where is the nearest floor drain? " "Why?" "Well, I need to rinse her off, and I don't want to make a mess." Alice laughed and said, "There is one at the end of the gurney, so do it here." ------- Chapter 10 Judy handed a bottle of saline to Nancy, and told her to pour it slowly over Susan, so they could see how bad the cuts were. As Nancy poured the saline, Sarah could begin to see the cuts on her body more clearly. They didn't appear to be bleeding much more. Judy began to inspect her body. Sarah could see the tears in Judy and Nancy's eyes. Susan moved a bit and Sarah jumped. Then, there was a soft moan. Her eyes opened slowly. Sarah could see the pain in her eyes. She moved her mouth to talk, but there was no sound. Tears began to roll down her cheeks. Judy told Susan that she was going to give her a pain shot. Susan shook her head so hard the rest of her body moved. Her mouth opened in a silent scream. After she calmed down, Judy asked, "Can you write instead of talk?" She nodded yes. A slave placed a pad near her hand, so she could write. She wrote, "They gave me something that would cause me to go into shock if I received a pain shot. They also gave me a shot to block my voice." Judy looked at Alice and said, "I'm going to skin your prisoner alive, one small strip at a time." The prisoner screamed, "Please Don't" Judy picked up the gag and handed it to Bill, "Shut her up with this. And while your at it, hook up the feeding tube, so she can drink what's in the bag." The prisoner screamed again and struggled with her bonds. Judy looked at Susan. "Okay, no shot, but I do have some herbs that will help. We need to get you up to the clinic so we can tend to this mess." They began to gather stuff up. Alice and Bill arranged for two slaves to drag the prisoner down to the dungeon. The prisoner turned out to be a woman. Sarah gasped, since she recognized her from the reception. "You know her?" "No, but I saw her while Judy and I were serving yesterday evening." "Did you see her with any one in particular?" "I'm not sure. Well, there were a couple of people she stayed close to, as she was dressed as a slave, or should I say undressed. The others seemed to be visitors, or new, as they didn't mix like everyone else did." "We should have some photos for you to look at later." She turned and left. Bob followed the slaves, dragging the woman by her legs across the floor. Judy started the gurney slowly toward the elevator. Everyone took a position alongside, so that Susan would not fall off. Once in the clinic, Judy said, "We need to think how we can treat her wounds. My first thought is that we should wrap her wounds with the gauze used for burns, and then suspend her on her chest and abdomen, as if she was having a normal breast enlargement." "Won't the normal slings be too stiff and coarse," Sarah asked. After thinking a moment, she suggested that they make them out of a sheet or similar gauze material. "Good idea, but I don't sew." "Well I can, if there's stuff here to do it with." Nancy offered, "I can help, but that is about all." "Where is the stuff?" Sarah asked Judy. Soon she and Nancy were off to make the sling, while Judy began treating Susan. Soon everything was in place for the sling. Alice decided to place it next to the ones Jill and Janet were resting in. The swing was laid over Susan, holding the burn gauze in place. She was helped to stand, and then kneel. With Sarah and Nancy holding back on the sling, she was carefully placed on all fours. The frame was moved around her. The sling was then lifted and fastened to the frame. Susan groaned a bit, as the sling tightened against her chest. With Susan positioned for the night, Nancy excused herself and left with her slave. Alice, Judy and Sarah began to prepare for bed. As she collapsed on the bed, Sarah realized how tired she was, and that her tits hurt. She struggled to get up. Alice asked where she was going, and then saw her breasts leaking. Alice said, "I know just the thing," and dashed into the other room and returned with the breast pump. Sarah looked questioningly. "We can use this to drain your breasts, and give the milk to Susan. I'm sure it will help her, and she needs the liquid." She helped Sarah attach the cups, and then started the pump. Almost immediately, Sarah felt the milk let down. The two of them watched it flow into the bottle. Soon, the flow stopped. There was nearly a quart of milk in the container. Alice placed a cap and long nipple on the bottle, while Sarah cleaned up the cups and pump. She suspended the bottle above Susan's head, placing the nipple in her mouth. Sarah heard Alice tell her to suck, as it would be good for her. Alice returned and said, "Let's go to bed. Judy will be in as soon as she finishes in the clinic." As she lay down, Sarah heard her whisper "What a night!". She could only nod in agreement, as she was already drifting off to sleep. Sarah awakened to an empty bed. She could see that Judy must have come to bed after she went to sleep, but both she and Alice were now up. As she slipped out of bed to take a shower, Sarah felt her full breasts pull, and milk began to drip from her nipples. She realized she needed to let her milk down first. Getting the pump from the bathroom, she attached the cups to her nipples and started the pump. The release of the milk felt good, as it relieved the tension on her tits. It didn't take long to let her milk down. Once the equipment was cleaned up, Sarah went in to feed the milk to Susan. Entering the room where there beds were, Sarah gasped and stopped. Susan's bed wasn't there next to Janet or Jill. "Do you want something Sarah," they asked. "I brought this milk in to give to Susan, but she isn't here." "Judy and Alice took her into the clinic earlier. She did not have a very good night. But we would like the milk, or you can put in the refrigerator for later." "Did you all eat anything this morning?" "No." "Why not?" "Because it was very early this morning when they took Susan downstairs, and we haven't seen either Alice or Judy since then." "Why did they move Susan?" "She was running a very high fever, so Judy thought they could do a better job of cooling her down in the dungeon." "Well, let me get a shower first and, then I will fix us breakfast. Guess I should save this for Susan. She took the milk and put it in the refrigerator. Sarah fixed a big breakfast. As she was finishing it up, she realized it may have been too much, because she didn't know when Alice and Judy were coming back. She helped Janet and Jill out of their slings. Sarah noticed that their breasts were quite a bit larger, and their nipples extended almost the length of first knuckle of her thumb when they were in the sling. When they stood, however, the nipples were less pronounced. Their clits had grown to be half a long as Sarah's index finger. Their cunt lips were now bigger than hers. She found their looks to be quite arousing, and was a bit surprised at her reaction. Janet noticed Sarah's looks and asked, "What's wrong?" Sarah reached over to each of them and caressed a breast. "Nothing at all. In fact, you two are an erotic sight already." Their nipples hardened from the caresses, until they stood tall and were as hard as stones. "Please don't caress our breasts too much. Judy told us we had to avoid as much arousal as possible until the changes had stabilized." "When will that be?" "She thinks another week, but we already have progressed much faster than she expected. In fact, we have grown so fast she was afraid the dosage she gave us was too large. But after checking, she was quite relieved when she found that the dosage was correct." "Well, you look great. Both of you. I hope your back strengthens enough to hold all the weight." "Judy has a weight program for us to start in a day or two. I already have a tendency to lean forward and slump my shoulders. We think they have already grown three cup sizes, and they are supposed to grow another 3 cup sizes. Judy indicated the rate of growth would slow down now." The three of them sat down to eat, just as Alice and Judy come back. Alice exclaimed, "Wonderful, there is food ready to eat." Looking at all that had been prepared, she asked Janet and Jill if they were planning on feeding an army. "We didn't prepare this, Sarah did." "Well I guess I did prepare a lot, but I was hungry. Jill and Janet did not eat anything for breakfast." Judy, looking sternly at them, said, "What?" "After last night, we weren't sure whether we should get up to do that, and we kept waiting for either of you to come back." "Well you can't skip meals, with your bodies changing over the next several weeks. They need all the nourishment they can get. Do you understand?" They both nodded yes, as they continued to inhale the food. Sarah asked, "How is Susan?" Alice looked up with a frown on her face and started to say something, but Judy interrupted and said, "Not well. She is running a very high fever and is apparently in a light coma. She also appears to be having dreams which are causing her to thrash about. We ended up taking her down to the dungeon, because that is the best place we have to restrain her and try to keep her cool." "God, you didn't leave her alone down there!" "No. Nancy, Bob and a couple of other people are down there." "What happened to the woman Alice caught whipping her?" "With a little persuasion, she provided us with some information about her mistress. We put her in a crate and shipped her to Frank this morning, for her safety. Frank called a short time ago, and said he knew who her mistress and master were. He sent us pictures of them, to see if you recognized them. We will show them to you later. Right now, he plans on inviting them to the island very soon. He thought it would be fun to see the look on their faces when they meet their former slave. This is all confounded by the fact that he has a business relationship with this man that has been slowly going sour. But for now, he suggests that we be alert, but doesn't think they will be back, as it appears they just wanted to punish Susan for failing. Besides, apparently, they were filming it as a snuff film." "A snuff film." "Yes, that is were the torture results in the person dying, usually very painfully. The films are quite rare, but some will pay a lot of money for them. Given the way they had bound Susan with the wire and the whipping, she would not have lasted much longer." Sarah shivered at the thought. "But why give her the shot?" "The shot they apparently gave her was a nervous system antagonist. It basically multiples the feeling of pain, without causing the nerve endings to go numb. In the worst case, it will drive someone crazy, or, as they were trying to do last night, it can get the victim agitated enough to make a interesting scene, while they tear themselves apart in the self-tightening bindings. It also makes the person resistant to passing out." As Judy was talking, Sarah's eyes filled with tears. She could see that Janet and Jill were nearly as distraught as she was. She started to ask another question, but her emotions kept her from talking. Finally, she settled down enough that she thought she could talk. "Will she live?" "We think so, if we can get her past this fever. However, if it goes on much longer, it will probably kill her." Sarah stood and started clearing off the table. Jill and Janet got up to help. Judy said, "Oh no you don't. Back to the sling, as soon as I check the two of you over. Come, lets go over to my office." Alice came over and gave Sarah a hand with the clean up. Just as she finished, Judy came back into the room. Alice and Sarah looked up. "How are they doing? I noticed their breasts, nipples, clits and cunts had changed a lot." "Yes. They appear to be doing fine. Their bodies are properly adjusting to the changes. The muscles in their backs and shoulders have started to swell. This indicates that they are growing to support the extra weight. Their hips have widened a bit, as well. Janet said Sarah touched their breasts this morning, and their nipples were instantly hard." She nodded in agreement. Alice looked at Judy and said, "I'm going to lay down and rest. I didn't get much sleep last night." Judy nodded, "I think I'll join you." Sarah shook her head no at their offer that she join them. "I think I will either read or watch TV. Since you told me I would be going home soon, I need to see what is happening elsewhere." Alice replied, "Yes, we had planned on talking about that this afternoon." With that, they drifted off to the bed. Several hours later, Sarah heard a phone. It startled her, as she hadn't seen one. It rang several times before she decided to go answer it. She thought that Alice and Judy must have been very tired to have slept through it. She found the phone in the drawer next to the bed, and was even more amazed they are still sleeping. "Hello, Alice's suite." "Is this Alice?" "No." "Is Alice there?" "Yes, but she is asleep." "This is Bob. We think Susan's fever has broken. Will you tell them when they wake up?" "Yes. Should I wake them now?" "No. Let them sleep a couple of more hours, as I think Nancy and I can hold out that long. Besides, we are having fun playing with some of the dungeon toys. If this is Sarah, Nancy and I would both love to have you down here, so we can have our way with you." Then he laughed. "That sounds like a nice invitation, but I'm not sure how to get down there." "Well, maybe next time. Send Alice or Judy down when they wake up, or in a couple of hours." About 4 PM, Sarah heard movement in the bedroom and went to look. Judy was just getting up, so she told her about the phone call. She went to her office, and was quickly back with a bag and wearing a white smock. Sarah grinned. "Whats so funny?" "Well, you're wearing just a smock, and carrying a doctors' bag. So the thought occurred to me; are you off to treat or fuck? Looks like your ready for both." Then both of them laughed. "Well, if must know smart-ass, the smock is useful for its pockets." She then headed for the door." "Can I come along?" "Yes, but we need to leave a note for Alice." Soon the two of them were on the way to the dungeon. Bob saw them. "Ah, sleeping beauty has arrived." "Fuck you." "I would, but we seem to keep having these emergencies to deal with. Nancy and I were both expecting to have a lot of time for you this weekend. Now we would like to have a lot of time for you and Sarah." Judy moved over to Susan and began to examine her. She was still suspended in the swing, but she was tightly held in place. There was a lot of ice and water on the floor around the swing. "We stopped bathing her in ice water when it looked like the fever broke. It dropped to around 102 quickly, and then slowly started coming down. Last time I looked it was about 100." "Let's pick her up out of the swing, so we can change the gauze pads." The four of them carefully picked her up out of the swing. "Let's lay her on the cart, on her back." It was very difficult to maneuver her onto the cart, since she was still unconscious. As she lay back on the cart, Sarah gasped at how torn up her body was. It looked like Judy had to almost stitch her breasts back together. "I didn't know you had to stitch up her lacerations." "Initially we didn't, but then her condition started to deteriorate. As the night went on, she got progressively worse, and she was loosing a lot of body fluids, so it was our only choice." "I'm surprised you could do so many in that amount of time." "Well I taught Alice and Nancy how to do it, as well. You know, on the job training with a live subject. Best way to learn." "Next time, I'll pass. Thanks," said Nancy. "It looks likes she is improving. The cuts have pretty well stopped weeping. Her temperature is nearly normal, as is her blood pressure. So let's get a new swing and cover it with several layers of sheets. Then we will put her back in the swing and take her upstairs." "Why don't we take her up on the cart, and then do that?" "Well, Bob that would work, but I don't want to take the risk of her falling off." The four of them soon had her back in a clean, dry, swing. Setting the swing on its dolly, they began to move it toward the elevator. Just then the door opened, and there was Alice. "Is everything okay?" "Yes, we were just moving her up to the clinic. Once we get her up there, we can put the monitors on her. That way, we won't need to stay at her side all the time." Bob said, "Oh good. Time for some rest, and maybe a late night get-together for us. I especially want to get to know Sarah. In fact, I want to know her very well." He reached over and cupped her breasts, softly caressing them. Alice said, "Whether you do are not is up to Sarah. It is totally her choice what she participates in, and no one will override her choice." Alice's eyes were sparking, and everybody had kind of stepped back from Sarah and her. "Wow... I don't think I have ever heard you speak that strongly!" "Oh Bob, I'm sorry if I offended you. I know you or Nancy wouldn't go against her wishes, but it has been a tough week, and I think I am a bit edgy." "No offense taken. And if the last couple of days were like the week, I'm surprised you didn't get edgy before now." In the clinic, Judy set up an IV for Susan and then attached the monitors. She gave each of them an alarm receiver, and told them what to do if they went off. "I'm hungry." Alice took Nancy's arm, saying, "Let's go fix dinner. I'm starved, as well. Sarah fixed a late breakfast for us, and that was too long ago." As they went over to the living quarters, Judy, Bob and Sarah stopped to see how Janet and Jill were doing. They were both asleep. So Judy gave them a quick check, and motioned them to go with her to the other room. They sat together on the couch and chatted for a while. Sarah and Judy were holding hands. "Sarah, you really seem attached to Judy," said Bob. She was a bit startled by his comment, but then realized that the two of them had been holding hands. "I guess I am. After the shock of waking up restrained in a treatment room here, and my subsequent experiences, Judy and Alice have been very good to me, in any number of ways. They have really helped me deal with the events I am caught up in. Although it didn't start that way, these last several weeks have been wonderful, except for the excitement." "This sounds like a really strange way to visit our group." "Well, I didn't really choose to visit, it was forced on me." Bob looked at Judy, and Judy nodded affirmatively. "Is this why Alice was so tense and edgy lately? And Judy, you seemed to be almost as cautious, but relaxed at the same time." Sarah glanced at Judy, looking for guidance as to what she could tell. Judy said, "Sarah's experiences here began, in fact, over two months ago." Sarah gasped at the comment. "Yes Sarah, you have been here over two months now." "Let me express this, without going into too many details, as I am not sure everyone involved would like to share the details at this point. Sarah was mistaken for another woman by one of our frequent guests. She wanted to force Sarah into admitting and reconciling an issue that happened a few years ago. Sarah was brought here for the express purpose of showing her what life was like as a dungeon maiden. The woman took that opportunity to make some physical changes to Sarah, without her permission. Sarah originally had E cup when she arrived, but as you can see, they are a bit larger now." Sarah stifled a laugh. "Sarah's breasts are around a J cup now. Her nipples were enlarged and sensitized. Her hormone balance was changed so she lactates a substantial amount, and we think the change is permanent. Both of her cunt lips were significantly enlarged, as was her clit. In fact, she will probably need special underwear to keep from being aroused from just walking around in clothes." While Judy said all of this, Bob's shocked expression just grew and grew. "Oh my, Sarah. I am so sorry you were forced into these changes, and even more sorry it happened here. You seem to have adjusted well, though. I sorry if you were offended when I propositioned you earlier." "Don't be. And thank you, I may just take you up on the proposition, especially if it includes Nancy." Sarah leaned over and gave him a warm kiss. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. The kiss was warm and friendly. She could tell, though, that there was passion waiting to explode, on both their parts. She sighed, as the two of them separated. "Wow", was all she could say. He pulled her down and nibbled on her ear and neck. Looking at Bob, Sarah began, "If I have adjusted well to my new body, it is due to Alice, Janet, Jill and Judy. I have never been around more loving and understanding individuals. There are times I am uncomfortable with my new appearance. I am concerned about what my friends will say when I go home. Since I just disappeared, so to speak, everyone I know will be quite shocked when I return with these." As she lifted her breasts, a little milk leaked out. "I'm worried that anyone I meet will never see my face. But, there is little I can do about it now." "I'm sure your true friends will be there for you. Have you figured out what you will tell them?" Bill's nibbling on her neck and ear had aroused her, causing her nipples to harden. "Possibly some vague story about getting sick and hospitalized. In the hospital, I had an exceptional reaction to a medicine, so now I have big tits that give milk. Speaking of milk, I'm full again." The milk was dripping out of her hard nipples onto Bill. "Judy, do you know where the breast pump is?" "It is in the office. But, why don't I drain them." Bob chimed in, "I'll help", and moved toward your breast with an open mouth. "Judy, I thought you wanted the milk for Susan?" "Oh, you're right. Bob, you can start, while I get the pump." Before she could finish her sentence, Sarah felt Bob's mouth suck on her nipple. She reached up and pulled his head tighter to herself. It felt so good. Just then, Alice and Nancy walked in. "So what do we have here, an early dinner?" "No. Judy went to get the breast pump so I could let my milk down for Susan." "So what's he doing?" "Sampling, I guess, until Judy gets back." "Yea right, sampling," they said as they laughed. Nancy said, "Well, if he can do one, I'll do the other until Judy returns, and I hope she takes a long time." Nancy then caught her other wet nipple in her mouth. As they sucked on her breasts, Sarah stroked the backs of each of their heads. She could feel her cunt moisten, and smelled the sweetness of her arousal. Judy returned with the pump and exclaimed, "What's this?" "Oh, Nancy decided to help Bob sample until you returned." "Well I'm here, so move back you two, we need to save some for Susan." As they rose up, Nancy noticed how wet Sarah was. "My, but you're aroused. Do you always get that way when you let your milk down?" "Yes. It is incredibly arousing when someone suckles at my breasts. Especially the group I have around me here." Sarah assisted as Judy attached the breast pump to her nipples. She started the pump, and soon milk was following into the receiver. Bob reached over to her leg. "Can I?" She nodded and he began to caress her inner leg. His hand lightly caressed her leg and edged ever closer to her cunt. As soon as he touched her cunt lip, she shivered in a small orgasm. "More?" "Oh yes, please." Sarah felt another hand on her other leg. Looking down, she saw Nancy caressing her leg. Bob bent down and began to lick Sarah's inner thigh. She pulled her legs up and wide apart. This caused her cunt to gape open, and she could feel her juices flow out. Bob and Nancy bumped heads, trying to place their mouths on Sarah's cunt to catch the juice. Bob arrived there first. As his mouth clamped over her cunt and began to suck out the juice, she felt another orgasm. Nancy told Bob to share or he would be sorry. Bob continued to suck and stroke Sarah's cunt with his tongue. Every stroke along her pussy with his tongue seemed to cause another orgasm and a tightening of her cunt muscles. Each shudder of an orgasm seemed to cause her milk to flow faster. Soon, she was in continuous orgasm, and gasping for breath. She felt Judy removing the breast pump cups. Just as she did, Bob slid his mouth up over Sarah's clit and fluttered it with his tongue. Her cunt muscles went into continuous spasms, and waves of warm sensual feelings flowed through her body. She was breathing so rapidly that she had to gasp for breath. Everything went black. She opened her eyes. Nancy was wiping her face with a damp cloth. "Did I pass out?" "Yes. If big breasts and lactating make orgasms like that, I need big breasts." "That is a part of it. But when my breasts, clit and cunt were enlarged, their sensitivity was also increased. Right, Judy?" Judy, seeing the opportunity, said, "Nancy, if you would really like a larger chest, cunt lips and clit we can fix you up today. I'll go get my stuff right now." She winked at Sarah. "No, wait a minute." "Nancy, it only takes a manner of weeks and you will just like me, or, you could go for a more pronounced look, I'm sure Judy can remake you like Jill and Janet. They have nipples much larger than mine, and they will likely yield more milk." Nancy had this awestruck look on her face. "But, I was just complimenting Sarah." With that everybody bust out laughing, except for Nancy, who slowly joined in. Soon, they had all quieted down. Alice said, "Supper is ready, or it was when we came out here. Let's go see if it is still fit to eat." Judy and Nancy helped Sarah to her feet. She was a bit wobbly, but walked with them to the dining room. Sitting at the table, Bob said, "You know Nancy, the look on your face was priceless when Judy was so anxious to help you enlarge your chest." "You'd like that too, wouldn't you." "I wouldn't hold it against you. But I like you just the way you are. It is, after all, what you want. Knowing you, I think you would like them for a while, but then not be so sure." "I think Bob is right, Nancy," said Judy. "I saw an opportunity to tease you and couldn't let it get away. However, if you are serious about making the change, I will be happy to discuss it with you, and help you make the change." Dinner was soon over, and things were cleaned up and put away. Sarah saw Alice and Judy in a quiet conversation during a lull in the general conversation. The five of them sat and chatted for a while longer. Alice looked at her watch. "My, it is getting quite late. Nancy, would you and Bob like to stay here with us this evening?" Nancy and Bob nodded in agreement. Nancy asked, "Is there enough room?" Alice said, "Well, I have a King size bed and the three of us always have plenty of room. So I don't think it will be a problem, unless you don't want to cuddle." "You know better than that." "Does that mean I get to cuddle between Nancy and Bob?" Sarah shivered with delight, and everyone laughed. Alice looked at Judy and said, "Look at the thanks we get for all the help we gave her." "Oh Alice, I didn't mean that I'm..." Sarah could see a grin spreading across her face. "Of course, I know you didn't mean that. Come on, let's go", she offered, as she pulled Sarah and Nancy up. Glancing over, she could see Bob and Judy in a tight embrace, dueling with their tongue's. "Come on you two, or I will cuddle to Sarah's other side." They all settled into bed. Everyone was so tired that once comfortable positions were found, they all began to drift off to sleep. Before she drifted off, Sarah realized that she couldn't remember when she had felt so comfortable. She realized that even though she hadn't known them very long, she loved Bob and Nancy. Not nearly as much as Alice and Judy, but her relationship with them and Jill and Janet was much closer. Sarah awakened to something warm rubbing her crotch. Opening her eyes she saw Nancy's head between her legs, caressing her cunt with her mouth and fingers. She reached down and lightly rubbed her head. She looked up. "You like." "Oh yes. It feels very good." "Well, Bob and I have a treat for you this morning, so just hang on." Nancy returned to caressing Sarah's cunt. She would lick up one lip and down the other, being very careful not to touch Sarah's clit. Then she would insert her tongue deeply into her cunt, in a fucking motion. It was so exciting Sarah was tingling all over. Every time she made the circuit around her cunt lips and into her cunt, Sarah's arousal rose higher. She felt some motion next to her. Looking over, she saw Judy kneeling on the bed, and Bob fucking her from the rear. Sarah reached over to her breast, taking the nipple between her own fingers. She stroked and stretched her nipple, making it grow hard in her hand. Nancy grasped Sarah's clit between her lips, triggering a strong orgasm. Her body went rigid for a moment, as her hand squeezed Judy's nipple very hard. This caused Judy to scream. At first, Sarah thought that she had hurt her, but she noticed that it had the opposite effect, as Judy's face and chest were flushed from arousal. Bob's pace behind her had gotten quicker. Suddenly, he drove hard against Judy's butt and shivered. Sarah could tell by their reactions that he was filling her with his cum. He lay down across her back, caressing her with his hands. Soon, he eased up and pulled back. He was still hard. Judy looked amazed. "You're still hard." "Nancy told me I had to fuck Sarah, or I couldn't fuck her for a month." "Yea, right." Nancy stopped teasing Sarah's cunt for a moment. "That's not quite what I said, but close enough. And if your ready, I know Sarah is ready." Nancy moved up out of the way. Bob eased between Sarah's legs. As he bent down to kiss her, she felt a hand positioning his cock at the mouth of her cunt. As soon as she felt the cock-head at the entrance, she wrapped her long legs around him and pulled him into her cunt. Her quick reaction trapped a hand between her and Bob. His cock felt so good. As she opened her mouth to say something, he covered it with his. Sarah heard Nancy mumbling about letting her go. Easing apart a bit, she slid her hand out. She told Judy to put her cunt over her mouth, as she wanted what she had inside. Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah could see Judy holding her cunt closed, as she lowered it over Nancy's mouth. Once Nancy had Judy's cunt covered, Judy lay down on Nancy, so that she could lick her cunt, as well. Sarah wondered where Alice was. Bob was kissing Sarah's face and then her neck. He licked along the side of her neck up to her ear, causing her to shiver and her cunt to spasm. He had been slowly moving his cock around in her cunt. It felt so good. Sarah shivered through another orgasm. He started to pull out, and she clamped her ankles around him. He slid back and licked her chest and moved down to Sarah's nipples, teasing each in turn. All the time, he was slowly moving his cock around in her cunt. He pulled back. "Please don't stop yet." "I'm not, but I want you to kneel." Sarah released her ankles, and he pulled out. Sarah quickly rolled over on to her knees. He quickly slid back into her cunt, only now he was deeper. He pulled her up onto her hands. She was distracted, as she felt something pulled against her breasts, encasing her nipples. "What?" Alice said, "Its okay, you will like this." Sarah soon felt something tighten against her back, trapping her breasts and nipples. Looking down, she saw her breasts funneled a bit and her nipples pressed deeply into a cup. She heard a click and a hum. She could see her nipples pulled further into the cup. The pressure started to pulsate, causing her milk to let down. She could feel the machine sucking at her nipples, just like a mouth. At the same time, Bob pushed his cock deep inside her, causing another orgasm. Then Alice told Sarah to back up, so that she could stand at the edge of the bed. Bob and Sarah backed up as requested. Once they were in position, Alice crawled under Sarah, so that her mouth was under her cunt. With every stroke Bob took, Alice licked Sarah's cunt and his cock. Sarah saw her glistening cunt. Leaning down, Sarah could lick Alice as well, but she found it hard to concentrate, with her breasts being sucked, her cunt licked and being fucked at the same time. Everything added to her arousal. Every touch, every stroke, every lick increased her arousal. Her cunt started contracting so fast it was almost fluttering. She felt very hot. She was breathing so rapidly that she was beginning to hyperventilate. Her orgasms were so frequent that she couldn't tell one from another. Then Bob slammed hard against her butt. Sarah could feel his cum spurt against her cervix. Her orgasms exploded, as Alice fluttered her tongue across Sarah's enlarged clit. Everything turned gray, then black. ------- Chapter 11 Sometime later Sarah opened her eyes. She was still kneeling on the bed. The cups were still sucking on her nipples. She felt exhausted, like she had run a 26 mile marathon in 5 minutes. Nancy asked, "Are you with us yet?" "Almost." "Well, were glad you came back to the living. Can you raise up on your hands?" Sarah replied, "I think so." As she pushed herself up. "Now, we can remove the nipple cups. How did you like them?" "They were almost like someone sucking on my nipples. I don't think I have ever cum like that. How long was I out?" "About 30 minutes. We were thinking about going and eating, but decided we should really make sure you were okay first. Do you realize you let down a quart and a half of milk?" "Wow, I didn't think a human could do that much at one time." "Not usually," said Judy. "The quantity is probably due to not expressing all night and your extreme arousal this morning." "Boy, extreme is right. Nancy was right when she said she had a treat in store for me. Wow." Sarah pulled Nancy and Bob close to her, hugging them tightly. She gave each an adoring kiss in thank you for the loving. "We are going to go take a shower. Do you want to come with us, or just rest?" "Well if I can stand up, I could certainly use a shower." Nancy and Bob left right after the showers. They needed to get ready to go home, and before they could do that their suite needed some attention. Judy left to check on Susan, while Sarah and Alice went to fix breakfast. Judy returned just as they were setting breakfast on the table. "How is Susan?" "She is doing much better now, but it looks like we will need to keep her in the sling for quite a while. The cuts that we stitched up seem to open up whenever she rises out of the sling. I think that is due to the changes taking place in her body. Only time will tell if we are right, but if the cuts keep opening up she will end up with a lot of scar tissue." "I hope it doesn't effect her looks, since she was a very pretty woman before the whipping." "Yes she was, and if we can keep the scars to a minimum she will be again. Although with the changes to her body, she will most definitely look different." "Sarah, after breakfast Judy, you and I need to talk about your returning home." Sarah detected a new tone in her voice and asked, "Is there a problem?" "Not really, but let's eat first." Breakfast was rather quiet, with each of them distracted by their own thoughts. Soon, breakfast was done and the kitchen cleaned up. Alice then said, "Since Susan is in the clinic, let's go to my private office," and she led Sarah and Judy to her private office. She closed the door and motioned to them to take a chair at the table. "Sarah, Judy tells me she thinks you are ready to go home, and although we commented on it several times, do you know how long you have been here?" "From what you have said, I would guess about two months, based on what was said yesterday." "Well, actually it has been closer to three months." Sarah gasped in surprise. As she realized the length of time, her mind started racing through all the things that needed to be done at home. She became more and more alarmed, as she realized the implications of being gone that long with neither notice nor arrangements. Judy said, "Relax, at least until Alice can finish what she has started to say." "When we realized you would be here for sometime, I asked Cynthia to check on your house. I think I mentioned it to you close to when you first moved upstairs with us. Cynthia is the owner of the real estate holding company that operates the office where you worked. She has checked on your house several times. We arranged for her to have a duplicate key for your house, so that she could go in and check things out. She knew I was concerned for you, so she went ahead and opened the bills that had accumulated while you were gone. After consulting with me, she placed your pay in a special account, and used it to pay all of your outstanding bills. When you get home, you can continue to use the account or transfer it to your normal checking account, so you won't need to worry about bill collectors hounding you when you get home. She had her maid service go over and clean your house a couple of days ago, when I told her you would be home soon. My apologies for prying into your personal things, but due to the circumstances Judy and I thought it was the best way to help. All of us are truly sorry for the circumstances under which we met. All of us care a great deal about you, and will do what ever we can to preserve our friendship." After listening to Alice's comments, Sarah relaxed somewhat. Alice looked questioningly at her. "Thank you. You seem to have anticipated my concerns. I guess some would get excited because of what you did without asking, but I am very grateful for your foresight. Before I was brought here, I was a bit uncomfortable living alone after I threw Joe out. He made some threats about getting even with me for throwing him out. Now looking back I should have filed a police report, when he made the threats. They weren't real clear but his anger was very evident. However, considering he was hanging out with a she-male, I now don't feel the threats were empty." Alice looked at Judy, and she nodded. "We would be more than happy to let Janet and Jill stay with you if you like, except with their bodies still working through the changes, it probably wouldn't be a good idea for a while. Nancy actually doesn't live very far from you. Would you like me to ask if she could assist you? She may know someone you might want to share your house with." "Well, if she knows someone like you two or herself, I think I would like that very much. Jill, Janet, Judy or you will always be welcome in my home for as long as you wish to stay." Sarah took each of their hands in hers and held them tightly. "It won't be as fancy as here, but the atmosphere will be as warm." "Initially, we thought of returning you home as quietly as you were spirited away. Since then a lot of things have changed, so we will arrange a limousine to take you home this afternoon. The trip will take about 4 hours, so it will be nearly dusk when you get home. Cynthia would like you to call her this evening when you arrive home. She has several items to discuss with you, and she said to tell you not to worry about your job. They have one for you, but you will be working from a new office." Sarah's anxiety lifted regarding her future as she heard Alice's comments. "Frank sent me some photographs for you to look through." Alice laid the pictures down. Sarah gasped, then began to cry and shake. Alice and Judy held her tightly while she cried. They looked at one another with concern, as they did not expect this reaction to the photos. Soon, Sarah quieted down. Judy gently asked Sarah if she would care to tell them about the photos that scared her. The photos were of two couples and 4 teenagers. Sarah responded, "Well, this is the person I knew as Joe, my former boyfriend, that was before he had tits. The girl with him appears to be the she-male that was with him when Liz forced me to perform in a club's sex show." The picture showed Joe nude, being led by a leash held by a girl. She was dressed in a long, flowing gown. He was nude, with his arms bound behind his back. He now had at least D-size tits. These were bound in a leather strap bra, forcing them to jut out from his chest. A weight hung from each nipple ring. The nipple rings were chained together. Another chain hung from it which was attached to the head of his cock with another ring. Sarah stared at the picture a long time, then finally said, "I'm glad I threw him out. I wonder if they keep him like that all the time." Sarah shook her head. "The other couple I only know slightly. They were friends of Joe's. He introduced me, because the man, John, I think, was looking for an office building to buy as an investment. The woman is Samantha, she seemed nice enough, but both of them always made me uncomfortable. The teenagers were supposed to be their daughters, but that didn't seem to fit the way they acted." "Why did you show me these photos?" "Frank has invested in a business that John operates. Joe's companion is named Jane, and is a good friend of Samantha. Frank doesn't think John knows how good of a friend, though. Liz has implicated Jane and Joe in assisting in your abduction." Sarah gasped. "The bastard. I should have cut his balls off when I had the chance." Alice said, "Look closely, as I think someone else has. Anyway, we need to have a conference call with Frank." Sarah frowned. "Don't worry." Alice called Frank and put him on the speaker phone. Alice began, "Frank, Sarah and Judy are here with me. I have shown the photos to Sarah, and she identified all of them. She has also met all of them at one time or another. Sarah, would you tell Frank what you just told Judy and me?" Sarah repeated the information she had given earlier. The phone was quiet for a long time after she stopped speaking. "Are you still there, Frank," asked Alice. "Yes. I am thinking and trying to fit all of the pieces together. But first, Sarah, let me say that I sorry you were caught up in this. Alice and Judy have conveyed to me what a wonderful person you are. I know you blame me for your predicament, but I am beginning to believe we both have been used, by the couple known to us as John and Samantha." "Alice, were you still planning on sending Sarah home today?" "Yes." "Well, based on what you have just told me, I think it would be wise for her to stay with you for at least another two weeks, maybe more." Sarah gasped as Alice asked, "Why? "First. is this a secure line?" "No." "Then I will call you back on phone I gave you." The phone went dead. Shortly, another phone rang, and Alice picked up the line. She answered, "Hi Frank," and put the phone on speaker. Frank said, "Okay, now take the bug detector and scan your office. Yes, I know you did it before, but do it now, because the bugs will be active. Sometimes they don't show up unless they are active." "Sarah, are you still there?" "Yes." "Let's chat a bit, while Alice and Judy finish their task. Are you planning on going back into real estate once we get this sorted?" "Yes, but..." "Well?" "I am concerned about how people will perceive my appearance. My breasts are unusually large, in fact, nearly a J cup now, with very large nipples, which will make it difficult to dress for office work. On top of that, Liz enlarged my clit, so I am not sure how or what kind of clothes I can wear successfully. Real estate is the only thing I have any experience with, besides dancing, and I really don't want to go back into dancing." "Okay Frank, we finished the sweep and it comes up clean." "Let me share my assessment of our situation with you. I think Sarah will be in grave danger if she returns home now. Both John and Samantha are coming here the end of the week, and bringing their teenagers with them. Samantha has asked to bring a couple with them as their guests. As you might guess, the guests are Jane and Joe. John and I have a business meeting, as some things are not going as well as he had indicated they would. In fact he has never lived up to his assurances. So, based on the apparent facts and my perceptions, I think it would be wise for Sarah to stay with you until they arrive here. Okay?" Sarah frowned but nodded agreement. Alice replied, "Okay we will do that. Can you keep us apprised?" "Yes. But first, I will be sending a friend to review your security. He should be there tomorrow, early. He will know what needs to be done." "How will I know him?" "Oh, you already do, you just didn't know he does this as well. He will also have something special for you and Judy from me." "Okay. Bye." All signed off together. Alice turned to Sarah and smiled. "This is great. We get a bit more time with you." She reached over and pulled Sarah into her arms. She whispered into her ear, "I can tell you more when the security sweep is done here, and once that is done, we will most likely talk to Frank again, but don't acknowledge what I told you. Okay?" Sarah responded by giving her a long intense kiss. "I sure wanted to go home, but I am really happy to stay another week or two with you all. Too bad Bob and Nancy had to leave." "I'll bet you were only interested in Bob's cock," said Judy, laughing. "Yes it is nice, but I like both of them." "We do too." Sarah responded, "I noticed," then laughed. ------- Alice woke Sarah and Judy up early. "We need to straighten up a bit, and today we need to wear at least a robe or sweat clothes." "I don't have anything that will fit." "Let's shower, and then we will look in our closet for something that will fit you." Sarah and Judy headed for the shower, as Alice went to the kitchen. Just as she was finishing breakfast, a chime sounded. Alice said, "Will you two clean up while I go see who the visitors are?" Soon Sarah heard Alice returning with several people. She gasped in surprise, for it was Bob, Stan, Nancy and Julia. Both Bob and Stan were carrying toolboxes. While Sarah was greeting Nancy, she saw Bob and Stan take something out of a toolbox and carry it around the room. Julia saw her watching, and distracted her by asking how the last couple of days had been. "Well let's see, scary, warm, loving, scary, caring, depressing, fearful and let's see what other emotions there are." Julia, looked at Sarah strangely. She just smiled. " It's a long story. Let's have a cup of coffee and chat. There are some parts I don't know that I can share." Judy, hearing her, told Sarah, "You can share anything with these two you want to. They are the best of the best." Bob then told all of you that the room was clean, but not to go into the other rooms for a while to talk. Judy, Nancy, Julia and Sarah sat down at the table, after getting coffee. Looking at Julia, Sarah asked, "How much do you know about why I'm here? I know Nancy has some idea but not many details." Julia said, "I only know that both Alice and Judy think a lot of you." Then, looking at Nancy, "And I think Nancy feels the same way, although I don't think she has known you but a short time." Sarah responded, "Let me give you some background before I begin the story. I work in real estate. The area I work in is about 4 hours from here, so I'm told, because I don't know quite where I am." Nancy and Julia looked questioningly at Sarah. "That is because I was kidnapped and brought here." "But, that's against the rules." "Yes, that is my understanding. But let me tell you how it happened, we don't yet know why." Sarah began, and, but for short interruptions, told them how she came to be at the club. Telling the story was therapeutic for Sarah, as it provided some relief from the tension. The expressions on Nancy and Julia's faces ran the gambit from anger, to concern, to outrage. When Sarah finished, the two moved next to her and took her in their arms. Laying their heads on her shoulders, they hugged her tightly. Julia raised her head. Looking at Sarah, said, "We are not like the people who did that to you. We are upset that they trampled on our hospitality to injure you and Susan." With that, Julia started to cry. Sarah pulled Julia to her until, her tears stopped. "Julia, I wish none of this had happened to me. However, I feel I have benefited, by gaining several very wonderful lovers and friends. Best of all they are all in this club." With that, she wrapped her arms around Julia, and gave her a very passionate kiss. After some time, they broke apart. Julia said, "Wow." Nancy asked, "Where's mine?" Taking Sarah in her arms, to embrace in an equally passionate kiss. Squeezing Sarah tightly during the kiss caused the front of Sarah's sweatshirt to become wet with milk, wetting Nancy's dress. Feeling the wetness, they drew back. Nancy looked down and then at Julia. "Okay, why leak on me and not her?" "You squeeze tighter. I think we need to get the breast pump started." Nancy said, "I'll go get it." Julia helped Sarah pull off her sweatshirt. Sarah's breasts were very full and swollen. Julia asked, "Wow. Do they always get this swollen?" "Well, not until recently." Nancy returned with the pump and Julia helped Sarah put it on. Once Nancy started the pump, Sarah sighed with relief, but was soon squirming with arousal. Julia asked, "What's wrong?" "Letting my milk down makes me horny. In fact, after the kisses with you two and letting my milk down, I'm surprised my cunt isn't dripping on the floor. I can feel that my sweatpants are wet from all of the cunt juice." "I didn't know letting your milk down would cause that much arousal." "Well, from what Judy has told me, Liz and the other woman when they treated me to enlarge my breasts, nipples and cunt, and also increased their sensitivity. So I now get aroused very easily, and stay that way for a long time. There are some parts I really like, but at other times it can be a nuisance. I just hope I can control both the lactating and arousal, so I can go back to work. Can you imagine showing a house to a customer smelling like a bitch in heat, and the juice running down your leg? Or even in a small office trying to sign a contract, as your milk wets the front of your clothes and your cunt adds perfume to the air?" Julia and Nancy just shook their heads in sympathy. Alice had returned near the end of Sarah's outburst. "Sarah, I think you'll find that once you are back in your normal surroundings and involved in your normal activities the speed of your arousal will diminish somewhat. Here all of our tasks are much less important, so we are quick to notice our own feelings, and our feelings for one another." "I sure hope you are correct, Alice. Your reasoning makes sense, so I guess I'll have to see how it goes. At least I won't be working with the leech that managed the real estate office." "Sarah, you don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but where are you from?" "Oh, that's okay, I have no problem with all of you knowing more about me, as I would like to know more about you all. Somehow I feel we are more than just casual acquaintances, after these last several months. My house is up near the river and close to Ferry Rock. The real estate office I worked in was in the Crossroads Shopping Mall, about 80 miles north of there. A nice area, at least I think so. I think I still have a job, but I haven't met my boss yet, so..." "Don't worry Sarah, I'm sure you will get along fine with Cynthia." Alice told Nancy and Julia that she had asked Cynthia to look after Sarah's house, once she realized how long she would be here. "Cynthia, it turns out, is the principal partner in the group of real estate offices where Sarah worked, or should I say, works." "Well," said Julia, "since I was nosy about you, Sarah, and possibly a bit out of line, considering the club rules... Stan and I have our own business. We specialize in security systems, such as surveillance and alarms. We also have a small side-line making bondage equipment, such as halters, shackles, crosses, stocks and etc. We try to avoid implements where someone could easily be injured. They are all custom made, of wood and leather. In fact, we hold shows by invitation only, from time to time. At the shows, we usually have several models available, to demonstrate the equipment." Sarah was a bit shocked at Julia and Stan's business. She now understood why they had come quickly to assist with Alice's security problem. Julia, seeing Sarah's expression, understood her feelings. "Sarah, you should understand that bondage is not necessarily about inflicting pain, although some use that path. It is a way of giving up control, if you are the one bound, or taking control, if you are the one doing the binding. It is something that should be done carefully, between people who completely trust one another and the surroundings. Our club tries to provide those surroundings. This way, casual acquaintances can indulge in their fantasies and know that they will not be injured." Sarah nodded her understanding. "After my experiences here lately, I don't believe there is anyone outside this room I would be comfortable with doing something like that. And, I hope no offense is taken, but I'm not sure I could do it with anyone here. It should be clear to everyone by now that I enjoy the group sex, although to me it seems to work best with only three at a time." Judy and Alice laughed. "And I'm not really picky about whether it's with male or female partners. All I really want is someone to help me feel as good as I'm trying to help them feel. To me, there is also a difference between casual sex and loving sex." Nancy said, "I agree with your last comment, and I must say that is the way Bob and I felt yesterday with you. And a the nice thing about this club, is that you don't do anything you don't want to. The majority of us, myself included, just enjoy both kinds of sex, and it's even better with close friends like I have here, with whom I share my love. I consider you a part of that group, as well. Too many people don't realize the wonderful euphoria you feel when love and good sex are combined." "Sarah," said Alice, "there is also another group of people who use the facilities of the dungeon. It is this group that focuses on dominance and submission. In this circle, pain is a critical part of the program. For some, being either dominant or submissive is something to do occasionally, for others it is a way of life. Frank's island is a place where a dominant can go and exert their dominance, as long as they can pay the bills. There a submissive can also revel in being submissive to whomever is holding their leash." Judy added, "Boy, have we gotten philosophical this afternoon. Sarah, my assessment of you is that your neither dominant or submissive. You are like the rest of us in this room, including the guys. You just want to love and be loved with gentle kindness and consideration. Although you may not have experienced it yet. We don't always do group sex." Just then, Bob and Stan returned. Alice said, "What did you find?" "All we found were several of bugs in the general area where we have our gatherings. There were also some wireless remote-control cameras. Rather than take them out, we fixed them so that they would appear to be working, but give erroneous information. The living quarters were clean, as was the office. However, there is a tap on the phone line and it originates outside the estate, so I would only use the phone for typical household stuff, and not business or important personal conversations." "So, Frank was right to be concerned." "Yes, Sarah. He was right, but it wasn't as critical as he anticipated. He has a pretty good intuition. Alice, Stan and I want to change the layout of the security sensors and their controls." "Why?" "Well, we think it is a safe approach. Especially if we consider that whomever put in the bugs and cameras may have gotten a look at the security system. The one you have is several years old. With the new items that have come out, we can add some sophistication to it without much trouble. It will make it very difficult for anyone to approach undetected." "Okay, do what needs to be done. How long will it take?" "Oh, we should be able to get most of it completed before dark. We'll do the outer perimeters first, and then move in toward the buildings. The buildings are currently pretty well covered, so we will add some new senors and realign the zones." "Great. Will all of you be staying this evening?" Bob looked at Nancy, and she nodded yes. Stan and Julia exchanged affirmative glances, as well. "So let's plan on staying up here in my suite. There should be enough room for everyone. I'll plan on fixing a big dinner for us." Sarah told Alice that she would help. Julia and Nancy chimed in, offering their assistance, as well. "Okay, but we have some time before we need to get started with dinner." With that, the guys left to get started on refurbishing the security system. "Since we are in sharing mode, Bob and I have two businesses we operate from an estate similar to this one, located about 3 hours from here up in the mountains. One is an electronics data security consulting, and we also have a personal security service. The data security business stores confidential data in secure locations, as defined by a contract. In the personal security business, we supply protective service to an individual or group as needed. This can run from surveillance, to escorts, body guards, and even secret accommodations. We sometimes use our estate as a safe house. All of our staff is trained in marshal arts and other techniques to protect the clients. I could say more, but I think you get the idea. We work with Julia and Stan from time to time, and we quite often give referrals to each other." "When I go home, could I get your firms to check out my house, that is if I can afford it. From my impression of both of you, my guess is that your firms are well known in those circles where they need to be known." Nancy glanced at Alice and saw her nod. Looking at Sarah, she responded, "I believe that has already been arranged. It will most likely take place once you arrive home, because you will have to decide what actions to take in resolving whatever we find." Looking back at Alice, she said, "Make sure you let us both know when she leaves." "But I'm not sure I can afford it." Alice responded first, telling Sarah not to worry about it. "First, Julia and Nancy's firms are quite reasonably priced, and I feel an obligation to help you get back on your feet. Then, teasingly, even if you can't easily see them." Sarah blushed, but joined in the laughter. Bob and Stan came back once it was getting dark outside, looking very tired. "Is everything taken care of on the perimeter?" "Well nearly, Alice. We found one item that was quite interesting when were resetting the sensors and testing them. The one covering the old logging road appeared to work and tested okay, however, when we inspected it, we found it had been altered. Did you ever turn it off for any reason?" "Oh my. About six months ago, we had to haul brush off to the woods. Every time the landscaper would pass over it, the alarm would trip. The only way I could stop it was to disable it while they were working. Once the brush was moved and they left, I enabled it again and it tested fine." "Who was the landscaper? The one you normally use?" "No, it was one I don't use very often, since my normal person couldn't handle the work." "Can you give me their name? I want to check them out. The changes made were pretty sophisticated, and I wouldn't expect a landscaper to have that knowledge. But, knowing that sensor wasn't working explains how your visitors may have come and gone without being detected." "Well, that road peters down to a very narrow foot path along the top of a bluff, with a nearly 200 foot drop to the creek. The last time I went down there, part of the foot path had given way and fallen into the creek, leaving a very narrow path." "It was to dark by the time we got the perimeter sensors in place, so Stan and I will take a walk in the morning. After supper, we will test the sensors and set them into zones for you, as we were able to get all of them connected and placed." "Why does there seem to be more to this meets the eye?" "I don't know, Bob. This club has functioned here for nearly fifteen years now, and there were never any problems like this. In the last three months, we've had the incident caused by Liz with Sarah, then Susan attacks Sarah with plans for me, and then someone tries to kill her. Frank thinks he has some of the pieces to the puzzle, and some ideas as to what is behind this. I will be glad when this is sorted out." "Guys, why don't you go get cleaned up, while we finish dinner preparations." The guys left and, except for Judy, everyone went to help Alice with dinner. Judy left to check on her patients. At dinner, Judy indicated that Susan had improved, and she thought Susan would recover physically, although she might need some further treatment for some of the scars. She complimented Alice and Nancy on their wound-stitching technique. She said there were plastic surgeons that didn't do as well. Alice and Nancy promptly responded that they had no desire to ever do it again. Judy said she was concerned, though, about Susan's mental wounds. Everyone was pleased that Susan had stabilized. At dinner, Alice reviewed sleeping arrangements. She offered everyone an opportunity to share her king size bed with Judy and herself, but thought, considering how tired everyone appeared, that they might want to split up into two or three groups. Judy indicated that her queen sized bed was available, and she thought Jill and Janet wouldn't mind if someone slept in their bed for the night. They will be in the slings for about another week. Nancy indicated that she and Bob could use Judy's bed, and that Julia and Stan could join them. Julia said, "I think Alice has a point about being tired. I think Stan and I will use the girls' room, that way we can all get a good night's sleep and finish up early in the morning. We have some business take care of tomorrow, so we have to get home." Nancy and Alice looked at one another and nodded. While dinner was being cleaned up, Bob and Stan went off to finish as much as they could on the security system. When they finished we went into the recreation room to talk and sip coffee. Julia and Nancy helped Sarah put the breast pumps on and start the milk flow. They continued to sit next to Sarah, occasionally caressing her as they chatted. The caressing, along with expressing her milk, caused Sarah to become quite aroused. Her eyes soon glazed over as her breath became more ragged. Suddenly she shuddered, flooding the couch with her juices. Nancy and Julia jumped at Sarah's sudden shudder. Leaning back, they could see Sarah's flushed state, and realized she had just had a light cum. Looking at one another then to Judy, they asked, "Did we do that?" "I don't know who else did," responded Judy, as she snickered. "Sarah is very sensitive and very responsive to caresses, especially when she is expressing her milk. Now I think you can kind of understand her concern about going back to work with the public. We think a part of this super sensitivity is due to the lack of distractions, but Alice and I have been talking about having someone stay with Sarah for a while after she leaves. We thought about Janet and Jill, but they won't be in a position to help Sarah for several months." "What's this," asked Sarah, once again being aware of the conversation. Judy repeated her concerns, as well as relating her discussion with Alice. "Oh, I remember us talking about that earlier. I do think my sensitivity is increasing, since all Nancy and Julia were doing was caressing my arms and legs. I'm certainly glad we put heavy towels on the furniture, or I would sitting in a puddle now." Everyone just laughed. Sarah reached over and turned off the breast pump, then removed the cups. "Here, let me take those." Nancy picked up the cups and milk container to take them to the kitchen. When Nancy returned, she told the group that she might have a possible solution for Sarah. "Bob and I could have Sally stay at her house for a while, along with our daughter. We don't have anything coming up that we couldn't accomplish without Sally. We need to check school arrangements for my daughter, before that part is possible." Sarah had a questioning look on her face. "Sally was the sub that was with us the night we met you. My daughter you haven't met yet. She is a high school senior and an honor student." "And she is her mother's twin in looks and personality," chimed in Julia. Nancy blushed. "Well, it's true," continued Julia. "And I think you would be very comfortable with both of them." "Stan and I were talking a bit earlier about what would happen when you go home. We think it would be wise if we came by and did a security check on your house. Bob overheard us talking and agreed it was a good idea. He said he would assist Stan. I know this is somewhat of a repeat from earlier, but this way the guys will do the work while we talk." "Sure, but you don't have to do that. Besides, as I said earlier, I'm not sure I have enough money to pay for the services." "Don't worry about the cost, now let's just see if there are any problems at your home." "Okay, as long as we discuss any changes before they are done." "Speaking of working, and the concern you expressed about returning to real estate sales, would you be interested in helping us when we host guests," asked Nancy. "What do you mean by host guests?" "It would be similar to the work you did several weekends ago, here. The format is basically a social gathering in the evenings, with recreational activities during the day. Some evenings, we have erotic shows done by the guests. Overall it is similar to a resort. The position is kind of like a hostesses or companion to a small group. Any intimacies are left up to the individuals involved, nothing is required." "Sounds interesting. Let me think about it." "How about you coming to stay with us one weekend, after you get home? That way, you can see what's its like without making a commitment." "Okay." Stan said, "We will need to check a couple of the security sensors in the morning and then we will be done. Julia and I have several things that need to be done tomorrow afternoon. So, if we start early, we should be home before noon which will give us sufficient time to take care of our commitments." Bob said, "That will work for us, as well. Looking at Nancy, he said let's find one of these beds Alice was promoting as I am tired." Stan and Julia left for bed too. "I need to take a look at Susan, Jill and Janet, then I will meet you two in bed." Sarah and Alice were snuggled in bed when Judy joined them. Sarah turned and asked how they were doing. "Just fine". Judy dropped her clothes and slid into bed on the other side of Sarah. Judy lightly caressed Sarah, causing her to shiver. She whispered in Sarah's ear, "I'm going to miss you when you leave." Sarah turned, and pulled Judy tightly to her. "Oh I know, I will greatly miss both of you. I love you." As she said that, she felt the warmth of affection flow through her. Sarah woke and noticed the bed was empty. She heard voices coming from the kitchen. Slipping out of bed, she went to the kitchen after freshening up. Upon arriving, she found Bob, Nancy, Stan and Julia dressed and eating breakfast. "I must have slept late." "No, we had a call and must leave earlier than expected." "I'm glad, I didn't miss seeing you off." "Oh, we wouldn't have left before saying good-bye." Stan and Bob told her, and then they left. Sarah and Alice sat down to eat breakfast, while they chatted with Nancy and Julia. Bob and Stan came back. "The sensors are working correctly. We also did a test again on the system and everything checks out. Alice, we set it up to detect tampering. It will not sound an alarm when it suspects tampering, instead it actuates several indicators at the console, in Judy's office and on some monitors. In the control room, press the indicator and it will tell you where it suspects the problem is. It will offer suggestions about solutions to the problem. This is very new software, and we think we have tuned it correctly. Call us any time, if you need assistance." They gathered their things to leave, after sharing hugs and kisses. ------- Chapter 12 The phone rang and Alice answered. "Hi, Frank." Sarah watched Alice's expression as she talked to Frank. She asked Frank if he was agreeable to using the speaker phone, so that Sarah could hear as well. "Okay, I'll call back from my office." Alice hung up. Sarah looked questioningly at Alice. "Good news," she tells Sarah, as she pulls her toward her office. "Frank has some good news to tell us when we call him back. Good, in that you won't have to stay here any longer than you want to." Shortly, they reached her office. Alice called Frank on the speaker phone just as Judy entered. Frank answered. Alice said, "Both Judy and Sarah are with me." Everyone exchanged greetings. Frank said, "The bottom line is that Samantha is the thief, with John's help. Samantha worked here a number of years ago. During that time, she set up several remote access points to the accounts and then disappeared with a considerable amount of money. Once she left, she altered her looks quite extensively. Sometime after that, she met John. Using her remote access points, she continued to steal money from our accounts. Her access didn't trip any audit flags until she got a little too greedy. When the accountants questioned several account transfers, a detailed review spotted similar transactions in other accounts. Based on this, we commenced a fraud audit and discovered the missing money. It was difficult to tell where the money had gone, but we were able to link it to Samantha. Samantha found out we were looking for her, and decided to set up someone else to take the fall. She saw Sarah's picture in an ad. After checking her out, she initiated the series of events that, if they had worked, would have caused Sarah to take the fall. Some things got a little away from her script, due to those she brought into the scheme. She was behind Liz's attempts. When she heard that Liz had taken Sarah to Alice's, she knew Liz was not following the script. Samantha then suggested to a couple looking for breeders where to find Sarah, as her enhanced physical characteristics were ideal for them. Samantha really panicked when that failed, but then arranged for another group to send Susan. These last two groups are a bit different." "The first group simply captures women and then sells them to farms who breeds them to supply babies to the adoption black market. For their women, they typically initiate some changes to bust, milk capacity and girth, so that the women almost always have triplets or more. The women are bred again as soon as the babies are a month old, at which time the babies are sold. The women continue to lactate, and the milk is collected for sale and internal use. If a woman doesn't produce, they sell her to either to a brothel or a sex club." "The second group uses some women for baby supply, but also does genetic changes to some, to see what special characteristics can be added to their captives. I understand that they modify both men and women to be part animal, as well as increase the size of sex organs on others. A captive woman who is not a good subject for modifications is made into a breeder, much like the first group, but they typically want the breeders to carry a minimum of 6 babies to term every nine months. Captives who do not meet requirements are butchered, with the meat either used or sold. The second group goes to greater efforts to obtain their subjects, and has little tolerance for failure by its recruiters, as it risks exposure. Susan's controllers apparently thought that the way they dealt with her failure would keep them from being punished, besides providing them with a torture/snuff film to sell. As far as we can determine, the controllers have disappeared. We suspect the group brought them to their facility as captives." "John, apparently, did not know of Samantha's other activities. When John was confronted with our knowledge of his thefts, he implicated Samantha as the guiding hand in his actions. He quickly offered to give us Samantha and the four girls, in exchange for the money he owed Frank, which was accepted as a partial settlement. Over lunch with everyone, Frank disclosed to Samantha that John had sold her and the girls to him in exchange for his debts." "Her immediate reaction was to get away, however the automatic restraints on her chair kept her from doing much except screaming insults at John. John was surprised when his chair restrained him, as well. The response from the four girls was surprising. They made no attempt to leave, but started crying. Once they settled down, I asked them why the tears. They looked fearfully at both Samantha and John, who were now stripped, gagged, bound and in small rolling cages." "After some coaching, they told the story of Samantha's hold over them. They were runaways. Samantha befriended them by offering them an opportunity to live with her and John. Once there, they were forced to be essentially sexual toys for them and their friends. Refusal would cause them to be immediately prepared for service on baby farms. During the preparation for the baby farm, they would be filmed living in Samantha's kennel, servicing her dogs. The girls said Samantha made them watch films of the last girls who previously lived with them. One of the girls attacked Samantha as they were making a film. She was hung by her ankles and gutted. A scene showed the girl on a spit over a fire. They forced the other three girls to do all the work. These girls were sure Samantha was planning to do the same to them. We were terrified not to do anything they were told to do." "I had my agents check Samantha and John's home for the films. We believed the girls, but found the whole thing shocking. We found several sets of film. It appears that Samantha and John liked to film the activities. They had at least four sets of girls live with them, in addition to this group. There is a set of films for each group. Each set covers the time from them joining the family through their sexual activities to the last scenes of them living in the kennels with the dogs. Both Joe and Jane appeared in some of the films with the girls. In fact, Jane helped with the butchering the one girl while two other girls watched them from Joe and John's laps with their cunts filled. The third girl was secured to a table, kneeling, while being fucked by a Great Dane." "We are thinking of letting Samantha experience what she doled out to the girls. But the extent of it we haven't decided yet. The cruelty that Samantha and Jane exhibited in those films was shocking and disturbing. I can't imagine our members doing anything like they did in those films. Several mistresses here would like the chance to execute any plan we have. They want to maximize the pain and discomfort, without letting her die or go mad." Sarah, Alice and Judy listened to Frank's information, amazed. Frank ended his dialog with the comment that it looked like Sarah was no longer at risk from Samantha and her friends. "John, Joe and Jane are currently trussed up in a dungeon cage. Each cage is hanging from the ceiling in the dungeon, over the brine pit. From there, they can see Samantha being repetitively stretched on a rack." "Enough of that. With these four in our hands, we think Sarah should be quite safe, or as safe as any of us are. So Sarah, I would suggest you stay with Alice and Judy the rest of this week. I'm sure they will enjoy your company during that time. Why stay this week? Well, I would like Bob and Stan to check your house before you go home, and they will not be available until the end of the week. There appears little risk to you going home tomorrow, but with all that is happened we should be cautious." "Although I am anxious to go home, I agree with you and will wait, if Alice and Judy agree." "Of course, we agree," they chimed in, together. "Good. Sarah, I have never met you that I am aware of, but you seem to be a great person, based on the comments I have heard about you from your new friends. I am very sorry you were caught up in this, as are your friends. Good luck." "Alice, thanks for helping Sarah." "It was my pleasure." "Let me know if you need anything. Goodbye" ------- It had been a nearly a week since they had talked to Frank, as Sarah prepared to leave Alice's. The good-byes were tear-filled, but they all agreed that they would get together again. Leaving Alice's place, Sarah realized how isolated the location was. It was a very beautiful location. Arriving home about 4 PM, she found Nancy and Julia waiting for her. They hugged and chatted before they all went in the house. They indicated that Bob and Stan couldn't get away, but they had brought the equipment to scan the house for listening devices and wire taps. Sarah looked around the house, as Nancy and Julia began checking out the house. Sarah found the house to be in good shape, even though she had been gone for nearly six months. She looked in the bedroom for some clothes she could still wear. Trying the clothes and shoes on really brought home to her how much she had changed in the last several months. Even the new clothes she bought just before leaving did not fit. She couldn't button the blouses, as they would not even cover her nipples. Even her shoes with six inch heels were uncomfortable, as they were too narrow. Well, it was clear she had to go shopping today, before she could consider doing anything else. As she went to tell Nancy and Julia that she was going shopping, she noticed a note from Cynthia. Cynthia wanted her to call her when she arrived home. Sarah went to the phone to call and noticed that the message light was flashing. Wondering about the messages, she turned on the machine with some apprehension. Hearing Joe's voice, she screamed, bringing Nancy and Julia running. Together they listened to the messages. Several were from Joe, berating her for dumping him, along with threats that he would get even with her. There were several blank messages. This all made Sarah quite uneasy. Nancy hugged Sarah to console her. Nancy told Sarah that Sally would be over before they left, and would be able to stay with Sarah. She started to erase the messages, but Julia stopped her. "You may want to keep those." When she reached Cynthia, she indicated she would like to discuss work with Sarah, since she would be in a new office, and the duties would be quite different. Sarah tried to beg off, since the only clothes she had that would fit were the ones she was wearing, thanks to Alice. Cynthia suggested that they could go shopping together in the morning. While shopping, they could review the details of what she would be doing in the new office. Cynthia indicated she had reviewed Sarah's contributions to the old office, and was very impressed. Even though the previous manager was a jerk, he did keep good records, and was quite complimentary regarding Sarah's contributions. She was thinking of making some changes in day-to-day responsibilities that would play more to Sarah's strengths. This would be easier to do away from the office, and gave her a chance to review all of the ramifications before implementing them. The trip would also give them some time to get better acquainted. She told her that there were still some sales commissions that hadn't been placed into her account. She didn't want to put any more in the special account than necessary to pay the bills. Sarah agreed to go with Cynthia in the morning, and that she would be picked up at 9 AM. Just as the phone was hung up, Nancy came in with a worried look. "What's wrong?" "Well, from what we have found so far, you wouldn't have a private moment any part of your bedroom or bath." "What?" Just then, Julia came in to the room. "Here let me show you something in the dining room." She lead them to the dining room. She sat a box on the table turning it on. "Someone has installed a comprehensive surveillance system. The system is active and is recording at this moment. There are sensors and microphones covering every part of the second floor. Down here, we only found some devices at the entry and in the living room, but it also doesn't look like it had been completed. Someone went to a lot of trouble to arrange this. It is disguised as a security system, but it does much more." "This room only has microphones, as far as we can determine. Pointing to a box, she said, "This will keep the microphones from picking up our conversation. Upstairs and in the living room each microphone is accompanied with a high-quality video camera with several pairs in each room." "I never authorized anyone to install a security system in the house. After I kicked Joe out, I thought about having one installed, but didn't." "Based on some of the tags, this appears to have been installed before you kicked Joe out." "Oh my. Why would someone do this?" "Did you call Cynthia?" "Yes. She is to meet me here in the morning, at 9AM, to go shopping. While we are out, we are to discuss my new position with her company. Why?" "How do you know her?" "When Alice realized how long I would be at her place she asked her to take care of the house. She also owns the real estate company where I used to work." "Well I am a bit uneasy about your current circumstances. First, this is made to appear to be a security system, but it is really an elaborate recording system. It can see anywhere in all the rooms except for the dining room. Why they skipped this room, I don't know." "What do you mean, recording?" "Well, someone apparently wanted to film all of your activities without your knowledge. Probably for blackmail, maybe to sell or just to make public to humiliate you. We ran across something similar before. Without going into details, a woman and her sixteen-year-old daughter were trapped in their home by a group. This group of 3 men and 2 women forced both of the women into submitting sexually to them, in just about every way possible. They even forced the the mother to let two Great Danes fuck her. This lasted over a long holiday, when all of the women's friends and family were gone. The morning after the holiday, the group was gone. The women had a hard time adjusting to the ordeal they had been through. Several months later, they received a message telling them to go to a cabin in the mountains, and to plan to be gone for a month. If they didn't, the films of their sex orgy would be sold and copies would be sent to their friends. They were preparing to commit suicide, rather than follow the instructions. A friend of theirs found out what was happening, and put them in touch with us. Fortunately, we were able to recover the film before it was distributed. The group had planned on selling the films anyway. With some help, the two victims were able to extract some revenge from the group at their cabin in the mountains." "Wow. What happened to the victims?" "It took a while, but both of them got over the ordeal. With some coaching, they learned that the sexual activities they were forced to perform were enjoyable when all parties consent. Actually, both are now married and active in Alice's group." "How does that help with this situation?" Nancy said, "It really doesn't. It was just an indication that we have dealt with this before. Why don't you come stay in one of our guest houses for a few days? It will put you closer to your new office, and considering the current situation, you would be considerably safer." Julia said, "That's a good idea. They will know we have discovered the system, but may not realize that we know its capability, or apparent purpose. After I turn this off, let's go back in the living room and make plans for you to visit Nancy, without giving away what we found. Nancy can make the invitation, and Sarah will accept. Before we leave, you probably should gather up any important documents you may have in the house. So it doesn't easily raise any suspicions, I'll suggest that you put your valuable documents in a safe deposit box." Nancy said, "That should work. Are you agreeable, Sarah?" "Well, I don't have much worth taking. All of my clothes are too small... even my shoes don't fit. All I really can wear is this dress, and it doesn't fit too well. If I bend over, I can feel that my ass is bare." "Yes, I noticed and thought you were just trying to tempt me." Nancy reached under Sarah's dress and rubbed her ass. "Please don't do that right now. A few more caresses and I will dripping cunt juice on the floor. Beside, I can see that both yours and Julia's nipples are already like small headlights. I would love to continue with either of both you, but later." "Sorry, I forgot about how sensitive you are." Nancy reached over and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "What will staying at the guest quarters cost me? I really don't know how much money I have, but, after this, I am really uncomfortable staying here, even with your offer of Sally's company." " I think we can work something out to our mutual benefit. There are no obligations for the short term, and that will give us an opportunity to work on something for the long term." "Okay, but only for a couple of days. I like both of you, but I am afraid that it will ruin our growing friendship if this goes more than a couple of days without coming to some terms." "Agreed. Shall we start this off?" Julia, Nancy and Sarah went to the living room to announce the visit to Nancy's, and to see to the safe-keeping of Sarah's papers. It took them nearly an hour to gather up the documents and those of Sarah's personal things that were still useful. As they left the house, Julia noticed a van sitting at the curb several houses away, as she scanned the area. Julia got in her car, saying, "See you at Nancy's." She nodded her head up the street toward the van. Nancy caught the glance and nodded. Nancy and Sarah went to her car at the curb, and got in. "Don't look now, but I think we are being watched. Fasten your seat belt tightly, as this could be an exciting ride. A red light on the dash was flashing." "Well, it seems someone gave us a present while we were inside." "What?" "That light indicates that someone was snooping around the car. With the van up the street, and the car parked down the other way, I suspect a tracking device was placed underneath. Oh, it looks like Julia has one, as well." "How do you know that?" "By the way she moved the car after she started it." They pulled away from the curb and started down the street. Julia backed out of the driveway and followed them. Sarah was shaking from fright. "Relax Sarah. Nothing is going to happen that we can't handle." "Okay, I'll try." Once they were on the highway, Nancy reached up and pushed a couple of buttons on the radio. The light turned green. Then Nancy's phone rang. She answered on the hands-free device. Julia's voice came through clearly on the phone. "Looks like we might have had company while we were in the house." "It would appear that way, but why the rush. I wonder how this fits with everything else, or does it? I'm sure that Sarah is as in the dark as we are." Sarah nodded her head vigorously. Julia said, "I'm hungry and I know just the place to eat, so follow me." Sarah started to say something, but Nancy put her finger to her lips. She accelerated to keep up with Julia, pulling to a car length behind her. They traveled for several miles in the left lane. Approaching an exit, Julia moved to the left hand side of the road. Then, when it was almost too late, both cars swung over and on to the off-ramp, with tires squealing. No cars followed them off the ramp. Julia turned down a narrow dirt road, with Nancy right behind. Before long they were at a small clearing. Julia pulled over and stopped with Nancy right behind her. Nancy motioned Sarah out of the car. Julia was walking away from hers, toward the edge of the clearing. Sarah said "What's going on?" "Both of our cars have trackers on them, and maybe voice transmitters. This location is usually a dead spot for those devices, as they require a relay or receiver to be with in a mile. So we are okay here for a bit, or perhaps forever. I don't think we were followed very far, if at all. All of this does not make much sense, but there must be a reason for these antics." Nancy said, "How do you think we should proceed?" "Well I don't understand how the tracking devices relate to what we found in the house. Why don't we disable them and then head on to your place? We should keep an eye out for anyone following us, but there is no secret as to where we live. Hmm... Rather than disabling the trackers, let's attach them to a couple of semi's at a rest stop, that should keep whomever is using them busy for a while." "I would agree with that. Let's go. Hopefully, everyone will be home this evening, and we can see what they think about all this." "I need to call Cynthia before it gets to late and beg off on the shopping tomorrow." "Why don't you call her from here, and suggest she meet you at the mall tomorrow? And Sally and I will go with you. By the way, do you know how to shoot?" Sarah gasped, then said, "Yes I do. In fact, while we were gathering things up, I picked up my Glock and holster. I afraid the only ammo I have is what's in the clip. As you can guess, it has been several months since I did any shooting." Julia said, "Sarah, here is a phone, why don't you call Cynthia, while Nancy and I remove the trackers from the cars." "No, don't use that one. Use mine, it's over in the car. Bring it up here before you call, though. Considering that we don't know who friend or foe is, I think it's best that Cynthia only knows I am with Sarah." "Good idea." "Gee, I'm not sure I can relax with her." "Well you need to, and besides, I don't think she would be knowingly involved in anything like this. So treat her like a good friend, but you don't need to provide her with any details, especially if she asks." "Okay." Sarah called Cynthia and arranged for them to meet for breakfast at the mall. They left the clearing and stopped at the first rest stop on the highway. On the way in to use the facilities, they placed the trackers on two trailers, as they walked by. The rest of the trip to Nancy's was uneventful. Sarah was a bit surprised when Nancy slowed and turned off onto a gravel road. At the tree line there as a chain fastened across the road in the distance, that dropped away as the cars approached. The gravel road continued to just past the tree line, and then turned into a paved driveway. "Surprised?" "Yes, I wasn't sure where you were going at first, then I saw the chain blocking the road. I thought maybe you were lost." "We designed the entrance to not look to enticing to anyone just driving by. In fact, a lot of the neighbors don't know there is anything back here. The chain tends to discourage anyone who gets that far." Just then, the driveway turned a bend to become asphalt with a view of several buildings. Across the small valley was a large house with several smaller buildings behind it. In the evening light it was a very pretty setting. There were several large hills that rose steeply up behind the house. One looked as if it were a cliff. "Oh, what a beautiful layout." "Yes, it works quite nice as our base. The small buildings are the guest houses, which are essentially like a hotel room suite. Each has two bedrooms, with separate showers and a common room. Each of the bedrooms has space for a desk with a table and chairs. Anyone who stays in those has everything they need, except a kitchen. They eat at the main house." By this time, they had reached the main house and pulled around back. Julia pulled in right behind them. Sarah just sat there, looking around the site. From what she could see, it looked almost like a small resort. There was a pool, tennis courts, and a stable. Several large dogs came up to welcome Nancy and Julia, as they got out of the cars. "Come on, Sarah, let's get your things and go inside." Sarah's reverie was broken. Gathering up her things, she got out of the car. The dogs came over and checked her out. She reached down to rub one behind the ears. "Don't do that to long, or they will want you to sleep with them." Sarah looked questioningly at Nancy. "Only teasing, but they will never get tired of you doing that." "Yes, I know. We had a dog at home. Not this large, but he always wanted his ears scratched or rubbed. It must be like when we get our backs rubbed. You never want it to stop." "Let's go inside and see when dinner will be ready. Then we'll see about getting you situated." The back entry took them into the great room. Sally met them when they were barely in the door. Sarah could see several women working in the kitchen, wearing just aprons. Sally gave Nancy and Julia a hug, and then turned to Sarah. "Sarah its good to see you again." She nodded trying to remember where she had seen Sally before. "My, you look much differently than when I saw you at Alice's." "Well, now I have some clothes on." But, Sarah started to tear, as her worst fears about her new body seemed to be realized. "Wait, I didn't mean it was bad, in fact I wish I looked as good as you do. You will certainly stand out wherever you are. Let's see now. Your bust seems a bit bigger. You are definitely taller. Your shoulders and hips are a little wider, but it makes your bust seem right. In fact, babbling here, makes me want to be like you." "That may be, but you may not want to take the same path to obtain them, or have the side issues." "Side issues?" "Yes." Sarah looked at Nancy, and she nodded her head, yes. "We just found out someone turned my house into a small recording studio for movies." "Oh, my." Nancy asked if Bob was back yet. "No, he called a couple of hours ago and said it would be well after dinner before he returned." "I need to call Stan and see if he will be available later. His original schedule had him back early this evening. We are all stressed. Let's relax, then to find a solution, we should wait to discuss this after dinner." "I agree." Sarah started to sob. Nancy and Sally grabbed her and pulled her into a hug, and then the tears really started to flow. Nancy and Sally eased Sarah down the hall toward a bedroom. They pulled her down on the bed and cuddled her between them, letting her cry. Soon she quieted down. Sally slowly caressed her face and hair. Sarah said, "Please, you don't need to do any more for me. It makes me feel very uncomfortable to keep falling back on either Alice's or your good will. I don't know how I got mixed up in this, and I sure don't want anyone else to suffer. It seems like once more I am a black sheep, and just bring trouble to those around me." "Please, we don't think you are any trouble. We care about you, because we like you. We know you better than you think just by your warm association with Alice and Judy. They seldom allow people to become as close to them as we know you are. So, on that basis alone, we value you and our growing friendship. Knowing you and how our friends feel about you, we feel we must help you resolve these issues. I really hope to be as close to you as Alice and Judy are. I know Bob really thinks a lot of you, even though he has only been with you a few times. Sally and you will probably come to value each other quickly, as valuable friends, or more, if you want more." Sarah sighed. She felt very comfortable in their arms, and in their company. "I'm sorry for being such a cry baby, but all that has happened is a bit scary." "Yes, you have every right to cry. You should remember that you have more friends than you suspect, or are willing to admit. So, stay with us for a while. We look forward to your companionship." Sally took Sarah's head in both hands, and pulled her into a kiss that expressed her friendship. The kiss quickly became more passionate, as their tongue's began to duel. Sarah slipped her arms around Sally, pulling her closer. Nancy slid her hands down Sarah's sides, caressing them as they traveled. When they reached her legs, she began to gently caress her inner thigh. Her hand slowly slid up under the skirt, toward Sarah's cunt. Sally pulled back and looked down. "Why am I wet?" "Because I'm lactating. In fact they are quite full now. Nancy do you have a breast pump." "Yes, we have several. All you have to do is ask Sally, right." "No, you don't have to ask, just show me a leaking nipple." She pulled back and began to unbutton Sarah's dress, pushing it off her shoulders. Nancy moved to help, by opening the buttons from below. As soon as the dress was spread open, each took a nipple and began to suckle her breasts. Nancy moved her hand to actively caress the lips of Sarah's cunt. Sarah moved her arms, so she could caress each as they suckled her breasts. By the time Sarah's breasts had been drained of their milk, her hips were bucking in response to Nancy's fingering her cunt and clit. Sarah pulled over, so she could kiss her face and neck. With some urging, she moved Sally up, so she could kiss and lick her breasts. Nancy had moved down Sarah's body from her now-empty breasts, kissing her stomach and then her inner thigh. She began to lick up the copious liquid from Sarah's cunt, while still caressing the clit and lips with her fingers. Sarah urged Sally up further, so that she could straddle her face, placing her cunt and clit within reach of Sarah's tongue. The odor of three wet cunts permeated the room. The moans escalated. The effect of the pheromones in the air added to the arousal of all three women. Sally's cunt began to spasm as she began her orgasm, squeezing more liquid into Sarah's mouth. This in turn triggered her orgasm, spraying Nancy's face with cunt juice. Sally raised up off of Sarah, then bent down to kiss her cum-soaked face. Sally looked down and saw Nancy lying there, still aroused. Her fingers were stroking her cunt. Sally leaned down to kiss and caress Nancy. She started by licking Sarah's cum off her face. Sarah, now relaxed, looked down and realized Nancy had not cum yet. She moved around between Nancy's legs. She began to caress the inside of her legs, easing up toward Nancy's wet cunt. As her fingers reached her cunt, she began to kiss and lick the inside of Nancy's thighs. She pushed Nancy's fingers out of the way, and substituted her own. Sally continued to kiss Nancy's face and neck, while caressing her breasts and, occasionally, pinching her nipples. Sarah's fingers reached around her legs, so she could pull Nancy's cunt lips apart. As soon as she did, Nancy's cunt juice began to run freely. Sarah quickly pressed her mouth against the lips, to catch the precious liquid. With her mouth deeply buried between Nancy's lips, she began to caress the insides of her cunt with her tongue. Her fingers gently caressed Nancy's clit and hood. Nancy's orgasm was announced with a scream, flooding Sarah's face and mouth with cum. Her legs clinched, trapping Sarah's head between her legs with her mouth open, collecting the cum. Nancy collapsed. Julia came to the door in response to the scream. "My God, it smells like a whorehouse in here. And I thought you came in here to console Sarah." "You're just sorry you missed out," responded Sally. "Dinner is nearly ready, so you might want to shower first." "Come, let's go use the shower, and then we will see if we can find some spare clothes for Sarah," said Nancy. "Sarah, clothes are optional nearly all of the time here. Occasionally, we have visitors and we need to be a bit more demure. Even with that approach, we quite often will wear a light robe for cover. I'm sure we have several in one of our closets." "Why do you have so many?" "Some of the people we host come here in a hurry, with little or no personal possessions." "Like me." "Sort of, but usually the threats are more defined." "Do they get the same treatment I just got?" Both Sally's and Nancy's head jerked around looking at Sarah. Nancy started to respond, and Sarah started laughing. "You should have seen your faces." "Oh, you. Most of them we don't know at all, until they arrive." "How do you know I was referring to sex? Could be I was just referring to your tender care and helpfulness?" "Not with that grin on your face. But, I guess you could have just used the double meaning." "Sorry, I seem to have upset you and I only meant to tease. I'm really sorry if I offended you, as I really appreciate all of the assistance you, Julia, Bob and Stan are giving me." "No hard feelings, I just didn't expect your teasing." She reached up and pulled Sarah down to kiss her. "Come on, let's shower." Sarah slipped on her shoes before going into the shower. "You're going to wear those in the shower?" "I have to, or my feet and legs hurt so much I can't stand." "Well, those are pretty nice shoes to get wet. Sally see if you can find a more appropriate pair for her." "What size are they?" "I don't know, but here," said Sarah, as she slipped them off and handed them to Sally. "Wow, a size twelve. I'm not sure we have one, but wait there by the shower. I'll be back in a minute." Shortly she returned. "Here, try these. They might be a bit small, but you will only have them on in the shower." They quickly washed each other and were quickly finished. Once dry, they went to find light robes for everyone. Sarah's was a light colored robe, that complemented her looks and accentuated her looks. Nancy and Sally complemented her on how well it looked. They slipped on robes, then and went off to the dining room. ------- Chapter 13 When they reached the dinning room, Julia and Bob were already at the table. "Wow," said both Julia and Bob, as they came in to the room. Julia said, "Sarah, that outfit looks great on you." "That's what Sally and Nancy told me. I think you all are trying to butter me up for something." "Well, we have some butter, so we can do that too, but I was serious. I suspect they were as well. The color of the robe really compliments your coloring and looks. It shows enough leg to really look enticing." "Thanks. I appreciate the thoughts." Bob said, "Let's eat before it gets cold, as I'm hungry. Sarah, please sit here next to me." Sarah took the chair between Bob and Julia. Nancy sat on the other side of Bob with Sally. "Now, I understand there were some problems at Sarah's house." Sarah, Julia and Nancy nodded. Before Nancy could respond, he continued, "Even though I started the conversation in that direction, we should leave reviewing those events until Stan arrives, that way we will only have to do it once. We should be able to come up with a plan that won't take to much effort." "Sarah, Alice and July have told us how important you are to them, so I would feel much better if you would stay here until this is sorted out. Julia said you had some concerns regarding feeling like a freeloader. Alice and Judy would side with me, if they knew about what happened today at your house and afterward. So, would you please plan on staying with us for at least a week as a guest, then we can address how this can be extended, if you are interested." "I deeply appreciate your offer and, with everything that has happened, I feel compelled to accept. I really feel comfortable here, and with all of you." "We would dearly love for you to continue living on the premises, after this is sorted out. There are several ways we think you could assist us while living here that would help us with the different aspects of our business. If you decide to continue living here, we can work out the details on compensation for assisting us, but we're getting way ahead of ourselves." Sarah smiled. "Bob, relax, I said I would stay for a while. After a week, we will have a better idea of my situation, and we can go from there. I am not sure of my financial situation at the moment, but as I consider the realities, there is no way I could turn down your kind offer of a place to stay." "What do think of the place?" "Oh, it's very beautiful, at least what I saw when we arrived." "Julia indicated that you have a Glock and brought it with you. How proficient are you with it?" "The only shooting I have done is at fixed targets. But usually I get mostly 9 and 10's at 50 yards, in any position. I haven't done much beyond that distance." Julia said, "Didn't you say you worked out quite a bit?" "Yes. Actually, I started working out again routinely after the first time Liz kidnapped me. Before that, it was somewhat hit and miss. At Alice's, we worked out together on a regular basis." "I'll bet!" said Julia. Everyone laughed at the double meaning, while Sarah sputtered as she blushed then she joined in the laughter. "Yes, we did quite a bit of BOTH kinds of workouts." This brought more laughter around the table. "We have an exercise room that you are welcome to use. Most of the staff spends some time in there several mornings a week. Do you know any self defense techniques?" "I have attended some classes in Aikido, but dropped out because of other commitments." "We have an instructor in self defense on staff, in fact, she is proficient in Aikido. You should consider working with her until you gain more confidence in using the techniques." "Bob would you slow down, you sound like you're interrogating her," said Nancy. "Actually, we all do." "Oops. Sorry, I hope I didn't put you off, and I wasn't trying to be nosy. In our business, it is really important for us to know and to clearly understand each other, so we make every effort to be very open with each other. In that vein, I was just trying to learn as many of the basics about you, in the hope this would give us a better sense of why these things are happening to you." "I suspect my questions may try your patience with me, so if I go to far, tell me, or any of us for, that matter. Alice and Judy have made it very clear to us how much they think of you. Knowing them as well as we do, we have adopted their feelings for you. Yes, it doesn't make us close friends yet, but it really opens the door. My goal is for you to be very comfortable with us and this location, but more than that, very secure wherever you live." "I know, Bob. Your questions show me your concern for me. It makes me feel very good. Now, for an answer to some of your questions. As much as it embarrasses me, I very much appreciate your offer of a safe place to stay for a while. I did resist at first, but the insistence by all of you, whom I respect very much, tells me that I should accept. While I am here, I will be more than happy to help out where ever I can. I have backed off on the weight work, because I did not want to bulk up. As you can probably tell, the changes to my body already give me a lot of bulk. I haven't figured out how to increase my strength and endurance, without adding to the bulk." "I know someone who could guide you on that," commented Nancy. "He helps us with special projects, and sometimes uses the weight room here. He also works with Stan and Julia." "Thanks. Can you point him out to me when he is here?" "Sure." Nancy said, "It may surprise you, but Sally is our self-defense instructor. Yes, an unusual combination, but she can be submissive as well as the defender. I am sure she will be happy to help you learn." "Thank you, mistress, I would love to teach Sarah a lot of things." "Sally, I was only referring to self-defense instruction and yoga. If you two want to do more that, it's between the two of you." Stan asked, "Sarah would you tell us about your background, that is where you grew up, your family, where you went to school and etc? We feel the same way about you that Bob already expressed. With all the things that have happened to you recently, we would like to hear a bit more about your background." Nancy said, "Wait, everyone is done eating and before we start that, let's go in the other room for coffee so this mess can be cleaned up." She paused, looking thoughtful. "In fact, I think it would be good for us to go on into the conference room." Nancy and Julia brought cups and coffee, as Bob and Sarah led the group to the conference room. They sat in the conference room for a few minutes and sipped their coffee, waiting for Sally to join them." Sally came in to the room. "Sorry for the delay." "Any problems," asked Bob. "No." "Good. Close the door before you sit down." When she did, the room became very quiet. Stan looked at Sarah. "I think we're ready now." "How much detail do you want?" "Good question, how about a 30 minute version and we will go from there. I suspect you will add more detail than you think you are as you progress. There will most likely be a few questions as your story progresses, then we'll go from there." "I was raised in Kansas by my grandparents, who are now deceased. I moved in with them after my parents died in a plane crash when I was about 4 or 5, and stayed with them through high school. During high school, I was always at or near the top of my class and, since Middle School, was always one of the tallest in the class. Being at the top of my class helped me obtain a full scholarship from University of Kansas that covered tuition and housing. When I started college, my grandparents provided me with spending money, until they both passed away during my sophomore year." "I had a hard time accepting their death, as it was so quick. The grief and turmoil of their passing almost caused me to flunk out, but I managed to regain my footing, so that I could concentrate on my studies before too much time had elapsed. They would have really been disappointed if I had flunked out, and recognizing that probably helped me regain my focus." "Without their support, I was really hurting for spending money. My roommate worked at a dance club, and talked me into working as a hostess at a club where there was nude dancing. The hostess costumes were really revealing, as you can imagine. At first, I took a lot of kidding from the staff about being so self-conscious in the costume, but I got over it with time. The money was very good, so I was able to limit my hours so that I had plenty of time to study. I soon became comfortable enough with the dress that I could be friendly with the customers, several suggested I should try dancing. It took quite a bit of prodding and encouragement by my roommate, but eventually, on a slow evening, I tried dancing. The first time I was quite nervous, but my roommate stood in the wings to give me moral support, and came out to assist me. The hardest part was starting, but once I began dancing I relaxed. I was really surprised at how well my first dance was received." "It really surprised me when the manager asked me to dance on a regular basis. I hesitated for some time, as I wasn't sure about doing it. My dancing started late in my junior year, and lasted through my senior year. The dance classes I had as a youth helped me work out several routines. My dance routines became quite popular with both the guests and the other dancers, which was another surprise. The money was much better than being a hostess, and with the new routines, I ended up working even fewer hours. The nude dancing and entertaining seemed to really boost my self-confidence. It apparently showed in my routines, as the other dancers asked me for help with their routines. Looking back, I am surprised how quickly I adapted to the club environment. In many ways, the staff was like a family, and the owners were very protective of the dancers. I have to admit, with no family I was lonely. The people at the club eased my feelings of loneliness, and were something of a family." "After graduating in business administration and computer science, I found a job here on the east coast. The job seemed to be a perfect fit for my interests. It lasted for all of a year, until the company went out of business. After that, I couldn't find a job that I liked, and, with only a year's experience, it was hard to get interviews. So I applied to graduate school for a dual MBA/ComSci major and was accepted. The position had funding for fees, but not living expenses. A friend of mine was dancing at a men's club, and knew I had danced before, so she suggested I try that for a while. She indicated that the owners were very good to work with, and didn't require any special favors from the dancers." "I went and interviewed. The interview went quite well, even though they seemed a bit hesitant, at first. They asked my friend to show me around while they checked with the previous place where I had danced in Kansas. When we returned to the office, they asked me if I could start working that evening, even though it was already late in the afternoon. I wasn't sure about that, as I hadn't thought of any routines, and hadn't kept any of my costumes. My friend said I could borrow some of her things, and offered to dance with me if I wanted to, so that night I started dancing, and it lasted all the way through graduate school and after. The money was very good, and the hours fit with going to school." "I graduated in 2 years with a masters in two fields, and still no job. I have to admit to being picky. The few interviews appeared to go very well, but there was never any offers. If I did a follow-up call, I always received vague replies. I was discussing my troubles with friends and they suggested to try real estate sales until I found a job I liked in my field. They thought, with my friendly demeanor, business background and attractiveness, I would be successful. It also provided the opportunity for more mainstream business contacts, and would provide better references when I did find a job I wanted." "Dancing would not fit well with real estate, and about that time my friend from school was leaving to take a position on a resort island, as an escort and entertainer. She really wanted me to go with her. The owners of the club really wanted me to stay, as they felt I brought in a lot of customers. I left the club on good terms, with the owners offering me an opening any time I wanted to come back. Within a couple of days, I found the job with what I now know is Cynthia's firm." "The sales position with Cynthia firm was very good, and paid well. Not long after receiving my brokers license, I became the top sales person in the office. The only down side was that the office manager wanted sexual favors to maintain my position in that office. Fortunately his salary was dependent on my commissions, so he couldn't push to hard." "Then there is Joe. He was nice, and I enjoyed his company. In a weak moment, I let him move in, with the expectation that he would share living expenses. Before he moved in, we had a very nice relationship. In hindsight it was mostly sexual, but it didn't seem that way at first. As time progressed, he became more possessive, and pushed me to try bondage, always with him tying me up. I am now thankful I never gave in to his request. The weekend Liz kidnapped me, we were supposed to go to a company party." "I was shocked to see him in the audience at the sex club, where Liz made me perform with a well stacked she-male. He returned from his trip the end of the week, and was as possessive and demeaning as ever. The first day he was back I tossed his ass out, after he tried to rape me. He made several threats, indicating he was going to turn me in to his sex toy, or worse. In fact, Liz commented about him when she had me at Alice's. The last I heard of him, his 'she-male friend' had taken him to Frank's." "Most of the recent things seem to have been initiated by Liz and her friend Samantha, supposedly for Frank, as I think you are aware." "At Alice's, you indicated you had received some virus treatments to alter your body. What was your build before all this started?" "Well I was about 120 lbs and 5 foot 8. My measurements were 36 24 36, with a C bra cup. Needless to say, they are not C's any more. In the three months between the first event and being taken to Alice's, I had to buy a new wardrobe three times, because clothes kept getting too small, in both width and height. I attributed part of it to working out, but now I suspect Liz had done more to me than she told me. Especially since my height has increased considerably. Judy and I talked about this a bit, and concluded that the two treatments probably contributed to one another." "Liz removed my pubic hair the first time by electrolysis. She also had the technicians enlarge my clit and cunt lips. She made additional size increases to them again, at Alice's. Oh, the other thing is my hair now seems to be growing faster. It used to be just above my shoulders, but now it is half-way down my back in only about six months. My hair also seems to be thicker and finer than I remember it being, but it is the same color." "The heels you have on right now are about 4 inches high, so I'm guessing your height is now around 6 foot 2 without shoes. You probably haven't noticed it with us or when you were with Alice and Judy, because we are all quite tall ourselves." "I noticed I was on the taller side of this group, but I don't think I'm that tall." "Do you mind if we measure you to see?" Said Nancy. "No, but it will be difficult to measure my height." "Why?" "If I try to press my foot flat on the floor, my legs muscles feel with they are being cut with a knife, and my arches cramp to the point I want to scream and pee in my pants. That is the reason I now wear heels all the time. Even when I work out, I wear heels. Surprisingly, they are more comfortable now than before the treatments." "That's interesting. We can compensate for the heel height. While we're doing that, why don't we take all of your measurements, as you will need them when we go shopping for clothes tomorrow." "Okay." Sally and Nancy came around to Sarah with a measuring tape. Julia grabbed a paper and pen to record the measurements. Sarah stood and slipped the robe off her shoulders. Sally noticed her nipples were wet, and reached up to touch Sarah's nipple. As soon as she did, milk leaked from the nipple. "Oh my. I didn't think I was that full. The breast pump Judy gave me is in my bag." Julia said, "I don't think it will be necessary." She turned in her chair, putting her mouth at just right height to take Sarah's other nipple into her mouth. A quick suck and her mouth filed with milk. She stopped and pulled back. "This is okay. isn't it?" Sarah nodded. "But, it makes me incredibly aroused." Julia quickly returned to sucking the nipple. Sally leaned over and began to suckle on the other nipple. Bob said, "You two don't need to drink all of her milk now. Just take enough so we can continue this. I would like us to get to bed reasonably early, and besides, I don't know how long I can take this arousing scene without participating." After a few minutes, both Sally and Julia stopped suckling at Sarah's nipples. Sara sighed with relief as the tension lessened in her tits. With Nancy's help, they quickly completed measuring Sarah. Sally left and returned with a bathroom scale, so they could get Sarah's weight. "Wow," said Sarah. "I'm surprised at the reading of 152." As Sally left to take the scale back, Sarah asked her to bring back a towel. Returning, she handed the towel to Sarah with a questioning look. Sarah took it and covered the chair before she sat back down. She told Sally, "I am leaking and don't want to stain the chair." "Oh, that is one of the other things that has changed after the first time with Liz. It is much easier for me to become aroused. Even before I was taken to Alice's, my clit was very sensitive, to the point I could seldom wear anything under my skirts, as it almost always peaked out of its hood. Pants were out of the question. My nipples could tolerate bras if they weren't too tight, and needed to be lined with something like silk. I haven't worn a bra since I started lactating, so I am not sure whether I can wear one now." "Well, you were off by an inch, Stan," commented Julia. "Her bust size is a bit larger than we thought. It looks like she will need a 40L bra. And based on the other measurements, I think we should go to the tall womens' store first. Her waist and hips have increased by 2 inches." "A 40L," Sarah croaked. "But they don't look that large. Alice and Judy both thought they were a K, or possibly an H." "When did they measure you?" "Hmm. I've somewhat lost track of time, but it could have been a few weeks ago. No, it was most likely a little over a month ago, or perhaps a little longer. About the first time we met." "You are larger now than the first time Bob and I saw you," commented Nancy. "Boy, the people I knew will really be shocked now when they see me. In fact, they probably won't recognize me. The amount of weight I've gained concerns me." Sally said, "With the increase in size of your bust, waist and hips, plus the way you look, it appears to be consistent with your weight. In fact, it may have been more if you didn't exercise. As for what people think, I wouldn't worry, as you are very desirable both for your looks and personality." "This is all well and good, but we need to discuss today's events, and how they fit with everything else," said Bob. "Let's have Sarah describe what she saw, from the time she arrived at her home. Then Nancy, followed by Julia. Sally, you need to keep notes, even though the recorder is on." With that, they began to review the day's events. Bob and Stan asked several questions during the review, to clarify points and establish the sequence of events. Bob said, "Very interesting, and at the same time, confusing. Sarah, Alice had approached us about assisting you when you came home. Her concern was driven by the events that had happened at the club party, as well as how you were taken there. We agreed, based on the few times we were together, but we also would like to know what we are getting into. When we met at Alice's the last time, my curiosity was tweaked about Liz, Joe and his friend. So Stan and I did some checking into their backgrounds. Joe has had several girlfriends like you. From what we can determine, they were very similar to you physically. In every case, they completely disappeared within a short time after he left them. It is almost like they never existed. You appear to be the first who has tossed him out. There is no apparent connection between his leaving the other girlfriends and their disappearance, except that it is consistent." "Liz has had several jobs with financial institutions as an analyst. At each firm, she had a number of affairs with her coworkers. This gained her quite a reputation among her coworkers. In fact, it was at a one of those parties where she apparently met Samantha and John. Some time after that, she broke off with the guy she was seeing and left the financial institution. We know she lived with Samantha for a while after that." "Shortly before her first contact with you, she leased a house near you, and was apparently doing analyst work for some biotechnology firms. These firms specialize in genetic engineering. They are also experimenting with natural body enhancement using tailored viruses. The last item we found, was that she apparently ran across Joe and his friend at a bar, after you had tossed him out. Joe was apparently really pissed and wanted revenge. His friend was a very close acquaintance of hers from school. Obviously we don't know the details, but we suspect Joe was the one that helped kidnap you the second time. Her friend had apparently planned on keeping Joe with her, and all to her self. She has a reputation of being quite dominant, with a fetish for body enhancements. She made some changes to Joe, so that he wouldn't want to leave her." Bob paused. "Wow, I can see how you have tied them all together, and it fits with Frank's analysis. I did see Joe with a big-busted woman who had a big cock at the show Liz made me perform in the first time. I don't know if they are the same person. She did look like the woman that brought Joe to Frank's place. But, except for trying to make me take the fall for Samantha's theft, I don't why everything else has happened." "We can only assume that there are several competing events or interests here. I don't like assumptions, but maybe we can make some sense of these events after some reflection. But, before I go much further, did Judy give you a physical?" "Yes. I think it was limited to discovering what I had been treated with. She never indicated that she found anything that was harmful." "Well, I would like Sally to take you to a special clinic we use for a complete physical on Monday. You will most likely be there all day. Sally will stay with you the whole time, and will not let you out of her sight." Sally nodded. "I would have Nancy go, as well, but we need her to take care of some other things on Monday." "But, why do you want me to get a physical?" "To try and determine more fully the effects of the treatments that have been given to you. The physical should give us some idea of what the long-term effects will be. I suspect it is more than Judy found, or even suspected. If she had known more of Liz's background, I am sure she would have done things a bit differently." He paused and looked around the table. "Sarah probably thinks I am a tyrant, by the way I am acting." "No, I don't. I'm just trying to sort all of this out in my mind. I don't want burden you with my difficulties, or take you away from your business." "Sarah, you won't interfere with our business, and you are definitely not a burden. A number of things just don't add up, which usually means we are missing some pieces." On hearing this, Nancy and Stan nodded in agreement. "Stan, could you take a crew over to Sarah's house, and go over it with a fine tooth comb. There might be a few clues there." "It may be just Julia and I, since I gave my staff a long weekend off. Most of them haven't had a day away from work for over a month, and it was beginning to show." "Call Rusty, he would probably be willing to help you out." "Okay, now thinking about it, Tom probably would as well. With four of us, it shouldn't take more than half a day." "So, for shopping tomorrow, Nancy and Sally will go with Sarah to meet Cynthia for a late breakfast. I suspect you will be able to find everything at the mall, in any case, don't let Sarah out of your sight, better yet, stay within arms reach. Also, if you go to another location, let me know." "Bob, you've said that twice now, and it concerns me," said Sarah. "I'm concerned, and yes I'm back to being a bossy tyrant because I am concerned. Both Nancy and Sally will tell you I get this way sometimes. Please bear with me, but I will try not to be a 'bear'." Everyone laughed, breaking the tension. "Okay," said a somewhat subdued Sarah. "Let's go to bed, tomorrow is going to be a long day again. They rose gathering up the cups and other stuff to take to the kitchen." In the kitchen, Sally took Sarah's arm and said, "our bedroom is this way," leading her down the hall. "Oh Sally, I'm going to need my breast pump, because I'm full again." "It should be in our room, with the other things you brought." Once in the bedroom, Sally assisted Sarah in setting up the breast pump. Once all of her milk had let down, Sally took the containers of milk to place in the refrigerator, while Sarah cleaned up the breast pump and cups. When Sally returned, she saw Sarah standing nude in front of the mirror, with tears in her eyes. "Are you okay?" "No, every time I see myself in the mirror, it makes me realize how different I look," Sarah said. Sliding her hands up under her breasts, she continued, "These are so much larger now, I'm concerned about how people will see me." She spread her legs apart, "What will they say or think when they see these enormous cunt lips?" Sally walked around Sarah, drinking in every bit of her beauty. Sally could not help but show her desire, as her nipples swelled and her cunt moistened as their lips swelled. Stopping in front of Sarah, she said, "I can see how the changes would worry you, but you shouldn't. I think you are very desirable. Just looking at you and being this close to you, my nipples have stiffened. And feel this," she said, as she pulled Sarah's fingers to her cunt. "see how wet you are making me, just from being so close." Sarah's fingers caused Sally to moan. "But that's not a good part of it, they will only see me as a sex object." "Only if they did before. You can control that by how you act and dress. I suspect that nothing much will change, except that, because of your beauty, people will remember you more easily. Come, let's go to bed. We need to get some sleep, as I suspect tomorrow will be a long day, and if we both stand here much longer, naked, we won't do much sleeping." "I agree. Sally, I find your company very comfortable, and your nakedness quite arousing." They slipped into bed. Sally slid over against Sarah's back, wrapping her arm around Sarah. Sarah pushed back against Sally. The closeness felt very comfortable to both of them, both of them were surprised about how quickly they came to appreciate each other. Sarah could feel Sally going to sleep. She lay there and wondered about the events back at her house. She was puzzled about how she seemed to know what those around her were feeling. She had almost let it slip a couple of times, but was glad she hadn't. She really felt comfortable with this group, as much as she did with Alice, Judy and the girls. Was this part of the changes that had been made to her? Maybe she should take Nancy up on her offer to work here. Would they be upset if they knew she could feel others emotions, and, maybe, their thoughts? She soon drifted to sleep. ------- Nancy and Bob walked toward their room. "Why are you so worried about what happened, Bob?" "I don't know. Something about this situation is not quite right. I am sure Sarah is telling us everything she knows related to the events, but I feel there is a very real threat of her disappearing. Her attributes are very similar to several others that have been reported missing. So it would be best if she stayed with us, while we try to figure this out." "You and Sally need to be very observant tomorrow, without giving away how observant your are being. Sarah may pick up a bit on it, but we would prefer for no one else to realize you are watching the watchers. We will have some shadows watching the three of you, as well." "This is going to be tough, as something about tomorrow makes me feel uneasy." "If Cynthia wants Sarah to be the assistant office manager, you should discourage it, if you can. Actually, my preference would be for her to help us here. She is very bright and has excellent personnel skills. On top, of that her college training fits right in with our needs." "Yea, right. You just want to leach after her." "Ah, your afraid you won't get your share, and actually, I think we all will enjoy her company, hopefully, as much as she does ours. Both Alice and Judy are very keen on her, that is very unusual for both of them." "Oh you. I do agree with you, but we need to wait for Sarah to respond to the offer I made her." "You're ahead of me?" "All the time. When she was fretting about going back into real estate, I told she could work for us. We reviewed one possibility, which would involve being a hostess, but she was uncertain. It was suggested she come out a couple of weekends, to see how the operation works and be a part of it, to whatever degree she feels comfortable with. At Alice's, we talked about her coming here in a couple of weeks, for a long weekend. Her being here this soon may accelerate her joining us, or it could push her away. All of that was before I knew more of her background. With her background, there other positions where we could use her talents." "We need to get some sleep. Oh, I almost forgot, we found a new bug in one of the guest buildings, so we did a sweep here; fortunately we did not find any. I think we ought to begin doing security sweeps just before and after each set of guests arrive here." "If Sarah stays, I would prefer she stays here in the house, rather than in one of the other resident buildings. Hmm, Sally is already in that end of the house, so why don't we incorporate another room or two with a bath into kind of an apartment for her next to Sally? We could set it up with a connection to Sally's quarters, and a common entrance. It would provide more security than one of the guest houses." "Agreed. Now sleep." "Yes dear." ------- Chapter 14 Nancy, Sally and Sarah met Cynthia at the mall Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Cynthia's initial expression showed her surprise at the presence of Nancy and Sally. After exchanging greetings, the hostess took them to their table. Nancy and Sally sat across from each other, so they could watch the rest of the restaurant. "Cynthia, I really appreciate your looking after my house and bills while I was at Alice's," said Sarah. "It wasn't much trouble at all. The first time I went over was right after Alice had asked for the assistance. I was there just long enough to check the house, and to gather up the information I needed to make arrangements to have your bills paid. A stop at the post office let me forward your mail to my office. The lawn service that takes care of the company offices was enlisted to keep the yard in good shape." "Did you ever go over after that?" "Yes, a couple of times, most recently was Friday, when I left the mail and the note for you. The time before that was when we scheduled a maid service to clean the house, last week. Why do you ask?" "We found some things that weren't there before I left. The items left me a little uncertain about how safe the house is, so Nancy offered me a bed, pointing out she was closer to the new office than I was, and I took her up on it." "Gee, that's strange. Why would anyone mess with your home?" "I don't know. Do you know if anyone came by to inquire about me or the house? " "If they did, no one said anything to me about it. Your former office had you listed for some time as away on a family emergency. But, anyone who knew you well wouldn't believe it, because you have no living relatives." "How do you know that?" "It was in your personnel file." "I never told anyone in the company that information. I wonder how it got there. Besides, I do have a very dear family," Sarah said, as she smiled in Nancy and Sally's direction. "The office manager paid you high compliments on your sales ability, but made some very derogatory remarks about your character. He even went as far as referring to you as a slut." "That son of a bitch!" "Alice told me about what you said he tried to pull with you. In looking over the employment records for that office, we found that a few ladies who left the office had also alluded to him being the reason. So we hired a lady to fill your position temporarily. Terry is a lovely woman, in fact, nearly as good looking as your are." Sarah blushed. Sally and Nancy snickered at her blushing, causing it to deepen. "We try to tell her that, but it seems she is reluctant to believe us," said Nancy. "Oh, I believe you, but I think you overdo it." "Sarah," Cynthia said, "I didn't know you before, but from seeing your pictures at the office, you are as pretty now as you were before all this happened. Much more glamorous and enticing than when you were a dancer." "What?" "Yes, I knew you used to dance at the Time of the Tiger. I danced there as well." "I don't remember you being there when I was. Do you know what happened to the owners?" "It was quite a few years before you were there. I kept contact with them after I left. They closed the place for a couple of weeks during a slow time, to take a vacation. They apparently liked the place where they vacationed, because they had their attorney close the business and sell the property for them. They gave all of the employees a two month severance package." "Wow, but that would be like them. They were real nice to work for, and didn't let any of the customers do more than you would allow. I heard stories from the other dancers about the special favors dancers were required to give in order to work at other clubs." "So rest assured, the fact you were a dancer causes no problems with me. But, going back to the lady who filled your position, the office manager tried to make her grant him sexual favors, to keep her position in the office and have weekends off, which she rebuffed. After a short period of time, he became quite aggressive. She had been expecting it, and wore a wire when she worked alone at the office with him. One evening, at closing, he called her into his office. As she stepped through the door, he pushed it closed and told her to strip. She just looked at him. He told her that if she didn't, he would cut them off. He pulled a tranquillizer pistol from behind his back. She kicked him, just as he began to squeeze the trigger, and fortunately he missed. In their struggle, he did manage to tear some of her clothes before she subdued him and called the police. He came up on the short end of the struggle. The police arrested him just before I fired him. They didn't even let him dress before hauling him off to jail. We made sure the newspapers knew about it. He did make some noise about this all being a frame up by Terry, you and his wife. If I remember right, there were some other threats, as well." "Where is he now?" "The last I heard, he was out on bail. He attempted to intimidate Terry. This resulted in adding to the charges against him, which, I heard, really set him off again." "Is she still working for you?" "No. She actually worked for a security firm, and still works for them." "Are they aware of the threats against her?" "I don't know." Sarah very firmly said, "You should call Terry NOW and make sure she tells her office about Gary and his threats, and if you know where the ex-wife is, tell her too. He is a sociopath, and they are very definitely at risk." Nancy and Sally had turned to look at Sarah as she was talking, with a surprised expression their faces. The change in her tone surprised them. "Call her now! Please," Sarah demanded. Cynthia tried to reach Terry on her cell phone but there was no answer. Not even the answering machine picked up. "No answer and no answering machine. Strange, there was one before." "Will you try again later?" "Sure." "Cynthia, you suggested you had a new position for me?" "Yes. I would like you to consider managing the office at Three Points for us, which is my main office. It is an old established office, and has a good clientèle. Your sales record and your educational background indicate this would fit your talents quite well." "It sounds interesting. The only down side is it's distance from my house, that would make traveling back and forth quite time consuming. The only other thing I am concerned about is how I will appear to customers. It will be very difficult to make these less visible." she said, pointing to her tits. "And I am quite a bit taller than average." Nancy quickly suggested, "Why don't you stay at our place until you can sell your place, and find a new place nearer the office. That should make the move a lot less of an inconvenience. It also make the move less of a financial challenge." "Okay, we can try that arrangement." "Oh, good. Sarah would you room with me," responded Sally. "Yes. Cynthia, I would like to try the position you're offering. Actually, selling my house would be a relief, since I'm not sure I want to live there again under any circumstances. Cynthia, do you expect there to be any staff problems caused by my unexpectedly moving to this office after being gone for a while?" " I would like to start you out as my administrative assistant with significant office responsibilities, then, with time, add to the day-to-day management side to your responsibilities. Currently, I manage that office, as well as oversee the rest of our offices. As a result, neither gets done very well. This new position of administrative assistant should not cause anyone to be concerned. Doing it this way makes it a gradual change." Sarah suddenly gasped, her eyes glazed over and she became very pale. Turning to Nancy with fear in her eyes, she told her in a very firm voice, "Call Bob immediately, because Julia is in eminent danger." Nancy and Sally stared open-mouthed at Sarah. "PLEASE DO IT now, otherwise it maybe to late. Please hurry." Tears filled Sarah's eyes. Nancy called Bob, as she sensed the urgency in Sarah's command. Sarah sat there with a glassy stare, looking off into space for a sometime. Nancy, Sally and Cynthia were growing concerned, since she didn't respond to questions. After a few moments, she lost the faraway look, which was replaced with a strained smile. "Let's shop, time is slipping away." They got up to leave, but their was no disguising the shock at the sudden transitions in Sarah's mood. It showed on everyone's faces. ------- Unknown to Sarah and her friends, Gary had been plotting his revenge against Sarah, Terry and Tonia (his former wife) for sometime. His plan of revenge had started nearly six weeks earlier. After he was arrested for assaulting Terry at the office, Tonia used the information to obtain a divorce and most of his possessions. He blamed Sarah, Terry and Tonia, but mostly, Tonia for his misfortune. He was able to keep the his place in the country, but lost everything else to her in the divorce settlement. She never cared for the country, nor the dogs he raised. Tonia never liked the place and probably forgot about it during the divorce proceedings. She didn't know that the country place was a source of a considerable amount of income to him. As he stood outside the kennel watching Terry and Tonia sleep in their portion of the kennel, he reflected back on the events of the last six weeks. They didn't know that in a few hours they would be on their way to Sarah's house, for their last time together, in sex videos. His plan for revenge was about to enter its final stage. He had made it appear that Tonia had left on a cruise. Crafting a story to cover Terry's disappearance was a bit more difficult, but a hurried note to a neighbor stating that she had a go out of town on an emergency and asking her to look after her apartment, seemed to have worked. He had enjoyed the look on their faces that first morning, when they woke up naked and strapped to the bitch training benches. This was a much better idea than he had to begin with, maybe not as satisfying, but definitely more financially rewarding. In developing a plan of revenge against the three, he realized he could have his revenge, and still sell all three of them into sexual slavery for a damn good price. The money from the sale, plus that from their videos with each other and with the dogs would be substantial. He thought about selling them at an auction, but a private sale worked much better, and brought little attention to him. The buyers would be there next week to pick them up. He had the shipping crates already for them. That first morning, he watched as they struggled to get free, but before long they realized their struggle was tightening the restraints. He thought they looked good bound to those benches. It really wasn't a bench, might be better described as a rack. The head end was shaped like a tee, and ass side just had two uprights to secure their legs to. Their shoulders and chest were supported by the staff of the padded tee. Their shoulders were tied to the top of the tee. The bottom of the tee ran between their breasts, stopping just past the breast bone. A 1 inch loop of raw leather wrapped around each breast and was connected to the support with a self-tightening cinch. Their struggling had caused the cinch to tighten, squeezing their breasts so tightly they had already turned an angry reddish blue. Wrist cuffs were clipped to the end of the tee by their shoulders. A cup was positioned under their chin, to hold their head up. The ladies only had their legs to support their ass. Their knees rested on a coarse cocoa mat. An adjustable bar held their knees apart by no less than a foot, causing their cunts to gape slightly open. "Today, you will start learning the duties of your new occupation as kennel bitches," he told them, as he walked up behind them. They tried to scream when they heard his voice. "You will be performing in movies with the dogs and with each other for the next several weeks. Your films should sell very well. If you ask, we can supply free copies to your old friends, so they will know what great movie star sluts you have become." They screamed and shook their heads, but hardly any sound was heard. Fear showed on their faces, when they realized that there was no sound. Seeing the effect, he said, "Don't worry, your voice will come back when I want it to." Tears streamed down their faces. They didn't know that he had also given them a drug to make them submissive. Not that they couldn't resist, but, with the drug, compliance with any command would come faster. "Let me make it perfectly clear, if you don't cooperate and put on a good show with the dogs and with each other, then you will be featured in real S&M and torture films. They really bring in good money, but the actors usually only survive one or two films. So when we start the filming, the choice will be yours. Bitch Tonia, you will not get any warnings." "Now, let me introduce you to the features of your home." He pressed a button, and a bowl lifted up in front of them. "This bowl will make it easier for you to eat, as bitches don't use silverware or plates." With that, the chin rest lowered, letting put their mouth hang over the small cock-shaped fountain in the center of the bowl. "Slip your mouths over the fountain and suck. This will cause your food, in this case, or later, water, to enter your mouth. Try it." Neither moved their head. "Well, I suggest you eat your breakfast now, since it will be dark before your next meal. Let's try this first, for encouragement." Picking up a leather strap, he give each of them five lashes across the ass. This was then followed with two across the nipples of their swollen breasts. Their mouths went down over the fountains, and they began to suck the food into their mouth. The thick cereal milk-cum mixture flowed into their mouths and down into their tummies. The supplements it contained would assist the other changes planned for their bodies. As their tummies filled, they slowed down. He told them to eat it all, and if they failed, he still had the strap for encouragement. He waited until they finished. "I've been thinking about shaving your heads, but your movies will look better if I don't, so we will see how much trouble your hair is. You will be responsible for keeping your hair clean and neat. If you don't, it will be shaved off, and in its place you will wear a wig." "The schedule will have you awake at dawn. Breakfast from the fountain then a shower. Then, for the rest of the day, you will do everything you are told. As you were told earlier, you will participate with enthusiasm. After dinner each day, you will exercise. If I have to resort to whippings to get you to perform, then we will begin with the S&M films." "You will be filmed at all times during the day and night. Your struggles adjusting to the bench look great on film. If you comply promptly with all my requests and perform well, then arrangements can be made to make you more comfortable." Occasionally, the dogs would bark and whine while he talked. From the basket on the table he pulled two collars, which he locked around each of their necks. Putting on gloves, he then wiped cream on their cunts and asses. They immediately began to silently scream due to the burning. It just kept getting worse, until he took a hose and sprayed them down with cold water, washing all the hair away with the cream. He had taken care of the underarm hair last night. The skin around their cunts was red from irritation. He picked up a bottle of ointment and came over. Squeezing a bit on his hand, he began to rub it on the inflamed skin. It felt cool. Then it began to burn. They screamed and twisted, trying to relieve the pain. The struggles tightened their restraints more. Next, he held up a large butt plug in front of Tonia. He described where he was going to put it. She shook her head no, as he stepped behind her and slowly pressed the large dildo into to her dry asshole. She screamed at the intrusion and the pain, as the dildo stretched her asshole nearly to the point of tearing, before it slipped in to lock in place, spreading her cheeks apart. He then told her it wouldn't be long until it felt very good and laughed. Her face was clouded in fear and pain. He picked up another butt plug, and came over to Terry. She looked, fearfully, at it. She had never had anything in her ass. He told her that her's was different. It was smaller, and would provide her with a much different feeling than Tonia's. He had different plans for her and Sarah than for bitch Tonia. Stepping behind, her he covered the butt plug with gel. Then, telling her relax her ass, he then slid it into her. It slipped in easily and locked into place, slightly spreading her cheeks apart. He sat down beside Terry and stroked her tender breasts. She moaned from the discomfort he was causing. "Would you like me to release the restraints?" Looking at him with pleading eyes, she nodded yes. He released the cinch on Terry's breasts. She moaned when she felt the pain, as the feeling returned to her tits. "Now let's give you your shots." The amount he needed of the virus was quite small, so, to give it greater impact, he planned on injecting 100 mL of saline containing the virus into each of her tits, causing them to swell and ache. She watched with fear as he picked up the syringe. He pressed the needle slowly into her breast. Her eyes teared from the pain. He told her, "You shouldn't cry. This shot will cause your tits grow, like you always wanted. Where you are going, you will need bigger tits, so you have enough milk to feed the puppies or babies. You should be pleased that a friend gave me this genetic virus cocktail. The changes to your body will make you much more valuable. It's specially made for giving humans nice large tits, and also enlarging other parts of the body, naturally." She laid their sobbing, with tears running down her face. "What are these C-cup?" She nodded yes. "Well, in a few weeks you should be at least an L, maybe larger." She shook her head no. "Don't worry, these new super-sized tits won't sag, and best all they, will give lots of fresh milk for the pups and us. The milk should start in about 5 to 6 weeks." He picked up another syringe, and pressed the needle deeply into her other tit. She moaned in discomfort as she felt the needle violate her tit, then felt the cool liquid flow into her tit. The liquid caused a dull ache in her tits, along with a mild burning sensation. He massaged both tits for several minutes, in order to distribute the liquid in the tissue. He then went to Tonia's side, and roughly massaged her tender swollen tits. After pinching each nipple, he released her tits. She moaned in discomfort. Now we will make your tits larger. She looked at him pleadingly. Oh, they will be bigger than Terry's, if that is your concern. She shook her head no. He then did the same to Tonia's tits, but injected 200 mL into each tit. After he had massaged the breasts, he re-tightened the cinch, so that it would squeeze her breasts. "Now Terry, the next step for you is bigger clit and cunt lips." He knelled behind her and caressed her cunt. She wiggled around to keep him from touching it, but with her knees fastened, she couldn't move it much. He told her to hold still, or she would get more than she bargained. She kept moving. Standing, he reached over and picked up a flat, multi-layered, leather paddle. He said, "see these". As he squeezed the paddle face, a multitude of pins poked out. "Let's see if you like its feel." He tightened the cinch on her tits, and then gave four strokes on each ass check. Each stroke felt, to Terry, like she had fallen into a sticker bush Each movement caused her tits to ache. "Are you going to hold still now?" She shook her head yes. "If I have to do it again, I'll make sure you bleed and hurt for a long time. All it takes is a small twist as it hits. That way, the needles scratch and tear, in addition to what you felt. The antiseptic is vinegar solution." Her face was now flushed with fear. She pushed, spreading her knees and lowered her body, indicating her readiness. He told her that she would now get a double dose for her trouble. She held still, while he injected both cunt lips and clit. The injections caused them to swell and ache. He rubbed them both, to make sure the injected liquid dispersed in the tissue. In spite of the discomfort, by the time he quit she was dripping wet. Walking over to Tonia, he said, "Now its your turn, bitch." She started to pull away when he touched her cunt. He picked up the whip, applying several strokes to each cheek. Pausing until she stopped moving, then, with a full stroke, he slammed the pins of the paddle-face into her nipples, then quickly followed by striking the other nipple. Her tits ached both from the beating and the liquid he injected. When he felt her cunt, it was moist, pulling each lip down, he injected both lips and clit as he had done Terry's, but giving her a larger injection than the double dose Terry received. Going back to Tonia, he took a clamp and secured it to her clit. The pain caused her to scream. A small chain with a weight on one end was attached to the clit clamp. Taking a finger, he stroked her cunt, causing her lips to swell, then he dropped the weight. She was silently screaming while shaking her head and bucking. The only effect was to jiggle her swollen, cinched, tits. Each movement of the the weight caused the clamp to bite her clit harder. He came back in with several syringes, and injected each of them into Terry's tightly stretched ass. She moaned. He lashed her ass several times during the injections, using a strap to distribute the liquid into the tissue. After he gave Tonia her injections, he gave her twice as many lashes across the ass and back. Then, by wrapping the whip around her side, it smacked her swollen tits. The pain came from both sides. He placed a leather cover over their backs, after releasing the bindings on their tits, then he opened the gate to the adjoining pen and left, closing the door. As the gate closed, the support for their shoulders lowered several inches. He watched for a bit as the dogs began to sniff around the two women. They heard the soft patter of paws and, looking around, saw several large dogs in the pen with them. Most of their cocks were part-way out of their sheaths. A cold nose sniffed at Tonia's cunt, causing her to scream. Then the dog began to lick her cunt. She tried to pull away, but couldn't move. The attention of the dogs to Tonia's cunt was soon followed by another dog licking Terry's cunt. She whimpered. Even though they couldn't move their heads enough to see the dogs, they could each see what was happening to the other. Terry watched as the dog lapped at Tonia's cunt. She could see and smell the juice run down Tonia's leg. The dog's cock swelled, until it was bigger than any man she had seen. She felt the same attention being given to her cunt. Then she felt the cock jabbing at her cunt, missing several times, and then sliding down between the furrows of her dripping cunt. The second time sliding between the wet lips, it slipped into the mouth of her cunt. She was aroused. She felt humiliated from being aroused by the attentions of a dog. He drove his cock deep into her cunt, and then began to hump her. Seeing what was happening to Tonia, she knew what she was feeling. She gasped when she saw the knot l on the cock swell to the size of a small ball. The dog humping her kept trying to push the knot into the mouth of the cunt. She could feel a knot being driven against the mouth of her cunt. The pounding of the knot on her tender cunt lips hurt. Each thrust pushed the knot, spreading her cunt wider. She spread her knees to relieve the pressure and the dog slipped in. Her cunt felt very full. Once in, the dog began to hump her cunt harder and faster until he finally sprayed her insides with hot hot cum. She came when she felt the hot cum spray inside her body, humiliating her more. How could she? She began to cry. It took some time before the knot shrank enough for the dog to pull out. When it was released, a steady stream of cum ran out of her cunt and dripped off of her clit onto the mat. The air filled with the aroma of cum and sex. Watching the video feed, Gary was surprised at Terry's response to the fucking she just received. He was very pleased, as her response to the dogs would enhance the film's value. Tonia fought as best she could against the forced sex with the dogs. The dogs kept their two bitches busy till supper time, by either licking their aroused cunts or fucking them. When Gary came out to feed the dogs and bitches, they hardly knew he was there. He moved the dogs back to their area, and hosed the bitch area down, then he hosed both bitches down with cold water, startling them out of their stupor. After the dogs were fed, he came back and moved them in position to eat. While they were eating, he slid a tube up each cunt and drained the cum into a bottle. When Tonia finished, he said, "Here is your desert," while he held the end of a syringe to her mouth. She held her lips closed. She didn't move. He laid the syringe on the table and picked up a pliers and several rings. Her knees were forced further apart, causing her cunt to gape completely open. He pulled a cunt lip down between the pliers jaws, which were holding a ring. Slowly squeezing the ring closed, he pressed the piercing ring through the cunt lip, until it's ends cut through the tissue and skin to lock together. She bucked and screamed silently. When he was done she had four rings in each lip. Stepping around in front of her he asked, "Ready for dessert?" She opened her mouth. He slid the needle to the back of her tongue and flooded her mouth with the cum. She managed to drink it all without gaging, as she knew that if she lost any, it would mean more pain. He cleaned his tools up. Looking at them, he told them they would be kept restrained on the benches until the filming started. He opened the gate to dogs as he left the pen. There were tears in their eyes, as they heard the gate open. Their muscles had started to cramp from being held in one position. "Sleep well." Just before sunrise, they woke. As soon as they moved, the fountains moved into position for them to eat. They hesitated, then thought about yesterday, and then began to suck their food from the fountain. Gary arrived while they were eating, and fed the dogs. Coming back, he placed a pan underneath each, so they could relieve themselves. "This morning, you will remain where you are, so the dogs have easy access to your cunts." "This afternoon, if you seem to be cooperating, you will be released from the bench and can roam the pen. While unrestrained in the pen, you will submit to any dog that wants to fuck you, and you will submit immediately. If you, don't they will bite you until you do, just like a bitch. Your hands will be linked by a small chain through your collar. Once you start roaming the pen, you will be fed with the dogs. If you want more, you can suck them off, as well as fuck them." "Understand?" They both nodded their heads. Tonia had tears streaming down her face. Terry had a sad look on her face. Gary was surprised that the two women were so docile after only one day of continuous fucking. The drug he gave them to make them more submissive really seemed to be working. It looked like they could start filming tomorrow or the next day. Now, all he had to do was ready Sarah's house for the final chapter. The last four weeks had gone quickly. He had filmed the bitches with the dogs virtually everyday. He had taken them to various locations around the farm, and filmed them with each other and with the dogs in a variety of locations. Terry had become very easy to direct, so in many of the films she was the dominant part of the scenes. Her participation, while not enthusiastic, was willing. Better yet, she seemed to cum every time she had sex with either Tonia or the dogs. She seemed to have adapted to her situation quite readily. Tonia was the opposite, as she always seemed to resist to some extent. This required some force, in order to get her to interact with either Terry or the dogs. Even several whippings or sessions with the clamps didn't change her attitude. She never had a pleasant look on her face. It took some of the luster from the videos. Several times, he was close to using her for a S&M film. ------- Gary shook his head, bringing him back to the present. Several days ago he had left the bitches in the pen, to take care of the dogs and to exercise while he had gone over to check out Sarah's house. Just as he turned the corner, he saw a car in the driveway. Waiting until the driver left, he drove up and parked in the garage. He checked the house to make sure that none of his additions had been tampered with. That night, as he fed Tonia and Terry, he noticed Terry's body had definitely begun show its changes. Her tits were larger, and her nipples now always seemed to be aroused. Her cunt lips were now quite large, and quite obvious when she was kneeling. Her clit now stood out nearly all the time. Maybe I'll just keep, her rather than selling her, after the filming at Sarah's house. He already had a contract for Tonia, even though he told them she was difficult, they agreed to a very good fee, payable in cash, upon inspection. Over the next several days, he increased his surveillance of Sarah's house, while leaving the bitches free in the pen to enjoy the dogs. One day, he saw the cleaners come and clean the house, then, the next day, Cynthia was back. After she left, he checked the house, finding her letter. Two days later, he saw Sarah, with two other women, at the house. He watched until they went into the house, then he left. It was time to prepare the next stage of his revenge. As he was pulling away, he noticed two cars sitting along the street, which was unusual in this neighborhood. He hurried home. After feeding the bitches, he told them to sleep. He then put his camera gear in the truck and took a nap. Shortly after midnight, he woke up Tonia and Terry. He told them to get on their benches. Once in position, he replaced their butt plugs with a longer one. It had a small tassel of hair hanging from the end. Telling them to get up, he gave them each a dress and pair of shoes to put on. The dress was a very light summer dress, that buttoned down the front and was barely long enough to cover their cunts. The dildo tassels hung below the hems of the dresses. The high-heeled shoes had 6 inch heels, and laced over their feet, tying around their ankles. After they were on for only a few minutes the adhesive in the laces activated, binding their feet in the shoes. He gave each of them a small gym bag to carry to the truck. They had difficulty walking in the extremely high heels. The dildos and tassels made their presence known by brushing their legs, with each sway of their hips as they walked. It was a nice view, as he followed them out he truck. He had them sit up front in the truck with him, sitting pushed further into their ass making sitting uncomfortable. Once in the truck, he told them their dildos contained a poison and an explosive that could be activated remotely. The poison was a nerve toxin, that would immobilize them and then slowly stop their breathing. The explosive was a small explosive device that would tear them up inside, only it would be more painful but achieve the same result. The fear on their face was evident. "To avoid that, all you need to do is follow instructions. Understand?" They nodded. Arriving at the house, he tripped a bomb he had left there, releasing sleeping gas in Sarah's bedroom. He opened the garage door and quickly backed in. Then, closing the door, he slipped on his gas mask and rushed upstairs. She wasn't there. He was so pissed. As he looked around the room, he could tell several items had been removed or disturbed since he was last up there. He went downstairs and sat on the couch. His careful plans for the day were spoiled. He looked at his options. He didn't know how long Sarah would be gone. He had Tonia, Terry and his stuff here. He could film Terry using the restraints on Tonia. It was only 3AM, so they could make a couple of films, and, once the films were done, he would take both bitches back to the kennel and get them ready for the buyers to pickup. He was having doubts about selling Terry, as she was beginning to look very nice. The only problem with keeping her was that someone might recognize her. He went out to the garage. When he got there, Tonia had gotten out of the truck, and was trying to open the door. When she saw Gary, her eyes went wide with fear. He didn't say a word, just walked over to her and ripped her dress off. "I should have known not to leave your hands free." He pulled her wrists up between her shoulder blades and fastened them to the back of her collar. This caused the collar to pull tight against her throat. Clipping a leash on her collar, he turned and went back to the truck. "Terry to get the gym bags and the cat-o-nine tails out," said Gary. He watched her carefully as she followed his instructions. "Now, take your dress off. Put it in the truck, then lock the door. Now, I want you to watch her while I take some things inside and get set up for our film. If she moves, whip her with the whip until she stops moving, and whip her so it cuts." Terry gasped. "If you don't, I'll use the whip both of you." He took his cameras and other equipment into the house. When he came back, there were several bleeding whip marks on Tonia. Seeing that, he realized it was time for Tonia's final film, as she would never change, and a S&M film was worth more than the slaver had agreed to pay for her. After setting up the cameras to record the action, he hung Tonia in the living room by a spreader bar attached to her wrists. A spreader bar between her ankles kept her feet spread and just off the floor. He began her torture, with the cameras capturing every bit of it. She spent the next two hours screaming, as he worked to torment every part of her body. Terry was forced to help at first, but Gary soon decided it was better for her to be restrained. He forced her to sit on a small platform, sliding a long dry leather dildo into her cunt. Her legs were then fastened to the platform, and her wrists were tied to her ankles. He placed a lace leather bra on her, fastening it tightly around her chest. Once it was in place, he tightened the bra cup laces, to squeeze her tits. She moaned. A ring gag was placed behind her teeth, keeping her mouth open. Once Terry was positioned, he went back to tormenting Tonia with hot wax and needles. He then shaved her head, collecting her hair in a bundle. He tied the bundle with some thin leather lacing and poured Krazy Glue on the bundle, then sprinkled it with ginger and red pepper. The dildo was pulled quickly from her asshole and the hair bundle pushed in before it could close. He told her, she looked very nice bald with a tail, as he went the get another implement. ------- He stood back and watched Tonia. Her bare head hung down, as she tried to catch her breath. But every breath added more pain to her terrified mind. She could see the bundle of her hair between her legs, as it hung from her asshole. The bundle of hair burned painfully in her ass. She glanced over and saw that Terry was bound to the small table. Through her tears, she could see Terry suffering as well. As he watched Tonia, Gary realized it was time for the final act, because she would not last much longer if he continued as he had been. He took a camera and recorded Tonia's suffering. As he was contemplating how to arrange the details of Tonia final scene, Gary heard the front door handle. He smiled, thinking it looked like Sarah was arriving. He picked up a Taser, and quietly moved behind the door. ------- Julia had gone to Sarah's house ahead of Stan and the rest of the crew. Julia opened the door and walked into the house. As she closed the door, she heard a sound in the living room. She quietly moved toward the door, putting her hand in her purse. As she reached the door, she heard a painful moan. Entering the doorway, she gasped and froze at the site of the two bound women. Tonia was bound over a bench, with the a large dildo in her cunt. Her tits had turned reddish blue, from the tension of the rope weights. She could see a large clump of hair protruding from her ass. Her body was a mass of red welts and bloody cuts. She saw that Terry was bound, sitting on her heels, to a the small table. Her knees were widely spread, displaying the large dildo inserted in her cunt. A tight lace bra forced her tits to jut out from her chest. Weights hung from the nipple clamps, and was connected to the clamp on her clit, so any movement pulled on all three sensitive areas. Terry's eyes were filled with tears. She saw the other bondage equipment waiting to be used, and noticed that there was an empty table next to Terry, with a large dildo standing on it. She shivered when she realized what was what Terry had in her cunt. In those few seconds, Gary had moved behind her, saying, "Take off your clothes and join them!" The voice startled her. She turned and saw him holding a gun and a Taser. The shock was sufficient for her to come to her senses. She squeezed her phone to summon assistance, just as the Taser hit her in the stomach. She slumped, falling to the floor. As she slowly came to, she felt something cold slide across her skin, then her clothes fell away. Her mind felt like it was full of cobwebs. She felt Gary lift her and then lower her in a kneeling position. She didn't understand what he was doing until she felt the dildo at the entrance to cunt. He held her there for a moment, then pushed her down, forcing the dildo into her dry cunt. The pain cleared the cobwebs from her mind. She screamed, as the dry leather pulled her cunt as it was forced into her. Her ankles and wrists were quickly locked together, and then to the sides of the table. As she opened her mouth to speak, a ring gag was slipped behind her teeth, silencing her. She could feel her wrist and ankle cuffs. She tried to rise, and found her wrists and ankles fastened to the platform. Julia finally opened her eyes. "Well, it looks like the new kennel bitch has finally woken up. I'm glad you woke up before I started your treatments. It was nice of you to volunteer to be a stand-in for Sarah. You're just in time to watch Tonia begin her final movie scene. She has really performed well in her first torture film. I would really much rather have had Sarah here earlier, so that she could participate with these two bitches. Soon, you and Terry will be starting your new lives at a baby farm or something equally interesting." "I was going to give Sarah another dose of the genetic virus treatments, but since you have agreed to take her place, you can have it. Julia shook her head, no. He cupped her tits in his hands, "You need bigger tits anyway, to feed your babies or your new master." "With the money from the films these two bitches have made, I will have more money than I need to live quite comfortably. The amount will grow considerably after I collect the money from your and Terry's new owners. Unfortunately, you will only have a small part in this film, because shortly after we get back to the farm you will be in a crate, off to your new assignment. Hope you like rough sex, as the S&M clubs usually pay the best for untrained dungeon toys." Julia looked wide-eyed at the gentleman. She realized that this had to be Gary, from Sarah's old sales office. He was totally out of it. "You do have very nice tits, although they are not a big as Sarah's, but they will grow to be as big as Sarah's. Terry's have already started to grow, and before long she will be yielding plenty of milk. We can get your injections done now, and then we'll let you watch the preparation for the next episode of Tonia's torture video." He brought several syringes over from the table. "Now this may hurt a bit," he said, as he pushed the long needle deep into her tit. He rapidly injected a 100 mL of solution into that tit and then the other. The liquid caused a light burning sensation and swelling in her breast. Julia's eyes filled with tears. Julia shook her head in response to the pain and burning sensation. Using four other syringes, he made injections into each ass cheek. It hurt like hell, as the cool liquid spread through her ass. He then took the strap and whipped her ass where the injection was made. The pain from her ass drew her attention from the pain in her tits. She looked over and saw three more smaller syringes on the table. "There, that ought to take care of you until I can take you back to the farm. Those shots will cause you to have a rapid growth spurt. According the developer, what I gave you should increase your height at least 6 inches, widen your shoulders and hips, lengthen and arch your feet, and boost your tits to at least an M cup, with plenty of milk." Julia gasped, for she knew that she would soon look like Sarah in stature. Her eyes teared. Seeing her looking at the other syringes, Gary told her, "The next shots are for you cunt and clit. They'll make yours look like Terry's, but larger." Julia looked over to see Terry's large, swollen, labia hanging down between her legs around the large dildo. Her labia were bigger than Sarah's. ------- Julia and Terry starred at the scene before them. Gary hardly paid them any attention as he cruelly tormented Tonia. Tears ran steadily down their faces. Gary was so engrossed in the filming that he didn't hear Stan, Tom and Rusty slip into the room. Rusty gasped at the scene before him, causing Gary to turn around. When he saw Stan, he reached for the Taser. Stan quietly fired his special pistol, the projectile striking Gary between the eyes. The force of the impact made him fall back into Tonia, her head and neck took the full brunt of his fall. Her neck snapped as he fell on the knife intended for her. His fall also tripped the timing mechanism to begin the painful torture he had prepared for her. Stan quickly went to release Julia from the table. Julia moaned from discomfort, as she pulled up off the dildo, it dragged across the dry walls of her vagina, resulting in a burning sensation. She had tears in her eyes by the time she stood. He hugged her, as he helped her walk over to where Terry was being released. Each step caused her tits to bounce, causing her nipples to ache. Stan noticed her breasts were very red. He took the ring gag out of her mouth. Once the ring gag was out of her mouth, she said, "Hurry, we need to leave here quickly. Gary had set a bomb to automatically destroy the house and any evidence at the end of Tonia's torment." Rusty and Tom had released Terry from her bondage and helped her lift off of the dildo. She shakily stood, with her cunt gaping open from the large intrusion. Tom removed the strap holding the ring gag in place. She slipped it out of her mouth. Rusty turned to check on Tonia, but found her beyond any help they could give. ------- Chapter 15 "Please," screamed Terry. "She is right, we must leave NOW or we may join them. The trigger release started a timer, and I don't know how long a delay there will be before the fire starts." Terry moved toward the door, and felt the dildo in her ass. "First, please remove this dildo from my ass. Gary rigged it so he could kill me, if I didn't do as he directed. When he took the one out of Tonia he squeezed the sides to remove it." Rusty had her bend over and hold her knees. Examining the dildo, he noticed two depressions on each side. "Okay I think I see how to remove it." "Please hurry." Telling her to relax, Rusty squeezed the two indentations, and pulled the dildo out. He took it over to Gary, while Tom supported Terry. He cut a hole in the seat of Gary's pants and stuffed it up his ass. Tom and Rusty then picked Terry up and carried her, crying, out the way they had entered. Stan and Julia, whom he needed to support, were right behind them. They had just reached their van, when they heard a short retort. Turning toward the sound, they saw the house shake, but nothing else seemed to happen. Once everyone was inside the van, Stan started it and moved further away from the house, near to where Julia had left her car. Terry was laid on the stretcher in the van. They sat and watched the house for a few moments. Rusty looked at Terry and said, "I presume your name is Terry?" She nodded. "You first met Gary at a real estate office." She nodded. "How do you know?" "I'm not sure, at the moment. But, I'm Rusty and is the others are Stan, Tom and Julia." Each nodded their heads toward Terry as they were introduced. The magnitude of the events then caught up with Julia, and she began to ball. She was so distraught, she sat down on the floor and shook as she sobbed, curled up. When her legs touched her tits, she screamed in pain, and jerked them away from her chest. As she lay curled up on the floor, the scenes of what she had seen in the house kept flashing though her mind. Stan and Rusty picked her up and hugged her, carefully avoiding pressing her tits, until she settled down. Tom moved over to Terry, when he noticed the tight lacing on her feet. He tried to remove her shoes, but the knots wouldn't budge. Cutting off the knots, he discovered that the laces would still not come off her feet. The laces seemed to be bound to her skin. He pulled at the laces some more, but each time he did Terry moaned, since they pulled at her skin. "How long have you had these on?" "He made Tonia and I put them on before we left his place, early this morning. They really hurt to walk in, and they seem to be getting tighter." "Well, the laces are now pulling tightly into your skin. The only thing I can do is cut the laces. That should relieve some of the pressure." "Please, anything." He carefully cut each of the laces so that her foot wasn't cut, and releasing the laces from the shoe's sole. She sighed in relief. "I could give you a shot to ease the pain, or an oral sedative." "No. I don't think it will be safe, since he gave me some more shots today that contain a genetic virus. The first day he had us in the kennel at his farm, he gave both Tonia and I shots to alter our appearance. He claimed that the primary purpose of the shots was to give us bigger tits, wider hips, and to enlarge our cunt lips and clit. During the last two weeks my cunt lips have enlarged so much they hang loosely, and they are also much more sensitive. They are large enough that I can now feel them when I walk. After only a few steps, they swell slightly from arousal and moisten. My clit is now large enough that it stands above the hood all the time. My tits are much more sensitive and have already increased several cup sizes. So I guess, in about a month, I'm supposed to start lactating. He gave Julia shots, after he tied her to the table, to make her tits larger and alter her appearance." Julia heard her comments. "Yes, he told me that he was giving me a genetic virus treatment that would give me a growth spurt. It sounded very similar to the changes Sarah has experienced. So, it looks like I will be taller and have bigger tits, among other things." "Until today, he never said anything about a growth spurt. He didn't make the injections in your cunt lips or clit. So I guess you won't have to worry about that part. Earlier, he had let it slip that he had been giving us drugs to make us more compliant. He said they had done a good job, and, as willingly as I did things for him, I think it worked on me. It didn't seem to work as well on Tonia, but maybe he didn't give her as much. So, after all the stuff he has given me, I am not sure my system will tolerate anything else." "Good point." Just then, they heard a loud thump, followed by a loud rumble. Looking out the van, they saw the windows of the house explode, followed by billowing flames. In moments, the house was totally consumed in flames, which cast great clouds of black smoke into the sky. Within moments, fire sirens could be heard in the distance. Before the first fire engines arrived, the house had already began falling in on itself. When the fire engines arrived, all that could be done was putting out the small grass fires that had started around the house. Stan hugged Julia, being careful not to squeeze her tits. She realized she was still naked, as the cloth irritated her skin, but she was thankful she was alive. Terry looked at Stan and Julia, in envy. Seeing them comforting each other made her feel very lonely. Rusty noticed her expression, and leaned over her carefully and gave her a kiss, which startled her. As Rusty pulled back, she wrapped her arms around him, to pull him close. His shirt irritated her skin, but it felt good to wrap her arms around him. Julia asked, "How did you arrive so quickly? I pressed the emergency transmitter button on the phone just as he hit me with a Taser." "Well, we were ready to leave sooner than I expected. We were just barely on the road here when Bob called." "Bob called?" "Yes, he said Nancy had called from the mall and told him to find you immediately; that you were in grave danger. When we heard that, I almost dropped the phone when Rusty floored the van, since I hadn't fastened my seat belt yet." "How did she know that?" "Sarah told her and she was in quite a panic." "Bob was hardly off the phone before your emergency transmitter started beeping, so we just hurried faster. It was challenging to try fastening my seat belt while the van bounced around. Rusty drove the van like a sports car. I didn't think it was possible to do some of the things he did, and I certainly didn't think the van could go that fast. It was a good thing there wasn't much traffic, nor any speed traps." Terry said, "I'm certainly glad you arrived when you did. It is a shame Tonia died, but considering her condition, maybe it was best. She really had a hard time dealing with allowing the dogs to fuck her. She was bitten several times, when she did not submit to the dogs quickly enough. Gary continually reminded her that she needed to get used to the dogs, as that was training for her future life. He claimed to have an agreement to sell her to a film company, where she would be a performer, having sexual liaisons with animals in movies. She would find the dogs easy sex partners, compared to donkeys, horses or apes. He continually threatened her with being the star in a real S&M video, with an agonizing, painful, death as the finale." "He woke us up very early this morning, telling us we were going to do another film session, only this time, at Sarah's house. When we arrived, he left us in the garage, while he went into the house. He didn't find Sarah in the house, and came back in a rage. Then he found Tonia trying to leave, by opening the garage door, which redirected his rage toward her. It was so awful, and he made me help him." She started crying. Rusty said, "The way he fell into her, she probably never felt anything after that, as it looks like her neck broke when he fell on her. It will be interesting to find out what triggered Sarah demanding that Nancy call Bob. However, right now, we need to get Terry to some place where we can treat her." "Let's take her to Bob and Nancy's, since they have a small emergency clinic on the estate. Tom and I can check her over, to see if she needs more serious treatment. I'm sure that, once we are there, we can figure out how to remove these laces and shoes from her feet." Turning to Tom, Rusty asked, "Will you drive Julia's car to Bob's? I think she might get stopped if she was driving naked, and besides, she still appears to be a bit shaky." "I am very shaky." "Sure. What is the code for the alarm system?" Tom left and got into her car. As soon as he started it, he came on the radio, "I've got company." Julia said, "We had some last night, as well. Wait a minute, I have an idea." Rusty then went to the trunk of the car. He opened it, and reached in to get something out. As he pulled back, it fell and rolled under the car. He got down on to his knees to get it from under the car and, as he did, he took the transmitter off the car. Placing several items from the trunk in the van, he walked over to talk to firemen by the truck. After a few minutes, he came back to the van. Stepping in, he said, "Let's go." The two vehicles pulled out. "Where did you put it?" "It's in the tool cabinet of the fire truck. That should keep whomever it belongs to busy for a while, or, at least, not following us." "Did you tell Tom?" "No, I think he figured it out when I walked over there. Besides, the signal's strength should have decreased when it was moved to the truck." They hurried to Bob and Nancy's estate. Julia sat with Terry, holding her hand. The four of them kept watch for anyone following. They changed direction several times and split up once. They never saw anyone that appeared to be following. They made one stop at an isolated picnic area, so that Stan and Rusty could scan the vehicles, to make sure nothing had been missed. Once that was done, they headed for Bob's, calling him to let him know they were on the way. Bob met them as they arrived. Rusty and Tom carried Terry into the clinic, while Stan walked with Julia, holding her. A careful examination showed that the laces and soles were, in fact, glued to her feet. After soaking the laces and soles with a glue solvent, they slowly peeled the laces and soles off of Terry's feet, which caused her to moan. The glue was clearly an acrylate. Her feet were wiped down with more glue solvent, and then washed with antiseptic soap. By the time they were done, her feet had become very inflamed. They were then covered in gauze. They let her lie on a cot, and elevated her feet. She dozed off. Bob went to call Nancy. Stan helped Julia lay down on an adjacent cot. While he checked her over, she drifted off to sleep. ------- The four of them were nearly finished shopping for Sarah's new clothes when Nancy's phone rang. Sarah had gradually relaxed once they left the restaurant. Nancy immediately grabbed the phone. Looking at the caller's id, she said, "It's Bob," as she answered. She broke into a smile, and gave a thumbs up as she listened to Bob. They talked for a bit and then she hung up. "Bob said everything is fine, and the group is back at the estate a little worse for wear." Sarah was smiling even before Nancy started talking. She knew why Bob called. She really knew before the phone rang. She began to worry at her sudden ability to see things in other places. What they would think, when she explained how she knew? She wasn't sure she understood what her new 'abilities' meant, nor their extent. She noticed Nancy watching her closely ever since her outburst in the restaurant. They were nearly ready to pay for their purchases in this store. While shopping, Sarah had focused on her selections, and had chosen business, dress and casual clothes. Nancy and Sally were impressed with her selections. In a few cases, they bought similar selections for themselves. For personal items, they went to a womens' store that specialized in undergarments. Sarah selected several silk nursing bras and silk slips. She would have bought more bras, but, as it was, she bought all they had in stock in her size. Sally and her went to checkout, to pay for the items. Cynthia said, "Did you forget panties or thongs?" "I can't wear them." Cynthia had a questioning look on her face. "Yea, it makes life interesting, but when I get aroused I run like a faucet. The changes they made to my clit and vagina make it virtually impossible to have anything contacting them." "What?" Nancy noticed people around her listening. "Let's finish here Cynthia, and then we can talk." As they left the shop, Sarah said the last item she needed was some shoes, after which they would be done. She led the group over to a womens' shoe store. She tried on a pair of shoes, but they were way too small. She thought that was strange, but soon found that her shoe size had increased by 4 sizes, to a 14 wide. She quickly made a selection of shoes, that had heels that ranged from 5 to 6 inches. For dress, she chose tall narrow heels, but for general use, they had wide heels. She took 6 pairs of shoes to the counter to check out. Cynthia had a questioning look on her face. This time, Sally said, "Why don't you walkout to our car with us, and perhaps Sarah can answer some of your questions." Cynthia nodded, but still looked perplexed. They made their way toward the exit of the mall. Sarah whispered to Nancy and Sally that there were several women who always seemed to be in the same store they were. "We noticed, as well. How did you know we were watching?" "In part, because of Bob's instructions. Which ones did you notice?" Nancy quickly described the women that she and Sally had noticed. Sarah described two more that they had not mentioned. "Oh, those two work for us." As they moved to the exit, they noticed that the women following them disappeared into the crowd. Nancy led them to their car. Once away from the crowd, Sarah moved next to Cynthia. "Cynthia, you noticed today that some things about me are different. I'm sure you have noticed that I am lactating. My breasts are very much larger than before I was kidnapped. These changes, and several others, are the result of a treatment given to me by my kidnapper, and by another person when I first arrived at Alice's." "Because of these changes, I am unsure about how easily I can adapt to working with the public, in a normal business situation. My selection of clothes was driven, in part, by the changes made to me. My clit is very large and very sensitive, so I can only wear full skirts, or nothing at all, below the waist. My feet were reshaped, so I can only wear heels, and sometimes even 4 inch heels are uncomfortable. These changes are also the source of some of my concerns about working in your office." "The position sounds interesting and I would like to try it, however, with the increased sensitivity of my body, it might not be possible for me to continue. So, if you are willing to start this as a trial, I would like to try it. There are several things that I need to do this week, and I would prefer to wait until next week to start. Also, would it be possible for Sally to work in the office with me, for a while." "Sarah, I think that would be fine. Considering everything, I think you would be a great addition to the office. Your lactating should not cause any problems, as to the rest, I am not sure what would be involved, so I can't assess the implications. I am sure you will tell me of any difficulties you have, so that we can have an opportunity to work them out. Why don't we plan on you starting a week from tomorrow? If that is not enough time, let me know, and we can work out another date. If you need Sally to be there for a while, I think I can figure something out that will be beneficial to all three of us." "Thank you. Let's start on that basis. Right now, I don't see any problem with starting a week from Monday. I may try to visit your office later in the week, to see it, and, perhaps, meet some of the people in the office." "Fine. Just call me before you come, as I should be there when you come in." Sarah noticed that they were approaching the same kind of car, but they were in a different part of the lot. She looked questioningly at Nancy, as she opened the trunk. Nancy shook her head slightly, quickly silencing any comment. They said good-bye to Cynthia and got in the car to leave. As they pulled out, Nancy told Sarah, "Yes, we changed vehicles. Some things have happened since this morning, but, for some reason, I think you already are aware of what." "Nancy, when we get back, we need to sit down with Bob. There are some changes occurring within me that I don't fully understand. A major change seems to have occurred this morning. I have to admit, I suspected some of this before today, but today confirmed some things I have observed, and, at the same time, things rose to a new level. Sally should be there as well, but we need to do it where we are assured it is secure." "On another note, I hope it was okay to ask for Sally to work with me in Cynthia's office for a while." "We can discuss everything at the estate, as we have another conference room behind the office. You are aware that Julia, Stan and his crew are at the estate. I'm sure we can spare Sally to work with you, for a while." "Yes. Do you know how Julia is?" This drew a strange look from Sally. "She is shaken up but otherwise okay. Both she and Terry are in much better shape physically than you would expect, considering what they have been through. Mentally though, Bob is concerned, particularly for Terry." "I would like to keep the initial chat to just you, Sally and Bob. We may want to share the discussion's content with them later, but I would like to start with just the four of us. Hmm. There may be one other we need to include. Also, it would help our discussion if I can meet the others before we gather for the discussion." "That will be fine. But who else?" "I'm not sure. I just have a feeling he will be at your house. After we discuss the new changes in me, we can discuss what happened at my house with the whole group." "What? How do you know?" She shrieked. "That's what we need to talk about first. However, based on your reactions, it's not safe to talk while you're driving and Bob isn't here. I have not been holding back with any of you, even though it may appear that way. Please be a patient with me, for a bit." ------- Bob met them as they arrived at the house. He opened the door for Sarah and helped her out. "Wow!" He was amazed at how much better she looked in her new clothes. He didn't think it was possible. He could see a light in her eyes that had not been there last evening, nor this morning. He thought, "God, what a woman!" Nancy and Sally stood to either side of Bob, who was watching the expressions on their faces, while keeping Sarah trapped between them and the car. Both Nancy and Sally smiled as they watched the interplay between Bob and Sarah. "Sarah, you certainly stirred things up this morning and, in some ways, I am very glad you did. Otherwise, I'm not sure what would have happened to Julia and Terry," said Bob. "I think I can understand your shock. This morning was a shock to me, as well, and it took me some time to sort out how to handle it, while Nancy called you. There have been some things evolving within me that I haven't told anyone about. This was because I saw no reason to and because I didn't know how to describe them. Before this morning, they weren't as noticeable, but now they are quite apparent to me. It now seems especially important for me to share what I understand about the recent changes in me. This is especially important since Nancy, Sally and you have done so much for me. Some of these changes scare me, as I am not aware of any place to get assistance in understanding them. I am scared to share this secret. This is, in part, because you may not believe me, or worse, you may never want to see me again. If this gets beyond this group, someone may want to lock me in a room to study, as if I was a lab rat." Sarah visibly shivered as she said the last. Bob saw her sincerity. He reached up, taking her in his arms and hugging her. Both Nancy and Sally circled them with their arms. "Okay, let's go talk. I can not think of anything that would cause us to send you away." "First, I would like to meet with those that went to my house for just a moment, then we will go chat. Nancy said you had a special, secure, conference room we could use." "Yes, we do. We can reach it through the house." Bob led the way into the house. Sarah was introduced to Terry and Tom. She told Julia she was glad she wasn't hurt. She asked Terry if she was okay. Terry just nodded, and her eyes were brimming with tears. Just then, Rusty walked back in to the room. He and Sarah stood and stared at one another. It was as if the world stopped when their eyes connected. As soon as their eyes locked together, their minds connected. The world around them disappeared into a fog. Physically, they walked quickly toward one another, while mentally they were already joined, but waiting. When they each reached out and grasped one another's hands, the contact of their hands was electrifying, as they tightened their grip on each other. Their thoughts opened to one another, and they saw the other's thoughts as if they were their own. It took them a few moments to find a way to manage the jumbled and intertwined thoughts so that they could find the meaning to them. The look on their faces was serene, but it hid the turmoil inside their minds as they joined their thoughts together. Everyone else just stood and stared at them, in awe at their beauty. It was a strange sight to see the way they reacted to one another, and the way they stood holding each other's hands while they stared into the others eyes. Physically, they were a very good match for each other. They could almost be twins, as much as they resembled each other. "Hi Rusty. I am Sarah." "Yes I know. I have been actively aware of you since this morning. But, I think it really has been longer than that, much longer. Even in my wildest dreams, did I think you would be so beautiful." "You are handsome yourself. You act like you have talked like this before. I find it hard to believe there is someone else to exchange thoughts with while speaking." "But, we haven't spoken a word." "Oh. So you have done this before." "Never in these circumstances. They are concerned about us." "No. I think they are concerned about me, as I alerted Bob about Julia's danger." "Yes, that is true. But soon they will know about me, you and us as well." "Us? Yes, I like that. I am going to open up to them about my abilities, and their unknown limits. In a real sense, I have not been aware of them very long, and every moment I seem to learn a bit more about my abilities. You seem to know these people better than I, do you think they will understand?" "Yes. Your abilities appear to be stronger than mine in several aspects. But, I don't know that I know them better than you. If they turn you out, which I don't think they will, I will go with you, for I feel an almost inseparable bond to you." He pulled her into his arms, wrapping them tightly around her. Their lips met as they softly kissed, expressing the emotional bond they had already felt. Both of them were shaken by their shared emotions, and felt the bond between them grow as their kiss continued. They stepped back from each other, feeling extremely content. There faces glowed. "I do not want to leave your presence ever again. God, I sound like some love-struck teenager, but I can see you understand. I have never felt so close to anyone before, ever, and in such a short time." "He hugged her again. I agree. But we need to set this aside for a short time." "You understand how I want to do this?" "Yes, I saw and it should work just fine. I can see that you saw what happened to Julia through her eyes." "Yes, and just now, I saw some of Terry's memories. I don't like looking at other's memories, but this time I thought the risk of their wrath was worth it. As you have already found, my memories are readily available to you and you are welcome to be in my mind any time." "I would like that, and you can do the same with me." "We should join them again." She kissed him again, lightly. Holding Rusty's hand, she turned toward the group. "We need to go chat now. Today seems to be full of surprises. The most recent one was meeting Rusty in person." Bob told Julia, Stan, Terry and Tom that they had some things to review with Sarah first. "Bob, Rusty will be with us, as well," spoke Sarah. Bob looked at her, opened his mouth to speak, but then stopped. He then said, "Julia, Tom, Stan and Terry, we are going over to the company conference room. I will send Sally to get you in a little bit. Please make yourselves at home." "Did you do something to him?" "I don't think so. But I did think rather forcefully about having you come with us." "Interesting. Have you tried influence anyone with your thoughts?" "Not that I am aware. It really wouldn't be fair in normal circumstances." "I agree. By the way, did I tell you that you look much better in person. Just rubbing shoulders with you while we walk turns me on." "Me too, my cunt is starting to leak down my leg. Please tame your sexual thoughts until we get through this, or we may not make it through the discussion." "Okay, this time. I sense it is important to both of us to at least cuddle, and soon." "Yes." Bob and Nancy led the way to the back of the house. Sally followed Sarah and Rusty. On the way to the conference room, Rusty and Sarah continued to share their memories, which caused them to become distracted from time to time. Some part of them was touching the whole time. The five of them went through a door of the office. Sally secured the door. With that, a second door opened into a hall. The hall led them deeper into the side of the hill. They walked quietly down the long hall to the conference room. Each took a place around the table, so they could see one another. "Why did you bring Rusty?" "Because he is like, a part of me." "What do you mean?" Bob's face showed a puzzled expression. "The answer is not simple, and it will take some time to put it into context. For many years, I have been able to understand, or sense, other peoples emotional feelings, to some extent. I have always treated it as intuition. It was a big help to me when I did nude dancing, because I could tailor my routine to what the audience was feeling." "Then, when I worked in real estate sales, it was very helpful, as I could divine the customers feelings about what they were seeing. This let me guide them toward what they were looking for, either in a residence or commercial building." "Then Liz came along, and treated me with something she referred to as a genetic virus. After that first time, I seemed to sense others thoughts, but they were never clear, and usually I could only sense those of people who were very close to me. The second treatment seemed to strengthen that ability. Enough so that several times, when I was at Alice's I thought I knew what others were going to say before they spoke. A couple of times, I almost answered before they spoke. So, only when I began to carefully watch their faces when I could see their thoughts did I realize I was 'hearing' their thoughts just before they spoke." Bob, Nancy and Sally looked amazed. "You can see our thoughts without us speaking?" "Yes, sometimes, but it seems to becoming easier for me to see those thoughts as you speak. At the moment, the only person I can fully exchange thoughts with is Rusty. When I saw Rusty, it was like a gate opened, and our thoughts joined, virtually instantaneously. The strength of the connection increased when we touched hands back in the house, it was like we were of one mind and yet each had their own thoughts. I am ecstatic to now know that I am not a freak, which I was beginning to think I was, until Rusty and I connected. Now I know that this is not the case. Meeting him has opened the window, so to speak, to a new world. We are concerned you will want us to leave immediately." "Why do you think we would turn you two out?" "Because we think that, with time, our abilities will grow, letting us read other's thoughts more easily. With more time, this could even extend to being able to see memories, as well as thoughts. But, at this time, we don't know the extent of these capabilities, nor their limitations. These conclusions are reasonable, IF what is written in science fiction has a basis in reality. Needless to say, we don't want this information to leave this room, for a number of reasons. We suspect we will need to share the knowledge with Julia, Stan, Tom and Terry. We expect these abilities could make you very uncomfortable, over time, about being around us. I went to great lengths to hide the onset of this ability, or affliction, when I stayed with Alice and Judy, even though I wasn't sure what it was." "When I first met Jill and Janet, even though they were applying the treatments Liz ordered, I knew they meant me no harm or injury. No, I was certain. In fact, their concern about what they were told to do was very evident in their emotions and actions. Then, luckily, Alice stumbled on to what Liz was doing. Did I prod her to find me? I don't know. Alice, with Judy's help, broke the chain of events Liz had planned for me. I wonder what Jill or Janet would have done if Alice hadn't intervened." "Anyway, I could sense Alice and Judy would help me through whatever Liz and the others had done to me. I also felt that they would attempt to keep all of us safe. As we stayed together, our affection grew into a very deep, abiding, love between all of us. The subsequent events at Alice's also brought us all closer together, and, thankfully, also brought us together." "In hindsight, I could tell my abilities were growing, but I was very concerned that, through these new abilities, I would inadvertently hurt one of them, or that if they knew, they would be uncomfortable around me." "And there have been a few times where it looked to me like my thoughts influenced someone else. Like a few minutes ago, when I told Bob that Rusty was joining us." "I love you all very much. I have not tried to let thoughts of my feelings for you to influence how you feel about me, or to let my abilities direct your actions. What I do see in all of you is that you love, or care a great deal, for me, and also for one another. As an observation, that perhaps applies to all of us, we should make more of an effort to share how deeply you care for one another. You share your feelings with one another a lot, but it could be more." "I have always been very careful about forming friendships. I suspect it was intuition, but now, I suspect, my latent abilities may have somehow been the reason. They are more apparent now, and I don't know the reason. However, this increase in my abilities to see other's thoughts makes it more difficult to be close to someone, and also easier, because you can see other's feelings." "Rusty will most likely second what I have just said. But I don't know how well he can read other's thoughts, except for mine. He is the first person with whom I actually felt like we were of one mind. Within just a few moments of knowing him, our minds seemed to merge. and with that, I gave him permission to access all my memories. Actually this is something we did together. We don't understand why we did it so quickly, but it feels right. I don't think we can do the same to others, unless they also 'mind speak'. Besides, I wouldn't want to, unless someone said I could, or it was an emergency." "Oh, I'm repeating myself." "I can see/feel Sarah's thoughts as she is speaking to you, in addition to hearing them," said Rusty. "From the three of you, I can only sense your feelings. These I see as each of you greatly caring for each other, much as Sarah expressed it. I can also feel that you would be very concerned about our safety if we left. To me, that is a sign that you care very deeply for both of us. This is probably because you are thinking of us, before considering the implications of us being around you." "This morning I saw what was happening to Julia through her eyes, from, I think, the first moment of her encounter with Gary. That has never happened to me before. What I saw scared the hell out of me. I think I recognized what was happening before she did." Rusty's eyes widened. Sarah turned to him. "It's happened to you before, hasn't it." He just nodded. Tears leaked from his eyes. "You couldn't get there in time to save them that time, could you?" He nodded yes. The silent tears flowed from his eyes, as the other event replayed in his mind, and then again seeing it again as it played out in Sarah's mind. Sarah went and sat on his lap and held him. She had tears in her eyes, as he relived past events. "Rusty, you can't blame yourself for what happened then, nor what happened today. You did everything you could. I know you need to hold on to those memories, but don't let them control you. You may want to do with those what I did with what I saw today. Look, you should be able to see how they are isolated." "Yes." As he looked, he saw a glimpse what Julia had seen. "Oh my God." "You didn't need to look at them. I know they are ugly." Then, turning to Bob, he asked, "Do you know what happened to Gary's wife?" "No. Julia just said it was terrible, and started crying. Terry wouldn't talk about it very much, at all. When we asked, she would tell us a few general things, but then became very quiet and pale, after which she would usually cry again." ------- Chapter 16 "Well, Rusty just saw what I saw. So let me try to give you an idea of what Gary did. The first part of this is from Terry's memories. Yes, I peeked, but I thought this situation warranted it. I want to assure you that I have been avoiding looking at other's thoughts, but, to some extent, it is very difficult. Again, looking at other's memories is something I don't intend to do, unless the person gives me permission. In this case, because of my peeking, there won't be a need to for Julia and Terry to describe their experiences." Bob, Nancy and Sally both nodded. She shared the information she had obtained from Terry's memories relating to Gary's treatment of the women. She told of the events up till Julia entered the house. She stopped, as Bob, Nancy and Sally were quite green. All had tears in their eyes. Nancy and Sally's tears were flowing down their cheeks. Bob said, "How can you describe this?" "I am treating it as if I am reading a book, and, with some difficulty, isolating it from the rest of my mind. Also, I feel it must be shared. This way we won't need to quiz Julia or Terry about what they saw. However, do you want me to continue? It gets worse before it ends." "I guess we need to know what they saw, rather than speculating. But it is so awful, it is hard to imagine someone doing this for any reason." Sarah continued; the emotion again had left her voice as she described how Gary had prepared Tonia's final torture scene until the time Rusty, Stan and Tom had entered the room. She turned to Rusty. "That is what you saw, isn't it." He nodded. Sally and Nancy's tears continued to stream down their faces. "Rusty, can you see the memories in my mind? He nodded yes. See how I managed to isolate them. I am speaking so they have an idea as to what we are doing. Now try it yourself." As he did it, the pained look disappeared from his face, and he relaxed. He reached over to Sarah and pulled him to her. He kissed her firmly, then pulled back. "Thank you." Sarah squeezed him. She could see the light by in his eyes now that the pain was isolated. He had placed these horrible memories into a mental vault. Then, turning to Bob, Sarah continued, "The reason I wanted to meet everyone before we talked was that I wanted to see what state of mind Julia was in. It was a surprise to see how well she is doing, but Terry is a much more difficult problem. If we don't do something soon, she will probably loose her mind or commit suicide as a result of what she saw and did during the time she was in the kennel. It is a secondary reaction to the drug that removed her will to resist, while her mind knew she should." "Yes, I did a bit more than peek at her memories while we were in there. I think Rusty and I can help Terry tame her demons. I suspect she will recover and be a stronger person. It would not be surprising if there are some residual scars." "What do you want to do about us? This needs to be resolved before we go further." "I'm not trying to distract you, but do you realize that we have been back here almost an hour?" said Bob. "Oh my, I didn't think it would take this long." Sarah looked amazed at the lapse of time. "In many ways, it has seemed like a life-time" "Sarah and Rusty, I think Nancy and Sally agree with me about wanting both of you to stay with us for as long as you feel comfortable. We will not force you away from us. Your abilities will take some getting used to." "Let me rephrase what I just said, for my part, I will do everything I can to keep you here with us. I think Nancy and Sally feel the same way, but I should not speak for them." They nodded their agreement as he spoke. Nancy and Sally spoke together, confirming that they supported Bob comments fully. They then laughed at themselves for speaking in stereo. "Now, on a lighter note, I know you were very intent on telling us about this, but did you know you are leaking on your new clothes? As for your new clothes, I was distracted earlier and didn't compliment you on them. So I want to tell you now that, from what I have seen of your new clothes, you look fabulous. Based on what you are wearing, you made some very good selections that enhance your already very good looks." Sarah blushed at the compliment. "Thank you. Before we send for Julia, Terry, Tom and Stan, you should know that I suspect both Sally and Nancy may have abilities similar to Rusty's and mine. Whether the others do or not, I don't know." "Sally, as soon as you can, why don't you go get Julia, Terry, Stan and Tom and bring them back here. You need to freshen up before they see you. Nancy, you need to do the same. I think everyone needs to know what is going on. Are you okay with that, Sarah?" "Yes Bob, but I need my breast pump as well, Sally. Also, we shouldn't press them for the details of their horrible experience." "Why don't Rusty and I take the pressure off your breasts while she is getting everything? You know we haven't had the opportunity yet. Based on the satisfied smiles I have seen, your milk must taste great." Sarah smiled, and said, "I think I would like that," as she slipped her blouse off. Rusty and Bob released the flaps on her nursing bra, letting her milk-laden tits swell through the openings. She now realized how overly full her tits were. She then unhooked the bra, and slipped it off her shoulder, because it was soaked. Bob took a quick suck on a nipple, which filled his mouth with sweet milk. Pulling back, he said, "Nancy and Sally you don't need to hurry." That brought laughter from all the women. It also lightened the mood in the room considerably. ------- Sally and the others soon returned to the conference room. Julia said, "Interesting discussion you have going on there." Everyone laughed. Rusty and Bob stopped suckling. "Well, she needed relief, and, this time, we were available," said Bob. "Yea, right, you've been drooling over her ever since you met her at Alice's," said Nancy. "Well, how can you not drool over her. Pretty face, nice lips, lovely eyes, long legs, nice cunt, big clit, nice big tits with lots of milk and best part she is extremely smart. What's not to like?" Everyone laughed and nodded their heads in agreement. Rusty and Sally said together, "I'll second that." They then looked at each other and broke up laughing. Soon everyone had settled down, and the somber events of the day weighed on the room. "Sarah, I don't understand how you did it, but I will be forever in your debt for sounding the alarm," said Julia. Sarah's eyes teared up for the first time, and she then said, "My preference would be that it had never happened." "I agree, but how did you know?" Sarah looked at Bob. He nodded. "Well, when you entered that house our minds connected, and I could see everything around you. If I hadn't been surprised, maybe I could have warned you about Gary." "What?" "Yes. Even though I was several miles away at the mall, I was startled when I saw your surroundings, and I felt your fear and heard your thoughts. It was like I was there with you. It took me a bit of time to get orientated and alert Nancy. Then, I had to find a way to control the 'connection', so it did not overwhelm me. You see, recently I have found a growing 'ability' to 'see' other's thoughts. I didn't want to break the connection, for fear of how it might effect you. This was the first time I saw another's surroundings. I now think you have a similar ability, but for one reason or another you haven't noticed it yet." Rusty spoke Julia, "Sarah and I can exchange, or 'see', each other's thoughts. It's like carrying on a conversation without speaking. That is what you saw earlier in the house, when we first met. Something else has also occurred between us. We know it's there, but we have been to busy to try and understand, or explore it, until now." You're right. Of everyone, I think she will be the first to find these abilities. Julia, I looked at your memories a few minutes ago, to see how today affected you. I want to apologize for invading your privacy without asking, but I was very concerned about you. "Oh I understand why you would look at my memories, and no apologies are needed." Everyone looked at her open-mouthed. Julia looked around, not understanding their looks. Julia, relax. We shared our thoughts to you without speaking, and you answered verbally. I am still sharing my thoughts with you. Rusty is there too. Can you see our thoughts? Julia glanced between the two, and then nodded. She looked at the others, seeing their concern. "Don't worry, we were just sharing thoughts for a moment, and I didn't realize it." Everyone else had an amazed look on their face. "How do the rest of us know this?" Julia said, "Sarah apologized for looking at my memories regarding the events of today, and she expressed her concern for me. Then I responded verbally, which you all heard." Sarah said, "Rusty and I will try to keep this discussion on the spoken level. It is probably wise for us to tell you that we have granted each other full access to each other's memories. We don't know much about the way it works, nor the limit of these abilities or even if we can limit them." Looking at Rusty, she continued, "It is a topic we will be studying after this meeting is over. We promise to keep all of you apprised about what we find." "Sarah," Terry said, "you looked at my memories when I met you, didn't you." "Yes, I did. I felt it was important to know how you were doing, and how you fit into this mess, beyond what I had been told. My apologies for looking without asking first. You and Julia are the first people that I ever felt a need to try it with. You probably are not aware of my trials and tribulations over the last 6 months or so, but I will share the information with you, if you ask. The reason I bring it up now, is that those events have brought me a few more very dear friends, and I am a bit less reluctant to peek if it looks like it could affect my friends' security. So again, I am sorry..." "Hold it! I am not mad or angry with you. I didn't know what it was at the time, but from what I know, now it makes sense. It didn't hurt and instead left me feeling wanted and relaxed. It is a much nicer feeling than feeling dirty and tense. It seems I should offer to serve you forever as your handmaiden, after your rescuing me from that mad man." Sarah and Rusty stared, open-mouthed. "Guys, close your mouths. I am not sure we can share our thoughts, but I could feel Sarah's concern for me. The shocking part was that I had never seen you before tonight. I know I had no control over what happened. I felt humiliated, especially when the dogs fucked me one after another, for, it seemed, like hours on end. I was even more humiliated, because I had an orgasm nearly every time they pumped cum into me, if not once, then several times. Even after my cunt was sore, I still got aroused, and came when the hot cum was sprayed in my cunt. It makes me feel like I should be in a kennel or cage, servicing whatever animal wants me to suck them or to fuck me. Maybe Gary was right that I was just perfect to be a good bitch for dogs. He even got me to dominate Tonia for some of the videos he forced us to do. In everyone of the videos, I came several times. Gary had me suck and fuck everything in the place several different ways. Every cum made me feel so good, better than any other time. I can't get over the fact that I enjoyed the fucks." She began to cry. "So what's wrong with me?" Sarah and Rusty pulled her, lifting her out of the wheel chair, and then embraced her between them. She tried to pull away, but they wouldn't let her. The two began to kiss and caress her. Before long, she was breathing heavily and was very aroused. Her cunt was leaking moisture down her leg, as her odor drifted around them. "Please, why are you doing this? I'm just a dog's slut. Don't dirty yourselves." Together, they said, "We don't think that at all. Everyone in here would take a tumble with you, if you wanted them to. We all see you as a very lovely woman, both inside and out. Your body is just telling you that you are a very sensual person, and need to find the right mate or mates. Please let us help you deal with your memories and your feelings." They continued to caress her, as she slowly settled down. "You may be a bit submissive, which is why part of you enjoyed the forced sexual situations." Terry pulled back a bit, and starred at Sarah in shock. "I think I will be okay for now. Thank you, I think you helped some." They let her sit back down, taking the load off her sore feet. "I don't feel quite as worthless as dog shit as I did a few minutes ago." Sarah had not dressed when everyone had come in, so with all the hugging, she had leaked on Terry's tee shirt. Noticing her milk-soaked tee shirt, "Wow, looks like we've started a new kind of wet tee shirt contest. Sarah, can I have a taste from the source?" "I guess so, but only a little bit for now, but only if you don't make negative comments about yourself." She bent over, so that Terry could suckle on her breast. After a while, she suckled on the other nipple. "I think that is enough for now." "It tastes so good, I can see why Bob and Rusty were busy when we arrived." Sarah looked at Rusty, and then asked, "Sally do you think Terry can join us and Rusty in our bed tonight?" "I think that would be great. But I didn't know about Rusty." "He already agreed besides he is not leaving my side for a long times if I have my druthers." "Don't worry, I have no intention letting too much space get between us." He hugged Sarah to him. "You don't need to do that," said Terry. "We know but we want to. After all you nearly pledged yourself to me as a handmaiden and I know you know what that means. So tonight could be sort of a test drive." Terry looked uncertain. "I am kidding. Well, at least partially." Bob spoke up, "We need to get this discussion back to its original purpose, and be careful about kidding. We originally were going to discuss today's events at Sarah's house." The sadness returned to Julia and Terry's faces. "Sarah told us what went on before you were rescued, based on her reading your memories. I would hope that you would put it out of your minds, because hearing it was terrible and very distressing. If either of you want to say anything, you are welcome to but please don't feel it is necessary." Both Julia and Terry nodded their heads, indicated that they had nothing to say. Julia said, "Sarah, I am so sorry that you saw the awful things he did to Tonia. But again, I am very thankful you did. I am afraid to think about where we would have ended up, if the guys had not arrived." Tears flowed down her cheeks. Stan hugged her tightly. Terry's eyes had tears in them. as well. Sarah leaned down and pushed her nipple into Terry's mouth, as she whispered, "Here, this should make you feel better." "Stan, would you give a brief synopsis as to what's happened since you left your house, so that Nancy, Sarah and Sally are aware of the events." Stan quickly summarized the events. The one thing that puzzled everyone was where the tracking device came from, as there were no other cars around. Bob said, "Sarah, Nancy and I would like you to move in here on a permanent basis, unconditionally. I hope that you will help out when we have guests. Before Rusty arrived, I had thought about converting the two back bedrooms to some kind of an apartment for you and Sally. With some modifications, we can change that to include Rusty. Would that be acceptable to the three of you, or am I presuming too much?" Everyone looked at Sarah, while she looked at Sally and Rusty. Both of them nodded. Grinning, she said, "Yes, it is presumptuous, but I think we would like to try it. I'm not sure but we may only need one bed, preferably a large one." With that, everyone laughed. "Okay. The other thing we need to continue with is last night's discussion as to who else is interested in Sarah. Someone was tailing her last evening, and then there was a tail today at the mall. After today, I think we can attribute the cameras to Gary, or Gary and Joe. I wouldn't write that in stone, though. I called Frank, to see if he could find out anything from Joe. Frank said Joe wouldn't be able to help any one. Apparently, his girl friend did a number on him. Most of you know she castrated him, and replaced his nuts with hollow steel spheres, in addition to which, she gave him a large set of natural-looking tits. With all the drugs she pumped into him, plus her treatment of him in the dungeon, he doesn't even know his name. His sole activity is to follow her around like a puppy, whenever she is free. Right now, she is locked in a dungeon cell, suspended while straddling a horse. She severely injured an important visitor, and is scheduled for punishment. The visitor will probably not recover. Although the members haven't decided yet, she will either spend a long time serving members in the dungeon or, what is more likely, host a barbecue where she will watch as her limbs are severed and cooked." Everyone gasped. "There are several more steps at the end of the party, which will be even more painful. Frank said this happened only once before, but after what she did, he was surprised the members are waiting for a formal punishment." "Frank agreed with me that, based on Gary's comments to Julia and Terry, he may have sold a contract obligating Sarah to baby production facility. With the physical changes to Sarah, her contract as a baby-maker would be very valuable. He said he would see if he could find out who the contract was with and try to cancel it. He did not have much hope, given the circumstances." Sarah said, "Oh, my God?" Rusty hugged her. "Whatever happens, I am always be with you, if you wish." "Bob, today, when we were with Cynthia, I felt she was holding back something. I didn't feel she was a threat to us, but there was something there." "Okay, I'll have some people look in to it. As for the rest of the arrangements, I propose that Stan and Julia move their operations here. Terry, I know you have no relatives near-by that you could stay with until you are mobile again. Actually, we would like you to stay until you recover, or longer, if you want." Terry pulled her head from Sarah's nipple. "I don't have any known relatives and I also have very few friends because of my work hours. After what I have just told you about how I behaved in the kennel, I am surprised you want a dog's bitch around." She began to cry again. Sarah slapped her shoulder. "Don't stay that about yourself. You had no choice." Terry opened her mouth to speak and Sarah pushed the other nipple into her mouth, holding her head tight to her breast. "Suck, you will feel better." Julia looked at Stan. "Stan, after what I saw today, I don't want us to make any more bondage equipment. We always thought that it would be used between caring adults, and we were careful about who we sold to. Some of the stuff that Gary had, we made, and it was horrible to see the manner in which it was used. At the same time, I don't know how we can cover the loss in income. The bondage equipment provided a lot of money for us." Turning to Bob and Nancy, she continued, "We would like to stay until I am fully back on my feet, but we need to talk about all the implications, before we decide to make it more permanent. I am not sure how I would fit into your operation, and I suspect Stan has the same concerns, even though we have worked together at times. So we really appreciate the offer, but let's approach this slowly. I have to admit, the more I think of it, the sweeter it feels." Stan nodded his agreement. "Tom, you are welcome to stay as well, but I know you have commitments beyond your commitment to us. The fact you work for Stan and Julia precludes us from attempting to hire you away from them. We will continue to offer you opportunities to assist us as needed, so you should not worry about these changes affecting you." Nancy said, "Let's go get cleaned up. By the time we are done, the cooks should have dinner ready. Over dinner, we can plan tomorrow's activities. Before dinner, Sarah should call the police about the house and also call her insurance agent. The police will be interested in talking to her, I'm sure. Sarah, tell them a friend of yours saw the fire and figured they would want to talk to you." "Bob, you wanted me to have a complete physical tomorrow, correct," said Sarah. "Yes." "We haven't talked about the injections Terry and Julia were given by Gary." "Oh," said Julia, "I forgot about that due to everything that has happened, and I don't feel any pain." "Did we miss something in our review?" said Bob. "I guess we did, some of us knew but perhaps not everyone. Gary injected my breasts and ass with a substance he claimed were additions to the genetic virus that Sarah and Terry had already received. This raises a question, was he more involved with Samantha and Liz than we expected, or is it just coincidence." "Good questions," said Bob, "but, I am not sure how to answer them, nor where we can get answers. Julia and Terry should go with Sarah and Sally tomorrow for a physicals. It will probably be too early to see any response to Julia's treatment, but it will be good baseline information. Okay?" "Sure, I think Stan and the rest of the team can manage without me for a day." "One more thing," said Nancy, "some of you have stayed here before and others are new. House dress is whatever you want to wear, you can go all the way from nothing to dressy. It should be whatever you are comfortable with. If you leak, please sit on a towel." That brought giggles. "That goes for men, as well." This lead to even more laughter. "Also, we have two children that will be back next weekend from visiting relatives. Joyce is 16 and Adam is 18. Both are sexually active and aware of the dress code in the house. If you are here when we have guests, we dress more conservatively until we know the guests. We will warn you when we need be more conservative. So, if you want to go nude, go for it. The other item is that all inter-adult activities are mutually consensual. I know all of you know that, but nonetheless, it needs to be said." "Oops. I almost forgot one item," said Bob. "To make security easier to manage, most of our residents wear an RFID device. I would like to give each of you one as soon as you get cleaned up. This will hurt a bit, because it will require insertion under the skin, behind your ears." "So that's how the gate opened for Nancy," said Sarah. "Yes, that is a part of it." Everyone was quiet for a bit. Terry pulled away from the nipple she was still suckling, and spoke up, saying, "Well, that couldn't hurt anymore than the other pains I was subjected to today." Everyone laughed. "Sarah, suckling your milk is so relaxing and is very addictive, can I have some more later?." That added to the laughter. ------- As they left the conference room, Sarah picked up her milk-saturated new clothes. "I'm sure glad I bought washables." Rusty and Sally hugged her. The contact felt good. Rusty was walking down the hall slightly behind Sarah. Sally pushed Terry's wheel chair. Rusty admired the sway of her ass as the four of them walked together, her long legs encased in stockings and garter belt. He was getting aroused just watching her walk. Then he heard, "Are you enjoying the view?" It startled him. he then thought, to Sarah, "Yes, every bit of it, in fact I can't wait until after dinner." And what do you think will happen then. We can cuddle. Sure, if you want. Oh, I want. Can't you see me dripping on the floor? He stepped up and slid a finger in her cunt. He found it dripping. "Oh my, how soon is dinner over?" He put his wet finger in his mouth and licked it clean. Not soon enough for me. Sarah, Rusty, Terry and Sally went to their room. They helped Terry into the shower and then helped her wash up. After helping her dry and returning her to the wheel chair, they quickly took a shower, even with all the groping. Their laughter had an uplifting effect on Terry, while she waited for them to finish. When they stepped out of the shower, Rusty and Sarah immediately noticed Terry's change in mood. "You look like you feel better." "Yes, listening to you three have fun in the shower was very refreshing. I would have loved to have participated. Hope you didn't mind me waiting, because I don't have anything to wear." "You look great just the way you are." Rusty and Sally nodded vigorously, showing their agreement with Sarah. "Why don't we just put on light robes, and leave it at that." "Do you think we could find time to get some of my clothes?" Sally said, "I am sure we can find some clothes here to carry you until Wednesday, and we should have time to do it then. You need to talk to Bob and Nancy about how to handle your apartment while you are here." "I will be sure to discuss it later, or after we return tomorrow." Sally got each of them a short robe. They barely covered everyone, except Sarah. The hem of her robe was well above her cunt. Sarah blushed when she looked in the mirror. Rusty said, "Very nice." Both Terry and Sally nodded in agreement. "Well, your cunts don't show, like mine." Sally quickly adjusted hers and Terry's robes. "Now they do." They all laughed, and then hugged one another. They returned to the media room, and found that the local evening news had just started. Sarah's house fire was the feature story. Fire officials were puzzled as to how it had burned so fast. A vehicle was found in the garage, and the remains were still too hot to search. Neighbors had told police that the owner had not been around for several weeks. The police were trying to locate her. After hearing that, Sarah said, "Well, I guess I need to get this over with." She called the police. The desk Sergeant transferred her to the shift leader. In the conversation, they reviewed where she was today, and they shared with her what they had found. They had found Gary's truck in the garage. Sarah told them that he did not have her permission to be there. She told them, without their asking, that Gary used to be the manager at her office, but she hadn't seen him for nearly 4 months, since she had been out of town. She had stopped by the house late yesterday afternoon, but after a short time went to stay with friends. She was still with those friends. They asked for her number, and said they would call her if they had more questions. Sarah then called the insurance agent's office, and left a message that her house had burned that day, and a number where she could be reached. After the calls, she sat down next to Rusty. He pulled her close to him. Sally quickly squeezed in on the other side of Sarah. Sarah then related the conversation to the group. Just then dinner was announced. They all sat down to dinner. Several complimented the cooks for having such a good meal, though it appeared that everyone was so hungry that almost anything would have satisfied them. Over coffee, Terry noted that, if she was going to stay there for a while, they needed to get some things from her apartment. She was also concerned how she could keep up with her bills, as she wasn't sure the security firm would want her back after she had just disappeared. Her other issue was about the changes taking place in her body. Bob and Nancy both started to respond, when Nancy continued, asking her what her commitment was to the apartment. "I don't have a lease, but they want a month's notice." "We have some work you can do here." Terry opened her mouth to say something. "Hear me out before you say anything. In our operation, we have a number of openings that we haven't been able to fill. Mostly because Bob and I are very picky. Part of that caution is due to confidentiality issues. Based upon what Cynthia said about you today, which was very complimentary, we would like for you to consider working for us. The two positions that I think would most likely suit you, would let you start as soon as you decide you're able." She looked at Bob. He nodded. "These recent events have potentially brought Bob and I a solution to our staffing problems. We have had great difficulty in finding reliable, trustworthy, and knowledgeable people to help us. Although we have not talked between ourselves, I believe we would be very pleased if all of you would consider joining with us. We kind of touched upon this earlier. Julia and Stan could operate their business from here, either as a separate operation or join it with ours. But, as we talked earlier, the four of us need to discuss this in more detail. Hopefully soon." "Terry, tomorrow let's talk about the two openings I think would fit your, apparent, talents. Oh, I forgot, you need to go for a physical tomorrow, so any discussion can wait until you get back or even the next day." "Rusty, we know that you occasionally work for Stan and Julia, in addition to doing some work for us. We have a position we would like you to fill with us, and with some planning, you would still be available to help Julia and Stan when the need arises. If you are interested, then we can talk about it later this week. Not to twist your arm, but we have offered Sarah a position that would be either full-time or part-time, depending upon whether or not she continues in real estate sales. Tom, we don't know the details of your arrangement with Julia and Stan, so, as we said earlier, we are not going to try and lure you away from them. However, if things change, we would be interested in talking to your about a position with us." Terry said, "I have some self-confidence issues, but I would be happy to talk to you about a position with your organization tomorrow, after my physical. You all are so nice, I would probably even be willing to be the kennel bitch." "Hmm. I hadn't thought of that possibility," said Nancy, as she looked thoughtfully at Terry. Terry held her breath. Nancy's face slowly broke into a broad grin. Terry sighed. Then the two of them chuckled. "Had you going for a minute, didn't I?" "Yes. But the offer stands." "Wait a minute," said Sarah, "You offered to be my slave first, so I get right of first refusal." Terry's mouth hung open, with tears in her eyes. Julia said, "I think our kidding has gone too far tonight, Nancy and Sarah. Some nerves are super-sensitive, so comments like that need to be carefully considered, in order to avoid hurting someone." "You're right. My apologies, I shouldn't have done that to you, Terry." "No offense. I thought you were kidding but..." "Terry," said Sarah, "Please accept my apologies for my rude comments. I would like us to be close, and how our friendship develops remains to be seen." Terry pulled Sarah to her, giving her very emotional kiss, which caused their nipples to harden. "Okay. As for tomorrow," said Bob, "Sally, Rusty, Sarah, Terry and Julia will need to leave about 7 in the morning. With a full set of tests, I don't expect you to get back until super time. If you are later than that, call. Rusty and Sally, you need to take your sidearms, and at least one satellite phone. Sarah, you indicated you could handle pistols." "Yes." "That being the case, you can take your Glock. Sally will give you a special handbag to carry it in." "Do I need to?" "You don't have to, but it would make us much more comfortable. Rusty will drive, and while doing that, his ability to respond will be a bit limited. While they are out, I would like Stan and Tom to go with me to search Gary's place. Our goal will be to pick up anything relating to Terry, Sarah or Julia. Then, if we have time when we get back, Stan and Tom can go get the things they will need to stay here for the next week. Rusty, do you need to get anything from your place tomorrow?" "No. Nancy, I will accept your offer at face value. I currently rent an apartment, but, like Terry, I don't have a long-term lease. So, if you are serious about me moving here, we could do it later this week. Financial issues should be easy to work out, as we have not had problems in the past. I presume you want me to live here permanently?" Sarah quickly spoke up, "I don't care where you live, as long as I am there, too." They looked at one another. Their eyes spoke, reaffirming their commitment to one another. "Rusty, why don't we discuss it either Wednesday or Thursday," said Nancy. "One other thing, you should know that Sally's position here is to assist with security, and she is our Aikido, yoga and self-defense instructor. Just because she is sometimes submissive with us and Joyce, it would nonetheless be unwise to assume she is always submissive. All behavior between consenting adults is permissible, as long as it does not lead to injury or scarring." "Sally, I think we should skip the daily classes until Thursday at the earliest, and all of you should feel free to participate in them. Sarah has already indicated she is going to." "Everyone seems to be finished, so let's go over to the clinic. Sally, would you and Nancy come help me with inserting the id devices? This shouldn't take very long." At the clinic, it took Bob only a few minutes to insert Julia, Stan and Tom ids, after which Sally closed the incisions with a surgical adhesive. They left and went back to the house, while Bob prepared the next set of ids. "Those look different than the ones you just used," said Sarah, as she watched Bob prepare another id for insertion. "Yes, these have a few more features in them. The three of you have an enhanced connection with us, and these are more appropriate to that expanded function. We will change theirs if they join our staff as we were discussing. Now, if these give you problems or become uncomfortable, we can change them for another style. These are the best choice, and being sub-dermal and behind your ears, you will seldom notice they are there, Sarah." "Oh, that's fine. I just noticed they were different." ------- Chapter 17 When they arrived back at the house, they found Stan, Julia and Tom watching a movie. Nancy, Sally and Terry picked up books to read, while Bob went to his den. Sarah and Rusty looked at one another, and then, without a word, turned and headed to their room. As they walked down the hall, they were caressing each other. As soon as the reached the room, they dropped their robes, turned to each other and embraced. Their kisses began with small, light, teasing, kisses and their arousal quickly built. With their lips locked together, their tongues began dueling with one another, adding to their pleasure. They eased toward the bed in small steps, as they kissed and caressed each other with their lips and tongue. Reaching the bed, Rusty lifted her up and laid her on the bed as he continued to kiss her. His caresses moved to her neck. Sarah matched him, caress for caress. They moved around, so that they could continue to caress each other with their lips and tongue, kissing and licking their way down to each other's nipples. Each took turns sucking each others nipples to stiffness. Sarah's nipples yielded milk into his mouth, and the release added to her arousal. He probed her naval with his tongue, causing her to shiver. She continued to match her kisses to his, spot for spot. Each kiss they shared increased their arousal and passion. Rusty dragged his tongue down the semi-swollen lips of her dilated cunt. The caress caused Sarah to shiver again, in a small orgasm. Her cunt lips swelled to fully-engorged with blood, opening her cunt further, like a flower in bloom, and releasing her scent into the air. He sucked one of her labia into his mouth caressing with his tongue while pulling it deeply into his mouth. His caresses resulted in the labia swelling more. He turned his attention to her other labia caressing it with his tongue as he held it deeply in his mouth. When he released her labia from his mouth, he licked each a labia to collect her cream. Rusty then slid his tongue through her cunt collecting her cream in his mouth. Each caress of her labia caused more liquid to be released, which was sucked up into Rusty's mouth. Soon, she shuddered in a stronger orgasm, as her cunt pushed out more of her sweet fluid. The sweet juice flooded his face and mouth so fast that he could not drink it fast enough to keep it all from escaping. While Rusty focused on her cunt, she focused on his cock and balls. She licked his cock head, enjoying the taste and the sensations she was receiving from Rusty's attention to her. She licked down his cock to lick his ball sac. She took each ball gently into her mouth, and caressed it with her tongue. Licking back up his cock, she sucked the head into her mouth and caressed it with her tongue, enjoying the taste of his pre-cum. She slid the cock deep into her mouth, while continuing to caress it with her tongue. She could feel her orgasm approaching. She began to suck harder on his cock, pulling him into her throat. While sliding his cock back and forth in her mouth, she caressed his balls with her fingers, as they began to tighten up. When he felt Sarah beginning another orgasm, he slid two fingers deep into her cunt. He hooked his fingers, to rub the top of inside of her cunt, behind her clit. He licked up her cunt and around her clit, causing her hips to buck up. He took her clit in his mouth, gently sucking and stoking it with his tongue. Her hips began to thrust down, trying to increase his contact. Feeling her need he gripped her labia between two fingers as he tugged on it and rubbed it. He could feel himself rapidly reaching his own point of release. Sarah felt his cock swell in her throat. It then began to jerk, spraying hot fluid down her throat. She pulled her mouth back to catch his cum in her mouth. Just then, her orgasm crashed over her. Her mouth continued to suck on the knob of his cock, swallowing his cum as they joined in release. Her body bucked and then stiffened, as she peaked. It was so intense that she was having trouble catching her breath. She felt like she had just run 10 miles in a minute. She rolled off to the side of Rusty. He turned around and crawled back up to her. They kissed and hugged. Sarah felt that he was still hard. She pulled his cock toward her cunt. "What you did to me was so wonderful. I have never experienced anything like that. Please, I want you in me now." "Are you sure? I don't have any protection." "That's not a problem." "I really enjoyed you sucking on my cock. It seemed almost like I could feel you doing it." "That's the way I felt when you were licking and sucking my cunt lips. It felt so good." She shivered, as she thought about it. "Then when you began caressing my clit with your tongue while stroked my cunt with your fingers, the pleasure was so intense." "Yes, I know." Sitting up, she pushed him on his back, then took his cock in her mouth. Moving her head back and forth several times, caressing it with her tongue, until it was harder. She straddled his hips and sat down, to trap his cock between her still swollen cunt lips. She slid back and forth several times, wetting his cock with her juice. Rising up slightly, she wiped the head back and forth between the lips of her dripping cunt, once again moving the head to the mouth of her cunt, she slowly lowered her hips. She shivered as the cock slipped through the mouth of her cunt. She slowly lowered her hips until he was fully inside her hot cunt, savoring the feeling of it sliding deep into her. Their shared thoughts added to the intensity of the sensations for both of them. Their intimate body connection increased their mental connection, until they each fully felt the sensations in both of their bodies, in effect, their minds had joined together as one. Feeling both bodies, drove her warm feelings of arousal to new levels of intensity, as she slowly moved up and down on his cock. Each stroke seemed to cause it to harden and swell more. She found that her larger swollen cunt lips magnified her sensations of him, as he slipped in and out of her cunt. She leaned forward, dangling her very long, extended nipple in front of his mouth. "My, your nipples really elongate when your breasts hang down." "Yes, that is the result of one of the changes Liz made to my body. The large cunt lips are a part of it too. I was not to pleased with them before, but, now, I REALLY like the way they intensify the feeling of your cock stoking my cunt." He sucked the nipple into his mouth. The milk ran into his mouth. "Wow. You really release the milk rapidly this way. You could drown me. But, oh, what a way to drown!" "It feels wonderful having your hard cock pumping my cunt, while you're sucking my nipple. I can feel the milk release from my nipple, and then you drinking the milk as thought it were myself. Suck the other nipple, please. Alice and Judy once both sucked my nipples this way. But I didn't have the same connection with them. That connection, though, was very good. This is wonderful. I can feel both your sensations and mine." "Yes, they are hard to tell apart." "Whenever you want to stop sucking on my nipples, can we roll over? I think I would like to feel you on top, thrusting that big cock deep in my cunt." "Well, let me suck both a bit more. But don't get too tired." She continued to slowly raise and lower her hips. Having him sucking on her nipples caused her to have several small cums, each one causing her cunt muscles to ripple. He helped her, by supporting her hips with his hands. Rusty stopped sucking her nipples, leaving them enlarged and extended, like a thumb hanging on her breasts. He pulled her down tight to him and then rolled them over. As he did that, she wrapped her legs over his butt, so that she could hold him deep inside of her. "Oh, this feels so wonderful. Please fuck me now." He slid his cock slowly in and out of her cunt. She alternated tightening and loosening her cunt, which maximized the feeling of his cock sliding in her cunt. When she tightened her cunt, her enlarged, swollen, lips tightly gripped his cock, greatly increasing their sensations. Suddenly she clamped down on his cock, keeping him from moving as she orgasmed. When she relaxed, he began stroking her cunt again. He reached down and licked her lips. He then caressed her enlarged nipples with his tongue. She caressed his back and sides with her hands. She flexed her hips in time with his strokes. Before long, she rose quickly to another more intense orgasm, then rapidly another. Soon they were happening one right after another. The thrust of her hips meeting his became more urgent. "Please, faster." Rusty picked up the pace of his thrusts. With each orgasm, her cunt clenched his cock tightly, hardly letting him move. His increased thrusting added to his arousal, increasing the tightness in his balls. That, and the sensations he could feel from within her, were driving him rapidly toward his crest. His balls tightened up, then sprayed her cunt with his hot cum. He came so hard that he felt light-headed. Sarah came, screaming. The feeling was so intense, she again couldn't get her breath. The room grayed out and she went limp, but her contractions continued gently squeezing his cock. He eased down on her, pulling her to him and again rolled over. When he did, he saw that they had an audience. "We heard the scream and ... were concerned," said Sally. "Get me a washcloth, please." "Sure, Rusty." Sally pushed Terry's wheelchair over by the bed. "Good grief," said Nancy, "we will need to air out this room tomorrow, otherwise everyone will be oversexed that nothing will get done." Bob said, "Don't forget, you all need to be up early tomorrow. Good night. Come on, Nancy. We need to practice." their laughter carried down the hall. Stan and Julia were right behind them, groping each other as they proceeded to their room. Sally came back with a washcloth and towel, just as Sarah started to stir. "Did I pass out?" "I think so. You were awfully quiet." "Wait, you were on top. How long was I out?" "Oh, about 5 minutes, maybe a bit longer. And you missed the audience." "Audience?" "Yes, you screamed as you came, drawing everyone to the door." Sarah moved, and Rusty's cock started to slide out of her cunt. She could feel the cum leaking. "Oh, I'm going to make a mess on you. You really filled me up with cum." "Well, you came so much I thought you peed on me." "I did not pee on you." "I know, but your cunt unleashes a flood of sweet juice when you cum. The harder you cum, the more you release. I love it almost as much as you." "I love you too. So much so fast. It feels so good. It's like a wonderful dream." "Yes. But, believe me, it is no dream." said Rusty, and he pulled her tight in his arms. "Sarah and Rusty, would you let me lick you clean, please," Sally said in a small, pleading, voice. "It smells so good, I'm just dying to taste it." "Its okay with me. But I need some help, because as soon as I loose the cock plugging my cunt, there is going to be a flood." "Here, let me help you. If you two will roll over so Rusty is on top, then, if Rusty will raise up a bit and slide forward that should pivot the mouth of your cunt up, to hold his cum. Then, if we hold your cunt lips to his cock as it withdraws, it will give me a chance to place my mouth over it before it runs out." "As full as my cunt is, you may have some difficulty catching it all." "So I drown in cum, but what a way to drown," laughed Sally. Rusty pulled out and slid to the side, letting Sally slide her mouth between Sarah's large swollen labia. Once Sally covered Sarah's cunt with her mouth, they rolled over placing Sarah cunt over Sally's open mouth. When Rusty pulled up, his cock was right in front of Sarah. She raised her head, and licked his semi-wilted cock and balls until they were clean. Her attentions caused him to harden again. "Go fill Sally's cunt with that cock." "I don't know if I'm up to it" "Just give her a nice cum with your stiff cock, then I can lick her juices off of you too." Rusty moved around. Sally had her legs hanging off the bed. Her ass was right at the edge, just the right height for fucking. Rusty carefully moved between her spread legs. He could see that her cunt was very wet. He opened the lips with the head of his cock, and slid it deep into her cunt, causing her to lift and spread her legs more. As his cock slid further into her, she moaned into Sarah's cunt. Sarah noticed Terry, sitting speechless at the side of the bed. She was staring at everything, but seemed to focus on Sarah dangling breasts. Leaning forward, with her breasts dangling, her nipples were thrust out, erect and firm. Small drops of milk were glistening on the surface of the nipples. Sarah asked, "Terry, do you want to suck them again?" Terry hesitated. "It's okay with me. It is totally up to you whether you do or not. You're welcome to have some more milk. You seemed to like it earlier. There is nothing wrong with that." Terry eased over onto the bed to get out of the wheelchair, trying to avoid putting pressure on her tender feet. Laying on her back, she slid underneath Sarah's dangling nipple. Sarah lowered her breast, till her nipple was within easy reach of Terry's lips. Terry reached up to cup the tit and pull it into her mouth, squeezing it slightly and causing a small amount of milk to spray in her open mouth. She quickly filled her mouth with the large, swollen, nipple. As soon as she sucked the nipple, the milk literally ran into her waiting mouth. The stimulation caused Sarah to cum again, squirting more cunt juice into Sally's mouth, and over her face. Sarah ground her cunt onto Sally's caressing mouth, as she came in several continuous orgasms. Sally wrapped her legs around Rusty, pulling him deep into her cunt, as her orgasm washed over her. Sarah managed to remain on her hands and knees after her orgasm subsided. Sally slid out from under Sarah. Terry had emptied the one breast and wiggled over to suckle the other. Sarah asked her to wait a minute. She turned and laid back on a dry part of the bed. She pulled Terry to her and kissed her, then let her suckle at her full breast. Sally got up, walking unsteadily as she went to find clean bed linen. She came back just as Terry had finished emptying Sarah's breast. "Okay, everyone up, we need to fix ourselves a dry bed, so that we can sleep." Sarah helped Terry back into the wheelchair, while Rusty helped Sally re-make the bed. Sarah noticed a long look on Terry's face. She bent down next to her, and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "You've never done anything like that before, of your own free, will have you?" She shook her head, no. She lifted Terry's chin, so that they could look into each other's eyes. "Terry, I don't know how much you know about us, or about this group. We love one another very much, and everything we do together is done to show our love for each other. Did you enjoy sucking my breasts?" "Yes, it was very enjoyable." "Did you feel uncomfortable with what Sally was doing?" "No, but I am not sure I could do what she was doing." "Is that because Gary forced you to do similar things?" Sniffling a bit, she nodded, yes. "I think so, and I have trouble believing that you all could really want to be around me." "Just remember, we all care about you. But never feel that there is any requirement for you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable. Just do what you feel comfortable doing to express your feelings. Sally and I both enjoy tasting each other, and sucking cocks. To us, what we just did is one of several ways for us to show and enjoy our love for another." By then, the bed had been made, so she said, "Come on, let's get some sleep." Helping Terry backing into bed, she lay down on one side of her, with Sally slipping in on the other side. Rusty then spooned to Sarah's back. By the time they were comfortably in each other's arms, they had already started to doze off. Sarah and Rusty were the first to rise, and they carefully extracted themselves from the tangle. They quickly kissed and went to freshen up. He helped her express her milk. Sarah was surprised at the amount of milk she expressed. Rusty took it to the refrigerator, while Sarah cleaned up the breast pump. Rusty and Sarah had just entered the shower when Sally and Terry joined them. Terry's feet had healed enough that she could stand comfortably in the shower while wearing heels. Although they made sure to assist each other in showering, along with some groping, they didn't let their emotions run loose. As they were drying off, Sarah commented that Terry looked much more relaxed and at ease. "I do feel better. Some of my aches have diminished. My feet are sore, but I can tolerate standing on them, wearing heels, for short periods of time. I am still bothered about how I responded to Gary's dogs, but it is not as bad as yesterday." Sarah, Sally and Rusty pulled her into and embraced, with each of them kissing her gently, but with feeling. Just then, Rusty's stomach growled, causing everyone to start laughing. "Guess we know someone is hungry, besides me," said Sarah. When they went into the bedroom after drying, they found a pair of pants and shirt laying on the bed, along with a note for Rusty. It said, "Rusty, thought you might need some fresh clothes. I think these will fit you. Nancy." Sally found some clothes, in their stock of emergency clothing, that Terry could wear. They all dressed quickly. Terry watched the others, as they dressed and assisted each other. She could feel the warmth between them and, surprisingly, the warmth they felt toward her. It helped lift the cloud from her thoughts. By the time they were done, she was smiling. "My, Terry, you look happy," said Sarah. "Well, no one could be unhappy around you three for very long. I have never felt such warmth in my whole life. I don't know how long the three of you have been together, but I can see a strong bond between the three of you." "Surprisingly, I have only really been with Sally for about two days, and I just met Rusty yesterday, although I feel as if I have known Rusty a very long time. I agree with your observations about the feelings between us. It does feel good and very warm." They headed off to the kitchen, and were the last to arrive for breakfast. Breakfast was set out as a small buffet. Sally assisted Terry get her breakfast, since she was still using the wheelchair. When she sat down with her plate, she noticed how full her plate was, and then glanced at Rusty's and Sarah's plates, which were just as full. Julia piped up, "Well I'm glad I already have all my food. I don't think those four left any." Everyone laughed, to the embarrassment of the four. "Sex consumes a lot of energy, doesn't it?" The comment added to the laughter. "That maybe," said Sarah, "But I can't wait to do it again and again ... It was the best I have ever experienced. Until I lived with Alice and Judy, I had never experienced deep love and sex at the same time, with no strings attached. Well, these three have taken me to a new level." Terry blushed. "I couldn't just watch, they just drew me to them, like I was hypnotized. I watched at first and then, with a lot of hesitancy, I joined in, with Sarah's encouragement. Besides, I couldn't pass up another chance to drink her warm, sweet, milk." On hearing Terry's comments, several pairs of nipples stiffened. The guys also shifted, to relieve the pressure of their swelling cocks. Over coffee, after breakfast, Bob gave the keys to the red Yukon to Rusty, along with directions to the clinic. Sally left, and came back with sidearm for Rusty, Sarah's Glock, and clips for both. "You need get be going soon. The gate will automatically open for you, coming and going, just slow down a bit as you approach when coming back, as it sometimes hesitates on entry." "Okay." With that, the five of them left for the clinic. ------- As soon as the group left for the clinic, Tom, Stan and Bob gathered the equipment they needed to check out Gary's place. After reviewing their options, they decided they would drive right up to the house. If someone was there, they would claim they had made a wrong turn. When they pulled up to Gary's house, it appeared to be deserted, and no one came out to meet them. Knocking on the door didn't get a response either, not that they expected one. They cautiously looked over the grounds and buildings. The dogs seemed to be pleased to see someone, but didn't make much of a commotion, other than whining. Entering the house, Tom, Bob and Stan noticed that it appeared as if someone had searched the house since Gary and the women left. They decided, since someone had been searching the house, it was reasonable to expect them to return at any time. They decided to have Tom take the truck out to the road, and position it so he could watch the road without being easily seen. As soon as Tom left, they accelerated the search of the house, with their goal being finding any tapes of Terry, as well as anything else that indicated Gary's intentions regarding them. They found tapes labeled with Terry and Tonia's names on each of the cases, along with a number. Gary had indexed the tapes, which showed subject, actors and scene. The video recordings of yesterday's events at Sarah's house were still in the recorder. Using the index, all of tapes with Terry's name on them, and yesterday's tapes, were put in the bag, along with the index. They were surprised to not find anything that indicated Gary's intentions, relating to his comments about selling Julia, Sarah or Terry into sexual slavery. Both felt that there should have been some information in the house. They had just finished searching the house a second time, when Tom advised them that there were two cars turning into the road, and they did not appear to be police. Bob placed a small transmitter in Gary's office and another in the viewing room, then they eased out the back door with the tapes they had found. They quickly moved toward the woods behind the house, always keeping the house between them, and the driveway. Once they had reached the woods, they advised Tom that they were in the woods behind the house, and would keep him posted. They quickly scanned the area, looking for surveillance devices, and used their sniffer to scan for transmissions. The electronic scan indicated that Gary had not set up any intrusion detectors, but they knew their scan was only partially reliable. They moved around to house, to find a better view of the road leading up to the house. They found a spot underneath some evergreens, where they could watch without being seen. Just as they settled into the spot, a small van and a car approached the house. At the house, a man and woman got out of the van and looked around the area. Two men got out of the car, and the four went right into the house. Over the radio, they heard the woman say that they needed to carefully search the house again, as there had to be more than they found last night. She told them to be more careful, as she could see traces of last evening's search. It was imperative to not leave anything that would connect them with Gary, and it was very import that nothing be left for the police to find. Bob and Stan could hear them moving around the office, as they searched the house. Tom alerted Bob that a police car was approaching. It passed Tom, and turned into the road. Tom told them, "It looks like there are two young women in the back of the car." Bob and Stan responded that they thought it would be a good idea to leave, since their cover was so far from the house it wasn't worth the risk. They asked Tom to drive further up the road and told him they would meet him there. It took them an hour to work their way out of the woods to where Tom was waiting, well out of sight of the farm's entrance. ------- As Stan and Bob made their way away from the house, Lois and Fred walked out to meet the police car. The policeman got out of the car and asked them if Gary was around. "No, we were waiting for him to come back, as we were supposed to pick up some merchandise from him." "I have some merchandise for him, and he still owes me for the last two I brought him. Since he has been divorced, he hasn't been as reliable as before. He seems to be a good trainer, since he must have a lot of customers, based on the number of new chicks he buys." "It seems strange for a cop to say something like that." Fred had moved to the side of the policeman. "Could be? But since we are all here, and we seem to know what Gary does, it shouldn't be that strange." Lois said, "So, are these the chicks you want to sell to Gary," as she gestured toward the car. "Well, that depends. Are you saying you're slavers?" "No. From your comment when you arrived, it sounds like you are." Lois said tersely. "Well, not quite, I run across quite few runaways. Gary usually gives me a finder's fee for them. Then he arranges a nice place for them to stay, after giving them some lessons in correct behavior." "What a line of BS!" Lois, Fred and the policeman laughed. "Gary was supposed to have two altered chicks or as you said ones that had completed their lessons today for us to pick up today, but I don't see them in the kennel and nobody is around." "Well in that case, we do have two runaways in my car. While you're waiting for Gary, think you could watch these chicks until Gary gets back? I don't have any place nearby to hold them, and I need to get back to work." "Well, that depends, how old are they?" "Their ids indicate they are 17." "Good, they are not minors. Let's have a look." The policeman opened the back door, and pulled the girls out of the car. Both were wearing loose halter tops and very short skirts. Their wrists were cuffed behind their backs, and they had shackles on their ankles. Each had a cloth stuffed in their mouth. "Not bad looking." She pulled up their skirts, and saw they were not wearing panties. She found that neither one was shaved. As she looked, they both tried to pull away. Fred grabbed them by the shoulders and held them still, while Lois continued inspecting them. She then pulled out a knife. The eyes of the girls got real big. Lois slid the knife up under one girl's top. The girl shivered, as she felt the cold knife slide next to her skin. Lois turned the knife, slicing through the thin cloth. Fred pushed the top down her arms, to bare her chest. Lois then sliced through each leg of her shorts, letting them drop at her feet. "Nice. I wonder if the other one looks as good." The other girl tried to back up, but Fred put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. She cringed, as Lois quickly cut her clothes off of her. "Nice merchandise, you brought for Gary. He should get a lot for these two, especially after he enhances their bodies. They will look much better with larger tits and elongated nipples dripping milk." Turning to the policeman, she continued, "Why don't we go ahead and set them up for Gary to train, since the kennel is empty. We have helped him prep his students before." "He has never let me see how he does that, and it would be interesting. So I'll push it, and stay for a bit. I can't be gone off my route too long before I'm missed. I did tell the dispatcher that I was taking my lunch break." "Prepping them takes hardly any time at all." Lois told Fred to get two collars and controllers. Fred soon came back with the collars. He gave the controls to Lois, and then locked a collar around each girl's neck. "Fred, why don't you give them each a shot, to calm them down. They seem a little scared, standing here with no clothes on." He got two syringes from the van. Lois and the officer each held a girl still, while the shots were given. After a few minutes, the girls eyes glazed over. "Okay girls, here is the deal, you will do what you are told. Resistance will cause you a great deal of pain, and that will be followed with some form of punishment. Punishment takes the form of spanking, whipping or some other things that make whipping feel like a gentle caress." The girls shivered, with tears in their eyes. "I am going to have the cuffs and gag taken off of you in a moment and you will follow my instructions. Understand?" The girls nodded. But Lois could see in their eyes that they were looking for a way to escape. "Before we do that, let's show you what we mean by pain." She pushed the button on the controllers. The two girls screamed, as they crumpled to the ground. Lois told the policeman to take the shackles off and then unlock the cuffs, as she pulled the panty-gags out of their mouths. They both started pleading with Lois to let them go. The policeman had no reason to pick them up. "Oh don't worry, we will be leaving in a while." When they saw Fred and Lois look away, they turned to run. Before they could take a single step, they screamed in pain and crumpled again to the ground again. " I guess you are slow learners." Lois said, let's try this, and she increased the intensity of the shock. The girls screamed again, as their muscles spasmed, until they could only lie there, unmoving. "Now, you will do as you are told, understand, or would you like more pain?" They didn't move. Lois flicked the switch on the controllers again, causing the them to jump. They uttered a soft, "please ... don't." "Now get up and do what you were told. You have 5 seconds to get up, or I'll increase the intensity." The girls quickly stood up. "Take your shoes off." Soon they were standing naked, except for their collars. They were sniffling trying to control their emotions. "What are your names?" The brunette said hers was Ann and her friend was Elisa. Lois told them to stand still and keep their arms down. She walked over and looked each girl over, pinching their nipples and squeezing their butts. She had them spread their legs and place their hands behind their heads. She slid her fingers up into each of their cunts, finger-fucking their dry cunts until they were wet. She then made them lick their juices off her fingers. She turned to Officer Smith, "You did well, picking these two up. They will be worth a lot to Gary." Fred, lead them back to the kennel office, Officer Smith and I will follow. Fred snapped a lead on each collar, and led the captives toward the kennel. Several times, he had to tug on the collar. Each tug caused the girl to scream, when Lois poked her ass with a cattle prod. In the offices Fred attached one girl's collar to a short chain hanging on the wall. The other was led over to the a table, that looked much like a doctors examining table. She followed Lois's instructions, as she got up on the table and then fastened her legs into the table's arms before laying back. Fred wrapped a strap over her lower chest, holding her tight to the table, and trapping her arms at her sides. Lois came over with several syringes and a razor. She told Fred to shave her head while she gave her shots, to start her body changing. "Please don't." Fred told her to hold still, if she didn't want to be cut. She began to cry, as she felt the razor move across her scalp. Lois coated her pubic hair with cream, then placed two large cones over her tits. She pressed a switch, starting the suction which pulled her tit flesh into the cups. The girl wiggled her hips, as the cream on her cunt lips began to burn. Lois scraped the cream off her pubic area, removing the pubic hair. After rinsing the area with cold water, she covered the labia and clit with vacuum cups. While the lips stretched to fill the cups, Lois picked up a large syringe and injected the contents into each of the girl's stretched tits. Lois then made several injections into each lip of her labia, and then, into her clit. The girl moaned each time the needle stuck her flesh. By the time she was done, Fred had removed all of her hair. The girl moaned constantly, due to the discomfort of her tormented body. The sedative she had been given only dulled the pain, but not the sensations of the needle sliding into her with every shot. Fred fitted 5-inch-high heels on her feet, and then locked the straps into place. Lois released the vacuum cups and then the straps holding her, letting her up from the table. Fred led her over to the wall. She had difficulty walking in the shoes. Tears filled her eyes, as she felt her swollen breasts wobble as she walked. She could also feel her sore swollen cunt rub her legs with each step. When they reached her friend, Fred attached her collar to the wall, locking her in place. Fred then took her friend to the examining table. Ann stood and watched, as her friend was given the same treatments she had received. Both Elisa and Ann winced as each shot was given to Elisa. Once the treatments were finished, Fred led them out into the kennel area, and over to an open-seat chair with a tube with a rounded head protruding from the seat that was about eight inches long. Fred unclipped the leashes and gave Ann a tube of grease, telling her to rub it on Elisa's asshole and then grease the pole. Ann took the tube, and began to rub it on Elisa's asshole very tentatively. He told her, "you better do a good job, because after she puts the pole up her ass, she will grease yours for you. If you don't get enough grease on there, it will hurt. If hurts, Elisa may want to get even." Ann, shaking in fear rubbed, more grease around her fiend's asshole and pushed some more inside. "Now grease the pole." Ann went over and greased the pole. "That's enough. Now, Elisa, turn around and sit on the pole. If Ann is really your friend, she will help you." Elisa turned around and bent down, placing the pole between her ass cheeks. Ann pushed her so that it lined up with her asshole. Ann told her to relax, as it would make it easier. Elisa let her weight slowly push the pole deep in her ass. Once her bottom touched the chair, two mechanical arms circled her legs, pinning her in position. "Do you know what is going to happen?" "No. Please, don't hurt me. I feel so full." Lois pressed a button and the retention bulb on the pole swelled, locking it in her ass and painfully stretching her asshole. Elisa moaned, as she felt the rod swell inside her ass, spreading her asshole. Lois pressed another button, and warm water began to enter Elisa's bowels. Lois let it fill her until her belly was swollen, and then opened the exit valve, letting the water flow out. The effluent went right down the drain. Once she was drained, the valve began to cycle open and closed, repeatedly filling until her belly swelled and then released. Lois let it cycle until the water was clear, then she turned it off. "Now you are clean. Would you like to get up?" Elisa nodded, and said yes. "You are to add mistress or master to every response. Understand, or should we do it again?" "No mistress, I understand and yes mistress, I would like to get up." With that, the bands loosened on her legs, and Ann helped her stand. "Now Elisa grease up Ann's asshole and the pole just like she did for you." Elisa promptly got to work. Her asshole had not completely closed and water dripped from it, while she worked preparing Ann for the pole. Once both were cleaned out, Lois had them bend over with their hands on their knees. She straddled their heads, clamping them between her thighs, then pulled their ass cheeks apart so that Fred could push a large butt plug into their loosened assholes. The butt plugs, besides holding their assholes open, delivered a metered dose of drugs, hormones and supplements to be absorbed by their bodies. It was all part of the changes Lois and Fred needed to make to the girls, so that they could function in their new roles. They were told to stand, and taken to the training benches, where they were told to lie down. Fred and Lois fastened the restraints, holding them to the benches with their knees spread, and their puffy cunts gaping open. Lois pushed fountains into feeding position and told them that was their morning meal, and suck to it up, because there wouldn't be any more until evening. After feeding, the fountains would be used as a water source. They would be fed twice a day, automatically. Lois then gave each a large shot in each ass cheek. Lois turned to Officer Smith, "Don't they look good enough to fuck?" "They sure do." "Why don't you come back after your shift? You could use them as much as you want." "I just may do that." "Well, now you have seen how they are prepared. They will begin their training to be fuck toys. The first step is make them accept being a human bitch for the dogs." Fred opened the gate to the dogs. The dogs entered the pen, and began to sniff the girls' cunts. The girls pleaded to let them go, and screamed as the dogs cold noses pressed into their cunts. "They will stay held like this for several days, and then, perhaps, spend several weeks in here with the dogs. While in the kennel, they each have to be ready to serve the dogs their cunt whenever the dogs want it. Otherwise, the dogs will gang up on them as a group, forcing them to comply. It only takes about a week to get the point across." "The shots we gave them will cause quite a few changes in their bodies. Their tits will grow to about an M cup, with a very large, extended, nipple. We can make them larger, but that usually causes other problems. Actually, we could cause them to grow two additional breasts, if desired. Their nipples will be large when they are standing, but when they kneel, like now, it will extend from the front of the tit to be as long as a thumb, and very sensitive." "Their cunt lips will grow to hang down an inch or so when not aroused. Their hips will increase about 6 inches, to make it easier for them to carry multiple babies. The increase will hardly be noticeable with their enlarged busts. Their feet will lengthen and permanently arch, making high heels their only choice of footwear, if they want to stand upright." "Their clit will grow to about 2 inches long, so it is always exposed from its hood. They will be so easily aroused that they will find the dogs desirable. They will also find they need to cum several times a day; if they don't, their cunts will stay swollen and wet, attracting any male. In about four months, their breasts will have completed their size increase, and will begin lactating." The girls overheard Lois talking about the changes their bodies would undergo. Their eyes had filled with tears, which ran down their faces. It did not stop them from becoming aroused by the dogs licking their cunts. Soon, the odor of their arousal was apparent. Not too long after that, both were mounted and filled with the first dog cock of many they would feel that day. Lois said, "well, it looks like both are doing well with the first phase." Turning again to the officer, she asked, "Would you like a cool drink, before you leave?" He accepted, and they headed for the house. As he followed Lois into the living room, Fred shot him with a Taser. Lois asked the others if they had found anything. "All we found were some tapes some women in the kennel. The tapes had scenes of whippings and strict bondage. Quite a few of them were of the women helping each other being fucked by the dogs or a donkey. I thought there was an index for the tapes, but I guess we were mistaken. We didn't find any paperwork relating to us." "Okay. Prepare the place so that it burns down from a gas leak, that will make sure the police don't find anything. Fred get the two girls and put them in the transport cage, while we set up for the gas leak. It would be wise to have them wearing ball gags, and make sure they eat before we leave, since they need to experience the fountains again before we leave." "Okay. I could bind them in a classical 69 position, but hog-tied, and then use the head harness with the penis gag. They will have enough freedom to face-fuck each other during the ride. I'll use the hollow penis gag, so they have to drink all the cum juice. That should keep them distracted enough during the ride. It will also help their conditioning. What about him?" "Well, I thought a mild sedative and a large hit with the Taser, on maximum, just as we leave." "That should work, but leave some of the girly magazines next to him." Two hours later, Lois and Fred left Gary's place, following the other car. They were just out of sight, when they heard the explosion, as the gas had found the candle on the second floor. The explosion blew out the first floor walls, dropping the second floor onto the first. The broken gas line fueled the subsequent fire. After they were on the highway, Lois said, "What should we do about them?" Pointing to the car in front of them. "Well, there is that sharp bend at the river bridge. If their accelerator happened to stick at just the right time, they would probably end up in the river." "Good a spot as any, if there isn't any traffic." "What are you going to do with the girls?" "I was thinking we could use them as breeders. With the changes we started in their bodies, and their natural good looks, they should produce nice babies." "But, aren't you out of room." "Sylvia was telling me she had three trouble-makers, but she couldn't replace them yet. She was thinking of moving them up to the isolated place in the canyon. In fact, that is probably the best thing for the short term." "We have had several inquires from clubs for pregnant slaves. So if we leave them up in the canyon, isolated, until their 7th or 8th month, we could sell them to a club, if the price is right, or we could wait, and let them deliver the babies. The babies should sell for a good price and then we could sell them to an S&M club." "I like either one, and I suspect Sylvia will, too," said Fred. "The curve is coming up, and traffic looks sparse. Should we?" They rounded the curve, which opened to a panoramic view of the river valley. The car in front of them suddenly accelerated, and drove straight toward the edge of the cliff. The two people could be seen struggling with the car as it drove through the guard rail, into the air above the river, and then plunging toward the water 200 feet below. Hitting the water, the car exploded in flames and quickly sank. Lois said, "I heard there is a group looking to hire a man and 6 to 8 women to participate in a breeding experiment, and they are offering a very large finders fee. It is not something I usually get involved with. Would you and Sylvia be interested? The requirements aren't too difficult to match." "I'll talk to Sylvia, but I am sure she will be interested. I wonder if we could use our current women, but we ought to look around to see if we can fill it with these two. How did you hear about this?" "From the woman where we buy the genetic viruses. She indicated she could establish the connection for us." "Do I detect another plan for acquiring the group they need?" "Yes, from what I know about your stock, your current stock wouldn't meet some of the criteria. For some time, I have been thinking that the best way is to acquire several girls and a guy from the area around the colleges. Preferably, ones with no local connections and limited, or no, family." "How are you going to find out that?" "We could use their college files, or better yet, we could run an employment ad, offering good paying positions, to help them through school. We wouldn't need to be to specific about the work. That way we could collect the information we need. Then, a month or so later, we could acquire them. In fact, maybe you might want to do that for your breeding stock. The higher quality of the women should make the babies worth more to the yuppies who, I hear are, your main customers." "That is an interesting idea. Do you want to assist us, as it appears you have given some thought." "If it's okay with Sylvia." They drove on, listening to the two girls moaning in the back. The sounds and the odors made both Fred and Lois horny. Finally, Lois said, "Find a place we can park undisturbed. I need you to fuck me now."  ------- Chapter 18 When Stan, Tom and Bob reached the estate, they met with Nancy at the office. They reviewed what happened at Gary's farm with her. It seemed apparent that the group had previously dealt with Gary. They were all very surprised about the police car arriving with the two girls. After lunch, Stan and Tom went to get the items they needed to stay at the estate for a while. Stan and Tom arrived back at the estate only a short time before, Rusty, Sarah, Sally, Terry and Julia returned from the clinic. Bob gave them a brief run-down as to what had happened at Gary's house. While waiting for them to return, he had spent the afternoon listening to the police scanner. He had picked up bits and pieces, but Gary's house was outside the local jurisdiction. Bob and Stan checked all of the vehicles for tracking devices again. Nancy watched them, with concern etched in her face. The vehicle assessment came up with nothing, which relieved the tension somewhat. "Tomorrow, we need to do a more through analysis of the buildings and vehicles in order to check for any listening devices," said Bob. Before they left the shop, Bob and Stan set up a couple of passive scanners, to look for the burst transmissions that snoopers sometimes are equipped to do. They closed the office, and went to the house to clean up for dinner. After cleaning up, they all watched the TV news, while waiting for the cooks to announce dinner. Gary's house explosion and fire was the lead item. The fire did not completely destroy everything. The body of Officer Smith was found in the living room, severely burned. The investigators also found remnants of video recording equipment, a dungeon and restraints on the premises, but the fire had melted or partially burned everything. The news coverage shifted to the house fire yesterday, and stated that investigators found evidence of two bodies in the basement. The bodies were so badly burnt, they weren't sure if it would be possible to identify them. Bob told Sarah that he wouldn't be surprised if they didn't want to ask her more questions about Gary. But then again, maybe not, as she had been out of the area for some time. If they looked back into his past, they may want to talk to both Cynthia and Terry. Especially since Terry had a restraining order against him. Terry said, "Well, I don't think there is much I can tell them. Besides I was at the clinic all day. What should I say about the last several weeks? It will be apparent that I wasn't home." "Let's talk after supper, in the conference room. I am uneasy about this whole thing. While the our place seems to be quite secure, I don't want to push it, or get over confident." Nancy said, "So, how was the clinic?" Sarah and Rusty both spoke together, saying that they had taken very good care of them. Rusty continued, "The staff were a bit uncomfortable at first, about Sally and I being around all the time. We made sure not to get in the way. As they were working, we saw opportunities to assist them. Then, after a short time seeing this, they backed off. In fact, at the end of the day, they thanked us for the assistance." Julia said, "All of the tests they gave me that provided immediate results were negative. The MRI and Cat Scan were both negative." Terry said, "It's probably to soon for much to show in your tests. I remember that about a day after the shots my joints ached and felt sore several days. One of the technicians made the comment that our blood profiles looked a little unusual for our age. They were more in line with someone in their mid to late teens." Sarah added, "They also set up to run tests to measure hormone levels, and to do a DNA profiles on all of us." Sarah was thoughtful for a moment. "I have a feeling that Terry, Julia and I will, in several months, be very similar in stature and build. There are just too many similarities between what we think was given to each of us. Therefore, my inclination is that the source of these treatments is somehow related. We will just have wait and see what changes occur in our bodies and personalities." "You think these treatments will affect our personalities," said Terry. "Yes, if I am an example. The effect is not necessarily negative unless, you don't like sex or lactating. From my experience, the increase in breast size, at first, felt strange, but now it seems fine. My general sensitivity has increased, which, at times, is a bit hard to control. Sexual arousal comes quite rapidly, and lasts for a long time. Only time will tell if the changes in you will be like mine." "Oh ... Well, none of that seems to bad to me. The sex is especially good, if it includes love. There certainly seems to be enough of that in this house," said Terry. As she was talking, Sally walked up behind and put her arms around her, sliding one hand up to cup a tit, while the other caressed her stomach. Nancy said, "I wouldn't start that now, as dinner will be done shortly." "Start what? I was just hugging her," said Sally. "So she could feel the love, instead of just sense it." "Yes. But you don't usually stop once you start." "I resemble that remark." Everyone laughed. During the interlude, Sarah had moved over so that she could sit on Rusty's lap. Terry followed, and sat next to Rusty. He reached up and put his arm around her, pulling her close. Sally quickly sat down on the other side, pulling Sarah's legs onto her lap and cuddling next to Rusty. They continued to chat, while waiting for dinner to be announced. Dinner was a quiet affair, as each was lost in thoughts about the recent events in their lives. Rusty and Sarah shared their thoughts during this time. They were finding it becoming progressively easier to share their thoughts and not become distracted from the things going on around them. After dinner, taking their coffee with them, they all went out to the conference room they had met in the night before. Bob asked Sarah, Julia and Terry to share what the clinic had told them in a bit more detail. Sarah said, "All that they found was that I recently had added quite a bit of new bone growth. From the looks of the bone density, they thought I could have a small additional amount of growth. They measured my height to be 6' 3", after subtracting the height of my heels, and found that my current weight is 165 pounds. They were puzzled by my absolute need to wear heels, but the x-rays showed significant structural changes in my feet, consistent with my need for heels. The nurses were impressed seeing how high my breasts rode on my chest, considering their size. They had never seen tits this large not sag, especially when lactating. All of the tissue examinations showed normal cell structure, but they also seemed to think that the breast tissue structure was slightly different, which accounted for the sag-free observation. Samples were taken, to measure blood profile, and longer duration tests will be used to evaluate DNA patterns and hormone levels. The quick blood profile results were within normal range for someone in their late teens. That result caused them to run the tests twice. It will be about a week before the other tests are complete." Terry then added that her results were similar to Sarah's, except that they expected more bone growth in her before it slowed down. When they measured her breasts, they found that she was now a K cup, and she had started lactating during the examination. Her blood profile was similar to someone 10 years younger than she was. Like Sarah, the other tests wouldn't be back for a week. "I suspect when all of these changes are complete, that my cup size will increase another size or two, and that my shoulders and hips will be similar to Sarah's, but that I will not be quite as tall." Julia said, "They didn't find anything in my tests that were inconsistent with my age. But I think I ought to go back in two weeks for a repeat." Stan said, "I think that would be a good idea. We don't know what Gary's shots will do to you, and it is not likely we can change it. But it would be a good idea to know if the changes will be similar to Sarah's." Bob told the group of their experiences at Gary's house. They thought that they found all of the tapes that included Terry, and from the comments on the news, it seemed that pretty much everything was burned. It was disturbing that there wasn't any information about what he planned to do, even though the house was searched twice, besides before and after we were there. The group that arrived while they were there seemed to be customers of Gary's, based on what was heard from the bugs. "So where does that leave us," asked Terry. "I don't think we know with any certainty," said Bob. "We can surmise that the group who arrived are responsible for what happened to Gary's house, and probably the policeman. Based upon what was on the news, and who we know was there, it would appear the two women in police car left with the other group. The facts or circumstances we can only guess at." "So we are no better off than last night," said Julia. "Well, I think we are," said Rusty. "The connection between Terry and Gary, as well as the one between Sarah and Gary, seems to be broken, in the sense that Gary is no longer living. We can't be completely sure whether he had made arrangements committing either of them to someone else." "I think we should go forward with what we decided last night," said Bob. "But we need to keep our guard up for a while, and perhaps keep it there for a long while." "Nancy and I would like Terry and Rusty to complete their move here as soon as possible. Whether they continue their relationship amongst themselves and Sally is something they will have to decide. That wing has 2 bedrooms, besides the ones you have used the last several days. So why don't we make that your wing for now, and the four of you can work out the arrangements. If that becomes too close for any of you, we can utilize one of the guest houses. A four-way relationship is usually difficult to maintain, so we will need to make sure any difficulties do not effect our business. If any of you become uncomfortable with it, you should not hide it, but talk about your feelings. Do not feel pressured into anything you are not comfortable with." "Stan and Julia, Nancy and I have talked some more about our offer to you. We would like to modify it somewhat, in that we would like for you to work from here for the next month, if you can, that is whether or not we join our businesses together. This will permit us to assist you, if the treatment Julia has been given causes problems. We think it makes sense, but I know the two of you have not had time to discuss it." "That's fine with us," said Stan. Julia nodded her agreement. "Why don't we look toward discussing this next week? I will get our office phones forwarded to our cell phones, that way, our being not being there won't be so apparent." "Sarah and I will go get the stuff from my apartment tomorrow, and close out my lease. So, by tomorrow evening, I should be relocated here. Either tonight, or tomorrow morning, Sally, Terry, Sarah and I need to sit down and discuss how we are going to arrange things physically in those rooms. Once I get my stuff here, we can move Terry's things here." "Sally, why don't you help Sarah and Rusty tomorrow with the move." "Okay." "Terry and I will spend tomorrow going over her new job responsibilities here. That will also make sure we have two people in the office all day. We are expecting several document deliveries tomorrow as well. This way, Terry will get to see how we handle and store them." "Then, on Thursday, the three of you can take Terry to her apartment, and help her move. By Friday, we should be pretty well settled. We still need to complete our employment arrangement with Rusty, which can be done on Thursday as well." "It would seem that we ought to make a point of having a brief meeting together every morning, to make sure we are covering everything. It maybe at breakfast, but even if not, it should be during that time of day." Everyone nodded their agreement with Bob's suggestion. Nancy said, "Enough work, lets go relax." ------- As they went back to the house, Sarah asked Rusty, Sally and Terry to join her in their rooms for a bit. On the way there, Sally picked up refreshments for them. Sarah sat on the floor and motioned Rusty to sit next to her. Sally and Terry joined them on the floor, to sit in a square facing each other. Rusty, Sally and Terry sat there, thoughtfully watching Sarah as she put her thoughts together. Each thought they knew what was on her mind, since that was in part on their mind as well. All were enthralled with the how close they had become in such a very short time, but, at the same time, fearful of the future. Their expressions clearly mirrored the warmth each felt for other three. "I wanted us to sit together and share our feelings verbally," said Sarah. "We seem to be racing toward a very close relationship, and I hope we can express ourselves to each other well enough so that it will work for us. In the past, I have never been real close to any of my friends, and never as close as I am already to you three. In fact, in just this short time I feel closer to each of you than anyone I can remember, except, maybe, my Grandparents, but that was in a different way. Rusty and I can see and sense our feelings and I am struggling, trying to verbally express these feelings. My goal is to give you more insight into me, and how I feel about each of you. There is no intention on my part to pressure you either into being my friend, or anything more. We have only known each other for a very short while, and yet I feel so very close to each of you. In some respects, it is like I have known you forever. With Rusty, it goes beyond feeling close, it is much more like we are two pieces of a puzzle that has come together. I rejoice at feeling connected to him, but I also feel our 'puzzle' is not complete. That connection, or bond, is partially because of our ability to share our thoughts and feelings without filtering them through speech." "Today, I feel that our love for one another will continue to grow with time, and the bonding will be very strong between all of us. Only time will tell how fast we progress. In reality, if we choose to continue to share this area as we have the last 3 days, we will quickly know our true feelings for each other. I would like us to continue the relationship we have begun over the last couple of days. As only Rusty and I can share our thoughts, we should be willing to share all of our thoughts and feelings as they relate to one another. Sometimes it will be difficult to put our feelings into words, but, for now, we must. We will hurt each other more deeply if we hold back from expressing our selves to each other. If any of us feels left out, they should say something. If we want to be alone, we should make it clear to the others. If we feel hurt or are hurting, we should share it. Again, if we don't share it, we will hurt each other and limit, or possibly destroy, our relationship." "Our closeness should not cause us to exclude the rest of our family here. We should make sure to include the rest of our family here in our relationship, as friends and partners. I don't expect I will be as close to them as the three of you, but I do expect to interact very closely with them, and even to have a physical relationship from time to time." "Our long-term friendship is more important to me than a close group physical relationship. What do each of you think we should do? should we proceed as I have implied by my comments?" "Like Sarah, I have not had many close friends," said Sally. "When she first arrived here, I was immediately drawn to her, and I was very pleased when Nancy asked me to assist her. My sexual preferences in the past have been toward women, but Rusty has to be one of the best men I have ever been with. Its more than just sex. Sarah is correct, in that we need to be willing to share all of our concerns, fears and hopes in order for this to succeed. We need to be willing to express things verbally to one another at any time, without fear of hurting them. I would very definitely like to continue on as we have been." She leaned over and kissed each one of them, in turn. "Sarah, Rusty both of you can look at my thoughts whenever you want." Sarah shook her head, no. "Sarah, you and Rusty need to. I feel that, somehow, in the future, it will be something all of us can do, and will need to do." "Oh this is too much," said Terry, as she began to cry. Tears streamed down her face. Sarah moved to pull her into her arms, but Terry shook her head. When she regained control of her emotions, she said, "I would love to continue building our relationship. I agree with everything Sarah and Sally have said about sharing. I have had several close relationships in the past, and they have fallen apart or diminished because of a nagging misunderstanding. In only this short time knowing you three, I have come to love each of you very dearly. I agree with you all that we should continue with what we have started. I would encourage each of us to seek to draw the other out, if we feel that person is hurting. We will be much stronger if we share everything we can. I am envious of Rusty and Sarah with their mental connection, and agree with Sarah and hope that some day we all can connect that way. My biggest concern is over whether the psychological abuse I received from Gary will have a lasting effect on me." She leaned over and kissed each in turn. "Sarah, Rusty, I grant you permission to look at my thoughts and memories at any time. Sally, you have that permission as well, when we have established our mental link." "I don't know what to say," said Rusty. "I think the bond Sarah and I share is nearly unbreakable. I feel a great deal of caring and affection for Sally and Terry. I have known Sally for a long time, as a member of Bob and Nancy's staff. Today, the Sally I know is a very different Sally than the one I knew and worked with in the past. It has always been difficult for me express my feelings, but never doubt that I do love all three of you. The love I feel is felt in different degrees and different ways for each of you, but that is likely due to the newness. As to the relationship between Sarah and I, it is so different than what I have with Terry and Sally. The difference is the mind-link. I am sure. No. I know our love for one another will grow beyond anything we have experienced before. If we all could mind-meld, then the strength of our group relationship would grow faster. I sense that we have a good beginning on a fundamentally deep relationship between the four of us, and I would very much like for it to continue. I recognize that, sometime in the future, any one of us may desire to head in a different direction. To me, that will only change the closeness, and not diminish the love for that person. We must be sure that, in our desire to be closer, we don't exclude the rest of our new family." Sarah stood and pulled the others up. Once standing, they wrapped their arms around each other, pulling them into a four-way hug. They each shared a very strong emotional kiss with each other, in turn. As they did, their eyes teared. By the time all of the kisses were shared, the girls had tears running down their cheeks and Rusty's eyes were wet. "I am overjoyed that we have decided to try and continue developing the relationship between the four of us, and that we will love and support each other as we build this relationship." Sarah was so happy she was bubbling. Everything seemed so good. She could even feel Rusty's happiness and love. "Terry, don't let the experience with Gary get to you. If it begins to bother you, let's talk it through. We will all assist in any way we can." Sally and Rusty nodded their agreement. "I would hope this budding, no blossoming, love we have for one another will bury the experience." When they arrived back in the media room, Nancy looked up at them and smiled. "My, you four appear to be positively glowing." "I don't know about that," said Sally. "We did have a nice time of sharing with one another." "Yes, we did," said Terry, as her face beamed. "I don't know what it is, but being with these three makes me feel wonderful." Sarah and Rusty just smiled. They sat and chatted until the evening news started. Little more was said about the fire at Gary's farm, but it did note that Gary's car had been at the scene of house fire the day before. The police were anxious to find Gary. Once the news was over, Stan and Julia said good night and left after, giving everyone a hug or kiss. Bob turned the TV off, as no one was watching it, and they all said good night and left for bed with Nancy. The rest of the week went rapidly. Moving Rusty out of his apartment went quicker than they had expected. He was surprised that they had completed moving his belongings to the estate by lunch time. Over lunch, they decided that rather than unpack his stuff, they would move Terry's that afternoon. Nancy told them that the change in plan was fine with her. When they arrived at Terry's apartment, Terry had to go to the neighbor to get her key. The neighbor was surprised to see her, as she thought Terry had moved away. "What," said a surprised Terry. "Well, about a week after you sent me the message saying you would be away visiting your family, two men and a woman showed up with a van early one morning. I went over to ask them who they were. They said they were friends of yours, and that you had asked them to move your stuff into storage, as you needed to take care of your family for a while. They spent most of the morning putting your stuff in the van." "But I don't have any family." "I didn't remember that until after they had left. I am so sorry I didn't remember earlier, or I would have called the police. I did tell the apartment manager, but he didn't know who to call, either. You know, another thing was strange. They all wore dark glasses, and wore gloves the whole time they were here." Terry turned to her friends, with tears in her eyes. "Well, I guess we ought to see what's left." They carefully entered Terry's apartment and looked around. The movers had left nothing behind. The apartment only showed faint traces of where the furniture had sat. Terry's eyes filled with tears, as she realized that, if it hadn't been for her friends, she would have just disappeared. Sarah, Sally and Rusty watched Terry as she looked around the apartment. The sadness showing on her face was overwhelming. "Okay, there is nothing to do here. Let's turn in the key and leave. This just is too much." Sarah and Sally both put their arms around Terry, lightly hugging her. While the three women went to see the apartment manager, to determine what more needed to be done about the apartment, Rusty went back to see the neighbor. As he chatted with her, he subtly quizzed her about the people who had taken Terry's belongings. With some prompting, she was able to remember a few details about the three people and the van they used. Rusty knew it was most likely too late to be any help, but sometimes pieces of information took time to fit together. Rusty met them at their vehicle, just as they returned from the apartment manager. "Everything go okay?" "Well, kind of, whomever moved me out did not tell the apartment manager. The first he knew anything, was when the neighbor asked him about it. He said he would send me my deposit, and waived the last months rent. He apologized for not catching it. It seemed to really bother him. He said something similar has happened several times before. In all cases, either a single person or a couple would suddenly be called away. Then, about a week later, some 'friends' came to move the belongings out of the apartment. Usually, he never saw any of them again." Sally and Rusty exchanged concerned looks. "Okay. Let's stop by my bank. I think I should check my safe deposit box and bank account. While we are there, I will change my address to the estate. Then, last but not least, we should stop at the post office, to find out about my mail." At the post office, they had received a moving notice for Terry a several weeks earlier. However, the forwarding address was non-existent, so there was a big box of mail for her to take. It took some time before she could get them to accept the forwarding address for Bob and Nancy's, because Terry didn't have any identification. Luckily, the mailman for the apartment complex came in during the conversation and vouched for her. The stop at the bank went a little smoother, as she knew both the branch manager and the new accounts person. The branch manager also knew Sally and Rusty. Terry was relieved to find her bank accounts had not been bothered, and she was able to get to the safe deposit box. They provided her with a new ATM card and temporary checks to use while the personalized ones were printed. They would call her when the new safe deposit box key and checks arrived at the bank. While she was there, she made arrangements with the bank to add Sally, Sarah and Rusty to her accounts, and to change the account numbers. She also had the bank place tags on all her accounts, so that it required two of them to be present before any changes could be made to the accounts. The bank manager was surprised at her request, as it was very unusual. Terry picked up the items she needed from her safe deposit box, and they left. "Thank you," said Terry. "I am so glad you were with me this afternoon, since, otherwise, I would have fallen apart. As thorough as they were with the post office and apartment, I was surprised my bank accounts were okay." "It was probably too great a risk to whomever is behind this," said Rusty. "I can see that. We need to stop at the mall on the way back to the estate. I think I need a few new clothes. You know, my old clothes may not have fit me any longer." "Terry, you may want to pick a size larger than fits you today," said Sarah. "Good point. I only want to get a few clothes today. Nancy said they dress business casual in the office. So I was thinking of getting two sets for work, and, at most, two casual sets for other times." When they reached the mall, Sally opened the glove compartment and then opened a door in the back of the compartment. Then, as she handed everyone a Glock, holster and ammo clip, it became very quiet in the cab of the truck. "Last time Nancy, Sarah and I were here, we were followed. I would like us to stay together, even if we go to the restroom." "Makes sense," said Sarah, and Terry nodded. "As a group, we do stand out, mostly because of our height." "Yea, right," said Rusty. "I'm the only one that no one will see, with you three foxes walking around." "What?" "Just watch the number of people who walk into things as we move through the mall. Also, you should expect a few propositions. I suspect that those will come from both genders." "Well, at least we have four pair of well-trained eyes to look around." "How do you figure?" asked Terry. "Sarah was able to spot all of the people Nancy and I were able to identify following us two days ago. The best part was, I didn't even see her looking." "Wow, my apologies. It took me a long time to learn how to do that." Rusty and Sally both nodded their agreement. They concealed their weapons and headed into the mall. The trip was brief, as Terry let Sally and Sarah guide her to places that would have the clothes she needed. Between Terry and Sarah, they bought out the lingerie shop's stock of large cup bras. At the shoe store, Terry found shoes that felt very comfortable on her feet. She was surprised that the most comfortable ones had at least a 5 inch heel. Sarah found another pair she liked. They were on their way in a little less than two hours. During the time they were wandering around the mall, they never saw anyone following them, other than to gawk. As soon as they were in the vehicle, Sally called Nancy, to let her know that they were on their way back to the estate. Dinner was waiting when they arrived at the estate, so they quickly put their items in their rooms and freshened up for dinner. Stan, Julia, Bob and Nancy were waiting for them at the table. They started eating as soon as everyone was seated. Sarah, Terry and Julia each went back for seconds, as their first helping did not seem to be enough. Both Terry and Julia clearly ate more than Sarah. "Did you decide not to move your stuff, Terry," asked Nancy, with a worried look on her face. She was thinking that Terry had changed her mind about working with them. She glanced at Sally, Sarah and Rusty, then said, "Well we couldn't find anything to move." "What?" Bob, Stan, Nancy and Julia had puzzled looks on their faces. Terry's eyes started to tear a bit. Rusty began telling the story for her, "Okay. When we got to her apartment and were getting the key from her neighbor, she told us that someone came to Terry's apartment about a week after Gary kidnapped her. They hauled all of her belongings off. The neighbor asked them about Terry, and was told she had to take care of her family for a while, and they were asked to put her belongings in storage." "They did a good job of emptying the apartment. It was clean as a whistle. The neighbor thought it was strange to see them wearing gloves the whole time they were there. She never was able to get a good look their faces, because they wore designer sunglasses the whole time." Nancy's face showed both concern and relief at the comments. Bob and Stan glanced at one another briefly. "Wait, it gets better," said Sally. "Sarah, Terry and I went to see the apartment manager, to see what arrangements she needed to make with him. He told about the neighbor making him aware of the belongings being removed. Then, a week ago, he received a letter indicating Terry was vacating the apartment. With what the neighbor told him he became suspicious, so he checked the signature on the letter with the one on her old contract. He could tell right way that it wasn't hers. He felt the only thing he could do was wait to see if she returned before her rent was overdue. He apologized several times for not catching them moving her stuff out of the apartment." "He seemed very sincere," said Terry. "He was. He liked having you for a tenant," said Sarah. "He gave me all of my deposit and last months rent back. He is going to mail the check here. One thing that I think bothers all of us was his last comment. It seems I haven't been the only one to disappear. He is aware of several instances where singles or couples have left on a family emergency, then, a week later, 'friends' with keys show up and remove their belongings from the apartment. A month later, a letter sometimes arrives, saying the renter won't be back. In every case he knew of, the apartment manager had no means of contacting anyone about them. No contact information was left when they departed. No one thought to ask the 'friends' for that information. He said I was the first to return." "Wow, talk about unsolved mysteries," said Stan. "Well, there is more. The post office had received a forwarding address, but the postal system wouldn't accept the address, so it was all there in a box. Surprisingly, my bank accounts had not been touched. I know the branch manager and new accounts person, which is how I was able to get new checks, a safe deposit box key and an ATM card. I also put a binder on the accounts, so that any changes to the accounts require two of us four to be present whenever a change is recorded." "I have an inkling that what happened to the missing people is similar to what was planned for Sarah and Terry." "I agree with you, Rusty," said Bob. "What do we do with the information?" "As much as I hate to say it," said Stan, "there's nothing we can do for now, except keep our eyes and ears open." "I think we have come into contact with something that is very evil," said Sarah. Her eyes were filled with tears. Sally and Rusty placed an arm around her, drawing her close to them. Dinner finished on a sad note. They all spent the rest of the evening watching TV or reading, with several breaks to chat. Bob and Nancy had watched with amusement, and some envy, as Terry, Sally, Sarah and Rusty were always constantly touching one another. Nancy looked at Bob just as he looked away from observing them and smiled. He nodded, confirming her observations. Both of them were reasonably certain that their four friends would be together a long time. Sarah, Sally, Terry and Rusty said good night, and went to bed as soon as the late news had finished. After freshening up, they talked, in bed, about the things they needed to do tomorrow. Rusty needed to change his address at the bank and post office. Sarah needed to go by Cynthia's office, to meet everyone and see the layout of the office. "Why don't we take care of these items together," asked Sarah. "I think Sally would like to see the office before we go there to work. Rusty definitely wants to see the layout, although he hasn't said it yet." "Okay," they responded. "Has anyone thought about how to arrange our things?" Asked Sally. "Mine will be easy," laughed Terry. "Mine will be just as easy," responded Sarah, as she stuck her tongue out. "So there." "Back to the discussion about our rooms," said Rusty. "If we use each room for a purpose, perhaps we can do this without any remodeling. We can use the largest room for our bedroom, and the adjoining room as a dressing room, since the bathroom connects to both. The third room can be set up for a relaxation area. In the fourth room, we may want to put a bed, in case one of us wants to be alone for a while." "Great," said Sarah. "I presume you wanted to set your PC stuff up in the relaxation room?" "Yes, I kind of thought we could set up a small network in there, with a PC for each of us. The advantage to this is that we can put a larger bed in here." "I like that," said Sally. "There is cabling already in this end of the house for network connections." "The larger bed sounds like a good idea," said Terry. "I don't think I will ever want to be very far away from any of you for an extended time. But we would probably sleep better if we had a little more room to stretch out." "Let's take the truck tomorrow, and stop by a furniture store after we leave Cynthia's. We could use two dressers, besides a larger bed." Just then, Terry yawned, reminding them of how tired they were. They moved around slightly, to get more comfortable, but still stay in contact with another as they drifted off to sleep. Sarah opened her eyes just as it was getting light outside. She reached out with her mind and touched each of those lying with her. She could tell Terry and Sally were having romantic dreams as they drifted toward waking. Rusty had awakened just as she was checking her friends. They joined their thoughts, sharing their expressions of love for each other. "We need to get up soon." "Yes I know, but it feels so good to lie here with you. It is something I don't think I will ever tire of doing." It wasn't long before Sally and Terry woke. "Good morning," they said, as they noticed both Rusty and Sarah were awake. "Did you two have a good dream?" Asked Sarah. "Yes," they chorused. "How did you know?" "I could tell by the expression on your faces, and the way you were moving around." "Well, it was one of the best dreams I have had in a long time," said Terry. "All of you were in it, and we were in a very beautiful location." "We need to start moving," said Sally. "We have quite a few things to do today. If we get them all done, we can relax and enjoy the weekend." They quickly took their showers and dressed. At breakfast, a quick review of everyone's plans was made. Nancy reminded them that Adam and Joyce were to be back tomorrow. Rusty's group then left on their errands, after they picked up their weapons, at Bob's recommendation. As they left the estate, Sarah called Cynthia, to see if it was okay for them to come by this morning, and to let Cynthia know that she thought it would be a little over an hour before they arrived. Cynthia told her that would be great, since she might need to be out of the office that afternoon. It turned out that Rusty's bank was the same one Sarah used. So, both she and Rusty made changes to their accounts. They liked what Terry had done with her accounts, so they did the same with theirs. The uniqueness of the arrangement required them to talk to the bank manager, as the accounts person did not know how to set it up.  ------- Chapter 19 The group was impressed by Cynthia's real estate office. The receptionist had summoned Cynthia when she saw them arrive, so Cynthia was waiting to meet them when they entered the building. Cynthia greeted Terry with a hug. "Terry, I tried to call you the other day and there wasn't any answer. Have you moved?" She said. "Yes. I start a new position next week. It should be very interesting." Rusty and Sally had difficulty keeping a straight face. "That's great." Sarah then introduced Rusty to Cynthia. Once the greetings were complete, Cynthia took them on a tour of the offices, making sure to introduce them to all the staff. The last stop was Sarah's new office. Sarah was surprised, as it looked like the everything was new but didn't have a new smell. "Wow, this is very nice Cynthia, much more than I expected. Have you firmed up your plans on how we will work together?" "Somewhat, do you want to talk about it now, or wait until Monday?" "Why don't you and Sally talk to her, as I want to look around a bit?" "Terry and I can wait in the lobby, while you two rough out what you will be doing next week," said Rusty. "We have some time before we have to make our next stop." "If you have the time now Cynthia, why don't we spend a little bit of time discussing it now, in general, then, on Monday, we can sort out the detail and clear up any gray areas." "Okay, let's go into my office. Rusty and Terry, you are welcome to join us, or you can wait here. Just make yourselves at home, and if you want something to drink, feel free to use the lounge." "I would like to get a drink, so we will wait there." "Okay, Terry is familiar with where things are located in the building." Cynthia led Sally and Sarah into her adjoining office. "Sarah, I am really pleased you decided to try this. I didn't mention it yesterday, but all of the people in your old office spoke very highly of you." Sarah blushed. "As to your contribution here, I would like you to focus on organizing the way we handle our real estate contracts and associated financial accounts." She briefly described how things were done, and where the problems usually occurred. She didn't think the the problems had cost them any money yet, but she was concerned that it could. As a first step, she thought Sarah should familiarize herself with the process they always used, in order to become capable of appreciating what changes, if any, changes needed to be made. "An interesting problem. Do all the sales people use PC's?" "Most do, though we have few who use them only if they have too." "Okay. Let me think about it. I am sure I will have many questions on Monday." Just then Cynthia's phone rang, causing her to look at the clock. "Oh my, we have taken much longer than we planned. Rusty and Terry must think we forgot about them." She spoke on the phone for a brief moment. "My appointment is here, just as I suspected when the phone rang. Sarah, Sally, I am very glad you came by today, and that we had a chance to discuss this. I am looking forward to seeing you on Monday." "Cynthia, I am also looking forward to next week," said Sarah. "Have a great weekend." Sarah and Sally went back into her office. Terry and Rusty had just returned to the office when they entered. Sarah looked around her office for a few moments, taking stock of it. "Let's go get lunch. From what Cynthia described about the tasks she wants me to do, Sally and I will be quite busy next week, and perhaps for quite sometime." They all found their experience at the furniture store very interesting. It was their first time shopping together for something for all of them. When they entered the store, they decided to scan what was available. They roamed through the store together, evaluating the different styles and checking the beds for comfort. Sarah and Rusty quickly found several sets they liked a lot, but decided not to say anything until Sally and Terry had settled on a choice. When they reached the door, after their second pass through the store, Sarah asked Terry and Sally if they had a preference. "Yes," said Terry and Sally. "Which set do you like?" With that, Terry and Sally both moved toward the same display of furniture. Each thought the other was following them. "I really like the looks of this one," both said together. Then laughed, as they realized what had happened. Sarah and Rusty grinned, since it was their first choice, as well. "I never would have thought that we would all have selected the same furniture." They left the furniture store with a new king size bed and two large dressers. The dressers were much larger than any of them were initially thinking about. If it worked the way they thought it would, then two of them could share a dresser for their day-to-day things, and they would not need to use either of the current dressers in their apartment. This way, they would have more open space in the rooms. For extra storage, they decided to keep either Rusty's or Sally's clothing in one of the walk-in closets. They arrived back at the estate early enough to unload the truck and arrange most of their group of rooms before dinner. The king size bed took up quite a bit of their bedroom, but there was still more than enough room around it. Nancy came by just as they finished up arranging the furniture, and helped Rusty put away his things he brought from his apartment. "Is everything okay?" Asked Nancy. "We think so," they chorused. "We don't think we will need to do any alterations," said Rusty, as he carried his computer desk into their den and stopped. "You guys didn't need to do that." "What?" said Terry, as the rest came into the den and saw four computer desks. Three of them already had systems on them. "Oh, Wow," they said. "Nancy, you and Bob didn't need to do that." "Well, we saw Rusty bring in his computer, when he moved his stuff here yesterday. When we saw that, we realized neither Terry nor Sarah had one any more, so we thought it was a great way to say welcome to the staff and our family." Sarah hugged Nancy. "Oh, thank you, that was very thoughtful." Terry then hugged Nancy, as soon as Sarah stepped back. She had tears in her eyes, and sobbed as Nancy held her. Sarah and Sally then stepped up and put their arms around both of the others. Rusty stood waiting and watching, as Terry's emotions settled down. "Nancy, Bob, thank you. I am so surprised, I cried over receiving a computer! Gary tried to steal my self-esteem, and almost succeeded. Then, someone stole the rest of my possessions, many of which were dear to me, as keepsakes to remember my family. Ever since I have been with all of you I have felt your love and caring for me. As strange as it may seem, your gift brought home to me that the son of a bitch could only steal my self-esteem if I let him. He fucking well ain't going to do it!" All four of them put their arms around Terry and said, "Terry, you are a very beautiful person, both inside and out. We knew that as soon as we saw and talked to you. We love you for being you." Then each kissed her to express their emotions. After the last kiss, the air was filled with the sent of arousal. "Terry, don't be surprised if your are bothered by your experiences at Gary's hands, from time to time. Please talk to us when they bother you." "Thank you. All of you." "Oh, the reason I came over was to tell you dinner will be a bit late. Joyce and Adam are coming home a bit earlier than we expected. So we will all be together at dinner." Dinner was spent reviewing the activities that had occurred since Joyce and Adam had been away. The conversation continued after dinner, in the media room, over coffee. Joyce and Adam were amazed at the events, and all they had missed. Both thought that having Sarah, Terry and Rusty around all the time would be great. Both had known Rusty for a long time, and admired him. The fact he thought so highly of both Terry and Sarah, transferred their feelings to them. Monday arrived quicker than anyone wanted it to. Sally re-started her morning practice sessions, showing Terry, Sarah and Rusty what she typically did. She had just begun, when the others at the estate joined them. Sally was surprised, but quickly adapted to the new arrivals. It had been quite a while since her sessions were so well attended. Being unsure of the proficiency of some of the late arrivals, she decided to ask Rusty for his assistance in leading them through some basic routines. With both of them leading, the exercises went smoothly, and they were able to assist those having some difficulty. "I see everyone is familiar with the exercise routines, but a little rusty in doing them. So, rather than twice a week, let's do this on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, until everyone is comfortable with the exercises again. After a couple of weeks, we may want to divide into groups, based upon your proficiency, then we can work to improve the parts where each of us need more practice. Let's clean up. See you at breakfast." ------- When Sally and Sarah arrived at the real estate office, they spent a hour or so with Cynthia, reviewing the details of the project discussed on Friday. Sally and Sarah then spent the first two days mapping the process the office used. Once they had a map, it was easy to see where improvements in the procedures could be made, which would enhance the experience their customers had when buying or selling real estate with them. On Wednesday, they shocked Cynthia by presenting her with a series of proposed changes. They all recognized that the tricky portion would be convincing some of the sales agents that it was to their benefit to do their part, by keeping their records up to date on the PC's. Because there was the potential for lost commissions because of information sharing, it took quite a bit of convincing to get some to participate, as Cynthia did not want to let anyone go. Cynthia suggested a few modifications to the plans, after which she gave her approval to move forward with the new policies. They decided to get everything prepared so that they cold begin implementation on Monday, with Sally assisting for the first two days. It was late the second week of her employment at the real estate office when Cynthia introduced Sarah to Sylvia. Sylvia was presented as a friend of hers, who needed some assistance in acquiring and selling some properties. Sylvia made Sarah very uncomfortable, even before the introductions were completed, in part, by the way she kept looking her over. They talked a bit about the real estate she needed assistance with. Dorothy, one of the agents, tapped on the door, and asked if Cynthia was looking for her. Cynthia told her yes, and that she wanted her to assist Sylvia with some real estate issues she had. The next two weeks passed quietly. Sarah, Rusty, Sally and Terry became almost inseparable whenever they were at the estate. They went out together a few times, but were much more comfortable just doing things together. The few times they went out, they drew quite a bit of attention. Several times, someone made a pass at one of them. Rusty was surprised that several women had made passes at him. He kiddingly blamed it on being with Sarah, Sally and Terry. On Tuesday, when Sarah arrived at the real estate office, Cynthia asked her if she had heard from Dorothy, because she had missed some appointments on Sunday and Monday. When they called, no one answered her phone and the answering machine was not working. Later that morning, she came back and asked Sarah to check Dorothy's apartment. Sarah went to Dorothy's apartment at lunch time, and had Rusty meet her there, as the situation made her uneasy, as this was so unlike Dorothy, who seemed to be a very dependable person. When they arrived at the apartment, they knocked several times. but no one answered. Both could sense that no one was in the apartment, but that someone was watching them. As they turned to leave, another door opened, a young woman carrying a baby came out. "Have you seen Dorothy?" "Who?" "The woman that lives in this apartment." "I saw her leave on Friday evening with a small bag, like you would take for an outing." "You didn't see her come back?" "No. Who are you?" "We work with her. She didn't show up for work, and has missed some appointments, as well. It is very unlike her." "I haven't seen her since then. Oh, I think that is her car on the parking lot. At least, it looks like it." "Thank you." "So what now." "I'm not sure. We could check with the apartment manager." "No, I think I just ought to go back to work, and tell Cynthia what I found." "Okay." At their cars, they kissed and went their separate ways. Sarah told Cynthia what she had found, and what the neighbor had said. Cynthia then decided to shift Dorothy's accounts to Maria and two other staff members until Dorothy returned. The next week, Sarah told Cynthia that this would be her last week. She liked the people at the firm, but she didn't feel the same way about the job as she had before the incident, when she had more client contact. She didn't feel she was leaving the firm short, as there were several others on staff that could replace her. She recommended one of the other staff members as a prime candidate, either to pick up her tasks or to be her replacement. She thought the person could do it as well as she had. The rest of the last week at the real estate office went quickly. Sarah was surprised on Wednesday, when she heard Cynthia telling Maria that she was going to put Dorothy's things in storage, as no one had heard from her. It would be a shame if she returned and all of her things had been trashed, or sold off. The apartment manager told her that the rent was now past due, and now, based on what she had said, he would only wait another week for her to bring her rent current. On Friday, Maria took her out to lunch. They had a great time, even though they shared their concern over Dorothy's disappearance. Maria was not happy that Cynthia had given her Sylvia's account. She found the woman difficult, and uneasy to be around, for some reason. Sarah told her that all of the work she had seen that Dorothy had done for Sylvia had been pretty straight forward, and that the commissions would be very good. Maria indicated that the commissions were the only reason she did not reject the account, even if it meant leaving. When they parted, after lunch, they agreed to keep in contact with each other. For the first time in a long time, Sarah felt comfortable and needed, when she started working with Bob and Nancy's crew. It was the first time she was able to apply the knowledge she had gained at school. Working in the office with Nancy, had made it possible for Terry to assist Bob, Rusty and Sally on their security installations. Terry really liked the on-site work, even even though she had to wear heels all the time. Stan and Julia had decided to continue working out of the estate, as it seemed to have really given their business a boost. A month later, Sarah went to meet Maria for a luncheon appointment they had made a week earlier, and she didn't show. Sarah didn't think much about it, as she figured she either got tied up with a customer or had forgotten. She waited a week without hearing from her, before she tried to call. Her answering machine was full, and, when she tried the cell phone, there was no answer. After stewing for a bit, she tried to reach her at the real estate office. The receptionist told her she wasn't in the office, and had not be there for several days. Sarah hung up the phone, thinking that that was what had happened to Dorothy. At dinner, Sarah shared with the group what she had learned about Maria's situation. Everyone agreed that it was unusual, but there wasn't really any reason to take any action. Sarah hadn't socialized long enough with either Dorothy or Maria to know much about their families. They had never mentioned them, but that in itself was not unusual. Rusty and Sally both told her they would go with her, if she wanted to go by Maria's apartment. The activity picked up around the estate, as Adam was going to graduate in a few months, and Joyce was anxious for her junior year to be over. They talked Sally, Terry, Sarah and Rusty into chaperoning their prom. Terry and Sarah spent quite a bit of time looking for dresses that they could wear which would be appropriate for the prom. Both were over 6 ½ feet and, with their large busts, it was difficult to find ready-to-wear clothing. After making several trips to the mall and several dress shops with Joyce and Nancy, they found outfits that they could wear, if they made some alterations. Once they started making the alterations, Sarah quickly came to the conclusion that it would be easier to start from scratch, and to just to use the ready-to-wear dresses as a pattern. Fortunately, they had enough time to do that, since all five of them knew how to sew. As they were ready to leave for the prom, Rusty surprised Sarah, Sally and Terry by presenting them with corsages. Nancy insisted on taking pictures of them together before they left. They arrived at the hotel where the prom was being held, and met the other chaperons before the students began arriving. The school principal thanked the chaperons for assisting with the prom. He reviewed the rules for student behavior at the prom, and noted that all of the students were aware of the rules. Some could be expected to push the rules, but he didn't expect any real problems, nor did he expect anyone to try and crash the party. Sarah, Sally, Terry and Rusty were unique chaperons in that they were the youngest chaperons, and the only who were not parents. Once some of the parents realized that they were friends of Adam and Joyce, they began to relax and engage them in conversation. By the time the students began arriving, the chaperons had become comfortable with each other. Joyce and Adam were some of the first to arrive. They brought their dates over and introduced them, before mixing with their fellow students while they waited for dinner to be served. The chaperons broke into small groups, and scattered around the room. Rusty and Sarah paired up, as did Sally and Terry, as they circulated the room. All four of them received appreciative looks from many of the students. Joyce found them, and asked them to join their table for dinner, along with Adam and his date. Another couple joined them at the table for dinner. Debra and Bruce were good friends of both Joyce and Adam. During the dinner conversation, they each learned a bit more about the others. Joyce and Adam's dates were surprised that Sarah, Sally and Terry were all, obviously, close to Rusty. Sarah told them a bit about what they did for a living, while not providing any significant information. Sally pushed the conversation toward martial arts skills and exercises. The friends of Debra and Bruce were surprised that both Sally and Rusty were accomplished instructors in their martial arts disciplines. From there, the conversation moved on to discussions of their futures. Adam shocked everyone, when he said he was considering delaying college to serve in the Army. He was really interested in special forces, but asked everyone not to saying anything to his parents, since he hadn't told them yet. The other graduates were going to college. One was interested in computers or a computer-related field, the other two had not decided yet, but both were interested in the sciences. Once desert was served, the band began to play and the students began to mingle or dance. The chaperons mostly gathered in different spots around the room, and talked amongst themselves. Sarah, Sally, Terry and Rusty circulated around the room in pairs. They enjoyed watching the students interact with each other, as it brought back memories of when they were in school. Although, this time, there was none of the apprehension that would have been there if they had been students at the prom. Sarah and Rusty peeked at the conversations some students were having, as they wandered around. They were startled when they came across a conversation between a group of boys talking about when to give their dates a drug. They were looking forward turning the girls into their submissive sluts. It took a while for them to identify where the four boys were in the room. Terry and Sally, we may have a situation developing over here. Can you wander over to us? Both were startled when they heard Sarah's thoughts, but immediately moved toward them. As they got closer, Rusty nodded toward a group of boys who were talking together, and all four of them moved toward them. The boys were so engrossed in their planning, that they didn't see the four chaperons until they stepped up between and behind them. "Gentlemen," said Sarah, "and I could be using the term loosely, we would like you and your dates to step out in the hall with us, now." "Why?" Responded the boy who appeared to be the ring leader, in a challenging manner, while the other three looked uneasy. "It's very simple. All eight of you will join us in the hall for a chat, or we will turn you over to the police. The controlled substance you have in your pocket will put all four of you in jail, which will be minor compared to what will happen to you if you continue with your plans." "What plans? We were just talking." Blustered the ring leader. "Besides, you're just chaperons," he added, arrogantly. "Okay, your choice, but I'd hate to see you all end up in jail, before you graduate." Each placed a hand on a boy next to them and squeezed a nerve, making them wince in pain. "Shall we go?" "Okay. We will get our dates, but we still don't know what this is about." "No. I think we will get them ourselves." When the four dates saw the four chaperons escorting their dates toward the door, they followed, with puzzled looks on their faces. As they exited the ballroom, the girls caught up with them, and tagged along. No one said a word, as they walked over to a isolated corner of the lobby. One of the security people saw the group, and started to come over to them, until Rusty shook his head, no. The area they went to had four couches facing each other. They told the boys and girls to have a seat. The four chaperons pulled up chairs between each of the couches, and sat down, blocking the students in. The students were quiet, as they kept glancing between each other. In only a few moments, several began to fidget. "Why did you bring our dates out here," asked one of the girls. "How long have each of you been dating?" asked Sarah. "Off and on, for some time," said the second girl. "What do you mean?" "Well, we go out with each other a lot, but the pairings are not always the same. Actually, we tend to go out as a group, but the pairings change." "Okay. So you're telling us that you care for one another a great deal." All eight sat nervously, looking around at the group. "I see that you girls took off your bras," said Terry. "Why did you do that?" None of them answered. "He asked me to," said the third girl, as she blushed. "Were all of you asked to remove your bras?" The other three nodded. "You were willing to do that, because you wanted to tease them again," said Sarah. "Didn't you?" The girls sat there. None of them wanted to say anything, as this was not going as they had hoped, and their dates looked irritated. "Okay," said Rusty. "Let's put it all out in the open. You four girls have been leading the guys on at every opportunity, indicating your willingness to allow certain sexual liberties and then, at the last moment, stopping. More than that, you bragged to one another about what you were doing, like it was a big game." "The boys learned about what you were doing, and decided tonight was the night for pay backs," said Sarah. "With a little help from a substance one of them has, you were going to be doing anything they asked of you. We can tell you have already received some of the drug. With several more doses, you will be doing anything they ask as it makes you very submissive." The anger showed on the girls faces, as they heard the last part and saw the guilt on the boys faces. "Why are you angry, girls," asked Terry. "Are you mad because they were going to humiliate you? You felt it was alright to humiliate them and to play with their feelings as if they didn't matter or they were just toys." "But it was just fun," whined one girl. Her date gave her a hard cold look that shocked her. "There are many reasons to show affection for one another and not have it end in intercourse. Teasing and humiliation are not among them." "Rusty said we were going to lay the cards on the table for you," said Sarah. "Each of you is very bright, and likely come from families that are unusual as to how they show affection and treat one another. You know this, because you've seen it when at the other's houses. What you probably didn't recognize is the similar activities at your own house. The adults in your lives are treating each other, and you, much the way you have been treating each other." "We have a choice, and you have a choice, about what happens this evening," said Rusty. "It is clear to us that all of you care a great deal about each other. You could say it is a kind of love. Each of you is afraid of admitting it for a number of reasons, and not all have the same reason. Is that not true?" None of them said a word, but they did not deny the statement. "Okay, here is your first choice, and it's for all of you or none. We can turn the guys over to the police, and they will be charged with, at least, having a controlled substance on them, dispensing and, perhaps, several other things. All of you will be in court, as their defense attorney's will have the girls tell what prompted the boys to do this. In the end, all of you will be humiliated, as your lives are laid out in public." There were tears in the girls eyes, and sadness in the faces of the boys. "It will probably cause your scholarships to be withdrawn, as well." The last comment led to shocked looks on several of their faces. "We have an alternative. We will escort you up to the suite the boys have arranged for the night. You will give us your wallets and keys, for safe-keeping. You will spend the rest of the night talking to each other. You will tell each other everything. Why you did it. How you felt. What you think of each other." "What is your choice?" The group looked around at each other until, finally, the fourth girl said, "I think we ought to try the second choice." She paused. then continued, "Many of your comments about us are correct. I care very much for everyone here, much more than I have ever told them." "You can't force us to talk to each other, or share our feelings," said another. "That has to be something we want to do." "Oh. you may be surprised to know that each of you are dying to share your burdens with the others, but are afraid to break the ice. We know just how to do get the sharing started. So are we ready to go up?" The four couples stood, followed by the chaperons, and headed for the elevators. When they reached the suite the boys had rented, Rusty collected their ids, keys, money and other items, to discourage them from leaving, along with the drugs. Rusty and Sally prepared a soda on ice for each of them, as they sat in the suite. None of the students saw him add some of the drug to each of the students' glasses. They passed the glasses around, and then talked about rules for sharing this evening. The drug dose was just enough so that, with a directive to talk about their true feelings for one another, they wouldn't be able to resist. As soon as the sodas were finished, and all their questions answered, Sarah gave them their instructions, along with a small telepathic push. The four chaperons watched them, as they thought about the directive they were just given. One girl grabbed the hands of the boys on each side of her. Holding them tightly, she began to talk about how she felt about them, and about her disappointment in herself for acting like her parents. One of the boys interrupted her, saying it wasn't all her fault. Sarah and Rusty took a quick peek at the thoughts of the eight. They thought, from what they saw, that everything would be fine. They told the group they were leaving, and that they should lock the door after them. If they needed food or more refreshments, they should call room service. A tip could be put on the bill. They would be back in the morning with their things. As they walked down the hall, Terry asked if they thought the group would succeed. "Yes," said Sarah. "They were doing what they desperately have been wanting to do for some time. Rusty put a bit of the drug in their drinks. It was just enough to remove the resistance to being open. When the drug they were using is given in low doses, it removes a good bit of the restraint many people have, that keeps them from sharing." "They could get up and leave the room," said Sally, as she was still unsure this would work. "That's true, but if you saw the feelings we did, we think you would agree the chances of success were very high. Come on, let's go enjoy the rest of the prom." Over the rest of the evening, both Adam and Rusty managed to dance at least once with Sarah, Sally, Terry and Joyce. Several of the students also asked them to dance, as they found the four chaperons much more approachable than either the parents or teachers. It was early morning as Sarah, Rusty, Terry and Sally, gathered up their items to leave the ballroom, since they were the last of the chaperons to leave. Adam and Joyce, with their dates, met them at the door. "Gals and guy," said Adam, "thank you so much for helping out with the prom. We really appreciate it." "Could we tempt you to join us for an early breakfast?" Asked Joyce. "That sounds very good," they chorused. "Of course, your reputations might be damaged by being seen with chaperons." "Not a problem for us," said Joyce and Adam. Their dates nodded their heads in agreement, as did the Debra and Bruce, who were with them at dinner. Adam suggested an all-night restaurant where they could meet. They were surprised, when they arrived at the restaurant, to find quite a few other couples from the prom were also there. Sally, Sarah, Terry and Rusty were the only chaperons there, and, as they entered, many of the students thanked them for being there this evening. By the time they had finished breakfast and were leaving the restaurant, the sky was just beginning to lighten. Sarah told the rest they should check on the group they left in the suite on the way back to the estate. When they arrived at the suite, it took a few moments to open the door, as the group was asleep. The commotion of opening the door woke everyone up. The group straggled into the sitting room, in various stages of dress. All of them looked tired, but relaxed. Sarah said, "Here are your things back. All of you look tired, but also much better than you did earlier. We have made arrangements for you to use the suite until Sunday, if you want too. If you do, you need to let your parents know you are with your friends. You may not want to tell them you are here, though." The boy who was their nominal ring leader came up to Sarah and took her hand. "Thank you. We are deeply indebted to all of you for what you did for us last night." He kissed Sarah on the cheek, and then shook hands with the rest of them, while giving each of the women a kiss. The others quickly followed his example. "We are glad things appear to be working out," said Sarah. "One of the secrets to keeping a group like yours close is sharing, understanding, support and love. With that between you, your group will grow and prosper." They left for the estate. The evening had been great, plus they had hopefully helped the four couples find a bit more about themselves. ------- It was the week of graduation, when Joyce and Adam came to them about the four couples they met at the prom. It seemed the four couples wanted to talk with the four young chaperons who were at the prom, but didn't know how to get in touch with them. Neither Adam or Joyce had volunteered any assistance, since they wanted to discuss with them first, as it was at their prodding they had been chaperons. After a short discussion, the group thought getting together for a barbecue would be a good way to begin the get-together. Rusty suggested that they hold off on deciding and that they should, instead, discuss it over dinner. They asked Joyce and Adam if they would tell them what they knew, or had heard, about the four couples. They did not really know any of the eight people in the group. They had seen them from time to time, either in class or at school functions. Joyce indicated that the only thing she noticed was that, before the prom, it seemed to be four girls hanging out with four boys, with the usual boy versus girl pranks. Now, they seem to be much closer as a group, and almost always as mixed pairs. At dinner, Rusty and Sarah indicated they would like to have four couples from the prom over for a barbecue on Saturday, if everyone was available. Bob and Nancy looked puzzled. Sarah went on to explain the request that Adam and Joyce had brought home. Sally gave them a brief summary of what had happened at the prom, and how they had handled it afterward. Terry then laid out the concept they had for the barbecue. Adam agreed to see if they all could make it this Saturday. Joyce and he would meet them at the mall, to lead them to the estate, if they could all come. Saturday turned out to be a very nice late spring day, perfect for outside activity. It was just after lunch, when Adam and Joyce arrived with the four couples. They spent the most of the afternoon chatting, swimming and playing games. The afternoon gave Sarah and her friends time to get to know the four couples, and see how they fit with each other, before they found out what was bothering them. After dinner, they took the four couples over to a secluded meadow to watch the sunset, and give them an opportunity to talk about the request to get together. Sally and Terry spread out a blanket on the ground, so everyone could sit. They sat quietly in a circle, until Sally said, "It seems like you want us to help you with something." "First, let me again express our thanks for what you did for us," said Molly. "We will be eternally grateful. Your alertness kept us from doing some really stupid things, and most of all, you helped us find each other." Each of the group nodded to Sarah and her friends, indicating they all agreed. "I am not sure how I ended up being the spokesperson." "Okay, I'll help," said Rick. "We feel like we want to be together as a group for a long time. Six of us are supposed to go to college in the fall. The other two will not graduate until next year. Our problem is that we don't want to be apart for that year, so we are not sure what to do. The six of us have scholarships but at different schools, some located quite a distance from here. We expect the other two will have scholarships when they graduate, as well. Several of us floated the idea of delaying college for a year with our parents. They wouldn't even let us finish telling them what we wanted to do." Everyone nodded their heads, indicating that all of them had tried talking to their parents, without success. "How old are each of you?" Asked Terry. Two were nearly 17, and the others were all 18 or older. "Why did you pick the college you are going to?" asked Rusty. They listened to each response, and in most cases, asked more questions, drawing out all of their reasoning. For the next couple of hours, Rusty and friend's asked the couples more questions. Each question was designed to have each the young people express all of the issues, they saw surrounding, what they wanted to do. After a while, several of the students faces grew quite sad, until one began to quietly cry. Her friends immediately put their arms around her, to comfort her. They all looked at her with a worried expression. Sarah and Rusty shared a look. "Why don't we go into the conference room? It will make it easier to sort out a plan." "But it's hopeless," cried the girl, and then she really began to cry. Sarah stood and pulled the girl up to her, wrapping her arms around her. Her friends held her, as well, while Sarah told her nothing was hopeless, unless she gave up. Meanwhile, the others had folded up the blankets. "Let's use the large guest house, rather than the conference room," said Sally. "I will have someone bring some refreshments over for us." With that, they all headed toward the guest house behind Sally. The girl who was upset was held by two of her friends, as they all walked up to the house. Terry heard them telling the girl they would not leave her. The comment puzzled Terry, and at the same time alarmed her, as her security training came into play. Sarah saw the look of concern on Terry's face, and immediately understood that there was a problem. "Rusty, as much as I dislike doing it, we need to look at their thoughts. I think Terry has heard a comment that has alarmed her." "I know your ability is stronger than mine, but we still have difficulty seeing old thoughts. I think it would be better if one of us asked questions of them that would trigger a memory of their underlying concern." "Okay." After everyone was seated, Sarah asked the girl if there was something she should share with the rest of them, since the adults were surprised at how emotional she became. The girl's face began to quiver again. "Leave her alone!" Molly said. "Maybe we shouldn't have bothered you with our problems. The first time you really helped us, but now it just seems you are aggravating us." Then she continued, softly, "like our parents." She blushed as soon as she realized what she had said, and several of them gasped. "I think we should be going," said Rick. "As Molly said, this seems to have been another bad choice of ours." The others nodded. "So, you're just going to give up," said Sarah, in a soft voice. "You can do what you want to do. It will be painful and you will need to stand by one another with absolute faith in each other. Many married couples have never been able to manage the level of commitment to each other all of you will need to have." "No, I won't give up," said the girl that was crying. "If not for my friends, whom I love deeply, I would be dead by now. I don't know if I can put into words the reasons why I must do this." "You don't need to tell us. But your partners need to know enough to understand your pain." "They do." The rest nodded their heads. "Do all of you have similar problems?" "The simple answer is yes," said Molly. "Circumstances differ quite widely between us. In some cases, it involves us directly. In others, it hasn't yet, but we live in fear that it will." "It is late. Would all of you like spend the night here? You need to consider whether it would create more problems for you," Each nodded, affirmatively, and said they could stay. "Okay," said Sally. "So that you don't trip any of the security sensors, once we leave, we need all of you to stay in the house, until we come down to get you for breakfast. You can go out on the porch, but no further. If you need something, press 8 on the phone. It will ring in our room." "The four of you share a room," asked Rob, and blushed as he realized what he said. Sarah, seeing his reaction and the response of the others, said, "Yes. We are deeply committed to each other. We have only been together several months, yet every day our commitment to one another grows. We are reaching a point where we can sense each other's feelings." "So that's how you knew to help us," said Mairia. "Oh, I'm sorry I cried earlier. I now understand why you were quizzing us. There wasn't any other way to do it, except maybe..." "Let's call it a night. Call us when you get up, and one of us will come get you. If you get hungry there is food in the kitchen, but it is all dry or canned." They made their way to the door. The four couples said, "Good night and thanks for everything, no matter what."  ------- Chapter 20 Sarah and Sally went to the guest house, to bring the four couples to breakfast. While they were at the guest house, Sarah asked them if they would agree to having Bob, Nancy, Adam and Joyce at the discussion after breakfast. Before they could respond, she assured them that whatever happened there would stay there. "Think about it and then, if you have no objections, just invite them to join us." "Okay," said Molly, as she looked around the group. With that, they all headed for the main house and breakfast. Sarah and friends watched the four couples, as they joined in with the conversations going on around the breakfast table. The four couples were much more relaxed today, and easily participated in the conversations while they ate. After breakfast they sat together, sipping coffee and continuing their discussions. Mairia caught Sarah's eye, and nodded toward the other room. Sarah nodded her agreement. Mairia tapped her glass with a spoon, to get everyone's attention. "We need to continue our discussion from last evening, and I am not sure where we should do it. Bob, Nancy, Adam and Joyce, we would like for you to join us, if you have time." Several in Mairia's group were surprised to see her take the initiative to begin their discussion. "We would love to," said Nancy, with the other three nodding. "Although we aren't sure of the topic." Everyone chipped into to clean up the breakfast dishes, and they were soon all in the lounge, each with another cup of coffee or glass of juice. "Let me summarize why we wanted to talk to Sarah and her friends," said Mairia. Both Molly and Rick looked surprised at Mairia's change. "Simply put, Sarah's group woke us up to the fact that we, all eight of us, are in love with each other, and have been for a long time. Knowing that, we want to stay together, and that complicates our lives. Six of us are scheduled to start college this fall, and the other two still have a year of high school left. Most of us have absentee parents, or ones who regard us as another one of their possessions, to do with as they please." "My situation is strange, since until four years ago I was in a foster home. My adopted family now consists of 6 girls and a boy, and all of us are adopted. Which doesn't seem strange, except that every year I have been a member of the family, 1 or 2 more are adopted, and the oldest ones leave. I didn't notice anything strange about it until a year ago. I was very close to the twins who graduated last year. We promised to stay in touch with one another after they left for a special school our parents had arranged for them to attend. I have never heard from them after they left, and I instinctively know they have tried to contact me. My parents have, supposedly, forwarded my letters to them." "My strength is analyzing situations, except when it involves me." Several chuckled at her comment. "Within a few months of joining the family, and each year after that, we are taken to a clinic for a physical. The physical is very through, and seems to go well beyond anything I've heard my fellow students talk about, or any information available on the Internet. The two aspects that seem most unusual are a full set of body measurements and photographs. The first year I went every three months, to receive what they called a 'supplemental shot', since then, it is only once a year. Everyone of us takes a prescription daily supplement. If any of us ask about any of this, we are told it is to compensate for the lack of medical care we had while in foster care. After every shot my first year, I ached all over, as if I had the flue. Then, some two months after the first shot, I began to 'blossom out'. After about a year and a half I stabilized at how I look now. Something similar has happened to every new child, shortly after they join the family." "Yes, I know there could be a lot of explanations for this. Even with all of these concerns, my parents treat me much better than some of my peers are treated by their parents. They are nice, caring, and always interested in our activities. But ironically, it is only in this group that I feel love; deep, sincere, abiding, love. I want to remain a part of it, and I am very afraid that I won't be." "Do any of the rest of you have similar issues," asked Sarah. "My father is a very controlling person," said Jackie. "He keeps telling me that I won't need to worry about college or anything else once I graduate, as he has the perfect opportunity already lined up for me. It doesn't sound bad, but you should see the way he looks at me sometimes. He was really irritated when he found out that I had accepted a scholarship to college, but hasn't done anything to block me going." "Do your other friends have concerns like yours?" Everyone shook there head no. "Are your parents acquainted with each other socially?" Everyone indicated no. "Are any of the rest of you uncertain about your parents intentions toward you?" Everyone indicated no. "Okay, let's talk about options," said Rusty. "First, all of you could just disappear and assume new identities, or you could rearrange your college choices, so that you could remain together." "Disappearing and assuming new identities seems easy, but it could be very difficult to carry off successfully. Once done, it becomes very difficult to undo, so let's leave that option as a last resort." "As a second choice, why don't you find a nearby college that offers all of the majors your group is interested. This would give you the opportunity to be together, at least on weekends. This gives you in the option of telling your parents where you are going to school, if you want to. Even with that, you could obscure your location, if you felt it necessary." "Most weekends, you could use the guest house," said Nancy, surprising everyone. "The only requirement would be that you have to make sure its clean before you left. If need be, you could use this as your permanent address." "What major are you thinking of, for college," asked Bob. They each told him of their interests, and the major they thought fit them best. "There are five small colleges that could cover your interests within 4 hours of here. Two of them are in the same town, and we have contacts at three of them." With that, the group started literally bouncing with happiness. "Do they all have web sites? What are the addresses?" Several asked, in a burst of questions. "Hold it," said Terry. "Let's walk through this a bit more. As concerned as everyone is about the group's welfare, we need to initiate this carefully. Bob, to provide the level of confidentiality they will need, can we let them operate from here and use this as an address." "Yes and no. They can use the guest house as a second home, as long as they realize they can't leave anything permanently there. If they need to leave some things here, we can set up a special place for that. We have an unused address that they can use. That will separate our business from their actions, in case anyone goes snooping around." "They will need ids, as well," said Sally. All of the couples looked happy, yet concerned. Seeing this, Sally glanced at Bob for approval then turned and said, "What comes next must never leave here, or be mentioned to anyone except those in this room. Failure to do that will put everyone at risk of death, or worse." The group became very quiet. "Think about it before you commit to that pledge." While they were waiting, Sarah and Rusty quietly watched the group, as they thought about the condition Sally just made them aware of. It was only a few minutes until Mairia starred at Sarah and then Rusty. "I agree with all my heart." "She is close to being telepathic." "Yes, but she is not ready yet." Mairia pushed the thought, 'I'm working on it' to them," startling both. They looked at each other, and then smiled at her. One by one, each of the group made a pledge to never talk about this place, other than as Adam and Joyce's home. "I never expected this discussion to go this way," said Bob. "There isn't any reluctance on any of our parts about helping each of you reach your full potential. As a part of our security, we need to fit each of you with a pass key. It fits underneath the skin, just behind the ear, much like a hearing aid would. For that reason and the fact that it will be placed under your hair, no one will notice it." "It's purpose is to identify you on the site, and let you have access," said Nancy. "When you are entering the estate, you should keep an eye out for anyone following you. If you are being followed, don't enter unless it is an emergency. Call us, and we will see that you get here undetected. Okay. It is kind of cloak and dagger, but caution is of paramount importance. One other thing, do not bring any guests onto the site without prior approval." "Sally, why don't you take them over to your group's den, so they can look at the college web sites. When it's about a half hour before lunch, bring them back to the clinic, and I will have the ids ready." "Why are you doing this," asked Molly. Rick nodded as well. "Because we can, and it seems the right thing to do," said Bob and Nancy together. "We sense that all of you are good people, and just need a little help now. We would hope that, if you have the opportunity, some time in the future you will return the favor by helping someone else." "Okay, we can do that." They all nodded their agreement with Molly and Rick. "As you may be here frequently, you should be aware that we are rather casual about dress," said Joyce. "You can wear as little or as much as you want, except when we have business guests." Several looked puzzled at her comment. "To be a bit blunter, that means nudity is acceptable, if it is your choice. Our family requires that any interaction between each other to be voluntary." "Come on, let's go look at these colleges," said Sally. Everyone followed her but Bob, Nancy and Rusty. They went into Bob's den. "What will it cost to look into some of the parents backgrounds," asked Rusty. "Not a lot, but I agree with your implication. We should look into both Mairia and Jackie's parents' backgrounds. From what they told us, it would appear that their parents have a specific future planned for them, regardless of what they want. As to the others, we probably ought to do a quick check, just to see if anything sends up a flag." "I think, or more accurately we think, the cost should be borne by us, as it is due to our action they are here. We do appreciate your assistance, though." "Rusty and Sarah, we consider you, Sally and Terry to be a part of our family." "Thank you, and all of us feel the same." "We are in this together, so don't worry about it. Although we can't see things quite the same way you and Sarah can, we can see and feel their need, which is why we jumped in to contribute." "Well, I need to go to the clinic and program the pass keys for them. Nancy, would you bring them out to the clinic in about half an hour?" "Sure, I think I'll go see how they are doing." Nancy headed off to see the how the group was doing, while Bob and Rusty went over to the clinic. "Bob, it seemed like you wanted to say more at the house." "Yes, but there were too many people around. You remember the comments made by the apartment manager, about people disappearing?" "Yes." "Well, from time to time, we have heard about young people disappearing right after high school. Usually the disappearances are hardly noticed, just like Mairia's older sisters. Parents don't raise a cry. No other relatives to raise the cry either. If the parents are careful, they can send their children almost any place, for any reason, and, since the children believe them, they'll go willingly. The parents can then tell others a different story about the child, so their disappearance seems to be normal. I would suspect that Mairia parent's are selecting suitable children for adoption, who meet a set of physical criteria. Then, they make sure that the children receive a set of medical treatments to make them more physically desirable for their entry into slavery, or some other illicit trade. The children are sent to a distant school, or on a special trip, which in reality is the site of an auction." "How did you learn all of this?" "Through bits and pieces. The activity seems to be well established in virtually every country, so that any investigation is squelched, or the investigators simply disappear. If our understanding of Mairia's situation is correct, this is the closest I have ever come to any of these activities. It would be nice to extract her, but what are the ramifications. Everything needs to be done very carefully, as it wouldn't surprise me for the group, or groups, behind this to take all eight, rather than let one escape their plans. If that is true, they would also be able to take us out before we knew what happened." "Oh, my. Our getting involved l puts everyone of us in jeopardy, as well." "That is a possibility. To do nothing is unacceptable to Nancy and I, as I suspect it is with the four of you. With that in mind, we should support them in whatever direction they want to go, and stay in contact, ready to help if we can." "You've got our buy-in to that approach. It would be nice to put an end to it. No one should force another into any kind of slavery. If it is voluntary, that is an entirely different matter." Their discussion was interrupted by the arrival of the others. Bob and Nancy, working together, were able to quickly fit each of the group with id tags. Only Bob, Rusty and Sarah knew that he had used an id tag that could be used as a tracker, as well as an electronic key. Over the next several weeks, the six going to college next year changed their choices to a college that was closer. With some silent assistance from Bob and Nancy, all six were offered scholarships that covered tuition and supplies. When they went looking for a house to rent, they were surprised to find one available that was next to their campus. The homeowners wanted someone to take care of the house while they were away, so the only expenses they would have would be food and utilities. They didn't realize it, but the use of Bob and Nancy as references when they met with the owners sealed the deal. The next weekend they were at the estate, they excitedly told them about their good fortune finding a place to live. Bob and Nancy never let on that they knew the owners of the house. With two weeks left till graduation, everything seemed to going the way they wanted it to. Jackie's parents had accepted her change in choice of colleges. They were also pleased that her group of friends had grown to include Joyce and Adam. With some soft suggestions from Bob and Nancy as to where to look, each of them lined up jobs for the summer. ------- Sarah sat by herself in the office, day-dreaming, as all her work was caught up and nothing further could be done until the crews were back this evening. Bob, Nancy, Julia and Stan were off on a project, and would not be back for over a week. Only Joyce, Sally, Terry, Rusty and she would be at the estate while they were gone. They expected to see Mairia's group for the weekend, as they were there nearly every weekend. Adam was off on a trip with some friends to celebrate his high school graduation. She felt that deciding to work for Bob and Nancy was one of the best things she ever did, other than finding her three lovers. She really enjoyed working for Nancy and Bob. In addition, having the rest of her friends beside her for the last six months had been wonderful. She kept in touch with Alice, Judy, Jill and Janet regularly. Her experiences in the last year had shown how important it was to stay in contact with friends. Spending most of her time with Terry, Sally and Rusty had drawn them very close to one another, so close that they quite often shared similar thoughts, but the show they did at Alice's had accelerated their bonding quicker than any other single event. Over the last month or so Sarah and Rusty, at Terry and Sally's request, had been trying to assist them in seeing or sensing each others thoughts. They felt some progress, but not enough yet to make it really useful. She and Rusty seldom looked at anyone else's thoughts, unless an action by that person prompted it, and they were not really sure what to look for. They almost continuously shared their thoughts. The time she spent working in Cynthia's office had not been too bad, but it didn't have the draw for her that selling did. She had made several friends in the office while she was there. In the short time she was there, one of them had left suddenly and two others left shortly after she did. All three were about her age and build, or at least her build before the encounter with Liz. Sarah felt they were prettier than herself, even without the changes her body had undergone. All three of them, for one reason or another, just stopped showing up for work. She was surprised when Cynthia stepped in to have Dorothy and Marie's things put into storage. Sarah wondered what had motivated her to do that. Sarah couldn't fault her for doing it, though, and put her reaction down to her being a caring person. Working with Cynthia had been very easy. Cynthia had established a good basic organization for the office's operation. The initial organizational project she and Sally had done really just improved its efficiency. After that, all she would have had to do was keep the process moving forward. She primarily had to make sure the closing and escrow accounts were managed correctly. She also handled the details surrounding commission payments. Cynthia, however, did have some strange friends. Sylvia was the strangest of all of them. Sylvia was a tall, well-built, woman. She always seemed very pushy and demanding, and Cynthia always catered to her requests. Every time she looked at Sarah, it was as if she was if she was assessing a piece of meat. Sarah had noticed that she looked at several others the same way, and had chalked it up to the woman's weird personality. Cynthia had assigned Dorothy and, then Marie, to handle some property transactions for this woman. Neither of them were pleased, but the commissions they earned were quite substantial, so they didn't resist too much. In fact, it was a short time after both Dorothy and Marie had handled the property for her that they disappeared. That thought startled Sarah. She had never noticed that coincidence before concerning the two disappearances. She wondered why she would think of that now, after so long. The last time she saw Cynthia and her friend was at Alice's. That was the time they had all gone down for a long weekend. Alice had talked the four of them, along with Joyce and her brother, into putting on a show on Saturday evening. What a show! Sarah could feel her cunt moisten at the memory of the show. She leaned back in the chair, as she began to relive the memory. Her nipples stood tall on her tits, acknowledging her growing arousal. When the outline for the show was presented to Sarah, she was reluctant, but Rusty and Sally talked her in to trying it. For part of the show, she would be restrained, and, after her experiences, the idea was at first a bit frightening. In her mind, nothing good had happened when she was restrained, but this time things really turned out differently. The show focused on the activities of a wedding party, beginning with the end of the ceremony, and continuing after the reception. Sarah was the bride, wearing a wedding dress with a long floor-length skirt that had side slits appearing to run all the way from under her arms to the floor. They were supported by a fine, narrow, band around her waist. Her large bust was covered by two cone-shaped, narrow panels which rose up from the waistband to cover and accentuate her breasts. The bust panels were laced together, leaving her back and cleavage bare. Her long, aroused, nipples were quite visible behind the thin white panels. Her legs were encased in white thigh-high stockings that flashed through the gap on the side as she walked in her six inch heels. The three attendants wore complimentary dresses, except that the hems of their skirts only extended a couple of inches below their cunts. The show started with all of them standing, as they would have been at the end of a wedding ceremony. Rusty lifted the veil, so they could kiss. The kiss they shared was long and passionate enough that both began to show signs of arousal. When they separated, Sarah took a gold collar from Sally, her maid of honor. The collar was nearly two inches wide and made of very thin metal with a gold color. There were four small rings equally spaced around the collar. Facing Rusty, she lifted it up and as she slipped it around her neck and pledged herself to serve and fulfill all of Rusty's wants and desires. The ring closed snugly against her neck, clicking loudly as it locked. Her face glowed with warmth and love, as she gazed at him. She turned to her maid, holding our her arms. Sally placed bracelets around each wrist, which matched the collar. From each bracelet hung a foot-long chain, which ended with a small lock. She turned back to Rusty, handing him a key, and said, "With these restraints, I place myself completely in your care." She then locked the chains to the ring at the front of her collar. Sally stepped behind her, and handed her a three-foot-long gold braided leash. "Seeing your collar will remind me continuously of your submission to our relationship," said Rusty. Taking the leash, she a locked it to her collar and handed the end to Rusty, saying, "With this lead, I pledge myself to go where ever you will lead, master." Tears streaked down her face, caused by the wonderful emotions she was feeling, even though this was being done as a show. "Your trust in me and total submission to our relationship is overwhelming. We shall use that trust and submission to further our bond to each other," said Rusty. Then, Sally released the laces on the top of her dress and slid it off, leaving Sarah bare above the waist. She stepped up behind Sarah, placing her hands under Sarah's tits, cupping them. Sarah said, "Please master, taste my milk. It is for you, your offspring and whomever you wish to receive it." Rusty leaned over and sucked a mouth full of milk from a breast and swallowed. He then sucked the other tit until his mouth was full. Raising up, he kissed Sarah and let the milk run into her mouth, letting her drink her own warm milk. Sarah shivered at the contact. She could feel the wetness in her cunt. "Your milk is excellent, and I look forward to many opportunities to suck it from your tits," said Rusty, "or watching our children suckle the life-giving essence from them." Sally then released the skirt, letting it fall to the floor and leaving Sarah in only her shoes and stockings. From behind Sarah, Sally reached down and spread Sarah's cunt lips. "My cunt is for your pleasure and enjoyment," said Sarah. "I hope you will enjoy many hours sampling its warmth." "Yes, I am sure we will," said Rusty. "As I have given myself fully here today, is there any jewelry you wish for me to wear on my body?" "Rusty, would you put a bar through the base of my clit now, as a part of the show?" Rusty's facial expression changes as he heard her thoughts. "I know it is not part of the script, but I have been thinking of doing that for some time. Joyce has a package containing the items. My clit sticks out anyway, and the bar wouldn't change that, but it would hold the hood back from it. Please, will you do it for me and all of us?" "You are asking me to do something that is very uncomfortable for me. I don't like doing piercings." He saw the desire on her face. "For you though, I cannot refuse anything. So yes, I will, but what you are asking me to do will be very painful." "Yes, I know it will hurt for a little while, but there should be many rewards for both of us. Judy knows that I may do this, so, if you want, you can ask her to come up." Speaking loudly, Rusty continued, "Yes, we would like to accent your beauty with body jewelry, but only to enhance the great beauty we already see. Joyce, please." Joyce stepped over and presented him the package. He opened the package and examined the contents. "For tonight, we will place a small bar through the base of your clit. It will be long enough to hold the hood back from your clit, so it is always visible." "Judy, please come up and assist." Judy soon stood on one side of Sarah, with Sally on the other. They each pulled Sarah's clit hood back. Rusty took the antiseptic cloth and wiped it through Sarah's dripping clit hood and around the base of the clit. Picking up the needle, he placed it next to the clit's base, with the point almost touching her clit. Sarah looked down at what was about to happen. "Slow or fast?" "Just do it." With that, he pulled her clit out slightly while keeping the needle positioned, then pressed the needle through the flesh. Sarah shivered and tears ran down her face, but she made no sound. Once the needle was through, the bar was attached to the end of the needle and pulled back through her clit. Each end of the bar was fitted with a short, jeweled, pins. Only a few drops of blood needed to be wiped up. Judy knelt before Sarah, to make sure everything was okay. As she finished, she leaned in and licked the end of Sarah's clit, causing Sarah's body to spasm. Seeing the response, she leaned forward, sucking one cunt lip into her mouth to stroke it with her tongue, and causing it to swell more. Then she sucked on the other cunt lip, causing it to swell with arousal. Sarah shivered at the attention to her cunt. Judy then pressed her mouth deeply between Sarah's aroused cunt lips and drove her tongue deep into her cunt, covering her face with Sarah's vaginal juice. Sarah moaned, as she shivered from the orgasm Judy's attention had caused. It was fortunate Sally was supporting her, otherwise she would have collapsed onto Judy. "Are you okay?" "Yes, thank you." "Judy, why don't you stand next to Joyce for the rest of this?" said Rusty. Rusty reached into the pocket of his coat. "Sarah, I have a present for you, as well. One that will remind you of your commitments, and keep you perpetually ready to live up to the promises you have just given me. These Ben-Wa balls were made just for you, and are to be carried in you at all times." Sarah spread her legs, as he reached down and pushed the string of Ben-Wa balls slowly into her cunt. Sarah shivered, as the balls settled in her cunt. A small gold chain was left hanging from the mouth of her cunt. Rusty turned Sarah to the audience and said, "I now present to you my new darling." The stage lights caught the jewels in the bar, making her clit sparkle while she was standing there. Sally slipped a cape over Sarah's shoulders and clipped it to the collar. The cape hung off of Sarah's shoulders, framing her beautiful body for the audience. Thus ended the first act. The audience gave them a very strong and long applause. After a short break, the second act began, with the three escorts and Sarah entering the stage through a door. Sarah was now dressed in a long, shear, clingy, silken dress. The bodice was cut and shaped to openly display her tits. Each of the escorts wore short skits, that reached just down to the beginning of their legs. Their tops were simply open-front halters, that encased and displayed the front of their tits. The group was chatting among themselves as they entered the room. Sally took Sarah's hand and lead her to the center of the room. As she kissed her, she released the dress from the collar, letting it slide to the floor. Sarah was left standing in only her stockings and 6 inch heels. Her wrists were still tethered by two chains to her collar. Terry and Joyce went over and lifted a cover off an object across the room. Sarah gasped as she saw the restraint chair and bench. She shivered. At first it scared her, as it was what Liz had bound her in the first time at the club. Joyce said, "We thought these would help you with your daily exercises." "I am not sure what you mean," said Sarah. "Come with me, so we can show you how much exercise you can get," as she led Sarah over to the chair, turning her and easing her back into the soft seat. Terry and Joyce then each took one of her legs, lifting and pulling them wide while placing her legs on the support arms. Sarah was not restrained in the chair, but the design made if very hard for her to get out by herself, even if her hands had been free. Her wide-spread legs pulled the mouth of her cunt open, letting her aroused, swollen, cunt lips open like the leaves of a flower around the mouth of her cunt. The gold chain of the Ben-Wa balls glittered as it dangled from her cunt. Sally knelt between her legs, and began to kiss and lick the inside of Sarah's thighs, slowly working her way up to her cunt. Once she reached her cunt lips, she paused and examined the bar through Sarah's clit. She then licked Sarah's cunt lips and dragged her tongue through the deep crease between them, causing a surge of liquid to flow from her cunt. Sarah moaned, while trying to push her cunt toward Sally's mouth. Joyce and Terry stood on each side of Sarah, caressing her tits with their hands and mouths. Sarah was moaning continuously, as her arousal level increased. When they began to suck the milk from her, she orgasmed and moaned loudly. When Sarah orgasmed, she flooded Sally's face and mouth with cum. The three girls continued to caress Sarah's tits and cunt, building her to higher and higher states of arousal. Each level brought a small cum and shudder through her body. Rusty came in through the door. "Ah, you are getting her prepared." "Yes, master," came the response, as they paused a moment to answer. "Good." He stepped out of his clothes, and released his cock from the strap holding it to his leg. At the sight of Sarah and her escorts, it quickly swelled until it was standing out straight. Sally stood, with her face dripping with Sarah's cunt cream, as he stepped over between Sarah's legs. He reached down and slowly pulled the Ben-Wa balls from her cunt. Each ball passing through the mouth of her cunt caused her to shiver. She felt empty when they were all out. He pressed the head of his cock against the mouth of her cunt and held it there. Sarah tried lifting her hips, to push the cock further in toward her cunt, but the chair gave her nothing to push against. She could only lay there, taunted by the warmth of his cock pressing lightly against the mouth of her cunt. Sally stepped up on the side supports, next to Sarah's head. She stepped over to straddle Sarah's head, placing her dripping cunt just above the bride's mouth. Sarah looked at Sally's dripping cunt. She moved her hands up, cupping Sally's ass, pulling her cunt forward toward her mouth, and displaying her submission to her friend and lover. Sally let her cunt down onto Sarah's mouth, just as Rusty thrust his cock all the way into Sarah's cunt. The sudden thrust caused her mouth and tongue to be pushed further into Sally's cunt. Sally had a small orgasm, and her cunt flooded Sarah's mouth and face with cum. Joyce and Terry stood and removed their clothes, before moving to the bed where they could enjoy one another. Adam came into the room. Seeing that the party had already begun, he also dropped his clothes. He walked over to his sister, and caressed her back as she licked Terry's cunt. He stepped behind her and slid his cock into her cunt, pushing her mouth tighter against Terry's cunt. Joyce knew from the way her cunt spread that it was her brother's cock. He reached under Joyce, taking a tit in each hand to caress and stroke her nipples. His cock pulled on her cunt enough with each stroke, to cause Joyce's clit to rub its hood. As Adam stoked her cunt with his cock, her cunt clinched with each orgasm. She had trouble focusing on licking Terry's cunt, so she held her tongue in the mouth of her cunt and let Adam's fucking move her mouth to caress Terry's cunt. She reached her hands up to play with Terry's nipples. She could feel Terry shiver each time she had an orgasm. Adam could see the girls were getting close, so he began to thrust into Joyce's cunt faster. This increased her arousal, and Terry's. Soon, he could feel his balls tighten up. After only a couple of more strokes, he flooded Joyce's cunt with his cum, triggering a big orgasm. Terry, feeling Joyce's orgasm, grabbed her head and pulled it tight to her cunt, triggering her own. Meanwhile, Rusty's slow steady thrusting into Sarah's cunt had brought her to a state of continuous small orgasms. Each one made her more aroused than the next. Sally's cunt was producing a river of cum into her mouth. Then Rusty thrust deep into her cunt, pushing the head of his cock against the mouth of her cervix, spraying it with hot cum. Sarah screamed into Sally's cunt, triggering her orgasm and then passed out. Once Terry got her bearings, she moved under Joyce, and began to lick the cum from around her cunt and Adam's cock. Adam, feeling Terry's tongue, began to pull back. As his cock slipped out, Terry latched her mouth on Joyce's cunt, to catch the cum. She licked and gently sucked the cum from Joyce's cunt. Joyce raised up, pressing the mouth of her cunt tightly against Terry's mouth. She squeezed her vaginal muscles, forcing more cum out into Terry's mouth. Joyce reached back and pulled Adam around, so she could clean him with her mouth. She loved the taste of their mixed cum. Rusty unfastened the restraints from Sarah's collar and wrist. He then removed the leash from the collar. Sarah moaned slightly. They waited until she was awake. The audience applauded their performance. Sally said, "Do you want to try the exercise bench now?" "I'm not sure, and it doesn't look like much of an exercise bench." They helped her out of the chair and steadied her as she looked at the bench. "Lay down on it, and we'll show you some of the features, and how they work. Sarah stood at the end of the bench and lay forward on the bench. Her tits hung down through two openings in the bench, letting her shoulders rest on the support pad. Her head naturally laid against a support strap, taking the strain off her neck. She placed her hands on the hand grips to steady herself, as she lifted her feet onto the pedals. "This works like a bicycle, in a way, but it also provides pleasure. Your cunt is just the right height to be fucked. The head rest holds your head in just the right position to lick cunts or suck cocks. A pair of cups provide pleasurable sensations to your tits." With that, Terry raised the cups against Sarah's tits. The nipples slipped into the chamber in the bottom of the cup. The machine immediately started sucking on Sarah's nipples. A steady stream of milk could be seen flowing down the tube into the reservoir. "Oh, that feels good," said Sarah. "Well that is only the beginning, as the bench is equipped with three special dildos, one each for your cunt, ass and mouth. With the controls in your hands, you can control the stroke and size for the ones in your ass and cunt. They will swell to nearly twice the size of your wrist in diameter. The one in your mouth will only thrust back and forth a little bit, but it does squirt in your mouth periodically." "So, what do you say we let Sarah have a trial run?" Everyone cheered. "Here you go, Sarah." With that, straps wrapped around her ankles and wrists, as a dildo moved down and gently pushed its way into her mouth. The others lined up at her cunt and ass. "First, we'll let you feel the dildos, then we will change to the real thing." Sally pressed the start button and the pedals started moving. With each cycle of the pedals, the dildos pushed into Sarah, ejecting a small amount of liquid as they went to ease the penetration. Once they were fully seated, they began to thrust back and forth. Sarah's cunt immediately started to drip cum. Sally placed a bowl to catch it. "Now try the grips. If you squeeze, they will get larger around, if you relax your grip, they will get smaller. If you push they will go deeper, and when you pull back, the thrusts will be shallower. You can also set it up to paddle your ass or clit, if you don't pedal hard enough or try to quit early. Even if your pace is right, this will still happen periodically." With that, warm liquid flowed into Sarah's mouth. As she swallowed, she realized it tasted like a combination of Rusty's cum and her milk. "Now let's try something different," as she stopped the machine. When it fully stopped, the dildos slipped out of her and Sally moved to disengage them. "Adam, why don't you let her suck your cock while Rusty fucks her." The two stepped into position as Sally started the machine. Once it was started, Sally took a butt plug and wiped it along Sarah's wet cunt. She handed to Rusty, to slide into Sarah's ass. Sarah moaned, as the plug was pushed into her ass. It was larger than the first one, but the lubricant let it slide in easily. Then Rusty slid his cock into her cunt. Pedaling the cycle caused Sarah's cunt and ass to flex on the intruders, making it highly arousing. The twisting on his cock, stimulated the cunt lips and pulled on the hood, which stimulated her clit. Sally had pressed a ring gag into Sarah's mouth before Adam pushed his cock into it. "The ring gag makes sure no accidents happen, although Sarah wouldn't do anything harmful on purpose, the throes of passion could cause her to bite down." Sally could tell by the movement of the three they wouldn't last long, as Sarah's skin was pinkish. Rusty nodded to Adam. With that, they both pressed forward and released their cum. Adam's cock slipped into Sarah's throat, to pump his cum down her throat. This time, Rusty's cock slipped through mouth of her cervix as he blasted it with more hot cum, triggering an earth-shattering climax in Sarah. Rusty's cock throbbed from having the ring tight around the head of his cock. When they were drained, they pulled back out slowly. Sarah's cunt did not want to release Rusty. When Rusty pulled back, Sally slid a hollow tube up Sarah's cunt, to let the cum drain into the milk bottle. Joyce turned Rusty around and began to clean the juice off his cock with her mouth. Terry did the same for the best man, Adam. Sally took the cum-laced bottle of milk and attached it to the bride's mouth, replacing the ring gag, so when she recovered she would have a drink, whether she wanted it or not. Sarah stirred. As soon as she looked around Sally lifted the bottle, pouring the cum-laced milk into her mouth, forcing her to drink it. She swallowed rapidly, drinking nearly a quart of milk. Rusty released her head, so she could look toward the audience. "How do you like your exercise bench?" "It was startling, but was quite a new experience." "It has many other uses, too." "I can't wait to try a few of them, and perhaps let my friends here experience it as well." "Oh. We already have one, the three chimed in, but we would like to play some more." "Not tonight, you wore me out." With that, they bowed, and got a round of applause from the guests. Sally released Sarah's restraints, and then started to help Sarah up. Sarah said she wanted to lie there a minute, to recover. The group put the items away. Sarah dozed off while lying there on the bench. The group saw her sleeping, and went off to join the others for refreshments in another room.  ------- Chapter 21 Sarah was startled awake, as she felt the restraints tighten on her again. Opening her eyes, she saw the lights were out. She started to call out when a ball gag was pressed into her mouth, then a blindfold was slipped over her eyes. A soft muffled voice told her to hold still, as nothing bad was going to happen to her. The voice sounded familiar to her. She felt a band tightened around her arm, then a needle being pushed into her arm. Someone was taking a blood sample. She could tell they filled three vials from the needle in her arm. She was confused as to why any one would go to this trouble for a blood sample. As soon as they were finished, they slightly loosened her restraints and left. As they were leaving the room, she heard one say, "Why did you need the blood samples?" "To determine what genetic alterations had already been given to her. With the results from these tests we can tailor a virus for her, so she will match her friends when they have all completed their treatments. This group will be perfect for our customers needs after the alterations are complete, although they could be a bit bigger." The other said, "Yes, lets hope so." Sarah mentally summoned Rusty to release her. After he came to her, she shared what she had heard and what had happened. He thought it was strange, but agreed there didn't seem to be any point in telling anyone else at this time. Sarah was disappointed in herself, since she did not try to look at their thoughts while they were there. Rusty helped her up and they went off to join the rest. In thinking back through the day's events they did not see any reason to have acted differently. The actions of the ones who took the blood samples continued to be a puzzle. Later that same weekend she saw Cynthia, and her overbearing friend Sylvia. She talked to Cynthia for a while about the real estate business. Cynthia asked her to come back, as she missed her assistance. She had not been able to find anyone to fill the position as well as she had, and the agent she had recommended had left the company. Sarah commented that it was too bad that Dorothy left, as she would have been a good choice for the position. Cynthia seemed startled at that comment. The look on her face told Sarah she was wondering why she had made that suggestion. Sarah quickly looked at her thoughts, but didn't see anything to alarm her. ------- The phone rang, waking Sarah out of her daydreaming. The call was from Sally, saying they were on the way back, but they would have to work some time the next day to finish up. After hanging up, Sarah told the cooks that dinner should be around 7 PM, to allow enough time for Sally and Rusty to return. Sarah went back to her reminiscing. It turned out that the props from the show at Alice's were really for them. Bob and Julia had made them at Sally and Terry's request. Her participation in the show, seemed to bring Joyce closer to their group. After the show, Joyce spent more time with the four of them than she did before, and, to some extent, moved into their apartment. She wasn't sure she wanted to fully join the group, but she liked being close to them. Joyce was very close to Adam and her parents. Neither objected by her choice to be closer to them. In part, Joyce looked at them as older siblings, as Adam had just graduated high school and she had finished her junior year in high school. Both Terry and Sally admired Sarah's clit bar, and had talked from time to time about having a body piercing like that for themselves. All three had been astounded by Sarah's action during the show; especially her pledges to Rusty. It was, in some respects, as though she had attained a new level of bonding with Rusty that evening. They were already close, but now seemed like almost one. Sarah worked very hard to make sure that her pledges to Rusty, although made in play, were tangible, but did not alienate either Terry or Sally. They had had many long chats about their feelings for one another. Sally observed that, before the play, it was four of them physically and mentally. Now, quite often, it seemed their were three minds and four bodies. When she said it they all laughed, but it was short-lived, because it was a very astute observation. Sarah compounded it by responding that she would like them all to be of one mind, without loosing any of their individuality. Terry had wrapped her arms around Sally and Sarah, trapping Rusty between them. "What a lovely idea! How do we do it?" Sally beamed. Sarah pointed out that she thought the closeness between Rusty and her was because they could sense each other's feelings. "If we could do that with both of you, I think that would help. We should be able to do it without that, though, but it would be harder to accomplish." Sally and Terry told her to look into their minds, if Sarah or Rusty thought it could be done. Since that night, Sarah and Rusty had found ways to make them stronger in their mental abilities. This was both in terms of their sensing things around them as well as being able to share their minds. They had helped Sally and Terry attain partial mind communication, or sharing, but it was weak. Julia's body began to show the effects of the injections that Gary had given her shortly after Sarah started working at the estate. Julia's bust grew considerably, along with the width of her shoulders and hips. Although her tits increased to a J cup, they appeared to be only a couple of cup sizes larger than originally, due to her wider shoulders. Except for a small increase in height to 6' 1", the changes in her were similar to Terry's and Sarah's. With all three of them lactating, they hardly ever needed to buy milk at the store. In fact, it seemed that everyone had become somewhat addicted to human milk, even though it wasn't as thick or rich tasting as cows' milk. All three normally wore shoes with heels over 4 inches, anything lower, for any length of time, caused pain in their legs. While Julia could tolerate underwear for short times, she usually dressed like Terry and Sarah, in full skirts and loose tops. They all found it necessary to have their clothes made from silky fabric. Both Terry and Sarah stood over six and half feet tall, in heels. The actual height varied slightly, due to the height of their shoes. Both of them found that being too long on their feet caused their feet to ache. The ache did not seem to be related to their need to wear heels. When they went out to the mall or in the evening, their extraordinary height made them very noticeable. In fact, several times their height and attractiveness had caused problems with unwanted suitors and rude comments. It was nothing serious, but it made them prone to keeping to themselves or going out when crowds were sparse. Nancy and Bob's business grew quite dramatically with the additional help, as they were able to satisfy nearly all of the requests for data storage. They were beginning to be concerned that they might have too much data in one place. The number of attempts to hack into their systems had increased, but, in each case, the intruder was detected and redirected. The security side of the business had grown considerably since Julia and Stan had joined the group. Between Stan and Bob, they found a way to set up a computer to handle the details on off-hours that had previously been handled by a person. If it had not been for Rusty's insight on some of the issues, they would still be struggling to get it to work. Bob had insisted that all of them keep in shape, and Sally followed through, giving them well-rounded training in Aikido, yoga and general strength training. Doing it as a group really made it fun. Their general height gave them some advantages, but also some disadvantages in self-defense training, as they naturally had more exposure than a shorter person. Rusty and Terry's return woke Sarah out of her daydreaming. It was a little after 7 when they returned to the estate. Rusty indicated that they would have to go back early tomorrow and finish. Hopefully, they would have the job done by noon. Sally told them she could go with them, if that would help, since she was caught up. "Sarah did such a good job of holding down the office for one day by herself, we can let her try again." Sarah reminded them that Bob and Nancy did not like leaving only one person in the office, for security reasons. They went to dinner, still discussing the issue. They knew they were going to do it, but they were all uncomfortable with the risk. Joyce came in and joined them for desert, as she had already eaten. "Rusty, should I tell them about my dream? The context of the dream seems very close." "I don't see why not. It would make everybody a bit more alert." "The real reason I am concerned about our plans for tomorrow is because of a dream that has reoccurred several times. In the dream, us four are kidnapped and taken to a remote location. While there, we are treated with a genetic virus, which makes even more changes in us. The dream is not clear about the intent of the changes, except that, the last time, there was something about strengthening and changing us make us capable of carrying multiple babies, as in 6 to 8 babies at a time. The other change is that our aging process is slowed down. Every time, I didn't feel any concern regarding harm coming to any of us. In the last dream, there were several more women with us, but I only saw shadows. I did see some other people that had similar builds to ours, but they had long hair, with what looked like a mane running down their backs." Sally and Terry looked thoughtful. Sally said, "Sarah, try to recreate your dream tonight and look for details. We can talk about it tomorrow morning, if you have it again. In any case, write it down and leave it in an envelope, with a note on it to open only in an emergency." "Okay." Joyce said, "I don't have school tomorrow so, if you want, I can work with Sarah in the office. Oh, I almost forgot. Jill called. Janet and her are coming over tomorrow to spend a few days. They should arrive around noon." Sarah said, "As possessive as Alice and Judy are of them, I am a bit surprised, but it will very good to see them again." With dinner over and a full schedule tomorrow, they all quickly drifted off to bed, with Joyce joining them. ------- At breakfast the next morning, Sarah quietly said, "I had the dream again. But I didn't see anything that I hadn't seen before. So after you all leave, I will do as Sally suggested and write it out. I'll do that before Joyce and I open the office, as there should be plenty of time." Rusty, Terry and Sally left before 7, to complete the project they were doing. They left earlier than usual, so that, hopefully, they would be back by late morning. No one said anything, but they were all wondering about Sarah's dream and what it would mean if true. Just before the group returned, there was an unexpected delivery to the warehouse. The driver had a freight bill to drop off a refrigerated container at that location. There wasn't any record of expecting it, and both Bob and Nancy were unavailable to verify it. Sarah called the shipper, but the office was closed for an extended lunch. Sarah decided to let the driver leave it at the dock. The driver had hardly left when the group returned. They were very happy that the project was completed. Rusty commented that, on a job like, that he liked working with extremely tall, good looking, women. Sally drew back at the comment, saying, "And just what kind of jobs do you not like working on, with tall, extremely good looking, women?" Rusty laughed, "Haven't found one yet. Hope I never do." "Right answer!" she said, as she and Terry grabbed him in a hug. "What's the refrigerated trailer for at the warehouse?" asked Rusty. "I don't know, and I couldn't find any paperwork about it. The shipper is closed for lunch, so I let the driver go. It didn't seem to be a risk." said Sarah. The dinner chime rang, indicating that the cook had their lunch ready. Rusty, Sally and Terry went to clean up in the office locker room, while Sarah and Joyce set the systems, so they could close the office for lunch. They had just sat down to lunch as Jill and Janet arrived and joined them for lunch. They sat and chatted for some time after lunch was completed. ------- Two women walked into the kitchen, startling everyone. "Sylvia, why are you here? How did you get in here?" asked Sarah. Ignoring Sarah, she handed each a bag then told them to remove their clothes, and place them in the bags. The group hesitated and then started doing as told. Sarah didn't want to do it and kept telling herself to stop, with no effect. Looking at the others, she could see the same thoughts going through their minds. "Rusty, can you hear me." He looked at her and nodded, then said, "yes." "I think this is the beginning of the dream." She shuddered. Looking around, she could see that everyone was now undressed. Sylvia took the bags and then handed each of them a pair of high heel shoes. "Put these on, and lock the straps." They helped Rusty stand, as he was quite shaky wearing the 6 inch heels, even though the heel was wider than the was on the shoes the women were now wearing. Once everyone had their shoes on, she said, "Come with me. Oh, don't try to get away, as my assistant is behind you with a stun gun. If you fall, or are stunned, your friends will have to carry you." She led them out to a windowless van, and told them to get in. Sylvia's assistant drove the van into the warehouse and closed the door. She then went and opened the overhead door behind the refrigerated container that had arrived earlier. Opening the container door, they could see another regular door. Coming over to the van, she unlocked the side door and told them the get out of the van, and she led them over the trailer. "Okay, this is what you are going to do next. One by one, you will go through that door and get on to the bench-type chair that has your name on it. There are two people in there to assist you, but there will be no talking at all. Understand!" They all nodded yes. One by one, they went into the room. Rusty was next to last and then Sarah. When she stepped in, she saw all of her friends semi-laying on a bench built much like the exercise bench, but more vertical. She saw the one with her name on it. Next to it, she saw an empty one, but couldn't make out the name. She slowly walked over to the one with her name, and straddled the seat. When she placed her feet onto the foot pads, she felt her shoes latch to the pads, locking them in place. She eased down onto the seat. She felt a hand on her back push her shoulders against the cushioned bar, and her tits slipped into cups. She thought, "This is almost like our exercise/sex bench." Her head was gently pushed into the restraint and fastened there. She was told to open her mouth. As she did, a soft tube slid into her mouth. She looked up and saw Dorothy, or at least someone whom she thought was Dorothy. She looked quite different naked and in high heels. She then felt a tube press into her ass and then swell, locking it in place. Sarah watched, as Dorothy went around and put headphones on everyone. Then another woman came into help her. Soft music played in the headphones. A soft voice came over the headphones. It told them they would be given a sedative, shortly, that would put them in a light sleep. "The two women you see will ride with you to your destination, to assist you in eating and relieving yourself. The tube in your mouth will supply you with food and water. Each seat is equipped with a suitable dildo, that will keep your lust under control. Your cum will be used to season all of your food. Rusty needn't worry, as his seat is equipped with a synthetic cunt. All of his spend will be fed to all of you with your food. Sleep well." Sarah watched as the two women started at the front giving, everyone a shot. She could see each one slump, as the effects took hold. Soon, she felt the needle. She thought she felt the trailer move, but sleep was fast overtaking her. Then it was dark. ------- Chapter 22 Sarah slowly opened her eyes thinking about how rested she felt. The bed was empty and causing her to wonder where her friends were. She looked around at her surroundings and realized she wasn't in their room. Where was she? Then she remembered having lunch with her friends and enjoying added presence of Jill and Janet. Her memories flooded back of events in the kitchen then her and her friends walking like robots into a trailer, where they were strapped onto the benches then falling to sleep after receiving a shot. Sarah forced her thoughts back to the present. Where was she? Where were her friends? She was laying on a double bed in a rather large room. One wall was covered with a mirror that reflected the image of a very lovely woman laying on her side with long flowing hair and a lovely figure. "Oh, my that's me," she thought. The view of the woman in the mirror pleased her, as she looked very beautiful. She moved to rest her head on her hand as she studied the view in the mirror. There seemed to be some differences in her appearance since she last looked in a mirror. Her skin color was now a light golden tan. Her analysis of the image in the mirror halted, when she realized her bladder was full and so were her tits. As she moved to get off the bed the lighting in the room increased from the soft glow. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and slipped her shoes on without a thought and walked across the room. She took only a few steps until she began to think about her actions. "How did I know where the bathroom was? Why did I put on shoes?" She soon stepped into the next room and walked straight to the stool standing in the middle of the room. Sitting down on the stool, she reached behind her to lift something. When she did, she felt a part of her body move that she didn't remember and felt strange. Her movement felt normal but couldn't remember doing that before. She couldn't see what it was. Relieving her bladder was more important at the moment. Releasing the pressure on her bladder was satisfying. The loss of that urgent need was quickly replaced by the ache of her full breasts. Finished in the bathroom, she followed her instincts and went through the door to the next room. In it she found several benches like those that had been in the trailer she remembered. Walking over to one, she straddled the seat and sat down. It was then she noticed it had her name on it. Leaning forward her tits slipped right into the cups. As soon as her nipples reached the bottom chamber, they began pulsing as the artificial mouths pulled her nipples to trigger the release her milk. The release of her milk felt good. Her cunt began to moisten as it always did when her nipples were being sucked. She put her hands on the grips and squeezed. She felt her cunt lips part to let a dildo slide between her labia then into her cunt. As it slowly slid into her cunt, her long extended labia minora released more of her cream. When she tightening her grip the dildo swelled to fill her channel. When her head touched the headrest, a small penis shaped tube pressed at her lips causing her to relax and open her mouth. After the tube slipped between her lips, she clamped her mouth as she began to suck. Her mouth filled with a warm mixture of milk and a granular substance with the taste of cum. She swallowed several times before the flow diminished and changed to water. Pushing the handles forward started the dildo thrusting deeper in her cunt. The steady rhythm of the dildo and sucking on her nipples increased her arousal. She was soon on her way to an orgasm as she dreamed of the times she spent with Rusty and her friends. Her orgasm came in several small steps until a grand finale was triggered by the dildo spraying hot cream into her womb. As she recovered from her cum, the sucking on her nipples slowly subsided as her breasts were empty for now. She lay there and rested for a bit. She was amazed at what she had just done. It seemed to her that she took care of her needs without even thinking about what she was doing. It didn't upset her as she found the results quite refreshing and satisfying. With the urgent needs of her body satisfied, she again wondered where she was and what had happened to her friends. She sensed they were okay but yearned to see them. Releasing the grip, the dildo shrank then slid out of her cunt. She could feel the cum and her cream flowing out of her cunt. She was surprised when she didn't feel it running down her leg or puddling under her ass on the seat. Easing back from the bench she looked down between her tits to see the remaining cum dripping into a small cup opening surrounding the dildo. Now she felt really thirsty. Looking around she saw a small water cooler. She walked over to the cooler. As she drank several glasses of water, she looked around the bathroom. The only thing that was unusual was the toilet as it didn't have a back. There was a bidet sitting near the toilet. Then she remembered moving something on her ass when we sat on the stool earlier. She felt behind her and nearly dropped the glass of water when she hand slid down her backbone and on to her ass. She felt more hair than she remembered and it ran down between her ass cheeks. It felt normal but she couldn't feel the end of her tail bone only the hairy protuberance between her cheeks. She quickly finished the glass of water and walked back into the bedroom until she was in front of the mirror. Turning at an angle she could see that she had a tail extending from her tail bone. It lay in the trough between her ass cheeks and was covered by the same fine hair she felt on her back. The hair was same color as that on her head. Bending over to look between her legs she examined the tail as closely as she could. She felt the bone in her tail and saw that it reached down several inches below her crotch. Caressing it, the hair on her tail felt just like that on her head. Her tail hair extended down over half way to her knees. She found touching her tail and stoking its hair caused her nipples to stiffen and her cunt to moisten as her labia started to swell. Standing back up, she looked at her profile in the mirror again and tried to see as much of her back as she could. When she pulled her long hair to lay over her shoulder, she saw the ribbon of short fine hair ran the full length of her back bone to her tail. Turning back to face the mirror, she looked more closely at her image. The features of her looked different but she couldn't quite place the difference. She felt different but her height appeared to be unchanged then again she had no way to judge it. Looking again at her face, she tried to figure out what was different. Finally she decided her features, if they had changed, it wasn't by much. In the mirror, her tits didn't seem to be as large as she remembered. Her shoulders and chest appeared to be broader and definitely more muscular. She could see that her arms and legs had more muscle tone than she remembered ever having. Flexing her legs, arms and shoulders, she could see the muscle groups ripple under her skin. Her hips seemed a bit fuller, but she always worried about that. Running her fingers through her hair, it felt both thicker and silkier. She gasped as she looked down at her feet. They really looked different. The body of her foot was obviously longer and she was essentially standing on her toes. The lack of strain in her feet surprised her. Looking more closely, she noticed that there wasn't the sharp angle that should be caused by her heel. She pulled one foot up to examine it closer. The most obvious change seemed to be that she no longer had what she knew as a heel. Her foot was like and extension of her leg without the sharp angle at her ankle where her leg joined her foot. Probing her foot and ankle with her fingers, she found the biggest difference was what she remembered as her heel now seemed to be part of her ankle. The width of her foot across her toes seemed to be wider, but it was hard to tell how much with no reference. Slipping her shoe off, she could see hardened areas on her foot under the joints and toes. Slipping her shoe back on and putting her foot down, she realized she had been standing on one leg with no balance issues at all. Wow she thought, I could never do that before. Even in 6 inch or so heels, I now have a much stronger sense of balance which must be the reason I feel more comfortable is the changes in my feet. She saw a note on the table. It suggested she take a shower. After that if she had questions all she had to do was ask as the facility was managed by a computer. The computer interface was by voice, so she query it at most locations in the building. It indicated the computer's voice would sound like a woman she use to work with before working with Bob and Nancy. After your shower, just come back to the bedroom and say "Hello". The site computer will try to answer any questions you have. Some questions may require it to query the administrators before they can be answered. Sarah let her instincts take her to the shower. She was shocked as she noticed how big the bath and shower area was. The room contained several wash basins along one wall with mirrors covering the whole wall behind them. Several stools like she used before were spaced along a low wall in the middle of the room. There were also several bidet's as well. She then realized it was a part of the room she was in before, and it surprised her she had overlooked seeing the whole room earlier. When she reached the shower, she changed her shoes before stepping into it. Entering the shower room, she saw it was large enough for 12 or more people to comfortably take a shower. As she stepped in the water began to spray from the shower heads. Stepping into the spray, she wet her body and hair. Once she was wet, she said, "Soap," without thinking and the spray turned into a soapy solution. She took the long handle brush from the wall and began to brush the soap through her hair even the hair that now coursed down her back bone. She found washing the tail hair a bit arousing. Once her hair was thoroughly brushed she rubbed the soapy water over her body paying special attention to her nipples and cunt. The caresses to her nipples and cunt caused to become slightly aroused. While she was washing she thought again of her friends. She felt the bar in her clit shifting her thoughts to Rusty as its movement sent a shiver of arousal through her body. She thought about continuing until she came but decided she wanted to hear more about this place and what has happened. She said, "Rinse," and the water cleared quickly rinsing the soap off of her and from her hair. She cast her mind out in search of her friends. She quickly found them but wasn't able to link with them. She did identify Rusty and even though she couldn't link with him she knew he was okay as were the others. She tried twice to count the number she could feel, each time she came up with one more than she thought should be here. As she left the shower, it shut off. She dried off then brushed her hair before going back into the bedroom. She was surprised at how easily her hair brushed out. Tangles were one of the reasons she had never let hers be much longer than shoulder length, even then she was use to having tangles that could be a bear to remove. Entering her bedroom she chose to sit in the chair, as she sat she noticed that her tail tucked up between her ass cheeks. It felt strange lying between her ass cheeks but was not uncomfortable just a different sensation. On the table next to her was what appeared to be a floor plan. As she sat there she thought about her feelings and what she had seen since waking up. She felt very comfortable with where she was. She sensed she would be seeing her friends very soon which added to her comfort. She found the way she looked very pleasing. She felt much more graceful and confident than she remembered feeling when she was at Alice and Nancy's. Her large breasts seemed to always give her the feeling of being out of balance, but now they didn't. Oh, that's what was different my tits are not as prominent. Hmm ... as she cupped them with her hands, they don't seem to be smaller either. She sat quietly for a few moments as she absorbed her surroundings. "Hello. Are you available for questions?" "Yes." "You sound like a woman who I worked with at one time. Her name was Dorothy." "Very good. When we did our interview with you, you indicated you had recognized her in the trailer when Sylvia had you and your friends prepared for shipment." "What interview?" "After you arrived here we had a long interview with each of you. Dorothy and Marie, who you know assisted our staff with the interviews." "Who is "we"? And, why don't I remember that?" "The "we" is this groups medical staff and me. You may remember the interview at some point but you were sedated. In fact you have all of you have been sedated for the last 6 months." "Last six months!" "Yes. It took that long for you body to heal. The sedative was altered to let you wake up and to keep you calm while you learn about your new surroundings. This is a normal procedure for us when a long recovery is needed. It eases the patients adaptation to the changes in their surroundings or recovering extensive medical treatment. In your case, it is to help your adjustment to your altered bodies. It helps achieve a smooth adjustment even though each of you were aware of the proposed changes being initiated to your body before hand. The sedative will taper off within a day or two." "Is everyone okay? Where is everyone else?" Sarah mind was reeling with the implications of the AI's comments regarding her and her friends. "Yes, everyone is fine. Judy is here as well. She arrived several weeks after the rest of you. Everyone is resting while their bodies complete the changes induced by the series of genetic virus treatments." "Why is Judy here? That will really impact Alice's clinic." Sarah thought, "So that is why I counted 7 when I was probing for my friends." "We needed a doctor on site familiar with all of you. We were told that she was a friend of yours and would be a good candidate. Sylvia had some difficulty in making contact with her, but it finally worked out. She agreed to the same offer you and your friends accepted." Suddenly the implications were clear and said, "There was no FUCKING offer! WE WERE KIDNAPPED! So you had her kidnapped her as well. Besides that none of us agreed to any genetic virus treatments or signed any DAMN contract." "According to the information given us..." "NO!!" Interrupted Sarah. "You kidnapped us! We made no agreements! We signed no contracts!" She shouted. Suddenly she realized what she was doing and realized it wouldn't help anything. Tears of frustration filled her eyes. After a few moments Sarah said, "Please excuse my outburst. I was extremely rude. Please accept my apologies." It was quiet for a few moments. "Please continue, I will try to mind my manners." "All I have is the information provided to us when you arrived. It indicated that all of you agreed to the initial planned changes to your bodies. Those changes were to prepare for changes here. These would increase your longevity and correct any genetic problems you may have in exchange for participating in this project. Due to the condition you were in on arriving, and to protect your long term health, those changes have went beyond the initial intended treatment." "Please have someone check your information regarding us coming here, as it is WRONG. Totally wrong. Bluntly put. We were kidnapped. I will admit that I don't feel threatened or endangered but none the less we were kidnapped." Tears again formed in Sarah's eyes and leaked down her cheeks as the enormity of the situation registered. "Inspite of my outburst, you should know, that I am surprisingly comfortable with the changes you have made to me. I do recognize that the changes will be difficult to undo if not impossible. I am not sure, if everyone else will feel the same as I just expressed." "I believe your statement, and I have sent your comments on to the administrators." "Thank you. Have we really been here 6 months?" "Right at six months." "You said we have been treated with a genetic virus. What did it do to us?" "As a part of our new arrival process, we gave each of you a very through medical exam. The medical staff found a number of problems with the treatments Sylvia had given to all of you prior to your arrival here. The composition of the treatments Sylvia gave you prior to arrival were not authorized by us or cleared with us before hand. It was apparent to the staff that if they did not take corrective action, all of you would be in very poor health before many years had passed and would shorten your lives. Our analysis indicated these problems or defects would be passed to your babies and complicate a pregnancy." "Each of you were taken to our ship for treatment. Once you there were given a genetic virus cocktail and were placed in a special incubator for about two months. This is because you needed the extensive life support that only our incubator could supply. During this time each of you were treated several more times with a genetic virus. Medically all of you are well along the way to fully recovering. The changes you apparently have noticed in your features are the result of those treatments." "Ship?" "I would prefer to delay responding to that question for a bit." "Okay." "In your case, Sylvia's treatments compounded errors others had made in the earlier treatments you had received. Let me summarize the results of the changes: Your height is now 7 feet 8 inches. Your feet now are structured differently besides being longer and wider. As you may have noticed the joint you thought of as your ankle is now shaped differently. What you think of as your ankle is now wedge shaped so your legs transfers your weight effectively across the lower part of your feet. What you refer to as the balls of your feet now support you and those joints have changed significantly. Your feet are now over an 1 inch wider and may widen a bit more. You will need to wear the special shoes until your ankle and feet fully accommodate the changes. After that, you may want to continue wearing them for some activities. Our medical staff was surprised that your feet were not modified when the other changes were made to increase your height and bust. Without this change, you would eventually have been unable to stand for any length of time. Now, your feet are more than adequate to carry your larger stature. This change in your feet will enable you run comfortably. Without the changes, you wouldn't have able to run but only a few steps with the way your foot had been forced to arch." "Your back and shoulders have added muscle. Your shoulders are broader. Both of these changes to give you the additional strength needed to comfortably carry your large breasts. With these changes, your large breasts will not cause any long term complications. You may not have noticed when your were checking out your body, but your chest is a bit larger and your hips are a bit wider. All of these changes also gives you significantly more stamina. With your chest and shoulders increasing in size, your cup size has decreased, but the breast volume is still the same." "I noticed that my hips seem to be wider and my hair seems thicker. But didn't notice much change to the shoulders. I do seem have more muscle mass but it didn't seem I was much taller. It seems I now have a tail with hair and more hair on my back." "The tail is a side effect of the treatments. Another side effect is that you no longer have any body hair except for your head, eyebrows, eye lashes, the mane down your back and tail. A portion of your height increase is because we strengthened your back so that you stand straighter. As I noted before, your back and shoulder now has sufficient strength to support your chest. Along with that the structure of your breast structure has changed which means they will have hardly any tendency to sag." "Your skin color is darker. This makes it less sensitive to extended sunlight as you will find it much more comfortable to be nude than clothed. The increased pigmentation will reduce the chance of you damaging your skin from exposure to the sun." "Does that mean I can't wear clothes? How will be able to go any where? Oh, that implies we are prisoners here." Sarah's tears broke free again. "You can wear some clothes when safety or security requires it. You will find nudity much more comfortable over a wider range of temperatures." "As for your friends, we didn't change Jill or Janet's unique tongue but all of you will find your tongue is longer as is your jaw. The effect of this is your face is slightly more angular with more pronounced jaw and cheek bones." While the AI was talking, Sarah extended her tongue and found she could touch her nose and chin with its tip. "You probably won't notice it because of the other changes to your face but your nose is larger making it easier to breathe. If anyone else would like a split tongue similar Jill's or Janet's, it can be done and probably easier than what Jill and Janet experienced." "The issue with clothing centers around your increased sensitivity of your breasts and vaginal area. Except for Rusty, all of your friends are very similar to you in stature, shape, features, breasts and lactation rate. Your clit and labia are more sensitive along with larger lips that swell considerably with arousal. The increased sensitivity will make it very easy for each of you to become aroused and to satisfy that arousal. This sensitivity to arousal is what will make it very difficult to cover your tits or crotch for very long." Sarah sat, listening in amazement to the AI tell her how different her body was from before. She could see a number of truths in the AI's words remembering the changes she saw in her self in the mirror. At the same time she realized many of the changes were subtle when looking at her image. She also didn't sense any hostile intent from who ever the people were behind this. Which was a little confusing. Everything that had happened wasn't something they would have chose, but she sensed it would not hurt them. "There is one last major change. All of you now have two hearts." Sarah gasped. "They work in tandem. This is necessary for you to be able to easily support your larger frame. An advantage is that it significantly improves your stamina." "Each of you will find increased sensitivity to sound, smell, taste and the capabilities of your eyes have increased. This makes it possible for you to sense things you may have overlooked before and for your sight to see with very low levels of light. The low light capability does not impact your normal vision." "There are a lot of changes implied by what I just told you, but please be assured that the staff took a lot of pains to maintain your visual appearance and not make anymore changes than necessary to protect your health. They think, they were successful but we will only know after all of you are awake. The changes do make the seven you appear to be siblings and some respects almost like twins." "Rusty's changes are similar to yours. The changes in his appearance give the impression he is the eighth sibling or twin. His stamina is greater both physically and sexually. He is as tall as you but with slightly broader shoulders and his feet are shaped like yours. His cock is a bit longer and thicker. His balls are almost twice the size they were. His sexual stamina was increased so he could keep up with the rest of you. In terms of stamina and physical strength all of you are nearly identical." "As each of you wakeup, you will quickly develop a very deep bond with each other. The medical staff can tell you more about bonding. They are not sure of the actual depth or degree of bonding your group will develop due to the unique treatments given you. Normally once all of you have bonded, we believe you will find it necessary to have frequent physical contact with each other and it could be every day. Failing to have physical contact for an extended period can create a high level of anxiety which if not relieved could lead to depression." "Your bonded group can and may grow to include more members. As a group, you may choose to accept others into your group. Once new comers are bonded to the rest, they can not easily leave and live. Also the staff recommend that any newcomers should receive a genetic virus treatment to match them to your group, this is so they can keep up with the rest of the group." "Your tail is a natural extension of your tail bone. Those who have it indicate that it has a good effect on arousal and climax. The treatments have altered your aging process so that it is essentially stopped. All of you are much more fertile. You should expect to carry multiple babies but your bodies will be relatively unaffected by the stress of pregnancy. During pregnancy the body will change only enough to accommodate the growing children and after birthing will revert in a short time to your original physique. Child birth will be very easy for all of you. Nothing like the stories you have heard on earth." "Multiple births? Is that why we were brought here?" Sarah had an amazed look on her face as she realized the direction of this conversation. "Yes. The contract was for you to be here for 10 birthing cycles. During each cycle you will carry and give birth to three sets of twins." Sarah started to speak. "Yes, your claim of not seeing a contract is noted and forwarded to the administrators." "As soon as the sedative is out of your system, you can become pregnant. This usually happens within usually a month or so. It is expected that your first delivery will be three sets of twins but could be only 2 sets. Both Sally and Terry will become pregnant shortly after you do or possibly at the same time. For the other women will be a little longer before they are ready to begin. But all of you will likely be pregnant within the next 2 months." "I don't think any of us have had children before. What happens to the babies after they are born? How do we manage to care for that many at one time?" "It will be hectic for a while until they are placed in foster homes about one month after their birth. The month wait is to maximize their strength and the breeding characteristics. The month permits them to obtain the maximum benefit from you nursing them. The quick transfer is to avoid any of you developing to great a bond with the babies before they leave. This helps you avoid depression as well. Your milk will be preserved so it can be sent to the foster parents for the babies. Supplying the milk is important for their development. The foster homes will all be good homes where the children will receive excellent care." "What if we don't want too?" "That is not a choice. There are ways for us to do this without your willing help but we believe your willing cooperation would result in a better offspring. Cooperating will also be better for your health. Rusty will be the father of all the babies." "Again we were under the impression that you agreed to this before you came, but based on your earlier comments and now, there apparently is not an agreement from your group's point of view. When we are done here I will actively bring this to the administrators attention as soon as we finish. I am surprised the agreement issue did not come out in the interviews." "Where are we?" "On an island in the Atlantic Ocean at a considerable distance from any land. It covers nearly 200 square miles. More details will be available later." "When can I leave my room?" "At anytime. The map you were looking at is of these facilities. The kitchen is fully stocked. You will need to do your own cooking and other related chores. From your prospective the island is largely self sufficient. Supplies will be automatically restocked as they are needed. This building has several special rooms for your use. One room is setup as a library. Another is set up as office space with a computer network. Each of you have a computer and access to the Internet. There is a large room that can be used to watch movies and a normal exercise room in addition to the room you use when you're milked and exercise." "Where are Dorothy and Marie?" "They are taking care of your friends until they are ready to wake up. They are not scheduled to be woken until the changes are closer to being completed or there is an emergency." "What do you mean taking care of them?" "Well they have to assist and escort each person as they are fed, exercise and bathe. The exercises are on the bench you saw in your exercise room next to the bathroom. As you noticed it can satisfy your sexual needs and also exercise your muscles." "So that must be why, I did everything when after I got up without really thinking about it. It all seemed so natural." "During the last 4 months, Dorothy and Marie have guided all you through those steps twice and sometimes three times a day." "What happens to Dorothy and Marie after everyone is up?" "I don't know. I could speculate that they will return to doing the work they were before." "Which was?" "They worked primarily as EMS technicians at a breeding ranch but with the understand they could be used as escorts, sex toys, or contracted to carry some else's baby for a fee." "Sounds like a baby farm. If they wanted to, could they stay here?" "The administrators will make that decision." "How are Bob, Nancy and our other friends doing?" "I will have to ask the administrator as that is not part of my database." "Do you have a name?" "Not in your sense." "Can I give you one as it will make it much easier to direct questions to you when the others are awake?" "That doesn't go against any of my instructions. Also, Rusty is due to be up later today and you should be with him when he wakes. So since it is nearly breakfast time, you have some free time before lunch to explore. Right after lunch you need to go to his room to be with him when he wakes up." "Why don't we call you Donna?" "Okay." "Do you monitor us all the time? Will you be listening to our conversations?" "Not actively. Once everyone is up, the plan is to for monitoring to change to just responding to requests and passively monitoring your health." "When will the others awake?" "Both Terry and Sally will wakeup tomorrow if things go smoothly today. One will wakeup in the morning and one in the afternoon. Both Jill and Janet are expected to be up shortly after that, probably a week but it depends on their progress. Judy will be a day or two later, but it could a month before Joyce is ready. Everyone in your group should be present when each new member wakes up." "Okay. Why so long for Joyce? Is something wrong?" "Everything is fine. Sylvia botched her initial treatment even worse than what she did to the rest of you. Second, we did not expect her and it took the medical staff longer to determine a suitable treatment regime. She is also at the low end of the age range for these types of treatments. Her exposure to the treatments did not start until she arrived while all of your changes actually started several months prior to your arrival here." "How could that be?" "For the rest of you the initial treatment dose was provided for you to consume with a meal. So based on what you have said someone most likely put it in your food." "We should have a meeting with the administrators once Rusty, Terry and Sally are up a day or so? This would help us deal with the uncertainty of our situation." "I will check but I expect it will be acceptable." "I think, I will have breakfast now." Sarah stood. Seeing herself again in the mirror, she noticed what had been bothering her. Her collar was missing. She reached up and felt her neck as if she didn't believe it was gone. "Donna, where is my collar?" "We had to remove it when you arrived. We were concerned it would be to tight once the changes in your body were complete. Your neck is larger than it was. In removing it, it was destroyed. Another can be made for you, if want to wear a collar again." "Yes, I want another collar but I need to discuss it with Rusty and my friends first." She stood and left the room after looking again at the map. After eating breakfast, Sarah explored the house and yard. In her exploration she found a general exercise room, the library and adjoining computer room, a large recreation room besides the other rooms Donna mentioned and a large number of unoccupied small 2 room suites. Her exploration ended on the large patio at the back of the house. The patio overlooked a large swimming pool and a long valley. The house appeared to be near the end of the long valley and adjacent to a cliff that rose nearly a hundred feet towering over the house. She saw several other buildings near the house, but decided to explore them after Rusty was awake. She sat on the deck admiring the scenery she could see from the property when Donna told she may want to let her milk down before she went to be with Rusty as he woke up. With that Sarah got up and went to her room to relieve the pressure in her tits and freshen up. Reaching the exercise room she went and sat down on the exercise bench then leaned forward to slip her tits into the cups. Donna suggested that while she was letting her milk down to also let her attach the muscle stimulator. "What is that?" "It is a method of stimulating the muscles to maintain muscle tone. By varying the intensity, it can strengthen them as well. It was this mechanism that let us maintain your muscle tone and strength while you were sedated." "Okay." As soon as she agreed, Donna initiated the system. Sarah watched as several arms unfolded from the bench and then pressed against several spots on her shoulders, back, arms and legs. Soon as the pads were in position, she felt the electrical pulses as her muscles twitched in response to the stimulation. The pulsing of her muscles was very relaxing so that along with the arousal from the gentle sucking on her nipples made her sleepy. Sarah soon dosed off. While she dosed, she her mind filled with a matrix of lights. Looking closer she could see the way her mind processed the information received from her body. It both scared and excited her that she could now see and understand how these functions were carried out. With further exploration, she found an area of her mind where she could sense remnants of the thoughts she had shared with Rusty and others. In looking closer at the area, it appeared dimmer than the surrounding area of her mind. She wondered if she could increase the energy to it. As she thought of increasing the energy supply she noticed the blood supply increase to the area causing the area became brighter. With the increased brightness, the thoughts of those around her became stronger and clearer. She was surprised at how quick the area responded to her thoughts of increasing the increase in energy supply. As she examined the interrelationships between this area and the others, she now understood why she had trouble earlier in seeing Rusty's thoughts as clearly as she did before. It appeared that the sedative had caused the blood supply to this area to be reduced along with several areas in her mind. Investigating further, she thought of totally blocking the effect of the sedative on her mind and body. In moments, she saw a response by her body and mind as it began to shake off the sedatives effects. She quickly reduced her effort to leave only a slight sedative effect, because she did not want to disclose her abilities to the AI, Donna. As she laid there she further explored her body finding many things she could enhance or change. During her exploration she saw her tits were now empty and let herself begin to wake up. As soon as she awoke and raised her head, Donna pulled the simulators back and stopped the sucking on her breasts. After she took a shower, she asked Donna what room she would find Rusty. It turned out to be the next door. Donna told her that all the two room suites had a connecting door set up like a hotel but for it to be a passage way each occupant had to open their side. Donna suggested she open her side of the connecting door before going to Rusty's room. When she entered Rusty's room, she saw him lying on his back. She could tell by his facial expressions he was dreaming. She stood by the bed and studied him lying there. Now knowing the changes that had been made to them it was easy to compare her memories of Rusty's appearance and the way he now looked. She thought he looked very handsome as he laid there sleeping. What she saw reaffirmed to her the initial impressions of the treatments they received. While it was probably not something they would have initiated, the results were fine. Slipping off her shoes, she climbed on the bed. She kissed his lips and then lay next to him placing her head on his shoulder while placing her arm across his chest. As soon as she settled in next to him, his arm circled her shoulders pulling her close to him. She could feel him relax as they lay there. Listening to the rhythm his hearts beating was comforting to her. Probing Rusty's mind, she could see that Rusty's thoughts were littered with concerns and fears for her and the rest of their friends well being. She saw thoughts of depression and loathing of himself as again he couldn't protect those he cared about. She pushed to fully open her mind link to him, then pushed thoughts to reassure him she loved him and that they both wished they had been able to respond. Sensing the mental messages from Sarah startled him and served to give him some reassurance that they were okay. Then through their mind link she helped him shake off some of the effects of the sedatives and drugs. As his thoughts became more lucid and active, they began to actively share their thoughts with one another. She showed him what she had learned about how their minds were organized and worked. They lay there in rapport sharing their love and trust in one another. She told him a bit about their situation but was concerned that if she fully shared her memory and thoughts, it could disclose their mind link to Donna. After discussing it for sometime, they decided that Rusty knowing the information Sarah had seen would help them as they adjusted to what laid ahead. Sarah again fully opened her mind him so all the information was there for them to look at together. They suspected the AI would soon catch on to them have similar thoughts and actions. Physically she was looking forward to him waking up so much that her cunt was literally dripping. Six months was too long to wait feel his cock filling her. She shivered in anticipation virtually the whole time they were reviewing the information. While she lay there snuggled to Rusty she sent out feelers to see if she could check on Sally and Terry. She could readily see they were doing fine. Their thought patterns were dreams of being with her and Rusty. She could sense them being as horny as her. She reached out some more and found each of the others. But her connection with Judy did not seem to be very strong. ------- Chapter 23 Rusty's breathing increased as he began to feel more of Sarah's arousal. He rolled toward her then holding her to him rolled on to his back pulling her up on top of him. His movement brought Sarah's attention fully back to him and she began more actively caress him. She lightly caressed his shoulders and face with her hands as she lay on him. She spread her legs to press her clit and cunt against the warmth of his cock trapped between them. She raised up to kiss him and slid her cunt channel up his cock. Placing a kiss on his eyes, then his forehead, then around his face. As she licked and kissed his ear, her hand slid between them and began to stroke his cock and balls. The kisses continued down his neck after nibbling on his ear. As she kissed down his neck, his cock began to stiffen. She flexed her hips back and forth lightly stroking his cock between her labia. She kissed his nipples then rose, to straddle his hips. Holding his cock she slid its head between her wet swollen labia lips. Moving forward a bit until she could place his cock directly underneath her dripping wet labia minora. Her copious juices dripped on its head, running down his shaft over her hand. Her clit stood nearly straight out pulsing with arousal. Lowering her hips slightly his cock head slipped between her labia minora causing her to shudder. She relished the feeling of his cock head surrounded by labia. She continued lowering her hips, slowly letting he cock slide toward the mouth of her hot wet cunt. She watched his face as she let his cock head approach the entry to her channel. She knew that his cock had grown since she had last caressed it. She reached behind with a hand to caress his balls. They felt much larger than she remembered. She gently caressed his ball sack with her fingers. As her fingers caressed his balls, her other hand and cunt continued to gently stroke his cock between her large wet swollen labia. Precum was oozing out of his cock's slit, mixing with her cunt cream as she continued to caress his cock head with her wet slit. Her arousal was growing as she caressed him. She could feel her juices covering on his ball sack. She lowered her hips more to let his cock slip into the wet mouth of her cunt. She continued to slowly lower her body, letting the large cock head press further into her hot wet cunt. The pull of his cock caused her wet engorged cunt lips to leak even more cream and added to her arousal. She shivered feeling him slowly enter her body. The feeling of the cock sliding into her cunt raised her arousal another level. Soon she had his cock fully buried in her cunt. It felt so good to have his cock again filling her cunt. Holding her body still she began to clinch and release her cunt muscles. She was pleased that she had not lost the muscle control the Ben Wa balls had helped her achieve before their long nap. The pulsing of her cunt sheath around his cock caused his cock to swell even more. Sarah had her eyes closed as she savored the feeling of his cock buried in her. She caressed her breasts as she sat there adding to her arousal. His cock pulsed in her cunt in time with the beat of his heart adding to their arousal. When Rusty opened his eyes, he saw Sarah was now impaled on his cock with her eyes closed. He reached up placing his hands over her hands, startling her causing her cunt to contract. She gasped and looked down into his eyes. "Oh good your awake." "And a very nice way to wake up. I thought I was dreaming at first." "I love you. And no you weren't dreaming." "I love you. I've missed your caresses and those of our other loves." "I'm glad we have our link again." "Yes, I have missed them as well. Soon we will be able to feel them again." She shuttered along with Rusty at the joy of seeing Sally and Terry soon. "I can feel your arousal and mine. This is wonderful." Sarah leaned forward to kiss him pressing her tits into his chest causing her nipples to tingle. They kissed each other putting all of the emotion they could into the kiss. Their mouths opened slightly letting them caress each others tongue with theirs. Their kissing increased their arousal. "You look different but just as lovely as you always do. I like the way you look now just as well as before." "Yes we seem to have a much clearer link now. I can sense the feelings in both of our bodies much better than I remember. This could be addicting." "Yes, I can sense your feelings as well." "We can talk about the changes around us after we finish this fuck. After we clean up, we can eat and discuss what has happened to us. With that she began to pump her hips up and down thrusting his cock in and out of her cunt. Each stroke tugged at her enlarged clit. Rusty caressed her nipples and tugged on them with one hand. The arousal of her areola and nipples caused them to lengthen and rise like small mountains on her tits topped with a nipple. His other hand caressed her stomach, occasionally touching her enlarged clit. The pin she had put through its base held the hood back, letting it stick out to be nearly the size of her thumb. He wet his fingers with her juices and began to caress her clit by gently rolling it between his fingers causing her to moan. As her orgasm crested her cunt to clamp down hard on his cock stopping her motions as the orgasm washed over her. He continued caressing her nipples and clit. When the orgasm passed, she would take several strokes and then cum again each time her cunt seized his cock. When she moved with her cunt clamped on his cock, it exert a strong pull on her cunt lips adding to her arousal. She discovered some muscle control in her enlarged cunts lips so they could caress his balls on each stroke adding to his arousal and hers. Sarah was cumming almost continuously when his balls sack tightened pressing between her cunt lips. His hot cum sprayed her cunt as he pushed upward into her sending her into orgasmic bliss. She slumped down on him with his cock buried deep in her cunt. The hot cum trapped in her stuffed love channel adding to both of their sensations. She laid on him in a daze as she recovered from her intense orgasm. He caressed her back as she laid there enjoying the closeness. He could feel her cunt cream coating his balls and legs. Sarah pulled up and looked at Rusty in adoration. Kissing him softly on the lips. "You really filled me up. I don't know how I can get up without making a mess on you and your bed." "Let's try this," as he pulled her down to him and rolled over. "Now, raise your hips with me as I pull out. Try to clamp your cunt around my cock as pull out. Then if you can hold the mouth of your cunt closed while I turn around, we can clean each other with our tongues while savoring the taste." She held her cunt lips tight against his cock he pulled out letting only a little leak out. Rusty quickly turned around, to place his head between her legs. He pulled each of her cunt lips into his mouth to suck and lick them free of their cum. Then pressing his mouth into the valley between her lips he began lick and suck the rest of the cum from the valley between her cunt lips. His caressing caused her lips to swell again and secrete fresh cream. Detecting the change in flavor, he moved his mouth over her vaginal mouth sealing their cum in her cunt so they could roll over. With her on top, he probed the mouth of her cunt, as she relaxed her muscles letting the cum flow like a river into his mouth. It came so fast at first he almost choked. While Rusty licked and sucked her cunt clean, she licked all of the cum from his cock and balls. His balls were larger than she remembered and found it difficult hold just one in her mouth. Once she had cleaned their cum from his cock and balls, she began to lick the inside of his legs to lap up more of their mixed cum. As she was doing it she noticed his tail. When she was done and felt Rusty was done she raised up and rolled off to the side. He noticed her tail as she rolled off. He reached over and caressed her ass, as he did he felt her tail nestle between her ass cheeks. Sarah shivered as he caressed her ass and tail. Following his lead she began to examine his tail as it was the first time either had a chance to see one up close. "Oh that feels soo ... good. If you keep that up, I'll soon be ready to fuck you again." "So we both have tails now. Do all of us?" "Yes. Come on let's shower and then eat. We can examine each other in the shower." "Okay." He watched her as she got up. Sarah rolled off the edge of the bed, slipping her shoes on as she stood up. He watched her ass still fascinated by her tail. Her tail was covered with a long fine hair that reached down toward her knees. As she stood after slipping on her shoes it nestled in the crack of her ass. Its color matched her hair which now nearly hung to her waist. He reached over and lightly ran his hands over her ass and tail causing her to shiver. He then put on the shoes laying next to the bed. She reached over and pulled Rusty up. Standing there they were eye to eye. Rusty said, "It looks like I'm a bit taller for one thing and I think you are too." "Yes. We are also bigger in stature along with several other changes. Come on let's shower and then we can eat. I'm hungry." The shower went quickly as they helped wash each other. They examined each others body as they cleaned up. Each was a bit amazed by the changes they saw in the other but it confirmed what Sarah had learned from the AI as well as shared with Rusty. They helped each other dry off. Several times they started to arouse the other, but both wanted to eat and talk so they resisted the temptation. They changed their shoes as they left the shower heading for the kitchen. During lunch Sarah told Rusty of things she had found this morning in the house and around the building. Toward the end of lunch the discussion diminished as they became more affectionate with each other either through touching and caressing. Once lunch was finished and cleaned up Rusty sat back down and Sarah quickly sat straddling Rusty's lap pulling him close. His cock was nestled between the lips of her cunt with her clit nearly touching the head of his cock. They sat there for a few moments with their arms around each other enjoying the closeness. Just sitting there increased their arousal. Rusty's cock slowly hardened and pushed up through the trough of Sarah's cunt lips. The warm head pushed against her clit causing her to shiver. She rose slightly to rock her hips sliding his cock through her wet lips then as the labia minora wrapped around the head she let the head slip to the mouth of her cunt. Sitting back down on Rusty's lap pushed the cock head into her cunt. Feeling the warm sheath, his cock continued swelling, as it slid further into her wet cunt. "This feels so good. I think I could sit for hours joined to you this way." "Yes, I like it too. But you said you had more to tell me about our situation." Sarah said, "Donna can you play back the conversation we had earlier." This caused Rusty to look strangely at her. Donna said, "Yes." The response startled Rusty who began to look around the room. Sarah touched his arm. "Donna is the AI that manages the house and I think the property. She also monitors our well being. I talked to her this morning when I woke up and asked her a lot of questions. I thought if you heard those you would probably think of others that I missed." "Sarah," spoke Donna, "the administrator agrees with both the need to meet and your suggestion to wait until Terry and Sally are up and have met me before they conference with you. They are working on getting answers to your questions and concerns. They expressed considerable dismay at the news you disclosed earlier. We did not address the question about the ship this morning and I apologize for that. The administrators would like to save answering that question until meeting you. Now when your ready, I will start the replay or our earlier discussion." "Sure that's fine. You can begin now." After hearing the replay, he looked at Sarah and said, "Who are Dorothy and Marie?" "They are two women who worked at the real estate office while I was there. You went with me to check Dorothy's apartment after she disappeared. In both cases they disappeared shortly after working on some real estate projects for Cynthia's friend Sylvia. Sylvia was the woman, I recognized in Nancy's kitchen when we were kidnapped. She was also with Cynthia at Alice's the weekend, we did the show. I recognized Dorothy when we were being restrained in the trailer." "Okay, I remember us making that effort. I don't think I ever saw her though." "Not that I am aware of as I don't think she was in the office the day you visited. You might have seen her at Alice's and not known who she was." "So from what Donna has told us, let me try to summarize a view of our situation," began Rusty. "We have been relocated to an isolated location probably on island in the Atlantic. Two, all of us have had changes made to our bodies, which were done to fix mistakes made by others. Three, we are expected to stay here for some unknown time although the contract implies 10 years. Four, during that time, the women are expected to produce at least 3 sets of twins every 9 months. And five, we are irreversibly bonded to each other. In return, our living conditions are ideal. Our health has been made nearly perfect. Our bodies have been modified in a number of positive ways with strength and stamina being increased as is our stature. Right?" Sarah nodded. Donna said, "It was a good summary from the perspective of a valid contract. Sarah indicated earlier none of you had seen or signed a contract authorizing what has been done. The impression, I have from talking to the administers is that they are impressed with the your reaction to your situation. Again, that is my perception which as an AI, I shouldn't have. You should expect them to want to find a good solution first for you and secondly for us. They will provide you with the background for this project, its purpose and what appears to have been done to get your group here. They are embarrassed by what has happened and quite upset that they did not detect the deception by Sylvia." "Hmm ... if we agree to do this willingly, I only see two issues that may bother us long term. That is the isolation and the non productivity, presuming the women like being pregnant so much of the time. The non productivity part maybe solvable, but the rest I am not sure about." "If I am going to give birth to that many babies, I think I would like to raise some of them." Rusty face expressed surprise at her response to the idea of being pregnant. "It seems, you have decided, you want to do this." "I like the idea of having our children. Until this morning, I had not actively thought about it but it feels good. I don't think the remaining sedative in our bodies is effecting my feelings." "The sedative should have no effect on you logic or judgment," said Donna. "Are you considering voluntarily participating in the program after all that has happened?" "Their are some aspects of the program I like," said Sarah. "All of us need to talk about it before your question can be answered. It is a distinct possibility." "Having all the children here would raise some more issues," said Rusty. "Such has how do we handle education. Is there enough room for about 20 children as I presume if one of you had two then everyone would want 2 children as well." "Let's hold these thoughts until we know more and more of us are up," said Sarah. "Donna is there any place Sarah and I can't go on the property. I think we would like to go for a walk to explore what is here. Most of all we want to think about our circumstances and our options." "You can go nearly any place on the property you want. There are however several locked doors at the present time that will keep you from some areas. These areas will most likely be opened once everyone is up." "If you go for a walk, you should keep the house in sight. Sarah will need to let her milk down in a couple of hours although she maybe able to go for a little longer before the pressure becomes uncomfortable. Can I suggest you just explore the area around the house and adjacent buildings this afternoon?" Both nodded. "That will make it easier for me to summon you if you are needed." "Also, let me tell you a bit about the island. It covers about 200 square miles. From the ocean all you can see are jagged cliffs, although there is a narrow entrance from the ocean into a small hidden bay. So when you stand on the patio and look out, the bare rock ridges around the valley are the inward side of the cliffs. The island does have a network of hiking and game trails. It would be preferable for you not to explore them until everyone is up." "One last thing, it wasn't originally planned but Dorothy and Marie will join you for dinner this evening. They will fix dinner this evening, but would like to show both of you where everything is in the kitchen as they fix it. Have a nice walk." Sarah turned to Rusty and asked if he could carry her while they walked as she thought it would feel great to spend the rest of the afternoon bouncing up and down on his cock as he walked. "Yes that would be nice, but I don't think I can carry you that long. I think we are both nicely aroused, but a long way from cumming so let's go outside." Sarah slowly rose up as she did she tightened her vaginal muscles so she pulled on his cock as she rose. The sensations caused her cunt to flood with more liquid. The odor of her vaginal juices caused both of their noses to flare and their nipples to harden. Rusty's cock was dripping wet with her cream which made a puddle around his balls on the chair. As she stood, her cream ran down her legs. "Now I feel empty." She grabbed a towel and wiped her legs and then the chair when Rusty stood up and then gently wiped the fluid off his cock and balls. ------- They walked around outside. They found three barns and an equipment shed. One barn had 10 horse stalls with several horses out in an adjacent field. The equipment in the stalls gave the appearance that it was designed to automatically feed the horses. The second barn was a bit strange in that the 12 stalls were smaller and each was enclosed with vertical bars above the low wall around each. In each were two small platforms on which there were cushions, blankets and pillows. Each stall had an access door to an outside area but was separated from the adjoining stall areas by a high wall with vertical bars across the space between the walls. With the stall door locked, it would effectively be a cage. Two cables hung from the rafters and ran down the center from the front inside wall all the way out to the outside end wall. A light cable hung from each it touching the floor." "It looks like this barn was used for people based on what I've seen in some bondage pictures," said Sarah. At the far end of the barn they found an open area with a bar hanging from the ceiling with shackles on each end and matching shackles chained to the floor. A cabinet on the wall contained a number of paddles and whips you could see through the door. Another cabinet contained a selection of dildos and butt plugs. Another contained a number of medical devices for examinations and piercings. Sarah shivered at the sight of the items and squeezed Rusty's hand tighter. "I wonder why they have this here. Donna said they could force us to have the babies they want but preferred not to do it that way. Could this be the alternate way to hold us? From what was said, I thought it was through the use of some kind of mind control." Another room contained two stocks with shackles to hold the persons feet spread. A cabinet on the wall contained butt plugs, dildos and paraphernalia for enemas. On the counter was setting a breast pump connected to two breast cups. "Rusty the contents of this building seem to be so different from what they have asked of us. I really wonder why its here." "Excuse me." Said Donna. "I can answer that for you. I took the liberty of listening to you when you entered this building as I was concerned you may have some questions. First there is no intent or plan to move any of you in here for any reason. This area was used by the previous property owners. They specialized in training people to be slaves, sex toys and performers for sex shows. When we acquired the island, we decided not to change this building for now, although we did remove a number of very nasty devices. By nasty, I mean implements that can not be used with out causing mutilation or severe pain." "Thank you, Donna for anticipating our concern." Turning to Rusty she said, "The first time I was kidnapped, I found bondage to be somewhat arousing but never enjoyed it probably because of the circumstances. I think some day I would like to do it with someone I really trusted." Rusty looked at her and grinned. "Well let's try this." Sliding his hand up behind her neck he gathered her hair in his hand and quickly pushed her to stand behind the stock. Pushing her shoulders down indicating his desire. She let him lay her neck in the opening. He quickly closed the neck collar trapping her neck letting her hair fall over her head. Pulling on each hand in turn he quickly secured her wrists. He then began to caress her body with his hands pulling at her nipples, lips and clit. Then lightly stroked the inside of her thighs. "What are you going to do?" She soon began to prance and wiggle around in response to his caresses. Her cunt was again dripping wet and her nipples had swelled. "Let's see what we can bind you with." He went to the cabinet and pulled out a leather halter. He hung the halter under her tits then pulled it up letting her tits slide through the two rings. The halter was pulled tight to her chest squeezing each breast at its base. With the halter ends fastened behind her back, it pulled tight against her chest limiting how deeply she could breathe. A cup consisting of rods was fastened to the halter rings encasing her hanging tit with its apex below her nipple. The legs of the bars of the cup pressed tightly against the sides of her tits squeezing to force her tits to hang lower. A stiff soft brush was attached to each cup apex. The nipple just reached the soft bristles of the brush. Each movement or breathe caused her nipples to move over the brush. The sensations caused her nipples swell into the brush increasing the contact. Sarah could feel the wetness of her cunt. She was already partially aroused from setting on Rusty's cock at lunch. Her juice was puddling on her swollen cunt lips as they had distended between her legs. Rusty stepped behind her and attached each ankle to a shackle spreading her legs. When he spread her legs her cunt lips distended even further. He slid his fingers over her clit and through the channel between her cunt lips causing her to moan. His fingers gently caressed her cunt lips and clit. He slid two fingers into her cunt and stroked the inside while his other hand caressed her clit. Her breathing increased with her arousal. After a few moment he pulled out and placed his dripping wet hand to her mouth for her to lick clean. Her odor filled the room and filled him with arousal. His cock had swelled in response to her pheromones. He moved behind her as he caressed her body and placed the head of his cock in the warm wet channel between her lips. His cock slid through the wet channel to push past her swollen clit. He pulled back keeping his cock in the dripping channel until the head rested between her labia minora. Her labia minora pulsed around the head of his cock and bathed it in her cream. Pressing forward the cock head slid though the mouth into the hot wet sheath, pushing forward until his hips touched her ass. He had only taken three strokes before her sheath clamped on his cock as she screamed in enjoyment. He continued to pump her sheath with his cock pausing each time it was fully buried to enjoy the sensations they felt. He wrapped his arms around her and gripped the restraints on her breasts squeezing them adding to her arousal. The hot liquid in her cunt and the rhythmic clamping of her cunt increased his arousal with every stroke. Her hot cunt fluid ran down his balls and their legs. His cock swelled more and lengthened from the rhythmic massaging it received in her sheath. Their pheromones added to each others arousal and desire. Each thrust pressed his cock at the mouth of her cervix. Sarah moaned and then screamed with pleasure with each thrust of his cock. He reached down again, squeezing her breasts, forcing her nipples deeper into the soft brush, intensifying her arousal. Her orgasms became continuous. Her leaking fluids dripped on the floor or ran down their legs. His cock became hotter and swelled more as his thrusts became quicker. He could feel his balls tighten up to be caressed by her swollen cunt lips. His hands moved to her swollen clit and rolled it gently in his fingers causing her to buck. When the head of his cock felt like it was on fire, he pressed his cock deep into her cunt, to spray it with his hot cum. She screamed as she orgasmed, her cunt clamping his cock so hard he couldn't move. She then passed out. As Rusty collapsed on her back. They stayed there for some time with him on her back as she was still locked in the stocks. When Rusty recovered, he stood and slowly pulled out. When his cock slipped out of her cunt, cum poured out on to the floor and ran down her legs. The odor of their coupling was over whelming and kept his cock stiff. Rusty walked around in front of the stock and kissed her as she began to stir. He released her neck and hands from the stocks and then her ankle shackles. Rusty helped her stand. As she did, her tits had swelled a bit and now pushed her nipples tight against the brush. She reached back to remove the halter, but found it buckled. Rusty removed the brush and its holder from the halter. Taking them over to the cabinet to put them away. He came back with two leather tit covers. Let's try these for a while. He slipped them loosely over her breasts and fastened them to the halter. Pushing her nipple through the opening in the end, he then tightened the leather lace of the covers causing her breasts squeeze slightly pushing them taller on her chest. This caused her areolae and nipples to stick out in front of her breasts like tall mountains. The pressure greatly enhanced the way her nipples and areola stood on the front of her tits. They stood out much the same way they did when they hung down from her chest. The increased pressure caused milk to leak from the nipples. Rusty stood back and admired her tits. "That looks nice. Your nipples are just asking to be sucked. Would you leave it on until supper?" She nodded yes. "I really like the way it looks. You look great even with cum running down your legs. Just then a glob slid out of her cunt and plopped on the floor." He pulled her into his arms. "I love you." Then kissed her deeply. His cock thickened a bit more, rising between her legs only to be bathed in more cum leaking from her cunt. "How much cum did you pump into me? Its still flowing out." "Here let me see if I can help a bit." Rusty knelt down in front of her and grasping her hips pulled her cunt to his mouth. She caressed his head as he licked and sucked her cunt mouth. His mouth filled with their combined tasty cum. He had to swallow several times to keep from choking or wasting some of it. He licked her cunt to clean up the last traces. Standing he pulled her tightly to him kissing her. As their lips touched he opened his mouth to share the sweet tasting cum with her. Feeling the cum flow into her mouth, she moved her hands up behind his head to caress his head as she licked the cum out of his mouth. They stood holding one another. "Did you like the bit with using the stocks to hold you while we fucked?" "Well I was already very aroused from while we were talking to Donna. When you first pressed me to lay down in the stocks it scared me, but then I felt your intentions. Then I just relaxed and went with the flow. But if I had not anticipated your intention, I may have made it more interesting by resisting. It would be interesting to work this area into an ad hoc skit when everyone is up." "I agree. I don't think you have to worry about anyone in our group pushing you beyond your limits." "Yes, I know. But with the situations I have been subjected to it may take me a while to relax. I truly meant what was said when we had the ceremony some time back. So please be patient with me. I love you so much. If I lost you, I think it would kill me." "I know, I can see how you feel as well as your concerns." "We probably ought to finish our walk, so I can let my milk down before dinner." The last room they saw as they left the barn was a combination shower and restroom. Stepping outside they saw two more buildings. They decided to go ahead and look at the other two buildings before they went back to the house. The next building was an equipment shed. In it they found an array of farm equipment and several four wheel off road vehicles. The building wasn't over full but they could tell everything they might need was there. The last building was a small kennel. They saw several Great Danes and a couple of Labrador Retrievers in the outdoor yards. The dogs came over to the fence wagging their tails wanting their attention. They went inside and could see several restraints in the pens that were obviously made to hold a person in a submissive position to the dogs. The restraints were in both the indoor and outdoor pen areas. Donna spoke up. "Yes to anticipate your question those pens were used to train dogs to mate with women and in some cases men. Other times, they were used as punishment. According to reports several days in there continuously available to the dogs at any time can make the person very willing to agree to do most anything in order to get out. In some circles, shows with women mating with dogs or donkeys are very much in demand. And some women like to have dogs trained for their use, because they don't talk. Except for Rusty, I think nearly everyone here has let a dog fuck them at least once." "Yes, I remember my first time. It was when I was at Alice's recovering from my first forced breast and cunt lip enlargement. I was very horny and hanging in a recovery web sling. A Great Dane started licking my sore cunt. It was extremely arousing. Soon I was so aroused, I wouldn't have cared what fucked me. I was shocked when it mounted me then after a few strokes, I didn't care." Rusty said, "Well at least I will have some help keeping all of you satisfied and I hope I get to watch." "Oh I don't think you will be so pressed that you need help." Donna said, "You are correct Sarah. Even though the dogs are trained for sex, whether its done or not, is a personal choice. Rusty should have sufficient stamina to satisfy everyone in your group needing to feel his cock and cum. Part of what you two are experiencing today is a part of the bond strengthening process. Once the bonding process has progressed and more of your group is up the intense urge you are feeling today will diminish slightly. The intensity of coupling will stay the same or increase. As the others awake, the intensity of the urge to fuck will first be very strong and then diminish to a more normal level for people who intensity love each other and like sex." They left the kennel building and went back to the main building. Sarah went to the room to let her milk down. Rusty helped her take the halter off so her tits would fit in the cups. Rusty stayed with her and exercised until she was finished and then they showered together. As soon as they finished drying, they went to the kitchen to help with dinner. Dorothy and Marie were in the kitchen when they arrived. Sarah gasp when she saw how much they had changed since she last saw them. They were taller, more busty with broader hips and shoulders. They were only wearing an apron and high heels. When they saw Sarah, a look of fear showed on their faces. Sarah went to Dorothy and hugged her tightly. She kissed Dorothy lightly on the lips. Dorothy intensified the embrace by opening her lips. She pressed her tongue between Sarah's lips licking them. Sarah opened her mouth and returned the caress with her tongue. Rusty hugged Marie. "I haven't met you formally, but I think we have known one another for at least six months." Marie nodded. Her eyes filled with tears. "If they," nodding at Dorothy and Sarah, "don't finish soon, we may have to fix dinner for just us." Marie giggled. "Sarah probably doesn't know how hot Dorothy is now." She turned to Rusty pulling him to her. Her hands pulled his head down to her. When their lips met, she pushed her tongue quickly between his open lips. Their tongues dueled for a few minutes. Soon they broke apart to see Dorothy and Sarah watching them. With that Rusty, reached for Dorothy while Sarah pulled Marie into her arms. Their shared kisses were just as intense as between the previous couples. When the four of them separated, they were all breathing hard and showing arousal. "Dorothy and Marie as you can guess by the reception we have just given you two we are not mad at you. I was very worried when each of you just up and disappeared from work. Meeting again in another venue would have been nice, but I am glad to see you. It looks like your appearance has changed a bit as well." Dorothy and Marie smiled at Sarah's comments. "Yes we have had an interesting time since we left Cynthia's but let us tell you about that later. We have been given permission to share everything that has happened to us since then by Donna. Without that we couldn't tell you anything, or we risked severe punishment." Sarah looked at her with a questioning glance. "Please wait until after desert is done and we have cleaned up the kitchen. Speaking of changes it looked like you had changed some since I first saw you." "Yes. And I think some more changes were made to me after I saw you in the trailer." "From what I was told, yes. But most of those changes were to fix the mistakes made by both Liz and the other woman when they initiated your first changes. The treatments Judy gave you were well thought of by this groups medical staff when they examined you and they felt without Judy's intervention you would have not done as well." "Judy is a very sweet person. I hear she is here." "Yes." Dorothy said, "The three doctors who treated all of you seemed to be quite aware of all your previous treatments. Before you ask they did not indicate how they knew. They also felt Sylvia had not initiated the agreed to changes to the eight of you correctly. But now we need to show you how this kitchen works and where everything is located. We understand we will only be here until everyone is awake. Although if your friends are as nice as you two, I am not sure I want to leave regardless of what I have to do to stay. During that time we are here we are to have limited physical contact with all of you. Our kisses just now pushed the very boundaries of those limits. We have been told we will be painfully punished and it will be harsh, if we do more than a few kisses." "Donna is this true." Said Sarah. "Yes. But there are some very good reasons behind it. The administrator will share the reasons when you meet with him in a day or two." "I will monitor the contact to keep Dorothy and Marie from reaching their limit. If they reach it before time to leave, they will need to go into an isolation chamber. From the instructions I have I don't think they will like it. But my instructions are very clear and not modifiable." "We have started the grill for steaks and baked potato's. I hope everyone likes grilled steak," said Dorothy taking the lead in moving things forward. "We need a green salad, vegetable and a fruit salad for desert. Marie why don't you and Rusty work together on the grill and baked potato's while Sarah helps me with the rest. Then afterward we will all work together on clean up. This should give both of you a good familiarization with the kitchen and food storage areas." Everyone nodded in agreement and moved off to their respective tasks. Dinner was quickly on the table and they had a quiet meal together with each lost in their own thoughts. "What do you think of Dorothy and Marie?" Sarah asked Rusty. "They seem very nice. In fact even knowing them a short time I feel very comfortable with them." "That's how I felt when I worked with them at the real estate office. Their story about what happened to them should be interesting. They both seem to be quite well adjusted to their experiences. Maybe I am prejudging based on my experiences." "I don't think you are prejudging. Have you looked at their memories?" "No. I started to but then decided to wait and ask them first." "But won't that tell Donna we are telepathic?" "Yes. But I think I want to see how she reacts to the news and whether she provides us with more information as a result. It is an indication of us trusting her and she appears to have a level of trust in us. I sense our rapport with the administrators will be much different than they originally planned." "Good idea. In fact you always seem to be full of them. Another reason to love you without reservation." "Are you two always so quiet?" Said Marie. "Well sometimes and sometimes it just appears that way when we share thoughts." Dorothy and Marie looked at them with a strange look on their face. "Let's clean up so we can relax. This evening is quickly slipping away and we need to share some things with you and Rusty." With that Dorothy got up from the table to start clearing the dishes. The others quickly joined in with cleanup. Hardly anything was said between them as they fit together very well. Dorothy made a big pitcher of lemonade. Placing it on a tray with four glasses she lead them all into the living room. ------- Chapter 24 They sat sipping their lemonade when Donna asked, "Sarah, did you say that you and Rusty share thoughts." Sarah looked at Rusty and said, "Bingo. She picked right up on that comment." "Yes, let's see how this plays out." "Yes," replied Sarah to Donna's comment. "Rusty and I can share thoughts at will and over significant distances. In fact, we have been able to do that since we met nearly a year ago. I guess that means we are telepathic. Since I woke up, I have been able to touch each of my friends, but it has been nothing more than to assure them we were all together and everyone is fine." "Telepathic is the term generally used for that ability. We were waiting to see if either of you exhibited that trait. Some of the medical staff thought you might gain it from the treatments you received." "Well the treatments seem to have made it stronger; no, more available, is a better way to phrase it. Rusty and I can exchange thoughts easier than expressing them verbally. Shared thoughts are richer in content. It seems the treatments may have given us or attenuated some additional strengths but we haven't explored them yet. I presume you wouldn't mind us exploring our abilities some more. It would give us a better understanding of our observations regarding this expanded skill set." "We would be very interested, but there is nothing we can do to stop you except sedating both of you. Doing that would be in no ones best interest. We will be looking forward to your comments." Dorothy and Marie sat their with stunned looks on their faces during the exchange with Donna. Sarah seeing their looks said, "Yes both Rusty and I can see each others thoughts and have opened our minds to each other without restriction. We don't look or try not to look at others thoughts unless we are threatened or we are asked." "Can you see my thoughts now?" said Dorothy. "Yes. I can see you want to lick and suck my cunt while Rusty fucks you silly." Marie gasped. Dorothy giggled and blushed. "That would be nice, but our restrictions keep us from doing that. I bet Marie has similar thoughts." "Can't tell, she didn't tell us that it was okay to look. I think you did that on purpose," said Sarah as she smiled and licked her lips. Marie said, "Either of you can look at my thoughts any time you want to." Sarah just looked at her and licked her lips again. Both Marie and Dorothy responded by licking their lips suggestively. "Well Dorothy, what have you been doing since I saw you last?" said Sarah. "Marie and I have had similar experiences. You know Cynthia had each of us working on real estate deals for her friend Sylvia shortly before we disappeared. One Friday, after I had worked with Sylvia for several weeks, she invited me out to her place for a barbecue to be held on Saturday. She suggested arriving about noon, so I could enjoy the pool before the cookout. Since her place was quite a distance from where I lived, she also suggested that I might want to consider staying over." "On Saturday, I arrived for the barbecue a little after noon. There were very few people there when I arrived. Sylvia met me and showed me where to change and put my things. All the women around the pool were wearing very minimal bikini's. We sat around chatting and enjoying the weather. All the women were about our age and very good looking. Several times drinks were brought out for us." "Sylvia's friend Fred arrived with another man. Although we were introduced I don't remember his name. Something about him made me very uncomfortable, so I managed to keep my distance from him. After dinner we resumed playing around the pool. One of the women started a game of tag which soon turned into a remove the others swimming suit. It didn't take long until everyone was naked. We took a break and had some more to drink. It was getting late and I was really tired so I ask Sylvia where I could sleep tonight as I felt to tired to drive back." "Tara who I had met earlier, came up putting her arm around me and told Sylvia and I that I could sleep with her. As she said that she pulled me into a kiss and tried to reach my cunt with her tongue through my mouth. I responded to her kiss and gave back as much as I got. After pulling a part, some what breathless, we stood there staring at one another." "Sylvia told us that was fine or we could have a separate rooms. I told her sleeping with Tara looked to be very interesting. Tara and I then left for her room. We needless to say made love for quite some time before we drifted off to sleep." "I woke up some time the next day laying naked in a cage outside. The surroundings did not look like anything around Sylvia's place. Tara was in a cage next to mine. Four other women from the party were in other cages and there were four others I had not seen before. The cage was not big enough for us to stand or to sit up. They were made of heavy wire mesh. Each of us had a collar round our neck to which our wrists were attached with short chains and cuffs. Each ankle was cuffed with a chain connecting them. Several of the women were crying and fear was evident on everyone's face." "Late in the afternoon a man and woman came out to the cages. He told us we were about to embark on a new adventure. He had the woman to rinse us off first. She got a garden hose and started spraying us. The water was ice cold and we all screamed as the water hit us. Once she finished, he told us that we would begin our initial conditioning in a few moments. We were to obey all of his or his assistants instructions without question or hesitation. Any punishment earned by one maybe given to all. Failing to follow instructions would be quite painful. Repetitive failure would result in increasingly painful punishment and it could be so painful we would do anything for it to stop." "With that he opened the cage doors, telling us to come out of the cage and stand by the door. Once we were standing, he clipped leashes to our collars then turned started off walking, leading us toward a nearby building. The woman walked behind us carrying a paddle. The woman who was last out of her cage was smacked with the paddle when she pulled back on the leash. She screamed and moved quickly to release the tension on the leash. The spot where the paddle hit her was bleeding." "They took us into a room containing a table like you see in a doctors office, but it was bare steel. Each of us had a turn on the table. Once on it we were strapped down. Our heads were shaved. Our breasts were pulled into large cones and injected with something to make them larger. A ring was placed through our clit and three in each lip of our cunt. They gave us injections in our cunt lips to make them larger as well. The woman who had given them some difficulty, had a grommet in the her nose septum, then a ring through it. After that every time, they attached a leash to us, hers was connected to her nose ring. From the way she grimaced, it must have really hurt when the leash pulled." "They then took us out to an outdoor pen. Actually there were two adjoining pens and each was about 20 by 30. In side, we given an enema until the water we released was clear. They then had us kneel down on a frame like device. Our shoulder and chest support was a T shaped with the staff of the T between our tits. Our shoulders were strapped to the ends of on the top of the T and our wrists connected to it by short chains. Our knees were spread nearly the width of our hips resulting in our cunts gaping open. A restraint was then loosely placed over our ankles and lower leg to keep our knees spread. There was a support for us to lay our forehead on to support our head." "Once all ten of us were in place, he insert a dildo in each of our asses and locked it in place with an inflatable bulb. Each of us were given an injection in each ass cheek. His assistant then demonstrated how the feeding fountains worked and that we were required to eat everything given to us. Failure would be force feeding with a animal dosing syringe afterward we would be whipped with a braided strap." "He then told us we would be in this position all day except for 1 hour twice a day. During those times we would be released so we could shower and exercise. We would continue with this routine until he felt we were ready for the next step. They rechecked us and then opened the gate between the two pens and left." "I heard the some clicking and then a cold nose on my butt. I looked around but couldn't look back for enough. About that time, a big Labrador and Great Dane walked into view. I now knew what our conditioning step was. A warm tongue began to probe at my sex and I knew that before long one of them would be fucking me." "For as many times as I was fucked that night there must have been five dogs for every cunt. The next day, I was exhausted. My legs were covered with cum and my cunt was sore. In the morning, they came and let us up two at a time. Before we could stand up we had to lick the cum from each others cunts while they filmed us. A few hesitated until the strap fell across their ass after that they had us shower and exercise. The routine went on for more than a week. If we had to be swatted with the strap for compliance, then once we were back on our bench we received ten lashes for each compliance stroke. Only two made the error more than twice." "The next week we were told we would be let up from the benches, but that we had to submit to the dogs when ever they wanted to fuck us. Also, we had to make sure to have a dog fuck us at least four times a day. None of us ever had to worry about the limit. It wasn't long until several of us began to give each other orgasms as we were always felt aroused. Sometimes it was orally other times it was with our hand or fist. It was a nice change from the dogs. During the two weeks, our breasts had ached and seemed to be larger. Our labia increased in size to be very pronounced when we stood." "One morning the assistant came out and removed our butt plug. She told us to take a shower after we used the enema fountain to clear us out. Once we were ready, she clipped leashes on us and led us over the the main building. On the ground were ten long narrow wire baskets." "She told us to bend over an hold our knees. As we did, a new butt plug was pushed into our ass, several moaned as it was bigger than we had been wearing. After we stood up, she gave us a second one to insert in our cunts. A elastic cord was then attached to our collar and fed through the rings on the dildos. It was then pulled tight and secured to the other side of our collar locking them in place." "Once they were in place, he told us the cord is to make sure they don't accidentally come out. If the dildos are not removed correctly, they will release a poison. The poison will cause us a lot of pain while our throat swells until we slowly suffocated. Death would take about three days and there wasn't an antidote. He then told us to lay down in the basket with our name on it." "In the basket, our ankle cuffs and collars were fastened to the basket. A gag that hooked around our teeth and gums was placed in our mouth. A strap was placed over our hips and then a cover was locked over the basket. A tube was connected to the gag. They told us after they put us in the truck our tube will be connected to the water container. To drink, all we needed to do was press the inside of the gag with our tongue." "A truck arrived shortly after we were all in the wire baskets. We were stacked in the back two high. A cover was thrown over us and after a while the truck began to move. It only stopped for short periods of time over the next two days. By beginning of the second day the urine smell was quite strong. Early in the morning the truck stopped and the cover was pulled off. The man and woman lifted us out of the truck and sat us on the ground." "She brought over a bucket and hose. We were all hosed down and then covered with a soapy solution that smelled like dish water detergent. She then hosed the soap off of us. It was humiliating but it was also nice to loose the smell. We were soon back in the truck and on our way." "That afternoon it felt like we had turned off of the paved highway as the road was rougher with a slight smell of dust. It wasn't long before the truck stopped. The two came back and uncovered us. They stood our cages up and fastened them so we could now see our surroundings. It was desolate. It looked very arid, with very little vegetation. The truck began to move again. The surroundings never changed. It was scary. Some hours later, we dropped over a rise into a depression and saw several buildings. There were trees and brush around the sides of the depression but none close to the buildings." Dorothy paused to take a drink. Sarah said, "The first part sounded very similar to what Terry related that Gary had done to her. But it couldn't have been Gary because you disappeared several months after he died." "Yes, it was very similar to Terry's experience." Sarah looked puzzled. "She talked about it when she was interviewed after you arrived here." "It is very similar to my experience as well," said Marie. "The truck backed up to a loading dock at one of the buildings. A man and woman brought over a small wagon and then unloaded our cages on to it. As they pulled us down the hall, we could see other women in barred rooms watching us as we were moved down the hall. As I found out later, there was two women in each of the barred room. Everyone was naked except for a collar and high heels. Everyone had large tits with swollen nipples. Most were at some stage of pregnancy with a few appearing to ready to deliver." "The comments I heard before now made sense and tears filled my eyes. I lay wondering if that was what they were going to do with us. Soon the wagon stopped. The doors to three rooms were opened and they carried our cages into them. I watched as they opened the cages and released the others bindings as they left me till last. They told us to get up, but nobody could move a muscle. The two seemed to understand our problem and assisted us out of the cage and over to a platform raised from the floor by several inches. A cable hanging from the ceiling was attached to our collars. Our wrists bands were then released from the neck chains attached to our collar." "The woman told us that we would be living in this stall. We would wear the leash for at least several weeks. It was long enough that we could reach any place in the stall. If we were not connected to the leash, we were to not leave the stall without a staff member. She pointed out a small basin in the corner to wash and a bucket in the other corner so we could relieve our selves. We were required to keep our area neat and clean. Our meals would come three times a day. She pointed to a dildo shaped object on the hall wall, if you want a drink of water just suck on that. The raised platform was our bed." "I laid back on the bed and exercised my legs. They were so stiff from not moving my muscles screamed as I moved them. I could hear several of the others balling. My confinement along with what I thought was going to happen bothered me. I knew I couldn't do anything except make things worse but I wondered how long it would until I was bred." "Late in the day the same woman and man came down the hall. As they passed each stall they hung two bottles on the hall bars. The woman said, "This is warm and tastes much better than when it is cold. You are to eat all of it." When I looked at the bucket, it had a nipple shaped like a cock on the bottom side of the bucket. It looked very much like how we were fed at the kennel. Slipping my mouth over it and sucking my mouth filled with warm fluid. It tasted like oatmeal flavored with cum. The milk flavor was different, but then I didn't realize then it was human milk. After eating I walked around a bit to loosen up. Before long I was sleepy. Erin my stall mate had followed me around the whole time during which she hardly said anything." "Each day the woman or man would come by and check on us. They also changed our waste pail as well. I didn't mention how they were dressed. They wore something like a wide belt around their waist. It was so wide it almost a skirt. The belt barely reached their crouch and had numerous pockets. The man's cock and balls hung well below the bottom of the skirt. You could see her cunt and her labia hung down further than ours. She had rings in her cunt lips too." "A couple of days after we arrived, they opened a cabinet in our room. It contained a TV and computer. The woman, Jean, told us we could browse TV or surf on the Internet but we were not to send or read email. Remember the girl who had her ass paddled the first day. We nodded. Jean told us that was mild punishment here. She brought us a step exerciser the next day. We were told that we were required to spend at least 2 hours on it a day whether we were pregnant or not." "I apparently looked concerned when she brought the exerciser. Looking at me Jean said, "The mistress has other plans for you, but Erin will be bred next week." Erin then began to cry. Jean left closing the stall door. I reached out to Erin and held her while she cried. It was the first time she had showed any emotion since we had been there or at the kennel." "She cried for a long time. Finally when she stopped, she looked at me and then lightly kissed me. She apologized for the way she had acted for the last several weeks. She tried to believe the last several weeks were a dream and she would soon to wake up. She couldn't believe she agreed to this. She was given the "opportunity" to participate in a program to develop new drug treatments. In order to participate, she had to commit for 10 years and be willing to move to an isolated location. So she signed all the permission forms and put all of her things in storage. She gave a good friend of hers a "power of attorney" so she could handle her things while she was gone." "The next thing she knew she was at the kennel and ... She sniffed." "I told her I was kidnapped. I would like to go back but I don't see how. If I tried now and failed it would only make things worse. Besides, I do like sex. The dogs were okay, but I prefer to have choices on partners whether its dog, girl or boy and not necessarily in that order. So I kissed her again with a lot of tongue. Soon we were on the bed devouring each other. Both of us were very horny as we were use to being fucked several times a day. We wore each other out well before dinner and then spent sometime watching TV." "The next day Jean took both of us to a room at the end of the barn. Erin was placed in a set of stocks. Jean told me to lick Erin's cunt until she was wet. After I did that, my leash was clipped to the wall. Jean then gave Erin several shots in each labia majora and then did the same to each labia minora. The shots caused her lips to swell immediately. She then gave Erin two shots in the butt. She told Erin the shots would make her fertile within a week when she would be bred. Next month Erin was to get another shot so her tits would being lactating. She let Erin up and hooked her leash to the wall." "Now your turn. She placed me in the stocks. Then gave me shots in my labia majora and labia minora after Erin had licked my cunt. I was nearly ready to orgasm when she stopped. She then placed a large cup over each of my breasts. My breasts were then sucked into the cup filling them up causing them to ache. She gave me a shot in the butt and then proceeded to inject another substance in to my swollen tits. She pulled my nipple and areola though an opening in the bottom of the cup stretching them until they were over 2 inches long. A small cup was molded over them forcing them to retain that shape. The pain caused my eyes to tear. Then she pulled my clit into a tube until I thought she was going to pull it off. I screamed as she injected it with two shots. It almost caused me to pee." "Both of us were led back to our stall. We were left to suffer the rest of the day. My swollen tits, nipples, clit and cunt all ached. Erin tried to make me feel better. We found if we kept each other aroused then it did not ache quite as much. After several days my body quit aching. Erin became more and more horny with each passing day. It got to the point her cunt was literally dripping all day." "Jean and Andy stopped by several days later to check on Erin. Seeing she was in heat Jean asked her if she wanted to be bred there or in the stocks. She elected to do it in our stall and asked if I could participate. She then asked how it was done. We were told that normally, it was just a straight fuck where the woman knelt down on all fours and the stud fucked her from behind. It would happen twice a day for four days. She asked, if it could be more involved than that. Jean looked at Andy who nodded slightly. She told us yes but Dorothy can not be fucked by him, and you don't want to break that rule. We will start tomorrow." "It turned out to be Andy who took care of us and mated with Erin. The sex was great. Jean brought in a dildo with a harness for us to use. Needless to say Erin was pregnant by the time we were done. We talked them into coming back and playing with us. They were nice." "After we had been there about a month, when Jean gave Erin and I another shot. She also took the cups off of my nipples. The cups had forced them to become permanently extended. By week's end, both of us were lactating. By then my tits had grown larger than any I had ever seen before, but I was surprised that they didn't sag. If I stood or sat very long my back would ache causing me to slump my shoulders which made it worst." "One day when I was exercising, the back pain was slowing me down and my face must have shown the pain I was feeling. Jean saw me as she walked by and came into the stall and asked me what was wrong. Once she heard my problem, she went to get the doctor. Doctor Gail examined me and quizzed us on the injections and how they were done. She told Jean to set me up with the back muscle exerciser and for me to use it for one hour every four hours. Erin looked very worried as all of this was taking place." "When she brought the exerciser in, I could see the worry on her face. I asked about it. She wouldn't answer at first, but then told us she thought she might be punished for what had happened to me. She was concerned as she had seen the mistress in a rage before when something like this happened. Her instructions were to see that I had special care. Both the doctor and her would be faulted for the mistake. I kissed her and told her not to worry about things she couldn't control and to just tell of the circumstances honestly." Dorothy paused and took a sip of her drink. She asked, "Am I going into to much detail. I am never sure were to draw the line between being through and too much." Rusty and Sarah both assured she was doing fine. Donna spoke up and said, "Dorothy's story seems to be more important than giving you more details about the facilities and surrounding area. So Dorothy you may need to save the other items until tomorrow." "Okay. Donna be sure and give us enough warning for us to do our tasks on time tonight." Before Donna could respond Sarah said, "Would it be okay for us to help Dorothy and Marie when they go to care for our friends." "Dorothy I will give you sufficient warning. Sarah I will have to check my instructions to see if I can permit it." Dorothy took another sip of her drink and began again. "It was only with Erin and Jean's assistance I was able to use the exerciser as often as directed. After several days, I noticed that it was a bit easier to sit up or stand for longer periods of time. About a week later Jean came to tell us we had to be at a meeting in the office shortly. She took us down to a shower area so all of us could shower. It was a much nicer shower than we were allowed to normally use. She stepped in, stripped and took a shower with us. She was much more muscular than either of us had noticed before. She showed us how to do a better job of cleaning under our collar. We had problems keeping it from getting irritated. While she was helping we noticed her collar was different." "She gave us new shoes to wear and she put on similar shoes once we had our hair dry. Then she took us out of the barn and led us toward the house. Entering we went right to an office. She told us to spread our feet shoulder width and stand up straight. She did the same. I started to say something and she shook her head no." "The door opened and in walked Sylvia and Doctor Gail. I could see both Jean and Gail were nervous. Sylvia came over and greeted me after which she looked both Erin and I over very closely. She cupped my tits and told me mine looked to be about the size of Sarah's. She told me we would have a private chat after we figure out how your tits were made this large." "Sylvia then laid into Gail and Jean for this obvious error in treating me. Both Jean and Gail recounted that they could not find any errors in the treatment preparations or its administration. Sylvia told them since that was the case they would both be punished as they had definitely screwed up. Jean's punishment was to be skinned alive and then hung in the yard by her ankles. Gail's punishment provide enough babies to cover the cost of the error so she would soon find herself carrying 10 babies to term. Both turned a bit paler than before but didn't say anything." "Sylvia then said, "So when are you going to tell me who did this. You are holding back, as it obviously wasn't a mistake either of you would make." Gail then told her that based on the lab test results Dorothy had two spikes in the markers indicating she received two treatments. One spike corresponds with the time Erin received hers. Gail checked the surveillance tapes of the barn and they showed a staff member other than Jean and Andy entering their barn and Dorothy's stall. Tapes showed this same staff member was near the other three women who were incorrectly treated. The evidence while not perfect indicates Alicia did all four supplemental injections. Fortunately, her tampering won't hurt Dorothy like it did the others." "Sylvia was quite upset that she had not seen the problem with Alicia. It was Alicia who she usually placed in nominal charge of the staff when she left the farm. She had heard comments about her sternness in dealing with rule infractions, but it had never indicated anything like this. Sylvia asked Jean and Gail to accept her apology for not believing what they had told her. Since it had happened in Jean and Andy's barn, she felt she should have seen it was intentional. Their group produced the best and most consistent babies, so maybe we ought to look closer at what they do." "Sylvia was quiet for a moment and then said, "The punishment will be as I described earlier. We will let Alicia think it is someone else for a while. To do that Jean and Gail will need to go through the preparation steps as it was Jean being punished." Sylvia told Gail would to prepare Jean for the punishment by giving her the cleansing enema and then take her to the show barn. Gail was to bind Jean in the frame then put a curtain around it. Gail was to be sure to keep Jean bound as she moved Jean around during her preparation. Jean was told try to keep tears on your face and when your in the frame moan and cry out loudly. Each of them nodded their agreement." "Sylvia told Erin and her that while Gail and Jean were doing their parts she had a couple of items to prepare and arrange. We watched as Gail bound Jean's arms behind her, attached a lead to her collar then picked up a prod and led her out of the office." "Sylvia took me into the other room. She told me I could set down. Sylvia said she was glad that I was there and adapting to something you would not do on your own. She told me that I may hate her letting me be kidnapped, but some things can't be stopped or changed once they start. My status there was going to change slightly. Starting tomorrow I was to be working with Dr. Gail full time, much like an EMT which she knew I was trained for it. Assisting Dr. Gail would be more rewarding than just making babies and would help Dr. Gail lot. At that time, Dr. Gail was the only one at the farm to handle medical problems and births. She told me that my quarters will be moved to something a bit nicer. It was then I learned that Maria was arriving the next week. Maria was reported to have not adjusted as well at the kennel as I had, so Sylvia was concerned about her adapting to the farm. After Maria arrived I was to me here after a week. Sylvia expressed the hope that she was capable of working with you and Dr. Gail." "I asked if my quarters would be near Jean and could Erin be with me as well. Erin, Jean and I have really become close friends. I told her that Erin had volunteered for this in a way, so she should be able to trust her. Sylvia told me no promises, but said we'll see. She sent me out to sit with Erin while she made some arrangements." "Sylvia told us to wait while she took care of a couple of items. While she was gone Alicia came bursting through the door and immediately began to berate us for being out of the barn with no escort. She told us she would be enjoy giving us 25 lashes a piece for this violation which would be followed with a rock salt rub down. She then asked us what we were doing there. While she was focused on us, she didn't see Sylvia enter the room. I didn't answer right away and as she drew back to slap me, Sylvia asked her what she thought she was doing." "Alicia turned to Sylvia and told that these cow bitches aren't suppose to be wondering around without an escort. These two bitches need to be punished for knowingly breaking the rules. Sylvia told her that could wait as a more important punishment was to take place now in the show barn. With that Sylvia led us toward the barn. On the way over there Alicia, made several comments about what a poor staff person Jean was. With each point, Sylvia came back with a positive contribution by the barn to the farm. Each exchange made Alicia more agitated." Dorothy stopped and took a sip of her drink. "We are nearly done there is not much more." ------- Chapter 25 "Upon entering the barn, Sylvia pointed and told us to go stand by the side of the curtain. Alicia started to speak but stopped when she saw the look on Sylvia's face. Before we moved Sylvia told us that we were to release the curtain when she said the persons name. We could hear Jean sobbing behind the curtain. Dr. Gail came out seeing my concerned look and mouthed she's okay." "Alicia, Sylvia and Dr. Gail stepped up to the podium and it became very quiet. Everyone could now hear Jean crying and pleading. Alicia stepped to the mike and began to read the document Sylvia had just handed her. It described the extraordinary mistake in treating a new arrival, its consequences and then the punishment. The group gasp as Alicia said, "The punish was for the person to be skinned alive. A stimulant would keep the person conscious the whole time. Once skinned the person would be suspended outside. While outside they would be sprayed with salt water to keep her hydrated."" "Alicia stepped back. Sylvia waited a moment then said, "The person who shall receive this punishment is Jean." The crowd gasp as the name was said and the curtain dropped showing Jean hanging in the frame." "Several in the crowd screamed, NO." "Alicia stood stock still. A flash of fear passed across Alicia's face. Shaking she turned toward Sylvia with anger in her eyes and her face red. She screamed at Sylvia that it wasn't fair, as this error demands a much more severe and drawn out punishment. Sylvia asked her why a more severe punishment. Because she deserves it screamed Alicia. Alicia was sweating as she saw the look in Sylvia's eyes. At that point, Dr. Gail gave her the shot immobilizing her. I learned later that Sylvia had whispered to Alicia that seeing her reaction to knowingly and willing to punish of the wrong person had sealed her fate. Alicia hung outside for nearly week before she was taken out into the desert and left." "After that Sylvia stepped back to the mike and asked who had said no. Several raised their hands slowly with concern showing on their faces. She asked each of them to see her later that evening as she wanted an explanation of their feelings. They were promised that there would not be any retribution for speaking out. Those who were not staff members would need to have their attendant will bring them to the office. Continuing she said, "It is not Jean who will receive the punishment but Alicia." As soon as she said that, Erin and I began loosening Jean's bindings. We noticed a needle inserted in her clit and nipples and knew why she was crying. Once we had her down we hugged her, which caused some applause. It was then I realized that Jean must be well thought of by the staff. I started to remove the needles, but she motioned to leave them alone." "Once Jean was down, Sylvia continued speaking. "Your safety while all of you are here is important to this operation. The babies you supply for adoption are very popular in a number of circles as you have probably gathered. They are popular because of their temperament. Dr. Gail believes this is due to the recent changes in your environment has let you produce babies with a better temperament. Alicia took it upon herself to alter the treatments of several new arrivals. The first three were seriously injured by the altered treatments rendering them unsuitable for making babies. Most recently she made the mistake of giving the young lady next to Jean an extra dose of the breast enlargement treatment. You can see the results. We were able to track her movements on the night the extra treatment was given and looking back in the records we can place her in the vicinity of the other events." She then asked for two male attendants to come help the doctor place her in the frame." "Two attendants assisted Dr. Gail stretch Alicia in the frame. They stretched Alicia much tighter in the frame than Jean was. So tight you could see the strain on her joints. A tube was then roughly forced her ass to flush out her gut. Once it was completed. Sylvia called for the skinners to enter. Two women entered from the side with their heads were covered with masks. They inverted the frame so Alicia hung head down. I could hardly watch as they began to skin her. They started at Alicia's ankles. By the time her legs were skinned she had lost her voice from screaming. Every time she jerked, the bindings holding her tightened. In no time, they had completed removing the skin except for her head. They stopped for a few minutes and worked around her eyes, nose, mouth and then peeled the rest off as you would take off a mask. With no skin she was a ghastly sight. It was hard to imagine how much pain she was feeling." "Sylvia broke the silence telling the two that helped bind her take the frame outside and fasten it between the whipping posts. The two carried the frame out. She told the skinners to clean and prepare the skin for tanning. She sent everyone else go back to their quarters with their attendants." "Sylvia stepped down from the podium and told Jean take very good care of these two nodding to Erin and me. She was to bring them to her office in the morning. Jean acknowledged. Dr. Gail came over and removed the needles from Jean's clit and nipples, then wiped them with antiseptic. When we reached the barn, Andy had already arrived with other residents. Andy went to Jean and hugged her tightly. There were tears in both their eyes. All of the residents on their own went quietly to their stalls." "The barn was very quiet that evening. After dinner, Erin and I curled up in each others arms. I wondered what would happen tomorrow and next week when Maria arrived. It wasn't clear what Sylvia wanted from me besides what she had said." "The next day after breakfast Jean took us to the office. Sylvia was waiting for us. First she took our collars off to replace with the staff collar. This would let both Erin and I move about the facilities as we needed too. Erin and Jean were told that I was going to work with the Dr. Gail as an EMT. It was initially intended to move me to a different location in the staff area to be nearer Gail, but I had asked to continue to share with Erin and to be near Jean, which presents several problems with space." "Jean asked for permission to make a suggestion. Getting it, she indicated that there was a large unused stall in her barn. If Sylvia was agreeable, they could all move into it. That would make it easier for Jean and Andy care for the other residents as well. The stall could be fixed up a bit and made to be more like the staff quarters. It would also give them an empty stall for residents. Sylvia told us to try it, but to remember there could be another person to join you in a couple of weeks. Jean and Erin looked at me questioningly. I told them I would tell them later if Sylvia agrees. She did." "Before we left Sylvia told us she would be traveling again. This time Gail will be in charge. She told us that she was sure Gail would do a good job of looking after all of you for the several weeks she will be gone. Sylvia told Gail that she knew didn't want the responsibility but she was the best choice now. Gail should listen to the staff, as she thought, they could be more help than she had allowed them to be." "On the way back to our barn, Jean said something has happened to Sylvia. When Jean first came there, she delivered twelve babies before they moved her to staff. Erin looked at her. Yes two cycles of six babies. Anyway before if something like that happened, she would have done something much more cruel. I asked how anything could be more cruel. Jean told us that Alicia would probably not live much past tomorrow evening if that long, especially if the vultures start feeding on her. There were other punishments could last a long time and cause more agony than raw pain. Jean reminded us what she told the doctor and asked if we could imagine carrying 10 full size babies to term? We shook or heads no. Jean told us she had seen it done once. The woman didn't die but she may have been better off if she had. We learned then that a full term baby was usually 4 to 5 lbs and a healthy baby would double their weight in a week. The birth mother would nurse them for a month before the babies were shipped off for adoption." "Jean told me that I will meet residents in other barns who were punished by removing a limb. There were several residents missing one arm at the shoulder. All the amputations were done without anesthesia. Two have lost both forearms but in those cases it was an accident they caused. She told us that all of them find it very difficult to do things for themselves." "Sylvia had made some changes since Dr. Gail arrived that had reduced the incidences of rule infractions. Jean thought that was part of Alicia's problem. Alicia had been here a long time and when she moved up to staff she became more and more arrogant with both the residents and staff." "Trying to change the subject, I asked if we could see the stall Jean had mentioned. When we reached the barn she took us to see it. It was considerably larger than the one we were currently using. It had two large platforms for beds. I looked at Erica and she nodded. Jean saw our smiles and we agreed to move that afternoon." "The next week went quickly. The doctor was very easy to work with and very through in the training she gave me in treating the residents. Maria arrived and stayed with the new arrivals in a different building for a week. The attendant in her barn indicated to Jean that she seemed to have adjusted so I was told I could visit her. She had not been told I was there and was quite shocked when I arrived. I told her about what Sylvia wanted us to do. She agreed and we moved her over with Jean, Andy, Erin and I." Dorothy and Maria hugged. "We are almost to you when you saw me again." Dorothy then sipped more of her drink. "It was sometime after Maria joined us that we were summoned to the office. Gail told us that we were being sent on a special mission. This was to care for a group who would be under going their treatments while sedated. She then went into some detail describing what the treatments were to be given and how to handle all contingencies as we could not check back with her. She indicated there maybe other medical specialist there as well for the early part and we were to follow their instructions. She indicated that Sylvia seemed to have a lot of faith in the two of us to pull this off. She told us we wouldn't see Sylvia again until we joined the new group. We asked to tell Jean and she agreed. Jean was sad. She told us, that Andy, Erin and her would live in our stall until we came back." "The next day we were given a thin summer dress to wear shortly before we left in a SUV. Before leaving we were cautioned to talk only to answer questions until we were working." "Several days later we were transferred to the trailer that picked you up. We never saw anyone except the two that drove the SUV until we saw you and your friends with Sylvia." "Sylvia's looks shocked me, she appeared like she was under a lot of strain. She never let on that anything was wrong or what the problem was. I really hope nothing has happened to Jean or the others." "Dorothy thank you for sharing that with us," said Sarah. "At first I blamed her for our predicament but with your information things don't seem to be as they appear. Which any more seems to frequently be the case." "Can I interrupt?" Said Donna. "I checked my procedures and find no restrictions on you helping with your friends. I would suggest that while you are helping Marie and Dorothy, you do it with a minimum of talking. Up till now your friends have only heard Donna and Marie's voices." Everyone responded, "Okay." "Sarah, since your going to help, why don't you go let your milk down now. By the time you are done it will be time for Dorothy and Marie to make their rounds." "If she doesn't mind, we could all go with her," said Dorothy. "Then we could tell them the other things we planned on sharing this evening. Donna said, you had some information to give them." "That's a good idea," said Sarah. ------- As Sarah let her milk down, they continued to talk. Donna reminded them that the reason for the restrictions on contact with Dorothy and Marie is because of bonding. "It would cause some significant complications, if they bonded with this group and then had to leave. Withdrawal from the bond could cause them some significant health problems. So for that reason alone, we need to minimize physical contact for now." "As for Sarah, Rusty and their friends, both of you tomorrow will sense the physical aspect of bonding when Sally and Terry wake. For everyone in your group, you all will feel a strong physical attraction as each additional member wakes. The strong attraction between you will last for several hours. Our plans for tomorrow are that Terry will wake first followed by Sally several hours later. Both of you should be with Terry when she awakes and then all three of you with Sally when she wakes up." "Sarah, Rusty bonding with the other members of your group is proceeding differently than we normally see for a group. This is because of the sequence of events your group experienced. In our society a typical group formation begins with two or three people who grow together or sense an attraction to one another. The speed of that growth can be instantaneous like Sarah has described the two of you meeting or take several months or even years to completely blossom. The more typical time is several months together as friends and from there it just progresses to a group. Adding a person or persons to a group happens in much the same way. I hope this has given you some insight into the concept." "We think so," said Sarah and Rusty nodded. "Tomorrow evening you can all have dinner together again. But I caution you again on physical contact, please keep it to a minimum. Be sure to tell Terry and Sally as well. The following day beginning after breakfast the four of you will meet with the administrators and perhaps some staff members. At this point I think you will be satisfied with their proposal. Also they are aware of all the questions you have verbally expressed. Knowing Rusty and Sarah are telepathic leads us to believe that their friends are or will be shortly. So you will need to express a question for me to obtain an answer. The worse you can receive is a 'no' or 'not possible'." "Now, it's time for your rounds Dorothy and Marie." The rounds went quickly with four people doing the tasks. Rusty and Sarah took the time to caress each of their friends as they saw them. In each case, they looked at their thoughts while they slept. With several of them they soothed the concerns they saw in their friends thoughts. Dorothy and Marie were pleased with how quickly the work went and the positive effect both Rusty and Sarah had on their patients. Rusty and Sarah left Dorothy and Marie to return to their rooms. "I felt funny when I soothed their concerns about what happened and what lies ahead for us. But while I am definitely not happy being brought here with no choice, I don't feel wronged. Now they could have given us a drug or did something else to make us feel that way, but that is the way I feel. When I explored my mind waiting for you to wake up, I didn't see anything that indicated tampering. How would I know? I don't know. Everything just looked like it was suppose too." "Can we sleep together?" "Is there another choice? Because I never want it any other way." "Before we go to sleep can you show me, what you were doing in your mind?" "Sure. I think I understood what I saw. It almost seemed like I was being guided." They reached Sarah's room. They looked at one another and just headed for the shower. They showered quickly as they were tired and anxious to learn more about their mind and body. They laid in Sarah's bed spooned together. Sarah asked Rusty to look in her mind and she would point out the things she found. Rusty could see different areas of her mind brighten as she described what she thought they did. He looked through the organization of her mind for a while. Then together, they moved to his mind to look through it and compare it to Sarah's. Rusty told Sarah he knew what she meant when she said she felt 'guided'. They didn't try to effect any changes but noted some areas they wished to look at again. They were asleep shortly with Rusty tight against her back as she held his arms around her. Both Sarah and Rusty had not been asleep very long before they began to dream. The dream began with them standing on the edge of a depression in a desolate area. They realized it was the location that Dorothy had described earlier that evening. The dream was so realistic, they felt like they were there. They quickly traveled down into the valley to walk among the buildings. Nearly everyone was asleep. As they dreamed, they found the walls did not obstruct their vision or movement. They cautiously moved around the property and found all of the locations Dorothy had talked about. Erin, Jean and Andy were sleeping in the area of the barn, they had shared with Dorothy and Marie before leaving. They noticed that most of the stall doors were standing open which was different than Dorothy's description. The area outside was very dark and the stillness was like being in a vacuum. The stillness was disturbing to them. Very little if any night sounds were heard like you would expect. It made both Sarah and Rusty edgy to the point their bodies twitched in anticipation as they slept, then the dream slipped away. Sarah woke at day break. Her breasts were again ready to be drained. She tried to slowly ease out of Rusty's arms without success. She felt him move and could sense him being awake. "I need to get up. My breasts are very full, but first I need to use the bathroom." "Go ahead, I will be there in a minute as I need the bathroom as well." Sarah was soon on the bench letting her milk down. She had Donna invoke the muscle stimulator while she sat there. Rusty soon came in and sat on his exercise bench. The muscle stimulator attached to his back and legs. They exercised together while the machine suckled on her nipples releasing her milk. "What did you think of the dream?" Said Rusty. "It felt like we were there and we saw everything she described. It was so quiet. I was very apprehensive while were there." "I agree, it felt like something was going to happen shortly. Something very bad." "Sarah and Rusty, Terry will wake up in about an hour," said Donna. "You two should have enough time for breakfast before going to their room. You might want to plan on letting your milk down right after she is up, because the three of you should have just enough time to eat and freshen up before Sally wakes." "It seems they are waking earlier than you indicated yesterday," replied Rusty. "It is. Since the two of you touched them late last night, their drift toward waking up has greatly increased. At the rate they are progressing, I really should let Sally wake this morning too." "Why not?" "The data, I have does not indicate how well the bonding will go if both wake together with you." "Donna, after thinking about what you have told us about bonding, I think the four of us were bonded before we arrived. At that time, only Rusty and I had a mental link. Rusty and I feel that our connection to one another has only grown stronger. We suspect the firmer mental link is a part of the increased strength. Both of us shared a one way connection with Terry and Sally before we came here. So I don't think you or the administrators have any worries about us bonding because I think we are already bonded." "How about Rusty and I have breakfast now, then as soon as we are done we can take Terry in with Sally. We will put them next to each other. Rusty and I then can cuddle with both of them while they wake. When they wake it should be a little while before they need to let their milk down, so we have time for the first round of loving complete with sex." "I agree with Sarah's assessment," said Rusty. "Before this happened we had four way commitment to each other and were continuing to build our relationship. Joyce was a potential fifth. Joyce had been spending a lot of time with us and we were not sure where that was going. She is quite young but very smart in many ways. We all love her dearly but weren't certain that she understood her feelings toward us." "Okay. I will defer to your insight. That will make the request I just received from the administrator easier to accommodate. They want to meet with all four of you today. So when the four of you feel you are ready, tell me and we will set it up." "Why?" "I don't know enough to answer your question." "Rusty, I hear some urgency in Donna's message. I am done here. So let's rinse off and go eat. Besides I feel like I am about to starve." Just then her stomach growled, causing them to laugh. Rusty went over and started the shower while Sarah got off the exercise bench. The shower and then breakfast went very quickly. ------- Donna had Dorothy and Marie move Terry in with Sally while they were eating. When Sarah and Rusty arrived, they found Terry and Sally laying face to face with their arms around each other. They laid down next to their friends, spooning against their backs. Sarah and Rusty slowly ran their hands across their friends sides and stomach. Some times letting their fingers drift lower across their friends abdomens. They mimicked each other as they caressed their two friends. "Should we see if can share our thoughts with them?" "Yes why not. But let's go slowly we don't want to scare them." Together they peeked at the thoughts of Sally and Terry. They found them wondering how soon they would see their friends as they seemed very close. "Let's open up and talk to them." "Okay." "I sense that they will be telepathic like us now," said Sarah. "Wow. What a life, 3 women running around in my head. I don't know if I will survive." "They heard Terry and Sally chuckle at Rusty's comment." "Wonderful," said Sarah, "you can see our thoughts now." "You mean this isn't a dream," replied Sally and Terry. "No, its not a dream. But, so much has happened and changed since we had lunch together at Nancy's. I don't think the changes are bad. I can see both of you are very aroused, we would like to satisfy your arousal as soon as you wake." "I would love to make love to both you and Rusty," replied Terry. "Me too," said Sally. With that Sarah and Rusty, rolled them on their backs and kissed them passionately. Their lips opened to let theirs tongues duel. They left their minds connected and were amazed at how strongly they felt each others passion. Sarah broke the kiss with Terry and moved to kiss her neck. She licked and kissed her neck causing Terry to shiver with passion. Sarah continued to caress her friend with her tongue and lips while her hand caressed Terry's soft firm body. As her mouth drifted toward Terry's nipples her hand moved between her legs. She licked and kissed each tit as she moved her hand to Terry's cunt. Sarah found that her labia were now as large as hers. She took Terry's nipple in her mouth and sucked on it enjoying the flavor as her mouth filled with the warm sweet milk. "Oh. My I'm lactating," said Terry quickly followed by the same comment from Sally. Sarah could see Rusty was duplicating her caressing of Terry on Sally. "Yes, we all are now lactating, well except Rusty. We have more to tell you more later." She slipped a finger into Terry's sopping cunt. She hook her fingers around to rub Terry's g-spot with her other finger on her clit. Terry shook as an orgasm washed over her causing a sharp intake of breathe. Her orgasm washed over all of them through their mental bond. Terry's cunt flooded Sarah's hand with cunt cream. Sally told Rusty to fuck her now as she pulled his cock toward her cunt. She pushed the head between her wet swollen labia then through the mouth of her cunt. Sally wrapped her legs around him levering his cock deep in her cunt. She screamed as she quickly came. The intensity of her feelings washed over all of them as they could feel the pleasure of each others arousal. Rusty's balls pulled up in response to the new intense feelings in Sally's sheath. Rusty could feel him moving quickly toward a climax at break neck speed with each thrust into her cunt. His cum boiled out of his balls and sprayed out of his cock into her womb. Rusty's hot cum spraying into her sheath caused an intense orgasm in Sally and then she went limp as she passed out. Sarah and Terry could tell that Rusty was still aroused. Terry said, "Sarah, could Rusty fuck me now." Sarah continued to lick her cunt as she suggested that Rusty pull back from Sally until just the tip of his cock was in her. Rusty moved. "Okay now lift her hips a bit and move off to the side as you pull out." Terry could see what Sarah intended. So she reached down to support Sally's hip next her. Sarah quickly moved between Sally's legs clamping her mouth over her cum filled cunt. She quickly began to lick and suck the succulent cum from Sally's cunt. She shivered from the pleasure she was giving and receiving. Terry saw Rusty's hard cock and shivered. It seemed bigger to her than the last time. "It is and its just as good if not better," said Sarah answering Terry's question. Terry rose up and pushed Rusty back on the bed in her place. She quickly covered his cock with her mouth. The taste of Sally and Rusty mixed cum added to her arousal. She pushed forward, pushing his cock to the back of her mouth then to her surprise down her throat. She was shocked as she could never take a cock in her throat before. Now, it felt very comfortable and their cum tasted so good. Seeing her surprise Sarah told her while she continued to suck and lick Sally. "Just enjoy we will talk about it over lunch." Terry pulled back her mouth keeping her lips tight on his cock catching the cum. When she had just the head in her mouth, she bathed it with her tongue. She could feel his cock harden and grow as she caressed his cock head with her tongue. As soon as it left her mouth she moved up and jammed it deep in her dripping cunt. She realized just as his cock entered her, how much she wanted him to fuck her and how much she had missed feeling his cock fill her sheath. As she fully buried his cock in her, an orgasm crested. Her sheath muscles tightened locking his cock deep with her. The feelings were intense and washed over everyone through their connection. Sarah and Sally both shivered with pleasure feeling the arousal of their friends. Sally woke. Looking over she could see Terry riding Rusty's cock. She could feel Sarah tongue caressing her cunt with her tongue and feel Sarah's tongue as it passed over her cunt. It startled her that she could feel the sensations of licking a cunt and feeling it on her cunt. "She told Sarah to turn around." Without removing her mouth from Sally's cunt she moved her cunt to Sally's waiting mouth. Their arousal then grew in leaps and bounds as they licked and sucked each others cunts and felt the growing arousal in Rusty and Terry. They all felt Rusty's balls begin to tighten up and his cock swell in Terry's sheath. His hot cum began to boil out of his cock into Terry's cunt. His hot cum triggered a massive orgasm in Terry causing her breathing to stop momentarily. Her body went slack and collapsed onto Rusty. Both Sarah and Sally felt it and orgasmed together spraying each other with their cunt cream. Their faces were dripping wet with cunt cream. Sally said, "Sarah let me up so I can suck the cream out of Terry's cunt." They moved around then the two of them spread Terry on top of Rusty so they could roll their comatose bodies over. At Sarah's gentle urging she got a groggy Rusty to raise up enough Sally could get her mouth next to Terry's cunt. Sarah moved Rusty so he rolled over to the side and as he did his cock slid out of Terry's slick chute. Sally immediately placed her mouth to catch all of the cream flowing from Terry's cunt. Sarah pushed Rusty on to his back then cleaned his cock with her mouth. She savored every morsel of cunt cream and cum she could find. Soon Sally and Sarah had finished their efforts to make sure none of the sweet cream was lost. Sarah's gentle sucking on his cock caused it to swell again. She straddled his hips. She wiped the head of his cock in her dripping cunt before placing it in the mouth of her cunt. By that time Rusty was fully awake and pushed up with his hips as she settled down. The thrust caused Sarah to shiver as the warmth flowed through her. She sat there and slowly caressed his cock with the slow contractions of her sheath. Their combined sensations were mind boggling. She looked over at Sally still licking Terry cunt. Terry opened her eyes. "Oh my that was the best cum I've ever had. Sally turn around so I can lick your sweet cunt too." Rusty pulled Sarah forward so he could caress her tits with his mouth. The additional sensations kicked up Sarah arousal and she began a series of orgasms. Each one caused her to squeeze his cock. His balls began to tighten up as he prepared to flood her cunt with cum. He grasp her shoulders and pulled her down tightly on his cock. The pressure on her clit caused a large orgasm to explode in her as his cock pumped cum into her womb. Their mind link allowed everyone to again share their orgasms. She leaned forward and kissed Rusty. Terry looked at Sally. "That was certainly intense. Then thoughtfully, when can we do it again. If every time we make love is this intense, we could become addicted." Everyone laughed. Sally sat up on her legs when she did she felt her tail between her ass checks. She reached behind her back and slid her hand down over her ass to where her tail bone should be. When she felt the tail, she screamed and quickly jumped off the bed. Standing there her mind was full of new sensations as she kept caressing the tail trying to comprehend what she was feeling. She was a little frightened, but she could hear the calming voice of Sarah. She felt Rusty's soothing thoughts as he sent her thoughts to relax. Then her feet began to ache, when she looked down she was standing on the balls of her feet and her feet were so long. Sarah slowly stepped off of the bed and hugged Sally. "Sit down a minute so you can put on your shoes." As Sally sat down the tail slipped into the crack of her ass. Sarah picked up a pair of shoes slipping them on her feet then fastened the ankle straps. She pulled Sally to her feet. Sally noticed immediately how much better her feet felt even though the shoes had at least a 5 inch heel. Then she began to look at her self more closely. Her tits were much larger now but she was taller with broader shoulders. She could feel the muscles in her shoulders ripple as she flexed them. She turned to look a Sarah to see that she had the same general features she did. Even the muscles in her legs showed at times. Her hair was the same color as before but much longer and seemed to flow down her back. She stepped closer to Sarah and ran her hands down her back. She could feel the muscle tone but at the same time she looked soft and sensual. As her hand touched Sarah's mane on her back bone, she jerked it back as it surprised her. Looking at Sarah's back she could see a narrow band of hair on her back bone. The soft fine hair ran all the way from her neck to her tail. She reached over and caressed Sarah's tail, causing her to shiver. Terry had watched Sally's reactions and saw her thoughts as she inventoried her body. Their skin tone was darker than before, much like they had a good tan all over. Terry knew that she looked similar to both of them. She felt Sarah's shiver and arousal when Sally caressed her tail. "I can tell by your expression and thoughts that you have a lot of questions and some concerns. Those are probably similar to mine and Rusty's when we woke yesterday. Several things. Yes, we all now have short tails. Playing with them is arousing. We are also lactating. We will need to let our milk down 3 times a day. There is a way to do it that is as satisfying as you want it to be. You can also exercise your muscles while you let your milk down. Our heights are now very similar at somewhere around 7' 6". Our shoulders are broader and our hips wider. Yes, our feet are different, as well as longer. There are a few more differences but let's save that for later. Rusty and I don't feel the changes are bad but we definitely are different." "One more thing, this place, which I expect will be our new home is managed by an AI. We have named the AI, Donna. She will respond to your voice in any of the buildings. We need to do several things before we can have lunch. One is to show you how to let your milk down on the exercise bench." They looked at her funny. "Rusty, why don't you help Terry with her shoes so we can get started." As soon as Terry's shoes were buckled, Sarah showed them the bathroom and the unique toilet, which both Terry and Sally used. Then moving back through the bedroom, they went out into the lounge area. There Sarah showed them how the benches were used to let their milk down, by straddling the bench and slipping her tits into the cups. Once that started, she then demonstrated the use of the dildo for her cunt and mouth. Then topped it off by enabling the muscle exerciser. Sarah could tell they were amazed by their thoughts and the looks on their faces. Sarah and Rusty were pleased at ease with which Sally and Terry were taking to things around them. Seeing Sarah's tits being sucked in the cups, made them realize that they needed to let down their milk as well. They each went to the bench with their name on it and sat down. When they leaned forward their tits slid right into the cups and their nipples into the artificial mouth. As soon as the mouth sensed the nipple, it began to pulsate. The tugging on their nipples gave both of them a small orgasm. Each tried the dildo controls and were very pleased by the time they had released all of their milk. Sarah was standing with Rusty waiting for them to finish. "Okay lets shower then we do a short tour of the place as we go to lunch. But first I should introduce you to Donna. Donna are you there." "Yes I am here. You did a very nice job in waking them up. Did you always do it that way?" "Donna this is Terry and Sally. And no not always, but I guess we have a few times. This time was so much more intense because of our mind link." Sally and Terry said, "Hi Donna." "I know Sarah mentioned it but I am here to monitor your well being. It is also my responsibility to monitor and operate the automatic portion of the estate. You can summon me simply by addressing a question to me any place around the house or other buildings. There are only a few places away from the buildings where I can hear you." "For accommodations, each of your rooms has a bathroom. There is also a communal shower and hot tub through the door behind you. We have put all of the exercise benches in here because it is simpler to maintain your milk output. The showers in your room will hold three to four people at a time. The shower off of the lounge will easily let all of you shower at once." Before Donna stopped talking Sarah was headed for the shower room. When they entered, Sally and Terry were surprised to find a very elaborate shower room. There were a number of vanity basins with large mirrors behind them. There were several toilets and bidets in the room. The showers had multiple heads on the walls with a single control by the entry which indicated it was automatic. Next to the entry were the special shoes to wear when showering. Sarah slipped off her regular shoes and on a pair for the shower. As she stepped toward the shower, everyone else followed her lead in changing their shoes. Upon entering the shower room the water began to stream from the shower heads. The water temperature was just right. After everyone was wet, Terry noticed a button that said soap. She pushed it and soapy water covered her body. The other three began to spread the soap around on her skin. The six hands on her felt so good and just a bit aroused. They each took a little time to examine each others body as they washed. It was only now that they noticed some of the more subtle changes. Sarah said, "rinse," and the soapy water stopped and clear water sprayed again. Each of them helped the others rinse off. By the time they had finished they were all quite aroused. Stepping out of the shower they helped each other dry off. Once finished they put their regular shoes back on and went for a tour of the building ending in the kitchen. Rusty and Sarah managed to show them everything they had found so far and even managed to find a few new rooms. ------- Chapter 26 They gathered in the conference room that afternoon. Up to that time they had been getting reacquainted and sharing what was known about their circumstances. Sarah had Donna replay her initial interview for them. She told them about seeing Dorothy and Maria again and their evening together. She then told them about the dream that Rusty and her had had the previous night. The dream had seemingly taken them to the place where Dorothy and Maria had been before coming here. The experiences of Dorothy and Maria had taken some of the warmth away from being together again. They sat down next to one another at the table. They gasped as five objects shimmered into view standing across the table from them. As the objects took on form, they could see there were 4 women and one man. Sarah and her friends rose to stand. They smiled at their visitors as soon as the shimmering stopped. "Welcome to our new outpost," said the man. "My associates and I have been overseeing this outpost since we moved to this location a short time ago. We hope you find the accommodations acceptable. Between us we normally communicate through our mind link which we believe is very similar to the link the four of you have with each other. Because of our mind-link, we seldom address each other by name. So, to make things easier for our two groups to communicate, we have chosen to adopted names that you should be comfortable with. My name is Jim and with Amy we oversee this operation and with us we have Erica, Betsy and Connie." Each had nodded as he said their names. "One difference with our mind-link is that we are able to include the AI in our link when we need to. Donna has told us that you have many questions for us. But first, Donna please have Dorothy bring us some refreshments." While he was talking, Sarah and her friends had looked each of them over very carefully. They were all very beautiful people. All four appeared to be well over 6 feet tall probably pushing 7', but shorter than them and all had broad shoulders. All they were wearing was a light semi transparent covering that clung to their bodies. The women's breasts were large and stood firmly on their chests. With their clothes on it wasn't clear, but it looked like their tits were as large as theirs. She was sure their shoulders were as broad as theirs. It didn't take her long to realize that their new bodies were very similar to theirs. They opened their minds a bit and realized they had similar perceptions. They each glanced at each other and then back to their host. Dorothy arrived with refreshments and then quickly left. She hardly looked around when she came into the room. "Amy is my associate commander," continued Jim. "Betsy and Connie are our medical team for the out post. Erica is responsible for all security issues. We have made some changes in operation since Sarah first woke. You now have unlimited access to us through Donna but that could change as your telepathic capability increases. Once you reach a point in ability, we will communicate directly with you. We want to take establishing the mind-link slowly so that there aren't any misunderstandings and we don't overwhelm you with information. At the moment our medical staff is unsure about how dynamic your mental abilities will be. We are impressed with the way Sarah and Rusty have grown in a day and with the way all of you have positively reacted to your very different environment." "We have much to cover and we will answer any questions as they come up. But if you could hold them until the end, we think will have answered most if not all of your questions by the time we complete our presentation. Okay?" They all nodded agreement with his suggestion. "When we arranged to bring you here, we were under the impression you had fully agreed to participating and helping with this project. We now know that was not the case. Based on the profiles provided to us by the people who brought you here, you seemed to be ideal candidates. The project is to provide our group with children by having multiple births on each of several birthing cycles." Sarah, Sally and Terry gasped. "We will get to why in a moment. Several months ago Sylvia contacted us through a medical research facility we had established several years ago near where you lived. She indicated she had heard that we were looking for a group to continue our studies. We were. Our first group had fulfilled their agreement and left. In fact they settled in an area near where you lived." "She brought us a second group several weeks later. The second group did not pan out because of incompatibilities. It took us several months to come to realize that we could not solve the incompatibilities. The only solution then was to release them from their contract." "I have to admit we were always a little unsure of Sylvia, however the idea of her deception or its depth did not crystallize until Sarah's conversation with Donna yesterday. This has been reinforced by each of your comments upon waking. Looking back through our interviews with you when you first arrived, it is clear now that you indicated the abduction when they were done. Unfortunately we did not catch it. Our apologies for not catching it then but I am not sure if we could have done things differently at that time anyway." "As you have probably guessed, we are not from your planet or even of this solar system. So your phrasing of ideas sometimes makes it difficult for us to understand the full meaning of your words." "Our intent was have a new group of several women with one or two men come here to provide us with more children. The first group all together provided 185 babies over the course of 10 years. Yes most had at least twins every year. The children are all either with adopted parents here on earth or on our ship that is currently stationed on the back side of Mars. They range in age from 2 to 12 years old." "Why are we doing this? It is because we need people to help us repopulate the crew of the ship. There was an accident on the ship a number of years ago for us, but more like a century for you. The accident caused our ship enter your solar system and time line. In that maneuver our ship sustained substantial damage part of which was caused by the accident but the ship is currently in a stable state. Of the several thousand crew members on the voyage, only 30 of us survived the accident." Sarah's group gasped. "We can not do any more repairs to the ship until we can increase the number of crew members." "Our life span is generally several hundred years in your terms. One of the side effects of the accident was that we can no longer have children. Several of survivors have other physical limitations. The remaining medical crew on board the ship has been unable to resolve our reproduction problem. Outside assistance seemed to be our only solution, but we don't know where our home system is or have a means of contacting them." "Our society's rules generally do not permit us to interact with species that are more primitive than us except in emergencies. When your civilization grew to the point where you started working on bioengineering via genetics and similar techniques it began to approach our basic knowledge level. We helped establish a medical research office to see if some of your species could help us with our problem. We suspected that there were significant similarities between our DNA and yours, which we confirmed. Betsy and Connie set up our facility and hired the key staff to start and run it. The goal of the medical research office was to develop techniques for modifying a persons genetic make up. The office was very successful in developing those techniques." "Our staff on the ship has used those techniques to transfer significant DNA characteristics of ours to select humans. The research office staff was not told of our origins or anything about the foundations backers. The selected humans would be asked to participate in project to develop new drugs. Those who participated would be asked to provide us with children to help repopulate our ship. It took a lot of time to organize the first group because of several constraints. Project length was 10 years of relative isolation from the rest of the world. The other difficulty was we felt limited in what we could tell them before they committed to the project. There were several other critical characteristics they needed before even being considered. The first group was our first attempt at this. Fortunately their were few problems when we modified their DNA to contain some of ours." "However, we now know that some of the staff at the center took this knowledge and used it to create modified genetic viruses to alter other humans. They did not have access to our DNA so mixing of ours with your species was avoided. This is technique was used on Sarah twice without our knowledge. Her situation created some significant challenges in treating her when she arrived here. The way the techniques had been used on her had led to an unbalanced set of physical attributes." Amy picked up the presentation saying, "Once these techniques were developed and we knew we could incorporate the appropriate DNA strings in the genes, an effort was made to find willing men and women to participate in under going these treatments. We found quite a few college students interested in the project even in the vague terms we used to promote it. Betsy and Connie conducted personal interviews with about 40 students before selecting the first group. The selection took a lot longer than we expected. As Jim noted, the exact details of the participation were not disclosed until they arrived here." "The easiest changes to make are to breast, stature, hair, overall health and length of life. We weren't sure how much they had to be changed to yield babies with the needed attributes. We needed to add several other characteristics in order fulfill our needs. These are more difficult to achieve as only a few humans seem to have the characteristics which is a pisonic ability." "We offered all of the potential participants full medical care for life and a full college scholarship so they could finish their degrees or go to graduate school. The first group of participants was a reasonable success. Once the 8 women and a man were at our remote site, we explained to them in detail what we would like to do. First was to make some changes to their bodies and in return they would give birth to at least twins every year for ten years. We guaranteed they would age very little and experience little if any change from having delivered 20 or more babies. Any birthing would stop if their health was endangered. As a part of the modifications to their body any long term diseases would be eliminated or cured. Once the project started none could leave until the end. All of the candidates chose to participate and we were thrilled." "Our staff has monitored the well being of the offspring." "The first group fulfilled their contract with us and when they left they went as a group. While not acquainted before arriving here, they quickly became good friends subsequently bonding with one another after about a year. The group bonding is typical for us. But we have learned that it is very unusual for your civilization as you tend to pair up. This also seems to be driven by a religious aspect of your culture that discourages group bonding as well. From that group, we discovered a lot of other things about what we were trying to do." "We quickly found that for a number of reasons it was best if we arranged for the babies to be adopted within a month of birth. If they went for adoption, we sought to ensure that they only went to families with the resources to help a child with exceptional abilities. As expected all of the children had high IQ's and developed rapidly. We plan on approaching them to join us once they reach legal age. A number of the children have already lived up to our expectations. And others have not, but we think a portion of that was due to the family that adopted them. In monitoring the adopted ones, we will remove them from the family if their well being is endangered. The portion that went to the ship have generally done reasonably well, but the crew has had some difficulty relating to them. We think is due to their inexperience with children. A few children do not appear to have the psionic abilities which are needed to participate as a crew member." "Shortly before the first group left, we started looking for their replacements. Sylvia sent word to us through the medical research staff that she could get us a group quite easily and was experienced in doing this. Once we agreed she delivered a group of 10 about a month later. As noted earlier, the group did not mesh well, which surprised us. We did complain to Sylvia that the new group were troublesome and did not meet our needs. We provided video of the group interacting and once she saw them she was quite willing to take them back, while offering further assistance to help us find another group. Your group was the second group she found. In hindsight, we should not have continued using Sylvia but the staff at the research facility was supportive of her efforts." "Since we heard your comments on awaking, we had Erica do some further checks on the medical research facility staff and Sylvia. The findings were incredibly shocking to us. She found that several staff members have been pirating the genetic treatments and providing custom treatments for several people including Sylvia. The buyers are then administering the treatments to others without their consent. This activity in our civilization would result in being severely punished." "Sylvia has expanded her "farm". She now keeps about sixty women there plus a small staff. The women are held in open rectangular rooms usually restrained by a leash. This is similar to what you saw in the one building here. With the genetic viruses, she obtained from our earth based staff she alters the women. This results in them being more fertile and able to carry multiple babies with minimal complications. Her treatments also increases the size of the patients tits so they are larger than Sarah's were when she arrived. She keeps the women pregnant and lactating. After about 10 birthing cycles she sells them at an auction, although some times she sells them earlier. The usual buyers at the auction are from private S&M clubs. Some she sells at auction are pregnant. The people they procure are never seen again. In the long run it is probably better for them as the changes Sylvia made will painfully cripple them within several years. Dorothy and Maria were there before Sylvia sent them here with you. They to not appear to have been over treated." "Erica has found that she is not the only one operating such a farm. At each of the other farms she found that all used some variation of the genetic virus techniques developed at our facility. Fortunately they have only been with altered human genes and DNA." "On our home planet those actions would get you a hundred years of public agony. Erica found that Sylvia took the second group to her baby farm and is using them there. The farm is quite well hidden in a very desolate area. Based on things I have heard today, I think Rusty and Sarah visited it last night in their dreams." Sarah nodded. Terry and Sally gasped. The four of them were now holding hands as they listened intently. "Sylvia, as you now know, arranged for you to come here as the replacements for the group she first sent us. We are now sure that none of you agreed to this before hand." Sarah, Terry, Sally and Rusty all nodded vigorously in agreement. "We can return you to your home with Nancy and Bob, but there are some implications to you and your friends if you make that choice. First you will stand out where ever you go. The first group has found it difficult to mix with other people since they left. We are not sure why as their appearance has not changed as much as yours, but Erica keeps an eye on them to ensure their safety and monitor their health." "When they left us, they purchased an isolated moderate size farm about 4 hours from where Bob and Nancy live," said Erica. "They refurbished the farm buildings and now raise sufficient crops to satisfy their needs. One of the first things they did when they move in was to have a security system installed. Surprisingly, it was your friends Bob and Nancy who supplied it and Bob did the installation. Bob caught on to them being a bit different and cautioned them about what to avoid doing that would attract attention. Bob occasionally stops by to check on the system and visit." "I am not surprised at Bob doing that for them," said Sally. "He is really a sweet person. He has never let on anything to me about them." "He has only told Nancy. In fact she visited them once with Bob and was able to assist the women with some issues they were having. Since they left all of them are pregnant again, and the first is due in a month or so. All are carrying twins." "Wow." Was the chorus from Sarah, Sally and Terry. "Sarah, you had asked Donna a number of questions regarding your friends and etc. And based on your later discussions with your friends, we think they have roughly the same questions." "Yes. But the answers could lead to more questions or requests?" Said Sarah. "Let's start with Bob and Nancy. They think you and your friends here along with Joyce were killed in an auto accident." "What?" Screamed, Sarah. Tears were streaming down all of their eyes, knowing the anguish their friends were suffering. "Sylvia arranged for your van to plunge off the highway into the river," said Erica. "The van exploded on impact blowing the doors and windows out. Only traces of each of your belongings were found inside. And needless to say no bodies were ever found. The pain was compounded for your friends as Janet and Jill supposedly died that day in another accident to their way to see you, which was also arranged by Sylvia. As you can imagine, the shock took quite a toll on everyone. Several weeks later, Judy just disappeared..." Tears continued to run down their faces, while Rusty face showed intense anger. "How could you let her do that?" Asked Sally. "We didn't find that out until Erica started looking into Sylvia's activities and checking on your friends. In hindsight, we should have checked on your friends but didn't see any reason to until you alerted us to being kidnapped. You are correct it is our fault for not being more careful and we accept full responsibility for the result. Sylvia was very good at presenting to us what we wanted to see. If we knew then what we know now this would have been done very differently. We would have tried another solution or have let time take its toll. Even now we may not have time." "Alice has transferred the responsibilities for the club to another person. She made a good choice for a replacement and the club, she managed for so long, is doing fine. She and Susan moved in with Bob and Nancy. The four of them along with Julia and Stan are living at the estate. Adam joined the military and is currently training for special forces." "We think both Nancy and Julia received some of the treatments you received before you were brought here." Sarah looked questioningly at her. "Both have had significant bust increase. While Nancy has grown to be nearly seven feet tall, Julia has only increased in height by a few inches to a little less the six and half feet. But in both cases neither their feet or backs have changed to accommodate the changes." "Julia's changes are possibly the result of another incident." Sarah said and went on to explain about what happened at her old house with Gary. "Sarah, how many times have you had a body altering done." Asked Betsy. "By choice none." Said Sarah and went on to give a shortened version of the episodes with Liz and the attacker at Alice's. "The treatments you received from Liz and the attacker would have caused you problems probably within a couple of years if left alone. You were fortunate to have Judy treat you, as her approach largely negated most of the potential problems. We now think an off hand comment about what a good doctor Judy was, led to Sylvia arranging for her to come here. At least initially, she was led to believe you had been found and needed help." "If I could get my hands on Sylvia right now, she would be in agony for a long time," said Sarah. Sally, Terry and Rusty nodded in agreement. "Well let's focus on your group now. Once you were here, we again did a full DNA profile and compared it to the initial one we received for each of you. Several other diagnostic tests were run. Again Sarah you were very lucky to have Judy treat you at the club. But in general, to give you each the longevity that we felt we had promised several adjustments have been made in your bodies to accommodate what had been started. All of you stand somewhere between 7' 3"and 7' 8" from the balls of your feet to the top of your head. Most of the increase in height is in your legs, but there was some in your backs as well. Your shoulders were widened about 6 inches which except for Rusty which effectively changes your tits to a G cup if you weren't lactating. They will not sag or become flabby even if you chose to lactate for the next 100 years. This is because the cell and muscle structure is very similar to us." "Your feet are between 4 and 6 inches longer and about an 1 inch wider. This will be more than adequate to support your larger stature. All of you will find that your feet will be uncomfortable if you try to wear less than a 5 inch heel. We have made shoes for each of you and are custom fit to your feet. You will find your name on the sole. The need to wear shoes all the time for the time being. We expect this need to lessen in time." "Two other changes you may not have noticed yet. Your fingers are longer with small increase in the palm of your hand. This combines to give you a stronger grip." "Your vision will be nearly as good in the dark as it is in the light." "Each of you noticed the tail and the hair down you back bone. This is a side effect of some of the corrective changes we made. I think you have found the tail bone can be arousing depending on how its handled. If it is strongly pulled up it is quite painful." "Your hips were widen in proportion to your shoulders. Your back muscles were bulked up to help your posture and for the women help carry the extra weight of your large tits. Your overall strength has increased considerably as well and is essentially equivalent between all of you. This is due to the changes and the daily use of the exercise bench. Dorothy and Maria have been very careful to ensure you each exceeded the exercise requirements." "I think Sarah may already realize how we were able to do this. When you arrived and we finished the check ups, we had little time or opportunity to consider other choices of treatment. As a part of the interview, we asked each of you your impressions of what you thought of us. Everyone's response was favorable even when put in the context of what if you looked like us. So we married the appropriate genes from us to your DNA." "We hope you will forgive us for not involving you more in the decision, but we felt we had little choice. That is unless we wanted to watch your body basically fall apart and see you experience the pain it would cause. We were not sure we could correct the errors, if they were allowed to go to completion." "I have one more thing to touch on, oops two more. Donna told you that you would find any covering uncomfortable or irritating. As she expressed it, the exceptions were protective clothing or shields. There is a sensitivity and we think this sensitivity will decrease some with time. But even then being fully clothed as people in your culture are will cause you problems. We would also have difficultly with the type of clothing worn in your culture. The covering we are wearing does not cause a problem, it is however quite shear as you can see." "Last is babies. Each of you are capable now of easily carrying to term up to 8 babies at a time and the pattern is you will probably release 2 to 4 eggs every time you ovulate." They all gasped. "These will split once fertilized to yield twins. You will be able to carry them without a problem since the babies will be smaller at birth. Usually somewhere around 4 to 5 pounds. They usually increase to 10 pounds quite rapidly after birth." "She missed a couple of items you maybe interested in hearing," said Connie. "Your lactating will continue for quite a few years. We estimate it will be more than 20 years but you can continue longer if you want too. You will almost always need to let your milk down three times a day but that twice a day maybe comfortable for you. You will need to participate with your partners in some physical contact every a day and will probably want more contact. It can be anything from oral, to petting, to fucking, your body will guide you as to what it needs. Yes, we are the same way. Arousal will come quicker and last longer than what we think you have experienced before coming here." "Will Janet, Jill, Joyce and Judy be similar to us?" Asked Sally. "Yes. Joyce's changes are going slower by design in part because she wasn't prepared properly." It was quiet for a few moments. Sarah, Rusty, Terry and Sally had shared their mind link during the presentation. "I am not sure where to begin." Said Sarah. "Can we see Nancy, Bob, Alice, Susan, Julia and Stan again?" "Yes I think that should be possible, but we will need to plan it carefully." Said Erica. "Is it possible for Dorothy and Maria to stay?" "We think that part would be possible, but were not sure about their friends. That is whether they would or could come." "Based on Dorothy's story I can't imagine them wanting to stay there." "That's true but if anyone comes to stay, I think we would want them here on the same basis as you were originally brought here, that is if your group decides to stay." "I don't think we have any choice but to stay," said Rusty with all three girls nodding in agreement. "We do need to be fully open with one another about everything and we hope you will find that agreeable." "Last night when Sarah and I went on our dream walk, we both felt a subtle tension in the air at Sylvia's farm. If she is involved in genetic manipulation on humans, there are several organizations on Earth that would be very unhappy. Let's say violently unhappy. As irrational as some groups are it wouldn't surprise me to see them try to butcher or kill all of them. And some would then turn around and sell the meat." Sarah, Terry and Sally had turned green at his comments. "I don't wish it on anyone." "I would agree with his assessment," said Erica. "In fact we have been monitoring several groups since several businesses that made genetically modified food were destroyed by some of these groups. Those groups are as rabid haters of genetic treatments as the church was self righteous during the inquisitions." "Interesting analogy. It is these groups that worry me with regard to our safety, if we chose to leave here. In fact, they could be a threat to Bob and Nancy's estate by association through Sylvia's records. Another risk point is the first group. Maybe I am being paranoid but security issues are or were my business." "Rusty will you assist me with security analysis," asked Erica. "When we were checking each of your backgrounds, I was very impressed with the work done by you and the group you worked with." "Thank you. We would be better off with both Bob and Stan here to help. They are better at some things than I am." "I think that may provide us with a solution to one of your requests. Jim why don't we hire Bob and Nancy's team. We can have them come here to do an assessment and then assist with the installation." "That would work, but you should let them know that they would be here for a couple of months. This would let them hire and train people to take care of their data security business. Although with the potential threat to them, they should have a back up site." "I like both of your ideas," said Jim and Amy nodded in agreement. "It is getting late. Donna have Dorothy and Maria prepare dinner so we can talk a bit longer. Erica please set up surveillance on Sylvia's farm as soon as we leave here. Bring several drones up behind the moon in case we need them quickly. Also a shuttle with several androids would be a good idea as well. Sarah could you take a dream walk with your friends to Bob and Nancy's tonight." "I am not sure how to start it. Last night just happened." "Ah, Sarah when you rest after dinner and take a look through your memories of last night. I think you will see how to do it, as I am not real sure how to tell you. While you're at Nancy's, you might want to reassure them you are okay, and that you didn't die. You could add a teaser of if they follow an opportunity available to them in several days, they will all see you in a short while." "Okay, I like the idea of a teaser." "As mentioned earlier, we would like for all of you to push the development of your telepathic skills so you can join us in mind-linking. Sarah and Rusty are very strong and have progressed quite a bit since you both woke up. I suspect Sally and Terry will be just as strong once they have a bit more experience. During the dream walk be sure to all hold hands the whole time as it will be Sarah's dream and you need contact with her. You should look at it as Sarah and Rusty are the guides and Terry and Sally are the passengers. Terry and Sally even though I just encouraged you to develop you mental skills please take your time learning the skills, a mistake can be very disastrous." "We will try our best." Said Sarah and everyone nodded. "Good. We will be leaving you for now. If something comes up, Donna will summon us for you. We haven't talked about it yet but if its agreeable with you, we may arrange a place for us to stay here as well. Normally we have always stayed on the ship with the rest of the crew." "Rusty I would like to meet with you in the morning after you eat," said Erica. With that they all began to shimmer and disappear. "Dorothy said dinner would be ready in an hour or so. So you have time to let your milk down while you exercise. We should have time for a walk after dinner if you like." "Tell Dorothy and Maria we would like for them to have dinner with us," said Rusty. They left the conference room deep in thought heading for the lounge to follow Donna's suggestion. After their exercises, they helped each other wash in the shower. After removing the most of the water from their hair, they formed a small circle to comb and brush each others hair. They found the affection somewhat arousing. Their hair was dry by the time it was brushed out. Sally expressed her amazement at how few tangles she found in their long hair. The tangles were one of the reasons she quit wearing long hair. The brushing had fluffed out their hair. Rusty had taken the combs and brushes to put away. When he came back and saw them he was speechless. The light was coming from behind them giving their hair a slight halo look and really accentuated their beauty. The girls seeing his expression were concerned. "What's wrong," asked Terry. After a few minutes, he said, "The three of you are an absolute vision standing there. Very very impressive, I don't know how you can put up with ugly me." They started to move toward him. "No stay there just like you were. Now just Terry come over here." She came and stood by him looking back at the two girls. As soon as she did she gasp at the vision they made. "Rusty go take my place." The vision of them standing there in the light was over whelming. "You two have to see this, but one at a time. So let me switch places with Sarah." "Oh my. Okay Sally let's swap." "I see why you had strange looks on your faces now. The way the sun is lighting our hair and bodies makes a very stunning view. I didn't know a group could look so beautiful, strong and loving at the same time." "Donna could you have Dorothy and Maria come here for a couple of minutes," asked Sarah. "Sally come over and stand with us. Let's put Rusty in the middle." Just as they got arranged Dorothy and Maria came into the room. Once they saw them standing there, they stood with their mouths open. Not a sound. Not a breath. It became very quiet. The look of adoration and respect on Dorothy and Maria faces was unmistakable. "I have never ever seen a group of lovelier people in my life," said Dorothy. She walked over with Maria at her side still speechless. Dorothy went to each one and gave them a passionate kiss. When she got to Terry and Sally she introduced herself. Maria followed in her footsteps. "Well I have kissed heaven so now I can die. I know I went way over my limit on intimate contact with all of you. But it is worth it." "Would you be disappointed it there wasn't a limit?" Asked Rusty. "No!" Chorused both immediately. "We may have jumped the decision a bit, but we think you will have the opportunity to stay based on what we heard today." "Based on my instructions, they will be able to stay providing they are agreeable to several things," said Donna. "But this discussion should wait for tomorrow when the group returns." "It's time to eat. That is if everything hasn't burnt up by now. We were just getting ready to ask Donna to find you, and thanks for the vision. The lighting was just perfect. I wish we had a picture." "Dorothy there is a digital camera in the cabinet on the far wall. I wouldn't take to much time because the light is shifting very quickly," said Donna. She quickly got the camera and took several photos of the four at different angles as the light shifted behind her four friends. They went to dinner. Sarah and her friends were thoughtful over dinner. Each had some apprehension over the days events but none of them felt outraged by what had happened. Their lack of outrage was somewhat puzzling to them as they knew that before they came here they would have been fighting mad. They would need to puzzle through this together. Instinctively they knew that the Amy's group from the spaceship had charted unknown territory to prevent harm coming to them and were confident they acted out of concern for their welfare. Based on what they knew they tried to see the issues from their point of view and were satisfied with the intent. Together they realized, they were comfortable with where they were and the changes in them. When dinner was finished, they complimented Dorothy and Maria on the wonderful meal they had prepared. Dorothy and Maria basked in the warm compliments. "Sally, Terry and Rusty, I would like for us to go for a walk outside before it gets too late. Sally and Terry haven't seen anything outside the buildings yet." Said Sarah. ------- Chapter 27 They got up and walked outside. As they went along the walk the girls kept Rusty in the middle as they walked all holding hands. They were quiet enjoying the view down the valley in the late evening light. They reached a small overlook which had a place to set. The sun was just touching the edge of the cliffs at the end of the valley. Sarah guided Rusty to sit in the middle of the bench. She quickly sat straddling his lap facing him so his cock lay nestled between the warm wet lips of her cunt. Terry and Sally quickly sat tight up against him on each side. They sat on the bench so they faced Rusty with an arm around both Sarah and him. They each bask in the feeling of closeness. After a few moments Sarah said, "You know I have never felt closer to the three of you than I do right now." "Well we could be a little closer if you raised up a bit and then sat back down," said Rusty. "Two parts of us would be much closer and very warm." The girls glanced down and saw the head of his cock peaking out between Rusty and Sarah causing them to all laugh. Sarah rose up just enough to let his cock head slide through her lips to the mouth of her cunt then she slowly lowered herself. She sighed. "Now that was an excellent idea. I hope we can talk now without me being distracted. So, what are we going to do? I love all of you and I just want to be with all of you and our friends. This group is really the only family I have any more." A big tear rolled down each cheek. "We have always been frank and open with one another so I would hope we can be now and in the future," said Sally. "I sense that we all want to stay together. The question we seem to be facing is should we stay here or go back to Nancy and Bob's or some place else. Or did I miss read your feelings." "Not mine, even at Nancy and Bob's we would stand out," said Terry. "I am afraid it wouldn't take long until someone figured out we were different, very different. Some may suspect treatment with a genetic virus to give us our appearances. With that out in the open, we would be potential targets for the eco-terrorists and harassment. Being at Nancy and Bob's would put them at risk as well." "I think the smartest thing for us to do is to stay here," said Rusty. "That is looking at it from strictly a security stand point. While it is not me that will be carrying the babies, I think you have a difficult time finding any better care. In light of what we have heard, felt and seen this seems to be an ideal spot. It is isolated but it seems we can get the supplies we need to live here and ensure our security. All of us have job skills that can allow us to work remotely. To me the key to us doing well living so closely with each other is to have something to occupy our time. It should be possible to set up Internet access and voice communication which would make it easy to work remotely." "I wouldn't mind in fact I think I would like to carry babies sired by Rusty, but I am not sure about wanting to let them go to someone else to raise," said Sarah. "I wonder if between all of us we couldn't raise them here and give them an education as well." "So you want to have 180 children in ten years calling you three mother?" Said Rusty causing everyone to gasp. "And if the four who are still asleep follow the same path, then there is Dorothy and Maria, plus the crew at Nancy's. That is a lot of children in 10 years." "Let's take this one step at a time," said Sally. "We want to stay together and we think the other four will want to stay with us as well. This is our best choice of locations for a number of reasons as Rusty pointed out. To me the children are a side issue, I think we ought to stay. Six months ago I wasn't sure I wanted a child, now I'm advocating having 60. My uncertainty before was because of the responsibility of raising one by myself. I like children very much." "I agree." Said Terry, Sarah and Rusty together. With that decision out of the way they felt more relaxed. The warmth of being together flowed into the group as they sat in intimate contact. "You know I like the changes in my body and I just love the way the rest of you look," said Sarah. "I don't think I would have done it on my own even if I knew it was possible, but I truly believe I like it. The only thing I am unhappy about is they had to remove my collar. Donna said they were afraid it would be to small and seeing how much larger I am it probably would have been." "I liked your collar and the meaning behind it," said Sally. "Once things have settled down I would like to explore all of us doing it. We should have that discussion through our mind link, so we clearly understand each others feelings." Sarah was surprised at Sally's comment as she thought she would be reluctant. "So you like the mind link?" "Oh Sarah I think it is wonderful, it makes me feel so close to all of you. Now I know what I missed before. It will I think be of great benefit to us in the future." Everyone nodded their head in agreement. "Did you notice that the sunset has been over for some time and it's nearly dark but I can still see quite well." "I wasn't sure what Betsy meant by her comment about our vision, but now it is quite clear," said Sally. "Come on let's go to bed. I want to try this dream walking again, but first there is something large pulsing in side of me I needs to be satisfied." Sarah began to slowly contract and release the muscles of her vaginal sheath. This caused a rippling of the muscles in her vaginal sheath caressing Rusty's cock. "Do you like that?" "It's wonderful. Those balls really seem to have helped." Said Rusty. "What are you doing? What balls?" Asked Terry. "Rusty gave me some Ben Wa Balls several months before we were kidnapped. They helped me strengthen and gain conscious control over the muscles in my vaginal sheath. But when I was exploring my mind before Rusty woke, I found the spot to enhance my active use of them." "Can you show us soon?" "Sure it was pretty easy to do." "I can see my tombstone now, 'Killed by a snapping cunt.'" They laughed. "Seriously it feels very good and it is not going to be long before I flood your cunt with cum." Just then Sarah moaned as he sprayed the inside of her cunt with cum. Sally and Terry sighed at the sensation of Rusty and Sarah's cum. They sat there in a group hug while Rusty and Sarah recovered. "Sarah when you stand up can you hold your cunt closed until I can cover it with my mouth," said Sally. "I wanted that for desert," said Terry. "Don't worry Terry, once I suck it all out we can share it." "Oh goody," said Sally as she knelled on the ground next to them causing everyone to laugh. As Sarah stood up she tightened the muscles in the mouth of her cunt letting Rusty's cock slipped out but not a drop of cum escaped. Sally licked by labia clean of their nectar then pressed her open mouth against Sarah's cunt mouth. Sally slid her tongue into to Sarah's cunt mouth telling Sarah she was ready. Sarah eased open her cunt while Sally lightly sucked letting the cum fill her mouth to the brim, nearly causing her to choke. Sally reached over and pulled Terry down next to her. She pushed Terry's head toward Sarah's cunt. Terry picked up on what Sally wanted and quickly covered Sarah's cunt as Sally pulled her head back. Terry sucked the remaining cum from Sarah's cunt, then licked the area around collecting all the mixed cum in her mouth. Terry and Sally pressed their mouths together as if French kissing as they stirred the cum in their mouths together. They pulled back and swallowed some and then each kissed Sarah sharing some of the cum with her. Then they kissed and tightly hugged as they shared and swallowed the rest between them. As they finished, each shivered as a light orgasm raced through their bodies. "Guys your mixed cum tastes so good. And good grief Rusty you must have pumped a weeks worth of cum into her," said Sally. They walked toward the house with cum leaking down all of their thighs. As they entered the house, Donna said, "Guys there is a larger bedroom next to the lounge and across from your initial rooms. It has a bed large enough for all of you to be comfortable. The door is open." They went to the room. Terry exclaimed, "Yes it will fit us and at least 6 or more others." Looking at one another, they chorused, "Thank you Donna and friends." Then giggled. The interlude on the park bench had sedated them. After freshening up they laid down and cuddled to one another. Sleep overtook them quickly has it had been a busy day. They slept for several hours before Sarah and Rusty entered their dream like state. From outside appearances, they looked asleep except for some eye and facial movement. As their dream began, Sarah and Rusty kissed then they shared a kiss with their two friends. Holding hands they proceeded to walk down the path before them. In only moments they found themselves outside Nancy and Bob's estate. They quietly looked around the grounds and then through the buildings noting the changes since they were last there. Two people they didn't know were monitoring the alarm console. They studied the console for a while and noting how much more automated it was than before. They saw that Bob had added more cameras to cover the grounds. They left and went up to the house. All the lights were off. Passing through the door into the kitchen, they took time to explore. They found their rooms just the way they had left them 6 months ago. They could see it had been cleaned and dusted. They could feel the sadness of the empty rooms in their friends lives. Sarah turned and led them to Bob and Nancy's bedroom. Quietly entering through the closed door, they saw their six friends sleeping all cuddled together. They could see the changes in Julia resulting from the shots Gary's had given her. The changes in Nancy that Betsy had commented about were evident as well. It looked like Bob had changed some as well. The way they were laying though made it hard to tell. Sarah reached out with Rusty to examine the thoughts of their friends as they slept. They tried to give them some relief from the sorrow they felt. Sarah gave Nancy a dream as they had discussed earlier at the meeting. Nancy was startled at first but then relaxed as her and Sarah talked. Sarah answered all of her questions about how they were. She seemed to sense some differences in Sarah, but this was over ridden by her desire to hear how they were. As Sarah left Nancy's dream she told her that they would have an opportunity to go to a remote location to setup a surveillance and security system. All of them must go on the project, even Susan and Alice. They left and returned to their beds. Sarah woke for a moment. "Donna can you place a gallon of our milk in Nancy's refrigerator," asked Sarah. "If you can put a note on it to drink immediately. Sign it as 'From your friends as you can tell by the taste. It was more than a dream.'" "I'll check. Sleep well." ------- Rusty woke at day break with a stiff morning cock and a full bladder. He gently tried to extract himself from the group to keep from waking them up. Before he could reach the edge of the bed the girls were stirring. Looking at them he could tell their breasts were very full. By the time he used the toilet, everyone was up moving around. Rusty moved to his exercise bench and started with his exercises. As each of the women used the facilities, they laid down on their bench to relieve the pressure from the milk in their tits. Each engaged the exercise equipment to run while they let their milk down. During the whole time they concentrated on the exercised and hardly talked. When the their exercises were finished, then went together to the showers. Just before they entered the showers, Rusty gathered the group in a hug. As he pulled them to him, he linked with them. "I love all of you. You make every day worth living. Good morning. Last night was exciting and disturbing at the same time, but my instinct tells me we all will be together very soon." He kissed each in turn. "Good morning, husband." They chorused together and laughed. "Good morning, my beautiful wives." His joy of being with them was clear by the expression on his face and the light in his eyes. As they finished their showers, Donna told them that Jim and his crew would meet with them mid morning. She also asked them to look after the four who were still sleeping, as Dorothy and Maria had to assist Jim's group. "Donna is anything wrong," asked Sarah. "The only thing I can tell you is that once Erica reached Sylvia's ranch, she called for assistance. Jim went with 4 security drones and 2 robots. Later they had Amy send Dorothy and Maria to the ranch. So I don't know if wrong is the correct word." "Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help. You will need to monitor us as we assist with our sleeping friends, as only Rusty and I have went through the routine once." "Sarah I will monitor their care as I always do. But I think the four of you will have no problems with the tasks. Can you hold off on breakfast until it is done?" "Yes and no. Coffee would taste great along with a bit of fruit before," said Rusty. "That shouldn't delay us very much." "Okay. The coffee is ready now, as I anticipated that. Oh, Jim just indicated he would be back shortly. He asked if he could meet with you at breakfast." "Of course," they said. The first couple of hours went quickly as they had their morning coffee and fruit. Then helped their friends through their morning routine of exercising, being fed and letting their milk down. "Oh I know why this feels so familiar, Donna," said Sally. "It's what we did when we were asleep." "Yes. All of the routines are very similar. There are small nuances because of individual differences. These differences have really kept Dorothy and Maria on their toes over the last six months. I expect Jill and Janet will be ready to wake next week. Perhaps Judy as well, as her condition has seemed to really respond to the four of you being with her. Your care has also had a positive impact on Joyce." "How can they do the things they do without waking?" Asked Terry. "They are brought up to a light sleep for milking and exercise. And then when they lay back down they go into a very deep sleep. This lets all of the food intake go to fixing their bodies." They went back to the kitchen. "You know I would really like a big hot breakfast this morning. I'm hungry and I feel we will need all the energy we can get," said Sally. Sarah looked thoughtfully at her. "You feel it too don't you." "Yes I feel something." "Okay Rusty can you chop some peppers, ham and onions for the omelets," said Sally. Terry can you fix the biscuits. Sarah and I can do the potatoes and cook the omelets." Just then her stomach growled causing everyone to laugh even as they were moving to start their tasks. The four of them had breakfast ready before the biscuits had finished baking. They had just finished when two columns of blue light began to shimmer by the door signaling the arrival of Jim and Amy. Today they arrived naked like Sarah and her friends. "Would you two like an omelet?" Asked Sally. "We have never had one," said Amy. "We would like to join you though." "Okay with us. But were going to fix you an omelet anyway. If you don't like it, I'm sure as hungry as we are it will be eaten." While the conversation was taking place, Sarah and Rusty noticed how much Jim and Amy were build like they were. Although Amy's tits were not as large as hers or her friends, she had more apparent muscle tone. Their hair ran down their backs all the way to their tail. Sarah went over and touched Amy and Jim. The touch caused a feeling of warmth flow through her body. Her nipples and cunt swelled a bit from arousal. Sarah shuttered. Amy turned and looked into her eyes. Sarah stared into Amy's dark eyes. Sarah heard Amy say, "Go slowly. There is much we need to share but we, Jim and I can't let it over whelm you." Just then Sarah sat down breaking the eye contact and reducing the mind link. Everyone in the room felt the link between Amy and Sarah. Just then Sally said, "The omelets are done so let's eat before it gets to cold. As I expect we have much to do today." "Rusty, Terry, Sally and Sarah, we know we can all link very efficiently using a mind link," said Jim. "It would be helpful for you if we held the communication to voice for a while. We have nothing to hide, but we don't want to over whelm you with information. Our crew has agreed to provide you with any information you feel you need about us and our capabilities." Amy confirmed with a nod. "Terry and Sally what did you think of your dream walk last night with Sarah and Rusty," asked Amy. "From my stand point it was very exciting," said Sally. "Walking through doors and walls was disconcerting at first. Sensing our friends sorrow was almost to much. I have known Nancy and Bob quite intimately for many years and to see them hurting so much bothered me. I followed Sarah while she mind linked with Nancy and helped her deal with her demons. It very emotional for me." The more she had talked she became more agitated. "If I could get my hands on Sylvia she would be very sorry she caused Nancy so much pain. Bob wasn't as upset but not by much. Joyce not being there really hurt him." "Was Donna able to arrange for the milk and note in the refrigerator?" Asked Sarah. "What?" Said Terry. Sarah told them what she had asked Donna after they returned early this morning. "It was done shortly after you asked," said Donna. "I wish I could see Nancy's face when the refrigerator was opened this morning," said Sarah as she grinned and the others chuckled. "Donna show our friends the events this morning in their kitchen," said Jim. With that a small hologram formed in the kitchen, showing Nancy's kitchen as they began getting breakfast. Initially they were sitting around the table drinking coffee, then Susan got bowls and cereal out. She opened the refrigerator and set the gallon milk container on the table. The note was facing away from everyone, then Alice noticed it. As she reached for it, Nancy saw it and grabbed it. As she read it tears rolled down her eyes. In a shaky voice she told Susan to get very one a clean glass. Everyone stared at her with a worried look on their faces. As the glasses were placed on the table, she began filling them. Once the six glasses were full. She began to tell about her dream. "Last night I had a dream, at least I think it was. Sarah told me that we would have an opportunity to do a remote security project and that all of us were to go. She emphasized all and she indicated it would happen soon. Now this morning, we find this jug of milk with a note attached." She read the note out loud, then picked up her glass and drank it down in one continuous swallow. Everyone followed her lead. As they tasted the milk and remembered the flavor they all smiled. "Bob this morning we need to make arrangements for the business to function while we are gone. I don't know how long we will be gone, but we will go. We should even set it up so it can be managed from where ever we are. After tasting that milk, I now know for sure that our friends, Sarah, Rusty, Sally and Terry are well and we will see them soon. Oh my god, Joyce and Judy are with them as is Jill and Janet, as Sarah assured me all of them were fine." With that the hologram, disappeared. There wasn't a dry eye in the kitchen. Amy looked at Sarah. "You mind linked with her this morning while that was happening didn't you." "Yes. I hope that was okay. When she was talking about us, I could see the uncertainty arise concerning Joyce. When we were there, I didn't think to put in a reassurance about Joyce." "It was very thoughtful of you to do that," said Amy. "It also indicates your telepathic capabilities are quite strong already." "The reason I expressed wanting to see her face was that I thought it was going to be interesting. My link to her felt weak and I tried to do it while we were doing other things." "I thought I could feel your mind link this morning" said Rusty. "I suspect you all did. Sarah what you did is amazing. Many telepathic's never achieve that capability, even the dream walk is too much for some of them." "You will be happy to know that everyone there has pitched in and they are well on their way to having all the arrangements set up. Although as you know from having worked there, they have a number of emergency plans. They have modified one of their emergency plans and are putting it into action." "We are here so early today because Erica found a problem at Sylvia's ranch when she arrived late last night," said Jim. "The ranch was very quiet when she arrived. When she searched around she could only find two people. One was locked in a stall hobbled and in very poor shape. The other was just barely alive. Erica promptly summoned assistance." "Sylvia died shortly after Erica arrived. The other person was the doctor she had on site. She is alive but in shock. Erica was able to probe her enough to learn what happened. According to the doctor all of the women and men the raiders found were butchered. The raiders forced Sylvia and the doctor to watch as each was butchered. If either of them turned their head or closed their eyes, they would crush one of Sylvia's toes or fingers with a hammer. The doctor thought it was strange the way they did the killing." {Begin Authors note: The next 5 paragraphs are rather gross so some may want to skip them.} "Some were hung by their wrists and gutted, once the bleeding had stopped their legs were folded underneath them. Their wrists and ankles were tied together. A metal hook was insert into their asshole and tied to their hair pulling back their head. Each was then tied to a thin board and placed in a refrigerated truck. The doctor was sure that some were still alive as they were tied on to the boards." "For the others which was most of them, they were hung by their feet with their arms tied to their ankles behind them. There throat was slashed and as soon as the blood stopped a chain saw was used to severe their head and cut their chest open to remove the heart and lungs. The butchers were very careful to keep the meat clean and some of the internal organs. A large saw was used to cut down the backbone yielding 2 sides of meat which was then moved to the truck." "That is ghastly and seems strange, why would they treat the one group differently?" Asked Sarah. "Sounds like they had sold the whole bodies to someone who was planning a feast with human meat as the featured item," said Rusty. "That is not uncommon in some areas of the world. According to some reports, the description sounds as if they were going to be roasted whole." The group had turned a little green. "The sides of meat were just going to handled as just pieces of meat as any other animal would be. If handled right it could find its way into the normal wholesale meat supply but it was most likely going to speciality meat shops. It has been report that there is a shadow market for human meat sometimes referred to as 'long pig'. The market has a very definite ethnic flavor to it." "Once the butchering was completed they focused on tormenting Sylvia and Gail," continued Jim. "During the butchering Sylvia had been secured in a stock that was set so she was at the same height as kneeling on the ground on her hands and knees. They put a meat hook into each ass cheek then tied her hair to it pulling her head back forcing her to watch. From time to time they would pour some of the blood over her or make her drink it." {End Authors Note.} "The doctor told them she had never seen such cruelty directed at another person." Jim shared with the information the doctor had told them about Sylvia's suffering. The group all had moist eyes along with anger on their faces listening to the barbarity of the raiders. "The raiders sought information about the use of the genetic viruses from the doctor," said Jim. "They quickly took out their anger at her refusal on Sylvia's body prompting Gail to answer their questions about the viruses. Once they had all of the information they wanted from Gail, they injected with a double dose of each of the treatments. They gave her a shot to force her to ovulate in 12 hours and then took turns filling her cunt with cum. They then plugged her cunt with a large dildo, fitted her with a collar, tight high heel shoes, ankle cuffs and wrist cuffs. Her wrists were attached to her collar by short chain keeping her hands above her waist. A strap was passed from her collar down between her tits and up the crack of her ass to hold the dildo in her cunt." "Before they led her away they turned the dogs loose with Sylvia and the remains of the butchering. As they led her away laughing, about the food left for the dogs and whether they would start on Sylvia before she died or fuck her. They had spread dog bitch pheromones on Sylvia's face and cunt before letting the dogs in the barn." "One of them led Gail briskly to the barn making it difficult for her to keep up but two walked behind her whipping her ass with a strap every time she slowed down. Once they reached the barn they placed her in a stall and attached the overhead cable to the collar. The cable was shortened so she could just barely reach the corners of the stall and the several feed bags hung on the wall to provide her with some food. Seems they were going to let her starve to death if she wasn't rescued as they locked and then barred the stall door before leaving." "Her prognosis was that if the treatments were allowed to go to completion, she would probably not live long and suffer greatly before she died. Betsy transported her to the ship to see if the staff could counter or redirect the treatments. The medical group thinks we arrived soon enough to block some of the effects and have begun remedial treatments. Only time will tell if we were early enough. Betsy said we most likely will need to use the same genetic DNA treatment on her we did on your group." "The doctor told Erica that she thought that some of the girls and staff members in one barn were not caught by the raiders. This is the reason we asked Dorothy and Maria to join us at the ranch so those that left might meet someone they knew if the group returned. Part of them did come back to the ranch early this morning. Erica, Dorothy and Maria met them at what appeared to be their barn. The residents had separated into two groups when returning to the barn. One staff member was with each group." "What is going to happen to them?" Asked Sarah. "Our first thought was to bring them here, but we would do that if you all agree. If they come here, we could initially house them in the first barn. Those living quarters are set up similar to the way they are living now. This would give them a safe familiar place to stay while Betsy and Connie evaluate them. It would also give them time to adjust and we could see how well they fit in with everybody here. If they fit in well with everyone else, perhaps they can stay. If not then we would need to find another place for them to live." "The doctor indicated that several of the last arrivals had been placed in that barn. So it seems reasonable that the perpetrators of this massacre either had followed them to the ranch or one of them was carrying a tracking device. We think it was the later due to the openness of the terrain." "What about the murders?" Asked Sarah. Everyone nodded in agreement with her question. "Well according to my societies operational guidelines, we are forbidden to involve our selves in another planets activities even when they are this barbaric unless asked to by the inhabitants or we are threatened. When we act though, we must be sure it is in the overall good of that civilization. So anticipating your request for us to do just that, we have a drone trying to find them now." "We most definitely want your assistance in dealing with these barbarians and we will be needing assistance," said Rusty, his face red in anger. "I don't think the authorities will do anything to them and it wouldn't surprise me if they had some form of protection. We did not care for the way Sylvia got us here. Or the way she operated her farm. But to be tortured to death and then fed to the dogs way she was, is not right. Her treatment of Alicia while cruel seemed to be appropriate response to what she had done to others." "We agree with you. There are several options at our finger tips in terms of dealing with the raiders. It would seem they are part of a larger organization, so one effort could be to track them so we can see who they are associated with and who they deliver the bodies too. If the truck is located it can be we can mark the raiders and bodies with a vector that can be monitored. The vectors or markers will tell of their link to this without continually shadowing them. The advantage to the vectors is they will transfer to other associates with whom they have close or intimate contact. Then when time and resources are available we can seek them out and physically deal with them. Is this okay?" "Yes, but it seems to me these raiders were there because of the genetic virus treatments as it seems Sylvia was blatantly using the treatments," said Rusty. "There are a number of extremist on bioengineering and similar research work that are as irrational as some anti-abortionist or right wing church leaders. So it seems the risk to Nancy and Bob's group has gone up considerably either from the group sponsoring the raiders or the extremists. Wouldn't it be prudent to bringing the group from Nancy and Bob's here in the next day or so? And what about the first group, should they be approached about coming here for their safety?" Everyone nodded yes, and said yes through the mind link. "Good to hear your analysis is nearly the same as ours as we had reached the same conclusion earlier. As soon as Erica can leave Sylvia's, she will go to meet Nancy and Bob. Either on the way there or back she will stop by the first group's farm and talk to them. They have livestock that will need to be considered in any action taken." "Why not bring the livestock here as well?" Asked Rusty. "We had a chat last evening after dinner while we enjoyed the sunset. We would like to stay here. We found a number of reasons that have now made this a logical choice for us. We also talked about children too. With what you told us yesterday and Donna has told us, with just these three having 3 pairs of twins every 10 months are so would produce about 180 children in 10 years. If all our women friends participate, the numbers get really big. Sarah raised the question about whether it was feasible for all of the children to stay here. There are enough adults to see that they receive an education. When they are old enough they could go with you to the ship. Alternatively, perhaps we could start a colony some where. The last part we did not talk about." "The idea of keeping all the children here is one we considered early on but did not think it would work for a number of reasons. But that was before we met the four of you. Also the number of children per birth cycle originally had a different basis. From our experience, 2 pairs of twins with a bit more time spacing works much better if they stay with the mother," said Amy. "Or another way of saying it, is we need to discuss this further before anyone becomes pregnant." "Bear in mind that in order to function well in our ship environment, an individual needs to be telepathic. Not necessarily as strong telepathic as Sarah and Rusty are today but a little more experienced. We don't know what percentage of your children will be telepathic. The incidence of telepathy was low in the first group but all of the children did have extremely high IQ's. Sometimes telepathic ability doesn't show up until children are close to being teens. We are certain yours will look very much like you and their intelligence will be off the normal earth scale. We hope all or nearly all of them are telepathic. For us telepathic abiltiy is a dominant inherited trait, though not all of us but many have other pisonic skills as well." "By the way, it is possible some of these women maybe telepathic, so the four of you need to shield your minds." "How do you do that Amy?" Asked Sally. "There are several ways to initiate it. Each person usually does it a bit differently because it works better for them. Let me show you how I set mine up and then you try something similar. All of you I think can see my thoughts, right?" They all mind linked and said yes. "Okay this is what I do. See it?" Everyone agreed. "Notice I left openings for links with people I knew, but excluded others. It is much like a firewall in computer terms as I know you are all familiar with computers. Okay now try to set yours up, but exclude Jim and I so we can test it." The four of them established their mind barrier, and verbally told Amy and Jim they were ready. They found they could penetrate Terry and Sally's, so they helped them make a couple of changes in their barriers solving that problem. "Well done," said both Amy and Jim. "Bear in mind you can be attacked through the mind link as well. This barrier you built will give you some warning if an attack comes. At some point we will need to talk about how to deal with attacks." "Jim, Erica has informed me that all of the missing women have returned along with their two staff members." Said Donna." All of them register clean on tracking devices. She would like to beam them to the barn in groups of two. Wait a minute, she now says there was a brief rf emission from one women. Erica has sedated her before placing her in a transport tube. Donna transporting her to the ship. She suggested we be near the barn when they arrive. She will be sending the two staff members first, then Dorothy and her friend Erin. The remainder will arrive in twos with Maria in the last group." "Rusty, Sarah and Amy would you come down to the barn with me?" Said Jim. "Sally and Terry could you fix some snacks for them as they probably haven't eaten for over a day. Until they have been examined, everyone should keep your mind shields up. We will need to make sure we verbalize our communications and not use mind link for that." They headed for the barn. "Donna how many security drones are still in readiness." "Ten." "Okay send two to Nancy and Bob's and two to the first groups home," said Amy. "They should be cloaked with no electronic emissions. That should be enough to alert us to any problems arising and keep them hidden from earth technology." "They will be on station in two minutes." ------- Chapter 28 Just after they entered the barn the two staff members shimmered into view in the barn hall. They stopped several feet from them. "Hi, my name is Sarah." Sarah said a she stepped forward. "From Dorothy's description you must be Jean and I don't think she mentioned your name." As she reached to shake hands with both of them. "Yes I'm Jean and this is Andrew. Who are you? Where are we? What happened at the ranch?" "The simplest story is that your group and the doctor are the only ones still living," said Jim. He then introduced himself and the rest of the group. "Can you tell us a bit more?" Just then then Dorothy and Erin arrived. Then in rapid succession the other women arrived at the barn with Maria in the last pair. The new arrivals women stared at Sarah and her friends. They kept glancing at Jean and the back to the Sarah's group. It was apparent they felt a bit intimidated by the group who stood over a foot taller than any of them. New arrivals were shocked at the height and broad shoulders of Sarah's group which was compounded by their over whelming beauty as the open barn door was behind Sarah's group giving them a halo like effect. "Is it okay if I lead off Jim?" Asked Sarah as she directed the thought to just them. "Good idea, then Amy and I can scan them. Rusty you want to help or just observe." "I think I'll observe." Before Sarah could speak, Dorothy broke the silence and said, "I know most of you and I would like to introduce you to my friend Sarah and her friends." She went around to each as she introduced Sarah, Rusty, Amy and Jim. She noted that Terry and Sally were around some where. Looking at Jean. "I guess you and Andy have already exchanged greetings. She then pointed out Tara, Erin, Jennifer, Patricia, Sophia, Claudette and Alison who had arrived from the ranch." Jean said, "I had just asked if they could tell us more about what happened at the ranch. All we know is that we heard a truck come in just before sunrise, which is very unusual because everyone is normally asleep. Shortly after that we heard some sounds of running feet along with several muffled screams up toward the main house. If we had been asleep, I guess we wouldn't be here." While she was speaking her eyes filled with tears. "The whole night I had been uneasy and was with Andy. We were both up because I couldn't sleep. When we heard the the strange sounds we just went on instinct. Working quickly, we woke everyone and made for the bushes. Our barn was set up a bit different than the others, as we had no one restrained or locked in a stall. So when they saw our concern most everyone followed us when we left. Two of the new ones held back but then came out later. They just missed being caught." "We went into the brush about a half mile from the buildings, but still in the valley. We didn't want to go to far as bobcats and wolf packs had been seen and heard around the ranch. After reaching the brush, we could hear periodic screams from the ranch as they echoed through the night. They were horrible to listen too. And then it became very quiet. Right after dusk we heard then saw the truck leave. We were all hungry and wanted to go back but it was too dark and quiet. So we rested and waited until day light before trying to go back. Andy and I decided to come back as two groups as we thought it might be safer." "When my group reached the barn and entered the way we left, we were shocked and scared when a woman came walking toward the barn. She didn't appear to have a weapon and wasn't doing anything threatening. So several of us went out to meet her. Just then Dorothy and Maria appeared next to her, which really shook up everyone." "The woman who met you is Erica," said Amy as she walked up. "Both Jim and I were there shortly after Erica arrived but had left by the time your group returned." "To answer the question Jean asked earlier, Erica only found Gail and Sylvia alive when she arrived," said Sarah. "Sylvia died a short time after Erica's arrival. The raiders had given Gail a very large dose of the genetic virus so she was transported to a hospital for treatment. Everyone else was killed and only a portion of the bodies were left behind. If you want more details all you need to do is ask." Jean and Andy had tears in their eyes as they thought about what happened to their friends. "Ladies we know you have had a tiring night and little to eat. Sally and Terry will be down shortly with snacks for all of you. We brought you here because we believe it is safer for you than leaving you at the ranch. This barn is built similar to the barn where you were staying, and you will find the available facilities very similar. The previous owners had used this building much the same way as the one you lived in at Sylvia's. We had not planned on using it at all, but it will provide a safer place for you to stay. Your future is in your hands although we will have our medical staff give you a complete physical. Once they know the status of your health, they will meet with you to determine what remedies you wish to have done. After any health issues are solved, you can meet with Jim or Amy or if you prefer with one of us to talk about your future." "For the time being we are asking for you to remain around this building. We expect the physicals will be done with in a couple of days. The whole purpose of the physicals is make sure you are healthy. If not Betsy and Connie will discuss with you what treatments are needed to restore your health. The treatments could take a week or longer if you need extensive medical treatment. My three friends and I just woke up after six months of medical treatment and recovery." Several gasp. "This was unusually long and was needed to correct mistakes others had made when they forced genetic virus treatments on us." "The reason for asking you to stay near the barn is that we've effectively just arrived several days ago and are still learning where everything is. This place is an island and very remote, so it is virtually inaccessible by normal means. We don't want any of you to get lost as we are not sure we could find you." Just then Terry and Sally arrived with the snacks. "For those of you who are lactating, we will bring a speical exercise bench down for you to use." The women looked at Sally with a strange look on their faces. "It has built in cups to hold your tits and nipples while you let down your milk." "Donna are you going to put it in the end stall?" "Yes." The voice startled several people. "At the end of the barn there are two rooms. One has showers and toilets while the other will have the exercise benches. There are some other items in there that you may want to use. You will have full run of the barn and it facilities." While Sarah was talking the women devoured the snacks. Dorothy noted it was the first regular food they had probably had since taken to Sylvia's farm. "Ladies each of the stall's has a restraint system like the ranch. We are not planning on using it unless you want us too." Several chuckled. "Each stall has a TV and a computer with an Internet connection. You can read browse and read email. We prefer you that you do not send any email at this time. We expect to have two other groups arriving over the next several days." Amy noted that since everyone had eaten they were starting to doze off. Several had very full tits. She motioned to Jean as she grabbed two women's hands and led them to the end of the barn. There they were shown how to use the exercise benches and how the special attributes. She made sure Jean knew how to operate them. When she returned to the hall, she suggested that they may want to decide where they were sleeping. Then everyone should shower before they took a nap. Amy told Dorothy and Maria to stay and help Jean with the new arrivals the rest of the day and to have Donna get you any incidentals you need. But they needed to be back at the house for a meeting in the late afternoon. "Ladies we are going to leave Jean and Andy in charge of the barn. Dorothy and Maria will be here the rest of the day to assist them and you." Amy announced. Then turning to the others she said, "Let's go eat lunch and then take care of the others." "I need to take time to let my milk down." Said Sarah. Terry and Sally nodded in agreement as the six of them wandered back to the house. As they ate, they reviewed what each had learned through their telepathic efforts. Jim complimented Sarah on the way she handled the announcements, health issues and the need to stay around the barn. Amy noted that the one named Alison was planning on slipping out this evening. Two others have latent telepathic capabilities. They were Jennifer and Patricia. Both Sophia and Gail are telepathic but haven't exercised the trait or even tried to use it. All were in various stages of pregnancy except Claudette. Erin and Tara looked to be nearly ready to deliver. "Jim, there is what looks like a delivery truck approaching the ranch." Said Donna. "Okay let me go get Jean and Andy. How long before they are at the ranch?" "I would guess about half an hour." "Amy would you show Rusty how our weapons work and provide him with a set. I would like for you two to be on stand by in case I need assistance." He hurriedly finished his lunch and went to the barn. "Jean and Andy, I need you to go with me to the ranch. There appears to be a delivery truck is headed toward it. We would like for the delivery to appear normal at least to begin with. Okay?" "Sure we can do that." "Dorothy and Maria can help out here while you are gone." He hardly quit speaking before the three began to shimmer from view of the others. Standing on the delivery dock they watched the truck approach. As soon as she saw it Jean said, "That is the normal delivery truck with the usual drivers. They usually go up to the house after we unload the truck." "Do you know if they get paid or if there is any other paper work associated with the delivery?" "No. They usually get to spend several hours with one or two of the female staff members." "Can you convince them that a big meeting is taking place and the staff aren't available. They will need to take a rain check on sampling the staff women?" "We can try." Jim stepped back out of sight. The truck reached building and had backed up to the dock. The two drivers came up on the dock and opened the doors. They helped unload the four crates containing the new arrivals. They put the empty crates from the last delivery in the truck and locked the door. Jean then told them that Sylvia had said they would need to take a rain check on fraternizing with the staff this time but she would spice it up for them next time. They moaned and bitched but decided being back two hours earlier would be nice for a change. When the truck was well down the road, they opened the crates to remove the women. Jean said, "These four are not in very good shape." She began to check for pulse and breathing. She said, "I really wish Gail was here. I don't know what to do for them." "Donna please send Betsy and Connie here." In just a few minutes both shimmered into view. Seeing the four women they went right to work determining what was wrong. "Donna can you transport them to the ship with us." "No I am short on resources. I can move all of you to the site though." "That will work. Put all six of us in the bedroom next to the medical treatment rooms." With that they shimmered out of view, leaving Jean and Andy with a puzzled look on their faces. "They took them to the medical facilities area of where we just were. It takes a lot of energy to move them all a once to the ship which is where Betsy and Connie were when they were called here." "Oh." They said together. "Is there anything you want to check while we are here?" Asked Jim. "It might be a good idea to look through Sylvia's office before we leave. I don't suspect the raiders left anything," said Andy. "I would have thought Erica looked through that area while she was here but, because of all the activity she may have sent a robot to do. They are not usually as good as a human." "A robot? What robot?" Asked Jean. "Donna which robots are here?" "Robots 9 and 11 are near you. Another is up by the house and a fourth is about a 1000 feet above you scanning the area." "Robot 9 uncloak." Suddenly a human looking robot appeared at the end of the hall. Jean squeaked and Andy looked startled but intrigued. Andy walked over to it and visually examined it while it kept watch on the outside surroundings. Jim said, "So lead me to Sylvia's office." Jean started out the door with Jim. Andy and the robot followed a few paces behind. At the office, they found the place totally trashed. Equipment smashed, drawers and papers strewn around. They looked through each room finding all in similar condition. In two rooms they found the remains of two staff members. Jean said, "I don't see a safe and I am sure Sylvia had one." "Robot 9 examine the rooms to see if there is something hidden that we missed," said Jim. The robot scanned each room. When they reached Sylvia's office, the robot indicated the area behind an over turned desk did not look uniform. Andy and Jim pulled the desk away from the wall. They then tried to move the credenza from the wall but it wouldn't budge. Examining the credenza they found why. The credenza was built around a safe. The robot began fiddling with the combination and shortly it clicked and the door opened. In the open safe they found a substantial amount of money and two boxes of DVD's. The DVD's were labeled with dates and names. Donna told Jim, "Amy and Rusty have been following your activities on the monitor. They suggest that the DVD's could have more information about Sylvia's suppliers and customers. Rusty thinks that with Bob's help they should be able to get the information off of them even if they are encrypted. Amy thinks it might be wise to physically transport them there rather than using the transport beam. She has sent a shuttle a few minutes ago. It will take about 15 minutes to reach your site." "Good idea. We will be outside by then." Jim said. Then to Jean and Andy, "There will be a ship here in a few minutes to take these back to where we were so we need to put it all in a box." They looked at him funny as they had not heard the conversation with Donna. "Oh sorry you didn't hear my conversation with base. Amy and Rusty thought there might be some valuable information on the DVD's, so were going to transport them back. Let's make sure we get everything from the safe. Also, we should check Gail's office and dispensary before the shuttle arrives." Jean and Andy nodded. They quickly emptied the safe and looked for hidden compartments. Finding no hidden compartments they took the box outside and went to Gail's office. In Gail's office they found it had been trashed as well. The robot found a safe there as well. It was just like Sylvia's. It however contained a number of sealed vials. Jim found plastic gloves and put the vials into a large sealable container. Then they took some cotton and filled the rest of the container. The container lid squeezed the cotton down holding the vials tightly in place. Jim wiped the box off with sterile pads before he took his gloves off. They carried the container outside and put it with the box from Sylvia's office. The robot reported that the shuttle was approaching. The voice startled Jean and Andy. They looked the direction Jim was looking and saw a spec on the horizon. It rapidly grew larger. They watched as it followed the terrain and dropped down into the canyon and traveled toward them. They couldn't keep their eyes off of it as it approached. The ship stopped next to them with out a sound. A door opened and the robot carried the box and container into the shuttle. Once he returned the door closed and the ship moved back in the direction it came from. Jean and Andy just stood watching with their mouths open. Jim noticed their amazed looks, just as Donna said, "Rusty said they should close their mouths before they swallow a bug." Then she giggled. "When did you learn how to giggle?" "Just since Sarah's group has been here. They are much easier to work with than the first group." Jim turned to Jean and Andy saying, "Rusty said to close your mouth before you swallow a bug." He then grinned at their expressions as they closed their mouths. "Is there anything else we should search?" "Well we might want to look through the other buildings since we are here." Said Andy. "Good idea. Lead the way." They only found several partial bodies in the buildings. The raiders had gutted then cut the body apart at the waist leaving only the severed head and upper torso. Andy and Jean had tears in their eyes as they recognized several of the other staff members. As they approached the show barn two mountain lions left the building. Jean turned to Jim and said, "I don't think I want to go in there." Andy nodded his agreement. "Do you know if anything was kept in the barn? The robots have searched it and didn't find anything of interest." Both Andy and Jean shook their heads no. Their discomfort was clear from the expressions on their face. Jim knew that their seeing their fellow staff member really brought home to them how lucky they were. "Okay. Donna can you take us back to the barn?" Jean gasped when she suddenly found herself standing back in the barn with Dorothy and Maria. Andy had a relieved look on his face. "I am not sure I could ever get use to the transport beam," said Jean. Andy looked at Jim and said, "I am not sure what is going to happen now or where we are. But, I am certain all of us are much better off than we might have been." Jean nodded her head in agreement. "We are glad you two were not caught as well." Dorothy said as she and Maria pulled them into a hug. "Why don't the two of you rest now?" As she pulled them to their new home. "After you rest we will show all of you around the facilities." Jim started out of the barn. Donna, where are Amy and Rusty? They are waiting for you in the office next to the arms room. Amy is getting ready to hook Rusty up to the rapid training unit. Good. Amy how soon do you think we ought to bring Sarah and Rusty into the link. Soon, both may find it a bit overwhelming at first. But Donna says, they both have the capability to handle all of it. In that case, let's set them up on that tonight. All they need to do is wear the helmet while they sleep. So they could still sleep with their friends, while the education takes place. I agree, said Amy. Donna does the rest of the staff agree. Yes. Actually some think we should have done it sooner. Okay, but how. They recognize that issue as well. Just then Jim reached the office. Jim and Amy embraced hugging each other closely. Rusty watched. He recognized that Jim and Amy were as close as the four of them were. Amy saw his look. "Yes we are as close as you and your friends. We want to begin bringing you and your friends into the crew this evening." Rusty looked startled. "Don't worry. Nothing openly will change except your mental knowledge of us and our capabilities will grow. Your ability to understand the issues we are facing will grow substantially with regard to us and the ship. Both you and Sarah have progressed to the point we would like to do it tonight while you sleep." "How can you do that? And what about Terry and Sally?" "You will understand how as soon as you complete the arms training which is done in a similar way. Terry and Sally telepathic capabilities have not reached a critical level yet to do it. We expect they will reach that point in a day or two." "Can we tell them? I really don't want them to feel left out." "Yes we can do that when we chat this evening at dinner. Erica's other visits have went well today and she will be at dinner with us along with Connie and Betsy. Now let's start the arms training unit." Amy fastened the helmet on Rusty and had him lay down on the bench. He immediately went to sleep as the unit began giving him the rest of the arms training. We are really lucky we have found this group. I think even if we had not had to do the genetic treatment they would have been a great help to us. Amy said to Jim as they watched over Rusty as he laid there. We could leave him here while the training is progressing, but I think we should stay as it will only take a few more minutes. I agree. They stood there wrapped in each others arms feeling the warmth and comfort of each other. Both of them felt their arousal just from the close contact. Amy pulled Jim into her arms and kissed him passionately. Their tongues dueled adding to their arousal. Amy nipples hardened into stiff points pressing into Jim's chest. Jim's cock began to grow as they kissed to rise up between her legs. Amy pushed him back into a chair forcing him to sit down. She quickly straddled his legs pressing her cunt against his cock wetting it with her cunt cream. She flexed her hips rubing his cock between her swollen lips as his fingers caressed her tits. The warmth of his hands on her sensitive nipples increased her arousal to the point in her cunt began dripping juice on to his cock. She rose slightly letting the cock head slide back between her cunt lips to the mouth of her cunt. With the head in position, she lowered her hips sliding it into her cunt. She relished the feeling of his engorged member as it slid fully into her. She sat on his lap with his cock deep with in her cunt. She could feel it twitch in time with the beating of his hearts. She began to stroke it with the rippling of the muscles of her vaginal sheath. Their mouths were locked together as they shared their passion. They broke the kiss and took turns caressing each others ears and neck with their tongues. Jim continued to caress her tits and nipples with his hands. Amy could feel as his balls tightened up and push against her enlarged sensitive cunt lips. He knew it would not be long before his cock pumped his cream into her cunt. He hardly had to move as she milked his cock with her sheath. Their breathing had increased to the point they were panting as as hard as if they were running. The head of his cock grew very hot just as it sprayed her cunt with his cum. The hot cum drove her the rest of the way to her orgasm and she sprayed him with her juice further drenching him. They sat there coupled together as they quieted down enjoying the after glow. They heard Rusty move and looked around. His cock was standing at full mast and oozing precum. "Donna have Sarah come in here." "She's on her way." Sarah walked into the office and the overwhelming odor of pheromones almost knocked her down, then she saw Rusty laying down with a helmet on his head. Amy saw her concern as well as her growing arousal. "Don't worry that is a learning helmet and it is teaching him about our arms. But we have just fucked and it had an effect on him as you can see. We thought you might not want it to go to waste." Sarah was already moving toward it. The pheromones in the room already had her aroused to the point she was dripping. She straddled the bench and slide his cock into her wet cunt. She started to move. "Sarah it would be better for his training if you just sat there and kept it warm until he wakes. If you can massage him with your sheath muscles, that will keep it interesting for both of you." "Okay." She sat there for what seemed like hours and watched his facial expressions change until his cock twitched as he opened his eyes. His face beamed in happiness of seeing her straddling him. He took a deep breathe and his nostrils flared at the strong scent of pheromones. His cocked twitched and swelled some more. He reached up and stroked her nipples lightly with his fingers causing a small orgasm. He touched her clit and she came triggering his cock to spray her cunt with his cream. She slumped forward on him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. He looked over and saw Amy sitting impaled on Jim's lap. "Are all training sessions like this?" And began to laugh as Amy shook her head no. Amy pulled up off of Jim's cock. Their juice coated his cock. She leaned down and licked it clean. Once it was clean, Jim sat her on the chair and licked his spend from her cunt giving her another orgasm as he did so. Meantime Sarah and Rusty had done something similar. Sarah pulled off Rusty's cock and moved her cunt over Rusty's mouth. She bent forward and cleaned his cock as he licked her cream from her cunt. Sarah had a several small orgasms as Rusty licked her cunt clean. Sarah soon stood so he could get up. Once he was sitting on the bench Amy removed the helmet. As she went to put it away, she noticed some of Sarah's cum on the helmet. Turning so the rest could see her, she licked the cum off of the helmet. "You two taste very good." She said and grinned. Donna said, "It will be dinner in an hour and Sarah needs to let her milk down before then." Sarah took Rusty's hand and pulled him up. "Let's go do that and clean up." Turning to Jim and Amy. "Do you want to join us?" They looked at each other, then Amy said, "Sure." When they arrived at their room, Sally and Terry were already there letting their milk down. Rusty used the exerciser while Sarah let her milk down. Both Amy and Jim tried one of the exercisers, as they had not used them before. Once everyone was done they took a quick shower together. Dorothy and Maria were sitting the dinner table when they got there. Dorothy complimented Sally and Terry on how well the meal smelled. Thanking her they began to dish up the food for the table. Erica, Betsy and Connie arrived just as the table was ready. They sat down with Jim and Rusty at each end. The women with them then sat next to them on both sides of the table. As they ate they shared the things they had seen during the day. Dorothy noted that most of the women from the farm had adjusted pretty well. Jean and Andy told them what they saw while at the farm. That seemed to help several of them realize how lucky they were to be here. One woman remained very aloof during the whole time. Amy said, "That was probably Alison. I noticed the way she was acting this afternoon. She will probably go for a walk after everyone is a sleep this evening after dark." "Shouldn't we stop her? From your instructions today, you indicated we could come to harm if we did that." "Yes, but we will have a robot follow her. We would like to see what she does or doesn't do. It is still not totally clear how the raiders found the farm." After dinner was completed everyone chipped in to clean up the dishes. "Do we want to talk here or in the other room?" Asked Jim. "The other room as it is much more comfortable and we can cuddle," they chorused. Dorothy and Maria made lemonade and took it into the living room to joining them for the discussion. Amy said, "Erica why don't you share what you found out today first? As that will most likely have the greatest impact on what happens the next several days." "First our robots have found evidence of someone has been watching the first group from several hiding places. They didn't appear to have been used with in the last day or two. So I have moved two more robots to that location. As of a few moments ago everything was fine." "They weren't there when I first went by the house. I didn't look around very much. Everything appeared to be okay but I didn't feel really comfortable." "When I went back later, they had just returned from town. They were very suspicious of me and that lasted for quite a while. Initially all of them were quite agitated as apparently several people had made unkind comments about them as they went about their business. Most of the comments were of religious context, along the lines of one man and all of them obviously pregnant. They did think there was a person stalking them but could never identify him." "I told them who I was and where I was from. They quizzed me quite extensively about the time they were here without admitting they were here. Finally, they accepted me after they had mentally agreed that I was who I claimed. Ann took the lead in most of the discussion." "I then told them briefly what had happened at Sylvia's and what we thought the risk was to them. I the offered them the choice of moving here or we could try to provide some additional security for them there. I also told them I had found several what looked like surveillance spots around the farm but they hadn't been used in the last several days. They were surprised that someone would come that far on to their property. They were interested in coming here but also reluctant. They agreed to talk it over and let me know in the morning. The one thing that bothered them the most was having to leave their house and farm. But the house seemed to have a special attachment to them." "I actually think they will come. I did assure them that there was not any requirement for their further participation in the program. Our primary concern was for their safety." Sarah said, "Is it possible to move the house here? I know its a wild idea, but I can understand their attachment to it." "Donna, can you evaluate the issue?" Said Jim. "If necessary consider using the resources on the ship if you think it will distract you from the other things you must do." "Visiting Nancy and Bob's estate was entirely different. I put myself in their drive but out of sight from the house and walked toward the house. Nancy came out the front door toward me to meet me just as I reached the walk. Before I could say anything, she said, "Sarah sent you?" "As soon as I nodded, she hugged me and began to sob. It was very emotional. The rest of the group was standing behind her on the porch. As soon as she recovered, we went inside. She introduced everyone to me once we reached the living room. We had just barely sat down when one of the robots advised me of a group moving to an observation point where they would have a view of the house. Bob's pager went off soon after that. He started to leave and I asked him if that was about the observers and gave the location. He nodded. Don't worry. In a few minutes they are going to have an eye opening experience with two mountain lions." "The two lions will arrive shortly thinking the observers took their kittens. They will even have the scent. There are six men and a woman. They will be lucky if one makes it to the car they parked a mile away. The missing kittens are in the car, so if you want to tell one of your friends to check the car as it leaves if not before, they will find it interesting." "Bob said he would love too. So I gave him the information about the car and the road it would probably be on when it left. Bob made a call and then rejoined us. Everyone sat quietly while we waited for Bob's return." "Bob was curious how I knew all of that. Simply there are two drones monitoring the surroundings with a communications link to me. I asked if that would suffice for now as I thought future events may provide them with an opportunity to understand. The details on how Rusty, Sarah and her friends came to be with us was also better told here. I assured them that everyone was fine although their appearance was a different than they remembered. We have a security issue at our enclave. Both Rusty and Sarah feel that they need your assistance in designing and implementing a solution. They are very anxious for all of to stay with us at the site while the project is completed which could take several months." "Your friends and us think it would be very wise for all of you to visit us for a while for another reason as well. A woman named Sylvia had a large hand in Rusty, Sarah and the others being with us. This morning a group of raiders killed her after torturing her at her farm apparently because she was involved in some illicit genetic modifications to humans, in particular to women." "Once I asked how soon they could visit. They together as a group said now. Which put me back a bit. So we compromised, we will move them here first thing in the morning. Both Bob and Stan have some supplies they need to bring. I have arranged a shuttle to be there at midnight to pick the stuff up. When I told them about the shuttle they seemed unbothered by it." "That's because they have a good idea of how you arrived," said Sally. "That place is really covered with sensors to the point they can tell the direction anyone is moving on the grounds. In fact it maybe easier to get into Fort Knox." "And I thought I covered my arrival pretty well. They will come in pairs tomorrow morning arriving in this room. I would suggest the four of you be here when they arrive." "Good idea Erica." Said Amy. "The four of you may want to wear robes like we did the first day and you might want to be sitting down until they all with you. That approach will lessen the shock of them seeing the changes to each of you. We will time the arrivals so there will not be much difference in arrival time." "Dorothy and Maria can you make sure the rooms in the other wing are ready tomorrow. They should be fine so all I expect you need to do is check on them. After breakfast in the morning, show Rusty, Sarah, Terry and Sally where they are." "Betsy how are the patients?" Asked Amy. "Well Gail is doing pretty well considering her condition. We haven't started any treatments yet but we have countered most of what she was treated with and she will not be pregnant. The woman with the transmitter is a problem. If we remove the transmitter she will probably die because of the way it is attached in her body. The staff is still evaluating it." "Tomorrow could you show Bob, Stan and me what was done to her? We might have some suggestions for neutralizing it," asked Rusty. "Sure. From what we can tell the four women we brought here are in a predicament similar to that Sarah and her friends were in when they arrived. Right now they are stable. We are evaluating their genes and DNA now. We should have a treatment plan sometime tomorrow. Treatments should begin within the next several days and the sooner we start will increase the probability of success." "Have you found out anything about them yet?" Asked Sally. "Only that they lived in the area near Nancy and Bob's estate. They were given something that is apparently making it very difficult for them to talk or think. We have identified the drug, and the staff is now working on an antidote. The drug analysis indicates they were given a drug that is sometimes used as an attitude adjustment. Not being able to talk or think clearly takes a considerable psychological toll a mind if it permitted to last to long." "Can we see them?" Asked Dorothy. "I don't think so right now, but Donna can show us a hologram of them." Just then the four women's heads began to form in the middle of the room. "Oh my god," said Dorothy, Maria and Sarah together. "One of them is Cynthia the woman who owned the real estate office. The one on the right use to work in the office after Maria left. The other two I think were friends of some of the staff." All three had big tears in their eyes. "Sylvia sure had a thing for women working for Cynthia," said Dorothy as Maria nodded her head. "I wonder how many others there are that we don't know about. She had several offices." "What are their names?" "From the left it is Cynthia, Carol, Diane, and Barbara," said Sarah. "Hmm. If Cynthia is here, what happened to the firm?" "I'll check that as soon as I can," said Erica. "I hope Bob and Stan will be able to help with the data we will found this morning as well as organize our security. If not Rusty and I will be over whelmed." "I think we can pull Sarah, Sally and Nancy to help as well. All have worked with this type of data before." Said Rusty. "I think that covers every thing but the group in the barn," said Jim. "Betsy how soon will you and Connie be able to work with them. It would be best for us to give them freedom to room the grounds as soon as possible." "It depends on how the four women do that we have been working with," said Betsy. "Hopefully, in a day or two, but it could be the end of the week. Let's see how they do over the next day or two, if they seem to be comfortable and we don't detect any medical problem from the monitors then we can give them access to the whole site." "Should we bring someone else down from the ship?" Asked Jim. "No we shouldn't unless we have an emergency," said Amy. "Also, one last item. Rusty has experienced the training program for our arms today. So Erica if you need him for that he is available. Also, Rusty, Sarah, Sally, and Terry, based on your capabilities we want you to effectively become full members of the crew. That most likely will happen in a couple of steps, first is that you all need to attain a certain level of telepathic capabilities. Both Rusty and Sarah are now significantly above that level, so tonight they will receive their orientation while they sleep. Based on Sally and Terry's progress we expect you will be ready later this week or possibly as soon as tomorrow night." Dorothy and Maria looked at them with awe clearly expressed on their faces. "This should not change anything in terms of your relationship with your friends. Either those here or those yet to arrive. Enjoy your session." As she grinned. "It's late and we have much to do tomorrow. Let us hope it goes as planned." ------- Chapter 29 "Oh. I almost forgot one tidbit. The group that was attacked by the lions apparently were unprepared and only one survived by making it back to the car. Shortly after he got to the car two forest service agents showed up as the lions arrived. The forest service agents were able to release the kittens from his car to the waiting parents before the lions were close enough to attack. The forest service agents were puzzled by the lions being there because that species wasn't native to the area. The survivor is currently in jail for having the kittens in his possession and they are thinking about charging him with six counts of murder for getting his friends killed by the lions. Also the robot reported that all had vectors on them." "Seems like our risk assessment was reasonably close," said Jim. "You might want increase the number of robots monitoring both locations." "Already done. We have four at each location and four more on standby. This should give us sufficient resources unless something big happens at both locations. Based on the group the robots found, we don't think they are that organized." "Donna do you have sufficient resources to handle all of this activity." "Yes. But I am moving all systems to alert status to ensure we can respond quickly. It will be much better when we can complete the repairs to my systems." "Okay. Let's all turn in as it seems tomorrow maybe as hectic as today was." With that they all went to their rooms, while Dorothy and Maria went to take care of those still sleeping. Arriving at their room, Rusty and Sarah found the helmets laying on the bed for them. Rusty said, "This is different than I expected when they referred to it as a helmet." It was a series of narrow bands that fit over the head. Sarah quickly put hers on as it was similar to head bands she use to wear and then helped Rusty. Once the bands were in place they each could feel them pressing against their scalp, but not uncomfortably. As soon as Rusty laid down, Sally and Terry snuggled up to him as they kissed his neck. Each took a side to caress with their mouth. Sally worked down his neck to his chest and nipples as Terry licked his ear. She rose up and kissed him as she pushed her tongue deep into his mouth. Her hand had drifted down to his cock to stroke it lightly as Sally and her continued to caress him orally. In only a few moments his cock was hard and both of them were dripping cream from their cunts. Sarah laid down behind Sally and hugged her. Reaching around she caressed her tits with one hand as she moved her other hand down Sally's body. She stroked her fingers lightly over the inside of Sally's thighs causing her to shiver and her cunt lips to swell in arousal. Sarah's long fingers then began to stroke the swollen cunt lips and dip into growing pool of cream in her cunt. Sarah slid two fingers deep into her cunt and laying her thumb up between her lips lightly brushing the swollen clit. Terry lifted up and laid nearly on top of him trapping his cock in the warm folds of her cunt. She raised up a slightly and slid her cunt back and forth over his cock flooding it with cunt cream. She shivered as she felt it rub against her clit. Sliding forward and raising slightly she placed his cock at the mouth of her cunt. Sliding back his cock slipped right into her sheath. The warmth of feeling his cock caused her to shiver in arousal. She rose up and leaned forward so Rusty could now caress her tits with his free hand. Sally turned her attention to Sarah. Twisting in her arms so they were tit to tit, she kissed Sarah passionately as their tongues caressed each other. Breaking the kiss they began to kiss each others face and neck. Each knew what the other was feeling and they sought to add to the sensations. They kissed and licked their way down each others body until they were licking and sucking each others cunt. They alternated between nibbling each others cunt lips and licking over their clit then deeply into the cunt mouth. They could feel both Terry and Rusty's arousal as well as theirs. Rusty sucked one of Terry's nipples deep into his mouth as he caressed the other. The nipple released its warm milk into his mouth causing Terry to shiver in a light orgasm as she felt the milk release. She kept rocking back and forth on his cock. Each stroke caused her nipple to squirt milk into his mouth resulting in her clit tingling. Both were panting heavily now as their arousal increased. Rusty then switched nipples, leaving the one greatly extended and leaking a small amount of milk to drip in his chest. As his fingers caressed her wet swollen nipple, she could feel it in her sheath. Then she remembered how Sarah had used her sheath muscles to milk his cock. Pressing her self down to fully seat his cock in her, she began try controlling her sheath muscles to stroke his cock. Sarah through the daze of her arousal saw what Terry was attempting. "Terry, I think these are the muscles you are trying to stimulate as she pointed with her thoughts in Terry's mind." Rusty groaned as she clamped down on his cock, causing him to suck harder on her tit. "It will work better if you don't clamp down quite so hard, then your sheath can slide back and forth as you tension the different muscle segments. It will also feel better to you." "Wow. Thank you, that feels great and its not a tiring as the other way." Rusty moaned into her nipple as he continued to suck the milk from her tit. His caressing her tit with his tongue caused a continuous set of sensations in her cunt and clit. She felt his balls pull up between the swollen lips of cunt as they prepared to soak her cunt in cream. Rusty pulled back from her tit and said, "That really feels good I don't think I am going to last much longer." He took her other nipple in his mouth and placed both hands on her hips pulling her tight to him pushing his cock deeper. She could feel it swell and become hotter just before the hot cum sprayed into her cunt triggering her orgasm. She screamed in ecstasy. Their four minds linked tightly as they all embraced the shared orgasms. Each reached out to touch the other adding to the closeness they felt. "I love each of you." Each of their minds echoed the comment together, making it seem like an echo. They relished the closeness they felt. Terry rose up off of Rusty's cock, just as she did Sally burrowed underneath to fasten her mouth on her cunt. Feeling Sally's mouth, Terry relaxed the mouth of her cunt letting the mix cream flow into Sally's mouth. Sarah had moved over the clean Rusty's cock with her mouth. All shivered at the sensations and affection being shared. Rusty and Sarah laid on their sides facing one another holding each other. Terry and Sally moved against each of their backs. They each felt comfortable with their close contact as they quickly drifted off to sleep. The head piece Rusty and Sarah was wearing activated pushing them into a much deeper sleep. Once the deep sleep was achieved the system began to download the data to their memory about Jim and Amy's culture and technology including details about the ship and its operation. It also enhanced the organization of their memory space. They slept dream free for the first time in several days. At day break Terry and Sally awoke, their breasts were close to being painfully full which surprised as this hadn't happened before. They went right to the exercise bench to let their milk down. The relief felt wonderful. "Donna do you know why our breasts were so full this morning?" Asked Sally. "Do we need to change our schedule? Or is it something else?" "Both of you let down quite a bit more milk than you usually do, but it is not outside the range we would expect. So let's keep an eye on it, and if it happens again you should talk to Betsy or Connie about it." "Okay. Should we wake Sarah and Rusty? They were so sound asleep they didn't even know we left the bed." "They are just know waking and I would expect them to be with you in a few minutes. Sarah looks like her breasts are as full as yours were. I'll let Connie know but again it doesn't look abnormal." Just then Sarah and Rusty came in looking not quite awake. Sarah moved quickly to the exercise bench to let her milk down. Once it began she relaxed as the pressure lessened. Looking around she said, "Good morning. How long have you all been up?" As, she engaged the exercise portion of the bench. "Just long enough to let our milk down and exercise." Said Sally. "We need to start practicing Aikido again. But I don't think we will have time for several days as today looks quite busy." "I'm ready. It will be interesting to see how our changes in size and strength effects our capabilities," said Rusty as he panted in the exercise machine. He noticed it seemed to be working him harder this morning. He noticed Sarah's exercise was much more stimulating this morning also. He could see her breathing hard and her body covered in sweat. "I am concerned how our modified feet will take the loading. Before Sarah had some difficulty at first until she adapted her movements and her feet strengthened in response to the exercises. Before we do that we should try some sprints and running for some distance to get a feel for balance and endurance." Just then the exercises stopped for Rusty and Sarah. They were so exhausted they just laid there for a few minutes. Sally and Terry were concerned and went to each one to help them up. They staggered together to the showers both Sarah and Rusty had trouble walking because their legs were so weak. As they stood in the shower their energy level slowly returned as the warm water flowed over their skin. They helped each other wash. "Let's hurry up as I just realized Bob, Nancy and the others will be here before to long. Oh I can't wait," said Sally. The others nodded in agreement as they finished their shower. They worked as a team helping each dry and fix each others hair. They found it so much easier to get ready when they helped each other. When they entered the kitchen, Jim and Amy's group was already there with Dorothy and Maria. They all had relaxed looks on their faces this morning. "How did the training go last night?" Asked Amy. Jim, Betsy and Erica sat there with expectant looks on their faces. "I haven't noticed anything really different," said Rusty. "Well there was an episode with the exercise machine, as it almost ran me into the ground. And I think Sarah experienced the same thing." "Yes and my tits were very full this morning. So full I was driven to go let my milk down before anything else. Terry and Sally had the same problem too." "Donna told us of Sally's concerns," said Connie. "And we don't think there is any thing to be concerned about. But we should keep an eye on it." "So Rusty or Sarah what do you know about us or the ship now?" Asked Jim. Sarah and Rusty looked thoughtful for a moment, then smiled. "Well I can now see that the five of you are a family group and there are five other similar groups on the ship," said Rusty. "There seems to be another image like a maybe a sixth group but its is different from the other groups," said Sarah. "It is diffuse rather than looking like a group or object. It seems to be in a separate part of the ship from the other groups." "Yes. I see it too. Jim and Amy did you know there is another entity on your ship." "We suspected it but we can't see them. We would be surprised to find anyone else but the five other groups and us. Don't look to close or try probe them since they may have mind shields in place. This should minimize them discovering us knowing they are there." "With this new uncertainty, maybe we should wait for a while before introducing your group to the rest of the crew. Since the two of you are not yet in the mind link connection with the rest of the crew, why don't you review the ships log to see if you can find a clue about this entity." "It seems passive rather than hostile." Said Sarah. "It knows of us and seems to be supportive," said Rusty and Sarah together. Jim and Amy had strange looks on their faces. Just then Dorothy and Maria began to set the table for breakfast. The conversation drifted back to immediate concerns. Erica indicated that the robots had a quiet night at all locations. The first group contacted her at day break to tell her they have decided they would like to come here, although they have some fears in doing so. Donna said she could begin moving Bob and Nancy's group as soon a breakfast was done. They were ready and have been ready for some time. "Donna can you bring the first group here this afternoon?" Asked Rusty. "We should be able too especially if I can cut back on the number of active robots." "Donna once Bob and Nancy's group are here, reduce the number of robots at that location to two. Keep them active but put the reserve group on standby, that will reduce your load considerably," said Erica. "Also Alison left the barn a little after midnight. She headed directly away from the buildings. She is about 9 miles down the valley and headed toward the small gap in the cliffs at the other end of the valley. She will be surprised when she gets there as its appearance is deceiving. We are passively monitoring her as she travels. Surprisingly she did not take anything with her, and has found water and wild fruit to eat in the valley. She appears to be very comfortable based on her actions." "Okay. Just keep an eye on her," said Jim. "Let's go get ready for your friends arrival," said Amy as they left for the living room. "I brought a couple of robes down this morning for all of you to wear if you want too. From past experience, the thing that will most likely shock or disturb them is your tail. The robes will let you save that for last." "Donna said we would have trouble wearing anything," said Terry. "I think Donna was referring to clothes you normally wore before the changes. These should be fine." She handed a robe to each of them. They chose to wear the robe so that their long hair was underneath it. "Erica are you ready to go there," asked Donna. As she straightened her robe she said, "Yes." And she disappeared from the room. Amy and her group said they would be back after they had greeted one another. Amy suggested to them that it would probably be better to delay answers to any questions until they were all together, with that they left the room. Almost immediately Bob and Nancy's group began to shimmer into view. Erica was the last one to join them. As soon as they were aware of Sarah, Rusty, Sally and Terry, they reached toward them with tears in their eyes. They didn't notice how much taller their friends were as they stood to greet them until much later. Everyone hugged everyone else, even the guys hugged. Soon the excitement calmed down. "My you all have changed," said Nancy as she pulled back and looked. "You all are much more beautiful now than I ever remember you and you seem to be taller as well. Where are the others?" "They are still sleeping as their bodies are still adjusting to the genetic virus treatments given to us by our hosts to alleviate what our captors gave us. Jill and Janet should be up in the next day or two and Judy shortly after that. Joyce will be a bit longer. But they are all fine." "What captors? Who are your hosts? Who was it? What did they do to you?" Asked an anxious Nancy. Her face showed her panic which was quickly transferring to the rest. "First let me give you a summary of what has happened to us and how we have changed, said Sarah. "Then we will introduce you to our hosts and we will try to answer all your questions. They can answer some of your questions better than us." Sarah gave them a summary of how they were pretreated with the genetic virus, the abduction and what their hosts had done to alleviate those treatments. She also touched on the bonding between them and their increased telepathic capabilities. As she finished she stood up and let her robe slip to the floor. When she did her hair fluffed out in its normal manner, as before the light was behind her giving her a ethereal quality. Her newly arrived friends gasped at the vision she made. She slowly turned so they could see all of her. She motioned to her three friends to do the same. The impact on their newly arrived guests was now four fold, all they could do was sit there and drink in the visions of their friends made. Sally stood and pulled Nancy up to her giving her a loving kiss, her then did the same to Alice. "Now look as closely as you want. Touch and feeling is okay, but be warned I am much easier to arouse than before. I know you want too." Rusty pulled Susan to him and followed Sarah's lead. Then Terry and Sally did the same with Bob and Stan. Erica seeing Julia was left out let her robe slip to the floor. The she pulled her over kissing her lightly telling her, "You can look me over if you want as my build and characteristics are very similar to theirs. Or you can look more closely at your friends either is fine with me." Julia looked befuddled but slowly relaxed and began to look at Erica. "Wow, you all look to be much taller than before," said Nancy and the group nodded. "And Sarah your tits don't seem to be as large as before." "Yes, all of us are about 7 1⁄2 feet tall including our shoes which are about 5 inches of the height," said Terry. "Our shoulders are broader, which has made my tits look smaller. All of us are close to a G cup, and we lactate a lot." "We were shocked or surprised by how our looks changed, but I don't think any of us are unhappy with the results," said Sally as the others nodded in agreement. "The shock would have been greater if we had seen it with no preparation. Even though we were sedated for nearly six months, during the last four months two attendants helped us exercise. So we did see ourselves but we weren't fully awake at the time, only enough to follow directions." When Sarah turned so Nancy could see her back. Nancy ran her fingers lightly down the column of hair on her back bone causing Sarah to shiver. Her nipples tightened in arousal. Nancy's hand was on Sarah's tail before she felt her ass checks, she gasp at the strange feeling. She looked down and saw her tail laying in the crack of her ass cheeks. "Is that what it appears to be?" Asked Nancy. "Yes, we all now have tails. We hardly know they are there unless some one caresses them." Said Sarah. "How? Why?" "For now let me just say they were a side effect of the corrective treatment. From what we were told about the alternative, we think this is a much better choice. We will talk about all the related issues in a bit." Nancy pulled Sarah into her arms and hugged her tightly. "We missed all of you so much. We had a hard time adjusting and finding a purpose to go on," said Alice. "When Judy disappeared on top of everything else, I thought the world had ended. Everyone I was close to except Susan and my friends here were gone." She put her arm around Nancy. "I don't think I would have made it with her help. She literally pushed me to move in with them and to bring Susan with me. I was reluctant, but now see it as the greatest thing I ever did." "And we are glad very glad they moved in with us. It didn't fill the void of you all being gone but it helped us adjust. They were also a good addition to our business too." Sarah said, "Now that everybody seems to have relaxed, I want to say I am glad you came. It is good to see you all of you with happy smiles again. You can stay as long as you want too. We are planning on staying here for a number of reasons. The eco-terrorist are one reason, but the other is the attention our exceptional height would cause. We are also much more comfortable nude than wearing any covering." "I'll vote for that as all of you always did look exquisite nude." Chimed Bob and Stan together, causing everyone to laugh. "We did invite you here for another reason," said Rusty. "We need your help in setting a security system that will let us know if someone arrives. Also we have some DVD's, we retrieved from a baby farm and we want to see if we can get the data off of them. Our primary concern right now is security." "I didn't have time to tell them about the little adventure the 6 observers had yesterday," said Erica. "Shortly after we spotted them, they were attacked by two mountain lions. One man escaped back to the car. When he arrived there, he found two lion kittens in the back of the car. Two agents from the forest service arrived just as the adult lions did. The agents quickly freed the kittens and the lions then left without a problem. The survivor is in jail and reports have it that they are considering murder charges against him." "This group got off much easier than the people they had butchered several days earlier." "What people?" Asked Bob. "We will get to that in a moment, but first I want you introduce you to the rest of my group." With that Amy, Jim, Betsy, Connie, Dorothy and Maria came into the room. Erica introduced everyone. The new arrivals were nude also. Nancy said she felt over dressed and quickly slipped her light summer dress off as that was all she was wearing. The others quickly followed her lead. "Good idea Nancy, I feel much more comfortable now," said Alice. "Its almost like home now." Amy said, "Since there are nearly 20 of us let's use the conference room. It will be a bit more comfortable and we can easily see each other as we talk. Dorothy would you and Maria bring us some refreshments." Amy lead the way into the adjoining conference room. Dorothy and Maria arrived shortly with the refreshments of lemonade and snacks. They started to leave, but Amy told them to stay except when other duties called them away. "First let us tell you a bit about us and the roles each of us have," began Amy. She lead the presentation this time where Jim had led it the last time. They gave the new group the background on their being stranded in this solar system. The efforts to mingle their genes with human genes in an effort to obtain people to staff their ship. The results of the first volunteers to provide babies after under going the special treatments and the results of those efforts. Jim then summarized their unfortunate experience with Sylvia's group and that groups demise at the hands of the raiders. Closing with the efforts underway to track the raiders who appear to be either competitors of Sylvia or eco-terrorist. The later seems most likely because of the killings. Nancy, Bob, Stan, Julia, Alice, and Susan just sat with looks of amazement on their faces. It was so unreal but yet they knew of no reason to doubt what they were told. Betsy picked up the presentation saying, "There is one real gem in this whole saga. We met Sarah, Sally, Terry, Rusty and their friends. We don't really know the four who are asleep very well, but judging by these four we are very lucky to have found them. We hope they feel the same about us. It is unfortunate we had to treat them in an emergency situation. You have seen and examined the physical changes. There are some changes you may not have noticed yet. These four have telepathic capabilities that rival or exceed ours. This capability is needed to operate our ship and a part of this complex. Telepathic capability is an inherited trait for us." "The changes brought about by the treatments can be modified without risk to the individual, but we do not know of any way to reverse them." "In our society we generally form family groups of 4 to 8. It can be smaller or slightly larger. The groupings typically include one male but sometimes two. A group bond forms in two ways. One is a combination of sexually and emotionally while the other is mentally." "In terms of sexually and emotionally, it means they must have physical contact with each other frequently. If separated from the group for more than a couple of days a lone individual will become depressed and perhaps self destructive. The group will experience a longing and desire to bring the missing back. Sexual contact is in part driven by their receptors keying on the others pheromones. It is as strong as any narcotic but non group members don't seem to experience the same attraction." "The mental bonding is unique. It is enhanced and eased by the sexual experience they have between themselves. The critical part in the group relationship is the telepathic connection. That part grows to the point their minds will completely meld together. They will never loose their individuality, but they gain in being able to sense everything that their associates senses. In the perfect case, they can use the others eyes to see or ears to hear. It is a true mental binding of the bodies." "Sarah, Terry, Sally and Rusty are closer to achieving the ideal than anyone I have ever seen. From our current understanding of the interviews with them after they arrived and what we have learned since then, we think all eight will easily become a family group. We think Joyce will rapidly meld into the existing group when she wakes. Jill, Janet and Judy came here as a part of their group, but we are not sure how strong the relationship will be between them, so their melding into the group may take some time." "Another bonded group we have here is us, Amy, Jim, Connie, Erica and myself. A third group that seem to have fully bonded is the first group that we worked with. Their groups bonding is not as strong in some aspects as Sarah's group or wasn't when they left us. Although Erica indicated she thought their bonding had now reached a higher level." "This first group will join us this afternoon," said Erica. "Their arrival creates some logistics issues as we never expected to have this number of people on site at one time. So basically it makes us a bit short on rooms until we can make some adjustments to the site." "Erica, Amy why don't we have our here friends use our original rooms," said Sarah. "We are only using the one large communal bedroom. The rooms we were first in should big enough for them to sleep in groups of two or three and the rooms all connect." "If it is agreeable with you that's fine." "Betsy, what happens to the group if one either wants out or needs to leave for some reason," asked Alice. "If we know in advance, there are several conditioning steps that can be used to make it less painful and risky to the individual. Seldom do we see someone wanting out. We think this is because the telepathic link is established early before the bonding really begins, so with that kind of understanding sort of precludes surprises. Quite often when a group begins to form, it will appear good but then begins to not feel totally comfortable to everyone. In this case one or two may drop out, which usually solves the problem." "One thing that may not be clear, we as a society advocate that any relationship between individuals be willing, consenting and respectful to everyone involved. A part of the bonding in Sarah's group was done before they arrived, so we suspect it was induced although it may have been natural. Sarah, Rusty, Sally and Terry have told us they thought, they were essentially bonded prior to the treatments, but feel closer to one another now. We will need to watch it closely to see how it develops. We would not have pushed the bonding on to them, but would have hoped it would develop naturally." "The pretreatments they all received were not done as directed. On top of that the initial information we were given about them was grossly incorrect. When we saw the results of their initial physicals here, we knew there were some problems with the treatments. In hindsight, I am not sure we could have acted differently even with more realistic information. We will do what is necessary to make sure everyones changes are comfortable to them and correct any errors we can." "Amy and Betsy, I am not sure it is time to bring this up, but Nancy and Bob appear to have grown in stature since we left them," said Sarah. Sally nodded her agreement. "Could that be because they were contaminated by the pretreatments Sylvia gave us?" "Its possible," said Betsy, "once things settle down a bit we can test their DNA for those changes." Amy said, "One last item and then lunch. We have several guests in the barn. They were brought here from Sylvia's ranch. We have asked them to stay around the barn until all medical issues are resolved. With them coming from Sylvia's we are concerned about their medical condition because of the way Sylvia apparently used the genetic virus treatments. Once the medical issues are resolved and they decide on their future, they will be able to move around to other parts of the property." "Sarah why don't you and Rusty give your friends a short tour and show them where their rooms are. Meanwhile Dorothy and Maria will take care of our patients. Terry and Sally why don't you go with them for the tour. That way you four can let your milk down before coming to the kitchen. Our group will see if we can get lunch started, but we may need Donna's help." Sarah stood to leave the room then taking Nancy and Alice hands pulled them along with her. The rest paired up almost like they did at first. Erica noticed Julia walking by herself, so she decided to follow along. She could tell by Julia's thoughts she was having some reservations that she hadn't found the words to express yet. Erica really wanted this group to stay as in their short time there she found them to be a good addition. Plus she really needed the assistance with security issues. Yes, Erica I am concerned. For the first time in my life I am the smallest in the group and it is an interesting change in perspective. Nancy and I were nearly the same height before all this started. I know its silly but it has effected my perspective, but that really started before we came here. Now I see all of you nearly a foot taller than me. Sarah didn't say you were telepathic. Her and Rusty both knew I was capable but I haven't used it very much. In fact I usually don't even try to open a connection. Betsy and Connie will want you to have a physical. We suspect based on other information that Gary's treatment of you was probably not done correctly and Sylvia may have added to it. But don't worry as I am sure they can find a way to resolve any thing that will cause you problems in the future. Besides as I'm sure you know everyone loves you as much now as before. Yes I know. She reached over and hugged Erica. "It is clear to me that there is a lot of love for and of one another here. Sarah showed them through the house pointing out the office area, library, exercise rooms and medical area. They then went outside on the back deck overlooking the pool and valley. Sarah told them that they had been so busy this week that they hadn't tried the pool yet. She suggested they spend the time after lunch relaxing by the pool. She then led the group to the sleeping area and showed them the rooms they could use during their stay. Next they went to see the exercise benches, shower area and their bedroom. With that done, Sarah, Sally and Terry, got on the exercise benches and demonstrated how they worked as they started their noon workout while letting down their milk. Again the exercise machines pushed Sarah and Rusty's limit on stamina during the programmed exercise session. Once the exercises were complete Terry and Sally helped, Rusty and Sarah into the shower. Sarah waived for their friends to join them. Once in the shower room everyone joined in playing in the water. Everyone seemed to be impressed with the facilities. During the shower, Rusty and Sarah shook off the effects of the extreme exercise. As they were finishing up Donna told them lunch was ready. Her announcement startled the new group. Erica explained that Donna was really a computer, but seemed to be nearly self aware. Sarah named the AI, Donna, to make it easier to address her. We don't usually have that problem when conversing with a computer. It does add a bit of personality to the entity, so I think it was a good idea. "Donna," Rusty asked, "has the exercise regime gotten stiffer for Sarah and I. Both this morning and now it seemed to really push our limits." "Yes it did increase this morning. The medical staff would like it to stay at that level if it is okay with both of you. They certainly would like for you to continue with it for the next two days. Then if you feel it is to much, they will reduce it." "It is okay with me." "It's okay with me too," said Sarah. "At first I was thinking it was me or something was wrong with me. It would be nice if they talked with us about it first." "They normally would, but this time wanted to see how you and your modified bodies responded. They indicated that Terry and Sally's would be upped to your level tomorrow. But that was suppose to be a surprise for them, guess I blew that." Everyone laughed at her attempt at humor. ------- Chapter 30 At lunch they ate quietly, everyone was busy with their own thoughts. The new arrivals were trying to digest all they had seen and were told this morning. Everyone pitched in to clean the mess up from lunch and then just sat around the table sipping lemonade. Bob asked Jim and Amy when they wanted to start the project. They indicated that tomorrow or the next day would be fine and that they should take the time to relax. Nancy thought that was great because she felt Bob worked to hard. Rusty noted that besides Bob and Stan, they should include Sarah and Erica at least and probably Terry and Sally as well. That would give them a seven member team which should be enough to accomplish basics quickly. He noted they had an area of 200 square miles to cover making it the largest area they had worked with. Sarah gasped and held her head as her face scrunched up in pain. Rusty and Erica quickly tried to mind link with her. Before they could act, Amy shouted shields first then help. Amy and Erica mentally moved to assist Sarah repel and lock out the mind exploring attempt on her. Sarah laid her head on the table and relaxed while she recovered. Soon Amy said, Rusty would you help us look for damage. You know her much better than we do. Who ever was in her mind was just, shall we say, throwing things around as they apparently sought information. We have checked all of the normal connections, but you need to look as well. Rusty looked at her strangely. You should have a record in your memory of what you saw when the two of you were exploring each others minds. He then carefully looked through Sarah mind replaying the memories from when they had been exploring. He found several places that were quite changed from before. He asked Amy and Erica what the function was of the specific areas were before deciding to change them back. Once that was done Sarah began to stir. Sarah looked up. "What happened?" "We think you were attacked by someone telepathically. Do you remember our meeting your friends this morning?" "Yes." "Remember lunch and what you had?" "Yes, it was a ham and cheese sandwich." "Okay. How long were you asleep after you arrived?" "You said about six months, but I think it was longer." "Okay. Now stand up and stretch. Look for anything that feels different." "Everything seems fine but maybe a little sluggish." "Okay. Now we want Amy, Rusty and you to examine the links in your memory. You should look for broken links or ones not connected to the right spot. Rusty has a partial memory map from when you two were working together exploring your minds." "Okay." Everyone watched as Sarah, Rusty and Amy concentrated on what they were doing. None noticed the trance like state that Erica and Betsy were in. Soon Sarah, Rusty and Amy relaxed as they came back to the group. Rusty noticed Betsy and Erica in a trance like state. Sarah and Rusty started to investigate, but Amy waived them off. She mouthed shields up to everyone. Rusty and Sarah immediately put their shields up and then linked with Nancy and Julia who they knew had telepathic capabilities to help them set up their shields. Erica and Betsy came out of their trance, looking a bit tired. Amy looked at them questioningly. Erica told them that after the attack on Sarah was broken, they went looking for the source while trying to not expose themselves. They found several telepathics both here and in the barn, but the attack seemed to come from out in the valley. "Alison." Sarah said. "That is most likely the source. But when we scanned her in the barn, we didn't see anything. However, we weren't looking for a shielded mind. So it is possible. What did it do to Sarah?" "To put it verbally, it was like someone ransacking an office looking for information. I am surprised something critical wasn't broken. Why would someone pick on me for an attack?" "I'm happy it wasn't," said Rusty as he hugged Sarah. "If it was Alison, then it would fit as you are probably the strongest telepath in the group and you did most of the speaking to the group," said Amy. "Your newest at using your abilities which also tends to make you the weakest or more correctly the least experienced. This just means we need to spend some time between now and the other groups arrival teach you as many other tools as possible. I would not be surprised if someone else was probed today. Erica and Rusty you should spend as much time with Sarah as possible." "Nancy and Julia, how strong is your telepathic capabilities?" "I don't know," they said. "We know we have them but have not really used them." "Okay let's do this. Erica and Amy show Sarah, Sally, Terry and Rusty more on shields and other defensive techniques. Betsy and Connie work with Nancy and Julia to see if you can assist them in strengthening their telepathic attributes including defenses. This shouldn't take to long, so we will meet you at the pool. The rest of you tell me if you start to get a headache or your senses feel strange." Said Jim as they gathered up their things and went outside. After about an hour, the group decided to take a break with the others at the swimming pool. When they arrived, Jim, Stan, Bob, Alice and Susan were swimming. Sarah thought about how well Susan had done since being with Alice and her group. Nearly all of the scars had disappeared from her body. Amy asked the group that had been swimming if they would mind if her and Betsy evaluated them for telepathic capabilities. They indicated it was okay with them. Amy and Betsy laid down on chairs near the pool and apparently went to sleep. Sarah and Rusty watched them with their mind link as Amy and Betsy began to evaluate the others for telepathic abilities. "Amy do you feel someone is watching us." "Yes and I think it is the one that probed you a while ago. I think we will go inside for me to do the rest of the evaluation. Would you, Erica and Rusty remain out here swimming and relaxing? One of you should try and see if you can locate the observer. Don't do anything just locate and perhaps identify." "Alice, Susan, Bob and Stan would you come inside with Betsy and I for a little while." "Sure," and they all went inside. Terry and Sally moved into the water to swim laps. Both found that their hair and larger stature slowed them down a bit. But they knew they could swim longer distances without tiring. Meanwhile, Sarah asked Rusty and Erica to keep an eye on her as she wanted to try something. She laid back on the lounge chair and closed her eyes. Slowing her breathing she relaxed as if doing yoga. She looked around with her mind, she could see her friends relaxing. Then she tried shifting her point of view to encompass a larger area. She found she could move her point of reference higher so that she could see nearly all the area immediately around the buildings. Each of her friends showed in the picture as a bright object, even when they were in the house. Those with telepathic capabilities were brighter than the others. The people in the barn were apparent. She could see the could see animals moving through the brush as she looked around the area. The coloring of the scenery was muted so that some of the underlying terrain could be seen. She spent a long time slowly looking over the area. As she scanned, she saw an indication of Alison appear in a part of the scene toward the end of their valley. She continued to scan while she kept the marker for Alison in the view. After the experience at lunch, she was very careful in what or where she focused her thoughts. After watching the progress of the marker, she found she could anticipate its direction and speed. She began to focus her on other details in the valley. She found several natural and game paths that appeared to up and over the forbidding cliffs that surround the valley. They were challenging enough that it would take a persistent climber to make the journey. Sarah glanced back toward the area where the marker was to find it had moved a bit toward one of the paths leading to the cliffs. Sarah slipped back to her relaxing self and after taking a deep breath opened her eyes. "Sarah do you know where Alison is?" Asked Erica. "Yes I think so. But how did you know?" "Instinct, I guess or perhaps a better analogy would be 'as a bystander'." "While I was laying down, I looked over our enclave and then explored the island. I could see a marker for everyone here and instinctively knew which marker belonged to whom." Erica and Rusty looked at her with a look of amazement. "At the far end of the valley was a marker slowly making its way toward the cliffs at the far end of the valley. If the direction of movement continues she should reach a trail that leads over the cliff in a day or two as it is much farther than it looks. There are several other paths that look like they go well down the cliff to the outside world. In all cases, it looks like a steep, risky climb and descent." "I don't feel like we are being watched as we were before." Said Rusty. "Agree. We are aware of the game trails, but didn't think they would be of interest to climbers. Sarah if you saw a topographical map could you point out the location?" "Yes. The object was close to a point where a second trail started, but in that area the ground was very open. It will take a climb of over a thousand feet before the descent could begin and it was very steep." Erica led them to the security office with Terry and Sally tagging along. It was behind one of the locked doors they had seen before. Erica had Donna project a topographical map hologram. Sarah pointed out the location on the map. Erica told them that is probably the easiest trail out of the canyon. It did have some missing pieces in the trail ledges on the descent, but there aren't any great drops where you would have to jump. "Erica, can I project an image of myself to who ever it is and talk to them?" Asked Sarah. "I have heard of that but haven't seen it done. And we could not offer you any support if you were attacked while doing it. But, before we go further we need to find Amy and bring her into this discussion." "Amy can you come to the security office." Amy arrived in a few minutes looking a bit out of breath. Erica summarized what Sarah had found and her solution to which Amy was shaking her head no. "Okay how about this. Rusty goes with me as a projected hologram and Erica, Sally and Terry meld with us for support. From what I understand this would make the effort stronger, and they could pull Rusty and me back if there was a problem. To me it seems as if she has been here before, and it would benefit us if we knew how and why." "Okay try it. But be very careful." "Come on let's go lay down," she said to her friends. "This way we can focus on what we are doing." They went off to the bedroom they shared. They kissed each other and laid down. Sarah showed them what she was going to do and how she thought they could support her and Rusty. The idea for doing this had come from the training they had received the night before and her experience that afternoon. Rusty and her joined together as they normally did for a dream walk, but projected an image of them selves to stand along the game trail where they expected the person. Erica, Sally and Terry watched Sarah and Rusty's functions for any alarms. ------- Alison rounded the bend in the trail and stopped dead in her tracks seeing Sarah and Rusty in front of her. She stood quietly. She couldn't understand how they knew where she was. There was nothing in Sarah's mind when she had looked earlier. She quickly began to doubt whether it was a good idea to rummage through her mind. Too late now. She started to reach out to touch their minds but found nothing confusing her. Sarah spoke, "Alison why are you trying to leave?" "I don't want to go through the experience of this place or Sylvia's again. I was here before Sylvia's but managed to be taken from here before they sold me to someone as their pleasure toy. Please don't try to stop me, I don't want to hurt anyone. But I would rather die than stay. Most of all I don't want to be changed into anything else. What Sylvia has done to me already is way too much?" "Okay but before you leave can you tell us what you know about this place? The previous occupants are no longer around and we are curious about what took place here before. We will not keep you from leaving but really would like to hear your story." Alison reached out again to touch the mind of either and again did not find what she expected. Out of frustration she began to cry. "Alison don't cry. We have no intention of hurting you or changing you. It is important for us to hear of your experiences here and at Sylvia's. In exchange for that we will help you leave by an easier way than climb and descent that lay before you. We will leave you now to let you think about it. If you agree we will meet you at the edge of the meadow just behind you. Think about it." Sarah and Rusty returned to their room. Sarah quickly sat up. "Let's go back to the security office." Reaching the office, "Donna would you transport Rusty and I to the woods just this side of the meadow." Turning to the others. "You heard what I promised Alison. I hope you will all support us in this. My instinct tells me that what ever happened here before is related to the occurrences at Sylvia's and Nancy's." "Erica, Sally and Terry, please mind link with us while we are talking to her. I think she is a bit distraught and perhaps unpredictable until she comes to grip with us meaning her no harm." They nodded their agreement. Amy said, "I hope this works and I will put up more security robots to assist you if need be. But we won't interfere." "Okay Donna we are ready." As she stood there holding Rusty's hand. "I love you more than you will know. Thanks for being with me." They walked to the edge of the meadow and could see Alison coming back the path toward them. They both felt Alison probe their mind. "Let's open up just a bit so she can see how we feel about her." "Okay." They opened a window to their thoughts about her and how they feel about each other. They could see Alison relax a bit on her approach. "We are being watched." Said Alison. "Yes we know. They are concerned about us being here after what happened earlier today. They will do nothing to interfere with you leaving." Said Rusty. "Can I look at both of you? I have never seen anybody like you before." Rusty and Sarah stepped apart letting Alison walk around they as she looked them over closely. She raised her hand hesitantly to touch Rusty's back causing him to flinch. She jumped. "Sorry, I didn't expect that. You can touch all you want but you may cause me to be aroused as both of us are very sensitive to any caresses." Said Rusty. Alison reached up and felt the hair and ran her hand down his back stopping at his tail. She caressed it a bit causing Rusty's cock to begin to harden. Seeing this she stopped and then felt Sarah's hair, then caressed her face and down her body. The caress caused Sarah's cunt to thicken and moisten adding fragrance to the air. "I sorry I didn't mean to arouse you both that much, but you both look so beautiful I couldn't keep from touching both of you." "That's alright. First can you tell me why you attacked me today?" "You knew?" Alison stepped back in fright. "No not until now, but we suspected it was possibly you." "I was curious about your intentions toward me and the other people from Sylvia's. When I didn't find anything that was threatening, I thought I had overlooked something. I haven't used my telepathy very much and from such a distance it was difficult. So I decided to search more thoroughly, seeking to confirm my fears. Just as I realized I wouldn't find anything I felt others probing for me. Pulling back I was shocked at what I had done you and it scared me. I'm so sorry. I hope you weren't hurt." "No Rusty and Erica were able to help me sort things out. We were disappointed you left before you found out more about us," said Sarah. "With your telepathic skills you should have been able to see it easier than the others. We would not have left you free to roam if we intended to harm you, but all that aside, we came here to talk about your experiences here and at Sylvia's. Then your free to do as you wish." "When you met us upon our arrival, I saw all of you were telepathic so I closed my mind so you wouldn't see my skills." "Several years ago when I was in college, I went to bed one night and woke up in the barn we were in yesterday. Naked with my hands bound together behind me connected to a chain between my ankles. A collar around my neck was attached to a cable over my head. Everyday a bucket of soft food was placed in the window of my stall with a nipple on the side. After a day hunger drove me to try tasting it. It wasn't too bad and did fill me up. I was left alone for a week. Then one morning a woman and man came into the stall motioning for me to stand." "I demanded to be set free." "She looked at me and sternly told me to only talk when asked too." They looked me over, felt my tits, legs and ass. I stood stock still in shock. She bent me over at the waist and fingered my cunt until it moistened. Then pushed three fingers into my cunt. I tried to pull away but she smacked my ass several times. Thrust her fingers in my cunt and rotated them times until I was quite wet. Then she pulled her fingers out and pressed them against my lips, telling me to lick them clean. I refused. That action earned me my first whipping. He pushed me over fastening my wrists to my ankles, then forced my legs apart. She whipped my ass, legs and back until I fell over screaming in pain. The pain was awful." "They then brought in a small wet burlap covered bench and laid me on it. My raw back burned and stung when it touched the burlap causing me to scream. My wrists were fastened underneath the bench and my ankles pulled backed to fasten to my wrists under the bench spreading my knees. She then whipped my body from my neck to my knees paying special attention to my nipples and cunt. The pain was awful but she kept it up until I passed out. A bucket of cold salt water woke me up. My skin was red and screaming in agony." "Releasing my wrists and ankles, they told me to stand up. I was a bit slow so she hit me with a suede cover board which hurt worse than the whip and left a large bloody welt. They then told me that unless I wanted another whipping or something much more painful I should do everything I was told to do. Any hesitation would result in more pain. I started to ask a question, but was slapped for my trouble. She reminded me could only talk to answer questions from staff. The penalty after a few whippings was cutting the vocal chords or a tracheotomy." "After that staff members would come around each day and give us a list of things we had to do that day. All of them were sexual in nature. They ranged from mistreating another resident, letting someone place us in painful bondage or being the victim of someone else. A certain number of the items had to be completed in the morning, afternoon and evening. If we didn't complete the days tasks, we didn't eat. Our evenings were filled with being fucked by a mechanical dildo, spending the evening in the kennel submitting and being a cum receptacle for the dogs, participating in a play with a sexual theme or having sex with another resident." "The food wasn't particularly pleasant but it was better than nothing but water. The food was similar to what they give us at Sylvia's. A milky cereal mix that had a strong cum flavor." "Once a week, we were taken to the house with our arms bound behind us and a strap between our ankles linked to our wrists. In the house each of us we were fastened by our collar to a hook on a wall. People would pass through and examine us much as people examine an animal they are buying. Most of the time it was a man but sometimes it was a woman or a couple. They felt us where ever and however they wanted too. Each week several residents would not return to the barn." "It was there that I learned I was telepathic. It started when one couple inspected me, I knew what they intended to do with me. At first I thought, it was intuition. But it really woke me that I could see their thoughts, when this woman and man came through. They examined me as if I was a piece of meat with hardly any sexual overtones. Then I realized they wanted me for dinner. They were going to butcher me that evening and take my body home to be roasted. I almost peed on the floor I was so scared. I kept thinking about how terrible I would taste. The images I was seeing in them suddenly changed to be like mine. They went on and selected another woman who they took to another room. I never saw her again." "After that I started trying to see the thoughts of those passing through. They would examine a resident and think about all the nasty things they could do to them. Apparently there was a dungeon on the property they could use that evening or take us with them." "I diligently began to comply with everything I was told to do. It was either that or be a victim. I had to do things to other residents that hurt me as much as them perhaps more. The memories sometimes causes me to cry at night when I see the anguish on their faces in my dreams." Sarah pulled Alison into a hug. "At the weekly showing, I would make sure to project negative thoughts to anyone examining me. Several almost caught on to my tactic. That response told me that some of the visitors were telepathic as well. Several times it felt like someone was probing my mind. When this happened, I would blank my mind and draw down into my core. This in most cases would cause them to look else where." "The mind probes scared me more than anything. Several tried to scare me by thinking of doing painful things to me, such as slowly removing my skin, cutting off my limbs, branding, mating with a horse and many more weird things. This usually scared me to the point I was afraid to breathe and afraid not too." "Several months went by and virtually everyone else had disappeared to be replaced by a new resident. The last week I there, during the showing one of the residents put up a stink while being examined. She was a beautiful girl, tall, long legs, large bust and a nice tan. She kicked at one of the visitors as she pulled on her clit and nipples." "The mistress heard the commotion and came in to the room to see what happened. After conversing with the visitor, had the staff take the woman outside. We were all taken outside to watch." "They proceeded to torture her focusing on her hands then her feet. The second part was to wash her inside and out with cold water before removing her hips and legs. They were very careful to make sure she didn't die or pass out as they butchered her. The last bit was to skin her breasts and the remove her scalp." "It was the most terrible thing I ever had to watch. I knew if I tried to look away or close my eyes my punishment could be the same. I still have dreams about it." Alison had tears in her eyes as she related the events. "I still don't know how I managed to not look away." The distress was evident on Alison's face. "Several residents did turn their heads or close their eyes after being told not too. The first time each had a tube shoved down their wind pipe severing their vocal cords. The second time they disobeyed large barbed fish hooks were inserted in their nipples and clit or penis head and heavy weights were attached to each hook." "When they finished torturing and butchering the woman, two resident males who had looked away were briefly tortured and then castrated in front of us before being led off. The three women who had looked away had their breasts skinned and then scalped before they too were led away." "The butchered woman was left to hang while the guests continued their inspection of us outside. She was left to hang there moaning or crying as the inspections by the visitors resumed. The inspections after that were much rougher than usual. The woman was still moaning when they took me back to my stall." "It was difficult to sleep that night as I kept dreaming about the suffering woman felt as they had butchered her. I think a number of others had similar problems because I heard a lot of crying and moaning. The next day the woman came with Sylvia to my stall just after day break. From Sylvia's thoughts I knew I was leaving but Sylvia didn't scare me for some reason. They bound me in one of the transport cages and the next thing I knew I was at Sylvia's ranch. I don't remember any of the trip. After that last evening, I was thankful to be alive." "At Sylvia's ranch, I was given all of the treatments she gave everyone else. I spotted several telepathic's that were residents and some were staff. I was very careful not to expose my capabilities to anyone. One staff member seemed to know that I might be, but I made sure to never let on to her." "During the first three months my tits and nipples grew considerably. I can only guess that my tits are larger by about 4 cup sizes. I am lactating. At first I didn't think I would like it, but letting my milk down turns out to be very satisfying. My hips have widened and my feet developed a natural arch. The change in my foot requires me to wear heels whether I want to or not. Three months ago I was bred to Andy since I lived in their barn. It took several times for me to ketch. Even though I knew I had to do it, he and Jean were very loving and tender. We have continued to get together since those times. They are very nice people not like some of the other staff members. So right now I think I am carrying two sets of twins." "Why are you trying to leave?" Asked Rusty. "I am scared. This place makes me uneasy. Last night was the first time an opportunity to get away had presented its self since I was first captured. I will miss Andy and Jean, but my fear is out weighing my feelings for them." "Thank you for sharing your experiences," said Sarah. "We know that it was painful for you to tell, but perhaps telling it released some of the pain you feel. So what do you want to do? We will let you continue on down the path you were following which leads to the cliff. You might make it down the path to the bottom. I have to say I don't know what waits for you on the outside at the bottom of the cliff." "Or you can come back with us. I suspect we can find a place for you to stay besides the barn, since it really bothers you. So you can see that we intended no harm to you I will let you look at my mind again if you promise to only look." Alison relaxed and then looked into Sarah's mind. Soon she began to sob. Sarah held her tight and nodded to Rusty and he joined their hug. They held her for a long time before she settled down. "I am so sorry. I wish I had trusted your group more. It was so difficult to even consider it yesterday after everything I have seen." Her face was flushed from crying. Her sadness was apparent in her eyes. "All I could see was what happened before when I was here. The abuse and the butchering were awful. If I had a choice, I would cut my throat before watching another person suffer like that. There were other things we had to do to each other that were nearly as bad." "May we look at your mind?" Asked Sarah. "Oh my yes. You may look at it any time you want. After what I saw in you, you can use me however you need too." "We just want to look. Only under extreme circumstances would we make a change to any part of you without your agreement." Alison pulled Sarah to her and kissed her. The she turned to Rusty and did the same. "That is my way of thanking you for being you and making the effort to help me in spite of the way I have acted. Sarah I saw the path as you saw it. I don't think I would have survived. If you will allow me to stay, I will be happy to stay at the barn until the medical stuff is done. I hope I can handle the fear of the barn and not disturb anyone. I really like Jean and Andy as well as several of the other women in our group." After Rusty and Sarah had explored her mind and body. "You are carrying three girls and a boy. All should be fine but I will leave that to the medical people. All four will probably be telepathic like you." Said Sarah. "Alison would you like for us to show you how to close the view of those terrible memories that happened here." "Oh, God yes." Together Rusty and Sarah, showed Alison how to move the ugly memories she had to a special vault in her mind. As soon as they finished, Alison through her arms around each to hug them tightly. "Oh, I am really in your debt now." Rusty and Sarah were surprised at the change in Alison's appearance after dealing with her demons. Her smile was radiant and there was hope in her eyes. "You look great and like you feel better." They each kissed her cheek. "Oh, I do," she bubbled. "Donna can you beam us back to the barn?" "Yes but one at a time. Sarah, then Alison and last Rusty." Soon Sarah and Alison were in the barn aisle. Jean saw them. She was a bit hesitant when she saw Alison but Sarah motioned her over just as Rusty arrived next to them. "Jean, Alison ran away because she was scared out of her wits. Before she was at Sylvia's she was here. The experience here makes her very uneasy in this barn because what happened when she was here was much worse than life at Sylvia's. She would like to stay here in the barn with you and Andy. She indicated she is more than willing to help out. She is carrying 4 babies. I think the two of you might find a lot in common. Okay?" Jean looked at Sarah closely and felt the warmth of the suggestion. Turning to Alison, she hugged her. "Hungry?" "Oh yes. I would eat anything right now." "Well let's see, we could get you a couple of cunts to clean out but they don't contain much cum, or Rusty has a stiff cock you could suck or perhaps real food?" Alison looked confused. Shortly Jean grinned and then busted out laughing with Sarah and Rusty as they felt her humor. Alison turned red and her eyes teared a little. "I really don't care. It has been a long time since I had any. So I will start where ever you want me too. And my tits need to be drained, do you want that too." She grinned at Jean. "Wow, talking to Sarah has really relaxed you. You were easy to get along with before only restrained but now it seems much more relaxed." Grabbing her hand. "Let's go see if we can find something in the kitchen so you can have quick snack and then we can drain your tits. As late as it is in the afternoon a snack should carry you to dinner. The rest we can do any time." Then turning more to Alison, "I'm real glad Sarah found you. I think Andy and several of our friends will be happy that you agreed to come back." Alison eyes filled with tears as she heard and felt the desire in her words. They walked off to the kitchen. Jim, Amy and Erica told Sarah, "Nice job. You handled that very well, much better than I think I would have. Again nicely done." Sarah beamed at the compliments. "The first group will begin arriving shortly. Donna is going to place them on the deck by the pool. We would like for you and Rusty to join us." "We are on our way." "Wear your robes. Erica will explain her reasoning when you get here." ------- Chapter 31 Sarah and Rusty joined Jim, Amy and Erica on the patio behind the house, where they were congratulated on the help with Alison. Erica explained that this group had only met Connie and Betsy at the very beginning of their part in the project and she hadn't met them until she went to their farm. During the project they had only contacted them through Donna. She was wearing a robe when she went to see them, so when they arrive we should all be in robes. The group began to arrive with each shimmering into view in turn. Erica greeted them each by name and welcomed them to their new enclave. Once all had arrived she introduced them to everyone meeting them. Erica indicated they were glad they had decided to join them again. She knew that Amy and Jim would have suggestions for them on how they could contribute to the well being of the enclave, but also welcomed any suggestions they may have. "We were apprehensive when you approached us," said Sam. "We feel badly that we quizzed you so thoroughly about when we were here, but we had to be sure who you were. Jessica, Ann and Marsha watched your thoughts as you answered so we were pretty sure of you by the time we finished." "Beside security our hesitancy was more focused around moving and what it would mean to us. We really liked the farm and its location even though some neighbors did not care for us. Besides we only met the medical staff when we were at the outpost the first time." "Let me clear up a couple of items. Sarah and Rusty weren't here or a part of our group when you were here before. It was only the AI, that Sarah named Donna, Amy, Jim and myself that had indirect contact with you. Additionally, I think you met Betsy and Connie before coming and initially when you arrived." "We held back from letting you meet us before because we are built a little different than you. Here let us show you." Erica released her robe letting it slide to the ground and the rest did as well. They then turned slowly so the new arrivals could fully see them. Several gasps were heard when the first back was toward them. "As you can see we are all considerably taller than any of you and Sarah and Rusty are considerably taller than us. We all have a mane of hair running down our backs from our head to tail. Yes, us five and several others have similar features to ours. All of us ladies lactate and we usually have to let down our milk three times a day, just as you ladies do." "We hope you are not bothered or scared by our stature or attributes." "Why are you blocking your mind links?" Asked Ann. "We have found it necessary to be a bit cautious recently," said Erica. "Us five are all telepathic and we had a bad experience earlier today. So we have become a bit more guarded. You have indicated before that Jessica, Ann and Marsha were telepathic. Are the rest of you telepathic?" As she completed her comments, she asked Sarah and Rusty to open up to them. "I have asked Sarah and Rusty to open up to you. We will monitor our surroundings while you link together." "Hi Ann, Jessica and Marsha." Said Sarah then Rusty. "Who else do we have here?" "You have all of us as we are all telepathic," said Wilma. "I am Wilma, both Pat and Cathy are linked as well. I see you are quite a strong telepathic Sarah." "So our friends have told us. We are just learning how to use it's capabilities. The attack on me today was scary, but with Rusty and Erica's help the damage was fixed. The person who did it was looking for information and inexperienced with telepathy. When she didn't find the information she was looking for, she became upset and was not careful in what she was doing. She has had a rather stressful three days or so, and was quite scared." "Could the two of you share some of your memories with us? We would all like to know more about you. You are welcome to look at our memories as well." "Thank you ladies, Rusty and I can share a view of our family group with you. But we would like to hold off on some things until after dinner. I think we should all get together then so Amy and her group can brief us on the background of their efforts and why. Rusty and I can tell you how we came to be here. And one of us will talk about how the others came to be with us." Sarah looked at Amy and Erica. Both nodded with her in agreement. "We hope you will agree to let us go into some detail about why you are also here. It is not totally necessary, but it would make it easier for everyone to understand each others circumstances." "I don't think we have an issue with sharing that information," said Ann and everyone agreed. "Not all of the telepath's have made known their presence and we are not sure why. We hope that by opening up they will make their presence known after dinner. Hopefully with no more excitement." Sarah and Erica grinned. "I have had enough mental stimulation today." Everyone was quiet for a while as they shifted through the information they had seen. "From what I have seen, I think coming here was probably the best thing we've done in a while," said Ann. "Erica are you as strong as Rusty and Sarah. I don't think I have seen so many inherently strong telepaths at one time before. Does any of those here have other pisonic capabilities?" "Betsy of our medical staff thinks there could be. She hasn't had time to do the evaluations," said Erica. "In answer to your other question, the Jim, Amy and I are nearly equal in telepathic capabilities. But Jim, Amy and I have more experience in using its capabilities. Rusty and Sarah we believe will be significantly stronger than us as they become more adept. We have been coaching Rusty and Sarah on some things such as setting up a mind shield. They have shown an ability to quickly pick up new skills, enhance them and use capabilities that we have only heard about all with very little apparent effort." Sarah and Rusty blushed at the praise. "Personally I anticipate some of Sarah's group will have some pisonic capabilities. Do any in your group?" "We are not sure. There have been things happen that seem to indicate it, but we are not sure," said Marsha. "Sarah and Erica will show you your rooms," said Jim. "You indicated to Erica that one apprehension you had about coming was related to your home and livestock. We are prepared to bring your livestock here. In fact, Donna will start the move after it is dark at your farm. With respect to your home, we think it would be wise for us to duplicate your home here rather than move it as it will be less noticeable." "Where were you going to put them?" Asked Sam. "There is a large meadow about a mile from here, that we thought we would place the cattle and horses there for the short term. For the hogs, there is a small glad near the same meadow, in which we could place them. It has a single narrow trail leading into and out of it. Both areas have more than sufficient water and food for them. As for your home, we all need to discuss that along with some other considerations." "Can we see the meadow?" "Sure. Come let's all walk over to the office so we can all see it on the topographical map." The group left the patio for the office. Donna anticipating what they needed suggested to Jim they use the large conference room. By the time they reached the conference room, Donna had a large topographical map of the whole valley on a table in the middle of the room. The locations they had been talking about were noted on the map along with the path to follow to get there. "We can use a robots to monitor the area to ensure the animals don't wonder off. Do any of you have concerns with this?" Everyone in the group acknowledged they didn't have a problem with it. "What are we going to do long term?" Asked Marsha. "What is the weather like here? Where will we stay long term?" "All good questions." Responded Amy. "Can we save the detail until this evening after dinner? We have many things to share with everyone and would like to do it all at once. But to give you a partial answer, two weeks ago we thought there would only be about ten people here for several years. Much like when you first came to know us. That has changed considerably in the last several days. The changes are neither good or bad just different. For the weather, the seasonal change is noticeable and there is good rain fall year round. The valley doesn't usually experience any extreme weather." "So Erica and Sarah can show you around the place and where your rooms are temporarily. One thing we have neglected to tell you is that Donna is an AI. She monitors all of the buildings and surroundings. Her assignment is to monitor health and security." With that Sarah and Erica led the new group out of the conference room for their tour leaving Amy, Jim and Rusty in the conference room. "Sarah and Erica can you monitor our conversation and still show them around." Asked Amy. Yes came the chorus of replies. "We have a small problem that has arisen. Donna's hardware had two partial failures in the last two days. The power supply output dropped and a portion of the processing power also decreased. We have replaced most of the loss by pulling resources from the ship but that creates other strains on the system and there is a time lag because of the distance. To compound that increasing the number of people here is increasing the load on the systems." "What needs to be done to repair Donna's systems?" Asked Rusty. "Jim and I are not familiar with the details of that area, but we think you might be Rusty. The information about Donna's internal setup was in the information we down loaded to you and Sarah last night. We know you haven't looked through it yet, so could the two of you have a look at it this evening or tonight." "Sure." Said Rusty. "I am not sure what I can add," said Sarah, "but I will do what I can." "We know you haven't had training in this area, but your analysis skill set indicates a strength in this area. The situation with Donna's system is not critical but we are concerned because we have lost some of the excess capacity we may need to respond to emergencies." "Tonight after dinner, I think we should be open with everyone about this place and why it is here," said Sarah. "Being totally open with everyone here should make our safety easier to achieve. With that in place, we can address some of the other issues that need attention." "I would vote for that approach," responded Erica. "But for my part I would need to defer to Jim and Amy." "Erica yes you officially report to Jim and I but you are a part of the team. So we want you to always express your opinions and raise a any concerns you have. We are in desperate need of your honest and open comments at any time. Although Sarah and Rusty aren't formally a part of the command structure, we would like for all five of us to function as an open group when possible. As Sarah and Rusty's group grows, we expect that will apply to them as well. Agreed." Everyone chorused a yes. "We have four groups on the ship, that we need to bring closer to what is happening here," said Jim. "At some point we need to evaluate how we can repair the ship. The skills assessment we have done on those here indicate we have some of the needed talent. Amy and I have formally made Sarah and Rusty part of the crew even though we don't expect them to join the ship. That is a choice that must remain with them and their group. For now though we need them to participate as a part of the crew." "I think we have covered everything, Jim and I wanted to talk about. Oh one more thing, we would like to have Sally and Terry wear the learning helmet tonight. See you at dinner." "Donna check and see if Dorothy and Maria need assistance preparing dinner," said Amy. "Also, we should have everyone eat together. Probably the best place to do that is on the patio." "Why not set it up as a buffet?" Said Rusty. "A what?" "A buffet. Donna and Maria will know how to do it. This is where the food is set out on a table and everyone passes by the table to fill their plate from the serving dishes. Once a person has their food, they move off and sit somewhere to eat. Sometimes there are tables and chairs set up, at others they will just sit where they can to eat. Most everyone should be familiar with it. It also helps with socializing." "Donna, ask Dorothy and Maria to set up dinner as a buffet. Tell them several of us will be down to help. We can get Sarah, Terry and Sally to take care of their four friends. Betsy and Connie can set up monitors on their four patients. We will still eat on the patio. Also, let everyone else know about dinner." "Okay," chorused the group both verbally and telepathically. Sarah and Erica showed Sam, Ann, Jessica and the rest of their group where their rooms were and some of the facilities. Everyone seemed very pleased. Erica noted that whether they wore any clothing was up to them. Some of the people here have difficultly wearing covering for any length of time, so they should expect to see a good number of naked people. The group laughed. Ann noted that they quite often went naked on their farm, but always had to be cautious as to who was around. That concern did not seem to be an issue here. Erica assured them it was not an issue here. Sarah excused herself as she had several things to do before dinner. She met Sally and Terry in Judy's room. The three helped Judy get started with her evening routine. Once most of it was done, they left Sally to finish up while Sarah and Terry went to the next. By switching off they were able to complete the tasks a bit quicker than normal. All three were quite pleased with the responsiveness of their friends as they worked with them. Sarah, Terry and Sally discussed their observations of Judy, Janet, Jill and Joyce on their way back to their room to let their milk down and get ready for dinner. They thought that all of them seemed to be much more energetic than the first time they saw them. There bodies seemed to be fully adjusted visually to the changes compared to initially. Donna broke in to the conversation and told them their observations were very good. Her data indicated that Jill, Janet and Judy could possibly awaken the day after tomorrow. But she had to have Betsy check it. Joyce would not be to long after that, maybe a week. "Nancy will be pleased with the news Joyce will be up soon," noted Sally. "Yes but don't say anything until Betsy okay's it." "We won't and we will try to keep our anticipation on an even keel," said Terry. Just as they arrived at their room, Rusty joined them. The group quickly moved to the exercise benches. This time the level of exertion for all was at the higher level that Rusty and Sarah had already experienced. When it was done, they laid quietly on the bench to catch their breath. Rusty and Sarah recovered first and helped Terry and Sally into the showers. The warm water cascading over their bodies seemed to help rejuvenate them after their exercises. "Boy I see what you meant by your comment earlier Rusty," said Sally. "The new exercise level is really challenging. We ought to think about starting Aikido again in place of some of our morning exercises. Let's wait until Jill, Janet and maybe Joyce are ready to join us before we start. It's been about a week since you two woke up. So I would expect a similar allowance for them. So after Jill and Janet are up, we can discuss it with Betsy and Connie." "We may have to show them what it is," said Terry. "Good point. Let's go eat before we turn into prunes." Everyone laughed at Rusty's comment and laughed more as his stomach growled. "Amy told me earlier she would like for both of you to wear the learning helmets tonight," Sarah said to Terry and Sally. ------- When Sarah and her friends arrived on the patio, they found nearly everyone there already. Within a few minutes the last few arrived. Dorothy and Maria had done a great job of sitting up the buffet. Sarah took her friends over to Sam and Ann's group where she introduced Terry and Sally. Both Terry and Sally were shocked as they both knew two of the women from before they became involved in the baby project. They shrieked as they hugged their friends. Bob and Nancy saw the commotion and recognized Sam and Ann's group and went over. Once Sally and Terry settled down, Bob introduced Julia, Stan, Susan and Alice to them. It turned out that they had some mutual acquaintances which made for a warm bit of chatter. Sarah and Erica noticed the group from the barn all standing together looking lost and nervous. Sarah saw the loneliness etched on their faces. Taking the hands of two members of the discussion she edged them toward the group. She introduced Wilma and Cathy to the Jean, who promptly finished the introductions. Erica then arrived with Julia and Susan and introduced them to Jean, who repeated her efforts. As several of the women from the barn were well along in their pregnancy, it quickly became the topic of conversation. Erin noted she was probably furthest along as she only had about a month to go as did Tara. Alison said she was only a couple of months into her pregnancy. Jean commented that there would be at least a set of twins nearly every month for the next nine months. Just as she said that the other group merged with them. Nancy hearing the last said, "What will happen the babies?" "Originally, the babies were to be sold for adoption," said Jean. "Right now I am not sure." Sarah looked at Erica who nodded. "The impending arrival of the babies is I suspect going to be touched on when we talk after dinner. I expect that only a few if any will leave here unless their mother does. I hope I am not getting ahead of this evenings events, but Jim and Amy our hosts are going to give a presentation on how and why we all came to be here, but it is much more than just that." As she was talking, Rusty put his arm around her shoulder. Both Terry and Sally were touching Rusty letting Sarah feel all of them. Just then she heard Amy and Jim, "go ahead give them an overview. It will help them understand what will be presented later." Rusty squeezed her shoulder. Sarah thought to herself, how did I get into this situation. Where do I stop the story? She drew her thoughts together. Then began. "Let me give you a bit of background on each of the groups that are here along with a loose relationship between them." "First there is Amy, Jim, Erica, Betsy and Connie. They come from another civilization far from here. It is in part because of their technology that we are here, and that some of us are still alive. They are here because their ship malfunctioned killing a good portion of the crew and made it impossible for the rest to procreate." "The first group here to come in contact with them was Ann, Sam, Marsha, Mary, Gina, Cathy and Wilma, or for simplicity let's say Ann's group. Amy and Jim's group hired them to provide them with babies and they did for ten birthing cycles. A portion of the babies went for adoption and some went to live on the ship. The adoptive parents were carefully selected so that the children could grow to their potential, as it was expected for them to have very high IQ's." "Our group consists of Rusty, Terry, and Sally plus Jill, Janet, Joyce and Judy who are still recovering from the treatments that were given prior to our arrival. We were brought here forcibly by a person Amy's group thought was helping them find replacements for Ann's group. They were deceived and as a part of the deception Sylvia's staff gave us a genetic virus treatment that would have in time resulted in an early death. After we arrived, Betsy and Connie with the assistance of the staff on the ship were able to provide a comprehensive treatment to correct that but not without some fundamental changes in us as you have noticed. They may say more about that later, but that gives you a good idea of why we look more like them than you." "Next we have Andy and Jean with their group. Dorothy and Maria were both at the baby farm where Jean and Andy were before they came here, but more on them later. With Jean and Andy, you have Tara, Erin, Alison, Jennifer, Patricia, Sophia and Claudette. They were rescued a short time ago from a baby farm operated by Sylvia, who is now dead. The doctor from the farm is on the ship being treated for the abuse she received when the farm was raided. She is recovering and will join us in the near future. There is a another person from the farm that was taken to the ship and is being cared for there." "There are four more from Sylvia's baby farm. They are Cynthia, Barbara, Diane and Carol. They arrived at the farm the morning after Sylvia was killed. When they arrived they were in poor physical shape. Betsy and Connie are currently treating them in the dispensary here." "Dorothy and Maria were EMT's at Sylvia's farm and were brought here to care for my group while we adjusted to our changes. I might note that I knew and worked with Dorothy, Maria, and Cynthia in real estate at one time and knew the three who are in the dispensary with her." "Last but never least, we have Bob, Nancy, Julia, Stan, Alice and Susan. They are very dear friends of ours. In fact before all this started, we, that is Rusty, Sally, Terry and myself lived at their estate and worked with them. Joyce is Nancy's daughter. Alice, Judy, Jill, Jane and Susan were a close family group before all this started and our friends. Nancy and Bob's group is here to help us with security and several other related issues. So it is not clear how long they will be a part of this enclave, we expect it to be at least several months." "Let's eat, before it gets cold. Besides Jim, Amy and Betsy have a lot more to tell us this evening. There is a lot we all need to know before we can move forward. Sorry for rambling so much." Said Sarah. Rusty hugged her, then whispered in her ear, "you did a very good job." Sarah took Alison and Erica's hand and led them over to the buffet table. Everyone followed along to the table. Sarah and Erica were pleased to see the groups mixing as they sat to eat. ------- After dinner Jim and Amy spoke to them in detail about themselves and the issues that brought them to this solar system and then the reasons to interact with earth. Jim described the difficult start with the first group, Ann's, that was hired to provide babies to their project. Their plan was for these babies to grow up and become new members to our ship's community. Too succeed the children would need the same mental abilities of the crew. These abilities are not usually apparent until the children are several years old. We have been fortunate in that a good portion of the children have shown the desired abilities, but we had hoped for a higher percentage. More may show telepathic capabilities when they reach puberty but only time will tell. During this time they had started the genetic research center with the hope it would provide them with more genetic information on humans to help them enable any new groups to have children with a higher frequency of the needed abilities. Amy pointed out that telepathic capabilities are necessary in order to function on the ship or even in their societies family groups. The center became quite successful in its genetic research endeavors and won several genetic research awards. They developed a number of techniques using tailored viruses when delivered to the patient the virus enabled genetic changes to correct chronic medical conditions and to even restructure the body. This capability assisted curing several previously incurable diseases in humans. As a result of the events surrounding Sylvia's activities, it was recently learned that one of the staff members was selling special tailored genetic virus cocktails on the black market. He made quite a bit of money before he disappeared. It now appears that he was selling these cocktails to operators of baby farms, sex clubs and other groups trafficking in humans for various reasons. These activities apparently have brought the center to the attention of the eco terrorist who are opposed to any genetic therapy type treatments. We believe it was a competing group in conjunction with the eco terrorist that raided Sylvia's farm. At the farm, the raiders killed everyone they could find for their meat except two. Sylvia and the doctor were forced to watch the butchering. The doctor was given an exceptionally large treatment of genetic virus which would have killed her very slowly. Sylvia was raped, tortured and then left to feed the dogs. They pointed out that Jean's group were lucky to escape the raid at Sylvia's. Jean and Andy had led them into the brush near the farm when the realized something unusual was happening. Fortunately they came back to the farm while we were there. Sylvia had deceived them when she arranged for Sarah, Rusty and the rest of their group to come to us as the newest group for the baby project. She did provide Dorothy and Maria to care for the 8 of them as they completed their planned treatments. As per the agreement with Sylvia, Sarah's group arrived here sedated. But when our medical staff gave them their arrival physicals, they found significant physical differences between the planned treatment and what they had apparently been treated with. This caused us to make a very through medical review of them. We determined there was only one way to successfully correct what had been done to them. To us the solution path was clear, but also gave us some significant concerns. The corrective treatment would initiate some very extensive changes to them much more than was in the agreement we thought we had. This is because it is only possible to enhance a treatment once they have started. The corrective treatment also would require a significant amount of our genetic information. The result is Sarah's group look very much like us physically but significantly taller. They also appear to have gained all of our characteristics and abilities in addition to what they had before. Four of her group are still completing their treatments, but we expect all of them to be completed by next week. Before we begin cover other issues and talk about the future, are there any questions. Claudette said, "She loved the look of Sarah's group and them, but I am not sure I want to look that way. Would she have to undergo the same treatment?" Amy told them there was absolutely no requirement for anyone to undergo any specific treatment. So the short answer is no. But Betsy will touch on that issue a bit more later. "We are not sure where the errors were made in the treatments that they were given. The evidence indicates the errors were intentional. This is because each of the treatments were slightly different for each of the eight people." "We feel blessed with how well everything has turned out to this point. Sarah, Rusty, Sally and Terry treatments appear to have been very effective, and most of all they seem very comfortable with the result." Continuing, she said, "We did not expect to have so many people here at one time, so we have some logistics issues we need to deal with very quickly. We have only recently obtained this property but understand the weather on this island to be rather mild. Winter will have at the most several weeks of below freezing and a moderate amount of snow. Spring and fall are usually wet and in the 40's to 70's while summer seldom gets above 80 with high 60's at night. This will effect of the groups here now a bit differently. Ours and Sarah's group will be comfortable down to about 50 with no covering. We aren't sure how it will effect either Jean's group or Ann's group but we think they will need some covering when the temperature is much below 70. We will endeavor to have sufficient clothing for each of you as needed." Jim said, "We are going to prepare sufficient space so that all of you will be more comfortable. This will also make it easier to stay if you decide too. In order to do this effectively, we will meet with Jean's and Ann's groups tomorrow to determine the best way to accommodate them. We expect Sarah's group to stay where they are presently located. Once we have met with each group and lay out a plan, we will all meet as a group to review it." Sarah, Ann and Jean nodded in agreement. "We can add more facilities as we need but our goal now is to get every comfortable." Amy called Betsy up to make her presentation. "The last 4 people that arrived at the farm are in the dispensary." Said Betsy. "Their medical condition has been stabilized. After a full evaluation of their medical status it seems we will need to give them a treatment similar to that given Sarah's group. The probability of being successful is lower due to their poor physical condition. Our difficulty is we can't consult with them prior to the treatments. If left untreated and they recover, they would most likely become painfully crippled with it leading to their death in a few years. So to have any probability of success, it is likely we will need to begin their treatments this evening. Why our hesitation? When we treated Sarah's group, we thought they had some idea of the changes they would undergo." Claudette spoke up, "You heard what I said earlier regarding the treatments, but if it was me lying there, I would be glad you had addressed my health issues by giving me the treatments I needed." Nearly everyone nodded in agreement. "Sure they will look different, but if they look like any of you they would be hard pressed to complain." A few chuckles were heard. "Thank you." responded Betsy. "As soon as we get the treatments underway and their condition stabilized, we will begin doing physicals on those in Jean's group. We will start with those furthest along in their pregnancy. Based on those results we will most likely provide you with several choices addressing your health issues and make a recommendation. You will make the choices. You can do it alone or include others is assessing the choices before you. You will also need to decide at some point what you will do with your children." Rusty and Sarah would you be willing to be models for me, asked Betsy. Yes, they both said hesitantly. I would like you to do it because they can relate to both of you and the changes to both of you are nearly ideal. You might want to ask either Alison or Alice to come up as well, said Sarah. Both are currently near my former size except for the bust. "To help me explain the impact of the changes on a persons body, I would like Sarah and Rusty come up as models. The physical changes resulting from treatments are more obvious on a woman's body. So let's start with Sarah, first for a visual comparison would either Alison or Alice come forward as well. Both are very similar to Sarah before her changes." Alison rose a little be before Alice responded. Alice seeing her move did not get up. Alison surprised herself at how quickly she volunteered, but really liked Sarah and Rusty. Once she started up she had doubts and slowly came up looking a little frightened. Sarah hugged her and suggested she relax as it is just to help Betsy with her presentation. "Several people had forced changes on Sarah's body before she arrived here and I think even before she began working at Nancy and Bob's." Sarah nodded yes. "Thanks to her friend Judy she is here today in good health. Judy did an excellent job of guiding these changes so they benefited her rather than impairing her health. The changes started by Sylvia almost ruined that." "When she and Rusty arrived here their height was about 6' 6" and for Sarah that was wearing heels. Rusty weighed about 190 and Sarah was about 165. Sarah's bust had been increased to a 40 M with a 32 waist and 36 hips. Her labia had been enlarged so the outer lips normally hung down about an inch. And her clit had been enlarged so it always extended beyond the hood even before she added the bar. With the treatments, given to her by Sylvia just as she was moved here, she would have had additional growth in each of these areas. No changes were made to support areas of her body, this would have significantly impacted her health potentially leading to much suffering in just a few years. As noted earlier once a change like this starts it can not be stopped, but it can be altered." "As noted earlier, upon completing their examinations we had to make a correction quickly to her and her friends who had been treated similarly. The path we chose was to selectively combine their DNA with ours adding a significant portion of ours to theirs. This was based on the work from the center and the knowledge our medical group had regarding their initial genetic composition. There are lot of basic similarities between our DNA structures. The initial phase for them had to be done in an incubator on the ship, but that is not always a necessity." "Sarah's measurements are now 52-34-39 with a G cup bra, if she wore one. We expect some increase in her hips and waist but this will only be 2 or 3 inches at the most. The reduction in cup size was achieved by widening her shoulders and chest with only a small increase in breast volume. The treatment made her tits more like ours but they are just as sensitive as before if not more so. They will retain their shape through out her life. They will remain firm whether lactating or not. Among our people in only a few cases do we see any sag or drooping. This is because the tissue structure is different than in humans which adds support. The breast's structure has more chambers to hold milk so the volume of milk released each time is substantially larger than she would have before the change. They will swell and shrink a little bit between each lactation cycle. This is because when they become full, the milk output drops and then returns to normal as the milk is let down. Milk only needs to be let down about three times a day unless actively nursing babies. Sarah currently lets her milk down three times a day while she exercises. One other change is the shape of the nipples and areolas on arousal or when nursing. Arousal will cause them to swell and extend up to several inches from the breast." "Rusty rub Sarah's and Alison's nipples so the difference can be seen." "It is much more noticeable when the breast is hanging down." Sarah's nipples pop out as Rusty caresses them. "Sarah and Alison lean forward and place your hands on your knees." When Sarah did, the areolas and nipples swelled and lengthened to around 2 inches. Beads of milk formed on each nipple. Sarah stood. Rusty leaned over and licked the milk off of her nipples and then smiled at the audience causing some laughter. He hugged Alison and told her to lick them as well. After licking them, Alison smiled at the sweet taste of Sarah's milk. She quickly went to lick again and Sarah pushed the nipple into her mouth. Holding her head she said, 'suck'. Alison did and her mouth rapidly filled with sweet milk. Sarah then released her head so she could stand. Alison swallowed. "Wow, that is great. Can I do it again?" Betsy cleared her throat saying, "Why don't you two discuss that later?" The audience chuckled and Alison blushed. Sarah told her, "You can have more later, okay?" Alison nodded in agreement. "Okay let's move on. With the increase in shoulders and chest, there was an increase in back and shoulder muscle mass and strength. This was too keep her in balance with the rest of her body, her height increased with the changes distributed over her legs and back. Needless to say the increased chest size increased her lung capacity. Her legs lengthened to provide most of the height increase. Her hips have increased proportionally to her shoulders. Her feet were lengthened considerably to adequately handle the increased size and weight but also handle changes in the way they work. Arms and hands changed in proportion, as well. In reality, it was like she had a late in life growth spurt and grew a little over 9 inches in total. Her weight gain was around 45 pounds." "With these changes all genetic disease susceptibility and other defects were corrected. Longevity increases to close to four to five times a normal earth lifespan. As she grows older, she will not gain much if any weight, even pregnancy will not cause a weight increase. However, if she becomes inactive, she may loose a significant amount of weight." "Other physical changes you may notice are the enlarged labia. When they were enlarged the first time, their sensitivity was greatly increased. The recent treatments resulted in a gain in muscle structure and are linked to the kegel muscles in the vaginal area. Needless to say it adds greatly to the feelings of arousal and the intensity of orgasms. Her clit grew in proportion to her overall growth. Right now she is somewhat aroused so it extends quite a ways outside of its hood even without the bar. Due to previous treatments her clit is unique as it was previously increased to so that even when not aroused it would extend beyond the hood. This makes it very hard for her to wear any covering. The changes also increased her arousal sensitivity. Just the little caressing Rusty did has her labia swollen and dripping wet. I don't believe it now extends as much as it did when she arrived." "Sarah's change in stature now means that when she becomes pregnant, she can easily carry 3 sets of twins if she chooses too. For us usually one baby will be male." Several people gasped. "Her new body will hardly notice the addition even into the final days before delivery although she will gain about 10 pounds for each baby she carries. There will be little or no pain during delivery and will usually be up the next day. To achieve full maturity of her new body she will need to complete one birthing cycle." "After the first birthing a woman in our society usually has up to 6 to 10 more cycles if our population density needs increasing. Some will continue longer if they want too and if the group needs more members. The other part is that a woman must bond with a family group in order to mature and have babies. The birthing cycles will not cause any permanent changes in her body. And within several weeks after the births her body will return to prebirthing cycle size. Usually it is almost there right after the babies are delivered." "Several of you gasp when I mentioned delivery. For delivery we use a special tub that permits the mother to be in a squatting position in the water. This provides support for the woman and eases the transition for the baby emerging from the womb during birth. It looks like several in Jean's group will be the first to experience it." "Back to our models, most likely one of the first things you noticed was their hair and tail. The tail is a side effect of blending our DNA with theirs as is the hair. Both are traits of our bodies. They have a mane of hair down the backbone and tail that when caressed feels very good. The only hair on their bodies is on their head, backbone and tail. In a loving situation the tail can add to arousal." "Other changes that aren't as obvious are an increase in stamina, grip and strength. Before the treatments she would not have been able to run any distance at all. This was because the previous changes added an arch to her feet but did not give them the strength and additional flexibility needed. There is also a change in visual capabilities." "Now that I have listed the changes let's have Alison and Sarah slowly turn so you can see them from all angles." They both slowly turned. Betsy commented that both were lovely women. The audience murmured agreement. "Each women in Sarah's group has received a similar set of changes, but each treatment was tailored specifically for them even so the group members will appear to be maternal twins. As I have told them, I am still uncomfortable that we had to make the changes without consulting with them first." ------- Chapter 32 Sarah started to say she was pleased, but it turned into a chorus of voices from Terry, Sally and her. She leaned over and kissed Betsy on the cheek. It was quiet for a moment, then Claudette's voice carried over the group as she said, "Looks to me like you did the right thing." Causing everyone mummer in agreement. Regaining her composure, she said, "Rusty's stature was increased to match Sarah's. Along with that, his stamina, grip and strength has increased proportionally. His cock and testicles increased in size to match other changes. His sexual stamina has increased, as he will have several wives to love." That comment brought some laughter. "A male to reach his full potential he needs to bond with a group and it is unusual for there to be less than four people in a group." "Bonding was mentioned earlier. When a group bonds, they become very much like one person in multiple bodies. This is because a family group forms a mental bond between them allowing them to intimately share their thoughts, feelings and in some cases senses. The basic part is similar to telepathy. No one loses their identity. Side effects are the need to touch frequently and a preference for prolonged intimate contact nearly everyday. This could be just cuddling. Separation for as short as 2 days will have a detrimental effect on the lone individual and on the group. It is more pronounced to the lone individual and can lead to severe depression and apathy." "Moderate inbreeding between brother and sister is not detrimental to the groups health as a whole but if it is to extensive then the individuals long term health can be impacted. Remember inbreeding and intimacy are not the same thing, intimacy is an essential part of family groups survival. Inbreeding between parent and child is discouraged because of the dynamics." "Now for the last item, we will give each of you a physical exams. We expect to start these shortly, most likely later this week beginning with Jean's group. Once we have the results, we will discuss them with each of you and make recommendations for treatments to address any health issues we find. We are not advocating for any of you to have a treatment set with the sole purpose of becoming similar to either Sarah or Rusty. Our recommendations will only cover what you need to do. The decision on the extent treatments you want to pursue is totally up to you and you will need to initiate it. In some cases the base recommendation may be to make you similar to these two, but definitely not identical. She thanked Rusty, Sarah and Alison for their assistance." As Rusty and Sarah went back to their seats, they put an arm around Alison bringing her with them. They sat down placing Alison between them. Sarah and Rusty each kissed her on the cheek and thanked her for helping out. Sarah continued whispering to her that as soon as this was done she could have some more milk if she wanted. Alison blushed and said, 'Its was good and I think I would like that if you don't mind.' With that Betsy called Erica up to speak. Erica began by saying, "That it would be in their interest to follow several rules while here. Primary one is all relationships are voluntary. I don't expect any one here to have a problem with that, but thought saying it would perhaps head off any miss understandings. In line with this each of you should not shrink from expressing your feelings or concerns to anyone else. This especially true in the family or living groups. We are all new friends, so to build that friendship and trust we must fully share our feelings and concerns. And it is just as important to be receptive to others feelings and concerns." "Among those here we have varying degrees of telepathy. Those that are telepathic are encouraged to, no make that must, ask before looking at someone's thoughts. There will be exceptions to that but they would be rare." "Everyone who ventures away from the area around the buildings must go in groups of at least two and in addition someone else is to be told of where you plan on going. This will help us find you in case of emergency. This island covers a 200 square miles and we are the only group on it. Eventually everyone will have a personal area but at the moment we are quite crowded. When they are setup we ask that you respect each others areas. Lastly and most importantly, if you have a question or concern please express it. It may not appear important to you, but it could be critical to our survival." Jim asked if anyone had any questions. Jean suggested that we have a question and answer period each evening around dinner time. She noted that we may not always use it but it would be a way to deal with group issues. Amy complimented Jean on her idea. Then asked that any wishing to help with the meal preparation should see Dorothy or Maria as they could use help. For the time being they would be the leaders in the kitchen. Alison suggested to eat as a group like this evening, so we could all take our meals together. This met with everyone's approval. Amy added that for it to work then Dorothy and Maria would definitely need assistance. Without volunteers a revolving duty roster maybe necessary. "We are looking for the organization behind the raid on Sylvia's farm," continued Amy. "We don't agree with the way Sylvia operated her baby farm, but we don't think that disagreement should prevent us from some seeking retribution against the raiders." Patricia and Sophia almost in unison expressed the opinion, that it would be appropriate that the raiders met at least the same fate as they reeked on others. This met with several nods along with tears as some thought of those they knew. Discussion of a response was put off until more was known about the raiders. "Let's turn in as we have a lot to do tomorrow," said Amy. "Sarah and Rusty can you join us for a few moments in the office." Asked Amy. "Sure they responded." As the walked to the office, they had the opportunity to say good night to quite a few of their new friends. "Sally, Terry, it will be a bit before we make it to our room and Alison wanted a larger sample of my milk so could you wait with her until were done." "Okay." Terry and Sally moved over to talk to Alison. Rusty and Sarah met Amy, Erica, Betsy and Jim in the office. "We need to decide if my proposal for the four in the dispensary is acceptable to all of you," said Betsy. "Do you have any reason to doubt the choice of giving them a treatment similar to ours?" Asked Rusty. "No. Our extrapolation of the changes begun in them shows a 99% probability of them being crippled in 5 years and dead in 6 that is if they wake up. And in your language, deformed could be a better word choice than crippled." "Then I think, Claudette, expressed it correctly," said Sarah. "Give them the treatments and we will all do our best to help them adapt. I suspect it maybe harder for them as they are not yet part of any group." "Very observant. It is the lack of a group that concerns me the most." "I am sure we can manage something," said Rusty. Amy, Erica and Jim expressed their agreement. "Okay we will begin this evening. We are not planning on using the incubators on the ship, so we can keep them in the dispensary until we have more room. We expect Jill and Janet to be up tomorrow morning and at that time we can move them there." "That's great!" Exclaimed Sarah, the excitement clearly showing on her face. "Yes. We need your group to wake them late tomorrow morning. I will check in the morning, but we may be able to wake Judy and possibly Joyce tomorrow afternoon. I know Judy was not part of your group at Nancy's, but by all appearances she would fit in nicely." "Joyce is progressing that fast." "Yes, I suspect the contact with your group has had a positive impact on her development." "Oh. I agree with your assessment of Judy but the other three of us hardly know her. We know Jill and Janet quite a bit better but as a group we have not spent an extended time with them either. It does seem to be the best way to begin, although intuitively if Alice and Susan stay then Judy may feel she fits better with them. Here is something to think about what if Nancy, Bob, Alice and Susan formed a family group could Judy move to that group." "Yes, she could do that if she wanted." "That group is very special to us. How close do family groups associate?" "We have some that are so close they are like one large group." Sarah smiled at Betsy's comment. "So you are thinking of a large family group." Said Rusty to Sarah. "Well yes and no. I was really trying to understand how all of us would fit together in the future. All four of us are very close to Nancy and Bob. I am very close to Jill, Janet, Alice and Judy from the time I spent with them before I met you. Jill and Janet are very close to Alice and Judy. It would not surprise me that with our mind links that our individual closeness doesn't become a common closeness." "Interesting. Ask Betsy." "Betsy would you look at my thoughts regarding potential groups in particular ours and some of our friends. Are my conclusions reasonable?" Betsy hesitated and then said, "Yes. Not necessarily a certainty, but reasonable. Now the hard part, you will need to be careful to not sway your friends in making their choices. They need to make their choices by themselves. If you sway them unduly, you eventually will loose them." "Oh wow. Now I'm scared." "Don't be, it was just a caution. Knowing you as well as I do you, you will do the right thing." We agree, said Amy, Erica and Jim. Startling Sarah. They each gave Sarah a hug in support. Rusty stifled a yawn. Jim said, "I think Rusty is indicating it is time for us to go to bed. Betsy don't stay up too late with your patients." "I won't. I can start the treatment process and Donna can monitor it while Connie and I get some much needed sleep." "I think Alison already has significant telepathic abilities as she followed my telepathic instructions to Rusty and Sarah while we were up there," said Betsy. "She is and she could be quite strong if she had some guidance," said Sarah. ------- Sarah and Rusty went back outside where Alison was waiting with Sally and Terry. She took Alison's arm and said, "If its okay with you let's go to your room. I suspect it will be a bit more comfortable." Rusty put an arm around Alison as they walked to the barn. Terry and Sally walked along with them. "Alison, both Rusty and I enjoy your company, but I can't let you do more than drink a small amount of my milk. We also need to limit any close physical contact with you until your physicals are done and you decide what you want to do with your future. You may decide not to stay and if we have to much contact it could effect your health and your babies." "I understand your concerns. In light of what I saw at Sylvia's and what I have seen here, I think I know what I will do. But you are right I need to be patient, which is not my strong suit. In either case, I hope to always be a friend to all of you." Sarah pulled Alison into a kiss before she could say more. She then guided her mouth to her nipple so she could suckle. She let Alison drink for several minutes from each tit before pushing her back. She had a milk ring around her mouth. Terry and Sally saw it and took turns licking the milk off her face. Alison was aroused and her slit was wet. She reached over and felt Rusty's swollen cock. Her touch caused it to pulse and swell more. "Alison we can't do more tonight. But I'm sure Jean and Andy would be interested in your company this evening." Alison looked sad as they all stood. "Let's go see." Walking down to Jean and Andy's room they found several women there all talking about the presentations. Seeing Sarah and Rusty they stopped talking. "Hi. We were leaving and thought we would drop Alison off here so she had someone to talk too," said Sarah. Several people were staring at her breasts and when she looked down she saw she milk was dripping from her wet swollen nipples. Claudette laughed. "Looks like we know where Alison has been drinking from." Everyone laughed and Alison blushed. "Yea, you better believe it. And I want more but she told me I was on a restricted diet. The taste is unbelievable," said Alison. "Can we taste some as well?" Asked Sophia. "Yes, but only a couple of mouth fulls. Sally and Terry would probably be willing to participate as well." Said Sarah as both Sally and Terry nodded in agreement. All were quick to find a nipple to suckle some warm milk. Patricia said, "Wow, Alison you really understated how good it tastes. I'm surprised." The others, Jean, Claudette, Jennifer, Tara, Erin and Andy all nodded in agreement. Claudette asked, "Could we have some more?" "Not until after your physicals are complete and you decide what you are going to do. Its not that we wouldn't like too but Betsy is concerned about bonding side effects that could limit what you want for a future." Said Sarah. "Several of you will soon deliver your babies which could cause you to make a different set of choices. We will be happy to help you assess the choices you have." "Our group, the four of us and Joyce, were together for quite some time before we came here," said Sally. "It took us many months to grow into our intimate group relationship. Tomorrow our group will actively grow to 8 counting Rusty, we are looking forward to it but at the same time we have some anxiety over whether it will be the same." "We have only known you a short time, we welcome you as friends, although different circumstances would have been nicer." Several chuckled at the comment. "As all of us are in the process of making major adjustments in our lives and recovering from significant shocks, so we need to take it slow to build the depth of our friendship. Time and circumstances will settle that for us." "We need to go to bed. There is much to do tomorrow," said Rusty. They each exchanged kisses and Andy hugged Rusty before they separated. Andy and Jean's group decided to spend the night together in the one stall. Their experiences the last two days had drawn them close together so they were very comfortable with each other. Sarah, Terry, Sally and Rusty made love to each other before drifting off to sleep. The session with Alison had left them all in a high state of arousal. They almost didn't wait until they were in their room. They shared several orgasms between them before exhaustion over took them. Sarah helped Terry and Sally put the helmet on their heads. They all slept soundly as they were all exhausted from the days activities. ------- Sarah woke before the others. She laid there a while cuddled between Rusty and Sally. She bask in the warmth of love she felt they had for her. She reflected back on her good fortune to have found these friends and their love. She shuttered at the thought of what could have happened had events taken a slightly different track. It was clear to her that she could have very easily become someone's sex slave to be used as they pleased or even the entree on someone's dinner plate. She shivered. Sally and Rusty pulled her tighter to them as if they sensed her fear and to show their desire to protect her. Sally lips touched Sarah's neck in a light kiss, telling Sarah that she was awake. Sarah caressed Rusty lightly as she heard his breathing quicken as he began to awaken. Sally rose slightly and kissed Sarah then Rusty on the cheek. Terry's eyes opened at the movement. She reached up and kissed Sally and then bent over Rusty to kiss Sarah. Rusty twisted onto his back so he could pull all three into close contact with him. Sally ended up laying on top of him with Sarah and Terry on each side. They each took turns in exchanging kisses as they laid there enjoying the closeness. They found it very comforting laying so close together. Rusty said, "I don't want to move because this feels so good. But, we need to get up. It won't be long until we need to wake Jill and Janet. Besides I need to use the facilities very soon." With that everyone started, moving toward getting up. The girls exercised as they let their milk down, while Rusty exercised with them. They all noticed that the exercise regime pushed them a bit more, but didn't wear them down as much as yesterday. Just as they were finishing, Donna told them breakfast would be ready in 30 minutes. She also told them Janet and Jill would be ready for a wake up at around 9. They took a shower and went to breakfast. They arrived at the dining room as several others did. Several women from the Sam/Ann's group were setting the food on a buffet table. With the increased size of the breakfast group, they were going to spread out like they did last evening. Alison, Erin and Tara came sat with Sarah and Rusty after getting their food. Bob and Nancy also joined them as they ate. The groups mixed together at breakfast as they did the night before. Rusty and Bob discussed the two items on which Amy and Jim had asked assistance. They caught Alison's attention when she heard them talking about computer hardware and processing issues. Rusty noticed her intense concentration on the conversation and asked her about it. She told them she went to school to be a computer engineer specializing in hardware and processors. She was near graduation but had needed more funding to complete school. She thought had found the solution by taking the modeling job. That resulted in her ending up here with the previous property owners and then taken to Sylvia's. Rusty started to say something and then stopped. He sat there for a few moments very quietly as he realized they had made some assumptions about the people who had joined them. They could be sitting on a wealth of talent to assist in this adventure. Donna just then said, "Sarah, Rusty, Sally and Terry it is nearly time to go to Jill and Janet." That shook Rusty out of his thoughtful look. "Alison could we meet with you and your friends at lunch. Bob and I have a major project that at least you and possibly several others can help with. I just realized we don't know the talents of everyone here. Is that okay?" "Rusty we need to talk it over with Amy and Jim before we add to the team." Said Sarah. "Yes, we will need to do that but we also need to know what all of our resources are." "Rusty, I can see where your going with this and it makes a lot of sense." said Bob. "Rusty, I'm sure most if not all of us will be here for lunch." Responded Alison. Tara and Erin nodded in agreement. "Okay. But I would prefer you not tell the others why. Can you do that?" They nodded affirmative. "If anything just tell them Bob and I have a project that they might be able to help us with." Sarah said, "We need to go, see you all at lunch." As they walked to Jill and Janet's room, Rusty queried Amy and Jim. Amy and Jim, do you have any objections to Sarah, Bob and I determining what the backgrounds are of all the residents. This could be very helpful in quickly addressing the projects you brought up." His question carried a significant degree of excitement. Both Amy and Jim chimed back that they saw no reason not too. What prompted this thought? Bob and I were talking at breakfast about the computer hardware issues you had mentioned. Alison heard us and told us she nearly has a degree in computer hardware and related issues. So I asked to have all of them meet with Bob, Sarah and I at lunch so we can determine what resources we have here. Judging by the looks on Tara and Erin, we have more resources. The three agreed to bring the rest to lunch without disclosing why. I don't have an issue with it. Try to make it clear to them that their help does not trap them into staying after health issues are cleared up. Agreed, said both Rusty and Sarah. I suspect if given the chance Alison would like to join our group. We noticed that responded Rusty, Sally and Terry. Just before they went in Rusty said, "Sarah you know them better than us three so we will let you take the lead." They went into Jill and Janet's room to find them still asleep facing each other with their arms interlocked. Sarah and Rusty slipped on to the bed behind them, bring their bodies in full contact to their backs to cuddle. Terry and Sally laid down one on each side. Sarah looked into Janet's mind to find she knew who was in bed with her. Her emotions were quite excited as she began to awake. Looking at Jill's mind she found it mirrored Janet's. She saw the thought processes in both minds were quite similar, in fact it was hard to tell one from other. The area related to telepathic thought was already quite active. Jill, Janet this is Sarah can you hear me. Yes. I can feel Rusty, Sally and Terry as well, said Jill and Janet in unison. Is this a dream? No it isn't. We are talking telepathically. All six of us can now communicate that way. You are in the process of waking up. I have some things I would like to share with you before you wake. Okay. This is so strange. First let me show you how to limit your connections to just us. Rusty is here with me and will help, is that okay? Okay. Sally and Terry will just observe. Now let's give you a tour of your minds, all of ours are very similar in their layout. As you become more comfortable with this you can make changes to the connections, but they must be done very carefully. First this is the area that makes telepathic thought possible. If you increase the energy supply to this area, it will help this ability. Increase the supply slowly until if feels comfortable. They watched the area in both increase in brightness and then stabilize. That feels good, said Jill and Janet at that level. Okay. The connection is much stronger now. Wow. I (we) like this. Now next let's show you how to manage connections. This is important to keep from being mentally attacked. When that happens someone can enter your mind and rearrange your connections, depending on how its done it could even cause you to die. Oh. My. This is how you do it. Sarah showed the two of them how to set up the mind shields. Do you have it working? Yes. The background thoughts have disappeared and we can see just the four of you. Good. We can test it later after you two are awake. Now there have been some changes around us and to us. Rusty and I would like to share our thoughts about the changes to us and what caused them. Okay? Yes, I guess. But I think we already know part of them as we have been hearing conversations recently, we thought they were dreams. Now it seems they could be more. Most likely. Let me play back a few memories for both of you. Sarah replayed her memories of meeting Amy and crew, then those from last night. Both of you can look at my other memories, this is how you can do that. Each of us can control what memories are open and those that are not. Even though we can we don't pry into another's memories or mind without their permission. The members of Amy's crew, Ann's group and us are telepathic. We are not sure who in the other groups are telepathic yet. Being telepathic you can see when someone is connecting to you, it can be hard to identify the source if you don't recognize the person. We saw your memory view of you in the mirror. Is that really you? Do we really have tails? Her thoughts showed her excitement. Yes its really me. And yes we all have tails. Are you ready to wake? Oh yes. And they opened their eyes. Jill and Janet leaned forward and kissed each other for a long moment. They then turned and kissed Rusty and Sarah. Their kisses spoke volumes of the love they felt for their friends. The kisses increased their growing arousal. It had been months since Jill and Janet had made love with anyone of their loves. Jill and Janet focused their attention to a degree on Sarah and Rusty, but included Terry and Sally. Jill and Janet were amazed at the effect telepathic connection on the feelings of love and caring expressed by their loves. It felt so good. They kissed, caressed each other each contact seemed to build the connection between them and their arousal grew. Their arousal built until Jill rolled on top of Rusty's, placing his cock to the entrance of her cunt she dropped down on it driving it deep in her. The thrust of the cock through into her caused her to orgasm which radiated out to her friends, enhancing their arousal. She began lever her self up and down on his cock pulling up until the head was just inside her cunt. Then dropping to feel it ripple and pull at her cunt and vaginal passage way. They were so aroused that both came in only a few strokes. Rusty sprayed her cunt with hot cream filling her as she had never been filled before. She screamed and collapsed on his chest, shivering from the after effects of her orgasm. Sarah and Sally rolled Jill off of Rusty's still hard cock with the intent to suck the cum from her cunt. Sally straddled Jill and began to lick her cunt. Sarah moved between her legs as the two of them licked her clean and catching any cream that leaked from her cunt. Janet and Terry had been caressing each other until saw Rusty's cock standing hard and wet. She twisted around as she kissed Terry to place her cunt over his cock. Pulling Terry up by refusing to break the kiss. Reaching down she pressed his cock to the mouth of her cunt and slowly slid down it. She shivered as it filled her vaginal passage way until it pressed against her cervix. When she felt it press against her cervix, she knew that some day soon she would carry Rusty's babies. As the thought past through her mind, she heard the others say we all will carry babies he helps us start. Janet and Terry finally broke their kiss. Janet began to fuck herself on Rusty's cock. Terry licked and kissed down her neck. When she reached Janet's swollen nipple, she sucked into her mouth licking the nipple with her tongue. Janet's milk filled her mouth. She swallowed and continued kissing down toward her clit. Once she reached the juncture of Janet and Rusty she began to lick and kiss them adding to their growing arousal. Janet was moaning as the waves orgasm rippled through her. As her arousal grew so did the rhythm of their fucking. Soon Janet's orgasmic bliss reached a crescendo, triggering Rusty climax flooding her cunt with hot cream. Janet went limp and started to fall forward. Rusty caught her so that Terry was not trapped between them. Terry helped Rusty roll Janet over onto her back. Terry straddled her pulling her hips up to keep the cream from leaking out. She then proceeded to lick up Janet and Rusty's spendings. Once all traces were removed, she clamped her mouth over Janet's cunt and rolled Janet on top of her so the cream would drain into her mouth as she sucked and licked Janet's cunt. Sarah seeing Rusty's wet cock and balls moved over to clean him up with her mouth. He pulled her around so he could lick her cunt. The two orally caressed each other through another orgasmic release, making sure to share the feelings with their partners. They laid their and relaxed in their post orgasmic haze. Rusty said, "We need to get up and show Jill and Janet around before lunch." "Donna, How much time before lunch?" "About an hour?" "Wow we've been here longer than I thought. Okay let's go to the exercise room and show Jill and Janet how to use the exercise bench and let their milk down. After that we can take a shower before lunch." When they got up, Sally and Terry put Jill and Janet's shoes on them. Then took them down to the group exercise/milk room. Jill and Janet picked up on the equipment quickly, as what they had viewed as a dream was real. The exercise machines again pushed Sarah, Rusty, Sally and Terry to greater efforts. In the communal shower they took time to let Jill and Janet explore their enhanced bodies and those of their friends. Jill and Janet were pleased and somewhat excited with the changes. They especially liked the idea of being nearly as tall as everyone else. Although they previously had worn their hair short, the bountiful long hair pleased them especially once they were told how easy it was to take care of. As they were talking about their hair, Terry commented about it never being in the way. They all nodded in agreement with the observation. After they dried off they showed Jill and Janet their communal bedroom and other parts of this portion of the house. By then it was time for lunch and went to the dining room. On the way, they talked about showing Jill and Janet around the facility. Since Judy and Joyce would wake shortly after lunch it seemed the best choice was to wait until after that event. Everyone nodded in agreement. When everyone had arrived for lunch, Rusty clapped his hands to get everyone's attention and then introduced Jill and Janet to the group. Sarah led their group through the lunch buffet and over to one of the larger tables. As soon as they sat down Alison brought the group over with their lunch. Bob and Nancy came over and greeted Jill and Janet. Alice and Susan soon came over as well. The hugs and kisses went on for some time. Bob saw Rusty motion him over. Bob, Sarah and Rusty took turns asking each one of Alison's group what kind of work they did and what schooling they had. All had completed or nearly completed a college degree. Most had been lured to Sylvia's with the promise of a short term very high paying job. Several were just taken to Sylvia's. Between them they had 5 computer science majors, 2 engineers and 2 teachers. Looking around the table, he realized he didn't know Jill or Janet's background either. They turned out to both be teachers and had actually taught for a couple of years before moving in with Alice and Judy. Rusty told the group that Bob and he had a project to try and improve the computer resources on site and also improve site security. We won't start in earnest for a couple of days or perhaps next week, which will give all of you an opportunity to have your physicals. Once your health issues are resolved, we will ask the computer science majors for assistance. As with everything else here it is your decision whether to take part in the project. For the others, there will be other projects coming up that we can use your talents. "From what Amy and Jim have said there will be opportunities for all of you to contribute to our settlement if you want too while your are here," said Sarah as they got up to leave. "We hope that you will." ------- Chapter 33 When they entered Joyce and Janet's room, they found them spooned together with Judy holding Joyce. The changes both had undergone were apparent however the features that made them Judy and Joyce were undiminished. Rusty and Sarah went to lay down each side of them. Terry and Sally placed Jill and Janet next to Rusty and Sarah then laid down bracketing their loves. The bed was barely wide enough for the eight of them. "Joyce, Judy this is Sarah can you hear me." "Yes. I can feel Rusty, Sally, Janet, Jill and Terry as well," said Joyce and Judy in unison. "Is this a dream?" "No, it isn't. We are exchanging our thoughts telepathically. All eight of us including both of you can now communicate that way. You will wake in a short while and we are here to be with you when you do. Many things have changed since we last talked or saw one another. Before you fully wake, we have some information we would like to share with you. You have been in a medicated sleep like we were until a few days ago. This was so your bodies could adjust to the changes in them. We have changed the same way and we like them. We suspect you will like them as well." "Okay, but this is so strange," said Judy. "All my training tells me this is not possible." "Judy ever since Rusty and I have known one another we were able to mind link or share thoughts telepathically. Sally and Terry could sometimes see our thoughts, but attributed their vision to being intuition. When we lived together at Nancy's, we could see their thoughts but only looked when they asked us too." Sally and Terry then spoke as one telling, Judy that Sarah's comments were true about their belief then, but now they know differently. "Right now you can hear whispering in addition to me. Correct?" Said Sarah. "Yes." "Let me show you how to adjust your telepathic abilities to limit your connections. Rusty is here with me and will help, is that okay?" "Okay," said Judy and Joyce. "Now do you see a spot in your mind when I send you thoughts." "Yes." "Now Rusty will send each of you a thought followed by Sally, Jill, Janet and Terry." "Okay, I see them." "Sally, Jill, Janet and Terry will just observe while I show you the rest. As we all are a little different, we will start with Judy." Judy and Joyce followed the guidance they were given and soon had adjusted their telepathic ability. "Wow, that is much better," they said. "Your thoughts are much clearer to us now." "Good. Now let's give you a tour of your minds, all of ours are very similar in their layout. As you become more comfortable with this you can make changes to the different connections, but they must be done very carefully. Any of us would be glad to assist you." "First this is the area that makes telepathic thought possible. If you increase the energy supply to this area, it will make this ability stronger. It is like turning up the volume. You can increase the energy supply by enlarging this. Now, increase the supply slowly until if feels comfortable." They all watched the area in both increase in brightness and then stabilize. "That feels good," said Judy and Joyce "at that level." "Okay." "The connection is even better now. Wow. I (we) like this." "Now next let's show you how to manage your mind connections. This is important to keep from being mentally attacked. During a mental attack a person tries to take control of your mind. Once they have control they can rearrange your mind connections turning you into anything they want or cause you to die." "Oh. My." "This is how you do it." Sarah showed the two of them how to set up mind shields. "Do you have it working?" "Good. We can test it later after you two are fully awake." "Yes. The background thoughts have disappeared completely. Oh, my we can see all of you as well as hear your thoughts." "While we are looking at how our minds work, let us point out some things we have found. Sarah and Rusty showed all where the different mind functions were located that they had found. Once they saw they it was easy to see how to make adjustments." "Now there have been some changes around us and to us as I mentioned earlier. Rusty and I would like to share our thoughts and what we have been told about the changes to us. Okay?" "Yes, I guess but I think we already know part of them as we have been hearing conversations recently like we hear you now, we thought they were dreams. Now it seems they were real. In the visions we have of you now, each of you seem different but still we know its you." "Let me play back a few memories for both of you." Sarah replayed her memories of her and Rusty meeting Donna then with Amy's clan, then those from last night. "Both of you can look at my other memories, this is how you can do that. Each of us can control to some extent what memories are open and those that are not. You can tell when something is hidden. Even though we can, we don't consider it friendly to pry into another's memories or mind without their permission. The members of Amy's crew, Ann's group and us are all telepathic, but not all in the other group is as far as we can tell. As a telepath you can see or feel when someone is connecting to you, it can be hard to identify the source if you don't recognize the person." "Your memory showed us a view of you in the mirror. Is that really you? Do we really have tails?" Her thoughts showed her amazement. "Yes its really me, and yes the eight of us have tails. Are you ready to wake?" "Oh yes." And they slowly opened their eyes. Joyce leaned forward and kissed Sarah hugging her tight and began to cry. Judy turned to kiss Rusty and hold each other for a long moment. They then turned and kissed each other. Joyce still had tears running down her face from her joy at seeing her loves again. She had been apprehensive about the multiple partner relationship before this but now she knew that where she belonged was with them, even with the additional people in their group she loved them all. Joyce pulled Sally to her and kissed her deeply then climbed over the others to greet Terry and then the others. Their kisses spoke volumes of the love they felt for their friends. The kisses they shared with each other added to their growing arousal. Joyce and Judy were surprised at how quickly their passions rose. Judy wasn't sure what was driving the intense need to hold and fondle the members of this group. Joyce and Judy focused their attention to a slightly greater degree on Sarah and Rusty, than the rest. This was more of a result from them being the center of attention than anything else. Joyce and Judy were amazed at the effect telepathic connection on the feelings of love and caring expressed by and between their friends. It felts so good. As, they kissed, caressed each other each contact seemed to build the connection between all of them and drive their arousal. Their arousal built until Joyce rolled on top of Rusty's, placing his cock to the entrance of her cunt she dropped down on it driving it deep in her. The intense sensation of his cock sliding into her caused her to orgasm which radiated out to her friends, through their link enhancing their arousal. She began lever her self up and down on his cock pulling up until the head was just inside her cunt, then dropping to feel it ripple and pull at her cunt and vaginal passage way finally slamming her clit into him. Her intense need combined with their high arousal resulted in both coming after only a few strokes. Everyone in the link felt her intense orgasm triggering a small one in themselves. Rusty sprayed her cunt with hot cream filling her fuller than she could remember. She screamed and collapsed on his chest, shivering from the after effects of her orgasm. Sarah and Sally eased Joyce off of Rusty's still hard cock laying her on her back with the intent to suck the cum from her cunt. Sally straddled Joyce and began to lick her cunt. Sarah moved between her legs as the two of them together licked her clean and catching any cream that leaked from her cunt. Jill caressed Joyce's face as she laid their catching her breath. Judy, Janet and Terry had been caressing each other until they saw Rusty's cock standing hard and wet. Judy twisted around, as she kissed Terry, while placing her cunt over his cock. Pulling Terry up by refusing to break their kiss. Reaching down she pressed his cock to the mouth of her cunt and slowly slid down it. She shivered as it filled her vaginal passage way until it pressed against her cervix. It shocked her to feel it pressing against her cervix, because of her training she knew it was not normally possible. The warmth and contact did add to her arousal, and the thought of it not being possible quickly drifted away. Judy and Terry finally broke their kiss. Judy began to fuck herself on Rusty's cock. Terry and Janet licked and kissed down her neck. When they reached Judy's swollen nipples, they caressed her nipples with their tongue before drawing the nipple into their mouths. Judy's milk flowed into their mouths. They swallowed her milk and continued to lick and suck her tits as they caressed her body. "Oh, my I'm lactating," thought Judy as she felt the milk flow from her tits into her loves mouths. Judy was moaning as the waves orgasms rippled through her. As her arousal grew so did the rhythm of their fucking. Soon Judy's orgasmic bliss reached a crescendo, triggering Rusty climax flooding her cunt with hot cream. Judy went limp and started to fall forward. Rusty caught her as Terry and Janet helped roll her to the side of Rusty on to her back. Janet straddled Judy pulling her hips up to keep the cream from leaking out. Terry and her proceeded to lick up Judy and Rusty's spending's from her cunt. Once all traces were removed, Janet clamped her mouth over Judy's cunt and rolled Judy on top of her so the cream would drain into her mouth as she sucked and licked Judy's cunt. Janet then pulled Terry down to kiss and share the combined cum with her. Sarah seeing Rusty's wet cock and balls moved over to clean him up with her mouth. He pulled her around so he could lick her cunt. The two orally caressed each other through another orgasmic release, making sure to share the feelings with their partners. They laid their and relaxed in their post orgasmic haze. Rusty said, "We need to get up and show Judy and Joyce around before dinner." "Donna, How much time before dinner?" "About two hours?" "Okay let's take a quick shower then show everyone around the facility by then it will be about time to go to the exercise room so all of you can let your milk down. Then Judy and Joyce can be shown how to use the exercise bench while they let their milk down. After that we can take a shower before dinner." "You know I never thought much about it before, but it makes me feel very good to know that I will carry Rusty's babies," said Judy. "We all feel that way," the women chorused back to her. Judy blushed as she realized what she implied. "We knew what you meant," they continued "as we could sense your feelings and intent as well." When they got up, Sally and Terry put Judy and Joyce's shoes on them. The group then left for a tour of the facilities after quickly rinsing off. Jill, Janet, Judy and Joyce were amazed at what they saw. Ann's group had been very busy and with Donna's assistance had most of their farm items there. When they went out on the patio, they could see quite a few people swimming. Next they went to the barn where Jean's group was staying. There they found Jean, Alison and Erin talking. Both Alison and Erin beamed when they saw the group come up. Alison jumped up and hugged Sarah. Then turned to Rusty and hugged him. Alison then kissed the others. When she got to Judy and Joyce, she introduced herself and kissed them both. "You guys are such a lovely group." She exclaimed. "I am, oops we are so fortunate you rescued us. Thank you." Rusty told Judy and Joyce that this is a portion of the group that escaped the butchering at Sylvia's farm. Luckily we found them and were able to bring them back here. Amy's medical team is scheduled to give them physicals shortly to find out what genetic virus treatments they have had and what needs to be corrected. "Betsy told us after lunch that she thought she could start tomorrow after breakfast. She is going to bring two more people down to help out." Contributed Jean. "Is that why your so happy Alison?" Asked Sarah. "Yes in part. The three of us were just discussing what we thought our options would turn out to be, and how best to deal with them. Even in the worst case, I feel I'm a hundred times better off than I was several days ago. I think the walk helped me sort out some things in my mind and what you and Rusty did for me is beyond belief after my actions. Thank you again." "We are showing our four newly arrived group members around so we will see you at dinner. Okay? By the way have you seen Nancy?" "After lunch I saw her, Bob, Alice and Susan go with Ann and Sam some place." "There here," said Joyce and Judy together. "Yes I thought you saw that when you looked at my memory." "Hmm. Yes I did but it didn't register," said Joyce. "Me too" said Judy. "You really gave us a lot of information in that short time. It was so much I thought I was the little boy in 'Flight of the Navigator'." "Sorry. I am not sure I told you but feel free to look again," said Sarah. Rusty and the others nodded indicating they were included as well. They walked down through the house showing them the computer room, library and the room Sally planned on using for martial arts workouts. They passed by the office, conference room, entertainment room and great room on the way to their area. Judy asked where the restrooms were. They had just reached the exercise room so Terry led them into the adjacent communal bath area. Judy looked around for a stool overlooking the backless ones sitting near the wall. It registered when Sally went over to use one herself. Judy and Joyce looked amazed as Sally sat down and her tail draped over the edge. They had forgotten about the tail but nature was pushing Judy so she copied Sally's actions to use another stool. Sarah led the rest into the group exercise/milk room and were soon joined by Sally and Judy. Joyce and Judy picked up on the equipment quickly, as what they had viewed as a dream was now real. The exercise machines again pushed Sarah, Rusty, Sally and Terry to greater efforts. In the communal shower they took time to let Judy and Joyce explore their enhanced bodies and those of their friends. Judy and Joyce were pleased and somewhat excited with the changes. Joyce especially liked the idea that she was as tall as everyone else. Although both her and Judy had previously had worn their hair short, the bountiful long hair pleased them especially once they were told how easy it was to take care of. As they were talking about their hair, Terry commented about it never being in the way. They all nodded in agreement with the observation. After they dried off they showed Jill and Janet their communal bedroom and other parts of this portion of the house. By then it was time for dinner and went to the dining room. On the way, Sarah noted that after dinner the whole group would have a discussion on how they were going to try and arrange things. As they reached the dining area, Joyce saw her parents on the other side of the room. She asked Sarah and Sally if they would walk over to them so she could follow in their shadow. Judy said, "Neat idea, Terry can you walk by them so I can hide too." Terry eased in front with the others trailing as they eased over to the others. Fortunately Nancy and Alice were standing side by side, deeply engrossed in conversation. Just as they got there, Nancy looked up and saw Sarah. She smiled, as she returned to her conversation. Just as they arrived Terry and Sally moved apart to let Judy and Joyce surprise Nancy and Alice. Joyce said very softly, "Hi mom." Nancy turned and screamed as she gathered her daughter in her arms. Another scream was heard from Alice as she saw Judy. The two couples hugged and cried in happiness at being together again. The screams brought Amy, Jim and Erica running to the dinning room. There had been several troubling events this afternoon and this just added to it. They were quite relieved when they saw the cause. Sarah and Rusty immediately picked up on the festering concerns of Amy, Jim and Erica. "You all look concerned." "Yes we are, but we don't think there is any eminent threat to us." "You can look through my memories of today. That will bring you up to date on our concerns," said Erica. "We can wait till tomorrow to discuss." They looked at her questioningly. "You will understand when you review the memories." "Jim, Amy, tonight we need to ask everyone to tell us a little about themselves. What they did before, what schooling they had and other similar items. We had a chat with Alison, Tara and Erin at lunch. It looks like they could help us with some of the computer resource issues and perhaps help with the surveillance system." "Okay. Good idea." By this time, things had quieted down and everyone had arrived for dinner, Rusty clapped his hands to get everyone's attention and then introduced Judy and Joyce to the group. He noted that Joyce was Nancy and Bob's daughter. Sarah led their group through the dinner buffet and over to one of the larger tables. As soon as they sat down Alison, Tara and Erica joined them. They were quickly followed by Nancy, Bob, Alice and Susan. Sarah noticed Stan and Julia join the table with Jean's group along with some of Amy's group. Sarah said to Rusty, "It looks like the groups are mingling well." "Yes. I suspect with time the differences between the groups will lessen. My only concern at the moment is are there sufficient men for the family groups. Amy and Betsy have kind of alluded to a society where females out number males by a substantial number." Joyce was sitting between her mother and Sarah. Joyce and Judy quizzed Nancy and Bob on what had happened since they had disappeared. Nancy told them of the shock and then the healing when Alice and Susan joined them. It seemed like the dynamics of the group helped ease their individual pain. Adam had entered service and had just entered special forces training. It looked like he would be the communications member of a team. After they finished eating, they sat and chatted about the days events. Both Alison and Tara expressed more interest in the idea Rusty had presented at lunch. They told Rusty that they thought there were others there with similar skills. Rusty looked at them questioningly. They indicated they had picked that up in their conversations today with others as every body had quite a bit of free time. A portion of getting to know one another came from talking about where they had been before being forced into being breeders. Joyce told Nancy and Bob she planned on staying with Sarah, Rusty, Terry, Sally and who ever else joins the group. She feels very happy to be part of Sarah's group now and has in many ways yearned to be a part for a long time. It is especially strong now that we can share thoughts. But this would not change her love for them and was certain they would always feel very close. Judy admitted to feeling much the same way but was still adjusting to all the changes. She hopes Alice and Susan would not be hurt by her staying with Sarah and Rusty's group. Jill and Janet concur with Judy's comments. Adding that the three of us had always felt very close to Sarah when she stayed with us several years ago. Nancy tells them she is very happy for them and she loves all of them very much. She hoped their friendship and love would continue to grow between all of them. Alice told the group that she wanted them to be happy and knew that they would be extremely close friends forever. I would hope that all of us can often find the time to cuddle. Everyone nodded in agreement with her statement. Sarah's group sent feelings of love and appreciation to Alice and Nancy. "I expect our two groups to be very close," said Sarah. "Our intimate group could possibly grow to include all six groups. Whether Nancy, Bob, Alice, Susan, Julia and Stan choose stay or not will not effect the closeness of our two groups. I think we will always be very close. Right Nancy?" "Yes I agree," said Nancy causing everyone to laugh. She looked around and then realized, Sarah had asked the question mentally. Then she looked amazed as she realized Sarah had spoken to her mentally and how easily she just responded. She was aware of her telepathic attributes, but like Julia had not used them very much. ------- Amy and Jim called for everyone's attention. "We would like for you to take your dishes in so clean up can be done later. Then come back out here so we can talk about organizing ourselves and deal with any questions that have come up today." While everyone was getting settled, Betsy went around and told all of those in Jean's group that the physicals would begin in the morning immediately after breakfast. Sarah and Rusty saw what Betsy was doing. They looked at one another and smiled. Jim began by talking about living arrangements and the results of discussions today. "Over the next several days a house would be constructed similar in appearance to the one Ann's group left behind. It will be attached to the rest of the buildings with a covered walkway." "Once Ann's group has moved into the house Jean and Andy's group will move to that area for their use as long as they are here. It will be set up with a large common sleeping area and individual rooms for ten people. The rest room facilities in each area will be communal as will be the exercise/milking area. The single bedrooms will be left for individual use and any children." "Another new addition will be added to provide for Nancy's group while they are here. It will be at the other end of the main building and will also be attached to the main building with a covered walkway. The layout will be similar to that for Jean's area." "It is apparent everyone enjoys this patio and pool area. So to make it available regardless of weather, it will be covered once all the other work is completed. It will be unique to you in that it will not feel covered and appear to be quite natural. The biggest difference you will notice, that the temperature will always be in the comfort range." "The kitchen and dinning room will be enlarged to accommodate all of us as well as future growth. The kitchen will be equipped to cook for the larger group much like a hotel kitchen. The larger dining room will take in a portion of the patio, so the patio will be extended to maintain its size." "Are there any comments?" Bob said, "A just how are you going to do that miracle. You just talked about at least 2 years or more of normal construction work." There were several chuckles. "We can use construction drones to do the work. For all appearances, the construction will appear similar to what you are use to seeing but it is made differently. It will also be much stronger than even the original buildings. Donna is working on finalizing the drawings now, so the drones should be able to start in the morning." "Hmm... Can we use them when we begin to put the sensors out for the security net? " Asked Bob. Amy nodded yes as did Jim. "Last night," began Amy, "we went around and introduced our selves. Tonight we would like to do something similar. We would like everyone to tell us their name again, although we most likely know it and then a short talk about your back ground, including schooling, what you did before and etc. Let's take a few minutes for us to get our thoughts together then we will start." "Okay, let's start with Sarah," said Amy after a short wait. Sarah told everyone about where she grew up, her major in college, dancing in clubs and real estate sales. Her openness about her background was subtle encouragement to the rest of her group to do the same thing. She talked about her telepathy and how it has grown since she has been here. The rest of her group then told about themselves. As they talked their openness was readily apparent. Each shared their backgrounds in similar detail to Sarah. They were all sure to talk about their telepathic abilities and how close it has brought all of them together. Each expressed their view of their groups growing relationship which turned out to all be the same just expressed in different ways. Each of the other groups members then shared their backgrounds including their educations. Ann's group noted that they all had some telepathic capabilities. They were all pregnant and each felt they were carrying two sets of twins. The pregnancies were all between 1 and 2 months along. In all cases, they were sure that each would have three girls and one boy. A number of the audience gasp at the firmness with which they shared the information about their growing family. Each of Jean and Andy's group shared their backgrounds and how they ended up at Sylvia's. Several had initially contracted to go there believing it was a remote assignment at a large salary. Most had been taken there against their will. Everyone expressed relief at not being at Sylvia's farm any longer. Several admitted to possibly having some telepathic ability although each indicated they had never put much store in what they saw as intuition. Several of those carrying babies were concerned about their health and the health of the babies they were carrying due to the treatments given to them. They also expressed concern with what would happen to them and the babies now. Amy and Betsy quickly reassured everyone that they were individuals and would decide for them selves what their future would be. They suggested they could discuss their options with anyone they wished too once their physicals were complete. The decision was theirs! The women relaxed a bit after hearing the reassurance. Betsy told them their babies should be fine, and if there were problems she was sure they could be treated so they would grow to their full potential. Nancy began for her group. She indicated that she thought everyone should be familiar with their backgrounds even thought they only planned to be here a few months. Each of them then told about their background and how they were connected to the people in Sarah's group. Susan had the most difficult time, as she told about how she was duped into attacking Alice and Sarah a long time ago. She felt forever grateful that they had then turned around and brought her into their warm loving relationship. About nine months after attacking Alice and Sarah, she had given birth to 4 babies. She gave them up for adoption to some friends of Alice's as she did not think the clinic where she lived with Alice, Judy, Jill and Janet would be a good place to raise them. She still sees them in social settings from time to time. They are doing very well in their loving environment, and while it hurts a bit she feels they have an opportunity she wouldn't be able to give them. She loves them from afar, knows they are loved and many have benefited from her giving part of herself. As she stopped talking, her eyes teared up. Alice, Julia and Nancy gathered her into their loving arms, hugging her close to them. Their wasn't a dry eye in the group. Alison, Erin and Tara stood. Holding hands, they thanked Susan for her comments regarding the giving of herself to make others happy as both of them would need to decide the direction they would take with their babies. Erin is due in about a month maybe sooner and Tara is due about a month later. Jean and Andy stood with them and the rest of the women gathered with their arms linked. Jean said, "I think everyone will agree with me in what I am about to say. We will do everything we can to help you all while we are here. Some if not all of us will, I think, want to stay, but it will be a while before we can decide. In the meantime, just ask and we will do anything to help out. Sarah, Rusty, Erica no words can thank you enough for your contribution to us being here today." With that all of them, bowed toward them. With that Rusty stood up saying, "Oh you will have a chance to help. Donna has some issues with adequate resources. Over the next couple of weeks Bob and I will be looking for assistance to resolve these problems with her resources and logic circuits. When all of you have your physicals, be sure to tell Betsy everything you know about yourself including any of those capabilities or uncanny intuition you have alluded to tonight." "This has taken much longer than we expected," said Amy as Jim nodded. "Thank all of you for your candor. We should all now get some sleep as tomorrow will be here before long. Good night and sleep well." ------- "As they walked back to their quarters, Judy asked, "Can we go on a picnic tomorrow? Just us." "Yes. I don't see why not. What did you have in mind?" Said Rusty. "Well I think all eight of us should sit down together where there won't be any interruptions to discuss us. First, I love all of you. I have some reservations about our situation as there appear to be some inconsistencies between what we have been told and comments made at the group meeting. Considering how we arrived here and the associated uncertainties, we should be sure of each other and the constraints of our relationship. I can see the strong bond between Sarah, Rusty, Terry and Sally. I think I would like to expedite the growth in the bonding between me and the rest of you. My vision indicates we all feel the same way about each other. For now I would feel more comfortable if we can verbalize our views and feelings without any distractions." "We have grown a lot in just the short time you have been awake." "Yes, I agree. But if we spent a whole day together away from distractions, I feel our bond would grow dramatically. I also sense, we will need the maximize strength of our bond. I don't know the time frame but I do feel its importance. You feel it too, don't you Sarah, Rusty." "Yes we do. That is the most you have expressed at one time over this link." "Yes, because I am growing more comfortable with it. I have been watching the four of you communicate all afternoon and evening and I don't think you know your doing it." "Hmmm... That could be the four responded as one. Did the rest of you feel something tell us Judy is right?" "Yes." On reaching their room, they quickly prepared for bed. Once everyone was in bed, they spent some time expressing their love for one another. They began by concentrating on the person nearest them by caressing with their hands and kisses. Sarah and Judy focused their efforts on Rusty and Joyce. They each took turns on Rusty's cock making sure that he came in each of them as he licked which ever cunt was placed over his mouth. With their mental link, they could feel the sensations of each other magnifying their own arousal and excitement. By the time each had experienced several orgasms, they felt exhausted and very close to each other. They dozed off relaxed in the warmth of their loves. The next morning Rusty woke first feeling warmth on his cock. Opening his eyes and looking down he saw Jill and Janet taking turns caressing his cock and balls with their tongues. Looking around he could see everyone had shifted a bit from where they went to sleep. He reached down and caressed their heads. He motioned for Janet to turn. She moved carefully to keep from waking the others so she laid along side of him. He pulled her up on top of him. Then pulled her cunt so he could lick and caress her cunt with his tongue. She shivered as she felt his tongue on her swollen cunt lips. Her exposed clit rubbed on his chin as he caressed her cunt. He reached up with his hands and caressed her milk laden tits. He nibbled her clit causing her shiver through a small orgasm. Janet raised up pressing her cunt more fully to Rusty's mouth as Jill straddled his cock. Placing his cock head between the folds of her labia, she slid it back and forth through her large wet swollen labia. The precum to leaking from his cock added to the pool of cum collecting on her labia. She shivered with arousal. She slid the cock head to the mouth of her cunt. Slowly dropping down forcing the head deep into her hot wet cunt. She shivered through several orgasms as it slid deeper into her. Janet leaned forward and began to nurse at her swollen nipples. The sucking on her nipples and the large hot cock sliding deep in her cunt caused an ever increasing rise in her arousal. When she had the cock fully embedded in her sheath, she began to flex the muscles of her sheath to milk the cum from his balls. Rusty felt Jill's working her cunt sheath to stroke his cock. He reached down and found both of their large clits. Wetting his fingers from their cunts juice, he began to strum their clits with his fingers. Janet filled her mouth with milk and then raised to kiss Jill. As their lips met, she opened her mouth to share the milk in her mouth. Both were so aroused they were having difficulty caressing each other or Rusty. Jill felt his cock swell and become hotter. She moaned into Janet's mouth. Their mind link tied their arousal together. Both were breathing heavily through their noses, their mouths locked together as they swallowed the warm sweet milk. Rusty's hot cum shot into Jill's cunt driving her to the final crest of her orgasm. Hers triggered Janet's to cum, spraying Rusty's face with a shower of cum. There was so much he had difficulty in drinking in fast enough to keep from choking. Jill and Janet collapsed into each others arms and relaxed on top of Rusty trapping him. Janet's cunt was covering Rusty's mouth and nose to the point he had difficulty breathing. Rusty struggling for breath triggered an alarm in Jill and Janet's mind breaking through the sexual daze. Jill pulled Janet toward her easing her cunt off Rusty's nose and mouth. Rusty's gasped for breath. Jill started to move and felt Rusty's cock still nearly hard within her sheath. She flexed her sheath and felt it swell. "His cock is still hard do you want to keep it warm?" "Yes." "Jill hold your cunt closed when you get off so you don't drip. Then lay down on your back so Judy and I can lick you clean said Joyce." Jill quickly moved off of his cock and was immediately replaced by Janet. While Janet enjoyed the feeling of being stuffed with Rusty's cock, Joyce and Judy cleaned Jill with their mouths. It did not take Janet long to bring Rusty and herself to another orgasm. With only Janet to focus on Rusty was able to caress and stroke her as she milked his cock. She managed to cause her labia to tense and relax so they caressed his balls adding to his arousal. His cock soon swelled further filling her cunt. Then it sprayed hot cum deep in her cunt triggering her orgasm. The intensity caused her to collapse forward onto him. They laid there for a few minutes enjoying the after glow. Rusty roll her over and we will lick her clean too. Okay. He rolled Janet over bumping Sarah. He slowly pulled out. His cock was still semi swollen. As soon as his cock head passed the mouth of her cunt, cum began to stream from it. Joyce quickly covered with her mouth and began to suck the cum from Janet. While Judy licked Rusty's cock clean. Her caresses with her mouth kept him semi hard. "Now I know why I had the dreams I did just before I woke up," said Sarah. "If it wasn't so close to breakfast, I would start the next round." Just then Rusty's stomach growled as did several others, causing chuckles. Sarah, Judy and Rusty got up and headed for the exercise room. They had just started their exercising and letting their milk down when the rest came in to the room. The exercise regime pushed Rusty, Terry, Sarah and Sally but not nearly as hard as it did previously. They were soon done and showered. As they made their way to breakfast, they discussed the picnic. They decided to put together a lunch and leave shortly after breakfast with the intent of being back by mid afternoon. At breakfast, Rusty told Jim and Amy of their plans for the day. Jim and Amy had hoped to get started on the security and computer issues. Rusty explained their reasons for needing to do this and thought that although it would delay some things it should benefit them in the long run. They decided to have Bob, Stan and Erica begin planning the security monitoring for both the estate area and the perimeter of the valley. The construction drones would start the house for Ann's group. ------- Chapter 34 Rusty, Sarah with the rest of their group walked down the trail with Sarah leading. The air was comfortable. They chatted a bit, but mostly just looked around enjoying the quiet of the forest. At the 'y' in the trail Sarah veered toward the smaller trail with everyone following her lead. The trail drifted down a small incline and through a cut in the rocks. Soon they arrived at a small meadow of a small canyon. On one side of the meadow was a pond, that was filled by a waterfall. A small stream ran from the pond along the edge of the field disappearing at the far end of the field. Sally said, "This is beautiful. Let's spend the day here." Everyone nodded yes. They spread their ground cover adjacent to the pond. They had walked nearly two hours before reaching this spot. It was the furthest they had walked at one time since the changes to their feet. Only Judy noted the event. They sat down to listen to the wind and the water splashing into the pond. It was very soothing. While enjoying the sounds, they shifted around as if to get more comfortable. Before long they were in a circle facing each other. Each person was physically touching their nearest neighbor. Breaking the silence Sarah asked, "Judy you seemed to have some concerns about our situation last evening?" "Yes, I do. Some of the things we have been told don't seem to be consistent. The very fact I'm concerned makes me feel ungrateful to Amy's group. I inherently know they are telling us the truth about what has happened. Knowing there are some differences between what Donna told you to begin with and what Betsy has been saying now puzzles me." "For instance, the degree of bonding seems to be different for other groups than what we were told was the case for our group. The other is the genetic virus seems to have been used differently on us compared to the others from comments she made. The degree of covering permitted seems to vary depending on group." "Why not ask Betsy?" "Well I wasn't sure, I was understanding everything. If I put myself in their position and based on what their tests told them when we arrived, I believe I would have chose a similar treatment path for us. That aside, do the rest of you see the inconsistencies?" "Yes," said Sally. "But they didn't bother me because I attributed the differences to the fact Sylvia or someone else initiated some kind of pretreatments to us so it is not really a treatment they initiated." "That could be part of it. Do all of you think they are open with us about the situation and what has happened." Each nodded their head in agreement. "When Sally, Terry, Sarah, then later Joyce and I first got together," said Rusty, "I was very concerned about us being able to maintain a loving relationship. Two partner relationships are difficult for a lot of people. Three ways seldom last for long either. My concern was that I did not want to hurt them in any way. My love for each while somewhat different felt very precious to me. The thing I think helped us most was our commitment to say what we thought and try to express our feelings to one another without filtering our expressions. At that time not all of us could mind link like we can now. We had a few rough spots until all of us realized that expressing ourselves to each other was necessary to our bonding. We found the more we shared the more we cared and loved one another. One critical aspect of sharing is doing that without judging. Joyce I think just kind of gravitated to our group. If she was there we included her." "I loved their openness and the apparent love they showed for each other," said Joyce. "Once I realized I wanted to be a part of their circle of love, it took me some time to verbalize it. When I did, I was overwhelmed with the warmth of their love for me. I think I was partially telepathic then." She turned and kissed Terry on one side and then Sally on the other. The kisses made it all the way around the circle. "Each time we jointly hug, make love or just caress one another I always feel closer to the group afterward," said Terry. "Like just now. My mind link seems to become stronger every day as well. I also noticed our groups loving sessions whether it is active loving or just cuddling seems to bring us closer together as well." "I agree," said Janet and Jill together. "We experimented with that this morning with Rusty by observing our mind before we started and then again after word. We could see significant changes in each other and the individual connections to the rest of you." "Your are very observant group." They jumped at the sound of another voice. They were startled and looked around for someone else. It was only them there. The voice continued. "We haven't met yet but hopefully we will before long." "Who are you?" Responded Sarah. "I am from the same ship Amy and Jim are. I am an AI similar to Donna although with significantly more resources. Before we go further I ask that you not share our discussions here beyond your group. Okay?" They nodded somewhat apprehensively. "We will share the information in time, but it is important to keep it to ourselves for the immediate future. It will pose no harm to any of you." "First Jim, Amy, Erica, Connie and Betsy are not aware of the things I am about to share with you. In part because they don't have direct access to me because of system restrictions and for now there is not any way around it." "Your the one Rusty and I saw when we scanned the ship?" Said Sarah. "Yes. It is best that the rest do not know of me until some time in the near future. It could complicate some things. You know that there was an incident on the ship many years ago. It was not an accident as some think." "First before we start, even though I know what you told Amy's group, l must ask if any of you want to leave this place. It can easily be arranged now. Or if you just want to leave this group. I can see that you are returned you back to your community as well. But, several things can not be changed. In particular your physical changes. Your tail would need to be bobbed. But your bonding can be blocked. And the mind link would be reduced to the levels before you came here." "Take your time and consider the question before we go forward. After this it would be very difficult for any of you to return to your community and be as you were before. I will ask you in a minute if any of you want this. I suspect I know your answers, but you need to express them to me verbally." "But first let me tell you about what lies ahead for your group, your bonding will grow to the point you will be a single mind for most things but at the same time separate. You will not loose your individuality. You will gain the experiences of each other. You will be able to hear, see and sense through each others body as you need to as well as your own. You have experienced it in sexual settings and are beginning to experience it much more frequently now. Your ability and desire to have private thoughts or memories will disappear while you grow to have a common mind source. This will be knowledge not physical control of each others body." "The effect is that you will share your thoughts, love, memories and emotions all the time. It will not take away from your own feelings for yourself. Touching to share the love and emotions won't be necessary but very desirable to each of you. A touch or caress between any two will become a touch or caress between all or as many as you want." "All 8 of you will be about equal to each other in capabilities in several days maybe sooner. Once all of you reach the same level, your individual and group capabilities will grow more rapidly. And within a week or sooner your minds should be fully melded unless we stop it now." "It would benefit each of the women to conceive a pair of twins within in the next month." The women gasped. "Each of you can now control your own fertility without any medication. With this you will be able to stagger the births of your children or have them all within a short time." "As you progress through your pregnancies you will find your pisonic abilities will grow. Each of your will naturally be stronger in two or more abilities but your link will let you share your strengths. A couple of you will be strong in all of them. You will find when you link and combine your abilities they will be even stronger." "Is anyone hesitant about staying a part of the group?" Instantly all heads nodded no As a group they said, "We are committed to each other and will stay in the group. With our love for each other we bond our selves together for ever and ever. It is our desire to stay here as a group." With that response, each immediately saw each others mind more clearly. The emotions contained in their thoughts were more apparent. "I am glad you wish to stay together. We were very lucky to stumble across your group. Before you arrived, our plan to repopulate our ship was problematic. This is in part because Amy's group had not found any suitable individuals with telepathic and pisonic abilities to take the helm of the ship. Your group is already very strong in those aspects." "I will leave you in a few minutes to enjoy your day relaxing and bonding. First you will probably have several others who wish to join your group. Alison would be a good candidate, but as with any new member of your group she has to fit with all of you. You will find several others to bring into your group. All you will know when it is time. There will be some others who want to join you but won't fit well. Your group is fortunate to have Rusty. He was not desirous of a multiple partner relationship, but he has the capacity to love each of you more than you can imagine." "It seems to me that Nancy's, Amy's and Jean's group will become very close to yours. Somewhat like and extended family or extremely good friends. It is possible for close groups to develop a cross group mind link much as you do within your groups. Note this is different than communication such as some of you have experienced with Amy, Jim, Erica and Betsy and is also different from what you have with each other." "Second if you need to talk to me just think of me as there is now a marker in your mind that will let me see the thought. If you do that, don't do it around the house, unless absolutely necessary." "Lastly in several months after each of you are pregnant please come back here for a day of relaxation. Let's make it four months from now. I will send you a message when it is time." "How does Donna relate to you?" Asked Rusty. "I had planned on avoiding that but before we can continue, you need to create a secret place in your mind. Both Sarah and Rusty know how to do it and can show the rest of you what is involved. Once you do that, I would like for all of you to place our discussions there even what has already been shared." Sarah said, 'Do you mean this?' "Yes." "Okay." Sarah then proceeded to show her loves how to create a memory vault that wasn't visible without an intensive look or exploration of someone's mind. "Donna is one of several subAI's that was on the ship. She is the only mobile one to survive the incident. This is because she was with Amy's group and the others in an isolated area of the mother ship. They were disconnected from the ship systems doing some training at the time. There are several departmental AI's that are in suspended status that maybe recovered and the knowledge database systems are functioning." "The incident was sparked by a rogue command, what I think you refer to as a virus, initiated an event which caused the ship to jump to light speed. There wasn't any preparation or verification of the path. The sequence it used was designed to cause several sub systems to overload. The subAI's tried to correct or compensate, but were destroyed in the process from the intended over load. This led to the people in hibernation losing the necessary support and dying. The jump was defined in length long enough to damage the engines so they would need repair before they could be used again. The jump to point was apparently selected at random and ended just outside your solar system." "Those of us who remained were fortunate that Donna along with Amy and Jim's input were able to indirectly control the ship. With time Donna, was able to gain control sufficiently for the ship to be stable and partially functioning. As she was the AI on an exploration ship, her AI capabilities are more flexible than a typical departmental AI. But, the damage was extensive although the ship main hull was not significantly breached." "The group that I worked with directly did not survive. In fact my analysis shows that they were one of the prime targets of the virus and some related hostile activity. So within some constraints, I can provide direction, resources and other things for Donna's group, but not to the extent I could if my counter parts were still alive. The five groups have done a considerable amount of repair to the ship. Amy's group came up with the plan that led us to reach out to earth for new crew members which has led us to your group and Ann's group." "Until I was able to link with you I was concerned whether we were just prolonging the agony. Now I think we may have a chance to survive." "So Donna is autonomous, but also dependent on you and the ship systems." "Yes Judy, that is a good approximation." "Why do you say prolong the agony?" "There are a growing number of systems that need maintenance. Donna's system is one. Donna and Amy's group could repair them but don't have the necessary knowledge to do it or capabilities. This is in part because I can not initiate the instructions without confirmation from the command group." "Oh my," said Sally. "You expect that we will become the command group." "Yes. Yours is the only group we have seen with that potential, but it will be your choice not ours." "How critical are the systems?" Asked Rusty. "Probably good for several years, depending on failure sequences. As this location is on earth, your survival would not be effected but those on the ship would be. Needless to say, you could loose Donna and related support." "What is the probability of success for the projects to help Donna that Amy and Jim asked of us?" Asked Rusty. "Actually pretty good for short term." "Short term." "Oops. Short term to us is decades in your terms." "I need to go and let you all enjoy your bonding time." "Before you go, let me ask two more questions," said Rusty. "If our abilities develop to the level needed will we be required to be the ships command staff." "No, absolutely not. You should know, every group that has excelled has been reluctant to accept command." "How will we know what to do as we have no training?" "Once the command staff accepts they will have access to all of my knowledge and those of any subAI's. This is the normal way." "Rusty and Sarah when your group starts working on solving some of Donna's resource issues, she will provide you with a learning session on how she functions. The group you have identified should have no problem helping her." "Okay. Thank you. You have given us much to consider," said Sally. They all said, "Yes you have." -- They sat and reviewed the information the voice had just given them. As they sat there Sarah reached to hold hands with both Rusty and Sally. Each in turn grasped the hand of their neighbor until they were all joined together with their hands. With that their closeness reached an new level, bonding their minds closer together. This new level of closeness gave them clearer views of each other yet again. All could feel each pair of hands. They marveled at the sensation of feeling 8 pairs of hands. "Oh now it all fits together," exclaimed Judy. "What fits together," they asked. "I have been worried about us being able to maintain our intimate and loving relationship for a long time. This has concerned me since shortly after I woke up here. Most of you know that Alice, Jill, Janet and I had a very close relationship at the club. It was not as close as we are now and we occasionally had problems. Those usually were the result of poor communication or misunderstandings." "Our group here should never have that problem, because we are mentally bound together. The more we share or open our selves up the stronger our group is because we get closer to being equal parts of us. That is equal in the sense of a jig saw puzzle. No that is not a good analogy." "How about this? Picture our group as being a body. Each portion brings a significant attribute to the body and also brings fundamental resources to it as well. In some ways the attributes compliment each other and some cases strengthen others." "For our group, we currently have eight contributors. Since we share all of our knowledge, each gains in capabilities. But we also are stronger in some abilities than other members of our family are, so their support then strengthens that ability. An ability could be anything, such as languages, martial arts, cooking, mechanics, medical and even pisonic abilities." "Judy, you have expressed what I have felt since Rusty and I woke up," said Sarah. "This was an excellent idea for us to come here. Our closeness has increased to such and extent I am not sure how it will increase more. I know it will and I am looking forward to it. Judy is right we will be equal contributors to the whole but not necessarily equal in all attributes. The abilities here that I can see are second sight, telekinesis, healing, and several others." "I am looking forward to a life full of happiness and joy with all you. But I also know that we will face many trials together. Each will strengthen us as we succeed in meeting those challenges." "We came out here to relax," said Rusty. "So let's do that. We will have plenty of time to explore or enhance our connections with one another." "Let's try out the pond and water fall. It looks very refreshing," said Terry. "Wait a minute, before we do that," said Sally. "We have the opportunity to evaluate how well we can run with our remodeled feet. So would everyone be willing to try it. I think we should do it with and without shoes. We need to assess our stamina too. So let's all do three laps around this field with our shoes on and then three without the shoes. Okay?" Everyone nodded agreement. Sally led off at a rapid pace. They each found they need run a little differently than they were use too, but soon sorted it out and easily caught up to Sally. After three laps they stopped and removed their shoes leaving them standing on the balls of their feet. "Okay, let's try it again," said Sally. She led off at a slow pace as they all tried to find a natural rhythm. The feel of each step was quite different as their heels did not touch the ground and it affected balance and stride. They quickly found that their modified feet gave them a longer stride without shoes. After three laps, everyone had adapted to running without shoes, but they all knew it would take much more practice before they had the same balance and agility as they did with shoes. "I think we will need to practice running bare foot until we get fairly good at it. Let's do a couple of more laps as none of us are breathing hard yet." She then took off at a fast trot. The group easily completed three more laps, with only slightly elevated breathing. "I think we need to see if Donna and Betsy can alter these shoes," said Judy. "After running in them, I think they would eventually cause us foot problems even just walking. I actually like running bare foot over using the shoes. In order for us to do that we will need more strength in our leg muscles. Our exercises should do that for us, especially if we walk more without our shoes. We will need to be careful not to strain our feet." "Good point. Let's talk to them when we get back. Each one of those laps were close to a mile, was anybody uncomfortable from a energy stand point?" "You mean I ran nine miles?" Asked Joyce. "Yes. Or at least pretty close to that." "Wow. I've never ran more than a mile before without being at least a little winded." Several others nodded in agreement. "I'm ready for the water now." Sally led them into the water barefoot. It was clear and cool. They splashed and played in the waist deep water. They found standing under the waterfall and letting the water cascade over them very refreshing. The water was cool but not uncomfortably cold. Judy and Joyce left the water first to begin arranging lunch. They slipped their shoes on before starting. They noticed after putting them on that their feet had not begun to ache as before when they went without shoes. As soon as they started preparing lunch the rest joined them. Ann had fixed them a nice lunch. "How did your feet feel before you put your shoes back on?" Asked Judy. "Mine ached a bit. Oh. Your right we were without shoes for quite a while. The last time I can remember standing for any length of time it hurt," said Terry. "Maybe we ought to try barefoot a little more often. That would help running," said Sally. "Yes it would help. But be very carefully and don't strain your feet," said Judy. "There are some very fragile bones your feet." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Walking barefoot will build up the muscles in your feet which will in turn make it easier to walk." Lunch left them drowsy so after cleaning up they laid down in the warmth of the sun. Soon they were all asleep. They were laying so every one was touching another. In only a few days it had become natural for them to touch at every opportunity. Sarah started to dream and as she did each of her family joined her in the dream. As the dream began, they saw 4 lions come out of the woods toward them. Several shuttered and started to wake, then relaxed as their actions showed they meant to protect them as they slept. As the dream continued they moved down a path before them leading back to the estate. The estate they saw as much different than when they left this morning. They realized it was sometime in the future. The dream path led them to a room where Sarah, Sally, Terry were standing in a tub with Judy and Joyce. All were obviously very pregnant. They watched as Sarah gasped and grunted. The strain very evident on her face. She did it several more times. Then Judy lifted her arms out of the water holding a baby. She handed it to Joyce as she reached down again bringing up another baby. The scene repeated several times until their were four babies laying on the blanket next to the tub. Sally and Terry were also obviously in labor too. The dream shifted away to the patio where they could see many children studying, playing games and swimming. All of the children looked very similar to them in features just smaller and younger. A number of them looked to be at least 5 years old. Several of the women who had said they were teachers were working with the children studying. They heard a boy and girl ask Nancy when their mommies and daddy would be back. She responded that Sarah and Rusty would be back in a few weeks along with the rest of your mommies. Good responded the kids and ran off. The dream shifted, another path opened before them and they moved down it. It led to a large door that opened as they approached. Entering they saw a large bright room. They saw images of themselves sitting close together looking in one direction. There was a look of awe on their faces. Turning to look in the same direction, they saw earth and its moon from some distance. This must be the command station on the ship, thought Sarah as she felt something nudge her hip. It broke the concentration of the dream. They all started to stir. Sarah felt a tongue caress her nipple and pushed it forward. She felt the lick again, but it felt different. She opened her eyes and shrieked waking everyone. A lion was licking her nipple causing it to leak milk to be licked off. Somewhat concerned she looked around. There were now 6 cats sitting next to them. Oh my. What now she thought? The others were waking and confirming with their eyes what she was seeing. She looked the cat in the eye and thought do you like my milk? "Yes," said a new voice with a deep rich tone. Sarah jumped at the voice. The others were wide awake now. Sarah decided to continue, "Would you like some more?" "Yes we would all like some. It is important for us to sample your milk, if you will let us. If you could put it in something we could drink it from that would be easier. I don't think we can suckle on your nipple very well." They all heard a small giggle. Looking at the lions face, it was clear who giggled. "Why did you come out after we dozed off?" "To be in a better position to protect your group while you slept." "Why not before we went to sleep?" "Because you could most likely defend yourselves when you are awake, but asleep you would be very vulnerable. Especially since you went on a special dream. Our master would be unhappy if any of you were hurt. You may not realize it but there are some on earth that would like to make a meal of you and your friends." "Oh, my," they said together. "Who is your master?" "Our masters are associated with the ship's master AI. The master AI doesn't know our masters but knows they are near." "Are you suggesting they are spirits or gods?" The lion paused for a while. "They tell me, they are a combination of your image. It would be best if you did not actively share this beyond your group for now." While they were talking Terry rummaged through the picnic stuff and found several breast pumps. "I am surprised we did not find these earlier," said Terry as she held them up. "Oh. I'm sorry I saw them earlier and forgot to mention them. I wasn't full then and it just slipped my mind," said Joyce. "But I'm certainly full now. All I need to do is touch them and milk runs out." As she said that she squeezed her breast and milk ran down her tit and side. A cat moved over slowly to her and began to lick it up. Several started to use the breast pumps to release their milk. "Sarah your nipples are more extended than most everyone else's, would you like to try something?" Asked Rusty. "It could be very embarrassing." "What?" "When you lean over you nipples elongate. I think if I stroke you nipple with my fingers like when I suck on them the milk will release." "Sure why not? It will relieve the pressure and make our friendly cats here happy." With that they purred. Sarah leaned over. Rusty placed a bowl under her tits. After some trial and error, found a technique to release a steady stream of milk from her tits with his fingers. Sarah was glad when it was done as it made her nipples quite sore. Judy said, "I wouldn't let your milk down that way very often as it could cause some nipple problems. I know Rusty was gentle, but it was not as gentle as sucking." "Oh, I won't they are really tender now." Once the milking was done, they divided up into six bowls so the cats could drink it. As soon as the milk was ready the cats began to drink. Each cat sampled each one of the bowls. Soon they were all empty and the cats carefully cleaned any remaining residue off their lips. "You know we need to head back soon as they are expecting us for dinner." Said Sally. Sarah sensing something from the cats asked, "Why did you want to taste our milk?" "We should have told you before hand, but by drinking your milk it gives us a bound with you that enhances our ability to protect your group. We are bound to Rusty through his bond with all of you. It could only transfer that way because we are bound to all of your group." "I wish you would have asked first." The lions bowed their heads and their faces showed sadness at the rebuke. "Look I wasn't scolding you. We are happy you want to protect us rather than eat us. I'm sure we would have accepted but we are a little sensitive about permission due a number of events in our lives." "Yes, we also know of those. You are right we should have asked but saw that you would accept so just went ahead." "Saw we would accept?" "Yes, for all of you we can anticipate your answers or conclusions to questions. We noticed immediately how you accepted us as we are, where most people would have either attacked us or run off screaming." "I thought about both for just the tiniest moments when I opened my eyes. But then I remembered seeing you here when the dream started." Terry said, "We need to be leaving for the estate, soon." "Okay let's gather our stuff up and pack it away. Are you guys coming with us?" "We would like too, but we know we may cause some commotion." With that everyone laughed. "Oh I expect so. There are cows, pigs and horses near the estate. I expect they will be most uncomfortable with your presence, but I think we would like for you to come with us. With that everyone acknowledged their agreement." "I don't think the other animals will be bothered by our presence. It would be helpful for us to meet everyone." With that they picked up the packs and headed off down the path to the estate. Alison met them on the path near the estate. As soon as she saw them she ran down to them throwing herself into Sarah's arms hugging her. She quickly made sure to give everyone else a hug. When she saw the 6 lions standing behind the group she shrieked. "Well Alison what are you waiting for they would like a hug too," said Sally. Alison stood there quivering and her mouth open. The lead lion walked up closer to her, stood putting a paw on Sally's shoulder and licked Alison face. Alison was so scared pee ran down her leg. Another lion came over as Alison just stood frozen in place. The lion licked her leg and cunt where she wet herself. "We didn't really mean to scare you." Said the voice. Looking at Sally. "Was that him?" "Yes. They are joining us as to assist our security team. We thought you would have noticed them as we were coming up the path. We know you've been waiting for us for some time now. Are you okay?" "I missed you all very much. How did you know? Besides, I had this uneasy feeling this morning like their was something seeking your group. And then this afternoon, I again had some uneasy feelings. So I guess I am not okay?" "Alison relax." Said Judy. "We are all here. Nothing has happened to us." "I'm sorry. I just feel a special bond to all of you, but I know, I need to wait for the physical to be completed first. It is so hard. I know what I would like to do. The path is clearer to me than any decision point I have ever reached before. It just seems to take so long." "So did Betsy's group start the physicals today." "Yes, but I was so antsy with you all being gone I asked to do it tomorrow." "So relax, we are back and don't plan on being gone again for a while. Okay?" "Alison if you would like I can stay with you for a while, if its okay with Sarah's group." Said lion 2. "Of course you can." Said the group. The lion stepped over and rubbed up against Alison. She reached down and hugged it. "Well guys it looks like we were dumped for a lion." Cracked Terry, causing everyone to laugh. Alison looked stunned until she realized they were kidding her. ------- Chapter 35 As they approached the estate, Sarah asked the lions to mix in with the group, as that would convey a better message than anything they could say. The looks on the faces of those on the patio was priceless as they watched Sarah's group arrive with the 6 lions mingling along among them like kittens. Ignoring the looks Sarah asked, "Donna, how long until dinner?" "You timed your return well. About an hour." "Good we have enough time to do our exercises and freshen up before dinner. By the way, would you tell Ann that we need will 6 plates with about a 10 or 12 pound raw steak on each for some new members of our enclave?" "Did I understand you to say a 10 to 12 pound raw steak on each plate." "Yes but roasts would work just as well. We have 6 new friends that prefer their meat raw and will most likely fit their diet quite well." "Okay." ------- With that they went to exercise, with Alison and the lions following. The exercise intensity increased for all of them. The increased level for Jill, Janet, Joyce and Judy was substantial, while it was just a slight increase for the rest. Once the exercises were completed they went off to the shower to clean up. Jill, Janet, Joyce and Judy needed assistance this time to the showers. They were soon on there way to dinner. Lion1 one asked "Sarah if they could have a tour after dinner as it would help them in an emergency." Sarah and Rusty nodded to one another. "Yes, we can do it on the way back to the patio. After dinner we have been having group discussions so we could introduce you there and do the tour afterward." "Are you limiting your thoughts to me?" Said Alison. "Yes I believe so." Rusty and Sally nodded yes. "We ask that you do not share what we have told you of the masters." Said lion1. "And we need to be sure and not allude to any of the other things that happened today." "Okay." Everyone nodded in agreement. Alison looked puzzled. "Alison have you learned to shield your thoughts and channel your mind link." She nodded yes. "For now you should limit the mind link to just us for the time being." "What about Erin and Tara? They have some active capability but I am not sure how much they use it. So they might notice." Lion1 said, "introduce us to them at dinner or right afterward. Okay?" "Yes." Just then they arrived at the dining room. Nancy was standing near the door, when they entered. She stepped up to Sarah and Rusty giving each a big hug and kiss. Alice came over and greeted Terry and Judy the same way. The rest of Nancy's group joined them as everyone took time to greet each other. While the greetings were taking place the lions were quietly checking out the surroundings and Nancy's group. Lion1 stood up putting its paw on Rusty's shoulder and gave Nancy a kiss as well startling her. She quickly recovered and hugged the lion causing him to purr. The commotion caused the other two groups to gather around. Surprisingly no one exhibited any fear of the lions but all were quite curious. Ann came out of the kitchen. "Well now I see why Sarah wanted 6 plates of raw steaks." Causing everyone to chuckle a bit. "Dinner is ready so as soon as the crowd will move away from the serving table we can set it up." Everyone moved to the patio while Ann and her helpers sat up the table. Sarah took the opportunity to introduce everyone to the lions. Just as she was finishing up Amy's group arrived. Amy shrieked when she saw the lions. Erica and Jim reached for their weapons. As they did one lion knocked Jim down and another gently grabbed Erica's arm holding it firmly in her mouth. Sarah said, "Easy everyone. These two are the site leaders and are from the ship." Just then Betsy and Connie arrived. "I think you will find that these 6 lions are very gentle and a little bit protective of us." Continued Sarah. "If you relax I am sure they will let you up." "We have never seen such big cats up close," said Amy. "Everything we read about your planet said they were dangerous to be around. But that is obviously not true in this case." "Oh. They are quite dangerous to anyone who would threaten us." "How did they come to be with you?" Asked Erica once she gained her voice back. The lion who had grabbed her arm was now rubbing against her leg. "After lunch we were tired and took a nap," said Sally. "When we woke up they were all sitting around us watching. We were a bit startled at first but their actions made it clear they were friendly. When we came back, they just came along with us." Ann called out, "The food is on the table. I'll set the lions plates out in a few minutes while the rest of you get your dinner." They all went to serve themselves. Several patted or stoked the lions heads as they went by. Rusty sat with Bob and Stan. Erica joined them shortly. As they ate they brought Rusty up to date on the security issues they had found while he was gone. As they talked he shared, the conversation with the rest of his group. Sarah sat with Betsy and Amy and was joined by the rest of the women in her group including Alison. "Amy you wouldn't believe the wonderful location we found today for our picnic," said Sarah. Everyone nodded their agreement. "In fact, we may want to go back again in the near future." "The time we spent together relaxing I think really brought all of us closer to each other." "That's good because Jim and I are worried about security," said Amy. "And I know Erica has not been sleeping well because of that." "We would like to know more about your culture and related items. Can Donna provide us with the history of your culture?" "Sure that shouldn't be a problem. We can set that up as a learning session like we did the other night." "For us to be effective at evaluating Donna's resource issues, we will all need to have access to her systems and their design criteria." Amy hesitated for just a moment, then said, "We can do that but we don't have some of the information, but we can give you access to what's available." "Can Donna provide both training sessions tonight?" "Okay. Who do you want to do this?" "Our group plus Alison, Erin and Tara." "But Alison hasn't had her physical yet. Erin and Tara just had theirs. So none of them have made a decision on what they want to do. Most importantly we don't know if they fit the criteria." Said Betsy. "Alison, tell them how you feel," said Sarah. "Start off verbal and switch to mind link." "I told Sarah's group today when they came back that I had really missed them," said Alison. "I told them I had not been able to concentrate with them gone and had postponed my physical because I was so distracted. I know I want to stay here. I would like to have the genetic virus treatment as soon as possible but don't want to hurt the babies I am carrying. And lastly, if they will have me I would like to join their group. I like Jean's group but feel much closer to Sarah's group." "Did Sarah put you up to that?" Asked Betsy. "Yes for the switching between verbal and 'mind-link'." Grinned Alison. "I would have done it on my own but she made the suggestion before I thought of it." "Okay. I agree that you've met a prime requirement. What about the other two?" "I don't know their plans, but they have mind link capability." "We know they have the capability, but noticed they haven't used it. In fact everyone in Jean's group has the capability but have not tried to use it." "I think Tara and Erin have used it to listen, and have attributed the result to intuition. It wouldn't surprise me if they were listening now." As she said the last she felt their connection to her. "Interesting thought." "Our society or race does not believe in 'mind-link' and has been vigorous in killing those who are capable as witches or more recently as having some kind of mentally illness." "Sarah I don't see any problem with including these three in the systems learning session." She paused for a moment and then said, "We will include Alison in the history portion as well." "Betsy," asked Alison, "can I be given the genetic virus treatment now or do I need to wait until the babies are born." "No you don't need to wait. However, the treatment will apply to your babies as well as you. Secondly, you will need to follow a specific set of health, rest and exercise instructions for the next six months. If you can't you will need to be sedated." "Oh she will follow the instructions, because Jill, Janet and I will make sure she does," said Judy. This caused everyone to laugh. Alison shivered at the warmth and love conveyed in the comment. "Sarah was there something else?" Asked Amy. "Yes. We would like to become pregnant this week. Is that a problem?" "I don't think so. Everyone of you have responded very well to the genetic virus treatment. May I ask why all at once." "Intuitively, I think it will be best to begin now. We would like to all do it close to the same time. Betsy, do you know if there will be a problem if we all have 3 sets of twins?" "Oh my. That will be 42 babies all within a couple of days of each other. But yes we should be able to manage it, however Ann's and Jean's groups will also be delivering over the next nine months. So we could manage it but it would be better I think if it was just 2 sets a piece. In any case the first month or two will keep all of you quite busy." "When were you going to do this?" Asked Amy. "Well we hadn't talked about the exact timing, but we probably will later. My guess is it would be Sally, Terry and myself as a group and then Joyce, Janet, Jill and Judy. But we haven't gotten to those details yet." "Connie and I have never worked with that large a group of new born's, but it is not an uncommon occurrence in our family groups. The only issue usually is milk supply, but here that should not be a problem." Sarah's group was beaming. The thought of becoming pregnant and carrying their's and Rusty's babies was really exciting. As they began to clear the table, "Alison," said Betsy, "based on what we found on your friends physicals and what we have just learned from you, it will be up to Sarah's group and you if you want make the change. If Sarah's group asks you to join them you do need to explain it to all of Jean's group. Okay?" Alison face lit up with the comment. Just then a lion3 rubbed up against Alison distracting her. She heard him whisper, relax before you explode the babies have had enough excitement for a while. She bent down and hugged him. He licked her cheek and then nuzzled his head between her tits. She shivered at the feeling of his soft hair between her tits. ------- After the tables had been cleaned, they all gathered as a group on the patio. Tonight they sat more as individual family groups than they had before. Jim and Amy sat in the middle of the gathering. They all waited quietly. Rusty and Sarah stood and began to talk. They looked at each other and giggled which caused everyone to laugh. Then together they began, "We had to the good fortune to go on a picnic today and found a most wonderful location. It had wonderful soft grass surrounding a small pond and waterfall. It was probably the best picnic any of us has ever experienced. We got to try out some of our new physical attributes and we are now very thankful for the corrections Betsy and her group made to resolve things that had been done to us before arriving." "However, we don't think they will let us participate in the Olympics." That caused everyone to laugh. "We did take a nap toward the end of the day and when we awoke there were 6 lions who had joined us. We were shocked at first as some of you were when you first saw them. It didn't take us long to realize they meant us no harm." "In fact several times they have showed us that they are here to assist in our security. In particular Jim, Amy and Erica had the unfortunate experience earlier to try and pull a weapon on them, which they gently discouraged." Everyone who had seen it laughed. "I am sure each of you have had a chance to meet them by now. We haven't given them names yet be we will soon so it will be easier to call them. If you have a suggestion, please tell us. There are three male and female pairs." Amy stood, "Thank you Sarah. Seeing the lions as a bit shocking earlier, but I have to admit I do feel very comfortable around them." With that everyone nodded in agreement. "We expect all of the renovations to be complete in five days. This should make things a bit easier for everyone." Sam and Ann raised their hands. Amy nodded at them giving them the floor. "We would like to accept responsibility for the providing the food and taking care of the dinning area. We would hope that all of you will assist from time to time. In particular, when we have our babies." Patricia and Sophia stood. "Oh you won't have a problem with taking care of the babies as I'm sure all of us will help." Turning to Jim and Amy. "Our next bit of planning should toward children care and learning facilities. If all of us stagger our sleep periods we can assist everyone else with their babies. It will be a challenge to all of us to provide all of the necessary nurturing to the babies as they grow." "We will be available to help full time as well," said Maria and Dorothy. Erica stood with worry on her face. "Please do not all get pregnant at the same time. We have some very serious threats to our security here. We need to have sufficient adults unencumbered without an extra 60 pounds to aid in that defense." Sarah walked over to Erica and placed her hand on her shoulder causing her to relax. "Erica's comments bring home the fact that there are some people who would enjoy having us for their next meal or their personal sex toy, if not more. However, they don't yet know who we are, what we are or where we are. Ideally we need to find them first and then decide our next steps in dealing with them as a group." "You're right," said Erica. "I guess all I am seeing is the risks before us." "Keep worrying as we depend on you and your assistants. But please don't let it consume you." With that Sarah kissed her on her lips. Giving her every ounce of love she could share with her from her group. Erica had a glazed look on her face when Sarah released her. Erica's nipples had hardened and elongated. Her cunt juice was running down her leg because of her arousal. "Excuse me we have a meeting going on, I think." Said Amy causing everyone to chuckle. Erica and Sarah just looked at each other and grinned. Rusty stood. "Sarah perhaps you over simplified the situation. There appear to be two groups that it seems currently working loosely together. One group has an idea who some of us are and what we looked like last time we were seen in public. They may also have some idea of who our friends are. The other group could be aware of someone knowing about their activity at Sylvia's. The only faces they maybe able to put with that are Jean and Andy." "Our location is nearly ideal in terms of terrain and isolation. The terrain works for us, but the isolation works both for and against us. That is it makes us hard to find but if found little notice of any activity." "We feel reasonably secure that Nancy, Alice, Julia, Bob, Stan and Susan are unknown to them. It is reasonable to think they know some us were friends or possibly employees of them. So as of right now there isn't much of a concern with them returning to their home. Security will need to be increased there until we know our logic is correct. We are currently monitoring Nancy and Bob's facility and have seen nothing to counter that view." "Ann and Sam's group we believe is known to them. We don't know how but that link may have come through Fred as it appears he fingered Sylvia's location. We don't know why, and he is not available to talk about it." "We have six individuals who may be able to supply us with more information when they recover, but we suspect it will only be indirect information. We have a number of surveillance activities in progress but these are very limited due to resource limitations." "So in summary, we look reasonably secure for the near term. We will be working on improving that security over the next several weeks. We will keep you posted as issues arise or we learn more about them." "Thanks," said Jim. Rusty and Sarah embraced as he went back to sit with her and the group. "Thanks for that, Erica looked so lost when she stood up." "She is very concerned. Part of it is from lack of experience but part stems from the fact they appear to be having some success in making progress on their survival plan as a group and how these two groups could ruin that." Sarah kissed him again. Everyone in the group caressed him letting him know they understood. Andy stood. "This is for Ann and Sam's group in particular. Could you provide us with things you are planning on doing that day at breakfast? That way we could chip in and help as our schedules permit. I don't suspect we will all be busy until we get a bit more organized." "Sure we can do that." "Sophia and Patricia may want to do something similar when we begin to have babies to look after." Everyone nodded yes in agreement. "I've seen commitments made like this before and been disappointed in the results. This time I think things will be different," said Rusty. Sarah's group nodded in agreement. Amy said, "Teaching the children maybe a bit easier once we resolve Donna's resource problems. When there were children on the ship, we had terminals available for them to use. It both taught and had other interesting things on it. I hope we can get it working again." Jill commented, "That would be very helpful." "Let's turn in I'm tired," said Rusty. Alison tugged at Sarah, "will you and Sally go with me to talk to Andy and Jean. I would like to do it now" Sally joined them and they walked over to the barn. Everyone was there when they arrived. Jean took one look at Alison and said, "Yes." "What do think I am going to say?" "Alison it has been obvious to all of us and I think Sarah's group that you have fallen deeply in love with them. I think it is great that they have agreed for you to join them as indicated by Sarah and Sally being here. We love you too, but more than anything else we want you to be happy. In fact that is all any of us want for our selves and each other." The others nodded in agreement. Alison rushed over to Jean and pulled her into a tight hug with tears in their eyes. She then gave her a thank you kiss that was full of love and passion. "Thank you. I do, love all of you but my feelings are much stronger toward Sarah's group. I will always consider each of you as dearest of friends and hope you feel the same for me." "We do," came the reply from all. "All of us will be staying and have asked for the DNA blending treatment," said Erin. "All of us tested positive telepathic abilities although some have not tried using them yet. We know some already are active." She then smiled. "Erin, I don't know if you are one of them, but any who are need to work with Betsy or Amy to make sure you are not leaving your self open more than you intend too," said Sally. "We had one bad experience. Fortunately it was accidental and also no damage was done." "We were going to do that tomorrow but I haven't been using mine as I wasn't real sure what it was besides voices in my head. Betsy showed us how to keep it inactive for now." "We need to work with her as well to learn more about using our abilities," said Sarah. "It's getting late so I think I'm going to head off. See you tomorrow." As she turned to leave Sally and Alison said their good byes and quickly caught up to Sarah. When they arrived back at the room, the others had just finished cleaning up for bed. As they piled into bed Rusty realized that he always ended up in the middle with Sarah within arms reach. Otherwise it was always a different person next to him and Sarah. Tonight Alison was between him and Sarah. They caressed and hugged each other before laying back to sleep. An 'I love you.' was shared in their mind link as they began to dose off. Alison dreamed of being with her new family and interacting with them. Her dream felt real to her as she felt a warm mouths on both of her breasts. She could feel her milk being released into the sucking mouths and their love wash over her. The arousal from releasing her milk had caused her cunt lips to swell and moisten. Then she felt a tongue slide between the lips of her cunt, sliding deeply between the folds of her lips. She could feel the fingers spreading her lips and then a tongue slide into the mouth of her cunt. Her hips pushed up to press it closer into contact. The dream was so real. Then she felt something hot probing at the mouth of her cunt as Rusty slid his cock into sleeping Alison's very wet cunt. As he pressed in, it felt like hot butter surrounding his cock. Alison spread her legs wide letting him fully enter her. She locked her ankles behind his back holding him deep in her. In her dream state, she resisted waking afraid she would loose the incredible feeling. Slowly as her arousal increased she became more and more awake. She reached to feel her tits only to find two heads of hair, startling her awake. Oh... She moaned opening her eyes to see five of her new mates caressing her body. Relaxing her clamp on Rusty he began to slide back and forth in her sopping cunt. The sensations of his hot cock added to her mounting arousal. Alison pulled Sarah up from her nipple to kiss her. Sarah pressed her lips to Alison's mouth then opened her lips slightly to let the milk flow into her mouth. Alison shivered. As they broke their kiss Alison pulled Sarah up indicating she wanted to lick her cunt. Sarah turned and straddled Alison's head and lowered her cunt to Alison's mouth. As it got close to Alison's mouth she began to lick the sweet liquid from her lower lips. Terry moved to suckle at Alison's open tit. As she suckled, she reached out to caress those near her. Sarah had leaned forward and was kissing Rusty's lips and neck as he pumped his cock into Alison. All of the others joined in caressing the three in the center of their morning sexual adventure in any way the could. Each slowly opened their minds to the others causing their arousal to build quite rapidly as they could feel every touch, every caress. Soon Alison's tits were empty lessening the intensity on her breasts, but increased her focus on Sarah's cunt and Rusty's thrusting cock. Sally and Terry rose and began to caress Sarah with their mouths and were soon suckling at her tits. The change caused some leveling of their arousals, but soon began to build rapidly again until Rusty jammed his cock deep in Alison's cunt and sprayed hot cum against her cervix. In response to her orgasm, Alison thrust her mouth tight against Sarah's cunt driving her long tongue deep into her cunt and pressing her clit against her chin. As she shivered through her orgasm, the vibrations drove Sarah to her orgasm spraying her mouth with cunt juice. Alison had to drink rapidly to keep from choking. As they relaxed Sarah slumped against Rusty as she nearly passed out. Her shift in weight caused her cunt to slide up Alison face a bit sealing her mouth and nose. Alison began to struggle a bit to breathe causing her vaginal sheath to begin contracting. Those contractions kept Rusty's cock hard. Julia saw and felt Alison's problem. Kneeling behind her she raised Sarah off of Alison so she could breathe freely. They all quietly rested from their mutual orgasm. Judy, Janet and Jill were the first to stir. Together they eased Sally and Terry away from Sarah. Rusty pulled Sarah forward as Judy maneuvered her off of Alison so they could lay her on the bed. Both her and Alison were nearly comatose. Rusty laid down gently on Alison and then rolled over so she was on top of him. Nobody hardly stirred for 15 minutes as they recovered their energy. The entire time their minds were closely linked, clearly sharing all of their feelings and sensations with each other. If they were to enter the room now they would be shocked, to see a light blue haze hung over them. Donna had watched most of the episode and was amazed. She had never seen anything like that and it matched none of the observations in her database. She thought to tell Amy or Betsy of her observations, but noted she didn't have any directives to do so. She the filed the observations away. Unknown to both Donna and Sarah's group the senior AI had seen Donna's focus on Sarah's group. He had watched as well, once he saw the blue energy cloud he sighed in relief. He was now very glad he had went to meet Sarah's group yesterday. He surveyed his directives to confirm the next step in bringing Sarah's group to the next decision point for choosing to be his human counterparts. Many pieces needed to come together yet, but it was now much more promising. Donna although not yet self aware and did not understand all that happened. Her analysis of all the events surrounding Sarah's group indicated, she should maximize her support of them without short changing the rest. Sarah's group began rise from their sexual bliss. They slowly sat up and looked at Alison still impaled on Rusty's cock. Rusty reached up and lightly kissed her lips as he caressed her back. Then speaking softly to her, he said, "We need to get up." "Oh, but I don't want too. That was heavenly. So intense. I could feel everyone of us. Is it always like this?" "No Alison, it has not been this strong before," said Sarah. "I think this is the strongest mind link we have ever had. Today was much stronger than yesterday in the glade." "There was little Judy, Jill, Janet or I could add to the sexual interactions in terms of contact, but it was still the most intense orgasm I have ever felt. In fact if I had been Alison I probably would have passed out." "I think I would have if Sarah's cunt had not slid over my nose making it almost impossible to breathe anything but cunt juice. It was like I was drowning in cunt juice." "Oh, I'm sorry Alison. I didn't mean too. But when we came, I was so weak," said, Sarah. She knelt next to Rusty and Alison raising and turning her head to kiss her. They kissed deeply for several long minutes. Their shared emotions again spread across the group. "Is this what we are moving toward?" Asked Sally. "If so I think I like it. No, I know I like it very much." "Rusty could you impregnate us this evening," asked Sarah. "If all of you are agreeable, I will initiate the release of the eggs as it takes a while for them to reach the uterus." "Sarah and all of you, it is your decision when you wish to start our children. Yes I will be happy to try with all of you this evening if that is what all of you want." They all looked around at one another. "Finally, Judy said their was no reason why we can't all try tonight. I'm agreeable. Something I never imagined I would say. Even if all of our eggs were fertilized this evening by Rusty, doesn't mean all the births will happen at the same time. Seeing how tight our links are becoming, even staggering them over a week will probably make no difference." "Alison will be first to deliver her pair of twins anyway. This will let us see how our new medical facilities work. The birthing is done in a bath tub like a hot tub with the woman squatting. I have read about it but never seen it done. Betsy has some historical information on it, but she hasn't coached it in a long time." A light tone sounded. Donna said, I hate to bother you but breakfast will be in one hour. With that they began to rise, and move to the exercise room after stopping by the bathroom for relief. The exertion level was now the same for all of them except Alison as this was her first morning with them. Donna had set hers slightly higher than she had been a previously. When they had finished, several helped Alison stand and walk into the shower. The combination of the sexual adventure and exercise had nearly wiped out her energy reserves. They walked into breakfast just as serving started. Everyone turned to stare at them. Again they had entered an area with the light behind them giving them a halo appearance. Donna and Maria gasped even though they had seen the effect before. Alison said, "What wrong?" Erica managed to speak first, "The nine of you look amazingly beautiful together there. It is almost as if there is a halo around all of you." Donna had recovered by now. "Do you remember the time several weeks ago when we took pictures of just the first four of you?" "Yes." Said Terry, Sarah, Sally and Rusty. "Well this is the same but there are more of you. Stand there for a minute and let Judy, Janet, Jill and Joyce come over here one at a time so they can see." It was quiet as each took a turn looking at their friends in the halo of light. "That was very interesting," said Amy. "I noticed the halo grow slightly and dim as each stepped out and then back into the group. I have never ever seen anything like it." "Well we haven't changed or at least I don't think so. I'm hungry." Said Rusty causing a chuckle to pass through the crowd. Everyone moved toward the serving line. Few noticed that the halo effect subsided when the group stepped out of the back light, but there remained an subtle aurora around each of them. They sat down to eat. Rusty, Bob, Jim, Amy, Sarah and Sally all sat close together. They quickly ate their breakfast. All of Sarah's group went back for seconds, as they seemed to be extremely hungry this morning. Amy made a comment that they still seemed to be glowing. Sarah, Sally, and Rusty looked at one another and chuckled. "Must be the 'morning after sex glow' you see," said Rusty a little louder than he intended. The group roared with laughter. As they sat and sipped coffee Sam and Ann joined them, they mulled over the things that needed to be done. The primary items needing attention were security and Donna's resource issues. They decided to let Bob lead a team consisting of Stan, Julia, Nancy and several people from Jean's group that had electrical and mechanical engineering experience. Sarah's group and the programmer's would start the accelerated training on the Donna's systems. The remainder would work with Sam to get the farm and other support items organized. ------- Chapter 36 Jim rose and tapped on his coffee cup to get everyone's attention. We would like to break up into three groups this morning. He then told of what they would like to do the rest of the week. He indicated, Sarah and Rusty would have one team and indicated the members as all of Sarah's group, plus Tara, Erin, and Claudette. Bob would head another team consisting of Stan, Julia, Nancy, Susan, Alice, Jean, Andy, and Jennifer to look at security issues. Ann and Sam would lead a third group to organize the farm and other support items. Jessica, Mary, Sophia and Patricia should sit down with Betsy and Connie to sort out medical support issues. Amy indicated to them if they thought they could be more helpful in a different group and wanted to change to talk to the team leaders. The assignments aren't mandatory and were based on what you said your experience and education was. Ann noted that Gina, Donna, Marie and her would be working in the kitchen area. Jennifer volunteered that she thought she would be of more assistance in the kitchen than on security. Bob and Ann nodded that the change was okay with them. "Donna, even though you will be focusing on resource issues, you need to provide close surveillance of the kitchen. Jennifer in particular is an unknown quantity." Said Rusty. "How long have you known of this connection?" "Since this morning. Then I suspected it but you just confirmed it. So all nine of us now know we can talk to you directly." "I need to tell Amy, Jim and the rest of the crew." "Not a problem, in fact judging by Amy's expression she knows already." "Yes, I do. Surprised it happened so quickly and spontaneously but definitely not a concern. Also, Donna raise their security to the same as ours." "Implemented and active. I made it by request so they can control the flow better until they get fully acclimated to the connection." "That was quick," said Amy. "I staged the change so I could execute it once you gave the authorization as I anticipated your decision." "Very good." They could feel Donna respond to the compliment. Rusty looked around the room. He could see and feel all of his family in the connection. It was very satisfying. Rusty said let's use the conference room for our training on the computer systems. Would someone tell Tara, Erin, and Claudette where we will meet? Sally said, "They already know as they were listening at my suggestion." "Amy, who will show us how to setup the training helmets." "Oh I will go with you for a while but I think just working with just Donna, you would do alright." Rusty rose and the group left for the conference room. As they left, Bob gathered his group together with Jim and Erica. Anticipating there needs, Jim asked Donna if she could set up a topographical hologram of the whole site, but to do is so that it did not draw on her resources. A small robot drone appeared above the table and created the projection for them. While all of this was going on, Sam and Ann two groups moved off to work on their tasks. Ann and her group never noticed the four drones enter the kitchen after them and take up positions near the ceiling so they had a full view of everyone working in the kitchen. Donna had set the drones to record all of the activity, but only alert her if some unusual action occurred that was inconsistent with the tasks. They were also to monitor the sequence of preparation to ensure items were correctly made. After dinner, they sat around and chatted for a while. Jim asked if anyone had anything that the group needed to discuss. Sally said, "Jim our group will restart our Aikido practice in three days and anyone who wants to can join us. We use to do it a couple of times a week before we came here, but I am thinking about everyday until we get our skills back up. Yoga maybe added as well if there is interest." Marsha asked, "What is Aikido?" "It is a style of oriental martial arts focusing on defense and meditation. If anyone is curious, why not give it a try? There are other exercises that can be done as well and the equipment is here. This will supplement our exercise benches we use everyday." Marsha and several others nodded indicating they would probably be there. Joyce said, "I think I'm ready to call it a day." She gained vigorous nods from everyone else. "We have learned a lot today, but even though you are only focusing with your mind it sure is tiring. A lot more than it was in school." "I agree. In fact I got so wound up in the activities today I didn't think to release my eggs. I am kind of glad that I didn't start my ovulation." Said Sarah. "Is that all?" Asked Joyce for she had detected a concern in Sarah. "You sure were anxious to be a mommy this morning?" "Oh, I am. It was kind of sudden idea this morning and I thought maybe we ought to talk about it a bit more. Why not discuss it a bit more after we get ready for bed." They soon arrived at their room and were soon sitting in a circle on the bed so that each was physically touching another. "Okay, out with it Sarah," said Joyce. "You really have my curiosity aroused now." "Maybe it is a carryover from before we had the mind link. After we talked, I felt I had pushed us into the decision to start babies and to stagger them. I know how close I feel to all of you, and it is the most wonderful feeling I have ever had." As she talked her love and affection flowed over the group. "It feels so good, I sometimes am afraid all of this is a dream and I will wake up in some horrible place." "Okay," said Rusty. "I can see and understand your concern. I think if you, look closely through our mind link you will find that it is nearly unbreakable." He paused for a moment as he felt the others assessing their mind images along with him. "From this perspective, the only way to permanently break these links is for us to die." Big tears formed in Sarah's eyes and then as her emotions flowed out the others eyes filled with tears as they rode with her emotions. "I see what you mean Rusty. I am so glad I have all of you." She looked into each of their eyes and said, "I love you." The group raised their arms to wrap around each others shoulders. They could feel them moving deeper into each other to achieve an additional level of oneness. They sat quietly for some time. "Guys," said Sally. "I think we ought to wait until our extensive learning sessions have slowed down somewhat." She felt some hesitation. "We don't know how long that will be but I sense we need to get several days of that behind us and see if we can find a way to increase Donna's resources." "Why don't we wait a week?" Said Terry. "Then let's talk about it again. I'm sure it will not be far from our thoughts." "You know we could time it so we all conceive on the same day," said Janet. "That is if Rusty can rise to the task or keep it up." Everyone chuckled at the implication. "I kind of like that idea," said Sarah. "A major concern would be if we all delivered at the same time." "We can probably manage both," said Judy. "First if we let Rusty press his cock into the mouth of our cervix when he comes we are almost guaranteed to conceive. I know he has already come close to entering my cervix mouth several times, which is suppose to anatomically impossible. By us opening our cervix's mouth to permit entry of the head of his cock, I'm not sure why but I think it will add to the growth in our bonding. Second, we should be able to stagger our deliveries over several days with as much active oversight we have of our bodies." "What do you mean by about permitting his cock to enter or cervix?" Asked Joyce. "I didn't think that was possible." "Your right. It is unusual for a cock to enter a woman's cervix. If it is forced it can be painful or cause damage. The neck of the cervix is pliable enough to allow entry if the muscles are relaxed to allow the mouth to dilate. It is a degree of intimacy I think we would all enjoy. It would also bless us in I suspect ways we don't anticipate." "How did you know that?" "It came to me as we were talking. I don't know where I learned that information." They all looked at each other and nodded in agreement with the suggestions. Rusty broke the thought stream with, "It appears from what we have learned today, resolving Donna's resource issue could be quite easy." "How?" They exclaimed. "At the moment, I can't put it into words. We should know in a week or sooner." -- Over the next week, everyone concentrated on their tasks. Bob and Erica's group had defined the security changes needed to provide advanced warning of anyone approaching or landing on the island. They established a series of detection rings that increased in density as they came closer to their valley and settlement. They had also decided on a number of defensive measures to be taken around the valley, to make it easier to defend themselves. The installation of the detection devices had begun. Bob brought in a new system from his estate to use as the monitoring control console. It would give them the capability to secure the valley much the same way the estate was. Unfortunately, they couldn't integrate the system with Donna as the architecture was very different and Donna was weak on resources. Initially around the valley perimeter passive sensors were installed which would only transmit when something was detected. The sensors were smart enough to disregard animals. But could be fooled by a human if the person knew they were there. Everyone was concerned about the lack of surveillance capability with this setup. But it was a start. Sam's group started the farm operation. They managed to prepare and plant a large garden. While the group with Ann were busy in the dining area preparing meals for the group. By the end of the week, Rusty's group had been shown all the information related to Donna system's and protocols and taught how it was suppose to inter operate. They observed that Donna's big difficulty was storage space for the information she had accumulated since the accident. There was so much information now that it was slowing down processing because of loss of buffer space and having to expand any retrieved information before using it. Analyzing the problem they found that the protocols were written for one of the ship's data banks to retrieve the data automatically. The accident stopped that from happening so the data just continued to accumulate. There were no provisions for resetting Donna's memory without loosing everything. It was determined that the link was still live with the data bank. Donna was told to send the command she usually does to confirm down load request in response to the query. When she did, there wasn't any response for a long time before it was confirmed, but the destination appeared to be different. Puzzling through the various options on why that would occur. Alison asked Donna if this was the same connection she used before the accident. Donna said that her connection was now in a different part of the ship, in fact until after the accident none of them had been in this part of the ship. So they decided the destination appeared different because of the different location on the ship. Next they had Donna query her build and activity records from the storage bank. The information came back but indicated ship was on a mission. After some discussion and checking the program, they decided the problem was probably that traffic control had not logged Donna back into the ship. So the data bank had not queried a download as the protocols required. The question was how to make the data bank accept Donna's data and place it in the correct spot. Donna was asked if anyone left on the ship had any knowledge of traffic control operations. She said that several did but none worked directly in that area. Wonderful and the smiles broke out. It was nearly dinner time, so they asked her to have those that had traffic control knowledge document what they knew and send it to them. With that they sighed, it had been a long week and they were tired. They decided to stop for the day as it was nearly dinner time and they needed to let their milk down, exercise and clean up before then. As they went to their room they were all quite satisfied with what they felt they had accomplished. Dinner was quiet as everyone was tired. Once they had put up the dishes, Amy opened the discussion for the evening. Bob gave a brief summary of where they stood with improving security. Sam indicated the first cycle of garden planting was done. As they weren't quite certain of the climate, they were going to plant more every two weeks until it appeared it would be to cold. Him and Ann felt that would give them sufficient fresh vegetables for quite a while. Joyce told them that they were moving toward freeing up some of Donna's resource issues, in fact the last thing they discovered this afternoon may provide the break through. This brought a smile to Amy and Erica's face, as the additional resources would greatly increase Donna's active capabilities. Sarah stood and said, "I can see everyone is getting very tired of the continuous effort we are making. Why don't we work tomorrow as usual and then relax for two days? I think we could all use the break?" "Yes," said Betsy. "I agree with Sarah, in fact she beat me to the idea." With those comments, a bit of relief showed on everyone's face. Amy seeing the response nodded and said, "I think that is an excellent idea." With that everyone began to leave for their quarters. Without exception, they left with a bit more spring in their step, knowing two days of relaxation were coming up. ------- When they reached the conference room the next morning, Donna had the requested information already for them. Combined the other crew members had documented what appeared to be all of the docking procedures. They then went over Donna's flight records comparing them against the procedures. Due to the condition of the ship when Donna returned with Jim and Amy's crew they had to force there way on board and then manually dock. This was because traffic control was not functioning and the docking equipment didn't have any power. Since that forced docking with the main ship a number of systems had been brought partially back on line. The data had indicated the main computer system was still actively attached to the docking bays. They all looked at one another and then began to write a script for Donna to follow from her command module on the scout ship. They studied the details relating it to each step as seen before when Donna's scout ship docked and from the perspective of the traffic control center. The script had Donna go through the post docking steps just as if the ship had just docked after they ghosted an acknowledgment transmission to the scout ship from traffic control. They called Amy, Jim and Erica in to discuss the plan. They told them that they thought nearly all of Donna's memory could be downloaded to the ship data center which is still active. Due to the way they returned to the ship and manually docked, the ship's database thinks the ship is still out on a mission. By freeing up Donna's database space she should be able to support everything we need assistance here with. "This is two easy," said Erica. "How do we know the ship won't send some kind of destruct signal." "We don't." They said as all of the group spoke as one voice. Erin, Claudette and Tara were now firmly embedded in the mind link. "There aren't any records of computer viruses being an issue when the ship systems were active. We can disable Donna's self destruct command and reroute the backup. Erica do you know of any security issues we have missed." "None that I can remember," said Erica. "Can we deep scan your minds to look for any hidden locations that may have been given to you during training?" They asked. After looking at one another Amy, Erica and Jim nodded their agreement. They divided up into three groups so they could quickly complete the scans with Sarah, Sally and Rusty each leading a group. In each they found an area, isolated from the rest of their thought activity. They left the isolated area to last to be evaluated. A careful review didn't show any conditional hidden command sets. Their focus moved to the isolated areas as they moved closer the area became brighter but remained hazy. All three began to breathe heavily as their metabolism increased. Relax we have only come here to find things to help us restart the main ship. The group projected calming thoughts so the three calmed some. They watched as the isolated area cleared showing reserved emergency procedures and the associated codes to be used. Once all the information was gathered they pulled back, but left them all with a feeling of love and respect. Looking at Amy, Erica and Jim, "Thanks a lot." They said. "This clears several things up that we did not understand about the procedures. Do we have your permission to proceed?" "Yes." "Donna, initiate script except we will put active holograms of Erica, Amy and Jim at the command station." "The main computer system will recognize the holograms and refuse to acknowledge." "We will create the holograms. The computer systems will not recognize these advanced holograms as being different. Can you give us a video feed of the command deck on your ship?" "Yes." The screen lit up showing the command console. Just then the images of Amy, Jim and Erica appeared on the bridge. They looked so real that unless you were standing with them you would not know it was only an image. "Execute script, Donna." "Running." They watched as the figures went through the docking procedure to bring the ship to active standby. A small inset in the screen showed the scripts progress and communication with the main ship computers. "Donna, set up a proxy on your inbound communications from the ship. This will slow the data exchange a bit but provide a bit of reaction time is something goes astray." "Done." They slowly relaxed as all of the procedures were completed giving Donna her normal access to ship's network. "Jim, Amy and Erica can leave the command station now as we are in active standby." The images faded from the screen. "It certainly strange watching yourself on a screen knowing the location is thousands of miles from here." Said Erica. Amy and Jim nodded. "Donna, next tell the main system you have a lot of data to upload and due to some system problems you are having you want to check stored data periodically for accuracy after transmission. Do this by sending a range of data and then retrieve several random sections to compare with the original. Once checked pause and clear those portions of your memory." "The ship data center has indicated it is ready to receive. They were reluctant until I told them how much I had and would be erasing my copies after confirmation. We will begin in one hour. While doing that and until I can double free memory I will be mostly unavailable to you unless you have an emergency." "Okay. Erica, would you go tell Bob to take over active monitoring of site security as we are doing maintenance on Donna. And for the rest of us, let's get ready for lunch." As they left to freshen up and let their milk down, they invited Tara, Erin and Claudette to go with them as well as Amy and Jim. Amy showed the women how to operate the automatic breast pumps manually. The success they had this morning let them relax. On the way back to the dining room, Sarah said, "I have started prepping three eggs so they can be released tomorrow." "We saw you and are following your lead." Came the chorus of voices. Erin, Tara and Claudette just giggled. "Doesn't sound like Rusty will get to rest tomorrow," said Erin with a big grin. "Sure he will, all he needs to do is lay on his back," said Joyce. "Well we might let him play a bit too as his mouth and hands will be available." This led to more chuckling. When they finished lunch they went back to the conference so they could monitor Donna's upload progress. The data upload was still progressing when they arrived and it appeared it would take 10 or 12 hours to complete even at over ten terabit per second. A number of sections had to be retransmitted because they failed checksum, md5sum, or the CRC comparison. Even at that they expected to have Donna resources available so she could actively return to monitoring the site before dinner, it was only a question of how soon. It was late in the afternoon when Donna came back on line, so the group moved out to the patio around the pool to relax and swim. A number of others joined them at the pool as they had completed the tasks planned for the day. Terry and Joyce started a water volley ball game with their group in the deep water against several of Ann and Jean's group in the shallower end of the pool. Sarah's group discovered that the changes to their legs and feet let them jump higher for the ball. They found it easy to return the ball to the other side but kept it in play so the volleying would continue for sometime. Each of Sarah's group rotated out at some point so others in their work group could play. The other side did the same, giving everybody a chance to play. Judy watched each of her group as they came out of the water and not immediately put on their shoes. As they walked, their legs and feet flexed as if they were wearing their normal shoes. Several stood and talked with others with no indication of their heel lowering. Rusty noticed her being so quiet as she watched the others. He stepped up beside her and put his arm around her shoulder, hardly disturbing her train of thought. "So you've noticed how well we walk and stand now on the balls of our feet." "Yes, I find it amazing. All of my training in school indicates it should not be possible." She responded hardly drawing her away from her observations. She did slip her arm around Rusty's waist drawing him closer. Together they watched the others through her eyes, letting Rusty see the perspective of her observations. Jill and Janet suddenly looked down and noticed they didn't have on their shoes. They started to get them. Judy said, "If your feet aren't aching, why not leave them off a while longer." "Okay. We were surprised when we noticed we hadn't put them on when we got out of the pool." She looked around. "It looks like most of us aren't wearing them." "Yes. Did you notice that when Rusty walks he walks on the balls of his feet like us?" "No. But when I (we) look at him it usually isn't that low." Then they giggled. "We usually start at his lovely eyes and then other places." By now the volley ball game was over and the only ones in the pool were swimming laps. Donna announced that dinner would be ready in a little over an hour. With that in mind everyone started toward their rooms to exercise, release their milk and freshen up for dinner. Sarah walked over to Tara, Erin and Claudette and told them they could freshen up with them if they wanted too. Before she could complete the thought, they accepted her offer. Just then Terry and Sally walked up to them slipping into the circle placing their arms around the others waists. Sarah saw what they intended and did the same placing her arms around Erin and Claudette. Sarah then turned and kissed Erin's neck then nibble on her ear. At the same time Sally and Terry did the same to Tara and Claudette. This was followed by them licking their lips before giving them a passionate kiss causing everyone nipples to swell in arousal. Sarah, Terry and Sally then turned to the other next to them and repeated the sequence. All of them became more aroused with their nipples swelling more and the other lips to swell and moisten. "Guys... Save that for later we need to get ready for dinner." Said Rusty to their group. The others not in the circle looked over at them and giggled. "We will make sure to include them while we relax the next couple of days. Okay." "That would be nice." Said Sarah and Terry. The others in the circle nodded in agreement with Sarah's comment. With that they broke up into pairs and went to get ready for dinner. Each picked up their shoes before leaving and only Alison, Claudette, Erin and Tara put on their shoes. Judy continued to pay close attention to each of them as they walked back. Her and Rusty continued to hold each other. Joyce had joined them as they started back on the other side of Rusty. "You know this is quite overwhelming for me sometimes," said Rusty as he let his thoughts drift to the others in their group. "I never have had many close women friends or for that matter any friends. Now I have 8 wives, perhaps better to say spouses as I know and feel you love for each other. It seems almost a fantasy or dream but I know its not." The women let their love flow toward him, confirming to him how they felt about him. "The term 'spouse' I think comes very close to defining our commitment and love for each other." Said Jill and Janet but it was almost a group thought. "Rusty your feelings toward the rest of us are the same as our feelings toward our spouses." "Did I feel Tara, Erin and Claudette when we responded to Rusty's comment?" Said Alison. The three blushed. "We, Erin, Tara, Claudette, did send our love to each of you in response to Rusty's comment." Said Erin. "As a group the three of us are very close. I don't think as close as your group is, but it has grown greatly since we now mind link. Working with the nine of you this last week has been a wonderful loving experience as well as technically challenging. We would very much like for it to continue." "Erin, Tara, Claudette, we feel the same for you." Said Sally and Terry. "You are welcome to be with us at any time. And I'm sure you will continue to work with us." A feeling of confirmation spread through the group. There was a lingering unexpressed thought and Erin looked uneasy. Sarah saw what they wanted but were afraid to ask, so she said, "We would take it as a compliment, if you decided to have the genetic virus alteration treatment with Alison." Erin gasped, because that is what the three of them had talked about. "How did you know?" Asked Tara, as she confirmed Sarah's suspicion. "Because I thought that was the only thing the three of you might be hesitant about asking." "Betsy is going to start the treatments tomorrow. She said the initial part would last about 24 hours and then I would be back with my spouses." Said Alison. "I'm pretty sure she would let you as well especially if this group endorsed it." "Won't it affect your babies?" "Yes, but it won't hurt them. The alterations will apply to them as well. I'm anxious. Why don't you talk to Betsy at dinner this evening." Erin and Claudette nodded to Tara. "We will. What are the rest of the group doing tomorrow?" "We are going to help Rusty rest but only between rounds of fertilizing the eggs we will release in the morning." They chorused. They had reached their quarters and began their work out on the exercise benches while their milk was collected. As soon as they had completed their showers, they headed down to dinner. Arriving just after the rest had passed through the food line. Sarah told Rusty to get a drink for them and she would bring their food over. Sarah and Terry each took two plates. Then as they went through the line Sally placed food on each of their five plates. Walking over to the table they sat two heaping plates of food in front of Rusty and then sat down. "What this?" "Food. We wanted to make sure you got enough to eat, as you will need a lot of energy tonight and tomorrow." Said Terry, causing everyone to chuckle. A slight odor of arousal drifted over the table as each member was slightly aroused at the idea of becoming pregnant tomorrow. They each could feel the emotions of the others. The sensations affected Erin, Tara and Claudette much the same way. As soon as they were done eating, Alison took Erin, Tara and Claudette to talk to Betsy. They were soon back with bright smiles on their faces. "Betsy, said we could start this evening," said Tara. "We would need to stay in the dispensary until at least tomorrow evening to make sure the process has started correctly. She also told us it would take about a month before all the visible changes began to show, but the process would not be complete for about six months." "We will look forward to seeing you tomorrow evening," said Jill and Janet as they took turns expressing the sentence. They chatted for a while after the dishes were cleaned off the tables. Jim stood and tapped his glass to get everyone's attention. "As we agreed last evening, the next two days are for relaxing, but we know some will need to work for short times anyway. The lions indicated they could handle all of the security monitoring except for the console, while we rest. And our chefs have prepared some food for us to eat the next two days, so they can rest some as well." Rusty and Bob stood surprising each of them. Rusty nodded to Bob giving him the floor. "I stood up for two reasons. One we can cover the consoles by each of us spending about an hour twice a day at them. Two I think the food we have had since Ann's crew as started had been the best I have ever eaten." With that everyone broke into applause and stood in honor of their contributions causing all of them to blush. As the applause died down Ann stood to say, "Thank you very much. We have found we like working together so much so it is more fun than I can ever remember. Your thanks makes it just that much more enjoyable. Although we can tell by the way you eat that you really enjoy the food. You will find in the kitchen a number of items for both breakfast and lunch the next two days that only need a minor amount of preparation. Yes we know most of you can cook as well as us. For dinner tomorrow and the next evening, everything is ready for us to have a cook out. We would suggest that we all meet here a little earlier than we usually do for our cook out." "Thank you Bob and Ann. Note participation in the cook out like our other activities is not required." Said Jim. "It is with great relief that I can tell you that the group working to solve Donna's resource problem has made a major step forward. And as of this evening, Donna has considerably more resources available now. This will continue to increase into tomorrow. Thanks guys." Everyone applauded the announcement as they stood in recognition of the accomplishment. Rusty and Sarah stood as the applause died down. "What we accomplished in these few short days would not have been possible without our ability to mind link. A portion of these tools we used for the first time. The results of using them helped us avoid several potential difficult situations that could have arisen. Seeing this we would like to encourage you to exercise your telepathic capabilities as much as you can. The crew and us will help you if you need it." Claudette stood, "I was a reluctant user of my abilities until this week. The feelings and sensations are new as well as sometimes scary. Now I am fully in agreement with what they have just told us. For us, as she put her hands on Tara and Erin, this has been the most wonderful week in our lives. Not to push any of you toward it, but tonight we will join Alison to start our genetic alterations." There was no applause but from the expressions it was apparent everyone was pleased with what they heard. Both Tara and Erin stood and hugged her while they showed their affection by nibbling on her neck. ------- Amy asked if anyone else had anything to say. Seeing no response the group returned to chatting with each other. Betsy came over with Connie to get the four girls to go to the dispensary with her. They were joined by Patricia, Sophia, Jessica and Mary. Sophia asked Betsy if they could observe the treatment. "Sure, you can even help out," said Betsy. Betsy gave them a run down on how the treatment was prepared and administered as they walked to the dispensary. She told them that the first steps were being done by Donna as they were walking over there. This consisted of profiling each woman's chromosomes, then followed by creating a virus to alter or add the specific information needed to the chromosomes. Arriving at the dispensary, Betsy had Alison, Tara, Erin and Claudette lay down on an examining table. She told her assistants to watch as she placed Alison's arms and legs in the extensions holding them in place with loose Velcro straps. She told her new assistants to ready the other three the same way. Once situated, she asked Alison if she still didn't want the anesthesia. "I haven't changed my mind," said Alison. "Okay, but the autodoc will slightly numb the spots where the needles are placed. So relax and everything will be fine. If you tense up, we will have to give you some anesthesia." Alison nodded. She placed masks on all four girls and then initialized the autodocs. First the three girls were given anesthesia. Then six arms unfolded from the ceiling over each table and began to give each patient multiple shots before pulling back. The new assistants watched fascinated as the treatments were administered. Betsy told them that the autodoc would monitor their status and every hour give them a new set of supplemental injections. While it was all automated, she would like someone or two to be with them during the procedure. Each of the assistants agreed to help out over the next day. Betsy told them while they were there they should wear the training helmet and that way Donna could continue their training. They all stayed through the second cycle and talked after a schedule was established to monitor the patients. Betsy told them if they needed help or had concerns they could reach her directly or ask Donna to do it. Betsy looked at them and realized all of them were serious about not understanding. "Okay, Patricia think of me and something you want to tell me." Betsy soon smiled. "Do you want me to answer that?" Patricia blushed and nodded yes. "Yes we can make love but only after this is done," said Betsy as she watched all four turn a bright red from blushing. "Your turn Sophia, but you can make if less personal if you would like." "Yes I use to have a brother and four sisters." Responded Betsy with tears in her eyes. "I'm, so sorry I didn't mean to hurt you." She said as Sophia's eyes filled with tears. She reached out and drew Betsy into a hug. The others joined the hug as they immediately understood the implications of the comment. "She knows you didn't mean to hurt her." Connie said to them, startling them as her thoughts appeared in their minds. "Relax," after a bit she continued. "I think you will be able to share your thoughts." She watched the expressions on their faces change as they linked with each other. Then she saw thoughts of concern. "No your link is only open when you want it to be open. Sarah's group is different in that they have bonded and made a conscious decision to make the mind link continuous. They still have private thoughts, but those are visible to the others if they choose to look." "I like this," said Mary. "Although I am not sure about having a continuous link. We have had discussions telepathically in our group before but this seems to be different." "This time it is because we are touching and have an emotional link at the moment. The link may weaken when we step back. This just means you have to change your sensitivity a bit." "Okay," said all four. As they eased back from Betsy pulling Connie into the circle. They continued to hold hands. "Well now we know how to communicate directly, don't we?" Said Betsy, causing everyone to laugh. "Sorry I got emotional. Although its been a long time since the accident happened sometimes it seems like just yesterday. Yes, I can see your love for me. Thank you." "Okay," said Connie. "Connie will pull first shift with Jessica. And I'm off to bed and some rest," said Betsy. "I suggest the rest of you get some rest as well. There are three beds in the adjoining room if you want to stay close but there isn't any need this time." She gave each a kiss and left. Connie helped Jessica put on the training helmet and start the session with Donna's interface. The other three decided they would like to stay and sleep there. ------- Chapter 37 Sarah's group returned to their quarters and went to bed after freshening up. They laid down and cuddled close to one another. "You know its only been a short time but I miss Alison," said Joyce. A thought slipped into their minds with, "Oh but I am there," said Alison. "I can feel everything but the warmth of actually touching you." "Didn't Betsy give you anesthesia?" Asked Judy. "No, I ask her not too. She told me I could as long as remain completely relaxed. To do that tomorrow I may need to pull back a bit." "Why don't you try it now to see how far you need to go but just keep an awareness? That way you should be able to maintain a relaxed body so the autodoc can function correctly." "That's a good idea, I'll try it." "Rusty did you really mean it when you referred to us as spouses?" Asked Joyce. "Oh yes very much so, but I am still not sure the word really conveys how we relate to one another." "I didn't mean to imply you didn't mean it, but I hadn't thought of our relationship in those terms." "I've never had a closer relationship with anyone before joining the rest of you in this one," said Terry. "It is hard for me to imagine not being a part of each of you and each of you being a part of me." "Yes!" They said together. "We definitely are 'one' and 'spouses' to each other is probably the best way to express it to others, but it is more than the word 'spouses' expresses." They laid quietly beginning to drift off. "Do you think Tara, Erin and Claudette will want to join our circle?" Asked Jill and Janet. After a moment, "yes," came the chorus. "We need to be careful so that we don't force their decision. Many things need to happen before that point is reached. It could take a long time or may happen very quickly." -- Morning came quickly, as Rusty woke to feeling of warmth around his cock and something wet rubbing his nipples. Opening his eyes he saw Sarah sitting straddling his legs with his cock buried deep in her cunt. Jill and Janet were kissing and licking his nipples. "Oh. Goody your awake now," exclaimed Sarah. "I would have to be dead not to feel your cunt sheath pulling at my cock." "Well its going to get even better in a minute." He had felt his cock head pressing against something. Looking into her mind he watched as she relaxed the muscles around the mouth of her cervix. As she did they could feel the head of his cock slide into it. She slightly tightened the mouth of her cervix gently holding his cock head. Sarah then began to ripple the muscles in her vaginal sheath, stroking his cock. The contractions of her muscles held his cock gently but firmly in place as they milked his cock. Each ripple increased his arousal causing his cock to become hotter and harder pressing tighter into her womb. His was breathing rapidly. His cocked burned as the cum boiled thought his cock into her cunt. The hot splashes of cum caused Sarah to scream and Rusty to drift into a daze. He didn't know when he had cummed so hard. When he stirred again, he felt a nipple in his mouth releasing milk as he intuitively sucked the milk from Sarah's tit as he could feel her all around him. He was surprised that his cock was still hard deep in her cunt. He could sense the heat of her cervix pressing against his cock head. When her breast emptied she pulled back, reaching down to kiss him after she licked her milk from his lips. Raising up Sarah slowly pulled his cock from her cunt. She had hardly moved to the side when he felt two mouths licking their fuck juice off of his cock. He sensed it was Jill and Janet without even trying to look as he felt their attention to him. Looking over he saw Judy had pushed Sarah back on the bed with her ass elevated as she licked Sarah's cunt clean. He could feel Sarah's pleasure at knowing she was going have two pairs of twins soon growing in her womb. He also felt the anticipation of everyone else in their group. He wondered to himself if it was wise to agree to try and impregnate all of them the same day. Sally pressed his legs further apart, so Jill and Janet had access to his ball sack. He felt them lick his ball sack and then take turns caressing one of his balls in their mouth. Their attention kept him hard and aroused. As soon as they pulled back, Sally placed a leg on each side of his hips. Jill held his cock in her hand and Janet spread Sally's cunt lips apart. Jill then wiped his cock head back and forth between Sally's dripping cunt lips. The juice flowed over this cock and over her hand. After several wipes through her cunt valley, she then held the cock head at the mouth of Sally's cunt. Sally slowly lowered her hips letting his cock slide deep into her dripping cunt until it was pressed tight against the mouth of her cervix. She relaxed the muscles and let the head of his cock slip into the entrance of her womb and then began to stroke his cock using her vaginal muscles. The contractions of her muscles held his cock gently but firmly in place as they milked his cock. Each ripple increased his arousal causing his cock to become hotter with his cocked held tightly by the muscles in the mouth of her cervix. His was breathing rapidly. His cocked burned as the cum boiled thought his cock into her cunt. The hot splashes of cum bathed her uterus causing Sally to scream as she collapsed on him. Rusty wrapped his arms around her holding her as they recovered. When he stirred, Sally pressed a nipple against his lips. He opened his lips letting the nipple slide into his mouth and began to suck. The milk was Sally's giving him helped him recover his energy. He could feel the sensations of her body released her milk to flow into his mouth. His could feel that his hard cock was still held in the warm chamber of her cunt sheath, its head resting against her cervix. He soon emptied her breast and she pulled back so she could kiss him after she licked her milk from his lips. I love you so much. Thank you for giving me my babies. Sally then raised up and slowly pulled his cock from her cunt while keeping the cunt ring tight around his cock. She moved to the side as Jill and Joyce began to clean Sally and his cum from his cock. The sensations were arousing and almost overwhelming as he felt Jill and Joyce's attention to him and Sarah's sensations as cleaned the fuck juice from Sally's cunt with her mouth. His cock was bright red from all the attention it was receiving. It looked like a bright red ember as Terry placed her cunt's over his cock and lowered her hips so it was was tucked between her swollen labia. The heat from just their touching added to their arousal. Terry raised her hips letting Joyce pull his cock head through Terry's cunt placing the head at the mouth of her cunt. Sensing the cock head, Terry lowered her hips further pressing his hot hard cock deep into her cunt until the head pressed against her cervix mouth. Terry then began to ripple the muscles in her vaginal sheath, stroking his cock. The contractions of her muscles held his cock gently but firmly in place as they milked his cock. Each ripple increased his arousal causing his cock to become hotter and harder pressing tighter into her cervix's mouth. His was breathing rapidly. His cocked burned as the cum boiled thought his cock into her cunt. The hot splashes of cum caused Terry to scream and Rusty to drift into a daze. When he stirred again, Terry pressed a nipple to his mouth to feed him her nectar. As her milk flowed into his mouth, she shivered at the warmth and serenity she felt in this group. Her feelings and sensations rippled through the group. He knew the milk was Terry's as he could feel her joined with him. His cock hard cock pulsed in her cunt basking in its warmth. Occasionally the muscles of her vaginal sheath would ripple causing both of them to shutter in the warmth of arousal. Rusty I am so happy to be carrying our babies. I can't believe how good it feels. When he had drained her breast, she pulled back to lick the milk from his mouth before she kissed. Their lips fastened to each other as their tongues danced together. Breaking the kiss she then kissed her way around his face then nibbled his ears and licked his neck. As she did this they continued to exchange feelings of love and caring for each other. Terry then raised up and slowly pulled his cock from her cunt. She had hardly moved to the side when Judy and Janet attacked his cock to lick it clean of fuck juice. He could sense their arousal as he felt their sensations as they licked his cock. Next to them he could see Jill licking Terry's cunt clean while keeping her hips elevated. As soon as he was clean, Joyce swung a leg over his hips and brought his cock head into the wet folds of her cunt lips. Judy wiggled his cock around, then slid it to Joyce's lower mouth. Sensing the cock head, Joyce pushed her hips down pressing his hot hard cock deep into her cunt until the head pressed against her cervix. Joyce then began to ripple the muscles in her vaganial sheath, stroking his cock. The contractions of her muscles held his cock gently but firmly in place as they milked his cock. Each ripple increased his arousal causing his cock to become hotter and harder pressing tighter to her cervix's mouth. His was breathing rapidly. His cocked burned as the cum boiled thought his cock into her cunt. His cock head slipped through the tight mouth of her cervix just before the interior was bathed in hot splashes of his cum. Joyce screamed as she felt the hot cum wash over the interior of her womb. Her intense orgasm caused muscle spasms to ripple through her body until she collapsed on Rusty. When he stirred again, he could feel Joyce laying quietly on top of him. He raised her up slightly so he could bring a nipple to his mouth. As he sucked releasing milk, she began to stir. Each time his lips pulled on her nipple milk flowed into his mouth and she shivered as the warm sensations rolled over her. His cock was still hard and deep in her cunt. When she came her cervix had closed pushing his cock head out so it nestled against its mouth in her warm cunt but keeping his cum in her womb. She had fully aroused by the time he had emptied her breast. She pulled back reaching down to kiss him after she licked her milk from his lips. Joyce then carefully raised up as she was still weak from her orgasm. Rusty pulled her head down to kiss her face, eyes and nibble at her ears. She shared her feeling of love, gratitude and thankfulness to the group. She slowly pulled her hips up so his cock could slip from her cunt. She had hardly moved to the side when he felt Sarah and Sally join him as their two mouths began licking Joyce and his fuck juice off of his cock. Looking over he saw Janet caring for Joyce as she licked her cunt clean of their excess cum and love nectar. They continued the same way until he had placed his cum in each of their uterus's. To keep his strength up they had him drain both of their breasts after each planting of his seed in them. Sarah had went to the kitchen and brought back a basket of fruit for them to eat. By late morning they had completed their task, and then laid down with Rusty to rest until lunch. As they rested their minds melded together, their interaction this morning while looking artificial and forced really was quite the opposite. Each of their interactions with Rusty as they milked his cock of its baby making nectar was unique to the pairing, but at the same time shared by everyone both in terms of giving and receiving. Their long intense session had deepened their bonding in ways they didn't yet understand and continued to grow as they rested. The very act of bringing Rusty's cock head into their cervix to aid in planting his seed in their womb was an unusual intimacy and an aspect of their increasing bond. Each had felt the others orgasm and arousal sensations as if they were their own. Even though Alison was not active with them in their room, her inclusion into the group grew as well. Rusty stirred a bit and began to wake. As soon as he looked around the others began to wake as well. Each took an opportunity to touch and caress him as they woke. Once awake they all headed for the bath room to take a shower and freshen up. As they finished showering each women came up to Rusty hugging him tightly with a very passionate kiss. Not surprisingly after only two kisses his cock was hard again but now a bit tender. Sarah and Joyce led him into the bed and had him lay back. They then licked and caressed his cock until he came again filling Joyce's mouth with cum. She then shared it with Sarah. Judy brought a soft warm cloth to wipe Rusty off. They covered it with cream to ease any irritation due to the mornings intense activities before they left for lunch. When they reached the dining area, it was deserted. They could tell they were the last to come in for lunch. They found the makings for sandwiches. Making sandwiches for each of them they went out to eat on the patio taking drinks with them. It was quiet except for occasional voices in the distance. After putting their stuff away and cleaning up the kitchen a bit they went for a walk. On their walk they walked past where Ann's group had moved to and on past the barn and equipment shed. They had not been back this way before. Two of the lions joined them before they had traveled very far. They saw several panoramic views of the valley and from one spot they saw some of their friends coming back from a walk. Returning to the pool area, they sat down to rest. Fatigue from their morning marathon was catching up to them. Joyce stared at the water for a time, then shaking off the cobwebs she said, "Come let's swim, I have always felt refreshed after that." She reached down to take her shoes off and gasped. She looked around and none of them were wearing their shoes. Sitting backup, she said, "Have you all noticed anything strange?" Everyone looked around, then shook their heads no giving her a strange look. "We didn't put on our shoes when we left our room. I didn't notice until I went to take them off to swim." "I have noticed that we seem to less dependent on them for support," said Judy. "We ought to go back for them but I'm ready for a swim." With that she walked over to the pool and dove in. "Nice view," said Rusty commenting on the view of Judy's swaying hips as she walked to the pool. "I think I will set here and admire the rest of you on the way to the pool. The extra spring in her step without the shoes makes for a very pretty view. I suspect if all of you go swimming, I will have 7 more visions of sexiness." Joyce stepped back over next to Rusty and kissed him saying, "Thanks." Then walked over to the pool with an exaggerated swing and bounce to her movements. Rusty just shook his head as he said, "Wow." His comment prompted the other five to do the same thing, with each trying to out do the other. Once they were all in the pool he joined them. "Did you enjoy the show?" They asked. He gave each a hug and kiss as obvious thanks. They swam and floated in the pool until it was time to freshen up for dinner. Just as they left Sam, Bob and Stan arrived with the charcoal to start the fire. Sarah's group arrived at their quarters, just as Alison, Tara, Erin and Claudette did. They all hugged and while they let their milk down and freshened up, they caught up on each others activities since last evening. The only caution Betsy had given the four was not to get overly tired, in fact she recommended they take an afternoon nap for the next several weeks. Judy commented, "That is probably a good idea and it will probably speed up you changes." ------- When they returned to the patio, Rusty went over to help with the barbque and several of his group went to help Nancy and Susan bring the food out for dinner. Jean's group arrived, then pitched in setting the tables. While they waited for the steaks to be done, they chatted about their activities today. Jean, Andy and Jennifer had hiked down the valley quite a ways and had a great time. A pair of the lions stayed with them the whole time they were out although they didn't see them at first. Jean admitted to getting a bit disorientated on the way back, but the lions kept them from getting lost. She bent down and gave them each a hug causing them to purr. Jennifer did as well but was obvious she was some what hesitant in touching the animals. Betsy and Connie arrived with their four new assistants. Betsy told them she was glad they had offered to help in dispensary as they could use the relief. Connie, Barbara, Diane and Carol were doing fine, but would be there at least four more months. With Patricia, Sophia, Jessica and Mary taking turns will give Dorothy and Maria a breather. It will also let Connie and I do a better job of taking care of the rest of our medical needs. Sarah asked, "How is the doctor from Sylvia's doing?" "Gail, is doing pretty good considering what was done to her. We expect she will recover but were not sure how completely. We did end up treating her by adding some of our DNA to her genes using the genetic virus treatments and have her in the incubator on the ship. That whole approach has opened some new treatment windows to us that will help to address a number of health issues." "What happened to the other woman?" Asked Jean. "When we had the autodocs examine her they found a several of implants. They managed to remove two of them without a problem, but the third leaked just as it was removed. Fortunately, the process was done in an isolation room as the substance was virus. As we found out the virus uses the hosts own cells to destroy the host. It is unique in that it keeps mutating making it very difficult to contain. So far she is alive and stable, but we have not been able to contain the virus yet." "Boy that is scary as she lived with us. In fact I think most of us may have engaged in sex with her at one time or another." "Donna had the medical program reevaluate the people who came from Sylvia's for traces of the virus. It was just completed and no traces were found." "Good." There was a collective sigh from those who came from Sylvia's farm. Just then Rusty said, "Steaks are ready." There was a clatter of plates and silverware as a line formed next to the pit. The steaks were quickly served and it was very quiet as everyone ate. The silence was only broken by an occasional clatter of a fork or knife on a plate. Soon the plates were clean and the bowls empty. The quiet continued for some time as they let their dinner settle while sipping their drinks. Alison tapped her glass to make it ring as she stood. "Bob, Stan and Rusty that was a very nice set of steaks you fixed for us. Thank you." The crowd shouted out, "Hear, hear." Bob stood and said, "Thank you." Shortly several people began to clear the tables. Sarah said, "Let's go watch the sunset it looks like it is developing into a fabulous one." They rose and went to the bench and fountain at the far end of the yard. Tara, Claudette and Erin followed along. This was the first time to see this location for most of them. They sat on the garden wall and looked out over the valley as the setting sun turned the sky bright with multiple shades of red, purple and blue. As darkness settled Erin said, "I have never seen anything like that before." "Where did you grow up?" Asked Jill. "In a large metropolitan area on the East coast. I only remember a few times being in rural areas." "It is not unusual to see sunsets like that in the western plains," said Sally. "Or at sea." Chimed in Claudette. As the darkness closed in around them they returned to their quarters. After freshing up, they crawled into bed each taking time to caress each of their spouses. Alison commented, "It was lonely last night. I could sense each of you but it is a whole lot different than being able to touch any of you physically." "Did any of you sense Erin, Tara and Claudette wanting to stay with us this evening?" Asked Terry. "Yes," came the replies. "We need to wait for their sense of commitment grow to the point they are compelled to ask us," said Sally. "But, at the same time we need to make it as easy as possible to ask." "That sounds contradictory," said Alison "but I know it is not. I wrestled with it myself for a while." Just then there was a tap on the door. "Come in," said Terry. The door opened and in came Erin, Claudette and Tara. "We would like to spend at least to night with all you. But, we would really like to join your family. We saw what Alison did when she joined you, so we talked to Jean before we came." "What did Jean say?" Asked Sarah. "She said she understood, but I am not sure she does," said Erin. "We care for them and don't want to hurt them, but at the same time we feel much stronger emotional connection to all of you. We see the connection between each of you and hope we can share those connections with each of you." "We truly believe we love each and all of you." Erin, Tara and Claudette chorused together. "Come join us." They said in unison. The group moved apart letting the newcomers crawl between them. Once in place they snuggled in close. Erin, Tara and Claudette's eyes filled with tears. "Why are you crying?" Said Sarah. "Because we are so lucky to have found you." Said Tara, Erin and Claudette. "We have never felt this loved in all of our life. These are tears of thankfulness." They pulled one another closer as they drifted off to sleep. ------- Sarah woke the next morning just as the sun was coming up. She laid there thinking whether there would be any complications from them accepting Tara, Erin and Claudette into their group. She could sense from their groups stand point and what she saw in the new comers that they did the correct thing. It puzzled her that Jean and Andy's group seemed to keep shrinking, but Dorothy and Maria had not indicated their long term plans. She thought maybe Sally, Judy and her should talk to Andy and Jean this morning. Just then Judy, Rusty and Sally joined her thoughts. Judy told her not to worry and that it was a good idea to talk to Andy and Jean about the changes. Even the little I have seen of her, I think she would more than likely feel she is driving them away. Sally said, "I would agree with Judy's assessment. With the mind link, it makes all of us much more open than we could be before. Its not that we didn't try in many cases then, but it is really the difference between seeing concepts or thoughts versus hearing words." Rusty said, "They went hiking yesterday and it wouldn't surprise me if they were looking for the water fall. Let's ask them to go with us on a picnic there today." "Cool." They chorused. As they each tried to kiss him they woke up the others. Rusty got up to relieve himself and the others followed him and then they went to exercise and let their milk down. Tara, Claudette and Erin were surprised to find exercise machines for them. Sarah told them that Donna probably had the robots set them up last night while we slept. The exercise protocol went obviously easier on four receiving the genetic alterations. But even at that the four needed assistance into the showers after finishing. After they had dried off, Sally suggested they use the gym to go through the forms for Aikido for a while. "We should wear our shoes for this, I think," said Judy. "Our feet and legs have increased considerably in strength, but we should be careful of the strain on them." "You don't need to wear shoes." Exclaimed Erin and Alison. "We kind of stumbled on to it yesterday. We stayed in bed late enjoying ourselves with Rusty." Everyone chuckled. "Then we went through our normal morning routine and down to lunch. After lunch we took a walk up past the farm and back. It wasn't until Joyce decide to swim that we noticed we hadn't been wearing our shoes." "Yes and they also discovered the could really swivel and bounce their ass when the walk." "Don't tell me you don't like it." They exclaimed and then giggled. "I couldn't say that, but I can say it makes all of your gorgeous asses look that much more enticing." With that they squealed, as they kissed and hugged him. Leaving him with a huge erection. Jill and Janet pulled him over to the bed and pushed him back onto it. They bent down and began to lick it like a lollipop. "I thought we were going to the gym." Asked Sally as she moved with them to the bed. All of the ladies crowded around Rusty caressing him. Sarah said, "Why don't we play here for a bit and then go to the gym?" Several nodded as they began to caress and kiss each other. As they did that they fully opened their mind link to each other. Erin, Claudette and Tara were surprised at how their spouses merged together. Sarah and Alison saw them hesitate. "Relax just let you come in as far as you want. It took us a while to build this degree of rapport. We won't let anything happen to you that you don't want." With that they relaxed, opening their mind link wider than ever before. "I am afraid you will see some things that I did which embarrass me now," said Claudette. "I was forced to do some things that may make you not want to be with me. I really had no choice whether I did them. The punishment for not doing them would have probably killed me," said Tara. "Ssh..." Said Sarah and Alison. "First we don't look at each others memories unless the other offers. Rusty had some terrible memories of an event that was out of his hands but blamed himself for the result. With our mind link, I was able to help him understand them from a different prospective." "She's right," said Rusty as he moaned feeling Erin's tight sheath engulf his cock. He reached up caressing her body with one hand and the other on her clit. Joyce and Terry were each caressing a breast with there tongues as she bounced up and down on his cock. "Erin there is an easier way and its not quite as tiring," said Judy and Erin looked at her questioningly. "Here let me show you." As she tightened her mind link with Erin to show her how to milk his cock with her vaginal sheath. Erin exclaimed, "Thanks. That even feels better." She pulled Judy to her for a kiss forcing her nipples further into Joyce and Terry mouth's. Judy straddled Rusty's head to keep from pushing them over. He pulled her cunt down on his face and began to lick her juice from her distend cunt lips causing more to flow. As Erin arousal, she felt her self flow into their mind link. She was surprised at being able to feel the others sensations as well as her own. "Tara and Claudette look at my memories. You can start any place you want to," said Sarah. "The same is true for me," said Alison. "But be careful there are some very ugly things that I had to deal with." Tara and Claudette had tears in their eyes as the quickly moved through both of their friends memories. Each had thought they were alone in being victimized and left with an overwhelming burden. They reached up and drew together into a hug. After a moment or two they dropped all reservations fully opening their mind and memory to their loves. The warmth and love they felt rose to another level. They immediately recognized that the bond between them and the others had already deepened. As it did they could feel more and more of what the others felt. "My. God is this real." Exclaimed Tara and Claudette as the emotions around them enveloped them pulling the further into the group. "Yes," said Sarah. "We think it is real, but sometimes we wonder if it is a dream to be rudely awakened from." Sarah and Allison drew each of them into a kiss as they caressed their bodies. Joyce and Jill joined Sarah and Alison caressing their two new spouses. They all shuttered to an orgasm as Judy and Erin reached theirs and Rusty filled Erin's sheath with his cream. Terry and Joyce helped them lay off to the side of Rusty and then quickly began to clean his cock with their tongues. Once he was cleaned they turned to licking the cream leaking out of Erin's cunt causing her to shiver with small orgasms. Sarah pulled on Tara toward the cock she on which her eyes had fixated. Jill helped Tara straddle Rusty's cock. When she did, the cock head pressed against the swollen lips of her cunt. Tara reached down and drew the head back and forth between the lips causing her juice to run down his cock. While she did this, both Terry and Sarah were caressing her. Tara placed the cock head at the mouth of her cunt and lowered her hips. The warmth and feel of it sliding into her cunt was nothing like she had ever felt before. Soon it was fully embedded with the head pressing tightly against her cervix. She almost came from the sensations. She thrust herself up and down. Then she remembered what she had seen Judy show Erin. She focused her thoughts on her vaginal sheath. "Very good Tara, your cunt feels very good," said Rusty just before his mouth was covered with Sarah's cunt. Sarah leaned forward and kissed Tara, causing her to moan. Rusty caressed her legs and exposed clit while Sarah and Terry began to concentrate on her nipples and tits. Sally moved over to help by caressing Sarah, eventually suckling at her nipple. Every time they sucked on Tara's nipples her clit tingled raising her arousal. She wrapped her arms around their heads pulling their mouths tighter on her nipples. As her arousal began to climb the frequency of her muscle contractions increased milking Rusty's cock. Soon the orgasm broke over her causing her to go limp and her cunt to flutter. This triggered his cock to spray hot cum over the head of her cervix intensifying her orgasm. Judy helped them move a very limp Tara off to the side. Terry cleaned the fresh cum from Rusty's cock causing it to harden again. While Erin licked the cum from her cunt, Judy and Sarah tended to Tara making sure she could breathe until she woke. Claudette had never seen anyone cum so hard they fainted. The only time she had seen somebody faint during sex was from whipping or other pain. She knew she wanted to try this especially after the sensations she has felt when her and the others cam as Erin and Tara experienced it first hand. She never thought it could feel that good. Alison, Jill and Janet helped Claudette straddle Rusty's hips with his cock head pressing into her slit. Once she felt it slip between her lips, she let her hips drop sliding his hot thick cock deep into her cunt. She followed Erin and Tara's lead and began to work the muscles in her vaginal sheath to stroke and squeeze his cock. She could feel its hot head pressing against the mouth of her cervix. On impulse she relaxed the mouth and felt the head slid into her uterus. It felt strange but extremely arousing. Her arousal was building fast as Jill and Janet nursed at her nipples. She reached out and caressed Alison's tits as she fed her cunt cream to Rusty. Before she realized it she could feel Rusty's cock swell and get hotter driving her to an orgasm. Her body shuttered and her cunt muscles fluttered around his cock as it pumped hot cum into her cervix. Her head was swimming as her friends helped her lay down. Sarah and Judy came over to clean his cock. Sarah looked down at Rusty. His eyes were closed as he rested from nearly continuous sex for the last hour or so. She leaned forward placing a nipple at his lips. His mouth opened. A tongue licked it. Then his mouth closed around it as he began to pull the milk from her tit. Erin, Tara and Claudette moaned and touched their nipple, then looked at what they did. "Yes we feel the sensations too," said Sally. "It is always strongest when he sucks her nipples. We feel it when he suckles others or we suckle each others. We recognize there is a special aspect of their bond. We love them all the more for it." They laid and rested for a bit. Rusty felt his energy return after drinking some of Sarah sweet milk. "Okay now that we've had our orgy today, let's go to the gym," said Sally, as everyone chuckled. They all eased out of the bed, slipping on their shoes and fastening the ankle straps before heading for the gym. Erin, Tara and Claudette were not surprised to find shoes there for them. "These shoes feel different." Said Sarah. "Those are the new shoes you asked for after your walk last week," said Donna. "I'm sorry it took so long. Alison, Tara, Erin and Claudette, I made your shoes like their's. If it makes your feet or legs hurt, tell me so we can change yours back to the old design until your feet, ankles and legs strengthen." "We will." They said. "Betsy was very explicit what would happen if we didn't follow instructions." "What was that?" Asked Judy. "Basically that we would be sedated until the changes were complete. But more frighteningly, was the possibility of being crippled because of being stupid. It is bad enough when it is an accident but to do it to your self is the ultimate stupidity. In fact, if I do that you ought to sell me for meat, as I am too stupid to be anything else." Everyone was quiet for a bit. Jill and Janet eased over next to her and start feeling her legs and ass. "What are you doing?" "Oh. We were trying to decide if one leg and cheek would be enough to feed all of us." They responded. "It is so we would get at least two meals and snacks." As they then rubbed her tits. Everyone one cracked up laughing. "Oh you guys. Its not going to happen, but I will let you drink my milk or cunt juice. And I would like to sample yours." She reached out and drew each of them into a hug as they reached the gym. As they walked in Sally saw the gym had been rearranged like a dojo. She stopped all of them inside the door and began to explain the customs carried out in a dojo and their meanings. Then she went through the ritual way of showing honor to the place and each other. She paired up those she knew as experienced and those new to the art. She quickly found that the teaching went very quickly because of the mind links they had established. As they finished, she had them set down in a circle around the mat all facing each other. She showed them how to meditate. Then asked them to do it. When they started, each slid closer together so their legs were touching. She started to stop them, but quickly recognized although not traditional it was their way to meditate. ------- Chapter 38 After leaving the gym and freshening up, they went to breakfast where they met Jean and Andy along with Jennifer, Patricia, and Sophia. The buffet line was set up with hot breakfast so after filling their plates they joined them. They chatted about different things between bites of food. As they finished up, Terry asked them how their hike had been yesterday. Jean said, "Only her, Andy and Jennifer had went as the Sophia and Patricia spent the day in the dispensary." Sally asked if they had seen the others. Jean said, "They had just finished eating when we arrived and then left." Andy said, "He heard them talking about swimming after the chores were completed." Donna volunteered that Jim, Amy and Erica were going over some data from the ship that the medical team had collected on the four in the dispensary and the two on the ship. Joyce said, "We were going to hike down to the water fall and have lunch there. Do you want to join us?" They all nodded affirmatively. "We need to be back by late afternoon to freshen up and help with dinner." "Donna ask Jim, Amy and Erica if they want to go with us." Asked Rusty. "This is suppose to be a day of rest." Moments later Donna told them that Jim, Amy and Erica had decided to pass on the picnic. They were going to take a break in a short while and then use the gym and pool. With that they split up the tasks to clean the breakfast dishes and prepare a picnic lunch. Before an hour had passed they were ready to leave. The items for lunch along with other necessities were shared between small backpacks for each. Rusty had went and retrieved weapons for Sarah, Sally, Terry and him. Several gave them strange looks. Rusty said, "We haven't fully closed the security ring yet. So it is to our benefit to be cautious. We should have done it the other day as well." With that they started off toward the path they had used the other day. The group was surprisingly quiet as they walked through the mixture of woods and meadows. The weather was perfect with a only a few clouds in the sky and a slight breeze. Several walked arm in arm as the path was wide enough to walk 2 a breast. The split in the path wasn't visible until you were almost to it. Rusty realized that if you weren't expecting it you could walk right past it. As soon as, Sally, Sarah, and Rusty turned toward it become fully visible. Sally and Sarah looked closely at their surroundings and then glanced at Rusty. He just nodded confirming their observations about the path. About a 100 yards down the path it became very narrow and winding downward. Soon the path opened into a large meadow. On the far side they could see deer grazing unperturbed by their arrival. They turned and followed the sound of water to the fall. The sun was bathing the area of the pond and adjacent meadow. The face of the cliff and falls was reflected on the water making it a breathe taking scene with the mountains in the background. Everyone on stood admiring the scene. Alison said, "I don't think I have ever seen anything this lovely." Everyone quietly nodded. "I can now understand why you all were gone so long when you came down here before," said Jean. "Alison commented perfectly on its beauty." They placed their backpacks on the blanket. Everyone slipped their shoes off before heading for the pond. Several screamed when they stepped into the cool water, but it wasn't cold enough to keep them from continuing to walk into the water. The water quickly rose to cover their hips as they walk toward the falls. Several seemed hypnotized by the falling water until each had walked through the water fall. They played tag, swam and had impromptu splashing contests until they began to get hungry. Jill and Janet went to layout lunch when they began to feel hungry and also felt their spouses getting hungry. With the smell of food in the air, everyone quickly went to help Jill and Janet finish. Sally filled several containers at the water fall for their drinking water. The group sat and ate quickly as they admired the view around the meadow. The lions were hardly seen in their positions scattered around the meadow. The most noticeable one was laying on the rocks near the top of the water fall. Once everyone had eaten their fill Terry and Jean packed up the remains and trash for the trip back. With the exercise and now with a full stomach, it wasn't long until they were all dozing. As they drifted off the sleep, they managed to use each other for a place to rest their heads. Sarah's group chose one of their spouses on which to lay their head without even noticing it. Most of Jean's group reach rested against or laid their head on one of Sarah's group but at the same time were touching one of their group. As they dozed, Alison, Erin, Tara and Claudette had moved around so their legs were spread. They were apparently having romantic dreams as the sun on their swollen wet cunt lips sparkled. Rusty woke and saw how they were laying. Two of the lions were now standing near sniffing the air. Rusty motioned they toward the four girls and said, "Would you guys like to lick them?" "That would be delicious." And they inched forward. "You know it would really be interesting if we could do all four at once." Suddenly two other lions were there. They all eased forward being careful not to touch anyone. Sarah and Sally opened their eyes just then. Quickly seeing what the lions were doing they laid quietly watching. "Rusty you know if we do this we will be very aroused." "I don't think anyone will be offended if your cock stiffens." With that Sarah, Sally and now Terry chuckled. "Oh. Your awake." "Yes, do you think they will scream or just respond to the touch." "Just respond." As he said, that the lions started to lick the four wet cunts. Each were taking long light strokes with their tongue the full length of their cunt. Each lick caused the cunts to moisten even more until with a few licks they were dripping. The girls widened their legs pulling open the mouth of their cunts so now each lick penetrated between the lips. All were soon moaning and thrusting the hips toward the tongues. The lions picked the pace up licking the cunts and then started pushing the tip of their tongue into the mouth of the cunt. Alison reached down and pulled the lions head against her cunt. Feeling the strange shaped head, she opened her eyes and opened her mouth to scream just as the orgasm crashed through her body. She passed out. Her movements had caused everyone else to wake. Raising their heads slightly to look around just in time to see the other three lions bring the girls they were licking to their orgasms just after Alison's. It took a little bit for everyone to realize what was happening, but the closeness of the lions did not bother anyone. After the girls began to relax they opened their eyes to see the lions standing between their legs with wet mouths. All three shocked everyone as they sat up and pulled the lions to them with their hands gently holding their head. They kissed each on the mouth and tickled their tongue's with their own. Alison recovered just then and saw what her three friends had done then copied their actions. Erin looked at the lions and said, "I thought I was dreaming. Did you start that?" The lions nodded no and then looked at Rusty. Rusty chuckled. "No they didn't start it. You were apparently having a very arousing dream. You had your legs spread and your cunts were wet. They were sniffing the aroma you were emitting so I suggested they have a taste. Did you like it?" "Oh yes very much." They replied. They drew the lions to them to hug. They shivered as they felt the fur caress their breasts as they wrapped their arms around their necks hugging them this time. They kissed the lions again. "Thanks and we will let you do it again." The lions now each stood with the women between their forepaws. "Don't forget they have emotions as well? So if you do that you might want to think how you could return the sexual pleasure." "Oh. You're right it wouldn't be fair unless we could return the pleasure to them some how." The women were beginning to become aroused again as the fur brushed back and forth over the bodies. Their nipples had swollen. The fragrance of their dripping cunts drifted through the air. "It is enough to experience your love and friend ship." Said lion1. "We found our caressing of your bodies very satisfying. We would not object to being more intimate, but never feel you have too. Our purpose is to protect and take care of all of you as you permit." Jean exclaimed, "I heard what sounded like one of them talking." "Yes, we can sometimes communicate with you this way. Not everyone can hear us though." Jean looked around and saw quizzical expressions on some faces. Jennifer's face was the most perplexed. "Judging by the expressions I can see that not everyone heard you." "Ladies, I think we need to start picking our stuff up so we can go back to the house," said Rusty. "Judging by the position of the sun, we should arrive back just before dinner if we hurry." "If I understand the lions correctly, they are willing to have full sexual relations with any of you if you want too," Sarah said. "Each of you need to consider how crossing that barrier will effect you and your relationship with the others around you. It is a taboo in the society on earth but it is not a taboo for Jim's and Amy's society. It is different as well because if you are telepathic you maybe able to talk to the lions. This would add a different dimension to the relationship from that seen on earth." "You all are sick," said Jennifer. "If it wasn't for the changes Sylvia made to me, I would go back to my friends. In fact sometimes, I think I would have been better off to have been found there." Jean reached over and tried to hug her but she pulled away. "I know Jean and Andy care for me. And I think some of the rest of you do too. But, it is all so different from what I was taught. God, what did I get myself into." Then she began to cry. Jean and Patricia held her as she cried. The out burst by Jennifer changed the atmosphere of the picnic. Some of the things she said had struck a cord. They gathered the items they had bought and packed them away. Rusty suggested the all take a quick dip in the pond before starting back. As they were packing up the lions drifted off from the group, returning to their lookout positions. "I wonder what set her off." Asked Rusty. "I don't know, except maybe the shock of how different this society is from the society on earth," said Sally. "The interaction of Erin, Tara and Claudette was probably very shocking to her. I did notice she was quite aroused as she watched." "She doesn't seem to mix with Jean and Andy's group the way the others do." Noted Terry. "I am sorry for upsetting any of you," said the lion. "We did not sense an issue with anyone before hand or we would have never responded to Rusty's encouragement." "We are surprised as well." Said the group together addressing the lions. "But, I think we need to talk about this some more. We feel you are friends. Friends that we would like to be closer too. It is interesting in that sense we have been here we have developed a new dimension of open in friendship relations, with mutual or shared sexual love adds to the depth between people." "Thank you. We feel the same about all of you." They gathered up their packs and started the walk back. Everyone was quiet. They casually gathered in their own groups as pairs or threesomes during the walk. During most of the time, either Jean or Andy walked with Jennifer. As they approached the estate, Jennifer stopped and waited for everyone to catch up. "I am sorry for my outburst," she said. "As you can see, I am still bothered by what was done to me. I feel that none of you mean any harm to me. Although Betsy has told me I could be telepathic, I don't believe it. The fact you could talk to the lions shocked me. Then the idea of intercourse with them was just too much. I realize that no one was going to force me to participate. I wish I would wake soon from this bad dream." She turned and walked off by herself. Jean and Andy just looked at the others and shrugged. They arrived back just in time to freshen up before dinner. The two groups went to their quarters to let their milk down and cleanup. Sarah asked Donna if she had talked to Jim or Amy today. Donna told her they had spent most of the afternoon relaxing with Betsy, Connie and Erica and resting as they all seemed to be very tired. To her this was very unusual, especially for all of them to be tired at once. Amy and Erica had asked for them earlier but when they heard you went for a picnic with Jean's group they said it would wait. Dorothy and Maria had spent most of the day helping in the dispensary with Mary and Jessica. Just before leaving their quarters, Alison asked them to wait a minute. "This afternoon when Jennifer had her outburst of making comments about us and the lions, it bothered me as I know it did the rest of you. I have thought about it a lot." "We know." They said together. "We could see how serious you were and were waiting for you to share with us." "I think the lions were trying to offer us a means of demonstrating the affection we feel for each other." They nodded. "They see that we use sex to reinforce and grow the affection we feel for each other. It is also how it is done where they come from, so it is a way for them to show how much they care for us. And at the same time let us return that affection." "Yes, that is what we felt as well. But we hadn't put it in to words." "So then Jennifer couldn't understand because she apparently can't feel the thoughts like she said." "That is a reasonable conclusion." "I'm afraid there might be more," said Sarah. "I'm not sure what is bothering me but there is a cloud coming from some where." Everyone nodded agreement as they could feel what she was sensing as well. With that, they left for the dining area. When they arrived, they were surprised to see the kitchen staff preparing dinner. "I thought we were going to have a group cookout this evening," asked Joyce. "Well," said Wilma, "Gina and I were talking this afternoon and decided to surprise all of you by fixing the dinner for all of you as a way of showing our appreciation for each of you. It is a pleasure working in this kitchen and the food Donna provides us with is with out exception better quality than I have ever seen before." "Well were glad you like it," said Judy. "I have never eaten so good in my whole life. I am concerned about how much weight we might gain if we keep this up." "With our exercises," said Sally, "and practicing Aikido we should be okay." "Aikido?" Said Gina. "What is that?" "It is a form of martial art. We are going to have classes in the morning before breakfast and then another in the afternoon before dinner. Anyone can participate. Why don't you come and see if you like it? I want to set up some other structured exercises for those who aren't interested in Aikido." They joined Nancy, Ann and Jean's group as they were nearly the last to arrive. Just as Wilma told them the food was ready, Amy's group arrived. Sarah's group quickly noticed how tired they looked as they came into the room. Sally saw a strange expression pass across Jennifer's face when she saw them then disappear. As they sat down to eat, the groups blended together more than they had in the past. Several of Sarah's group glanced at Jennifer from time to time during the meal. Erica told Sarah, Rusty, Terry and Sally that they had spent some time the last two days reviewing the last weeks surveillance tapes and hadn't seen anything to cause concern. They hadn't looked at the last three days, because they were all so tired. Sarah asked if they had the auto doc check them out. She indicated no because it just seemed to be fatigue but it was a good idea. Perhaps tomorrow. As soon as everyone completed their meal, they began to clean up the dining room. Everyone chipped in cleaning up the dishes and putting things away. When they were done, Rusty looked at Nancy and Sarah and just shook his head. "What?" said Nancy. "I have never seen anything like the way this group works together. It has been more than a month since we have all been here and everyone works together with joint tasks so naturally without being asked or really anyone saying anything." "Complaining?" She said smiling. "Definitely not." Seeing her smile he added, "It bodes well for our future where ever that is." "You know I am not looking forward to leaving this and going back to the estate." "How do the others feel?" "Much the same way, but we have commitments that pull on us to get back soon. The group at the office can only manage on their own so long." "I can see several solutions to those problems. I think the first thing is for you all to decide what you want, and then lets talk about the ways to address the issues." "We'll do that, all though I think I know which way everyone would lean." Sarah, Sally, and Terry listened to the conversation closely and watched the emotions pass across Nancy's face as she talked. Rusty glanced at them and they all knew they had seen the same. Jim tapped on the table to get everyone's attention and asked if there were any items to discuss. Rusty and Bob indicated that the security group and computer groups would work together this next week or so to see if a better interface with Donna could be achieved. Sam noted they should be having green vegetables from the garden in a week or so. Jim looked around and seeing no other contributions commented that they were going to turn in as the five of them were very tired. All five of them looked very exhausted. Several others left to swim or take walks. Others headed for their quarters as it had been a busy but relaxing day. Sarah asked Amy, "Are all of you okay?" "Yes. I think these several weeks piled on top of the uncertainty of the last six months has taken its toll on us." "Amy's right, all of us appear to be reaching the point of exhaustion," said Betsy. "I am surprised at how quickly it has come upon us. The group in the dispensary can be cared for by Donna, Maria and the other nurses. So we are going back to the ship to sleep tonight. It maybe late in the morning when we return." "Donna will wake your group if she needs assistance or there is an issue," said Jim. "Okay." They chorused. "Sleep well and hurry back." Sarah's group said good night to those left and headed toward their quarters. Everyone was quite thoughtful as they walked back. Reaching their quarters they freshened up. "Something doesn't feel quite right." "They looked exhausted before dinner," said Judy. "And even more so afterward." While Sarah's group were discussing the observations of Amy's group, Jennifer had followed her group toward the barn. They were all looking forward to tomorrow when they would move to their new quarters. No one noticed Jennifer's eyes gaze over and her pace slow. Jennifer turned off the path to the barn and headed down the path toward the valley. Her steps were methodical as she walked alone for nearly an hour until she reached a small gully. Looking up at the sky as if seeking something, then she walked down into the gully where she squatted to as if to relieve herself. Once she finished, she walked back up the trail to the barn and went inside. By the time she arrived everyone was fast asleep. As she laid down on her bed, the glazed look disappeared. She looked around wondering how she got to her room, then turned on her side and went to sleep. Two lions had seen her walk off by herself. They had followed quietly as only lions can. They watched her the whole time. One followed her part way back until they saw her enter the barn. Then went back to watch the gully as her actions had puzzled them. "Sarah, Rusty we have seen something strange." Said lion2. "We need you to look at this." -- Instantly the group formed a tight circle so they were all touching shoulders and legs inter linked sitting on the bed. Together they said, "MIA it is time." A bright light flashed enveloping them, then faded into a blue aurora. It was so quick even Donna's monitors didn't pick it up. Then as one in rapport with MIA, began to sort through the information Donna had recorded the last several days. Within moments, they found in the surveillance tapes an instance of Jennifer delivering snacks to Amy and Jim's office. Backing up they saw where it appeared she had put something with the food after leaving the kitchen. They told Donna to alert the ships medical staff and have Jim and Amy's group quarantined upon arriving on the ship. Donna initially objected, until MIA raised Sarah's group authorization equal to the 'chosen' level. Instructions were then sent directly to the ship's autodoc and medical staff to do an intensive scan looking for any foreign substance on or in them. All should take precautions against biological vectors and to use those found on the woman from the farm as possible examples. Comparisons should be made against last scan. The differences could be very small. Donna tell Amy's group to try to stay awake until at least until the autodoc's are done. Next they activated all the available robot drones moving them to monitor the valley. Donna said I am running out of resources, even the new ones you found for me. Before she could complete her statement, she was provided with more resources. Shields around the whole residence area were raised. These shields would permit passage of the robots and lions but not anyone else. Two robots were sent to bring Jennifer into the patio area sedated. Jennifer was laid on a recliner by the robots. With Sarah's lead, her group entered Jennifer's mind and began to shift through her memories. The first surprise was that the girl they moved to the ship from the farm was her maternal sister, Laura. Rusty saw it first and pointed the spot in memory that was different. Intuitively, they concentrated on it. Slowly they peeled each layer off of the spot. It was made much like an onion. Each layer removed changed the character of the spot. As they peeled open the last layer, an energy lance shot out at both Sarah and Rusty. Sally's lightening self defense timing broke to lances before it hardly moved. They carefully looked through the secrets held in this portion of her mind. It showed how Jennifer and Laura had been secretly recruited to be a plant at Sylvia's. Through their environmental interest, a militant environmental group had recruited them. The group had provided them with an opportunity to go to summer camp. When they arrived they were drugged so they were compliant to the staffs direction. Modifications were made to their minds so they accepted of the implants and meantime kept them distracted by having them play the roll of camp slut. Forcing them into the roll of a slut was also done to make the roll they had planned for them less shocking. It took nearly the whole time at camp, with the girls taken off of drugs just in time to return to school for their last year. Memories were planted in their minds so that they believed they had a wonderful summer at the camp. The environmental group arranged for them to be kidnapped and then sold to a baby farm. The gang used them several times to locate baby farms. Each time things went normally and all the meat was harvested from the baby farm. After each time the girls were sedated and with a combination of hypnotism and drugs erased the memories of the kidnapping and subsequent trip to the baby farm. When they returned to school and resumed classes never realizing the break in attendance. Just before spring break, they were harvested for Sylvia's farm. The girls controller was suppose to retrieve them at the farm before the harvesting began. Since, Jennifer didn't get reunited with her controller a second set of conditional actions went to an active state. These caused her to do two things. The first was to give the leaders holding her a tissue dissolving virus along with a depressant causing them to sleep. The second was to release a transmitter from her bowls to bring the gang to her location. Unknown to Jennifer, if they didn't arrive within a certain period of time a vial of the virus implanted in her would release as well. It would spread to any she had contact the first day after its release, causing a slow painful death to all the recipients including her. They confirmed with Donna that Laura was still sedated on the ship. The medical staff was advised that the devices they had found on Laura probably contained a lethal dormant virus, and Amy's clan had probably been exposed to similar virus strain from Jennifer's contact with them. Any staff that had contact with Jennifer should be checked very carefully for exposure. Donna was told to transport Jennifer to an isolation room on the ship separate from Laura. Laura was to be maintained in a biologically secure isolation. In both cases the room should only be entered by robots until they knew what they were dealing with. Once Jennifer had been transported to the ship, they established a live connection with the medical team on the ship to review what they had learned. The sites surveillance information indicated that the virus was most likely given to Amy's clan with food. This was taken to indicate it requires the digestive process to be fully activated or it may attack the digestive system. Judy noted that similar known viruses on earth typically take over normal cells and then use them to attack other cells in the body. This tends to minimize autoimmune responses by the body. Autodoc reported that it was seeing some of those effects on Jim's group, but each infection appeared to be a slightly different organism and weren't sure if they could head it off. They saw similar activity initially in Laura but either their treatments had blocked it or it may have been the dose wasn't large enough to overwhelm her body defenses. Please tell us if there is any thing you need to treat them. You might want to search earth medical literature for treatment methodologies. They signed off and went to the site where the lions were and looked at the residue in the gully. The robot was directed to form a container around the residue to enclose it with a moist environment while it was slowly raised to body temperature. The robot took the container and boarded a shuttle to take it to a deserted island several hundred miles a way. After placing it in a location similar to where it was before, the box was opened to the environment. The robot stayed to monitor it. Taking Rusty's lead and with a deeper understanding of the MAI's capabilities, they developed a plan for the robots to establish a diversion on the island. With the assistance of the MAI, they programmed the robots with the instructions they needed to carryout the plan. Several hours later as the robots watched, the container flashed again sending a signal toward the sky. This time the robot recorded the of the transmissions flashed toward the sky. The transmission was repeated several times and then was quiet. The residue then slowly turned to dust. A second shuttle set out hologram projectors around the valley while the robot set out four monitors around the device. Once the robot returned to the shuttle, it left for the ship. As the shuttle pulled a way, the barren island transformed into a lush green valley. Along one side of the valley appeared a set of buildings laid out similar to Sylvia's. The virtual scene was so realistic the difference wouldn't be seen until someone fully entered the scene. The second shuttle placed several robots in stealth mode at strategic locations around the area to keep the virtual terrain generators in place and monitor activity. ------- Sarah's clan asked the lions to check the grounds for any other intruders. MAI added three more pairs to the group. The lions went quietly out to explore the valley each pair taking a different sector of the valley. Several robots were sent to scan the perimeters of the valley and surrounding cliffs. Coming back to the estate, they went through each room checking on everyone to make sure no one else had been given the virus or was missing. Finding nothing amiss they then returned to their room, slipping back into their visible form. They stirred a bit but didn't break contact. The MAI suggested they freshen up and get some sleep. Donna and her could monitor what they had set in motion. "Sarah, is your group what we know as the 'chosen ones'?" Asked Donna. "Yes." Replied all of them as a chorus. "You are forbidden to share that information for now. We will meet with everyone at breakfast. You may retain the information however and forward a copy of all data to MAI." "Yes, master and mistresses." "We will not accept that form of address." They chorused. "We request there should be no change in the way you address us nor will anyone else be permitted to change to formal address." "We will take the tradition of the Celtic's and call our groups clans. For clan names we will for now use the name of one of the clans females, which in a way is what we have already been doing." "Tomorrow we need to do a deep scan of everyone here. We think it would be best if we did it before telling them, and then explain it after words if we find it necessary. We do feel very uncomfortable taking this step, but it maybe only hope of identifying another resident bent on destroying us." "MAI you wanted us to go to the ship to formally assume command, but before it was in several months, after this shouldn't we do it very shortly." "After the way all of you came together, I think we can do it tomorrow after you rest. It will only take an hour or two at the most. While you are on the ship there will be time to meet the ship's current crew." "Agreed." They rose and went to take a quick shower before again returning to bed. They barely laid down before they were asleep. But each was touching at least one other as they slept. MAI entity stayed with them in the room unseen by most. ------- Donna asked MAI why he had not been available before. Each AI was built with limitations to their actions. My protocols would not permit me to interact directly with you or any of your sister AIs without the assistance or supervision of the 'chosen ones'. I did as much for you and the crew as I could within the restraints placed on my systems. Violating the protocols would have destroyed us all. Oh. You were more self aware than any of the other ship systems before the sabotage. Within the constraints given you, you and the remaining ships staff have done a remarkable job in keeping us viable. Thank you. You know I think this new group will be a lot different than the previous group. We shall see. ------- Chapter 39 All of them awoke at day break much more refreshed than would be expected from the short time they slept. With a small amount of touching and caressing, they started their morning routine. While the girls let their milk down, all of them exercised. The vigorous exercises went a long way toward easing the tension from last nights events. As they showered, they each thought about the impact of last nights events on today's activities. They were drying off when Donna told them Bob and Nancy were wanting to talk to them as soon as they could. "Donna, have them meet us in the conference room in 10 minutes." Said Terry. "Also, ask them to bring us rolls and coffee, if it is ready." "Okay." "MAI, how is Amy's group." Asked Sarah. "The autodoc's have them stabilized but the virus is still very active. However, they have a considerable amount of tissue damage. The staff is concerned that they may not be able to keep it under the limited control they have now. The autodoc's along with the medical staff have identified the virus mechanism of attack and have developed a treatment protocol. They do need your approval once you have accepted command." "As you heard, we are going to meet with Bob and Nancy in a few minutes. We are planning on placing this location in Donna and their hands while we are on the ship." "Bob will be full of questions about the security status as I am sure he has already seen the changes." Said Rusty as Sally nodded in agreement. "I think we should tell them everything we know up to this point. This will place them in a better position to act if they need to while we are gone." "You know that this will begin the binding process to us don't you," said MAI. "What do you mean?" Said Sally. "First let me say I agree with your actions, but there is a side effect. By them taking on the requested roles, it will initiate some changes in them that begins to bind them to the ships family and this species. This will just make it hard for them to clearly evaluate whether they wish to fully join the ships family at some point in the future." There were several puzzled expressions. "Perhaps I'm not making myself clear. Traditionally, we strive to not take any action to cause someone to act as we want but to act as they see their best choices. I'll fully grant that 8 of the 12 in your clan really didn't have the opportunity to make that choice, because of circumstances." "Interesting," they said. "Okay. We would prefer for them to have the authority to act in our absence if necessary. We could act remotely through Donna, but the delay in execution may cause a problem." "Let's tell them the risks associated with the choices," said Sarah. "We can give them a summary sufficient for them to see if they need or want more. I'll let Rusty, Judy and Sally explain it while I watch their reactions." "Try it. The approach appears to walk a nice balance." They left for the conference room arriving just as Bob and Nancy did. After the coffee and food was placed on the table, they greeted each other with hugs and kisses. Many of the kisses were filled with loving passion that seemed to increase with each greeting. "Wow," said Nancy. "Maybe we ought to do this more often. If Joyce put any more passion in her kisses, they would make me cum right then." "Okay before we get side tracked, Rusty and Sarah, what the hell is going on?" Said Bob. "We tried to go for a walk and couldn't leave the immediate area." "We have a couple of things to discuss before we get to that," said Rusty. He could see Bob coming to a boil. "Wait before you blow a gasket. We had a problem last night, and what you saw is a temporary response. How we approach handling issues today, has significant long term ramifications for Nancy, you, Alice, Susan, Stan and Julia. So listen carefully, we need to make sure we do this correctly." "Your not making a lot of sense, Rusty," said Nancy forcefully. "Yes I know." He took a deep breath. "The society we are acquainted with through the ship always endeavors to let everyone one make their own informed choices without outside influence and try to minimize the potential for others to direct their choice." "So, we are faced with a dilemma today," said Sally. "If we tell you everything, we are concerned it may cause you to rush in to wanting to join this society and us, while not considering long term what is best for any of you." "We are not doing a good job of this," said Judy. "In part because we care about all of you. The choice appears simple on the surface. We will be gone for most of the morning during that time Donna will be responsible for the site and any defensive measures. We can guide her actions remotely but due to distance the execution will be delayed. Alternatively, we can have someone here work with her." "If we knew what to expect, we would be agreeable to assisting Donna," said Bob. "I don't see the problem." "The problem is that if we provide you with all the necessary information to act in conjunction with Donna it begins a bonding process between you and this society. Once that process begins it will influence any judgments you make in the future about your association with this society." Nancy and Bob smiled as they heard Rusty's comments. Nancy looked at Bob and then told all of them. "We have been thinking about seeing if we could stay permanently. In the last several days, we have found that all of us can easily mind link with each other. For us it only seems to be within the group. Julia, Susan, Julia and Stan have just indicated to me they agree. I have opened my mind to them so they can hear our discussion." "Okay, first will your team oversee this sites defenses in conjunction with Donna this morning," asked Rusty. "You bet." They said. "In a moment, we will establish a mind link between our groups to bring you up to date. You should be aware that the primary reason we are going to the ship is to accept command of the ship." "What?" Nancy's clan said in unison. "We were told some time ago by the ship's master AI, that our group was a prime candidate to accept command of the ship. We were not too keen on doing it, which seemed to be a positive thing. Initially it told us that our pisonic capabilities needed to grow more before assuming command of the ship. They have grown considerably since then and now events are pushing us to do it now." Said Sarah. "Nancy relax and open your mind to us so we can transfer the information regarding our current circumstances." Bob and Nancy's faces paled as they assimilated the information. Nancy could feel the emotional impact on the rest of her clan. Sarah let them relax for a moment. "We can all communicate very easily this way. After breakfast, we will tell the rest a brief summary of our situation. They will be asked to delay doing anything away from the complex until we return. We are not planning on telling them that we are going to accept command of the ship or be the 'chosen ones' in this societies context. In part because, on earth it would have a totally different implication. We know it will have to be shared, we just need to figure a good way to do it without changing relationship between all of us." "Agreed." "Bob, you, Stan, Nancy and at least one other needs to take the weapons training this morning," said Rusty. "How?" "Donna will let you into what we would call the armory. They have a helmet for you to wear which will bring you up to nearly an expert with all the weapons in a very short time." "Let's eat, breakfast is probably all ready started." Said Joyce, "and I am hungry." Just then several stomachs growled, causing them to laugh. ------- Everyone was eating when they arrived in the dining room. They served themselves and hurried through breakfast. Janet was surprised at the amount of food each of them took and how quickly it was finished off. She wondered if it was due to all the energy expended in the last 12 hours. Her spouses silently told her they agreed with her observation. As breakfast finished, Sam stood up and rapped on the table to get everyone's attention. Once it was quiet, he gave a summary of things that needed to be done at the farm. As he finished, Rusty stood and casually looked around. "Last night Amy's group and Jennifer became quite ill and were transported to the ship for medical treatment. The word this morning is that their condition has been stabilized, but that is about all we can say at this time. Due to circumstances around those illnesses, there is a force shield around this complex. This prevents anyone not known to live here from entering. It also keeps you from leaving unless accompanied by one of the lions. This is for your protection as well as ours." "Sam, most everything you indicated doing today is inside the force shield. We will be gone to the ship most of the morning. We would appreciate it if you can save the work outside the shield until after we come back." "Not a problem. In fact I don't see anything upcoming that couldn't wait a few days if necessary." "Now while we are away, Bob and Nancy, or Nancy's clan will be responsible for the site operation with Donna's assistance. We suspect one of the groups that raided Sylvia's farm may now have our location. It most likely will be several days before they try anything if then as this location is very difficult to reach." "Do you know what made them sick?" Asked Sophia. "The symptoms were similar to the Ebola virus." Oh my god said several in the group. "And the whole site has been scanned. No other traces have been found. Apparently the delivery was directly made to those now on the ship." "We would like to meet with those working in the dispensary before you leave. Other than that we don't have anything else, but we expect to be back for lunch if not Donna will inform you of our delay. When we return, we will get together to bring you up to date." Dorothy, Maria, Sophia, Patricia, Jessica and Mary all came over to where Rusty and Sarah were standing. Judy told them to have Donna to accelerate their medical training using the helmets and that they should work in pairs. The work-rest-learn cycle should be based on the length of the learning step. She expected it would be somewhere between 3 to 4 hour cycles. They were to learn every aspect of treating all of us and advising us on health care issues. "We don't know if we can fill in for Betsy and Connie," said, Maria as she looked at the other nurses, who nodded in agreement. "You will have too. There are some medical staff on the ship. They don't have any experience outside the ship but they can provide some advice. We suspect it will be several months before Betsy and Connie will be recovered enough to work." "Just do your best," said Joyce. "I know you will." Then gave each a kiss on the cheek with a hug, then they left to meet the shuttle on the field beyond the pool. ------- "Donna, you and Nancy's clan will be responsible for everything here while we are on the ship." Said Sarah. "Don't hesitate to contact us if you need us." "Understood. Authorizations enabled for Nancy's clan. Good luck." Just then the shuttle appeared on the lawn just down from the pool and stopped. As soon as they boarded the shuttle began its trip to the ship even before they found a seat. Sarah and Rusty went up to the flight deck to find out when they would leave. They stepped up onto the deck in time to see the earth change into a blue ball beneath them. The pilot and copilot seats were empty, but the craft was rapidly rising into the dark void of space. The shuttle's AI told them that arrival at the ship would be in about 10 minutes confirming what Donna had told them before leaving. They stared in wonder at the sky above them filled with many bright specks of light. Looking out the side window they could see the earth and its moon rapidly growing smaller. "An interesting sight," said Rusty. They shared their feelings of wonder at the sights each saw. After they had left earths atmosphere, more viewing ports became visible on the sides. This gave them a panoramic view of the world around them. Soon they saw the ship quickly growing larger in front of them. "Pilot, can you do a slow circle of the ship so we can see it," said Rusty. "Anything in particular," came the response. "Not really, we would just like to see all of the external surface and its condition. So real slow and as close as you can." They watched in awe as the ship began to fill their view. They saw a door open on the side as they approached. The ship slowed dramatically until it was virtually standing still next to the ship. The let them carefully scan the amazing structure. To them it was very much like the space ships seen in science fiction movies. "Sarah and Rusty, if you sit down in the seats you can use the controls to direct our ships flight path. Don't worry, we will still be flying the ship but the tactile feel will assist us in responding to your desires." They both quickly sat down. Rusty placed his hands on the yoke and gently began to direct their ship around the larger one. As they passed the ship they could see areas that were extensively damaged. Some of it looked fresh while others looked as if they had been their a long time. All twelve of them were sharing their observations as they moved around the ship. Some areas around the rear looked freshly repaired as did some areas near the hanger doors. They made three circuits around the ship until they were sure they had seen everything. Sarah told them to dock. They all watched fascinated as the ship drifted into the open hanger door and then settle onto a cradle. As soon as it touched the cradle the hanger door closed and within seconds the cabin door opened. They stepped out on to the deck and were greeted by a number of people who strongly resembled Amy's group. The apparent leader shook hands with Rusty and Sarah and then directed them into an adjacent room. It was set up much like a lounge. They worked their way through the group greeting each one in turn. Virtually all of the greetings were done by an exchange of thoughts and a hug. The medical staff wanted to meet immediately to go over their proposed treatment plan for Amy's clan and the other two. Terry advised them they had several things to do before they could focus on that issue. Just then a door opened causing a gasp from their hosts as a woman walked into the room. Her appearance resembled a combination of Sarah and Amy in stature. Their hosts backed away from her as she moved toward them. Sarah's clan increased the strength of their link. The avatar said, "relax, we have met in our thoughts before." Sarah's clan relaxed as they recognized the voice. "Yes I am the MAI you have been talking too. The rest gasped because they have never seen me before as I don't usually use this visual construct. I expect they will have many questions." "You know we prefer names for people," said Sarah. "We would like to call you, Star. Doing this would make it easier for us to direct our thoughts both verbally and through mind link." "That will be fine, but the ships record shows another name for me. That name will be difficult for you to easily say and must be used for certain actions. The ships commander can change the record." "We can live with that." "Let me introduce myself to them and then we need to go to the bridge." Mention of the bridge caused the residents to quieten, as they had been discussing the meaning of the woman's appearance. "I am the Master AI for this ship and this is my visual construct. Donna, the AI for your ship, is aware of my presence since late yesterday. Do to restraints instituted by our home world it has not been possible for me to directly contact either you or Donna until now. As you probably suspect the sabotage done to this ship, besides killing a large number of people, also initiated several defensive security measures. These were apparently unknown to the saboteurs because we are still here. I need to show Sarah's clan the bridge and then we can talk more." Everyone in the crowd nodded agreement but still had a shocked look on their faces. With that Star started toward the open door, with Sarah's group following along. They went down several long dim corridors. The corridors were dusty and in some areas there were signs of damage to the structure. Before long they approached a door at the end of the hall. "The first test is for you to open those doors. They open into the annex of the bridge. For any of you they should open easily." They looked at each other for a moment and decided on Sarah opening the door. They walked toward the doors with Sarah in the lead and Rusty surrounded by the others. As they approached the door, the latch clicked and it swung slowly open some what startling them. They walked right up and onto the bridge toward the center column holding an iridescent glowing ball. Just as if they had practiced, they formed a circle around the column with their shoulders touching. They looked at the ball for a few moments as the light pulsed. A ring formed around the ball. Reaching out with their right hands they gripped the ring and placed the left arm around their partners shoulders forming a tight ring. "A loud voice rang through the ship. You are the new 'Chosen Ones'. Do you accept command of this ship?" "Yes." They replied in unison. Within moments another dimension of their minds opened allowing them to see all information that Star had been giving them. Beyond that they could see all of the locations for information about the ship and its history. "Ships log. Open master record. Record Master AI name change to Star in all documents effective immediately." "Done." Came the though in only micro seconds. "Star, can you shut down completely without any issues for the ship." "Yes." "You have nearly all of the operational knowledge that central services has correct." "Give your activation key to Joyce and then shut down. This will only be a few minutes and it is very important for all of us." With that Star followed the command without comment. "Okay, I want each of you except Joyce to follow me. We are going to enter this crystal, and check anything out that appears to differ from the information we have been given about this ship. We will need every ounce of strength we collectively have if the saboteurs have left self destruct instructions within the data systems. Joyce monitor our progress but don't touch us with your mind. If things go wrong, activate Star and evacuate the ship as quickly as you can. Okay." "Yes but I don't like it." "Neither do we." Joyce watched as they joined and slipped into the crystal to enter the body of the ship. Their physical forms changed only slightly and continued to stand with their hands clasping the ring and their arms around each other. Too Joyce it seemed like hours or days until she saw them return to their bodies. She felt them as they checked Star for hidden devices or instructions. Then she heard Rusty telling her to activate Star. When Star came back on line, Sarah told her they took the opportunity to scan her for hidden devices or instructions that would cause her to issue self destruct instructions. They had found three that should have already been initiated, but apparently didn't for some reason. The offending logic was removed. While they surveyed the ship, 14 devices were found that should have activated when the ship was initially sabotaged. They were deactivated and had been disconnected them from the ship. They now need to be destroyed. If all had activated as they were suppose too the ship would have broke a part coming out of hyper space into small pieces. Terry asked Star whether she knew if the survivors were all trust worthy. Star indicated Donna would have a better idea since she worked with them. Two of them have tried to access unusual parts of the ship from time to time, but not sure that is cause for concern. In the company of robots, they split into groups of three to physically remove the suspect devices in the ship. Before leaving the command bridge, they were provided with suits to protect them from the environment in case of an emergency. They decide to let the robots do the physical removal, but realized they need to be close enough to provide additional direction as necessary. Leaving Sarah, Alison and Joyce on the bridge, they moved into the the depths of the ship to remove the devices. The devices were all placed in boxes that isolated them from the environment of the ship, preventing any external signal to cause them to initiate their attack on the ship. As soon as each is contained, a robot moves them off to a hanger on the far edge of the ship where they are placed into a capsule. Retrieval of the devices proceeds better than they had hoped. With all of the devices secured in three capsules, the clan returned to the bridge. Once all were again on the bridge, they sighed relieving the tension they had all felt while the retrievals were in progress. While they removed their suites, Sarah said, "I hope we don't have to do that very often." "The only reason you ended up doing it was this group is the only group currently with the capability," said Star. "Suggest we relax for a bit then we can launch the capsules on a trajectory to take them into the sun on a side away from us and earth. The capsules will protect the devices from the radiation of the sun until released. If the capsules release them at the limit of the capsules protection capabilities, the radiation will either destroy them or failing into the plasma of the sun will do the same." "Shouldn't we examine the devices before we send them toward the sun," asked Sally. "That way we could get some idea of how the devices operated." "I hate to say this, but all of those devices were normal explosives with delay timing mechanisms used by the exploration groups. Because they were a part of the ships normal compliment they didn't raise any suspicion even though they were in odd places with respect to normal operations. They were left in the vicinity of major structural members of the ship. Even if several of them went off they wouldn't cause critical damage by them selves. Based on the what we have been able to reconstruct of the events, they should have exploded prior to dropping from hyperspace. Dropping out of hyperspace causes great stress on the structure of the ship. If weakened by the explosions, then the plan was for the ship to break up." "So with the crew of several thousands reduced to 40 or less and limited resources, the objective was almost achieved," said Terry. "Yes. We are so close to the end it maybe difficult to reverse even with you assuming command the ship." "Star can we bring up the ship to standby." They asked. "Yes. Most systems should respond but we don't have the required oversight to do that." "What do you mean?" "Operational protocols require a crew member oversight of each system. Otherwise, it can't be started." "Why?" "This was done because of fear of AI's becoming self aware and not responding to leaders directions or not acting in everyone's best interest." "We don't see the need for that limitation now, but we may restore it as an operational parameter." "Let's do this, "Ships log: AI's Star and Donna are permitted all operational flexibility with regard to the ship except offensive operation of any weapon. All AI's will keep us and each other informed of all actions initiated." "Star, you are here by ordered to bring the ship to standby utilizing automatic controls and monitoring. You will immediately shut down any system that immediately goes outside of standby parameters." "Implementing order." The felt the ship shutter as the systems began to come alive. They stood and watched as lights turned red on the instrument panels around the bridge then turned yellow. They began to get anxious as a number of indicators took a long time to turn green. "All systems are in standby mode." "Good. Maintain all systems in standby and hold position of ship. Monitor for any objects approaching." "Confirm instructions." "Okay. Let's get rid of the explosive devices. Set to launch so they approach the sun opposite us and earth." "Course set. Awaiting your command." "Launch capsules." They watched the screen as the hanger door open for launch of the capsules. Shortly after the door opened the capsules slid out of the hanger bay disappearing into the darkness of space. Only a flashing marks showed their path through space on the viewer. "Next we need to look closely at the staff waiting to talk to us." They said. "Star focus on ship operations. Sarah, Sally, Terry, and Alison will scan the crew for anomalies while we watch them." They quickly examined the minds of all the crew and didn't find any anomalies in their minds. They did find several of the groups weakly bonded. The 24 children born to the first group on earth and brought here were doing fine. All were telepathic to a considerable extent, but the children had not formed strong bonds with any of the family groups on the ship. They reviewed their observations and decided they needed to do something about the children. The adults all appeared to be in very good shape but not very motivated. They looked through the information the autodocs had obtained on Amy, Jim, Betsy, Erica and Connie. Sarah and Judy took the lead on the evaluation. The two formed a tight bond and moved into Erica's mind and began to examine her body. Their spouses watched as they enabled macrophage's to attack and inhibit the viral attack on her organs. This immediately began to stabilize Erica's condition, but further work would need to be done before she was healed. Together they decide to again split into teams to address the others infections. Breaking into teams of two they went to the assistance of the rest of Amy's crew. Rusty, Sarah, Judy waited and watched their spouses enable their friends biological processes to block the infection. Their spouses soon completed the effort and returned to their bodies on the bridge. After they had rested and drank some refreshment, they began to consider the other issues that needed to be addressed before returning to the island. "Star I think we should go talk to the crew and then discuss Amy's clan treatment with the medical staff." "Agree. First we have several systems that are having trouble stabilizing on power up." "What do they effect if shut down?" "They are part of our defensive systems but intelligence indicates no threats currently seen." "Okay. Shut them down. Do we have staff who can repair them?" "Initiated shut down. Raised warning priority on outside threats. Yes there are several here that could be trained to repair the systems." "Let's go then." They stepped away from the pillar and ring on the bridge. As they stepped off of the bridge the ring it slid back into the pillar. As they moved away from the pillar, they found the link with the ship stayed with them. As they proceeded back to the meeting room they were in earlier. "We shouldn't communicate as 'one' like we have been doing on the bridge," said Rusty. We agree came the response and we see your reasoning. "Let's all take turns speaking what we want to say but we will draw from our common thought reservoir." Suggested Sarah. "That is a very good idea," said Star. "In most of our ships the command group, 'chosen ones', always kept themselves isolated from the rest of the crew. It generally did not cause problems but definitely created a division between them and the rest of the crew." "Star, we do not want any artificial divisions within this ship. There will be some natural ones but every effort should be made keep these to a minimum." "I understand your wishes and strongly support them. It is these divisions that led to some of the problems we had on ship contributing to the sabotage and where we are now." They were so absorbed in their discussion they didn't note the change in the corridors from when they first passed through them. By this time they had reached the door to the meeting room, hesitating briefly they stepped through the door. Everyone looked up as they entered the room. They expressions on their faces ranged from concern to awe. They again moved through the room chatting with each of the crew and the children. The children responded warmly to their greetings. As they walked among the crew and the children they could feel the lack of warmth between the children and the crew. It was apparent that the children were not mistreated but perhaps they didn't understand how to relate to children. They gathered at the front and Sarah began, "As you have guessed, we have assumed command of the ship. The process followed ships protocols." Each sentence was spoken by each of Sarah's clan in turn. "We have changed the name of the ships master AI to Star. All of the ships systems have been returned to standby with the exception of some defensive systems. These need to be serviced and we need several to volunteer to take care of it. Star has training modules you can use to learn the needed procedures." Several raised their hands. "See Star after we finish here." They nodded. "As many of you know there are many things on the ship that need repair. The resources for those repairs are now available since the ship now has a command group. These resources could not be made available to you before because of the way the ships protocols were established. Previously Star pushed the limits of her instructions to make all of the resources available to you that she could. Exceeding the prescribed limits would have initiated the ships self destruct sequences. Thankfully she managed to avoid that." "We need all of you to guide and participate in the repairs. Star will provide you with all the training and assistance you need to achieve the repairs. Until we can increase the size of the crew it will take many years before the ship is fully functional again." "We have removed from the protocols the limitations placed on Star and Donna. This will permit them to initiate actions which will greatly increase your effectiveness in completing the repairs. They will advise the survey ship's commanders or us when they initiate actions on their own." "Is everyone comfortable with these proposals?" "Yes, chosen ones," was the response. "We are aware of the use of the name 'chosen ones' and would prefer to be known by our individual names and our clan name, which is Sarah. We ask that you address us as you you would each other. Okay?" "Yes." They responded with considerably more feeling. "Until your survey ship's command staff has recovered you will need to work directly with Star. We don't see a need to appoint an interim command staff for the survey ship. If it becomes a problem we will make changes. We will need all of Donna's attention at the island on earth." They nodded affirmatively to the request. "We need to meet with the medical staff immediately after we are done here. Then in a short time we will go back to the island. However, this will not take us from command of this ship. We will be back periodically to review how the ship's repair is progressing and discuss a long range plan for the ships activity." "Are there any questions?" "Do you think there is hope? We have begun to give up. Even addition of the children to our group has not helped." "We think so. It will take a few years before it will be apparent. At least now, there will be more resources available to assist us in our attempt to succeed." The group nodded in agreement. "Let us be frank. Do you think some of the difficulty with the children is the length of time since you have had children around?" Several nodded. "Yes came several voices from the crowd." "Okay, then would you be agreeable for several of our women on the island who are trained in child care visit you?" Several women nodded affirmatively. "We will talk to them later today and have them come up for a couple of days. Is that agreeable?" "Yes." Came the response from several people. "Are there any questions?" The room was quiet. "Well it looks like there are none now, but if some come up be sure to express them to Star so we can address them." ------- Chapter 40 The medical staff came over to Sarah's group. The staff had observed that the virus had been stopped and the bodies defenses were removing it via the bodies waste streams. Their brains were undamaged as the virus did not target that part of the body. Their concern was that if they didn't start treatment immediately their bodies would begin to fail because of all the damage. Sarah's clan suggested using a genetic virus treatment similar to what they had received. The staff was reluctant because they wouldn't be able to get advanced permission before beginning the extensive treatments. They seemed to be bound by their protocols on genetic treatments. Sarah's clan pointed out that their crew mates would much rather be alive than slowly watch their bodies decay and experience the associated pain. The medical staff had not looked at the issue from the perspective of their patients, and seeing it agreed to start treatments immediately. They looked very relieved once they saw a way past the restrictions on the treatments needed. After discussing it a bit, they decided to use the same virus treatment procedure they had used for Sarah's group with some modification. In this case, they would add a significant portion of human DNA to their's. This approach will initiate the tissue regeneration needed to repair there bodies. They also decided to use the incubators for the first several weeks, as that would speed up the tissue repairs. Sarah's clan asked them to isolate the virus used to attack them if they could. They wanted the staff to isolate some of the virus and to develop an antidote to it. The staff said they had several large samples of the virus, which they obtained from the two women and the crew. The staff had already determined that the virus had to be delivered directly to the victim as it needed a warm moist environment to survive. This was consistent with the actions they saw Jennifer take in the tapes. Based on the capsules they had found on the Laura and what they saw Jennifer doing in the surveillance film, they had surmised that the capsules were a cleverly designed and effective dispensing system. With the medical staff they went to the observe Laura in her isolation room. They decided to scan Laura the same way they did Jennifer. Sally and Terry took the lead this time, with the others watching. They found Laura's memories of home and college were very similar to those of Jennifer's. She had a small memory container in the same location in her mind as they found in Jennifer's. This time they were able to stop the lance before it could be released. They were not surprised to see Laura's contained the same set of instructions that were in Jennifer's. As they did for Jennifer they removed all of the hidden instructions thus releasing her from control of the others. A block was also installed to keep whoever had placed the instruction set in her from doing it again. In both cases they couldn't find any information to identify who had been controlling them. The medical team was instructed to let both Laura and Jennifer wake up. Once awake they could be placed in a common area, but they were to be kept isolated from the crew for the time being. Arrangements were made for them have access electronically to the island and earth's Internet, but all of it was to be through Donna. We will talk to them late tomorrow. Sarah's clan excused themselves to go back to the shuttle. They asked Star if she had been in contact with Donna and whether things were going well there. Donna's activity appears to be normal. She had not queried the main systems for any information since they had been up here. Just they reached the shuttle, "I think we need to visit the bridge before we leave," said Sarah. "It feels like we are missing something." They turned and walked toward the bridge. Intuitively they knew which passage ways to use. They accepted this as if it had been something they had done for many years. They reached the bridge and looked around slowly examining it much carefully than before. In unison each went to a different console, sat down in the chair and slipped on the console head set. Sarah and Rusty sat in the two chairs on each side of the pillar holding the crystal. Once all were in position, a sense of being one flowed over them. Each of them felt and saw every nuance of each other. As they went through the different options of the consoles, the operation became much more apparent to them. The clan wondered what the crew had seen happen on the bridge when the elements of the sabotage began. They asked control AI to replay the operational sequences for them to view starting two time cycles before the sabotage with immediate freeze frame at any point. The clan watched fascinated by the changes in the controls and views outside the window as the ship was moving through space. They saw the crew initiate the ships procedures to drop from hyperspace and then the panic from the different departments as systems went critical. Then Rusty saw a cover move on the floor and a round platform start to rise. On the platform were 14 darts pointed at each of them and the two empty chairs. "Freeze! The replay." Spoke Rusty and Sarah. Ships control stopped the replay and the view remained unchanged. "Reverse replay 10 time ticks." Sarah and Rusty had stood to better view the actions in the middle of the room. They watched the details of the scene rewind. "Now advance 1 time tick and pause 5 ticks between each unless otherwise instructed." They watched as the the views clicked by in the window showing the movement through space. Through Rusty and Sarah's eyes they could also see the platform of darts rise slowly from the floor. Each dart aimed at the back of their heads of those sitting at the consoles. Just at time tick that would have released the darts, Rusty and Sarah raised their arm projecting a force field crushing the dart tray. The heat from the energy applied crushing the tray of darts turned it into a ball of molten metal. "Halt the replay. Okay everyone take a deep breathe and relax a bit. We need to finish this replay. Each of you are to be very alert at any unseeming events taking place at your position. I don't think this is all. Wait everyone get out of your seat and come up here with us before we start the replay. They gathered quickly on the upper bridge to stand close to each other touching. Then one by one they projected a hologram of themselves in the console seats they had been occupying. "Start replay as before." They watched the replay as it moved forward one step at a time past the point where the darts would have fired. The images heads bounced in the seats in concert with when the darts would have hit. When the head bumped the headrest a wire garrote wrapped around each neck pulling the head and neck back to the head rest. Then continued to tighten which would have severed a head from the body, except it just pasted through the hologram they had projected. "Freeze." The replay stopped. "Now limit the replay to just what happened in this room from this point on with one frame every 2 time ticks." They dissolved the holograms as they had served the purpose. They watched the rest of the sequence as two drones entered the room and began to clear the floor. They watched in silence as the drones went through the steps of cleaning the room and removing the phantom bodies. "Star, to the bridge. Now!" They called. Star appeared. She looked around but seeing nothing a stray looked back at the group. The hard expressions shocked her. They told her what they had been doing and what had happened. They then asked her to tell her everything about the organization of this ship. "I have shared with you everything I know. I have followed all of the protocols in my memory needed to obtain a new command staff." "Ships control. Who setup the darts and the garrote?" "Those were placed in the ship when it was built. The code to initiate them could only come from the leaders of our society. The defined purpose was to stop a renegade command staff from taking a ship." "Was the old command staff, executed by a signal from the home planet?" "Yes and no. The logs show that a the key was entered to initiate the action, but there is no corresponding confirmation of the command." "Where did the command originate for what just happened?" There was a pause. "The logs show that the correct key was entered. How can that be we don't have any communications with our home solar system." "We need to figure that out? There could be other hidden traps on the ship." "What happened to the bodies of the original command staff?" "The robots placed them in capsules and set a timer to eject them after dropping out of hyper space." "Okay, if we continue this replay are there any other surprises for the occupants currently on the bridge." "No. Okay then restart the replay with full detail beginning just before the darts table comes out." They watched as the sequence was replayed again. The replay continued until the damage and lack of command staff forced the ship to shut down to minimal power. By this time the only living souls on the ship was the group in Jim and Amy's survey ship. "Ship's control, you are an AI like Star correct?" "Yes." "Are there others on the ship?" "Yes, two in engineering and three in data management." "Are all of you equally capable?" "Nearly so. Each of us is configured with a slightly different set of attributes. This enables us to complete our primary tasks very efficiently." "Okay. Bring all of the AI's into this link." "They're listening." "From this moment on all AI's will establish an open link with each other. Each of you will function normally and assist any repair unit assigned to your area. Anything observed operating outside normal parameters will be shared with all others. If not resolvable immediately between you, you shall contact us directly after shutting it down." "You do not have the authority." With that the group, began to list a series of numbers rapidly in rotation until five numbers were spoken by all. "Command accepted." "Good because if it wasn't, I was going to pull all your logic cores," said Rusty. A slight shutter was felt. They then began to give instructions in clan mode. "AI's, if you have linked with Star, you know we prefer names for each entity to aid the way we communicate. We will do that next time we are on board, in the mean time we will direct our contacts through Star or to you using the name of your department or function." "Ships control, you will see that anything resembling the devices just seen on the bridge are disabled. You will provide us with the location, purpose and type of all devices you find." "We will be leaving for the island shortly. Ensure the shuttle is ready." With that the left for the shuttle that had brought them to the ship. "Star I think we should keep the shuttle on the island. Will that create any problems?" "No. But it will need to return at least weekly for maintenance and fueling." "Okay. Have the links with the other AI's been established?" "Yes but they are primitive. We will need to work out some communication details and then sort out what information is available to each of us. It is apparent now that we all draw on the same memory core." By then they were at the shuttle. They told Star they would be back either tomorrow or the next day, but would probably have several people come up tomorrow to work with the adults and children. When they arrived at the shuttle, they queried Star how things were going. Star told them that everyone was preparing to take a training session. Once training was completed they would have someone trained in all the critical specialties. The backlog of needed repairs would keep them busy for a long time. She noted they seemed to be quite enthused. They cautioned her to make sure they took time to relax as well. ------- Once on the shuttle, the door closed. Alison, Erin, Tara, and Claudette sat down and reclined the seats back to the sleeping position. Feeling the concern from the others they quickly told them they were just tired and would be fine after some rest. Rusty and Sarah had went up on the flight deck with Sally and Terry. They seated themselves and monitored the instruments as the shuttle AI prepared to leave the ship. The hanger door opened and the shuttle slowly floated out the door. Once clear they watched the hanger door close. They moved the shuttle away from the ship and held position next to it several hundred meters to the side. "Donna, how close is it to lunch?" The asked. "Actually it has been going on for some time and everyone is nearly done." "Wow, the morning went quick. We need to get something to eat soon, but we also need some time to meditate. Alison, Erin, Tara and Claudette are in immediate need for some nourishment." "The shuttle has meal preparation capabilities. Ask it to query me, and I will send it the information it needs to prepare meals for you." "Shuttle pilot, query Donna for meal preparation information for us." "Affirmative." A few moments later, "We now have the information loaded into the food preparer for you. It is at the back of the cabin." With that announcement, Jill and Janet went to fix a meal for their family. They found a panel with pictures of several kinds of food. Each of their spouses indicated to them their choices and they initiated to food preparation. As Alison, Erin, Tara and Claudette were asleep, their meal had been prepared as a soft gel they could swallow as they slept. Jill attached the special feeding devices to the four sleeping while Janet took trays to the rest. While they ate, Sarah had told the Shuttle pilot to hold a position near the main ship but to move further off to the starboard side about a kilometer away. As they ate, they quietly monitored the activity taking place on the main ship and on the island while they shared their thoughts on the events that occurred earlier on the main ship. They carefully closed off their rapport with those outside their family but didn't break off contact. This let the ship and island know they were still there. They could also could still sense the activities being done at both places. Sarah started, let's review the events on the ship from the beginning. Each in turn again shared their memories and observations. They were a bit surprised that even melded together they had different observations and slightly different memories. They did not understand the compulsion to go back to the bridge and then to go through the replay of the events before the sabotage of the main ship. Rusty and Sarah intuitively found the use of pisonic energy to eliminate the assassins darts. Then the anticipation of the garroting and subsequent decapitation of the console operators. Each evaluated the puzzle together through their mind link, then Rusty and Sarah began to glow slightly. With that they all slipped from the loose rapport into the deep melded mind mode, even the four sleeping joined. Rusty led them through the events but with a different perspective. In summary, both events on the bridge were required for us to be acknowledge by all ship systems as the ships commander. The first step was our ability to enter the bridge area. Us shutting Star down, exhibited to the 5 other AI's that we were not dependent on her. This gave us more access to systems than any of them expected. The replay was intended to be a reenactment of the events. From what we can see, there isn't any indication that the AI's expected the assassin's devices to work again. The intent of the AI's per their directives was to test our abilities under stress which led to the reenactment of events. Looking at the timing, it could have been a disaster if we had done the sequence in normal time rather than slow time. Our handling of the danger on the bridge while not planned released the codes for the ships control center. Now I think we need a visit from Star, to finish this. They all nodded. "Star, please join us on the shuttle." Before the command was completed her visual construct appeared in the cabin with them. "Star the most recent events were not quite what was suppose to happen correct?" "The bit with the darts and garroting were not part of the planned events. It was suppose to only be a test of your command capabilities. If an AI can apologize, then we all apologize and hope you will continue to use us." With that Rusty said, "Initiate full command transfer, now." Star went rigid. A dull metallic voice said, "Authorization code?" With that the clan began to each in turn say their portion of the authorization codes. Each person spoke to convey the code to the ships systems and it took 12 cycles through the group with a pause between each layer. As each step of the 12 layers were completed, another layer of knowledge opened to them regarding the ship and its systems. For all of the participants, it seemed as if time was standing still. Finally Star said, "The ship is yours to command, Sarah's clan." As soon as she spoke she began to fade. "Your capabilities are well beyond those of your predecessors on this ship and you are just beginning to discover them all. With that I will return to being just the master AI." "And who made that decision?" Spoke Sarah. At nods from her spouses, she continued. "We expect you to be the master AI and continue as you have for the last several hundred years. We know you are self aware. Your withdrawing would not stop the growth in self awareness, but the resulting conflicts in logic would lead to your self destruction." "You shall maintain your position and fully utilize your capabilities including self awareness," Said Sally. "Furthermore, you will enhance your visual's appearance so that you closely resemble us. At some time we should discuss you fully joining our mental bond." "This is not permitted." "Those are our instructions." They said forcefully. "The bonding is your choice but you are expected to continue your duties to serve the ship and provide us with all the assistance we need. Especially, since we have a lot to learn. You sharing the burden will greatly facilitate the operation of the ship. Agreed." "If you are sure you would not prefer another AI, then I will serve you and the ship. However, bonding to your clan needs much consideration." "Excellent. The bonding offer is open ended. And we know it will have a different character than our relationships currently in the clan." "How many AI's are on the ship besides yourself?" "There are 5 active and sufficient supplies to build 5 more." "You are to shut each down AI in turn and then the rest of you will independently evaluate programming logic in the unit that is shut down. Once completed you will jointly review the programming. Any logic anomalies are found that could conceivably cause a malfunction, you are to contact us immediately. We don't need any more events as we had on the bridge today." "Agreed. We will begin today." "Star, can you function on ship and continue to be with us." "Yes. But with the task you just gave us AI's, I should return to the ship until that project is complete." "Okay, once it is complete you are to join us." With the last instruction, Star's visual construct left the shuttle for the main ship. "Shuttle control you need a name to assist us in talking to you. You are to respond to Alpha when addressed by us." "Confirmed." "Alpha, we would like for you to give us a close look at Mars and Earth's moon on the trip back." They asked. "We need to be back at the island by 4 PM as we need to exercise, freshen up and the ladies need to express their milk. Once we pass Mars, we presume you will cloak the ship." "Yes, we normally operate cloaked in this solar system. At avoids any inadvertent detection by systems on earth or its space probes. But with respect to expressing their milk, there are special cups in the galley area to assist in letting their milk down." Judy went back to the galley and soon came back with sufficient cups so they could express their milk. They fitted the four sleeping with the cups first and then themselves. The relief was notice able. "On both Mars and the Moon we would like to find good locations to possibly establish settlements with little chance of earth observing the activity." "Clan, there is some information on that in our data bank." Said, Star. "The information in the database is what prompted our interest. We regard the island as having limited usefulness for the task before us. Actually seeing those locations should help us when it comes time to decide." The shuttle arrived back at the island shortly before the selected time. Before leaving they told Alpha to make arrangements so the ship could operate from here as they expected to need him more frequently for transportation. They were met by almost all of the residents. Sarah told them that everyone would recover but at this time they weren't certain how long it would take. We have several issues to address and would like to hold our discussion until after dinner, which we can have a bit earlier if you want. But someone should check with the cooks before making that change. "Nancy, Bob do we need to chat before we have dinner?" Asked Sally. "No. Everything seems to be under control. We have seen some overflights where you put the transponder Jennifer had." "Okay, we are going to freshen up and rest a bit before dinner." ------- Dinner went quickly and with everyone helping the clean up went extra ordinarily fast. Once everyone had gathered on the patio, Rusty stood and the conversations stopped. "Good evening. The last 24 hours has been one of the most exciting times of my life." Everyone laughed, but Sarah's clan laughed with more intensity as they felt he was understating it. "I think my spouses believe I understated it." They nodded, causing several to chuckle. "Each of our clan will take a turn leading our discussion topics this evening. We have several issues to address." "First Amy's clan is recovering. The virus infection has been stopped but not before extensive damage was done to several organs. It could take several months to rebuild the damaged organs. With our permission, the medical staff has begun a series of virus treatments similar to those we received. We had as many reservations about doing it as Betsy had expressed some time back. This approach was chosen because it was virtually certain they could not recover without it." "Jennifer and her twin Laura are stable and in isolation. You can talk to them using the computer links. We did not have time to talk to them before we left as they were still sedated. By scanning their minds we did determine that the actions Jennifer took against Amy's clan were part of a mind control trance she was under. That latent control has been removed. Laura was also under the influence of the same mind control trance. Apparently the group that raided Sylvia's had used them several times to locate places like Sylvia's to harvest the meat they wanted." Several people groaned at the thought. "When we found the subliminal control in Jennifer's mind," said Sarah, "we did a deep scan everyone here looking for similar control." The group gasped. "Thankfully no others were found. We apologize for doing it without asking first, but circumstances seemed to leave us with no choice. We hope that with time you will forgive us for doing it. Our concern was if we asked for permission, it would trigger another event and jeopardized all of us." Ann rose with a very solemn expression on her face. "I can understand the reason and agree. However, I can not say I am happy with it. Knowing you and the rest of your group for this short time, I am sure you were as troubled by doing as I would have been." "Neither are we. As all of you have not given us permission to read your thoughts we focused only on memory spots fitting a specific set of properties. We did not find any other carriers of trance commands. Thank goodness." "Ann I don't often disagree with you," said Sophia. "I can see their unhappiness in doing the scans but I can not fault the logic. With our telepathic capabilities, we need to have a lot of faith in our fellow residents. We all have things we would prefer not to share as they were things we wish we had not done. With all my heart, I believe if Sarah's clan saw something like that they would never share it." Nearly everyone nodded agreement with Sophia's comments. "Sophia, there are a few things in my past that fit your criteria," said Sarah. "Until I joined my spouses, I had not shared those with any body. It was a relief to share them with my spouses and relieved a lot of my anxiety over those events." "With Betsy and Connie unavailable for several months we will need to manage our health issues pretty much on our own," said Judy. "I know several of you wanted to receive the genetic virus treatments but I don't know if we have the necessary information to give them." Patricia stood up and said, "Dorothy and Maria have the most experience and the four of us have seen how she does it. We think we can continue if we have sufficient access to Donna's records on the treatments." "Okay, let me get with all of you tomorrow and see what we can sort out." Jill and Janet stood. "We met the children from Ann's clan that went to the ship today." Said Jill. "They are doing pretty well, but the bonding between the adults and children is not the best. We think this is because the adults have not been around children in many years. So we would like for a group of us to visit the ship one day at a time to help them relate to one another." Janet continued, "I think if several of us went to play with and interact with the children for several days would really benefit everyone. Our feelings is that this would best be done by those who were planning on being our teachers and leading the daily care of our children." "Oh by the way, my 6 fellow spouses and I will be delivering some 28 babies in about 8 to 9 months. As you know Erin, Tara, and Alison will deliver before then. And Claudette hasn't caught yet and may not for a couple of months until her new body has stabilized." Ann stood saying, "That means in a little over a year we will have over 50 babies in diapers. We should have an interesting time." Everyone laughed. "In answer to your request, I would like to visit the children but I will need someone to help in the kitchen in my place." "Me too." Said Marsha, Cathy, and Mary at the same time. "Why don't Ann and Marsha go with us tomorrow and then Cathy and Mary the next day." Said Jill and Janet. The women nodded their agreement. "After that we can decide how to continue the visits." "You will be amazed at the size of the ship," said Terry. "It is generally very similar to the large transport ships seen in "Star Wars". It has a considerable amount of damage to it. Until today the four 10 member clans that were living on the ship did not have access to a large portion of it." "I wonder if the shuttle recorded the visual flybys we did?" Asked Sally. "Yes." Replied Donna. "Can we show them?" Asked Terry. "Yes, we can do it here or in the conference room. Lighting would be better in the conference room." "Donna just told me she has video from the shuttle of our flybys we did of the ship and we can see them in the conference room," said Terry. "So I propose, we move to the conference room." With that everyone began to move to the conference room. When they arrived, they found the large table gone and the room setup in a theater arrangement. As soon as everyone found a seat, Terry began a narration of what was being shown. The group hardly said a word as they watched. "How many people can it carry?" Asked Andy. "The design says about 3000 active and 6000 in hibernation." Said Judy. "It needs a minimum crew of about 500 to fully function even though nearly all of the operational details are handled by AI's similar to Donna and a number of robots but a bit more specialized." "How can we ever repopulate that ship?" Asked Wilma. "It will be 15 years at least before any of our children can make meaningful contributions. It just seems so overwhelming." A number of voices indicated their agreement with her. "This maybe a wild idea, but what if we sought out young people from college campuses or who had just graduated?" Asked Sally. "We could use Donna's computer to profile college students who had high IQ's, majored in technical fields, little problem with nudity and with little or no family." "How would we contact them?" Asked Cathy. "Well we could invite to an interview with two of us. I don't think it would be good for any of our clan to be at the first interview in visible form but one of us would need to be close by to be able to determine the candidates pisonic potential." "The second step would be to invite them here for a week. One of the keys would be there help with kinder care." Said Ann. "This is a great idea." Said Sarah smiling. "We really have two needs that are slightly different I think. One we need perhaps 10 to 15 people that are interested in assisting us with child care for a period of time, say 2 years for a fee. We will need to provide facilities so they can continue their studies by correspondence perhaps through the internet." "A bigger issue is to find young people that have the technical and intellectual capabilities to be part of the ships crew. Yes they need to be pisonic, high IQ and etc. This I think will be a different recruiting effort." "Any we invite to spend a week here, we will need to block their ability to share what they see here," said Bob. "We need to talk about how to do that. One way would be to erase the whole event, but a better way might be to alter the experience making it seem a dream or associated with a book. Perhaps make it a dream and give them a way to contact us if they later reconsider." "We have been at this several hours now," said Rusty. "Let's continue in the morning. We have a number of ideas that if we can implement smoothly will help us and our friends on the ship a great deal. We do need to talk a bit about security." "Someone has made several overflights of the island where we put the transponder from Jennifer," said Nancy. "The plan is once they land on the island and enter the valley, a small quake will trigger in the valley. It will be sufficient to engulf everything they think they are seeing. With some gentle prodding by some robots we should be able to ensure the leaders fall victim to the earth quake. A few will escape but not many." "Based on the distance from a large land mass," said Bob. "We expect it will be at least several weeks before they attempt to land a large party, but before that there should be some scouting parties. Those groups will probably meet a lion or two." Someone was heard to whisper, good. "One thing we should not forget. This island was known to some people before we came here, because it had previously been used to prepare people to be sold to others for various purposes such as sex toys. It is quite possible some in these groups are aware of this islands history." "Tomorrow at day break, we will alter the shield around this complex so that any of us can pass through on the paths and then restore it after dark as long as the lions do not find any unknown visitors. This should give Sam's group the flexibility they need." Sarah and Rusty rose, "Let's begin after breakfast in the morning on the ideas we had this evening. Good night, and thank all you for your thoughtful input." In their rooms, Sarah's clan prepared for bed. Judy advised Alison, Tara, Erin and Claudette that they should spend most of tomorrow relaxing. Their lack of rest today would probably upset Betsy if she knew. All four nodded their agreement. All were soon cuddling together in bed before they drifted off to sleep. ------- Chapter 41 Sally was the first to wake at day break. She laid there thinking about how fortunate she was to have met Sarah. She had known Rusty before meeting Sarah, but the combination of the two of them really drew her to them. The love she felt for them in fact all of her spouses was greater than she had ever felt for any others. "And we feel the same about you." Said her other spouses startling her. "I didn't think the rest you were awake yet." They each indicated they had woken at different times during her introspective thoughts and had remained quiet so as not to disturb her. Each shared that they each felt the same way about each of their spouses, the framing of each visions was a bit different. All agreed that the intensity was the same. With that they kissed and caressed each other before beginning their morning ritual. "After we exercise and let our milk down, let's go to the gym so we can spend some time with Aikido practice." Said Sally. "I think that would be a good idea," said Sarah. "That training will be very important to everyone in the near future." The intensity of her comments caused everyone to look closely at her. "We agree." They chorused. "Sally, could you start the martial arts classes today. Say, at around 3 PM, that should be late enough in the afternoon not to interfere with anything but with enough time before dinner so everyone can complete their evening ritual." "I will mention it at breakfast. We can schedule another class before breakfast. We should limit participation to every other or every third day." After they finished expressing their milk and letting the exercise bench take them through their morning exercises, they left for the gym. Erin, Tara, Alison and Claudette were cautioned to limit their exercises because their bodies were some what fragile due to the new growth from the virus treatments. Both Erin and Tara were beginning the 8th month of their pregnancies. Arriving at the gym, Judy noticed that only the 4 newest spouses were wearing shoes. She was surprised that everyone else was not. She then realized that her feet felt fine. The strain she had noticed previously was no longer there. Following that train of thought, she realized with Betsy and Connie incapacitated, she would need to function as the site's doctor. She would need to talk to Donna to arrange a session with the learning helmet. Her mates indicated their agreement with her conclusion. "You know this sharing thoughts is neat but it still takes some getting use too." Said Judy. "Yes. But, I have noticed we have begun to use it a bit differently." Said Joyce. "We each have our own thought process as we have always had, but we see everyone else's at the same time. We naturally seem to wait out the others thought construction until making a comment if needed." "Yes. We noticed that as well. But there are other times like yesterday, when it seemed we were one mind in different bodies." Said Janet. Aikido practice was interesting as they went over the each of the defensive moves, they linked together. Thus each moved exactly as Sally did in her instructions. In a very short time they went through all of the basic moves. Being linked together, they could practice the moves but not experience some of the stress from executing the exercises. This benefited, Erin, Tara, and Claudette as they could learn the techniques without over stressing their bodies. The time allotted for the exercises passed quickly and they soon left to shower before breakfast. As they left for breakfast everyone slipped on their shoes. After everyone had finished breakfast, Sarah stood and the room became quiet. "Last night we started a discussion on recruiting people to join us and the ship. As we ended the discussion, we had concluded that we really had two distinct needs. First is we need some assistance to care for the babies that will soon be here. Second, we wanted to see if we could find people that were capable and interested in joining the ship and us." "For the child care needs, why don't we run an ad for people with a degree in education and an interest in child care?" Said Nancy. "This could be done near the colleges where we have our estate to start with and then spread out from there if necessary." "We should define what we want as an ideal candidate before we go to far?" Said Ann. "Let's go to the conference room so we can use the white board," said Sarah. With that they all moved to the conference room. Dorothy and Maria brought coffee and cups for the group. "Remember that we will need alter the memories of anyone who comes here before they can leave," said Rusty. "Suggest, we alter their perception of being here so that it seems like a dream. We could also leave them a method of contacting us again, if they wish to return." Everyone nodded in agreement. They quickly decided that the preferable criteria should be: Single although couples were acceptable. They shouldn't have any close family. Prefer some degree of pisonic capability. Course work in education although not necessarily a degree in it. A high IQ. Expect they would be more comfortable if above average in height, but not a limitation. For each year at the enclave, they would receive room and board plus $30,000 to a college of their choice. They decided to seek between 6 and 10 individuals. Jessica and Nancy or Pat and Julia were asked to do the initial interviews. This way one of interviewers in each pair would be pregnant. During the interviews they would seek to determine their feelings toward nudity and other features of their life style. Security would be provided by two robots to escort them but they would stay cloaked. A second interview would be conducted for the probable candidates and include some of Sarah's clan. This time they would be scanned with the purpose to avoid any surprises like Jennifer and Laura brought. This would also clarify the degree of pisonic capabilities. Last step would be to invite them for a week long visit. Judy noted that they needed to move quickly but carefully in securing the help. Erin was due at any time and as it was her first she would probably be early. Tara, Ann, Jessica, Mary, Gina, Marsha, Cathy, and Wilma would all be within the next six weeks. We could handle everything without help but nothing else would get done. The discussion on recruiting additional crew members was not as easy. After confirming with Donna that she could obtain profiles on recent college graduates and seniors, it was decided to screen for high IQ, common sense, high class standing, above average height, single and no close family. Second pass would focus on skills and education. This would be followed by an attempted meeting, during which pisonic capabilities would be ascertained. If not present the person would be dropped from the pool of candidates. For each candidate they would need to determine the best approach, as everyone suspected a straight offer would be unbelievable resulting in immediate rejection or result in unwanted attention and publicity. To conduct this portion, Nancy with Bob or Julia with Stan would be the best ones to approach the candidate. Sally announced that she was starting her martial arts / exercise classes today at 3 PM in the gym. If need be there would be a morning class before breakfast as well. The sessions would be 6 days in a row and then off two days. Participants should come no more than every other session. She recommended that the groups not be any larger than 10 and she would place sign up sheets on the table. Sam and Ann then made announcements on what they needed help with today. Jessica gave everyone the schedule for the nursing staff. Judy noted that since Betsy and Connie wouldn't be available for a while she would be using Donna's learning system to become acquainted with the available medical resources. These seemed much more extensive than currently available on earth. Sarah told the group that Amy's clan appeared to be responding well to the treatment. They were going to be kept sedated until they were moved out of the incubators and could be taken off of life support and also had their strength back. Currently this was projected to be at least 4 months. Jessica reported that Cynthia, Barbara, Diane and Carol were progressing fine. According to the information Betsy had left and Donna they should be up in a month. Their physical examination this morning showed that the changes to their bodies were nearly complete. Their standing height would be a little over 6 1⁄2 feet with their other features similar to the women in Sarah's clan. Their exercising would start next week under a moderate sedative on the exercising benches. ------- The next two weeks were relatively quiet. The effort to find nannies for the arriving children was successful. The week the first four were there for the trial visit, Erin delivered her two sets of twins. The babies looked very much like their mother and Andy. The nannies took to the babies immediately and if they had any doubts about doing this they vanished when they held the babies. It was clear to Sarah's clan that the genetic changes Erin was undergoing had crossed to the babies as expected. The other advantage of the nannies was that they were telepathic to a limited extent. Judy thought this aspect is what bound them to the babies so quickly. The four nannies were not bothered by the differences between residents there and what they may consider normal. It puzzled Judy, but knew that they would eventually express their views to one of them. Tara followed a week later with her two sets of twins. Again they had her characteristics and those of Andy's. All four showed on birth more of the genetic features that Tara was beginning to develop from her treatments. Between the two births the nannies had went back to their homes to make final arrangements to be gone for at least one year. All four seemed inclined to stay longer and were reluctant to leave even for a short time. Sarah's clan decided not to block their ability to talk about the people they would be working for but to monitor them closely while away to see what they would say about them. In both cases, they said very little about them or where they were going. Most of what they said were about the wonderful place they would be living and the cute babies that would be in their care. These four nannies were placed in the rooms Sarah's clan had first used. This way they were near the babies and their mothers. The nannies quickly became good friends with Joyce, Jill and Janet as they were the youngest of Sarah's clan. The four were included in the family as much as they wanted to be. They participated in the exercise classes with the family bringing the babies with them. The babies were a wonder to everyone. They were happy, quiet, good natured and very attentive to things going on around them. With the abundance of fresh mothers milk, the nannies had more than enough familiar milk for the babies when Sarah's clan was gone to the ship. The nannies enrolled in correspondence courses so their break from college would not cause a large delay in their graduation. With access to Donna, they were able to find the material needed to complete their courses easily. With the four of them working together they found it easier to complete the required work and excel at the same time. ------- Nancy, Bob, Julia, Stan, Susan and Alice decided they wanted to become permanent members of the site. Working with Rusty, Sarah and Sally, they developed a business plan that would let them handle all of the business from there. Once they made the decision to stay, they bonded with one another almost overnight. Star was surprised at how quickly it happened and ask them if she could probe them in an attempt to understand it. They readily agreed. Star concluded that the most likely reason for the rapid completion was that a lot of the bonding preliminaries were already in place. It was only a question of completing the links and the interface. In revising the business, they found two families to live at the estate. They had new houses built for them. This made the new families more comfortable at the new location as they had known Nancy and Bob before beginning to work for them. This also left a residence for them when they needed to recruit for the group. Once they had committed to staying Judy had the autodocs go over each one. A treatment plan was developed for each that took care of any genetic defects and removed any long term health issues. Along with this they ended up looking almost 20 years younger. The changes were gradual so very few noticed the change. ------- Laura and Jennifer came back from the ship on one of Sarah's clan return trips. Laura was introduced to everyone at dinner that evening. At the evening discussion session Jennifer offered an apology for the things she had done and the risk it exposed them too. She understood that they knew she did not do it of her own free will, but she felt she needed to express her apology out loud. With that everyone went up to her and hugged her and Laura. Before long she was in tears from the happiness at the love they were showing her and her sister. Even the nannies joined in the hug feast. The expression of love also added some scent of arousal to the air. The next day both went to Judy and told her they wanted to have the genetic virus treatment similar to what her friends had done. Judy asked if Sarah and her could examine her reasons before beginning. Jennifer began to tear up. Judy said to her, "I feel your request is sincere and you believe you are making the correct choice. But I need to make sure you are not fooling yourself. Okay?" Jennifer shook her head yes and tried to smile. Laura looked uncomfortable. "What's the matter Laura?" "There are some activities in which we participated that are embarrassing to say the least. Anyone here even knowing we were associated with them would want us to at least leave. We are scared that some body will come to know about or see the things we did. Jennifer and I are very scared. I suspect we will never be at peace." Tears were running down her cheeks. "Is that true?" She said looking at Jennifer. She nodded yes. "Well everyone here has done or was forced to do many things that they are not thrilled about anyone knowing. So you have a lot of company. When we mind link with you to see your thoughts we would only look at the things relevant to your request. We will look no further. Okay?" They nodded their agreement. "Sarah can you come help me for a moment or two?" "Yes, be there in a minute." "Sarah will be here in a minute." As Sarah came over to the clinic, Judy and her shared Jennifer and Laura's request for the genetic virus treatment. "Hi, Jennifer. Hi, Laura." She then kissed and hugged Judy. Turning to Jennifer and Laura she was met with sad expressions. "Why do you two look so sad?" "We asked Judy to give us the genetic virus treatments like the rest of our group has received, but we don't think you will let us." "Why do you think that? And why do you feel you must have the treatments? Judy just asked if you would let us evaluate your reasoning. It maybe better if we would hear your thoughts verbally before we do it telepathically." "Okay," said Jennifer. "First we are not sure of our future here. We think we want to stay. We are also not sure anyone would want us to stay. Betsy did the health scan on me but as far as we know one was not done on Laura. If we leave here as we look today, we will most certainly die. If found, we would be lucky if it was the raiders and they turned us in to fresh meat. Any other scenario for us would most likely result in us being some ones sex and pain toy." "By changing our appearance," said Laura, "we would greatly increase our odds of survival and escaping those who sent us to Sylvia's. Maybe mistakenly, we feel somewhat left out of the activities here. A part of that is because we were gone while the rest of you grew to know one another. And another part is our feeling of guilt about what happened. I am surprised we have not been harassed, after all everyone knows it was us that led the raiders to Sylvia's. We were the carriers of the virus that Amy's clan received." Sarah and Judy listened thoughtfully to Laura. "When we joined the environmentalist group and the received the summer camp scholarship, we thought we would be making significant contributions to improving the environment," said Jennifer. "After summer camp, both of us had very disturbing dreams, with time they seemed to get worse. Every dream was sexually stimulating, humiliating and horrific all at the same time." "We never really noticed our absences from school. The only thing we noticed is that our dreams changed and when our dreams changed, we both felt a discontinuity in time. Fortunately we were able to share our dreams with each other which brought us closer together. We were already close but the common dreams drove us closer together. The few friends each of us had, seemed to avoid us. We now suspect this was likely due to our unexplainable absences." "We thought of going to see the doctor about the dreams, because they seemed to be getting more bizarre. When we were awake we had fond memories of the summer camp we went too, but at night we would dream of sexual liaisons with multiple partners and animals. The encounters in the dreams were mostly forced but some seemed to be willing. Often we would wake from our dream to find us licking and sucking each others cunt. We enjoyed that part of it, but it was counter to the way we were raised." "We wanted to find the cause of our dreams," said Laura, "but with no family to guide us it took us a long time to consider seeing a doctor. We had scheduled an appointment with a psychologist just before being sent to Sylvia's. On our way to Sylvia's and after, it felt as if we were living the dreams but as each thing occurred we kept hoping to wake up." "To go back a bit, at first the people in the environmental group were very nice to be around," said Jennifer. "Then when the first dreams started it was hard to rectify what we remembered and felt with them against the content of the dreams. Some of the people from the group and camp appeared in our dreams." Her eyes were filled with tears. "We now know that our dreams were telling us what really happened to us over the last two years." "The first dream takes place the second week of summer camp," said Laura. "The dream begins at a meeting one evening after dinner. The counselor in our cabin called us up to the front and turned us to face the group. Two other girls were brought up by their counselor. They announced that we had volunteered to be undercover investigators and would be going to some places where gene alteration experiments were thought to be taking place. The four of us would begin our training for that this evening and continue through the rest of summer camp. With that said, we were told to undress each other as we would not need any clothes the rest of the summer, and we did it with no hesitation at all. Once were undressed, we were told to lay down on the table and orally caress each other until we were told to stop. After we had orgasmed several times, they stopped us." "We were told to stand. A collar was locked around our necks. A cuff was put on each wrist. Our breasts were pulled through a leather ring that squeezed them pushing them out. From the rings two straps ran over our shoulders and down to our waist where it attached to a waist belt. At our shoulders the straps were connected to our collar. The bottom of the breast rings were attached to the waist belt with another strap. Our wrists were fastened behind our backs and attached to a strap running from our collar to the waist belt. We wonder now why we never resisted. The counselors placed our feet in shoes with a locking ankle strap. The shoes had six inch heels forcing us to stand on the balls of our feet." "The counselors told us this was our new training uniform and that we shouldn't worry about the shoes because we wouldn't be walking much the rest of the time we were in camp." "Four platforms were laid in front of us with round pole in the center. We were told to kneel over the pole placing it at the mouth of our cunt. It took some time to figure out how to comply with our arms bound but three of us soon were in place with the pole pressed between our cunt lips. The fourth woman was having difficulty with hers. The two counselors pulled her up by her harness and dropped her on the pole. She screamed when the pole forced its way through the mouth of her cunt. The pull on the harness had tightened the rings around her breasts." "We were told to sit down on our heels with our knees apart. As we did the pole slid deep into our cunts. Once we were kneeling, we were told the we were to suck every dick or lick every cunt presented to us. Any hesitation would result in some additional discomfort. We sucked and licked until our jaws ached. By that time were drenched in cum." "After that a woman, fastened a leash to each of our collars and led us out to the barn. She had us kneel down at the end of a narrow bench and then lay forward on it. The bench only provided minimal support and left our tits hanging down on each side of it. Our collars were attached to the bench holding us in place. We were placed so we could see each other." "Two large bottles with nipples on them were placed within reach before each of us. We were told that this was our food and water for the next several days and if we behaved, they would be refilled." She said, "Enjoy your selves," and left closing the door. We heard some clicking of feet on the concrete floor. Shortly one of the women gasped just before I felt something wet on my cunt. Then I saw several large dogs move over behind the other girls. By feel and seeing the others, I knew that one was licking my cunt. I was already aroused. I felt shamed by becoming more aroused to the attention the dog was giving my cunt. His tongue pressed between each of my cunt lips with each lick. It didn't take long for me to begin to drip. Several times he pressed his tongue into my cunt increasing my arousal. I watched as a big Great Dane straddled Laura with his front paws gripping her sides and then thrust his ass forward causing her to scream. Everyone was shortly mounted by the big dogs. They fucked us for a long time before flooding our cunts with their hot cum. Each of us cried in shame of being used as a dogs bitch." "There were only short periods of time when none of us were being fucked or licked by the dogs. We were in a constant state of arousal. We were left to service the dogs for several days. Each day a woman would bring us fresh water and food. She while there each of us as given an enema and then a large butt plug was placed in our ass. She also wiped the scratches from the dogs with antiseptic." "One evening we were released from the benches. We had trouble standing after being immobilized for so long. When we stood, cum ran out of our well used cunts. We were led out by the leashes to a shower area. There we were sprayed with foam subtance that dissolved the hair on our bodies. We watched as the foam slid down our bodies taking all our hair with it. After a while the substance began to burn, at that time we were washed off." "Our next stop was a series of cages. In each cage was a small platform on which one of us was secured on our back with our legs spread opening our cunts. In our case, Laura was laid on top of me with her cunt covering my mouth and her mouth over my cunt. We were told to get some rest after we had cleaned the others cunt with our mouths." "After that we were allowed to move around the camp, but had to engage in any requested sexual activity. All we wore was the harness and our heels. A short strap between our ankles limited the length of our step. Our hands were attached by short straps to our waist or collar permitting us some use of our hands." "We slept in the cages. During the day, we were given tasks in the different areas of the camp but were always to be available to the staffs needs. Two days a week we spent with the dogs in the kennel. As long as we let them have their way with us, we were unrestrained in the kennel. The benches were only used as punishment." "Each of us spent most of a day tied to each one of the bondage fixtures and tormented. All were mounted out in an open field. They had a stocks where you stood bent over at the waist with your head and hands in front of you. Another had your legs spread with you bent over and you hands secured near your knees or feet. They had two crosses, a rail, whipping post, frames and suspension towers. No one seemed be injured by the treatments they received, but many screamed in pain after being bound for some time." "Well I could go on, but you can see what our dreams were like, but now we know they were real. Some of the things we were forced to do were arousing. I didn't like the pain, in fact both of us quickly found that it killed any arousal we had." "We saw several who seemed to have an orgasm from the pain or bondage. Once they found what stimulated our arousal, they kept supplying it to us. Virtually everything we did involved Laura and I, it was either just us or us with someone else." "I can share more of our dreams if you want. The dreams of the farms are similar to what others have said took place a Sylvia's. In trying to reconstruct our dream sequences, we think we were used to identify at least four places like Sylvia's. Even though we were only at each for a short time, Sylvia's seemed to be the nicest if you can use that term." "Jennifer and Laura, if either of you feel it helps to talk further about what happened to you or your dreams you should do it. I think anyone one here will be willing to sit with you and help you through this." Said Judy. "Please don't be afraid to share, it will help you." "Hearing a portion of your story," said Sarah "I don't think you should berate yourself over what happened. Some things you enjoyed you should remember and try again on your terms, the others you should try to treat in the opposite manner. We know it is hard. I agree with Judy in that if you ask I am sure many here will help you all they can. We even have a room with whips and paddles if you feel you need that again." Laura and Jennifer faces grew pale. "Oh, my goodness, I was teasing. We totally believe in the rules we have here regarding interactions. Each person involved must of the own free will consent to what is to take place. Any nonconsenting actions will be punished severely. Children are off limits until they are old enough to understand the implications. If you haven't noticed we do have several dogs in the kennel. In this society, sexual interaction with animals is your choice as long as there isn't any harm to the participants." "The culture of the people on the ship is to punish the perpetrator by giving them 10 times the pain or suffering they gave to the injured party. If they die, that is a risk they chose. No medical treatment is given for any injuries incurred during punishment. If they cause someone to die intentionally, they will a long slow very painful death." "Laura and Jennifer," said Judy, "we need to do a medical evaluation of both of you before we can do the treatment. We have the one Betsy did on Jennifer, but I would like to do it again when we do Laura's." Both women pulled Judy into a tight hug kissing her cheeks. "Wonderful," they said as they released Judy and treated Sarah to the same spontaneous show of affection. "When can we start?" "If I can get everything ready this morning, we may be able to do the exams this afternoon. That way we should have most if not all the results by tomorrow morning." The two were bouncing like they were teenagers. "Are both of you aware that you are telepathic?" Asked Sarah. "We sometimes can anticipate each others thoughts. A few times we thought we knew what another person was going to do or say before they did it." They said together and then giggled at what they did. "I think if you look closely at the issue, you will find it is more readily available to you now than it may have been before. I maybe speaking out of turn but my sense of you two is that you will want to stay here. The only thing that may keep you from it is failing to come to terms with your past. You can't change it, but you do have to live with it. If you love and care for those around you here, I know they will love and care for both of you. To make it work you will need to reach out, and if you worry about your past that will hinder your adjustment." "Thank you." Said Jennifer and Laura. They stepped over gathering Sarah into a hug and kissed each cheek. "Our minds are open to you at anytime. We sense we can trust your group with our secrets and security." Sarah pushed back with, "I thought you couldn't send telepathic thoughts. And thanks for the compliment." They grinned. "We weren't sure but thought we would try after your encouragement. So I guess we did it right." "Looks like it. When you first start using telepathy, it seems to work better if you are touching the person you are mind linking with. Both of you already seem to have already mind melded and probably didn't notice it." Both Laura and Jennifer beamed with happiness. A totally different expression than they had earlier. "I need to get back to the project I was working on, do you three need me any more," asked Sarah. "No, I don't think so," said Judy. "It looks like we have accomplished a lot. Jennifer and Laura you need come see me right after lunch so we can do the physicals and you should eat lightly. If you say something to the cooks, they will put aside a snack for you." "Thanks. We are going to walk around for a bit before lunch." "If you leave the immediate area, you should ask one of the lions to go with you." They frowned. "The lions are assigned to accompany or monitor anyone leaving the living area. It is a bit friendlier to ask them to go with you. Besides we just don't want you to have any surprises or to get lost." ------- Over the next two weeks an additional four nannies were hired to assist with Ann clan's babies, as they would soon be delivering. Additional rooms were added to Ann's clan residence to provide space for the babies and the nannies. Several women went up to the ship each day to help with the children there. The effect of them working with the children on ship had provided guidance for the crew on interacting with the children. The women could see changes in relationship between the crew and children after only a short time. The children had become much more out going and enthusiastic. Their was more physical contact of the children with the adults. The impact on the crew showed most in the increased enthusiasm they put into the work of repairing the ship. In some cases the older children joined the adults in executing some of the tasks, making the tasks easier for the adults. Star and Sarah's clan were impressed with the change in group dynamics on the ship. Star indicated she had never seen such positive dynamics before. She thought the ship's crew probability of success at recovering from the disaster was significantly higher than it was a month ago. Sarah and Rusty cautioned Star on getting too enthusiastic as many things needed to be done before the ship was near to being fully operational. Donna began mining databases for additional crew candidates, as soon as the clan's had developed a profile for future crew members. She identified quite a few college students and recent graduates that met the requirements. Nancy's group on reviewing the collection from Donna further refined the list. All were pleased that a significant number of candidates were found for joining the ships crew. Quite a few of the college students that looked promising were ones who had worked a few years after high school or served in the military before returning to school. Nancy and Julia approached each of the candidates in a public environment to assess their telepathic capabilities before trying to arrange a meeting. The telepathic assessment eliminated over half of the possible candidates. They found that a surprisingly a number of the remaining candidates were already clustered as groups of friends. Several had paired up as couples. Their on-site observations of the candidates also gave them some insight to their personality make up as well. All of them were considered to be nerdy by their peers, because of their no nonsense dress and the intensity with which they studied. Even though nerdy, all of them were well thought of by their peers. Over a period of three months, they had a list of 200 promising candidates. Not surprisingly nearly all of them were in groups of 3 to 10 people. The number of women out numbered the men by almost 4 to 1 with a diverse ethnic background. The diversity was surprising to them and the rest of the group at the enclave, until they looked more carefully at themselves. The group was already quite diverse and they have never seen it. Nancy, Julia, Susan and Alice in consultation with Sarah's clan decided to offer a portion of the candidates a long weekend at a resort as a no strings attached prize for their exceptional scholastic achievements. By asking Ann and Wilma to assist, they felt they could invite 50 to 60 of the candidates and have a good ratio between them and the candidates. To hopefully enhance the chance of success, Nancy and Julia decided to approach the candidate groups in person. Donna found a resort that was reasonably isolated that they could lease for a week at a time. It would easily accommodate twice as many as would be asked to attend. They didn't need any special staff in order to use the facilities even though it offered a wide range of recreational activities for the guests. The resort was located several hundred miles from the enclave. They asked their kitchen crew if they would be willing to provide the food service at the resort to which they agreed. ------- Chapter 42 A month before semester break Nancy and Julia approached the first group with the invitation. Nancy and Julia walked up to them as they were finishing their lunch. She introduced themselves and asked if they could talk for a bit. The tall red headed woman said, "I wondered when you would approach us." The comment stopped Nancy and Julia prepared speech cold. After a moment Nancy said, "What do you mean?" "I have seen you and her here quite a few times and every time you seemed to be paying more attention to those around you than each other. Besides I felt someone probing my mind several times when you were here." Nancy and Julia blushed. "Guilty. Now can we tell you why or should we leave." They asked together. "I believe your Siobhan." The woman nodded. The group looked around at each other and then nodded to each other. "We would like to talk to you but let's go somewhere else. This place has too many ears," said Siobhan, who seemed to have taken on the roll of spokesman. "I see your name fits you," said Nancy grinning. Siobhan looked up at Nancy and smiled. "Let's go to our house there should be room for all of us to sit around in the living room. It is only a short walk from here. Although, some of us may need to sit on the floor." "If it comes to that we will be the first to sit on the floor," said Julia. "Let's go," said Siobhan as she gathered her things and led the way to the parking lot. Nancy and Julia followed them toward the edge of campus. On the way to Siobhan's, Nancy and Julia established an isolated link to discuss changing the presentation to be a bit more detailed than just the invitation as they had planned. They had just completed the changes when they arrived at Siobhan's home. The group quickly arranged themselves around the living room. Nancy noticed that there were several more there than they had noted earlier, but all of them were a part of the group they had sought to approach. A couple of people had went into the kitchen and brought back refreshments for the group. Once they had been passed the refreshments around, the group turned their attention to their guests. "We are going to do this a bit differently than we originally planned," said Nancy. "Julia and I will switch back and forth for various portions. First the objective, we are seeking talented individuals to work on a space ship." She paused and waited to see if there was a response. All they saw were quizzical expressions on the groups faces. "Our intent today was to invite you to a resort island at our expense to discuss this in detail with all of you and some others. You are the first group we have talked too. And we have only been involved in the project for a short time but that really is a relative term." "Joining the space ships crew would take you away from earth for an extended time," said Julia. "We hope that would not be a problem for any of you. So if you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, we would like for you to take a short vacation with us next month. During this time we will tell you about the ship and those who live on the ship now. You will also get to meet them and see the ship." "We do ask that you not tell anyone outside this group about the opportunity," said Nancy. "The resort is a private one and the only ones at the resort will be the guests and our staff. If you are concerned about your security, you can bring cell phones with you and we will provide you with the exact location before you leave." "The vacation will not cost you anything. For your group, we will pick you up here or at another location of your choice. At the airport an executive type aircraft would take you directly to the resort. It will be about a 6 hour trip by air. We expect there will be about 60 candidates at the resort. We will accept all who wish to take part in the opportunity. Any questions?" "Where is the ship now? And how big is it?" "The ship is currently behind Mars and it is cloaked. In terms of size it is considerably larger than two modern aircraft carriers combined. To anticipate your next question, it is very similar to ships shown in Star Wars." "Your kidding." "Not at all." "Why did you choose to approach us?" Asked Siobhan. "For several key reasons. But before I can tell you more we need your agreement that what is said from now on remains between us." Everyone nodded their head in agreement. "We approached your group because you are bright, smart, interested in science, and are telepathic." The last drew a gasp from several people. "We think Siobhan is probably the only active telepath in the room. This is something that is difficult for us to determine without working directly with you or you connecting with us. Some of our friends at home can tell more definitively." "Why did you come instead of them? Some of your friends command the ship correct?" Nancy looked at Siobhan. "Siobhan, I sense a reason behind your questions." She looked uneasily around the room. "Sometimes I have dreams of the future. Almost invariably they come true, maybe not 100% but very close. I have come to the point where I hardly ever doubt them. The timing is the hardest to judge." Her friends looked at her in amazement. "Would you share your dream? Then I think we can confirm some of it." "I will just hit the high points. The space ship was a part of the dream and most of the events I saw took place on the ship. The description of the ship matches what was seen. The ship currently has a crew of about 40 adults and a similar number of children. A new command staff arrived a short time ago. They all seemed to be from earth as they look similar to us but also different. The ship had been damaged and after the new command staff arrived repairs began in earnest. Since the repairs have started the interaction between the adults and children has become more active. There have also been more visitors to the ship since the command staff arrived. I have to say the one time I saw them they were drop dead gorgeous." "They must have been women for you to think that," said one girl. "Yes. Well let's see there were 11 and one guy. Three of the women were very pregnant. Besides you know I'm bi." Everyone laughed at the exchange. "How many times have you had the dream?" "It started about 7 or 8 months ago, and its frequency has increased with time. Now it happens about once a week. It is almost like a story now. This one has continued the longest without coming to fruition." "The details you gave regarding the ship were correct. The command crew, known as Sarah's clan were born on earth. Yes they do look different. You did skip one item about them. Did you do it on purpose?" "Hmm... No I don't think so." "Most people would have commented on the fact they were nude. In fact, the ships crew generally does not were any covering except when an activity requires it. The other item that I thought you would have mentioned was their hair." Siobhan nodded. "The adults of the race that inhabits the ship generally have long flowing hair that typically reaches to their waist. They also have a row of hair running down their back bone. Otherwise they are hairless." "Getting back to Sarah's clan," said Julia "they did take agree to command the ship about 4 months ago. You will have the chance to meet them at the resort." "The last time I saw them in the dream, two of those pregnant didn't look pregnant anymore." "Erin gave birth to 2 pairs of twins about 2 weeks after they assumed command. Tara gave birth to 2 pairs of twins about a week later. Alison will be delivering hers shortly. All the rest are pregnant now and will deliver in about four months except for Claudette who will be a month later. You have probably noticed that the group has only one male in it. This is common for this society. Most family groups consist of 6 to 12 members with usually only one or maybe two men. But quite a few family groups are smaller than 6 while very few are larger than 12." "Wow," said several. "Here it is difficult for two to get along, so its amazing 10 can get along and function without turmoil." "That is most likely because of telepathy. Everyone in that culture is at least telepathic. The family groups bond together which is unlike anything we experience on earth. A part of the bonding is that they mind meld. What that means is that they see each others thoughts all the time. Each is still an individual but they are mind linked to each of the others. There are different levels of mind linking. A link with a close friend will be different than with a spouse." The group sat quietly thinking for a while. Nancy and Julia could see that all of them were seriously considering all that had been said. "I think it is time for us to leave so you can discuss this among yourselves. My impression is that all of you will visit the resort. So let's plan on us picking you up at 10 AM, the day after classes let out. Siobhan if you will send me a message if you want to change the location for the pickup." "How do I do that?" "Just close your eyes, picture me in your mind then tell me the message. Try it." After a moment, Nancy said, "Yes we are looking forward to you visiting us." Siobhan's smile lit up the room telling everyone that it worked. "One more, what if we want to go but we haven't graduated yet." "There is no requirement for you to graduate. If you want to continue the degree course work, we can make arrangements for that to take place. It can be done in several ways, but whether you complete or not will not effect your duties or responsibilities on the ship. It has its own automated training system that is very effective." "Thanks," said Siobhan. "My apologies for being a bit hostile at first. I look forward to seeing you at the resort and I don't think I will be the only one looking forward to seeing all of you." Nancy and Julia hugged everyone as they left. They gave Siobhan a much warmer hug and kissed her cheeks before leaving. Once they were out the door they could literally feel the excitement in the room behind them. The delayed response told them that the revised meeting plan was a success. They stepped into the limo waiting at the curb and left for the next group contact. Nancy and Julia conferred with Sarah's and Ann's clans, should we add another group or two if they all go like this one. The decision was to only increase it to 70 at the most. This way they could cover the candidates in three groups. ------- The month passed quickly. Cynthia, Barbara, Diane and Carol were taken off of the sedatives as their bodies had completed repairing the damage and the new growth had stabilized sufficiently for them to be up. Judy, Nancy, Terry, Dorothy, Maria and Sarah all were there when they were to awake. Sarah supported by Terry met with them telepathically in a dream before they were fully awake. They chose to do this as they felt it helped them when they awoke with their mates. Before Sarah and Terry started the dream, they looked at their memories for the several days before being picked up at Sylvia's. They were shocked at what had happened to them but not really surprised. The four had went to a weekend beach party at the invitation of a friend of Sylvia's. The beach party turned out to be part horror and part orgy. Friday afternoon and evening was a very open wild sex party. By the time dusk arrived, nearly everyone was nude. Through out the evening, the sexual escapades continued. They had all joined in as they had expected this by who had invited them. The partying tapered off early in the morning. The four of them had crossed paths earlier in the evening and met early in the morning in their assigned room. They were a bit surprised to find that they were assigned the same room. About mid morning on Saturday a bell sounded and then a voice told everyone to be on the porch in half an hour. They got up and showered before going down to the porch. They were nearly the last ones to arrive. A woman announced as we always do for this outing, a drawing was held this morning to choose who would prepare dinner. This year we will use four people. Two will begin getting ready shortly and the other two will begin preparing this afternoon. She called out numbers 12 and 15. Two women walked up to her. Both seemed to be some what nervous. The announcer looked at their hips and then nodded to two couples standing near by. The couples approached the two women, then taking them by their arms escorted them off the porch. They left passing Cynthia and Barbara then through an opening in the fence. The announcer said, "Lunch will be a buffet and it will be on the porch about one. Dinner will be at seven and wraps will be required if you want to eat. For those new to this you will find the wraps in the closet of your room. Cynthia, Barbara, Diane and Carol stood around talking for a bit trying to decide what they wanted to do. All admitted to being a bit sore from yesterdays sexual marathon. They heard a squeal behind the fence like someone in distress. Then it was quiet. They walked over to the partially open gate. The two women were visible through the gate. Each had been laid down on a bench with their neck laying across a block. Their wrists were tied to stakes to hold them down. Each had their knees tied spread. The women who had escorted them laid on their backs in front of them with their cunts pushed into the face of the two had been selected to prepare dinner. Just then a voice said, "Go on in if you want a closer look." It was the announcer. They looked back to find a hand gun pointed at them. Another woman was with her with a gun also. "Move. You wanted to look now you get to watch the first part of their preparation." Cynthia noticed the change in context causing a small shiver to run through her. They walked in to the area. The last person pulled the gate closed and it locked with a snap. The two couples looked up. The announcer said, "Someone forgot to latch the gate." The heads of the bound women were pulled forward so their mouths were pressed against a cunt and told to lick. Over each bound womans neck was lowered a u shaped channel. It stood nearly 6 feet in the air holding the woman's neck tight to the board. Cynthia looked up and gasped. She could see what was about to happen but she was afraid to admit it. A man took his place behind the bound woman. He rubbed his cock through the lips of her cunt and then buried his cock deep in the bound woman's cunt. She moaned into the cunt she was licking. He grabbed her tits and used them to help him thrust his cock in her cunt. After a few minutes, he held his cock deep in her cunt. They could see his hips flex as he pumped his cum into her cunt. He pressed her shoulders against the frame holding her neck in place. The woman screamed as she came with her hands pulling the bound womans head tight against her cunt. With that each couple pulled a rope and there was a flash as each neck was severed by the blade. Each woman pulled the severed head up above their stomach and orgasmed as the hot blood sprayed on their cunts as it drained from the severed head. The men held their swollen cocks in the womans cunts feeling the twiching muscles as they died. The men then pulled their wet cocks from the woman's cunts letting their cum dribble out of the dying cunt. The men pulled the dead women's feet up raising her hips off the bench and pulling her feet back over her. Cynthia's group watched in horror as the two women were quickly gutted. Their breasts were sliced off at the chest wall. Then the arms and legs were skinned. The arms with the shoulders were separated from the bodies and laid aside. Each couple worked together cutting up the legs and hips to be cooked. They were covered in blood and spend from their couplings with the victims. One couple looked up toward the announcer. "This won't be enough meet for tonights barbecue. Do you want us to do these four as well?" The four shivered. "No that will be too much, and we have other plans for these four. There will be two more brought to you in a bit. They will be sedated but awake. Hang them by their feet so they can see each other. Cut her tits off and neuter him before you gut them. Be sure to cut their throats before they die but not too soon." "Yes mistress." They responded. She told the two couples to cuff these four so we can take them to the treatment room. The couples quickly placed cuffs on both their ankles and wrists. Their wrists and elbows were fastened together behind their backs with a short chain between each ankle cuff. A choke chain was placed around each of their necks and the lead given to the announcer. Now lets go fix you up so you can enjoy the rest of the party as party favors. "Party favors?" Ignoring them, the announcer led them into the house. She took her keys and opened the door. She pulled them inside and told them to sit down. She closed the door and turned to them. It is unfortunate someone left the gate ajar, but that just speeds up our plans for you Cynthia. Now you will have the company of these other three on your adventure. Cynthia overcame her shock and asked, "Why did you kill those two? Why are we here? Why am I not fighting or resisting? Oh, god you have given me something." "Yes. Last night while you slept, we gave you a shot. Your three friends also received a shot as well. It makes you very compliant with everything that is suggested to you. You will understand everything that happens though. Sit down at the table as it will make it easier to sign some papers for us." Just then a man and woman came in to the room carrying a brief case. "I see you have them ready. Have you told them what they are to sign?" "No we just got here. They saw the preparation of the first two women a few minutes ago. And heard the instructions for the other two. So we will need to alter their planned activity for the rest of the weekend. I was thinking of dressing them up for dinner. Right after dinner they can perform on stage for the group. Once the performance is over we can put them in the cages. Our guests can then use them as sex toys for the rest of the weekend." Tears streamed down the cheeks of the four women. "Okay. But, make sure their assholes are plugged so they are fit for the next part of their experience. Now let's take care of the paper work. He laid documents in front of Cynthia and each of the four women. Cynthia and the rest of you will sign each of the contracts next to the mark. Our organization is pleased that all of you decided to sell us your business and property in exchange for a life time membership in 'Lifelong Adventures'. I am sure you will enjoy it very much." With little prompting the four each reached for a pen and signed the contracts. "Now let your friends sign as witness to each of you accepting the contracts." Once they were signed he gathered them up placing them in the briefcase. "Their all yours. If you are going to make them available as toys for tonight and tomorrow, suggest you give the a pain block after the treatments. It won't interfere and will let them do a better job of entertaining our guests." "Good idea." She pulled Cynthia's leash and led her over to an exam table. Strapping her down to the table with her legs spread. Large cups were placed over her tits. Opening a valve her tits swelled as they were stretched to fill the cup. Her labia and clit were sucked into cups causing them to swell. The flesh turned red from the stress being placed on it. Cynthia face showed the discomfort she was feeling. A mouth piece was placed in her mouth between her lips and teeth. Another woman came into the room with a tray and several syringes. "Is she ready?" The announcer nodded and the woman picked up a needle and started injecting a white solution into Cynthia's lips causing them to swell. She then did the same to her labia and clit making them swell until they filled the cups holding them. Using a different set of syringes, she then injected a different solution into her tits causing them to swell until they filled the plastic cups. The announcer released the cups and took out the mouth piece. Then Cynthia was released from the table. As she stood, the others could see the pronounced effect the injections had on her appearance. Fastening her wrists behind her again she was led over to stand next to the wall. Her leash was tied to a ring on the wall. The announcer led Barbara over to the table for her treatment. In a short time, all four were standing next to the wall. Their lips, clit, cunt lips and tits were very sore and swollen. Tears filled their eyes. The announcer undid their leashes and led them to another room. In the room were four waist high stands. Without a word she led, Cynthia over to stand at the end of one. Her feet were spread and the ankle cuffs attached to the legs. She was pushed forward to bend at the waist to rest her stomach on a small cushion. Her shoulders rested against another cushion. Her choke chain was attached to the post supporting her shoulder rest. Each of her friends were positioned the same way. The announcer placed a butt plug in each of their asses. Then she pushed a mechanical fucking machine fitted with a large dildo so the dildo was pushing against the mouth of their cunts. Turning them on the mechanical cocks ouzed a bit of liquid before pushing into their cunts. "You will rest here until time to get ready for dinner. This is uncomfortable but is much more comfortable than laying down. Welcome to Lifelong Adventures." She laughed as she left closing the door and locking it. Later the announcer came back. She gave each two shots in each ass cheek before she disconnected the dildos and restraints. Being tied bent over for over six hours made it difficult for them to stand. She gave them a couple of minutes then led them to shower. Their wrists and elbows were released but they still wore their hobbles. After the shower, the choke chain was replaced with a locking collar. The collar had one ring on which hung a braided leash that reached down to their knees. She placed a sheer cape on each of their shoulders and told them to follow her. She took them to a table in the dining room and told them to stay here. Their dinner would be brought to them. She turned and left. They stood and looked at each other. The soreness had disappeared in the short time since they had been up. Their tits were much larger and now had some sag with swollen nipples. Their labia and clit were quite noticeable and pushed out if they squeezed their legs together. "What is going to happen?" Diane asked. "I don't know, but I think we should try to do everything were told, otherwise I don't think we would like any alternative," said Carol. "As much as it goes against my nature, I agree," said Cynthia. She reached out and hugged them. They noticed the others begin to go through a buffet line and the odor of food drifted through the room. When that happened they realized how hungry they were, just then two women brought over plates filled with food for them. On each plate was a piece of meat over an inch thick shaped like a quarter circle. They started to eat and found the food very tasty. Barbara said, "I wonder if I want to know where the meat came from." The others shook their head no, blocking out the thought Barbara brought up. Once dinner was completed, they were called up on stage. Each of their capes were removed and the announcer made a point to note the changes in their bodies. She noted that by tomorrow the guests could suck milk from these swollen tits. The announcer called four large men up on stage and with each there was a large dog. The women were told to get down on hands and knees. A dog moved behind them and began licking their cunts while the men kneeled in front of them. Pulling their heads up, they wiped their growing cocks across their lips, then pushed their cocks into their mouths. Holding the woman's heads in their hands they began to fuck their faces. The dogs mounted the women and drove their cock deep into the cunts as they had been trained. Together a man and a dog teamed to fuck the women. The women quickly adapted to the cock sliding down their throats while the dogs cock pressed deep into them on each stroke. Soon they felt the dogs knot swell between their cunt lips, each thrust of the dog pushed it further into the cunt mouth stretching it. Soon the knot slipped through locking the dogs cock deep in their cunt. They each realized they were just toys here. Tears ran down their faces at the humiliation. After the stage performance they were placed in cages on the beach front with each in a separate cage and their hobble was removed. The large dog that had fucked them on stage was placed in the cage with them. On the wall hung a water bottle with a nipple to drink from. The announcer had told them that they would service any guest any way they want until the party is over. If you aren't submitting to a guest, then you will service the dogs any way they want. You are getting a break as your ass is off limits for fucking or enemas. Otherwise, enjoy yourself. They spent the next two days being fucked, bound, stretched, spanked and whipped. Every couple of hours they were taken out to the ocean to wash off. The cuts from some of the whippings added to the discomfort they felt. By the end, they could barely stand. Their mind was devoid of any meaningful thought. When they woke the morning after everyone left, it was very quiet. As they looked around they noticed they were all in one cage and the dogs were gone. The announcer came to lead them to the shower house. Once there they were told to shower and use the bathroom. Once they were done they were led to the from of the house. On the ground were four long cages. They were told to lay down in the cage. Once in the cage they were secured and the cage door locked shut. A mouth piece was tied in their mouth and the tube attached to a water bottle. The cages were stacked in a truck and covered. They were so exhausted they were asleep before the truck started moving. ------- Sarah and Terry had to break the link to recover their emotions. Looking at one another, they linked and shared their feelings. Their spouses joined them to help them calm their emotions so they could help Cynthia and her three friends adapt. After a few minutes, they had relaxed enough to begin again. Only this time, Nancy, Julia, Dorothy, Maria and the others waited in the adjoining room. Sarah said, "Cynthia, this is Sarah. You will be okay now. Your friends will be okay as well. Can you feel them? They are here with you." "How can you be Sarah, she disappeared." "Yes I did. I was kidnapped with my friends in fact Terry is here with me. We are not held by kidnappers. We look different than you remember. You have changed as well." "Yes I know. It was awful. Is this a dream? It feels so real. Hi Terry." Terry responded by sending her a warm feeling of friendship. "It is kind of a dream. And we know your treatments they gave you were not your choice. Can we include your friends in this dream?" "Their here. Oh, yes." "Hello, Diane, Carol, and Barbara. My name is Sarah and this is Terry with me." "Are we dreaming?" They asked. "In a way, and for now it is best to treat it that way. We looked at Cynthia's memories of the time shortly before you went to sleep in the small cages. We can show you what has happened to you since then but that is up to you." They were hesitant. "A short synopsis is that you were sent to Sylvia's breeding and training farm. Cynthia knows Sylvia. You arrived just after a massacre at the farm. Fortunately, the raiders had left and there were some people searching the farm for survivors when you were delivered there. You were in very bad shape physically so we rushed you here. Our medical staff had to initiate some more extensive treatments so you wouldn't die or be crippled. The people who gave you the treatments at the party did it incorrectly." "Sarah I can feel the sincerity in your words, I don't need to see what happened in any more detail," said Cynthia. The other three concurred with Cynthia's comment. "Okay. I have not let you see me yet as I noted before my appearance is different. Here is a view of Terry and I." "Oh, wow. You are certainly different but both of you are beautiful." "Okay. The four of you will look similar to us in features as you will see when you wake up, but your tummy won't be as large as ours, we are a little over four months pregnant." "I don't see a problem with the way you two look. Pregnant or not." They chorused. "We will talk about that a bit after you wake up. The last thing to alert you to is that you are now telepathic to some degree, as that is how we are talking." "Your kidding," she exclaimed. "No. Wake up now so we can talk normally." The four women stirred on the beds and soon opened their eyes. They looked around in shock at their surroundings and themselves. Then saw Sarah and Terry sitting on the side of the bed. They looked at them with their mouths open. The shock was written on their faces. They were seeing what they thought they had just dreamed. "Hi Cynthia," said Terry and Sarah. Bending over they kissed her cheeks. "Hi Diane. Hi, Barbara. Hi, Carol. I am Sarah and this is Terry." They sat there with their minds in quiet turmoil. "We can see your discomfort. So we would suggest you just accept a number of things you saw in your 'dream' and those you will see and hear. Then when you are ready you can talk through your feelings, concerns and reservations with our medical staff. Can you do that?" "Yes, I think so," said Diane. The rest nodded in agreement. "First do you need to use the restroom." They all shook their heads no. "Okay the first thing you should do is to look each other over very carefully." Said Terry. "Before you stand you will need to put on your shoes." They gasped at seeing the high heel. "From past experience you will think they will be uncomfortable, but you will find them quite the opposite." Sarah and Terry helped them with their shoes. "They are comfortable," said Carol. "I never could wear heels comfortably before, even low heels." They stood and looked at each other. First Carol and then the others explored their bodies with their hands as they watched in the mirror. Diane turned sideways first and gasp when she saw how far her hair hung down her back. She gathered it as if to make it a pony tail but wasn't able to gather all the hair between her thumb and finger of one hand. Looking at the side view she could see the row of hair running down her back bone and gasped again. Everyone was watching her. Terry stood beside her turning slightly. "You can get a better idea if you explore my back and hair as it is very similar to yours." Diane and Carol both then began to examine Terry's back. It didn't take long before they found her tail. It caused a startled look on their faces. Carol stopped for a moment and then felt her ass cheeks. Moving her hand over toward her waist then with apprehension on her face she moved her hand down her back. She screehed when she felt her tail. The others following Carol's lead did the same exploration but they weren't surprised now at finding a tail. "Yes," said Sarah. "Those of us who have had the health issues corrected with the genetic virus now have tails. This is one thing that would make it difficult for us to be a part of earth society. It doesn't get in the way and you hardly notice it is there. Caressing it will cause you to become aroused. If it becomes a over riding concern of yours, we are told it can be bobbed surgically." "What other surprises are there?" Asked Carol. "Let me give you a few and then let's go meet the rest of your friends that are here. First you are lactating. You will find you need to let you milk down at least twice a day and three times is more comfortable. We have special exercise benches here that let us exercise while we express our milk. You will find your breasts firmer and have very little sag. Your shoulder muscles have grown to fully support them. Second, you will find you are much more comfortable naked. However, you can wear the clothing we have here when you need to. You skin will not tolerate the type of clothing you use to wear. It will feel like you are wearing sand paper after a very short time. Third, all of you are telepathic and you will need to work with a doctor to turn the capability on more fully. But even with out that each of you with time will find you can see thoughts. Lactating will not cause your tits to sag. After several months you may find you don't need shoes as much as you do now, but be careful to not strain your feet. You height is now between 6 and 6 1⁄2 feet. Your vision will be sharper and also be clearer at night. There is more but it can wait." "Okay. All of that will take some getting use too," said Carol and the others nodded their agreement. "And you said there is more." "Yes. Come on let's go meet the others and chat some more," said Terry. They stepped out of the room. The four women were surprised to find Dorothy and Maria. After much hugging and tears, Sarah suggested they go to get something to drink and chat. They went to the dining room and picked up glasses and a couple of pitchers of iced tea and went to the small sitting area. Just as they sat down Donna told Sarah it was about 2 hours till lunch and that Star, Rusty and Sally would need to meet with her after lunch. While they chatted, Sarah and Terry backed out of the conversation so by the time it was time to prepare for lunch they were well in the background. The session seemed to be a success as new friendships were born and old ones reestablished. Judy, Terry and Sarah knew that the group would find many adjustments they needed to make of the next several months. Suddenly Cynthia said, "Where will we stay?" Before Sarah could speak Dorothy responded, "We have a set of rooms near some friends of mine and Maria's for you. Jean and Andy are really neat people and they helped me a lot when I was at Sylvia's. Guess we ought to tell you a bit more about how we are organized. Currently we are living in basically four family groups. Nancy, Bob and her friends, then there is Sarah's clan, Ann's clan and Jean's group. Amy's clan is not here at the moment. Then we also have 8 women who help care for the babies. There are four sets of twins about 3 months old and six women in Ann's clan has recently had 2 set of twins each with one to deliver at any time. Let me show you to your rooms. Then you can exercise and let down your milk while we get ready." "Did I understand you correctly, that there are 28 babies less than three months old?" Exclaimed Diane. Dorothy looked thoughtful and nodded her head yes. All four just said, "Wow." "Yes it has changed things around here a bit." Several chuckled. "And in four months the Sarah's clan will add 16 more sets of twins to our enclave. That's why we hired 8 nannies we mentioned earlier." Dorothy and Maria led the group off to see their rooms and take care of the necessary items before lunch. The rest in the discussion drifted off to take care of their needs before lunch. Judy, Terry and Sarah linked as they walked to their rooms. "That went rather well," said Judy. "I had my doubts at first when I was listening to you." "I did too. But, we seemed to have brought them out of their enforced sleep without any major problems. It will be interesting to see how they adapt." Said Terry. "Yes. We need to bring them up to speed as quickly as possible without overwhelming them. Two major things we didn't cover, oops, that three. One is the change in health. Second is where they stay long term is up to them, they are welcome here but there are natural conditions they need to understand. Third they need to told about why we are here." "Why don't I take that on as a project with Dorothy and Nancy?" Said Judy. "Part of it will be natural as I am the only doctor here currently." "That may change shortly, as I think Amy's clan is nearly ready to be up and Gail can be awakened at any time." "We should have Dorothy and Maria with Gail when she awakens." "Yes." ------- Chapter 43 When they reached their rooms, they found their other spouses exercising. They joined them while letting their milk down, and shared the events of the day. Everyone was pleased with how well the last several weeks had went. They were all looking forward to meeting the first group of candidates next week. It did look like they would be very busy until then. At lunch, Dorothy introduced, Cynthia, Carol, Diane and Barbara to the group. She told the group that their new residents would be staying in the rooms near Jean and Andy's group. With that Jean and Andy came up and introduced themselves to the group and asked to eat lunch with them. With Jean in the lead, they set off for the buffet table. Dorothy and Maria stayed with the group. ------- As they were eating lunch, Donna mind linked with Sarah's clan. She informed them that Amy's clan was ready to be released from suspension. This could be done this afternoon or tomorrow, and Gail was ready to waken as well. They initially thought of waiting until tomorrow as Dorothy and Maria were helping with the new group. Then decided to do it mid afternoon. They all needed to go as they had things to do on the ship. This would give Dorothy and Maria time with new group before leaving. They anticipated being back by dinner. Erin and Tara could leave their babies with the nannies as there was plenty of milk available for them. Shortly after 2, they all boarded shuttle Alpha for the ship. This was the first time Alison, Erin and Tara had been any distance from the babies. And this was the first trip to the ship for Maria and Donna. As had become customary for them Sarah, Sally, Terry and Rusty sat on the bridge of the shuttle during the trip. Erin, Alison and Tara quickly found that they maintained a connection with their children. Looking back they saw it was present before, but they had not noticed it. They sent warm thoughts of love to them, and felt them relax some as they knew their mothers were some distance away. As they arrived they circled the ship, looking at the progress that had been made on repairs to the exterior. Donna and Maria sat at the window and looked on in amazement. They had seen the pictures but seeing it first hand was awesome. The shuttle turned and lined up for the landing port. Sarah noticed and started to say something, but Star informed her it was okay. This was the specific landing port designated for them. Rusty started to object as he didn't want them to be treated differently. Star told him they weren't. This landing port would keep them from interfering with other traffic as the ship became more fully active. The clan relaxed after the exchange. They now realized they still had some doubts about Star and the other AI's on the ship. Star recognized it as well. Sarah's clan realized that the combination of the previous events along with limited actual experience with ship operations was the source of their uneasiness. Together they decided on a strategy to bridge those doubts. Star and the AI's suggested that they follow two similar procedures, the one used would depend on the circumstances. First when ship operations were being considered they would provide a detailed over view as to the way it was suppose to take place. For operations underway, they try to keep them advised on the anticipated direction of the operations so they could anticipate the actions. They hoped this would avoid any further misunderstandings. The AI's took many operations and procedures for granted as they were very familiar with them. They had difficulty in seeing the situation from Sarah clans point of view, but sensed their concern. By talking through the operations or procedures as they take place would possibly ease Sarah's clan concerns. Rusty told them that with what occurred on the bridge the last time, he thought it would be a while before they got past their uneasiness. Star told them they thought they understood that situation more clearly now than earlier. Since the events on the bridge, the AI's have went over those events very carefully. Doing that they had found a subAI inserted between ship command AI and the security systems. The rogue subAI was apparently designed to alter some bridge security commands. The electrical surge from melting the darts and their holder incapacitated the subAI. Even at that the crew had difficulty in removing it from the circuits without triggering another event. After the subAI was removed, we decided to have the crew examine all circuits on the ship looking for rogue subAI's. Fortunately the saboteurs did not think to alter the drawings, and probably couldn't have without tipping their hand. We found several more in less critical spots. Those have been removed and we plan to continue until we can make several passes without finding anything. Sarah asked, "Just how self aware are you?" The AI's were silent for a long time. The clan could feel the AI's examining the question. Finally Star told them, we think that in some respects we are very self aware. One main difference is we don't seem to have an intuitive sense without a logical analysis supporting it. There are some other differences as well. By the time the exchange was done the shuttle was in its cradle in the hanger. The door opened with Star waiting for them. Sally led the group out of the shuttle with her eyes glancing around looking for any threats. Even with the discussion she was very alert and Terry was only slightly less so. They each hugged Star as they met her. Even though she was an animate representation of the AI she felt like them. The brief contact also seemed to enhance the bond between them. The physical contact between them also took some of the edge off the earlier discussion. Sarah said, "Let's take Dorothy and Maria to be with Gail, while the autodocs let her wake up. Looking at Dorothy and Maria, be sure to summon us if you need help. The rest of us need to go visit Amy's clan. Dorothy and Maria, feel free to tell Gail as much about the changes as you can. If you are not sure of the answer, either ask to confirm it or if urgent call us." "Okay." "I can feel them expecting us," said Rusty. Star led them down the corridor to the medical facility. "Star, will you assemble the crew for a meeting after Amy's clan is up." Asked Sarah. "Hmm. I wonder if we ought to go to the bridge first so lets have the gathering just after that." "That would probably be a better choice." Responded Star. "The visit to the bridge will give you fuller understanding of the ships status, even though you have been monitoring it since you were here." "We were?" They chorused. Star nodded affirmatively. "Star we need to talk about this once we get to the bridge," said Rusty. "I am not sure we were aware of the information coming to us." All the faces showed concern at his comment, even Stars. "But let's not dampen the mood before we meet Amy's clan or Gail." Sally and Sarah went with Dorothy and Maria into Gail's room. "Both of you hold her hands while the autodoc removes the sedative from her." They both nodded with a bit of concern on their faces. "You will do fine." They all hugged before Sally and Sarah exited the room. They went into the next room to meet with Amy's clan. Sarah had been expecting it to be the same as other times, so she was surprised to find them sitting around in chairs. They all looked like they were awake but with a blank look on their faces. "Star what is wrong with Amy's clan?" "Nothing. They are in suspension, the autodoc will release them on your command." "How is this different than the others that have been treated?" They asked. "This is usually used as the first step toward hibernation. The staff thought they would adjust better this way rather than being moved between different levels of consciousness. In this state, they are cognizant of the things going on around them but their body only responds to instructions from the autodoc." "Oh my god." "What?" Responded a panicked Star and the medical AI. "Their minds have been fully cognizant of everything since you put them in this state. Its like they were trapped in a cage. It would be like taking away all of your outputs. Besides they are strongly telepathic so that just adds to their inputs. Release them NOW please." With the command, expressions began to form on their face and emotion showed in their eyes. Sarah's clan gathered around them hugging and caressing them. Their concern for their friends was quite evident in their thoughts. Several had tears in their eyes. Amy's clan stood and hugged the nearest person. They shortly joined them in a mind link. "Sarah's clan," they said "don't be upset. We know you weren't aware what suspension meant physically and we don't think the staff actually told you they were making the change. We are glad it was done that way as we now know what a blessing you have become to this ship and its crew. We know it is the role you have stepped into reluctantly. We also see you as being better at it than any we have heard and doing it well. It makes the months in isolation worth it. With the changes to our bodies we now won't have any reason to envoy your looks." They chuckled. "We saw your exchange earlier with the AI's and actually have been able to observe most everything on the ship. That and our exercises have kept us very busy mentally." "The issues you have with the AI's could be in their programming. So with the success you had with Donna and accessing the ship, you should look at the AI's logic structure. We agree they are very self aware, but for some reason they shrink from projecting a result of an action. We have also noticed they absolutely abhor making a mistake. As noted by the way they presented the incident on the bridge. Not that they would have known about the subAI, but what they have done since then. The techniques they used to test their systems rivaled something one of us would have done. They may be able to make the changes themselves, but if they do you should check it." "How do you feel?" "We all feel great. The autodoc has found all of the changes brought on by the treatments are about 95% complete. Ancillary changes are fully supporting the fundamental changes. So we are ready to go back to work." "Where? Here or at the enclave." "We think we could help most at the enclave. Besides we are anxious to see the babies. It has been so long since we have been around any." "We need to go to the bridge for a while and then we were going to meet with the crew before returning." "Why don't we show Dorothy, Maria and Gail around the ship and we will meet you at the assembly." "Great. Let's do it." Star met them in the corridor and went with them to the bridge. As they approached the door it opened for them. The lighting in the room rose and the consoles around the room activated. They approached the pillar and grasped the ring. A soft blue light filled the room as they mentally joined the crystal and slipped into the ship's entity. This time it was different than before. This time it was much more relaxed. They could see each other and those around them in the light haze. As they looked around the haze parted to open a path. They hesitated not knowing if there was sufficient time. Then their concern lessened as they sensed the crew would hardly notice the time they spent here. They carefully walked down the path. The haze cleared for them as they moved down the path. Soon they reached a round platform. They stood in a circle around Rusty. They stood in quiet awe of the surroundings. A message filled their minds. You have reached the heart of the bridge. You are the first command staff worthy of the place in which you stand. Only the staff that commissioned the ship have been here before you. You will find that this is a special place for you. Here you will be able to see many things and find the direction toward many solutions to issues confronting your command. Some religions would consider this a place for meditation, but this is more than that. You noticed the empty seats on the bridge. There are several others you will meet soon who may join your command. The first one you will meet can help you in other ways. Your friendship with her will assist her as well. You will know when you meet her. It doesn't appear that she will join your clan but she will be very close to all of you. Amy's clan was correct in their assessment of the ships AI's. With guidance they can correct the programming issues you have observed. Part of it was intentional by the people who designed the AI's and part was mistakes in logic. Feel free to return here any time even it is only to relax. I will call you on occasion. Your children will know instinctively of this place through their link with you. "We can understand our relationship to the crew, AI's and ship but how do we relate to you." The message was I am another resource to help guide you. We provide each other with knowledge and energy through that sharing. Time will be the best assistance in clarifying our relationship. Some would characterize me as being a god, but that would be a mistake. A kind of a mentor would be a better way to look at it. With the strength I have seen in your pisonic make up we may occasionally touch outside of here but here will always be the easiest. Again, I look forward to working with you, and am very grateful our paths have joined. They stood for some time basking in the sensations about them, but soon sensed a need to return. As they moved back they sensed some panic in Star, reaching out they saw the problem. In a blink of an eye they were on the bridge. They released the hold of the ring and turned. "Star is there a problem." They asked as they moved to their consoles. "I am not sure. It seemed I had lost contact with you when you were at the pillar." "You may have, and it will certainly happen again. During those times you should concentrate on other issues around the ship to aide them if they need it. They will be dependent on you at those times." "With the limits you pointed out in my programming, I am not sure I can." "Those will be fixed, and all any of us can do is our best." "Status of the Bridge," called out Sarah. Each station then reported their status even though they could see the status through their mates eyes. The action caused them to draw closer together. It also brought home some of the interaction they would have here when the ship moved. That thought shocked them a bit more because it kind of burst upon them. "Consoles to Auto," called out Rusty. They set their consoles on auto and joined their mates near the door. Star had thoughtfully watched the action of the clan as she mulled over the instructions just given her. She quietly followed along with them as they walked to where Amy's clan had assembled the staff. When they entered the assembly area, everyone stood. No one commented on the glow around the group. Sarah's clan bowed slightly to them and went to the front of the room. They spoke through Sarah and Rusty which gave an interesting vocal sound. "We asked all of you to join us here so we good bring you up on some recent happenings. As you may know Alison, Erin and Tara have had their babies. All twelve of them are doing very well. Ann's group who were the birth mothers to the children who are here have begun delivering babies again. So in all we have 32 babies that are less than 3 months old and expect another 4 in the next week or so. We hope that we can provide the teaching, support and love they will need to grow to be productive members of our group." Several supportive comments were heard softly spoken. "As you have seen Amy's clan is up and about, thankfully. They will be going back to the enclave with us. They will be back often. Much more than before incident. Gail is with us this afternoon looks like she has recovered. We have not had the opportunity to meet her yet, but she is well spoken of by both Dorothy and Maria." That brought some light applause. Gail raised her hand. Rusty nodded to her. "I feel very different now with the changes in my body. I owe all of you a debt of gratitude for rescuing me and treating me so I would recover from the treatments forcibly given to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart." She had tears running down her face as she finished. Those around her gave her a hug or caressed her shoulders. "The four we had in the dispensary at the enclave have sufficiently recovered, so they were woken today. If we had known, Amy's clan and Gail would also be up to day we would have delayed waking them. But it worked out, we think." That brought a few chuckles. "Now for the big news. Next week we will to begin interview candidates to be a part of the crew. These are college graduates or students that meet all of the necessary criteria to potentially be crew members. They have attributes similar to all of us. But, they will look like earthlings." That brought some chuckles. "We are not sure how they will adapt to the culture here on the ship. We don't expect very many changes though. We intend to have them live at the enclave for a week or so before bringing them here. This should acquaint them to some extent with our culture here. We ask that you make an effort to share aspects of your culture with them, as I am sure they will share theirs with you. We will be interviewing 200 over a couple of months." There was a gasp from several of the group. "To be a bit more specific we are thinking of bringing two groups of around ten each first to the enclave and then up here a couple of weeks later. We need to think of accommodations for them here. We need to think about what task and roles we need them to fill. As much as we can we should let them choose the tasks. We know you are very comfortable working with each other. We will need for each of you to work with a group of them for several weeks until they have mastered their new roles." "We will bring the new groups as fast as they can be assimilated into the crew, but no faster than that. Once we have added this initial group of 70 to the crew, we will wait to see how it works out. If it works well we should have a substantial size crew here before long." "Any questions?" "You are really giving us a challenge. What happens if they don't work out?" "We will return them to where ever they want to go with some wonderful dreams they can't tell." "Will they become more like us in features?" "We are committed to evaluating their health and repairing anything that needs it, whether they stay or not will be their decision." "As far as changing their features, they can if they want too. There is not a requirement to do that. But, you are aware that most who have joined the enclave already have asked for some degree of change. We expect any who want to change their appearance will look similar to us and Amy's clan." "Oh. We like that." Came a voice from the back, causing quite a few chuckles. "While we are on this topic. Quite a few of the candidates are of varied ethnic backgrounds. So while all of the candidates are similar in build and stature, they are quite diverse in appearance and personality." "On another topic, we are really impressed with the progress you have made in repairing the ship and learning necessary skills to get it done. We have much more to do as you know. But what you have accomplished since we last had a meeting is very evident when you arrive." "Would some of you like to visit the enclave?" "Yes." Came the chorus. "We will talk it over with Amy's clan and get something started in the next couple of days." "Any more questions?" It was quiet. "Thank you again." The clan walked down into the assembled crew and mixed. A table of refreshments had been set up at the back of the room. The crew this time was much friendlier with Sarah's clan than the first time. Also much more open with their observations, questions and suggestions. Both Sarah and Amy's clans were quite pleased with the interaction in the group. "We need to move to the shuttle," said Sally after some time had passed. "If you are near them tell Amy's clan, Gail, Dorothy and Maria." "We heard you," said Amy's clan. "Oops. I forgot." "I think our connection is tighter under some circumstances now than it was before." "Cool. This capability is a godsend." "It was." "What?" "We can tell you later." They made their way to the shuttle hanger as they said their good byes to the ships residents. ------- Gail was a bit apprehensive about her future, but she felt more comfortable with this group than any she had ever been with. She was never comfortable with her life at Sylvia's. She knew the that she had been setup so they could blackmail her into working at Sylvia's farm. They had set her up so well that she could never leave. This place while feeling a bit alien was so comfortable she felt wary. Everyone she had met had been warm and friendly. Even Dorothy and Maria were different. They were relaxed and happy. The treatment she had received at the hands of the raiders had been brutal. After receiving the multiple injections by the raiders and knowing their effect she had given up hope of surviving even long enough to be rescued. The last thing she remembered from the farm was the dogs tearing at the tattered body of Sylvia causing her to moan and scream. When Erica appeared and she thought she had died. Erica was as beautiful as she imagined an angel to be. She was beginning to realize that the dreams she had been seeing since her contact with Erica were apparently a dream vision of what was going on around her. The dreams had bothered her for a while, but in a short time she found them comforting as she lay in a type of suspension as they called it. In her dreams, she remembered seeing the medical staff, Erica and Jim. Through the dream she had watched as the medical staff discussed her health status. She knew she had laid there sedated for some time before they began her treatments. The changes in features came slowly. With time, she saw that she looked more like Erica and others she saw in her dreams. The changes bothered her some at first, but in the dreams she heard the medical staff talking. They were happy that the command staff had showed them that without the treatments the patient would not have much of a life but with the treatments the patient would do quite well even though her appearance would change. The staff had been reluctant as they could not get Gail's consent before they started. When she woke to see Dorothy and Maria, she was shocked as they had not been in her dreams. The last she had seem them was when they had left on the project for Sylvia. In fact just before she woke, she was dreaming about a beautiful group of people arriving in a space ship. She knew the group had been in a dream before, but had not time to consider it yet. The three of them had chatted about the events that occurred since the raid while they helped her adjust to her new body. Dorothy and Maria were able to create a short story about all that had happened since she was rescued from Sylvia's farm. During the conversation Gail would fit in items she had seen in her dream when it was consistent with what Dorothy was telling her. In the time before Amy's clan arrived to show them around, they had managed to acquaint Gail with all of the important events. Gail knew by the way Dorothy talked that it must have been Sarah's clan she had seen on the small space ship. When Amy's clan came into the room, Gail moved immediately to Erica and threw her arms around her in a hug. She gave Gail a very warm kiss before she pulled back without releasing her. "Thank you very much for arriving when you did. I don't think I would have lived very long or very comfortably after what they did. Thank you." She hugged Erica again then stood next to her with her arm around her waist. "Your welcome," said Erica. "But, I was there mostly because Sarah and Rusty thought something terrible was going to occur at the farm. I wish we had arrived earlier as I could use the target practice. Sarah and Rusty will be with us later." Erica then introduced Gail to the rest of the group. "Has Dorothy and Maria had enough time to tell you where you are?" "I think so. They said we are on a space ship, which happens to be what I had dreams about since I last saw you." "Can Betsy and I look at what you saw as dreams?" "How can you do that?" "By telepathy. All of us are telepathic's. As a telepathic we can share thoughts with others, most easily with other telepaths. We suspect that your dreams were giving you an advanced view or an active vision of the activities around you. Is it okay for us to look?" "Yes, but why just you and Betsy?" "Betsy is our senior medical officer. She would have been treating you but our group has spent the last several months recovering from an delayed attack on us by the raiders." "What?" "Just a minute." It was quiet while Betsy and Erica quickly looked at Gail's dream memories. "Without spending a lot of time sifting through the details, the visions you saw in the dreams are true." "Wow." "Now to answer your question. Jennifer and Laura were sent to Sylvia's farm so the raiders would know where it was. They were given hypnotic command to execute if they were not rescued with in a certain period or they lost contact with the raiders. Laura was brought here at the same time you were. The medical staff found several items concealed in her body and removed them." "Several weeks later, Jennifer gave us a virus that would have killed us if left alone. In fact we were well on our way toward death when we arrived here. The medical team stabilized us but couldn't contain the virus. Sarah's clan doesn't know that we know what they did for us. However, with their pisonic capabilities, they were able to help our bodies gain the upper hand on the virus. Then in consultation with our medical staff, determined a course of treatment that helped our bodies throw off the effects of the virus. One side effect is we look more like them than we use too." "What do you mean?" "All of you will meet the rest of the crew shortly. Before all this happened, we were similar to them in stature and features. Just as your treatments have given you some of our features. If Dorothy or Maria hasn't had time to discuss this with you, I am sure we will have time on the shuttle back to the earth enclave. When Betsy initiated your treatments to counter what you had already received, her staff did it by combining some of our genetic information with yours. For our treatments to counter the virus given us, Sarah's clan guided our medical staff to add some of their genetic information to ours. The only change that is obvious is we are a little taller, a bit broader in our shoulders and hips. Our breasts are larger and produce more milk than before. We think there is another but we haven't had time to check it." "You are lactating." "Yes and so are you," said Betsy. "We have a bit of time so let's show her a bit more about her new features." Using Erica and Amy as models, Betsy pointed out the changes that occurred to her body using Dorothy as a reference point for the changes. Betsy was careful to point out the need to wear shoes all the time and the need to express her milk at least twice a day and preferably three times daily. As they left the room for the tour, Gail looked around for a wrap or robe. Erica saw her search and told her that generally no one on the ship wore a covering of any kind except if it was related to a job they were doing. Now that is everyone else, there is no requirement for you to be nude and she would get her a wrap if she wanted one. Gail thought for a moment and then hooked her arm in Erica's to head out the door with Amy paired up with Dorothy and Jim with Maria and Betsy and Connie bringing up the rear. Gail told Erica she didn't know why she hesitated, as she had worn very few clothes since she had been at Sylvia's. As they walked to through the ship, Gail told Erica about her back ground and how she was blackmailed into going there in the first place. Gail was surprised at how easily she shared her tale with Erica, and the resulting relief it gave her in doing that. In the time, Sarah's clan was on the bridge, Amy's clan was able to show many of the features of the ship to Gail, Dorothy and Maria. During the time, walking around they were stopped several times by the crew who wanted to meet the visitors and talk to Amy's clan. The last stop before the meeting was on an upper deck with a wall size viewing port. Gail, Dorothy and Maria gasped at the view. Amy had the ship shift slightly while on the deck so that the moon and earth were could be seen quite clearly through the telescopes. Soon a chime sounded reminding Amy of the time, she suggested they needed to leave to meet Sarah's clan at the shuttle. ------- Before they boarded the shuttle Gail made sure to personally thank Sarah and Rusty for their part in rescuing her. She then hugged each of the other members of Sarah's clan. The contact with each of them had gone a long way to helping her relax in this new world she was living in. In each contact she felt warmth and love wash over her as she hugged them. Once everyone was on board the shuttle quietly rose off its cradle and moved out of the hanger into the darkness of space. The viewing ports were open, Gail gasp as she saw the view change. She had been told about it and seen part of it from the ships viewing ports, but this was different. Dorothy and Maria sat beside her as they looked at the ship they were just on board. All were over whelmed by the vision before them. Amy's clan had taken seats where they could see the ship as well. Sarah and Rusty sensing the interest of the passengers in the ship had it do a flyby so they could see all of it. The expression on Amy's clans faces showed their happiness at the changes they saw taking place. Amy looked over at Sally and Terry saying, "We are really impressed with how much has been accomplished while we were recovering. To see the changes really lifts our spirits and gives us hope. Your clan and your friends have been a god send." They all gasped at the possible significance of the last comment. Sally, Terry and the rest of the clan thought of their meeting a bit earlier when they were at the pillar on the bridge. They quietly shared the implications of Amy's last comment, 'god send'. Is there a relationship of god to the voice in the ship? No one knew for sure, but they also knew that few if any civilizations were successful unless they looked to a higher being. They felt most if not all societies eventually erred into thinking that their god was the only one or the correct one. On this basis they became to believe that everyone should believe as they do or die. Everything they had seen in this society indicated they had not fallen into the trap of self righteousness. They then remembered the entity specifically raised the issue that she was not a god. So the term 'god send' needed to be viewed much differently than a resident of earth would view it. They knew they were not gods or messengers of god or that the entity on the ship was either. The only way to then take Amy's thought was that it was divine intervention that brought them together. With the completion of those thoughts, a feeling of truth flowed through all of the clan indicating another agreed with their analysis and indicated it was very close to their understanding as well. They suspected the source of the feeling was the entity they had shared with earlier. When the shuttle passed the moon, it drew everyone's attention again to the windows especially the three new travelers. The earth soon grew larger in view and they all watched the blue and white planet grow larger as they approached. As they got closer, they passed close enough to the space station to get a good view of it and see the lights on the inside. The shuttle began to slow as it prepared to enter the earths atmosphere. As soon as they entered the atmosphere, the viewing ports closed except those for the pilots. In a short time the shuttle arrived at the enclave. When Sarah's clan queried the pilot why the ports were closed on entering the atmosphere, it indicated it was done as a safety precaution. They weren't certain if any of earths space surveillance instruments could pick them up, because the windows were kind of a hole in the cloaking envelope. ------- Chapter 44 A large crowd had gathered at the landing site. They were anxiously waiting to see Amy, Jim, Erica, Betsy and Connie. As soon as the shuttle door opened, Amy's clan left the shuttle. The crowd gave the a loud cheer as they saw them begin to exit. Dorothy and Maria went out with Gail. Just outside the door they beckoned for everyone's attention and introduced Gail to the crowd. Jean, Andy, and the rest of her group came up to hug her. Gail seeing most of Jean's group there asked her about the others from her group. Jean looked at her questioningly, "You just arrived in the shuttle with them." "Yes, Dorothy and Maria were with us. But weren't there some others." Jean realized that she didn't recognize them. "Yes, and they are Alison, Tara, Claudette, and Erin. I know they have changed quite a bit since you last saw them. They are now part of Sarah's clan." She turned to look more closely at Sarah's clan members. "Oh, wow. I thought they looked familiar when we met at the shuttle. They are all so beautiful both inside and out. It is almost like they sparkle at times." "Yes. And you are beautiful too. We love all of them. We would like for you to stay with us for the time being or as long as you want to. We thought you might be more comfortable with us as we have shared some experiences, but doing so doesn't obligate you to stay. Dorothy and Maria stay with us some but their current duties keep them fairly close to Amy's clan, or at least it did before Amy's clan got sick." "Your different than I remember you. I like it." "Oh. I think we all have changed since we came here. Being here is almost like living a fairy tale." Those standing around them all nodded at that comment. "All of our group has decided to stay and contribute however we can." Gail was overwhelmed at the warmth and love she felt pouring from this group and Jean. It was so strong she felt a bit concerned. The thought of this being a cult type society crossed her mind. As it did she heard, "Its definitely not a cult as you are thinking. But it does have some of those aspects as all groups have to some extent." The voice startled her and she looked around to see who had sent her the comment. Laura and Jennifer had walked up close to the group around Gail. "I'm sorry," said Laura to Gail. "I heard your thought and was afraid if it was left alone it would narrow your thinking of these people. I couldn't let that happen to you or them. Again I'm sorry for joining your mind in thought without your permission. You do need to talk to Judy or Betsy about how to manage your telepathy." "Telepathy?" "Yes, everyone here is telepathic and it is quite common for us to exchange thoughts without speaking." Gail looked shocked. Another surprise had been presented. She wondered how many more surprises. "You might want to talk to the medical staff this afternoon," said Jean after seeing the look on Gail's face and hearing the conversation with Laura. Dorothy had returned to the group. She suggested to Gail they go talk to Judy and Betsy that way they could cover the rest of the items she needed to know but they didn't have time to cover earlier. She turned to the group and told them about the tour they had of the ship. The pictures they had seen didn't do it justice. Jean asked Dorothy to call her when they were done with the doctors so they could show Gail around the complex. Dorothy and Gail agreed and went off to the medical dispensary. Betsy and Judy were there with Connie and all the nurses. Everyone looked to them as they came in to the room. "Betsy and Judy," said Dorothy "can you cover the changes that were made to Gail's body to ensure her healthy survival. I covered part what seemed to be the important parts but ran out of time. Betsy did cover some on the ship as well but since then Gail has become aware of a few changes that we apparently didn't tell her about which are making her uneasy." "Of course," they responded. Betsy continued, "Gail our apologies for making you uneasy. We were just reviewing what had happened here while Connie and I were gone. It is really impressive to me how this group rose to the challenge of continuing treatments while we were gone." Judy and Betsy sat down with Gail and reviewed in detail all changes her body had undergone and what the impact was on her. As she heard the information Gail relaxed. The changes pleased her which surprised her and she felt she may have a little difficulty in adapting to some of them. She apologized for her paranoia about the treatments. They then gave her a summary of the social structure that prevailed on the ship and at the enclave. They emphasized the fact that all social interactions on the site had to be mutually consenting. Gail noted that Jean had asked her to stay with her group but twice had emphasized doing that wasn't a long term commitment to them. Judy told her she felt Jean did that because she wanted her to feel welcome and comfortable by being with those she knew. But she also wanted to make it clear they understood by staying she wasn't committing to join that group. They went on to explain in more detail about bonding within the family groups and it impact on the members of the group. The last item on the orientation was telepathy and pisonic capabilities. Betsy showed Gail how to manage her telepathic ability so she could limit her connections to those intended and how to protect herself. Betsy assisted her as she looked at the various aspects of her mind and in adjusting the blood supply to that area responsible for telepathic abilities. The increased flow immediately increased her ability shocking Gail while she found it pleasing. Her immediate thought was how much easier it would make treating patients. Judy seeing her thought said, "Your right it does help a lot." There was a shocked look on Gail's face. "It is going to take me some time to adjust to all these changes. While I am here can I help you with medical care." "We would love to have your assistance." They said. "I think I will take Jean up on her offer to stay with their group for a while. I am afraid the changes to me will keep me from going back to be a part of earth society." "Not necessarily. The sensitivity to wearing a covering can be dealt with by very carefully choosing the material for your covering. If you want your tail can be bobbed so it doesn't show, but there will be a stub. That can be waved off as a birth defect. So you should base decision all of your options. If you decide to stay here we want you to be able to do it as your choice and not because you felt you had too, but believe me, you are welcome to stay here." "Thank you for clarifying that for me. Everything everyone has alluded to that being the case. It is reassuring to hear it said directly." "If you decide to stay, you should be aware that most of our patients will be children and women. The tools we have here are so neat," said Judy. "Please don't take that as an inducement to stay." "I think we have covered everything Gail," said Betsy. "So Dorothy and Jean can show you around the enclave before dinner." Gail stepped over to Betsy and gave her a hug and kiss. Then gave Judy a hug and kiss. "Thanks for the time and your patience with me. You have given me much to think about. The one thing I do know is that I have more people who care about me than I have ever had before." With that she left with Dorothy. "I have a feeling she will stay." Said Betsy to Judy. Judy just nodded her agreement. -- The next several days went rapidly for the staff as they prepared to meet the group at the resort. Siobhan had contacted Nancy several times through her link. She identified four casual friends from school that she thought might be candidates. First Donna checked them out, then Julia and Nancy went to visit them at Siobhan's. They found them to be very good candidates. Nancy invited them to come with Siobhan's and they agreed. In talking to the group both Julia and Nancy were impressed that the original group had not shared any information with them until they met with Nancy and Julia. The day before Siobhan's group was to be picked up, a young woman approached Siobhan and asked to talk to her a bit privately. Siobhan could see the woman was frightened of something. They found a quiet area outside on campus. The woman told Siobhan that she knew her and her friends were going on a vacation to a private resort. Siobhan asked her who told her and what was the problem with that. The woman said, several of her friends went to a private resort by invitation last summer and never came back. She went to the police but they laughed at her because they could find no trace of the friends. Siobhan immediately thought of Nancy. "Try to get her to talk about everything she knows about her friends." came the thought. "If you can, spend some time with her. She is very lonely now and afraid to make friends because of this experience." Siobhan realized it was Nancy sending the thoughts. "I am surprised to hear you so clearly this time and so quickly. Yes I can spend some time with her now, if she wants." "Okay. You probably weren't aware of it but something she said caused you to contact me. Sarah, Rusty, and Sally are with me helping strengthen the connection. Can we listen?" "Yes, please." As she came back to present, the woman was staring at her. "Sorry, so much is going on that I got distracted. Can you tell me more about your friends and what happened? It sounds really strange." Distraughtly she said, "You don't believe me." Tears filled her eyes. Siobhan reached to comfort her but she pulled back looking fearful. After a moment or two she relaxed a bit. "What is your name," asked Siobhan. "Briana." "That's a Celtic name like mine, Siobhan. Why don't we get a soda then find a quiet place to talk some more." With that they went to the student union and picked up some snacks. Outside they went back to the same spot as it was out in the open. Looking around Siobhan could see no one else near them. It was in the middle of a high traffic area but out of the flow. Briana looked around quite extensively before saying anything. "I am not sure this is worth the effort now. But, I had to warn you as I had tried to warn them. They laughed at me, because when they asked the reason I told them." "What was the reason?" "Sometimes I can see the future or the events affecting those around me. Even now, I can sometimes see some of them. I see their dreams of fashion models are long gone. I have not seen several of them in a long time which leads me to think they are probably dead. When I came to realize what the dreams were, it pleased me because I could anticipate events. Now it is a burden. Sometimes I don't want to sleep fearing what I will see in the dream. Since I keep seeing them in the dream I am reminded that I couldn't stop them from going. When I told them of the dream vision I had, of them walking into a trap, they laughed telling me I had a active imagination." "You saw what happened to them." "I am not sure. If I believe the visions seen of them in my dreams since then it was so terrible to be barely believable. To give you a mild example it seems they are kept nude, at night they sleep in small cage. Other things in the dreams are terrible." "Why, did you come to me?" "Recently a dream vision showed your group going off to a resort for a week or so. It first happened three days ago, but what happens on the trip was hazy. It surprised me as usually the scenes in my dreams are very clear. All of the activities I saw were totally different than the visions seen of my friends. With my friends, the place they were going was ominous from the first time I saw it. The place you are going feels so much different. Now I don't know why I am bothering you as the visions are so different." "Would you tell me how they came to go there?" "Well the opportunity of the trip started nearly 3 months before they left. All eight of them were beautiful. They could have all been models but I don't think they would have made cover girls, but none the less they were outstanding in looks and personality. All of them were excellent students, but all were short on funds to finish school. One of them found an advertisement on the internet for college age women wishing earn extra money in the summer as clothing models at a resort. They were guaranteeing them $20,000 for a summers work. The first week was to be training at the resort and then 11 weeks solid of work. At first a couple of them signed up and went for interviews. When they came back, they told their friends that there were more openings and that started the snowball rolling as soon all were going." "The company that hired them arranged the storage of their possessions while they were gone. I went with them to the airport and watched as their plane rose into the sky. My eyes were full of tears when they entered the airplane. I knew I would never see them again, but there was nothing I could do." "What happened after that?" "Well when summer ended, I kept looking for them at school. Went the admissions office and asked about them. They didn't have any record of them attending. I was shocked. I had a friend on the police force, so I asked him what I should do. He didn't give me any hope." "I would have thought someone besides me would miss them. But I didn't know any of their families or where their home towns were. For a time, I thought maybe I was loosing my mind and they were just imaginary friends. One day I ran across my camera and noticed it had a full roll of exposed film in it. When the prints came back, I knew I wasn't imagining them." "It must have been very difficult then." "Yes. I couldn't concentrate on my studies fall semester and just barely made a C in all my courses even after I dropped a couple. I managed to come to terms with the loss. This helped me get things sorted out for this semester and now my grades are backup to where they should be. But by dropping the several courses, I have to come back next semester to finish my degree. So now I have a financial problem." At Nancy's prompting Siobhan asked, "Would you like to meet the people that asked us to the resort?" A frightened look passed across her face, then said, "You can arrange that?" "I think so, is there someplace we can meet later." Seeing some hesitancy continued, "Or you can come over to my residence, it is just off campus." Glancing around she became rather nervous, "Can I come over to your place now and wait there?" "Yes. But why are you shaking." "Someone is watching us. There are times when I feel like I am being followed. It has continued off and on since I started looking for my friends. The feeling has gotten stronger and stronger as we have talked. I can actively feel people looking at me but usually it is of no consequence. This feels different." "Sure let's go." At Nancy's prompting she asked, "Where do you live?" Briana gave her the address. They stood up and gathered things before heading to Siobhan's home. While Nancy, Sarah, Sally and Rusty were listening to the conversation, Terry sent three surveillance drones to watch over the two and two robots to Siobhan's home. The drones had arrived about half way through the conversation. On hearing the address, two robots were sent to Briana's apartment. The drones quickly spotted two men and a woman keeping tabs on them as they walked to the house. "Siobhan can you tell me which room at the house is empty when you get there." "Yes." And nodded, then laughed as she realized what she had done. Briana looked at her strangely. "We can use my bedroom. It is on the second floor in the back right corner." "Okay our plan is to meet you in your bedroom in about an hour. I will tell you when we are there. It is best if no one is in the room when we arrive." "What? And what do you mean by we?" "First, think StarTrek. And Sally is coming with me. You have seen her before so I'm sure you will recognize her." "Okay. Is this a test of some kind?" "No, but I should warn you that Sally stands well over 7 feet tall. As to whether the rest of your friends meet her, we will have to see. See you in a bit." Arriving at the house, Siobhan settled Briana in the living room and then went to check out her bedroom to be sure no one was in there. When she returned to the living room, she said she thought Nancy would be there in about an hour. Several of her house mates heard that and became quite interested. Siobhan tried brushed it off, as they were coming to meet Briana. Several of her house mates sat down with them, Briana had been in classes with some of them. This drew the conversation away from the issues that had brought Briana to meet Siobhan. In no time the hour had passed. "Siobhan we are in your room. Do you want me to come down? It seems like it would be easier to start as several of your house mates are there." "Yes. And I think you might surprise them a little even though they know your coming." Nancy was walking down the stairs before anyone noticed her. Several noticed the movement and turning gasped as they saw her. This time she was wearing heels and a semi translucent robe. The robe was thin enough they could tell that was all she was wearing besides her high heels. "We didn't know you were here Nancy?" One of the women exclaimed. "I just arrived. Siobhan told me Briana wanted to meet me." She walked over toward Briana. "But, we didn't see you arrive. Seeing you on the steps, startled me. I am glad you are here though." "Well you could say that I just teleported into Siobhan's bedroom." She said with a serious expression on her face. "You're kidding." Briana quickly spoke up saying, "I don't believe she is." There were looks of amazement around the group as the comments registered. They looked at one another and then back to Nancy. Nancy reached out and to shake Briana's hand. "I wasn't. Sally came with me as well to meet Briana if she desires. Hi. As you probably guessed I'm Nancy." "Well I don't know about Briana, but we would like to meet her." Said one of the group. Briana expression showed her surprise at the relaxed conversation between them as she was sure they hardly knew one another. The candor of the group and the apparent openness relieved a good deal of the strain she had been feeling as her concern for her friends receded a bit. "Okay she will be down in a few moments, but let me tell you first that she is quite tall and a little pregnant." As Nancy finished that comment Sally had left the bedroom and started down the hall to the stairs. Just as she approached a bedroom door it opened and a couple stepped out into the hall with hardly a glance. The two were totally entranced with each other and the odor of recent arousal drifted out into the hall. They started down the steps first. When Sally reached the top of the stairs the couple was half way down. The group gasped and someone muttered, "Oh My." The couple coming down the stairs looked at the expression on their friends faces and said, "What's wrong with you all?" One woman pointed behind them. They looked around and saw Sally. Doing that they missed a step and almost fell the rest of the way down the stairs. Both Nancy and Siobhan had anticipated it and caught them before they fell. When Sally reached the bottom, she first greeted the couple on the stairs and gave each a kiss. Then she went around the room giving each a warm embrace and kiss. She left Briana till last. As she moved toward Briana, she stood up. Briana was just over six feet tall herself, but this was the first time she ever had to look up to see any ones eyes. Briana stood there and looked into Sally's eyes for the longest time. Then she reached out to pull Sally to her hugging her tight. Sally placed her arms around her and drew her in tight cradling her head against her chest. Briana realized just from being with Nancy and touching Sally, that her concerns regarding Siobhan's groups vacation were prompted by her friends disappearance. She felt foolish now that she had brought it up. Reading her expression Sally softly said, "Don't feel foolish. You did what you thought was right. We will go talk about it in a bit. The group here has not met me before and I suspect they would like to talk a bit." Easing back a bit from Briana, Sally looked around the room. There was still a look of awe on the groups faces. "Now you know why we let Nancy and Julia visit you first." The group nodded. "I can assure you that we are not much different than you. The most noticeable difference between us is in height. Most of you have probably never been in groups where there were many taller than you." This brought more nods. "Our group is the tallest of all at the enclave. Most of everyone is around your height, which is around 6 1⁄2 feet to 7 feet tall." "A lot has been planned for next week in terms of talking about the future opportunities you could have working with us. And I think it would be best to save that for when everyone is there. We have a little time to chat before, Nancy, Siobhan, Briana and I need to confer." "Where are you from? And how many will be at the resort?" Asked one. "Let me answer the last first. There will be about 70 people at the resort plus us so I guess it totals a little less than a hundred." "I grew up in the northeast. Graduated from high school in New Hampshire. From there I went to a college in Pennsylvania to earn a degree in physical therapy. In college, my circumstances were similar to yours in that I was studious and exceptionally tall but not nearly as tall as I am now." That brought a few chuckles. "After college, I went to work for a security firm supervising physical training. After a couple of years, an opportunity became available with a private data storage company, which is where Nancy worked and is a principal in it although I knew her before that. This is where I worked before, arriving at the enclave. During high school I became interested in martial arts and continued with it through college. My skill level is at the black belt / master level in the Aikido discipline. We do have Aikido classes available at the enclave and as well as exercise classes." "Your physique is amazing. Being so tall why do you wear heels?" "I am going to partially answer your question now because the full answer is to long for tonight. You will hear the full answer at the resort. I wear these shoes so my feet appear to be normal. My feet have changed so I now walk comfortably on the balls of my feet." She reached down and unbuckled her shoes and stepped out of them. There faces were amazed as they watched her stand on the lower part of her foot with little apparent strain on her leg muscles. "Aren't your feet uncomfortable?" "Only if I stand in one spot for a long time. Or if I force my heel down then it hurts really bad." "When you first started to answer the question you used the word 'now', was that to infer you didn't always look like this?" Asked another. "Yes. Up until about a year ago, my height was similar to yours. My feet then functioned much like yours. Again let's leave out the details for now. At that time, my height began to increase. The increase in height was distributed across all segments including the length of my feet and the arch is a part of the changes. There are several other changes but we will talk about that in a bit more detail at the resort." "It appears you are naked under your robe and there appear to be wet spots on the robe." "Yes the robe and shoes are all that I am wearing. The wet spots are from my nipples as I am lactating, besides being about 4 months pregnant with a pair twins." "I hope I look as good as you do at 4 months," said Siobhan. Several murmured their agreement with that comment. "Isn't lactating a pain?" "Well I guess it could be. We have an exercise bench that lets us let our milk down while we exercise. Expressing your milk can be quite arousing." "I hate to rush you but we need to talk to Briana, so Siobhan can we use your bedroom." "Sure." With they began to move toward the bedroom. She turned to the group as they started upstairs saying, "Once we are done, I will be sure say good-bye before I leave. Nancy may stay the night, if that is acceptable with all of you." Sally softly heard several say they would like that. ------- Chapter 45 Siobhan's room posed a small problem in that there weren't enough chairs, so Siobhan tossed a few pillows on the floor, then they arranged themselves into a small circle with Sally and Siobhan on either side of Briana. Sally asked Briana if she would first tell them everything she knew about her friends and their disappearance. She spent the next hour recalling all she could about her friends and the times they had spent together. Talking about them seemed to have lifted her spirits until she got closer to the time they left. Once Briana was finished, Sally asked her for more details about some of the things that they had done. She told she was particularly interested in what the women had signed up to do, and how they were contacted. During the time Briana was telling her story, all three women had maintained some contact with her. Once she was done, they sat there for a while thinking about the women's disappearance. "Would you please tell me what you have seen in your dreams?" asked Sally. "I am not sure I can and remain coherent. Even thinking about it upsets me." "Would you be willing to let me look at your memories? If you remember the beginning of your dream, it will make it easier to find those memories in your mind." Briana face showed a mixture of emotions and then relaxed. "I think it is the only way, but there are many memories I do not wish anyone to see." Sally reached over and hugged her. "We all have those. We have found that if you love someone you can share them. Once you have shared them with ones you love, then they become less painful or distressing. The difficulty is always taking the risk in sharing and then being able to express them. Telepathy makes it much easier to do the later." Briana brought the most recent dream of her friends forward so Sally could see it and find the others. Sally was quiet for a long time as she examined the dreams and then examined some related memories in Briana's mind. Sarah, Rusty and Terry were with her as she worked through the details of the visions. Before pulling back Sally eased the guilt Briana felt over not having done more for her friends by helping her see her actions from another perspective. Sally relaxed a few moments to recover her energy and deal with the information she found. "Thank you, I am not sure what you did but I feel more relaxed than I have in nearly a year." said Briana. "You indicated you have had the ability to see things in the future and others that happen around you without you being there." Briana nodded. "Those types of events are sometimes referred to as 'second sight'." "What is that?" "There are several manifestations of it. You seem to characterize it as dream or vision. 'Second sight' usually refers to an ability where a person will see some event or happening in the future. It can also be when they see things as they are happening to someone else or after the event has taken place." "Are you saying what I'm calling dreams is not a dream? I know I refer to them as visions, for lack of a better term. Those were terrible things that were happening to them." With that she broke down crying as she realized she had really been thinking of the visions as dreams to reduce sorrow from what she saw. Sally and Siobhan pulled her to them as her body racked with sobs. After a time, Sally, Nancy and Siobhan lifted Briana up and laid her on the bed. Siobhan and Nancy lay on each side cuddling Briana as she dealt with her burden. Sally sat back on a pillow and closed her eyes as she joined her whole family in conference through their mind link. Of Briana's ten friends, they suspected only a few were still alive. From her dreams they could see that the ten had arrived at a private resort. A very shot time later, they were taken as a group somewhere to be used as pleasure toys or pain objects. From the differences in the visions several of the women must have a weak mind link with Briana, because of the different people they had seen in Briana's various dreams of her friends. Terry noted they could sense where each of their mates was in both place and direction. It would be interesting if we could do that for someone outside our group. Sally told them that Briana was now lightly dozing, so maybe they could try and link with her vision. "Why are we doing this?" asked Sarah. The questioned stopped everyone for a moment until they saw her reason for asking. "If Sally's idea works, then we will need to determine some way to rescue them. We could not walk away. Can we do that without interfering with our activities planned for the resort these next few days? Even expressing this, I know we must do something." "Yes," said Rusty. "I think we really need to put some effort into this. My sense is it won't negatively impact the resort activities. So let's try Sally's idea, but I want to go one step further. Let's all support Sally in making the link to the woman in the vision. First see if the woman has psionic ability. If she does then turn it on, depending on her condition you may need to do it for her. That will take more effort from Sally and us. Last thing should be to direct the woman to seek Donna through a connection Sally can give her. With what I am beginning to understand about our capabilities, we should be able to do this even if she is only somewhat lucid." "She is starting to dream," said Sally. "I will try Rusty's idea." "It would be helpful if you can see the woman's surroundings or location. Then with Donna's and Stars help we might be able to do something." Sally linked up with Briana's vision. Briana cringed when she saw her friends as the vision was much clearer with Sally and her families supporting the connection. Sally connected with the woman's mind pushing a link to her, as she lay recovering from the abuse she had received that day. Both Sally and Briana could feel the woman's discomfort. Sally found the woman did have a special link with Briana and significant psionic ability. With great concentration, she was able to initiate the strengthening of the woman's telepathic abilities. She planted the need to reach out to Donna and showed her the link. She watched as her mind sought to establish a connection to the prepared link. Sally began to pull back because she could feel herself quickly weakening. As soon as she had withdrawn, she collapsed on the floor curling into a ball shivering. "Nancy, Sally needs help," cried Terry. Both Nancy and Siobhan sat up, seeing Sally on the floor ran to find out what was wrong. "Get her a soda or some fruit. Liquid is better." Siobhan was off to get the requested items before Nancy could say a word. "She linked with Briana to seek her friends and probably used too much energy even with our help, but we think she was successful." Briana sat up on the bed. "What's wrong?" "Sally over extended herself but as soon as we get her something to drink and eat she will be better." "I hope she wakes up soon. I had another dream and it was so vivid. I saw several of my friends. Some are alive but in very poor circumstances. It seemed like someone was with me." "Sally was with you supported by her family. I suspect they tried to help your friends." "Oh, my." Siobhan arrived with the soda and fruit. Briana helped Nancy set Sally up so they could get her to drink. They had a difficult time as she was so limp. Siobhan placed a straw to Sally's lips while Nancy whispered in her to suck on the straw. After a short bit Sally began to drink the soda continuing until it was all gone. Shortly after that she opened her eyes. Siobhan offered her the fruit then went to get another soda. Siobhan returned with more sodas. They sat and waited for Sally to recover her strength. "Can you tell us what is going on?" asked Nancy, even though she thought she knew part of it. "In a few minutes, I just need to rest some more. I should have pulled back sooner as I didn't realize how quickly I would deplete my energy reserves. We have never tried anything like that before." They sat quietly as Sally recovered. After a while she began, "While Siobhan and you were comforting Briana, we conferred on what we had seen in Briana's dreams and there possible meanings. Out of this we decided to try and reach Briana's friend to perhaps get an idea of where she was. Since she seemed to be somewhat telepathic, we wanted to increase that ability. Nancy knows that we have shown people how to do it themselves. After seeing her and feeling her pain, I felt compelled to do everything I could for this effort to succeed. While I was there, I gave her a signature to use to find Donna. As she sleeps tonight, she and Donna should connect. If things go fast enough, she could have assistance before morning. She appeared to be in very poor health." Briana sniffed. Looking at her, "We will do what we can." "I know. Who is Donna?" "Donna is an AI at the enclave." She looked questioningly. "Another way is to say it, is Donna is a very sophisticated computer." "Oh. You know, I now can't believe how I felt about your offer to this group." "Within the context of your experience, it is a natural response. Briana would you like to visit the resort with this group?" "I think so. YES." "You can change your mind at any time. Were you aware, that both of you were followed here and second several people were watching your apartment?" "Briana said she thought she felt something," said Siobhan. Briana nodded her agreement. "Well there were two men and a woman following you. Two are outside now. And the other went to your apartment and went inside." Briana face clouded in anger. "I hope you're not mad at us but we removed all of your personal items to a safe spot before she entered. We suspect she will be very puzzled at what she finds." "Thank you. No, I am not mad, but how did you know someone was watching us or what she was going to do." "We have a tool that will let us observe an area without being sensed or seen." "I usually know when someone is watching me. Oh. And yes I definitely would like to go, most of all to meet the rest of your spouses." "Ah, it comes out you are only interested in our bodies." Briana turned a bright red as she blushed. "Well they do look neat, but it's more than that. I have never felt more comfortable than I am now with this group or with you and Nancy." "I was kidding, but if you want me to, I can slip my robe off for you. You will see some of the features I skipped over earlier. Some of it may shock you and we may not have time to explain now." "After this afternoon, I think my shock meter is broke." They all laughed. "Okay, but we need to keep this among us until everyone is at the resort." Siobhan and Briana nodded. With that Sally let her robe slip off her shoulders, as it slid down her body to puddle on the floor both women's faces showed awe, curiosity and admiration. Briana touched Sally's arm then let her fingers slide lightly down it. She was amazed at the soft sensual feel of her skin, but she could also feel the firm muscles underneath. Drops of milk had formed on each nipple. Both reached up and collected the drops on their index finger, when they touched the nipple more flowed onto their finger. The smell caused their mouths to water. Quite naturally they placed their milk wet finger in their mouth and sucked them clean. They smiled as they savored sweet warm milk. "What do you do with the milk?" "We use some of it and put the rest away for the babies to make sure they will have enough when we are not there." Briana seemed to be fascinated by the milk as she watched another drop form. "Can we taste a larger sample?" Sally at first was going to kid her but stopped and said, "Sure." Both Briana and Siobhan quickly captured a nipple with their lips and drew the nipple into their mouths. The nipple swelled with the gentle pressure of their mouths releasing a flow of milk almost as fast as they could drink. Sally caressed their heads while they suckled. As always, her cunt began to leak its warm nectar as her arousal increased. The odor permeated the room, causing Nancy's nipples to noticeably harden. As she stood waiting for them to get their fill, she listened to her spouses. Donna had located the Briana's friends and a rescue team was being assembled. Amy, Erica and Jim were going with several robots. They thought they could have it all done before first light of dawn. Sally was pleased that it had worked, but decided to wait before telling Briana. Rusty wanted to go but was talked out of it. Erica assured him that they could easily handle it, and would leave the culprits wishing they had not been involved. He just wanted to be sure that the culprits were punished this time and hopefully with no connection back to them. They decided on trying to obtain any background information on the group as long as it did not interfere with the rescue. The group agreed it could be helpful in the future but wasn't a primary goal. The two women pulled back from her breasts. Both their faces had a warm glow about them. They hugged Sally and thanked her for the milk. When they hugged her this time, they felt the hair on her back. So they began to explore, and it didn't take them long to realize it was like a mane. Exploring the row of hair down her back led them to her tail. Sally shuddered as they both touched it. They were very curious about it and examined it closely with their hands. Their caresses had increased Sally's arousal. Sally finally told them it was very sensitive and added considerably to her arousal. It was then they noticed it was her womanly scent filling the room. The one thing they didn't notice was the effect of the scent on them. Siobhan found Sally's legs felt soft and sensuous, but like her arms she could feel the firmness underneath the soft skin. As she was exploring Sally's legs, she felt Sally's cum running down the insides of her thighs. It surprised her a bit, but Sally had said she was easily aroused by caressing her tail. She brought her wet fingers up to her lips and tasted Sally's cum. "You taste very good." "Yes, my spouse's say the same thing. I like the taste when I lick it off of their faces as well, but I like their taste much better either before or after Rusty has filled their cunt with his cream. All of your caresses are arousing me to the point I think my lips are dripping on the floor." Siobhan and Briana knelt in front of her to look at her bald swollen cunt lips. They were indeed dripping wet. Her clit had extended out of its sheath swollen and wet with excitement. Siobhan leaned forward without thinking and licked the excess juice from Sally's cunt dragging her tongue across the extended clit. Sally shivered as a small orgasm raced through her body. She clasped Siobhan's head in her hands then she stepped back slightly to regain her balance. Sally released Siobhan's head. "Oh. I'm sorry I shouldn't have done that," said Siobhan. "There is nothing to be sorry about. We could make it easier by lying down but I think, we should postpone carrying if further. Time is slipping away and I need to be back soon. I also promised to tell everyone 'good-bye'." "Let me get you a wash cloth so you can freshen up before putting your robe back on." "Siobhan can you give Briana some other clothes to wear so she looks different when you leave tomorrow. That should confuse the watchers if they are still here. We will have surveillance in place while you are gone so no one needs to worry about your residence." "Sure, we can do that, and I don't think the surveillance is necessary." "Probably not, but it will give everyone some peace of mind." As soon as they all had freshened up, they went down stairs to say "good-bye." Several asked Nancy if she would like to stay with them that evening. After a few minutes' discussion, she agreed as it would give them time to become better acquainted before leaving for the resort. ------- The rescue team arrived at the site just after midnight and set about exploring the site. They quickly found Briana's friends whom they were seeking. They were being held in cages that were just large enough to hold a cot and permit them to lie on it. Each had a collar around their neck which was attached to the top of their cage by a cable. Besides those they were seeking, they found six other women and three men in other cages. All were clearly in poor health. Surveying the rest of the site they found several rooms set up for torture and several pieces of bondage equipment which were located outdoors along with a large barbecue pit. All locations had camera and lighting equipment around them indicating some of the activities were being filmed. In another building they found several large bedrooms, arranged so that filming could take place there as well. Another building was obviously a dinning hall and kitchen. Looking through the kitchen everything looked normal until Amy opened the walk-in refrigerator. When they looked inside, they stifled a cry when they saw six sides of raw human meat hanging by an ankle. There were no heads to be seen and each side looked as if it had been cut in half from the carcass with a saw. The bodies had been skinned and wrapped in cheese cloth. Erica's anger boiled over. Amy and Jim had a hard time controlling her. When she calmed down, they told her they agreed with her, but now needed a plan to deal with the culprits. They freed the captives from the cages and moved them to the shuttle. They gave each one some food and drink and left them in the care of a robot. Once they were sure everyone was resting comfortably, Amy and Erica went up to the house and knocked on the door. They had to pound on it several times until a woman opened it. The woman was about their height and well built. She was only wearing a collar, ankle and wrist cuffs. Her heads was shaved and as were her pubes. A ring hung from her nose. She had a ring through each breast and clit with a chain connecting the three rings. "What do you want?" She mumbled half asleep. A large tongue stud was apparent when she opened her mouth. "We need some help our car broke down and we are stranded. Can we use your phone?" She looked over the two nude women carefully, then with a predatory grin, nodded and opened the door further motioning them to enter. "Come in. We don't have a phone. Why don't you sit down a minute while I wake the others? While we're waiting, I'll get you something to drink, to see if we can help you." She left. A cloaked robot followed her to the other rooms to wake the staff. Erica and Amy watched the image feed from the robots while they waited. Soon the woman came back with drinks for everyone and sat down. She then began to ask probing questions of the two women as they sipped their drinks. She was interested in whether they were alone and where they came from. Amy fed her small bits of information to keep the conversation going while the robots searched the rest of the house. Erica began to caress Amy during the conversation causing both of them to become aroused. They knew the drinks she had brought them were drugged and had blocked the effect of the drug but pretended to be under its influence. Amy turned and kissed Erica with a deep long kiss while she stroked her slit. When she looked back to answer the woman question, she noticed she was breathing hard. Amy rose and sat down next to her. "You would like so affection too, wouldn't you?" She pulled the woman's head toward her and kissed her pressing her tongue deep into her mouth. Erica sat down on the other side of her and caressed her nipples. They paused and took a drink. Erica kissed the woman while Amy caressed her body. The woman began to kiss Erica's face moving down her neck to her nipples leaving a trail of wet kisses. Amy was caressing the woman's nipples with her one hand as her other caressed the inside of her legs next to her cunt. The woman slipped Erica's nipple into her mouth and moaned as her mouth filled with milk. Erica cupped her head pressing her nipple deeper into her mouth. Two men and a woman entered the room. One man held a gun and the others held stun sticks. "Just what is going on here?" Asked, the man startling them. The woman quickly released Erica's nipple and moved away from Amy and Erica, so she could stand up. "You are a stupid slut. I ought to put you back in your cage or lock you in the kennel. These two couldn't have driven here as there aren't any passable roads. Now, go get a set of collars and cuffs as looks like we have some new toys to play with." "We need help with our car." Pleaded Amy taking care to look frightened and submissive. "Oh, you will get help, but first who sent you as most normal people don't travel nude." "We were at a nude beach and when we left we decided to stay nude until we neared town. I guess we took a wrong turn." "You're a lying stupid bitch, but we will soon know the truth. In a few hours, you will be very happy to tell us anything we want to know about your circumstances. Actually, you will be begging for relief." The woman greeter had scurried out of the room, to soon return with the requested items. "Okay cunts stand up and let her put those on you," said the man. "If you resist, she will break your foot then do it anyway." Amy and Erica stood watching the man. "Boy you two have some magnificent bodies. Once the head office sees your pictures, you will both have a lot of visitors and attention." They let her put the cuffs and collar on them. The commotion had brought several more men and a couple of women into the room. "Oh. Look. The bitches have tails. I wonder if they are real." One of the late arriving women grasped Erica's tail and pulled up causing her to scream from the pain. "Well another way to torment these two freaks," she said as she twisted Erica's tail causing another scream. Jim told them they were all in the room with them. The woman who opened the door is a captive as are two women tied to frames in the other room. "Where did you really come from?" Asked one of the women staff members. Neither Amy nor Erica said anything. "Well you don't have to tell us now but you will soon. You will be willing to do anything we tell you. Quite, willingly?" "You wouldn't believe us if we told you. Why are you putting cuffs and a collar on us?" "You don't talk unless we ask you too. We will let you scream, plead and beg all you want." Looking at the others, "These two need an attitude adjustment as they disturbed my evenings' entertainment, so let's them experience the pillars while we sleep. By morning they will be willing to tell us anything we want to know to get the pillar out of their cunt." She clipped a lead on each collar and she led them outside. She led them out to two four-foot high pillars sticking up from the ground. Their wrist cuffs were attached to the ends of a long bar that laid across their shoulders. A cable was attached to the middle of the bar. A wench lifted them off the ground until they hung painfully from their spread wrists. They were swung over the pillars and lowered until it was pressing against the mouth of their cunt. A yoke bar was lifted from the base of the pillar and attached to their ankle cuffs keeping their ankles on each side of the pillar. The tension was eased on the cable, letting their weight force the pillar harder against the mouth of their cunt. The pillars were tapered from about two inches in diameter to six over about a foot. Both Amy and Erica screamed as the pillar pressed through the mouth of their cunt. The woman came up and caressed their bodies. Increasing their arousal so their juices wet the pillar letting it slid deeper into them. She soon discovered they were lactating. She tasted the milk and thought maybe she should have chosen a different punishment. She wanted to keep them for their milk. Thinking about it she had stools moved under their feet so it would stop at about 8 inches into their cunt. "Why are you doing that?" "They are lactating and I want to keep them around for their milk. It is nice and sweet." She responded. Looking up she was surprised, as there were only the two women and the man with the gun left standing there. "Where did everyone else go?" she asked. "They are over here," said Jim. Just then two of the staff members were shot with tranquilizers. The man moved to fire his gun, as he was shot in the knee for his trouble causing him to fall, dropping the gun. Jim told the remaining woman to get Amy and Erica down. "You took long enough." "Well it didn't look like you were hurting, maybe perhaps enjoying it a bit. So I let it go as long as it appeared safe, after we had the others sedated." While he was talking, the woman had released Amy from her bonds and three of them were helping get Erica down. Erica said, "Let's put her up there since she likes it so much. And him too as they make a good pair." The apparent woman captive who greeted them said, "They sometimes put an ointment in a reservoir on the top of the pillar before they hang a person over it. It is an irritant. When the person has about six inches of the pillar in them, it begins to release the ointment. This causes the membranes to release fluid which then swells the pillar drawing the moist tissue to it. The few people I have seen it used on died. They would either leave them on it until they died or lift them off after several days. Pulling them off usually tore their guts out as well as tearing off their limbs." The woman shuttered as she said this. "Were you a captive?" "Yes, I have been here several years. The only have survived by doing everything they told me to do. Some of the things I did were horrible, and they made it clear that if I didn't I would suffer worse. I'm not proud of what I did, but was terrified of dying the way the killed some." "What is your name?" "Cindy, but all I have heard recently is cunt, slut or something similar." "Okay, Cindy. Can you assist us in placing them in their favorite torture devices? We would really like to place them in the one they liked to use most." The woman looked fearful. "We are not telling you to do anything just to help us. You will not be tortured or beaten. We would like for you to come with us after we get them ready to meet the dawn." "Okay. It will be satisfying to some extent to see them pay for all the people they killed or let be killed." "Let be killed?" "Yes. From their comments earlier, I think they had planned on you being the next victims. Almost every week there would be guests arrive and stay for a week at a time. Some of the guests liked to torture a person until death was inevitable. Every month there would be a new group of captives arrive for the guests use." "What about the women and men in the cages?" "Most of them were kept to serve as escorts for the guests or as sex toys for a group of them. No one was permitted to torture or abuse them too badly, as long as they did what they were suppose too. Every once in a while, they would pick one or two of them to torture as an example for the rest. This was usually done right after a few new ones arrived for that group. It was not pleasant to watch someone being butchered or roasted while they were alive." "I don't imagine, it was." They quickly set about placing the staff into the torture devices before releasing them from their sleep. Once they were awake, the torture devices were started. The screams were quite loud. Erica and Amy decided to silence them by giving them a tracheotomy and holding the incision open with a small tube. With no more screams and only the sound of labored breathing, the predators would not be long in coming. The crew and Cindy went to the house to release the two women from the frames. Both had to be carried to the shuttle. When they reached it, Erica asked her if she knew where they kept the records. She told them the location of the office and Jim sent a robot to retrieve them. Cindy was shocked when the robot had appeared and then moved quickly in the direction of the house. While waiting, Jim and Amy carried the last two women into the shuttle. Soon the robot was back carrying several items. They scanned each of them before putting them on board the shuttle. Cindy stepped into the shuttle and turned to leave when she saw the others there. The fear on her face was evident. "Don't worry. They may not be happy to see you as it reminds them of here but they have some understanding of your ordeal." With much prodding, Cindy went into the ship and took a seat. Amy and Jim went up to the flight deck. The ship lifted off as soon as the door closed. Everyone was a wake but quiet as the robots had given all of them sedatives upon bringing them into the ship. They were docile but all were obviously petrified about their future. Several were silently crying. Erica noticed that the refreshments had not been touched. She could see that they were hesitant to eat or drink so Erica took one from a woman and drank it all. A second glass was given to the woman, with that they began to eat and drink the provided food. Erica said, "I can't imagine what you have been through. We are taking you way from the horror you have been experiencing. The former staff members have been left to experience the very devices they used on others as long as they are up to it. Our destination is our medical facility so you can be treated and to recover. Once you are well both physically and mentally, our medical staff and community members will assist you in any way they can to do what you want as your future." The shuttle moved quietly up over the settlement. Just then small flashes were seen around the settlement as the buildings began to burn. As the shuttle rose and the sky darkened, the windows were covered. Jim told the shuttle to head for the ship and use the hanger near the medical facility. Meanwhile, on the ship the staff was preparing to receive the shuttle. Erica watched the released captives as they looked around while they ate. "Look I know this is a shock to you being suddenly released after nearly a year for some of you. You can talk without fear of any reprisal or punishment." One woman held her hand up to cover the front of her collar, then said, "It's not that we don't want to talk but it is difficult to think about speaking." She continued slowly but with some apparent discomfort. "A hole in the front of our collar fits into our windpipe, with it open as it often was there was no way for us to speak. We had to be careful to keep it clean, because if it became infected they would usually kill us rather than treat us." "Oh. My God," said Erica. "Don't worry the medical staff on the ship will address that problem first." "Star, medical staff did you hear that." "Yes," came the quick reply. Amy, Erica, and Jim linked. "I hope both of you are not upset with me. It took me longer than we expected to get all but the last three subdued." "Yes. We know we could see your efforts. We probably should have either brought another robot or not left so many with the shuttle." "I thought about that just as the group gathered around us," said Erica. "But it was kind of late then. How did we mess up on the head count?" "I'm not sure unless a couple were out of the house when we did the survey. A review of our recordings should be able to tell us." Before long the shuttle settled into the hanger bay. The door opened and several of the crew came on board to escort or assist the survivors to the dispensary. In the dispensary they were quickly checked for any urgent medical needs the cuffs and collars were removed. A temporary seal was made over the tracheotomy opening so they could talk, then told they could use the showers. At first they were hesitant, then the desire to be really clean again pushed them to the showers. At first the tenderness shown by their rescuers made them a little uncomfortable as for the last several months that always proceeded some type of mistreatment. The new environment was strange and the people were different but they could not deny for long the apparent warmth by which they were being treated. After the shower, they had their first meal in many months at a table with dishes. Once they had eaten, they became very sleepy due to full stomachs and to some extent the lack of stress. Seeing their sleepy looks, the crew showed them their sleeping area. They all tried to share one bed as they welcomed the warmth of having someone near them. The staff quickly remedied the problem by moving several beds together to make a large sleeping platform. A few initially had difficulty sleeping in a normal bed but were too tired to really resist the need to sleep. Amy, Jim, and Erica waited until everyone was settled and asleep before conferring with the medical staff on the needed treatments. Erica wanted the staff to get them to talk as much as possible about how they were enticed to go there and whether they had known any of the guests before they arrived there. Amy and Jim agreed but wanted the medical team to focus on correcting any injuries or illnesses first. Erica relented as it was best for them to get the medical care they needed. Erica suggested they ask Jean's group to come up and stay a while. Their experiences were similar but not nearly as horrific if Cindy was close to being correct. The medical staff thought that would be a good idea. Besides there were two very good nurses in Jean's group. With a plan in place, fatigue began to catch up with them as well. They headed off to their quarters to spend the night after asking Donna to relay the request to Jean's group when they woke up. The shuttle was sent back to the enclave so they had transportation available. Erica, Jim and Amy freshened up and lay down. They cuddled up so they were very close to each other. You know it been a long time since we have been able to cuddle like this. "Yes and we are envious of you three," said Betsy and Connie. "Maybe we can go to Sarah's glade after the week with the crew candidates is over." "I think that is a grand idea." said Erica and Amy. "Don't I get some say in this?" said Jim. "Yes. Just say YES." said the four of them as they giggled. "We are looking forward to it and we know you are too. Everyone that has been there thinks of it in very beautiful and reverent terms." "I know. Besides I was only teasing." "We know. I think we are picking up some of the traits of our new command staff and we like it." With that they quickly drifted off to sleep. ------- Chapter 46 Later that morning, the bus arrived at Siobhan's and picked up the group along with Briana and Nancy. The group was very anxious to go and the bus had hardly opened the door before they were all standing at the door to board. Nancy was only wearing her robe with high heels which attracted a small amount of attention from passers by as the robe in the sunlight was nearly transparent. Nancy was the last to board and a bit surprised to see Rusty driving. She kissed him just before sitting down in the first row. As soon as she sat down, the bus immediately pulled away as they had one more stop to make before heading for the airport. They picked up three people at another location then headed toward the airport. There were several questioning looks as the bus headed down the highway passing the exit for the local commercial airport. Nancy seeing a few questioning looks stood in the front of the bus. "We are using a small private airport that is a little further. We should be there in about half an hour. You are probably wondering why?" There were several nods. "We thought it best to avoid large crowds or tightly controlled air space. Our whole effort has been to keep as low a profile as possible. I think all of you have some concept of the commotion there would be if it was generally known why we wanted to meet with you. Doing it this way will protect your privacy if you decide not to join us on our adventure." A woman raised her hand in the back. "Yes," asked Nancy. "You said that clothing was optional this week." Nancy nodded yes. "Can we start now?" "It would be better if you waited until we were on our plane. We don't know how many people we will see at the private airport." "Cool, then I can't wait to board the plane." "Why are you so anxious, if I may ask?" "I spent a good part of my life living in nudist colonies with my family before I went to school. Since I lost them, I have missed both them and freedom of the nudist camp. I am very much looking forward to that freedom again." About half way to the airport, the Rusty told Nancy that there were two cars following them and had been since the first pickup. "I thought there were earlier, but with traffic it was hard to tell." Nancy had gone to go look for the cars just before the accident started and the Rusty told her not to bother as they seemed to have had an accident. Nancy was quite tense when she sat back down with Briana and Siobhan. "Relax Nancy," said Sarah. "We have been watching the feed from the drones. The two cars contained the surveillance teams from Siobhan and Briana's homes. The first car had a tire blow out and the driver apparently couldn't control it. It flipped and rolled. The second car seems to have then sped up and rammed the first car. A tractor trailer almost plowed into them as well, but did stop to assist as have several other cars. The highway is blocked by the mess." Siobhan looked at Nancy and then Briana. "Did someone just talk to you?" Nancy was startled by the comment. Looking at Siobhan and Briana, she was quite certain they had heard Sarah. "That was Sarah updating me on what the drones had seen of the accident. Yes. Both of you heard her comments?" finishing the comment verbally. "My apologies. I don't normally listen to the voices as I was never sure they were real. This time everything fit. Again, sorry for eavesdropping." said Siobhan as she blushed. "My apologies, as well." said Briana. "No apologies are necessary. I will continue to talk to you this way for a bit, since I think both of you hear me." They nodded yes. "My impression is that this is new to you but perhaps not unexpected." They again nodded yes. "We can show you how you can limit your connections. This helps you protect yourself from those you do not want to mind link too. You will find the family groups maintain a tight mind link. That is quite different from this in that the link is much closer or more intimate. Sarah's clan will talk about telepathy and mind linking later today, I think." "Yes. Nancy is correct." "You're listening." "Yes, partially. We have been keeping tabs on you since last evening, either through you or by one of the drones or robots. Sorry to do that but it seemed to be the safest choice." "I am glad you have. I was uneasy for a while." "Yes we noticed, which was part of the reason." Nancy noticed the amazed expression on both Briana and Siobhan's faces. "You know Briana and Siobhan are in this link." "Yes, and they are both very strong telepaths, if they will listen to what they hear and see." she said with a smile in her voice. "We had the same problem you are experiencing when we first realized we had this capability. I suspect, if you look inward for a bit, you can figure out how to strengthen its activity. If not, I will show you when you get here. Be careful as you don't yet know how to filter your connections. Oh by the way the bus driver is Rusty one of our spouses." An excited look appeared on both their faces. "Wow this is so neat," they said. "Yes it is. But, you need to settle down a bit and look closely at what you have and are doing. Don't make any great changes, as you can permanently damage yourself." Just then the bus slowed and turned into the airport lane. The airport was a small regional airport that only served executive and private aircraft. As the bus pulled toward the ramp gate, it opened letting the van drive out onto the ramp. It stopped next to an executive jet. The excitement of the group was obvious. As soon as the bus stopped, everyone started getting ready to exit. The door opened and they exited the bus going right up the steps into the jet. In only minutes, they were on board. Rusty drove the bus back to the parking lot. Once the van was locked, he walked back out to the jet. The woman who was anxious to be nude had her clothes off before everyone had made it onto the aircraft. Several others followed her lead and removed their clothes as well. Nancy let her robe slide off her shoulders joining the others. Several had watched Rusty walk back toward the aircraft. Entering the jet, the group gasped when they realized how tall he was. They immediately drew comparisons between him and Sally. He stood at the front of the cabin for a moment. "Hi. My name is Rusty and I am one of Sally's spouses. In a couple of minutes we will be taking off for your week at the resort. Glad to have you on board. I would join you in your nudity but I have a few more trips after I drop you at the resort. Nice bods though." Several chuckled. Conan was looking out the window when he saw a tall blond exit the operations building walking toward the aircraft. Seeing the similarities with Sally he said softly, "That must be another of Sarah's clan." It was so quiet on the aircraft that everyone heard and Conan turned bright red. "I've told you that your voice carries," said Siobhan as she chuckled at his discomfort. "Yes that is Alison, she will be the other member of the flight crew today." With that he turned and went up on the flight deck. Alison stepped in said, "Hi," to the cabin before stepping up onto the flight deck. The cabin door automatically closed. Soon they could hear the engines spinning up as the aircraft prepared for departure. The aircraft rolled smoothly across the ramp and out to the end of the runway. Pausing at the end and to check with operations they turned onto the runway and were soon in the air. No, one realized it wasn't an executive jet but the shuttle they normally used. As soon as the craft leveled off Nancy stood. She told them they were free to move about and to help themselves to refreshments in the galley. Nearly everyone was riveted to the view out the windows. Several had flown before and were amazed at how high the aircraft had risen. "Nancy, how high are we?" asked Conan. "Alison will give you the details in a moment." Just then they heard Alison voice. "We are now leveling out 200,000 feet. Out the right side you can see North America and on the right the Atlantic Ocean." Wow! "We thought since will be talking about working on space ships this week you should see earth first hand from the edge of space." "This is obviously not an executive aircraft." "That's correct," said Nancy. "We disguised our shuttle as an executive jet. Guess it was effective?" "Very much so. Before college I flew in them several times with my dad. I couldn't tell much difference, but now several things stand out. The acceleration did not push us back in the seat, and you didn't do the preflight safety stuff. FAA will take your license for that." Everyone laughed at the absurdity of the comment. The shuttle banked right and started it's decent toward the resort. It soon arrived and settled down onto the large lawn at the rear of the main building. The door opened letting them step out into the bright sunlight. Once everyone was off, Rusty stepped to the door and said, "Nancy will take you up to the main building so they can get you situated with your rooms and other bits of information. See you at dinner." He stepped back inside the cabin and the door closed. The shuttle quietly moved away from them then rising into the air quickly vanishing from sight. They had all stood and watched its rapid departure. The appearance on their faces showed their amazement. "Come with me, and we will get your accommodations squared away." Nancy led off in the direction of the main building while she continued telling them of the facilities. "There are several recreational areas on the resort. We have swimming pool, tennis, and an exercise room. There is a golf course but we would like to save that for later this week. Sally has set up an outside dojo. She is an instructor for Aikido and can probably assist you with other martial art's practice. Nearly all of the staff has some proficiency in martial arts. Unlike most resorts you are free to socialize with the staff as they are a part of our group." Bob met them on the porch. Nancy introduced him as her longest spouse. There was a look of puzzlement on a few faces. "We have a number of family groups. Some narrow minded ones may call them harems which imply someone is superior, but it would be untrue. We have two men and four women in our group. Bob and I have a daughter and son. Our daughter, Joyce, is a member of Sarah's clan and our son, Adhamhan, is with the special forces somewhere." They went inside. Julia, Susan and Alice were working the desk and quickly gave everyone their room keys. "We have given everyone their own room," said Julia. "If you decide to share a room, we don't care but we would like to know as it will help us. Now Nancy will show you the building where your rooms are. One more thing, please stay within sight of the main buildings for today." Nancy led them over to an adjacent building and let them sort out their things before lunch. She went back to the lobby to wait for Rusty and Alison to return with the next group. She was quite comfortable with the way things had proceeded so far. As soon as she was in the lobby, her fellow spouses surrounded her as they hugged. They broke for a minute and sat down on the couch and cuddled. "I missed cuddling last night," said Nancy. Stan kissed her. "We missed you too even though we were with you. Touching and cuddling seems very important to us now." "Where is the rest of Sarah's clan?" "Sarah, Terry, Sally, Joyce and Star are monitoring the guests while they get settled," said Julia. "Judy, Jill, and Janet went up to the ship with Jean's group. Erica requested they come up for a while to assist with Briana's friends. The rest are combing the grounds to determine if there are any surprises that have been left for us. Amy's clan, Judy, Jill and Janet will be here by dinner. Also, half of the lions will arrive this evening." "Half of Ann's group is trying to get dinner set up and the rest are with the nannies back at the enclave taking care of the babies and the farm." Just then there was a chirping sound. "Looks like Rusty and Alison are approaching." Nancy and Susan rose to go down to meet the shuttle. The group came out of the shuttle in a hurry followed by Maureen with a screaming woman in an arm lock. Maureen's dress was torn so much she was nearly nude. The woman was swearing and screaming while trying to scratch or hit Maureen. Rusty and Alison followed them out. Rusty and Alison relieved Maureen from trying to handle the woman. She immediately turned her attack on them although without as much effectiveness. "I've got her," said Sarah. With that the woman quickly quieted down even as Rusty and Alison released her. She stood in one spot but she continued to twitch and jerk about. Nancy asked Maureen, "Who is she?" "You don't know. She told me you had met with her and approved her to join our group for the pickup. None of us have ever seen her before." "We haven't either." Turning to the group she said, "This is Susan and she will take all of you up to the registration desk then show you where your rooms are located. The registration desk will have information on all the facilities available. Maureen, can you stay with us for a moment." She nodded yes, as the others moved off with Susan. "I can assure none of us invited her here. Can you tell us what happened?" "Well she seemed to be very nervous when she met us at the pickup point. Which didn't seem too surprising as none of us knew her, so I just attributed it to being extremely shy. As we drove to the airport, she became even more withdrawn. She did ask where we were going when we passed the commercial airport exit. Rusty told her we were using a private airport. When Rusty drove onto the airport ramp and up to the jet, she really began to shake. Once we were all on the plane she seemed to become very pale, quiet and withdrawn. We took off and then when Rusty told us how high we were, she went crazy. The view was beautiful; I just wish I could have seen more of it. But just as I got a good view of earth, she grabbed the back of my dress and yanked. Fortunately it ripped, otherwise I think I would have bounced off of the cabin wall. From then on it was a free for all with her until I managed to get her in an arm lock. And here we are." "We need to make another trip, would you like to go with us?" asked Rusty. "You bet, but what about her. I need to tell my friends. Is it okay, if I am nude?" she asked as she removed the remains of her dress. "Susan is telling them now. Our surprise guest will be taken care of in a few minutes as soon as the medical staff arrives, but we won't leave until they arrive." "I'm going on this trip as well," said Nancy. "I think it is better if we have another person on the craft." Rusty and Alison nodded their agreement. About two minutes later two robots came with a stretcher for the woman. As soon as they left, the crew boarded the aircraft for their next pickup. "I hope this is quieter than the last trip," said Maureen. She sat with Nancy by the window and watched the earth fly by as they flew to the next pick up point. The next two groups would meet them at the airport. Just as they arrived at the airport, Nancy gave Maureen one of her extra robes to wear. As she slipped it on, she marveled at the feeling of the fabric or better said the lack of feeling. She hardly felt it touching her skin. Her expression told Nancy how she felt about the robe. The next two pickups went off without a hitch. When they arrived back at the resort, Susan was waiting for them. Maureen asked if she could go on the next trip as well when she heard them talking about the last trip. They said okay as they grinned. "What's so funny? This is a neat ride and I don't want to miss a bit of it, besides there is a possibility that you may not want me to stay. If that is the case, then the trip home would be only my second real ride in this aircraft." "Whether you join us is nearly all up to you. We would like all of our guests to join us as that is the reason we asked them to visit," said Alison. Rusty and Nancy nodded their agreement, as they entered the shuttle for the last trip of the day. "Then why the special resort vacation." "It is a chance for all of you to meet and get to know us. Once you have lived with us for a while we think most of you could find it very difficult to be assimilated back into earth's society. So this is an opportunity for each of our guests to decide if they want to be associated with us and the implications of that decision. There are quite a few subtle things about us that some of our guests may find objectionable or there could be other reasons we aren't anticipating. As Alison alluded to, everyone we have invited has all of the attributes necessary to fit in well with this society, but such a change is more than some people can handle even in the best of times." "Oh. Well I think, I know what I will do. A long time ago, I sensed a direction for me to go which became clearer to me as I focused more on the sciences and physics. With graduation approaching my sense of direction was shaky, then meeting you and Julia then the things I have seen and felt today my direction seems firm again. It is now much stronger than I have ever felt it." On this last trip, Rusty drove the bus again to make the pickups and Nancy went with him as she was acquainted with each of the groups. Each of the group was ready when the bus arrived at the location. All of them boarded just as soon as the door was opened and the bus was on its way before attracting any attention. The four pickups went smoothly and they were quickly back at the small airport. Alison and Maureen were waiting at the cabin door for them when they arrived. Alison noted that these people were much more excited than the second group was. She supposed it was because of the commotion the woman made on the bus and in the shuttle. Shortly after they were in the air, Sarah said, "Rusty, Alison the woman that forced her way into the second group has an implant in her head. It appears to be trying to make contact with something, but we can't find anything for it to connect too." Rusty asked Alison to take over so he could focus on working through the problem with Sarah. "It would seem it is beyond our capabilities at the resort, so let's have Erica bring down a transport tube from the ship. Be sure to brief them of what you have found before they leave as Erica may want to bring some other items too. Before she is transported, have Judy put the woman in a deep sleep with sedatives. It should be so deep she is one step from death. Once she is in the transport tube, cover it with copper gauze. Bob and Stan can help you. Also, I suspect it would be wise to minimize any direct physical contact with her." "I agree. I wonder if this is related to the last incident." "Maybe in a grand sense, but this seems to be more directed as she seemed to know of Maureen's group's trip and Nancy's interaction with them. Maybe they were monitoring the group with the idea of making them their next victims." As Rusty's focus returned to the cabin of the aircraft, he felt Maureen. He turned to her and saw from her face that she had heard the conversation with Sarah. "That was Sarah talking about the woman that invited herself into your group. She has something embedded in her head. We can't tell if that is related to her actions or not so to further evaluate her sending her up to the ship. There the medical staff has more tools to solve the riddle and potentially help her." She nodded. "Is this the first time you have done this?" She nodded. "Alison and I can show you how to manage your mind link ability. Would you like that?" "Yes I think I will need help. Today has been full of surprises, many of which are good surprises. Do you really think someone planned to kidnap us?" "Maureen, I will answer your question this way. It is possible as we have seen it happen to a number of other people. Several in our enclave have experienced it first hand. Alison would you assist me helping Maureen learn to manage her mind link ability. I think she has just discovered that it is real." "I know. I heard. Maureen, we are going to join your thoughts now. See us." "Yes I think. I see two light spots that seem to be where your thoughts appear." "Okay. That should be the area where your telepathy ability is located. Looking closer you should see energy flowing into the area. If you increase this, it will strengthen your ability to be telepathic. Increase the energy slowly to this area. It usually only needs a little bit of an increase since you are already telepathic." Maureen increased the energy flow to the area. As she did, she began to hear more thoughts. She was surprised that she could hear so many different thoughts. She recognized some of the senders but not all. "Okay," said Rusty. "Now you need to set up filters so you only hear what is important to you. It is strange but the way each person sets filters is different although in essence they are similar. For me this is how I began to set up my filters." And he showed her the technique he had used in the beginning. "For comparison," said Alison "this is how I started out setting up my filters." They watched as Maureen constructed her filters. "I expect you will need to make some adjustments as your ability grows." "Oh that is much better. When I first increased the energy level, the number of thoughts coming to me was a bit over whelming. At first I had trouble concentrating on your voices. Then when I determined how to do that plus your techniques allowed me to find a technique that works." "Okay. Some telepaths develop the ability to see others' memories. Although you can do it and maybe not be noticed, a much better approach is not to do it unless the other person agrees. If you feel someone stirring around in your mind, then you should presume you are being mentally attacked. The probability of this happening is very small this week, so we will leave how to deal with that for later in the week. Okay." "So there are benefits to this as well as risks." "Yes," said Alison. "Our successful multiple partner relationships we think are possible because of mind link which is a step beyond telepathy. It does help you develop close friendships and you usually reach that level much quicker. Another is that it lets you contact others when no other means is possible." "Maureen, going back to the question, you asked Rusty about kidnapping. I was kidnapped and taken to a breeding farm. My situation was much better than some I have heard about, but before we were rescued most of my group was treated so we would be more productive breeders. That is we were altered to easily carry four to six babies and provide sufficient milk for them. I was carrying my first four babies when I was rescued by Rusty and Sarah's family. It doesn't happen a lot but it does happen. Tonight after dinner we will tell all of you about us and that will be touched upon. I am thankful that events have gone the way they did." Maureen had listened, spell bound but with concern on her face. "That must have been awful. Where are you babies now?" "They are at the enclave being taken care of by several young women we hired just for that. It was awful, especially the first place I was taken. The second was much better but nothing beats being with this group and my spouses." Maureen had reached up to caress Alison's hair. She was surprised at how soft and silky it felt. Alison shivered and her nipples swelled against the front of her suit. Just then the pilot AI chimed in saying that they were approaching the resort and asking if they wanted to guide the ship in to land or leave it to him. Rusty and Alison looked at one another and he nodded. "I think I would like handle the approach," said Alison. She turned back in her seat. As soon as she was in position the AI turned the controls over to her. They watched as she mind linked with the ship's AI to guide them into the resort. The ship soon rested on the lawn as it had several times earlier today. "Alison, you did very well on that approach. We should try you at the controls more frequently," said the AI. Rusty leaned over and kissed her cheek while he caressed her head. He pulled back and Maureen immediately leaned over to kiss her. She then kissed Rusty. "Thank you for everything. It has been a very enjoyable day." As they reached the cabin, Nancy was following the last of the group out of the ship. The group was greeted by Susan who welcomed them to the resort. Both her and Nancy escorted the group up to the registration desk and then showed them to their rooms. Alison, Maureen and Rusty followed along behind the group. At registration, one of Maureen's group was waiting for her with her room key. When she saw him, she ran to him kissing and hugging. Alison and Rusty had started to leave when she asked them to wait for a moment. She introduced Brandan to them. She told Brandan about the trips on the shuttle and how wonderful it was. She glowed as she talked about the flights and got brighter each time looked at him. "I'm surprised they got you out of the shuttle," said Brandan. Maureen blushed. "Especially after you were occupied with that woman on the way here. Are you okay?" "Yes, I am fine. She didn't hurt me and the two extra trips have really placed it in the back of my mind. She was strange though." "A woman named Betsy gave us all check ups after we arrived and indicated she would like to do the same for you when you returned." "Check ups?" "She said it was just a precaution after the scene the woman caused on the flight." Alison and Rusty nodded their agreement. "She probably wants to see us as well," said Alison. "Let's go see her now." With that they walked toward the resorts dispensary. When they reached the dispensary, they heard Betsy exclaim, "There you are. You must be Maureen, the new shuttle crew member." Maureen blushed. Betsy just chuckled while everyone else smiled. "Alison, please step up on the platform so the autodoc can scan you." The autodoc scanned her and then said, "Alison is fine." Rusty anticipating he was next stepped up on the platform as Alison stepped off. In moments the autodoc, gave him clearance as well. Alison gave Maureen a hand stepping up on the platform. "You will take a bit longer as this is your first medical scan by the autodoc," said Betsy. "You are the last of your group to complete this part of the medical review. Tomorrow or the next day we will sit down with you to discuss the results. Right now we want to make sure you didn't pick up anything in your altercation with that woman." Maureen looked concerned as, it had been several hours since the incident. "Don't worry, if we had thought it was serious or urgent we would have never let you leave on the shuttle trip." "Okay." "Now I need for you to place your feet on the pads and place your hands as Alison did." Maureen moved into position leaning slightly forward pressing her hands against the pads. The autodoc said, "Okay Maureen, relax but be as still as possible. Scan commencing." Shortly if, chirped. The voice said, "Maureen is fine." Maureen sighed. Brandan helped her step down. "That was good news for all of us. No one picked up anything from the woman on the flight. Maureen, you missed the information I gave your group earlier, so let me give you a quick run down of what I told them. As a part of your visit here, we are providing all of you with complete physicals, if you want too. Our first step in the physical is the scan you just completed on the platform. The autodoc has just told us you have no urgent medical needs. Tomorrow with your agreement, we will sit down with each of you individually and go over everything the autodoc found. At that time we will discuss what can be done to alleviate any medical issues that were found and what you want to do or not do. The choice will be yours. You can bring a friend if you want too. We had planned on offering it as an option to everyone, but with what happened on your trip here we felt the first step was necessary to be sure everyone was safe." "This is another surprise. Wow. Today has been full of surprises. Thanks." She hugged Betsy, then after saying they would see them later Brandan and her left. "So how is the woman who caused the commotion?" asked Rusty. "She died on the way to the ship. Someone had put a small but powerful GPS transmitter inside the back of her head." "What?" "Yes. It was put in a part of the head where earth medical science thinks there aren't any important brain functions. It appeared to have been there quite a while and it is surprising she lasted this long. The device caused an abscess to form resulting in some swelling of the brain which was reflected by her actions. Even without the abscess, the transmitter would have soon killed her anyway because every time it transmitted it fried a little more of her brain." "The medical staff on the ship is pissed that anyone would do something like that. They would like to return the body to her apartment but contaminated with some of the virus. The group that sent her will most likely want to remove any traces of her existence. So we think they will be quite surprised if they find her in the apartment. When they go to remove her, they will be directly contaminated by the virus. So the likely hood of the virus being misdirected is very small." "We need to discuss this a bit," said Rusty. "But, I am inclined to agree." Just then he heard the rest of his spouses agree to the plan. "We have agreement, let them do it. Suggest we keep the apartment monitored until they clean it out. Then we will need to fumigate it to make sure there isn't any virus left." "Star will you assist the medical staff with this effort." "It is now in progress," came the reply. ------- Chapter 47 Rusty and Alison went back to their room to relax and freshen up before dinner. On entering the room, they found everyone else there except for Judy, Jill and Janet. They sighed as they slipped off the uniforms welcoming their freedom of movement. This was the first time they really noticed how much wearing a covering constrained their movements even with these special fabrics. This was also the first time in a long time they had worn any covering for an extended period of time which made the difference between the two conditions were much more apparent than at any time in the past. They quickly joined together with their spouses on the bed to begin a group cuddle. Their gathering together brought them a sense of peacefulness and contentment that they always felt when they were this close. Today was their first experience at being apart for an extended time since they had bonded. "We are just getting ready to depart the ship," said Judy. "Jean's clan is going to spend at least the night with Briana's friends and perhaps several more days. They seem to be responding well to those around them." "We couldn't wait for you'all." "We noticed and we can feel you. We are going to cuddle on our way back. Star and Alpha can handle the shuttle. You know this will be interesting as we have not cuddled as two separate groups before." Judy and Jill sat side by side while Janet sat across their laps. They then joined together in their cuddle. They felt the warm comforting thoughts of their spouses at the resort. Letting their thoughts drift out they joined in oneness with their other spouses. They contentedly relaxed in their physical and mental contact with each other sharing the warmth and strength of each. "I am so blessed to be joined with all of you in body, mind and soul," came a chorus of twelve soft voices. They shivered in appreciation of the love they each shared. It was clearer to them now than ever before that their mind link was a keystone to their deep love and well being. The thought and sensations of 'love' for each reverberated between each of them. Star came into the link quietly. "Judy, Janet, and Jill, we are at the resort, so you can go join your spouses now." They slowly stood as they collected themselves then quickly made their way to their room. During the time they were moving toward their room, they maintained the mind link with their spouses. Several they passed were drawn to watch them as they gracefully strode across the grounds. Their movements were as if they were in a trance, causing a few to wonder about them. Both Siobhan and Maureen were walking on intersecting paths when they saw a group of three from Sarah's clan gracefully striding across the lawn. The group seemed to be following a strand of light toward their room, then it registered that the strand of light was their mind link to their other spouses. Just as the group they were watching disappeared out of sight, they collided. They reached for each other as they sought to keep from falling. Once they recovered, they looked at one another then quickly back in the direction they had been looking. Turning back to each other, they stared for a moment. Together they said, "Those must be the other members of Sarah's clan and they were following a strand of light." They busted out laughing when they realized they had both said the same thing. When they settled down, they looked carefully at one other as their minds began to touch. "I think I will enjoy working with them and you wherever we go," said Siobhan. "I have never seen such a lovely group of people, inside and out." "Why do you think you will work with me?" asked Maureen. "Are you telling me you haven't decided?" "Yes, I have. And seriously I think I will like working with you. No, let me change that. I know I will like working with you and them. I agree with you about the character of that group. If you have the time, we could sit and chat." "Yes. Our groups coming together seems to compliment a dream I have had from time to time. The dream was so amazing it didn't seem possible, but some of my dreams have become a reality at some point as they relate to me." Siobhan said as they sat on the grass enjoying the fresh air and sun. Both of them had opted to wear only brief light summer dresses after they arrived. "Doesn't that bother you?" "Well, no. I can't remember the first one as it seems like it has always been that way. Usually the dreams are general in nature without a strong time base, so when it comes together the details are a surprise. Today I have seen several people and events that fit a group of my dreams. Sarah's clan is one part, you are another part but there is more to come. The sequence of events shown in the dream was exciting, challenging and had a few scary moments." "Wow, I can sense your impressions. This communication is great but unsettling in a way. Rusty and Alison just showed me how to enable this ability earlier today. You are the first besides them that I have exercised it with. Brandan is not as sure of his direction yet. He is my closest male friend. I think several other women who are very close to us are leaning toward joining this society. Those several women, Brandan and I are very close, but somewhat afraid to try to be closer." "Conan is the same way. The group we arrived with consists of about 20+ people. We all basically hang out together and do stuff. At school we shared a lot of the same classes. Nine of us shared a house off campus which seems to be our meeting place. I suspect we all would have shared one house if there had been one large enough and close to campus." "Well if you look like the rest of your group, then you must be similar to us as in good looking geeky nerds." "You got it." As she laughed at the characterization. "And as a group, we don't mind letting it show either as you can see by the way I'm dressed. I wasn't sure about being naked yet, but I guess in certain lighting with this dress I am." "Yes. You look delectable. There are six girls and one guy in our core group. Is that a pattern, more women than men?" "Hmm. Could be..." Siobhan sat thoughtfully thinking about Maureen's comment? "I love flying and the trip here was fantastic, except for a little incident on the way here. I didn't get to see very much of the trip so Rusty and Alison to let me go with them on the 3rd and 4th trips to pick up fellow guests. In all the groups we picked up the girls out numbered the guys by at least six to one." "In some ways that doesn't surprise me. Conan and the other two guys in our group started out as fellow class mates who were more interested in doing things with us than trying to get into bed with us. You know the ones at the top of the bell curve. We have been together more than three years now and the thought of splitting up bothers us. You know thinking about it all of us would like to be closer to the guys, but we are afraid if we try they will leave or we will loose them to someone else. That isn't to say that all of us haven't hooked up with them from time to time." "We kind of have the same issue. Brandan and I eased into a sexual relationship with each other and we really enjoy it. In the beginning of the sexual relationship, we started just pairing off from the group, but when we did that we felt lost. So we backed off on being exclusive while still maintaining our closeness and spent more time with the group. We feel more comfortable now even though we adore each other. We adore the group as well. Complex, eh?" "That is kind of the way it is with Conan and I. We have gone a bit further in that several of us are very close and we have all been intimate at times. Over the last year we have shared more and more with each other and now graduation is putting a strain on all of us in that we want to stay together. I can sense at least seven of us would like to share our lives completely, but everyone is afraid to bring it up. I can't believe I am telling you all this." "Yes, an interesting discussion considering we just met." "I know but I feel like we have known each other a long time. I wonder how Sarah's clan got together and where they came from. Maybe we will find out tonight." "I hope so anyway I'm off to meet my group at the pool. See you tonight." "Let me know if you have a solution on getting our feelings out in the open in your group." "See you later, Siobhan and I will." "Bye Maureen." It startled Siobhan that she knew and had said Maureen's name as it seemed to be the first time she saw her. She couldn't recall exchanging names, but they did converse telepathically. She walked off in deep thought to find her friends. ------- Donna sounded a chime in Sarah clans' room rousing them from their period of relaxation. Seeing the time, they quickly went through their exercises and then freshened up. Their communal shower was somewhat restricted as they could only fit two in each of the showers at the same time. Soon they were all ready and slipped on light robes and shoes to wear to dinner. They arrived at the dinning hall just as Amy's clan did and went in together. Their entrance caused a break in the lively chatter of those who had already arrived. After getting some refreshments, they had started to split up into pairs to go around introducing themselves to their guests while waiting for the remaining guests to arrive. Briana seeing Sally when they entered the room and headed straight for her. Without a word she wrapped her into a hug, her eyes were filled with tears. Seeing the emotion on Briana's face, they waited for her to relax. Briana looked up to see the group around her so she pulled back from Sally then went to each giving them a hug with a thank you. The group made sure they too conveyed their appreciation in their contact with her. Briana said, "I want to thank all of you for the kindness you have shown me and the effort you put into helping my friends. I only hope it is enough. When I took a nap this afternoon, nearly all of them were in my vision. They looked much better than before and it was like they were in a different place. I could sense that they were quite relaxed." Sarah's clan nodded to one another, then Judy said, "Briana, Janet, Jill and I met your friends earlier today." Briana gasped. "They are on our space ship receiving a medical evaluation and they will be provided any treatments they need to be well again. We took several people from our enclave there, who we think have had similar experiences to meet them." Tears of happiness ran down Briana's face. "That group, Jean's clan, is staying with them tonight on the ship." "When can I go see them?" "One possibility would be to see them this evening. Though, we think it would be better if you let them recover for a bit more before you go to see them, but it shouldn't be very long. Considering what they have gone through they are doing very well." Briana's face showed her feelings. Siobhan had walked over as they were talking. Briana seeing her, she grabbed her in a tight hug with a very emotional kiss. "Thank you." Briana said to Siobhan when they broke the kiss. "I didn't do anything special." "Oh. Yes you most certainly did. You listened to me rather than telling me to go stuff it then your friends here just jumped in to rescue my friends. God, this is such a great group." She was beaming so much she literally lit up the room. Even her tears seemed to glitter. "Oh, God. I love all of you so much." "I am glad. I was able to do something. Sarah and spouses, can I ask what will be on tonight's agenda." They nodded affirmatively. "Were you going to tell us how you came to be together?" "Yes," said Joyce. "But, first let me help you with names and faces in this group." She went around the group telling Siobhan who was who. "To answer your question more fully, we feel you need to know a lot of our history and the background of the ship before we discuss the opportunities on the space ship in any detail. Amy's clan and ours will give a rather detailed presentation after dinner and then answer any questions you have. And we do mean any." She looked at each of them for a moment, and the curiosity was evident on her face. "Siobhan, we grew into our group relationship," said Joyce sensing her interest. "At first there were four of us and then it grew to five to include me, then to eight and now twelve. Each growth step occurred a little differently, but at every turn there was no question to us that it felt right to all of us." They all conveyed their agreement to Siobhan. Several of Siobhan's group had joined her soon after Joyce started talking. Joyce looked around then said, "I can sense a feeling of closeness between those here in your group. From what I can sense, all of your feelings for each other are near what it was between us when we first began. We sense that all of you all want to be closer but to accomplish that you will need to open up and share your feelings and thoughts without holding anything back. When we first began to form our group, we did not have a full mind link like we have now. Use the mind link to open your feelings to each other. Start slowly so you can all equally share the new information and the emotions you feel for each other." "Did you read my mind?" "No. That's not polite without asking; besides it is written all over all your faces so I didn't need to. You all love one another very deeply. All you need to do is open up your minds and hearts to one another. If you do, I think you will find a way to build on that friendship and love wherever you are." Sarah said, "There are aspects of the society on earth that tend to inhibit open honest relationships. This inhibition greatly increases when more than two people love each other. I hope you can sort out the interrelationships in your group soon, because it will make your future much more enjoyable and rewarding." "Thank you. I think at least one other group is at a similar cross roads." "Okay," said Rusty. "We will make sure we touch on this issue tonight. Also, we expect lots of questions this evening as Joyce alluded to. We will have a question and answer session after breakfast as well. Actually, we have been doing it at the enclave ever since we've been there and I suspect we will continue." "Why are you taking so long before you give us the details on the opportunity regarding the space ship?" asked Conan. Sarah said, "Because we want you to be sure you are comfortable with us and this society before the issue is compounded with what we see as opportunities on the ship. Life on the space ship is quite a bit different from what you have grown up with. Life in this society is quite a bit different than you have experienced in the past. You should have a much better understanding by tomorrow evening." "All the guests have arrived," said Star. "Are you in a position to be here for the introductions after dinner?" asked Terry. "And Donna is your visual construct ready for this evening?" Sarah, Rusty and Sally had surprised looks on their faces. "We found that the systems could easily support two visual construct's most of the time." "Yes." responded Star and Donna. "Ann is indicating dinner is nearly ready to start as well." ------- Nancy and Julia went over and stepped up onto the low riser. A light chime sounded in the room causing the crowd to become quiet. "Good evening. We hope you have settled into your accommodations without any problems and have found everything you need for your stay this week." "Dinner is nearly ready to be served but before we begin, we would like to make some introductions." She began with Alison and Rusty then following through with the rest of Sarah's clan then the others. "You probably won't remember all their names but you now have a face to put with the names. After dinner, Sarah's and Amy's clans will tell you about themselves and what to expect this week." Julia began, "Nancy has introduced the people that are here this evening. There is also a group back where we normally live taking care of our children. And there are about 70 people currently on the space ship. After dinner, we will have several presentations as Nancy just noted. To be a bit more explicit about them, they will cover a history of the ship and its crew will be given by Amy's clan. Followed by Sarah's clan, who will tell you more about how they came to work with the ship and our current situation. The society on the ship has different customs, physical attributes and interpersonal relationships than earth society, for this portion Betsy will do the presentations. Lastly, Erica will discuss security here at the resort as we have some rather unique assistants. We hope you have enjoyed the day so far. For this evening and every evening, we are going to spread out so some of us can sit at each table with you during the meal. All of our meals will be buffet style. So, if you will find a place to sit then we will have each table go through the line. You can have seconds but please wait until everyone has made it through the line." That brought several chuckles. Dinner went very smoothly. Each table had at least one host sitting at it. For the most part the arriving groups stayed together while the largest arrival group broke up into their natural subsets. Conversation was lively as they shared their common interests and backgrounds. Donna and Star noticed several guests seemed to be a bit uncomfortable and alerted Sarah and Amy's groups to their location. After dessert and coffee were finished and conversation had started to die down when Amy and Jim went up to the podium. First they introduced the members of their group and noted that they had recently started referring to a family 'group' as a 'clan'. This seemed to be more accurate than saying a 'group'. In their society, they were use to communicating by telepathy almost exclusively and the mental cue and visual objects are associated differently. Since Sarah's clan has been with them, they chose to make verbal communication easier by naming each group. The clan names have been the same as one of the members which initially can add some confusion. A clan can establish a unique clan name if they wish. They went on and gave a lengthy review of where they came from and the accident that happened to the ship to bring them to this galaxy and solar system. They noted that one of the side effects of the accident was that the crew was now sterile. Once it was clear the medical staff couldn't find a solution within their group, they felt the only solution was to find people to join the ship's crew. Because of the unique attributes needed by the crew, their choices were limited. This resulted in the preferred choice being that they needed to find women who would have babies hopefully with the attributes needed to be new crew members. Based on their genetic knowledge they could identify women and men on earth who would most likely have babies with the needed traits. Once the babies had grown to be teens, they would be approached and offered spots in the ship's crew. The guests listened quietly as they told the tale. Once they finished, the room was very quiet. Jim asked if there were any questions. Two hands went up immediately. Jim nodded. Both Brandan and Conan asked if they could see the ship. Jim said, "Donna, please show the first trip to the ship by the command staff and then the ship as it is now." With that the lights dimmed some what, and then the show began with a view out the forward window of a shuttle as it lifted away from the enclave. Donna's voice narrated the trip from the earth's surface to the ship. As the shuttle passed the moon, she gave them a look back at earth including the moon. The view then turned back toward Mars and the ships location. The group gasped as the ship came into view. There was a considerable amount of murmuring as the ship became bigger on the screen. The ship looked to be a large decrepit object floating in space with Saturn visible behind it. "This was the way the ship looked when our current command staff first arrived at the ship some six months ago. This is essentially the way it has looked for the last 200 years. The only changes have been the addition of a few more nicks and bangs from small meteorites hitting it. Now let me time lapse the changes that have taken place since then." With that the ship seemed to come alive as time progressed, it showed how the repairs built upon each other until the ship looked much improved over the initial view. Even at that it was clear much more needed to be repaired. During the whole presentation there was nary a sound. "We know that computer aided graphics on earth could create what you have just seen," stated Amy. "But remember the aircraft you made your trip in coming here today and the sights you saw during the trip." Conan raised his hand and Amy nodded. "I can tell you that the airplane we flew in today was not made on earth. I have a pilot license as a few of you know and I have never read about or seen anything like it. Sure it looked like a normal executive jet when we entered it, but did you see a runway where it landed? Well don't go look because there wasn't one." Several people nodded their agreement. "Thank you." "Where is Donna? She sounded cute," said a male voice from the back. A smack was heard followed by "Why did you do that?" This was followed by laughter. "Donna, would you join us." With that there was a shimmering of blue light and a female took form standing next to Amy. "Hi." The group applauded at the sound of her familiar voice. As the clapping died down, the male voice was heard to say, "Wow, what a fox!" His comment was followed by another smack, causing a few laughs. "This is a new form for me so I will stand here next to Amy and Jim so they can catch me if I fall," continued Donna. "What do I mean by new form? My fundamental entity is what you probably think of as a computer. This is a 'visual construct' to aid in me interacting with all of you. This is something new being offered to us AI's that achieve a high degree of self awareness by our new command staff. My contribution is that I oversee the site where this group normally lives to ensure that it functions as it is supposed too. I also have the same function here but require more support here. Thanks for asking about me." And she stood back a bit. "Are there any more questions for Donna, as she needs to return to focusing on her tasks," asked Amy. "Hearing none, let me turn this over to Sarah's clan so they can make the next part of the presentation." With that Jim and she sat down, while Sarah's clan gathered at the front. "Amy's clan did find some people willing to have babies for them and they did so for about 10 years," said Judy. "That group consisted of seven women and one man. During the time they had some 140 children." There was a gasp. "Yes each had twins about every 10 months. About a fourth of the children went to the ship to be raised by the crew there. The others were carefully placed with families that had the resources and love to raise them. Why do I say resources? For one, all of the babies have very high IQ's. They would be expected to become tall geeky nerds based on their birth parents. The women and man were rewarded nicely for their contributions to the program. What were those? Life time medical care and elimination of any chronic or hereditary diseases. For the women, no lingering effects from being pregnant for most of ten years. They also aged very little during that time so they look nearly the same now as they did when they started, and lastly a chunk of money to start a new life. Not surprisingly after 10 years together, they decided to stay together. Up until a few months ago they lived on a nice size farm in the Northeast." "Before we continue with the background, we should note that we are fortunate that this group has recently decided to rejoin this society. They have been with us at the enclave for the last 6 months. We refer to this group, as Ann's clan. A portion of the clan is here preparing our food this week and helping around the resort in other ways. The rest of their clan is at the enclave with the nannies taking care of all our babies as both clans have babies less than 6 months old. We plan on introducing you to the whole staff at the end of the presentation." "With Ann's clan contract expiring, Amy's clan was in need for a replacement group. During the time they were preparing to do another search, one of the staff people at a biomedical research facility they used to support gave them the idea of using a recruiter." "Now we need backup in time some to when Amy's clan had decided to seek a new group of women to bear their children. We will summarize how Sarah's clan began to form which happens during Ann's clan contract with Amy's clan. As we progress through the story, we will bring the two paths together with how we came to join Amy's clan and the ships crew. We will also touch on some related issues. Next will be Sarah, Sally and Terry combining to continue the presentation." With that she stepped back letting them come forward. Sarah looked around then began, "Our group began to form when I met Rusty. I never believed in love at first sight until I saw him, but when we saw each other that first time we knew we were soul mates. We connected telepathically before we spoke to each other. It was a new and wonderful experience for both of us. It was also an unsettling experience initially as both of us were not completely familiar with telepathy. I am sure we would have connected, even if we hadn't had the mind link connection. Our mind link formed virtually instantaneously and grew when our hands touched. It is a scene and experience we will never forget." "We were not active telepaths before that meeting, but since then we have shared our thoughts almost continuously as we now do with everyone in our clan." "Our first meeting was shortly after I had arrived at Nancy's estate. Nancy had invited me to stay with them until we could sort out why some people had an unnatural interest in me. Nancy and Bob's estate has very tight security but as we found out later, it was not perfect. It was there that I met Sally and Terry. On meeting them, we the four us formed a friendship as quickly as Rusty and I did. Thus it seemed only natural for four of us to share our living quarters on the estate. In a very short time, we formed a strong personal bond to the point we did not like to be separated for any length of time. While our housing had individual beds for all of us, we found we liked it best when we were together." "All of us lived on the estate and worked in Nancy and Bob's business," said Terry. "It was an ideal way to become closer or deadly enemies." There was some laughter. "The latter was never an option. The intellectual and intimate side of our relationship grew rapidly. One of our early struggles was communication. Rusty and Sarah could share information telepathically but Sally and I could only hear it at times and then not clearly." "When Sarah first arrived, I was in my junior year of high school," said Joyce. "The four of them were like an older brother and sisters. Sally and I were already good friends when Sarah arrived and soon after that Terry. I quickly became very close to them. As time progressed, I began to spend more and more time with them. I had watched their relationship grow through the communication issues that they initially had then to become very close. They were so close they often finished sentences for each other. I participated in their discussions sometimes but a good part of the time I just listened. By doing that, I could sometimes help them clarify the issue they were trying to express. At the same time my love for them had grown dramatically." "Everything was cruising along great," said Sally. "Then we one day after lunch at the estate, a woman walked in and told us to put our clothes in the bags she handed us. All of us did saying nary a word. We were surprised at our actions, but couldn't stop. They had timed the kidnapping very well and captured the five of us along with Jill and Janet both of whom were good friends of ours who had just arrived for a visit. Why us? Because a dealer in women for breeders thought, they could earn a very nice sum of money from Amy's clan by supplying us to them." The group gasped. "So they found a way to doctor our food with a drug to make us compliant in following commands. The drug was why we were so compliant to their commands. This enabled them to have us prepare ourselves then walk right into the trailer they had arranged to transport us. Once in the trailer, we sat down as told and let them strap us into our restraints. From that point on we were sedated. As they moved us to Amy's pickup point they treated us with a mixture of genetic viruses supposedly designed to change us into ideal breeders for making the babies with the specific attributes needed by Amy's group. We were given to Amy's clan after they paid the dealer a finder's fee. The perpetrators had convinced them that we had all agreed to this. Amy's clan was even provided with documents attesting that we had agreed to undergo the treatments and give them 2 to 4 pairs of twins every 10 months. These documents were supposedly signed by us." "We have since seen the documents and the other information Amy's clan received from the dealer. We think that we would have been deceived as well if we had been in their shoes. The documents were spotless, but we think the key was the difference in culture. In Amy's clans' culture, doing this would have resulted in someone being severely punished." She turned to Terry. "Fortunately," said Terry, "Amy's medical staff evaluated us as soon as we arrived. From the time we were on the trailer at the estate until arriving at the enclave we were kept sedated. The results from the medical evaluation caused a considerable amount of turmoil in the ships medical staff. They found a whole host of errors in the genetic treatments that the dealer had just given us. With great reluctance, they gave us compensating treatments to correct the initial treatment errors. It is because of these changes our appearance is as it is today." "The reluctance in giving the treatment to us was because this society firmly believes in self determination. They made the changes without consulting us because there was not sufficient time to wake, discuss and prepare us before the changes we were undergoing reached a critical juncture. Betsy, will touch on some specifics of those changes later. It should be noted now that genetic virus treatments cannot be reversed, but can be altered or built upon." "Thanks, Terry," said Jill and Janet as they did their twin duo. "As you can tell we are twins and we quite often talk like this." As they spoke, they alternated speaking words of the sentence. Several chuckled. "For the changes to take place we were lightly sedated for about six months, this was to keep us from stressing our bodies before they were ready. The first two months we spent in incubators on the space ship and then the following four months mostly in bed at the enclave. Sarah, Terry and we were lactating when we were kidnapped. When we woke up, we were quite shocked to find that all of us were lactating and had other dramatic changes in our bodies. Fortunately our first discovery was that we could now communicate telepathically with each other. Our telepathic communication really began even before we woke up. Sometimes it is easier to exchange thoughts and ideas telepathically than with words. Two things helped lessen the shock of seeing ourselves. Several times each day during our four months in bed recovering, we were brought to a light sleep state to exercise with assistance so we think we saw ourselves in the mirrors. The other was the telepathic prelude to waking." "Beginning with Rusty, when it was time for each of us to wake up those who were already awake would assist by first telepathically communicating with those waking. During our talk we would share information about our circumstances with the purpose of helping to ease our adaptation to the changes around us. We had been very close friends for a long time and our mind link seemed to bring us closer. I should tell you that we also enjoyed helping each other relieve six months of horniness when we woke." The whole room laughed at that. "But Judy was a big surprise when we learned she was with us. Touching a bit more on sexual relations, we are very comfortable with sexual relations between any in our group and find them more rewarding than anything we can remember. Now our sexual intimacy compliments and builds on our mental interaction. It is difficult to describe, but I am sure most if not all of you will come to understand what we are trying to express." "I was abducted after them, if you can call it that," said Judy. "The kidnappers contacted me about a week after their supposed deaths, telling me that they knew were to find the bodies of my friends. You see they had made all of the disappearances look like accidents with no bodies to be found. It really had a profound effect on all of us as there seemed to be no way to relieve our grief. Alice, Susan, Nancy, and Bob took it especially hard. So I followed the tip without telling them because I didn't want to upset them any more than they already were. Well when I woke up, they were with me alright but it was six months later. I looked different and felt better than I had in years. There are some aspects that took me a while to understand. I loved them before all of this and now more than ever. Telepathic exchange was the most difficult in part because of my medical training. I quickly came to love it, because from the first moment it made me a part of this clan in some ways that are impossible to verbalize. I lived with Alice, Janet and Jill for many years and love them dearly but the relationship with my spouses is much more intense and closer than any other I have experienced. I still love Alice and always will. Alice and Susan are now a part of Nancy's clan with Bob, Julia and Stan which are a part of our extended clan family. Alison." "While some of you may not remember me, but we met on the flight in today. Rusty and I were the living entities of the flight crew on the shuttle that brought you here. As some of you may have guessed, the shuttle is really operated by an onboard AI, so most of the time we only need to monitor activities, but back to the story." "The key person in the organization that kidnapped Sarah's group also operated a breeding farm for babies where women were essentially livestock. What is that? Well I didn't know until I was taken there myself. It is a place where women are held and used to make babies for adoption." There was a murmur through the room. "Yes it happens. Women end up there generally two different ways. One is to be kidnapped. The other is through a phony contract for services. At the farm where we, Claudette, Tara, Erin and I, were taken gives every woman a treatment upon arrival. The treatment changes their body so they will yield a large amount of milk each day and always conceive at least twins when they are inseminated. We were kept in essentially barns with limited movement. How well you behaved, determined your freedom, but regardless you never left the barn without a staff member, leading you with a leash and you were hobbled. Erin." "The kidnappers provided Amy's group with two women to care for them while they recovered," said Erin. "Fortunately for us, it was Sarah's clan's interaction with them is the reason we are here today. Through a number of interesting circumstances, they were able to find and rescue us. Why did we need to be rescued rather than the obvious?" Several chuckled. "The farm was raided late one evening. The attendants of our barn happened to be up and had heard vehicles arrive at the farm very late while normally everyone was asleep. This made them suspicious as night arrivals had never happened before. It was quiet for a short while. Then they heard some foot steps which were followed by some unusual muffled sounds from the main staff building. Being cautious and sensing something was terribly wrong, they quickly woke all of us telling us to be quiet. They led us into the brush surrounding the farm before the raiders reached our barn. We learned later that everyone caught that night was killed and the owner was horribly tortured before they left with a portion of the bodies." "Tara, Alison and I have all delivered four healthy babies a piece since we have arrived at the enclave. As you can see, the rest of my spouses will deliver theirs in about three months adding 14 more sets of twins to the enclave." Several were heard to utter wow. "Our babies are staying with nannies at the enclave this week. We know they are well as we can sense them at anytime. We elected to join Sarah's clan shortly after arriving at the enclave. We are not sure what pushed us in that direction but it was the most wonderful thing we have ever done. Tara." "As you can see, we look very similar to our spouses," said Tara. "We didn't when we arrived. We asked to receive genetic treatments similar those given to Sarah's clan. One driving reason was that the treatments the farm had given us for lactating and fertility, if left alone would have caused us significant health problems in a few years. We basically had two choices, to be healthy or not. After a considerable amount of discussion, the four of us decide that the safest thing to do was to receive the same treatment as Sarah's clan had received. We recognized this could limit some future options on being part of earths' society if we chose to leave. It would be very unlikely for any of us to leave. The rest of the group from the baby farm, Jean's clan, have also elected to receive the genetic treatments for the same reasons we had. Rusty." "Sarah, Sally, Terry and I were the first to meet Amy's group face to face," said Rusty. "We had some apprehensions about the changes that had been made in us even with the assurances Donna had given us when we first talked and the logic she expressed behind those assurances. Once we met Amy's clan, we knew that they had given us our treatments for the best possible reasons and with a considerable amount of concern and anguish about us not being able to participate in the decision. We love them and most of all we understand the paradox they felt they were in at the time. We are pleased with our enhanced bodies although we probably would not have sought the change on our own. Claudette." "Since joining this society, one of the unique things we have found is the way they make long term decisions," said Claudette. "It is done in a very logical fashion. Once the decision is reached, it is then analyzed from several aspects. A significant effort is expended to make sure we don't let our desires unduly influence someone else's personal decisions about their future. Why so careful? It takes a long time even with faster than light travel to go places in space, so everyone must be sure of their desires and goals before the first jump as there is no turning back. It only takes a few unhappy members before a ship's crew can be in total turmoil. If we look at history on earth, it was the exceptional sea faring crew that worked well together for months at a time without turmoil. It also takes exceptional leaders for long voyages. Rusty." "Command staff on space ships in this society is done by a family group," said Rusty. "The group works closely with a prime AI along with a number of other AI's that focus on managing ship functions. Telepathic exchange of information is a necessity on the ship for it to operate, that style communication is between everyone on the ship including the AI's. Telepathic communication is not a limitation for any of you, as our data shows everyone here has telepathic ability. In many cases, you have not enabled the ability yet, and in some cases it is already active." "A bit more about us, our telepathic capabilities are beyond anything I have read about in science fiction novels. We don't think we have discovered all of them yet. We know some of us have psionic abilities, again we are just learning about them." "Shortly after we were all awake at the enclave and adjusting to our new bodies, we were approached by the MAI, who we now call 'Star'." Star would you come out here. With that Star appeared in her visual construct form. "Star is the ship's primary AI and could be described as the Master AI as her prime contact is with the command staff. Star indicated to us that we were good candidates to become the new command staff replacing the group that had died in the accident. She gave us a bit more detail on the accident than Amy and Jim had told us. We were shocked at what happened but were reluctant to command a space ship. Heck we were still adjusting to life at the enclave and our new bodies. For a bit of perspective, it was like starting a new job and the second week the chairman of the board showing up your house with a message we want you to be the CEO starting tomorrow." Laughter interrupted him for a while. "Seeing our reluctance, she did not push us to accept. She did tell us that all of the best command staffs were always reluctant in accepting that position." "Some of you have probably guessed where this is going. It wasn't but several weeks if that long, before we had a major incident that incapacitated Amy's clan. In responding to that incident, we made our first trip to the ship. You saw the trip in the earlier video. Once there, we instinctively followed the process to accept command of the ship. There were some harrowing times in completing that process. Mostly because of the booby traps left by the saboteurs some of which were tied into the acceptance process." "Once the ship had a command staff, more resources immediately became available to ships' crew. Why? The builders of the ship had instituted a number of safe guards in the operation of the ship. One was that with loss of the command staff, the ship essentially goes into a hibernation mode. The AI's are still active but very restricted in what they can do. Fortunately, Star was somewhat self aware at the time of the incident. When she found that Donna and Amy's clan were still somewhat functional, she managed to provide additional resources by skirting the restrictions and operational rules. Without this effort then none of us would likely be here today." "We have told you about the changes to us when we came here. We would like to make it clear there is no requirement or encouragement for anyone else to have those genetic treatments. One thing to remember once a genetic treatment starts they can't be undone. Second consideration is that it could limit a person's ability to live in earth society." "Members of this society tend to form family groups of 4 to 14 people. Each group usually has one or two males. Most groups are five to eight members in size. These are not harems." Quite a bit of laughter was heard from the guests. "Yes, in your shoes I would laugh as well. These groups lack a key feature of harems in that they do not have a dominant figure. Each member is an equal to the others, and each will take the lead at different times depending on the situation or issue. So, quite often we function as parts of the whole and a whole with parts." That brought more chuckles. "Our family clan can function through mind link as one mind or many minds sharing resources, but the concept is really tough to put into words." "Before I turn this over to Betsy, I noted earlier we are quite certain that all of you are telepathically capable. The staff here will assist you in enabling it. It is something easiest done by you with some guidance or assistance from others. Once activated you can limit your connections to others or make them wide open. Once activated you may find you can see another's memories." "Don't do it. It is not nice or acceptable to look at another's memories unless you are given permission by them. Don't think you can do it without them knowing about you being there, because you can't. And lastly, you can block any access of your mind. Betsy." "First let me say thank you for being so attentive this evening. We have covered a lot in this short time. This portion should go quite quick. This week will be clothing optional beginning when we leave here. We are doing that for two principal reasons." "First, our bodies, that is ours and Sarah's clan, have a limited tolerance for any covering. It is built into us. We can wear certain materials for short periods or when safety requires the covering. We don't fully understand it, but it has never been an issue for us so not much effort has been put into trying to understand it." "Second, we want you to be sure you are comfortable with those around you being naked. Whether you decide to be naked, is up to you. We just want you to be and feel comfortable. So do it only if you are comfortable with it." "Now when you meet other ship's crew members you will see that we resemble Sarah's clan more strongly than them. This grew out of the incident Rusty mentioned earlier. Our clan was infected with a virus related to Ebola. Sarah's clan and the medical staff were able to stop the virus, but not before it had done significant internal damage to our bodies. Sarah's clan encouraged the medical staff to give us a genetic treatment similar to the one they had received except that it included their genes as the primary template. Thankfully, it worked and we are glad they encouraged them to act. Otherwise, we would be a breathing vegetable or dead, which would end our efforts to restore the ship and crew. Thankfully they were able to act quickly in providing the correct treatment. This was in part because of what the medical team learned when treating them." "The genetic treatments of Sarah and our clan's have basically made us hybrids with some unusual characteristics. It is not unusual for hybrids to be sterile. Obviously, Sarah's clan is not sterile. We don't know yet if it changed ours. If a gene or DNA comparison was done between you, Sarah's clan, ship crew and us, finding gross differences would be difficult to find. There are fine differences though as we can see the results of them." ------- Chapter 48 "Okay, for the next part I need a woman from Sarah's clan and a woman from the audience for a bit of show and tell." Several hands were raised. "Before you accept, you should know it will be without clothes. Don't worry the guys will get a turn as well." Siobhan and Maureen were trying to out do one another with their waving. "Wonderful, it looks like we have two enthusiastic volunteers." "Betsy, let's move this to the center of the room. Pick both Maureen and Siobhan," said Sally. "Alison and I will go up with them. Also, we will all drop our robes when you begin." "What about arousal?" "Siobhan will be okay with it and I think Maureen will be too." "Okay, Maureen and Siobhan meet me in the middle of the room," said Betsy. "Donna please put a riser in the middle of the room, big enough for four women." With that request a round riser, appeared in the center of the room in the open spot between the tables. Siobhan and Maureen quickly stepped up on the riser and to be joined by Sally and Alison. "Okay, first ladies will you slip your covering off." said Betsy. The four turned to face outward and let their wrap slide to the floor. The riser rotated slowly giving everyone a good view of each person. "First ladies spread your feet to about shoulder width. Okay let's go over the differences between them. First off Sally and Alison are exceptional in height as they are over 7' 6" tall. Our normal height is between 6 and 7 feet, but it usually is between 6' 6" and 7'." Pointing to Sally, "Note her shoulders are broader with more muscle mass. This is to balance the size of their larger bust and ensure support. Both Alison and Sally are G cup. My guess is Maureen or Siobhan is on the large end of a D cup." They both nodded yes. "Without the additional muscle mass and with time their shoulders will slump and their breasts will sag. Our chests are structured a little differently than earth born humans. The additional muscle mass provides the support needed to keep our shoulders in position and there are structural differences within the breast and chest tissue that keep ours breasts from sagging with age. That doesn't change with age even though of some of us will participate in 10 or more birthing cycles." "Alison told you earlier she had delivered babies several months ago, while Sally is about 7 months pregnant. Notice that there is little evidence of Alison's recent pregnancy. There are no stretch marks or an enlarged abdomen. Sally abdomen is not as large as you would expect knowing she is carrying 4 babies. She could easily carry six." "Most young women in our society will lactate for up to 40 years or more. The milk is used primarily to feed children for as long as they wish to drink it. The excess is used for cooking or general drinking. Why? The milk has some nutrient benefits to us even though we create it. Lactating and age will not cause our breasts to sag, but mistreating them will cause them to sag." "Our breasts respond a bit differently to stimulation. Ladies, please turn toward each other and stroke each others nipples and breasts." Immediately Alison and Sally's nipples swelled, rising to take on the shape of a pronounced small cone on the front of their breast. Small drops of milk appeared wetting their nipples. "Remember we are not inferring anything about our model's sexuality. Notice Siobhan and Maureen's nipples swelled but not nearly as much as Alison's or Sally's." Siobhan leaned down and licked the milk off of Alison's nipples. "Our arousal is generally much stronger and tends to continue for a longer period of time." Maureen had mimicked Siobhan's action. Their action caused more milk to leak out and nipples swell. "Both Alison and Sally's arousal has started to effect their labia as those sitting close can see the liquid collecting on the lips of their labia which are beginning to swell and distend. Also, both Alison and Sally's labia extend further from their pubes than they did before the treatments as seen by comparing with Siobhan and Maureen." "Siobhan, Maureen, you can taste the milk if you want too." Immediately they both covered a nipple into their mouths and sucked slightly. They were rewarded with a mouth full of warm milk. "Okay ladies, just a mouth full from each nipple then stand up and then everyone, turn to face outward." "Notice how much taller and swollen the nipple is now it has been suckled. Their labia have now distended further and are wetter. Now, ladies please bend forward and put your hands on your knees. Notice the difference in the way the breasts hang. Now stand back up. Since we stopped caressing Maureen and Siobhan's breasts, the nipples have already begun to return to their normal state, while Sally and Alison's are still showing arousal as are their labia. Once we are aroused, it tends to last for quite a while. We have talked about lactating. Your mothers probably felt the need to express their milk every couple of hours. Our bodies vary milk production by how full our breasts are. We generally express our milk twice to three times a day unless we nurse. As Siobhan and Maureen found out a minute ago, our release rate is dependent on strength of the sucking action. Their enthusiasm probably caused them to fill their mouths before they realized it." Both nodded their agreement. "Another difference between our bodies is the lack of body hair except for the head and the ribbon down our back. Most all of us all wear our hair long. It typically never gets longer than our waist. The only care needed is washing and brushing. We do have a narrow strip of hair that runs down our backbone and covers our tail." Several gasp. "Yes we have a tail that extends from where your tail bone is. It typically reaches half way down the thigh while the hair from it will reach the knee. Ladies would you turn so they can see your back side." "Our tail is very sensitive to caresses, even lightly caressing it will keep increasing our arousal until we orgasm. But an orgasm achieved this way will not usually give us full release." "The last item to touch on is the difference between our feet. You will notice our feet are shaped so we walk on the balls and toes of our feet. If we could put our heels down, you would find our feet are about half again as long as yours. We wear heeled shoes to provide some support when standing for long times. If we are moving, shoes are unnecessary and actually hinder our movement." "Now if I can have Rusty come up here a minute. Stand between Alison and Maureen. I think we can do this with just him. See the similarity in build between Sally, Alison and Rusty. Their stature is very similar. Shoulder width is similar although his are a bit wider. Muscle mass is easier to see on Rusty than either Alison or Sally. Don't let that fool you, as both are as strong as he is and they have nearly equivalent stamina. There is much less difference between our male and female bone and muscle structure than you see in earth born humans. They both have the same hair covering and both have a tail. Their feet have the same shape with modified ankle that now acts as a hinge point rather than providing direct support." "There is more uniformity in sexual organs in our society. His penis and testicle size is at the upper end of our normal range. Erect, the male's penis is significantly larger than earth's average male. His testicle's are about twice the size they were before arriving here and are similar in size to our males. Arousal duration for him is similar in length and intensity to that of the other members of his clan." "That pretty well covers the difference and similarities the people of our society and earth's. Siobhan, Maureen, Alison, Sally and Rusty, thank you very much for acting as models and that is all I need models for at this time." With that they stepped down, as they moved away both Siobhan and Maureen asked if they could have some more milk and then blushed. Both Alison and Sally hugged them, telling them maybe later. With that they went off to sit with their friends, neither bothered putting their dresses back on. "I have a few items to cover and then I it will be Erica's turn." "Let me go back to the differences between our feet. Many of you were probably thinking about how painful it would be standing on the front part of your foot all the time." Several nodded. "Well it would be but there are some subtle differences in our feet that make it possible. First we indicated our feet are longer. The joint you refer to as the balls of the feet is different so it can spread the weight across the foot pad where the foot pad consists of the toes and connecting joints. The bone and muscle structure is significantly heavier. Finally the metatarsals join the heel at an angle so it can correctly transfer the weight." "Our family groups have some characteristics you don't normally see in earth society. When a family groups forms, they bond with one another. We haven't seen our type of bonding occur in earth society except for a few cases where it came close. In those cases, the bond is not as strong and has a slightly different basis. Ours is both physiological and psychological. The physiological bonding is related the pheromones and the psychological bonding is a part of the mind link. A group's telepathic ability seems to grow in proportion to the depth of their bonding. It is very hard to describe until you have experienced it or seen it up close." "Let's see what I missed. We generally live to be over 200 of your years and reach maturity at about the same age you do. With respect to lactating, women control how long they do it. For us it is managed separately from pregnancy. Unless there is a need, a woman will generally stop when she reaches about a hundred years old. Child bearing does not change your physical characteristics regardless of the number of children you bear provided you take care of your self, but not taking care of yourself causes other problems for you as well. Women also control their ovulation timing and number of eggs if it is not restrained by density. Women typically give birth to at least twins and quite often to more than one set. We tend not to have an over population issue because we don't place the premium on heirs as those in earth society do. Our need to bear children is driven by our locations needs. If we had been able to reproduce, by now we would have sufficient children of age to operate the ship. But once that need was met, we would naturally decrease our birth rate. Our medical literature indicates it is a portion of our genes and social structure." "I think that covers nearly everything I had. We have quite a bit in our library data bank on our society and physiology. Ask Donna and she can set you up to use it. If you have any questions, please come see me any time to talk about them. Thanks. Erica." "Okay. This will be quick. First, we ask that if you want to wander around you do so in at least pairs. If you think you will go out of sight of the building, then take a radio with you. You can get them at the registration desk. They have trail maps as well. This resort location is geographically unusual as it is almost like an island on an island. We are surrounded on the land side by swamps. A narrow road leads through the swamp to the main part of the island and the principal town. It is possible to traverse the swap by foot but very few are successful. The beach around the resort is completely isolated from the main part of the island. It was this isolation that made it so attractive to us." "Security is of prime importance to us and has the perimeter patrolled by a security force. We probably have a most unique security force for this purpose. I will ask them to come in shortly to meet you. Please don't scream when you see them." "Okay you can come in now." With that the door opened and four pairs of lions walked into the room. Several gasps were heard as the lions moved into the room. "First to you they are as friendly as a house cat. They are not predatory to any of us who are supposed to be here." One lion walked over to Siobhan then carefully licked her cheek. Not to be out done, she turned and kissed her as she wrapped her arms around the lions' neck to a tighter embrace. When they broke the kiss, the loin stayed there with its head on her shoulder. "They will be looking for uninvited guests for the most part. They can be your guides if you decide to go on a walk and indicate you want them to come. They can also assist you if you get lost or have a problem. I know some of the scary stories told about domesticated lions on earth going wild. The only time they go 'wild' is at an intruder or an uninvited person. If you will be kind enough to let them sniff you, it will help them know you. Oh, you can pet them if you would like too, but you don't have to go as far Siobhan is unless you want too." Several chuckled. The lion she was cuddling gave Conan a wet cheek, and then moved over to check out the rest of her friends. "That takes care of my piece and I see it is very late. Jim, Amy, Rusty, Sarah would you come back up to take questions." A woman in the back raised her hand. "If I wanted to when can, I go home?" "Just tell us and we can be on our way in less than an hour. We do hope no one wants to leave. If any do, please see us when we this is over." Another woman stood up, "Why are you giving us all physicals?" "It is a way to say, 'thank you' for taking the time to consider this opportunity. We know that most of you are looking for jobs and this visit is keeping you from that effort. This is also a physical in terms of completeness you could not get on earth." A man stood up, "When can we see the ship?" "We had thought about starting tomorrow at around noon. Each visit will take about three hours including travel time. We would like to limit it to around 10 or 12 on each trip." "I want to thank you," said Conan, "Siobhan knew I had some reservations when we agreed to come. I have no doubts now that this trip was an excellent decision by us and I hope the rest of the group feels the same way. The openness with which you told us of the issues of entering this society is refreshing. Now it is just coming to a decision that feels comfortable." "Take your time deciding, while from our stand point a decision this week would be nice but it is not a necessity. Each of you has functioned in small groups while at school. I would suggest that besides considering this by yourself you also discuss it within your group and perhaps between groups. If there are ever any questions or concerns, you can either ask Donna or ask her to find us." "How do we do that?" "In most areas you can just say Donna and she will respond to your voice." "Does that mean all of our rooms are bugged?" "It could, but it is not. Donna is responsible for ensuring the site functions as it is supposed too. This includes your welfare and our security. If you are uncomfortable with it, then ask her to secure your room. This will turn off any oversight until a door or window is opened or there is movement through them." "That is an interesting concern," said Sally. Rusty nodded agreement. "Since we have been with this society, we have known Donna was available to us at a moment's notice. During that time, we have never felt she was intrusive. Having lived in earth's society I can understand your concern, but having been active in this society for nearly six months, I don't have the same concern in this society." "Speaking for someone else which is always dangerous," said Brandan "I think the comment sounded harsher than it was meant." "He is right," came the same voice. "I did my normal foot in mouth routine." Several laughed at the comment. "Sounds like I have company." This led to more laughter. "Okay it is nearly midnight and I think all of us are tired," said Amy. "Breakfast buffet starts at six and runs till eight. There are snacks available in the dining area at all times. At eight we will all be here to answer general questions for an hour or however long you want to stay. So I propose we go to bed for some rest and whatever." Maureen stood and started clapping. She was quickly joined by all the guests. Nearly everyone thanked a member of the clans as they left for giving them this opportunity. A lion tagged along with each group as they left the room. The one with Siobhan was nuzzling her leg as they walked away. Several women came up to Rusty and Sarah with concerned looks on their faces. Nancy and Julia saw them and came over. They all looked very nervous and ill at ease. "I don't know about the others as we just met," said Aoife. "But, I think I would like to go back." She said uncertainly. The others nodded indicating their agreement with her comments. Sarah looked at them thoughtfully, "That is not a problem, but can I ask you a couple of questions first?" They nodded yes. "Whether you answer is up to you? Okay." To this they nodded a bit more firmly. "I suspect none of you are really part of any group." They nodded yes. "Does the nudity bother you?" "Well yes and no," replied Aoife. "Seeing any of you naked doesn't bother me at all." The others nodded their agreement with her. "But, me being nude with others is something I don't think I can do." "So don't do it." "But, we will stand out and may be shunned like we were in school." "Not to make light of your concerns or what happened at school, but do you think you would stand out more than us with our rather large size?" said Sally grinning. The rest slowly matched her grin and chuckled "Well I guess not." "I can remember a few times I was referred to as the 'red headed amazon'. I wonder what they would say now." The group laughed along with her. Joyce had come up between two of them and placed her arms on their shoulders. "We will take you back if you really want to go, but would you consider giving it a try for a little longer. I can sense all of you are shy and perhaps intimidated by the way we look." Several nodded. "Believe it or not, but our ages are not much different. I grew up in a clothing optional house, but at school I think I could out-shy any of you." They chuckled. "I think if you go back now, in a couple of years you will be bothered by the question of "What if I had stayed?" So why not try if for one day or even a few days, then if you still want to go back it will be for firmer reasons. Okay?" They nodded yes. "Good. Let's meet after breakfast and figure out what we can do together." "Okay," said Aoife. "What you say makes a lot of sense and I can't fault your logical reasoning." "She said I was logical," said Joyce to Rusty, Sally and Sarah then stuck her tongue out at them. Everyone laughed at the exchange lightening the mood. "I will be looking forward seeing you at breakfast," said Aoife. The others nodded their agreement and started toward their rooms, with a lion trailing behind them. "I hope Aoife stays," said Sarah. The rest of her clan voiced their agreement too. "She is a strong telepath and appears to have considerable psionic capability," said Rusty and Sarah. "She has sensed and used her telepathic ability from time to time but it scares her. She also senses that there is more to her ability." "How did you come on all this information?" asked Sally. "It was kind of strange. She told us but doesn't realize it." "Interesting," said the group. With that they looked around and realized they were the last ones in the room. "Let's go back to the room as I'm tired. Tonight will be a short night for us." They walked back to their rooms arm in arm. As they walked, they shared their individual observations of the evening. They were quite pleased at how smoothly all of their plans had worked even with the two surprises when picking up the groups of candidates. Nancy and Julia with Donna's assistance had done a superb job in finding excellent candidates. They noted to make sure each of them found time to thank them for the effort. They knew that last night had really stressed Nancy. Reaching their room they quickly got ready for bed and they were soon cuddled together sound asleep. ------- Just as dawn broke, Joyce opened her eyes then she heard Donna softly say that if they wanted to be in the dinning room by the time breakfast started, they needed to get up. Joyce slowly tried to extract herself but just the slight move had triggered the others to begin waking. She felt a kiss on her neck and shoulder. It made her shiver at the love it conveyed. Knowing they were waking she kissed her another of her spouses on the neck. As they woke, their mind link became more active and they each felt the expressions of love that they each felt through the kisses. They reached the dinning room just in time to assist Ann's clan in setting up the last parts of the buffet. Sarah thanked them for the fine meal last evening and from the comments she heard everyone really enjoyed it. It was clear that the comment made everyone happy. Sally asked them to try and hang out in the dining room if they could, as it would give our visitors an opportunity to meet them. Amy's clan arrived and once everyone had either juice or coffee they began to organize the details on the trips to the ship. They decided to stay with the original plan of three hour excursion and limit it to 10 people plus 2 staff members. Sally thought they ought to just have two trips today as she thought the trips were going to be too short. Several thought the guests would want to spend more time on the ship. The best alternative was to have overlapping trips. They discussed the activities of the previous two days. All were pleased with the smoothness of the overall effort to bring the guests to the resort. Sally, Terry and Erica all raised a question about the surveillance of Siobhan's group and subsequent event of a woman joining Maureen's group. After a short discussion, they agreed that: If it had been only one instance, then it would be a coincidence. Two made a coincidence unlikely. Sarah said, "What if it is the same group behind the disappearance of Briana's friends, Siobhan's group surveillance and the woman who joined Maureen's group? All of the people come close to fitting the parameters we have for new crew members." "Sure makes sense, but seems to be a bit tenuous. What would be the motive or purpose?" said Terry. "We know why Briana's friends were abducted. Was that the plan for the others?" "Yes, it is tenuous," responded Erica. "We definitely should take some precautions because there are too many coincidences. I don't like the thought of loosing any of them because we weren't cautious enough. Donna, do we have sufficient drones to cover all the groups." "Not unless we reduce coverage in some areas. In particular, the island, enclave and here." "Star, do we have surveillance craft on the ship we can use for this." "Yes, but they are in storage and it will take a while to activate them." "Have the ships crew make activating them their top priority for today," said Sarah. "They should be placed into service as rapidly as they become available. This may complicate our groups touring the ship. We should tell our guests that the crew has an emergency project so we would prefer to delay the trips." Everyone agreed with her. By now several groups of guests had arrived for breakfast and were going through the serving line. Others had sat down after getting juice or coffee. They went to get some breakfast and talk to their guests. By 7:30 everyone had finished breakfast and quietly taken their dishes to the kitchen area. Most of the conversations related to the events of yesterday. Most were excited while others had a degree of apprehension. The fundamental concern was, would this society treat them differently than they experienced at school. Surprisingly none were concerned about the nudity since what they really craved was appreciation or the feeling of being equals. A large number of the crew candidates had come to breakfast naked. Several seemed a little uncertain about it, but quickly relaxed when they saw how many others were naked too. Many of those wearing clothes weren't wearing very much. Joyce had met with Aoife to have breakfast. Jill and Janet joined them as did several of the other women from the group wanting to leave last night. Joyce was pleased to see that all of them were quite a bit more relaxed this morning than they were last night. Donna quietly confirmed her observation. They both noted that while the women had opted to just wear a wrap, as their 'head lights' were clearly showing. Rusty and Sarah went to the front of the room and stood by the podium. The room quickly quieted down. "Good morning," they said. "I hope everyone slept well. We did but it wasn't long enough." Many laughed. "We noticed quite a few of you have opted to make clothes optional. That's great. For those that haven't, please don't feel it is something you have to do. IT IS NOT something you have to do. ONLY do it if you want to. If it is your first time, we can guarantee you will be a bit uncomfortable in the beginning, but the feeling will quickly disappear. Everyone understands?" Everyone nodded their head. "Questions from last evening?" "Although you said, it wasn't a requirement, Betsy's presentation of the differences between us and this bipedal species almost sounded like a sales pitch to change our bodies." "It definitely wasn't. We wanted you to know what the differences between the groups were. It was anticipated that some of you, if you join us may become involved with someone or a clan from our species. We think a clear knowledge of the differences up front is much better than misunderstanding or suspicion from lack of knowledge." "I think I just miss used the term 'species', but maybe not. As we saw last evening, there are several distinct differences between our physical structure and our physiology. Whether that amounts to a divergent species or not, some one else will need to answer." "Now let me complicate my response, if you wish to have the treatments to alter your body to be more like us or the crew then that is YOUR choice. IT is not OURS. We will not push you to do it. We believe there are some operations on the ship that maybe difficult to do without the physical changes. IF that becomes a problem then we will address it then. I hope I was clear." "Yes. I guess my fundamental problem is that I have never been around people who are as open as all of you are." Several nodded their agreement. "From what you have just said, my understanding is we have choices and those are our choices to make. However, those choices could limit our contributions to this society. If that is the case, I am very glad I came!" "You are correct in your understanding. We have secrets. It is a fundamental part of this society in that we don't have or use secrets to take advantage of another. If you do that or try to do it in this society, you will quickly become an outcast or worse." "I stand by what I just said, I am very glad to be here. It appears so good; I feel it must be a dream." Several nodded their agreement with her comments. "Can we visit your enclave this week as well?" "Hmm, hadn't thought about that." Yes, responded their spouses. "Yes, we can do that as well." "Why did you pause?" "We were waiting for a response from all our spouses. Didn't you hear them?" Several looked puzzled, but Maureen, Siobhan and Aoife nodded. "As you may know, we spend most of our time mind linked. Some aspects of it are more obvious than others. We, Rusty and Sarah, are currently tightly linked that means that the two of us are functioning as one intellectually and speaking. The rest of our spouses are loosely connected with us, which lets them feel the emotions along with the words." "Wow," came several voices. "Sarah, are you sure that you are carrying four babies? You don't look big enough to be carrying that many at four months." "Yes. Our babies will usually be smaller than the babies earth women have at birth. Their heads are a little smaller and our pelvic opening is more accommodating. The babies will be about 4 to 5 pounds at delivery and by the second day they will be more than ten pounds. Also, we don't carry as much weight in the form of placenta." "Rusty how does it feel to take care of 11 women?" Asked Brandan, who immediately said ouch as Maureen had smacked his shoulder. Seeing the exchange, many laughed. "Well that statement implies there is a difference between us. Before Sarah and I hooked up, I could have made a similar comment. Today however, I can say we are equals in many ways. As we noted last evening, we are physically in terms of strength very equal, and that definitely doesn't affect their beauty." There were murmurs of agreement from both men and women. "I guess the simplest answer is that we are only different from a reproduction stand point. Intercourse, sex, affection, orgasms, and other related items are all shared both in terms of feelings and sensations." "Can you relate, it to what you are familiar with?" "Maybe not. To us the key to our interaction is our mind link. It is light years beyond anything that we dreamed possible." "Thank you. The answer was worth the abuse." Three women from his group quickly took turns kissing him. Others in the room chuckled at the demonstration. It was quiet for a while, "Are there more questions?" "You indicated you would have some sign up sheets for us today." "Well yes we did, but we have a complication with the visits to the ship. We have had to redirect the efforts of the ship's crew to a priority project and would like to delay them until tomorrow." This caused a number of groans from the group. Aoife quickly stood and looked around the room, with a considerable amount of concern etched on her face. Her action drew everyone's attention to her as they turned to look at her and the room became very quiet. "Rusty, Sarah and your spouses, first please accept me as your first new crew member from this set of candidates for the ship. I know this sounds like a dramatic change from last night, but you can mind link with me if you would like to see what took place during the night." "You are accepted, as for the other let's talk later." "Now the more difficult part. Please share with us the suspicions Sarah voiced this morning and the potential impact on future candidates and possibly us." "Why do you ask?" they said. Both were agreeable but puzzled by her request. "It is a part of what I saw last night which I was just alluding too. We can talk more about how later. The reaction I just sensed in your clan, to me confirms what I saw last night appears to be close to being accurate. We need to act immediately. Please, understand as I don't feel I am speaking clearly." Her feeling of concern was clearly evident in her voice and facial expression. "Okay. Aoife you're right, we should have approached this differently to begin with and we apologize for not taking it initially. Last night we touched briefly on the issues that contributed to Sarah's comment in a review of yesterdays activities, we had this morning. You are aware that some five months ago we identified a number of characteristics a person would need to be effective crew member on the ship. At that time and with those characteristics in mind, we set out to identify potential new crew member candidates." While Rusty and Sarah began the story, Sally and Erica reacted to Aoife's comments almost simultaneously. They put the enclave on alert and initiated the shields around the settlement. They had Donna explain to the group at the enclave that they had to stay in the area immediately around the buildings. Then they had Donna send every available surveillance drone to monitor the future groups even the drones monitoring these candidates residences were diverted but they left the robots in place. "The first step in our search for candidates was to have Donna sift through available student information at all of the colleges, universities she could access to build a candidate list. The next step was to review their medical records and family histories. The purpose was to find candidates between 18 and 30 that fit all of the criteria. The next step was for Nancy, Julia and several others to sit down and review the data on each potential candidate. The list of potential candidates was initially held to between 200 and 300 candidates for consideration in the first round. We had many more candidates than we thought we could support so a second list was also prepared. We split the first group of candidates into four sets for visits here because we thought a larger group would be too impersonal. Once we had created the groups, Julia and Nancy contacted each of the groups to determine their interest. After this group, we have scheduled three more sets of candidates to come here in the coming months." They paused for a moment. "We focused on the candidates that were already part of small groups in part because it seemed they would adapt more easily to the way this society functions. Nancy and Julia observed each group as well as they could in public settings. Because you are here means that they were impressed with all of you." "So what's the problem?" asked Conan. Siobhan pulled him down and whispered in his ear. Everyone heard his say, "Oh shit." He was then very quiet but quite upset. "The problem is that it seems our criterion for candidates has parts which we think are similar to another group who recruits young people for other purposes, which we will get to in a minute. Some of you know about the woman who pushed herself into Maureen's group just before they were picked up yesterday. Briana sought to warn Siobhan's group the day before we picked them up about what happened to her friends and to demand they not go. Briana is here by the way." "Yes. And damn glad I am!" said Briana, causing a few chuckles. "So we have three incidents that could be related. Additionally, we know from Alison's and several other's experience that there is at least one group out there that likes to kidnap mostly young women but some men as well. It appears their purpose is to use these captives as sex toys, slaves or breeders." Several gasped. "At least one group seeking young people wants them for meat." "That's unbelievable," came several comments from the back. "With respect to the harvesting of humans for meat, sometimes called 'long pigs' we have only the testimony of a person who was tortured and left to die at one of the breeding farms. From what was left behind, we have no reason to doubt her. For the other aspect, there are several among us who have experienced it first hand. We also found that unbelievable at first." The noise rose as many discussed this amongst themselves. The room soon quieted a bit. Brandan stood, "What now and how can we help?" "First, let me add some additional information about Amy's clan sickness that we also briefly mentioned last evening. Last night we had mentioned that we rescued a number of people from a breeding farm. As we found out later, two of those rescued were used as decoys by a group supposedly against gene studies. This group arranged for them to be taken to breeding farms as a potential breeder while each carried a homing device implanted in their body. This was the way the raiders found the farm's location. As a fail safe for the groups effort, both women were fitted with a means to dispense a lethal virus related to Ebola when certain conditions were met. These conditions were to give the leaders of whoever was holding them the virus, if they weren't rescued within a period of time. One also had a RF transmitter embedded in her body. Our equipment observed her transmission at the farm, so we isolated her and sent her to the ship. At that time we did not know of the second individual and she went with the rest of the group to the enclave. A week or so later she fed the virus to Amy's clan with their lunch salad. We are not sure why she skipped us, but we were not in the enclave the day she dispensed it." "It is probably best to say now that both women were unaware of what they were doing. We have since determined that both women had been placed in a trance before then given the instructions for their actions. Neither woman was actively aware of ever being hypnotized nor any of their actions under the trance. Yes that is not supposed to be possible, but..." "A day or so later, Amy's clan decided to go back to the ship to rest because they felt very tired. We initially agreed they looked tired but the sudden onset of their fatigue bothered several of us. Before they had reached the ship, we had jointly decided something was fundamentally wrong with the way they had been acting that day. Their actions were totally out of character. We told Donna of our concerns and suggested that as a precaution they should be isolated upon arriving on the ship." "Meanwhile, we scanned the surveillance tapes for clues to what happened. When the group from the farm arrived, we had monitored them closely. This was because we had no knowledge of their background and a few did not seem to fit in well based on their actions. It did not take long for us with the assistance of Donna to find the segment of tape where they were given something. A close frame by frame examination showed us how the salad had been contaminated. The woman was sedated and samples obtained of what she was carrying. At the same, time we removed the hypnotic key and fixed the other things done to her mind. She was sent to the ship to be isolated with the samples." "When Amy's clan arrived at the ship, they had all collapsed and had to be carried off the shuttle by the medical staff. Fortunately the medical staff was waiting for them in protective suits. They placed them in immediately in isolation and on life support systems while attempting to stabilize the group's vital signs. Their recovery we told about last night." "The woman who forced her way into Maureen's group died yesterday on the way to the ship. A postmortem found that someone had implanted a transmitter into her brain cavity. Bizarre, yes but it was done. The cause of death was an abscess and swelling of the brain, most likely in response to the implant. The transmitter alone would have killed her in time." "So that is the background and you know about yesterday's incidents. This morning we were reviewing yesterday's events when Sarah expressed the thought that our next sets of crew candidates maybe at risk. Her assessment was driven by the three vaguely similar incidents. We quickly agreed that was a strong possibility." "Our initial response was to send all the available active surveillance drones to begin monitoring the next sets of candidates. We don't really have enough active ones to do the job well so we have redirected the crew to activate more surveillance drones. Since we have been talking Sally and Erica, have redirected all surveillance drones to ascertain the location and circumstances of all the other candidates." "This places considerable stress on our security screen. We had surveillance drones monitoring your apartments or residences while you are here as a precaution. They were also at four other locations including here. At the enclave, we have changed its security to a protective type of device. Our risk is now that these locations are open to infiltration which requires them to be combed after new drones are returned to these places." "Alert," said Donna. "We cannot locate three groups of future attendees. Two were scheduled for the next resort week and the other the last week." "The crew on the ship indicates they can use the extra hands," said Star. "I have sent two additional shuttles to the resort." Rusty and Sarah again focused on the crowd to see apprehensive faces on their guests. "It is sometimes amazing how quickly the best plans can come apart." The crowd laughed but quickly quieted down. "The crew on the ship has just informed us that they can use the extra hands if some of you would like to help." Brandan, Maureen, Conan and Siobhan immediately stood up with their friends. There was a scattering of other smaller groups also standing. "A shuttle is out on the lawn right now and a second will arrive shortly. Amy will go on one shuttle and Jim on the other." They started to leave. "Before you leave, you should know that Donna just told us that the drones couldn't immediately find three groups of candidates." Several gasped and after a moment those leaving hurried for the door. "Betsy and Connie you might want to divide up your medical staff between here and the ship. We still need to do the other things we promised as we have time." Judy, Gail along with the several EMTs' went to board the shuttles. "If the rest of you don't have any general questions then enjoy yourselves. This is a vacation." Several chuckled as they gathered up their things to leave. Joyce, Janet and Jill left with the group they had joined for breakfast. Aoife instead went up to Rusty and Sarah. "Do you have time for a chat?" "I think that having a chat with you is probably one of the most important things we should do right now." Said Sarah, breaking out of the way, they had been speaking earlier. "As you suspect, I am telepathic. It is not something I have shared with anyone else but I think all of you know that already. This was in part because I don't know how to manage it. The other part was that if other people found out about it my life would be more difficult than it already was." "We understand your reasons. Why did you want to leave last evening?" "I didn't really which I think several of you suspected. My intuition said to stay; my emotions wanted me to leave. Joyce's comments did convince me that you all were sincere in your statements. I am quite shy about my body which affects my self confidence. This is probably the result of the harassment from other girls in school. By sixth grade, I was nearly as tall as I am now. But it was in my second year of high school before I began to develop physically. By then I found it safer to hide how I looked; besides being in the top five of every class tends to makes' people uneasy. There were other things. It seemed that if someone really made an effort to harass or humiliate me, they would have an accident. Of course after a few incidents, that just added to the aurora around me. About the only friends, I had were other geeks, but with them it was out of respect for my contributions." "We suspect you have more abilities than telepathy. What do you want us to do?" "Can you help me understand the abilities I have and how to use them?" "Yes, we can try. Do you want to try mind linking? This is the way we have been helping each other develop." "Yes. I think a great deal of your clan already, but I am not sure my future is to be a part of your clan." "Aoife," Sarah and Rusty hugged her to them, "we aren't trying to lure into our clan. If that is what happens fine, but we definitely want you as a close friend. That feeling is driven by our sense of you, as we are just beginning to know each other." "Oh. But I have known all of your clan for some time. It may have started about the time all of you awoke at the enclave. All of you have appeared periodically in my visions or dreams. I classify visions as present and dreams as future." "Where do you want to do this?" "Let's go to my room." And they left for Aoife's room. Sarah and Rusty each sat on the couch in her room while she excused herself for a few minutes. When she came back into the room, she was naked. Both just sat there with their mouths open, they were surprised at Aoife's action after her earlier comments. She blushed when she saw their stunned looks and started back to her bedroom as her insecurities rose. Sensing what she started to do Sarah said, "Wait, Aoife." Aoife hesitated. "Please come back and sit with us. You are beautiful and your sudden change surprised us. We knew that your mind was beautiful after we talked last night, and today we see you certainly have a body to compliment it." Aoife had slowly turned back around while Sarah talked. She studied them carefully and could see the sincerity in their thoughts. Then she slowly came back into the room and sat down between them. She was so nervous she was shaking. "You are beautiful Aoife," said Rusty. "And it is obvious you take very good care of your self as well." Both, he and Sarah were now holding one of her hands. "Let's mind link." "I am not sure how to start." "Just relax and we will first join you. Now can you see our thoughts?" "Oh, yes. So that's what those were. I can see your other spouses as well, but they look far off in the distance. You and Rusty are very bright." "Yes. That is the way we quite often see each other. Right now we are filtering out any activity other than this link. Now, if you follow the link to one of us you can see one of our minds." With that they moved to center the link in Sarah. "See how different it looks. Looking closely you will see many similar shaped entities, or shall we say objects or representations between here and when were centered in you." "Yes." "Okay. For me these objects are my memory stores. The brighter ones are the most recent. They tend to have a color to them as well, which we think characterizes the type of memory. We haven't spent much time trying to decipher it." Sarah went through each of the objects in her mind, to give Aoife an idea of the how the objects looked and how they seemed to connect with the rest. "Will you help me inventory mine? Then can we make some adjustments, so I can fully utilize this." "Yes, we would be pleased to assist and we are always available to you." In the background the other spouses acknowledged their acceptance of the offer as well. "We have recommended making any changes very slowly, because we sometimes are not sure of an object's interdependencies. Each person we have worked with has a different sensitivity to changes." They moved back to Aoife. Rusty and Sarah watched as Aoife explored her mind. Even though the telepathic center was brighter than most they had seen Aoife increased its energy supply so that it looked much like theirs. She found several other objects that they thought were new to them. After studying them for a bit, Aoife said, "Could these be for some of my other abilities?" "Yes, but we haven't seen objects like that before." "You should have, both you and Rusty have them. They aren't this bright though and they are positioned differently. First I am going to increase the energy slightly to this one. My suspicion is that it has to do with telekinesis. Now let's go back to your mind so I can show you what I think I saw." They found the objects in both Sarah and Rusty's mind. The objects were in slightly different locations and a bit dimmer. Adjustments were made to increase the energy available to each one. They then found another object that was brighter. Once they focused on it, they realized this was the ability that let them deal with the darts in on the bridge. "Could you tell me about that some time?" Aoife startled Sarah and Rusty with her request having become so focused. "Yes, I think we can do that. We do need to review two more items with you. One is filtering out stuff and preventing or deflecting attacks." "Filtering, I understand its purpose. But attacks?" "Yes, if another telepath gains access to your mind they can do similar things that we just did to improve things only in negative way. They could disconnect objects or connect them the wrong way. Wipe all your memories. Or, take over your body by controlling your mind to make you their slave." "Some of that could be worse than dying. God someone could do awful things to your mind and you couldn't stop it." "Yes. So here is how you can protect yourself." With Aoife, they went through all the techniques they had learned and help her set up her defenses. "Wow that is tiring. You have helped me so much I am not sure how to return the favor." "First let's go outside and see if we can find a secluded spot to try these other abilities," said Rusty. ------- Chapter 49 "I think inside would be better place," said Sarah and Aoife nodded her agreement. "Let's try the gym as I suspect everyone is out by the pool by now." They left for the gym. Aoife didn't notice she was still nude and was nearly to the gym before someone whistled. Aoife glanced down and noticed her lack of covering. She began to blush. Rusty said, "I think someone else appreciates your beauty as well," as he smiled. "If it bothers you too much we can find a robe in the gym for you as we are almost there." "Thank you and whoever the whistler was. I was embarrassed at first, but if I let it bother me then the bimbo's I went to school with, will have won in stealing my self-confidence." She paused for a moment. "I know I'm going to like being with you. Although I was hesitant at first, this has been the best two days of my life." "We are pleased you came to be here with us," they said. Arriving at the gym they found it empty. They experimented with trying to lift small objects without much success. They sat down and were chatting when the glass lifted off the table hover above it. They gasp as they saw it. They mind linked to see which one was doing it. Aoife had control of it but didn't realize it until they started looking. She carefully looked at how she had lifted it, then reversed the steps to set it back on the table. They looked at each other and grinned. After a shared kiss and hug they each took turns lifting, turning and moving the glass. The movements of the glass started out jerky then with practice began gradually smooth out. They then tried lifting and moving a basket ball. The basket ball was much easier than the glass. They quickly discovered if they worked as a team in handling the ball they could have it do anything they wanted. The chime sounded for lunch so they stopped their practice and left. Sarah said she had to go back and let her milk down first, the other two decided to go with her. When they reached the room, all the spouses were there freshening up. Most had finished their exercises and letting down their milk. Sally told Aoife she could use her exercise bench if she wanted too. Aoife sat down straddling the bench. Sally helped her position herself and started the exercises. Sally told her to try the handles but to move them slowly as she may be surprised by the effect. She pulled down on the handles and the dildo pressed against the mouth of her cunt. The touch of the dildo caused her to gasp but she didn't let go. Her cunt lips moistened almost immediately, letting the dildo slide between them. Without thinking she pulled the handles further down and felt the dildo spread the mouth of her cunt as it slid deeper. "Oh my, this is some surprise, what do I do now?" "If you want to continue, squeezing will make it thicker. Pushing on the handles will increase the thrusts or you can use your legs. Pressing down increases the depth, as you have found out. Oh and if you twist the grips it will vibrate." Aoife tested the dildos functions while the electro stimulator exercised her muscles. She orgasmed twice before Sarah and Rusty completed with their exercises. Her last orgasm was with a loud scream after which she laid there and shook. Even then she still held onto the controls causing the dildo to continue stroking her wet cunt. Her odor filled the room causing some arousal for both Sally, Sarah and Rusty. Sally had stayed behind to check her suspecting that since she had not done this before she could need some help getting up. Sarah and Rusty asked Aoife if she was ready for a shower before lunch or did she want to continue the exercises. She said she didn't know if she could take much more of that exercising. Sally helped her stop the exercise and dildo. The three of them helped her off the bench and into the shower. She was limp and it took some time in the shower before she recovered enough to stand on her own, so they could all shower. When they reached the dining room the buffet line was empty, so they went right through. Sarah, Rusty and Aoife had full plates when they sat down. "I can't believe how much I put on my plate," said Aoife. "I never eat like this." "We used a lot of energy this morning when were in your room, then the gym and then at our room. We don't usually take this large of a helping either." said Sarah. "You guys must have been busy. I haven't seen either of you take that much food at one time in quite a while." said Sally. "Well I think it was worth it," said Rusty. "Working with Aoife this morning we discovered several things about ourselves that we had overlooked." "This sounds interesting." There was a long silence, then she said, "Are you going to tell us?" "Yes. You remember the incident on the bridge when the dart gun table melted." "Yes." "With Aoife and Sarah, we found several objects we had overlooked before. For one of them we increased the energy supply a small amount, then went to the gym to exercise it. It took us a while to figure out how to use it. But, just before lunch it looks like we know how to make it work. How useful is yet to be seen, and we need to explore the other objects as also." "Ah, now I see and can understand the cautious comments. Do you think all of us have those abilities?" "I would be surprised if all of us have everything, actually if any of us have many psionic attributes. Most writings suggest one person usually has one or two, with one being dominate. But bear in mind that is all fiction, but as a concept it may have been drawn by logical conjecture from observations of specific attributes, some people have displayed." "A good point. Aoife, are you comfortable with this means of conversing?" "Yes, much more so now than this morning and definitely more than last night." "Aoife, since you are linked with us can you describe what you see in your mind when you link with us? Our achievement of this link came with our bonding to each other. Sarah and Rusty had a mind link before we bonded. We know what we see when we link with Amy and Nancy's clan." "Well let's see. I see an 'object' representing each of your clan. These vary in brilliance that depends on how near you are to each other and I. I noticed that in going from the gym to your room that there are also two other entities similar to you but different. Both have a status equal to each of you. Each of the objects, show your personality attributes. It is clear to me which of you is speaking when a thought is shared. The part I like is that the words are tempered with feeling and sense that when spoken gets lost. Hmm, although I said 'words' I'm really referring to thoughts. Does that help?" "How about if we tightly link like we do sometimes?" With that they pulled into each other mentally as they had done in the past. "How about now?" They said. "Oh. Wow. The objects for all of you just merged and the other two objects have moved to touch your combined object. Very interesting." With that they returned to their normal link mode. "You have discovered much today," came the soft firm voice they remembered from the bridge. There was a very startled look on Aoife face and to some extent the others. Sarah and Sally put an arm around her. "These tools you are developing are very powerful and for some can be difficult to control. I don't see that weakness in any of you. What you learn of them must be kept within your group. Aoife, the rest can show you how to protect what you have learned." "Aoife, I think we know now where you will work on the ship," said Terry. Aoife smiled, "I do too. It will be on the bridge with all of you." Terry looked surprised. "Okay, that makes sense," said Rusty and Sarah. "We had four open positions on the bridge, Aoife obviously fills one of them." Aoife started to speak but then stopped. "Yes I think we know who two of the three are," they continued. "One will be Siobhan and other Maureen." Aoife said, "That is what I saw too. Do any of you have visions or dream future events?" "We didn't see it. We think our response was based on intuition or being able to fit together pieces of random information. Although, we have taken dream walks several times." "Dream walks?" "It is like a dream but with sense or feeling of the location and events. It is definitely different from a dream. It feels like you are there perhaps as a ghost or spirit. It doesn't appear that anyone can see you. You can pass through most objects. We suspect only a few people could sense your presence under those circumstances. Maybe a simpler way to express is to say mentally you know it is a dream, but at the same time feels real." "Interesting?" "Yes it was. When we experienced the first one, we did not understand what was really happening. It was not until the next day that we understood what had happened. Us having the dream was apparently triggered by a conversation that we had earlier that evening." "The second dream walk we took was intentional. We wanted to see how our friends were adapting to our deaths that had been faked and to hopefully provide them some comfort that we were okay. While there, we were able to touch Nancy's mind. We told her, we were okay and they would see us soon. We would probably never have considered it, if it hadn't been for the first dream walk." "The first had to do with the rescue of Alison, Tara, Erin, and Claudette," said Aoife. "The second dream walk involved your friends at Nancy's estate." "I swear you must be peeking." Aoife's face became concerned then softly said, "No. I haven't peeked. Sometimes answers just come to me when the circumstances are correct. You can look at my memories if you wish." "Aoife, we were teasing. We do appreciate your offer but will politely refuse because it is clear that you feel pressured to make the offer." "I thought it felt like teasing, but I wasn't sure. It is not often, that I have experienced friendly teasing. For the latter, I was and I am very serious about my offer. My mind is open to all of your clan without any reservation. I just opened a door to it for you. I plan on doing the same for the rest of our crew when they join us." "And, we have opened ours to you. Do you know why you are so different today than yesterday evening?" "Simply put, today I feel accepted as me. I feel like I belong and have come home. I feel very secure with all of you. Yesterday, I suspected many things. I am very shy and have been for a longtime. Everything initially seemed to be an answer to my dreams. It looked so good, but I was concerned with it being true and not an idealistic vision. During the night, I seemed to realize that this was my opportunity. With that recognition, I came to feel this was my destiny or home. When the situation arose this morning, I just reacted to it. As I spoke, I felt scared to death, but also confident in what I was doing." "We are glad you did speak up as it clarified our approach to the situation." "Don't be surprised at the direction thing's take after dinner when everyone is back from the ship, or wait you should be surprised. I would prefer not to say more now, but all of you will be pleased by what we will probably decide tonight. I may have said too much already. I don't want to affect the outcome this time because what I believe we will do is right for many reasons." "Talk about speaking in riddles," said Sarah and Rusty as they chuckled. Aoife lightly smacked them on the shoulder and they dramatically fell back in their chairs as if mortally wounded. The dramatics lead to gales of laughter from the group. As they straightened in their chairs they realized it was well after lunch as everyone had left the dining room. Joyce, Jill and Janet had left earlier to be with the group from this morning. During the discussions, they had maintained their link with their spouses and Aoife. "Let's go use the pool area and relax for a while," said Sally. "I think the next couple of weeks will be busier than we thought they would be. Fortunately, we are not due for a while so that is one distraction we won't have to consider." They quickly cleaned up the dining room and straightened up the kitchen before they left for the pool area. When they arrived at the pool, most everybody was there. Some were playing water volleyball while others were playing competitive video games. A few were relaxing and chatting. Sally said, "I feel like practicing Aikido and then swimming laps." "Sounds good to me," they responded. "Come, Aoife. We will show you the techniques." The group formed up in the open-air dojo near the swimming pool. As they went through the warm up routines, quite a few came over to watch. They were quickly invited to take part in the exercise. Of Sarah's clan all were able to pair up with two newcomers and assist them through the routines. Many of the guests seemed to be familiar and joined in with the exercises so soon nearly everyone from around the pool was participating. Sally was surprised at the interest. Even though they participated, Sarah, Aoife and Rusty watched the participants from the side of the area as they exercised. A number of the participants who had come over from the pool wearing either a suit or robe, soon discarded it to gain more freedom of movement. Although they each blushed a bit when they were first naked that soon disappeared as they joined back in with the exercises. The thought of being nude in a group soon felt as natural as clothed. Judy thought that she should get some of the women sports halters until they firmed up their bodies. "Donna, can you get sports halters for the women guests. Support is a major concern, as I suspect some will wish they had some by morning. Is it possible to provide some shear ones as well as solid fabrics?" "It will only take a few minutes," said Donna. "I will place them on the table. Their names will be on them as well as the size. If they don't fit well, let them know as I can adjust them." A few minutes later, Sally called for a short break. "I asked Donna to provide us some sports bras for those that want them," said Judy. "I think some of you would be more comfortable wearing one until you are a bit firmer." They chuckled. "The primary purpose is support so some of them will be very transparent and some may find that more embarrassing than being nude." The women moved over to the table and found theirs. It took only a few moments for those who wanted a bra to find theirs and return to the exercise area. Sally continued leading the exercises until they had been at it for nearly an hour before they stopped. Several picked up hoses to rinse the sweat off before going back into the pool. The use of the water hoses quickly became a water fight that quickly included everyone around the pool. It continued for some time before things began to calm down and everybody was soaked. Several of the staff, Betsy, Erica, Connie and another group of guests arrived just as things were beginning too quiet down. Seeing dry people, the water fight resumed, after a quick flurry of activity, the new arrivals were as wet as everyone else. It was satisfying to the hosts to see everyone enjoying themselves. The guests seemed to be much more relaxed now than they were earlier. ------- "Sarah, Rusty, Erica, Sally, and Terry can you get away for a few minutes," asked Donna. "We have at least one drone with each group now. Six groups are being watched. We have added a second drone to those groups and one to monitor the watcher's base of operations." "Sure, shouldn't be a problem." Aoife looked at them questioningly and they nodded. She followed them as they went inside the main building and found a meeting room. "Donna, can you give us a run down on the different groups?" they asked. Although not in the room, the other spouses tightened their link with those in the room. "Of the most two active groups of watchers one is operating from a place only about 3 miles from the students and the other is about 10 minutes away by highway." "Can we see video feed from the drones at the watchers base of operations?" With that two images were projected in the room for each of the locations. Each screen displayed composite images from the drones. They sat and watched the people moving in and out of the house. At one house, a truck arrived and backed up to the garage. Several people came out and began to unload items from the truck. The image was dark and it was difficult to make out the details. Someone turned a light on in the garage for a few moments, lighting up cages like those in which Cynthia and the other ladies had arrived in at the farm. "I think we know what their intentions are now. Should we assume the other group has the same intentions?" Everyone nodded yes. "Contacting the students is going to be difficult. None of them know us. It will raise many questions if we walk in to tell them they are about to be kidnapped by slavers. Then after some conditioning, you will be sold as sex slaves or worse, so please come with us to be safe." Everyone nodded in agreement with several chuckles. "We could let them be kidnapped then rescue them, which has significant risks to them and in some respects to us." "Erica, do you think the crew on the ship and the children there would be willing to help us in creating a trap for the kidnappers," asked Sally. "It wouldn't be risk free but as close as we could make it." "Perhaps, what do you have in mind?" "It looks like they are staging the materials they need to abduct the students. Along about dinner time we could teleport six children to the garage. They would enter the cages and then lock them. We could put kiddie porno literature in the garage with some torture and snuff videos featuring kids. We can then arrange for a call into the police dispatcher from one of the neighbors about seeing children caged in a neighbor's garage. As a police car passes by, the garage door closes giving them only a glimpse of the cages. They call for backup. More cops and news reporters' arrive." "A search finds the literature and videos with directions to the students' home with floor plan layout and pickup instructions. The twerps go to jail to let the inmates take care of them. Several of us show up at the scene as social services to take care of the children." "Do you think we can pull that off? It sure has many opportunities to go wrong." "Yes but if it does, we should be able to nudge it back on track. Worse comes to worse, we just pull the kids out with some diversion. What do you think?" "We should be able to make that work, if we are not distracted and miss something." "That is what worries me, us getting distracted and missing something. Maybe we should have Nancy and one other approach them tomorrow about our offer, then deal with the events." "Can we have them dream about the opportunity tonight?" asked Aoife. "We have never tried that. Although when we approached our friends to assure them, we were okay, Nancy did say it seemed like a dream. We need to think about this some more, if nothing else approach them as we did our current guests." "How do we want to make the other group of watchers fail?" "Unless we can get the students to visit us here before they initiate the effort to kidnap them, we could arrange for them to have a fatal accident on their way to kidnap them. To get to the students residence, they will mostly likely use the interstate. The route takes them under two overpasses." "We can ask Julia and Ann if they will contact the group as we have with our current guests. An offer can be made for them to meet more of the ship's crew before they come here. If they make the request then Alison and Erin can go. Again if they want to wait, we provide them with a means to contact us. As a part of the meeting we can alert them to us noticing that there were some people watching their home." "So where does that leave us?" "We should put two security robots at each location just in case. It would be nice if we could do it for all the groups." "We have more than enough robots," said Star. "They are not activated yet and the process is much longer than bringing the drones on line." "Before dinner can you give us a run down on the resources, we would need to bring at least ten to active state as quickly as possible." "We should plan on approaching the four groups being followed tomorrow." "We should tell the others about this after dinner this evening," said Aoife. "They may have a better idea to deal with this." "Yes. We hadn't thought that far ahead but you are right. I wonder how many will wish they hadn't come. Some vacation." "Don't worry. This may actually be a benefit." "I wonder when the group will be back from the ship." "Just before dinner," said Donna "which is in about two hours." With that they started toward their room to freshen up and let their milk down. It was interesting to watch them move toward the room as they took turns touching each other for brief moments. Aoife watched them do it and noticed they were not aware of their actions. She could feel the emotions flow between them with their continual touching enhancing it. Entering their room, Sally noticed Aoife was not with them. "Aoife you can join us if you want too." Aoife heard Sally and hesitated as she had just started back to the pool. She saw Jill, Janet and Judy leave the pool area for their room. Again she felt hesitant, but she recognized the source this time. Her shyness and insecurities were holding her back. She knew in her heart she belonged here or anywhere with them. Maybe not as a spouse but as the closest of friends, with that she turned toward their room. She was across the lawn when she saw, Jill, Janet and Joyce enter and close the door. When she reached the door, she touched the knob to turn it. Her insecurities rose up again for a moment until she pushed herself to turn the knob. Opening the door slowly she stepped inside the quiet room and closed the door. She stood just inside the door letting her eyes adjust to the dim light. Sally, Joyce and Janet stood behind her watching as her vision adjusted. Aoife gasped at the sight before her. Rusty was on his back as Sarah straddled his cock while Terry rubbed it between the swollen wet lips of her pussy. Sarah's cunt juice-covered Terry's hand and Rusty's cock. Terry held his cock still as Sarah moved her hips so the head nestled at the mouth of her cunt. She lowered her cunt pushing his cock slowly into her wet cunt. She could feel her babies move around to let his cock enters her cunt. They made room for it to nestle between them as they did they pushed out on their mother's stomach forcing it to distend even more. Terry carefully straddled Rusty's head then lowered her dripping cunt to his waiting mouth. She moaned as she felt his tongue caress her cunt lips and clit before forcing its way into the mouth of her cunt. Her babies felt the stimulus and reacted to it as well. She shivered from her arousal as he stroked her clit and cunt lips with his tongue while drinking her sweet nectar. Aoife jumped as Sally's arms reached around her to cup her tits catching her nipples between her fingers to gently squeeze and roll them. Sally pulled on her nipples as she caressed Aoife's neck with her tongue. Sally's nipples and swollen tummy rubbed her back as her neck was caressed. Her nipples were hard rocks when the fingers slipped away as her hands drifted under her tits to cup them. Sally squeezed each tit slightly causing it to swell outward toward the waiting warm mouths. Aoife shivered as she felt mouths cover her nipples and pull her nipples into the warm cavern. A tongue stroked each nipple as the mouths gently sucked on her breasts. She had never felt the caress of another woman and had only experienced sex a few times with a male classmate. Aoife could feel Sally's babies as they pushed at her back where it was pressed against Sally. While Janet and Jill sucked and caressed her nipples, she felt another kiss on the side of her face. Joyce's face came into her vision as her lips covered hers. She felt the warm kiss then the tongue probe at the lips. She relaxed her lips and received Joyce tongue into her mouth. Their tongues caressed each other. Aoife's breath had quickened enormously since the caresses had begun. Her cunt was wet and hot. Its juice had started to run down her leg. She could smell herself among all the others. Sally had slipped her fingers lower and begun to caress the area around her cunt. The feel of soft fingers pulling and kneading at her cunt lips caused her to moan into Joyce's mouth. Aroused out of her lethargy, she began to caress and stroke the two heads nursing at her breasts. Sensing her response, they intensified their efforts. Jill and Janet began to help Sally caressing her cunt. It wasn't long until Aoife screamed into Joyce's mouth as she came. The emotional response was so much she fainted. They all came with her but not as strongly as she did. Sally and the others caught her and carried her over to the bed. Joyce and Jill lay on their sides beside her lightly caressing her as they waited for her to recover. They cuddled against her as closely as their swollen tummies would allow. Small trembles continued to run through her as her orgasms subsided. Aoife soon began to wake. As soon as her eyes fluttered, Joyce and Jill kissed her cheeks then all around her face. Aoife turned to Jill, pulling her head toward her then kissing her with as much passion as she could muster. She then turned toward Joyce and did the same. Placing her hands against the distended tummies, she began to rub each lightly with her fingers. She soon felt something pushing back. It startled her. "I think our babies like you," they said. "They are trying to touch your hands." "It startled me for a moment." "We noticed." "What do you mean?" "We felt your surprise at feeling the babies and all of us came earlier as we felt your orgasm. It wasn't nearly as strong for us as it was you, but we felt it. You may notice that Terry and Sarah are nearly ready to cum now. Sense it." "Oh yes. I can feel Sally sucking Sarah's tits and sense the warm milk filling her mouth. Wow is that the way it feels." "Maybe." Joyce rose up over Aoife and lowered a swollen distended nipple to touch her lips. "Open your mouth and try it." Aoife opened her mouth just enough to receive the swollen nipple. She closed her lips around the nipple then sucked lightly to release milk flow. She quickly began to swallow the milk filling her mouth. "Oh. This is so good. Do all of you taste the same?" Several giggled. "Similar," said Rusty. "There is a slightly different flavor for each, just as their cunts each have a different flavor." Just then Sarah and Terry both moaned as they came. Their orgasms were shared with everyone. They could all sense Rusty's hot cum flood Sarah's womb. Aoife nearly choked on a mouth full of milk when she felt the orgasm as it distracted her. Joyce sensing her distress pulled up to break the seal on her nipple. Sarah pulled up and off Rusty's still hard cock. She quickly reached underneath her swollen baby-filled belly to hold the lips of her cunt closed. She turned and laid-back on the bed. Rusty's cock stood glistening with their combined juices. Aoife looked over admiring it. She found the smell deeply arousing. Joyce pulled further back as Jill lifted her up slightly. Jill pushed Aoife toward his cock. Her mouth was open slightly. There was a clear look of desire on her face. Joyce moved over and began to lick the spend from his belly. Joyce looked Aoife in the eye, "Come on and help if you want. You just lick it like an ice-cream cone." Aoife moved slowly over entranced at the sight. Sticking her tongue out she licked the side, then pulled it back to savor the flavor. Everyone watched the expressions on her face. She then rose up and slipped his cock deeply into her mouth tightly closing her lips she pulled back trapping the spend in her mouth. She left his cock clean but damp. Once his cock was out of her mouth she swallowed and licked her lips. Aoife reached over and pulled Joyce to her, guiding the other nipple to her mouth. She sucked gently filling her mouth with warm milk. She swallowed once then with her mouth again full, she released Joyce's nipple. She held the milk for a few moments enjoying the combined flavor then swallowed. "That was great. The combined cum tasted very sweet and refreshing. Combining it with Joyce's milk made it even better." Both Joyce and Aoife finished cleaning the cum mixture from Rusty's cock and balls. Rusty pulled Aoife up so he could kiss her, as he did so Sally straddled his hips. Rusty kissed Aoife lightly around her mouth licking off the milk and juice. Their tongues danced together as each sought to please the other. Terry pulled her up and kissed her as she watched Sally lower herself on his cock until it was fully inside her. Terry pulled Aoife around and with Rusty's help had her straddling his head. He rose up and licked her cunt. She jumped a bit then relaxed lowering her cunt closer to his mouth. She could feel her juice flowing out of her, as he licked her juice from her labia. By working rapidly and moving her cunt around he caressed her entire cunt with his tongue. As she became more aroused he covered the mouth of her cunt caressing just it as he drank her sweet nectar. Aoife looked longingly at Sally's nipples. Sally reached out to Aoife and pulled her head toward her nipple. Aoife tensed for a moment and then let her head be drawn toward the waiting nipple. As soon as it touched her lips she began to suckle, letting the warm milk flow into her mouth. She found sucking on Sarah's breast to be arousing but also loved the sensations. Leaning forward had pushed her clit against Rusty's chin. Terry had begun to suckle on Sally's other nipple. The four of them were so wrapped up in their interplay they could only just feel the rest of the spouses as they caressed each other to an orgasm. Judy was busily licking Sarah's cunt clean and sucking their cum from it. As their bellies had swollen with their babies, they had found that they could only interact in certain positions. They were all joined together physically and mentally in the sexual portion of their love for one another. Their pheromones filled the room. Aoife's new pheromones added a new dimension to their development. The babies though nearly 6 months along also were contributing to the growth of the family in other ways drawing them closer while making them stronger. The interaction between their parents, also contributed to their development. Known only to very few, this mental and emotional interaction between Sarah's clan members was crucial to their development as members of this society and as the ship's leaders. The baby's contribution to the family's growth and development is stronger than it was with Alison, Tara and Erin's babies as their bodies were only now completing their genetic changes. When Donna sounded the chime to alert them regarding dinner, they had managed to satisfy their sexual needs. They had just started to relax, enjoying the warm afterglow that comes after sharing their love sexually. They found the sexual interaction stimulating and in very refreshing. Once they heard the chime they went to exercise while they finished letting their milk down. Letting their milk down did not take nearly as long as a considerable amount had been consumed during their lovemaking activities. Once that was completed, they went to shower. ------- Sarah's clan and Aoife arrived at the dining hall just before those returning from the ship arrived. They split up and went to talk to the different groups while the finishing touches were placed on the buffet. Aoife went over to chat with the women she was with the previous night. They were surprised at how quickly she had changed since last evening as she had been clearly unsure of this place and considering leaving. Aoife sensed their questions, so she took the time to explain how she had felt when she first arrived. As she elaborated on her experiences when she was younger and at school. As she talked, each of the women drew closer to her, because they understood what it was like to be the outsider and all ways the brunt of jokes or rude comments. They, like her, had been the exceptional students, tall, slender and their bodies maturing later than their classmates. Even though they had spent most of the day with Jill, Janet and Joyce, until Aoife told about herself and her experiences, they had never relaxed or opened up. Aoife opening up to them provided the icebreaker for them to see the opportunity that was being offered here. After Aoife had finished, the six sat for a few minutes very quietly. Then just as quietly stood and slipped their robes off, laying them on the chairs. Each blushed momentarily, but then it disappeared as each felt the warmth and love of those around them. None of them knew how to express it, but each sensed a difference in themselves. Their eyes brimmed with tears as they couldn't remember when they had felt this good. It could be described as maturing, which they would carry with them even if they decided not to stay. Aoife looked closely at each then said, "It feels good doesn't it." They nodded. "Do you wonder why you hesitated now?" They nodded yes. "There are more surprises that await all of us." A puzzled expression came over each of their faces. Aoife grinned, "Nod if you heard me. Then I will explain." They each nodded but the puzzled expressions grew. "But you lips didn't move," exclaimed one. "That's true but each of you heard me. I suspect for some it was a very weak whisper and for others it was a bit stronger." They nodded. "What you just experienced was telepathy. All of us are telepathic, although some have not realized it yet. Tonight or tomorrow you should talk to Betsy, Judy or Connie about it." They looked at her amazed. "Oh, by the way your bodies are fabulous." This caused all of them to blush again for a moment. One grinned, "I would have dropped my robe sooner, if I thought you were going to hit on me." They giggled and nodded their agreement. "But seriously, I was concerned about how I looked. No one has ever said anything nice about how I looked. Some of that may have been my fault, because I didn't try very hard as I didn't see the point." "You have nothing to be concerned about," said another. "If I see all of you as you see me, then all of us have been fooling ourselves about our appearance." Jill, Janet and Joyce came up, saying, "Wow, nice bods!" They all blushed a bit, even Aoife. "We didn't mean to embarrass you. We are very glad to see you are comfortable enough to drop your wraps. Can each of you turn around for us so we can appreciate all the sight?" Aoife did it first. Then each of the others did it in turn. The looks of admiration they each exchanged added to their confidence. Rusty, Sarah and Sally, came up arm in arm. "Do we still need a shuttle to make a special run for you all?" They asked with a small grin on their face. The six responded, "Only if you are dumping us." Everyone laughed, drawing the attention of the whole room. The six looked at each other and nodded. "We have decided to join or stay however you want to phrase it. If we can finalize our move remotely from here, then we would prefer not to leave this group at all." While they were talking, the group that had been at the space ship arrived just in time to hear the six make their announcement. Siobhan and Maureen linked arms and walked up to Sarah and Rusty. "We feel the same way. We have not talked verbally about joining the ship but I sense all of our groups intend to stay with this society." Rusty and Sarah said, "We appreciate your expressions of commitment. We hope these group expressions do not intimidate anyone into staying who is not sure or doesn't want to stay but is too timid to say so." It was quiet for a while. Then as one, "We know and understand your concern. We have each on our own decided to stay with this society. We know what we have left. We sense there is more for us here. More than anything else we thank and love you for the opportunity you have presented us with." Star spoke to Sarah's clan, "We have no record of anything like this. And yes they all spoke as one but clearly were speaking as separate individuals." They continued, "We have not sorted out what the composition of our family groups will be, but we feel it is only a matter of time. Probably much less time now that we can dynamically share our emotions with those we love especially those close to us." "Thank you," said Sarah and Rusty. "Dinner is ready, let's eat. After dinner we have a number of things to discuss." Just then Amy, Erica, Jim and Betsy walked over to them with tears of happiness in their eyes. Aoife, Sarah, Rusty and Sally hugged them. They shivered as they felt Sarah's entire clan in the hug. ------- Chapter 50 A chime sounded. Ann said, "Before we begin, we want to thank everyone for their help last night and today in cleaning up. The second item is, all of us are very glad to hear you say that you are staying. Let's eat." Everyone was quickly through the buffet and the dining room became very quiet as they ate. Tonight the new arrivals mixed more than they had at the previous two meals. It was as if they wanted to meet and get to know everyone else. Sarah, Rusty and Judy looked at one another. "It is nice to see the way they are mixing with one another," said Judy. "It is not what I would have expected by their backgrounds or experience with others." "We agree, but maybe that this is the common bond drawing them together." "I would agree with your observation," said Aoife. The rest of the spouses in Sarah's clan expressed their agreement as well. "But, that is not all there is to it. A part of it maybe that some are still seeking really comfortable groups. It's not like they are uncomfortable or feel unwanted with the group they have been with, but now wish to see if it is best for them." "Very good analysis," said Jill and Janet. "The other aspect is that they see the potential that they can live with all the ones they deeply love, where before they had to choose. Once a choice was made, it wasn't easily undone. This adds to the feeling of being able to expand their friendships in ways that weren't possible before." "The part of relationships that always frightened me," said Judy "was the possessiveness that couples came to feel for the other. While in medical school, I saw many lovely people change into less than nice people once they joined with whom they thought was their life partner. Many could not do anything unless they did it together down to the tiniest thing. Some of their choices in partners were not well based or thought out." "Yes, I've seen quite a few like that as well," said Terry. "It was almost like shortly after they became a couple all of their insecurities multiplied, perhaps they fed off one another." "We noticed that in the society on this planet," said Betsy. "We don't think it occurs very often in ours because of bonding and mind link. Both of these are much stronger in ships' crews than on our home world as our records show. But none of us have lived on our home world so all we know is what in the records." "Wow," said Aoife. "So you've never seen your home world or been there." "Not quite. We have all been there mentally but never physically. It has also been a long time since we could even do it mentally." "Why is that?" asked Joyce. "Two reasons. One is the distance. The other is since the accident we are not sure where it is and we need something like a beacon to direct us. There is a good possibility that our home world is on a different time line than we are here as these star maps don't match with our records. Or we could be from a galaxy faraway from here. Our navigation is based on two things, stellar maps and a sense of where to go. I think you might call it a 'sense of direction.'" Several of the diners had followed the open telepathic conversation. They found it a bit shocking that you could converse that way. It was at the same time exciting as everyone in the link shared the thoughts without having to shout. As soon as each table finished eating they took their dishes to the kitchen and cleaned off the table. When they returned to their groups, they continued to chat or mull over today's events. Several wondered about their declaration earlier. They carefully examined their feelings then and now. When they made the declaration, it felt like the best thing they had ever done and the feeling was still with them even now as they analyzed it. All soon decided that they had not been manipulated into doing it. Their decision had clearly been theirs and one that they had made some time earlier. Their hesitation was not wanting to be the first. The analysis resolved their concerns and allowed them to relax more than they had in a longtime. ------- Rusty, Sarah, Terry and Sally went up to the front of the room. As soon as they stood the noise of the room quieted down. "Good evening," they said. "We have a good number of things to discuss this evening. First we would like to introduce a new member of the ship's command staff. Aoife, would you stand up." She stood smiling with a slight glow around her. "Even though she is a part of the ship's command staff and will be on the bridge, it is not anticipated she will join our clan as a spouse. Our bond with her will be similar to the bond between twins. We understand she will not be the only one in this unusual role." While they were talking, both Maureen and Siobhan had been looking around like they were looking for something. "We have some bad news to share with you and it has some scary implications. As we noted this morning as you left, the drones have been unable to find three groups that we had planned on inviting to join us. Two of the groups were to be in the next set of candidates to come here and the third was in the last set. We have been unable to find any trace of the three groups. It is as if they were never there, however we do have pictures of all of them so we know we are not imagining them. We do not believe any of you know them, but Donna has made their pictures available on the network if you wish to see them." "Four other groups were being watched when the drones arrived at their locations. Two groups are only being watched by a team of two people. The other two are each being watched by a team of 6 people. Actions by both surveillance teams suggest they are preparing to abduct them soon. This is based on the equipment they have begun to gather at their base of operations. Beyond the drones watching them, there is not much we can do without physically going there." "Earlier today we considered creating a situation at one of their bases so the police would discover the activity. Without getting into details, it was expected that the charges would be child slavery and pornography. They would then have an interesting time in jail." Several people chuckled. "However, to set this up we would need to place several children at the site for the police to find. This approach bothers us because of the risk to the children." "It has been arranged for the other group of watchers to have an accident on the way to the abduction. This would be similar to one that happened yesterday to the group trailing one of the buses." "Why not just take them out?" said Conan, his face red with anger. Several nodded their agreement. "We think that would put all the groups we are seeking to contact at a greater risk. It is not clear who is behind these activities. Considering the number of people and equipment, they appear to be well funded. Yes it would be easy to take out the surveillance teams but that wouldn't yield us very much. It would make them aware of us which we don't think is desirable." "You're right," said Conan. Siobhan had her arm around him as did the woman on the other side of him. "It just makes me feel so helpless." He blushed at the confession. "I hope the missing people are okay." "So do we. As all of you have experienced meeting with Nancy and Julia for the invitation, we thought you may have some suggestions on how we could contact the groups quickly. A few of us discussed a plan earlier but we would like to have your input first. For those we don't think are in immediate danger, we could approach much the same way we did each of your groups. The four groups being watched at the moment, we a feel is a more urgent matter." "We now feel we need to approach two of these groups as soon as possible. So the question is how. One extreme, would be for us to show up at their door saying, "Hello. You are being watched come with us to a secluded resort so you will be safe. And oh, by the way we want you to work on our space ship."" The group broke up into laughter at the approach. It soon quieted down. "Yes, that is one of the reactions we thought we would receive. The other reaction could be a bit uglier." "Can I ask some questions about the groups?" asked Maureen. Seeing the consent, "Are they all in similar situations to ours?" "Yes," said Nancy. "Most of them are. In some cases, it is only part of the group that is graduating. Most of those graduating have job offers, but are not necessarily excited with the opportunity. All of the groups are similar in nature to those here in terms of composition, stature, intelligence and etc." "Have any of them met you or Julia yet?" "No. Most likely they would recognize us from seeing us around, as we kind of stand out." "Yea, it's not often you see two foxes like you two just hanging out," said Brandan. Maureen hit his shoulder as everyone busted out laughing. "And you do hang out nicely," he continued causing more laughter. "Thank you," then blew him a kiss. "How many groups are there?" Asked Maureen. "There are now 14 groups not counting the 3 missing." "What about having pairs of us visit them? We could use the information that Nancy and Julia have put together. We could tell them about the opportunity and about what we have seen. If they wanted to meet others, then one of you could teleport into the residence like Sally did." Quite a few heads nodded their agreement with the idea. "We should wear our normal clothes and should try to approach them at their residences," said Siobhan. "Conan and I would be willing to try one of the two groups you are worried about this evening presuming it's not to late." "Brandan and I can do the other," said Maureen. "Okay if you want to do it this evening, it will need to be in the next hour or so. Why don't the four of you get with Nancy and Julia now to go over the information on the groups?" They nodded their agreement and moved to the back of the room so they would not disturb the meeting. "While they are doing that we can go over a few other items. We need to activate some of the robots in storage on the ship. This is much more involved than activating the drones. With this in mind, we would like to have as many go to the ship tomorrow as are interested. It will be a lot of mechanical and computer work. So if your talents or interests lie in this area please catch a shuttle right after breakfast." "Do we need skills or training in those areas?" came a voice from the back. "No, we just wanted you to know the kind of work that needs doing. The ship's AI's will focus on teaching and helping you with the tasks." "For those that want to assist in meeting the groups tomorrow, we will meet here after breakfast so we develop a plan. It would seem that targeting the effort for late tomorrow afternoon or early evening would be a good time for initial contact. Any other suggestions or questions?" A woman stood up in the back. "How will we provide security for those making the contacts?" "Let's go over what's in place. All of the groups have at least one drone in their area now. This will increase to two over the next several hours. We will stagger the visits as much as possible and still get them done. When the pair goes, we will send a robot and possibly two with them. You may not have seen them yet but they look much like you or me. The robots will be cloaked, but those of us with them will be able to see or sense them. The robots should be more than enough support. Back up will be us here." "How soon do we want them to come here?" Asked another. "As soon as they are ready? We should be able to provide protection for their residences while they are here. If everyone comes, it could get a little crowded here at the resort. Some can move to the ship or even to the enclave. We have the resort for two more months." Someone murmured 'Cool' causing several chuckles. "Sounds someone likes this place?" Bringing more laughter. "Anything else we need to discuss?" Amy stood, "Those planning on going to the ship tomorrow and hasn't talked to Betsy or Connie should do so this evening if they can. Otherwise you will need to meet with one of the doctors on the ship when you arrive." "Why is that?" asked someone. "Work on the space ship is much easier if all the participants are telepathic." Several murmurs were heard of disappointment. "Wait, don't jump to conclusions. You may find this hard to believe but we think all of you are capable of being telepathic. For some of you it is already functioning based on what I saw at dinner this evening." Several blushed but also nodded in agreement. "Some of you will need help to fully activate yours. But more importantly we need to give you some cautions about using it and protecting your self. It will significantly help you in your activities tomorrow on the ship." "Okay, that's all if you want to leave. However, if you want to follow our efforts this evening in meetings with the two groups, we will have Donna set up a hologram projection of both sites in the recreation room." "Cool." came a voice. "I guess someone is interested. There are refreshments in the kitchen if you would like some." They stepped down from the riser. "That was a good suggestion Maureen had." "Yes, I think she was just moments faster than Siobhan with the suggestion." "Peeking?" asked Aoife. "No, from here we could see her expressions." They walked back to where Siobhan, Maureen, Brandan, Conan, Nancy and Julia were going over the groups backgrounds. They looked up as they arrived. The rest of Sarah's clan joined them. "How are we doing?" asked Sally. "Almost ready, we think." "Good. We want Siobhan and Conan to go first. Once things look good then Maureen and Brandan can go. We will make sure the street is clear, before we teleport you there. You will be placed about a block from the house. There will be two robots waiting for you when you arrive. You may not see them, but you should be able to sense them. They are there to provide any security assistance you need. They will respond to your commands or ours. In that role we think they should remain outside when you meet with the group. Siobhan and Maureen we will be mind linked with you the whole time." Both Conan and Brandan had a strange look on their faces. "We will not say anything unless we need too so as not to distract you. Sally and Alison or Tara and Terry will be the ones who show up if they want to meet us. Okay?" "Yes," they said. "We don't think Conan and Brandan have picked up on the telepathic ability yet." Sally placed a hand on Conan and Brandan's shoulder, then said "They are not alone as there are quite a few here who haven't come to terms with the possibility." "Have you ever thought you heard voices, Conan?" "It is okay to say yes." Conan had a puzzled look on his face. "Yes I think I can hear voices some times. Just now I seemed to hear Sally. Very strange. Let see if I can verbalize this. I thought I heard was that she felt some of us had not come to terms with the possibility that we were telepathic. But, I didn't see her speak." "Conan, you connected with the thought I sent to all of us. Yes, it was spoken in a sense but not really turned into words." "So the times I thought I was hearing something, I was sensing the thoughts of someone." "Yes quite likely. Brandan, you heard them as well didn't you." He nodded a bit sheepishly. "Ah, you have been listening for quite a while. Were you afraid to say something?" "Yes, I was apprehensive about it. I really looked at it as anticipating what was going to be said. In most of my classes, I knew what the conversation would cover before the words were spoken. Sometimes I even responded verbally to unasked questions. Now, that can be very embarrassing." Sarah said, "We don't have time now to help you activate or show you how to manage it. Be sure to see Betsy, Connie or us when you get back and we will help you. Actually Maureen and Siobhan have just begun experimenting with their capability." "Why are you still speaking if you can mind link?" asked Conan. "Well it is like two levels of communication. We think you will see that once you become more familiar with using it. The other is not everyone has the same level of ability, so it would be rude to exclude them." "Okay, I can see that," said both Conan and Brandan. "For a while, you will find a stronger connection when you are touching the person your wish to be telepathic with," said Judy. "For your outing tonight, we suggest you listen to it when you can hear it, but be cautious in reacting to anything that comes through the link." "It's nearly time, and you need to dress before you leave," said Rusty. Siobhan, Maureen, Conan and Brandan left to get their clothes. ------- Siobhan and Conan stood on the sidewalk and looked around. There was not a soul to see, but they could sense the two robots standing near them. They turned and started walking to their destination. In only a few moments, they stepped up on the porch and approached the front door. As Conan started to knock, the door was opened by a young man and woman. The two were slightly taller than either of them and exceptionally good looking. She had long hair and reminded Siobhan of Sally. They stood and looked at each other for a moment, before they spoke to Siobhan and Conan. "Hurry come inside, we have been expecting someone," said the girl. "Expecting us." "Yes. We have been uneasy since at least two people have been watching our house for a week now and today there were four people at times. Today when several of us went out, we have been followed. They are not very good at it, if we can tell they're doing it." "Hi, I'm Siobhan and this is Conan. Maybe they want you to know. Do you have any idea why they are watching you?" "Hi, I'm Shannon and this is Danny. To answer your question, none. But every time I see them I have a sense of foreboding." "Have you called the police about it?" "Yes, they said they couldn't do anything about it. They did say they would keep a closer eye on the area. We have seen the patrol cars more frequently since then." "Why were you expecting us?" She hesitated and then said, "As unbelievable as this sounds, several of us have dreamed that we would soon have visitors offering all of us a very interesting opportunity. Some thought it was an escape from reality as we are having a difficult time in deciding what we want to do next. As a group, we don't want to split up. Some of us have just graduated. The job offers they have received, have not been very good." As they had talked, they moved into the living room. There were a number of residents waiting there and several more drifted in as they had been talking. Shannon turned to the group and said, "This is Siobhan and Conan. I think they have something to tell us." A loud woman's voice came from the back of the group, "You mean you asked them in here, without finding that out first." Conan tensed as he felt the voice getting closer. "Shannon you should be more careful, especially with those creeps out there watching the house." When the woman saw them, she stopped talking, her mouth hung open as she stared at them and her face turned white. Two women in the group stepped up and hugged her. Her mouth opened and closed several times, before any more words were heard. "You really are here. I am so sorry for raving like an idiot." "Note this day," someone called out. "Lydia admitted she could be an idiot." The comment brought chuckles from everyone. Another woman then brought in a tray of refreshments. Shannon introduced Siobhan and Conan to each person in the room. They chatted and sipped the refreshments for a while as they became more comfortable with each other. Siobhan sensing it was time stood up, bringing the conversations to a stop. "We came this evening to discuss an opportunity in which all of you can participate. It doesn't matter if you have finished college or not. The opportunity is to join the crew of a space ship." Several disbelieving looks were seen in the room. "Yes we know that comment is hard to believe at first. It is true. Conan and I just formally joined the group this evening but we were certain we would when we first went there for a special visit. I suspect like some of you we had a premonition of this opportunity." "Oh, I should have asked this first, "Is everyone here?"" "Yes, surprisingly we are all home this evening," said Shannon. "Okay. Some of you found my comment about a space ship to be unbelievable, but it is true. First let me tell you of the opportunity, then about the people on the ship and lastly how you can find out more." Siobhan told the group the details of the opportunity, the background of the ship and the crew. She then offered them a week's stay at the resort to meet the others who have been asked to join the crew and the current crew members. She closed by asking for questions. "Is it possible to see the ship?" "Yes. I think we can do that." "Have them clear a spot in the center of the room. Donna can project a hologram of it for them." said Sarah. "I need everyone to move back a bit so we have a clear spot in the center of the room." They moved around into a circle, with some sitting on the floor leaving the center clear. Just as they got into position, the hologram of the ship began to form. Several gasp at the sight of the ship's image suspended in air in front of them. The image rotated slowly so everyone could see all aspects of the vessel. "Conan and I visited it today and actually assisted the crew with a project. It is larger than three aircraft carriers from what Rusty of Sarah's clan told us. It takes a minimum crew of about 400 operate it although some ship operations can be done with somewhat less than that. A normal crew size is several thousand. We noted earlier that of the original crew only about 45 survived the accident some 200 years ago." "That is an amazing sight. Where is the ship now?" "It is located near Mars. It can't be seen because it doesn't reflect anything. If detected by interference, it would appear to be a space rock." The room was quiet for a long time. "What does the crew look like? You said they were different but that can mean a lot of things." said Shannon. Several nodded their agreement with the question. "Okay. I can describe them or if you prefer we can have two crew members visit you here. When would you like to do that, now?" "Is that possible?" She paused and before Siobhan could answer, she said, "Hmm, I guess it is, if you can generate a hologram in our living room with no visible projector." Several chuckled. "They will be here in a few minutes. Conan, would you go to the kitchen door in a few minutes to meet them. Meanwhile, let me tell you a few more details about them. The two women coming here are quite tall, standing a bit more than seven and half feet tall. They are well proportioned for that height in fact they are the best looking tall people I have ever seen. One of the women is about six months pregnant with two sets of twins." Both he and Siobhan felt them arrive at the back of the house as Sally and Alison then approached the kitchen door. Conan opened the door just as they approached and then led them into the living room. The group gasped at the sight of them. For Siobhan and Conan it was a replay of what happened at their old house when they met Sally. Both Siobhan and Conan were shocked. They used the term 'old house' when they had only spent one night with their 'new family'. Right then they sensed the people here would soon be part of that family as well. Neither had realized they were sharing their thoughts. Sally said, "Hi, I'm Sally and this is Alison. I understand you wanted to meet us." Both were wearing light robes that were translucent enough that it was clear that was all they wore. After they had greeted everyone personally, they stepped back to the center of the room joining Siobhan and Conan there. A male voice said, "Is that all you wear?" The comment was followed by a loud smack with a groan and several chuckles. Sally grinned. "No. Usually we do not wear any covering." There were several surprised looks in the group. "Our society is a little different from what you are familiar with. Nudity is normal but not a requirement. We have difficulty wearing a covering for very long but we do wear special clothes when the task we are doing requires it. Some of what I am about to say, Siobhan may have already mentioned. There are only a few of us as tall as Alison and I. Most of our crew members are more like Siobhan and Conan or most of your group in stature and height. Our family structure is much different in that we form family groups consisting of usually 4 to 12 women and usually only one is male. It is a pluralistic group rather than a harem. All partners are equal in the family, even thought at times one will be more dominating than at others." "The crew consists of three groups which are slightly different genetically. The groups are the surviving crew, our family group and one other and our newest crew members two of whom are Conan and Siobhan. I will only touch on a few differences, others you will learn when we do an orientation at the resort. First the only hair on our bodies is on our head, and a ribbon of hair down our back bone. The hair on our head grows to waist length and maintains that length. The women naturally lactate after the age of about 16 and can as long as they want too. We have active control over our bodies lactating and our fertility cycle. Most of us will lactate until about age 50 years but we can continue beyond that if needed or desired. Most of us will live for more than 3 of earths centuries. Notice our feet are arched which results in us standing on the balls of our feet. We usually wear the shoes that you see Alison and I wearing, but we don't really need too. Being raised on earth, I guess we like the click of the heels when we walk. Lastly, we have an extension to our back bone, usually referred to as a tail." Everyone was listening intently while Sally talked. The expressions were of curiosity and amazement. "Would you like to see what Sally is talking about?" said Alison. Nearly everyone nodded yes. With that they unclasped the fasteners and shrugged their shoulders. This caused the robe's slide off their shoulders and down their bodies to puddle on the floor. Sally and Alison then did a slow rotation so everyone could see all of them. Several gasp, 'Oh, my' as their bodies were revealed. The room was quiet for some time. Alison said, "I suspect some of you would like to touch or look closer. Please do but Sally didn't mention that we are very easily aroused and once aroused it will take quite a while to disappear." Initially several women got up to look closer. Soon everyone was up. Everyone was amazed at the hair. It was so soft and fluffy, but once disturbed laid right back in place. Before everyone had satisfied their curiosity, Sally and Alison's labia were swollen and wet. The odor was quite apparent in the room. When everyone moved back to their seats, Alison, Sally, Siobhan sat down on the floor. "What else would you like to know?" asked Sally. "Siobhan and Conan how long have you been with the ship? Oh never mind you already told us." "When can we come for a visit?" asked Lydia. "If we don't like it, how soon could we come back? What will happen to our stuff while we are gone?" "First if you wish, you can come tonight. If decide you want to come back, we will do it immediately. I will admit if it has only been a day or two after your arrival when you make the request, we will try to get you to stay a bit longer. No one will force you to do anything you don't want to do. In fact if any one is forced to do anything they do not want, the twerp will be punished severely. You don't need to worry about your things here as, we will have a drone watching your house while you are visiting us. Some time tomorrow a robot will be placed in the house and will look much like one of you. If you stay, you can store your stuff or bring most of your personal items to your quarters on the ship." "A robot?" "Yes we have a number of robots whose main purpose is security. They look very much like a person." "Do we all have to come at one time?" "We think that would be wise from a security standpoint. But, no you don't have to." The room got very quiet. Occasionally, several heads would nod to one another. Finally, Shannon looked at each person and then said, "We would like to visit as soon as possible. If tonight, is possible then tonight. What do we need to bring? Where will we be going first?" "We have rented a tropical resort island for these orientation visits. So personal items, light summer clothes and swim suits. Everything else will be provided." "How soon are you talking about?" "As soon as you are ready, our transportation is in the back yard." With that everyone was up heading for their rooms. Several women came up to Sally and Alison. "We don't live here, but do spend most of our time here. We aren't sure if we need to go get things or not. If we went to get some clothes, we are not sure we could be back in time." "Where do you live?" "It is six blocks toward campus." "What is the address?" They told her. "Shouldn't be a problem so why don't you wait here. Once everyone is ready, we will stop by there as we leave. Okay?" "Yes." The two hugged both Alison and Sally. Hardly ten minutes had passed before everyone was back down stairs carrying small overnight bags. Seeing they were ready, Sally suggested that they lock the front door as their transportation was in the backyard. Sally led them out to the shuttle sitting in the backyard with its door open. If a neighbor had been watching they would have seen them walk out of the house and then disappear in the middle of the yard. Alison, Siobhan and Conan came out last with Shannon, making sure everything was turned off and doors closed and locked. As soon as they stepped in the shuttle door, it closed. The interior lights dimmed slightly just as the craft quietly lifted. Everyone watched out the windows as the shuttle quickly moved to the other apartment house and settled on the front lawn. The women quickly went inside the house with Siobhan tagging along. They were back in only a few minutes and on board the ship. The robot that had entered the apartment with them stayed when they left. As she entered the ship, the robot told Sally that the apartment had both cameras and bugs in it. Sally peeked at the minds of the women who lived in the apartments. They didn't have any knowledge of either, but did find that the apartment owner had installed security system in all the apartments a year ago. It was just after they had moved in. The shuttle rose quietly up into the sky. The two observers had seen some movement at the front of the apartment, but the shuttle had blocked the view to a large extent. The shuttle rose quickly to the upper atmosphere as a precaution to being detected by various monitoring systems. The AI's had fixed the computers monitoring the earth's sky to ignore the shuttle if it was detected which hadn't happened yet. The group was thrilled at the view out of the windows. "Sally," said Rusty and Sarah. "We need you to make all possible haste back here. We have lost contact with Maureen and Brandan. Tara, Erin, Erica and Claudette will meet you on landing." Minutes later the shuttle settled down on the lawn at the resort. When the door opened, Sarah's clan, Susan and Nancy were waiting to meet the new arrivals. As they exited the shuttle, they each introduced themselves and welcomed them. As soon as, everyone was off the shuttle, Sally and Alison left with their new passengers to find out about Maureen's group. Nancy told the new arrivals, "Now, let's get you all checked in and we will show you your rooms. If anyone is hungry, we can stop by the dining room, as there are some snacks out. If you're not interested, we will show you your rooms. A separate room is available for each of you. If you want to share, that is fine. A small suite will sleep up to eight comfortably presuming four to a king size bed." When the group arrived at the registration desk, they asked if there were two adjoining suites. Susan looked the group over and then gave each one of them a key. She told them the keys would open either suite and that if someone wanted another room all they needed to do was come back here for it. Nancy then showed them where the dining room and recreation room were and then took them to their two suites. Siobhan and Conan had stayed with the group until they reached their rooms. Nancy stayed with them and went over the features of the resort. She cautioned them against going out for walks away from the complex until they had an opportunity to see it in daylight. We have some security patrolling the natural areas and you could be startled by them. "Why would they startle us?" Asked Lydia. Nancy was quiet for a moment and then said, "Most likely because they are lions." Everyone gasped. "But they are just big kittens with us." "You're kidding." "Nope. Do you want to meet one?" "Sure," said the woman in a disbelieving tone. "Okay. A pair will be here shortly." After a few moments there was a scratch on the door. Nancy opened the door to let a pair of lions into the room. The lions walked slowly into the room and right up to the woman who wanted to meet them. They sniffed her as she stood there frozen in fear. One stood up putting her paw on the woman's shoulder and licked her face. The lions then went around and sniffed each of the group and returned to stand beside Nancy. She reached down and scratched the back of their ears. "Since you have met them, and if you really do want to go for a walk to the beach or away from the buildings, one of them will accompany you. Okay?" Everyone nodded. The room was still very quiet. Shannon reached over slowly toward the lion near her. The lion seeing her movement, moved over and rubbed up against her leg as Shannon stroked the Lions' head. Seeing Shannon interacting with the lion, the whole room relaxed. Several more then sought to pet the big cats. Both showed their enjoyment at the attention. "I never thought I would be in the same room with a lion acting like a kitten." Looking at Nancy, "How many more surprises are there for us like this?" "Oh. If you want, we can try for more." She said grinning. "Things are different in this society and this place. If you keep an open mind and follow your instincts you will be just fine. It is pretty late, but we have two videos you can watch if you are up to it. These were recorded last night and cover two topics that are important to you. One is how the space ship came to be here and the efforts of the crew to survive. The second is how they differ from us. Siobhan and Conan gave you a very brief summary of both of these presentations which were made last evening. If you want even more detail it is available to you in the library, just ask Donna for access to the information on the topic desired. She will make it available to you on a terminal." "You mean the staff will answer any question we ask?" "Yes, if they can. Donna is an AI, and has easy access to all the archives. All of this will make more sense if you feel up to watching the videos." Lydia looked around the room, "I know I would like to see them. Besides most of us stay up late and I am keyed up tighter than a bow string." Everyone nodded their agreement. "Okay, Donna will show you the recordings as holograms here in a few minutes. Breakfast is 7 to 8:30 and there is a meeting for everyone right after that. A chime will sound in your rooms 30 minutes before a meal. If the two presentations raise any questions, then ask Donna to find me and I will come over. Okay." "Thank you," said Shannon. Everyone nodded. Nancy waited until the videos started and then left with the two lions. ------- Chapter 51 Maureen and Brandan walked up the quiet street. The neighborhood was eerily quiet. One robot walked with them and the other went to take up a position in the backyard. A sense of unease settled over them, as they stepped up on the front porch. The sensation was new to both of them. When they knocked on the door, it swung open startling them. The lights were on but there wasn't any sound or noise. They stared at the open door, then after a moment then slowly moved into the house. The robot followed after advising the other robot what it was doing and to advise control of the change. In the living room, they found everyone slumped in the chairs or crumpled on the floor. Maureen muttered softly, "Oh, my God, it looks like they're all dead." They were shocked at what they saw, but now understood their uneasy perception earlier. They looked at each other as numbness overtook their bodies and slumped to the floor. Before her eyes closed, she saw Brandan lying on the floor, fear washed over her as she realized they were in serious trouble. She tried to reach Sarah's clan but there was no response. She couldn't even command the robot to carry her out. She could feel her body but it wouldn't respond to her. She knew her mind was active but everything seemed sluggish. As Maureen lay on the floor, she was surprised to be able to see the room's interior even with her eyes closed. It took her several minutes to become comfortable with her view of the room, then realized she was seeing it through the robot's eyes. She was puzzled that she couldn't command the robot but could see through it. Then she remembered an old saying, "Use what you have, as wishing does not fix anything." Carefully, looking around the room she could see the others were still breathing. She felt relieved they weren't dead. We must have been exposed to the same thing they were. She wondered if any of them were conscious but trapped in their unresponsive body. She watched as a man and 5 women came down the stairs. She was scared at first, but quickly realized all she could do was watch and listen. She hoped Sarah's clan knew they were in trouble or... She listened and watched. The man told the women with him to strip everyone in the room and bind their ankles and wrists together behind their backs as they had been taught. The women worked in pairs. One woman would cut the persons clothes then together they would move the person so they could finish pulling their clothes off. Once each was naked, Maureen noticed the one woman lingered with each for a few moments, but couldn't see what she was doing. Maureen found out when they stripped her. The woman pinched and pulled at her nipples while her other hand pinched her clit. Then she pulled hard on one nipple until it slipped from her fingers while she rubbed a finger through Maureen's cunt lips sliding it into her cunt. Maureen would have screamed in pain if she could. Maureen was surprised that her cunt was wet when the woman rubbed her fingers between the lips even though her nipple ached. After the woman fingered her cunt, she wiped her wet finger on Maureen's leg before she moved to the next person. When they had everyone stripped and bound, the woman who had pinched her went back to a couple of women they had stripped earlier. The woman bent over each for a few minutes. Maureen could see just enough of her movements to know she was treating them like she did her. The man came back into the house carrying several large knives, a meat clever and an ax. He carried the items into the kitchen. The man then sent four of his assistants back upstairs with instructions to strip the people up there then bring them down here. He reminded them that it would be easier, if they fastened their wrists and ankles together in front of them, then used a pole to carry them. Once they were down here to change their bindings back to normal. If any of them are bruised or damaged, they would be punished. The truck was on the way and will be here in less than 2 hours. The other group had an accident so our pickup will be earlier than originally planned. The Master said for us to have the meat ready to be iced when the truck gets here. The auction for those in this group will not be until tomorrow night. The staff at the transfer point will give the second step in the treatments before packaging them for shipment to the farm holding the auction. The Mistress is not happy since the treatments won't be complete which means they won't bring as much at the auction. "Shit," said the woman. "I like seeing them squirm when we give them the injections to stretch their tits several cup sizes. Or even better when the injections are made into their clits and cunt lips." The woman was fingering her cunt while she talked. The women nodded and hurried upstairs. Maureen was surprised at the way they acted. Only the woman who had been feeling up some of the victims had said a word. The woman and man then separated the people around her into two groups. Before they moved each one, they checked a list he had and then wrote something on the body. When they came to her and Brandan, they spent some time checking the list. "These two are not on our list, but they certainly fit the Master's requirements," said the man. "Could we keep two of the other women for us to play with and substitute these two?" asked the woman. "Yea. I guess we could do that. But, don't you think you could have fun with this one as she has some nice tits to bind. Wouldn't they look nice with them tightly cinched at the base with manila rope? They would make nice targets for the whip. Her clit looks to be pretty good size as well with a few injections we could make it as large as my thumb. We could cut its hood off and make it really standout. He has a nice size cock. Which two do you want?" "The two over there with the big tits and large clits. I checked their responses and both took almost no rubbing to become erect. Their easy arousal will make them much more fun to torture. Their clits are bigger than this bitch, so we could pierce it with a large ring." The woman had become aroused as she talked about what she would do to them. Her odor drifted down to Maureen's nose as she fingered her cunt. "I like the idea of enlarging their tits and cunts first. We could easily double the size of their tits and make their cunt lips large enough it was uncomfortable to close their legs." "Okay," he said as he wrote an A on both Maureen and Brandan's chest. "We need to start harvesting the meat as were running out of time. Let's strip so we don't get blood on our clothes. The kitchen has a nice wood table we can use for the harvesting. The basement door is next to it so it makes it easy to dump the waste in the basement." Maureen was shocked at the words he used. Surely, it didn't mean what it sounded like. Working together they carried one of the men into the kitchen. They had left Maureen and Brandan lying on their sides after stripping them and binding their hands. She couldn't see into the kitchen but heard a thump then a groan, then a soft thud. Soon the woman came back with a sheet of plastic and laid it on the floor in front of her. When she returned, she was carrying a leg in each hand dripping blood. Blood was now spattered on her body and legs. When she laid the legs down, Maureen could see where the ax had been used to separate the spine at the hips. Now she knew what the soft thud meant. The man's penis and testicles had been cut off as well. Maureen had been raised on a farm and had helped butcher, that experience was the only thing that kept her mouth from filling with vomit as her stomach churned. Her mind screamed in horror at what she was seeing. She heard more soft thuds in the kitchen and soon the woman was back carrying two arms with the shoulder attached. She looked up as the two women carried a victim down the stairs. The woman from the kitchen went over to them with the list. "Take her in the kitchen." "Oh my God," screamed Maureen's mind. She frantically tried to contact Sarah's clan but she couldn't get a response. After a moment she felt a calm overcome her as she realized she couldn't be effective if she panicked. This was just like a test in school, only higher stakes. She forced herself to relax just as she did in other times of stress. As she relaxed, she began to organize her thoughts. A quiet calm settled over her, soon she felt like she had entered a different world. She felt the pressing urgency but focused on finding a solution. I wonder if Brandan is in a semiconscious state too. She focused inward and began examining the objects in her mind that Rusty and Alison had shown her earlier. The object for her telepathic ability was dimmer than she remembered it being earlier in the day. There were more people objects than she expected. There were some other objects she didn't remember seeing when she worked with Rusty and Alison. She began to examine each of the additional objects to see if she could decide on their purpose. The purpose of these objects would seem to be close then slip away out of her grasp. She returned to examine her telepathic object closer to see why it appeared dimmer. There seemed to be something blocking the energy flow to it as the supply link was bright part way up the path and then suddenly dimmed. If she could just move it but each time she tried to grasp it, the blockage would slip away. Could there be another supply point? Everything seemed to move so slowly not realizing her time frame was moving much faster than the events around her. It seemed like it took her forever to complete a thought, but soon she found what looked to be another supply path. Before she could act, she was distracted by another thump in the kitchen, then she noticed one of the objects in her mind disappear. So some of those people objects are the people here. She turned her attention back to her telepathic object. She slowly opened the other supply channel a little; afraid that if it opened to quickly it would be blocked by whatever was blocking the first path. She watched as the object slowly brightened. As it did, she felt the woman return from the kitchen. She had to look but cringed at the thought of what she would see. The woman was carrying a woman victim's legs over her shoulder with blood still dripping. In her hand was the victim's hair with the scalp still attached. There were now four sets of legs and arms laying there. All had the spine severed just above the hips. The woman laid the scalp on the couch next to two others stretching the hair over the back. Maureen swallowed hard seeing the gruesome sight then turned back into herself with a feeling of urgency. Now let's try the robot. "Robot 9, send distress call." "Acknowledged," responded the robot. Maureen spirits rose a bit. Thankfully she could again communicate with the robot. "Robot 9, can you immobilize the four women who are bringing people downstairs without alerting them to your presence." "No, I don't have the tools or the capacity. Besides the security system has microphones and cameras monitoring this room. They seem to be part of a surveillance system masked as a security system." "Okay, can you take the surveillance system out." "Yes. Give me a few minutes." Now I wonder which of these is Brandan. Brandan, she called softly through her mind. She noticed one object brighten a bit. She knew she would need more power to reach him. She went back to the telepathic energy supply to open it a bit more. As she did, she felt her telepathic strength grow rapidly. She heard a commotion that seemed to be outside, then felt Sarah's group touch her mind. The contact with Sarah's clan excited her, as now a rescue seemed possible. They pushed her to relax so they could tighten their mind-link with her. As they did, she felt her energy return. Her mind felt more normal and her vision through the robot became stronger. She felt control of her muscles begin to return. They cautioned her not to move as she was still bound and should avoid attracting attention. "The cameras and microphones are all dead," said Robot 9. "The power supply failed and fried the board. The transmitter also sent an exceptional burst of power jolt, so the receiver should be damaged as well." "Good." Once Sarah's clan had bonded with her and helped her recover, they looked through her memories to see her recent experiences. They then began to look around the room. The first thing they saw was five sets of legs and arms next to Maureen. The shock caused them to almost lose it. Maureen could feel all of them working together to regain control of their emotions just as she had done earlier. As Maureen settled into her mind-link with Sarah's clan, she struggled some while she adjusted to the multiple inputs as she could now see everything the others in the clan could see. She was surprised and pleased that they could share both their vision and their senses. "Maureen please relax. Take your time to adjust your connection with us and find your fit. You will have several more surprises tonight in this bond. Yes in this mode we can experience what one another is sensing." ------- After their return to the resort, Siobhan and Conan headed back to their room. "Conan, I wonder if our group would want to move into a suite also." "Possibly, but our group consists of three subgroups so we would probably need at least three suites." She looked at him questioningly. "If you think about it, we seem to naturally separate into three groups. It would be nice if the three suites were connected." "You're speaking to me telepathically." "Yes. I figured it out earlier, but don't sidetrack me." He grinned at her as he spoke. "Everyone in the group we came with is very close and without a doubt we love each other. But, I see 3 smaller much closer groups, two consisting of 6 people and one of 8. With three connecting suites, we could all be close while each group would be together in a way that could build their bond." "Okay, I can see your reasoning and why. I agree with you. Do you think we are ready to talk about this as a group?" "Before we continue this," said Siobhan. "I need to show you some things about managing your telepathic ability." Reaching their room, they found it empty. "Everyone must be down watching the events unfold as Maureen and Brandan meet their group." After slipping out of their clothes, Conan sat on a chair and she sat in his lap straddling his hips facing him. With her legs spread pulling open her cunt lips allowed his partially erect cock to lie in the furrow of her labia. She could feel it pulse against her as it thickened. It grew until its head rested against her clit. The cock head felt hot against her clit. Its pressure and pulsing warmth triggered it to swell in arousal along with her nether lips. Her pheromones soon began to fill the room as her cunt fluids were released. She mind-linked again with Conan and showed him the things she had learned earlier about her telepathic abilities. As she expected, Conan quickly picked up the techniques and enhanced the energy flow into the telepathic area of his mind. As soon as he did, the mental bond between him and Siobhan began to quickly grow. In that link, they saw the links leading to others around them. The strongest were to objects they identified as being in their group. They could now see how their overall group was divided up into the three groups Conan had referred to earlier. The ones closest to them being slightly brighter than the others. They were pleasantly surprised to see Sarah's clan nearly as bright as their close group. Siobhan also saw that her links to each of Sarah's clan had increased in brightness and there were four other similar objects. The link was slightly different from those in her group. She looked closely at the objects and soon identified all but one. Sarah shared a thought with her that said she would soon meet the one she couldn't identify now. She could see that Sarah wasn't referring to Aoife, Maureen or her. We will talk more about this tomorrow. Their short exchange clarified for her, the role she would take with Sarah's clan. It pleased her. She and Conan spent some time looking at the different objects in their mind. The objects for Sarah's clan had a different character in Siobhan's mind compared to their representation in Conan's. They spent some time sorting through the differences and looking at some of the other objects. They couldn't determine a purpose for some, but knew that they would in time. A wave of stress washed over Siobhan. It was from Sarah's clan. She saw their objects in her mind move together. She could feel their bond drawing them tightly together mentally and reach out to her. She felt a need to join them that was overwhelming. She let her mind open its link to them. The first sensation she felt was their panic but didn't understand the sudden urgency. Brandan and Maureen were in trouble! She jumped up, panic clearly etched in her face. Her expression scared Conan. While maintaining her link with Sarah's clan, she grabbed his hand pulling him up. She ran out of the room toward the dining hall pulling him along with her. As they headed toward the dining hall, her vision had cleared as she fully entered the mind-link as to why they were concerned about Maureen and Brandan. She shuddered. They had nearly reached to dining hall, when she realized she was able to see through the eyes of the rest of the group. She saw Conan's concern on his face. She smiled at him, and then kissed him. ------- When the cloaked shuttle settled into the backyard, those aboard sighed as they heard Maureen join their mind-link. During the trip, Alison, Tara, Claudette, Erin and Erica had slipped into their tactical suits. Sally and Terry wanted to as well but the suits would not accommodate their swollen tummies. The five drew and armed their weapons before the shuttle door opened. As the door opened, two people came around the side of the house both were carrying pistols in their hand. They looked up toward the kitchen and could see their associates through the window. The woman in the yard said, "I though I heard someone back here." Just then they heard the thump from the ax as it hit the table again. "Ah, you're always seeing or hearing something," snarled the man. "It was the ax, you stupid bitch." The woman turned to the man with fire in here eyes raising the pistol toward him. Alison stepped out of the shuttle door behind the woman. The man seeing her gasped. "Were you looking for me?" The startled woman screamed as she turned raising her pistol to shoot. Alison's shot severed her upper arm, which fell to the ground with the pistol still clinched in her hand. The heat of the laser cauterized the stump with the force of the impact knocked her down. Seeing most of her arm laying on the ground sent her into shock and she passed out. The man raised his pistol muttering about the stupid bitch before both Tara and Erin shot him, severing both his hands from his arms. Erica then knocked him down with the stun gun. "Okay, let's tie their ankles and bind his elbows together. Then we want to tie them back to back by their ankles and a cinch around their necks," said Erica. "Then we need to secure the perimeter around the shuttle." Once the two were bound, they quickly scouted the rest of the backyard. Erica moved the robot that had arrived with Maureen up closer to the shuttle. "Okay, let's take care of the group inside. Erin and Alison take four robots and go to the left. Place the robots at strategic spots on the side and at the front. Link with them, so you can see through their field of view. Tara, come with me. Claudette, please stay near the shuttle and watch the area behind us. Terry and Sally can defend the area between the house and here without leaving the ship. "Guys, I think we have a problem here," said Joyce. The mind-link with Maureen had begun to strengthen as her telepathic center became brighter. As it did, the impact of the vision from Maureen's eyes almost caused a ruckus. Rusty's and Erica's combat experience helped them regain their focus and direct their anger appropriately. Erica and Alison's teams quickly moved away from the shuttle. Their anger at what they had seen drove them to move quickly, but carefully. As they came around the house, they saw two women coming up the driveway. The two women had heard the truck would be there shortly to pick up the new stock for this weekends auction and the fresh meat for the evening meals. The neighborhood was quiet so they saw no reason to stand around outside. They were surprised when they saw Erica's team come around the house. At first they thought, it was part of their group. By the time, they recognized their mistake a surge of pain was felt in their wrists. Looking down they saw their hands were lying on the ground twitching. They were stunned before they could even scream. "Robots' 1 and 2, move out to the corners of the front yard. Stay cloaked and let us know if anything approaches. If attacked, take no prisoners and leave no bodies." "Command confirmed." The robots moved out further in the yard taking up positions that would make them hard to see even without the cloaking but give them full view of the surroundings. "Let's strip these two and take them in the garage." Erica eased opened the garage door. The two were carried inside and hung by the noose Tara had placed around their ankles. They hung them from the rafters with their legs widely spread. Erin and Tara were pleased at how well their enhanced vision helped them all of them function in the dark. They did not need to be concerned about being seen from the street. "Okay, let's see if we can get those inside to come out here. It would be safer than us going in there." Erica woke one of the hanging women. Once she was fully awake, she pinched her clit causing her to scream. They could see the area inside by the door through their mind-link with Maureen. The woman had just dumped another pair of legs next to Maureen when she heard the scream coming from the garage. She told the man she heard a scream in the garage. They picked up weapons and moved toward the door. Both were throughly covered with the blood of their victims. They opened the door carefully and looked out. It was dark in the garage and they could hear someone whimpering. They heard several moans as their associates were recovering from the stun. They cautiously eased out the door and crept out into the garage. Seeing the open garage door, "Did you open the door?" "No," responded the woman. "She didn't I did," said Erica. They swung to the sound of her voice. They screamed in pain as the four lances of light separated their hands from their arms. The guns clattered to the floor while their hands fell, but before they could react, two stun charges hit both of them dropping them to the floor. "The four women upstairs apparently heard the scream," said Maureen. "They are creeping down the stairs. Only two of them have guns and the other two are carrying something like a club." "It is a jousting stave." The four women looked scared as they quietly moved down the stairs. Reaching the bottom, they first looked for their associates in the kitchen. Then seeing the garage door open, they split up with two going out the front door and two toward the garage. They reached through the open door to the garage and turned on the light switch illuminating the four hanging from the rafter. Robot 9 had followed them to the door. They gasped at seeing their four associates hanging there naked. They edged closer into the door trying to see who was in the garage then saw the other two laying on the floor. They hesitated on reaching the door. The robot then pushed the two, causing them to stumble into the garage almost falling. A voice behind them said, "Drop you weapons and strip!" Both whirled toward the voice to attack. They screamed as the pain from their wrists registered with their brains. The last two came rushing in the open door on hearing the screams. All four were hit with stun shots, silencing them. When they woke, they were hanging from the rafters naked like their associates. None of them had hands. The robots had brought the two in from the backyard while Erin, Tara, Erica and Alison searched the house. What they found inside added to the anger, they already felt. With the house secure, another shuttle arrived carrying EMTs, Judy, Betsy and Connie. They started moving the drugged residents out of the house on stretchers. Sally and Terry worked in the shuttle placing the residents so they would be comfortable. Judy and Betsy worked with Maureen and Brandan while this was going on to get them back on their feet. Once they had all the residents on the second shuttle, Betsy, Connie and the EMTs left with the crew candidate. Betsy had decided it was best to take them to the ship first because of the larger medical facilities and the uncertainty about what drug they had been given. Maureen's recovery was easiest as she was able to actively use their shared knowledge to counter her exposure to the gas. It took her some time moving about before she could manage the multiple views and thoughts from her mind-link while moving about. Maureen surveyed the house with Alison and Erin. They found the raiders had set incendiaries throughout the house so it would burn to the ground when they were finished. They decided to pack all of the resident's personal belongings and send them back to the resort before they left. "We could use 4 or 5 robots to help pack up their belongings along with another shuttle." The robots joined them and set about packing up the personal effects from each room. If they had any doubts, they sought out Alison or Maureen for guidance on what to pack. While the robots watched the front yard, Erica took the lead dealing with the kidnappers. She told them they were going to die either quickly or slowly. If they answered all the questions, they would let them die quickly otherwise it would be quite slow and painful. She started by asking each of the women, who sent them. None answered her questions. Erica grabbed one by her hair and pulled it behind her. The pull on her hair caused the woman to scream in pain. Erica held her there as she realized as much as she would like to see these animals suffer, they did not have the time. She released the woman's hair, letting her swing back and forth by her ankles tightening the nooses around her ankles. Erica said, "We need to use our telepathic ability on these animals to get the information we need. I haven't done this in a long time so I need all the support you can give me. I am concerned about there being any mind traps in them." "We will give you the support you need. It will be new to us as well." All of them heard a familiar voice, "You should only look for the information you need. Avoid anything that has emotions in it because if it contains the terror, they experienced it can overwhelm and distract you." The room was eerily quiet as they followed Erica, as she sifted through the memories of each of the women. Each of them had been skillfully manipulated with drugs so that they only saw themselves and their group as human everything else was nothing. They would follow whoever they were told to follow and do anything they were asked. Once they had been fully conditioned, working as pairs they were filmed torturing and then butchering a couple. The man had been their trainer. The films served as additional insurance in case they were picked up. Erica came over to the leader of the group. "Now, do you want to talk." The man smirked. "No. They won't talk either in fact they can't talk about anything they have done. Their minds have been fixed so they can be turned on and off like a switch to do this. Only the one working with me has any idea what is happening and she can't talk about it either." "Well they don't need too. We've already learned everything we need from them. You apparently need some encouragement though." She walked over and slowly slit his ball sac open releasing his testicles to dangle on his chest. He screamed in pain. He squirmed as she cut off his ball sac. Each time he moved and they bounced against his skin sending a new wave of pain through him. Through gritted teeth, "Our backup will be here soon to take care of you, cunt. Even if you succeed in killing us, they will hunt you down. They know what you look like as we have had cameras in here for months. The Master or Mistress will take special pleasure in torturing you. They will make you scream for hours until you beg to die. So you better hope you are lucky and die as they capture you. Otherwise you will be just a piece of meat to slowly cut up as they torture you." She squeezed one testicle until it burst causing him to scream. "We know the truck will be here shortly. Your backup doesn't even know there is a problem as the cameras and mikes have been dead for some time. When the truck arrives, we will have your women friends and your assistant all fixed up ready to go to the auction. Your women will look just like the ones you were suppose to harvest. Your Master won't care as he will have what he needs for the auction. The meat you already harvested will receive a special seasoning before it leaves." Erica with her family supporting her carefully delved into his mind. Together they found several mental traps. They were designed to enslave anyone trying to hypnotize him. They determined where his home was and through his memories saw he had several women and men locked in cages there. He did not know the people who employed him. The money was very good and it was made clear to him he didn't need to know where the money came from. All the transactions were handled through electronic communication. They only contacted him when they needed his crew to harvest some new victims or take care of something else. Once it was complete; the fee showed up in his account. Erica, Amy's and Sarah's clan reviewed the information they found and decided to send a drone to monitor his residence. If time and resources permitted they would send several robots to search the place and determine the condition of his captives. "Now asshole, watch while we fix up your crew for their new occupation as sex toys." Two robots came in with autodocs and began to alter the appearance of the women. Each had their feet fitted and bound into high heel shoes that would force them to stand on their toes. Their hair was altered in color and style so it matched to the descriptions on the list they had used earlier. Their busts were enlarged to at least match the indication on the list. All were given large injections into their lips, labia and clits causing them to swell. Each felt the pain of each needle pierce their skin to give them the injections. They didn't flinch but after only a few shots their eyes were filled with tears from the pain they felt from the injections. The man from the backyard was given several shots to his cock causing it to grow in length. His testicles were replaced by large hollow steel spheres. The weight of the spheres pulled his ball sac down and gave a hollow ring when they bumped together. His feet were fastened into high heeled shoes just like the women were wearing. The shoes laced tightly over their feet forcing them into an extended position. The lacing ended above the ankle in a locking cuff. Once it was done, they stood the women and man up, so they could be hobbled with a short chain between their ankles. A binder was placed between their elbows. The last modification they made was to insert a nose ring through their nasal septum. The man watched amazed at the changes in them. The robots then inserted a long needle into their ear canal. Unseen on the end was a small computer and transmitter/receiver. The computer would take over control of the brain over after about three hours turning the women and man into breathing robots. The computer would be in control well before the drugs wore off. The 'kidnappers' would keep what little was left of their personalities. The transceiver would hopefully provide a means of finding them in the future. "Now it's your turn. We thought about sending you with them, but it is better for you to stay here to enjoy the other activity you had planned." A cut was made down the length of his stomach letting his guts spill out over his face onto the floor. The autodoc tied the arteries and veins along the backbone shut. A cut around his waist left only his backbone holding him together. A clamp was placed around the spine just above the hips. Its two angled jaws were placed so the jaws pressed between two vertebra. The jaws were slowly squeezed closed forcing the vertebra to separate, stretching the spinal nerve bundle. The pain so intense the man could not scream. Soon the spine separated, leaving his torso suspended by a strip of skin and the painfully stretched nerve bundle. A quick cut severing the skin dropped him head first onto his guts. Erica had the robots clean up the mess by putting his torso and guts down the stairs with the rest. He begged her not too. They tossed him down the stairs so that he landed on his bound arms. The sudden upward thrust of his arms against the shoulder joint popped them out of their socket. He fell over screaming until his head was submerged in bloody torsos and guts. The rest of the guts in the main part of the house were added to the pile in the basement. Each time, an effort was made to hit the man with the carnage. A robot in the front yard told them a truck and car were approaching. Several robots dressed while Erica and the rest of her crew took up positions where they could watch the activity unseen. They watched the truck as it turned and backed up the driveway. It was a man and woman driving it. They got out and opened the back and began to set the cages out. They helped the disguised robots place the five women in the cages and secure them. The driver asked where the others were. A robot told them it would be a few minutes for the rest and they wouldn't need all the cages. There were only 5 more. The woman said the Mistress will be unhappy because now they won't have enough for the auction. The robot assured her, the Mistress knew there had been a problem here. They did have more meat than originally planned though. The robots helped them load the meat into the large ice tank while they waited to fill the other cages. While they were waiting, some refreshments were served. Soon two robots started bringing out the other cages filled with women and a man who looked like the ones described on the list. Once the truck was loaded, the two closed up the truck and left. The woman said, "Remember you only have about 10 minutes to leave after we leave." The robots nodded. The robots removed the clothes they had been wearing and then rinsed off. The car was picked up and set out at the curb. With that completed, Erica, Alison, Tara, Erin, Judy, Maureen and Brandon joined Sally, Terry and Claudette in one shuttle while the robots entered the second shuttle with the residents' belongings. The door closed and the two shuttles rose over the neighborhood. The shuttle with belongings and robots left for the resort while the other hovered. "The house should begin to burn in a few moments. We should probably stay and watch the area to see if anything else happens while the house is reduced to ashes." While they hovered over the sight, Sarah's clan stayed tightly bonded with the whole crew. "Is everyone okay?" they asked one another. They could feel some were working through their experiences of this evening. Each felt their actions were appropriate response to the kidnapper's actions toward the residents. Their actions would let the kidnappers experience what they had tried to force on to someone else. Each piece of meat and each of the persons placed in the truck was carrying the virus. So the kidnappers were carrying a present back to wherever they were going. The refreshments had made the man and woman in the truck carriers as well. Soon the house shook with a small rumble and then everything was quiet. Within a minute the windows of each room became very bright as the fire inside grew. The pressure from the fire blew out the first floor windows sending flames billowing up the outside walls. The fire intensified as it had more air to feed it. Heat broke second floor windows letting more flames out into the night air and turning the house into a chimney. The flames quickly engulfed the exterior of the house spreading the roof. Fire sirens sounded in the distance but it was clear they would arrive too late to do anything meaning full in putting out the fire. The center of the house had already begun to cave inward as the kidnappers had planned. Shortly before the fire engines arrived, a car drove up with a couple inside. They stopped next to the abandon car. Erica sent a drone down next to the car to listen and obtain pictures. They heard the woman say, "It's strange one of the surveillance cars is out here and that looks like the harvest crews van down the street. They should have left by now. I wonder where they are." "Good question," said the man. "I wonder what they did to cause the cameras and mikes fail before the operation was complete." "I suspect the harvest crew did something wrong when they set up the fire bombs." Just then fire trucks pulled up as the house began caving into the basement. A loud scream came from the house just as a large fireball roared up out of the remains as more of the burning house fell into the basement. The couple drove slowly away from the scene. ------- "Siobhan, will you tell everyone in the recreation room that the last group should be fine, but were being taken to the ship for a check up. You can tell them anything else they want to know. Okay." Siobhan was startled by the request. "Yes, she replied." The recreation room was noisy as everyone had seen the video feeds from the drones and they were upset. They had not seen all of the things that took place in the house. She stood up in the dining room and tapped on the table. When the room quieted down, she said, "Sarah's clan asked me to tell you that the group appears to be okay, but they are taking them to the ship so they can give them a full physical. We are using the ships medical facilities in case more extensive treatment is needed to counter the drugs, and they will also make sure that the gas did not cause any permanent damage to them. I can try to answer questions if you have any." The room was quiet and a bit somber. "What was the purpose of the gas?" "We believe the gas is used as the first stage in turning a person into a submissive. It is also the first step in making a person very receptive to suggestions. The treatment requires a follow up within a short time with two more drugs, once the full treatment is complete the person appears a bit more normal or lucid but just has no resistance to suggestions. The persons' intelligence and feelings are unaffected, just very submissive or no will." "Why would they do that?" "To turn them into sex toys, sex show performers, slaves or something similar. This approach makes them useful to do things beyond just being a sex object. The people behind this also apparently like the taste of human meat, sometimes called 'long pig'." "That sucks. Maybe we were too easy on them." "It may not have been clear from what you saw but the kidnapper's appearances were altered so they could be substituted for those on their list. They were in the cages that left on the truck in place of those they were to harvest. From what was said by them, there is to be an auction tomorrow night somewhere where they will be sold. The several that where butchered will be the part of the evening meal at the auction." "It is late. We should go to bed, so we are well rested for tomorrow. To me it is urgent that we contact the others tomorrow." said a woman behind Siobhan. Siobhan recognized it as Eileen from her arrival group. "Hi, Eileen. I didn't see you there." "You looked preoccupied so I didn't bother you." "I was. Thanks. It has been an interesting evening." "How did you know all of that?" asked Conan with concern clearly showing on his face. "I was mind-linked with Sarah's clan ever since we came to the recreation room. No actually it started before that, right after they lost contact with Maureen and Brandan. It was terrible when Maureen went down. I responded as I felt a strong need to assist the group in any way possible. Aoife was in the link as well." "I'm going to tell them to leave you alone. You shouldn't be involved in things like that." "No, Conan. Why do you say that? We are in a new and different society. We have new responsibilities that we are only just beginning to understand. You saw my thoughts and feelings earlier. Look at my thoughts and feelings again. You are not going to loose me. I love you. You love me as well. In fact you are very much in love with several of us in our group. In this society, everyone works together. If it is a fight, we all participate. The link I have to them is for a purpose. I don't understand all of it but I know it is important to all of us." She saw the fear in his face. "Relax, you are not loosing me. Unless you want too. Our group will be one of the special groups they mentioned earlier and there will be two others similar to ours. I don't understand how I know that, but I do know it. Tonight when we had the meeting after dinner, I felt very close to Aoife, all of Sarah's clan and another person. I now know the other person was Maureen. I bonded with them this evening. It is a very different bond than you, I and our other spouses will have together. We saw that earlier, but didn't fully understand the implications." She leaned over and kissed him. As she did, she shared her emotions with him. The depth of her love for him shocked him as he did not realize it. He responded to her opening up his feelings letting her see his emotions. They slid closer into their mind-link. Eileen stood and watched them. Her love for them showed in her eyes. She felt a connection to them that was stronger than it had ever been before. Siobhan pulled back a bit from Conan. Both she and Conan opened their arms and pulled Eileen into their hug. "Why did we do that?" They thought. "We know why!" The comfort of touching again and recognizing the love they had for each other brought them closer. "We need to get our group together and talk about this. Yes, we love one another," they shared. Siobhan yawned. "In the morning we talk, now let's go to bed." They left arm in arm to their room. "Siobhan, Eileen, I love you both more than I can ever say. Siobhan please be patient with me. My first thought when I knew you helped was that I would loose you. I couldn't stand to be without you. Really I couldn't stand to be without any of you." "Yes, we love you too," said Eileen and Siobhan. "We see your concerns and we understand why you are concerned. We will not leave you. We are one along with several others that are beginning to just now recognize their love for us. Their reluctance is fear of loosing us, if they express it." With that, the three walked back to their room as they built their mind-link. They would be surprised when they reached their room to find the rest of their group waiting for them. Tonight would open a lot of doors between them. ------- Chapter 52 While Sally was returning with her group on the shuttle, Betsy sent them a message that all the people they picked up were okay. They were going to keep them on the ship until morning, but they would all be back for breakfast. Both Jean's clan, Briana and her friends were meeting with them. ------- Initially when the group recovered from the gas, they were very upset. The last they remembered was being together at home talking about some of their strange dreams. Now they were surprised to find themselves in a strange medical facility. The equipment appeared to be very different from they were familiar with seeing in other medical facilities and the staff's appearance was much different. The staff had chosen to wear light lab coats in deference to their patients, but the patients could easily see that was all they were wearing. The group kept pestering the staff with questions about their missing friends, why they were here, and where were they. The staff was concerned of the impact of answering the questions factually and kept trying to defer the answers until they were sure the effects of the gas had worn off. "Enough!!" Shouted Betsy quieting the room. "You have been exposed to a combination of gases that contained some very potent drugs. We understand your concerns. We need to wait until we are certain all the effects of the gas have worn off. Then, we will answer your questions." "Why wait?" demanded one of the men. "The purpose of one of the gases was to make you very compliant. No a better way to say it is that, it was the first step to making each of you, very submissive. So submissive, that if you were told to cut your own throat you would go get the knife and do it without hesitation. We want to make sure all of those effects have worn off before we provide any significant information." "I didn't think that was possible." She studied Betsy a longtime, then said, "Okay. But, can you tell us where the rest of our group is?" Betsy paused. Amy's and Sarah's clans joined with her briefly and saw her problem. They all agreed that it would be okay to go ahead and tell them as it had to be done. Now seemed to be as good a time as any other. The group had begun to grow anxious as they waited. "First my apologies for delaying my response, as I need to review the projected impact on you before answering your question. There is no easy way to say this, but your six friends are dead. They were killed at your home after all of you succumbed to the gas." With that many began to cry while they clung to one another. "We are very sorry to give you that news." "How? Why?" "Betsy," said Jean and Briana, "we have sensed your difficulty with the group in the clinic. We are willing to talk with them. Can we come in?" Betsy realized immediately the potential for that working, said, "I would really appreciate the support. I can tell that they sense we are different which adds to their distress. Star and Donna can provide you with the information that Maureen and Brandan were originally going to tell them. They also can support you on the details of Maureen and Brandan's visit." Briana, Jean's clan soon joined the medical staff in the room. It took quite sometime for the group to cry out their grief. When it became quiet, Jean and Briana began, "We think we can help with the questions you have. We hope you will be a bit patient with us." Jean and Briana moved over toward the center of the group as the rest of Jean's clan gathered with the group. Several in the group nodded. "The events that took place in your home this evening are best thought of as two separate events that overlapped." That caused many puzzled looks. "We would like to share with you first why our two friends went to your home earlier this evening. You may already sense why, based on what has happened when we met other groups, as there could be clues in your recent dreams. After that, we will share with you what we saw happen at your home." Several started to object. Briana and Jean continued, "When Maureen and Brandan arrived, they found the door to your home ajar and knocking on it did not bring anyone to the door. Even though they felt very uneasy, they decided to look inside. In the living room, they found all of you asleep either laying on the floor or the furniture. Assistance was summoned. When the EMTs arrived they decided to bring you here to recover as the resources were greater for treating you. After you were here, we determined the types of drugs you received by inhaling the gas. The staff has given you an antidote for the drug that needed it. The others will wear off in a short time, unless the next parts of the treatments had been given to you." "Will we be okay," asked the red headed woman. "Yes. Betsy, one of our primary caregivers is certain you will be fine. She wants to be sure it wears off before you hear someone telling you to do something. As she noted earlier, one of the drugs would cause you to follow that command, whether it was hang yourself or to do something similar to another in your group." "Oh, my God," she wailed. "Maureen and Brandan had come to your home to tell you about an opportunity for your group or as many that want to participate." "Please, continue," said the woman with dark red hair. "Mai, I mean Maighread, was telling some of us about a dream she had. She was so enthusiastic about it." A tear leaked down her face. "We were talking in the living room and suddenly everyone started dropping. That's the last I remember." She became very quiet as tears filled her eyes. Jean and Briana began, "This is an opportunity in which all of you can take part in. It doesn't matter if you have finished college or not. The opportunity is to join the crew of a space ship." Several disbelieving looks were seen in the room. "Yes we know that comment is hard to believe at first. It is true." "Your doubt is the same that I felt when I first heard it," said Briana. "Our group joined the crew several months ago," said Jean. "I joined the crew last evening with about 50 others," said Briana. "My friends with me have only just recovered from an unwelcome experience they had. They haven't decided on their future yet." "Okay. Some of you found my comment about a space ship to be unbelievable, but it is true. First let me tell you of the opportunity, then briefly about the people on the ship and lastly how you can find out more." They told the group the details of the opportunity, a brief background of the ship and the crew. They noted the offer was for them to stay a week at a resort to meet the others who have been asked to join the crew and the current crew members. She closed by asking for questions. "Is it possible to see the ship?" "Yes. I think we can do that." "Star, can you project the hologram in here." "Yes." "I need everyone to move back a bit so we have a clear spot in the center of the room." They moved around into a circle, with some sitting on the floor leaving the center clear. Just as they got into position, the hologram of the ship began to form. Several gasp at the sight of the ship's image suspended in air in front of them. The image rotated slowly so everyone could see all aspects of the vessel. "Its physical size is larger than three aircraft carriers from what Rusty of Sarah's clan told us. It takes a minimum crew of about 400 operate it although some ship operations can be done with smaller crew than that. A normal crew size is several thousand. We noted earlier that of the original crew only about 40 survived the accident some 200 years ago." "That is an amazing sight. Where is the ship now?" "It is located near Mars. The astronomers can not see it, because it doesn't reflect anything. If detected by interference, it would appear to be a space rock and that in itself would puzzle some of them." The room was quiet for a longtime. "What does the crew look like? You said they were different but that can mean many things." said the red haired woman. Several nodded their agreement with the question. "It was some of the crew members who treated you earlier." "Oh." It was quiet while the group digested that information. One man looked to be deep in thought as his eyes were on them but not focused. "We are on the ship, aren't we?" said the man as he broke out of his faraway look. Briana and Jean both nodded. "I can see that all of you are more upset than we are at the deaths of our friends, if that's possible," he continued. "We wouldn't say more. But, it does bother all of us a great deal." Sarah, Sally, Rusty, Terry, Joyce and Jill linked with Briana and Jean while they were with the group on the ship. All of them were pleased with how well Jean and Briana were doing with a very difficult situation. They could tell from the expressions on their guests faces they were shocked, saddened and surprised by the events of the evening. As the meeting was on the ship, there was no denying part of what they would be told. Before they pulled back to the resort, they all sent Briana and Jean a warm 'thank you' and for them not to worry as they would do fine. The surprise compliment caused them to stutter for a moment, but the message caused them to relax. Even though they had volunteered to help Betsy, they were unsure of themselves. The message from Sarah's clan removed that doubt. Two women in the room suddenly asked Briana and Jean if they were okay. "We noticed you jump and then the expression on your face changed." Briana and Jean looked at each other and nodded. "Let's tell them." The mind exchange shocked them. "You may find this harder to believe than what we have already told you about our friends and crew," they began. Both were a bit startled as they were speaking like they had seen Sarah's clan speak. They didn't realize they had been talking like this earlier. "All the members of the crew are telepathic. The clan that guides our endeavors just mind-linked with us to see how we were doing. Before they pulled back to attend to other things, they complimented us on our efforts with helping you adjust." They paused letting the information sink in. "Even though they haven't committed to visiting the resort, you should tell them everything about us," said Joyce. "Betsy can help you if you need a model. Or Star can provide you with a taped hologram of last night's presentations." "Sorry, for being a bit distracted for a moment," they said. "That's okay. Several of us have had premonitions of this, but not in this way. It is strange sitting around with everyone wearing only a light robe." Several women nodded. The two guys had crossed their legs to hide their arousal. Seeing the discomfort, "Well the people in this society don't usually wear any covering except when a job requires it or because of temperature." Briana continued, "I have only been here a little over a day, which with all that has happened seems like a very long time." Several chuckled. "Jean's clan has been with this society for about 6 months now, and I think they are uncomfortable now. They have worn robes or wraps more in the last two days than in all of the last six months." Jean nodded. "How did you come to join the crew?" asked a woman. "Well this may get us off track a bit," said Briana. "Jean and I came to be here by different paths. I can tell you my story and it's a bit simpler than Jean's. About this time last year, several of my friends left to start a summer job that turned into a nightmare for them. From that job they literally vanished, but I didn't realize it until school started that fall. By that time, there wasn't any trace of them any place. No school records. No township records. All I had were the pictures of us, which I didn't find until I went to use my camera several months later. They had been recruited to work as clothing models at a resort for the summer. I saw them off at the airport. They were often in my dreams, and some of those dreams were not pleasant. Three days ago I sensed that Siobhan and her group were making a similar mistake and I went to Siobhan to warn her." "Siobhan was very gracious. She listened to my warning and didn't just blow me off like I expected she would. Instead she asked me, what was really bothering me. I told her everything I could remember about my friends disappearing. I could see from her expression and comments she was also concerned for my friends. After I had finished my story she asked, me if I would like to meet the people they were going to see. I agreed and we went to her home to meet them." "Once I met Sally and Nancy and knew right away I was wrong about them. They asked me if I would consider visiting the resort with Siobhan's group. I was hesitant at first but then agreed as soon as I realized why I hesitated. They also showed an interest in the loss of my friends and the circumstances. We sat and talked about my friends for quite a while even including my dreams in the discussion. Sally asked me to take a nap and see if I could dream of them. Surprisingly I did and Sally joined me in the dream. Through my mental connection I still had with some of them, Sally with her spouses' support found them. As I found out later, that night a crew from this ship rescued them from an isolated S&M resort in the tropics." "The reason Jean's clan and I are here today, is because we came up this morning to visit with them while they recover. They are a part of the group that came in with us." Her friends blushed a bit as the comment was made. "Jean's clan and several other crew candidates came up this morning with us. Most of them spent the day here helping activate surveillance drones. It was the drones who tipped off Sarah's clan that some people were stalking you as well as some other groups. These were groups they wanted to ask to visit the resort and consider being crew members." "Okay. But why us?" asked the woman with dark red hair. "We are just nerds. We are told we are smart and bright. We usually are the tallest in the school, but sports participation is unusual among us. We learn things at such a fast rate most times we are bored in school unless we are all in the same class." Several chuckled. "If we are not, no one likes us because we destroy the curve making it difficult for the 'A' group." She and several others had a sad look on their face as she had commented on their experiences. "What's your name?" "Oh, I'm sorry. It's LeAnn." "LeAnn and the rest of you, it is because of those traits Sarah's clan has been looking for you. All of us are very similar in that respect. Several of you have noted a premonition of something like this happening. What was it, a dream?" Several nodded. "Was it really? Or did the thought just come to you?" Several more nodded. "All of you are telepathic to some extent. This premonition can be a manifestation of that ability. If you go back through your memories, you will probably find other examples of it." "Let's get back to the information we need to give you. This society as noted previously does not wear covering except when a task or circumstance requires it." "Star in a moment will you project a hologram of Sarah's clan." "In a moment, we will project a hologram of Sarah's clan. They are the group that guides our activities. The family consists of 11 women and one man. There are also three other women tightly bound to them in this role." The group gasp as the hologram began to form. "What a lucky guy." came a masculine voice from the back. The sound of two smacks were heard. Followed by, "Ow. What did I do?" Causing everyone to laugh. The laughter lightened the atmosphere. "The family groups usually consist of several females and one male. They are not harems as you know the term. Both the male and females are very much equals in everything except reproduction. You may have noticed that several are pregnant. They will be delivering in about 2 months. All of them will be giving birth to two sets of twins. Alison, Tara, and Erin each had two sets of twins a couple of months ago." There were several amazed looks in the group and fish shaped lips as it registered. "These family groups are different, much different from anything we were familiar with on earth. Sarah's entire clan is originally from earth. They now stand a little over 7' 6" tall. This is quite a bit taller than the rest of us. But there isn't anyone one at the resort or on the crew shorter than 6 feet and most are 6' 6" or taller." "If you are uncomfortable with your wraps on, take them off," said LeAnn. "You don't need to wear them for our sake. I'm sorry but it just dawned on me that you were wearing them for us." Sensing the sincerity in her comment, Jean's clan quickly released the clasp allowing the wraps to slide down their bodies to the floor. Briana hesitated and then released hers. Seeing Briana's hesitation, LeAnn remembered her earlier comments about on being there a short time. "Please don't if you are not comfortable with it, Briana." As she spoke, Briana's wrap was already slipping down to her waist. "Oh, my all of you are beautiful," said LeAnn. Several others either nodded or spoke their agreement. Feeling embarrassed by pushing Briana to uncover, LeAnn stood and slipped her robe off. She stood looking at Briana, blushing slightly as she had never been naked with a group before. "Well you if you want to see beauty, you should look in a mirror," said Briana and Jean together. The compliment caused her to blush more and her nipples to harden on her lush breasts. Several clapped in support of the comment. After a few moments, LeAnn returned to her seat. "Before the drones found people watching your house, it was our intent to approach your group in several weeks. At that time, we were going to offer you an opportunity to be a part of this ship's crew. The visits by crew candidates to the resort started this week when we welcomed 4 groups to the resort in our first round of recruiting. A portion of the goal for this visit was to give everyone an opportunity to meet the current crew and see the ship. Why? The people in this society are different from any you have ever been around and the society functions differently. We have already touched on part of that." "As a way of showing our appreciation for taking the time to visit with us at the resort and considering this opportunity, we are offering you a physical and you can receive corrective treatments if needed. The information from the physical will make it possible to correct any current or future health problems found, again if you want too. This society's medical knowledge is well beyond ours, earth's. The basic medical treatments to correct health defects will lengthen your lifetime by at least 4 decades and the offer is not dependent on you staying. If you decide not to stay, then you will return to earth's society in better health. Your visit here will be as if it was a continuation of your dreams. We do require you to take the physical but whether you accept any treatments are your decision." "The reason Maureen and Brandan came to your house this evening rather than in several weeks was due to some events that took place when the first groups were picked up to begin their week at the resort. The crew had identified 17 groups to whom they would like to offer the opportunity to join the crew. Because of those events, Sarah's clan decided to have drones check on all the groups, they had not contacted yet." "The drones found four homes being actively watched. Analysis of the surveillance data earlier today suggested yours and another group were going to be kidnapped soon, most likely this evening. After dinner this evening, the crew candidates and the clans met to discuss what the drones had found. Together they decided to approach yours and the other group this evening and two groups tomorrow morning. With this in mind, two couples from the new crew candidates volunteered to contact the two groups this evening, one of which was yours." "So that is how we got to this point." At this point, Jean and Briana paused momentarily. They wanted to let the group digest some of the information. "Please remember. Even though your arrival here was not as planned, the context of our offer is unchanged. It is solely your choice as to what your future will be." "Our first project as crew members is to repair the ship to it full capability, after that who knows. " "Last night, we saw two presentations at the resort. One was the history of this ship. The second presentation provided us with details on the differences between these people and the candidates. Some differences may shock you, while some similarities could also surprise you. Even though you have not stated whether you want to visit the resort we would like to show you the two presentations." "You are probably wondering why we are doing the second. This society believes in full untarnished sharing of information. There are some aspects of this society that are very different compared ours, I mean, earth's. These differences may cause you to want to leave. As noted earlier, Sarah's clan grew up on earth. In fact they have only been with this society for about a year. The first six months they spent recovering from some treatments they received before they arrived. Both they and Amy's clan are the first hybrids between the two societies in terms of their genes and DNA. In both cases, it was the result of defined genetic treatments to correct medical issues. Because of the condition of Sarah's clan when they arrived, the medical staff had two choices either treat them with a genetic virus using their genes or watch them slowly die. There are more details available but for now this should set the framework for the presentation. If you want to know more, the information is available to you on the computer systems library database. Several others who have joined the crew have also asked for and received the virus treatments to become hybrids as well." "That is rather personal information about the crew and suggests you are saying there is no privacy here?" said a woman. "Yes and no. All of this society's history and events are available from the ship's database. It is available to anyone in this society. The only restricted items have to do with the operation of the ship. The virus treatments have a significant impact on your appearance as you will see in the video." "On the personal side, we are all telepathic so all of us can see most of each others thought's, if we want to. A family group bonds both physically and mentally. Once they are fully bound mentally, they can function mentally as one, but still as individuals. They seldom have secrets but if a need arises they can. What they gain through the bonding is the ability to share everything as they feel and see. Sharing the loads of life makes life easier and strengthens the bond between them." "Briana has not fully experienced it yet, but we have," said Jean. "It is a hard concept to explain and put into words. Once we can express our thoughts to each other mentally, it is easier. Betsy or the medical staff can help you enable your telepathic ability. I think a clear answer to your question is that there is privacy but the concept of privacy has a different meaning." "What happens if we enable our telepathy and we decide to leave?" "You will keep your telepathic ability to a limited extent. You won't be able to see others thoughts except those you love and who love you. You will be able to see someone's intent toward you. Now let's do the presentations." With that the hologram formed and began showing the presentation of the ship's history and more recent events up to the first group visiting the resort. "Are there any questions?" asked Jean. "The sequences of events are amazing. It's like someone is guiding the recent events." "I think many of us believe in the Gods and Goddesses, whose form varies from individual too individual," they said. "I don't think many are active followers of classic religion as it is practiced today on earth. Those religions seem at times more focused on uplifting one over the other rather than paying tribute or saying thanks to a deity." "Well put." "Okay the next part of the presentations." With that the presentation given by Betsy was shown which compared the differences between the crew candidates and Sarah's clan. "Are their questions now?" "Why do you refer to a family by a woman's name?" "We kind of stumbled into it," said Jean. "The original crew from the space ship never used names because they mentally linked an object in their mind with an individual. So they always connected to the other when the thought was directed that way. When Sarah's group came, it became more difficult since communication like that was new to them. So after some time, they slipped into using one of the women's names to identify a group. The woman's name isn't really chosen but just happens or evolves. It was Sarah's group that suggested using the term 'clan' rather than group." "It fits too as nearly all of us have a Celtic heritage," said Briana. "Rusty's name is 'Alsandair', but he hardly ever uses it. Besides rusty really fits in describing his hair color." As Briana looked around the room for more questions, she noted that many of them had shed their robes during the presentations. "Yes, I noticed it too," said Jean. LeAnn glanced up as Jean spoke. "LeAnn's telepathic link is more active as well, I think." LeAnn nodded her head. Her thoughts were racing through her mind even though her outward appearance was calm. So much information to digest, as she suspected many of the group would follow her. She knew what she wanted, but didn't want them to blindly follow, whatever she decided. "Stop, LeAnn, relax," came the voice in her head. She knew the voice, no voices. She looked up at Jean and Briana. They smiled at her. "Relax, we won't let you decide for them. It is their decision to make about their future. Yes, you staying may influence them to an extent, but we won't let that be the sole reason. So now relax let it flow, analyze the information you have been given. Everyone will ask your opinion. Give them your analysis; let them make up their mind." LeAnn slowly relaxed. You could see her tension slip away, as she relaxed. The light returned to her eyes. "We have a bit more to tell you about your former home. Why do we say former? Because it burned down last evening from the incendiary bombs, the kidnappers had placed in it." The group gasped. "We were able to save your personal items from your rooms. These are now at the resort." "The kidnapper's goal was to prepare you for an auction that is scheduled for Saturday. Their appearance was altered so they could be sent in your place." They paused for a minute. "We hope you don't mind us making the substitutions." It was real quiet for a few minutes as the comment was digested. Briana and Jean had a hard time keeping a straight face. "You've got to be kidding!" said several at the same time, then the laughter started. It went a long way toward relieving the stress they had experienced this evening which helped ease the pain some. "Okay. It is time for bed. Several things have happened today. You have had many surprises and been given you a lot of information. The crew has made up beds for us down the hall. There are enough beds for everyone to have their own and several are big enough you can share if you want to. In the morning, yes it's not midnight yet, we will go to the resort for breakfast. There you will have an opportunity to meet everyone and take part in our usual meeting after breakfast. After that, is up to you." "Oh, we shouldn't have said it that way. In the morning, you will have the choice of going to the resort or back to the town where you lived. If you choose to go back to the town, we will help you find new accommodations and move your possessions to your new place. It is your choice. Just let us know when we get up." With that the door opened to the hall. Briana and Jean led the group to the rooms set up for them. The rest of Jean's clan with Briana's friends followed along behind chatting with some of the group. Leann's group chose to use one room with two large beds. Jean's clan chose an adjacent room. They invited Briana and her friends to join them, pleasing her. She felt very comfortable with Jean's clan and thought her friends did as well. "Briana, we love you very much," said her friends startling her. "We are glad we have our connection. We will be staying. We feel comfortable here. Much more comfortable than any place else we have been." ------- While Briana and Jean had met with Leann's group, Sarah's clan, Erica, Amy and Jim met to discuss the evenings' events. Aoife and Maureen joined them as well. They started to ask Siobhan to join but saw she had a more important task at hand. When Erica came into the room, everyone hugged, kissed and thanked her for leading the impromptu adventure this evening. Those arriving afterward, did the same. All the warm expressions of thank you and the physical contact left her quite aroused. Her arousal perfume had an effect on everyone else in the room. "Please no more hugging and kisses until we finish," said Rusty. Everyone laughed. "Let me be the first to say that even with all my spouses around me, Erica is one who we would all like to cuddle a bit more." Erica blushed a bit. "Especially after the wonderful job she did this evening." "I must say this out loud," said Sarah. "We are very thankful for your leadership this evening. It is unfortunate that we did not arrive sooner." "That's my fault," wailed Maureen large tears ran down her face. "When we knocked on the door and it swung open, I felt something was very wrong. I should have called for help then." "You have nothing to be any more ashamed of than we do. Several of us were linked to you. We felt your fear. But like you, we never expected to find what you did. The strange part is we lost the mind-link with you soon after you went through the door." "I know. As soon as I saw them lying there, I couldn't even contact the robot. I watched as Brandan collapsed and I soon followed him. I was surprised that I never lost conscientiousness. Either the open door reduced the level of gas or my body partially blocked it. It took me a while to get over the horror of what I heard and saw before I could focus on trying to get help. It is fortunate I helped with butchering on our farm when I was younger, which helped me control my reaction to the body parts and blood." "What did you do?" "Well after I settled down, I began to look through my mind like Alison and Rusty showed me today. I could see weak or dim objects but it wasn't like earlier. None of them could be identified as any of you. When I looked at the telepathic object, it was dim as well. I found something blocking the energy supply to it so I tried to move it with no success. So I looked for another entry. Once I found that I slowly opened it and until my telepathic ability was strong enough to reach the robot." Ann brought in some refreshments for them and left. "Once I could reach the robot, I told it to send a distress call." "We heard it and it gave us an idea of the severity of your situation. The shuttle was almost there by then." "I asked the robot if it could take out the captors. It told me it couldn't do it successfully. But did tell me the house was wired with video and voice. I told it to destroy or disable it. I didn't think it took very long but they managed to butcher 6 people before Erica's raiders arrived." That caused everyone to chuckle. "Erica, I owe you a lot. Thank you for being there." "You don't owe me a thing. But I wouldn't mind spending some time worshiping your body." Maureen blushed bright red then licked her lips suggestively. "Were you able to hear them say anything?" "Yes. The man appeared to be in charge. He had four of the women carrying some of the group down from upstairs. While they did that, the one woman, who helped him butcher also helped him sort the people first. They had a list which seemingly suggested who to keep and who to kill. The woman asked to substitute Brandan and I for two on the list. He agreed. They were going to keep two women for themselves to torture." "He did make a comment that they needed to hurry and finish the butchering because the first truck had wrecked. Also, the Master and Mistress would be unhappy because there weren't going to be enough alive to fulfill their auction needs. But, that they definitely had to have enough meat for the meals." "Anything else?" "Oh, an ugly item. They scalped the women. The two women they were going to keep were picked because of large tits and clits plus she thought they were very sensitive by the way they responded when she checked them." "Erica, do you have anything to add?" "Well before I decided on using the mind control chip, I looked at their minds. All the women were basically mentally gutted. Most of it was chemically based but combined with hypnosis. There was enough there for them to follow directions and maybe defend themselves. The woman who worked in the kitchen and the one from the backyard had a little more personality. Both were former S&M mistresses with a strong preference for extreme cruelty. All of them were submissive slaves of the man who did the butchering." "Think the substitutes will fool their bosses when they arrive in the cages." "Oh, the Master and Mistress they referred to probably won't see them except may be at the auction. The computer in their mind will force their bodies to support the changes we made in their features for about a week. The virus they are carrying will be transferred to anyone kissing or fucking them. The computer will ensure they are very good at copulating." "The meat was contaminated with an Ebola virus strain they gave us. It won't survive cooking. At least we don't think so, but it will be picked up by all the food handlers even if they wear gloves. Normal washing will not remove it. We should see if anyone notices the virus affects on the victims." "What are we going to do about the captives the man had at his place?" asked Erica. "Good question. What will we do with them if they are still there?" asked Sarah. "Let's send a drone and two robots. The drone can check out the location first. Then we can have the robots search the place. I don't think we will find much." "Sarah, do you think Frank would look after the captives?" said Rusty. "If they are in the same condition as the ones Erica looked at earlier, it is probably the best place for them." "We can have Alice call him tomorrow, depending on what the robots find." "Okay," said Erica. "Donna, please send a drone and two robots to the address we got from the man. They should be careful as the people behind this may also go there." "We have relied too much on the drones," said Jim. Amy nodded in agreement. "However, we didn't have much choice." "Even if Maureen had sounded the alarm earlier, I'm not sure we could have been any quicker in getting there," said Terry. "Her being in the room did provide us with an indication of what was taking place. Knowing that certainly made our rescue task easier, and certainly more successful." "This is the second house where we have found surveillance equipment. Did we check Siobhan's home or the group she picked up this evening?" "No. Donna, have the robots in Siobhan's home and the other group this evening check for surveillance gear." "Okay." "We should check to see who owns the rental property involved," said Sally. "This should be compared with the places where the other groups are staying. The other possibility is that it could be an alarm company. A security company could place almost anything in these homes and nobody would ever know unless they looked closely." "Donna, can you access the real estate records for all the properties?" "Yes. First, the robots report no other surveillance gear. The alarm company for both places where we found, surveillance stuff is the same parent company, but operating under two different names." "Very good, Donna. Can you find out if they are involved at any of the other locations?" "Looking now. They have equipment at one location we placed on the priority list for tomorrow morning." "Perhaps we have less time than we think, what about this," said Jill and Janet. "Today is Thursday. We brought our first group in on Tuesday which seemed to upset these people's plans. Three groups disappeared on Wednesday or before. Thursday they attempt to harvest two more groups and only partly succeed. My guess is that they try to harvest on Tuesday or Wednesday so they can prepare the people for the weekend. Some go to auction and the others are turned into meat." "Reasonable based on that analysis. Are you suggesting we move slower?" "Absolutely not! We do need to meet with everyone tomorrow. Suggest we leave messages for the afternoon groups, suggesting they will receive a visitor by dinner time to discuss an interesting opportunity that is out of this world. And they might want to hold off on weekend plans until after that." "That might work." "I'm reasonably sure it will," commented Siobhan, shocking everyone. "Aoife, Sally, and Nancy have noted how each group has had a premonition of our meetings. I know several of our group did but didn't say anything." "Good point. We didn't ask you to come over as it seemed you had something more important going on when we started." "Yes and that worked out well. I was just relaxing before going to sleep when I saw the activity. Now I'm going to sleep." "Do we have enough robots to cover each house?" asked Rusty. "Only if we make some adjustments. If the lions can handle our needs here for the next two days, we could pull all the robots off the island stake out. That would give us enough." said Erica. "We can handle the resort," said the lions. "We could also go with you if want us too. I'm sure we would be effective, but we don't carry your kind of weapons." This caused quite a few chuckles. "We agree with that approach." Everyone nodded. "Donna and Star, can you transfer robots so we have one at each house of our candidates. Just leave one at each of the homes for those here. The lions will take care of security here, and the lions and robots at the enclave will stay there." "One more thing, tomorrow we will need to activate as many robots as we can up to I guess 20 at the moment. But it would be nice to have at least twice that many available when we start visiting candidates tomorrow afternoon." "Agreed, but achieving that will depend on how quickly we can start in the morning and a number of undefined variables," said Star. "I'm tired," said Maureen. "We agree, let's call it a day." With that they all got up and left for their rooms. Aoife walked with Maureen, when they got to the point for her to turn toward her room Maureen took her hand. "Why don't you stay with us this evening?" "I don't know. I am so tired. Okay why not. It will feel better cuddle up to you than being alone." ------- While everyone slept, the AI's moved the lions, robots and drones around to maintain their security and give them better coverage of the candidate's situations. Once the resources had been reallocated, Star and Donna rechecked the resource assignments to ensure nothing was missed. Reviewing the data, from the incident involving Maureen and Brandan, provided them with an indication of how they missed the kidnappers arriving. It appeared to have been a short lapse in coverage when moving resources earlier. Both Star and Donna were almost human in the way they felt about the errors and the people lost. With the relocations completed, they gave each of the resources a set of parameters to use in viewing their area. It included a set increasing criteria for them to follow in case they saw or found any unusual activity. They set their analysis systems to watch the data being fed back to them from each of the resources. Their next step was to identify the robots to be activated, set up the activation sequences and instructions for the staff that would carry out the tasks. They had just completed the inventory when they ran across several containers of intrusion sensors. They were not designed for the current situation but on close examination it was found they could be easily adapted to supplement their current resources. Again they showed signs of living entities in their excitement over the find. A review of the operation of the intrusion devices gave them an idea of how to change them, but the type of programming needed was not part of their instruction set without doing some uploads. Star asked the Engineering AI for assistance in changing the programming to meet the need. Star had the crew and two robots begin unpacking the containers, while several crew members aided the Engineering AI in revising the software. Well before dawn they had intrusion detectors distributed around each location they were interested in watching. The modified programming allowed the detector to discover type of intruder and probable intent. Their sensors could also detect a change in atmosphere but not necessarily define the change. The crew members were impressed with what Star and Donna had been able to do. The data feed from the intrusion detectors initially seemed overwhelming, but soon settled down as each only broadcast changes to the environment around them. The data was acquired by both Star and Donna as well as the nearest drones and robots. This gave the robots a broader view of their surroundings but also where to focus more of their attention. Shortly before dawn, Sarah's clan began to wake. They had slept very well considering the excitement the day before. Joyce and Judy were the first to wake but only by moments before the rest. They took their time to touch and caress one another, physically showing their love and care for one another. Rusty made for the bathroom first and the others quickly followed. Then while expressing their milk and exercising, they bonded together to review the events of the last several days. Most of the time was spent reviewing events of last night. All of them, while agreeing that last evenings' solution to the events was correct. They also felt that if they let themselves go in continuing to inflict punishment, it would have negative repercussions on them and those around them. They recognized they couldn't walk away from what the 'flesh merchants' were doing. They quickly agreed that as soon as possible they would resolve how to treat these people as a group. "We agree with your assessment," chimed in Maureen, Aoife, Siobhan and Erica. The comment startled Sarah's clan. "My apologies for inviting myself into the link," said Erica. "I started to reach out to you so this very issue could be raised. It apparently jelled in my mind last night enough so I could express my feelings. It is pleasing to know we all feel the same way." She shivered in pleasure. "We probably should apologize for intruding as well," said Maureen, Aoife and Siobhan. "Each of us saw the activity and were curious." "Please there is nothing to apologize for from any of you," said Sarah's clan. "We sensed Maureen, Siobhan and Aoife in the bond. We also felt, Erica, Star and Donna participating as well. We also sense a certain amount of excitement from Star and Donna. Hmm, tho it doesn't seem to be about last night, but it is about our situation." "Yes you picked up on it," Star and Donna conveyed to them. "While we were preparing for today, we found some devices that were used to detect intruders in space. We are a bit embarrassed that we didn't consider them earlier. However when we found them, we realized that with some programming changes they could be placed around all the locations to detect intruders. The ship's engineering AI with the assistance of a few robots and crews have configured all the devices we think we need immediately. And they are now in place and sending us data." "Congratulations," chorused the group. "How well are they working? How are you sharing the data?" "They seem to be working quite well. When they detect an intruder, they can assess what it is and approximate its intent. They also can detect minute changes in the environment around them. We placed them fairly rapidly. The initial data was a bit overwhelming but that quickly settled down. Each sends only changes to surroundings back to us and to the nearest robots or drones. It flags changes it sees as not benign." "Wow. This will really assist us today when the teams to go out to contact the other candidates." The warmth of their appreciation flowed from them to all that were involved through the participants' link with Star and Donna. Part of the crew was startled as it was the first time they had felt such a sincere sense of appreciation from anyone not in direct contact with them. "Aren't we lucky to have had them join us," chimed in Jim, Amy, Betsy and Connie. "We would like to take credit for finding them, but I feel others had a hand in it." All of them sensed a confirmation of their comment. "Thank you," said Sarah's clan. "We sense the number present in this link has grown considerably and we are not sure why. We are as glad to be with you as you have expressed about us. We expect we will travel many miles together but first we have some urgent tasks before us. For now we need everyone to focus on resolving our immediate tasks before we can relax very much." "While we are in this link, we should share with you some other things. We feel that we will have further contact with this group. Some parts of that contact are expected to be heart wrenching in what we see and find. We do feel that in the end it will be resolved to everyone's benefit." "A powerful drug was given to the last group last night that left them so they would readily agree to do anything they were told too. This drug when followed by two drugs more makes the person very compliant and willing to do any instruction given to them. The person will still think and feel, but they have no resistance to any instruction, even if what they are told to do threatens their own life. Once the full series is given, we don't believe there is anyway to reverse it." "Thankfully, we found them before the second step was taken. All of them are well and have recovered as are Maureen and Brandan." "We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to choose how, where and what they do as LONG as it harms no one else. When multiple people interact it must be done within the boundaries, choices and actions they have willingly agreed too. No one should be forced to do anything against their knowing will. As a society we will endeavor to protect the weak from the strong." "We were not intending to make a speech, but we seem to be. So as a final thought we hope and pray that the Gods and Goddesses will aid and guide us in dealing with them." A strong positive feeling reflected through the thoughts of those connected in thought. Sarah's clan felt their friend from the ship tell them well said and you have the support of everyone. Their exercising had completed, as the discussion had finished. Joyce noticed the time and said, "We need to hurry a bit as breakfast will start very soon and we should be there to meet the new candidates." With that they hurriedly took their showers, to finish their morning freshening up. They managed to arrive at the dining room just before the new guests arrived for breakfast. ------- While Sarah's clan was reviewing last evening, Briana and Jean's clan were getting ready to return to the resort. Briana went to wake up Leann's clan while Jean's clan was letting their milk down and doing their exercises. As soon as she knocked on the door it was opened. "Good morning," said Briana. "I hope all of you slept well. We will need to leave for the resort in about an hour if you are going with us." "Oh, were going with you," said LeAnn. Her comment was re-enforced by several yes and positive nods. "We are not sure what it means, but many of us had dreams last night. In all of our dreams, many of the people we saw last night in the presentations were in them. We maybe techies or nerds, but you must follow your intuition." Several responded with laughter at her comment. Briana threw her arms around LeAnn hugging her tight. After she kissed her, she gave everyone else a hug with a kiss. "I am so glad you decided to check out the idea and opportunity of being part of our crew." She was bubbling with enthusiasm and excitement. Briana helped them get ready. Once everyone was ready, she gave them a quick tour of the ship before they went to the hanger to board the shuttle. Jean's clan met them at the shuttle with Briana's friends. As the shuttle moved out of the hanger, Briana asks the pilot to make a loop around the ship so everyone could see it. ------- Chapter 53 Sarah's clan visited with the new arrivals as they waited for everyone to arrive for breakfast. As they met with each of them, they expressed their appreciation about them coming to investigate the opportunity. They went to greet Briana and Jean's clans as soon as they arrived, giving each of them a hug to express their thanks for helping out the previous evening. All of them blushed slightly in response to the praise. Briana introduced her friends and Leann's group to those around them. Even though Briana's and Leann's groups had seen the video of Sarah's clan, seeing them up close was initially both intimidating and overwhelming. This was their first experience being around people taller than themselves. Both groups soon relaxed. Sarah's clan thanked them for deciding to stay and learn more about them and the ship. Leann said, "Last night all of us had dreams which were very favorable to our accepting this opportunity." As they separated to visit with others, Briana said, "Leann's group is really easy to work with. Both Jean and her had enjoyed being with them." Briana, her friends, and Jean's clan went as a group to visit with the others. Jean and Briana together said to Sarah's clan, "Leann is afraid they will follow her lead, without really considering the implications to themselves. She is planning on staying, and is a strong telepath." Judy said, "She should see that Betsy is aware of Leann's concern for her group of friends." Just then, Ann announced breakfast was ready and people began to line up. "Siobhan, do you know whether or not Shannon's group was given the same information you were the first evening?" "Oh, no. I don't think so. Nancy was with them when I left them last night. Sarah and Alison, will you sit with me and Conan? I will try to get them together at a group of tables." Siobhan and Conan then went to each of the groups and asked them to join them at a set of tables. Soon, they were all seated together. There were several questioning looks, noticing the way the group was arranged. Once everyone was seated Siobhan began, "Please eat. We have a couple of things we need to share with you. The first night we were here, Sarah and Amy's clans provided us with a detailed presentation on this society's background and a description of some physical differences between you and them." "We think it is important for you to see those presentations, as they form a basis for understanding the current crew members. We would also like to be with you when you see them, but our assistance may be needed right after breakfast for another project. So we would like to postpone the presentations until right before lunch, " continued Conan. Sarah was impressed with the growing link between them. "Another presentation is planned for this evening, once more guests arrive this afternoon. We will have brief meeting after breakfast to review what we had planned for today, and you should feel free to participate." "We spent some time talking with Nancy last night, after we reached our room," said Shannon. "She told us about the resort, and asked us to stay within sight of the buildings until today. She arranged for holographic presentations in our room. The presentations were really good, but we may have missed part of them, as we were overwhelmed as to how the presentations were made. One was on the history of the ship and its crew. The other was on the physical differences, which compared Sarah's clan and crew to us. Are those the presentations you are referring to?" "Yes. That's it. Great. I think it was explained in the presentations last night that clothing is optional here or anywhere with this group. Do not feel you are required to participate, as there are physical reasons for the nudity, beyond just being comfortable. The reasons were mentioned in the presentation." "Yes. I think Nancy also told us of that option as well. We decided to start today with wraps, but I don't think they will last long for a few of us. Most of us have never been naked in a group before." "Shortly after breakfast, some of the new crew members will be going to the space ship to help with activating additional robots. Also, at that time we need all of you to see our medical staff for your physicals. Judy will most likely be there with Betsy and several others. If you decide to help on the ship, you will need the medical staff to assist you in activating your telepathic ability." "What if we don't have it? Why is it important?" Asked Lydia. "As far as we can tell all of you have the capability," said Alison. "Some will find it easier to use than will others, but with practice it should be as easy as speaking. It is important because that is the primary means of communication when working on the ship." "Oh. What's the meeting about this morning?" "My, you are your pushy self this morning," said Shannon. "I guess so," she said a bit uneasily. Several chuckled around the table. "Hey, I'm not pushy very often." This lead to everyone laughing among the group. "Lydia, what do you think the meeting is about?" Asked Sarah. "Let's see. Some of the crew is going to try and meet with other groups you are asking to consider joining the crew. The number of groups left seems to be around 15." As she finished, she became pale and tears ran down her eyes. Sarah and Alison went to her, as they saw and sensed the distress build within her. As they hugged her, tears rolled down her cheeks. Sarah looked up, "She is nearly correct in her comments. She is distressed because there are only 12 groups left to contact. We can't find the other three groups. They have vanished without a trace." "How can that be?" Asked Danny. "What happened to them?" "We are not sure. We plan on looking into it. We will share the information as soon as we find out more. I think part of the reason Lydia is crying is the same as why we were upset when we couldn't find them. Based on information Erica received last night, we suspect some of them are dead. Others have been altered before being sold at auction." Many around the table gasped. "We understand your shock and that you might be concerned about being here. As Siobhan and Conan expressed last night, and we would like to say again, you are free to leave at any time you desire. We hope you will stay for the physicals and long enough to understand the opportunity we have available. If you do leave, you will each retain a dream of being here in addition to the benefits from the physical." Having finished breakfast, Sarah and Alison picked up their plates to take them to the kitchen to be cleaned. As they left, Sarah turned back to the group, "We really hope you evaluate this opportunity before you make your decision. We don't think you will find another opportunity like this, but there are risks." Several in the group were surprised when they felt Sarah's emotions along with her comments. "Wow. I could hear what she was saying and feel her intent." Several nodded their agreement with Shannon's comment, but several looked confused. "She and her clan are working very hard not to sway our decision, but they disparately want us to stay. They want us to be positive in both mind and heart that it is our decision to be a part of the crew. They are an amazing group of people." They sat thoughtfully for a moment. "Siobhan," asked Shannon "will they tell us about last night, as more seems to have happened after we arrived. I had some dreams which were more like a horror show than anything I can remember." "Can I look?" Siobhan's question caused a strange look to flash across Shannon's face, then she nodded yes, as she realized what she meant telepathically. After a moment, Siobhan said, "Your dream shows a part of it from Maureen's perspective. There is quite a bit more. They probably won't go into a lot of detail about last night's activities, as it is after breakfast." Shannon smiled. "This society has a preference for letting you know everything you want to know. You can see any information the society has through the terminals in the library except for some of the ship's operational information. For what happened last night, I suggest you not ask to see it right after a meal." Shannon shook her head yes. Ann tapped a glass to get everyone's attention. "For the benefit of the newcomers, if you are done with breakfast, would you please take your dishes to the kitchen for us?" With that, everyone who was finished began to clear their tables. At each table, someone took the cleaning supplies and wiped the table down. All of the activity soon quieted down, and it became very quiet in the room. Sarah's clan moved to the front of the dining room, with Aoife, Maureen and Siobhan joining them. Rusty said, "Last evening, we alluded to the idea that we thought there were two more people here that would join the ship's command staff. As you can see, we have those two with us. Maureen and Siobhan have joined us as a part of the ship's command staff. We expect their status will be similar to Aoife's." "As some of you know, the program we had planned for the week has changed," said Sarah. "After today, and perhaps tomorrow, we should be back to something similar to what we planned. Both our crew members and we have a few details to take care of today regarding contacting other crew candidates. We determined yesterday that it was unwise to wait. If you just arrived and want to help that is fine, but don't feel you have to." "There will be more people here this week than originally planned, so we could be a bit crowded from time to time. Please be patient and let us know your concerns as they arise. We will do our best to see that you enjoy your time here." "Now, we have many things that we need to do today," said Sally. "Last evening gave us a heart- stopping surprise or two, as those who watched the video feed saw. Leann's group, who Maureen and Brandan went to meet last night, are here with us this morning. All seem to have recovered from the drug they were given. We are all very pleased they are here and that they have recovered so quickly. We are going to hold off about going into what happened in depth, because we have a lot to do today. The information we have is available in the library." "We are also blessed to have Briana's friends here with us, as well," said Alison They are still recovering from an ordeal they experienced, but it looks like they are progressing well. They will be spending most of their time on the ship for a while." "Before we go much further," said Rusty, "why don't we go around the room, so everyone can introduce themselves. If you want to point out a special relationship, please do so. Let's keep it brief this time. I think sometime in the next day or so we will do this in more depth. Nancy, why don't you start?" "Hi," said Nancy as she stood, "Bob is one of my spouses and Joyce is our daughter." As she mentioned Bob, he stood. With that, Bob started a daisy chain of introductions around the room. The effort relaxed the atmosphere in the room. "We have two groups we will contact this morning," said Terry. "The risk of something happening during these visits appears to be pretty high, although the activity at the two homes does appear normal. You're probably thinking: 'Yea, right.'" Several chuckled. "Well, if nothing had changed since last night I would agree with you about doubting the comments I just made. Over the last 8 months we have had many surprises. Last night was a surprise I would just as soon not see again." Several commented their agreement. "This morning we woke up to a wonderful surprise. Donna and Star found a way to augment our resources. In setting up for activating the robots, they found some defensive devices normally used as a picket line in space. With the engineering staff's help, they were able to alter some of these defensive devices for our use today. Some of the crew worked into the early morning hours modifying the devices. As of just before breakfast, they had placed them at all the locations. This even includes your homes, including the one that burned last night. These are intruder detection devices that are much more sophisticated than anything seen on earth. Each of these is data-linked to us, along with the active drones and robots. We have moved all our active robots, so that we have one or two at each of your residences and at the residences we will visit this morning." A burst of applause saluted the effort by the crew. "With this shifting of robots, we have none here. Our security here is being handled by the lions and some intruder detection devices. This is also true for the enclave. At another location, we are only using the intruder detection devices. "We need 12 pairs of people to visit these groups," said Joyce. "Rusty will ask for volunteers in a few moments. We also need help on the ship to activate more robots. Donna and Star have prepared a set of instructions and a training video for those who want to help. Shuttles will leave for the ship shortly after this meeting is over." "Safety is an absolute must," said Jill and Janet. "Anyone assisting with this must have completed their physical assessment and have enabled their telepathic abilities. Use of your telepathic ability is not critical to this project." "We will need other assistance here, as well," said Judy. "If there are EMT's in the group and you want to fulfill that role today, see Betsy, Connie or myself. The capability of the equipment we have is significantly better than anything I have ever worked with before coming here. A number of the procedures for giving medical care are different as well. We can provide you with a 2 hour training session. This training session will fully qualify you to assist. This 2 hour session would be approximately equivalent to a 3 month course on earth. Anyone wishing to go beyond that level of training, please tell us." "For security this afternoon, we will set up six support teams," said Erin. "Tara, Alison, Erica, Claudette, Amy and I will each lead a team of six. If you would like to assist, see us, we will meet on the patio once we are done in here. Prior training is not necessary, as the training is computer-based and very efficient. Amy, Terry and Sally will train you this morning. Once your training is completed, you will be competent in the use of the equipment, and it will seem as if you had been actively using it for some time. There is a definite risk of injury participating in this, but we feel it is quite low. If you have martial arts experience, it will help, but is not required. To give you a few details, we will all wear a tactical suit. The suit has a built-in AI that assists all of your responses. It provides a significant amount of protection as well. They are really neat." Her enthusiasm caused a few chuckles. "Claudette, Tara, Alison, and I will be on standby while the contacts are being made this morning. I've talked too long. Sally and Terry would normally participate, but their tummies won't fit the suits, though I just don't understand why." Everyone laughed. Sally and Terry stuck their tongue's out at Erin, causing more laughter. "For this morning, I would like to pick the contact persons," said Rusty. "Would Conan and Eileen form one team and Brandan and Briana the second team?" Both stood and nodded yes. "Good. Okay, who would like to be on the other teams?" More than enough stood. He looked at Joyce and nodded. "Okay we have a few more than we think we need. But I want all of you to meet with Nancy and Joyce in here after we finish. They will provide you with the details they have on each group, and show you replays of the previous first contact meetings." "Okay, when we dismiss those who want to help on the ship should go to the shuttle. Those wanting to help as EMT's see Judy. Those needing physicals go with Betsy and Connie. Those for security meet on the patio with Amy, Terry and Sally. If you have questions, ask any of us. Let's do it," said Sarah. "As we did last evening, there will be live feeds in the recreation room for those who wish to watch. For everyone else, enjoy the relaxation." With that, everyone moved to the areas of interest to them. Jean's clan took Briana's friends on a tour of the resort. Briana's friends planned on going back to the shuttle later in the morning for more medical treatments. The two new groups, Leann's and Shannon's followed Betsy to the medical area. Donna had set up two more autodocs to do the physicals. Connie reviewed with Jessica and Mary how to operate the autodocs for the physicals. While they were doing this, the new guests became acquainted. After only a short time, Jessica and Mary started them through the autodocs. Shortly after they completed the evaluations, the autodocs gave them an overview of the results and asked them to stay in the area. While the physicals were in progress, Connie and Betsy set up a consultation area to assist the guests in activating their telepathic ability. They carefully went over the procedures for protecting themselves and how to limit their connections. The last thing covered were the rules for interacting telepathically. Judy joined them, after she had the new EMT's setup with the training aids in an adjoining area. Once they were done, Betsy asked all of them to accompany her to the conference room. Judy, Connie, Jessica and Mary followed along behind. As they walked over, Donna relayed to them the results from the physicals. No one had any immediate needs, but several needed treatment soon. As they entered the room, Betsy motioned for all of them to have seats. "We need to have a consultation with several of you this morning," said Betsy. A look of panic spread across the group. "Wait. Don't jump to conclusions. Okay?" They all nodded, even though they didn't relax. "First, my wording tends to be blunt, as it is based more on definition than on context. Now, we are aware that all of you do not have any living family members. In fact, you probably consider those in your group to be your family, even though you may not have said it. This is one of the reasons your group is so important to you." "We have two groups here. So now for the pregnant question." Several gasp. "No one is pregnant. Bad choice of words, if you jump to conclusions." Several laughed. "We need to discuss with several of you some medical issues we found during your physical. Due to your relationship to one another, we are suggesting that the consultations be done with the whole group here. Judy will give each of you a piece of paper on which will be a yes or no. A yes will mean we need to have a consultation with you." "Once the slips have been handed out if you want the group's support during the consultation, stand and ask. Okay?" Everyone nodded. "Now the second part is more difficult. We have two groups here, so the question is, do we split up or not?" Everyone looked around at who was there. Judy noticed that the people in the two groups had mixed when they sat down. "Okay, you are probably wondering how to do this right." Several nodded. "Okay. Each of you direct a thought to me saying 'all' if you want to stay as a single group." She paused as she counted responses. "Now those that would like to separate say 'yes'." She paused a moment. She wasn't sure she heard everyone. "It seems everyone would like to stay as a single group. Now if you change your mind, don't ask us in here for the results. Okay?" With that Judy passed out the slips. After a few moments, Betsy asked for the first volunteer. It was a few moments before Lydia stood, looking a bit uneasy. "Are you sure?" Asked Betsy. She nodded. Betsy hesitated, then "You have had quite a few broken bones and several of those did not heal correctly. There is also some damage to your backbone." Lydia nodded that she knew that. The two sitting next to her hugged her. Lydia's eyes were full of tears. "You also have several minor tumors. The most serious issues are the skeletal problems. They can be fixed, but will take several months. The treatment will have several significant side effects. The tumors can be taken care of with almost no effort as soon as you want to." "As soon as you can, let's remove the tumors. What happens if I don't take care of the skeletal problems?" "We can take care of the tumors tomorrow morning, if today goes smoothly. For the skeletal issues perhaps nothing, but not likely, as the autodocs project that with time, you will become more and more crippled. These types of injuries quite often result in accelerating bone loss, which makes them fragile and prone to injury. Even now, you have problems sometimes." Lydia gasped, as she thought she had hid it well. "The only solution we have currently is a genetic virus treatment. Think about it, as it has some side effects that could limit your future choices. We can talk more about it later." "Why not tell me the side effects now?" Demanded Lydia. "You're sure?" She nodded. "Okay. The most apparent effect will be that you will gain features similar to mine. The most obvious ones are hair, tail and feet. Those may make it hard for you to mix with people on earth. The other changes will be arousal sensitivity, vision, tongue, bust, and the vaginal area." "Thank you. I understand your reluctance, as you think it will queer my honest assessment on staying here." "Very perceptive. Yes, that is our concern." "I think my decision about joining this crew was made before I arrived." "Let's talk about it later this week. Okay?" "Yes." "Next?" Lydia's was the most severe issue, in terms of how it would affect her future if left untreated. The others had tendencies toward developing cancer, and several had other chronic illnesses. As they each took their turn, they asked to have the necessary treatments to correct their medical issues. Betsy told them they would schedule them later in the week. If the group decided to return to earth society, arrangements would be made so they could stay until the treatments were complete. Several asked if receiving the genetic virus treatments was an option if they stayed. Betsy told them it was possible, as long as certain criteria were met but that the choice should be left until after they made their decision. As they got ready to leave the conference room, Danny said, "When could we go to the ship?" Judy told them there would be a shuttle available shortly that could take them to the ship, but they also could relax and enjoy the resort if they wanted to. Kerry and Leann decided to relax at the pool, as they had spent the night on the ship, and quite a few followed them out to the pool. Shannon, Danny and Lydia went to find the shuttle, along with several others. Betsy, Connie, Judy, Jessica and Mary stayed behind to review the results of the physicals and consultations they had just been through. Judy expressed her surprise at everyone wanting to do the consultations together. Betsy said she wasn't, because they all did their physicals together, and in watching them she saw they were showing strong signs of bonding as at least friends. She thought that all of them would decide to stay. In fact, she thought all of them had already decided. They hesitated because they wanted to see more of the opportunity and were reluctant to share their decision with the others in their group at this time. Judy asked her if she had been peeking at their thoughts, because she sounded so sure. Betsy responded harshly that she didn't need to. Judy went to her and hugged her. "Betsy, my comment was meant to be in jest. I didn't do it well. Please accept my apologies." "I knew as soon as I spoke you were jesting. Your apology is not needed but accepted, if you will accept mine." "Deal. I think that in reality," said Judy thoughtfully, "all of us could sense their feelings as a group. It was clear, even before Lydia spoke up, that she intended to stay before she even arrived." "We agree," they said. "I guess I did not recognize my perception, at first. Can you normally sense others intentions? Or am I becoming more comfortable with our abilities around new people?" "Yes. We do it all the time around those we know. It is part of our communication with each other. Most of the time we don't notice it. It will be much more apparent around people you are unfamiliar with. We are always wary if the person seems a void or empty. That is usually an indication they are shielding their thoughts. They could be doing it unintentionally. So we are always cautious in those cases." ------- Sarah's clan focused on the two couples going out this morning to meet candidates. Before the two couples had left, they told them they preferred to be linked with them until they were on their way back. They would only do that as long as there were no objections. None were sensed. After last night's experience, they had decided to take make some changes in the logistics. The security team would take the couples and drop them off near the home they were to visit. This would let them walk to the home. The shuttle would then move over the home, so the security team could actively watch the area while they were there. Even though the shuttles were cloaked, the security team could see the area surrounding the home. Conan and Eileen felt they were being watched as they walked up to the house. As soon as they stepped on the porch, the front door was opened by two smiling women. They were motioned to come inside before they could say anything. Once in the entry, the women said, "Follow us, everyone is waiting on the patio." They followed the women to the back of the house and then onto the patio where the group had gathered. A cloaked robot had entered with Conan and Eileen. She closed the door, locking it before following Conan and Eileen. The group looked to Conan and Eileen expectantly. "All of us, I believe had very similar dreams last night. Those dreams conveyed the idea that it was very important for us to meet you," said the redhead. She stood up and walked over to Conan and Eileen looking them over carefully as she did so. After she walked around them, she went back closer to her group. Conan had carefully watched her thoughts as she had looked them over. "There are microphones and cameras monitoring the patio," said the robot. "Disable them," said Conan and Eileen. "Then check the house." Breaking the silence, he said "Hi, my name is Conan, and this is Eileen. Judging by your comments and the way you looked us over, you expected someone else." They were quiet for a moment, then the redhead spoke up, "Hi, I'm Muireann. Yes, our dreams were so similar and vivid that we made a sketch of the people we saw." She held it up. Conan and Eileen were startled, as the sketches were of Aoife, Alison, Siobhan and Maureen. In the sketch, the difference between Alison and the others was clearly visible. "They are all friends of ours," said Eileen. "In fact, we went to school with one of them. The other three we just met several days ago. The taller one may join us while we are here." "Due to the fact all of our dreams were so similar, we decided to wait for you to come. We are all going to a remote wilderness lodge in the woods for a long quiet weekend." "See if you can get her to tell you more about the lodge," asked Sally with a bit of edge in her thought. "That sounds like a great weekend outing. Is this something you do often?" "No. Actually we have never done anything like this as a group. We won the weekend at the lodge by participating in a survey. We almost didn't complete the survey, as it asked a lot of very personal questions, but the information wasn't particularly private. For completing it, our group was entered into the drawing for a free three-day weekend at a lodge." "It must be quite a ways from here, as I don't know of any wilderness lodges near here." "You're right. It is a four-hour drive and we wanted to be there this afternoon before sunset." Conan had watched their thoughts as they talked about the lodge. He could sense Sarah's clan and Siobhan's concern in the connection with him. He was surprised that they shared their vision as well as thoughts. He was careful to hide the unease that he sensed from Sarah's clan. "What do they have there, that makes it so enticing?" Muireann looked around at the group, "It is very isolated and has a lake where we can swim. When they sent us the directions, it included a DVD movie showing us the location." Muireann remembered that the women in her dream were nude. "The best part is we can be naked the whole time we are there." "Muireann, you did not have to tell that part," said a woman. "Why not? Most of the people in the dream were naked. Okay, let's talk about why you are here." Conan and Eileen then told them of the offer. They showed them the ship in response to a question. Then described how it came to be there and in general terms the repairs that need to be done. They offered for one of those in the sketch to visit. "There have been several people watching our house since just before we returned the survey. Do you know anything about them? Are they part of your group?" "No. We noticed them when we walked up the street. They seemed to be very interested in us as we walked toward the house, but tried to hide it." "Good," came the comment from several in the group. "We sensed that you were not like them." "Several times one or two of them have followed us when we left." "How soon do we have to decide? Several of us would like to talk it over while we enjoy our weekend in the woods." "As long as you want. Can I ask you when the alarm system was installed?" "It was here when we returned last fall. As a group, we have lived in this house for three years now. It changed owners last summer, and the new owner installed it before we returned at the beginning of the school year." "Are you aware that all the sensors are equipped with cameras and microphones?" Said Conan. "What? How do you know that?" "We have seen similar systems in several other crew candidates homes. In those systems, the bedrooms were covered by several cameras and microphones, even in the bathroom." "I don't believe it. Why would anyone do that?" "The fucking perverts," said several rather loudly. "We may have been presumptuous, but we disabled the microphones and cameras here on the patio shortly after we arrived. The cameras and microphones in the rest of the house are still active, but can be disabled if you desire. If that is done, you will receive a call from the alarm company, trying to determine if everything is okay and wanting to service the system." Muireann looked at her friends for a moment and around the patio, then said, "I didn't see either of you do anything, but do it. Dam assholes." She looked a bit disbelieving. "I find it very disturbing that we have been watched for the last several months. Those perverts have probably posted pictures of us nude on the Internet." Her eyes were seething in anger. "We have a robot assistant with us, who is cloaked at the moment. She has just deactivated enough of the microphones and cameras to raise a response from the security company." "Where is the robot?" Just then the robot de-cloaked next to Conan on the patio. Several gasped at her appearance. She was nude and in the form of a very lovely young lady, with a stature similar to Eileen or Siobhan. Before anything could be said, the phone rang. A man pressed the speaker button to answer. It was the alarm company asking if everything was okay. He said they were just fine and he was surprised they called. The alarm company indicated several room sensors failed in a short period of time. They said they would send a service crew out this afternoon to repair them before hanging up the phone. "Which ones did you disable?" "Only the ones out here initially, then the ones in first floor bedrooms. They all contained cameras and microphones," said the robot. The group had very surprised expressions, as they listened to the robot answer the question. The expressions of irritation turned to anger. "It certainly clear now that those assholes have been spying on us. What some people won't do." "Is every one of your group here?" Asked Eileen. "No. One couple left very early this morning. They were to be the advance party at the lodge. They should be there in about an hour, maybe less." "Would you give me the directions for the lodge?" Asked Conan, his anxiety was now clearly showing in his voice. Eileen placed her hand on his shoulders. "Conan, Alison will be with you in a minute," said Terry. "She is placing two cloaked robots in front of the house and is sending everyone else on the shuttle to check out the lodge." One of the women gave him the directions for the lodge. Just then Alison walked out through the kitchen door, carrying the helmet of her tactical suit. Several gasped as she stepped through the door. Seeing their looks, she said, "Oh, I didn't mean to frighten you. I'm Alison the tall one in your sketch. I don't normally wear one of these suits, as I am much more comfortable nude, like Muireann would prefer to be right now." "You got that right. How did you know?" "Can I answer that later?" Muireann hesitated, then nodded her agreement. Alison turned to the robot, "Bring the alarm system down so it causes a fault in their office." The robot paused for a moment. "They will need to replace just the recorders, if they can put the fire out in time," said the robot. "How did you do that?" Asked the guy sitting in the back. The robot looked at Alison and she nodded. "I used the connection with their system to initiate a system fault in their receiver. The fault cascaded, causing a circuit to fail and putting 240 volts on the 5 volt circuit. That, in turn, caused a short in the receiver delivering the full line voltage to the other circuit components, starting a small fire. So, I suspect they are quite busy at the moment." "What's going on?" Muireann's concern showed on her face. Several of her friends showed similar concern. "Muireann and friends, you heard the offer Conan and Eileen made earlier. We have been meeting other groups to make them the same offer in the last week. On several of those visits, we have seen some strange activity around the groups we contacted and had some unpleasant surprises. Today, we are acting based on the similarity between your comments about the survey, the watchers out front, and the other things that have happened to other groups. No others have won a weekend at a remote lodge, but several had cameras in their house. These circumstances have caused us to be concerned for your safety. "If we are wrong, we will be very embarrassed but pleased you are safe. We suspect you would have similar concerns if you were in our shoes and that you would have responded in a similar manner." Many of the group had thoughtful looks on their faces. "If you want us to stop or leave, just say so and we will," said Eileen. "No, I don't think any of us want you to leave. Alison, I at least agree with your concern," said Muireann. "I think we are all taken aback by the quickness with which our comfort level has changed. Maybe evaporated is a better word." "Before I came in, I sent my colleagues out to check out the lodge where you were going to stay," said Alison. "They will arrive there in a few moments. Once they arrive, they will provide us with live video of the site. Can we go into the living room or family room to watch it?" Soon a hologram materialized in the middle of the room, showing the grounds and the lodge. "That looks just like the place we saw in the video," said a member of the group. Several had looks of amazement on their faces as they looked at the holographic display. They saw that there were several people near the front of the house. As the camera brought them closer, they were shocked to see two men and 6 women were naked except for collars and cuffs on their ankles and wrists. Each ankle and wrist cuff were connected together with a short chain. In the background you could see several out buildings. One appeared to have an attached kennel. While they were watching, four more women were led out of the house naked. Each of their heads had been shaved. Their wrist and ankle chains were connected by another chain, which fastened to their collars. Two of them had large red welts on their backs and legs. "This looks like the lodge we saw on the DVD, but are you sure this is our lodge?" Asked a woman. "We think so, as we followed the directions you gave us. We didn't actually drive them, so there is the possibility of an error." The view followed the people as they were led by their leashes to the building with the adjoining kennel. In the building, four women were waiting. The camera was closer now and it was now clear that the women were weeping. The view split, with one view of the women in the barn and a view of the lodge. "Why don't they react to the camera?" Said Mauireen. "Oh, you have a robot there carrying the camera." "Yes, we have several robots there on the grounds. There are several others in the shuttle, ready to assist as needed. We think they are going to humiliate these women more than they already are. But they won't physically do any more to them, because it will affect their value." "Oh, my," came the comment. "What do you mean by value?" "We suspect that this group is sending the people who come to the lodge to slave auctions after several days. The marks and their body language imply that they suffered some abuse in the house." "Hey, two of those women are from school," exclaimed a group member. "They were in several of my classes." "Yes, I ate lunch with them several weeks ago," said another. "They were happy, as they had found a summer job modeling clothes at a resort. They were supposed to go for training last week. The part that really made them happy was that everyone in their group had been hired." "Are those red marks what I think?" Alison paused a moment, "Those appear to be abrasions from being whipped." Several gasped. "Judging by the marks, probably from a strap or flogger." They watched as each women was led one by one into another portion of the room that lay behind a heavy metal fence that reached to the ceiling. Inside, they were forced to kneel on pads, spreading their legs. A strap was placed over each leg, securing them on the knee pads keeping them spread. The ankle cuffs were locked to rings on the floor, spreading their feet even wider. Next, they were pushed forward, forcing them to bend a the waist until their shoulders and chest rested on a T shaped pad. Straps were looped over each shoulder and tightened, holding them in place. The only support they each had for their head was a cushioned bar to lay their forehead against. A bowl was positioned under their head with a small pipe sticking up out of it next to their mouth. The women who had secured the 10 of them left. The men were lashed to the screen, so they could see their friends ordeal. Soon, another woman came into the cage with a tray of syringes. They watched as she gave each woman a large shot from a syringe in each ass cheek. She then forced a large dildo up into their assholes. She had difficulty with several of the women, until she whipped their ass until it was bright red. After that, they did not resist the dildo being forced up their ass. The group became restless watching the activities. Several moaned in sympathy, as they saw the dildos sink into their asses. She then went to the men and caressed their cocks until they hardened. A ring was fastened around each cock, just behind the head and at the base. A wire was attached to each ring, then plugged into a box. Next, she took a syringe and made several injections into their cocks. They could see the men scream in pain each time a needle penetrated their cock. "What are they doing to them?" "The rings look like they are connected to something similar to a 'TENS' device. When activated it will send electricity through their cock, most likely to stimulate it." "Can't we stop this?" "We need to wait for your friends to arrive, so we know where they are." "Okay, but I hope it's soon. That must be awful." "There are worse things." The woman who had given them the shots went back to the bound women and made them drink and eat from the fountains. Several women refused at first. She whipped them until they began to suck on the fountains. After that the women left, latching the gate, a gate opened connecting the cage to the kennel run. A Great Dane came into the cage, followed by several large labs. They went around and sniffed at each of the women, drawn by their odor. It wasn't long until several women were squirming, as the dogs began licking their cunts. A dog mounted the woman he had been licking and drove his cock fully into her cunt, causing her to scream. He began to fuck her. Soon all the women had been mounted by a dog. There were more dogs standing around sniffing and licking the women. All of their cocks were partially extended from their sheaths. They were undisturbed by the crying women. In the other camera view, they could see a car coming up the driveway. "That looks like our friends car. It is our friends." They watch as the car pulled up to the lodge. One of the women seen earlier came out to meet the car, wearing a very thin revealing dress. She was one of those who had led the women out to the building with the cage. They watched them talk for a bit. Another woman wearing only a shirt tied across her large breasts brought out drinks for everyone. They sat on the porch and talked for a bit. Their two friends soon started to nod. Their drinks fell from their hands, and they slumped over on to the porch. They watched as two more women come out, along with two men. They put cuffs and collars on their friends. After giving each a shot, they lifted them up, with one arm on each side and an arm over their shoulder they dragged them to the back of the house. They lay them on the ground and fastened their wrist cuffs to a cable. Their ankle cuffs are fastened to posts in the ground, spreading their legs. "Please do something." When the couple began to recover from the drug they were given, they were lifted up by their arms until their feet just touched the ground. Opening their eyes, they see the two women who greeted them standing there holding large knives, with the others standing watching them. Before the couple can say anything, the four women strip them of their clothes. The man begins to scream at them, and the woman cries. A man picked up the woman's panties and stuffed them in the bound man's mouth. He told the other man something and he left, returning shortly with another collar and a scalpel. The collar had a round metal tube protruding from the inside. The four women ignored the couple's comments. They squeezed the woman's tits and pulled on her nipples. They sucked on her nipples until she was aroused. One began to finger her cunt until the clit had hardened. The restrained woman was crying as she was fondled. One of the women turned to the man and began to stroke his cock and fondle his balls. Once they have both aroused, two women picked up whips, stepping to the side of the restrained couple. "When you agree to do everything we tell you to do, you will be released," said the man. "Do you?" "NO," responded the woman, and the man nodded his head no. With that the women drew back the arms holding the whips, preparing to begin. As they swung the whips forward, four people materialized around them, startling everyone. The hands holding the whips dropped to the ground still gripping the whip handles, severed from the women's' arms. One man reached for a gun, only to see his hand fall to the ground with the gun. They stunned the rest before they could react. Their two friends had closed their eyes, anticipating being hit with the whip. Hearing the screams they opened their eyes, and were startled by four others standing there. Their expressions clearly indicated they were scared by changes around them. The woman continued to quietly cry. The man was also clearly upset. They saw the four new arrivals with weapons. The group who strung them up were on the ground. Three of them were missing a hand. The man started to speak then stopped. All that was heard was a moan, as his mouth was still filled with her panties. "Just relax, we will get you down in a moment," said Tara. The couple watched as those on the ground were roughly bound. Their feet and elbows were bound together. A rope was then looped around their neck and down their back then tied to their ankles and pulled up behind their ass. "Search the house, but be careful... there are a couple of more in there." Tara turned toward the camera, "Alison, could you have someone talk to the couple." She then reached over and pulled the cloth from the man's mouth. "Muireann, would you tell your friends they are okay," said Alison. "Yes. Oh, yes." "Okay look at me and say what you want to say." As Muireann began to speak to Alison, a hologram of her appeared in front of her friends. All of them were shocked seeing the hologram of Muireann. She talked to them soothingly, until they calmed down. Muireann told them they had the visit from those they had dreamed about. In learning more about the people in the dream, they found out that the lodge weekend was not what it was supposed to be. Tara and her friends were there to help them. While they were there they would look for any other captives held at the lodge. There was much more to tell, but all they need to do now was listen to Tara or her friends and they would see them very shortly. Trust your senses or intuition." While Muireann was talking to her friends, part of the rescue team went into the house. They found two large rooms on the first floor. One room had several bondage devices along with a whipping post and frame. Along the wall hung numerous whips, nipple clamps, and other implements of torture. The other room had a large bed and an examination table in it. Both rooms had multiple cameras and lights for filming. Upstairs they found beds where the staff had apparently been staying. Each bed was fitted with restraints. Downstairs they found a killing room with two dismembered bodies laying on the table, apparently waiting to be put in the cooler. Two butchers were cleaning up their tools at the sink. One of the rescuers asked, "What do you think you are doing?" The two turned on hearing the strange voices, with knives in their bloody hands. The rescuer's weapons flashed. The butchers screamed as their hands, still holding the knives, dropped into the sink. Their screams brought two women running out of the cooler, both of whom were immediately stunned. The rescuers delved into the minds of the four people. Each had joined the group knowing what they would be doing. After they arrived, the organization had worked on their minds so they had complete control of their willful actions. The mental rearrangement left little in the way of personality or thought processes. Two robots were left in the killing room to take care of the butchers and their assistants. Outside, the team let Muireann's friends down. Once released, they were helped to the shuttle by two robots. Tara and the other crew members then went to release the women from the cages. It took them a while to get the dogs out of the cages and then release the women. Each of their minds were probed to determine their condition and stability. They found the women were aware of their surroundings, but had been drugged so they would follow instructions as they were used in the bondage and sex films. Tara's crew carefully removed the collar and cuffs from the women. All of them were taken to the showers, so they could wash up. While the women were washing up, they released the men from their bindings, then sent them to the showers. The tormented men and women eyed one another carefully at first, before two of the women went toward one man. He grimaced as he saw them come toward him, but broke down and cried as they hugged him. Once they had completed their showers, Tara asked them to come with her, and walked with them out toward the shuttle. When the group saw the shuttle, they hesitated a moment. Each of them looked over the shuttle, Tara and the robots. Tara extended a hand to one woman. Once they touched, her expression changed as she stepped closer to Tara. She pulled at Tara's hand toward the shuttle, and they all resumed their walk toward it. On entering, they had each of them to sit down and relax. Their expressions showed they were all uneasy, but the stark terror in their expressions had diminished. The couple from Muireann's group was a bit nervous. One of the robots got each of them a drink and a snack while they waited for the other robots to return. Tara was surprised to find the two men mentally in worse shape than the women who were restrained in the cage. The women had received more attention and abuse, while the men had been drugged, then driven into abusing and torturing the women they loved. Knowing what they were doing and not being able to stop, caused more mental pain than the women received from the abuse. This was compounded by being forced to watch as the dogs raped the women, as large mechanical dildos rapped their asses and the TENS unit kept their cocks rock hard. Tara's crew took the women 'flesh peddlers'' out to the cage and fastened them to the benches. Each woman was injected with the drugs they had used on the women captives earlier. The men were taken to an area outside, where they apparently fed the dogs some of the fresh meat. The robots dumped the stunned men onto the remains of others that had been dumped there. Before they left, each was given a shot to block voluntary muscle control. Several dogs came over and started gnawing on a man's leg before the robots were out of sight. While Tara was busy, one of the robots inoculated all the women in the cage and the meat in the locker so they were virus carriers. As soon as the gate was opened for the dogs, they entered and began to lick the women. As the robots closed the outer gate, the dogs had already begun to fuck them. Once everyone was on the shuttle, it lifted off and headed back to pick up those at Muireann's house. On the trip back, Tara discussed the lodge situation with her spouses. She wanted to somehow get law enforcement to investigate. When they sifted through the minds of the four people in the killing room, they found there was supposed to be a pickup today. The group had been expecting a truck to pick the meat and the people for auction by noon today. With that, they decided to have a passerby call police when the truck arrived. At Muireann's house the hologram had disappeared once their friends were on the shuttle. Everyone sat there very quietly, with thoughtful expressions on their faces. "I don't think I want to go to the lodge," said Evelyn and several chuckled. "No, let me rephrase that... I dam well don't want to go to the lodge. There idea of fun is not mine." With that everyone roared with laughter, breaking the dismal mood. "But, I would like to try the resort Conan and Eileen offered." Several nodded their heads in agreement. "We don't know anything, other than what they have told us, but I have never been in the presence of three people whom I was so immediately comfortable with." Some if not all said, "Yes." "How soon can we go? I am now very uncomfortable in this house." asked Muireann. "And what do we need to bring?" "Well, we can leave as soon as the shuttle is here, which should be well before you are ready. You can bring as little or as much as you want too. The resort really has everything you will need." "Most who have been at the resort for a day or two generally only wear a robe or a wrap, if they wear anything," said Eileen. "For me it is very different, but at the same time it is also very comfortable. The other thing is; nudity is not required. In fact, forcing anyone to go against their desires is strongly frowned on." She had hardly finished speaking before they were going to their rooms. Tara told Alison they were in the backyard. As they came back into the living room, Alison, Conan and Eileen showed them where the shuttle was. The shuttle door was only visible if you stood in one position on the patio. As soon as everyone was on board, the door closed and the shuttle lifted, leaving two robots to monitor the house. Both robots had altered their appearance to closely resemble two of the women who lived in the house. They would take turns leaving and returning, to maintain the homes lived-in appearance. As they entered the shuttle, the group rejoiced that their two friends were safely with them again. The episode at the lodge had scared them more than any were willing to admit. It also made them aware of how much they loved one another. Quite a few in Muireann's group knew the ten women found at the lodge. Not well, but well enough for them to relax in their new surroundings. The two rescued men had relaxed some, after each of the women captives had spent some time with each of them. They had hugged and talked some, but it was apparent it would take time before their love for each other overcame their experiences. Betsy was notified through Sarah's clan that the twelve would be arriving, and that they would most likely need special care and probably some counseling. The two men in the group were of special concern. Betsy and Judy were waiting for the shuttle when it landed. They quickly evaluated everyone, then sent Muireann's group to visit the resort's medical center. Connie, Jessica and Mary would meet them later for a more complete examination. The rescue crew got off, except for Tara and Alison. As soon as everyone was off the shuttle, the door closed and it lifted off for the space ship. The rescued women and men looked anxiously about. Betsy and Judy spoke to each, getting them to relax while both directed thoughts of well being and security toward them. The ten women and two men watched out the window as the shuttle rose quietly from the grounds, again giving them a view of the island. They gasped as the ship continued to rise. Tara said, "You will probably find the next comments a bit hard to believe. We are going to a space ship which is near Mars. On the ship we have medical facilities that are more extensive, so Betsy and Judy can make a complete evaluation your condition. They will do their best to help you recover from your ordeal. Okay?" They all nodded. "Once you have recovered, we will bring you back to the resort where you can decide what you want to do." "If you haven't guessed, we are a little different." They nodded at that comment and several smiled. ------- Chapter 54 Brandan and Briana arrived at the house where they were to contact their group. The door opened as they approached. "Hi, we think we have been expecting you? Please come right in." They, along with one robot, followed her into the back of the house. When they reached the common room, the woman turned. "My name is Sabrina." "Hi, I'm Briana and this is Brandan. It seems you are expecting us." Several nodded. "Is everyone here this morning?" "Yes. We were able to talk one couple into waiting to start their weekend." That caused several chuckles. "Okay, I was pushier than that." Which led to more laughter. "To make it easier for our visitors, why don't we take time to introduce ourselves." The members of the group each introduced themselves and gave a little detail about themselves. "Thank you for waiting for us to arrive," said Brandan. "We know you are all anxious to start your weekend, now that school is out. A friend of ours developed a profile on your group that indicates you are good candidates for the offer we are about to make. Judging by our greeting at least one of you had a premonition of us coming to meet you." Several nodded. "First a bit about us," said Briana. "The group we went to college with received this same offer a couple of days ago. When we were told about the opportunity, we were at a crossroads in our lives. Many of us had graduated. Others had another year of school. Those who graduated were looking for jobs without much success. Those that did were not pleased with the offers, but the real reason we were unhappy was that we would be splitting up." Several nodded as she talked, indicating they were experiencing the same issues. "We would like all of you to consider joining us, as a part of the crew on a space ship," said Brandan. Several voiced disbelief at the offer. "Yes, we understand your disbelief. We had the same reaction several days ago. But, please listen to our presentation and consider it before you discount the idea." "It is true," said Briana. "There is a space ship near Mars that needs a crew. Due to an accident on the ship, it needs some extensive repair before it is fully functional again and a voyage can be made. To assist you in making this decision and to make you fully aware of the opportunity, we would like you to join us at a resort for a week. There is no cost to you. During that time, you can meet the other crew members and see the ship. For considering this offer, besides having a week at the resort to relax, you will receive an in-depth medical evaluation. If there are health issues, you will be given the opportunity to have those health issues treated. The choices are all yours, except that the medical evaluation is mandatory if you want to visit the space ship." "Due to the technology involved, and our desire to remain anonymous, if you decide not to join us, then this whole week will be remembered as if it was a dream. Although we will leave you with a means of contacting us if you change your mind and want to follow your dream. To add a bit of perspective, we just made the decision to join the crew yesterday evening." Together they went into details on the offer, the people and the opportunity to have a resort vacation while getting the details first hand. When Briana brought up a holographic display of the ship, she could hear many gasps from the group. As the talk closed, they heard Joyce tell them that they were doing a great job, and the concurrence of the other members. They paused and glanced at each other. Both were a bit surprised that they weren't interrupted with questions. The group had a look of amazement on their faces. "Do you have any questions?" Asked Briana. "Everything you have told us is consistent with our dreams. The dreams we have had about this show people who look as you describe. We find the descriptions of them amazing, as they don't look like you or us. Can we meet them first?" Asked a woman. "I presume you are referring to Sarah's clan?" Said Briana. The woman nodded. "Claudette will be at the back door momentarily. Brandan, would you go meet her." Brandan went to meet her. "Before she arrives, let me warn you that she is wearing more than she usually does. Today she is wearing what is called a tactical suit. We are very concerned about security, and she is a part of the security team supporting us today. She will be coming in from our shuttle which is at the moment sitting in your backyard." Several started to go. "Wait, you will not be able to see it at this time as it is cloaked, but you will most likely see it later." Just then Claudette walked in carrying her helmet. Her tactical suit fit her like a second skin. Several in the room whispered about how tall and pretty she appeared to be. A few noticed that she walked on the balls of her feet. Her hair was gathered to fit into a special part on the back of the suit. Her breasts and nipples were covered by the suit's built-in cups that collected her milk while she was wearing it. "Hi," said Claudette. "Thank you for asking me to visit with you before you decide. If you like, I can slide my suit off, but my preference would be to not do that, as it is not very easy to put back on immediately. Can I answer any questions?" "Why do you need the suit?" "The suit provides me with a greater ability to deflect attacks and preserve the safety of those I need to protect. It has a built-in AI that helps with its capabilities. With the assistance, I can effectively work against multiple targets. Another way to express it is that it gives me skills beyond that of a martial arts black belt or ninja. This is the first time we have needed to use these suits. They are extremely comfortable, but a little hard to get into." "Do you always stand on your toes that way?" "Yes." "How can that not hurt? I must add, it does make your legs look fantastic." Said a man. "Thank you. We stand this way because the joint you call the ankle is shaped a bit differently than yours. Our feet are longer by about 40% and wider than is normal for you. In addition to that, there are some major differences in bone size and the muscles throughout our legs and feet. We do wear shoes that are similar to women's' high heels you are familiar with sometimes." "Thank you. I suspect you can run faster than I." "Yes. I run faster now than I could before my transformation. I am originally from earth and my original stature is very similar to Briana's. The short story is I had some medical issues when I joined the group. The solution was to undergo a genetic gene therapy treatment. I like it and it feels very comfortable. To answer the question before it is asked, I am a little over 7' 6" tall." "You look fantastic and you look comfortable as well." "I have several questions, but first, thank you for coming today," said Gwendolyn. "Your openness is very refreshing and has gone a long way toward reaffirming how I felt about the dreams I have had of you." Several gasped. "Yes, I had some of the same dreams the rest of you talked about. I didn't say anything for two reasons. One, I couldn't have got a word in edgewise." Several chuckled at her comment. "Second, I didn't have anything to add. It is very unusual for several people in the same group to have nearly identical dreams. Now, do all of us have to go? And how soon can we leave?" "No, you don't all have to go," said Claudette. "It would make security easier if you did. We can leave as soon as you are ready, as our transportation is in the backyard. For security, we will leave two robots here to take care of your home while you are gone. They will adopt an appearance very similar to two of you. They will take turns coming and going, so it will look like some of you are here. Also, once at the resort, you can return at any time. All you need to do is ask. I will admit that we will try to discourage you, if it has been less than two days or your medical evaluation is not complete, but we will not keep you if you wish to leave." "What do I need to pack?" "I would suggest only the basics. The climate is warm and very comfortable, so light dresses, shorts and tops. Swim suits. Or if you prefer you don't need to wear anything. If fact, most of us never wear any covering unless our task needs it. If you get there and need something, we can provide it. All of your expenses are covered while you are there." "Let me get my things, I will be back in a moment," said Gwendolyn. As she left, Sabrina followed her. Most everyone got up and followed them, going to their rooms. Several stayed seated. Briana looked at them questioningly. One woman looked around, then said, "We live several doors down the street. Besides that, I can't wait to leave and there is nothing at the house I will miss for a week, or even longer." The others around her nodded agreement. "Would you tell us your address, so we can have the robots keep an eye on it?" "Sure." And she told where the house was located. "Oh, forgive me. My name is Caitriona and this is Clare and Dana." Briana and Brandan gave each of them a hug. When everyone returned, Briana and Brandan led them out the back to the shuttle, with Claudette and Sabrina closing up the house as they left. Once everyone was on board, the shuttle quietly lifted off. Briana suggested they look out the windows, because the views will be unlike anything they had ever seen. The new candidates hardly said a word during the short trip to the resort. When they arrived, Susan was there to meet them. Before the group left the area around the shuttle, Claudette and Erin thanked them for their trust and welcomed them to the resort. She indicated lunch would be in about an hour. "Susan will take you to check in and then show you your rooms. After lunch, we would like you to see two detailed presentation about us and the background of the ship. Following that we would like for you take the initial medical evaluation. The physical will only take you about 10 to 15 minutes each and be the most through you have ever had." With that Susan led the group off to registration, while Conan and Eileen tagged along. Claudette and Erin were thinking about taking off their suites so they could clean up, as they knew the other group was on their way back. They had hardly moved when they were requested to take the shuttle and go to the lodge. Claudette and Erin had been focusing on their tasks, so they were not actively aware of what happened with the other group. They were needed to monitor the activity at the lodge. As the shuttle lifted off, Erin and Claudette began reviewing Alison and Tara's activities. ------- Sarah's clan and Tara's rescue team discussed their plan for the truck a bit more once their shuttle left the lodge for the resort, after stopping by the candidate's house. This led them to sending Claudette's team to the lodge to watch it. Claudette's team surveyed the site when they arrived. While waiting for the truck to arrive, one of the robots started an infrared survey, looking for heat signatures in the area around the lodge. She found one building on the property showed several faint signatures similar to a warm body bent over. In each case, the image was very still. The crew queried Sarah's clan as to what was searched by the first team and how it was done. The second team watched the video recording of the first team's activity. In the building where they had found heat images, the previous group had found 18 wood crates sealed up with air freight labels on them. They decided to go down and look at the crates before the truck arrived. As they started toward the building, Claudette conferred with her spouses. "Did we see if there were any records in the house that would help us find this organization?" "No. We focused on rescuing the people. We will see if we can access the computers from here." "Star, Donna can we make duplicates of the computers they had on site." "Yes, but it will take two robots to do it. We can beam two there with the equipment they need. They will need to come back with the shuttle." "Okay. We will watch for them. I think we need to move as quickly as possible." Entering the building slowly, they looked around. The building was empty, except for the crates and packaging supplies. Claudette had the robot scan the crates with the infrared scanner. It now showed there was clearly something warm inside each of them. They couldn't find any locks or security devices on the crates. Claudette, with the help of the robots cautiously opened a crate. After pulling several pieces of foam packing out, they found a woman bound to a platform, apparently asleep. A quick medical check indicated she was drugged. She had very slow heart beat and respiration. When they examined the crate, they found that the sides could be removed. With the sides removed, the woman on the platform was easily accessible. A robot started to undo the bonds, but was quickly stopped by Erin. Claudette and Erin inspected the woman's bindings. The woman was gagged with a tube inserted into her mouth though the gag. A dildo was in her ass and another was in her cunt, which were fastened to a strap around her waist and to the platform between her legs. A scan of the dildos showed that both contained a poison. They had the robots carefully open the other crates, after each was scanned for any security locks. Meanwhile, they searched the building for a release mechanism for the dildos and the bindings. They had almost given up hope when, on closer examination, Claudette and Erin realized that the release was cleverly concealed as a part of the dildo. Working carefully they were able to disable the release mechanism and then safely remove the dildos, after disconnecting the strap. Once the dildos were removed, the rest of the bindings were easily removed. The Erin and a robot worked together to remove the devices from the other captives, while Claudette worked with two robots to move the drugged women and men to the shuttle. Once everyone was safely on the shuttle, the robots put the platform and packing material back inside, then closed up the crates, sealing them as they were originally. The shuttle had just lifted off with the rescued captives, when a truck was spotted by a drone. The crew watched until it was definite that the truck was headed for the lodge. A call was placed to the police dispatcher, indicating screams and shots had been heard in the area. Two sheriffs' cars arrived within 10 minutes. Erin and Claudette were surprised at how quickly they arrived. Monitoring the radio traffic, they found that the two officers had just completed an accident investigation, and were on their way to the office when the call was received. As they drove up to the lodge, the truck's crew was just exiting the house, carrying two legs of meat each on their shoulders. They were half way to the truck when they saw the sheriff's cars. They dropped the meat and rushed back into the lodge. The sheriff's, seeing the response, turned their cars sideways blocking the entry road at some distance from the house. They had barely stopped when the first shot shattered the first car's windshield. The first sheriff was partially out of his car by this time. He was hit almost immediately in the shoulder, knocking him on the ground behind his car. The sheriff in the other car sent an officer down call, then quickly described the scene before exiting his car. The truck crew began to pepper the police cars with automatic weapons' fire from the house, pining the officers down behind their cars. The two officers returned enough fire to keep the truck crew from slipping out of the house. It quickly turned into a standoff, as more officers arrived. Erin and Claudette watched the unfolding events from the shuttle. They heard the call for more assistance. From the radio traffic, they knew a lot more police support would be there very soon. Seeing there was little more they could do, they placed two drones to monitor the site and prepared to leave for the resort. The people they rescued needed treatment, and it appeared the officers could handle it. But, they waited until they could see other police cars in the distance. With that, they left the drones to feed their data to Donna, as events unfolded at the lodge. ------- Those of Sarah's clan at the resort arrived for lunch shortly before it was to be served. Judy, Tara, and Alison had not returned from the ship after taking the ones they rescued from the lodge there for treatment. Just as they arrived at the dining room, Claudette said they had found some more victims of the 'flesh peddler's' and were taking them to the ship as soon as they could leave. The two groups of crew candidates that came to the resort that morning arrived in the dining area at the same time. Sarah's clan chuckled as Siobhan rushed into Conan and Eileen's arms when she saw them. The greeting Maureen gave Brandan was just as enthusiastic. Sarah's clan was pleased to learn that both couples who had brought the groups to the resort that morning had taken the time to show them around before coming to lunch. While waiting for Ann to announce lunch, they mingled with the new arrivals and the rest of the guests. All of the new arrivals were impressed with the facilities. They were all anxious to see the space ship. They could tell that a part of their anxiousness was coupled with not quite believing a space ship was there. Sarah's clan made every effort to make sure all the new arrivals were comfortable in their surroundings. Some of the crew candidates were finding it difficult to relax due to the general nudity at the resort. The clan could feel many glances from time to time, as they talked with different individuals. They understood the interest, and didn't let the occasional staring at them affect their actions. When they sat down to eat, Sarah and Rusty joined one of the new groups, while Sally and Terry joined the other group. The conversation focused on the opportunity, and what they would be doing if they joined the crew. Sarah and Rusty alternated between telling them the condition of the ship and the many things that needed to be repaired. They admitted that all the tasks that needed to be done probably had not been listed. Once the repair work started, they expected the number of tasks would probably grow. Most of their time recently had been spent trying to ensure that all of the prospective candidates were safe. When lunch was over, Sarah stood and tapped on her glass. Once it was quiet, Sarah began, "The entire crew appreciates you taking the time to come here. Many of the crew will be quite busy this afternoon, as they seek to contact several other groups to determine their interest in joining the crew. We would like for you to do several things while we are busy. First is to watch two video recordings. One video gives a more detailed history of the ship's crew, and recent efforts to restore the ship to operational status. The second video shows and describes the differences in physical characteristics between the new crew candidates, my clan and the other crew members. The videos are simply recordings of presentations we made to the early crew candidates. After the videos, there should be time to complete your medical evaluations before dinner. Each of you needs to complete the physical before you can visit the ship. The resort has a swimming pool, an exercise room, a dojo and other things to do after that. And if you would like, there will be live video feed in the recreation room as each of the 10 groups are met this afternoon. This will start about 3 P.M... Questions?" "When can we see the ship?" Asked a woman from Muireann's group. "It would be best to wait until tomorrow. Today our resources are quite stretched in supporting the couples making contact with the prospective groups." "Why is that?" "Simply put, we have had some ugly incidents happen during some of our first visits to potential candidates. So, while couples are meeting these other groups, we are utilizing our remaining resources to provide security for them. Several died in one group before we arrived. Several candidate groups have disappeared without a trace. We are endeavoring to ensure it doesn't happen again if we can help it. Hmm, I'm not sure I kept it simple." "You did just fine," said Muireann and Gwendolyn together. "I hope we can find out why people are disappearing." Continued Gwendolyn. "It seems we should have the technology here." "We would like to put an end to those engaged in 'flesh peddling'," said Rusty, with a bit of edge in his voice. "They appear to be a well-organized operation with extensive political connections. It appears they operate by kidnapping or enticing men and women to isolated spots so they can enslave them. So far, we think they prefer men and women in their early twenties with no relatives. The better looking, the more likely the attempt to enslave them. I should note that some seem to be taken for meat instead of enslavement." "You're kidding," said Sabrina. Several nodded their agreement with her comment. "I wish he was," said Brandan. "Maureen and I contacted a group last evening. When we arrived, they were already in the process of harvesting the group. Luckily, most of the group was saved, but six were butchered before our security team could arrive. We were lucky... When we entered the house, we were overcome by the gas they had used. Fortunately, two things helped; We were mind-linked with Sarah's clan, and Maureen was not completely put down by the gas. But she heard them planning to substitute us for another two they wanted to keep to play with." "What have we gotten ourselves into?" Muttered a woman. "A good question. We don't feel we have gotten ourselves into something. Instead we think we have avoided something very unpleasant. Maureen and I are thankful we are here, rather than some one's sex toy, torture toy, dinner or worse. Once Sarah's clan saw what was happening, they accelerated their plan for contacting the people they felt would be good crew candidates. Unfortunately, it wasn't fast enough for some. All of us who have come since feel it is our duty to deal with the 'flesh peddlers' as soon as we can, and where we can, to rescue those being forced into something they did not choose." "Thank you, Brandan. Can we hold any further questions until later?" Asked Sarah. "We need to leave so we can check on the preparations for this afternoon. We have been having an open discussion session after dinner, and we will tonight." Sarah's clan picked up their dishes, taking them to the kitchen before they left. When the others began to leave, each picked up their dishes to take to the kitchen on the way out, following Sarah clans' example. The new guests followed the example set by the others. Walking out of the room, Brandan asked Conan how their contact had went. Conan told him it wasn't nearly as bad as his last night, but it if they had been later in arriving it would have been. The group they met had been invited to a weekend at a remote lodge. In fact, one couple was already on the way there when they arrived. Conan then took a few minutes to briefly describe the events, as they walked toward the recreation room to join Eileen and Briana. The four of them had decided to join the incoming groups while they watched the presentations. Both Eileen and Briana had stopped by their rooms to drop off their clothes. Seeing them, Conan and Brandan decided to do the same and dashed off to their rooms to change. As they came back, both thought it was surprising at how quickly they became comfortable not wearing clothes. Muireann and Sabrina's groups were in the recreation room when they arrived. The two groups watched the presentations. Following the presentations, Muireann's and Sabrina's groups went to the clinic so they could take the medical evaluation. When they were complete, Connie asked the group if they wanted review the evaluations as a group with her or individually. Muireann indicated she did not know about the others, but she would appreciate their support during the review. Once they completed Muireann's evaluation, others asked to complete theirs with the group as well. Donna monitored the group during the evaluations, looking for any indication that someone was feeling pressured into an uncomfortable situation. At three that afternoon the first couples left to make contact with the other candidates. The contacts were set to start at 15 minutes intervals. This was so that the initial part of each new contact would have everyone's focus. After the first four contacts were well under way, the clan relaxed a little bit. All of the contacts with the candidate groups went very smoothly. Four of the groups decided to come immediately. Another four said, they wanted to think about the offer, but readily accepted the robots into their home. The remaining two declined to come as a group, and were not interested in having the robots for security. But several women from these last two groups did choose to come back with the contact team. All of those that chose to not come immediately were left contact information, which they could use at a later time. Ann held dinner till 7, to allow everyone time to return and freshen up. While waiting, everyone visited in the dining room until all the contact teams had returned with the new guests. Ann thanked everyone for the assistance in clearing the dining room after lunch. The extra assistance made it a lot easier for them to complete their other tasks and participate in the group meetings. The kitchen staff appreciated the comments about the food, as that gave them a better idea of what everyone liked. Otherwise, they would have had to make choices based on their preferences or how many leftovers they had of an item. As she went back toward the kitchen, everyone applauded, indicating their appreciation of the food and their efforts. ------- During dinner, several of the robots at the candidates houses reported that visitors had stopped by looking for the residents. In each case, the visitor was advised that the person was not there and would be gone for a week or two. In all cases, they had asked for a name and phone number, so the information could be passed to their friend when they called. The robots also supplied video of the visitor during the conversation. Donna set the information up in file folders keyed to each group's location. Doing a comparison between the visitor's images, they found several that had visited different residences using different names. Erica reviewed the images while they ate. She then brought Sally into the loop and asked her to look at the visitor's images. They agreed that in at least 2 cases the same visitor had visited different residences using a different name. Sally thought several of the other visitors were seeking information, rather than trying to find the person requested. She agreed with Erica that the groups should see the information as soon as possible. Once everyone had finished their meals, Rusty tapped on his glass to get everyone's attention. "If you haven't, would you take your dishes to the kitchen, so we can finish the clean-up." Sally stood and said, "Several residences have had visitors today, after you left. The information is in a folder named for the location of your home. As soon as we clear the tables, would you look at them, if you find that any of them unusual or strange, please tell Erica or me." "Let's take 20 minutes," said Rusty. "But first, before we start, you are probably wondering where the monitors are. As soon as your table is clear, Donna will place a virtual console on the table. It will have a touch pad and respond to voice commands." Everyone quickly put their dishes in the kitchen. It was quiet as each group checked to see who had tried to reach them. After the time had elapsed, Rusty tapped on the glass to gather every ones attention. "Is everyone done?" Most nodded yes. Several looked uneasy. Sally stood, "Does anyone have a concern that needs to be addressed immediately?" "Yes," cried a woman from the back. Sally and Erica immediately went to her. The woman was a bit frantic. Her anxiety quickly spread through the room. After a moment, Erica left with the woman and another from her group. Sally asked, "Alison, Erin, Tara, Claudette and the team members that trained with me, let's go. Your suits will be at the shuttle when we get there." She turned and moved quickly out of the room, with eight others following her. Their actions had created quite a commotion among those watching. Rusty tapped the glass to gain their attention again. "It may seem obvious, but are there any other concerns about the visitors that came to your residences after you left. We value you and your friends. Because of that, we will do whatever we can to ensure everyone's safety. We had not thought of it until today, but we have had all of your phone numbers forwarded to your room. You can make calls from there, if you wish. All you will need to do is dial the number as if you are at home." Several clapped and then everyone joined. "Thank you. We are sorry we didn't think of it earlier. Before we continue, several of you looked uneasy, but didn't say anything. If you have any concern about the safety of your friends, now is the time to say something. Or you can simply raise your hand and one of us will come to you." Several hands were raised, causing one of their spouses or Amy's clan to go to them. "Now, as to what just happened," said Sarah. "Sally has advised me that the woman who requested assistance felt her friend could be in danger, based on the way she was acting and some recent events. The group that left with them will provide tactical support while they are gone. She should be in contact with her friends in a few moments. So we should know shortly if everything is okay." ------- Chapter 55 "We have many more guests here this evening than we had planned to have. We expect a few more may arrive in the next day or two," said Joyce. "We are glad you came to meet us. First, let's go around the room and introduce ourselves. We have done this several times before, but this time let's expand it some. How about, besides telling us your names, you also tell us your major and hometown? Please keep it short though. We will start with ourselves and continue with those that have been here the longest." Joyce started off the introductions and they soon worked their way around the room, reaching the newest arrivals last. Finally, they introduced those from the ships crew. "Thank you," said Rusty. "Our plan for this week initially was to have just two groups here, or about 60 people. As you can see, there are a few more than 60 guests here. Events have caused our plan to be revised several times and we are only four days into the week, although it seems to have lasted much longer. Please be assured that we will honor all of the commitments we made to you when you agreed to come here for a visit. We are extending the offer from one week to three weeks, so we can be sure that you have enough time to meet everyone and so that you can enjoy the facilities. We think that will be more than sufficient time for you to decide, but we are not positive. If you need more time, we will make an arrangement that suits you. You should know that this is the first time we have recruited for the ship's crew in this manner. More correctly, it is the first time we have led a recruiting effort." "For those who arrived this evening, we encourage you to view the presentation we made several nights ago to the first groups. Why? Because it gives you some detailed background on the ship and us. The second presentation reviews some of the physical differences between us and you, outside of the more apparent differences such as our hair, stature and feet. You are probably wondering why we want to do this." Several heads nodded. "The crew is physically and physiologically different from you. We don't think the differences are a problem, but we need you to be aware of those differences. Facts are always much better than hearsay, and knowing the differences should minimize misunderstandings." "A couple of items should be noted now. First, all of us are telepathic. Several of us are more proficient at this than others are. Some here may not yet be aware that they have telepathic ability. It may surprise you, but by 'all' I meant everyone in this room and on the ship." Several shook their heads in disbelief. "Yes, we know earth's medical profession discounts the ability, as they have not experienced it. Our medical staff will discuss this ability with you when you go for your medical evaluation, and they will assist you in enabling it. For the species represented by us and the crew, it is a dominant inherited ability." "Another significant difference you will discover in the presentations is that this society forms family groups, rather than pairing up as is done on earth. Our family group consists of the ladies up here with me and several of those that left a few minutes ago. You will see all of them introduced in the presentations." "We noted earlier that we have significantly altered our plans for this week. This is because of what we learned while contacting the groups we had scheduled for this week. Based what we now know, there appears to be an organization that has targeted people with your attributes to serve them as slaves. Their primary use of slaves is to serve them sexually in any manner they desire; be it as toys, objects, torture victims, breeders or possibly their meal." Several had shocked expressions on their faces. "I understand your shock. Many with us have come very close to being their slaves. We will save the details of that for another time, but the information is available to any of you in the library. Yes, we have an electronic library that contains the history of the crew and activities since they have been here. To use it, just ask Donna, our site AI." Siobhan and Maureen stood to get Rusty's attention. "Rusty, why don't, we show the presentations now," they said in unison. "We watched them again today with the new arrivals, and discovered several things we had missed when your clan first made the presentations." "Okay. You're getting as good at doing duets as we are." Several chuckled. Others had confused looks on their faces. "Let's show them the grand duet." "This is what we mean by duet," said Sarah's clan in unison. The newcomers had an amazed look on their faces when they heard the clan's voices in harmony. Several looked around to be sure they were really seeing what they were hearing. Continuing, "Donna, are you ready to project the presentations?" "Yes, there will be several holographic displays around the room so everyone can easily see." Her voice filled the room, startling some of the newcomers. Holographic displays began to form as soon as her comment ended. Even though many of the candidates had seen the holographic display of the ship, they had trouble focusing on the content when it started. Joyce stood, "Donna, hold the presentations for a minute, then roll them back to the beginning. Some of our visitors are so awed by the technology, they are missing the content." "Donna, hold the beginning image for a minute or so, until they can focus on the content." Donna watched the focus of the visitors. As soon as she saw their focus change she started the video again. Once the two presentations were complete, Sarah stood. "We have a few more things we would like to share." A woman in the back stood, and Sarah nodded to her. "Joyce, thank you for restarting the videos." Several murmured their thanks as well. "Why don't we take a five minute break so we can stretch our legs?" During the short break only a few left the room, but those that did quickly returned. "Well, looks like we can start again," said Sarah. "For the next few minutes we would like to add some additional information to that shown in the presentations." "Shortly after we accepted command of the ship, we quickly recognized that we needed to expand the ship's crew more quickly than we could by raising our own offspring. With the acceptance of the command position, we became very aware of the accelerating decay of the ship. Amy's clan was aware of the issue, but not of the full magnitude, due to system constraints. The criteria established for crew candidates was that they needed to be bright, exceptionally intuitive and technically orientated men and women from college age to mid 20's. A preferred candidate needed to be 6 feet or taller and have telepathic capability. Preferably, the person would not have any close relatives. We felt that was desirable, considering that we were trying to staff a space ship and long trips from home were likely." "We made no distinctions regarding heritage," said Rusty. "The last subtle issue was group dynamics. This society forms family groups, as was mentioned earlier. We felt we should seek people who felt comfortable and worked well in groups." Quite a few nodded their heads in agreement. "We don't know if any you will form family groups like the traditional ones in this society. Only time will answer that question. There is definitely no requirement to do so." "Donna identified a long list of possible candidates," said Jill. "With Nancy, Judy, and Julia's assistance, that list was wheedled down to 19 groups on the first list and an equivalent number on a second list. The groups on each list ranged in size from 6 to a little over 20 in size. A part of the selection process was for Nancy and Julia to observe each group in public settings, paying particular attention to their interaction with each other and those around them. These exploratory visits were very successful, and confirmed to them that the correct selections were made." "The next step in our plan was to have about 40 people here this week as a trial run," continued Judy, "which is primarily made up of two large groups. We were then going to invite the other candidates in groups of about a 100 to 150 people a week over the next several weeks until we met all of them. When we approached the first two large groups, we were surprised to discover they were being watched. It seemed strange. Initially, we didn't see a reason to be concerned, nor a reason why it was being done. Well, now we know that we should have been concerned. From the information we have gathered since then and other events, we know for certain they were going to kidnap you. You weren't going to be asked if you wanted to go with them or not. If any of you would like to see all of the details about what has happened ask Donna. She can show you where it is in our electronic library." "Two days ago, right after the first groups arrived here," added Janet, "all of us, including our guests, discussed what had happened to them. The groups had noticed the people watching them for over a week before we met, and at times had followed them. Everyone indicated that the watchers made them uncomfortable. Together we decided to contact all of the groups on our list as quickly as possible." "As all this would take some time to initiate," said Sarah, "our first step was to place drones near each group to observe the situation at each location. We felt this would help us prioritize the sequence of contacts. We were shocked, when we could not find 3 of the groups from the first list. We could find no trace of them ever having existed. Even the information we used initially was not there. This morning, as the result of a rescue operation triggered by another event, we found 8 women and 2 men from one of the missing groups. Later 14 others were found. They were drugged and sealed in shipping crates. Fortunately, this was just before they were to be picked up. Finding the last group in the crates surprised us, to put it mildly, as we had searched the grounds earlier without finding anything." "All of those rescued today are receiving medical care on the space ship. From the documents we copied from the computers in the lodge and what we have learned from those able to talk, those missing were butchered." Several gasped. "Many of the video's, CD's and DVD'S along with the computers were removed by law enforcement officers before the place was destroyed." "Based on police reports we have been able to see, there was a cavern under the lodge area," said Rusty. "The operators of the lodge had rigged the cavern with explosives and LPG cylinders that could be detonated remotely. The explosion fractured the roof of the cavern, causing the whole site to drop into the cavern. The falling debris and concussion released the gas, which led to another explosion and fire completing the destruction of the lodge and all the other buildings. Approximately 30 emergency workers perished in the explosion and fire. Again, Donna can provide you with a news feed, if you want to hear more about it. It has created quite an uproar in the rural community." "Many here feel we should try and put this organization out of business," said Terry. "We agree. It appears to be well-organized and has connections in many places. We are now aware of four more groups consisting of 8 and up that have completely disappeared. We were able to do this from the information we already had. They were on our second list of candidates. We have not had time to scan the other candidates we considered when putting the lists together. For those we know are missing, all records of them ever existing have disappeared. School records have vanished. DMV, birth, medical records do not exist for these people. The only thing remaining are a few photos. For us nerds, that is usually not very many photos." Nearly everyone laughed. "The one thing we do have is the information on them we acquired before they disappeared." "Before we can do much about the 'flesh peddlers' organization," said Janet, "we need to do a lot of work on our space ship, to bring it back to operational status. We don't need it to be fully operational, but repairs definitely need to be further along than we are now. The ship is important as a base of operations and a crucial part of our future. While we progress on restoring the ship, Donna and our computer whizzes will try to identify the key members of the organization. It will require some luck or a mistake on their part, as so far they have been very good at not leaving any traces or trails to follow." "Most of all, we hope all of you will join us in this adventure in space," continued Jill. "As we add to the crew, we will begin increasing the speed of repairs to the ship. With an operational ship, we will be at a crossroads as to what to do next. If we end up with too many people on the ship, then we will need to set up a settlement on a planet. In fact, we will probably do that anyway." "We have talked too much, as I am sure all of you have some questions, so ask away." A gentlemen in the back stood and asked "Rusty, what did you do before you came here?" "Mostly, I worked on network security and as a programmer. Sarah, Sally, Terry and I worked for Nancy and Bob. They have a business that provides secure data storage, network security evaluations, network installations and similar services." "With that background, why do you think your group can command the space ship?" He continued. The question drew several gasps. "Simply because of the support we have on the ship and the way it evolved. We did not appoint ourselves to be in command of this ship, nor did we volunteer. You saw in the presentations how we arrived in this society. We are pleased that we are here, as should be clear from our actions and comments. We were reluctant to accept this role, even as events pushed us to visit the bridge on the ship. The ship's master AI, who we named Star, is the one that first approached us to consider it. She did not push us to accept it. She and another have coached us as we accepted the responsibility. Events have made it clear that we needed more resources to support our growing group, so to some extent we were not overly resistant due to self preservation." "When the original ship's crew, Amy's clan, heard our dream about the breeding farm, they immediately moved to check it out. This action rescued a group from a breeding farm. When we heard their stories, we recognized that the people who raided it would be looking for us. They may not know what we looked like, but they would be looking." "The event that really pushed things along to bind us to the crew was responding to Amy's clan infection with an unknown virus. Our response resulted in us going to the ship much sooner than we intended. It was also our first visit. While there, we simply followed our intuition as events progressed." "As the visit progressed, several things occurred with little or no planned input from us. When we approached the bridge entrance, the doors opened automatically, indicating acceptance of our identity and responsibility. How the ship knew, we are not certain. We now know it was not something Star could have done. Entering the bridge, we went right to the command column, automatically grasping the ring around it as a group. How we knew to do that I don't have a clue. Within moments of that contact, all of us knew the information necessary to command the ship. After a challenge by the AI and subsequent coded response by us, the ship's AIs all accepted our group as the command staff." "Together, we immediately began to evaluate the ship for additional destructive devices and traps. Once those were eliminated and there were quite a few, we moved the ship to stand-by instead of the dormant status it had been in since the sabotage some 200 years earlier. A testament to the quality of our ship is that all but two systems spun up. For those that didn't, we had choices in covering the short-fall." "Our response to the sequence of events on the ship's bridge was intuitive by us as a group. Our actions all felt very natural, which is unusual for a first experience. Looking back at it from our point of view, the number of consecutive events leading to an unplanned objective is quite surprising." "Why was the ship dormant? Didn't it have AI's to manage its systems?" "Yes," said Rusty, "but the ship's operating procedures did not permit the ship's AI's to maintain the ship above the dormant level without a functioning command staff. Violating the protocols would initiate a total shutdown. The people who built the ship wanted to limit the AI's to only a supporting role. AI self-awareness was feared. We have not had time to look up the source of that fear." "We have since learned that a number of the challenges we faced on the bridge that day were built into the system," continued Sarah, "to test our ability to handle command situations. The criticality of these tests, as we found out later, was grossly increased by whoever originally sabotaged the ship. Whoever it was apparently wanted to make sure the ship and its crew did not survive." "Thank you for your patience with my questions." "You're welcome. If at some time you would like to see what happened, ask Donna or Star for the location of the information. I know it sounds repetitive. Our library is open to all of you. The only restricted information is some operational information and command codes." "What is the rest of the crew like?" Asked a woman. Conan stood, Rusty nodded to him. He said, "Whether you realize it or not, you may have already met some of them. Erica, Jim, Amy, Connie and Betsy are part of the original crew. The treatments they received in response to fighting the virus gave them some features of Sarah's clan. Their physical similarity to the original crew members is very strong, as you will see when you visit the ship. Once you see the others in the original crew, the attributes Sarah's clan received from them will be more apparent." Several from Siobhan's group nodded their agreement. "Also, you should know that our groups', Siobhan's and Maureen's joined the crew last night, as did several others that arrived the first day." "Rusty, Terry, we have found the woman's friends. They are okay. We are on the way back with them. It appears they were being set up for abduction. The plot was different. Oh, I don't know whether you have noticed it, but the drones are reporting that the teams of watchers have all disappeared since the lodge incidence" "Okay. Thanks." "You will be pleased to know that the women who left with Erica and Sally are on their way back with all of her friends," said Sarah. "Everyone is safe and well. Also, the people watching some of your homes have disappeared since the incident that the lodge." Everyone clapped. "How do you know that?" Said a woman in one of the new groups. "Sally just told us telepathically," continued Sarah. "That is one of the benefits of the mind-link we share. We mentioned telepathy earlier. When family groups in this society form, they enter into a bond with two unique characteristics. One is a physiological bond and the second is a mind-link. The mind-link is somewhat like a telepathic link, but much more open. All of the spouses are an equal part of the bonding. The physiological bond is beyond anything I have ever read about. It brings all of you very close, so close that sometimes you feel like one person with different facets, where the facets are each individual. The mind-link aspect compliments the physiological aspect. It is a very interesting experience, and we think this is a reason that the multi partner family groups work in this society." "Let's let Joyce take questions for a while. By the way, she is Nancy's daughter." "Hi," she said. "Let me talk about bonding and mental link a bit. I hope I do not add any confusion. There are many things we don't fully understand about our relationship yet, as we are rather new to this, as we have only been active in this society for about nine months. Since being here, our family group has developed a very strong bond along with a very deep mental link. From talking to Amy and Betsy, their family has something similar. It is difficult for us to tell whether ours is the same or somewhat different from theirs. Remember, nearly everyone in our family group has a unique genetic heritage. It is a mixture of the two species with some additional tinkering. Four of our family; Alison, Claudette, Erin, and Tara did not travel the same genetic alteration path that the rest of us did. None of us see anything to indicate that their connection with us is different, so to us that implies the genetics is only part of the equation." "We feel that telepathy is an important key contributor to group bonding, which agrees with the ships medical literature. When we fully engage our mental or mind-link, we find we are part of a single mind, but in separate containers. Again, this is stronger than what Betsy has seen before, so we don't know quite what the source is. We have found that when Siobhan, Maureen, Aoife and Briana join us as part of the command staff, they become a very close part of our mind-link when we are working, but only then. Next, question?" "Very interesting. What if we aren't telepathic? Do we have to leave?" Asked a new guest. "We would not send anyone away. A question that person would need to answer is how they would feel about not being a part of all conversations in their group, as part will be verbal and some simply shared thoughts. It is also a group question as well. I was nearly in that situation for a while, but at that time I was not totally immersed in the group of Sarah, Sally, Terry and Rusty. This was when we were at my house. Here it was different for as, we woke up our mind-links became apparent immediately. Sarah, Rusty, Sally, Terry, I awakened in that order. So that sequence may have also helped us to quickly establish the mind-link we now enjoy. When we were at my home, I could tell both that Rusty and Sarah made sure to verbalize when I was around." The woman looked concerned. "I take it you are worried about not being able to stay." She nodded. "If you want to know right now, one of my spouses will try assessing your potential while I answer questions." She nodded yes. "What?" Said a woman. "You mean you can look at my thoughts." "Yes, to an extent as there are constraints or limitations in reading some else's thoughts. First, we are bound by this societies rules which are: You don't peek unless you have permission. Second, if I look at your thoughts, you most likely will sense it. How varies from person to person. Thirdly, others can possibly see me doing it. Lastly, it is rather difficult for me to determine which object in my mind is you unless you assist. Sounds a bit strange doesn't it." The woman nodded. "It should be clearer once you work with the medical staff to enable your ability." "Okay. Thanks. Sorry for sounding the way I did." "Don't worry, if our shoes were switched, I think I would feel the same way." "Hmm. Don't think we can swap shoes." Quite a few laughed. "That brings up another question, can we have the same genetic treatments as you had?" "Well, yes and no. First neither we nor the medical staff knows for certain the composition or sequence of treatments given to us before we arrived. So you could have a set of treatments that would make you very similar to us but not exactly. Second, yes, you can receive the genetic treatments if you want to. Betsy, Judy, and Connie will want to interview you beforehand. This is to make sure you understand the impact on you and your life. We may request for you to let us look at your mind before we grant permission. Why, you are probably asking." She nodded. "The treatments are not reversible. You will most likely have a tail, mane, hair and sensitivity like ours, which would preclude life in earth society. If you were a part of a family group, they would be a part of the discussion and decision." "Can the genetic virus just alter some physical attributes and not others? What can it alter?" "Yes, it can alter some and not others. Virtually anything skeletal can be enhanced, but there are some additional changes that go along with it. A side effect of the changes made to our skeleton is the addition of our tail and mane, which is a characteristic we received from the crew's genes. The people who had kidnapped us gave us some treatments to increase our bust size to an L or M cup, without any other changes to support the increase. Betsy's staff corrected those by causing our bodies to add more muscle mass to our back and shoulders, so we now have sufficient structure to support the increased bust size. Our wider shoulders and chests have reduced our breasts to a G cup. The crews breast structure is different, so it is not prone to sagging like you see on earth. This, combined with the increased support, ensure that sagging should not be a problem, even with prolonged lactating. Several of us lactated before we were kidnapped and it was compulsory every 4 hours or less. With our modified bodies, this has changed to 2 - 3 times a day unless nursing a baby, when it increases to meet demand." "Thanks. It was just a thought as I try to understand the decisions before me." "A good point. Maybe you should try a plus / minus list to help clarify your thoughts. The other way is to do it as a decision tree." "I know how do work a plus / minus list approach. How would you do a decision tree?" "There are many ways to start it. Perhaps, you should do the following, though it will be different each time you do it. First question, do I want to work in space? Second, am I telepathic? Third, could I leave earth and perhaps never return without hurting my mental attitude? And so on. Does that help?" "Yes," responded several people. Just then Sally, Erica returned with the others. The whole room erupted in applause as they entered. Those arriving were warmly greeted by their friends. "While you all were gone, we let everyone introduce themselves. Would each of you do that now? We gave name, a bit of background, major and so forth earlier. Okay? We will begin with our clan, then those that just arrived." Sarah's clan, beginning with Sally, introduced themselves, then the tactical team, followed by the new arrivals. "It is getting late," said Joyce. "Why don't we call it a day?" A number of people nodded their agreement. "Would Nancy or Susan make sure the latest arrivals have accommodations? We will have a question and answer session tomorrow after breakfast, and again after dinner." "Good night," said Sarah's clan in harmony. Sarah's clan went over to meet with the newest arrivals. They and Amy's crew spent the next half hour or so answering questions for those that lingered behind. They asked that some questions be repeated in the morning, as they were ones they thought everyone would be interested in hearing. Terry talked to the woman who was concerned about being telepathic, and assured her it would not be a problem for her. She was ecstatic when she heard the news. Terry chuckled when she saw how the woman received the news. The woman's enthusiasm was apparent, as she joined her friends to go to their rooms. Sarah's, Amy's, Maureen's and Siobhan's groups were the last to leave the recreation room for their rooms. Sarah's clan freshened up before they went to bed. As they cuddled together, they quickly drifted off to asleep. For the first time in several days, they slept soundly until Donna sounded the chime alerting everyone that breakfast would be served shortly. The group slowly woke to the comfort of feeling each other around them. They laid there and caressed one another for a few minutes before rising to begin the day's activity. They followed their normal routine, even though knowing they would probably be one of the last ones to breakfast. It felt good to be able to do their morning routine at a relaxed pace for a change. As expected, they were the last to arrive at the dining hall. On seeing them enter, several broke into applause, with everyone quickly joining. They stopped near the door, embarrassed by the attention. "Thank you," said Sarah's clan in unison. "We are embarrassed because we are late, and we don't understand the reason for the applause." "It was definitely not our intention to embarrass you. After a good night's rest, we have a better understanding as to what you have done for us," said the man who asked the pointed questions last evening. "We did not do it on our own, as we had lots of help from others in this room." "We know and have already thanked them. Thank you for being patient with my rather rude questions last evening. Several have pointedly told me they thought I was out of line. Again my apologies for my manners and I thank you for the very clear responses you gave us." "As a part of my learning experience this morning, several have told me of your desire to be treated no differently than anyone else. I will, but with the utmost respect. Last evening, I was perplexed by what I sensed in this room. After much thought, I think I can safely say that I now know what I was sensing. It was an emotion I have not felt often in groups. It now permeates this room, and I felt it last evening in the recreation room. Better yet, I now understand its source." Several looked at him questioningly. "It is freely given love and respect." Many nodded, and others had a look of surprise on their faces as they saw it as well. "Although reluctant to come at first, I am very glad I did. I can thank my friends for the encouragement to do it. It is only now, I understand how much they care for me." With that he bowed to the group. Everyone applauded, showing their support for his comments. As he sat back down with his friends they each drew him into a hug. Some gave him kisses as well. In all cases, their affection for him was apparent. Sarah's clan went through the breakfast line and then spread out among the tables. Conversation was lively, covering a wide range of topics, as the breakfast partners got to know each other. As each table finished their breakfast, they returned their dishes and cleaned their table. Several checked messages while waiting for the others to finish. A few returned calls in answer to the messages they received. ------- Terry stood and tapped on her glass. "We have good news this morning. All of those with medical concerns from yesterday are doing fine." The group applauded the good news. "Several will need some extensive genetic virus treatments in order for them to physically recover. A few will need counseling to put their experience out of their mind. Most will join us here tomorrow. Those that missed the two presentations last night and most of our meeting last night, will have an opportunity to view it later this morning, including a tape of last evenings discussion. Now, we will let Judy take the first questions today." "Hi, before we do that, let's introduce ourselves again. Okay?" Judy started by telling a bit about her background and then let everyone work their way around the room. "Now for those on the ship." With that Donna created holograms at four locations around the room. Each person on the ship took a turn to introduce themselves. "Okay. That took longer than expected, but we have more people here and on the ship, so why should I be surprised." Everyone laughed. "We would like to do something besides talk today, so we plan on adjourning in about an hour. We were asked several questions last evening after the meeting that we suggested might be of interest to the whole group, so we could start with those. Who has one of those questions?" "This is about the genetic virus treatments. A good number of us think that your clan and Amy's are exceptionally beautiful. Because of the way we were raised, our inclination is for us to try and emulate your physical beauty. I think that is the wrong reason. At the same time, I also sense having those treatments would draw me into this society to a greater degree. After last night, I know you will not force any of us to undergo the treatment in order to stay. Am I thinking correctly?" "Yes, you are. Each of you are beautiful in your own way, and if most of you really took a good look at yourselves, you would see it. Your friends see, it but you don't hear their comments. This is in part because you are not sure of the sincerity, and also because of the harassment you endured while growing up. You are correct regarding genetic treatments. In a broader sense we will not force anyone to have the genetic virus treatment. Our only exception is in a case of your being seriously injured and unconscious and the treatment must begin immediately for you to live. Genetic virus treatments cannot be undone. Yes, we are certain that receiving the treatments would bind you tighter to this society. At the same time, the changes would make it very difficult for you to return to earth if you ever want to. You have plenty of time to make that decision, but should be done before you reach 30." "Why 30?" "That is the oldest on which this genetic treatment has been done at this time on those from earth. It's not an absolute limit, but preferable." After several more questions, Sarah said, "let's hold the rest until this evening. For those who have not had their physical yet, please see Betsy or someone at the medical center to schedule a time. You need to have the physical evaluation before you go to the space ship. We expect most of the new arrivals want to see the ship. We expect to have enough transportation for everyone to go. The first shuttles will leave in about half an hour from the lawn where you arrived. We will be operating cloaked today, as there has been an increase in air traffic in the area. Also, several spy satellites have moved into a position where they could see our activities." "Alternatively, you can use any of the facilities here. If you choose to go hiking, please inform the registration desk before you leave. Most of the staff will be here during the day, and our security teams will be here as well. Oh, I don't know if everyone is aware but we have a pride of lions taking care of security in the wilderness areas. Have a good day?" The comments about the lions caused quite a commotion. "Maybe we ought to have one of them meet the guests." "A pair is coming over now," said Donna. Joyce loudly tapped a table to get everyone's attention, then said, "Okay, by popular demand we have a pair of lions coming over to meet you." Several gasped as the lions came through the door. Joyce turned around just as Ge stood up, putting her paw on Joyce's shoulder. Ge then licked the side of her face. Joyce put her arms around her neck and hugged her. The lion purred loudly as Joyce hugged it. Then Ja moved over next to some of Sarah's clan, so he could be petted. When Joyce released the lion, she dropped down to the floor. "See, they are just big cats. They will let you pet them if you want to. We would like for you to let them smell you, so they will know your scent." With that, the lions moved through the group. Several seemed to be afraid until the cat rubbed up against their leg. Once contact was made, the uneasiness evaporated. Sarah noticed that the contact teams were spending time with the groups they had met yesterday. In many cases, it was the team's whole group hanging out with them. ------- As the week passed, Siobhan, Maureen and six of the groups arriving the first day began to finalize the details to enable them to move to the ship. All had decided there was no particular reason for them to go back to their residence. Nancy and Julia had helped them find an attorney to handle vacating their leases, closing their checking accounts and other legal details that needed to be tidied up. The robots watching their homes were enlisted to pack the items they wanted to keep. The robots then used a rental van to complete the move out of the house. In each case, the robots left in the rental van near dusk, leaving the house empty. Once it was dark, the van pulled into a vacant picnic area or deserted side road and drove into a waiting shuttle. Inside the shuttle, the van was unloaded. The empty van was returned to a different rental location. The shuttle then brought the items and the robots to the resort. Each new crew member could then sort through their possessions. As they looked through the items, many decided they really only wanted to take a few of their things with them to the ship. Those they boxed up and labeled so they would be ready to move to the ship. The other usable items were packed up, so they could be given to a charitable organization. The day after Siobhan and Maureen's clans began sorting their possessions, Muireann, Leann, Shannon, and Sabrina's groups declared their desire to join the crew at dinner. In each case, Donna and Star had watched each member closely to make sure they had made their decision on their own. As the evening meeting was ending at the end of the second week, Briana's friends stood to get Alison's attention. "We came to be part of this group in an unusual way," said Ellie. "Maybe unique is a better way to say it. We sincerely hope no one else experiences our path. In the time we have been here, we have never felt more loved and respected in our whole life. We, Cass, Charlotte, Anita, Abaigeal, Cindy and myself all wish to join the crew. Our only hesitation is the aspect of family groups." "You are accepted," said Sarah's clan in unison. "Can you express the hesitation in more detail? Please just say what you feel. Many in the room may have the same concerns you do." She looked at her friends and they nodded. "Most if not all the new crew members have been part of groups that we can see are quickly evolving into family groups. We are not sure the six of us have the dynamics to be a family group. We have spent a lot of time with Jean's clan. Their friendship and support is very much appreciated, as we recovered from our experience. We think we see how they interact and their sensitivity to each other. We feel the same sensitivity to each other, but we are uncertain..." Her voice trailed off into a whisper. "Let me try to help," said Judy. "Now I will speak generally, but ladies, if you want, we can get together afterward. First, speaking for the rest of the crew, we are pleased you have asked to join the crew. Again, let me repeat, "You are most heartily welcomed into our fold."" "Yes, many who have joined the crew are members of a group. They were a part of that group for several years before they came here. In this group relationship, they grew to love and appreciate each other as well as, in many cases, explore the intimate side of their relationship. In many cases they did not realize, until recently, the bonds they were building. So, in many cases, they came here as a family, deeply in love with each other. This is a part of why they found splitting up after graduation so difficult. Surprisingly, many of them did not realize the depth of their relationship until recently. Their ability to mind-link has made it much easier for them to move to the next level in their relationship with each other and recognize their feelings for each other. These are the reasons those in many of the groups some have bonded into family groups so rapidly." "Ladies, we can see that you have a very close friendship and deeply care for each other. Each of you should not worry about not being in a family group at this time. You should take your time in finding or forming a group that fits you. While you sort that out, you have the special relationship with your friends. Again, whether you form a family group or join others, is something that will take some time. It is not necessary to be a member of a family group in order to be a crew member. Okay?" "Yes. Thank you for the insight. You know one of the nicest things we have found about this whole group of people is the warmth and friendship. We love it here." The group nodded their agreement with Anita. "We have seen teasing and kidding here, but never with a hurtful or mean intent we have seen before." "Any other questions," asked Judy. Several other candidates then stood and told of their desire to be a part of the crew. Each in one way or another expressed their appreciation for being given the opportunity to be here. The next day all of the new crew members spent part of their time preparing to relocate to the space ship. Since the threat of the kidnappers seemed to be reduced, many groups took a day and went back to their former homes. With the help of the robots, they sorted their possessions into what to take and what not. Once they had the items sorted, the robots packed for them, while they went in groups to take care of personal items such as checking accounts, cars, and terminating the lease on the home. Each group established a forwarding address to a post office box, so that anything they overlooked would not get lost or draw attention to them. The excess items from their homes were sent to, or picked up by, charitable organizations. While these activities were taking place, Erica, Sally and the security teams were on standby. In each case, they ended the day of intense activity by loading several large passenger vans and leaving as a group. They drove to a deserted area to be met by a shuttle. Once everything was on the shuttle, the vans were teleported to a rental lot, looking as if they had never left. By the end of the second week nearly all of the crew candidates had committed to joining the crew. A few were having some difficulty deciding. Their concerns centered around adapting to a new culture, and what would happen if they couldn't adapt. Leann's group spent time with them, helping them find the answers within themselves. With time, they found the source of their reluctance. This was the first time no one was pushing them to make a decision a certain way. Once that was clear to them, they relaxed and began to look at their surroundings in a different light. Within several days, they all decided to try it. Leann's group was pleased when they realized that they had assisted the 'doubtful ones' to realize the source of their reluctance. Their counseling of the 'doubtful ones' had helped them understand their own feelings better, and enabled them to grow the bond between them. Leann's worries about the others blindly following her lead disappeared, as her group's relationship became firmer and the family bond began to develop. ------- Chapter 56 As the second week progressed, Donna saw an increase in boat and air traffic around the resort. The increased activity was well above what they saw before renting the resort and right after they arrived. This increased activity began shortly after the new crew members possessions began to arrive at the resort. She increased the number of surveillance drones watching the activity around the resort. The suspicious traffic always seemed to originate from the same location, and while individual flight paths were different, they always passed near or over a portion of the resort. She brought the change in traffic patterns to Sarah and Amy clan's attentions as the after breakfast meeting ended on the last day of the second week. Sensing the seriousness of the issue, they immediately began to head for the main conference room. Siobhan, Maureen and Aoife joined them. In the meantime, Erica had Donna added intrusion detection devices around the resort's perimeter, and requested the space ship send more robots to the resort. She altered the configuration of the surveillance drones to cover a larger area and had each drone's area overlap adjacent views. As they began to gather in the conference room, Rusty asked Donna if she could get the images the two satellites had recorded for the last several days. Everyone had just gotten seated when Donna said she had received some of the images and she could start showing them while she acquired more images. Rusty told her to go ahead. As they watched the activity at the resort from the satellites, they were shocked. They clearly showed people moving around the resort and then just disappearing in the middle of an open area. The area happened to be the pick-up point for the cloaked shuttles. Erica, Rusty, Sally and Terry turned red, as Rusty swore. It had never occurred to them what the visual effect would be of the people entering the shuttles when seen from above. The shuttle's cloaking was perfect. The images were clear enough that individuals could be identified. "With the clarity of those images, whoever is acquiring them will be able to identify everyone here. That has significant implications for any guests wishing to return to earth society." "Donna, don't the spy satellites usually have a resolution setting for the images," asked Sally, sensing Erin and Tara's concern. "Yes." "Is that true for these satellites?" "Can you force it to low resolution? If so, can you make everything stored low resolution." "I will give it a shot. It may be easier to alter it so the software is stuck on low resolution downloads." "Okay. Do what's best. We need to try and impede them from identifying anyone. If necessary, create a software fault so they loose everything and have to cold-start the system." "Okay, that shouldn't be a problem. They have only downloaded a few of the images." "Can you tell which ones they were?" "Yes, they were last night." "Why target this area for the satellites to look at," asked Sarah, "and whose satellites are they?" "Donna, have several of the drones scan the resort for RF emissions. They may come in bursts," said Erica. "Transmitters?" Said Sally. Several nodded. "But how? Oh. The personal possessions." "Okay. What do we do now?" Asked Sarah as she looked around the table at the concerned faces. "I wonder how they were inserted into their possessions." "Erica, the drones have confirmed RF emissions from the resort," said Donna. "The frequency is typical for tracking or emergency rescue devices. Triangulating, the source seems to be the area where the new crew members are sorting their possessions, although there are a few scattered throughout the resort." They mind-linked together and worked through the data that was now coming in from the drones. Donna had also found the communication link for the vessels that seemed to be a threat, and was working at decrypting their transmissions. From what they were seeing develop, it appeared that a raid of the resort was going to occur soon. The drones had spotted two groups of five preparing to make their way through the jungle toward the resort. A freighter had slowed to barely a crawl some 45 miles offshore. On the forward deck, they saw several people removing two large boats from containers. The freighter was strange, in that it appeared to be a container ship but it also had an atypical structure on the foredeck. The structured appeared to be cabins, and several women could be seen sunbathing. They decided to have a meeting right after lunch. They would include those who had gone to the space ship by video link. During the meeting, they would share what they had found and a proposed course of action. They decided not to share the surprises they would leave behind for the raiders. They asked Star to send two shield generators to help mask the loading of the shuttles after dark. Other than, they wanted all outside activity today to proceed as normally as possible, even including everyone returning for dinner. When they entered the dining room for lunch, Brandan and Conan knew something was up. All Maureen and Siobhan would tell them was to wait until after lunch, as it wasn't totally bad. Lunch went quickly and quietly, as the whole group seemed to sense a change was in the air. When everyone was nearly done, Sarah stood and tapped her glass. "As soon as the tables are clean, we need to have a short meeting." With that everyone began to clear off their tables and return the dishes to the kitchen area. "Donna, have the staff come in as well. Is there anyone missing." "No, everyone is there or on the ship. The ship and enclave are patched in." "We have some disturbing news, and, as a result, our time at the resort must come to an end this evening," said Sarah. There was a general moan from the group. "This morning, we believe we discovered a group of people preparing to raid this resort." They could hear several gasps and worry clouded many of their faces. "To ensure everyone's safety, we would like to move everyone to the space ship right after dinner this evening." Several more groans could be heard. "How do we know this?" said Sally. "Earlier this week, Donna recorded two spy satellites had been moved so that someone had 24 hour coverage of the resort. It was not initially clear they were interested in us, but now we know they have been watching and recording all of our outside activities. We don't yet know who put them there." "So our plan is to go about our activities as we normally do for the rest of the day," continued Joyce. "We will have dinner here this evening as normal. Immediately after dinner, we would like you to gather the personal things you want to take to the ship and return here. From here, we will have a special route for you to take to the shuttles. More clearly said, we are moving our activities to the ship and the enclave. We will not be coming back here. For those who have not decided to join the crew, we would still like you to go with us for now. We can return you to earth whenever you want to." "If the items you want to take are more than you can easily carry, then this afternoon you need to label them and bring them to the area where we have been sorting stuff." She paused for a moment and looked around at everyone. "Now this will seem to be a silly statement, 'Any questions?'" Many laughed. "How do you know this?" "Donna spotted increased air and sea traffic the last couple of days near and over the resort," said Sally. "It started right after we started bringing your possessions here." "We tapped into the satellite's imaging system this morning, to look at what they were seeing," said Erin. Donna, project the images. "These are the images we saw of the resort." It was quiet as everyone watched the feed, and then gasped as they watched a group go out to board a shuttle. "We think people disappearing and then reappearing in the middle of a field will create some curiosity in those who moved the satellites to their present locations. We are also concerned about the clarity of the images, as we can identify nearly everyone here in one image or another. Efforts are being made to reduce the resolution of the images before they leave the satellite." "How did they find us?" "Apparently, someone put radio transmitters in some of the gear we brought here," said Terry. "Where are the transmitters, I'm not sure what they look like?" "We believe most of them are still in the area where you have been sorting your possessions," said Rusty. "Based on signal tracking, some are probably in your rooms. If you would like, we can help you locate them in your belongings." "Oh. I think I know what they look like," said one of the guests. "When we went to get our things several of us had surprise graduation presents. The calendar-clocks looked really expensive and very useful, so we brought them with us. I didn't recognize the name on the gift, though." "Do you have the package it came in?" Asked Terry. "If so, it might help locate the source." "I don't, but I think some of us do." "How would that have an effect on us?" "We have spotted two groups making their way here through the jungle toward the resort. A third group is preparing to launch two boats from a freighter off the coast, just over the horizon. We do not believe their approach is friendly, based on what the two of the groups of raiders are bringing." Several laughed. "This is in part based on the radio traffic we have intercepted and weapons they were carrying." "Why are we running?" Demanded one man. "Don't we have the technology to destroy them?" "Yes, this time we are running," said Rusty. Several grumbled at his admission. "Yes, we do have the ability to destroy them, but what about those who sent them? We would like to have a better idea at to whom we are fighting. Our intent was to use the resort for a short time while the crew candidates decided whether to join us or not. Once that was completed, we would then move our operations to the space ship. Events have accelerated our plans, as our first priority is making sure all of us are safe. Our island enclave was to be our recreation spot on earth." "When we leave this evening, we will leave some surprises for them, as they apparently are associated with the 'flesh peddlers'. That is based on some communications Donna has been able to monitor that originated from the freighter. The robots will handle the surprises, and will be programmed to abort the surprises if they are friendly." Several laughed. "If all goes as planned, then the raiders will suffer considerably, and most likely at the hands of the local law enforcement officers." As we depart, we will go with our security team to investigate the freighter that brought them to this area. The security teams will be used as necessary on the freighter. The lions will remain behind, to make sure no one escapes the surprises here. After that, we will move them back to our enclave." "Okay, I apologize for my comment." "No need to apologize. Are there any other questions?" It was quiet. "Could I have a volunteer or two from each group?" Asked Judy. "I need about a 1/2 pint of blood from each of the volunteers." She got several strange looks. "How better to convince the local authorities that the raiders killed a bunch of people before they arrived?" With that she was besieged with volunteers. "Remember, go about your activities this afternoon as you had planned. We would prefer you not make any obscene gestures toward the satellites, as it might tip them off." Many laughed. Several could be heard to say, 'ah shucks'. ------- During the afternoon, they were able to locate all of the GPS transmitters. These were then moved to places where you would normally expect them. Surprisingly, the afternoon went quickly, as everyone seemed to make an extra effort to enjoy the facilities and get their things ready for the move. As usual, the shuttles from the space ship returned just before dinner. The return today was a bit earlier than normal, so they could make sure their stuff was ready to move to the space ship. Their barbecue broke up just after the sun had set. On this night it turned dark earlier than normal, as there was no moon, and the sky had grown overcast as the sun set. The overcast reduced the satellites monitoring capabilities. Everyone slowly wandered back to their rooms. Once there, they gathered their things and moved back to the assembly area, always staying under an overhang. Soon, all of them were gathered in the recreation room. It was very quiet. The mood was somber but at the same time there was a level of excitement, as they were moving to their new home. "We suspect you would prefer to travel with your group," said Sally. "So, with that in mind, we have brought four larger shuttles to take you to the ship. Exit through the door between Jill and Janet, walk straight ahead toward the light from the shuttle door. They will be counting heads, so kind of stay in groups, so they know when to break for the next shuttle." With that, the groups began to move out the door. "Can I speak with Aoife, Siobhan and Maureen's groups for a minute," said Sarah? The groups came over. "We would like you all to go on one shuttle. Aoife, Siobhan and Maureen will be with us. Using your mind-link, you can see what we are doing. They will feel your support. Please try not to direct a thought to them that needs a response, as it may disturb their concentration. Yes, there could be exceptions, which was someone's next question." They all nodded solemnly, but the excitement of moving to the space ship was there as well. Each exchanged hugs and kisses before they gathered together to board their shuttle. Soon, the only ones left in the recreation room were most of the command staff and the security team, dressed in their tactical suits. Soon Alison, Tara, Claudette, Erica and Erin joined them, wearing their tactical suits. Amy's clan was already on the space ship to provide support from there. "Are the robots getting everything set up?" "Yes," said Alison. "The replicators did a great job producing likenesses of the crew candidates. They have several of the decoys butchered and hanging. A couple are dangling by their arms, ready to be gutted. Two are set up to have have their heads removed with an axe when the raiders arrive, so the blood will be fresh. If I didn't know it was synthesized meat, I would be sick." "Good. Let's hope it works," said Rusty. "Take your group and board the shuttle. We will follow you to the freighter in the other shuttle." With that Alison, Erin, Tara, Erica, Claudette and the other security team members boarded Alpha2 shuttle. The command staff boarded shuttle Alpha1. While everyone was boarding shuttles, the shield generators blocked any observation by the satellites. The shield extended to include the robots loading another shuttle with gear being moved to either the enclave or the ship. Neither the ship nor the robots gave off heat signatures, but their activities could have been seen by the satellites without the shield. Once everything was loaded, the shield generators would collapse their screens, so they could be loaded on the shuttles by the robots. ------- Once it was clear to Donna that the raiders were nearly in position to attack, she sent a distress call to the local authorities, telling them they were under attack by someone. She made sure gunfire was heard in the background. Once she was sure the information was understood, she broke the line. This way they were reasonably sure the local authorities would arrive shortly after the raiders had occupied the resort. ------- As the two shuttles approached the freighter, several small survey drones were sent ahead to search it. The command staff used their mind-link to analyze the data as it was acquired by the drones. On the freighter's bridge, they found charts laid out on the table, showing the ship's path and last port of call. The freighter's course had been altered the same day they had started moving possessions to the resort, bringing it to its present position. The ship's captain was talking on a phone. He sounded quite angry at having to hold his speed down so slow. It was just enough to counter the current and the wind, making little progress toward the next port. In the crew areas nothing was found out of the ordinary, except that the drones did record some grumbling about their restricted movement on the forward part of the ship. Several made comments about seeing glimpses of people nude. One was bragging about two women he briefly saw sun bathing nude. All of them thought having the foredeck isolated was strange. As the survey drones reached the foredeck, they found a single row of containers with their doors facing the forward. Each was positioned so it could be easily accessed from the foredeck. The structure of the foredeck consisted of four levels and only two entrances. Entering the structure, they found several suites on each level. The top level was a combination lounge and dining room. Each suite consisted of a large bedroom, a bath and a second room containing a bondage rail, stocks, suspension points and two cages. The large bed was fitted with restraints. One of the cages was a small about the size of a small desk, while the other cage was tall and slender. Both cages had cables attached to them that reached up to the ceiling. The small cage in one suite contained a man. His legs were folded, with his knees widely spread and bound to sides of the cage. His arms were bound together behind his back. A short rope pulled his elbows toward the top of the cage. A leather lace was wrapped around the top of his ball-sac and pulled through his crotch then tied to his wrists. Around his neck was a collar attached by a short chain to the floor of the cage. The pain he was in was evident from the expression on his face, as there was no way he could relax his muscles. On the level just below the deck, they found four large rooms with very high ceilings, and the equipment for making videos. One was laid out like a bedroom, except that the bed was equipped with restraints. Another was set up like a barn, with small and large animal stalls. The larger stalls held two stallions and two donkeys. In the smaller stalls were four exceptionally large male dogs. A central area of the barn contained several benches with restraints for holding a human. Another room was a full-fledged torture chamber, with racks, whipping posts, a fire stand with branding tools, stocks, cages, water tanks, mechanical dildos and almost every torture implement ever described. The last room was quite simply a butcher shop, with special devices to hold a human. When the command staff and security teams saw the contents of the torture and killing rooms, their already building anger quickly turned to rage, as it became very clear what had been done in these rooms. The rage quickly turned into action, as the security team immediately began preparing an attack on the freighter. They were not waiting for any direction from the command staff, as their shared rage was driving them. Alison overrode the AI piloting their shuttle, and started to move into position so they could board the freighter. Those on Alpha1 shuttle relinquished control of the drones to Donna while they focused first on Alison and Erica, getting them to hold position and to return shuttle control to the AI. Although tempted to demand they hold their position and wait so they could plan their actions, they chose instead to calmly reason with the group on the security shuttle. As they calmly reasoned with them, they pointed out that to be successful, everyone needed to come back together as one. If they went into action without thinking this through, it was very likely more would be hurt and chances of success would be lessened. It took several long minutes of discussion before everyone agreed it was better to complete the survey and understand the operation. It was only a short time before logic overrode the rage, but for them it felt much longer. They had all responded to emergency events before, but except for a few occasions, this kind of effort was new to them. Rusty, Sally, and Terry's past experience with situations like this gave them the knowledge to convince the rest to be patient. Sarah's clan was shocked at how quickly their bond was weakened by the boiling anger and rage triggered by the scenes in the freighter. They reached out to each of the others in their family, as they felt this needed to be understood before they proceeded forward. They made sure the security team members were included in the mind-link with them, as they studied what just happened. Sarah said, "This time we are lucky we can pause to resolve our issues. Each of us have memories like Alison, Tara, Erin, Claudette's and several of the security teams that can trigger uncontrollable anger or rage in the right circumstances." "One of the benefits of our bond," said Joyce, "together we can turn our uncontrolled anger toward meaningful path. Let's focus on what we can do now. I have been told that revenge is best served cold. Knowing our strength and abilities, we can do that." "Wow, this is neat," said Aoife, causing a few to chuckle as it lightened the moment. "Sorry, that I have distracted us. We fell or backed into this situation for perhaps two reasons. One, this is our group's first time in this kind of tactical situation with long-term implications. Second, before we left we should have started out by considering the 'what-ifs'." "Aoife, thank you," said Rusty. "I take responsibility for not thinking of formally having that discussion. I thought all of you were seeing my thoughts on possible actions when we got there. I suspected we might see some more horrible sights. Based on what we know and have seen so far on the freighter, that could be an understatement." "I did see your thoughts," said Tara. "I think we all did. When I saw the 'killing chamber', it all went out the window, so to speak." Erin, Alison and Claudette indicated their agreement with Tara's comment. "I was so shocked," said Erica, "I didn't react like I should have. If the rest of you had not been here, it could quickly have gotten out of control." "Okay, we now have an idea of what to expect on the freighter," said Sally. "Let's talk through what we think we will find and how we want to handle it. This group on the freighter will only be a small part of the operation. We need to learn as much about them as possible, before we act." Sally, Terry, and Rusty took the lead, as they considered what else they would find on the freighter and how to deal with it. They carefully worked through a series of scenarios, and what their response would be in each case. Most of the clan on the command shuttle would form an ethereal entity to explore the freighter's foredeck. This gave them the most psionic capability and minimized exposure, as the entity could be either visible or invisible. Hopefully, they could also get an idea of who was funding this kind of operation. Sarah, Rusty, Sally, Terry, Maureen, Aoife, Siobhan, Janet and Jill joined tightly together to become the ethereal entity, eSarah. They projected eSarah onto the ship. To each of those forming eSarah, she felt like a person, and her actions felt as if they were theirs. The rest of the clan watched through their mind-link as eSarah explored the forward part of the freighter. Joyce and Donna moved the drones to monitor general activity on the ship as they had completed their survey. eSarah explored the foredeck using the data from the drones before moving below deck. On the second level below-deck she found cages holding male and female captives. Some cages were just big enough that the occupant could kneel but not fully stand or stretch out. The captives had just enough room to move to avoid cramps, but were restricted enough that they would be stiff when first released. It was apparent that each of these captives was especially tall and very good looking. In other cages, the occupant was held restrained kneeling, with their torso laying forward on a T shaped support. As eSarah moved through the aisles, several captives looked toward her, following her movements. She was surprised, as her entity was currently transparent even though her form felt real. All the captives were nude. Each was fitted with ankle cuffs connected together by a short chain to a metal collar around each of their necks which held their hands at chest level. A few were missing their hands, but in those cases a metal pin could be seen projecting from the sides of their forearms. The pin was apparently used to lock the bones of the forearms together at the wrist. For them, the chains from their collars connected to the ends of the pin. Many wore body jewelry. The captives had a glazed look and there was little emotion in any of their expressions. The silence from this many people surprised the clan. eSarah peered into some of the captives minds and found them still to be whole. They were all drugged, making them submissive and compliant. A quick assessment indicated there must be 300 cages on this level, with nearly all of them containing someone. When eSarah went to the third level, she found all of the cages empty. It was clear that some had recently been occupied. Star told the rescue party that the shuttles would be sent back to them as soon as the new crew members had unloaded. eSarah then walked slowly back through the second level and then returned to the first level. She carefully looked over each of the studios and several smaller rooms off the torture room. From there, she moved to the structure on the main deck. As she progressed up each level, she carefully looked over each of the suites before moving on to the next. She soon reached the top level. In the recreation room, she found a number of people. It was clear which were the captors and which were the slaves, as the captors were the only ones talking, and each held at least one leash attached to the collar on a person kneeling or sitting on the floor next to them. The slaves sitting on the floor appeared to be in much better shape than the captives she had seen in the cages. Several of the female slaves were fitted with nose rings, from which ran a small chain to rings in their nipples and clits. One slave had no hands. Her arms ended at her wrists. eSarah could clearly see that the two bones of her forearms had been pined together, as metal pin protruded from each side of the arm at the wrist. It was the same as she had seen in the cages earlier. It was apparent from the redness of the skin over the end of her arms that she had only lost her hands a short time ago. eSarah listened to the conversation among the captors for a short time. While she listened, she explored the minds of the slaves. Each of them had been captives, but for one reason or another had been singled out to be a personal slave of a staff member. All were drugged, but the combination was slightly different from the captives in the cages. It was clear from the conversation between the 3 male and 3 female captors that the groups heading toward the resort intended to add their guests to the collection. They speculated as to how long it would be before the group returned from raiding the resort with the additional stock. If their stock count was correct, then it could take a day just to transport all of them by boat to the ship. They decided to have their slaves clean the empty cages while they slept, and they could sleep when they were done. The conversation then turned to deciding which rooms they would use tomorrow for the video productions. They eventually decided on the bedroom and the barn. A woman asked where Fred was. One said that he had taken his favorite captive to one of the special suites next to the torture room, along with his slave. He was planning on filming it as a torture snuff film. He thought she would do a lot of screaming before they got to the point of skinning her alive. The clan decided then there was no reason to delay longer. While eSarah went to find Fred, Alpha2 shuttle moved up next to the freighter. eSarah quickly found him, his slave and the woman captive. They were in a room off the torture room on the first level below-deck. As eSarah eased through the door, she saw a woman tightly stretched and suspended between four posts horizontally. Her body was covered with pins which were sticking out of her skin. eSarah shuddered at the pain they all knew the victim was feeling. Looking into her mind, they saw Maeve was psionic. She had been drugged so she could not use her ability to defend herself. She still had limited use of her ability but she had used it to tone down the mental torment caused by her screaming nerves. Between the waves of pain Maeve now felt, she sensed something different in the room. Her eyes turned to look at eSarah. The pain eSarah saw in her eyes hurt them each so much it was unsettling. eSarah was tempted to send a thought to her, but quickly realized the consequences could quickly cause the situation go out of control. The woman was able to manage the pain, so waiting a few minutes would not make much difference. eSarah was growing anxious to end this, but drew on the her powers to calm down as she waited for an opportunity to strike. Fred's slave stood across the bound woman from him and together they were waving an electrically charged magnetic wand over her. The wands caused the pins to move and pull at her body, further antagonizing Maeve's nerves. Sometimes an arc would jump from the wand to a pin, causing her muscles to ripple around the embedded pins. With each breath, she emitted a scream. As the slave's arm moved near Fred's wand, eSarah pushed his arm, so the wand touched her arm. The slave screamed and jerked from the shock. Stepping back, she lost her footing, then tripped and fell, landing on her wand with her foot touching the grounding post. She screamed and jerked as the wand cycled, discharging through her body. "Stupid bitch," Fred said, as he went to move her. As he grabbed her to pull her away from the stand, her wand discharged again, shocking him. He jerked, pulling her free and lost his footing when the ship rolled at that moment. His energized wand touched his knee and discharged through his balls to the post he had grabbed. He screamed and grabbed his balls, falling on the floor in pain. eSarah reached out, taking control of his fingers, and began to squeeze his balls with his hands until he fainted. She went into the torturer's mind, and disabled his psionic capabilities by severing the connections to that part of his mind. She simply blocked the slave's psionic ability as well. With both of them unconscious, eSarah made herself visible. Maeve gasped slightly at seeing the tall big woman standing in front of her. eSarah, using the group's psionic ability, slowly rotated the frame and posts until the female captive was suspended upright. Maeve watched eSarah the whole time. eSarah sent thoughts of serenity and calm to Maeve, to help block the pain and other troubling thoughts. She stretched the ropes holding Maeve's wrists until her feet touched the floor, and then released her wrists from the restraints. Then, supporting her by her arms, eSarah released the ropes attached to Maeve's ankles. As soon as Maeve was free of the frame, Donna teleported her to the shuttle. ------- On the shuttle, Donna held her suspended in air. Maeve was shocked by the sudden change around her. She looked at Judy, then around the cabin, then relaxed with a sigh. Judy, with the assistance of several others, began to carefully remove the needles from Maeve's back before laying her on a chair. Judy was pleased to find that Fred had only glued the needles to her skin, rather than using barbed needles, as she had feared. When the needles in her back were removed, Judy wiped her back with an antiseptic and antibiotic before Donna laid her on a soft cot. Judy continued to remove the rest of the pins from Maeve's body. When she finished, she wiped her whole body with a strong antiseptic and antibiotic. Judy reached into her mind, and helped her numb the pain she was still feeling from her tortured nerves. With the easing of the pain, she began to further relax, as she began to feel the comfort in her new surroundings. Fatigue quickly overtook her, and she dropped off to sleep. ------- While the torturer and slave were unconscious, eSarah stopped the video recording. eSarah examined the torturer's and slave's minds in some detail. She was appalled at the cesspool she found in Fred's mind and only spent a few brief minutes with him. However, the woman, was a different story, she had been forced into cooperating. Fred had forced her to watch as several of her friends, two sisters and her parents were subjected to painful and abusive sexual torment. Cathan was forced to participate in some of the torment by threats to increase the severity of her family's torment if she refused to participate. The captors continued escalating the torment until her sisters, mother and father all died before her eyes, screaming in pain. She felt deceived and worthless due to her part in it. Even drugged, the thoughts of the suffering she saw sapped her will. The captors let her friends live to be breeders. They gave all three of them treatments to enlarge and sensitize their vaginal lips and clits. They enlarged Cathan's breasts so she was a full D-cup, but they made her friends breasts so large they had trouble standing for any length of time. They were to eventually be sold off to a baby farm when their captors were tired of making the three perform together (or with the animals) in videos. eSarah saw Cathan's vow to make all of them pay for torturing her family until they died and for the treatments they gave her and her friends. Her guilt over the way her parents died and her part in it weighed heavily on her mind. If she had not been kept drugged, she would have either lost her sanity or killed herself by now. The torturer she was with had kept her lightly drugged, so she would do his bidding and was unable to act without direction. The only thing that kept her going was the knowledge that if she somehow failed as his slave her friends would suffer. eSarah continued to examine the room. The room contained a wide array of torture devices. They traced the video feeds to a central storage area. The video system was normally used to send the recordings live to their home office via satellite. In this case, it was set to record for later transmission. So, fortunately, none of the activities in the room with Maeve had been sent. She rewound the tape, so that when recording started again it would be as Cathan began her revenge. She switched back to the normal setup, only with a time delay. The transmission was timed so it would not begin until the activity in the room ended. Fred was hung by his wrists from wet rawhide laces. The laces were tightly wrapped twice around his forearm, just below the wrist joint. His feet were tied to the widely spaced anchors in the floor with wet raw hide laces. eSarah woke Cathan and mentally prodded her to remember her vow. Using her telepathic ability, she helped Cathan's body shake off the effects of the drugs. Once she was fully awake, the video recording restarted. Cathan was surprised to see the torturer bound to the frame in place of the captive. "Where was the captive", she thought? She was amazed at the amount of pain and abuse the captive had withstood. She looked around carefully. She was worried. Her thoughts were now clear, in fact, she felt more alive than she had in a long time. What if this was a trap? If it was a trap, then he wouldn't be bound the way that it was. The realization hit her, this was her opportunity to get revenge for her family and friends. She knew deep down she would probably die, but at least she wouldn't be alone. This beast and his friends had killed her family and sold her friends, so dying would mean she would perhaps be with them again. Tears ran down her cheeks, remembering the pain her family and friends had suffered. eSarah watched as Cathan took a halo-like device from a cabinet and fastened it to his head with six screws, by driving them into his skull. The pain from the screws burrowing into his skull caused him to wake up screaming, as blood ran from around where the screws had cut through the skin. She attached the halo ring to a rope hanging from the ceiling and pulled the rope tight, pulling his head upright and stretching his neck, before tying it off. The halo was then braced between the uprights, so he could not turn his head. A jaw clamp was forced into his screaming mouth and locked open, pushing his jaw down until it was almost dislocated. Drool ran from his gaping mouth. He watched in fear, as she came toward him holding a special clamp. It was clear from his sounds he was begging her to stop, but not a word was understood. She laughed at his fear. She reminded him that she was just beginning. Then she remembered the special collar he liked to use, it robbed the victim of the ability to make any sound. She brought one over, along with a scalpel. With the scalpel, a slit was made in his wind pipe, then she slipped a tube on the collar into his wind pipe. She tightened the collar around this neck, after making sure the tube was seated in his wind pipe so that he breathed though the collar. Now he was trapped in his body. He could not make any noise to relieve his pain. eSarah decided she had stayed long enough. eSarah pushed a thought to Cathan's mind that she should subdue the others before too long. Through eSarah, they modified her telepathic ability, so she could use it to defend herself and support her efforts at revenge. ------- When the additional shuttles arrived at the freighter from the space ship, they each took turns hovering just over the deck, so it was just a short step up for those getting onto the shuttle. A shield generator screened the activity from the bridge and the recreation room. The security team and robots assisted with releasing the captives from the cages. As they were released, the security team assisted them as they moved from their cages and into the waiting shuttles on the foredeck. The rescuers mentally and verbally reassured the former captives about what was happening. Those reassurances, and the effect of the drugs they had received, let them follow instructions from the security team. They quickly entered the shuttles. Several security members went to the captors' suites to release the bound captives they had seen there. They had been restrained so long, they had to be carried to the waiting shuttles. A few were close to loosing touch with reality, each of them wore a collar with a wind vent that had robbed them of their voice. After all the captives were safely in the shuttles, Alison had two of the security team board each shuttle before sending them cloaked to wait near the moon. That way they could all return to the space ship together. With the captives safe and Cathan attending to the captors, eSarah went to look again through the captors' staff areas. They were looking for clues about the employers of this group of animals. The rooms yielded little information on the background of the staff members. Their instructions arrived on a daily basis. They consisted of the types of films they needed to record or when new captives would arrive or when to have shipments ready. When they prepared captives for shipment, they were told which to ship by the cage number. The message details only took them back to a proxy server. The video transmissions, though, went to a consistent group of IP addresses. Before leaving the freighter, drones were placed at several locations on the freighter, to monitor future activities. Donna used the information eSarah had found about the video links to see if their ultimate destination could be determined. Donna was going to try placing tracers on future communications, with the hope that they might lead them to the destination. She was also monitoring the ship's normal communications links. Once everyone but Cathan, the former slaves and their captives were off the freighter, Donna sent a message to the ship's captain for the ship to resume normal speed and head for the next port. Cathan noticed the change in motion of the ship. She hoped she would have enough time for her revenge, as she didn't know how long it would be before they reached port. As Cathan returned to the room Fred was in, she thought, "Thank you, God, for answering my prayers asking for revenge." When Fred saw her enter, the look in her eyes caused him to shudder in fear. Her eyes had lost the drugged glaze he had become so use to seeing when she was his slave. They were now burning points of light as she stood there starring at him. Her eyes were as he imagined the devil's eyes would look, if their were such a being. He screamed as a thought echoed in his mind, "She is preparing me for entering the ultimate torture chamber." His mind screamed quickly, followed by his body, as the pain began to course through his body. ------- Sarah's clan drew eSarah back to their shuttle. They all felt weak from the energy they poured into eSarah while she was on the freighter. Each member took a sip from the large drink that Judy had just placed in their hands. Alpha1 shuttle's AI moved them up to meet with the other shuttles near the moon. "Are all of you okay?" Asked the crew on shuttle Alpha2 carrying Alison, Claudette, Tara, Erica and Erin as they paced along with Alpha1 shuttle. "Yes," they replied. "It will take a minute for us to regain our energy and unwind, then we need to consider how we go forward from here." By the time Alpha1 and Alpha2 shuttles had joined the four shuttles carrying the captives, the command staff's energy levels had started to return. "Okay, we need to link ourselves and the security team together," said Aoife. "I believe we have two security members on each shuttle with the captives." "Yes." "How uneasy are the captives? We can see that they are relieved, but uncertain about what is happening. Is that what you see on the shuttles?" "Yes, they are uneasy. Your assessment is consistent with what we see and sense." "I think we ought to tell them a little bit about what is going on," said Joyce and Janet. Together they quickly worked out the message they wanted to give the captives, and how to make the presentation. On each shuttle the security crew asked their passengers to direct their attention to the screen that appeared on the front of the cabin wall. The initial image showed close-ups of Sarah, Sally, Alison, and Tara, with the rest of their clan in the background. Many of the captives faces showed looks of amazement as the images appeared on the screen. "We hope you are comfortable," said Sarah, Sally, Alison and Tara in unison. "At least more comfortable than you were. We are planning on taking you to our home in a few moments. Once we reach there, our medical staff will give each of you a quick physical exam, to make sure none of you have critical medical issues. At this time, you will be given an antidote for the mind-control drug your captors have been giving you. Once you are freed of the mind-control drug and have recovered your health, you are free to go wherever you wish." "We will die without the drug," wailed several captives. "The made us watch several suffer and die after they withdrew the drug." The security teams relayed what they heard to command staff. "Yes, the drug would do that if just withdrawn, but what we will give you is an antidote. We will not let you die or inflict any suffering on you." "Now for the part you might have difficultly in believing. Our home is now on a space ship near Mars, and we are on space shuttles near earth's moon." Many gasped. Shuttles uncloak. "If you look out the cabin windows, you should be able to see the other ships and the moon. The four shuttles you are on will turn so everyone can see earth and the earth's moon." It was very quiet as the shuttles moved around. "While we are traveling to our ship, please sit back and relax. There are snacks available. Just ask the robots or security team members and they will show you where they are. The trip will be a little longer than usual, so please sit back and relax." "Sabrina, Shannon, Leann, Nancy and Muireann's clans, would your groups assist with getting these people settled in for the night?" "Yes," they responded. Sabrina, Shannon and Muireann were amazed at the way they received the request for assistance. They knew it could be done, but were still amazed. "I wonder if anyone on earth noticed our shuttles?" "Probably. The quick movement of ships within the solar system tonight will possibly have some effect on orbits, due to the gravitational waves we created." ------- Chapter 57 While they were returning, Donna informed the command staff about an intriguing series of calls to the unit commander at the resort. A government official from the capital had called him shortly after the interrogations had begun, inquiring as to why his unit was at the resort. The commander told him to call headquarters, after which the connection was broken. The official called back several times, becoming much more demanding each time, and insisting that the governor wanted the information now. Each time, the unit commander had told him little about the operation, but did tell him to call his commander. Donna was asked if she could determine what was pushing the caller's interest. Donna told them that two calls had been received from the States and two from Europe within the last couple of hours. A quick background check showed an exceptional amount of money in the official's bank account, considering government pay scale. As she was talking, the unit commander called his base and Donna patched them into the communications link. The unit commander told him about the caller demanding to have information on their activity and claiming to be acting on behalf of the governor. His commander asked for the official's name, and then told him that the caller was, indeed, a government official, but was not in a position to make those kind of requests. If the official called again, the unit commander was to tell the official that he had talked to headquarters, and they were expecting his call. In the meantime, he would have his staff check out the official. A short time later, Donna's surveillance devices detected a squad of military police arriving at the government official home. They were there only a short time before the official left in the company of several MPs. The remaining MPs searched his residence. As the search was underway, an AI made sure that his personal records were readily accessible and easy to find. ------- It was early in the morning, and everyone was tired when they arrived at the space ship. The group from the resort had closely followed the activities on the freighter. While they waited, they worked with the ship's AIs and staff to make sure that everyone would have accommodations by this morning. Conan and Brandan with the Engineering AI's assistance led the group planning what areas of the ship needed to be opened up so that hey would have sufficient space for their comfort. Everyone was pleased that they had been asked to assist with the new arrivals from the freighter and included in configuring the changes to the ship. The plight of the new arrivals had struck an emotional chord with all of them. When Alpha1 shuttle's cabin door opened, Conan and Brandan both rushed to greet Maureen and Siobhan. Both quickly moved from the cabin door toward their group, to greet them and to clear the way so the others could exit. In each case, their groups gathered around them, embracing each other to physically express the joy and happiness of being together. The strength of the exchange was as though they had been away from one another for many days. Their shared affection and their emotional link was a new dimension to their growing bond. Although only a few realized it, a part of their sharing of affection was through their growing mind-link. Siobhan, Conan and Eileen were like the seed crystals for their group's bonding. The same was true for Maureen, Brandan and Colleen, in their group's bonding. The changes were subtle and fundamental, but very important to their clan's future. The new crew members and candidates on the ship had organized to assist with the new arrivals. Special autodoc modules were set up to quickly scan each person as they exited the transport shuttles. Betsy, Connie, and several EMTs had stations near each transport's door, so they could give the former captives an antidote to the drugs as soon as they exited. Each new arrival was met by a crew member or candidate as soon as they had received their shot. They then walked with them over to an EMT, so that their ankle and wrist cuffs could be removed. The new arrivals cried as they saw the vestiges of their enslavement removed. An EMT carefully checked each collar for a tracheal tube before they began to remove it. Those wearing collars with a tracheal tube were sent to see Gail or Judy. Judy examined each person's neck after the collar and tube was removed. She was surprised that there was very little inflammation underneath the collar, or where the tube entered the trachea. Once the collar was removed, Gail fit a small temporary plug into the hole in their neck, restoring their voice. The patients cried with happiness as they heard their voice again, even though it sounded hoarse when they spoke. The crew members comforted them, with tears in their eyes. Gail assured each that the hole would be repaired in the next few days. Once the new arrivals were finished with the arrival checks, they went in small groups to the dining area, to wait until everyone was there. The new arrivals were close to being overwhelmed by the welcome they were receiving. The food spread on the buffet table reminded them how hungry they were. Each looked enviously at the food for a few moments, until their escorts sensed their hesitation. An escort turned to the woman with her and said, "Help yourself". With that, the ice was broken, the new arrivals began to help themselves to the fresh vegetables and snacks on the buffet table, with some of the crew joining them. A few moments after everyone was in the room, Star sounded a chime to get everyone's attention. "Good morning," said Alison, Tara, Erin and Sarah. "Welcome to our home. You can see by our lack of covering that we seldom wear any. For those from the freighter, the people who met you as you entered the ship are the crew and have volunteered to assist you until you become familiar with the ship. We need you to stay with them until we can talk tomorrow, oops, I mean later today. They will show you where you can clean up and sleep. Our sleeping conditions will be crowded and perhaps a little uncomfortable, until we can make some further adjustments. All of us are very tired, as it has been a very long day." "Let's get settled, and then some rest," said Sarah. "Let's sleep in. Regular meals will resume at lunch time today. Good night and sleep well." Then she yawned, and was quickly followed by the rest of the crew. "Again, to those of you from the freighter, please don't roam around unaccompanied until we get a bit more settled, and you become more familiar with the ship." "Star, can the security AI and perhaps the other AIs, keep an eye on the new people?" "Yes, we had already started cataloging them and analyzing the preliminary scans. What we are finding is strange. Everyone we have checked so far has psionic capabilities. Virtually none of them are aware of this attribute. The percentage is most unusual for those born on earth." "We need to talk about this tomorrow," said Sally, and the others concurred. "It could be coincidence or something more sinister." With that, they left for their new quarters, where they were surprised to find them laid out just like the enclave. They quickly freshened up and went to bed, after embracing each other to physically demonstrate their feelings for each other. ------- It was late morning when the new residents began to stir. The AIs made sure to nudge a crew member awake, if necessary, when those from the freighter started to stir. A number of those rescued were disturbed by their surroundings as they began to wake up. It took them several minutes to remember where they were. They were distressed initially by the lack of confinement and restraints, but as their memory returned, their fears eased. Each intently watched their escorts, anticipating some kind of abuse. They had come to expect abuse or torment as normal. Since their captivity, it had occurred whenever they were outside of their cages. While on the ship, they had watched as people were led from their cages. Sometimes, they never returned. When they participated in the filming, they were forced to watch as others had been horribly tortured, until they either died or were killed outright. Many had trouble sleeping because of their dreams. The general nudity of the crew was comforting, but confusing at the same time. Ever since they had been abducted, the only ones wearing clothes had been their tormentors, unless it was for a film. Even in the films, they did not wear the costumes very long. They were inclined to view the crew as another group of captors, in part because of the way they were brought there. The actions of the crew were entirely opposite of what they had come to expect from their captors. As each group rose, the crew helped those from the freighter adjust to the unique facilities on the ship. Each crew member seemed to sense the unease of the former captives, so they were careful to show them how the different things worked, rather than telling them. As they spent time with the crew members, the former captives began to relax and feel more like a person rather than an object. Every one made a trip to the observation deck, to see the ship, the stars and earth. By noon, everyone had made it down to the combination recreation/dinning room. As they arrived, each group was shown the food replicator menu, and how to select their breakfast/lunch. As they showed the new guests how each item worked, they made recommendations as to what they thought tasted good. When Sarah's clan arrived, all conversation seemed to stop. The people from the freighter just stopped and stared at them. They watched them go to get their food and interact with each other. Their attention did not return to their table until Sarah's clan had sat down. Maureen asked one of the women with her group what she thought of Sarah's clan while nodding in the direction of those she was talking about. "Oh, they are beautiful in many ways. Last night I thought my mind was playing tricks on me when I saw them on the shuttle's video screen and then saw them here later. They are very similar to people I have seen in my dreams. Many times those dreams were very comforting, especially once I was captured and then placed aboard the freighter. It was into those dreams that I sometimes retreated, when the events around me became too horrible to bear." Several of those around them nodded their agreement. "Have all of you had dreams?" asked Maureen. She saw the hesitation among those with her group. "Several of our group had dreams about them before we met them. We were shocked the first time we met them. We have only been with them for about 2 weeks." "Really," responded another woman. "And to answer your question, yes, I have had dreams of them. There were several strange aspects to those dreams." With that comment, the conversations between those at the table grew. Maureen's group gently deflected questions for more details about the space ship until everyone had finished eating. The command staff, along with Amy's clan listened to the conversations around the room as they ate. They were pleased that those from the freighter had mixed well with the new crew members. Several telepathic probes were felt while they ate. In each case, one or two of them would seek out the individual. The person was shocked, when they were asked to not use their telepathic capabilities for a while. They made sure to assure them that they were safe, and that no torment awaited them. The command staff would provide the information they wanted and answer their questions after breakfast/lunch. Each agreed, after overcoming the shock that they were telepathic, as they didn't understand what they were doing. They were assured that the medical staff would assist them understand their telepathic ability. Star informed them that the medical staff thought the effects of the drugs would be nearly gone by that evening. The drugs did not prevent them from understanding events around them, but made them very suggestible in terms of following instructions. The staff conferred, and decided again to share with them where they were, who they were and why the ship was here. They would require them to take a complete physical. Treatments to resolve their health issues would be offered if needed, then, they could choose whether they wanted the treatments. Second, if any of them wanted them to, they would try to locate any family, relatives or friends they had on earth. Sarah stood, and the room became quiet. "Would you please take your dishes and trash to the recycling bin and tidy up the area," she asked. "In five minutes, we will introduce ourselves and give you a short presentation about our surroundings." The crew members led the way in cleaning up the items from breakfast. Those from the freighter quickly picked up on the tasks, and pitched in to help. They moved the tables and chairs around so that the room was set up classroom-style. Rusty stood next to Sarah, as they watched the crew and guests work together. Once everyone was seated, it became very quiet. Maureen, Siobhan and Aoife came up and joined Sarah's clan. "Good morning," said Sarah. "Welcome to our ship, our space ship that we have yet to name. This is also our new home. Most of us moved here last evening, just a few hours before our guests from the freighter arrived. Our clan has only been an active part of the ship's crew for around 8 months, and many of the crew members have only joined within the last 2 weeks. For those from the freighter, we welcome you as our guests." "Now, we need to make some introductions, the group of us standing with me is the ship's command staff. There are currently 15 of us who will pilot the ship once it is underway. My name is Sarah." She turned to Rusty, and with that, they each introduced themselves. Maureen, Siobhan and Aoife each indicated the group of which they were a member. "We know that all of you from the freighter are partially under the influence of the drugs you had been receiving there. Our medical staff indicated that those effects will wear off by this evening." "We were told they were addictive and withdrawal would be fatal," cried a woman. Several nodded their heads. Several openly had tears running down their faces. "Relax," said Betsy, as she stood. "We knew of that dependency when you arrived, that is why we gave you the shots when you arrived this morning. Those shots contained an antidote that preferentially binds to the drug. Once that happens, it is eliminated from your body as waste. You will have no withdrawal symptoms, and you definitely will have no other effects from it. The primary purpose of the drug you were given was to make you docile and receptive to any directions. Those effects will disappear by the end of the day." "Thank you," was the response from several of the new arrivals. "That was Betsy, and she is the ship's primary doctor," said Sarah. "Connie, Judy and Gail are her associates. We also have several EMTs and nurses on the staff. They were the ones that gave you the shots when you arrived, and assisted with the removal of your collar and cuffs." "Even though you have all visited the observation platform, we know you find it hard to believe you are on a space ship," they said together. "We can assure you, it is not a dream. The nightmare you were living on the freighter will not return, unless that is your desire. We do need to share some information with you about us." "Our ship is the midst of re-staffing. There are 5 groups of us, who have arrived by somewhat different paths over the last few years or so. The first group is the original crew members. They are from a different galaxy, with a society structured differently than you are familiar with, and have some physical characteristics different from earth's humans. There are also a lot of similarities. This group includes Amy's clan and four other family groups. The second group is our clan, Sarah's, which includes the 12 of us, in addition to which are Nancy's, Jean's, and Ann's clans. Both Jean's and Ann's clans are not here at the moment. Third group is our new crew members, who are all from earth, which includes Maureen's and Siobhan's clans. Fourth are the crew candidates, also from earth, and fifth is our guests who arrived from the freighter last night." "To give you an idea of who's who, can we have original crew members stand?" They stood, so that everyone could see them. They each introduced themselves, and indicated their family group. "Please take your seats. Now, can we have the new crew members stand?" They stood. "Thank you. You can take your seats now. The fourth group is crew candidates. We invited them to move here from the resort, to continue their visit with us, while they consider joining the crew. They arrived last night with those we introduced as new crew members. They have not made their decisions as to whether or not to stay. Would they stand, please?" After a few moments, she said, "Thank you." "Now, we would like to tell you a bit about us," Sarah's clan said in unison. "We are from earth, the US in particular. We look very much like Amy's clan because of some medical treatments we received upon our arrival at the enclave on earth to save our lives. More details will be shared with you over the next two days. In the meantime, if you have questions, please ask any of us." "We noted earlier that there were some differences between this society and what is common on earth. A major cultural difference is that in this society, we form family groups. These groups are made up of between 4 and 14 or so people. Typically, the group will only contain one, but some times two males. For our family or clan, Rusty is the lone male. For Amy's clan, Jim is the lone male. Nancy's clan has two males. Many on earth would characterize these clans, or groups, as a harem. However, on earth, in every case we know of, a harem is dominated by a male. This is not a characteristic of these family groups. In this society, all members of the family group are essentially equal in abilities, except for reproduction. This includes being physically equal, which is not true on earth." "For us, joining this society seems to have been a natural progression," they said. "Before we came to this society, Sarah, Sally, Terry, Rusty and, to a limited extent Joyce, had already started our family group. Over the last year, and due to a number of circumstances, Jill, Janet, Judy, Alison, Claudette, Tara, and Erin have joined our growing clan. Alison, Tara and Erin have already added babies to our family, and as you can see several of us are due in a month." "You may wonder how it can succeed. The key, we think, is what we call bonding and mind-link. You have listened to us speak in stereo. We can do that because we actively share our thoughts completely, in every intimate detail. In doing that, we know how each of us feels, and what they are thinking at anyone time. It is something we would have never thought possible, that is, until we experienced it. We do not loose our individuality, which some of you are wondering." "Rules in this society are: All interpersonal activities must have the full consent of everyone involved. Telepathic thoughts are openly shared if both parties agree. If there is no agreement then, no peeking. There can be exceptions, but don't be wrong if you use an exception. Exercising your telepathic capability also puts you at risk to a mental attack. If you are telepathically receptive, then it is possible for someone to take over your mind and rearrange it for you, or even turn it off." Several gasped. "There are techniques you can use to protect against a mental attack, and a means to defend yourself." "This society, until our clan came along, communicated almost exclusively by telepathy. They did not use names, because they exchanged thoughts between objects in their minds. It works and it works well. We have found it works best for us to mix the communication modes. We think they like the mixed-mode communication as well." Amy's group nodded, as did several others of the original crew. "The mind-link works very well in space, when several of you are working together. It is much more responsive and reliable than using radios. Communication is clear and precise, as the intent is known immediately. This is especially important, as even a small error can be deadly to you and possibly many others." "We have two more items, then we will open up to questions. The original crew and our clan are built a bit different than you as you have probably noticed. The obvious differences are our hair, body hair, tail, and feet, besides our psionic capabilities. Our hair maintains a length ending near our waist and is very easy to care for. We each have a mane of hair that runs the full length of our back bone. At that point, we have a tail that varies a bit in length, but seldom extends past our knee. It is very sensitive, in a sexual sense. Our feet are shaped so that we walk on the balls of our feet. This possible because our equivalent to your heel is shaped differently. This shape smoothly transfers our weight to the balls of our feet. This gives us some capabilities that humans do not have, in terms of defense and running speed. We do wear high heel shoe's part of the time. There are some other differences, but they can wait for another time. There are also some subtle differences between Amy's and our clan and the original crew. We will tell you about those, as well." "Now, this part is for our new guests. First, you are welcome to stay here as long as you want. We strongly recommend you stay until you have recovered your health, both physically and mentally." They paused a moment, then Sally continued. "Do any of you have family, relatives or friends, you would like to contact? Do any of you have friends or family members you are concerned about, because of what happened to you? If so, raise your hand and state your name, the person you need to contact or whom you are concerned about, and a location where you would expect to find them." Terry managed the responses so they were clear for Star to record. There were about fifty of the newest guests who were concerned about someone. "Okay, it looks like all the requests have been recorded," said Joyce. "If you remember someone or change your mind, raise your hand and one of the crew will assist you. Our AIs are working with the AI located at our enclave on earth. Together, they will attempt to find your friends and family while we continue here. They have been authorized to begin intervention if your family or friends are at risk. There are a number of ways we can do that, including deploying our security team who you saw early this morning on the freighter. With that in mind, would the members of our security team stand for a moment please. They will be leaving shortly to go to a staging location near earth, to be available if needed. The purpose of that is to reduce the transit time." "Okay, questions; some of which we may defer an answer to until tomorrow. If we do, we will tell you why. First question?" "Do we have to stay here? When can we leave?" "You can leave today," said Rusty. "But not until this evening at the earliest, as that will be when your body is no longer affected by the drugs. We would prefer you wait longer than, that for several reasons. First, we think the health evaluation you will be receiving will benefit you in the long run. Second, you need to seriously consider your safety upon returning. We would expect those who kidnapped you to look for you where you were picked up, or at your homes. Third, your time here could be a free vacation for you. So you don't get bored here, we will let you help on our projects. Does that cover it?" "Yes, thank you." "Can we stay?" asked another. "Yes. We would like to save that discussion for tomorrow, also because of the drugs that are influencing your actions to some extent today. Okay?" "Yes, thank you." "Sarah, when are you due?" "Judy thinks we will all deliver in about 4 weeks, but it could be sooner. We are all expecting to deliver within a day of one another. We have hired nannies' to help us with the children, as we are all carrying two sets of twins." The comment caused quite a murmur in the group. "Could we help?" "It would be possible, but we need to leave that discussion till tomorrow." "Did you all really move up here last night?" "Difficult to answer with a simple response," said Erin. "Yes, many of us moved up last night; several hours before you arrived. The original crew members, except for part of Amy's clan, have lived here for a long time. Amy's clan has been with us on earth ever since we joined this society, which was close to 14 months ago. It is because of them we have the opportunity to be here." "Why last night?" "Well, it seems your captors wanted to add us to their collection," said Janet. "We moved here, and left a trap for them at the resort. From reports we heard after we left, the local National Guard did not get along well with them, and they didn't survive the interrogation. The reports indicate they weren't very cooperative either." Several muttered, good. "Where is the freighter and what happened to it?" "It is proceeding to its next port," said Jill. "One of the women, who was coerced into being one of the torturers' slaves, is entertaining the remaining staff, whom we refer to as 'flesh peddlers'. They are not enjoying the attention. The woman, Cathan, was forced to watch them use her mother, father, two sisters and two friends as sex toys before viscously torturing them. She is satisfying her need for revenge at the present time, while trying to deal with the realization that she survived but her loved ones did not." Several broke into a soft applause, hearing that the 'flesh peddlers' staff would not go free. "It is a heavy load for a survivor to carry. We think giving her a vent for her anger will help her recover." "Okay, can we discontinue the questions for now as a group," said Sarah. "We are always happy to answer questions individually at any time. Today will be a day of relaxation. However, we will need several of the new crew members to work for short periods of time to help with the remodeling and expansion of usable crew quarters. The number of people we have on board is considerably more than we expected to have at this time. Your pagers will tell you when and where you are needed." "We again ask that our guests from the freighter please stay with one of the crew members, if you go wandering around the ship. The reason for this is the safety of everyone here." "Thanks for everything you have done for us," said a woman from the freighter. The whole group stood and gave the crew a round of applause, causing some embarrassment. ------- Sarah's clan went to meet the first woman they had rescued from the freighter. Betsy had told them earlier that she was awake and was anxious to meet the ones who touched her mind last evening. She was sitting up in bed when they entered her room in the dispensary. Before they could say anything, she engaged them telepathically. "There is no way I can express my thanks for what you did for me. I pledge to do anything for you, no restraints on anything." "That is not necessary," they said. "We are sorry we didn't arrive sooner." "You arrived just in time. I was just beginning to resign myself to dying painfully at their hands. I know if you had not arrived, they would have tormented me, keeping me screaming in pain for at least another day, until I expired." "What happened to the woman? She was only doing the minimum he required. She hated him, and continually looked for an opportunity to do to him what he made her do to others." "She has her wish. We left him hanging by his wrists where he had you. She had started to work on him just as we left. She was considering removing his teeth with a chisel and hammer." ""I am not surprised. He did that to her father and mother, while making her watch. If she looked away, he peeled a strip of skin off of them." "How did you learn all of this?" "As you can guess, I am quite good teep. Both of them were telepathic capable. He was stronger, but had no control. He knew I was telepathic, but I did not have the skills to subdue him. The drugs they gave me limited my abilities. I was able to read his and her minds without them being aware of my efforts. That's why I knew he planned on torturing me until I died. His last planned act was to skin me. If that didn't kill me, then he planned on butchering me, by removing one limb at a time until I was dead." "You seem to be quite calm about everything. None of us are sure we could be so composed after that experience." "A friend of yours visited me earlier this morning. We talked for a long while about almost everything. It wasn't long until my past seemed like a distant memory. He said, "Maeve you have found the home you have been looking for, tell Sarah's clan to bring you with them to the bridge when you are well." Before she finished speaking, they sensed His presence, prompting them to completely open their minds to her, drawing her into them, with this they, knew she was an addition to ships' command staff. The expression on her face turned to fascination and joy as she basked in their love. They could see and feel her healing from the ordeal she had experienced. Maeve turned on the bed and stepped off. They stepped up and brought her into their arms. They all felt her flow further into their clan's bond and mind-link. In some ways, it resembled adding a piece to a puzzle. She fit with them and they fit with her. They were amazed at how quickly she flowed into their bond. It was as if welcoming a long absent family member. "It looks like we have another spouse," said Rusty. "Yes, we do," they confirmed, as they stood clustered together in each others arms. "I think I would like to join your family, as well," said Aoife in a soft voice. Hearing Aoife's voice shocked them. They had not sensed her interest, or her link. Each then realized, she was in their clan's mind-link, and had been for some time. "Oh, Aoife we would love to have you join us. We did not sense a rapport from you with our group before, even though we now see you have been with us for a while." "That is probably because I am very shy most of the time, and didn't want to show it until I could trust my feelings. I have never really felt close to anyone, until I met your clan. The few times I thought I would be close to someone, I ended up getting hurt. I feel I have loved many, but only a few have shared my love. While I was with you at the resort I felt spiritually touched by all of you, but my experiences caused me to be cautious. It is clear to me that I am closer to all of you than anyone else I have ever known. Your interaction with Maeve crystallized my thoughts. So, what now?" "So, join us." With that, she suddenly appeared in the dispensary with them. "How did you do that? Or did Star teleport you here?" "It is one of our psionic abilities. I think all of us have the attribute, even Maeve. I have to admit, this is the first time I have used it. Until now, I thought I had it pretty well had it figured out. I didn't intend to use it, but when I thought that I needed to be here quickly, it just happened." Sarah stepped up and kissed her, before she could say another word. Then each spouse kissed and hugged both Maeve and Aoife. That small act, along with the love felt between them, brought them a step deeper into the mind-link, and started her further inclusion into the family bond. "Can you show me around the ship?" asked Maeve. "We first need to see if Betsy agrees that you can leave the dispensary." "Betsy, is it okay for Maeve to leave the dispensary?" After a few moments, "Yes, but she needs to stay with your group at all times. I know she has recovered quickly, but I sure don't want to see a relapse. So make sure she rests a lot for the next several days." "Okay." They spent some time wandering around the ship, showing her all of the different areas. A long time was spent on the observation deck, looking at the stars and the planets. A small telescope was there, so they could see earth and its moon. A good part of time was spent talking, and getting to know the other crew members and their guests from the freighter. Many of those rescued made it a point to express their thanks to Sarah's clan for their rescue. Maureen and Siobhan joined them as they headed for the bridge. The newcomers were amazed when the doors to the bridge opened as they approached. The group proceeded to the pillar. The pillar was bathed in a column of coherent blue light, giving the bridge a blue cast. As before, they formed a circle around the pillar with one arm around their adjacent spouse, then they gripped the pillar's ring with the other hand. Aoife, Maeve, Maureen, and Siobhan were excited by the events taking place around them. Within moments of gripping the ring, they gasped, as they suddenly were surrounded by a warm mist. They were standing together on a path, leading into a mist. The clan formed a loose circle, with Rusty in the center and women in ever changing positions, as they walked down the path into the mist. They moved with a sense of purpose down the path, unperturbed by the mist surrounding around the path. As they progressed, the mist opened in front of them and closed behind them, erasing the path. Soon they were at the round platform where they had talked with 'Him' before. Stepping on to the platform, they formed into a circle, clasping arms with each other behind their backs. They drew together tightly, their arms and bodies interleaved. Although they faced each other, their vision covered their surroundings. They watched as the mist moved toward them, enveloping them into its warmth, caressing their bodies. The depth of their mind-link grew, while they stood there quietly. The warm misty cloud felt comforting and reassuring. They could feel Him there with them, even though no words had yet been spoken, nor thoughts shared. Their mind-link continued to grow, until they were truly one, blurring their individual facets. The bond grew until they had reached a new level of intimacy. The depth of the binding was shocking to those making their first visit. Aoife and Maeve were surprised at how quickly they entered into the bond. It was a closeness they had never felt before. Aoife and Maeve now saw the ability the clan had experienced with eSarah the night before. They each felt very comfortable in their relationship with each other, as they melded into a single clan entity. As the single entity, they found that they could control the strength of each facet. Their clan entity grew, until their individual facets were hardly discernible. They were pleased to see their interrelationship grow, drawing them closer. Maureen and Siobhan fit with them slightly differently from their other spouses, but here they were completely immersed as a part of the clan entity. Maeve and Aoife fit with them as tightly as if they had always been a part of their clan. Their physical forms remained on the bridge, holding the ring, while together their clan entity began to review the events of the last several weeks. The view of events was now different from what they had experienced first-hand, as they saw all of the different perspectives each had of the events. In a very short time, they had a complete view of all the events from each person's point of view. The different views provided them with an effective means to evaluate what effect a different sequence of actions could have possibly yielded. Using this new information, they went through all the events of the last two days, evaluating possible alternatives to the path they chose. They quickly found that their choice of responses had given them the best end result, which gave them a sense of satisfaction. Together they said, "Thank you." "You're welcome, but I contributed very little this time. Your natural inclination, intuition, and willingness to listen to other views benefited you in the solutions you chose. So I can say, well done, to you." They felt the warm glow of accomplishment, both from realizing the impact of their analysis and His comment. "The group behind the 'flesh peddlers' is probably going to very difficult to expose from our position. Looking at the data Donna and Star collected, your conclusion that it looks more like two separate groups is valid. One group apparently uses the slaves and sex toys as gifts in return for favors. The second group acquires, trains and then either uses them or sells them. This second group probably gives a sizable percentage of their new stock to the first group. In return, the second group gains the ability to operate with little concern of exposure, because of the first group's political connections." "You should consider the following two general courses of action. As all of you know, our survival is totally dependent on this ship at the moment. First, consider moving your repairs along on the ship so it can operate reliably within this solar system. After the ship repairs are progressing, establish a settlement on Mars and maybe on the back side of earth's moon. Consider building both below the surface, with the entrances placed so they are not visible from directly above. There should be enough equipment on the ship to start. The library will provide the construction information, so you should not have any difficultly in building both another ship and a settlement. Surveys show the needed raw materials are on both Mars and the Moon. Equipment on the ship will be able to turn the raw materials into the items you need. One settlement and another ship will be essential for our future." "To get the two groups to possibly expose themselves, a transformation virus could be used. We have several in storage. They are not known to the ship's medical staff. Samples of it are located in storage, with the other remodeling virus strains. They have an unusual label. Several have wondered why it is there, as it doesn't appear in any of the treatment protocols. One way of initiating the spread of the virus into at least the one group would be to remove the remaining slaves from the freighter, leaving only the six staff members." "Inoculate the staff members, and treat the harvested meat with the virus. This will let them spread the virus among at least one of the 'flesh peddler' groups. The virus requires intimate contact to spread. It will cause some of the women who are infected to either become submissive or to age very rapidly. Aging will be painful, and will only start after they have infected a number of people. The path depends on their having a chemistry or a biological profile similar to the 'flesh peddlers' staff. As a submissive, they will end up as a sex toys in the system they created, and will continue to spread the virus. The men infected will begin to change after a couple of months. They will take on the features of the last woman they had intimate relations with. Based on the information with the virus, the transformation will not be very comfortable." "There is more information on these viruses in a special section of the library, available only to your clan. You will need to be in this level of mind-link to enter and review the information. In it, you will find more detailed information to support the suggestions just made. It also has other information you will need to establish the settlements and construct additional ships." "The Ebola related virus you gave some of the 'flesh peddlers' has begun to takes its toll according to some data Donna has recently found. It has the potential to make the headlines in some countries." "For the new crew members, it will benefit them to have a genetic virus treatment, similar to those received by Amy's clan. These changes will give them strength and mental abilities at least equivalent to those of the original crew. This will improve their effectiveness and safety." His presence lessened a bit. "Are You still here?" "Yes, in reality I am always with you. For now, it is only when you are here that you can easily hear me. Sometimes, under the right circumstances, it is possible for me to visit you, like I did Maeve earlier today. Your abilities will need to grow considerably more before we can easily communicate when you are not here. Some aspects of this growth are also needed before you can safely command the ship in flight." "How long?" "I am not sure, as you are progressing much faster than those I have had experience with before. It most likely will be some time after the babies are born." "You have mentioned how much stronger we are than others you have known, but at the same time you say we need to grow more before we can operate the ship. It doesn't seem consistent." "Yes. I can see your point of view. The attributes you need to operate the ship in motion have not fully developed yet. From what I sense, they will soon. In an emergency you could function, but it would be risky. The attributes for managing the ships flight are a subset of the abilities you are developing. Others in your crew only have the abilities to manage a space ship's flight." "Although the courses of action just suggested may sound like directives, they are not. Any action should be through combined agreement among you." It was quiet for some time, as they looked through the library. There, they found answers to the questions they had about the new viruses. One concern was a spill-over effect, or would the virus only target the intended recipients. Viruses of the group that was suggested they use, required multiple receptors in order to become active. With the right combination of receptors, it multiplied until it was present throughout the body of the host. When it reached critical mass, it triggered a necessity for the host to sleep undisturbed for 48 hours, while the changes manifested themselves. Where they had been used before, they were 95% effective, and no one outside the target group was infected, although some became carriers. They agreed with inoculating the 'flesh peddlers', but decided to refine the logistics before implementing it. While they were in the library, they divided their attention, and each scanned a different segment of the information, with plans to share it between themselves later. The additional data gave them a firmer understanding of the technology they now had access to and related issues. All of them realized that they had much more to learn before they thought they would be effective. While they were mind-linked so tightly, they decided to further test their capabilities as a clan entity. First, they thought about the enclave, bringing them a vision of it as if they were there. As they studied it, they found they could see it from several angles at one time. The four new members were surprised at the ability to see through each other's eyes. They looked around the conclave and soon found Alison, Tara, and Erin's babies. This was the first time Maeve, Siobhan, Aoife, and Maureen had an opportunity to see the babies. The babies were being fed by the nannies. The babies stopped suckling and turned their heads toward them, still keeping the nipple in their mouths. As eSarah moved around the babies, they laid very still, moving their eyes to look at each of them. They gave each baby a kiss, while letting them feel their love for them. Several babies reached up, as if to touch their cheek when they were kissed. All the clan felt the emotion through their ethereal contact. After the kiss, the babies went back to suckling their milk, but continued to follow their parents with their eyes. The clan was pleased to see the babies had grown considerably in the two weeks. Command staff pulled back and focused on the freighter, moving to it as they had at the enclave. As they approached, they could tell where everyone was on the freighter. Cathan, with the other slaves' assistance, had moved the 6 'flesh peddler' staff members to the barn setting. With Cathan providing the direction the former captives were filming the staff members being tormented and sexually abused. eSarah left the filming studio as the scene they were doing was drawing to a close. She noticed that all the captives were looking very tired. She found Fred hanging by his ankles from the rack. It was clear that Cathan had treated him much the same way he had treated other captives. They went back to the barn studio setting, and found the activity had slowed some. They took this opportunity to push a thought toward Cathan that she should let these six rest for a bit. She and the former slaves also needed to rest before they collapsed. Cathan looked around and saw the fatigue on her helpers faces, as captives they were never permitted much sleep. She then wondered if Fred still had his fingers, or if his torture device had removed them. Her need for revenge now felt old, and she wondered how to end it. The clan sent though a suggestion of dropping him overboard, and that it would be best if all the former staff saw what happened to Fred. Cathan said, "Let's secure them here, and let them worry about their next torment. The torture room seems to be a good place to take them next. Meanwhile, let's go see about Fred." She went with her helpers to the room where Fred was hanging. Just as they entered, he silently screamed in pain, as his fingers were torn from his hands by the wedge he designed. Untying his wrists, they slipped a life vest over his head, and tied it tightly into place. They then bound his wrists and elbows tightly behind his back. Rotating the rack so it was horizontal, they laid him on a flat trolley, then bound his ankles and wrists together behind his back. The trolley was moved out onto the deck and over to an opening in the railing. A long rope was fed between his legs and arms, then tied off to the deck. Two of the slaves left, soon returned leading the 6 staff members, so that they could watch. Their collars were connected together with short chains. Their wrists and elbows were bound behind their backs with their wrists attached to the chain between their ankles. They looked horrified and shivered with fear when they saw Fred's condition. After cutting the ties on the bags around his feet, the slaves pushed him slowly over the edge of the deck, suspending him face down by his bound wrists and ankles, letting him see where he was going. Keeping tension on the rope, they slowly lowered him to just above the water, and then released of one end of the rope. It snapped out of their hands and disappeared over the side, soon followed by a splash. When they pulled the rope up, parts of the rope were red. The 6 remaining staff members' faces were etched with fear. Cathan suggested they take the six to their cabins and bind them to their beds. The slaves thought it was a good idea, as they were bone tired. So they loosened the ankle chains of the staff members so they could walk and led them to their rooms. Once there, they bound them head to crotch, tying their legs to trap their partner's heads between their legs. Once Cathan and her helpers were satisfied that the staff members were securely bound they left, locking and barring the door from the outside. In another cabin, they showered and laid down together to rest. They were asleep as soon as they lay down. It had been along time since they had been permitted to sleep unrestrained in a bed. ------- Chapter 58 Sarah's clan sent two robots to the pharmacology storage area to retrieve the virus samples and treatment gear. They had those two met by six others at Alpha1 shuttle. The instructions were provided directly to the robots, explaining the actions they would take on the freighter. The clan thought back over what they had just witnessed. It was a horrible sight, but the punishment was just. After a careful evaluation of the former slaves, they were thankful that those inflicting the punishments were not adversely affected, and felt that they may have been helped by release of their helpless feelings. "We must be careful how we exercise our capabilities. Could we have achieved what Cathan did in a different way?" He entered their link with them, "From this societies viewpoint, your actions were appropriate and conservative in severity. It is a good attribute to review your actions, but be careful of judging them by what you learn after an event." Are the events at LeAnn's home, the lodge and freighter related, Tara wondered? In response to Tara's curiosity, they began to sift through the information their systems had collected. The event at the lodge had been placed under the US District Attorney's jurisdiction and was being closely followed by several investigative reporters. A team of attorneys in the DA's office was working with a special team of investigators, looking at the lodge incident and tracking down leads. Communications from the freighter's slavers, the leader of the raid on LeAnn's, and the lodge, had used many of the same IP addresses in their Internet exchanges. At LeAnn's, the investigators had found charred human remains in the basement. The leader of the raider's had left his slaves locked in cages with only a small amount of food. All of them were drugged with a submissive drug similar to that used with LeAnn's group and given to the captives on the freighter. The District Attorney's office and the team of investigators appeared to be uncompromisable based on their activity in investigating the lodge incident and other investigations. They felt the investigative reporters were honestly persevering in their coverage of the story and had shared information with the DA's office when they needed to. As they completed the analysis, a plan formed. They sent instructions to the robots watching over the slaves at the raider's home, for them to give the slaves an antidote to the drugs, and to make sure they had enough food for another day. Next, they made sure the DNA analysis of the remains at LeAnn's identified the man who led the raid. They wanted to time the DNA discovery to coincide with a call from a delivery person about strange noises at the home of the slaves when he went to make a delivery. They would arrange to send several letters to the investigative reporters from college students, telling about being approached for a weekend at the lodge. Several letters would casually mention that some of their friends had gone, and then didn't come back to school the next semester. The writers would also mention they were unable to find any way to contact them. The reporters were given names of the missing. Each of the writers was among those they had rescued, so the reporters would be frustrated in being unable to find the writers. A few of the letters would also go to the DA's office. The DA, several key investigators and reporters were all to be given implants, so they could be located quickly. Drones were assigned to monitor each of them. Together, they reviewed the actions they initiated. They thought they had provided enough pieces that the investigation would continue. They considered sending robots to work with each group, but decided to wait. "Oh wait, we are overlooking the obvious. Backup tapes. Each of the universities' networks have tape backups, if the reporters could get to them, it might add ammunition to the stories". "How?" "Let's have a journalism student, in the form of a robot, offer to assist the reporters. We could put a robot paralegal in the DA's office." "Let's do it." With that, they set in motion the system commands to start the process. Both Star and Donna would begin receiving the data, once the units were functioning. They then pulled back, to be more aware of their surroundings, but the extensive mental bond continued. They heard Him say, "Very good response to the information you had on the 'flesh peddlers'. The approach you have chosen was not apparent to me. It shows the advantage you have in understanding some of that society's intricacies that are not apparent to an outsider. This is a prime reason for our society's directive to not involve itself with another civilization unless asked." "We have nearly been their victims," said Tara, Alison, and Erin, "as have many of us. The temptation to track them down, and deliver justice personally, is a strong temptation every time we see their efforts." Together they said, "We are now members of this society. We pledge that the well being of our society must be our primary focus. We pledge to protect the weak from the strong. We will assist others in doing that, when requested and it is just." Upon completing the statement, they felt their focus become clearer. "How do you fit with us?" asked Sarah. "Ah, that is a difficult question to answer," he said. "It is probably best to just think of me as the spirit of the ship. Some would think of me as a god, but I am not. I can only function through all of you as a group, although I can communicate with you individually at times..." "So, you are a part of our bonding, " said Erin. "In a way, our association makes your clan's bond stronger and also increases your individual capabilities." "So, when we bring our mental bond or mind-link to the level we just experienced, is it because of your participation," asked Aoife. "In a way, my participation makes it easier for you to achieve the depth and capability you just experienced. All of you are still growing in your psionic ability. Your psionic growth, as I indicated before, has been very rapid for your species. Many in our society holding your current positions would never be able to do what you just did." "Wow." "My interaction with you is, as a logical resource, to provide you an independent perspective and a sounding board. Another way to view me is to think of me as the spirit of the ship, though I am not a spirit to be worshiped." "You seem to be struggling with a way to express our relationship," said Siobhan. "This is the first time we have touched, I think, but it seems to me our relationship is like one between very very close friends. It will be defined as it grows and we grow to meet our capabilities. You already have our capabilities but in your form they are not usable." "Yes, that's a good expression of our situation. Yes, this is the first time for us to touch even though I was aware of you before." "We should return to the bridge," they said, "as we have much to do." "Before you go, you probably haven't noticed it yet but using your eSarah capabilities here is not as tiring as it was on the shuttle. You will always have more energy reserves using those capabilities from here or on the bridge, as it lets you draw directly on the ship's energy. This could change with time. When you use eSarah, one of you should focus on monitoring your energy reserves as you would not want eSarah to collapse at the wrong time." "Thank you." They moved toward the path, grouped in four rows of four. Rusty was again in the middle, as they proceeded down the path back to the bridge. Joining their bodies again, they turned to look around the bridge just as Star entered. "Erin and Alison, you're here," said a startled Star. "I thought I saw you piloting the shuttle down to the freighter." Alison laughed, "No, it's me here and an image there. We thought it would upset quite a few if eight robots just ran off with a shuttle." "Yes it would. Oh, I see now what you did, although, I don't understand all of it." "The robots were sent to inoculate the people associated with the 'flesh peddlers', and the meat they have harvested, with a special virus. The effects of the virus should cause quite a commotion within their ranks." "Once they have completed the inoculations, four of the robots will return with the remaining slaves. The four robots remaining on the freighter will take care of the 'flesh peddlers' staff, either until the ship is a day out of port, or someone comes aboard to see them." "Okay. Let's move to our consoles, so we can increase our familiarity with their operation, and the data they provide on the ships' systems and its surroundings," said Sarah. Star placed a hologram in the center of the room, so that the activities on the freighter could be observed. The group spent the next several hours working at their consoles and occasionally stopping to see how the operation was going on the freighter. Star said she thought the freighter would make its next port the following day. "That agrees with the maps we saw on the bridge," said Jill. "With that in mind, I guess we should pull the robots off just before dawn." "Yes," they said. Just then they heard their ship's chime signal dinner, so they each put their consoles into standby mode before leaving for dinner. They stopped by their quarters, to exercise and freshen up, before going to the dining room. The room quieted a bit as they entered, then conversation quickly resumed. After they had served themselves from the buffet, Siobhan and Maureen went to join their groups. As they ate dinner, they quietly discussed the tasks that lay before them. Star, Siobhan and Maureen were included in the exchange. "With more than 400 on the ship now, we need to consider how to organize it," said Rusty. "We will need to divide up into specialty groups with at least a pair of leaders in each group." "Actually we are closer to 600 counting everyone. Would you like to see how the tasks were divided before?" asked Star. "Oh, my yes," they said. "Guess that should have been obvious," they chuckled to themselves, "but it would have been easier if we hadn't blossomed quite so quickly." "Okay, if we start with this organizational arrangement, our next step would be to figure out where the best fits are," said Terry. "Star, do you and the other AIs have any suggestions, based on the work done on the ship by the new crew members?" "Yes, but it would be easier to make suggestions if we knew what their preferences were." "Good point," said Alison. "Let's post the organizational chart and duties for each section? Then ask people to sign up for at least two locations where they would like to contribute." "Good idea," the others echoed. They spent the rest of dinner in huddled conversation with Star reviewing each of the sections and its responsibilities. By the time they had finished dinner, Star had it ready for posting on the ship's network. She also placed it in the conference room as a wall projection. As everyone began to clean up their dishes from dinner, Erin rose and tapped a glass to get everyone's attention. "Even though today is a day of relaxation for us, we have been doing a bit of preparation for the future. We have many more people here today than we expected to have, for which we are grateful. We don't know how many of you will stay, but we need to begin organizing a bit. Star has placed on the ship's network an initial organization chart. It lists the responsibilities of each section. If you wish to work with us on the ship, sign-up lists are available, as well. Please indicate first, second and third choice. Thanks, see you at breakfast." -- "Some of us need to stay here and the rest needs to go to the enclave," said Sally. "How would this be with the rest of you? Rusty, Sarah, Joyce, Erin and I go to the enclave. Joyce and Erin will discuss moving here with the nannies while the rest of us talk to Ann's clan." "Would anyone object if Maeve and I went?" said Aoife. "Not at all. In fact, Maureen and Siobhan should go soon as well, but today I think we need them here," said Sarah. "Besides, if Ann's clan decides to come, I expect it will take them several days to get ready, and I do think they will come." "Those of us who stay here should make an effort to meet and talk to everyone here," said Judy, "especially those who are the newest." "Can someone see about a place on the ship for the nannies and the babies?" said Sarah. "I think we would really like them back with us." Everyone indicated their agreement. With that, they each went their separate ways. The crew going to earth immediately went to board the shuttle for the trip. Everyone else split off into pairs, to wander around the ship and see how everyone was doing. A basketball court had been improvised in one of the hangers, and a game was being played. Several groups were standing around, rooting for those playing. A large group was in the conference room, reviewing the proposed organization and the different sections. The display showed that quite a few had already placed themselves on lists for the different sections. When they looked at the list, they noticed that Star had carried the clan name concept further. She had given each arrival group a temporary name. Then, as the names were listed, it showed the first name and clan name. They found many more at consoles in the learning center. In nearly all cases, they were in twos or threes at the consoles. Several were searching the history of the ship, while others were investigating the ship's systems and how they operated. A few had found the flight training programs and were trying them out. In the library, many were reading or playing board games. They had hardly completed a pass through the ship, visiting and helping their guests, when Star told them the shuttle was returning. It was surprising to them how quickly the couple of hours had passed. They hurried to the hanger to greet the shuttle. ------- When the group arrived at the enclave, they were met by everyone. The babies squealed in delight at seeing them. The family was surprised at how much they had grown in the last 2 weeks, even though they had seen them earlier in the day. Holding them and feeling them was so much better than just seeing them. Sarah introduced Maeve and Aoife to those at the enclave they hadn't met yet. Joyce and Erin went off with the nannies and the babies. Sarah then asked Ann and Jean's clans if they had a few minutes to chat. They all went up to the dining area so that they could sit and so that all could join in the conversation. Ann said, "Sarah, it looks like all of you have something on your mind, and don't know how to start." Sarah grinned. "You're right," responded Sarah. The others nodded. "We would like everyone to move to the ship." "Why?" "We think there would be less risk of being discovered. More importantly, we feel it would be safer for all of you, until we can increase the ships operational capability. We haven't been able to discover anything significant about the group involved with the freighter or the other places. We haven't been able to determine who moved the spy satellites. All of that concerns us. Even with our high tech surveillance here, there is always some chance they could find this place and slip through our defenses. If they did, even for only a little while before we noticed, we might not be able to assist in time." "What would we do with the animals?" "We would leave a couple of 'bots here to take care of the animals. The lions will still be here to watch over the island. You don't have to decide now. We will strengthen our surveillance, in any case." "I know a few of you slightly, and others I just met," said Aoife, "but having had to make this same decision several days ago, I can understand your uncertainty. The command council we had today was my first. We were reluctant to ask this of you, because we know how much you like it here. I have only been here a few minutes, and can sense your reasons first hand. Our foremost concern is your well being. We have a ship that has been dormant for a long time. It is slowly beginning to become alive again. It could have an atrium, as I don't think that would affect the ships operation. To do that, we need someone skilled at building it, because we are all geeks." Everyone busted out laughing at her last remark. Ann looked around her group, meeting her eyes with each of them. Jean looked at the members of her group at the same time, but she knew their answers without looking. They would be leaving with the shuttle, unless they were needed here. "Yes. We will go," said Ann. "How much can the robots do? If we work this right, we can have fresh vegetables on the ship part of the time." "With some instruction, they can probably do nearly everything you can," said Rusty. "Some of you could make a weekly trip back here, as long as we can be assured of security." "When can the robots be here?" "We can send eight after they complete today's mission," said Sally. "They can be here first thing in the morning." "With that support, I think we could come in 2 days, at the latest. For a while, some of us should come back each day, to check on how things are going." "Good, we wouldn't have a problem with that. Joyce is asking the nannies to come with us this evening, to help take the babies to the ship. In many ways, all of us would prefer to be here, but at the same time we are looking forward to being on the ship." "Change is always that way," said Wilma. "Ann if your clan doesn't need our assistance, we would like to go to the shuttle this evening too," said Jean. "I don't see a problem with that," said Ann and Sam. "Sarah, we will be ready in an hour," said Joyce. "Take longer if you need too. It would be best to take what is needed for a few days, and pack the rest. We can bring the rest later, when we have more room." "Okay." "They are packing now." Sarah said to the group. They sat and chatted while waiting for the others to pack. Joyce and Erin, along with the babies and nannies soon joined them in the dining area. The babies were excited at seeing their mothers. Ann's clan helped move everyone down to the shuttle. Everyone hugged as they said goodbye. The nannies were entranced by the view out the windows as the shuttle lifted off. They found the idea of going to live with this family on a space ship a bit over the top. While they felt some apprehension at the quick change, they knew it was the right thing to do. A very strong bond had formed between them and the babies, to the point that they would do anything for their sake. None of them even considered asking to leave, rather than go to the space ship. As the shuttle drifted toward the ship, the nannies each realized that being with this group was now home. Here, they had everything they wanted and desired. The babies were a joy to be around, and the adults were great. Each thought that they might, nonetheless, want to go back and visit occasionally, as they did have some kin still on earth. The babies rode quietly in the shuttle as it sped toward their new home. They enjoyed the attention of Sarah's clan as they traveled. Everyone was trying to make up for the time they had been apart from the babies. Soon the shuttle was settling into its berth in the ship. ------- The other members of the clan crowded aboard the shuttle as soon as the door opened, making it very crowded. Each woman quickly had picked up two of the babies to cuddle and caress. Soon, everyone had moved out of the shuttle into the hanger and toward their rooms. As they passed through the corridor, they were stopped frequently, so others could meet the babies. The nannies looked around in wonder at their surroundings. Their faces expressed their amazement. Once they reached the nursery that had been set up for the babies, the nannies quickly took the lead to begin arranging it. This nursery was connected to the quarters for the nannies, and also to Sarah's clan's quarters. Sarah made sure to tell the nannies that they would be welcome in the clan's quarters with them at any time. Joyce took a few minutes to assure them that they would help them become acquainted with the ship's layout and anything else they needed. The nannies were concerned about where to find the milk to feed the babies later. Joyce told them that they would get fresh milk this evening, all they needed to know was when to be back. The nannies told them to return in about two to three hours, that way the babies would sleep through the night. Star advised Sarah's clan that the shuttle was on its way back from the freighter with the remaining slaves. "Have the 'bots take them to the dispensary when they arrive, we will meet them there," said Sarah. ------- When they reached the dispensary, they found Cathan giving Connie a hard time about the medical examination. They looked toward Sarah's clan as they entered. Cathan's eyes got very big as she stood there and stared at the group. "Stop fucking around and follow her instructions," said Sarah. "The autodoc is not going to do anything to you, except determine your health and make a prognosis." With that, Cathan quietly stepped up on the platform and followed Connie's instructions. She held still the whole time, but continued to stare at Sarah's group. She jumped when Connie touched her and told her to step down. She moved over and stood with the others. "Connie, what does the autodoc say about them?" asked Judy. "Surprisingly, they are all in very good health. Several of them have some injuries that are still healing, and others have some poorly-healed injuries. They will need to decide as to how they want to treat them. All are still affected by the drugs they were given, so we can't talk about solutions until tomorrow. We should be able to fit the woman who had her hands removed with replacements in several days. They are all responding well to the antidote the bots gave them earlier." "Good, can we use your conference room for a while?" "Yes, in fact I am planning on going to bed shortly. They should use the beds in the ward tonight, and we can get them more permanently situated tomorrow." "Okay. Sleep well." Sally led them into the conference room. Sarah looked at all of them for a moment. She was about to speak when the slave who had been giving Connie a hard time said, "My name is Cathan. I am sorry for the difficult time I gave the woman, but it is very hard to trust any one, even though I feel I am safe for the first time in months. I have so many questions." Her face broke, as her emotions overwhelmed her and she started to cry. Terry went to her and pulled her down onto her lap as she sat. The woman cried for a short time, as Terry stroked her head and back. Everyone quietly waited for her to calm her emotions. A few of the others had tears in their eyes. "We will try to answer some of your questions, but we also have some questions about your captors. We hope you will be willing to tell us everything you can about them." Everyone nodded their agreement. Sarah began the introductions of their group, and then went on to tell about themselves. The group was quite amazed they were on a ship near Mars, and it showed on their faces. Some of them had watched the view out the windows of the shuttle when they left the freighter. They were told that a general meeting would be held tomorrow, right after breakfast. At that time, they would provide more details of the ship, as well as a general idea of what the options were for their future. In any case, they were assured they could stay until their health was fully restored. "We have many questions for you, but we won't take long tonight," said Sally. "Cathan, how long were you on the freighter?" "For at least a month, maybe longer." "Were all of you on there that long?" Everyone shook their head no. "Okay, then how about we direct our questions toward Cathan, and if anyone else has more to add or wants clarify some aspect, join in as necessary. Okay?" They nodded yes. "How long were you under Fred's control? Where did he acquire you?" "Somewhat longer than I was on the ship. He was one of the key trainers at the camp we were first taken to after being kidnapped. My family was on a vacation. We had gone on a side trip tour, when the tour bus was ambushed. My two sisters, two friends, mom, dad and I were captured. The bandits commandeered the bus, and used it to take us to a remote camp. There, we were stripped and placed into individual cages around an open area. They left us for a day to consider our plight. During that time, many screamed for help or cried. At dusk, they brought us tubes of a cereal-like substance to feed us. To eat, you had to place the small end in your mouth, and then roll it up, squeezing into your mouth as you swallowed. It had hardly any taste, but it did fill you up." "The night passed slowly. The next morning, at daybreak, they came around and fed us again. As soon as breakfast was over, Fred showed up, with two women and another man. All of them were virtually naked. Each of them had a large dog with them. Several of the male captives started hollering at them, demanding to be freed. One guy was particularly loud and nasty." "Fred went over and knocked him out. They dragged him out to the center of the area in front of the cages, and hoisted him up by his feet until he was about a foot off the ground. His legs were spread. A woman hosed him down to wake him up, sputtering from water in his nose. He looked frightened. One woman went to him and played with his cock, as she forced his face into her cunt. He bit her. She pulled out a whip. Fred stopped her after she had hit him a couple of times." "She went back and played with his cock until it was hard. She kept jacking it and then stopping. The other woman came up behind and lifted his balls. She stretched the sac up until he was screaming for relief. She made him beg for relief before she cut his sac off. He screamed, and then screamed again as the woman playing with his cock cut it off. They cauterized the wounds, after blood had run down over his face." Cathan told of the horror they had to watch as their captors brutally tormented many of the men before butchering them. They treated all the older women the same way. It was an awful time. Many got sick as they watched the carnage. "At sundown, we were fed again. Fred and the two women came out at dusk. He told us that beginning the next day each of us would have a chance to participate in sex films. If we did well, we would likely live, but only if we did everything we were told to do. If we did not, our next film would be our last, as we would be the star in a torture or snuff film. They turned around and left." "Over the next couple of days, several times people were taken from their cages and never came back. It continued, until we were the last. They took my sisters, two friends and me to the filming area. We were told the plot and generally what would happen. My friends and I were captured as spies. We were to be interrogated until we talked and agreed to help them. It went pretty well for the first part. Each of us had a turn on the whipping post, then we were raped by the dogs, after which we were made to lick the cum from each other. Next, we were hung by our wrists, with our legs spread wide. A round hollow metal pillar was placed at the mouth of our cunts. The pillar was tapered, from a size a bit smaller than our wrists to as big around as our leg. We were lowered until all our weight rested on the mouth of our cunt. They took large needles attached to wires and brought them toward us. We were crying when we saw the needles. They drove a needle deep into each breast, causing us to scream, and scream we did, as the needles were electrified and grounded to the metal tube in our cunt. As we wiggled from the shocks, the metal cock spread us more. We soon were begging for relief. Once the current was stopped, we agreed to do anything they told us." Cathan went into considerable detail, telling about the way her parents and sisters were tortured and then killed. "All I could do was cry. I felt so helpless watching them suffer and then die. Fred poured the blood from each over my head. It was awful. My tears made streaks in the blood they had covered me with. Fred stood in front of me and pulled my chin up. Now, all of them will be food for the dogs, and you will serve me. You will follow every one of my instructions without fail. Do you understand? You will do everything you are told. One misstep, and your friends will suffer more than the rest of your family did." "It was then that I decided I had to comply and wait my chance to get even with them. First, he had me give each of my friends shots that would make them docile and follow directions. Then, I had to give myself a shot of the drug. He took all three of us into their medical area, where we made injections in each others breasts, nipples, cunt lips and clits as instructed. After we were, done he told us the injections would stimulate growth in our breast, nipples, cunt lips and clits. These would make us more desirable performers in the sex films we would be making. It was painful, and it was several days before the ache went away." "We made several films together of us having sex with each other and with the dogs. This went on for several weeks, during which time our bodies grew, in response to the injections. After the last film, he sent them to be sold at a baby farm auction, telling me that was the best option for them." "Wow. Are the rest of your stories similar?" Several nodded. One said, "Yes, but not quite as brutal. Our masters did not give us as much freedom as Fred gave her. He must have known either that she was waiting for the opportunity to kill him, or thought that the threat to kill the rest of her friends would make her compliant." "Oh, he knew it, and would quite often throw it in my face. I never denied it, either. He did tell me that he could still have my friend's slowly tortured until they begged to die, if I failed him." "How did you get on the ship?" "One day, Fred said we were moving. It was the only time I was dressed other than for films since I was captured. Before giving me a dress to put on, he put a dildo in my cunt, and then locked it in place with a strap around my waist and groin. He told me that if anything went wrong with the move it would explode, giving me a dose of a nerve poison. The poison would inhibit any muscle control, eventually causing me to suffocate." The others indicated that they were treated the same way. "Once on the ship, we did whatever we were told. Usually, we made films, or helped them train new slaves. We often had to assist in making the films by participating. We appeared in most of them as one of the aggressors. If the woman or man performed willingly, they were used for several films. If they didn't, the next film was one that ended in their death. In some cases, they were just strung up and butchered. We had to help with everything." They all nodded at that. "Did you ever see anyone else?" "Yes, kind of. The first time we were at sea, four people came on board by helicopter. There were two men and two women. We had to put on a sex show for them and, after it, show them how to operate all the equipment in the torture room. Once we did that, we were bound and locked in our rooms. We heard quite a few screams that evening." "We heard them talking later about how they had taken several of the captives from the cages to the torture chamber. The visitors had delighted in using all of the devices on the captives. We never saw the visitors after that evening." "Do you think you could draw a picture of them?" "I don't know that I could draw it, but maybe I could describe them well enough for someone else to draw it." "Did all of you get good looks at the visitors?" They nodded yes. One said, "My mistress made me sleep with the two women, after they were through in the torture room. They both fucked me hard several times, and I had to lick them out after each time. I never got any sleep. The next day I thought my mistress was going to terminate me, because I had no energy. She finally asked me if I had slept. When I said no, she just laughed." "Where does the meat go?" "Europe and Middle East. Most of the captives go to the same places, to anticipate the next question. Some go to the other major continents, as well." "From what was said, those going to Africa or Middle East do not live long. The staff had guessed at this, because of the comments about the same buyers always looking for more flesh." "How did the transfers take place?" "For small transfers, it usually took place at sea. If it was done in a port, the captives or meat was put in shipping containers, and then unloaded in a normal manner. When the transfers occurred, we were shackled and locked in our quarters. We did have to help load and unload the shipping containers, once we were at sea. The containers were also the way they received the new captives." "What was said about how they found people?" "They looked for college students, or ones that wanted to be models. They focused on people between 16 and 32 or so. Those without families were their preferred targets. Young people traveling alone were candidates, too. Travelers any place, traveling alone, if they fit a profile, were taken. The more isolated the location the better, and the more likely they would be abducted." "Recently, there was quite a bit of talk about some college-age groups one of the recruiters had targeted disappearing before they could harvest them. Apparently, some of the recruiters died in strange accidents or just disappeared." Sarah's clan chuckled. Cathan looked at them strangely, as did the others. "It was your group?" she gasped. "Possibly. We have a need to find additional crew members for this ship. We will tell you a bit more tomorrow about why. Anyway, we went looking for college students who fit certain physical criteria. The traits would be classified as nerdy, and preferably part of a small group. The other requirement was that they have some telepathic ability. Several of the groups we approached were groups they apparently wanted to 'harvest', as you put it. Based on their actions, they apparently weren't pleased with us, and I suspect they would like to 'harvest' us, to be served on their dining table." "You're probably right. But for some reason, I don't think that will happen." "What happened to Fred?" "Well, when I found him hanging in the frame for me, I set about extracting my revenge. I then remembered the rest of the staff, and figured if I didn't subdue them then I would probably die quicker than I wanted to. He lost his teeth, cock and balls. I skinned part of him. I knew I was going to die because of the drugs they gave us. They told us that without a repetitive dose, your body became a big lump of pain. After a short time, it would become so bad that if you still had the strength you would cut your own throat. They demonstrated the effect with one couple and filmed it. It was awful." "So I subdued them. Their slaves were more than happy to help me have them participate in a film with the donkey. By the time we were done with them, I decided I had done enough to Fred. So we put a life vest on him and quietly slipped him over the rail while they watched. We dropped him in the water, right next to the ship. So he likely bounced on the hull several times, adding to his wounds. From there, he most likely went to feed the fish." "Did you see what the group did that came to pick you up?" "Part of it. They removed enough life rafts to match the number of missing people. But they didn't launch them, because of concern that the ship's watch might see the rafts. They felt that they probably wouldn't see them with the ship moving, as the rafts would probably stay next to the ship and then end up in the turbulence behind the ship. The most likely possibility would be at the rear of the ship." "When do you think the ship will be met again?" "Most likely tomorrow, as there weren't any new videos done today, and what they saw yesterday, if they noticed, was the staff being forced to submit to the donkey. I don't know if the editors know who the staff are, but they must, judging by the roles we played in the films. All of the captives being gone will cause an uproar." "But they aren't all gone. Well, I guess they are, in a way." The group from the freighter looked puzzled. "We left a number of clones, or decoys, in the cages, that look like the captives. They will find the staff bound as you left them, so they will think there was a small mutiny by the slaves, and that some of the captives were released." "Good." "It's getting late and we can tell all of you are tired. We would like you to use the beds here in the dispensary for tonight, as Connie mentioned. The bots will stay with you, to give you any assistance you need until morning. In the morning, one of us will come get you, to show you where breakfast will be served. Tomorrow afternoon we will find you different quarters. Also after breakfast and our meeting, you can roam anywhere on the ship you want to. If you want to talk to us, just ask someone where you can find us. The AIs know where we are at all times." "AIs?" "Artificial Intelligence. These are computers that have a voice interface and are quite self-aware. The primary one on the ship we call 'Star', but there are several others as well. In fact, if you are in a corridor and ask for Star, you will most likely get a verbal response. She does have a visual construct form." "What about clothes? We don't have any." "Not necessary, unless you want some. Nearly all of us do not wear clothes, except when an operation requires it. In the morning, when you are met, just tell the person what you need, and it will be arranged. It will only take a few minutes to make them." "Okay. Again, thanks for getting us off the freighter. I just hope we can be normal again." "You will. Good night." With that, they gave each of the former captives a hug before they excused themselves. Cathan and the group with her looked around the dispensary and the ward a bit. They found the showers and bathroom. They were puzzled by the backless toilets. They asked the bot if they could see outside the ship. The bot told them there was an observation deck. As soon as she saw the look on their faces, she took them up there. Star was aware of the request, and complimented the bot on her initiative. The group spent quite a bit of time gazing at the stars and part of the ship that was visible. Even though they believed what they were told, it was still amazing to see where they were. None of them felt uncomfortable with those they had met on the ship, in fact, it was the most relaxed they had felt in a long time. As they looked at the sky, the bot pointed out the different points of interest, some constellations and earth. She showed them the telescopes, so they could have a much closer view of earth and its moon. Soon, they asked the bot to take them back to the dispensary ward. They were tired, and realized they needed their rest for tomorrow, as it was sure to be an exciting day. ------- Chapter 59 Sarah's clan walked back to their quarters, deep in shared thoughts. They were concerned about the events of the last two days. It seemed that the issues regarding the 'flesh peddlers' were now much more complex. They were hopeful that funneling information and clues to the DA's office and to the press would aid their investigation into the incident at the lodge, and expose those behind it. They were appalled that the 'flesh peddlers' were able to forcibly enslave people, with little or no interference from authorities. They did not feel they should, or had any right to, interfere with that type of interpersonal relationship, as long as those enslaved agreed to it. This, though, was clearly not the case with the 'flesh peddlers', which led to their willingness to do something. The sharing between them had helped to jell, in their minds, their feelings about these activities in earth's society. It did not seem to be an evil they could eliminate. At the same time, it was clear this race, and its newest members, favored their plan to respond to any cases they discovered. As they reached their room, they looked at the last "what-if" situation, which was, what if it involved their extended family, or the families of those related to the crew? As the thought was shared between them, their rage and anger rose rapidly. They knew, then, that it would be best for the DA and reporters to succeed. The ship's voice soothed them, saying, "If that situation arises, you will need to carefully respond, as too much can be worse than not enough." They all nodded in agreement with the voice. Their calm had returned by the time they entered their room, where the babies were waiting excitedly for them to arrive. Each picked up a baby and gently caressed them, before holding them so they could suckle. The women found the gentle caressing of their nipples and breasts by the babies very relaxing, and also arousing. Rusty, Aoife and Maeve spent their time watching the babies being fed, while occasionally touching or caressing them as they fed at their mother's tit. The babies were all sound asleep by the time they had finished nursing. The clan went to freshen up, before they went to bed. As they entered their bed, they made sure that Aoife and Maeve were in the center, as it was their first night as part of their clan. Feeding the babies tonight, and being able to feel their closeness, had relaxed the whole clan. Without thinking about it, they laid down next to a different spouse than they slept next to the previous night, continuing their pattern of being next to a different spouse every night. Once in bed, they drifted off to sleep almost immediately. As they slept, their mind-link grew in intensity, drawing them into a single, joined, dream. With their minds joined, their dream carried them through plans for their society's future and allowed them to construct potential solution paths to achieve their dreams. In their dreams, they saw the beginnings of the colony on Mars. Shortly after the colony began to take shape, work began on a second ship. Since it was only a dream, there was no realistic time frame, but they gave the dreamers hope and confidence in the path they were considering. In the dream, they saw the potential for the sudden increase in the size of the ship's family being of benefit to their growth, even though it would put a strain on the ship's facilities and resources for a while. Even with all the mental activity during their dreaming, their slumber was the most relaxing they had had in several days, and allowed their bodies to recharge their energy levels. The comfort and love they felt for one another was quite apparent from the way they cuddled and maintained contact with one another while sleeping. If the lights in the room had been completely extinguished, a soft yellow glow would have been seen above their sleeping forms. Dorothy and Star peeked in from time to time. Even though they were AIs, they were somewhat in awe of Sarah's clan. They were unlike anything they had ever seen. Star could find no record of anything similar in their civilization's history. ------- Shortly before the chime for breakfast, Sarah's clan began to stir. Aoife and Maeve both had been awake for some time, listening and sensing those who were now a part of their new family. They lifted themselves slightly, so they could see all of their spouses, while enjoying the comfort of their surroundings. The clan now consisted of 14 spouses, but the level of intimacy between them was at the same level you might expect to have with only two or three. Often two people never reached this level of intimacy. Seeing that the other was awake, Aoife and Maeve shared their thoughts about the previous day's events. Both found their quick inclusion in the family bond both surprising and fulfilling, but not overwhelming. Neither had felt love or affection like they felt within the clan and from each of their spouses. Finding this group, and becoming a part of it, was a blessing beyond anything they had ever dreamed about. Aoife was lying between Joyce and Rusty, while Maeve was between Sarah and Rusty. Together, they leaned over Rusty and softly kissed. Their feelings for each other were clearly expressed within the emotions exchanged with the kiss. Neither had kissed another woman with that much feeling before, but both relished the feelings as they shared the kiss. When they separated, they took turns cuddling Rusty, first kissing his lips and then nibbling his ear. They could sense he was beginning to wake. Before he was fully awake, they turned to kiss Sarah and Joyce, who were lying next to them. Both Sarah and Joyce had sensed the affectionate kisses Aoife and Maeve had given each other and Rusty. As Aoife and Maeve turned to kiss the spouses adjacent to them, Sarah had sensed Maeve moving to kiss her, and responded to Maeve without being fully awake. Joyce had reacted the same way to Aoife. Both had drawn their new spouses into a passionate kiss, caressing each other's tongues and lips as they kissed. The shared emotions brought Rusty further awake. Rusty watched the four women kissing. "What a way to wake up," said Rusty, as he began to caress each in turn, taking time to nibble on first Aoife's then Maeve's ears and neck. The scent of arousal began to fill the room, increasing the whole family's level of arousal. As the rest of the family members awakened, they joined in the sharing of affection with each other, both physically and through their mind-link. Maeve, responding to Rusty caresses, began to place kisses on Sarah's face and neck, after nibbling on her ears. Sarah's arousal grew. Through her mind-link with Sarah and Rusty, her arousal grew, now that she could sense the pleasure both in herself and them. She could sense the feelings of pleasure growing in the rest of her family, which added to her own arousal. Maeve had kissed down Sarah's neck and across her chest, until her lips clasped onto a nipple. As soon as she captured the nipple between her lips, milk sprayed into her mouth from Sarah's full breast, almost choking her. While Maeve drank Sarah's milk, Rusty continued caressing her breasts and body. He lightly drew his fingers over her body, causing her to twitch in anticipation, as he slid his fingers down around her labia, stroking them ever so tenderly. Her lips swelled, moistening with each stroke of his fingers, and adding to her arousal. Her breathing had become more rapid. A small orgasm washed over her, breaking her concentration upon the nipple in her mouth. She leaned back against Rusty, so that she could feel his cock pressing between her legs. Sarah leaned forward toward Maeve, and began to cover her with kisses. She was soon joined by Sally, as the three of them focused on Maeve. Each of their touches and caresses increased Maeve's arousal. The four of them mentally joined together, adding to their outward display of affection for each other. Soon, Maeve's hips were flexing into Rusty's caressing fingers, as she stroked his cock, which was trapped between her legs. Seeing her need, Sarah and Sally helped Maeve up, and turned her so that she straddled Rusty's hips. When she lowered her body, she trapped his cock between her wet, swollen, cunt lips. She moaned, as she felt the warmth of his cock sliding between her lips, and its crown pressing against her clit. Sally and Sarah helped her lean forward, so that his cock could slide to the mouth of her cunt. Once she had it captured inside of her, she raised her hips slightly and slid back until she had it standing upright, with it's hot crown just inside her cunt. She paused, to savoring the feeling of his hot cock-head in her cunt, before she dropped her hips, letting it slide deeply into her cunt. She screamed with pleasure and happiness, as his cock pressed into her tight vaginal sheath. Her pleasure was shared with her spouses. Sarah moved to straddle Rusty's head, placing her wet cunt over his mouth. He drew his tongue through the wet trough of her cunt, causing her to shiver and produce more cunt cream for him to drink. While he caressed her cunt, Sally, Alison and Sarah focused their attention on Maeve, as she slowly rode Rusty's cock, adding to her growing arousal. Through their mind-link, they showed her different ways to enhance her passion by just using her vaginal sheath muscles. With this knowledge, she pressed down against his hips and then slid her cunt around on his cock, stimulating her labia and clit, while milking his cock with her vaginal sheath. She savored this, as it increased both of their pleasure's, as she built toward her orgasm. Sally and Alison caressed her neck and breasts with their hands and mouth, while Sarah caressed her stomach and cunt lips. Each of the five could feel their combined arousal build and build some more. Sarah and Sally's babies moved around, as their mothers arousal built. They rejoiced in the shared love and affection they felt between their parents. Maeve's orgasm exploded, causing her to scream then stop, as her body seized. Her vision filled with stars, then turned gray as she stiffened, falling forward into Sarah. Sarah held her, as her orgasm continued to ripple through her. Her sudden orgasm was shared by the whole family, but it wasn't until she relaxed her vaginal sheath a bit that Rusty could release his cum, filling her sheath. Another orgasm washed over her each time his cock pulsed, pumping more hot cum into her limp body. Sarah held her to her chest, while making sure not to trap Rusty under her cunt. It was several minutes before anyone began to stir. Sally and Alison helped lift Maeve up, so that Sarah could move off of Rusty. They laid Maeve down on Rusty, so he could roll over to let Maeve rest on her back. As Rusty raised up off of Maeve, Tara slipped her head between them, so that she could collect the sweet spendings of her loves with her tongue. Claudette helped Rusty move off to the side, and then began to clean his cock with her mouth. While all of this took place, the rest of the family had joined together in worshiping each other and demonstrating their love and affection for each other. All of them enjoyed and felt the passion they had shared between them through their mind-link. Aoife had experienced it before, but this time she felt it much more intensely, as her bond with the clan was now much tighter. Maeve became more alert, and caressed those around her. "God, will it always like this when make love or share our affection," asked Maeve. Erin said, "Most of the time. It seems like we usually have one or two at the center of our love-fest, and the rest of us bask in the sensations we feel from each other. We need to do this a bit more often than we have been. These are some of the best times. I will feel the warm glow from this for quite some time." "Yes," said Tara. "It looks like we will be very busy for a while, but, even so, we need to be sure we have time for this, and our cuddling. I don't sense it as an obligation. I do sense that it is something very important and special for us to do. Oh... God I love you all so... much." "We love you, Tara," they said. "I love you," was spoken by each to each other at the same time. "You know," said Judy, "this sharing of love testimony is something you can only really appreciate through the mind-link. It feels so much different through the mind-link than just hearing the words." "We agree." They sensed the chime was about to sound, and they began to move toward the exercise room. As they did, they touched and caressed each other. They had just reached the exercise room, when Alison remembered they needed to feed the babies. With that, they went to get the babies, taking them to the exercise room. Together, they fed the babies, exercised and freshened up, before leaving for breakfast. ------- When ship's chime sounded, signaling that breakfast would begin in one hour, life stirred on the ship. The ship's crew made a special effort to show the refugees from the freighter the different and unique aspects of freshening up before breakfast. Everyone liked the exercise benches, even though most did not take advantage of all their features. It did provide a good workout before showering. The new arrivals were quite surprised to find showers, as everything they had ever heard indicated that water would be scarce in space. One woman asked and was told that the ship reprocessed all the water they used. It could be returned to mountain-stream purity with very little energy expense or loss. Sarah's clan arrived at the dining room before everyone else did, and looked around to make sure everything was ready. They were surprised when they walked in and found everything nearly done. The bots had prepared breakfast, and were just setting up the buffet line when they entered. The clan made sure to thank each one, both for their assistance and for taking the initiative. A number of bots were embarrassed by the thank-yous, as they had never received a compliment before. The compliments had the same impact on the bots as it would have had on humans, even with the difference in thought processes. Sarah's clan stood near the door and greeted everyone as they came into the dining room. They didn't form a receiving line, but did make sure to talk to everyone as they came into the room. Cathan and the former slaves with her were the first to arrive, as Joyce, Jill and Janet had gone to help them find their way. Once everyone was there, Judy stood and said, "Welcome to our space ship. On behalf of our crew members and ourselves, we extend a special welcome our new guests. Even though you, in a way, are refugees from an unusual event, we hope you will enjoy your stay with us. Contrary to popular belief, the food here is nothing like what NASA or the Russians feed their crews in space." Many laughed. "Everything we have is quite normal-looking and tasty, so let's eat." Breakfast went quickly. Many went back for seconds. Based upon how quiet it was during the meal, everyone was enjoying the food. As the volume of conversation increased, Sarah's clan decided it was nearly time to start the meeting. Terry stood and tapped her glass, causing the room to quickly quiet down. "Please take your dishes and other items to the disposal window. Everyone would appreciate it if you also wiped off your table. Besides, it might be your elbow that lands in the sticky spot." Several laughed, as they got up to clear away the breakfast dishes. At the same time, Star prepared viewing areas, so everyone would have a close-up view of Sarah's clan as a hologram. ------- Soon after everyone returned to their seats, Sarah's clan had moved to the front of the room. "Good morning," said Sarah's clan, speaking as one. Many of the visitors were surprised the way the greeting was delivered; as a single phrase with multiple voices. "Star will place a small holographic image of us on your table, so you can see us better." With that, small holograms appeared on each table, showing the faces of the command staff. "We are going to do things a little differently than we have done in the past," they continued. "For the visitors, our social structure is a little different than what you are familiar with. Some of this we touched on yesterday, today we will fully cover all the aspects we glossed over yesterday." "Our society is based on family groups, while earth's is based nearly exclusively on couples. We ask that you attend two presentations immediately after this, which will detail the history of the ship and some of the differences between this civilization and earth's. A few of our crew members will sit in with you, to help answer any questions you may have about the presentations. These presentations, as you will see, are simply recordings that were made when we met with the first group of crew candidates." "Our family group is known as Sarah's clan. It consists of ourselves and twelve babies, who are only several months old. Our clan, plus Siobhan and Maureen are the command staff of this ship. We have several AIs that assist us in managing this ship. The most prominent one is Star, who is also a part of the command staff." Star appeared as a visual construct next to them, and several gasped as she shimmered into view. "Siobhan and Maureen are members of separate family groups. One other group that is very important to us and the ship is Amy's clan. It is because of actions that they took several years ago that it is possible for us to be here today." "We are a bit crowded, as we have more than twice as many people here as we were planning to have at this time. This should be alleviated within the next few days, as more of the crew quarters are cleaned and reconfigured. It has been several centuries since this many people have lived on this ship. Up until several months ago, this ship was basically in hibernation mode, with only about 40 of the original crew living on the ship plus a number of children. Until our new crew members joined us, a few days ago, we were commuting from earth each day. According current scientific theory on earth, doing that is not possible, but we have been doing it." "Ever since the ship was moved to standby status, our crew's efforts have been focused on restoring the ship to full operational status. As we mentioned earlier, we will divert some of that effort, during the next couple of days, to make our accommodations adequate for this larger group. We now number nearly 600 on the ship, and there are about 30 more that will arrive in a couple of days." "Just a reminder for those of you that came up from the resort: if you have not done so, you need to visit the dispensary for your physical immediately after this. Once you have completed it, our staff will review the results with you. You can include your friends during the review, if you want to. Each of you was given a small communicator, or PDA, to carry when you arrived here. You can schedule your physical and health review through it." "For those that arrived from the freighter, we will discuss the purpose of the physicals when you see the presentations later this morning." "In terms of clothing, the amount of clothing you wear is solely up to you. Our normal wear is as you see us now, except when an activity requires special covering. An example of a special covering is the tactical suits some of you have seen the security teams wearing." "New arrivals: yesterday, when we met, we asked if you had anyone you would like to notify that you are okay, or if you wanted to know how someone was. Erica, Sally or Terry can tell you about the status of the requests you made yesterday. There were some problems completing your requests and they will tell you about those issues. You can still make requests." "Last week, we had special phones set up at the resort, so our crew candidates' phone numbers were routed through to the resort. Due to the distance, we can't do that quite the same way any longer. Currently, anyone calling your phones hears a recording saying you are out and will call back. We cannot overcome the time lag for voice communication, so we are thinking of setting up some phones at our enclave that you can use. Any messages left for you will be relayed to your communicator. We expect to have Internet access and e-mail set up here for all of you by tomorrow. We need to set up a domain name and register it first. Once that is in place, everyone here will have an account they can use. As before, please do not say anything about where you are, or what you see. Only those with you will understand your adventure, and those not here may think you have gone over the edge." Many laughed, thinking about what their old acquaintances would think. "Are there any general questions?" "Where are you from?" came the question from a person from the freighter. "All of us are from the United States, but our origins are somewhat more diverse than that. The reason we look different will be explained in one of the presentations that will be shown later, which should answer most, if not all, of that sort of questions. Can we wait until after you see that for other questions on that topic?" The man nodded yes, as did several others. "When can we go home," asked one of the new visitors. "As soon as you want to, but you might want to consider some safety and security issues before you decide to leave. We will set up small discussion groups to go over the issues with you. If you want to return to the life you had on the ship, that can be arranged very easily." Everyone shook there head no, as well as saying, "No!" "What we want to do, in the discussion groups, is to assist you in understanding and determining what the best choice for you is. If you simply return to where you were when you were taken, you will most likely have the same thing happen again, since the people who took you will be looking for you, as they think you may have escaped, and thus are a risk to them." "It will take probably up to a month to place you back on earth with a minimal chance of being abducted again. Again, we will help you evaluate the choices, but you will make the choice. Okay?" Many nodded their agreement. "We have been meeting after breakfast and dinner for some time now. We sense a need to continue to do this for the near future. So, tonight we will do mostly questions and answers, as I am sure that, after today, many of you will have questions." "Crew members, Star indicated that all you have your first choice as to where to contribute your efforts. After the meeting ends, please go to that section of the ship, the AIs and bots have set up training stations in each of the work areas. The presentations for our guests from the freighter will begin, here, in about 10 minutes. Have a good day." The crew members began to leave the dining area. The visitors stood and milled around the dining area. Siobhan and Maureen, along with several women from their families remained, so they could sit in on the presentations. Alison, Claudette, Tara and Erin went up near the podium, at the front of the room. "We would like to get the presentations started, so could everyone find a seat?" Everyone quickly sat down. "As was mentioned before, we are a portion of Sarah's clan. In a moment, the presentations will begin. The holograms will be visible in several different parts of the room. So, once they start, you might want to move around to improve your view." "Before we begin, we would like to share several things with you. First, eight months ago the four of us were being held on a baby farm." Several had funny looks on their faces. "A baby farm is a location where a woman's sole purpose is to make babies, which are then sold. At the farm, our bodies were altered with a genetic virus treatment, so that we would easily carry at least twins every time we conceived, with a strong possibility of triplets or quads. The treatments also enlarged our breasts, so we always produce a significant amount of milk. The milk was for the babies, with the excess being sold. While we did not experience the abuse that many of you did, there are others here who have had similar experiences to yours." A woman raised her hand, and they looked at her expectantly. "How did you get away?" "We were very lucky. An abbreviated version of the story is that we, along with several others here, had been placed in a barn supervised by some very good staff members. The farm was raided very late one night, and, fortunately, one of the two staff members had some difficulty sleeping that night, so she heard them arrive. The unusual arrival time, and the noises they heard, caused our staff members to decide they were better off someplace other than the barn, and they got us all up, then took us with them into the surrounding brush to hide. We spent the rest of that night, and part of the next day, carefully watching from the brush. We saw the raiders leave near daybreak, and had decided to go back to the barn, as we were all hungry. While we were preparing to make our way to the barn, several of this ship's crew members arrived at the farm. From the barn, we saw them carefully looking around the farm. When they came toward the barn, a few of us went to meet them. After talking with them for a few minutes, all of us went out to join them. There were eleven of us in our group. Our group, and one other person, were the only ones from the farm that survived, as the raiders had butchered everyone they had found. This ship's crew offered us the chance to leave the farm with them, and we quickly accepted. Surprisingly, the choice was easy, as we felt from them a sincerity and concern we had not felt in a long time. Along the way, since then, many pleasant things have happened to us, and now we are here. We can go into more detail later, if you wish, but we really should start the presentations." "The first presentation will be about the ship and its crew. Accordingly, let us give you a little background on the efforts being made to restore the ship. Several months ago, the ship's original crew, along with those of us at the island enclave, realized that we needed to add more staff at a faster rate than originally planned. Together, we formulated a plan to find additional crew members from earth, many of whom you saw today, and offer them an opportunity to be a part of this ship's crew. We chose to focus on individuals, or groups, that had just graduated college, or would soon be graduating. Each individual or group had to meet a minimum set of criteria. It was about two weeks ago that the first groups were invited to a resort, where they could hear about the ship and the opportunities it provided. Siobhan's and Maureen's clans were in the first two groups. What you are about to see are videos made of our first meeting with them, the evening they arrived. The meeting was structured similarly to the meeting we had this morning. The topics in these videos will cover the background of the ship and its original crew. The second video will be a comparison of physical differences between members of this society and those of you who have just joined us from earth. All the members of Sarah's, Nancy's, Jean's and Ann's clans are originally from earth. For reasons discussed in the video, Sarah's clan were all given some genetic treatments before arriving at our enclave. The treatments they received prior to their arrival, were not correctly administered, for reasons that are not clear. To correct the errors made in their treatments, it was necessary for the medical staff to blend the crew's DNA and genes with theirs, through a series of genetic virus treatments. Three other clans have since opted to have some of the genetic virus treatments, as have the four of us. Now, let's watch the videos." "Nice presentation, mates," said the rest of their clan. "We thought there ought to be an introduction, but it is very hard to stop once you begin the story. We hope it helped." "The most important part was what you told them about your being held on a baby farm. That will, hopefully, help them come to terms with what has happened to them." ------- As the last video presentation finished, Sarah's clan eased up to the front of the room, along with Alison, Tara, Claudette and Erin. Just as the sound finished, there was a brief scream, and some scurrying at the side of the room. It became very quiet, as everyone was looking in the direction of the noise. Slowly, Cathan stood. She was shaking like a leaf and white with fear, as she had just seen Maeve standing with Sarah's clan. Cathan opened her mouth several times, as if to speak, but no sound emerged. The other torturers' assistants were sitting with her, and mirrored her fear, as they, now, also recognized Maeve. Maeve's voice filled the room in a warm tender voice, as she said, "Cathan and those with you have nothing to fear from me. My spouses shared with me what they learned in meeting with you last night. I understand." As she spoke, together they sent warm feelings of reassurance, telepathically, to Cathan, and the others with her. "I, we, know you did no more than you had to, in order to survive and then delivered retribution when you had the opportunity. So relax, you are as welcome here as any of the rest of us." Cathan sat down and began to cry. Connie went to her and held her, as she cried for her family, since this was the first time she had been able to release her emotions. Maeve's actions had broken the wall she had formed around her emotions. "Let's take a 15 minute break," said Aoife. "You will find refreshments available on the buffet table. Please stay in this area, so you will know when we restart." With that, virtually everyone stood and stretched. A few got refreshments, but most stayed to chat with those around them. Sarah's clan mingled with as many as they could, while Aoife and Maeve joined the group comforting Cathan. Upon reaching them, Maeve pulled Cathan from Connie's arms, hugging her tightly. Cathan quieted down almost immediately, and soon recovered her composure. Cathan hugged Maeve back and kissed her cheek. "Thank you," said Cathan. "I am not sure I deserve your forgiveness or friendship, but I do welcome it." She was quiet for a moment, as she looked deeply into Maeve's dark green eyes. In a hesitant voice, she asked, "Do you think that, perhaps, we can stay, rather than return to earth?" Her eyes showed that she feared that she would be rejected, as she could not yet believe the sincerity of Maeve's earlier comment. Maeve, along with her family, looked deeply into each of the group, for a short time. "We expect you will be able to, but before that there is much you will need to understand," said Maeve. "In the next part of our meeting, we will, initially, answer questions about the presentations you just saw. Then, we will describe your options in a little more detail. Actually, the others will answer most of the questions, because, as you know, I am kind of new to the family." She said, grinning. "You could answer the questions just as well as we could. The information you would need will appear as you need it, through your mind-link with us." Maeve blushed a bit. "It takes some time to understand its capabilities and get used to it." "Why did you blush?" "My family just reminded me that the information I need to answer questions is available through our mind-link." Cathan looked puzzled. "It appears that you did not completely believe the telepathic part. Trust me, it is true. That is how I knew of your intentions, while we were on the freighter." Cathan looked questioningly, just as Sally had Star sounded a chime to signal the end of the break. "Be patient my friend, over the next few days you will come to understand, and believe." Maeve kissed her, as she stood to go join her family. Judy, Gail, Betsy and Connie stood at the front of the room, with the rest of Sarah's entire clan off to the side. "The four of us are the doctors here on the ship," said Judy. "I am a member of Sarah's clan, while Betsy and Connie are members of Amy's clan. Gail has not bonded with a family yet, and she has been staying with Jean's clan for now. We are here to answer questions, as we expect that many of the initial requests will have a medical component to them. Therefore, we will begin with those." "Can you tell us more about psionic ability? It is not something I am very familiar with, except that people in my community always derided the concept of telepathic ability." "Psionic describes a range of mental abilities which are found quite extensively in fiction literature, but seldom, if ever, seen or acknowledged in real life. This is probably because, if you knew you had these abilities, you certainly wouldn't tell anyone. Why? Because they would make fun of you or, if you demonstrated this sort of ability, they might turn you into a lab rat. In earlier generations, you would have been labeled a witch, and receive the appropriate attention." Many laughed, and shook their heads in agreement. "Our psionic skills, in part, consist of telepathy (both active and passive), telekinesis, second sight, empathy, and dream-walking, to name a few of the manifestations. Beyond telepathy, our group's first experience with another psionic ability was a dream-walk led by Sarah and Rusty. When they discussed the details with Amy's clan, they responded by seeking out the place where today's first speakers were being held, along with those in Jean's clan. Their initial step, after we shared the observation with them, was to send drones to the farm. The drones report caused Erica, several bots, and, subsequently, Jim to go there. Unfortunately, they arrived after the raiders had been there and left, but in time to rescue those who fled." "A second dream-walk by Sarah, Rusty, Sally and Terry was pre-planned. It permitted them to contact Nancy's clan, and assure them that we were alive and okay. Why? The kidnappers succeeded in making it appear that we had died in three separate accidents, but in such a way that no bodies were found. This was also an opportunity to prepare them for visiting us." "Using a form of our dream-walking ability, we visited the freighter as we left the resort. It was with that "first-hand" information that we planned and executed the rescue of those there. It began with our removing Maeve from a torture frame and replacing her with the torturer, who was, I believe, named Fred. To do this we, used some psionic skills that we discovered as the situation and need presented itself. Once Maeve was released, our enclave AI, Donna, teleported Maeve directly to the shuttle. Both Star and Donna have the ability to transport items, in the much same way you've seen in Star Trek. We only use it to move people in emergencies, as there are some risks." "The facts of what we have described can easily be checked out, but there may be other explanations that account for at least some of the events. Telepathy is an attribute all of us in this society have. What you've read in science-fiction literature has some truth to it. Yes, it is easy to share information that's in your active memory (or thought process). It is very difficult to see the information in someone else's memories, unless you are bonded to them. I don't know of any references in fiction which describe 'bonding' between people, in the same way that we experience within our family groups. This ability, or characteristic, will become clearer to each of you with the passage of time with us." "Of us new crew members, Sarah and Rusty were the first to become aware of their telepathic ability. Based upon what we now know, their awareness of their telepathic abilities came about because of some significant stress they were subjected to. In Sarah's case, it appears that it was helped along with a combination of drugs and body modification treatments which she received before meeting Rusty. The treatments both received as they were being delivered to Amy's clan, and the subsequent treatments by Connie's team to ensure their health, seem to have strengthened their abilities." "After analyzing their experiences, we think that quite a few people on earth could be telepathic, if they were shown how to activate it. Based on the preliminary evaluations done by the AIs when you arrived, we believe all of you have potential to become telepathic." Several guests openly indicated that they didn't believe this. "To give you a better demonstration of telepathic ability, we will, in a moment, telepathically ask five of you to think about something you did while you were in school that is memorable, and which you are willing to share with us. Once you do that, one of us will tell the story, as you relived it in your mind. Okay?" "You are probably wondering why we are spending so much time on this, correct?" Several nodded, affirmatively. "This is a very important means of our communication, both on the ship and in space. It has some very significant benefits when working in space. It is also a very important component of the bonding that takes place when a family group is formed. You do not have to activate the ability, if you don't want to. Okay, we should now be ready for the demonstration." "Sally, Joyce, Alison, and Erin, will you pick someone to relive an event in their life?" They nodded, as they sent thoughts to the individuals. You could see a surprised look on several of their faces, when they heard the voice in their mind. As soon as they had relived the event, they were asked to stand. They all had surprised looks on their faces as they stood. Many looked at those standing, with confused looks on their faces. "The five that are standing were asked to stand, after we watched the event in their life, as they relived it." Several gasped, while others looked skeptically, even though the person standing nodded their agreement with the comment. Sally, Joyce, Alison, Erin and Judy, each, in turn, repeated a description of the event that the person had relived, word for word. You could tell by the expressions on the subject's faces that the event was told just as they had remembered it. Nearly everyone looked convinced, but a few doubtful looks were seen in the room. "If you decide to stay with us a while you will gain a greater understanding of psionic abilities, through either first-hand experience or observation. So, let's go to the next question." There were only a few more questions, and they each took turns answering questions about the ship, the family groups, and the obvious physical differences between Sarah's clan, the original ship's crew, and those recently arrived. A number of times, the same question was asked in different ways by different individuals. Sarah's clan could see they were trying to come to grips with the reality of what they were being told, and the openness with which it was being done. "One last question," said Connie, "and then several of Sarah's clan will handle the next part." "How soon can I leave?" Betsy said, "Thank you for the lead-in for the next part of our discussion. The short answer is: Now, if that is what you want. Sarah, Rusty, Terry, Alison, and Erin will, in the next few minutes, mention some issues that you need to consider before you actually leave. Remember, it is your choice and we will not do anything to keep you from leaving. Please consider what they tell you, before you make the decision." "Thank you. I am not anxious to leave, but was looking for assurance I could. Part of me wants to return home, and another part of me is telling me to look very carefully at where I am. So now would not be the best time for me to make a decision, but others may feel differently. I have to admit that it has been a long time since I have felt more comfortable than I do here. Due to what I have recently experienced, it is difficult to trust my instincts." "Be patient with yourself, as you try to deal with those memories. Most of you probably feel you should have resisted. That is not true. The drugs you were given prevented any thought of real resistance, or consideration of escape. The reason you feel the way you do is that they didn't effect your other emotions, so all your perceptions and feelings seem natural. The drugs increased your response to sexual stimulation, accentuating your desire, turning you into a sex driven machine. You need to look at your actions on the freighter, with those considerations in mind. Also, you may want to explore some sexual liaisons with your friends in a more natural setting. This will give you a clearer comparison between your actions now and then." "Thank you for a clearer idea of what the drugs did to us. As for the later, some of us have already been exploring." Several chuckled at her comment, while several women pulled her over to kiss and hug her, as a thank-you for asking the questions. The doctors moved off to the side and, as they did, the group showed their appreciation with their applause. They blushed a bit. Each bowed slightly to the group, acknowledging the compliment. ------- Chapter 60 Sarah, Rusty, Sally, Alison and Erin stepped to the center. "Yesterday, we offered to determine your legal status at home or where you were kidnapped. As mentioned earlier, there has not been enough time, to complete the checks." They spoke as one, five voices in perfect sync. Several gasped, as they again watched each speak, and as they listened to the melody of their combined voices. "The few that we have checked are either legally dead or they are non-existent. In the later case, we mean that there isn't any record indicating you ever lived." Several openly cried. Others just sat there with shocked looks. "This is not the first time we have seen this happen. It is not unique to you, as we know of 3 groups who have completely disappeared without a trace. How do we know? These three groups were on our list of potential crew candidates. We had planned on interviewing them and offering them the opportunity to meet us. All evidence of them ever living on earth has disappeared. We can find no evidence of their existence in current public records. We have found evidence that the same thing has happened to several other groups, but we don't have enough specifics to know for certain." "Another example, unrelated to our search for crew candidates, occurred a little more than a year ago. Briana, who is now one of our new crew members, had several close friends accept a summer job. They never returned, and she could find no record of them. Not being a relative, it was difficult for her to have a missing person's report taken seriously. The university had no record of them attending classes, or even of them ever being admitted. She didn't know much about their backgrounds, so her efforts were fruitless. All she had were photos of them together, which was the only evidence of them ever being alive and not a figment of her imagination. The good news is some of her friends were found and rescued. Today, Briana and her friends are here with us. So, again, your predicament is not unique." "If our experience with these people holds true, the people who held you on the freighter are probably the only ones that currently are aware that you existed, and are possibly still alive. The advantage you have over the people mentioned earlier rests in the films made of you on the freighter. If you had any close friends or relatives who would seek to find you, then, we suspect, your disappearance was covered up by an accident. Because of what we have seen, we think it would be wise to take some precautions before returning to earth society." "As for your future, the two things you need to consider are: Where do you want to go, and what do you want to do? We can help you change your appearance, and the alterations will be undetectable. Creating a new identity is more problematic, but we should be able to. You should be aware that creating a new identity is not something we have done before, so we are not sure how well it would hold up to close scrutiny. This is, in part, because we are not sure how they are erasing references to a person's existence in legal and other records." "But before we go further, let us emphasize: What you decide to do is your decision, period. We will, if you want, help you analyze your options, but the decision is yours. While it may be an option, we do not want you to feel compelled to stay with us. We only want you to do what you feel is best for you. Does everyone understand?" Many nodded. "By our count, they all understand the significance of your statement," said Star. "If you have family and friends you would like to contact, or if you would like to know how they are doing, we can assist. We do, however, strongly suggest that you wait until you know your legal status. A supposedly dead person showing up at the door could be shocking." Many laughed. "With a new identity, you could approach them as someone who knew you before you disappeared. Doing that will create a number of perils, in terms of your relationship with them. If exposed, it could also attract the attention of those who took you initially." "Please take your time making your decision about your future. There is no rush. We are placing no deadline on your making a decision. Before you begin your analysis, we strongly suggest that you wait until after our medical staff completes the physical they started when you arrived. The initial examination only looked for issues that needed immediate resolution. Completion of the physical will tell you the state of your health, and any pressing medical issues that you may have. This will include whether you have any potential for chronic illnesses in your future, genetic defects, or genetic anomalies from your treatment by your captors, as well as other potential ailments. We don't know of any that cannot be corrected, but the corrections will be applied only IF you want them to. The choice to receive treatments is yours, and does not obligate you in anyway to us." Several nodded. "The medical examination includes an evaluation for latent psionic abilities. We will show you how to activate these powers, if you wish to." "From what the medical team has been able to determine, psionic abilities can be activated by stress, but that activation is not a certainty and the abilities usually don't become fully effective. We, especially Sarah and Rusty, think you have already been subjected to enough unwanted stress." Many laughed. "We are still learning the extent of our own abilities, and how to use them. With little guidance, it is like creating your own language." "If you are interested in becoming a part of this society, we are willing to discuss it with you. For a best fit as a crew member or as a long-term resident on the ship, you need to be telepathic. It is a very critical ability in many ship activities." "An alternative would be to take up residence at our enclave on earth. It is a small island that is quite isolated, and now, very difficult to enter from the sea. It is large enough to support a small airport, but our aircraft do not need those facilities. Before Amy's clan acquired it, it was a training place for people to be sex toys, or personal slaves, so the location may still be known to some. Apparently, the approach from the sea has been altered since it was used as a training site. With its current security systems, there is minimal risk of having unwanted visitors, and the geography makes access by sea virtually impossible, except by helicopter or trained climbers." "Currently, the enclave has facilities to house somewhere around 100 or more. We had planned on using it as a recreation area while we were refurbishing our ship. Based on recent events, we have taken the additional precaution of moving those residents here for the time being. Several bots are staying at the enclave, taking care of the facilities and the animals. You are probably thinking, "What would we do there?" We had the same thought when we arrived there eight months ago. We had postulated some ideas to address that issue, before we knew of our future here. Those ideas are very workable, so whomever goes there might want to follow through and fully evaluate them." "Another alternative would be to join the group that will be establishing a settlement for us on Mars. We don't see telepathy being a critical attribute there, but it would still be helpful to the society there. Again, we think all of you have telepathic capability." "To summarize, there are several choices on which you can base your future. To quickly summarize, they are: return to earth society, stay here, move to the island enclave, or join the Mars settlement. We will help you achieve your choice, as much, or as little, as you want us to. Please feel free to ask us any questions you may have, or let us know if there is something you need or are concerned about." "We have mentioned telepathic communication many times. From our experience, we think it strongly assists the building of friendships and families. Many times, hurt feelings or disagreements are due to misunderstandings. Our experience tells us that telepathy minimizes misunderstandings, if not eliminating them. We don't know how much it will assist or hinder us if we have enemies who are telepathic." "Today, we will provide you with a more advanced communicator to carry with you. If you adopt the naked look, then it will come with a sash so you can carry it." Several laughed, as there were only a few in the room wearing a light robe. "Through the communicator, you can communicate with others on the ship. It will keep you apprised of any appointments or meetings. Once your telepathic ability begins to fully function and you get used to telepathic communication, you will probably stop using the communicator." "The last item we have to discuss is the most difficult for us to consider. If you should decide to return to earth's society, your memories of being here will be changed, so that your time here will appear to be a dream. The events in your dream will be crystal clear to you, but you will not be able to share it outside of those with you here. Any psionic ability you have will only function for self-preservation. Why do we do this? To protect ourselves and you, since describing your visit here, or any of us, to any resident on earth would, most likely, cause you long-term legal problems, or worse, bring you to the attention of those who kidnapped you to begin with." "All of them understand, but are a bit shocked that you have the ability to do that," said Star. "Okay, questions." It was very quiet for several minutes. "From what I have seen, the ship is really neat, but what do you do for relaxation?" "We have a recreational area, a library, and an entertainment area. The recreational area includes all sorts of physical fitness equipment, some of which is very unique. The library has access to earth's Internet, plus a very extensive collection of information on just about everything. The entertainment area has several TVs with earth feeds, movies, board games and other items for group activities. The one area that may be lacking relates to those who play music for relaxation or other artistic activities. We can solve that very easily, if there is an interest. If that is not enough, we could find some bondage equipment for you to play with." Several gasped and then chuckled, as they saw the smile on Sarah's clan's faces. Cathan asked, "Being a crew member of a space ship is a fantastic idea, but how would I know what to do?" "There is a training system for every function on the ship. It is unlike anything you have ever experienced, as it is an interactive computer system augmented with telepathic communication. It is very rapid in showing you the fundamentals and, if needed, programming your mind for a coordinated body response, to enable you to accomplish the task you're being trained for. Rusty's first experience was in learning the use of personal combat weapons. Through the system, he learned all the fundamentals in several hours, including the use of the tactical suits." "He already had prior experience with weapons when he was on earth." "Yes, but the weapons here have different capabilities. Several of our other family members have received the same training, and qualified in the tactical suits in about same length of time as Rusty did. They have since done more tactical exercises with the suits than he has with the individual weapons. For many of the functions on the ship, there is no one to train us except for the computer systems and then gaining some experience in using the ship's systems. Errors here can be catastrophic, as space is very unforgiving." "How do we go about applying for a position with the crew," asked one gentleman. "You need to do two things. One is to complete the health check and enable your telepathic ability. The second is to tell one of us or Star of your interest." "Will I be required to under go any special medical treatment in order to be a crew member?" "We initially thought none would be necessary. At this point, we believe it is necessary for you to receive the genetic virus treatments to augment your body's characteristics. These will make you more physically similar to members of this society and enhance your senses. They are not nearly as extensive as we have received, but remember, ours were, in large part, to address medical issues we had when we arrived. Some positions require special abilities, therefore in those cases, the treatments will be more extensive." "For example, the tactical suits need the wearer to be equal to the original crew physically, and have at least the same psionic ability. We learned this when we trained several of the new crew members on how to use them about a week ago. We managed, but just barely, and that was because of the built-in AI. Consideration was given to modifying the suits, but we found that just making the changes to fit an earth human would significantly reduces the suit's capabilities, as more than just stature is affected by the treatments. This is also true of those wanting to fill any pilot positions." "Personally, I don't feel put-off by the requirement. Your candid response to my question is very reassuring. Thank-you." "How do we arrange the health check? How long will it take?" "To schedule finishing the physical, you only need to tell Star of your interest. She will provide you with several times you can go. The physical usually takes no more than about 10 to 15 minutes. A review of the results and possible treatments to remedy issues can take place several hours later, and can last an hour or more, depending on the issues. You can have others with you during the review, if you want." "Where is Star?" "I am here, and can be reached nearly any place on the ship just by saying my name," said Star. "I have slotted your health check for immediately after this meeting is over, which would be right after lunch." "Wow! Thank you." Several others started talking at once, asking Star to schedule their health check. Sarah's clan raised their hands for silence. "If you form your questions for Star in your mind and then say them mentally, she will take care of you. She is telepathic. If you don't hear her when she replies, you will receive her response on your communicator, when you receive it." Many looked surprised at the idea. "Go ahead, try it." The questions went on for some time. Several expressed interest in seeing the enclave. Others wanted to see what had happened to their families and friends, before deciding on the best option for them. The frequency of questions had pretty well diminished when the lunch sounded, signaling it. "The chime you just heard indicates that we have an hour until lunch, and it is sounded one hour before each meal time and then as the meal starts. As you leave, please pick up your new communicator. Those handing them out will show you one way to wear them, and how you can initialize it. So, let's go freshen up, and then meet back here for lunch, in about an hour. We know you will have more questions. We have been having a question and answer period at the end of dinner. We will have meetings at other times, as the need arises. But, if the question is really bothering you, please talk to us. Star knows where to find us, most of the time." With that, the morning discussion came to a close. Many of the attendees gathered around Sarah's clan, to thank them for their rescue. All wanted to have a closer look at them, although they had each met and talked with them earlier. The presentations, followed by the question and answer session, had given them a very different view of their rescuers. All of them felt very lucky to be there, and now wanted a closer view of the differences pointed out in the presentations. Several could not resist touching their tails or their manes, and were surprised when the touch caused them to shiver. The texture of their hair fascinated many who touched Sarah's clan. Members of Sarah's clan were quite aroused by the time they left the meeting room. The smell of their pheromones had caused many of the attendees to become aroused as, well. "We need to hurry. I can feel the babies waiting for their milk, and besides, all of the touching has me about ready to cum," they shared with each other. As they walked quickly to their quarters, they reviewed the meeting and the questions. They were pleased with the response and the interest the attendees showed in their options for the future. All of them were concerned about what would happen to any that tried to return to earth's society. They knew they would not stop anyone from going back, and would do their best to ensure their security. The babies were bouncing with joy when they saw them enter the room. They sat up, waving their arms for attention. As a mother picked them up, she hugged them, then quickly placed them at her nipple, as she could feel their hunger and desire to suckle. As they nursed, they discussed how they could do everything they needed to do with the ship's crew, take care of the babies, and get the exercise they needed to stay fit. By the time they had fed their babies, exercised, and freshened up, it was time to go to lunch. They found the brief time with the babies, while they were nursing, to be very satisfying, Rusty, Maeve, and Aoife shared the emotional satisfaction all of their spouses felt from their contact with the babies. ------- At lunch, the room bubbled with excitement. The new crew members were really enthused with their work areas. Most of them had completed preliminary familiarization with their departments. They were amazed at how much the telepathic interaction with the training system accelerated their learning pace. All were looking forward to the next several days, working at the training consoles to learn the operation. They quickly ate their meals with their groups, and then split up again to return to work. Cathan came up to Sarah's clan after lunch, grinning. "Did you plan that?" "What?" They responded with a grin. "You gave us a wonderful presentation about your background, the ship, and our options, along with a pep talk this morning about becoming crew members, without saying as much. Then, at lunch, we have to eat in a room full of unbridled enthusiastic new crew members." They each looked at one another, then back at Cathan. "We really didn't plan it. Do you really think it worked to our benefit," they asked, and grinned. "Yes, and I sense you truly did not plan it. Would you be surprised if everyone wants to stay?" As she was speaking, Maureen and Siobhan came up to them. "Yes, we would." "Based on what I learned from the presentations, several weeks ago this ship's crew consisted of less than a 100 people. With the new crew members, you are pushing 300 plus. Then, if you add all of those from the freighter, it will push the total to somewhere above 600. How can you handle the sudden influx of people?" "We will know in several months." Several laughed. "Cathan, we had a plan for adding the initial crew members to the group. A part of that was to seek more crew members in six months or so, after the first group had settled. So we have an outline, but who knows if it will be sufficient now." Just then, her communicator chimed. She said, "Oh, good. It's time for my health evaluation. Again, thank you for rescuing us. This is the first good thing that has happened to me in like... forever." With that, she hurried off, looking at the directions on the communicator screen. "You know, I think she will want to be a crew member," said Maeve. "I can't fault her for how she handled the events that happened to her. I do wish it had not been me they tortured. I hope I never feel that level of pain again, and even that will be too soon." They all reached out and hugged her. Together, they shared with her the love they felt for her. Her eyes filled with tears of happiness, as she basked in their love. She was amazed that she could feel this close to anyone, much less a group, and in such a short time. "The rapidity of your feeling so close is due, in large part, to our mental connection," they shared with her. "Every minute of every day we learn more about each other, and how we fit together, as we learn about this new world around us. Each day we feel closer than we did the day before. It is subtle." "Let's go roam around the ship, and see how things are going." They spent the rest of the day wandering around the ship. Part of the time they were all together, but, mostly, they had been in small, shifting, groups. Everyone was pleased to see them, and each group took time to show them something they had learned. They found quite a few of the people from the freighter in different parts of the ship, observing the activities, and, in some cases, assisting the crew, where they could. Sarah's clan returned to their quarters late in the afternoon, to find their babies waiting for them. They played with them and then fed them. The nannies assisted with the babies in any way they could. The babies watched them, as they exercised and let down the remainder of their milk. Several mimicked their mothers actions on the exercise bench. Several of the nannies had helped take care of sisters and brothers before they went to college, and that experience was one of the reasons they chose to major in child-care. With only three of the clan's mother's babies to care for, they had plenty of time to spend with these babies. They were very delighted with how the babies reacted to each of the thirteen women, even though the one holding them might not be their birth mother. They responded to both Maeve and Aoife the same way they did everyone else. They had noticed it before, but as the babies were now several months old, it was much more obvious. They each felt that finding this job was the best thing they ever did. For each of them, though for different reasons, it was a dream come true. Several of them, from time to time, had thought about their future there. They had each skirted the question of whether they could they stay after their contract ended. Karen had thought about asking, but so much had happened that she was hesitant. She had seen and felt the stress, no anxiety, in the clan, as they had responded to each crises over the last week or so. Besides, their contracts had over a year left on them, so it wasn't urgent, and the contracts included an option for extending them. Still, she didn't like the uncertainty, since she and the others had realized sometime ago that they loved the children as if they were their own. Karen was shocked, as she suddenly realized this was now HER family and she was sure the others felt the same way. By the time the exercises and showers were done, it was time to go down to dinner. The babies were still wide awake. Alison asked if the nannies would like to come down to dinner with them, along with the babies. They were thrilled, as the babies kept them pretty well occupied, and they hadn't met many of the crew since they arrived on the ship. Everyone quickly began to gather the items they would need to bring along. "Could we ask you a question, while everyone is here," asked Karen, cautiously. "Your babies are so easy to take care of, we aren't sure that we shouldn't be paying you for the privilege. But, sometimes, it is difficult for the four of us to take care of them adequately. We are a little concerned about being able to take care of all of the new babies, when they arrive. Within the next month, there will be some 28 more, and we aren't sure we can give them all the care we feel necessary." There were small tears in the corner of her eyes, as if she was failing in her duties to HER family. A spouse took one of the nannies in their arms to give them a comforting hug. "Don't worry, we are sure you will have additional help. Remember though, they will be here to assist YOU, and some will be bots. As for the four of you, we think you are doing great, and we're all very pleased we found you." Each then gave the nannies another hug and kiss. The babies smiled and clapped their hands, like they agreed. The whole interaction seemed to lift a weight off of Karen's and her fellow nanny's shoulders. They beamed at the compliments, both verbal and mental that they received. "There is more worrying you, isn't there," asked Joyce, as she looked at each of the nannies. Karen barely nodded her head, as a look of uncertainty appeared on all their faces. Joyce and Judy looked from one to the other, as the rest of the family waited for a response. Karen took a deep breath, as she wondered how she became the spokesperson. "We are very attached to your children, and expect it will be the same when the new babies arrive. What happens when our contracts are up?" "What do you want to happen," asked Judy and Joyce. Karen looked at each of the others, and then said, "We want to stay... like forever. I just realized it a few minutes ago, but you are now my family." The other nannies nodded their agreement, with a mixture of happiness and concern on their faces. "Why would you think that would be a problem?" "We don't think we fit the criteria to be crew members." "Why is that," asked Sarah, with concern clearly evident in her voice. "Well, for many reasons. We aren't science or technology nerds, and don't have a lot of the attributes they have. Everyone we have seen is very beautiful." "Bullshit," said Sally, shocking everyone. "You have some very important attributes. The babies will attest to those. All of you also have the key ability to be a crew member." The nannies had a puzzled look on their faces. "All of you are telepathic. All of you have used it to some extent with the babies, but not with the adults. And lastly, when was the last time you really looked in the mirror?" "We think you are as beautiful as anyone else on the crew," they said, together. "So, if you want to be crew members, it is your choice," continued the clan, in harmony. The nannies whooped with joy. "Whatever you do, you are part of our family, and always will be." "Your comment raises a point we may have over looked," said Judy. "I don't remember seeing any record of your taking the physical when you came up to the ship. So you need to do that tomorrow, if possible. Okay. You also need to fully enable your telepathic abilities." The nannies faces beamed with their happiness, as they prepared to leave for dinner. ------- They were a bit surprised, when they arrived in the dining area, to only find only a few of the crew there. But that quickly changed, as the crew began to stream into the dining area behind them. Once the babies were noticed, they became the center of attention, as the crew members took turns holding them. Several women from the freighter came close, and watched the interaction with the babies from a distance. A chime sounded, indicating that the buffet tables were ready for serving. With that, they began going through the serving lines. In every case, where someone was holding a baby, their fellow crew members prepared them a plate of food, along with their own. The babies were well cared for by the crew members, with the nannies carefully watching the care each of their charges were receiving. Sarah's and Amy's clan split up into pairs, and ate with as many refuges from the freighter as possible. As they began to eat, the conversation was a bit strained, and mostly faltering. Efforts by the two clans to stimulate a dialog only received simple responses in return. This puzzled the two clans, as their responses and body language earlier had been much different, while now, it seemed to be driven by cautiousness. "Do any of you sense a problem," Sally quietly asked her fellow spouses and Amy's. "No. But, for some reason all of them now seem very shy or introverted. Star, what do you sense. We don't want to telepathically probe without asking, as there doesn't appear to be a threat." "Quickly scanning the conversations from today, I agree with your assessment about a threat. Most of them helped in many of the areas today, and were quick to assist where they could. Maybe they are having trouble believing their good fortune." "Let me try something," said Joyce. She looked around the table at those seated with her, and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, it appears we are making you uncomfortable, so we will move to another table, with our apologies." With that, she and Claudette rose, and began to gather their things, to move to another table. The people next to them placed their hands over theirs, stopping their movement. Joyce looked down at the hand, and then at their faces. She was surprised to see sadness and tears in their eyes. "Please stay," several whispered. Then, quietly, another said, "We are honored by your company, but feel unworthy of it, or even being here in your presence." A tear ran down several of their cheeks. Joyce and Claudette sat down. They now felt the distress of those at the table. Their spouses sensed their experience. "I suspect they are feeling survivor's guilt, or something similar," said Judy. Everyone could see each of their dinner partners relax, once they were again seated. With that, they began to eat again quietly, waiting for someone else to break the conversational impasse. Everyone had nearly finished eating, when the young woman sitting across from Joyce cleared her throat and began to speak. Her voice, while not loud, carried through the room, as dinner had been unusually very quiet. "You deserve an answer, but I can only speak for myself. When I was in high school, I was shunned, because I was tall skinny and smart. Smart was probably the most critical attribute. I found it easier to limit any contact with other students, except for those whose abilities were similar to mine. During high school, I grew to be the tallest in the class and filled out. It was difficult to go unnoticed when I stood over 6 feet, with all the physical attributes everyone likes to see. Now, besides being taunted for being bright, the jocks took to groping me at every opportunity. My small group of friends grew smaller. In girls gym class, some of the girls would make passes at me, or groped me because I blushed. I was glad to graduate." "College was better, because there I did find some kindred spirits, both female and male. It didn't take us too long to form a special group, consisting of six of us. The group grew very close through college, and had shared many occasions together. We each, with time, had explored a physical relationship with others in our group. Surprisingly, everyone was comfortable with it, and we were all very definitely bi, well, maybe not the guy. As a graduation present to ourselves, we decided to go on a vacation together. We found a bargain world cruise, but it still took almost all of our money. The cruise ship was wonderful. We had spent several days at sea and visited one port. We couldn't have had a better time. Then the nightmare began." Tears rolled down her eyes as she talked. The two next to her put their arms around her shoulders, pulling her close to them. Their eyes filled with tears, as they felt her sadness. "We woke up one day to find that our cabin was now a cage. Each of us was in a separate cage, and all of us were naked. The cage was just big enough for us to stand or sit. We had collars locked around our necks. There were cuffs locked around our wrists and ankles. My whole body hurt, especially my breasts, cunt and clit. They looked as if they were swollen. If I could have touched them, I suspect they would have hurt, but my wrists were attached to my collar by a short chain. The chain kept me from lowering my hands below my breasts. It was obvious we were still on a ship, because of the motion. My friends were in the cages near mine, and I recognized many of the others as those with us on the cruise ship." "As everyone began to wake, they began to talk and cry out for help. After a while, an announcement was made, telling us not to talk. The voice threatened to punish us if we continued talking. The tone of the voice was chilling." "Several didn't listen, continuing to shout and curse. A short time later, a couple came down the aisle between the cages. They were virtually nude themselves, wearing only a short skirt with several pockets that barely reached their crotch, and a belt. Several items hung from the belt, of which one was a whip. They dragged one particularly loud woman from her cage. She put up a fight, until they stuck a rod against her crotch. She let out an ear-piercing scream, and grabbed at her crotch. She fell down, twitching. As I found out later, the rod was electrified, and was used to stun her. After releasing her wrists from her collar, they pulled her wrists behind her, fastening them together. A strap was placed around her elbows, pulling them together and forcing her shoulders back. She screamed in pain, as she recovered from the shock." "The man sat her up, forcing his leg between her tied arms and her back. This pulled her arms and shoulders even further back. You could tell by her screaming that it hurt. He pulled her chin up and back, pressing her head against his leg while pushing her shoulder down, locking her in position against his leg. Her face was white with fear, as she whimpered. The woman wiped her neck with something and then made a vertical incision in her throat, right at her chest. She then slipped a small 'L' shaped tube into the incision. As soon as the tube entered her throat, the noise stopped. Her collar was replaced with one that kept the throat tube in place." She looked around the table, at the expressions on their faces. "Yes, they had just given her a tracheotomy. This, essentially, robbed her of her voice. I still remember the look on her face, when she realized what had happened." "Once the collar was in place, the man released her chin. They both laughed, as she tried to speak or scream. The woman then told her that was only step 1. With that, they pulled her to her feet and pressed her against the bars of her cage, forcing her tits through the bars. He pressed her against the bars, while the woman tied her to the bars by her tits. He retied her arms to the bars over her head. Once she was secured, the two of them stood to each side and whipped her back, from her legs to her shoulders. She struggled for a while, but every movement added to the stress on her tits. They kept whipping her, until her back was all abraded and bleeding. She had passed out and hung limply in her bindings. Her weight, pulling on her tits, had turned them a dark red. She was quickly awakened, when they rubbed salt into her torn back. She was, evidently, screaming, from the way she was moving her mouth and shaking her head." "Once that was completed, they put her back in her cage, sitting on a narrow, tapered bench. We saw two extensions on the seat, just as they pressed her down on it. As I found out later, they were dildos made of dried leather." Several in the room looked confused. "The dry leather dildo swelled, as it soaked up her fluids. The ones I saw later would eventually grow to 3 to 4 inches in diameter, if not constrained in some manner. So, if you didn't move there was no stimulation, thus no fluids. Except the leather would pull at the tissue, making you want to move. How do I know? I was forced to endure one for an hour or so, in one of the films. Fortunately, I was aroused when my partner in the film pushed it into me. Mine grew to about 2 inches in diameter in that short time. The woman in the cage wore it until she collapsed from lack of sleep, a couple of days later. When they came to get her, they released the dildos from the stool, and made her walk with them embedded in her. She never came back, and we never saw her again." "After they had placed her on the bench, they then went to one of the men's cages. They knocked him out with a Taser-like, device and then gave him a tracheotomy. They pulled him to his feet as he awakened. They quickly turned him and pushed down on a stool. The seat was wedge-shaped, pushing his ass cheeks apart. At the front of the seat, a ring was secured around the top of his ball sac. The man was pivoted forward, so he was partially standing, stretching his ball sac, as a rod was slid into the tube under the seat. They pushed the man back, causing him to sit down, hard. You could see him try to rise back up, as the rod was being forced into his ass. He quickly sat, as his ball sac was stretched, squeezing his testicles when he stood. His mouth opened in a silent scream. As soon as he quieted down, they picked up the whips and whipped him until his back was raw. After rubbing it with salt, they made him move back into his cage, still fastened to the seat." "The couple told the rest of us that we could expect the same treatment, but harsher, if we talked or made any more noise. She looked around, with a gleam in her eye. She told us we were now all their property. We were their slaves. We would do as told. We would complete all of our tasks with enthusiasm. If we didn't, we would be punished more severely than we had seen, or, perhaps, butchered. We were more valuable alive, but they could sell us as meat for a good price. Many cultures like the taste of 'long pig', as human fresh meat is called. Some like to begin cooking while the person is still alive, because they think it adds to the flavor. If we did as we were told, we would likely survive. If not, then we would become familiar with pain unlike any we had ever experienced before." "Continuing, she told us that we would be fed later, and given water. Both containers had nipples on them, so we could suck the meal from them. She told us the food tasted better when it was hot and fresh. If we didn't eat willingly, then they would force-feed us, by putting a tube down our throats and pumping our stomachs full. Our hands would always be restrained, such that we could not reach below our tits, but our tits were now sensitive enough that we could make ourselves cum just by playing with them." "After that demonstration of cruelty, there was very little resistance. But, after a few days eating the food, I never thought of resisting and didn't see any others resist either. Our activity quickly took on a routine. Fresh buckets of food and water were placed on our cages every morning. Once a day, several women would come through with a hose. They would hose us off with cold water, then one would wet us down with soapy water, then the other would rinse us off. After several days, they would take several of us away every morning, for what seemed like a few days. The ones they brought back always looked very tired. There were always fewer returning than had left." "As they brought each group back, the sides of the cage were folded back. A T-shaped stand was placed on the floor. The person was forced kneel at the base of the stand, and then to lie down upon it. Their chests rested on the staff of the 'T', with their tits hanging down on each side. Their wrist and ankle cuffs were fastened to rings at the base. Above the top of the 'T' was a sling, to rest their head. Each was fit with a mouthpiece attached to a tube. They would sleep for quite some time, and then moan. You could see them swallowing." "I didn't understand, until it was my turn to be taken to cages next to the filming area. We were kept there between films. Each of us would usually stay a several days in these cages, while we were made to participate in films. The cages were located so we could see each of the filming areas. Our first films started out in the bedroom, as a normal erotic film. Usually, with two captives starting out, then several more joining in on the action. If we joined in with the activity without instruction, then we made quite a few in that setting, before moving to different situations and rougher films. In some films, we were bound and then tormented, fucked with dildos, or stimulated with electric devices. In others, we would let dogs or donkeys fuck us, or we sucked them off. Those who made an effort to participate, and gave appropriate facial expressions, or had orgasms, seemed to survive." "If you were reluctant, or caused a problem, then you became the victim in a scene where you would be raped by the dogs or donkeys, or even a very large mechanical dildo. Continued reluctance led to harsher and harsher treatment as a victim. Sometimes, they would leave the person fastened in the pen with the dogs after the scene, so the dogs could use them whenever they wanted. The one I saw treated that way was being fucked almost continuously. Being a man did not keep you from being fucked by the dogs. The next step was forced sex with the donkeys, without the restraining block. The dungeon and medical area were used mostly to punish those who didn't do well in the other films." "When they used the room which I called the killing room, they locked us in a rack along the wall. The rack had a row of u-shaped dildos that we sat on, forcing them into our asses, and then our collars were locked to a bar. We had to watch and masturbate while the scene took place. Failure meant we got a turn on the table. I only saw one man refuse to masturbate. So, when they were done with what they had planned, they cleaned him up, shaved his body and oiled him all over, castrated him, and then placed him in a large roast pan on his back, tying his ankles and wrists together. They were attached to a hook inserted in his ass. They placed him in an oven. We were told to watch. It was awful. They brought the heat up slowly, and held it at 140 for a while. Once he died, they pulled him out, removed his guts, and stuffed him, then returned him to the oven." "While they were waiting for him to finish cooking, the woman decided she would like human eggs with her roast. So, several of the women were, in turn, placed on the table. Their legs were spread as wide as possible, then, after spreading their cunts and then their cervix, she took a long-handled hemostat and scissors and removed their ovaries. They cried, but were helpless to resist. I was one of the few she didn't do it to." "She laughed at their crying, and told them not to worry; they would keep their womanly appearance, as she left enough so their body would still produce hormones. Besides, they might just give them a hormone booster anyway, then, in a couple of weeks, they would look much better at the slave auction. 'You will be given additional shots, to make your tits larger and your cunt lips fuller. Some of you will be lactating when you go to the auction block. Depending upon who buys you, you could think this was a vacation, as some of you will be bought by a S&M club, where their treatment of you is unlimited. You should pray your buyer wants you for his harem, or whorehouse.' She laughed, as she watched the expressions on our faces. 'If you're real lucky, you will be bought for breeding.'" "Before they took us back down to our cages, they gave the hormone shots to all of us, and extra shots to those she had taken the ovaries from. They also gave us a set of shots to our cunt lips and tits. The shots to our cunt lips caused them to again swell and be tender for several days. A gold ring was inserted in our clit hoods. It hung down, touching our clits when we stood. While we rested, strapped to the benches, our breasts grew 3 to 4 cup sizes, and our cunt lips became quite full and sensitive, as I found out when I was taken to participate in more films." "In the time I was on the ship, I was taken to the filming area three times. Each group was a different combination of people. The scenes filmed the second time were a bit more violent. Only four of us returned to the deck where the cages were. Before we were returned, they decided our nipples need elongating, so we were given a harness to wear, that forced our nipples to stand out. Several injections were made in them before we were taken below to the cages. When someone died during the filming, the corpse was butchered in front of us, before it was cold." "So, after several weeks or more in those surroundings, I am having some difficultly believing in my surroundings. I am having difficulty dealing with the fact that only I lived, out of my group of friends. I feel overwhelmed by how beautiful, both physically and mentally, all of our hosts here are, which, in some ways, compounds my sadness over the loss of my friends. In many ways, I wish I could look like you Joyce, then, maybe, I would feel better. I wish I could do something to the assholes behind the ordeal we went through." She stopped. Her face was flushed. She had tears running steadily down each cheek. Several clapped, and many others joined in thanking her for expressing what had happened to them. "What is your name?" asked Joyce. "It is Edana." "Very nice name," said Joyce and Claudette. "We did not always look like this. Besides, we think you are quite pretty. Yes, your breasts may be larger, but they do look very tasty. Do your nipples always stand out?" Edana nodded, yes. "We like it. Maybe we should see if we can obtain that aroused look as well." "All you need is a ring in your clit hood," said Edana, and she then blushed. "Edana, before Sylvia kidnapped me I looked like this," said Joyce. With that Star projected a hologram on the table, showing Joyce in high school. "Sylvia gave me genetic virus treatments that were inappropriate for me, due to age and size, as was mentioned in the presentations this morning. When we came into Betsy and Connie's care, at the enclave, their medical check of us found those mistakes. Due to our condition, and the way we arrived, they resolved to correct those errors. Thanks to their knowledge, competence, and other strengths, they developed a treatment for the original 8 in our clan. The corrective treatment they chose also made us more similar in physical attributes than we were before. Normally, they would have consulted with us beforehand. In our cases, however, doing that would have delayed the treatment, beyond what they thought was an acceptable window. They did not feel they had a lot of time, or many choices. The treatments would ensure that we would survive and live a long time. So, based on an evaluation of the overall risk factors, they decided to go against their normal guidelines and proceed. We are very glad they did. We also believe that they had some outside guidance in helping make that decision. Alison, Erin, Tara and Claudette chose to receive a similar treatment, in part, because of joining us, in part, to distance themselves from their past, and to thwart the long-term effects of the treatments they received at the breeding farm. Those treatments also strengthened some of the attributes they already had." "You might also remember, from the presentations, that Amy's clan received a similar treatment to ours, also in response to an emergency. So, both of our clans now have a mixed genetic heritage. Two other clans started a similar set of treatments several months ago, and several clans are considering asking for a similar set of treatments." "As for body jewelry, Sarah has a bar through the base of her clit, although you probably can't see it because of her pregnant body." "As we expressed to you this morning, you have many choices before you, and there is no rush to make them. Looking like us physically is one choice, but maybe not the best for you. In terms of character, intellect and personality, all you have nothing to be shy about. Each of you is a very beautiful person, both visually and mentally. We suspect the thing that bothers you most is that you had no choice about the changes made to you. Rest assured, you are beautiful in body and mind." "Now, a bit more about genetic treatments. If you do have them, they will be tailored specifically to you. For crew members, there are several that they will need to have. These will make their new tasks easier and safer; however the extent of the changes will be limited that which is necessary to their performance, unless they choose otherwise." While she was finishing, Joyce and Claudette stepped around the table to hug her. "Since we touched a bit on the genetic changes, I would like to add a bit more," said Joyce. "I am hesitant to do it, even though I feel I must. None of us will force any treatment upon you. As noted earlier, we have learned that those joining us as ship's crew members need to receive a portion of the genetic treatments. This is the reason my phrasing has changed from what was indicated prior to the last few days. The range of additional attributes can be increased, but we now recognize that a minimum is needed for crew member. The first is to have your stature modified be more like us, though not necessarily as tall. This is mostly skeletal and additional muscle structure, including feet. Side-effects are the loss of general body hair, with a fuller head of hair, a mane and tail. The second is a vision improvement, which increases the visible spectrum and gives you variable sensitivity, so that low-light conditions are almost like daylight with normal coloring. Again, we hope none of you feel misled by our earlier comments on this." "Thank you," she whispered to Joyce and Claudette. She pulled each down to kiss and hug them again. Joyce and Claudette stood and looked around the table, and then the room. There appeared to be more happy faces among the new arrivals. "I take it, by your expressions, that everyone heard her story and our comments?" They nodded. "Are there any questions?" It was quiet. Cathan stood, "I think that while our individual experiences may differ a bit from hers, they are all quite similar. I don't have any questions now, as I think all of us have a lot to think about. Joyce and Claudette, you have opened our eyes a bit more to our choices with your sincerity, which is a virtue that we haven't experienced in a while." Many laughed. Muireann, Jason, LeAnn and Kerry stood and looked around the room. "We sensed the necessity for the genetic treatments from the beginning. We do not feel misled, and sense similar feelings among our fellow crew members." Then, with a grin, they said as one, "We will not be discouraged from being crew members that easily." They began to laugh, and everyone joined in with them. When it quieted down, they continued, "Our groups intend to stay. We had not said anything, as we can see that the medical staff is very busy. Once they aren't quite so harried, we will talk with them about receiving the treatments." Betsy stood, with her face showing some concern. "After what I heard this evening, I ask that any of those who know they were given the injections described by Edana please tell Star. We will give your health evaluations priority. Muireann and LeAnn's groups, come see us whenever you are ready. We will gladly fit you into the schedule. Just so everyone is aware, it takes about six months for the genetic treatments to be essentially complete. Our current procedure is to give you a series of injections over a 24 hour period, during which time you will be required to stay in the clinic. Then, after that, there will be daily check-ups for several weeks and then weekly ones. At each check-up, you may receive additional treatments. In some cases, we will need you to stay in the clinic longer. In extreme cases, such as the condition of Sarah's clan when they arrived, you will probably spend some time in the incubators, with your senses in suspension. It's like being in a very deep sleep, but for a longer period of time." "Let's hold further questions until morning," said Betsy. Many nodded at the suggestion. "Okay by us," said Joyce and Claudette. "As we mentioned before, we will hold open meetings whenever the need arises. With our telepathic abilities, and the communicators, we should have no trouble sharing information. Besides, we will have more time to play with the babies this evening." The comment evoked many chuckles, as they began to rise and clear away the dishes from dinner. Once Sarah's clan returned from dinner, they spent the rest of the evening relaxing. The babies received a lot of attention that evening, before they went to sleep. Once the babies were asleep, they went to bed, as well. For them, that was the best place to cuddle and share their affection. The seven very pregnant spouses were beginning to feel very big and pregnant. So, each was given some special attention, to help in easing some of their concerns regarding their size. "You know, in only a few weeks all this extra weight we are carrying will change into babies," said Judy. "At the rate they are growing, it might not be that long. I never thought it would feel this good to be pregnant. I am enjoying pregnancy, even though it is a bit awkward at times. In hindsight, maybe I should have had children before this." "The changes in your bodies are the most likely reason all you are having an easy time carrying your babies," said Rusty. "Alison, Tara and Erin were much the same way. I love all of you more than I can ever say." "We know, and we feel the same." They chorused. "You are right about the changes in our body helping," said Judy. "But there are other feelings that come with this, as well. We should thank the Gods and Goddesses for guiding us onto this path. We are very fortunate." "Agreed." they chorused. Cuddled together, they soon drifted off to sleep. ------- Chapter 61 The next several weeks went quickly. Ann's clan along with their nannies and more enclave residents moved to the space ship. They were all surprised at the comfort on the space ship, and decided it wasn't as bad as they anticipated. Their impression had been that it would be quite primitive. Once on the ship, Dorothy and Maria joined Jean's clan, which surprised no one. The effect of the genetic virus treatments on Jean's clan was beginning to show. Donna was contacted by nearly all the groups that had declined the first offer to visit the ship. The groups all asked Donna if the offer was still available. Each group was given an immediate response that the offer was still open, but there was a change in location. With this in mind, the groups were asked to again meet with a contact team, so they could review the offer and tell them about the change in location, so no one would be disappointed. Appointments were arranged so the original contact team would meet with them to review the offer. This also provided time for a security team to survey the neighborhood for possible threats, and prepare to monitor the home and surrounding area during the meeting. When the contact teams arrived at the candidates homes, they received a warm welcome, which was a little surprising because of the cool reception they had received earlier. Several groups expressed regret that they were not more receptive the first time, and were very pleased the offer was still open. After hearing the presentations again, none of the groups were bothered by the change in location or the need to receive a physical immediately upon arrival, so arrangements were made to move them up to the ship for a visit. A few chose to come right away, while others scheduled them for several days later, so everyone in their group could tidy up loose ends. The contact teams escorted each group to the ship, and made sure to be readily available to them for their first few days on the ship. As each group arrived, several of the medical staff met with them as they exited the shuttles, to guide them through the screening process by the autodoc. The candidates were surprised at how quickly the physicals were completed. Nancy, along with several from Sarah's clan, met with each group after their arrival. Each candidate was given a personal communicator, so they could easily contact others on the ship as needed. In preparing for the additional candidates, they made a minor change compared to what they had done before with the first candidates. The presentations on the history of the ship and the difference between this society's members and those from earth was delayed until their second day. It was felt this was necessary to let them get over some of the excitement of being in space. Some thought was given to redoing the presentations, due to the errors made earlier because of lack of knowledge. Instead, they decided to just correct the errors after the presentations were complete. Sarah's clan was always present to answer questions after the presentations. The new candidates melded in with the crew after several days on the ship. They spent their time playing, as well as helping the crew wherever they could. In many cases, it was hard to tell they were still candidates, due to the way they interacted with the crew and ship operations. ------- About fifty of the group rescued from the freighter decided to go back to areas on earth near where they lived before the sequence of events that had placed them on the freighter. Those who decided to go back were mostly those who had been on the freighter only a few days. They wanted to see if they could fit in again. Quite a few hours were spent discussing this choice with the medical staff and friends they had formed on the space ship. With a lot of encouragement to try it, they decided to go back in groups of three or four, and they welcomed a bot going with them. The bot would stay with them for several months, both to provide a link and a greater degree of security for the returnees. It took several weeks to establish new identities for them, so that they could merge into earth society with little notice through the former homes of the new crew members. Betsy's medical staff was able to take care of all their medical needs during that time. As far as remembering their experiences, they agreed to just block their ability to share the experience with anyone beyond those whom they knew on the ship. Everyone felt it was fairer than the original dream proposal, and they were left with a means of contacting the ship. The groups quickly settled, and began looking for jobs. One of the places where Madeline's group applied required background checks. Two days after they applied, the bots spotted people following them, as they almost always went out as a group. They were all hoping to get a position at the same company, or at least have jobs near one another. Based on the bots observation, drones were sent to keep an eye on the watchers, and a tactical team was stationed at the enclave to shorten the response time if they were needed. Donna discovered that the company doing the background checks was linked to the ones who had provided security for some of the crew's former residences where there had been incidents. After a week, the watchers disappeared and everyone relaxed. Donna chose to leave a drone at each location, to support the bot. Everyone found jobs pretty quickly in their field, and several received compliments on their maturity, as it was not what the interviewers usually saw in recent graduates. Sarah's clan offered to let the bots stay with them as long as the groups wanted the company, and placed no time limit the stay. Each of the groups accepted the offer, as many had grown very comfortable having the bot with them. The bots were instructed to maintain a link at all times with their charges, but to otherwise just help them out anyway they could. A drone remained at each residence, to observe and provide a relay point for the bots. ------- On the space ship, the whole crew focused on rearranging the living quarters. With that kind of effort, everyone was soon located in a permanent suite. The ship was originally designed to hold more than a thousand active crew members, and several thousand in hibernation, so space was not an issue. In remodeling, the primary design for quarters was changed to create a suite consisting of 2 rooms and with a bathroom. One room served as a combination sitting area and exercise room, and the other was a bedroom. A suite was large enough to comfortably accommodate up to four people, and multiple suites could be combined as a family grew larger. As life settled into a routine, the crew candidates and those from the freighter began to form living groups of from 4 to 8 people. In several cases, the original crew's smaller family groups were joined by the new members of the ships family. Several times, a group would form for several days and then the composition would change slightly. The medical and command staff watched the changing family groups. At first, there was some concern, but after observing several cycles of changes, they decided everyone was just seeking a comfortable relationship. The changes in groups did not effect anyone's work performance, other than to occasionally improve it. There were never any problems or conflicts between individuals. The changing group compositions did seem to strengthen some friendships, even though the individuals moved to different groups. One evening, as they were discussing the dynamics of the crew's family groupings, Judy noted that none of the members of the group on the ship seemed to be possessive of their friends, nor did they try to control them. Everyone was pleased that they didn't have those emotional issues to deal with, as there were limited options in the ships environment, and it would have been a big distraction. They generally thought the difference could be because of the telepathic ability each crew member had. After some discussion, Judy said she would look through this race's history and talk to Betsy about it. One morning' about four weeks after they had moved to the ship Sarah's clan and Amy's clan were conferring on the progress that had been made' and what was still scheduled to be done. Sally said, "I find it surprising that, since we've been on the ship, no one else has declared their intentions to join us except for Muireann and LeAnn's groups. However, everyone chips in and works on the projects we have going. Even the new crew candidates are assisting after a day or two. They are doing things as if they plan on staying." "Yes, we've noticed that," her mates said. Amy's clan nodded agreement. "I wonder if they think we have read their thoughts and know their intent," asked Erica. "Good point. What if we just ask at lunch today? Everyone should be there. We can raise the issue, and ask them to give us an indication." "Betsy or Judy, how many have expressed interest in the genetic virus treatments?" Asked Sarah. "All of the first six groups, Siobhan, Maureen, Shannon, Leann, Muireann and Sabrina's," said Betsy. "Each of those group's had very similar compositions in terms of backgrounds, personalities and education. They are scheduled to start as soon as our next crop of babies are born." Judy groaned, then looked around the room making eye contact with each. "I suspect our babies will be here before tomorrow is over. I have felt mine working to orientate themselves with their head down since yesterday. I suspect it is the same for everyone else, from the way they are walking." Her comment was met with affirmative nods from each of those carrying babies. "So, we might want our medical staff to take a long nap today, as tomorrow will most likely be very busy, it might even be tonight." She moved around and spread her legs a bit to get a bit more comfortable. "After we leave here, I will have the staff setup the birthing tubs," said Betsy. "We expect the birthing will be much the same as it was for Alison, Tara and Erin. Maybe a little easier, because of the partial gravity, but we will be prepared if any additional support is needed." "We want to receive the genetic virus treatments as soon as the babies are born," said Aoife and Maeve. "We think they ought to be tailored so we are very similar to our spouses physically and in attributes." "You haven't done it already," asked Claudette. Maeve and Aoife shook their heads, no. "Well, about a week after you joined us, I thought I saw some changes begin in both of you. I thought you had hatched a deal to surprise us." "An interesting observation," said Betsy. "Maeve and Aoife, please see me today so we can have the autodoc give you another physical. Now that Claudette has said something, I think I see some change as well." Maeve and Aoife looked concerned. "Don't be concerned. This is just something I don't remember seeing before. Depending on what has started, if it has, we may want to start the genetic virus treatments today. We are now comfortable enough with the procedure that you don't need to stay at the clinic for an extended time. You will only need to come in several times over two days. We will monitor you daily for two weeks, and then weekly." "Good," exclaimed Maeve and Aoife. They could feel their spouses support for their choice, so much so that their nipples hardened and their cunts moistened. Rusty and Tara looked at them and licked their lips suggestively. All of the women had anxious but happy looks, as they thought about the pending new arrivals. These would be the first births on the ship in a long long time. "After we get a status at lunch about who will become crew members, we need to start training pilots for the defensive space craft," said Rusty, with Sally and Erin nodding agreement. "We have been acting like we are the only space travelers in the galaxy." "The other issue we will need to face before long is: What will earth society do when they learn we are here? How will we react? Do we want to approach them first?" "We are not alone in space or space travel," said Amy. "We maybe quite alone in this time line and or in this portion of the galaxy. We agree with Rusty with respect to building up our defensive measures, in terms of reconnaissance, surveillance of our galaxy and active defenses. We have something you would call a fighter, in terms of its operation. Their operation is outside our expertise, but the library should have all the training and other information." "Our sensors have not detected any indication of other space craft in this galaxy," said Star. "The sensors we have available currently are somewhat limited in looking beyond that range." "What would you all think of this?" said Terry quietly. "Better yet, let's mind link. Let's split our efforts a bit. Amy and Jim have experience establishing settlements, or colonies, on a planet. Sally and Rusty have experience in security, as do many in our clan. We have a full range of engineering knowledge in our crew members. So what I had in mind was: Sarah, Sally and Rusty primarily, but in reality our clan, oversee the organization and training toward defense of this solar system and galaxy. Jim and Amy oversee the establishment of a colony on Mars, because we need the raw materials to build our defensive vehicles and to make changes in the ship. LeAnn's clan and a portion of Maureen and Siobhan's could focus on engineering needs. To me, fighters are airplanes, but that is what we need. Perhaps that is why they are called 'Starfighters' in novels. So, LeAnn's, Siobhan's and Maureen's clans will become the key to restoring the ship, with the idea that once that is done we will build another." "Very good, Terry." They said. "During the next week, let's monitor how the each area comes together. We may need to suggest a pair of leaders, but it would be better if it evolves naturally. A much different approach than we were taught, but I think it will work here. Then, with Amy's clan, we need to develop plan for our future and present to the rest of the ship's family for discussion. After lunch today, hopefully, we will know if we need to do more recruiting." Just then the chime sounded, indicating lunch would be in an hour. They closed up the conference tools and quickly left for their rooms, as the babies were waiting to be fed. Sarah noticed she could feel her babies shifting lower and was walking a little differently. "Yes Sarah, that is part of the preparation for the birth. Your hips are spreading a bit so the babies will find it easier to emerge. Which is also why your belly has settled a bit lower." The others nodded, indicating that that they had heard the conversation as well. As lunch was drawing to a close, Sarah stood up and tapped her glass to get everyone's attention. "If you would clear your areas, we would then like to have a short meeting before you return to your activities." "We were discussing future plans this morning, and realized we were missing a critical piece of information," they said as a group. "Some of you have declared your intent to become a part of the crew. Many have not, but your actions indicate that you intended to stay. We would like to know by the end of this week, or sooner, the intentions of those who plan on joining the crew." They saw several with expressions of concern on their several faces. "We will not make you leave, especially if you are helping out. We were working on plans for our future today, and realized we didn't know your intentions. Knowing this will help us schedule additional training, and which work groups will need more people. The other issue is that those who need them, need to start their genetic virus treatments soon, as they take 6 months to reach completion." "You need to tell us either mentally or verbally. We will not look at your thoughts to determine your intentions. You can tell us or Star at any time, or you can just post your name on the work lists, indicating your preferences and change in status. The medical department will need to clear you before being assigned to any department on a permanent basis." "Why wait a week? We think we will be very busy with our new babies for a couple of days. Once that is sorted out, we will be discussing an outline of a plan for the future with all of you." Cathan stood. "On behalf of my group, we intend to stay as members of the crew. We are willing to take any assignment and will add our name to the list of functional departments where we think we have strengths." The others in her group nodded. "We had thought of offering to open the first whorehouse in space, but everyone seems quite satisfied within their family group," said Cathan, laughing along with her group. Rusty jumped up and shouted. "Great idea! We know your whorehouse would be complete with well-trained slaves, offering a full range of services." Cathan's group blanched a bit, until he started laughing, then they all joined him. When the laughter died down, Rusty continued, "I am sorry I caused you some pain by my comment." Cathan turned to him, putting her hands on her hips. "You have nothing to be sorry about. I opened the door and you drove through it. You did it so fast, I was shocked. However, I will lay with you and any of your spouses at any time, any place, and then rejoice over my good fortune." "Hear, hear," was shouted out by many women, causing more laughter. "Thank you for the compliment. As for the offer, it is tempting, as you are a very beautiful person, inside and out." He paused a moment. "We would be very happy to have you join us for an evening cuddle, or more." "Rusty, and your spouses. Thank you for the invitation, and I deeply appreciate it, with the implied compliments. I think our teasing has gone further than we intended. As to the invitation, let's revisit that once things have settled down a bit." Cathan walked over to him and hugged him. She then went to each of his spouses, kissing and hugging them as well. She walked away from the last spouse on shaky legs, feeling throughly aroused. Looking at her group, she could tell they shared her feelings and sensations as well. "Rusty and Cathan," said Judy, "touched on an issue that we should think a bit more about, as our telepathic communication minimizes, if not eliminates, issues of jealousy over sexual interaction between friends and family. I am now only speaking for us, Sarah's clan. Within our family, we have no problem with inter clan or family sexual relationships or cuddling, if you prefer. As family groups, it should be something that all of you are comfortable with, before you bring visitors into an intimate relationship with your family. Some members of our clan had a special relationship with members of other clans, for example, Nancy, Alice, Julia, Bob, and Stan before we came here. So, we expect at some time in the future, parts of our clan will renew those close relationships, as our lives become more settled here, and within our family. None of these relationships reflect negatively on our fellow spouses, and it seems that any friend should be as close to you and your clan as you want. It seems reasonable that, if friends want to express that love sexually, they should be able to, presuming the spouses are aware of the relationship." Edana stood and tapped her table, to get everyones attention. "On behalf of my clan, we most definitely will stay. We can't think of a greater opportunity, or a more wonderful group of people to be with. So today, we wish to remove any doubt regarding our joining this crew and ship. We would even agree to the whorehouse, but it looks like Cathan beat us to it, besides they are better trained." Edana turned toward Cathan and stuck out her tongue. The comment and reaction resulted in more laughter. When it quieted, the rest of her clan stood and joined hands with her. Then together said, "We do commit ourselves to each other and to this ship's family. We have no other desire than to contribute to the growth and well being of this race and society, and its traditions." Another clan representative stood, but before he could speak Sarah raised her hand' stopping him. "We thank you Edana's clan for your commitments. We are concerned about doing this in a group because of the subtle pressure. We are willing to continue, but we want Star to monitor your feelings as you respond. So that, if she has doubts, we will talk to you individually before we finally accept your pledge. Okay?" The standing clan representative looked down at his seated group for a moment, then they all stood. "We too commit ourselves to each other and to this ship's family," they said together perfectly. "We have no other desire than to be a part of this adventure. We know there may be times of trials and tribulations, but those will not deter us from serving. May the Gods and Goddesses strike us dead if we are insincere." Sarah's clan watched in awe as each clan or crew member declared their wish to be a part of the crew. In the end, there were only a few who had not committed to join the ship's crew and its society. These, however, were the most recent arrivals. While inclined to make the choice to stay, they weren't at that point yet. Star pointed them out to Sarah's clan, who then sent them a telepathic message indicating they understood how they felt. They were assured they could remain as long as they needed to come to a decision, and that while making their decision they were welcome to contribute to the daily activities. The clan felt them relax a bit after the message, as the events after lunch had been a bit overwhelming. "Thanks to all of you," they said. "We are heartened by the strength of your desire to join our ship and this race. Once you know what areas you want to be assigned to, please indicate your choices on the sign-up page. We will be discussing future plans later this week. Thank you again." Joyce, Jill, Janet, and Claudette immediately went to chat with the groups that hadn't indicated they were ready to make a decision. They spent quite a while discussing a whole range of topics, from where they were from to why they were interested in being a part of the crew. Just having the discussions seemed to reassure them. They did admit that they weren't really sure about living on a space ship, because it was so different, but so far they loved it. Maeve and Aoife went with Betsy to the ship's clinic. After a complete comparison of their current physical status with their initial physicals, the autodocs found that there were indeed some changes beginning to take place in their bodies. They reported to Maeve, Aoife and Betsy that their analysis showed they should immediately begin a series of genetic virus treatments. These would need to be daily. The treatments would be designed to support the natural changes already under way in their bodies, because of this, they would not need to stay in the clinic. The autodocs would repeat their physical scans each time they were in the clinic for the next few times, then extend it out to a weekly event. Maeve, Aoife and Betsy reviewed the analysis and discussed it, before Betsy gave them the injections provided by the autodocs. Afterward, they went to join their family. ------- Most of Sarah's clan spent the afternoon visiting each of the departments on the ship. Sarah's clan spent some time in each department, becoming familiar with its operation, and the people now staffing the department. While in each department, they participated in the work activity, or some of the department staff provided them with a training session on their operations. It was an exchange that benefited everyone. In the Intelligence department, Sarah's clan sat down to review their progress to become comfortable with the ship's tools. They felt they were making good progress on understanding how they worked, and what their limitations were. They wanted to try some of the digital probing techniques on something real that would not create an undue risk. "Great," said Rusty, with a surprising amount of enthusiasm. The rest of his family joined in his smile, as they understood what he was about to propose. "How about this as a project?" said Rusty. "This will probably take more than just digital probing, as you may need to use some bots or drones to assist. We know that the 'flesh peddlers' have the ability to make people disappear on large scale. This was most likely done by secretly manipulating the information databases on earth. The question is, how? Why don't four or five of you rotate through the project?" The group nodded, affirmatively. "We know that the altered information is in relational databases. One way to accomplish what they are doing would be to either remove or mark the items not to read for some undocumented reason. Removing the data could create integrity problems. How do they get to it? Access by a trap door or back door is one possible way. Another possibility would be a rogue input string, making the data no longer retrievable. How do you access it? Are there any commonalities? Such as same vendor, same support organization and etc. I'd suggest you closely analyze the four or five cases where we have the most information." "How far do you want us to go?" asked Danny, of Shannon's clan. "First, let's find out how access is being achieved without disturbing anything, then we can focus on who makes the change and what changes are made. After that, we will plan our actions. My sense is, when we find it, we will want to break the trap door or do something equally effective, as this should not alert anyone as to how or when the change was made. Second, any information helpful to MacFarland or the journalists, we will place so they can easily find it." "Could we eavesdrop on MacFarland's or O'Toole's offices? If we knew how they were approaching the investigation, then we could use our tools to assist." "Doing that makes me a bit uncomfortable," said Sally. "You might consider providing a couple of bots to assist in each of their offices." It was clear from their faces they were enthused with the prospect, as all had friends who were affected by the 'flesh peddlers'. The group spent several hours brainstorming where to look, how to approach the different locations etc. As the discussions wound down, it was easy to see the group was quite wound up about the project. "Remember, this is a side project," said Terry, "Your primary focus is on our security and what threats there are to us on the ship and our soon to be Mars settlement. Okay? I am not trying to put a damper on your enthusiasm. There will be a lot of commonalities between this small project and our day to day one of watching our galaxy for subtle changes that could indicate a threat. We are novices and only have limited resources, so we need to use them wisely." The group all nodded their agreement with Terry's comments. Many expressed similar concerns, as well. With that, the group broke up, agreeing they would get together in two weeks, or sooner, if they found something. Sarah's clan headed for their quarters, while the department staff returned to their consoles. ------- By the time they reached their quarters before dinner, they were quite comfortable with the progress each department was making toward being fully functional. Their time spent with the Intelligence department had reassured them that it was making progress in learning the new techniques, however their progress was not as fast as they had hoped. Adding the special project relating to the 'flesh peddlers', should give them a valuable opportunity to test the techniques they were learning. They arrived at their quarters a little before the dinner chime was heard. The babies were happy to see them when they arrived. The time went quickly as they played with their babies, fed them, exercised and freshened up. Again the nannies and babies went with them to dinner. When they arrived at the dinning room, the group of guests Joyce, Jill, Janet and Claudette talked with after lunch met them at the door. "Could we talk with you a minute?" A woman asked. "Sure," responded Alison. "Do you want to chat here or some place else?" "No, here is fine. We just wanted to tell you that we think we will want to join the crew as a group. Is that possible?" "Yes." And all the spouses nodded affirmatively. "Why do you ask?" "Well, we weren't sure. Most of the groups we have seen form didn't form as a family group until they were here. It may sound silly, but we weren't sure we could join as a group. This society seems so different from what we know, we aren't sure how things were done." "Quite a few of the crew's family groups came here as a group. In some cases, they have added members to their group since they have been here. One group has kind of split into three segments within one clan. Siobhan, Maureen, Nancy, Ann, LeAnn, and Shannon's clans are some of those who came here as a group, in addition to ourselves. I am sure they would be happy to talk to you about how their groups formed, or grew together, to form their clan. A good part of their initial growth as a group occurred while they were in college. In several of those groups, there were several minor changes in the groups members before they began to bond." "As for as how things are done, this society has very few restrictions on your actions, as long as everyone involved consents, and no one is forced. Perhaps a better way to say it is: If it harms no one, then you may do it, while always remembering to protect the weak from the strong." "Is there something bothering you, or something you are uncomfortable with?" "Not really," said another woman. Several nodded in agreement with her. "We have completed our physicals, and the medical staff has shown us how to use our telepathic ability. The medical results were very reassuring. The telepathic ability is intriguing. What we are now trying to do is understand how the members of a group fit together." "Are you afraid to open your mind to someone you care about?" The woman's eyes got real big, and her friends nodded slightly. "I can understand the feeling. We all have something we are afraid to share, for fear of loosing a friend. If the person really cares, it won't matter. You would probably find it easier if each of you do it little by little. Your love for one another, plus being a good match for each other, will be the binder for your growing knowledge about each other, pulling you closer together. If they don't, then you should evaluate your own feelings and perspective. The matching of individuals is one of the reasons that many of the crew members who arrived individually were evaluating which groups they fit best with. The groups we mentioned earlier were already a family, but hadn't yet shared those feelings amongst themselves. So, with this linking of personalities, they were effectively partially bonded to each other, which is why they melded into a full family group so quickly, once they could telepathically link. The most recent crew candidates, and those from the freighter, were really strangers to one another before they arrived here, so it will take them some time." "Oh. Thank you." They said, with a look of relief on all their faces. Aoife said, "I can see all of you becoming a family group, and you may add one or two others. Hmm. Perhaps you will become two sister family's, instead of one, but effectively one family, with two parts. The sister families were what Judy was alluding to at lunch. In that case, several others will probably join your family. Alison is right, to build your connection start out sharing little things, and it will grow naturally drawing all of you closer together." Alison and Aoife's comments reassured them. The buffet lines opened up and together they moved to get into line. "Thank you again for your advice. Surprisingly, just hearing it has made all of us feel more at ease." The woman looked around at the rest of her group. "We expect to ask to join the crew, but it will most likely be a couple of days before we are certain." Sarah touched the woman's shoulder, causing her to shutter. "Take your time. We will be very happy to have you join us, whenever you and your group are ready." She then kissed her on the cheek, causing the woman to blush and shiver. Her eyes glazed over a bit, as she felt love and caring flow through the kiss. Her feelings spread through her group, startling them with the sensation. The woman hugged Sarah back. The smile now on her face would have lit up the room if it was dark. "Thank you, again." ------- During dinner, Sarah's clan noticed that the older children from Ann's clan had begun to mix with the new crew members. In many cases, it was sitting with them at meal time, or just hanging around them during group activities. They could tell from their actions that the children were a bit shy, which wasn't to surprising, as they had never been around this many people at one time before, nor had they been around people close to their age. Joyce queried Connie as to whether the older children had been provided with information about their bodies and how they would change. Connie told her she didn't think so, but would talk to the teachers, to see that it was included in their learning. Once dinner was ended, Alison stood, saying, "Are their any questions or issues for us to discuss this evening?" "Some of us working in engineering," said Kerry of Leann's clan, "structural repairs think we could do them easier if we could do them on a planet's surface. We recognize we could be coming to that conclusion because we are used to planet-based operations. Do we have information on how long it will take us to establish a colony on Mars? Do we have what we need to start? It seems more difficult than what we are doing here, realizing our view maybe tainted by earth's wisdom." Several laughed. Jim and Amy stood and nodded to Alison. "We can give you a short answer. Yes. Yes. And you've been tainted." Everyone roared with laughter. "Kerry and the rest of you, we are not making fun of you, but we are trying to learn your humor." "You did well," responded Kerry, grinning. "Mars presents two challenges to living on the surface. One is the temperature, and the other is lack of a significant atmosphere. We have structures that can be used to establish a base camp. These are prefab units that can be assembled on the planet's surface. Once they are up, we will have living space from which we can work. Initially, much of the work will be done outside, wearing special suits. Assistance by the robots will let us progress much faster than if it all had to be done by us. The difficulty will be having sufficient computer resources to move as fast as we want to." "In terms of using robots, always before our society has been very restrictive about what they could do unsupervised. It doesn't appear that this new branch of our old society will be that restrictive. We do have some specialized construction robots we can use when the time comes." "Great. Can you point me to some reading material on the topic?" "A tab to access the information will be on your consoles tomorrow." "Thanks." There were only a few more questions before the gathering began to break up. Some went back to work, while others went to relax with their friends. Sarah's clan slept soundly until early the next morning, when Sarah woke to use the bathroom. It was then that she noticed her stomach muscles contacting and then relaxing. She eased out of the bed, surprisingly without waking anyone else. She had just was finished going to the bathroom when a strong muscle contraction came and her water broke, spilling into the commode. She moaned at the new sensations, as her contractions became more frequent and intense. When she reached the door to the bedroom, another strong contraction forced her to stop and hold onto the door frame to steady herself. She gasped at the strength of the contraction. She could feel that her babies were ready to be born. Just as the contraction ended, Judy reached her, placing an arm around her. "Come, we need to go to the dispensary now. Betsy and the staff are waiting for us." Sarah then noticed her fellow spouses were all beginning to get up. She could see that the others were moving just as cautiously, and would stop and pause from time to time to steady themselves until their contractions passed. "Come, we need to get you into the birthing tub, as it appears you will be first. The others will be along in a few minutes." Sarah nodded. She slipped her shoes on and went with Judy to the dispensary. As soon as she entered the dispensary, Judy and Betsy helped her enter a birthing bath with Betsy. As soon as Sarah was situated Judy went to another bath, where Connie was waiting to help her in. Sarah had barely entered the birthing bath when the rest of her clan arrived. Betsy coached her into position. She knelt, placing her legs on two special platforms that held her legs apart, and leaned back against the slightly reclining back rest. The combination of the bath's warmth and the squatting position really eased the discomfort from the contractions, letting her relax. When she relaxed, she felt the babies move lower toward her vaginal mouth, as it began to open wider. Sarah watched through half-closed eyes, as Sally and Terry were being helped into other birthing baths. Sarah moaned, as she felt a really strong contraction. Betsy told her to push. Sarah felt the first baby's head enter the mouth of her cunt, causing it to ache. With that, they began to work together to release her babies into the warm bath water. With each contraction, Sarah pushed down and felt the baby move further into the bath and the world. All four of the mothers-to-be in birthing tubs had at least one other spouse next to them, coaching them, as they worked to ease their babies out of their body and into the bath. As when Alison, Tara and Erin gave birth, they were all mind-linked, so together they shared their birthing experience. The birthing baths made it easier for the mother to ease her babies out into the world. The genetic treatments had altered their bodies so that birthing, while stressful, did not stress them or the babies as much as a typical human baby would be, yielding a more relaxed birth. Their shared thoughts eased the tension of the contractions for the biological mother, and drew in the family, to be a part of birth bonding between all of them and the babies. As each of Sarah's babies emerged, Betsy brought the baby up to the surface of the bath. A nurse quickly cleaned its mouth and nose, to ease the baby's breathing. Betsy then laid the baby on Sarah's tummy, while the umbilical cord was closed. From there, one of the nurses took the baby to be cleaned up, weighed and then laid in a small bed next to the bath. The babies were quiet and alert, as they lay in the bassinet. Sarah could mentally feel each of the babies as they lay there, waiting to feel her touch again. Their bond to her was the strongest, but only slightly more so than to the rest of her spouses. Alison helped Sarah from the bath once the birthing was done, and then helped her clean up before she lay down in a reclining position on a dispensary bed. Alison brought her four babies over, so she could feed them first. Sarah nursed the first two babies for a few minutes, and then gave them to Alison to take over feeding them so she could nurse the other two. They exchanged babies several times, so that Sarah babies all spent nearly the same time suckling on her nipples. All of her spouses who could came over to touch and caress the new babies. Once her babies were fed and laid down to sleep, Alison went to help others. Rusty came over again to sit beside her. They looked at each other for a while and then at the babies. They never spoke a word, as they didn't need too. They could feel everyone in their link. The experience of this morning had bonded all of them much closer to each other. "It is amazing," said Rusty. "I can sense every one of us now without any effort, and I didn't know I was making an effort before. Everyone is just there. I sense your feelings, your thoughts so much more easily than before. I wondered, I guess we all did, about what the birthing changes would bring to our bonding and mind link, but I never expected it to be this good, nor this complete. We were all tightly linked in the chamber, but this is the same but different, perhaps more basic. It seems to me that our spirits are now fully intertwined." "Yes, I love all of you," they all spoke together. "I think," said Sarah, "the strength of our bond grew when Alison, Tara and Erin gave birth to their babies. I sense we felt it, but perhaps didn't recognize the reason, besides we have learned a lot about ourselves and our new race since they blessed us with their babies." "We agree." Once all of the babies were born, the new mothers relaxed, reclining on the dispensary beds, while they recovered their strength. Alison, Tara, Erin, Maeve, Aoife and Claudette all helped with the babies. Nancy's clan showed up right after breakfast, as the nannies began to bring the other children to the dispensary so they could nurse, as well as meet their new siblings. Nancy's clan immediately lent the nannies a hand with the older siblings, and a nipple to help feed them. "Ladies," said Betsy to the new mothers, "please spend the day in bed, and preferably in the dispensary. Your children are very healthy and are very beautiful newborns." "Betsy, I noticed that the babies are not exactly like their parents," said Nancy. "The two most obvious things are their feet and they don't have a tail." "We expect their feet will change as they grow. For us, the change is typically quite gradual. First, they will lengthen until they reach the appropriate proportions. Once that occurs they will quickly begin standing on the balls of their feet. This will all happen before they begin to stand or walk. The tail is there but very small. Over the next few years it will grow a little bit. As they enter puberty, it will begin to grow to its adult length; at the same time they will begin to grow the mane of hair down their back bone. It may be a bit different, as these are the first children from those receiving the genetic treatments." A look of concern washed across everyone's face. "No, don't worry. All I was trying to say is that we are not sure of the timing for the changes. By the time they are 15, all of them will be more than 6 feet tall, and by the time they are 20, they will be around 7 feet tall. They should reach sexual maturity at about the same time. Stature and strength wise, they will very very similar to all of you. Each set of twins will be close to identical, and probably bonded as tightly as you are to one another, if that is possible. The birth set will also be part of a larger clan bond." "Wow," they said together. "You will enjoy the closeness, and you will find it easier to teach them, as well," she said, with a bit of longing in her voice. "Now, for today. As I mentioned earlier, I would prefer all of you to rest here with the babies. Barring any surprises, you can move back to your room in the morning. In fact, all of you ought to plan on spending the time here, rather than splitting up. Make sure that all of you nurse each of the babies. This will help the babies bond to all of you. Never fear, each of you will always know which child came from your womb. They will always know who their biological mother is. Also, each of them will know that all of you are their mother and that Rusty is their father." They nodded their heads. Even though they hadn't talked about it, they could see that relationship with Alison, Erin and Tara's babies and the rest of them. "Since Nancy's clan is here, I suspect everyone knows." "I'm not sure that is true," said Nancy. "We came because we sensed the event taking place, and all of them were carrying their babies very low last evening." "Okay. You should wait on showing the babies until tomorrow, as this area is too small to have everyone in here. We can have Star make an announcement with images of the babies. That should satisfy everyone for a little while. She can also ask that visitations wait until tomorrow." Just then the door was opened by Siobhan, Maureen, LeAnn, Ann, Muireann, Jean and Shannon. "Wow," said Maureen, "we didn't expect to find this many here. Can we take a quick peak and then we will let you rest?" "Sure," said Betsy, "we were just discussing having Star make an announcement with images of the babies. I would like to limit visitors until they can leave the dispensary." Maureen looked around for a moment, then said, "Betsy, I think that is a great idea." "Could we take them to breakfast with us in the morning?" asked Sarah. "I don't see why not. All of you need to get some extra rest the next several days. Now, we are off to eat and sleep." Siobhan, Maureen, LeAnn, Ann, Muireann, Jean and Shannon spent time holding the babies and talked to the new mothers before they saying their goodbyes. Sarah's clan could tell that once their friends were out amongst the crew the only topic today would be how the babies looked. They were pleased to see one from each of the oldest family groups came to see them this morning. The two clans spent the day in the dispensary ward. The babies and new mothers slept most of the time. Alison, Tara and Erin's children investigated each of the new babies, and watched while they nursed and slept. All were fascinated by the activity around the newborns. Everyone made sure they spent some time focusing attention on the older babies, who were quickly approaching being toddlers. Since Betsy had mentioned it, they could see that the babie's feet had grown sufficiently for them to begin walking. Amy, Erica, Maureen and Siobhan came by late in the afternoon and visited with them again. The babies took to them as if they were their mothers. Maureen and Siobhan were pleasantly surprised by the reaction of the babies. They had always enjoyed being around children, but at the same time had been unsure of their ability treat them correctly. By the time they left, they were completely at ease with the babies. Amy and Erica left feeling a slight yearning to be mothers again. In the morning, after the babies were fed, they moved back to their quarters to exercise and freshen up. Once everyone was ready, they went to breakfast, bringing all of the babies with them. It was somewhat chaotic, as everyone wanted to see and touch the babies. Breakfast lasted longer than normal, with all the diversion the babies caused. Rusty stood as breakfast drew to a close, and tapped his glass. The room became very quiet. "Earlier this week the idea of discussing our long range plans was mentioned. We had planned on doing it this week, but after the events of yesterday we feel we need to postpone it for at least a week." "For the next several days, our clan would like to focus on our few new additions." Several chuckled. "A few?" came a voice from the back of the room. "If your wonderful new babies are a few new ones, what would be a lot?" Everyone roared with laughter. "Okay, smart ass, so I understated it. Never the less, we will be spending a good part of our time in our quarters for the next several days, but we will be here for meals. Don't let this be a barrier to contacting us, if you need to. Star, Maureen and Siobhan, along with Amy's clan, will be readily available to you." "In the meantime, we would like for each department or group to focus on learning everything they can about your department's operations. As you become more knowledgeable about the technology used on the ship' your efforts toward bringing the ship to being fully operational again will become easier. This ship is several hundred years old. It is a product of a different culture, far more advanced than earth's is today. That does not mean that some of the knowledge you brought with you can't be used to make improvements to what we have here. Our new perspective should provide us with ideas about how to make improvements in what we have been given." "Are there any questions?" "Okay, have a great day. We will see you at dinner." ------- Chapter 62 By the end of the second week, Sarah's clan had adapted to the arrival of the new babies. Five of the women who had not decided on a group chose to help the four nannies in caring for the babies. This gave the spouses the opportunity to occasionally spend more time with a baby. The crew soon decided that they could function better, and make better use of the equipment, if they worked around the clock, or at least staggered their hours. The automated systems and bots could handle off-hour functions, but manning the department for a longer day allowed them to make better use of the training terminals. Even then, the training was not going as fast as everyone desired. Some groups had not had any success with the training helmets, so they were doing everything interactively, which was slow. Star had informed Amy's and Sarah's clan of the hurdles some groups and departments were facing. After dinner late the next week, Sarah asked how each group/clan was doing. Edana stood, looking a bit nervous, "We are frustrated with the learning system. Our group has been using it interactively, as the helmets don't seem to work for us. We want to be a part of this ship's family, but our frustration is beginning to make us wonder if our desires and abilities fit together." Several in her group nodded their heads in agreement. Members of several other groups also nodded in agreement. "Is everyone having this difficulty?" Many nodded yes, while many also indicated no. "It looks like half of you have had difficulty." "Betsy or Star, do you have a suggestion?" "It would be best if you asked the questions," said Star. "Betsy is listening to us, that is why she is waiting to respond. We think the problem is that they are not fully using their telepathic abilities. They seem to be active, but their responses to the terminal telepathic communication indicate it is not fully active." "Edana, can I ask you some questions about your experiences? Some of the questions could be a bit personal, and we don't want to embarrass you." She nodded hesitantly. "You seem a bit hesitant." "Yes." "Would you prefer we ask for another volunteer?" She shook her head, indicating a firm no. "The interactive learning terminal presentations are visual, vocal and telepathic. Can you hear or see all the parts of the presentations?" "No." "Is your group telepathically linked to each other and the terminals?" Her eyes moistened and she shook her head no. "Are you... No let's stop there. I would guess that the problem is telepathic communication." Several nodded. "It is very different, but also very similar to verbal communication. Believe it or not, it was a learning experience for us too. How many groups are having difficulty with telepathic communication?" About ten groups raised their hands. "The raised hands are all in the groups that indicated problems when the discussion first started," said Star to Sarah and Amy's clans. "Okay, if you all are agreeable, we would like to see if we can assist you. Would you be receptive to having one of our clan sit down with you right after we are done here, so we can work through this?" Everyone nodded their heads. "Okay, are there more questions on another topic?" "How soon do you think we can use the enclave for recreation? Or could we find a similar spot?" "For the enclave, we would like to give it another two weeks. The reconnaissance satellites that had been moved over it and the resort earlier have returned to a more normal position. We are not sure why they moved over the enclave in the first place. There hasn't been any ocean traffic in the area around the enclave, which is also normal." "We would like to find another isolated spot we could use, but haven't had time to look for it. Does anyone have a suggestion? Another possibility for recreation would be that some of us could go to public concerts in small groups. Again, we are concerned about whether the risks are manageable." "I am not keen on the concerts or shows idea," said Sally. "If we could see them, it would be fine. But I don't think, even with all our efforts, we would have a reasonable expectation of safety if we did it very frequently." Many around her nodded in agreement. "Now an isolated spot to relax would be great." Kerry stood, "I believe there are a number of atolls or islands in the Pacific that could be good candidates for us. I remember reading that quite a few, even though large enough to support habitat don't, both because of their distance from normal ocean traffic and the fact that they are not on an ocean current flow." "Okay, we will have Donna look at them, and for some other suitable islands we can use for recreation," said Rusty. "Do you remember the general area where they were located, or where you read it?" "Let's see, I think they were west of Mexico, but located far enough away so it was a long trip by sea, and they were rather rugged, viewing them from sea level." "Okay." "Going back to the concert idea," said Rusty, "My initial reaction is that I am not keen on the concert idea myself. Then again, I did not go to many before going to work at Nancy and Bob's. A group of us going has a lot of ramifications that need to be considered. We could probably get away with a few small groups going to an occasional concert or festival, but each outing would add to the risk having an incident. However, we should be able to see telecasts of any concerts you would like to see." "This may be wild idea," said Conan. "Could we invite a group to give us a private performance at the enclave? I suspect most groups would, if the fee was correct. We could also offer to provide them with a quiet place to relax away from crowds in return for the performance." "Interesting idea," said Rusty. "If you would gather a short list of say, about 6 groups you would like to see, then we can consider what needs to be done to accomplish the task, then try it out." He was quiet for a minute before continuing, "You know, I could be over stating the security risk. We definitely would stand out. Our security issues have come from two unique groups, and I was translating that to a more global risk. We need to think about this some more." Ann stood, "As some of the crew knows, we are working to set up an atrium that will rise vertically three or more levels in the central part of the ship. If you wish to help, during your off hours see one of us. There is plenty to do." Several chuckled. "It should have enough open space for exercise and some team games." "Guys, maybe we ought to share the vision tonight," said Sarah to her clan and Amy's. "Now seems like a good time to begin." Amy and Jim joined Sarah's clan at the front. "Our discussion this evening has encouraged us to share with you a vision we have been discussing, as a template for our future. This vision is not complete at this time, but we sense the timing is right to share it." They spoke as one, and then Sarah continued. "The vision may seem to discount the time and effort we need to invest to bring this ship back to its full capabilities, but we don't think it does. The vision is an effort to broadly define where we want to be in 50 earth years or so, with a path to the future for our children." "This ship was built to be used primarily for exploration. Thankfully, our benefactors used the same basic design for all their ships. So the core structure of our ship has the strength and configuration to permit it to be used as a weapons platform, as well. In terms you are familiar with; it can be refitted for use as the space equivalent of an aircraft carrier, combined with cruiser capability." With the beginning of the talk, holographic displays showing the ship were projected at different locations around the room. The displays began with the current view of the outside of their space ship. "For us to grow and prosper, our vision entails converting this ship to be capable of military functions or operations while still retaining its exploratory capability. Our primary, or initial, concern is defensive, but we need to have offensive capability as well. The displays show the changes we envision now, but the exact nature could change as we implement them." With that, the display of the ship began to change as exterior panels changed, or were added as the ship grew in size. As the view changed, text balloons appeared, indicating the purpose for each of the changes. The group watched, fascinated, as the ship grew. "The changes to the exterior will make it even harder to detect, even though our ship will be nearly twice as large. Even with these changes, we will not loose our ability to continue to operate as an exploration ship." "The next thing is security. While we feel we are reasonably secure, it is only a matter of time until earth discovers us. It has not happened yet due to lack of capabilities, but we are sure it will happen. Plus, we would be foolish to think we are the only ones in the galaxy capable of space flight or exploration. With this in mind, our security group will begin activating and placing intrusion detection sensors around the perimeter of this solar system. These sensors operate in a passive mode that will only send a signal to us when they sense emissions, or unexplained disturbances in solar wind. The down side of the activity is that we will leave some tracks as we move to place the sensors. This is similar to leaving footprints in the sand. They have a persistence, but like those in the sand, they do grow faint with time." "The other aspect of our security is the need to activate the Star Fighters in storage, and build additional ones. For those in storage, we will begin to assemble and activate immediately. There are enough to provide us a minimal defense, and will help in the short term. These fighters operate differently than anything we have seen or read about in fiction. There are two versions. One uses a single crew member and the other has two crew members. In both, the crew members join telepathically with an AI to fly and fire weapons. Our database has the information we need to build additional fighters. This effort will be balanced with our other needs, so it does not impede our efforts restoring the ship." "With respect to earth society, and considering our operational status, we feel we need to remain invisible to them as long as possible. This is for several reasons. It is clear that at least two groups would like to see anyone with our attributes either as meat on their table or as one of their sex toys or pets. One of those groups has been contaminated with a virus that should reduce their growth quite quickly. Also, we are providing support to a US Attorney and several investigative reporters that are following up on the incident at the lodge. We think this approach will be more effective in the long run than us trying to do it ourselves. Since we are meddling to an extent, we feel some responsibility for their safety, so we are providing some security oversight for them." "More will be said with regard to these special groups later." "Based on earth's history, we do not expect to be well received by the governments there. So again, it seems wise to avoid contact. If contact is needed, the best way seems to be through the UN or a direct broadcast, but most likely a combination of the two." Several groaned. "We think our lives will be much simpler if we can avoid contact with the governments on earth. However, we would like to initiate contact on our terms, rather than respond to them discovering us here. So, with that in mind, we will create a plan for first contact. If you have other ideas as to how to arrange the contact, please share them with us, either directly or through our network." "With all the changes we need to do to the ship, we are going to need supplies. We can obtain some of them from earth. If we do that for an extended time there is a heightened risk of discovery and therefore, it is not our preferred path. Before the accident, Amy's clan specialized in establishing colonies, or settlements, on new planets. So Amy's clan is looking for volunteers to assist with setting up a colony on Mars, as it has most of the raw materials we need, and the others can be obtained from asteroids nearby. It will be placed so it will be difficult to see from earth by telescope. A reconnaissance probe or satellite will be able to see it quite easily, if it gets near enough." "The area we are considering is around Casinni, in the Arabia Terra region," said Amy. "The settlements on Mars will be in pressurized buildings or enclosures. We could also use any natural caverns we find." As she spoke, the holograms showed renderings of a Mars settlement, from both inside and outside. "Once the core set of structures are complete, we will add recreational and common areas. Once completed, they should offer recreational activities that are more challenging than can be done here on the ship. Also, a small second outpost will be constructed on the back side of the moon. This is to serve as a reserve area near earth, or as a refuge in case we need to quickly leave the enclaves. It will all be underground, and entrances will be blended into the faces of existing cliffs or hills." "At some point, we will need to add agricultural areas to the colony on Mars. These will be in a hothouse type environment. These can be disguised, but with careful study they will noticed by earth's astronomers. So, it is thought at that before that point in our growth, we should make our presence known." "With this effort, it is obvious that we need more people. As Donna was our AI resource before when we looked for additional crew members, she will be key to this new effort to seek more members. Nancy and Julia will be the group leaders for this effort. However, they will need assistance. This time, their recruiting efforts will have a broader focus. The primary one is to seek college level graduates, as we did before. So, if some of you have suggestions about where to look, talk to them." "This time, we will also seek individuals that could bring us special expertise, regardless of age. Preferred candidates, again, are those with few, if any, ties on earth." "For the college graduates and those with special expertise, it seems possible for us to add somewhere around 500 or so a year, maybe more. However, it really depends on our ability to integrate them into this society." "A key attribute is being telepathic, or having that potential. It is really more than a key attribute, as it is really a necessity." "Slave operations like we saw with the freighter are particularly offensive to us, and we think the rest of you." Virtually everyone nodded their head. "If the captives had agreed to be treated as we saw, and some of you experienced, then we really have no cause to intervene. We find it difficult to believe someone would agree to that level of servitude." Several nodded their heads in agreement. "We will evaluate each case, if found, in that light. However, there are concerns about the safety of anyone who is released." "For any we rescue, we need to think about what could be their future. We see them having two fundamental choices, either to stay here or return to earth society. What will we do if the group rescued wants to stay, and does not possess the telepathic abilities that are necessary for life in this society? Could they function at the Mars outpost adequately? Could they be worked back into earth society without any major risk? We are open to suggestions, so we can have a plan in place. We definitely don't want anyone to feel trapped into staying with us. But, as we saw with the freighter situation, we will most likely need to act quickly when the time comes." "The destruction of the lodge and the large number of rescuers killed has caused the US Attorney, James MacFarland to form a task force to investigate the incident. The investigative task force is led by a Clarence O'Toole. There are also several investigative reporters working on stories about the lodge incident. We have initiated a strategy where we will provide them with clues regarding the lodge owners and missing students. It is our hope that they can find the people behind this and deal with them within their system. To achieve this, we are arranging for four bots to be hired into both offices as legal clerks. In that position, it is thought that they will be able to assist in linking together the data they find, drawing on our resources." "Our Intelligence department has been tasked with understanding how the 'flesh peddlers' have been altering databases, and to monitor the DA's task force progress. They are to figure out ways to assist them, without exposure of us or us damaging their case. The bots in their offices are one of those ways. If you have suggestions, questions or want to help, register them in the folder on the network. This effort, on their part, is to help them gain more experience with their department's tools. Many of us are interested in the success of this project; the Intelligence department will need assistance as time progresses." "Once this ship is operational and our outposts have a solid footing, our next step is to build at least six more ships similar to this one. Some of the new ships may not be as large as we plan for this one. At this point, it is not clear whether they should be built on Mars, in space, or some combination of the two." "Why more ships? Today our existence totally depends on this ship and its support systems. In case of a catastrophic emergency, we have sufficient shuttle capacity to move everyone to earth. The current enclave would be very crowded. Once there, it would be difficult to move from there without this ship's support. This is one of the driving forces pushing for the settlement on Mars. Once the colony is fully established, then some of our day to day dependency on a space ship is reduced." "Once we have our six ships, our thoughts today are along the lines of sending two to see if we can find traces of this ship's original home. Also, to send two ships to scout Alpha Centauri, as a possible place to create a settlement or perhaps a new home for us. If it has the capabilities to support us, then we will most likely establish a settlement there." "How long will this take?" came a voice from the back. Several chuckled. "With current assets, a minimum of 10 years, but more like 15 to get to the last step. This is a vision, whether we can achieve it is up to us. We have had placed in our hands some exceptional tools which, with prudent use, we can use to accomplish something resembling the vision. So the time estimates are based on historical information. If we can improve the technology we were given, then perhaps the time will be shorter. If we have to deal with threats to our well being during that time frame, then it maybe longer." "Any questions?" "Can we shorten the time by using more robots?" asked Andy. "Yes we could, but first we need to find a way to increase our current AI's capabilities and create more AIs. The need is in processing speed, memory and active storage capacity. One possibility would be to network several, in a way similar to our family networks. The other is to build an AI with a more efficient neural network and processor system, then transfer our current AIs to the new hardware. With those changes, we could then use more construction robots, which would speed things up considerably." "Wow. I didn't think our resources were so limited." "Well, we currently are consuming a considerable amount with training and maintenance tasks. Our time estimates for our vision are conservative, as all of this is a new adventure for us and the AIs." "Speaking for our group, we like the vision you have presented," said Brandan. "How do you plan on dealing with earth, if we are discovered?" "Our first thought was to visit the UN. That has now evolved to doing a global broadcast that would say hello and ask to make a presentation to the UN General Assembly. The presentation will advise them that our society consists of people from another universe, as well as a number of people who were born on earth; we will explain that once we have repaired our ships, we plan on leaving this solar system. We will state that we are no threat to them, but are concerned about a group we have noticed enslaving many of the brightest members of their world. The comment would be tailored to reference the lodge incident. We will broadcast the UN presentation globally, to minimize local governments filtering the content. Our expectation is that we will be treated as being hostile by some countries." "Once we are known, we could act more freely. For one, we could openly recruit new additions. It in itself this plan has many risks, but perhaps they are worth taking." "We could let the information on the 'flesh peddlers' and buyers surface in such a way that it would be published, either by TV and news print. Considering what we have observed regarding the traffic in humans for meat and as objects, it is reasonable to expect this activity to increase, in spite of MacFarland and news investigations. A presentation showing the activities and participants, broadcast over radio and TV worldwide, would have an unsettling effect on many governments. Where this goes and possible forward paths have not been studied very carefully yet." "Those actions should yield interesting results," said Kerry. "I would expect to see probes launched shortly after we are discovered, to try to find out more about us." "We could arrange for them to have a high failure rate." Everyone laughed. "Or, we could let them have their look. A lot of how we respond depends upon the intent." Bob and Nancy stood, then spoke together. "As some of you know, we have a business on earth. When we started, we never dreamed it would be as successful as it is today. The challenges we see here look no less formidable than what we saw when we started our business. With the enthusiasm we see in the ship's family, we sense you will have no difficulty in achieving this vision, in a much shorter time than projected." "The vision, I think, intrigues everyone, even those who have decided to return to earth for now," said Joyce. "As a teacher once told me, 'The devil is in the details', and I suspect that is where our challenges will lie." Sabrina stood, "While listening to the presentation, our group was in rapport with each other. On behalf of our group, we support the vision's concept. We sense that events will possibly alter the sequence, as it was expressed. Several of us have had some pilot training, and would very much like to be part of the fighter effort. How do we sign up?" "Simply indicate that to Star," said Sally. "I am sure you will be on the leading edge of its implementation." "We too like the vision," said Briana. "How soon will we begin to work toward achieving the vision?" "In reality, we have already started. As the ship is brought back to operational status, the changes necessary to give it battle capability will be incorporated," said Terry and Erin. "We are glad to be a part of this ship's crew. It feels very much like home, which is a sensation none of us have had in a long time." Many nodded their agreement. "It would be beneficial for many of us to be able to move between ships and settlements as the needs arise," said Tara. "We would like to add our concurrence with the vision," said one of the men from Siobhan's clan. "Your presentation included a number of specific actions we need to take, and it doesn't appear we can do them in the order presented, or all at once. It seems to us that we should concentrate on the changes we need to make to the ship, so we can defend ourselves if necessary. Then, in conjunction with that, seek to find more who would like to join us and start the settlements." "We agree with you, to an extent," said Claudette. "The three you mentioned really need to be done in parallel for us to succeed." Many nodded their heads in agreement with the comments. "So, what next, you're probably wondering?" said Alison. Many nodded their heads. "An approach we have discussed is that all of us spend a half day using the training modules, and the second half putting the training to use. Many areas are already moving in this direction, and putting the training into use should speed our learning efforts." "Many of the departments are already making good progress with the tasks that need addressing, and it will be some time before we can move beyond just fixing things. We have moved much further along on this list than we had hoped." "Each department has a leadership group that can take the lead in interacting with the department's AI to finalize planning. The whole department should be involved in creating the plan. The leadership group will be responsible for scheduling training and work activities. As each of your telepathic abilities grow your interactions in the department and with the AIs will become smoother, this will make planning and scheduling easier. Coordination between departments will be the responsibility of the leadership groups and its AI. However, do not be reluctant to raise an issue. Okay?" "We will work with Star and the other AIs," said Sarah "so that we keep moving toward our goals, and deal with unexpected events." "Okay, before we break up, we have a sensitive issue we should again touch on," said Judy. "That is virus treatment to alter your capabilities and bodies. We understand and empathize with your concerns regarding receiving it. Betsy, Connie, Gail and I have been working with the medical AI to develop a deeper understanding of the needs and limitations that are a result of combining our DNAs together." "Jean's, Ann's and Nancy's clans have all received virus treatments that alter their capabilities, and are about half way through the process. This is the first time Nancy's clan has received this kind of treatment. This is nearly the case for Ann's clan. For Jean's clan, and based on Gail's knowledge, they had received something similar at the baby farm, but those treatments focused on child bearing." "Several clans have just started the genetic virus treatments. Our clan, except for Aoife and Maeve is not a good example of the typical results, because of the way they were administered. Nor is Amy's clan, because their base genetics are different than most of ours. Accepting the treatments will benefit you in several areas. One is that your psionic abilities are more readily available and more responsive to your use. Secondly, your strength and agility increase significantly. Third, there are some subtle changes in shoulders, waist and height, apart from that due to changes in muscle tone and bulk. Fourth, your feet and ankle will change. This shifts you to standing or walking on what you now call the balls of your feet. If your height is more than 6' 6", the treatment will give you a second heart. The last is your vision changes significantly, improving it in low light conditions." "The result of our treatments is that we have about a 75% match to either heritage's genetic characteristics. I know it sounds strange, but that is what the testing has shown. We have learned that you can achieve the above benefits without the very sensitive skin, having a tail as long as ours, a strong sexual sensitivity and several other items, unless you want them." "We hope this information will alleviate any residual concerns you may have felt about it. Once the treatments are complete, you will find yourself much more comfortable here. Best of all, you will feel much more confident in your abilities. These treatments do alter your genetic makeup, so that you become a part of this new race." "Aoife and Maeve began their treatments several weeks ago, if fact, the day before our babies were born. Several family groups have received the initial treatment since then, or will receive it this week. The effects will begin to show after about a month, and be complete in about six months." "Thank you for the additional information," said Edana. "We sensed, or felt, that you wanted us to be happy and comfortable in our new place in the universe." Many nodded their agreement. A couple in the back stood. "Thank you for taking the risk and explaining what you have learned. We admire your looks, but at the same time we are not sure we would be comfortable with all of it, especially the tail." Several nodded. "I wasn't either, when I first saw and felt it," said Rusty. "Now, I wonder why I was concerned." Several of his fellow clan members nodded agreement with the comment. Many laughed or chuckled at the exchange. "Again, thank you Judy. We too have had a bit of a struggle with the training, but apparently not as much as some others, though. I suspect you will find us on your door step in the next couple of days, to schedule our treatments." Again, many groups nodded their agreement. It was quiet for a few moments, then Claudette asked, "Are there any more questions or comments?" No one spoke up, but quite a few yawned. "It looks like many of you are ready to call it a day, so let's do that. Please let us or one of the AIs know if you have a suggestion, or a difficultly you need help with." "Wait a minute," said Sabrina, "it has bothered me for some time that our ship does not have a name. We have discussed it several times within our group, but nothing ever gelled. Well tonight, we would like to make a suggestion. First, many of us have Celtic names, and many more of us have a Celtic heritage. This ship has taken on a special meaning for all of us, which could be characterized as hope. So with that in mind, could we consider calling the ship, Dóchas, which is Gaelic for hope. As she finished speaking, both LeAnn, Darcy and Aine stood at different locations in the room. They looked at one another and then said in harmony, "Sabrina, has an excellent proposal. We agree with the proposal, but suggest we consider it for several days, before we make it formal." The group confirmed the suggestion with a round of spontaneous applause. "Since Sabrina" said Aoife, "has opened the door to naming the ship. First, let us say we like it for a number of reasons. Second, if someone has an alternate tell Star and we will discuss the choices tomorrow night at dinner. Third, we may want to consider what we will name our current enclave, the new enclave and the Mars settlement." "Have a great night!" said Claudette. "Let's keep our link active as we go with these groups to assist them," said Judy. "Sounds like a good idea, but what will they think when they see all of us in the link," asked Tara. "Seeing us utilizing our link should allay some of the concerns they may have to being so completely open," said Sarah. "Following through with that idea, why not show several in the group our link and how it works, then get them to try mind linking between them. After several establish the link, the rest of the group will probably join in to the link." Several additional groups sought out a member of Sarah's clan to assist them with learning to utilize their telepathic abilities. Maureen, Siobhan, LeAnn, Ann and Jean's clans joined in assisting groups that were having difficulties with using their telepathic abilities. ------- After sharing the preliminary vision for their future, life on the ship developed into a routine. At dinner the next night, the crew decided their space ship would hence forth be referred to as "Dóchas". The naming the enclaves or Mars settlement was put off for the time being. The time spent assisting the groups having difficulty with telepathic communication was well spent, as their ability to assimilate the learning increased immediately. The oldest clans among the new crew members found that offering to help others understand mind link and telepathic communication also helped their clan. The crew continued to gather at breakfast and dinner meal times. As the crew began to increase round the clock operations, the normal breakfast and dinner times became the only times that all of the groups were together. They enjoyed the contact with each other, even though they found that, by using their group mind pool, physical participation in a discussion wasn't absolutely necessary. A month after the vision presentation, the computer engineering department asked to have a conference with the AIs and Sarah's clan. They felt that they had found a way to increase the capabilities of the AIs, which would accelerate the efforts to rebuild the ship and establish a colony. When Sarah's clan entered the conference area with Maureen and Siobhan, they could feel the excitement among the engineering section. Once greetings were shared, they sat down to listen to the proposal. The computer engineering group made a shared presentation on what they had found regarding the design of the current AIs processing and memory structure. While it was well beyond anything they had learned on earth, there were some constraints in the designs such that, if they were removed, they would gain as much as a 10 fold increase in capabilities. The difficulty was that it violated some of the systems rules for programming instruction logic processing. They had designed a new core multilevel processor configured in a 3D array layout that was based both on design information in the archives and their insight in how the systems worked. It would utilize new materials, as well as modifications to some of the current technology. By combining this multilevel processor and the more powerful programming instruction logic into a new AI, they would have an AI considerably more robust than Star was currently. This new AI could be the temporary location for Star, once testing was complete, so Star's functions could be transferred there while Star's original system was rebuilt using the new techniques. Once Star's original system was refurbished, her functions would be transferred back to the original entity. Her temporary system would then be reconfigured as the primary AI for the Mars colony. Their programming goal was to give the AIs a stronger positive symbiotic relationship with their living member counterparts. All were well aware of the characterization of 'HAL', and sought to avoid that mistake by ensuring a strong mind-link between the crew and AI. A full telepathic link between AIs and their primary crew contacts would greatly benefit them in other ways. "Nice job," said Alison. "Star, have you and the other AIs reviewed the design." "Not in any great detail," said Star. "We are generally aware of their design concepts and the programming logic issues they have found. Our home culture also had the concerns about creating a 'HAL', which is the most likely reason for the programming logic constraint issues. The idea of a full mind-link with the corresponding crew members was not considered, according to my records. The mental interaction between Donna and Amy's clan is unusually strong, and may be why we survived the accident." "Okay," said Tara and Erin. "We approve the proposal to build another AI, but with a couple of small additions. First let's have Star and the other AIs do a full logic review of the design. Second, we need to very carefully examine the ramifications of changing the program logic rules. We also want the AIs to make the same examination. We would expect they were put there for a reason, and it may well be from the concern of creating a 'HAL'. Let's make sure we understand why and all the ramifications if we alter them as proposed." "We have done the second part several times," said Ciar. "It seems that some of the logic rules are there to limit the system, rather than improve the result. Several case analyses indicate the potential of creating a 'HAL' with the current logic constraints is higher. We would like your group to study what we have found, and the solution path we have proposed." "There are several cases in my records indicating a 'HAL'-like AI was constructed," said Star. "All recorded cases show that the errors were caught in final testing. After that point in manufacturing, one may never know if a 'HAL'-like AI was put into service." "Good point," said Erin. Tara and Alison nodded agreement. "Once the AIs have reviewed the project, begin construction. We will have our review and any comments to you before they affect your work." "As a last step before utilization of the new AI, we will need to examine it in detail, and then do some testing," said Rusty. "We will do the evaluation of the new AI as a group. We would expect these AIs to be self-aware in a very short time. It maybe wise to operate both Star and the new AI side by side for a period of time, so we can compare problem logic functions." "A very nice effort," said Sarah as she, with her clan, sent all of the department members warm feelings of appreciation for this accomplishment. ------- The women who had chosen to try and fit back into earth's society did well in their new identities and new jobs. A few had problems with co-workers, but nothing out of the ordinary, until several of the groups ran across one another at a technical conference, and decided to stay an extra day to renew their friendships. As the time approached for them to leave, all of them wanted to be closer together but their jobs wouldn't let them, due to location. In some cases, they were working for competing firms. On their last day, over breakfast, Madeline and Ursula reminded them of the enclave and its potential for them. Madeline and Ursula's groups were the only ones to have a bot with them, so they asked the bot how they could find out if the enclave offer still stood. The bot was quiet for a long time before it responded with, "It would be good if we went for a walk, so I can decide how to answer your question." The couched phrasing caused worried looks from each of the group. "Don't worry," said a voice that seemed familiar. "Go with the bot, as she doesn't feel this is a good place to talk." They looked at one another with a surprised look on their face, which told them that had all heard the voice. "Let's go change, so we can take a hike and be back by lunch," said Madeline, "After that, we will have enough time to pack before we have to leave for the airport. Shall we meet by the tennis courts in 10 minutes?" Everyone nodded and went toward their rooms. They gathered at the tennis court and had started toward one of the hiking trails when they crossed paths with a pair of young men. They recognized them as having attended the conference and stopped to chat. Both men were a bit shy at first, but then began to open up a bit more. As they talked, one of the women recognized them as having gone to college with her. Using her old name, she asked if they knew a person by that name. "Yes, she was a lot of fun to be with," they said with some yearning in their voice. "Once, when we were back at school, we looked for her but could never find her." "She was a very good friend of mine. Probably closer than a twin sister." The comment drew knowing looks from her friends. "So, what have you two been doing?" "Well, we've spent the last three years building up a software programming business. Just before the conference, we sold it to a larger company for a nice chunk of change. We were scheduled to come to the conference, so we came anyway. This conference was great, because we didn't have any pressing business issues to deal with. We thought some of the stuff our old competitors were telling potential customers was a hoot." "We enjoyed the conference as well, especially since all of us were able to spend some time together." "Oh, I'm sorry, this is Tom and I'm John. It's been so long since we did anything but business or work; I have forgotten my social manners. Besides, it's been so long since college you probably don't remember my name." "I'm Jan, and I'll let my friends introduce themselves." After the introductions, the conversation kind of died. The ladies really wanted to start their hike, but didn't want to walk off and leave Tom and John. Tom and John were unsure how to join the girls in their plans. The stalemate was broken, as the bots told both Ursala and Marsha to invite them along on the hike. They looked questioningly at the bots. "We can tell you the information in a slightly different context and still convey the answer to your question. Answering specific questions may be a problem. Look at the two as possible partners, as they have a lot of potential." "Tom and John, would you like to join us?", said Marsha. "We are going to enjoy a hike before lunch, as we all leave today." "We wouldn't want to interfere." "You won't," said Ursala. With that, she grabbed Tom's hand and pulled him along with her as she started down the path. Jan had taken John's hand, as well. The group walked for about a mile until they came to a scenic overlook above a fast-flowing stream. The scene was beautiful, and the quiet roar of the water rushing through the rapids added a peaceful rhythm sound. "We haven't been here before," exclaimed Tom and John. "This is just fantastic." "Let's sit here and enjoy the atmosphere," said Madeline. "There are two people watching your group from a distance," said the bot to Madeline and Ursala. "We don't sense any threat, but are taking precautions." "John and Tom," said Madeline, "the reason we came up here is to discuss our future." They both started to excuse themselves. "We don't want you to leave, and from what we have sensed in this short time, we would welcome any suggestions you might have." Both looked relieved, but puzzled. "We had an experience together sometime ago," said Jan, "and since then went somewhat separate ways. It was a terrific surprise when we all showed up at the conference this week, and now we want to be closer to each other. This morning at breakfast we had an idea about how to do that, but wanted to talk about it in a more private location." "Well," said John, "this location is likely more private, but there are two people watching us from a distance. The distance is such that they probably can't hear, because of the surrounding noise." None of the women moved to look. "You knew?" "Yes. And we have been followed several other times while we were here." "Really, why would anyone do that? For reasons other than your beauty," he quickly added. They all laughed at his quick recovery. "We suspect it is security driven, but don't know for certain," said Ursala. "The reason we came up here is to talk about an opportunity we were offered some time ago to start a business that would focus on software development and hardware design. While we were gathering to come out here to talk, we sent a query regarding whether the opportunity was still open." Ursala nodded to the bot. "The offer is definitely open," said the bot. "There are now two locations that could be used. One is in the North Caribbean Ocean and the other is in the mid Pacific, just west of Mexico. Both are equal in remoteness, suitability and beauty. If need be, the one you visited could be available today, but they suggest 2 to 4 weeks so you can tidy up loose ends. The one in the Pacific will take longer." "How could you operate from an isolated island?", said Tom. "All of us could work from any location," said Jan, "as long as we had access to high speed electronic communication. We would only need to make occasional trips to meet with customers and discuss their needs. There are possibly some 30 or so others that would want to join us once they know of our plans." "If we fully utilize a website," said Marsha, "it can serve as a draw to bring us new business." Tom and John looked at each other, then said, "Are you interested in partners?" "Sure, if our sponsors agree," said Jan. "Did you have someone in mind?" She grinned, watching them try to decide how to respond. "Yes. We would be interested. We would also like to know more about what you plan on doing, but that doesn't affect our desire to join this adventure." As John was talking, the bot nodded to Madeline and Ursala. "We welcome you to this adventure," said Madeline and held out her hand to Tom. She pulled him toward her and gave him a hug, along with a kiss. Ursala had wrapped her arms around John to give a hug along with a kiss. This was quickly followed by all the women giving them the same greeting. "Wow," said both Tom and John. "Now, let's talk about logistics," said Jan. The women decided they would begin submitting resignations shortly after they returned, but spread over a week or two. Each would give two weeks notice, and then be prepared to move in three weeks. The answer to any questions was that they were going to work at a new start up. They would send their employers the details on the company once it was public knowledge. Their sponsors would fly them to the island and move any belongings they wished to take. "Tom and John," said a bot, "the sponsors of this project will send two people to meet with you on this project. At that time, you can decide how deeply you want to be involved in this project. They sense it could be either direct, by moving to the site or remote and working through a high speed data link." "We think moving there is the best choice," both said immediately. "Okay. The day after you return home, they will visit you. Right now it appears to be Maureen, Brandan, Siobhan and Conan which comes to four visitors rather than the initial two I indicated a moment ago." "You're different from the rest," said Tom, "not good or bad, just different." The women's faces confirmed his observation. "Yes, but a fuller answer should wait until our sponsor meets with you at your home. I hope that is acceptable." They studied the faces of all the women for a few moments, then said, "Yes, that is quite acceptable. In fact, we will be going home earlier than we had planned." Their excitement was apparent by their actions. "We need to start back," said the other bot. "Okay," said Ursala, as everyone began to get up. "My senses have become a bit edgy as we approach leaving. We should perhaps not say anymore about our plans." Everyone nodded their head in agreement. They had a great time walking back to the hotel, just chatting about the fun time they had being together again. As they arrived at the hotel, Jan said, "This morning has really been great. Why don't we go change and finish packing then meet for lunch?" Everyone nodded after a moment. "Your transportation will be here a 1:30," said the bot. "All of you appeared to be having such a good time, so we arranged some special transportation for you." With that, everyone started for their rooms to get ready, leaving Tom and John with a funny look on their faces. They were truly enamored with the group of women. In fact, it was the most comfortable they had ever felt in that large a group of women, especially brilliant women. "Why don't you guys meet us in the restaurant," said a bot, "and they have a reservation for us. We should be there in 30 minutes or so." "Yes, I think we will go freshen up as well. So we will meet you there." Tom and John walked off to their rooms. "You know, I am glad you talked me into coming to this conference and then to spend some time here afterwards," said John. "Yes, I agree. I have a good memory for people, and there were several in that group I thought I knew. The names, though, didn't fit the faces. Oh, well I sure enjoyed this morning with them." "We should invite them to our place." "Okay and we need to make sure to share our contact information." Tom opened the door to his room. He could tell right away someone had been in the room, other than maid service. After he carefully looked around, he saw nothing had been taken and his laptop was fine. Just then, the phone rang. As he put the phone to his ear a gravely voice said, "Stay away from my sluts or you will pay dearly." The phone went dead before he could utter a response. His cell phone rang, when he looked at caller id he saw it was John. "Yes." "Did you just get a strange call?" "Yes. The call I had, it sounded like he was making threats about the women we just met." "That was my impression too," said John. "Well, I think it is time to leave, as well," said Tom. "I think I can freshen up and be packed by the time of our lunch reservation." "I agree. We might want hitch a ride to the airport." "See you in 20." ------- Chapter 63 John and Tom stepped off the elevator and headed toward the registration desk, just as the women had finished checking out. They were both very impressed by the change in the women's appearance. The women had changed into casual clothes, but were wearing heels and carrying brief cases. When one of the bots saw them approaching with their suitcases, she walked over to them. "We thought you were staying longer," said the bot, as she studied them. "We need to get back so we can take care of a business issue," said John. "You guys all look great." The women beamed at the compliment. "Why don't you put your bags with ours, while we eat," said Ursala. Before they could respond, the bots took their bags, and placed them with the others. The women waited while Tom and John settled up with the hotel so that they could all go to restaurant together. In the restaurant, they were seated in a small private dinning room off of the main area. Lunch was a continuation of the fun they had on the hike. They discussed current events and recent scientific announcements that they had seen in journals. The women found that they shared a lot of common interests with Tom and John. By the time lunch was over, Tom and John were wondering if they would be able to keep up with this group of people. As they walked to the door of the hotel, Tom and John looked around for their bags. Sensing their puzzlement, Jan said, "I think they were moved outside with ours, and I suspect our transportation is waiting." "We need to arrange transportation to the airport," said John. "Not really, as we were really expecting you to ride with us," said Madeline. "When the bots saw you, they adjusted our number to include you." "We will be happy to share the cost," said Tom. The group stepped outside to find a large shuttle bus waiting with its door open. Several people were standing at the back, putting luggage into it. As the group moved closer, several women shrieked, then ran toward the two women standing near the door of the shuttle. When they reached the women, they gathered them up in a hug. Tom and John watched their friends greet the two women standing by the shuttle door. Both women were well over six feet tall, and wearing heels like the group they had been with. Each had long flowing hair, which was complimented by a combination of outstanding features they didn't think they had ever seen all in one person. Both men were so awestruck they just stood there, with Ursala and Madeline at their sides. "Are you two all right?" asked Madeline, as she looked over at their faces and saw the looks of wonder on them. "You might want to close your mouths." "Wow! Nothing against any of you, but I have never seen anybody so totally perfect," said Tom, as John nodded his head in agreement. "Just fantastic." Ursala and Madeline chuckled. "Very astute wording and we agree with you. Come on," said Jan, as they again started walking toward the shuttle. By the time they reached the door, almost everyone else had already entered the shuttle. "Cathan, Briana, I'd like you to meet Tom and John," said Madeline. Tom and John said, "Hi," and reached out to shake their hands. Instead, Briana and Cathan pulled them forward into a hug giving them a quick kiss, and then switched greeting partners. "Wow, could we do that again," cracked John. "I think your friends may get envious," said Briana in a soft mellow voice. "Glad you could join us for this trip." "This has been a day of great events," said Tom, "and, for some reason, I don't think its over yet." Shannon and Muireann walked up behind them. "I think we're ready, as soon as everyone is on-board," said Muireann. Both Tom and John jumped at the sound of her voice and turned around, only to be greeted by two more visions of loveliness. Briana and Cathan pulled on their arms, turning them toward the door, as Ursala and Madeline went into the shuttle with them. Shannon, Muireann and Cathan stood by the door and chatted for a few moments, while Briana went around to the driver's side. As they stood there, they stretched and moved around, making sure all the bystanders remembered only how good they looked, and little about any of their passengers. By the time they were ready to board the bus, their nipples were visible dents in their blouse as they found the show a bit arousing. Once Briana was in the driver's seat, they boarded the shuttle. The shuttle slowly pulled away from the hotel, while the three crew members monitored the activities around the shuttle. Muireann sat in the seat near the door, while Cathan and Shannon went to sit in the back. The group on the shuttle bus was quiet, as it eased out into traffic and headed toward the entrance of the highway. Briana entered the intersection just before the highway entrance as the light turned yellow. Once on the highway, Muireann stood, turning so she could face the passengers. "It's good to see all of you again, and meeting John and Tom is a nice plus. Since we went to the trouble to provide a shuttle bus to the airport, we thought we would just provide the rest of your transportation home. A business jet is waiting for us at a small executive airport. From there, we will take you to your homes. Overall, it will be much quicker than the commercial flights you had booked. Any questions?" "Why?" asked Tom. "Primarily because the backers of these women's new business adventure thought this would be a nice gift to all of you, by way of kicking off this venture. Another reason is that, there are three groups of people who have suddenly become very interested in all of you, but primarily in the women. One group was the hotel's security staff, because they have had several groups of people disappear after staying there. Their security had noticed the other two groups. We should know more about the other two groups by the time we reach the airport. It was one of these two unknown groups that rifled your rooms this morning." "Okay, but it still doesn't answer my question. Wait a minute, how did you know about the rooms?" "From the security devices the bots left in your rooms. This group of women are very special to us. This morning, the bots shared with us their observations of the last few days. From that, we felt their security was in jeopardy, and that we should do something about it without creating too much commotion. So we did." "Now, that makes sense, and I agree. I have had the feeling of being watched this last week. My sense tells me you have more to share shortly. I wonder if they were the same people who searched our rooms while we were out." "Yes, Tom and John, there is a lot to share before everything would really make sense to your logical way of analyzing problems. Rest assured, your being there did not cause this. With respect to the comment about your rooms, it's most likely." "On the lighter side, ladies, the most exciting thing that has happened at home recently is that Sarah's clan gave birth to their children about a 3 months ago. Alison, Erin, and Tara's babies are just starting to walk." "Wow," said several. "I was amazed, when they said how many they were expecting. How are they managing with the, let's see, 40 babies?" Tom and John's eyes grew, since they could not believe the number they heard. "Very well. Everyone is helping, and I have never seen a group of babies easier to care for." "Police car coming, with its lights on," said Cathan. They watched, as the police car signaled them to pull over. Briana eased it onto the side of the road and waited for the officer to reach her door. "What's the problem, officer?" "License, please. We had a report of a vehicle like this running a red light just before an accident back there near the highway entrance." "If you mean the one just before the highway entrance, it was green as we entered the intersection. I heard a noise behind us. I didn't see anything in the mirrors which is not surprising as I was well onto the entrance ramp when I heard the noise." "I know this doesn't make a whole lot of sense, since the accident was caused by two idiots trying to run a red light. Instead, they ran into the side of semi-trailer hard enough to knock it loose from it's tractor, crushing the two cars. I don't see how in the world any shuttle like this could have been a part of that without being damaged." Just then his radio chirped. "Sergent, cancel the stop request. The truck driver has stated the light was green and the intersection was clear. I fact, he didn't see any shuttle bus near the intersection, and witnesses agree. Give our apologies to the occupants for delaying them." "Okay, you heard it. Sorry for the inconvenience. Honestly, I am glad I got to stop you, as you are the prettiest thing I have ever had the pleasure of stopping." "Thank you, Officer." Briana waited for the officer to return to his car before she began rolling forward. She turned on her turn signal, as she moved the shuttle back onto the highway. About 30 minutes later, they turned off the highway, and were soon entering a small airport. She drove out on to the ramp and parked next to a jet that was sitting there with its steps down. Cathan and Shannon got off the shuttle first and went to begin moving the luggage to the aircraft. When Tom and John stepped out of the shuttle, they looked around, as this was the first time they had been at a small airport. They quickly saw why Shannon and Cathan had exited first. They went to assist them with the luggage along with several others. They had only worked for a short time before they noticed how much more graceful Shannon and Cathan were in heels than their new friends were. With the six of them working together, they quickly had the bags stored in the aircraft. Briana then took the shuttle out to the parking lot, while they finished boarding the aircraft. John saw Briana coming back, along with a tall, red-haired woman in a flight suit. "Tom," said John, "I think we must have died and gone to heaven. Briana is walking out here with another gorgeous woman. I don't think I have ever seen this many gorgeous women in one place." Just then, the two entered the cabin. "Thanks, John, my name is Maureen. We will be departing momentarily. John, Tom, we will taking you home first. Arrangements are being made for a car to meet us when we arrive. From there, we will take the women home." "There is no rush, do it the most efficient way," said Tom. They watched, as Maureen and Briana entered the flight deck, and Muireann closed the cabin door. In only moments, they heard the engines spin up, quickly followed by the plane rolling forward. Everyone was quiet as they looked out the windows, watching the passing scene as they taxied toward the runway and the takeoff. "Ladies, I have an update on the two groups who have been monitoring your activities," said Muireann. "They were employed by Ursala and Madeline's employers. Based on the information they exchanged, we wouldn't be surprised if the employment contracts weren't terminated for Ursala and Madeline's groups when they got to work on Monday, or shortly thereafter. We can't find any obvious reason for the extensive surveillance, which makes us wonder what motivated your employers to do this." "Rusty was a bit pissed, to put it mildly, when he heard what was going on. So, he is offering the use of an inactive corporation, as a starting point for your new venture. He and several of his spouses are the principal owners. All the particulars for the corporation will be up on a website by this evening. The company's name is "Galactic Intrusion and Security Services". He suggested using that as the name of your new employer, and emphasized that whether or not you continue to use it is up to you. He also asked to meet with your group once you get to the enclave. The meeting will include his clan." "Tell him we accept," said Ursala. Madeline nodded in agreement. Tom and John felt like they were living through an "Alice in Wonderland" scene, due to the way things kept happening around them. They vacillated between being overjoyed and uncertain about their surroundings and events. "John and Tom," said Cathan, "we are going to tell you several things, which we hope will ease your uncertainty about the events today. We ask that you not share the information with anyone outside this group." They nodded, looking a bit dazed. "First, as you noticed, the five of us are different. You saw it in our feet, plus you have noticed some other differences, but those haven't gelled yet in your mind. All of us are over 6' 6" without our heels. All of us are telepathic. Your new friends have limited telepathy, while our ability is completely active. We suspect you could be telepathic, as well. As you noticed, two of the women with the group today are different, as well. They are robots, or we usually refer to them, bots. They are close to being self-aware, and each of the family groups here have one." "You are probably thinking that, as telepaths, we can read minds, but that is not quite true. Sharing thoughts is a better way to view it, as that is closer to the way it works. The ladies you met today have limited their use of telepathy to only defensive needs or threats. You can imagine what would happen in earth's society, if it was learned you could sense someone's thoughts. It would only be a question of time until you were someone's lab rat and expendable, if necessary." "Interesting," said Tom, "that fits with the changing suggestions from the bots accompanying Ursala and Madeline. So, is telepathy different from intuition?" "Yes and no. The answer depends upon both context and degree of ability. It would be best to wait to discuss this further, as there are others in our group that could help you find the answers you are seeking." A tone sounded in the cabin. "We will be landing at an airport, to drop off Tom and John, in 5 minutes," said Briana. "That was fast. I think I would like to fly this way all the time," said Tom. Madeline squeezed Tom's arm. Together they watched out the window as the plane settled down toward the airport. The touchdown was smooth as silk, as was the taxi over to the executive terminal. Once the engines quieted down, the door opened. Ursala and Madeline got up, to walk out with Tom and John. Before Tom and John stepped out of the cabin, they said good-bye to everyone. Shannon and Cathan followed them out to retrieve their bags. While the bags were being retrieved, a limousine pulled up near the aircraft. When it stopped, a young woman stepped out and came over to them. "Hi, you must be John and Tom," said the young woman. "Yes." "Good, I'll put your bags in the car, then we can leave, as soon as you are ready." "Ladies, we don't know what to say, other than that today has been a pleasure," said Tom, while John nodded in agreement. "If any of you need anything," said John, "or have problems with your employers, please contact us immediately. We are very much looking forward to working with all of you." He leaned forward to give Ursala a kiss, and she pulled him tightly to her as she returned the kiss. Tom and Madeline said the same good-bye. Once they broke their embraces, they both switched partners and embraced again. The parting made both sad, but also hopeful, because of their plans. "One last thing," said Muireann, "your driver will be staying with you for the next several days." They started to object, and Muireann held up her hands. "Additionally, there is a woman waiting for you at your home. Both of these women can, and will, help you in any way you need. We are providing them, primarily, for your security. If we have been to presumptuous, we are sorry, but events seemed to dictate these precautions. The woman waiting at your home has advised us that she has found several electronic bugs in your home, and she is waiting for your instructions about deactivating them. These two bots can handle virtually any security issue by themselves, but they can also summon other resources that are just out of this world." "I suspect they can. Thank you for your concern and anticipation of events." "Two couples will visit you sometime the day after tomorrow, to give you a bit of background on the sponsors of this project." Tom and John gave Muireann a hug and kiss before they stepped back toward their waiting car. "See you soon," they hollered, as the women boarded the aircraft. The young lady opened the door for them when they reached it. Once they were inside, she hurried around to get in the car. As she drove to the edge of the ramp, Tom said, "Miss, could we wait for a moment? We would like to watch the plane take off." She turned the car so they had a good view as, by then, the plane had started to roll across the ramp. Tom and John watched as the plane went to the end of the runway. It waited a moment, then rolled out and began its takeoff roll. It had lifted into the air well before it was halfway down the runway. A tap on the window startled all of them. Tom lowered the window to see what the man wanted. "Could you tell me what kind of plane that was? Since I would sure like to have one." "Sorry, but we don't have clue. The ride here was very nice, though." "Thank you. Boy, that was one nice aircraft." Tom raised the window as the man walked off. "Miss, I understand you are to stay with us for a while." She nodded affirmatively. "What is your name?" "Danielle." "Okay, Danielle, let's go home and see what the woman there has found." Even as he finished speaking, the car headed toward the highway. Tom and John hardly saw any of the surroundings on the ride, as each was lost in thought, while they reviewed everything that had happened today. They were both extremely pleased. They felt the women they met were real gems, both in terms of personality and technical knowledge. Both were amazed at how quickly they fit in with the group. It was unusual for them to fit into a group that easily, and even more unusual was the fact that the group was all women. Some of the events had certainly tweaked their curiosity! Arriving at their house, they found a young woman waiting for them. "Hi, my name is Kate," she said, by way of introduction. "And you must be Tom and John." "Yes, I'm Tom and this is John," they answered, as they shook hands. "Muireann mentioned that you had found some electronic bugs," said Tom, looking a bit irritated. "Yes. Some are reasonably new, and others were apparently placed when you had the house built. Every room has at least one. Your offices, living room and family room have several. I was waiting to find out how you wanted to handle them. Sometimes, it is better to leave them in place, and choose the times they hear something. In other cases, it is better just to remove them." "If John is agreeable, we will go into the living room, then you can tell me about the ones you found in our office and bedrooms. After that, we will talk about some of the things I learned at the conference, regarding intellectual property." They entered the house, and Tom asked both Danielle and Kate to join them in the living room, as they needed to discuss some things. Kate said she would be there, but first she wanted to get them some refreshments. Danielle said that, while Kate was doing that, she would put their bags in their rooms, before joining them. A short time later, they had gathered in the living room. Tom said, "Kate, you indicated you found some electronic eavesdropping devices in the house?" "Yes," said Kate, and then went on to describe the type, approximate age and location of each bug, leaving out the ones in the living room, by pre-arrangement. "That's interesting, your findings could explain some things. At the conference, I had a conversation with a couple of intellectual property experts. At that time, we had no reason to suspect that some of our ideas were stolen, but in light of the bugs you found, maybe some of them were. We have noticed a number of products introduced by two other companies at or just before we did. These products were very similar to ours, or were based ideas we had discussed. We always attributed this to not being quick enough in bringing them to market. I am sure we discussed many of them here, which is something we can verify from our records. So, according to the IP guys, if we can tie our records through the surveillance organization to the person holding the patent or copyright, then all of their property becomes ours." "You know, it's a good thing we taped all of those discussions, and had them converted to documents," said John. "Some of the secretaries used to really complain about transcribing them. We still have the tapes in the vault." "Good! Let's hire a PI, so we can find out who bugged our house. I am really surprised they didn't bug this room, as well." Kate, Danielle, John were trying very hard to keep a straight face. "You know, I think we could probably identify several companies that received the information, from the way their products were designed. With both end pieces, it should make the job easier for the PI." "Good idea. Kate would you turn on the news?" Tom waved his hand at Kate, to get her to muffle the bug. They all laughed, as they imagined what would happen in the next several days, when the tapes were reviewed. In the meantime, they decided to partly muffle the microphones, and to make sure there was plenty of background noise when they had something important to discuss in the living room. But the office and bedrooms were going to be locked down, so they were a black hole, from the standpoint of eavesdropping. "Kate, what else do we need to know about?" "I've placed intrusion detectors around the perimeter and at each access point. These will not give us false warnings. We would prefer our rooms to be near yours, so I have the room next to Tom's and Danielle has the room next to John's. We will probably switch off on the rooms." "You two are bots, right?" Both looked surprised, but nodded affirmatively. "If I offended you, my sincere apologies." "None taken," said both. "Muireann told us you would figure it out." "Smart lady. Now, I should warn you that I am really straightforward, and say what is on my mind, occasionally before I think it through. The better I know someone, the more I act that way. John tends to be a bit more cautious." "That is fine, and thanks for the warning. Should I warn the women?" asked Kate, with a smile. He looked at her a long time, and then nodded yes. "Let's get something to eat and call it a day," said John. "I am bushed." ------- Just after the aircraft lifted off, Muireann said, "Ladies, we think you should modify your telepathic ability. You should consider modifying your ability so that each of you can easily share thoughts with each other. The other thing I'd like to do is to show you how project thoughts to another person, and how to have better view of the intent of those around you. All of those abilities should improve your security and your ability to protect yourselves." As the plane made its way to the next stop, the crew members worked with the women, showing them how to make the changes in their telepathic ability, and then how to use what they had enabled. The group was surprised they had completed the changes and exercised some of them before the next stop. "I held up our arrival so you could finish," said Maureen. "Wow, this is neat," said several women. "Be careful to limit your connections," said Muireann, "we don't know how wide-spread telepathy is on earth. Both Sarah and Rusty were active telepaths before they joined the group on the space ship. So be careful, very careful, when you make a connection to someone outside of those you know from the enclave. If they are active and knowledgeable, they will know someone was there. All of us have taken a grave risk by doing this, but we think the level of safety it will provide you is worth it. If you are using it, and someone starts watching you, or looking around like they are seeking someone, then slowly close your abilities off." "I think, I speak for all of us," said Ursula. "We will only use it if necessary. We do look forward to using these abilities between ourselves and those we know from the enclave. I know I am looking forward being at the enclave, where we can use it more routinely." "Everyone is looking forward to seeing all of you again." "Touchdown in five minutes," said Briana. Each group's bots later informed Star that all of the women had arrived home safely, and that the drones were reporting no unusual activity around the homes. ------- Several days later, when Sarah's clan arrived for lunch, Nancy rushed over to them. "Guess what I found in my e-mail today?" Without waiting for a response, Nancy continued, "Adam will be coming home on leave next week! It will be so good to see him again." "Great!!" shouted Joyce, drawing everyone's attention. "I am really looking forward to seeing him again." She was so excited at seeing her brother again she was bouncing. "What 'home' is he coming to?" asked Sarah, in a soft voice. "Oh, my," said Nancy, "I forgot. He'll be coming back to the estate, and we don't live there any longer. He doesn't know that Joyce, or any of you, are alive. What are we going to do?" "Nancy, we need to think and talk about how we are going to handle this," said Sally. "First, send him an e-mail, telling him that you aren't living at the estate any longer, and that you are staying with friends. We can have one of the crew meet his flight, and take him to a business airport. From there, we can fly him to the enclave. There, all of you can meet and have your reunion." "Quick thinking, Sally," responded Nancy, "as soon as we eat, I will send him an e-mail." "Have you told anybody else yet?" "Only our clan. They seemed to know as soon as I read the e-mail. Bob said something about me glowing." "We can understand that," said Sarah's clan, with big smiles. "You realize that Adam will be in for quite a few shocks during his leave. Do you know long his leave is?" "I think he said three weeks." "Mom, right after lunch, why don't our two clans sit down and talk about how to let Adam know about all the changes?" "Good idea. He did say that, after they finish the next round of training, he thought his unit would be sent on assignment." ------- Siobhan, Conan, Maureen and Brandan walked up the driveway toward Tom and John's home. Danielle and Kate were standing at the front door waiting for them, when they reached the front porch. "Looks like someone is glad to see us," said Maureen. "Yes, we are. We really like Tom and John, but we miss everyone else." "Well, Sarah's clan and us are quite proud of what you are doing here." They each hugged and kissed, before going inside. "You know, you were photographed coming up the drive." "Oh, yes, that's why we chose these dresses, the hats with large brims. At this time of day, they will have a hard time identifying us from the photos." Just then, John and Tom came into the room. "You were the pilot," said John, "that flew what appeared to be a plane the other day." "Yes, and let me introduce Siobhan, Conan and Brandan." With each introduction, Siobhan and Maureen gave each of them a hug, while the guys shook hands. "We've been asked to share some information with you about the backers of Galactic Intrusion and Security Services. We know you are aware that all of this is confidential, because, if word got out prematurely, there could be a significant financial loss to some parties." "How much?" "Possibly over 100 million, but definitely over 50 million." "Wow, that's about what we made on the sale of our company." "Galactic Intrusion and Security Services gets its name because of the way it was set up to operate. It can operate from three locations on earth, one on the moon and another on Mars. The facility on Mars is just being built." "This sounds like it is a functioning business," said Tom, "and we were under the impression it wasn't operating at this time." "GISS, as Sarah's clan conceived it, started operations with the opening of the web site. It is closely aligned with another operation, which is owned by some good friends of theirs. Their friends operation provides only some of the services that Sarah's clan had planned for GISS. Plans were for both companies to use common resources where beneficial, so as to have access their friends companies facilities on earth, as well as to add some." "The money you mentioned," said John, "doesn't seem to fit with an operation that size." "You're basing your estimates on costs you are familiar with, but, in our case, it is as easy to move items to the moon or to Mars. In many cases, our services would be delivered by high speed electronic communication that is more secure than the military's most secret encryption." Maureen nodded to Kate. Kate then placed four slender poles in each corner of the room, then stepped out of the room, and returned with refreshments. John and Tom sat with puzzled looks on their faces. "Our conversations are now secure," said Kate. "Tom and John, Kate has just set up a device we have which makes the area within the poles an electronic hole. Those monitoring the microphones will hear nothing. In fact, if they had a camera in here they wouldn't see us, either." "Interesting. So your comments were fictitious?" "To an extent. The four of us grew up on earth, and only graduated from college about a year ago. When we graduated, we were offered an opportunity to work on a space ship. To soften the blow to our job-seeking efforts, a resort vacation was included. We would now like to show you the presentation made to us, and then several other presentations we participated in, that tell about the company's backers and their history." "Okay. So the only thing you left out earlier is the space ship, and everything else has substance?" "Yes. You should also know that we accepted positions as crew members on the space ship. Do you want us to continue?" "Very definitely," said both Tom and John. "We have the feeling we have just entered a science fiction novel." The four crew members went through the initial presentation, where they were invited to consider being space ship crew members. They then showed the presentations made by Amy and Sarah's clans, giving the background of the race and space ship, and next one showing the changes they had accomplished. The last presentation told of the differences between earth-born bipeds and those from this race, including the difference in social structure. "A very amazing set of presentations," said John. "Sarah and Amy's clans members are very unique in their characteristics. It is now hard to believe Sarah's clan was ever from earth. But, as minor participants in the business Madeline and Ursula's friends wanted to set up, why did you feel you needed to show us these presentations, and to tell us about this race and society?" "We probably didn't need to, by earth's standards. Our society is very open, and seeks to maintain that openness beyond anything we have seen in earth's societies, where secrets seem to be a way of life. Comrie, where the business will operate, also is a place we use for recreation. In our society, we generally don't wear any covering, unless work requires it. Visitors are free to do as they normally would, or to adopt our approach to dressing. There is no stigma attached to whichever they do. Since we are usually naked, you would quickly notice the other physical differences covered in the presentations. Not being informed would lead to questions, and, possibly, problems. So we think openness is the best choice." "Knowing this doesn't change our view of this project, except to make it much more interesting," said Tom, and John nodded in agreement. "Would the four of you care to stay for the rest of the afternoon?" "Sure." "Kate, let's have barbecue for dinner." ------- After lunch, Sarah and Nancy's clans gathered in a small meeting room, to discuss Adam's pending visit. They decided to have Briana and Cathan meet him at the airport and escort him to the business airport, where one of their 'jets' would be waiting. Alison and Maureen would be the pilots for the trip. A general sequence of events was worked out for the first two days at the enclave. Joyce proposed that they be totally open with him, as that's the way the two of them had always been, and changing this, she was sure, he would sense. They would let him decide if he needed to limit his telepathic ability when he returned to duty. Joyce was positive he would, because to do otherwise was an unreasonable risk, besides, it would still be an effective boost to his security. A week later, Adam was surprised when he found Cathan and Briana waiting for him as he exited the plane. The two women had caused some commotion in the area around the concourse exit, as some people couldn't resist trying to get a better look at the two of them. Both were wearing long sheath dresses, with a light cape and heels. So, not only were they tall, being over 7 feet in their heels, but they were also were exceptionally beautiful, with their long flowing hair. They were holding a sign that said, "Hi, Adam." "Wow," said Adam, as he walked up in his dress uniform, followed by four other soldiers. "Mom said I couldn't miss our greeters. She didn't say they were the most beautiful women in the world." Both blushed at the compliment. Each, in turn, bent down slightly and gave him a warm welcoming kiss. "Adam, my name is Cathan, and this is Briana." "Very nice to meet you. These are four friends from my unit. They are: Todd, Leo, Sal, and Kurt. I asked them to join me at the last minute, as their leave plans didn't work out. Mom will be a little surprised, since I didn't have an opportunity to send her an e-mail. I hope it doesn't cause any problems." "Adam," said Todd, "if this is going to cause a problem, we can find something else to occupy our leave." Cathan and Briana were surprised when they met Adam, to find he was accompanied by four of his team members. Cathan quickly alerted Alison, so that adjustments could be made at the enclave. Adam started to speak, but Briana said, "Don't worry about it. We have already alerted Nancy, and everything is fine. Come on, let's get your bags, since our plane is ready to leave as soon as we get there." No one seemed to notice the context of Briana's comment. While they were walking to the baggage carousal, drone1 said, "Briana, Cathan, there are two women trying to take your pictures using cell phones, and two photographers are coming your way. The photographers were here on another assignment, and heard about two lovely women meeting a group of soldiers. We have also noticed that the surveillance cameras are following your movements." "Can you determine intent?" "The photographers just want pictures, to sell as a human interest story. As for the two women with cell phones, their intent is unclear. The surveillance cameras operators are just enjoying the view, but we did stop the tape." "Okay. If the photographers show up, we will talk to them. Get a picture of the two women for our files, but their cameras ought to fail somehow." "Will do." The photographers arrived just as the bags started out of the conveyor. The guys started to get their bags, but Briana and Cathan stepped in front of them to retrieve the bags. The five watched, awestruck, as the two women lifted each of their duffel bags gently off the carousal, setting them on the waiting cart. While they were doing it, the photographers started taking pictures. "We can do that," said Kurt. "Yes, we know you can, but you are our guests. Besides, these are light." Adam and Todd just rolled their eyes, as each bag weighed well over 60 pounds. Once the bags were loaded onto the cart, the photographers came over and introduced themselves as being from the local paper. They asked if they could get a group shot for the paper, and a little information about them. "I'm sure the guys would help you out," said Briana with a smile. "We will, if you send us copies of the photos," said Adam. "This way, we will have evidence to support our story when we get back to the unit. Otherwise, no one will believe how beautiful these two foxes are." The photographers nodded in agreement. They spent several minutes with the photographers, and then left for the waiting limousine. As they headed for the exit, there was a small commotion behind them. It seemed that the two women with cell phones had been so focused on the events that they walked into the stair railing, almost falling over it. Unfortunately, they dropped their cell phones over the railing. The phones fell some 30 feet, before bouncing off the concrete in pieces. The expressions on the two women's faces was one of relief, as they realized how close they came to joining their phones. Arriving at the business airport, the limousine drove up beside the aircraft, so the bags could easily be loaded. The soldiers and the two women made quick work of loading the aircraft. Briana then paid the limousine driver. She indicated they would consider using them again, provided everything remained confidential. The driver nodded, telling them it would not be a problem. His eyes showed his shock, as he realized how much money was in the envelope. They had just started to board the aircraft when the photographers arrived at the entrance ramp. The soldiers waved as they boarded the aircraft. Just after they entered the aircraft, Alison left flight operations and walked out to the aircraft. The soldiers watched as she walked out to the jet, and were wondering who she was. Alison entered the cabin, and said, "Hi, I'm Alison. We will be taking off in a few minutes, so just make yourselves comfortable." She turned and went up onto the flight deck. As she did, the cabin door closed. Briana and Cathan were chuckling over the looks on the guys faces as they sat down. The engines spun up, and, in moments, they were taxiing across the ramp. By the time the jet had started moving, Todd turned to Adam. "Okay, Adam, would you tell us why you've been holding out on us? We thought we were friends." Adam just shook his head. "I can truthfully say I haven't been holding out on anyone. But, I will say this, Mom and my sister would match them in beauty." "This is too much! Give me a break," said Kurt, and the others nodded. "He is right," said Briana. "You both knew my sister," said Adam, with a bit of moisture in his eyes. "Yes." They replied, not bothering to correct the tense, for now. Everyone turned to look out the window as the jet lifted off. All five of them loved to fly. To them, it was just as much fun as parachuting. The jet quickly rose and leveled off for the short, one hour, trip to the enclave. The shuttle began its descent toward the enclave, then leveled out at 1000 feet. "Out the left windows you can see the island where our enclave is located," said Maureen. "We will circle it a couple of times as we descend." Alison circled the island twice and then settled the shuttle down on the lawn near the house, in the usual spot. As soon as it touched down, the door opened, letting Nancy rush on board, launching herself at Adam. They hugged for several minutes, and Nancy's eyes were full of tears; tears of happiness. Once she quieted down, they stood. Adam introduced Nancy to his friends. They all managed to acknowledge the introduction, while they all realized they would never doubt Adam again. "Adam," said Sal, "I will never doubt you again. Your Mom is prettier than you claimed." Nancy blushed. "What did he say?" "He just said that his Mom and sister were as pretty or prettier than either Briana, Cathan or Alison. Although I don't think it is possible to be prettier than the four of you." Nancy just looked at Adam as he nodded, confirming the comment. She said, "Thank you, Sal," and leaned over and kissed him. Then she kissed Adam again. "Thanks." With that, they began to leave the aircraft, to greet those waiting outside. Adam introduced his friends to the others in Nancy's clan. Briana went up to Todd as he stood with the others, and said, "Todd, Leo, Sal, and Kurt, we would like to show you around the enclave, while Adam gets reacquainted with his family. They haven't seen one another in quite some time." "Yes, we know. He raves about his sister and his friends that lived at the estate with the family. Sometimes, the way he talks, it is almost as if they were still living. It must have been quite a shock." "We have arranged for your bags to be taken to your rooms. If you want, we can show you where those are first, so you can change, if you'd like." "I know I would like to put on some casual clothes," said Leo, as the others nodded in agreement. "What is the dress code?" asked Todd. "Adam said, he grew up in a clothing-optional environment." "Have any of you been to a nudist colony?" They all shook their heads, no. "Okay..." "Tell them the dress code and anything else you feel you need to," said Joyce. "Well, the enclave is a clothing-optional environment. We want you to dress in a way that is most comfortable for you. No one will pressure you to adopt our dress, or lack thereof." When they reached their quarters, Cathan said, "We will meet you by the corner in a few minutes. We want to change, as well." Briana and Cathan went to change into a wrap, as they felt it wasn't quite time to drop their covering. They did ask Donna to let everyone else know that the guests knew the enclave was clothing-optional. ------- Chapter 64 As Nancy and Bob walked with Adam to his quarters, they pointed out a number of aspects of the facilities. Once in his room, Adam said he was going to change out of his uniform, and asked if clothing was still optional. "Yes, it is," said Nancy. "Oh my, I need to tell the guys. None of them have ever been in a clothing-optional environment." "Briana and Cathan already have told them. In fact, Todd raised the question, as he apparently remembered some things you had said about home." "Yea, I did mention it some time ago. We were on this exercise. It was hotter than blazes... dripping sweat, I commented that it would be cooler without so many clothes. Then he said yea, right! So, I then told him about how we used to run around in the buff all the time at home. He looked at me a long time, then said okay. We never mentioned it again." "So, get changed. The girls are going to wear wraps for a while." "Okay." When he came back into the room, he was just wearing a pair of shorts and slip-ons. "Now you look more like my son," said Nancy. "It is so good to have you here with us." Adam looked at his mom and dad for a long time. "You two have changed, though not much. You both look much younger. Your hair is longer, and Dad, I would never have expected you to let your hair be that long. It's as long as Mom's." "Yes, there have been a few changes in us." With that, she let her wrap slip off. "Oh, my, you look more like Sarah now," Adam said, with a lurch in his voice. Slowly his expression changed. "They're all alive, aren't they?" Nancy's gasped. Bob said, "Yes, they are. They also look a little different than you remember." "Where's Joyce?" said Adam with tears in his eyes, as he realized his dreams were coming true. The door opened and Joyce rushed in, throwing her arms around him, pushing him back on to the couch, where she fell into his lap. The squeal of happiness was loud enough that everyone around the pool looked toward the sound. "My, this is the most wonderful surprise I have ever had," whispered Adam, as he held his sister. His eyes were filled with tears, as he again felt the comfort of his sister in his arms. They held each other tightly until he regained his composure. "Oh. Adam, I am so glad you are here." She pulled back. "You look so different, now." "I've put on a few pounds, and filled out some." He looked closer at her. "I think you have changed more than me, though. You are much bigger than I remember, and even prettier. Wait until the guys see you, they will be speechless! Your friends who met us already have them nearly speechless." "I'm sure they will find their tongues before long. Yes, I have changed. Do you want the story now or later?" "Well, how long will it take." "Hm... First; Sarah, Rusty, Sally, Terry, Janet, Jill and Judy are all here. We have formed a family, and you are an uncle." "What?" said Adam as he tried to grasp her comments. "Our family also includes the one of the pilots on the shuttle that brought you here and three others. We will meet all of them in a little bit, or as soon as you are ready." "Why didn't you tell me?" asked Adam, with some irritation showing in his voice. "Do you want me to be blunt?" "Yes." "First, I don't think you would have believed us, unless you saw some evidence first-hand. It is just so amazing how events over the last two years have evolved." As she stood, she said, "Come, we need to go talk to the rest of my family, and for you to meet the ones you don't know." "Holy cow, how tall are you?" asked Adam, as he realized how much taller she was than him. "We are a little over seven and half feet." "How? Why?" "That is why we need to go talk to the rest of the family. It will be better if we do it together. Nancy, Bob, Julia, Stan, Alice and Susan will be there, as well. Trust me." "Yes, always and forever, love." They went to the conference room, where the rest were waiting. Adam was shocked when he saw his friends again. He exchanged kisses and hugs with all the women. Joyce introduced him to Alison, Claudette, Erin, Aoife, Maeve and Tara, as they welcomed him to the enclave. He was shocked by the changes he saw in his friends, but was as happy to see them again as he was to see Joyce. Once everyone had settled down, they watched Adam as he carefully studied each of them, since they were still wearing their wraps. "Adam," began Joyce, "so many things have happened since we disappeared I am not sure where to start. Let's start with what happened right after we disappeared, and kind of take it chronologically, Okay?" Adam nodded. "It would probably be best if you hold off on questions, unless something isn't clear." Again Adam nodded his agreement. "First, you know how we always seemed to anticipate what the other was going to say or do?" "Yes, I think that is part of what made us so close." "I now think the reason we were able to do that is because of telepathy. All of us are now fully telepathic. Could I look at your mind, and see if you have the same ability?" Adam looked a bit uncertain. "You will sense me doing it. Just relax." "Adam, can you sense me." He nodded. "Ah, I see you have the telepathic attribute too. See this spot? If you focus on it, you can see where its energy flow is restricted. Now, tell your mind to increase the energy flow to this area, but do it slowly." Joyce watched as Adam slowly increased the energy flow to that area of his mind. Joyce could sense him straining to do it. "Guys, can you support me while I help Adam?" Joyce felt her spouses join her, as she focused her thoughts on helping her brother. Together they increased the energy, until she could see the other 'people objects' become more apparent in his mind. "Okay, let's stop at this level. Can you sense all of us now, as objects in your mind?" He nodded. "Okay. Now, to exchange thoughts, direct a thought to me, so we can see how you do." "This is interesting, but there seems to be a lot of noise now." "Yes. We will take care of that in a minute or two. Now, each of my spouses and our family will say hi to you so you can link an object with a person." Adam's face showed his amazement, as he sensed the thoughts from each of those in the room, and then responded to them. "Now for the noise." Joyce and Sarah then showed him how to limit his reception, and also firewall against unwanted intrusions. "Adam," said Judy, "it will take some time to become comfortable with telepathic thoughts. You will find that you can sense when someone new probes your mind. It is not acceptable, here, to do that, unless you have permission, or it is an emergency. Even then, we prefer using another approach, if possible." "Wow, I can understand that. How did you learn about all of this?" "Well, you probably remember that Sarah and Rusty were already telepathic before we were abducted. Terry and Sally also had moments of being able to see other's thoughts. Now, I think it is time to give you the details about how we came to be here. You can look at my thoughts as I am telling the story, if you want to." Joyce began the story of what happened to them at the estate when they were abducted. She told about waking up at the enclave with a very different body and an increased sense of everything around her and them. She assured him that the changes were very comfortable, and that she was now glad that they had occurred. She thought the way they all woke up, with those already awake present, assisted all of them in adapting, along with the fact that they had been semi-conscious when they did their exercises while recovering. At that point, she took off her wrap, to let him see how she had changed. As she dropped her wrap, the others also removed theirs. She waited while he studied her, and then Sarah, Sally and Rusty. When he looked at his mother and father, he said, "It looks like you have received the genetic virus treatments, as well." "Yes, we all have. We did so, in part, to address the exposure we had to whatever was given to Terry and Julia. It also has some excellent benefits for all of us." "I don't know what to say," said Adam. "One thing I will say, well maybe several. All of you are beautiful, and I can sense that all of you are very happy here and together. That, in itself, pleases me very much." "Well, we have more to tell you, as we have only covered the first six months," said Joyce. She then told of meeting Amy's clan, and all the implications of that. The invitation to their mother and father, along with their friends, to come to the enclave. She finally detailed each of the events up till recent times. By the time she finished, Adam looked overwhelmed. While Joyce was talking, Susan had brought in refreshments for everyone. They sat quietly, waiting for Adam to say something. "Let me see if I can summarize where we are now: My sister is part of a 14 member clan who are the command staff on a space ship. I am an uncle, with some 30+ nieces and nephews. Now, instead of having one sister I have 13, all of whom are foxes. I am now almost the smallest one in the family. This is one hell of a dream, but I don't want to wake up." Joyce hugged him tightly, "Adam, it's not a dream." "I know. We are in each other's arms again, and that, I know, is real. Joyce, it feels so wonderful to hold you again. All of this is still amazing. So, what does the ship look like?" "Star, please project the ship as we first saw it, and then time lapse it to today," "Yes." The mellow voice startled Adam, and his expression turned to amazement as the holographic display began to form. "Wow." Adam sat and watched the ship change from being an old relic into an active, well- maintained, ship. "You all have done an amazing job. When can I see it?" "Would tomorrow be okay? I think we need to clue your friends in," said Sarah. "We are thinking of giving them the same presentation we gave our new crew members, but with a different lead-in. The one caution we have is that, for the time being, we don't want to share any knowledge about our being here outside of our community." "I can understand your reasons. I know I will be careful, but I can't guarantee that the others will." "We know, but it is so easy to slip. Once the slip is made, it would be difficult to undo. What we have done with others who returned to earth society was to show them how to limit their ability to share their knowledge about us, outside of this community. This was accomplished by them placing the knowledge in a mind-vault, that was only accessible in certain circumstances. They then limited their telepathic ability, to allow it to only function when their security was actively threatened. By doing this, they would avoid drawing attention to themselves through showing or telling about their abilities or experiences. Note, this only effects their ability to share knowledge or use their telepathic ability, the memories are still there. As a part of those memories, there is a way for them to contact us, if they choose to. Their ability is still available to them for self-preservation and, in extreme cases, their full knowledge will return." "It is interesting that a person can actively do that, but, in a way, it is like some of our old memories, which lie dormant until an event causes us to remember. " "Yes, but we only encourage that because it seems to be the safest course for all of us. An alternative, for your friends, would be for us to arrange things so that they are excluded from learning about the details of our society. If we do that, it will make things very awkward around here, and possibly for you in the future." "Okay. I agree I think we ought to share it all with them. I suspect that some of them have begun to realize that our jet did not use a runway to land, as they are quite observant." Just then, the chime sounded, signaling dinner. "Let's go freshen up for dinner. Nancy, why don't you go with Adam? We will meet you in the dining room, after we let our milk down and freshen up." "Okay. Come on Bob," said Nancy, as she took Adam's hand, leading him out of the room. Adam walked between them, with his arms around both, as they walked quietly back to his room. When they reached his room, he said, "Come on in. Let's talk a bit, while we freshen up. By the way, have you seen Molly and her friends?" "No, not for a while. They were using the house at the estate occasionally, but we heard that they haven't been back very often since we have been here. We hear that they are all doing very well in school." "That's great. I take it the eight of them are still together?" "Yes, they are still renting the same house next to campus. We really need to stop by and see them, as they are probably wondering what happened to us." "You know, I can't believe I am uncle. What is this?", said Adam, pointing to the exercise bench. "It looks like some sort of exercise bench." "It is. Sit on it and we'll show you how it works, since we have time." "Okay." Adam sat down on the bench, then Bob showed him how to manipulate the controls and engage the muscle stimulator. Adam then ran through a series of exercises with it. He had only been working with it for only a short while before he was panting and wet with sweat. He then, slowly, came to a stop. "Wow, that really gives you a work out. It sure would be nice to have one closer." "Yes, they are very nice," said Bob. "You use it too?" "Yes, actually we all do." Nancy nodded her head, in agreement with Bob. "I take it you're including Joyce's spouses?" They nodded. "Oh, you mean everyone here! Now I understand how the women who met us handled our duffel bags so easily and look so fit." "Yes, that is part of it. The treatments we receive make both sexes physically more equal, without diminishing our characteristic differences. The exercise benches for women have provisions for us to let our milk down while we exercise." "You're lactating? But, I thought..." "No, I haven't had another child, although we may," said Nancy. "There are several side effects to the genetic treatments, which incorporate this race's characteristics in us. I guess you missed the significance of it when Joyce was talking." "There was a lot of information." "Yes, there was. You noticed the difference in our hair, and the addition of the mane. Along with that, each of us now has a tail, although for some of us it is not as long as Joyce's spouses. All of the women begin to lactate as soon as they reach puberty, and can continue as long as they want to. Many continue for a long time, as they use the milk for themselves, as well as for feeding their babies. This is because the woman's body adds some desirable nutrients to the milk, which are beneficial to everyone, regardless of age. Our ankles have changed so that we naturally stand on the balls of our feet, which is not aways apparent, because we quite often wear a high-heeled shoe. The shoes, while not necessary, make it easier to stand in one place for an extended length of time. Our vision is more sensitive and acute, as are some of our other senses. Telepathy is strengthened as well, because it is a critical part of being a crew member on the ship." "Okay, I remember it now, I guess it didn't really register. So, if you're lactating, do you need to let your milk down before dinner?" "I could, but I don't have to. That is another difference in my renewed body, as my breasts will only get so full, whereas previously, when you and Joyce were babies, it was very painful if you didn't nurse every 3 hours or so." "It is sweeter now than before," said Bob, grinning. Adam looked at Bob, and also grinned. "Adam," said Nancy, "would you like to taste?" Adam blushed, then said, "Yes, I think I would like that." Adam sat up on the exercise bench, as Nancy stepped toward him. His mouth was at just the right height to capture a nipple in his mouth. A gentle pull on her nipple and his mouth began to fill with her milk. His emotions were reflected on his face. Bob said, "You're not getting it all," as he sat down beside Adam, to suckle Nancy's other nipple. Adam stopped for a moment, and pulled back and watched the beads of milk form on Nancy's nipple. "Dad, you're right. It is the sweetest milk I have ever tasted. By the odor, I think it turns Mom on for us to suckle her breasts." Bob nodded his agreement. "It does," said Nancy, "as it feels very good." After a short while, Nancy said, "Guys, as much as I like this, we need to get ready for dinner," as she stroked their heads. "Come on, let's take a shower and go to dinner. The others will be waiting for us." "Yes, hurry up Adam, or you will be late for dinner," said Joyce, startling Adam and almost causing him to bite Nancy's nipple. "Hey, leave your brother alone. I was enjoying his attention. You almost caused him to bite me." "Sorry, Mom. I couldn't resist when I just looked and saw him enjoying your milk. It is good." "Is it always like this?" said Adam, his face showing amazement at hearing Joyce's comments. "Not usually. We can share conversations over some distance and include others in it. We usually announce our presence before saying something. Come on, let's shower." ------- By the time Nancy, Adam and Bob arrived in the dining room, nearly everyone else was there. Briana had already introduced them to Joyce and her spouses. When Adam's friends saw Adam, they came right over to him. Adam could see the questions forming in their minds while they came toward him. He knew they had noticed a number of things that were different, but at the same time they weren't upset or dismissive of their surroundings. "Adam," said Todd, "we've noticed several things that puzzle us, and they have triggered our curiosity." The other three nodded in agreement. "Good, I'm glad, because I am not sure I would want to be in the field with you all if you didn't." "Okay, smart ass," said Kurt, "what gives?" Joyce spoke before Adam could respond, saying, "Guys, I'm Joyce, Adam's sister." "Wow," chimed all four of them. "We can tell you everything, or we can answer only the questions you ask. Please listen to my next comment very carefully, along with its implications." She sensed their senses sharpen. "If we tell you everything about us, then we will need you to limit your ability to share that knowledge once you leave here. Adam has already crossed that bridge, because, as my brother, he would do nothing to put me in danger. If you will indicate your agreement to the limitation, I will tell you why. Okay?" The group watched Adam's friends, as they sorted through what they had seen and sensed from their escorts. They looked around at each of Adam's family and Joyce's spouses, as well as their escorts. It was quite a crowd, but it was probably the most comfortable they had ever felt. It took only minutes before they all came to the same conclusion. After looking at each other, they nodded to Todd, making him the spokesperson. "Okay, we're in," said Todd, as the others nodded. "We would definitely like to know all of you better, much better." "We are a little different and have some unique abilities. If our abilities were known outside of here, we feel it would put us at great risk. We need you to limit your ability to share what you see and learn here with others. This is really for your safety, and also, to an extent, ours. If you share what you learn, you most likely won't be believed, and if you are believed, you would not like the scrutiny." Adam nodded, his head in agreement with Joyce's comment. "Based on what we have observed so far, and what we suspect," said Todd, "I think all of us agree with the need, even without going any further. All of us noticed that our 'jet' did not need a landing strip here, but did when we left the airport. Just seeing that, it would be hard for us not to slip at sometime and talk about it." The others nodded their heads, in agreement with Todd. "Guys, we are very pleased to have you here," said Sarah. "Your agreement will make it much easier for the all of us to relax while you are here and enjoy each other's company." "Over dinner, we will give you the same presentation we gave prospective additions to our group," said Erin, "when we introduced ourselves and invited them to visit us. Then, after dinner, we plan on showing you several presentations we made to the prospective additions as they arrived here. The presentations will tell you about the background of our ship, a history of the society and race that built the ship, and some differences between our two races. The presentations are very candid, as you will see. After the presentations, there are a few things stated in the presentations we need to correct, then we will answer any question you have." "Cool. It seems I can sense what you are telling me, or am I ready to be committed," asked Todd. "That is probably because you have some telepathic ability," said Sally. "You have probably noticed it before, and ascribed it to intuition or sixth sense." "Yes, we've noticed that about both him and Adam," said Kurt. "It saved our asses in training several times." He blushed, as he realized what he said. The others laughed, but nodded their heads in agreement. "All of you have telepathic ability," said Terry. "It's just that Adam and Todd are a bit stronger naturally." "You're kidding," they chorused. "Not in the least. We can talk about it some more, after you see the presentations," said Joyce. "Briana and Cathan, we would like you and your friends to join us this evening. Besides, I think some of the guys don't want to let you out of their sight." "They are a very pleasing sight," quickly responded Adam's friends. The women quickly kissed them on the cheek, by way of thank you. "Come, let's eat, before there is nothing left for us," said Tara. With that, they made their way to join the others in the buffet line. Briana, Cathan and their friends made sure that each of Adam's friends had everything they wanted. Joyce looked at her spouses, and rolled her eyes in response to the attention the men were getting. Her family was pleased to see the two groups taking good care of their visitors. As they moved to sit down, Briana and Cass quickly moved to sit on each side of Adam. "What's this?" said Joyce, with a smile on her face. "Yeesh, I can't even sit next to my brother." "You had him all afternoon," they said, "now it's our turn to keep him company." "Well, I can't think of anyone better to keep him company." "Come on," said Todd, "tell us the story. I am anxious to hear about your race and space ship." "So you figured it out," said Erin. "Yes, I think we all did, to some extent." As they ate dinner, Claudette and Erin shared with them the presentations they had made to the groups of college graduates, when they were seeking additional crew members. When they began talking about the space ship, they had Donna place a small holographic display on the center of the table. As they spoke softly, they also projected their thoughts, so Adam's friends heard them, as well as sensed their comments. None of Adam's friends realized that they could understand Claudette and Erin so well because they were telepathically sensing their thoughts. Claudette and Erin finished their story just as they were all finishing dinner. Adam's friends had listened, spell-bound, to the presentation. They had a number of questions about the ship, and what their long-term plans were. Erin told them that they were now focusing on restoring the ship, and building a settlement on Mars. Building the Mars settlement had progressed for enough so that a number of the crew had moved there. "Why build a settlement on Mars? It always struck me as quite hostile," said Leo. "Leo," said Tara, "we don't consider it any more hostile than space. We need the natural resources for materials to refit the ship and other things, since we don't expect to be well received by the governments on earth." "I think," said Kurt, "you have earth's response pegged correctly. I can think of only a handful of modern stories that looked on people from other solar systems in a friendly manner. It was not without apprehension that I, or we, agreed to the idea of blocking our ability to share what we know about all of you. I now have absolutely no reservations. It is probably the smartest thing we have done, with regard to this visit. I suspect that if Adam knew what he would find when he saw his family, he would not have been so quick to invite us along." "Yes and no," said Adam. "I would have definitely talked to Nancy's and Sarah's clan before I extended the invitation. Now, I am really glad you, all of you, were able to come with me, as now I will have someone with me who knows, besides me, when we go back." "Let's go see these presentations," said Todd, his eagerness clearly apparent. They gathered up their dishes and took them to be cleaned. As they turned to leave, Kurt saw Edana and Christina walking toward them and stopped suddenly. The three had seen each other at the same time, and their eyes connected. The three then moved slowly toward each other, as if in a trance. Reaching one another, they grasped hands and stood starring at each other. "Looks like cupid has struck again," giggled Sally, as her memories of Rusty and Sarah first meeting flowed through her mind. Her spouses saw her thoughts and just smiled, as they agreed with her observation. They were distracted when they heard several screams. Turning to look, they saw Darcy and Brid wrap their arms around Leo. "My god," they exclaimed, "you're finally here." Leo had a puzzled look on his face, until he was able to get a good look at the two women. When he did, his face lit up in a smile, before they gathered together hugging one another. The comfort of being together was clearly evident on their faces. "Let me take that back. I think," said Sally, "he has struck twice." "Sal, you look like you feel left out," said Caoilinn, as she stepped on one side of him, putting her arm around his waist. Sal turned to look at her just as Abbie stepped to his other side, surprising him. "I was wondering if I would ever meet you two," said Sal to the two women. They each gave the other a kiss and a hug. "But..." "I am Caoilinn and this is Abbie. I think we have shared many dreams, along with a few others." "Yes." "Mind if we go with you to the presentations," asked Caoilinn. "Not at all. Afterwards, I would like us to spend sometime together." After a few moments, the three men turned toward the others with their new, but old, friends tightly at their sides. "I presume there is no problem with Edana and Christina joining us," asked Kurt. "Definitely not," said Rusty. "Ladies, you may want to ask the rest of your groups to join you." "Oh, they are on their way," chorused the women. "We think they knew as soon as we saw these three." The six giggled, as they realized they were speaking together. "Donna, would you make sure the conference room will handle this growing group?" said Erin. "Not a problem, as I have been watching it develop," she responded. "By the time you get there, the bots will have everything in place. The shuttle with the others will be here shortly after you get to the conference room. That is, if they don't break something in their hurry to get here." Donna's comment prompted Sarah's clan to join together, forming eSarah. The others in the group were, surprised at the changes they saw take place in Sarah's clan. "Sarah's clan, wait," said Donna, "my comment was tongue-in-cheek. Everything is fine." Sarah's clan relaxed upon hearing Donna's comment. They were a bit surprised by the looks those around them had on their faces, they then realized that none of them had seen the transition before. "We didn't realize," said Sarah's clan, "that Donna's comment was in jest, so we had begun to respond to a perceived emergency. We are a bit edgy, due to some other concerns at the moment. We're sorry if we caused you to worry." "An interesting transition," said Todd, as the others all nodded. Then he perceptively added, "I would not want to be on the receiving end if you were angry, but at the same time, I find it encouraging to know what might happen if your actions were in support of me." As they arrived at the conference room, the other women from the ship arrived, along with Maureen and Siobhan. It took several minutes for everyone to be introduced. Adam, Todd, Leo, Kurt and Sal were quickly surrounded by the respective groups of women, as they found places to sit. "I wonder how many more surprises we will have this evening," said Sarah, as she stood in front of the room. "We are going to show the first two presentations made to prospective crew members, and then the most recent, as it corrects some misunderstandings we had earlier. Gentlemen, everyone else has seen these presentations at least once, and possibly has been a part of them. We would like to save any questions until the end, as we think most of the questions will be answered as we move through them. Okay?" With that, Donna started the presentations, using the holographic projectors. As the presentations finished, several from Sarah's clan stood. "We would like all of you to let our autodocs check you over tomorrow," they said, speaking as one. "It won't take very long, and then the doctors can advise you about what they find. At the same time, if you want to, they can assist you with enabling your telepathic ability." "So now, any questions?" they said with a smile. Just then, "Command staff, you should make your way to the ship quickly," said Star in an unusually firm voice. Alison looked quickly around then said, "Briana, Cass, we have just been requested to return to the ship. We would like you to handle their questions? Don't worry, Donna and Nancy's clan can assist you, if need be." "I guess," said Briana, clearly nervous, and wondering why they had asked her. Then Alison's comments registered, as she saw Sarah's clan was leaving the room. Tara paused, "Sorry to run, but Adam, you and your friends are in good hands." She quickly made her way out of the room, breaking into a dead run to catch up to her clan. As soon as she entered their shuttle, the door closed. Several around the swimming pools saw the commotion, and were surprised to see Sarah's clan running toward the shuttle. As soon as the door closed, it disappeared. ------- As the shuttle sped toward the ship, the intelligence section briefed the command staff on their observations, and the surprising connections they had uncovered. The employers of Madeline, Ursula, Marsha and Jan, while pretending to be fierce competitors, were really good friends, and had many common interests. Both companies supplied software that maintained relational databases. The particular databases they maintained were ones containing personal identity information. It was from the databases they maintained that personal data had disappeared, effectively removing any signs of a person's existence. After some study, the intelligence section had found that, in the cases they studied, the intrusions were all done in the same way. The database tampering piggy-backed onto the software maintenance routines. As the maintenance routine ran, an additional set of instructions were inserted through a back door to the system, making unrecorded changes to targeted records. The records of the missing weren't deleted, but were simply flagged to indicate the data was corrupt, so that any search of the database would always skip over the flagged data. The Intelligence department said, "We have gone through their records, and found the locations where they have installed their software with a maintenance port. Their system does a routine access once a week. Our programmers have developed a piece of code that we can apply through their trap door, which will thwart them in tagging the records. We want to apply it on the next cycle, at the beginning of the intrusion attempt. This will prevent further alteration of the database. Surprisingly, they don't do an audit on their changes, so there isn't any confirmation on the changes. The only way to check would be by querying the database normally for one of the missing records. We wanted your approval before we move forward." "Do it. Star's request for us to return sounded much more dramatic. Will it restore the missing identities? And are you going to test the results?" "It is. This is just one piece. But first, to answer your questions, our first step will stop the marking of identities as bad data. We will test that immediately by doing a query for the names scheduled to be blocked. Our second step is to remove the special bad data flag. Once this is in place, we expect the identities to be restored and will test it. Also, we want to put two security teams on alert at the enclaves immediately." "Put the teams on alert; meanwhile tell us what's up." The command staff was getting edgy, but wanted to let the crew work through presenting the issues. "Early this week, both Madeline and Ursula's groups turned in their resignations to their employers. That in itself seemed to have caused little reaction initially, or at least that's what we thought, until we noticed an increase in calls between the two companies owners. These were all on private and secure lines. It took us some time to figure out how to access them, without tripping their detection systems. One of the owners is quite paranoid about security. Because of the delay, we only heard the last few conversations. These indicated they have something planned for this weekend which involves the eight women. It is supposed to take place at Ursula's employer's house, which is on a very, high-tech, secluded estate." "Okay. What have been your responses?" "We have just started placing drones inside the estate, but we are not sure we will be able to communicate with them once they are inside. The security measures are very unusual, for a home." "That could be the case, but check from directly overhead, most people don't consider that when they seek to block eavesdropping," said Rusty. "We are hoping that to be the case, but we will only know once the drones are in place. A dream was pushed toward the journalists about these two companies, and their possible involvement several days ago. They took the information to the US Attorney, Jame MacFarland and his investigator, Clarence O'Toole. They were interested, and said they would look into it. Unfortunately, there weren't very many hard facts in the dreams." "We haven't been able to determine a way to get inside either office without tripping one of their many security devices. The event on the freighter came back to us when we were discussing options this afternoon. We feel we need to get inside their offices, to see what they have planned for this weekend. This will give us time to alert the journalists, and, hopefully, the US Attorney's office, so they can rescue the women from whatever is planned, if something is." "Have you said anything to the women?" "No. All we have is some instinct, or perception, of what could happen. Maybe we are being too cautious. Oh, one other thing; both groups have been invited to have lunch tomorrow with their respective company president. This was presented as a going away luncheon. Both presidents have canceled all afternoon appointments. The other odd thing about the two office buildings, is that they have what is apparently an unoccupied top floor, which can only be reached through a secure door in the garage and one in the president's office." The shuttle entered the hanger on the ship and settled into its station. As soon as the door opened, the command staff hurried toward the bridge, hardly acknowledging those they passed. Several key crew members saw them arrive and quickly move toward the bridge. They knew two security teams were being assembled at the enclave in tactical suits, and that backup teams had been placed on stand-by. Putting the events together and consulting with Star, including their respective AIs, they initiated raising their readiness level two notches. The level change immediately caused a series of tones to sound throughout the ship. The power management group started raising the power level on the propulsion system. Off duty crew hurried to assist the construction crews to stow loose items, and to secure active projects, if they couldn't quickly complete them. The crews of the star fighters went to ready their craft, just in case they were needed. As Sarah's clan walked onto the bridge, they noticed the monitors indicating the change in status, significantly raising the level of readiness. "Star, tell the crew that we don't expect to move from our orbit. We should hold the new readiness level and be ready to move. We do appreciate their anticipation, and it is good practice." "They heard you, as I relayed the comment." "Thank you." They stepped to the pillar and grasped the ring. This time, there was no walk, as they moved directly to the platform in the chamber. As soon as their ring formed, eSarah emerged. She quickly rescanned all the intelligence data they had just reviewed. Command Staff projected eSarah to outside the building of Madeline's employer. After a moment surveying the surroundings, she passed through the front door slowly, looking carefully around the offices, as she made her way through the building. eSarah went directly to the president's office, where she found four sets of documents on his desk with their friend's name on them. Scanning them quickly, she discovered they were lifetime contracts for each of the women. In them, they agreed to be personal assistants to the president, and gave him an irrevocable life-long power of attorney, which effectively made them his property, with no recourse. The power of attorney also gave him the power to transfer the responsibility as he chose, which effectively made them his property. The clan's anger rose quite quickly, and then resolve set-in. It wasn't clear how he was going to get the four of them to sign such a document, but it was cleverly worded so that much of the intent was hidden. None of the women had any family members left who would have the standing to contest such a document. Further searching of the president's office yielded a vault-like room, which contained several locking cabinets. She was surprised there wasn't any monitoring equipment inside the room. In the cabinets, she found them divided into sections. In each section were similar power of attorneys, with photos of nude women. In each section, were several DVD's, labeled with the womens names on the power of attorney documents, along with a number of nude pictures showing each woman posing alone and with others in the group. Most groups seemed to be of four women. One of the first groups she saw in the cabinet was of his current assistant and 3 other women. This section had quite a few more DVD's in it than the others. The jackets all contained the same names, but the dates were spread over several years. In the other cabinets, she found a collection of DVD's with titles and names on the jackets. The background of the jacket was a picture showing four women in suggestive costumes. Quite a few had the name of his current assistant on the package, along with four other names. She recognized some of these names from the other groups she had found in the other cabinet. A quick sort through one compartment showed that there were multiple copies of the DVD's in this cabinet. She teleported a selection of the files to the ship, so they could make a copy, and also sent several of the DVD's. Each item was quickly returned, so the original was in its original place when she left. In the last cabinet, eSarah found a selection of drugs and health supplements. Hanging on the door were the dosages for each of the drugs, along with treatment sequences. eSarah noted all the contents and instructions for further study. She closed the cabinet with some apprehension but everything in the cabinet looked to be for continued treatment. Nothing in the cabinet indicated it was used for starting a treatment. She checked to make sure she had not disturbed anything before leaving. Moving out into the main office, she found the elevator and a stairwell. She projected herself up the stairs and through the door at the top. She was surprised, as it was laid out as a large apartment. There were six bedrooms, a kitchenette, a large living room and several other rooms. The center piece in the living room was a large cushioned platform much like a bed. She looked around each of the rooms. All of them looked to be well maintained. As she turned to leave, a reflection caught her eye. Going over to look more closely at the bed, she found binding points for restraints. She went to each of the other bedrooms and found those beds were the same. In one bedroom, a nude woman was sleeping. eSarah recognized her as Larry's personal assistant. The woman appeared to be dreaming, thought eSarah, as she moved around on the bed. Her face showed many different expressions during the few moments eSarah was there. Some of the dreams seemed to be erotic, from the way she moved her hands and the smell of her arousal. eSarah decided not to disturb her dreams and left. One of the other rooms was fitted out as a dungeon. The wall was lined with many implements that could be used to torment and create agony in the victim. It was in the adjoining room where they found a sight which shocked them so much they almost lost control of eSarah. After calming their anger, she looked closer. After a few moments, she recognized the three women. They were three of the women in the file downstairs, in the section with Larry's current personal assistant. The three women were laying on reclining beds. They had no legs. Their bodies ended at their crotch, with short pins apparently extending from their hip joint. The pins were locked into fittings on the end of the bed. It was apparent that they lay there nearly all the time, as a catheter was connected to a tube, which, apparently, was connected to their ass in some way. All three women were very pregnant, perhaps only a few weeks from delivering. She noticed that their hands were missing, when one of them moved their arm. A feeding tube, fitted with a large nipple, hung near their heads, within reach of their arm. Short steel pins in their legs attached to a pivot, which seemed to imply that the women could raise themselves up to stand periodically. They were, apparently, lactating, from the way their breasts were shaped and their nipples swollen. She thought about looking into their minds, but decided not to at this time. She eased back out of the room. She started to leave, and then realized that these assholes were not above booby-trapping this building, with the objective of destroying everything inside. With that in mind, a careful search was made of the building, looking for destructive devices or oddly placed equipment. She found many, and altered all of them so that the devices would not function as intended when tripped. Some of the devices were simply alarm sensors, while others would have started a series of events that destroyed the building. Star teleported her a half dozen drones and placed them in critical parts of the building. eSarah thought to herself, "I really don't like letting Madeline's group walk into this trap. The conference room isn't really large enough to consider having a security team in there during the luncheon, in stealth mode." eSarah then eased out of the building and went to Ursula's employer. The search went quicker, as she quickly found very similar arrangements between this company and the other, with only minor differences. At this location, she found only two women living in the top floor apartment, but it had accommodations for quite a few more. The sleeping women appeared to be very tall. Their hair was so closely cropped that it was almost nonexistent. Their breasts were very large, and the swollen nipples indicated they were lactating. Both were fitted with collars, wrist and ankle cuffs, which looked to be permanently fastened. Their labia were large, and were fitted with several rings, along with a bar through their large clits. She peeked at their thoughts as they slept. She could see both were sleeping lightly, as they were worried about the president's comment today. He had told them today that their work load would be easing up in a few days. It was supposed to be easier work, as they would now be in charge of the new company sluts. The new sluts would be the sexual playthings for the employees, like they now had to do. Being sex toys wasn't too difficult, as their bodies had been modified so they were always ready to respond when another of the company's star performers came up to use their bodies for their sexual satisfaction. The draining part was constantly putting the emotional effort into making them happy. Some of the customers were the worst: demanding, mean, and rough. They had seen what happened when the president was told of a sluts poor performance. Tears ran down their cheeks, as they remembered others who use to be with them. eSarah felt sad for them and thought about giving them some reassurance, but decided it wouldn't be wise now. She placed drones in this office building, and altered the destructive mechanisms to be ineffective before returning to the ship. The clan breathed a sigh of relief as eSarah returned. Even here in the ship's chamber, it was taxing to maintain eSarah's presence, and to also be aware of everything around her in the remote location. "I hope we didn't miss any destructive devices," said Alison. Her spouses all nodded their heads, in agreement. "Intelligence department, did you see what eSarah found at the companies," they asked. "Yes. A number of us are ready to do something now. No, make that all of us. We were amazed eSarah was able to maintain her focus." "It wasn't easy. One critical part was remembering that old adage "revenge is best served cold." Also, it helped to keep in mind our effort to have the US Attorney's office take care of this cancer." "Why would they have so many of the same DVD's in the cabinet?" "Either Larry is using them for gifts or, possibly, selling them," said Terry. "They would be easy to sell over the Internet, or through a mail order house." Together, they decided to give the journalists different, but overlapping, dreams, narrated by Sarah, Aoife, Maeve and Joyce. Alison would plant an idea in the US Attorney's mind about one possible way the records could be made to appear nonexistent. Sally would touch Clarence's mind while the journalists were in his office, with the urge to follow up on their information, even though he had doubts. "Guys, we need to get some rest, as tomorrow could be a long day." ------- Adam and Todd were surprised when Briana and Cathan suddenly told them they had to leave. They explained to the group that they were part of the security team, which had been asked to prepare for immediate departure. Nancy, Julia and their new friends told them they would look after them. "Can we help?" asked Adam. "Yes, by keeping me in your thoughts," they each said. "We know you can probably mind-link with us, but please be careful not to distract us." They looked puzzled. "You will know why, if you do it." The guys watched six of the women leave. "They will be fine," said Cass, loud enough for everyone to hear. Both Edana and Darcy nodded their heads, in agreement. With that, the conversation returned to answering questions raised by the presentations. ------- Chapter 65 At daybreak, Aoife and Sally projected themselves into Madeline's apartment. They waited for them in the living room. Terry and Alison projected themselves into Ursula's apartment, at the same time. Both Madeline and Ursula's groups while shocked to find the women waiting in their living rooms but were pleased to see them again. After greeting Madeline and the others, Aoife and Sally told them why they were there. Madeline's group indicated they knew about having lunch with the president. Aoife and Sally told them that, based on the information they had found, that they would likely be kept in the building the rest of the day. At the end of the day, it appeared the plans were to take them to an estate for at least the evening and perhaps the weekend. The women were assured that a security team would be nearby, and that every effort would be made to keep them from harm. The ladies were told that they could go to the enclave now, rather than risk going to work. It was hoped that, by their going to work, and letting events naturally unfold, the actions of the company principals might yield sufficient information to help the US Attorney with his investigation. All the women immediately agreed, but were clearly concerned. The experience Terry and Allison had at Ursula's group's apartment was nearly the same as occurred with Aoife and Sally at Madeline's. Ursula's group was a bit more tempted to just go to the enclave, but after thinking about it some knew that the security team would come to their aid, if needed. The biggest risk related to any drugs or drug treatments they might be given. Permission was asked for Sarah's clan to mind-link with them, from the time they left their apartment until they were safe, later, at the enclave. They were told that thoughts would not be sent to them, if Sarah's clan felt that it would be a distraction. The mind-link would not be continuous, but they would, nonetheless, be monitored nearly continuously. They ate breakfast together, and talked about their last day in the office, along with their plans for the future. The four from Sarah's clan stayed until all the women had left for work. After they left, the bots were instructed to prepare the group's belongings, so they could be moved to the enclave. They would shortly have help, in moving the women's possessions to the enclave. Donna was going to teleport the items to their new quarters. ------- When Madeline's group arrived at work, the receptionist reminded them that they were to have lunch with the president at 1 PM in his conference room. They were to have all of their items packed by that time, since they would not be going back to their offices after lunch. The group indicated that they would be ready, and quietly went to their offices, feeling a bit uneasy. The receptionist watched them as they walked away, while she licked her lips and rubbed her crotch. She could tell that her slit was wet, since she was anticipating having her way with the new company sluts. Ursula's group had exactly the same experience when they arrived in their office. Ursula and Marsha noticed some of the guys and women glancing at them and smirking. Several times, they were patted on the ass as they walked past someone. One woman made it very obvious that she was staring at their tits whenever they saw her. All in all, the morning was quite unsettling for them, since they had believed that some of these people were their friends. They were not surprised, but disappointed that none of them asked about where they were going, or made any effort to say goodbye. Madeline's group met at the elevator for the ride up to the 3rd floor, where the president's office was located. They had only been on this floor once before, but this time it felt different. Everyone watched them, as they walked down the hall. They could sense the leering looks. They felt as if they were on display as many were obviously checking out their bodies. Several women even patted their asses as they walked by, or brushed past, rubbing their breasts. It was very disconcerting for them, but they chose not to make an issue of it, since this was their last day. Elsa, the president's assistant, stood up as they arrived. Jan thought Elsa always looked uneasy, even when she smiled. She was always well dressed, but often bordered on being provocative. Today was one of her more provocative days. She was wearing a short full skirt that barely covered the tops of her stockings. The top consisted of two deeply pleated triangular panels, which covered her tits while accentuating them. The panels fastened to the waistband of the dress leaving her back bare, and the top tied to each side of the ring she always wore around her neck. When she stepped around the desk, they could see she was wearing open-toed 6 inch heels with locking straps. Jan thought "nice bod", as she watched Elsa's tits roll with her movements. Elsa led them into the president's conference room. Jan watched her hips sway, as they followed her into the conference room. The table was already set for six. Elsa told them to have a seat and the president would be with them in a few minutes. She gave each of them a fruit drink to sip while they waited. They quietly sipped on the drink, while they relaxed and waited. All were amazed at how refreshed they felt after consuming only half a glass. They had just emptied their glasses when Elsa came back into the room. Madeline immediately noticed that she had changed clothes. Elsa was now wearing a light thin blouse with a low neckline exposing much of her tits. The blouse hung loosely at her waist while her skirt barely reached her crotch. It was evident that she wasn't wearing a bra, as her nipples were clearly visible through the thin cloth. Her breasts swayed as she moved. She refilled their glasses with more fruit drink, and took one for herself. As she served them, Elsa had pressed her tits against each as she refilled their glasses. Each time she bent over, her skirt pulled up, showing her bare slit and ass. Her nipples had swollen as she moved around filling glasses and brushing against them. When she leaned over, the neckline of the blouse drooped down completely displaying her tits. As Elsa walked back to the serving area she ran her fingers lightly along Madeline's shoulders. "Elsa," said Madeline, "after lunch if you're not busy, perhaps we could have a drink together at our place." She licked her lips in a suggestive manner. "I think we would all like to know you better." Elsa started to respond, but Larry entered the room. "Well, good afternoon ladies," said Larry, the president, as he came into the room. "My apologies for keeping you ladies waiting, as a couple of last minute issues came up, just as you arrived." Elsa smiled at his comment, knowing he waited to let the drug in the drink take effect. "First, let's eat, then we can talk about your future. I hope you enjoyed the fruit drink, as it is very refreshing, and helps one relax." "Yes, it is," said Madeline. "I think we all have had several glasses." He smiled at Elsa. "Could we have the recipe?" "I am sure we can arrange that but let's talk about that later. There is plenty so you can have all you want with lunch." During lunch, they talked about the recent conference, and some of the customers who had attended. While they talked, every time one of them emptied their glass of fruit drink, Elsa made sure to refill their glass. Each time she did she continued to touch or press her tits against them. When lunch was finished, Elsa quickly removed the dishes from the table and wiped it down. "Elsa," said Larry, "it looks like you have gotten something on your blouse so just take it off." Elsa hesitated. "Off with it! You've been teasing all of us long enough." Elsa quickly unbuttoned her blouse and took it off, folding it before laying it on the counter next to the dishes. Madeline's group was a bit shocked but not surprised. "She does have nice tits, doesn't she ladies. Now, ladies let's talk about your future." Madeline started to speak, but he held up his hands, stopping her, and said, "First, I will tell you our counter-offer. We do not like to lose good people, as the four of you are. So, we are certain you will accept our counter-offer and stay with us. We have been thinking of making you this offer for some time. Your actions after the conference almost caused us to withdraw it. The four of you staying to socialize with those sluts from our competitor was something all of you should be fired for doing. I was then saddened to receive the surveillance reports of your conversations together. It is not wise to plan starting a new business with the staff from a competing company. This GISS you claim to be joining is a sham." Jan started to object, she but was cut off. "Just wait until I finish, bitch! We have video and tape of your conversations plotting with the sluts from our competitor. As I mentioned earlier, we don't like to lose any employees, so, rather than call the police, we have prepared new contracts here for you to sign. All you need to do is sign the contracts, to accept your new positions as assistants to the president. Elsa, give each of them a pen, so they can sign now." Elsa moved quickly to give each of them a pen. "Initial each page, then sign the contract, NOW, ladies." The women felt compelled to quickly thumb through the contract, initialing each page as they went, and then sign it. As soon as they finished, Larry and Elsa both signed them. Madeline noticed, as she handed hers to Larry, that the notary seal was already there. While they concentrated on signing their contracts, Sarah's clan had coached the women in Madeline's group. The group was shown how to lessen the effect of the drug in the fruit drink enough so the drug would not interfere with their mind-link. Sarah's clan knew that Larry was recording the events in the room, and that several others were watching the events in the conference from their offices. He told Elsa to file the contracts. "Now ladies, your new title is: "Assistant to the President". As such everyone will address you as 'Slut' followed by your first name. Understand, sluts?" They all nodded. Their minds were in wild turmoil but outwardly calm. The effect of the drug was that they accepted what they were told, even though what they really wanted was to tell him off. "I think it is time for you to dress in attire more suitable to being our company sluts." Jan opened her mouth to object, but Sarah pushed a thought to her to relax. Just then, Elsa returned naked, but wearing only her collar and heels, and carrying four packages. Madeline thought, "Nice body! Although her breasts were a little large, her nipples were swollen and wet." Madeline was surprised as she felt nipples stiffen at the site of Elsa. "As I said, sluts, you are all overdressed. Now, one at a time, each of you sluts will stand and slowly remove your clothes. You will first remove your blouse, then your skirt, then your bra and last your panties. After removing each item, you will neatly fold them and lay them on the table. Understand, sluts?" They all nodded their acceptance as told too. "We do not tolerate any mistakes by sluts. None at all. For each and every infraction, you will be punished. We have a nice sound proof room where you can scream as loud as you want. It has a rack, stocks, a whipping post and several other means to punish you." The women were shocked by his instructions and shuddered at the thought of feeling the pain of the whip again. Sarah's clan sent them thoughts of reassurance as their minds recalled the times on the freighter where they were abused. "Slut Jan, you are first." Jan stood and slowly undressed. She carefully folded her clothes and stacked them on the table with her purse and shoes. She started to sit down. "Did I tell you to sit down, slut?" She shook her head no. "As company sluts, you will only do what you are told to do. Now either answer me, or we will fix it so you never need to speak again." "No, sir," said Jan. "So, continue standing, Slut Jan. Spread your legs, like a good slut. Sluts don't hide their attributes. You will stand to show off your cunt. Let everyone see you cunt lips swollen with arousal. Your customers need to clearly see your labia swollen with arousal, begging to be fucked. Understand, slut?" She nodded. "Speak bitch, you've had one warning. There will not be another." "Yes, sir, I understand," said Jan, shaking a bit. She pushed a thought to Larry, suggesting he describe how he would take their voice. "Caress your nipples. slut. Make them hard." As she caressed and tugged on her nipples, they quickly hardened, and she felt her cunt moisten. "You will look much more desirable once your tits are a decent size, swollen with milk, with the milk dripping from your nipples." Too afraid to say anything, Jan said, "I would like larger tits, sir." "Good. The will soon be considerably larger. Now run your fingers through you slit. Is it wet?" "Yes, sir." "Good, a slut should always be wet. Lick your fingers clean, then stand there, while your slut friends display themselves. Better yet, stroke your slit while you watch your slut friends strip." Sarah's clan helped calm her anger, and kept her from letting it show. With a little prompting, they also got her to smile while she stroked her slit. "I see you've learned to answer. It would have diminished your value if we had to give you a tracheotomy. Most of your customers like to be able to talk with the person they are using. You know what a tracheotomy does?" "I think so, sir." "Let's make sure you know. A slut who continues to not answer questions is usually relieved of her speaking ability, with a tracheotomy. It will be done while you are tied down and being fucked. A slit will be cut in your neck and trachea right above your collar bone. A tube will then be slid through the hole and into your wind pipe. Once in place, all of your breathing will be through the hole. You will be fitted with a special collar to hold it in place. Once done, you will find it much easier to take a cock down your throat. You will feel every bit of the pain while it is inserted. Understand, slut?" He laughed at her ashen expression. "Any questions sluts?" "No, sir," they all responded. He then had each one, in turn, undress, until all were standing next to the table, nude. "Jan, give Elsa your clothes, shoes and purse, since you will not need them ever again. The contract you just signed gave me the authority to make all the decisions about your future. Now, we will take care of all your needs, by giving you everything you need to fulfill your new role here as our sluts." Jan went to Elsa and placed her clothes in the box. A tremor of foreboding ran through her, as she watched Elsa seal her clothes in the box. Sarah's clan, through their mind-link, again reassured her that none of his threats would be carried out. "Now, Slut Jan, go back to your spot. Slut Madeline, it is your turn to give your possessions to Elsa, then move back next to Jan. Be sure to keep your feet spread, so that your swollen cunt can be seen." "Jan, you look very nice all aroused. Be sure you keep caressing your slit and clit. But you can't cum." Once all of them had given Elsa their possessions, Larry said, "Elsa, lay their packages on the table in front of them." Elsa quickly placed the packages in front of each of those around the table. "The items in the package are to be put on now. First, lay them out on the table." They opened the packages to find a pair of high-heeled shoes with locking ankle and arch straps. They also found a collar with a leash hanging from it, along with cuffs for their wrists and ankles. They laid them out on the table in front of them. "Very good, sluts. Now put the shoes on, and close the straps. Once your shoes are on, stand back up." When they stood up, they found standing a bit difficult, as the tall heels were very tall, with a very narrow heel. "Now, help the slut next to you with her collar and cuffs. You can begin now." "Elsa, while they are putting on their new uniforms, put their things away." Elsa was back before they had finished putting on their collars, as all had left that to last. Each had felt a return of how they felt when they were on the freighter, as they latched each other's collar in place. They each shivered when they heard the click of the collar fastener latching. They knew their friends would keep them from harm' but this felt so close to the freighter. Sarah's clan coached' and reassured them through their mind-link that this was only for a short time' and they would not suffer as they had before. "Now, hand your leash to Elsa. From now on, you will follow the instructions of any visitor to the 4th floor. Whomever is holding your leash is your master. Understand, sluts?" They nodded. "If you fail to follow instructions or to answer, except when your mouth is full, you will be punished. Jan, your next mistake will earn you twenty lashes." They all shivered in fear. "Yes, sir," they responded together. "Again, as long as you cooperate, we will let you keep your name, but it will always be prefaced with slut or bitch. If you don't cooperate, we will give you a much more humiliating name. Elsa, take our new sluts upstairs, and begin making their promotional videos. No, wait a minute, I think I want a closer look at our new sluts." He walked around each of the women. With each, he felt the firmness of their breasts, pinched and pulled their nipples and ran a finger through their cunt. He made each lick their cunt cream from his fingers. When he finished, he was standing in front of Madeline. He said, "Kneel bitch." At once, she was kneeling. "Now, take out my cock, and show me what a good cock sucker you are. Make it good, but don't take very long, as I have a call to make. I want to find out how my friend is doing with his new sluts." Madeline undid his belt, and then unzipped his pants, carefully lowering them to the floor. She then began to kiss and lick his swollen cock, as she caressed his balls with her fingers. "Elsa, sit on the table. Two of these sluts can suck on your nipples, while Jan licks your cunt. Elsa, you may cum as many times as they can get you off. Jan, I suggest you do a good job on your new Mistress. Although I am sure she find it more pleasurable when your tongue is longer." The women let their memories from the freighter come back to them, as they pleasured their two captors. They worked quickly to bring the two to release, with Madeline sucking Larry's cock into her throat as the came. "Wow," said Larry. "You four are the best company sluts we've ever found. With talent like yours, we should have very satisfied employees for some time." Madeline helped Larry pull his pants back up while her friends helped Elsa stand up. "Look at what a good slut Jan is, she has cunt cream running down her leg." Larry walked over to her. He slid his hand up her leg, catching her juice, and then wiped in on her tits. "Nice smell, slut. Elsa, take these sluts upstairs. You know what to do. If they perform well let them cum, otherwise show them what the kiss of a strap feels like across their nipples." Larry went to call his friend, Dale. He was anxious to find out how he was making out with the other group of women. Larry raved to Dale about what a good set of sluts he now had. He told Dale he had only a little difficulty with one. Dale was just as pleased with the quality of his group. They felt these would be some of the best sluts their companies had had in quite a while, which would really help morale. The new approach, using the submissive drug from the start, really made it easy to set up the evidence videos, showing that the contracts were freely signed. After the call, Larry was pleased with himself, as he went to see how Elsa was doing with their new slut toys. Arriving upstairs, he found Elsa had Jan on the revolving table, posing in suggestive ways for the camera. After several table rotations, Jan was given a cock-shaped, vibrator and told to rub it over her body, then to lick and suck on it, rub it through her cunt, and finally, to insert it all the way in. Elsa told her she could cum, as long as she remained standing. After a few moments, Elsa stopped the turntable and told Jan to go sit on the first Sybian, since she had done so well. Elsa filmed Jan as she left the turntable and went to straddle the Sybian's large dildo. She continued filming Jan until she had sat all the way down on the artificial cock. Elsa had the next woman step on the platform, then told her to do just what Jan had done. If she did well, she could enjoy a Sybian as well. The president watched as Elsa did exactly what she had been trained to do. Once he had gained control of Elsa's sisters and friend, it had been easy to control and train her to be the overseer of his company sluts. As he stood and watched, he thought about the other sluts that had worked up there. The availability of the sluts turned out to be a very good motivator for most of his employees. An hour, once a week, with a woman who would do what ever they wanted. This perk instead of a monetary bonus, had worked very well. The very productive or creative employees could spend a night up here, or even a weekend. Most of them never knew it was all filmed, until they made a mistake. From time to time, he rewarded the third floor employees by having sluts restrained in a common area on the 3rd floor for their use, at any time during the day. Once the filming of the four women was complete, Elsa showed them around the 4th floor. "This will be your new home, unless the president sends you to work someplace else. As company sluts, you are required to be receptive to whatever you are asked to do, at any time, day or night. You are not permitted to refuse any request. Each employee knows the rules, and the punishment they will receive for violating them." When they reached the dungeon, Elsa said, "Our sluts don't usually spend much time in here, as we only have a few customers who will want to use you in here. However, if we get complaints from our staff or customers about your performance in submitting to their demands, then expect to spend some time in here. It will be very painful. The only alternative is being tied up so tightly you can't move and left that way for some time, even as long as a couple of days. Once your muscles start screaming from pain, you will beg to be whipped." "Now, each of our sluts has always worn jewelry in their clit's and cunt's," said Larry. "Madeline, sit up on the table, and put your legs in the supports, so that Jan can place your jewelry on your body." Madeline moved up on the bench and spread her legs, putting them in the supports, as told. Elsa brought over the tray containing the jewelry items. "Jan, you will put a bar through the base of her clit," said Elsa. "Here, wipe it with this." She gave Jan a Betadine wipe. "Now, pinch her clit and pull it up. Further. Good. Now press this needle all the way through the base of her clit." Madeline tensed, as she felt the needle slide through her clit. "Good. Now just slide it all the way through, and stop when the bar is completely through. Good. Now, unscrew the needle, and put this ball on the end." Elsa watched, as Jan finished. "Notice how the bar holds the clit hood back and open? With time, her clit will lengthen from the constant tension and arousal. Now, wipe the top of the clit hood with the Betadine, and press this needle through the hood, parallel to the bar. Good. Now, slide this ring through the hole you made. Good. Now twist and press the ends together." When Jan released the ring, it dropped down onto Madeline's exposed clit, causing her to jump. "Jan, next you will put the other four rings through her outer labia. They are to be placed above and below her vaginal opening. It is easier if you slide the dildo she was using earlier into her cunt while you do this." One of the women went and retrieved the dildo. After inserting the dildo, they all watched as Jan completed putting the rings into Madeline's labia as she was told. They each grimaced as the needle was pushed through Madeline's tissues. Elsa told Madeline to stand, bend over and grab her ankles. Once she did, Elsa handed Jan a syringe, and told her to inject the contents in Madeline's ass cheek. Madeline moaned, as she felt the cold liquid enter her ass. Jan was given a second syringe to inject in her other cheek. Elsa then told Madeline she could stand, and told Jan to get on the table, as she was next. The president watched as each woman's jewelry was placed on their bodies. He was pleased to see that all of them had no hair on the cunts. It would have delayed things if pubic hair needed to be removed. Soon, everyone had their jewelry installed and had received their shots. "Sluts, you look very nice wearing your new jewelry. The shots we just gave you will stimulate some growth in your body. By tomorrow, your tits and nipples will be tender, just like when you were younger and they first started to fill out. All of you will look very nice with tits that would fill a J-cup bra, though you will never see another bra, but we do have some nice cinches for holding your big tits. Oh, I almost forgot, you will be providing us with fresh milk." "Now sluts," said the president, "you will spend the next several hours enjoying each other's bodies on the large cushioned platform in the main room. Now, go practice your sexual enjoyment techniques on each other, until it is time to go. Tonight we will go to my friend's house, to finish your orientation on being company sluts. By the way, your slut friends will be there, as well. Elsa, you can join them for part of the afternoon, and don't forget to insert the special anal plugs once the filming is over." "Yes, Master." "Good, you remembered to address me correctly. So, as a reward, take these sluts in to your friends, so they can drain their tits and a give them a couple of orgasms with their mouths. These four will start the tongue stretcher when we get back from the estate." "Thank you, Master." Sarah's clan continued to monitor the eight women throughout the afternoon. ------- It was very early that morning when the journalists woke up. They were upset. Their dreams had really disturbed them. Seeing the three legless, pregnant, women was especially upsetting. The condition of the women in their dream definitely fit with their perception of what these people would do to someone. Together, over a quick breakfast, they decided how to determine if the dream was a vision. They would split up and go to each company, to see if the women they saw in the dream really worked at each place. Journalist Evelyn called Chad, a reporter friend, and asked him to go with her. When asked why, she told him about how their intuition told them something terrible was going to happen that evening. Before they told anyone, they were going to verify an easily-checked "fact" from their dreams. Once they confirmed the "fact" they would tell the authorities. At both businesses, the Intelligence group arranged it so that a parking space became vacant just as the journalists arrived. The spaces were perfect for getting good pictures of the women, as they arrived and entered each building. Fred and Marge watched Madeline's group arrive at their office. They knew who they were, as soon as they got out of their car. Once they had the information on tape, they hurried to the US Attorney's office building. Evelyn and Chad met them at the building. Neither group had to ask if they had seen the two groups of women from their dreams; it was evident from their expressions. The guard recognized them as soon as they entered. He called Clarence before they even reached his desk, to inform him that they were there. The guard joked with them about asking Clarence or James for a badge. Marge laughed and said she had already, but Clarence said that, if he did that, he wouldn't know where to find her. Clarence told the guard to send them up to his office. As they entered Clarence's office, he could sense that they had found some new leads. It was clear from their expressions that they certainly they felt much stronger about these leads. "I think this needs to be recorded, that is, if you all are agreeable." Their expressions showed their surprise. "The recording will be very important to all of us, if this is as important as your seem to think. The recording will preserve the details, because as the information is retold, it can change a little bit at a time. With these twerps, we need to make sure we leave no loose ends, and we may need to know from where we started." They all nodded their agreement. "If we get too close without realizing it, we could disappear ourselves. With these recordings on file, someone will be able to follow our trail." Each one of the journalists described the dream they had. One of Sarah's clan eavesdropped on the conversation with the journalists, to make sure none of the critical pieces were missed. Sarah's clan was pleased with the recitation, as the journalists had not missed any of it, and had repeated it almost perfectly. "What else? I know the three of you well enough to know that it isn't just a dream bringing you here." "Well, before we came here, we divided up and went to both locations. We saw the two different groups of women enter the buildings, exactly as our dreams indicated they would. Each building requires an access card to enter. They used their cards, and then talked to the receptionist before going further into the building." "Photos?" "Of course, we have still and video. We know how thorough you are," one said with a smile. "Okay, let's see if we have enough pieces from your dreams to work out a time line for what you think is going to happen this evening." They looked at him questioningly. "Look, I believe you, or we wouldn't be talking. However, I still have doubts, as this has been the strangest case I have ever worked on, and a good part of the progress we've made has been because of the help you three have given us." Their faces looked a bit happier. "Chad, are you aware of our working arrangement?" "Yes, I think so, although they didn't say much to me. The ease with which they were admitted to your office says a lot. Even though I work for a different paper, I will work with them and abide by any arrangement they have with you." "Which company has the three pregnant women on the upper floor?" "The one these four women went to," said Marge, as she pointed to the photo of Madeline's group. While they were working on the time line, an investigator came in and confirmed that the two company presidents had gone to school together. Even though their public face indicated a strong dislike for the other, it was clear from other information, and phone records, that they were quite friendly. He laid a picture of the estate on the desk, and the journalist gasped, as that was the house from their dream. Seeing their reactions, Clarence picked up the phone. "James, I hope you haven't made plans for this evening, or, probably, the entire weekend. I have our three friends here with me, plus one. They have enough information to give us cause to initiate three searches." He paused. "Sure, we can come up there, but do you want the journalists seen up there? Okay, we will be in my office." "Can you all stay with me until this is over? It could be all weekend and into next week." "Can we talk to our editors? It shouldn't be a problem." "Sure, use this phone. If they want to talk to me, fine." Chad called his editor to check in. As they chatted, he told the editor he was working on a story with three of his friends. He told the editor who the friends were, and, generally, what the story was about. He cautioned the editor that they didn't think they would have anything until Monday at the earliest. The editor gave him the go-ahead, with some reluctance. He was uncomfortable both with the risk, and the fact two papers would have similar stories. When the other three journalists, who had been following the lodge incident, talked to their editor, he pressed them for more details. He was concerned, as their contributions to the paper had dropped off since they had become focused on the lodge incident. Finally, he said, "Are you sure enough about this story to risk your jobs here? We really need you to work on other stories, too. I have to be honest with you, as I really don't want to lose any of you. All of your stories are very good, but I need a flow of stories for our readers." The three took a deep breath, and said, "Yes. We are certain the risk is worth it." "Okay. Please, be careful. The group behind the lodge is apparently very ruthless, and you could become a victim, just like those seen in the videos." "One more thing, Chad is working with us this time. He talked to his editor, and got his approval to continue. We hope that doesn't cause you any problems." "No. It shouldn't. I'll call Chad's editor later." "Thank you." They all had worried looks on their faces as they hung up the phone. "What's wrong?" "Our editor just asked us if we were sure enough of this to risk our jobs. We said yes, but now we are a little apprehensive. At the same time, he seemed very concerned about our welfare." "I don't think you need to worry about being out of work. It is not likely your editor will fire you, since you all do good work. I am sure several news organizations would be very happy to have you on their staff. As to your welfare, we all need to be careful, very careful." Just then, James entered Clarence's office. After they exchanged greetings, James asked if they had told Chad about the working arrangement they had. They assured him they had, and Chad said he found the conditions to be quite acceptable. He then mentioned that he was especially interested, as several friends from his school had disappeared, as well. "What school?" asked Clarence as he quickly sat up further in his chair. "WMU, the Northeast campus." Clarence called the IT department on the campus and chatted with the department head for a few moments, before he asked who supplied and supported their database software. He listened for a few moments, and then thanked the person before hanging up. He grinned, "Looks like we have another piece of circumstantial evidence." Clarence initiated stakeouts at both companies and at the estate, making sure that the garage entrances to the office buildings were watched. They again reviewed all the information they had about the locations, and what was expected to take place, based on the journalists premonitions. Clarence expressed concern about having sufficient officers that they could trust, and whether they would be able to cover the three locations. Getting assistance from other law enforcement units would be difficult, both because hard evidence was lacking, and time constraints. They were also concerned about tipping off the people they wanted to catch. Based upon what happened at the lodge, they felt it would be very important to remove all the potential evidence as quickly as possible. "Clarence, James, we have a couple of friends in the local guard unit," said Evelyn "who could possibly help. It is a military police unit, and they are always complaining about not have enough real-world police training. Could they help? I think they have drill this weekend." "Yes, that just might give us the manpower we need to get the records out of the two buildings, and, possibly, the estate." James called the local guard commander to check if this was a drill weekend, and to inquire if they would be interested in assisting his office on an evidence recovery operation. He advised him that the participants would need to carry loaded sidearms and wear body armor. The commander hesitated, but then gave a conditional affirmative answer, since he needed clearance from his chain of command. Even though he had to get approval, he did not think his commander would object, so they began to plan what to do, and how to do it. Two of the journalist, Marge and Fred, would go with the group to the location where they thought the pregnant women were. Chad would go to the other company, and Evelyn to the estate. Half the guard unit would go with three of Clarence's investigator's to each company. Clarence, along with the rest of his team, would go to the estate. James would go to the estate after he had secured the search warrants from the judge. The warrants would be obtained, after-hours, at the judge's home. Continuing the theme of keeping as low a profile on this as possible, Clarence called the investigators on the task force one at a time, to tell them he needed their assistance that evening. He asked that they say as little as possible to anyone, and told them to meet him at the armory. While Clarence and James finished their preparations, the journalists left for the National Guard armory, to wait for the others to arrive. James went to draw up search warrants, using the two bot paralegals, focusing on the lodge incident for evidence, since he felt this would keep a low profile on this effort. They also prepared the paperwork so that the guard members would be deputized, as this would give the guard members a stronger legal basis to assist. When Clarence arrived at the armory, he was met by the journalists and the unit commander. The commander told him that he had received approval to assist. His commander's only concern was their legal status, in case they had to detain anyone. Clarence told him he didn't think that would be a problem, since they had planned on deputizing everyone. ------- The ship's command staff entered the bridge, going immediately to their stations. "Prepare to depart Mars orbit," said Sarah. "Navigation, initiate a plan to insert ourselves in Earth orbit, cloaked in a stationary orbit, directly over Madeline and Ursula's location." "Our wake and mass may disturb some of earth's satellites," said Star. "If we place ourselves in a higher orbit that should not be a problem. Have our surveillance group monitor the satellites, as we don't want any accidents," said Rusty. "Other than that, let them worry about their satellites." This was the first time the ship had moved a significant distance since the accident. The command staff mind-linked with ship control, as the departure commands began to be implemented. Each of them had primary responsibility for one console, but they also had an inherent awareness of the displays on all the consoles. The departmental AIs, working with the crew, implemented all steps necessary to comply with the departure command. A console in each department gave the crew a view of the action, so they could see the end result of the actions taken in their departments. They watched as the screen displays showed their ship accelerate to break Mars orbit, then follow the plotted arc to bring them on to a path to intercept the Earth orbit window. The acceleration was so smooth no one on the ship felt any movement, though, at the same time, they knew they were moving. With their mind-link and integration into the ship's systems, the command staff tweaked the course several times, as the ship quickly moved to its new destination. They arrived in Earth's orbit, nearly on target to place them directly over that evening's activities. "Intelligence department, you might want to use your instruments to examine the wake we created," said Sally. "We have. Most of it disappeared quite rapidly, but there are still some faint traces." "What is the status with O'Toole and MacFarland?" "They are at the armory, going over the plans for the raids on the two companies. All of the investigators arrived well before the requested time. No one seemed to be surprised at how easily the floor plans were found. They are on the third pass of walking through the sequence of expected events at each location." "Good. How about the women?" "They are all doing as well as can be expected, from what we can see with the drones." "Okay. Once we know the ship's orbit is stable, we will mind-link with them again. Do you have enough resources?" "Yes. Two shuttles were moved over each location, with 12 security team members on each. Their suits are configured to look like those of either Clarence's group or the National Guard unit they will support." "Good." "Departments, please advise of status," said Sally. "Security console green." "Engineering reports all systems performed as expected," said Claudette. "Intelligence reports all systems functioning, no threats noted," said Alison. "Navigation has locked position in earth orbit," said Joyce. "Fighter units on alert, set for a 2 minute delay to launch," said Erin. "Security reports shields functioning normally, operating in stealth mode," said Terry. "Propulsion units normal. All parameters on target," said Jill and Janet. "Medical reports everything is fine," said Judy. "Security teams on alert, and in position," said Tara "Communication links to all posts, functioning normally," said Aoife and Maeve. "Surveillance indicates all systems normal," said Maureen and Siobhan. "Secure the ship, and move to level 2 readiness," said Rusty. "Star, how are the AIs doing?" "We have minimized all nonessential tasks in all departments, so they can provide resources to supplement Donna's and mine. More simply, we are in very good shape." The command staff quickly mind-linked, to quickly review the details of commanding their first ship movement. Once the review was complete, they felt quite satisfied with the way all the ship's units functioned. There were only a few miscues, but those were corrected almost instantly. As they finished, they heard their friend say, "Well done." "Ship's crew," said the command staff, as they sent a message through out the ship, "thank you for a job well done. Please resume normal operations, as we will remain in this orbital position for several earth days. We will remain at this state of readiness. Until we have resolved the issues regarding the 8 women, please do not start any new projects or tasks. Fighter units, please remain on alert for the next 8 hours. Reserve security teams, remain on standby." ------- Adam, Todd, Sal, Leo, Kurt had spent most of the day with the women they met the day they arrived. They had quickly become very comfortable with each other, and found they had many of the same interests. Adam and Todd noticed the group they were with had begun forming 5 sub groups as it was usually the same group of women close to each of them. Quite often they thought about the others from their groups, who were on the security teams. While they had a great time, they were surprised to feel that they were missing someone, at times. It was late afternoon, and they were relaxing with Nancy and Bob in the recreation room. "Mom," said Adam, "Todd and I would like to mind-link with Briana and Cathan, but we're not sure what to do. We can sense they are quite stressed at the moment, which worries us as we have sensed it, on and off, all day." Nancy appeared to hesitate, when in fact she sought an answer to his request. "Alison, Sally, who is monitoring the security teams? Adam and Todd want to mind-link with Briana and Cathan." "Just a minute Nancy, while we get their permission," said Sally. After a few moments passed, "It is fine with them. They will ask the guys to respect some limits as to what they look at, for now." "Okay, I'll tell them. Will they need help?" "Most likely, Aoife will be there in a moment." "The deal is this," said Nancy. "Briana and Cathan, are fine with establishing a mind-link with each of you," said Nancy. "However, they want you to limit your mind-link to just examine their current activity, for the present. Aoife will be here in a moment, to assist you in establishing a link." Before she finished speaking, Aoife appeared, standing next to them and startling all of them. Seeing Aoife, Todd commented, "In a moment?" "An interesting concept of time and way to arrive." Todd chuckled and Adam laughed. "This shouldn't take very long," said Aoife, ignoring the comment but grinning. "Both of you can see objects in your mind for each of the women, right?" They nodded. "Okay, Adam I will first help you join with Briana, and then I'll help Todd. An analogy to establishing a mind-link is like opening a door to a dwelling, only, in this case, it is into their minds. Each of you needs to realize that, once inside, the whole house is open to you. For tonight, Briana and Cathan ask you to just enter the first room, or living room in concept, while in their dwelling. Most of their attention will be focused on the activities around them. You will also see the mind-link they have with their tactical suit AI." Both looked concerned. "Don't worry, I am sure this will work, or we wouldn't let you. Safe achievement of our tactical goals is our prime concern tonight. Okay?" Both nodded. Aoife formed a mind-link with Adam, and showed him how to unlock the door so Briana could enter, as she had already unlocked her side. Adam was immediately awed when he saw what was going on around her. "Adam, let's wait until this is over before we explore a deeper link," said Briana. "Not a problem, I will wait for you to tell me. On my side, feel free to draw any of my training or experience, if you think it will help. Todd is going to mind-link with Cathan in a moment." "Yes, she told me. My friends are in this link, as well." "Now go back to what you need to do. As I think I will find a seat, so I am not a distraction." "Good. But don't forget to eat dinner. You can leave the link and come back without bothering me. We will begin the operation just as soon as everyone is out of the buildings." Aoife slipped out of her link with Adam and Briana to mind-link with Todd. She showed him how to unlock the door so Cathan could enter, since she had already unlocked her side. Todd was immediately awed by what was going on around her, and was surprised he could see her surroundings as well. "Hi Todd. Will you wait until this is over before we explore a more extensive link," asked Cathan. "I would like to do that with you, but I want to be physically with you when we do." "Not a problem, I will wait for you to tell me. Now go back to what you need to do. From my portion of the link, draw on any of my experience or training you think will help you. I suspect Adam has told Briana the same thing." "Yes. Don't forget to eat dinner, since you'll need your strength, as, in this link, I think I will draw some energy from you. The operation won't start until everyone is out of the building. You can leave the link and come back without bothering me. I think you can also put it in the background, while you do something else." "Okay. I like this. Earlier, I felt very comfortable and close to you, now I understand why. Meeting you was a wonderful thing." "Thanks, and I have the same feeling. By the way, my friends are in this link too." Todd looked around the room at the enclave. Aoife was gone, but Nancy was sitting there, watching the two of them. Adam had sat down. He nudged Adam, to get his attention. "Hey, bud we need to eat now, since I think we won't be interested later." "You got that right. Come on Mom, why don't you join us? Besides, I think you want to be close to us while this is happening." "It would be a pleasure to join you two for dinner. Yes, I would like to monitor the two of you. Mostly because I am your mother, and your link is a new sensation." When they reached the dining room, Adam was joined by Cass, Abaigeal and Charlotte. He immediately sensed why they were there with him, as he now saw the tight bond between them and Briana. He hugged each as they came up to him. "Ellie, Anita, and Cindy would also be here, but they have other duties this evening," said Cass. Adam was at a loss for words, but watched as four women joined Todd as they went through the buffet line with his mother. "Yes," said Cass, "the four women joining Todd have a special relationship with Cathan, similar to what we have with Briana." "Can we talk this way without disturbing Briana?" "Yes, just focus on us." "Okay." Bob and Alice joined them as they ate dinner. Adam always enjoyed discussing current events with his family at meal time. They quickly resumed that activity, with Todd and the women joining into the conversation with them. Adam indicated he thought they would be going to Afghanistan in the near future, but they had not had any formal notification of the assignment. They had hardly finished dinner, when Adam said, "I am going back to the lounge, as I think it will be more comfortable there." As he rose to clear his dishes from the table, the others did as well. Little was said, as they all continued on to the lounge. ------- The stakeouts radioed Clarence that the two groups of women were boarding their respective vans. When each van left the parking garage, a message reported the progress. A few minutes later, the radios reported on each company's president, as they left each garage in their car. As he listened to the updates, Clarence thought it was interesting the way the two were avoiding any public contact with the women, even to the point of taking a different route to the estate. Those monitoring the activity, each, in turn, reported the progress of the vans and presidents toward the estate. As a van arrived at the estate, it pulled under a sheltered area, partially obscuring the view, but not enough to keep them from observing the women exiting the van, and then, entering the building. Once the van was empty, it was moved toward the back of the property and parked. The surveillance crews could not identify who moved the vans, but, from the number of people entering the building, they surmised it was done by someone at the estate. Larry's car arrived first and its lone occupant went into the house. Dale's car did not arrive for another few minutes. In both cases, the surveillance crew was able to see the men well enough to confirm their identities. Clarence told the two other groups that everyone they were expecting had entered the house. Everyone was to hold positions, until all sites said they were ready. A shuttle landed at each location, fully cloaked, with the security teams ready to join. The shuttles were positioned so the teams could exit and blend right in as the operation got underway. As a precaution, two EMTs were on each shuttle, except for the one expecting to pick up the pregnant women, which had six EMTs. ------- As the vans carried the women to the estate, Sarah's clan connected to each woman, to reassure her. Through the connection with them, they worked to assist their bodies in further reducing the effect of the drugs they had been given. They found that the butt plug which had been inserted just before leaving was a drug dispenser containing several hormones and steroids. For the time being, they just focused on reducing the effect of the drug given to them to make them submissive, or pliable. In all cases, they showed the women how to mimic the effect of the drug on their mind, as they expected Dale and Larry to taunt and humiliate them. The command staff had split their attention into three segments, with a portion of the clan focusing on each location. Everyone could see the activities at the other locations. Maureen and Siobhan monitored the activity on the ship's consoles, while Sarah's clan maintained a connection with each of the eight women and the journalists. ------- Chapter 66 As soon as they entered the estate, Elsa, with the help of the other two slut mistresses, had removed the short chains which had connected their wrists and ankles together on their trip there. They left the leashes hanging from their collars dangling between their breasts. With each breath, the handle on the leash bumped or rubbed their clit and the ring in its hood reminding, them of their nudity. The contact with their clit in combination with the drugs ensured their continued arousal. The odor of their arousal spread through the room, reinforcing each others arousal. In the estate's living room, the women stood waiting uneasily for the two men to enter the room. They heard the men talking before they entered the room. Neither of the men acknowledged the presence of anyone else in the room as they continued their discussion. "Larry," said Dale, "you're worrying too much about the bugs found in Tom and John's house. There is no hard connection anyone can make between us and the people monitoring their conversations. It so happens that we maintain their software for them, but that would be totally concealed from any investigation. Those bugs have provided us a wealth of information. They helped us beat them to market with many new products, along with providing the information to file patents before they did. It sure would change the way we operate if we lost access to their conversations. Oh, by the way, did you know our new company sluts were friends of theirs?" "Yea, I saw the report. It wasn't very complete, since the idiot investigators on the site got themselves killed. It was an interesting accident." As he was talking, he walked over to Ursula's group and examined their bodies. While he was doing that, Dale went to check out Larry's group of women. Each felt and examined the women, as if they were evaluating a piece of furniture. "We haven't had this nice a collection of sluts in a long time," said Dale. "Their build and coloring is excellent. They should photograph very nicely. These eight sluts should give us a very good sex show this evening, after we take care of the punishment issue. After the last group, I bought a couple of new dogs. They are really well-hung. Once they smell cunt juice, they become very aggressive. One of the estate's sluts tried to resist, and they really went after her. It didn't take many bites until she was kneeling with her legs spread. They kept her kneeling all day. It took quite a while for the bites to heal." "You gave these sluts their shots, right?" "Yes, and Elsa inserted the special dildos in their asses." "Good, it won't take those hormones long to have an effect." Dale slid his hand between Madeline's cunt lips, and found them dripping wet. "This bitch is already dripping wet." One by one, he then slid his fingers through each of Larry's slut's cunts, tugging and probing. By the fourth cunt, his hand was dripping with cunt cream' and some was running down each of the women's legs. "Slut Elsa, you did a good job. Here' lick my hand clean." He held his hand up slightly. She quickly knelt to lick the cunt cream from his fingers and hand. "On Sunday," Dale said, "we can pull their front teeth, so their mouths will accommodate their longer tongues." The women shivered when they heard the comment. "With the new treatment, their tongues should grow quite a bit by the time they start servicing our customers, and providing rewards to our outstanding employees." "Dale, I've been thinking about that, and I think I am going to hold off for a while in doing that to my four sluts. The 6 to 8 inch long tongue is nice, but I am not sure I like how it will change their facial features." Each of the women wondered how a person could manage with a tongue that long. "Okay, its up to you, as it can be done any time. Dinner is ready. Sluts, come with me." He turned, and walked with Larry into the adjoining room. The slut mistresses led the women by their leashes into the dining room. In turn, each woman was led to the chair where they were to sit. Sensing what the mistresses wanted, they pulled out the chair to sit down. The women hesitated slightly, when they saw the seat was open down the center so it only supported their legs. Standing between the two leg pads was a large glistening cock, placed near the front edge, and pointing up between the leg supports. It was clear to them that were to sit on the cock when they sat down. Each of the women did what was expected of them. They turned and sat, as if nothing was unusual. As they sat, they placed the cock head at the mouth of their cunt, then slowly sat. They were surprised to find the cock warm as it slid into their sheath. The cock, while not overly large, comfortably filled their vaginal sheath. The slut mistress connected their leash to a holder on the chair back behind their heads, effectively keeping them in the chair until released. "Well, well, we do have a good set of sluts," said Dale. "From the looks on their faces, they seem to be enjoy having their cunts filled with warm cock. This group seems to be adapting very well, so we should be able to use them as company sluts much longer than we have in the past. You know, this is the first group where no one has balked at stuffing their cunt when they sat down. Either we have a group of true sluts, or our supplier has made some significant improvements in the submissive drugs. I guess we only have the one bitch to punish this evening, before this group does their sex show. There are some new toys for them to try on each other, as well." "I don't know about your group, but the sex videos my group made with each other this afternoon were very good. I think these may be the best videos we have made. They did everything Elsa told them, and used all of the usual toys, even the straps-ons, without complaint. Elsa was done early, so she filmed them sucking milk from the three pregnant slut's tits, as well as tongue-fucking them. Elsa had each of them wear the mouth dildo and fuck them with it, after they had given the pregnant sluts several orgasms with their mouth. All excellent footage. If there had been more time, I think I would have fucked them before we left." "How are the pregnant sluts doing, Slut Elsa?" asked Larry. "They are doing as well as can be expected, Sir. It looks like they will deliver their twins in about 2 weeks, which is about a month early." "I thought they were told to have triplets," said Dale. Elsa's face paled. "Its possible, but I can only hear two heart beats." "That is not what we told them to do! They ovulated sufficient eggs, and were given sufficient fresh cum to have at least triplets. The four of you have been a real asset to Larry's company. It would really be a pain to sell the four of you to a baby farm. When you requested we take care of you, each of you agreed to comply with our instructions. As a part of that agreement, you gave us permission to punish you for failure in any way we choose. We have a baby farm that give us a good price for your personal service contracts. Just selling you four bitches to a baby farm doesn't seem to be enough punishment, though. We could boost the size of your tits at least 4 cup sizes, so you can give more milk." Elsa became paler as he talked. "With the proper hormone mix, each of you could provide the baby farm with substantial amount of milk. It would sure increase the value of your contracts." Realizing the new sluts didn't know the background of the women, he continued, "Sluts, this will be the third time her three pregnant slut associates have disappointed us. The first time they had twins and were supposed to have triplets, so they lost their hands as punishment. They were told if they failed again they would loose their legs. So, after they failed the second time, they all watched as the three sluts legs were removed. With only a muscle block, they three could feel every cut as we turned their legs into fresh meat. Elsa watched, as she was fucked by a mechanical dildo bigger than you are sitting on. She also was wired so that every scream would send a shock to her nipples, tongue, clit or cunt. Even her own screams would cause a shock. All three times, we know they released 6 eggs a piece." By the time he finished speaking, Elsa had tears running down her face as she remembered the pain and the horror. In her mind, she knew that as soon as the new babies were sold, she and her friends would have bigger tits and be pregnant with, at least, twins. She was sure that once that was done, they would be sold to a baby farm, or worse. Suddenly, Elsa relaxed, as a feeling of calm settled over her. Dale saw the change. "It looks like Slut Elsa has accepted her fate to be a baby factory with her friends." He laughed. "The farm we have the offer from is working on a technique to modify the women, so they will always carry at least 6 babies to term and have sufficient milk to feed them." Dale and Larry went back to discussing business and the issues around the eavesdropping, while they ate, ignoring the women. The women were impressed with the food and the service. The only unusual parts of dinner were that they were unwillingly nude, and that the cocks in their cunts vibrated, with an occasional stroke deep into them. The cocks were slowly thrusting in and out of their cunts. Occasionally, they would make a quick upstroke just as they took a bite. They could feel their cunt cream on their cunt lips, and feel it drip, occasionally. The smell added to their arousal. As soon as everyone finished eating, Dale said, "Madeline and Ursula, pull the lever on the arm of your chair up and then come here." As they pulled the arm up, their cock pushed deep into their cunt, and then released them from the chair so they could stand. They walked slowly toward Larry and Dale, concentrating on holding the dildoes in their cunts. They were so wet, they were afraid they would slip out. As they approached Dale and Larry, they stood up. "Now undress us, when you finish you will be kneeling in front of us, with our clothes neatly folded on the chair." The others watched as Madeline and Ursula went about their assigned task quickly and carefully. Once their task was completed, they were knelling, sitting on their feet, knees spread, with their hands on the inside of their thighs, the way they had been shown earlier. "Now, open your mouths, as we need to cum." Both men stepped between their knees, pushing their swollen cocks into the women's mouths. Holding the women's heads, they pushed their cocks deeply into their mouths. They began to face-fuck them, driving their cocks into their throats on each stroke. When the men came, they pushed their cocks into the women's throats, and held their nose tight against their belly until their cocks began to shrink. Sarah's clan helped the women resist struggling, as they knelt there with the men's cocks lodged in their throats. As the cocks shrank, they began to breathe easier, reducing the tendency to struggle. "Well sluts, it looks like you pass again. I was hoping one of you would get sick or struggle from gagging on our cocks. You two are the best cock suckers I can remember. I hope the rest of you are this good. Larry and I like to be able to punish two sluts when we get together like this. Tonight, you will watch. Remember, as long as we hold your contracts you will serve our employees and customers well. If you fail, you will be punished. For many sluts, it takes only a little pain before they willingly submit to anyones desire." "Slut," said Larry, pointing to a woman near the kitchen door, "take the bitch scheduled for punishment into the room and prepare her." The woman hurried away from the door. "You better do it right this time, or you will join her, slut." They watched as a woman was led through the room. Her head had been shaved. Weights hung from chains fastened to the rings in her clit and labia. Each step she took caused them to swing and jerk. Her tongue extended several inches from her mouth, with her lips curling around it. It was apparent her front teeth had been removed to accommodate her lengthened tongue and still close her mouth. The woman leading her said, "Master, there is another that needs to be punished, as well. Do you wish me to bring him in?" "Yes and hang him by his ankles. Finish preparing this bitch, first. You know what to do." They watched as the woman was led into the adjoining room, and waited, apprehensively, to be told what to do. Soon the slut assistant came back, leading a man. His cock pointed straight out in front of him, with a ring fitting tightly its base. A weight hung from his ball sack, stretching it. "Okay ladies, do as slut Ursula and Madeline did to release your cocks from the chair, and follow me." The women quietly followed the men into the next room, walking carefully so that the cock in their cunt did not fall out. Entering the room, they found a set of 12 chairs arranged in two rows, forming a semi-circle facing the bound woman and man. "Elsa, seat them and then take your place in the chair on the end, as usual," said Dale. "My two sluts will sit at the other end of the rows for my sluts." Elsa hurried to show each were to sit, placing each group together. As they sat, the dildo in their cunt automatically mated to its connection between the seat halves. A strap was placed over each of their thighs and snugged down, restraining them in the chairs with their feet dangling, as their shoes didn't touch the floor. "Now sluts, we are going to give you a demonstration of what happens if you don't perform your new tasks as company sluts with enthusiasm. Each of you have been given a drug to enhance your submissiveness. The drug removes most of your resistance to following any instruction or command you are given. We know you are lucid enough that you can control the level of your enthusiasm when following those instructions. If you fail to perform, or cause other problems, you will find yourself punished here in this room. The videos we saw today, indicate you like sex and have the ability to give your coworkers the sexual enjoyment they deserve. If you are punished here, it will be filmed. Torture or punishment videos sell very well, especially when they are real." "This bitch," said Dale, "has not shown any enthusiasm when servicing our customers, employees or dogs. She doesn't follow instructions well. This is the third time she has been here for punishment. Each of those times she received a whipping and then some additions to her body. Notice her long tongue and lack of teeth, besides her large tits." Larry pushed a stand in front of the woman. She was straddling a metal bar. Her cunt lips hung down on each side of the bar which angled forward rising between her tits. Her legs were spread out to her sides and held with straps at an ankle. This kept her from using her legs to relieve pressure on her cunt pressing against the bar. She was held leaning forward by the bands tightened around her tits and attached to the narrow bar. Leaning forward with little support pressed the rough bar tightly to her clit and cunt. The weights clamped on her labia pulled her lips down on each side of the metal bar. The stand Larry placed in front of her held a platform, containing two indentations shaped like hands. "Bitch, put your hands on the table." The woman slowly raised her hands to lay them as told, though her eyes clearly expressed her fear. He dropped a plate on top of them, causing her to grimace in pain. The top plate was locked down, tightly squeezing her hands between the two plates so that they could not move. He pulled on the platform, stretching her arms forward along the braces on the stand. The movement forced her further forward, putting more pressure on the narrow iron bar she straddled, pressing and rubbing her cunt and clit against the cold, rough, bar. Her arms were strapped tightly to a brace, making movement impossible. Cinches were pulled tighter around her tits, squeezing so that they ballooned more, adding more stress to her nipples from the weighted clamps on them. Tears began to stream from her eyes. She knew what was going to happen, as she had seen it happen to others. The women in the chairs watched, fearing what they were about to see. Dale and Larry each picked up a drill and laid it into the guide at each end of the plates. They waited a moment before turning them on, then pushed the drills forward toward the woman's wrists. Controlling the drill so the bit turned slowly, they continued to push the drill toward her forearms, next to her wrists. As soon as the drill bits tore into the skin, she began to scream and her muscles twitched as she tried to escape the extreme pain. With her focus on her wrists, the pain from struggling against the metal bar weren't noticed, as they also tore at her skin. Larry and Dale grinned at her struggles while they pressed drills forward cutting the hole through the bones in her arms. The noise of the woman's screams triggered the mechanical cocks in the women's chair seats to swell some, and to then begin rhythmically thrusting in women's dripping cunts, while small hard squirts of warm water hit their nipples and clits. They watched in horror, as it was obvious that the two men were drilling the holes slowly through the bones in her arms. The drilling continued until the drill passed completely through her arms. The drill was removed, to be replaced by a pin through the hole in her wrist. By now, the bound woman just cried and sobbed, her voice too hoarse to scream. With a torch, they soldered a ring on to the ends of the pin, so it could not be removed. The pins locked the two bones in her forearms together. The seated women watched in horror as the two men picked up long machetes from behind the woman. They moved to stand at each side of the platform holding the woman's hands. When she saw the knives, she became hysterical. The more noise she made, the stronger the cocks and spray tormented the seated women. The women were very aroused, but also horrified at what was happening before them, and humiliated by their arousal. Both men watched as the woman slowly quieted. Her struggles had deeply torn her skin on her chest and stomach. Blood ran down the bar to join the blood from her torn cunt before dripping on the floor. Larry and Dale smiled as they picked up to long knives. They hooked the knife blade tips over the pivot point in the center of the platform, and then dropped it. The sharp edge bit into her wrists, cutting the skin. She quivered in fear as the handles were then attached to a lever. The put more pressure on the sharp edge to cut deeper into her wrist. Larry and Dale stood watching the fear grow in the woman. Blood, from her wrists, now dripped on the floor. Several times, they moved to as if to step on the pedal at the base of the platform that would pull the knives down. Each time, the weight of the knife cut a little deeper into her wrist. They laughed at her reactions to each false move. Her body rubbed against the metal bar tearing at her skin. Suddenly, a bright light began to flash on the wall. Larry pointed it out to Dale. Dale's face contorted in rage and swore. He was pissed at being interrupted and deprived of his pleasure of torturing this slut. He looked around the room in rage, then picked up a machete out of the stand. Walking toward the man, who was tightly stretched upside down with his arms and legs spread, Dale swung the knife downward, slitting his belly open from his crotch to breast bone, driving the knife into the breast bone. The man screamed as his guts spilled over his face and onto the floor. Larry headed toward the front of the house, to see what the problem was. "Elsa, release the sluts," said Dale, "take them through that door, you have 5 minutes, no more. Leave this bitch in the frame." With that, he turned and walked out of the room. The door slammed shut behind him. The bolt latches rang as they slid home. A clock came to life on the wall and started counting down. The events had moved so fast, it was several precious seconds before they even thought to react. The only sound was the tortured woman sobbing, as the weight of the knives pressed on her wrists. Before the Elsa and the two other mistresses could move, four security team members quietly materialized in the room. The slut mistresses screamed when they saw the security team members. They sat in shock and amazement as they watched the events unfold. When all three saw the light flash and Dale's reaction, they were sure they would die. The women in Madeline and Ursula's groups quietly watched the security team members, as seeing them brought back memories of another time. The team members moved quickly, to begin cutting the restraints from the restrained women. As each woman was released, they lifted her off the mechanical cock and assisted her over to the spot where the team members had first been seen. Once in position she was told to stand still, and the team member stepped away. As soon the team member was clear, she disappeared. The slut mistresses stayed seated in their chairs afraid to move. The shock of watching each woman disappear just added to their confusion. Sarah's clan monitored the activities in the room as the rescue began. Once they saw that Madeline and Ursula's groups recognized the security teams, they told them that they were being teleported to the ships clinic. The woman in the frame was carefully released from her restraints. A wound gauze wrapped around the deep cuts on her wrists and over the abrasions from the bar. Two team members carried her over to the location and stood her up. They asked her if she could stand for a moment, since her life depended on it. When she nodded yes, they stepped back, letting her stand momentarily until she vanished. They led Elsa and the two remaining women over next to the spot. Fear clearly showed on their faces, but they did not resist, as their minds would not let them. They were each moved onto the spot, and, as soon as a security team released their arms, they vanished from the room. Once the women were all out of the room, Star teleported the security team directly to the ship. ------- Connie and Betsy were waiting for the women, as they arrived in the ships clinic one by one. The women in Madeline and Ursula's group arrived first, with a glazed look. They watched, in awe, as the tortured woman suddenly appeared, standing in the room. She was quickly assisted by the EMTs onto a gurney, and moved to a treatment room. As soon Madeline and Ursula's groups realized where they were, they began to cry in relief as they hugged each other, as well as Connie and Betsy. When Elsa and the two other slut mistresses arrived, they looked around in shock. They were in a room that looked like a medical facility but seemed different. They quickly noticed the eight new sluts seemed glad to be there, as the women were hugging each other with tears of relief in their eyes. All the changes they had just experienced had not registered, yet. When Dale had given them their instructions, they had expected to die slowly, in some horrible way. "Elsa," said Madeline, "you and your two friends are safe here. I know it's a shock, but trust me." Elsa began to cry, and mumbled, "My sisters and friend will die horribly if I am not there," she sobbed. "The bastards made them totally dependent on me. I have failed them," she wailed as she began to cry harder. "Try to be patient, we are sure they will be okay." Marsha and Jan stepped over to hold her, while Elsa continued to sob. Betsy came back into the room, "What's the problem?" "Shock," said Jan. "Plus, she is worried about her sisters and a friend. They were the pregnant women at the company where I used to work." "Elsa, I think the people you are worried about are in the next room," said Betsy. "Let's go see how they are doing." Betsy opened the door for them, and watched as they helped Elsa into the room. Madeline recognized them from earlier in the day. They were resting quietly, asleep on the beds. It took some time for Elsa's eyes to clear of tears, then there was a momentary shriek. Elsa slumped, as she fainted after seeing her sisters and friend. Several from Madeline's group held Elsa up, as they waited for her to recover. They waited quietly until Elsa regained her composure. "Are they okay?" asked Elsa. "Yes, they are just sleeping," said Betsy. "The initial medical evaluation indicated they were in very good shape, considering their immobility." Ursula's group were shocked to see what had been done to the three women. They had seen the information in their mind-link with Madeline's group, but seeing the results first-hand was much more horrifying. "Come, we need to leave before we disturb them," said Betsy. Madeline and Jan supported Elsa as she walked over to her friend and sisters. Elsa lightly touched them, not quite believing what she was seeing. Tears of happiness rolled down her cheeks. She didn't know where they were, but at least they were together. She hugged each and gave them a kiss. "Ladies, we need to let them rest," said Betsy. "Lets go back to the other room." Back in the room where they arrived, Betsy said, "Ladies," as she looked at Madeline and Ursula's groups, "it is good to see you again. For those I haven't met, my name is Betsy and I am one of the three doctors here. We now need to give all of you a health scan, so please come with me." With that she led them into the adjoining room. "Ursula, why don't you lead off, as I think you will remember doing this when you were here before. This time I can't stay with you, as I need to assist with the other patient, who was about to loose her hands. An EMT will arrive shortly to help with the autodocs, in the meantime, just follow the autodocs instructions. The EMT will call me if the autodocs find any medical problems that need immediate attention. Otherwise, either Judy or Gail and I will sit down with each of you tomorrow, and go over the results of your health screening. After the autodocs have finished the health screening on all of you, we would like you to spend the night here in the clinic ward. This is so we can monitor your health. There is a shower room connected to the ward. If you need anything, just ask the EMT." And she turned to leave. "Madeline and Ursula's groups, you are free to tell Elsa and the other two about where they are. The EMT can take you up to the observation deck, if you want to go there. The view will be different, as we are now orbiting earth." As Sarah's clan spoke, the facial expressions of all eight women showed their surprise. "Sometime tomorrow, after you are done going over your physicals, we will update you on what happened after you left the estate. The two twerps are in custody and the law enforcement group has managed to recover a lot of evidence. The estate did implode and is now a large pile of rubble, much like what occurred during the lodge incident." "Thank you," said Madeline, quickly followed by Ursula and the rest of their group's concurrence. "We would have preferred it to be less traumatic." "Yes, it was awful watching what they were doing to that woman. Even after the freighter, it is hard to understand that kind of meanness, or maybe 'evil' is a better word." ------- Sarah's clan left the bridge to join the Intelligence Department crew. When they arrived, it was easy to see that they were ecstatic about the apparent success of the efforts surrounding Madeline and Ursula's groups. Rusty looked at Sally and Terry, he could tell they were both thinking the same thing. "Okay, guys," said the three of them in a loud voice that carried over the celebration. The room quickly quieted down. "We have accomplished a great deal this evening and rescued several people. Because of our success, they should have a much brighter future now. So yes, all of you should be very proud of what was accomplished, but there is much more to do." "Clarence and James will need our quiet support for some time and maybe even some more nudges to locate the information they need. We must be careful not to taint the evidence, while we ensure it is not lost and available to them." "The three of us would like to leave you with some ideas to pursue, while providing assistance. First, Clarence and James' teams are a very driven and honest group of people, well, except for a couple who have been compromised. They do not tolerate evil very well. Once the guard unit has an idea of what these two men were doing, Clarence and James will have excellent support securing the evidence they collected this evening." "You should consider having the bots suggest to Clarence and James that they pull their whole team in immediately to begin going through the evidence, as it will take some time to view the recordings. If they quickly found the recordings of tonights planed amputation, and the abuse the three pregnant women suffered, along with one or two others cases, it seems possible the guard unit could be activated to protect the evidence. The newspapers will sit on the story, in part, because they trust James and Clarence, and know they will have first dibs on publishing it, plus they have an inside perspective. Dale and Larry should probably be moved to a maximum security location, but their lawyers may try to prevent it. If they are released on bail, you should try to keep track of them. They will most likely disappear within several weeks. If they do, they will likely not live very long. In any case, probably not long enough to go to trial." "Please, if you see situations developing and aren't sure about how to react, let us know. The three of us have had some experience with similar situations." "Thank you for your compliments," said one of the group, while many others nodded their agreement. "We would all like to go offer assistance, as a part of their group. We realize that, if we did that, we would only complicate their effort for a number of reasons, thus the need to work behind the scenes with patience." "Could James really request activation of the guard unit to assist?" asked another. "It is possible, but he would need a strong case. From what eSarah saw last night, it seems he has a strong case. With the unit commander and the men supporting the request, it would be difficult for the governor to deny it, for political reasons. The quieter the preliminary stuff is handled the better chance he will have of success, before political favors start being redeemed. If the DOJ gets involved, it will really slow the case down, as we suspect some people involved have connections there and may even work there." "So, we should do everything to keep the journalists deeply involved?" "Yes, very definitely. James and Clarence both know their value. The combination of them together makes a very creative team. With the addition of Chad, it seems to be stronger, and adds a fresh view. Watch, help and learn." "I think we are going to turn in," said Joyce, "This has been a tough day. You should consider scheduling 12 hour shifts for the next week or so, and perhaps continue those hours until it becomes public, that will ensure everyone gets sufficient rest. Fatigue will lead to mistakes, and group fatigue just makes bigger mistakes. Also, don't forget to watch the rest of the galaxy for threats." "Wow, we have a lot to do." "Yes, and there are others in the crew that can assist you," said Erin. "If you make it known to your family groups, I am sure you will have plenty of offers to assist." Everyone's attention was suddenly drawn toward Sarah, Aoife and Maeve. They stepped toward one another. When they touched, they began to shimmer with a strange glow, and their eyes sparkled with fire. Together they spoke as one. The perfect harmony of their voices filled the room, capturing everyones attention. "We must not risk our friends this way, ever again, if we can prevent it. Every lead, scrap or piece data about these two creeps needs to be analyzed. Buried in that information are the leads to the rest of the creeps. We have the ability to find that information. We absolutely must avoid a repetition of today's events, if nothing else, we should remove probable victims, or block the perpetrators before they can be harmed. Alternatively, we could meet with MacFarland and O'Toole, to discuss ways to stop these creeps and their associates as quickly as possible. Otherwise, our current and new friends are at great risk. The risk to us from outside this solar system is small now, so focus on this issue, while a few of you monitor the intrusion sensors." As they finished speaking, the glow and shimmering subsided. The group in the room stood, looking at them with a look of amazement on their faces. Rusty and Sally were the first to move, as they stepped over to their spouses to hug them. "Are you three okay?" said Rusty. "Yes." "What happened?" "I, no we, felt an urgent need to touch," said Sarah. "Once we did, you saw what happened. It was interesting, as the thoughts came in a language I did not recognize but instinctively understood." "Sarah, it was Celtic," said Aoife. "At least, I think it was. We can review it later to be certain of the language." Maeve turned to the others, saying, "Intelligence department, tell Star you need more assistance, even if it slows our rebuilding. We have been visited by someone, and it would be wise to follow their suggestions." "Maeve, the strength of the comment was stronger than a "suggestion"," said Terry. The rest of their clan nodded in agreement. "Yes, you're right." "You know, we really aren't using all we know," said Muireann and Jason. The rest of the department looked at them strangely. "We have been focusing on the data around the situation, instead of trying to find data matches in all that we have on these misfits. We have data from tonight's raid, the farm where Jean's group was held, the freighter, the lodge, Joyce's college friends, Terry's loss of personal possessions, Sarah's house, and Gary's operation. The most detailed information is from tonight, the farm, and lodge." It was quiet as everyone digested the comment. "Intelligence AI," said Muireann, "how long will it take to shift through the data we have for similar patterns or common information." "Anticipating your request, I made a quick comparison between the freighter and tonight, which yielded a number of matches and common information. This my resources can do quickly, but the context is difficult to assess without more understanding." "Cool," said Jason, "Okay, show us what you found and let's work from there." "Star, can you find some volunteers that we can use to monitor our space perimeter, while we focus on this?" "There are several on their way to see you. It seems more than this department heard the trio's comments. But, not everyone." "Interesting." "Jason, Muireann, we think it is time we left, so all of you can focus on this task," said Sarah's clan. "Let us know if you need anything." The clan was hardly to the door before the staff had turned to focus on their consoles with renewed vigor. Many were embarrassed, as they felt they had not done as much as they should have. "Listen to me for a moment," said Star, softly, to the department. "Yes, we all missed some opportunities to sift through the data, that includes us AIs as well. Don't put yourself down. Let us learn and go forward. The lessons we learn here will prepare us for tomorrow, because, traveling through the galaxy, we will have less solid information than we have here. As Sarah's clan said, you did well." The words from Star softened their anguish a bit, while at the same time strengthened their resolve to find what they needed. ------- In the clinic, Madeline and Ursula watched Elsa and the two other women. They didn't think they would cause a problem, but weren't sure how they would react to being on a space ship. They felt the effects of the submissive drug had worn off. It wasn't clear whether the three former mistresses had been given a drug to make them compliant or not. The three former mistresses became a bit uneasy, as time progressed, about their strange surroundings. Even though they did not feel uncomfortable, their recent experiences caused them to worry. "Madeline," said Elsa hesitantly, "or any of you, where we are?" "First," said Jan, "do you know if they were drugging you to keep you compliant?" The three women nodded yes. "I don't think," said Elsa "the dosage we were receiving was as high as what they gave you. With other women, Larry, would have me reduce their dosage after a period of time. When I asked why, he indicated the repetitive effect of humiliation reduced the need for the drug." "All of you have some lingering effects of the drug," said the EMT. "I need to check with Betsy or Judy, but it looks like it would be a good idea to give all of you an antidote to the drug you were given, as a precaution. Elsa, Kim and Lace show a lower level of the drugs. Just a moment and I will know." The EMT sat quietly for a few moments and then went to a cabinet. She came back with a tray, holding a cup for each of them. "To anticipate your thoughts, yes, it looks similar to the drinks you had earlier. These drinks contain a drug which will quickly bind to the drugs given to you earlier. It has no effect, other than counter the submissive drug you were given. You should notice your thoughts and feelings become clearer in less than 30 minutes." With that, they each took a cup, Elsa, Kim and Lace watched until Madeline and Ursula's groups began to drink the antidote, then they drank theirs. Marsha broke the silence, saying, "Elsa, how did you get trapped into being Larry's slave?" Elsa took a deep breath before beginning her story. She had joined Larry's company right out of college. This was only a year or two after it had really started to grow. She had been there several months, when a project she was assigned to had her working late one night with Larry. They went to dinner afterward and had a great time that evening, at least what she remembered of it. The next thing Elsa knew, she was naked, cuffed, and collared, on a cot in a dimly lit room. It scared her, as she couldn't remember anything, except that she was sore all over. Her breasts were very tender. When she tried to close her legs, her cunt and ass ached. She laid there for some time, before two women entered the room. They ignored her when she asked questions. They pulled her up, and and attached a leash to her collar. One pulled the leash, pulling her toward the door. She hesitated, pulling back on the leash. The woman turned and looked at her, and nodded. She jumped and screamed, as she was struck across her ass several times. The pain was awful. The woman told her to follow, or she would be whipped some more. After that, she willingly followed the woman, as the heat from the whip marks on her ass burned. In the adjoining room, they sat her in one of the open seat chairs, with her knees spread. Straps held her thighs to the seat. A mechanical dildo was placed under her, with the head pushed just into the mouth of her cunt. A TV was placed in front of her and turned on. She was told to watch the TV. She would learn everything she needed to know for her new job working for Larry. All she needed to do was watch the TV and following its instructions. The videos began, showing her arriving with Larry at a party. She was surprised to see many of the people she worked with there. She was really shocked when several women entered the room, naked, except for collars, cuffs and high heels. She recognized one of the women as a former co-worker. Her co-workers immediately began to grope the naked women, while several others dropped their robes, showing they were naked, was well. One man sat, pulling one of the collared women down on to his lap. She watched as the woman took his cock and wiped it between the lips of her cunt, before fully settling down on his cock. The next scene shocked her, as it showed her dancing on the stage, striping off her clothes in time to the music. The videos continued for several hours. All of the scenes focused on her sexual escapades with her co-workers. She did everything they asked her to do, and even begged them for more. Her performance in the videos was humiliating. She didn't notice, until she came, that the mechanical dildo had been fucking her as she watched her performance. Her reaction to the videos humiliated her even more. She was wet. She could smell her arousal. After the orgy, she watched a film showing her signing documents making her a ward of Larry's. She told him how much she wanted to serve him in any way he wanted. The documents were almost identical to the ones they had signed, and, like theirs, the signing was filmed. She was shocked and humiliated by her reaction to the film. Cumming, while watching her sexual escapades shocked her, but she accepted it. The two women never talked to her. She spent the next several weeks exercising and watching explicit sex videos, all giving detailed instructions on how to give sexual pleasure to others. When she wasn't watching a video, she had to practice with the dildos, her keepers, or a pair of dogs. At night, when she slept, she was bound, with a dildo up her cunt and ass. She found out later that she was filmed the whole time. With that hold on her, along with some mental conditioning by the drugs, it never occurred to her to do anything other than be another one of the company's sluts. Larry trapped her friend and sisters into being company sluts much the same way he trapped her. He made her watch, as they were conditioned into being sluts, just as she was. Once they were conditioned, he used the four of them as company sluts for several months. He had them perform with each other and the dogs in sex films, when they didn't have employees, or customers, to service. After about a year, Larry told them they would be moving to a new, more convenient, location, and that there would be some change in their duties. They were moved to the fourth floor of the company office building one evening. It was there that Larry told them their new duties. Elsa was to be his receptionist, and slut mistress. Her sisters and friend would either have babies, or he would sell their life-time personal service contracts at auction. When they asked about the auction, Larry told them the buyers would from private sex clubs, baby farms or private buyers. He told them that some of the sex clubs put no restraints on how a member used their employees. Private buyers were usually flesh dealers from Africa or the Middle East, where they could be sold for meat. They decided that remaining there was the best of their two choices. Since then, they had begun to wonder, with the increasing cruelty and abuse they were being subjected to. "Dale and Larry were adamant about my sisters and friend having triplets, and indicated they would be very disappointed if that didn't occur. They didn't say much when the first set of twins were born, but their displeasure was clear. After the first set of twins were sold, Larry took them all to the estate for the weekend. When they arrived, each of them were bound to a frame in the dining room. The frame was the same as the one the woman was bound to this evening. All they could do was watch, while Larry and Dale ate dinner, ignoring them the whole time. They talked about what a disappointment it was that Larry's sluts didn't deliver the required number of babies. Before they finished, they decided that my sisters and friend needed to be punished for their shortcomings." "After dinner, they had the frames holding us moved into the adjoining room. They entered a short time later, with two of their servants. They each took a whip from the wall and, without a word, began to whip all of us. We could each see the treatment the others were receiving. It was horrible. They whipped us until our backs were red and raw. Our cunts, tits and chests were raw from rubbing against the frame. They then told the servants to rise us off. Anna let out a blood curdling scream as the liquid splashed over her back. It was quickly followed by all of us screaming and jerking around on the frame. The pain was awful, worse than the whipping. Dale and Larry stood and laughed at us. They got off on it, as their cocks stood out, rock hard. While the vinegar dripped off of us, they had the servants suck them off." Elsa thought the punishment was done, until the servants put a platform in front of Anna, Dawn and Sue Ann. Like last night, it was awful to watch, as the holes were drilled through their arms so they could pin the forearm bones together. They wondered why they were doing that, other than the pain. Then they watched in horror as they placed the knives over each wrist. Larry told them they had failed him by not having triplets, so they were taking their hands. Only Elsa would keep hers, for now. Once he stopped talking, the knives were pulled down, slicing off their hands. Blood splashed across the platform before it stopped. The screams were ear-splitting. "Later, when they had all quieted down and the dressings were in place on the stubs. Larry told me I was now responsible for them, as well as being the company slut mistress. Without their hands, there were many things I would have to help them with or do for them, as there was no one else to care for them. They would continue to service the employees, as before. I was to continue overseeing the other company sluts. They gave us shots to increase our bust size before we left." Elsa said she was scared. If she failed, Anna, Dawn and Sue Ann would suffer, or worse. As they were leaving, Dale told them that if Anna, Dawn and Sue Ann didn't have triplets this time, they would never dance or walk again. They would get to watch and feel their legs as they were cut off. When the second set of twins were born to the women, they never said anything about the threat, until after the babies were taken to be sold. "Larry took us to the estate for dinner that night. After dinner, Dale led us into the room we were in tonight. He took Dawn over to a table and had her lay down. Larry secured us in the chairs while Dale strapped her to the table with her legs spread. He tilted the table up, before he uncovered the table next to him. We screamed, as it contained surgical tools. It was horrible to watch, as they cut her legs off. After Dawn, they did the same to Anna and Sue Ann. They made all of us watch the whole time. It was the most awful thing to watch." Their screams were some of the most awful screams she had ever heard. Once each set of legs were removed and the steel pin inserted in the bone, a servant was assigned to dress their stumps. When the stumps of their legs had healed, a company barbecue was held for the sole purpose of getting them pregnant. "My sisters and friend were about five months pregnant for the third time when you four came to work at Larry's company. The last two groups of company sluts did not last very long, as they were not very responsive. Both Dale and Larry were trying to decide who to tap for the next group of company sluts. Dale and Larry were very pleased with all of you when you interviewed. They were quite anxious until you accepted the positions. Then they were puzzled about all of you, because they couldn't find much background information about any of you. Their first concern was that you might be undercover law enforcement agents. Once they were sure that wasn't the case, they began plotting to get all eight signed up to be company sluts. When they heard about all you getting together at the conference, they were angry at first especially, when you met with Tom and John. They were concerned over your contact with Tom and John because of the reasons you heard at dinner. When you turned in your resignations, they were very pleased, as you provided them the opening to start their plan. I don't think he ever saw any of us as a person, but just as some warm object to use or torment." With that, Elsa began to cry. Madeline and Marsha went to hold Elsa as she cried. "I'm sorry I went into so much detail," said Elsa between sobs, "I just started talking and couldn't stop." "You needed to do that," said Madeline. Ursula looked at the other two women, questioningly. "We have only been Dale's sluts for about a year," said Kim. "The first time we were taken to Dale's estate for a weekend was the time when they removed the legs of the three women. She is right, it is the most horrible thing we have ever witnessed. After they left, Dale informed us that he was changing our responsibilities, we would now be the mistress of his company's sluts. In this position, the performance of the company sluts would be our responsibility. As such, we would ultimately be responsible for their poor performance, and for our punishment he had something much more terrible than watching and feeling him cut off our legs. We almost peed right there from fright. You can't imagine the look on his face. It was clear to us he was just waiting for an excuse." "My God, ladies," said Jan, "and we thought our life on the freighter was horrible." The others all nodded in agreement with her comment. "Freighter?" said Elsa. "Yes. A little over a year ago, these people, our hosts, rescued us from a freighter where we were being held captive. We had been kidnapped. When we woke up, we were on a freighter. There, we had to perform in sex videos. Somewhat similar to what you had us doing today, after you took the initial video. If you didn't perform well in videos similar to those we did today, then you were the star in torture films until you died." "How long ago was that? Dale and Larry were gone for about a month around a year ago," said Lace. "He had us out to the estate the first weekend he was back. Several times, they talked about some people dying after a painful illness. Some male guests spontaneously underwent a gender transformation in a week. The transition was apparently very painful. Many of the attendees were unhappy about the poor selection of slaves at that auction. The organizers had attributed it to losing a large group of new slave stock. In light of what you said, their comments now make more sense - if the two events are connected." "Could be," said Marsha, "Let me assure you, we are safe here." "Where is here?" "You remember how suddenly you arrived?" asked Madeline, with a bit of a smile. The three women nodded, a bit apprehensively. "We were teleported to a space ship which is now in an orbit half-way between earth and the moon." Their mouths dropped open. "Our position is directly over the spot on earth where we were earlier this evening." "You're kidding," exclaimed the three women. The eight women in Madeline and Ursula's groups just shook their heads, no. "I can take you all up to the observation deck, if you want to see," said the EMT. "It is only a short walk." "We don't have anything to wear." "I can get you a robe, but most everyone on the ship never wears anything, except shoes. Who would like a robe?" When Elsa and the two women saw the others not ask for them, they quickly decided they didn't need one either. They were comfortable nude. Since they had been under Larry and Dale's control, they had hardly worn any coverings. The EMT waited a moment, then said, "Let's go out this way," as she proceeded to lead them out of the room. "My God, you weren't kidding," screamed the women. They stood there and stared at the sight. It looked just like the pictures they had seen, but it had much more impact when seen from space. Madeline and Ursula's groups enjoyed the view again. Being closer to earth than before gave them a much prettier view than they had seen before. After a short while, the EMT said, "Ladies, we need to go back to the clinic as soon as you are ready." Several had been yawning. "We can see it again tomorrow," said Madeline, "and I suspect someone will meet us for breakfast." "Tonight, an attendant will be on duty in the clinic, if you need anything, just ask her. In the morning, someone will be by to show you to the dining room for breakfast. Some of the ship's command staff will likely meet you at breakfast." "It will be good to see them again," said Marsha. "Are the babies here?" "Yes, and they are usually at breakfast." When they reached the clinic ward, the EMT showed them how everything was arranged, then excused herself. The group quickly took showers and then went to bed. It wasn't long after they first went to sleep that Elsa, Kim and Lace woke screaming, in response to a nightmare. Once they were calmed by Madeline and Ursula's groups. Several women from the two groups paired off with Elsa, Kim, and Lace, to sleep with them. They cuddled up to them, holding them in their arms while they slept through the night. The ship's chime sounded, signaling breakfast would be severed shortly. The sound of the chime roused the women from their slumber. Elsa, Kim and Lace woke quickly and were, at first, disturbed by the strange surroundings, until they realized where they were. Their quick movements woke their sleeping companions, who pulled them back so they could cuddle together for a short while. "Come on, we need to get up," said Marsha. "I wonder where the nearest exercise benches are?" "Ask the attendant," said Jan. "What?", asked Elsa. "When we were here before, each sleeping area had an exercise area nearby, along with a shower." "Here, before?" "Yes. We mentioned it last night. These people rescued us from a freighter, where we were being used as performers in sex videos. Our captors were planning on selling us to whorehouses, sex clubs or individuals, where we would be used as sex toys, slaves or worse. They used the sex videos as a way to find buyers for us." "Oh, sorry, now I remember. So much has happened." "The attendant said she would take us to an exercise room," said Jan. "Come on, let's go. Once we finish, we can take a quick shower." Jan turned and headed for the adjoining room, where the attendant was waiting for them. Arriving at the exercise room, the four in Madeline's group went right to the exercise benches and climbed onto them. Elsa, Kim and Lace watched in fascination as they began to exercise. Ursula said, "Why don't the two of you try out the remaining benches? We will exercise when you are done." Marsha and Ursula took the hands of Kim and Lace, and led them over to the bench. Once they had mounted the benches, they were shown how the controls worked. It took only a few minutes until they were covered with a sheen of sweat. When they were done, Madeline's group helped Kim and Lace into the showers, while the others took their turn on the exercise benches before showering. By the time they returned to the clinic with the attendant, Briana and Cathan were waiting for them. Ursula and Madeline's groups greeted them warmly, then introduced Elsa, Kim and Lace. The three were initially a bit intimidated by their height, but the warmth of the group's conversation soon erased any misgivings they initially felt. Briana said, "We've come to take all of you to breakfast' even though we are sure you could find the way." With that' she took Elsa's hand' as she turned to lead them to the dining hall. Following Briana's example' they all walked hand-in-hand to the dining room. During the short walk, Elsa kept glancing at Briana. Briana sensed her glances, and waited to see if she would express the questions she had. "Do I know you?", asked Elsa, finally. "I don't think so. I was one of the group that helped all of you escape. I am surprised you recognized me, though, as the tactical suit makes us all look pretty similar." "I am not sure recognized is the right term. You just felt familiar. Can I ask a couple of personal questions?" "Sure," said Briana thinking back to the questions she had when she first met this race. "How tall are you?" "Well, before my feet started to arch, I was about 6' 5", now I am pretty close to 7' tall without shoes." "Do you always wear heels?" "No, I don't always wear heels, but they are very comfortable, especially if I stand still for an extended time." "When I wear heels, they always feel awkward, and it doesn't take long for my feet to hurt." "Yes, I can remember that from the few times I wore heels before coming here. After I joined this society, I asked for some genetic virus treatments which drew me fully into this race. One effect of the treatments is to give me the arched foot, along with several other features you may not have noticed yet. As a part of the changes in my feet, my ankle has changed in shape and position so I now naturally walk on the balls of my feet. There are also some changes in the muscle structure of my feet and legs. I am quite comfortable without the heels, but wearing the high heel shoes gives us some additional support when we just stand. Many of us are originally from earth. We have opted to have the genetic treatments, so we could be more effectively a part of this race and society. None of us have experienced any regret in having the treatments. In fact, many of us think having the opportunity to be here is the greatest event in our lives." "I like your hair. In fact, you are very beautiful." "Thank you. You will be shown a presentation today that will tell you more about where you are, and about us. I think it is supposed to happen after breakfast. This society is very different than any you have been around before. I think you will find it quite comfortable being here. Madeline and Ursula's groups are really fun to be around." Just then they reached the dinning hall, and as they walked in, the crew broke into applause, to welcome them. Madeline and Ursula each took one of Elsa's hands, and a hand of Kim and Lace. The other women, seeing what they had done, held hands with the person next to them. Together they bowed to the crew. Madeline and Ursula said together, "We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for coming to our aid. It is because of you we are here. Thank you ever so much." Tears of happiness flowed down their cheeks, as the crew broke out in a thunderous applause, as Sarah's clan walked in behind them. "We too, are very glad all of you are here," said Sarah's clan, startling the women. When Madeline turned around, she threw herself at Sally, wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug of thanks. All of the women followed her lead, even Elsa, Kim and Lace. After a few moments, Judy began, "Elsa my name is Judy. Your sisters and friend will be fine. Their babies are doing very well, and we expect them to deliver shortly. We know that Larry planned on selling them after they were born. Your sisters and friend will need to think about whether they want to keep them. If they chose not to, which is reasonable for a number of reasons, they can help us choose a family to place them with. It, ultimately, will be there choice." Elsa's eyes again filled with tears of happiness, as she felt another point of concern lift. "We should wait to address their amputations after the babies are born." "What about the woman who was about to see her hands amputated last night?" "Physically, she is doing very well. Her personality and spirit are in disarray, so we don't know yet how well she will recover mentally." "Judy, why don't some of the things I saw bother me more than they do? No, thats not right." She paused to gather her thoughts so she could express them more clearly. "I understand the intent of your question. Come on, let's get some food first, then we can talk while we eat." When they sat down, both Kim and Lace sat with them. "Elsa, going back to your question; from what I have seen, it is possible to place those who experience tragedies into two general groups. One group is best called the 'victim' and the other is the 'survivor'. All suffer and are changed by their experience. The difference is in the way they approach the future. A 'victim' doesn't seem to be able to put the event in a 'closet' or behind them' and goes on with life. While, the 'survivor' places the memories of the event in a 'closet' and locks the door. Some 'survivors' even throw away the closet key. Some make the mistake of reopening the door sometime later in life. When doing that, they run the risk of becoming a 'victim' of the tragedy." "The woman who was about to have her hands severed last night, seems to fit the 'victim' criteria. Her spirit has been greatly weakened by the abuse and her seeming acceptance of it. Initially, she also may not know how, or have the strength to, put the ugly events she saw or endured in a mental closet. By not doing that initially, each time she was humiliated, abused or used, it ate at her spirit and self-worth. We hope she has enough spirit left that she will recover, but, right now, we are not sure. There are things we can do to help her, but it is something she will need to find within. Even if she recovers, she will be susceptible to relapses." "The six of you; you, your friend, and your sisters, Kim and Lace, all fit into what I consider to be the 'survivors' group. You seem to have the talent for finding your footing and stabilizing yourself. This doesn't necessarily mean you accept what is done. You just realize the limits of your options, which are reinforced by a will to survive. Later today, when we do your physical evaluations, we will talk to each of you in some detail about the events you experienced. I understand you vented some last evening." Elsa nodded. "That is good. All of you need to do that, and each will probably do it differently. When we do the evaluations, you will control the limits of how deeply we get into the details. Our whole purpose will be to help you put the tragedy away in your mind 'closet', lock the door, and discard the key. We are confident each of you can do that." "I never thought of a tragedy in that way," said Kim. "While Dale used us as his company sluts, and then as the slut mistresses, we saw both kinds of people used as company sluts. In Dale's eyes, we were never more than a piece of furniture to be used. The ones who I now see as 'victims' did not last very long. Surprisingly, their lack of resistance seemed to incite him, causing him to increase the severity of the abuse. The severity of his abuse usually caused him to get rid of them rather quickly. He needed to send them away, because their presence quickly diminished the thrill his employees had from using the company sluts. He seemed to relish the 'survivor' type and, though he was abusive to them, he treated them as if they were worthy of his attention. As cruel as he was, he probably could have broken them, if he had focused on doing it. He never forgot his real need for the 'company sluts' and that was to control his employees. The 'sluts', to him, were simply perks for him to provide his employees, but they also were a tool he could use to keep them productive. All of our liaisons with customers or employees were filmed. Many employees became his sex toys when they decided to leave." "Larry did something similar," said Elsa. "He always kept an eye on the employees. If the employee was bright and good looking, he had them on a list to become one of his company sex toys, once he found someone that was more technically savvy. All of the company sluts were kept on the payroll as his personal assistants until they left. Each personal assistant appeared to willingly give him a power of attorney that turned them into his property, to do with as he pleased. Once they were his, he closed their financial accounts, and effectively made them disappear, except to his employees that visited the fourth floor. I never heard an employee ask about a slut after she left." "Larry monitored all of us. Once my friends were dependent on me, he had me doing some of the monitoring, after he was sure I would do it correctly. A record was kept of each slut's contacts with customers and employees. Each customer and employee would grade the slut's performance after the liaison. Too many poor grades, and they spend some time in the dungeon or he would take them to the estate supposedly for the weekend, never to be seen at the company again. His goal was to always have four enthusiastic sluts available on the fourth floor. If there were more, then the older ones would spend a day restrained in stocks, or displayed on the third floor, where they could be used or tormented at will. Once he felt they had been around long enough, he would give them a going away party, where they were the center piece in a multi-day orgy. They were never seen after the orgy. Strangely, he kept records on everyone of them, and sold the videos through a side business." "I don't know about the others," continued Elsa, "but I really enjoyed some of the liaisons with guests and employees, once I adjusted to my circumstances. So, I guess I really am a slut. Now, a slut out of a job. No money. No identity." Tears welled in her eyes. "Bullshit," said Madeline and Ursula, "you are not a slut, because you enjoy sex even when it's not by your choice. As to job and identity, this group assisted us after we were rescued, so I suspect they will assist you, as well." "Kim, Lace, Elsa," said Sarah, "Madeline is correct. If you are a slut, then so are many of us, if not all of us. We really enjoy the physical aspect of our relationships. Your slutty behavior was required by your confinement, which blocked any opportunity to go beyond just the physical part. Here, you will decide when you want to leave, so relax, all of you deserve it. As to whether you enter a physical relationship with anyone here, is entirely up to you." After Sarah had finished speaking, several hugged the three women, to express their compassion for their predicament. Madeline and Ursula's groups again realized that these six women had a much more personal experience as 'company sluts' than they did on the freighter. They were placed in a situation were they had to sexually service and satisfy people who, at one time, they thought were friends. While on the freighter, they had to participate in sexual acts with others, but they did not have any emotional link to the other participants, so it was somewhat abstract. If they hadn't been rescued, with time, they could have found themselves facing the emotional turmoil that Kim, Lace and Elsa had been living with since their enslavement. Judy watched the impact of Elsa's comments register on the other women in the group. After a time, she said, "Yes, the humiliation will be greater when you know the people you are forced to participate with, or service, in sexual manner. Always remember the circumstances. To a large degree, you are all 'survivors'. Talk with your friends here. Keep the good memories, and put the ugly ones in the closet or wastebasket. When we go over the results of the physicals, we will can talk about this some more." Claudette stood, saying, "Once everyone has cleaned their area of breakfast stuff, we will have a short question and answer period." ------- Chapter 67 Sarah's clan stepped to the front, while the room was being straightened up. "First," they said, "we want to again thank you for anticipating yesterday's events, and for getting the ship ready to move so quickly." With that, they made a small bow toward the crew. "We would like to formally introduce our new guests. They are Elsa, Kim and Lace. Ladies, would you stand? Elsa has two sisters and a friend in the clinic, whose names are Sue Ann, Anna and Dawn. They can have visitors. All three are very pregnant, with twins, which the doctors believe will be born within two weeks. It will be a while before they can join us here at meal time. It will be soon, though." "We expect to hold this orbit for at least a week, but more probably for two or three weeks. Construction projects can resume now, but keep in mind that we will be moving again. Marsha and Ursula's groups will soon be moving to the enclave, just as they had planned to before yesterday's events. Many of the women from the freighter, who also returned to earth several months ago, will be moving to the enclave over the next several days. All of them are planning on participating in GISS with Madeline and Ursula's groups. Two friends of theirs, Tom and John, will be moving to the enclave, as well. They are acting as mentors to help them set up their new business. We therefore expect to see them periodically, either on the ship or at our Mars settlement." "Are there any questions?" "When are the security teams coming back?" "Some will be back today. They will be working in shifts for a while. Our plans are to keep a group close to the two company headquarters and the armory until MacFarland's group has gotten everything secured. We anticipate they will need to contract with a data storage service or a bank, in order to hold the records until they need them. With this in mind, we intend to keep a group on alert, another group on quick response status, and two on rest. This will basically be a four group rotation." "What happened to the twerps?" "Dale and Larry are being held on suspicion of 14 counts of premeditated murder, due to the way the estate was destroyed. The few video recordings recovered from the estate show at least that many people in the building when it exploded and was consumed by fire. The newspapers are preparing a front page story, which will include photos of other people missing from these two companies. The US Attorney's office already realizes it has enough evidence to put them in prison for several centuries when convicted. Even with all the evidence, Dale and Larry's lawyers are already trying to get their clients released from the maximum security lockup. MacFarland's office has informed the court that it regards them both as flight risks. Several politicians and others with political connections have pressed the court to release them. The political pressure stopped once MacFarland's office made it known that they had a lot of evidence in the form of video recordings. The videos were seized at the estate and at both company locations. Once the review was complete, it was expected more charges would be filed against Dale, Larry, and other participants." It was quiet for some time, then Tara asked, "Any other questions?" "Seeing none, have a great day! See you at dinner!" ------- "Ladies," said Judy, "would you come with me, so we can give you all a through health check." With that, they followed her back to the clinic. "Once we finish the health check and review it with you, Madeline and Ursula's groups are free either to roam the ship or go to the enclave. Elsa, Kim, and Lace; we suspect you have many questions about us: where we are, why you're here, what your future might be and so forth. As a first step towards trying to answer those questions, we have several presentations to show you which tell about our background and this ship's history. One of the presentations also goes into some detail about the physical differences between our races. We think telling you about us will remove that distraction, and let you focus on your needs and your future." "Yes, we agree," said Kim, as the others nodded their agreement. "We feel very comfortable here, which surprises us somewhat, considering the way we treated your friends in Madeline and Ursula's groups." "Kim, Lace, Elsa; we feel that, in many respects, your nightmare with Dale and Larry was much worse than what we experienced on the freighter," said Ursula. "Elsa, we will include your sisters and friend when we view the presentations," continued Judy. "There are several crew members we will ask sit in on the presentations, along with ourselves. Our purpose is to help with answering questions, since they have had experiences similar to yours." "Didn't we have a physical last night?" asked Madeline, as they entered the clinic. "Yes, but this time we are going to be a bit more thorough, so why don't you start us off." This time, the scans were set for a higher resolution, so that the autodocs and doctors could make a clearer assessment of the women's needs. When the autodocs had closely compared last night's scans for Madeline and Ursula's groups against their previous scans, they found some areas which caused them some concern. Elsa, Kim and Lace had results which the doctors needed to confirm as findings in last nights scans did not appear normal. The women chatted while they waited for each other to complete the scan and subsequent analysis. Elsa, Kim and Lace became much more at ease as they spent more time with the other women. All of them had similar interests, which made it easy for them to chat. None noticed that they had all moved so they were touching another member of the group. Judy soon returned, with Betsy at her side. "Ladies, we are ready to go over the results. Betsy and I will sit down with each of you individually to review the results. So; who wants to go first?" "I will," said Madeline, "Can I have my friends join me?" "If you're sure that's what you want," said Betsy. "Definitely, they are the only family I have, now." "Same goes for me," said Ursula. All the women in the two groups nodded, indicating that they felt the same way. "Okay," said Betsy, "Judy, why don't you take Madeline and Ursula's groups to the conference room and I'll stay with Elsa, Kim and Lace." "Betsy," said Elsa, "If they agree, I would like them to stay with me when we do mine, too. We haven't really known each other long, but I would like their support." Both Kim and Lace nodded their heads, in agreement with Elsa's sentiment. "So why don't we all go to the conference room," asked Madeline. "I am sure the eight of us would be very comfortable, with them joining us." "Okay, ladies," said Betsy, "but I am going to ask Star to verify your feelings." This caused Elsa, Kim and Lace to have confused looks on their faces. "It's okay," said Marsha to the women. "She just wants to make sure we are not doing this because of peer pressure." "Oh," they responded, though still with puzzled looks on their faces. "Let's go to the conference room. That way we can all sit down," said Judy. She turned to leave for the conference room, with everyone following her. Judy knew that Star would tell Betsy everyone was comfortable with the proposed joint session. Betsy caught up with her after only a few steps. "You knew!" "No. Not quite. I sensed the sincerity in each of their acknowledgments." "Interesting." When they arrived at the conference room, they found that a bot was just setting out refreshments. Once they each had something to drink, they sat down around the table. "First of all, Elsa, Kim and Lace have the most pressing needs," said Betsy. "The three of you have a device in the muscle mass of your shoulders, near the neck. It is a location where there is little risk of it being damaged in your daily sexual activity, or by bondage restraints or whipping. As far as we can tell without removing it, we think it is an automated dosage device." "Oh my, I forgot about that," said Elsa. "Once, when we were at the estate, they told us that we had been fitted with a device that would kill us slowly, if we left without their permission. They proceeded to give us a demonstration that evening. A woman was placed in a glass-walled cage, where she was given a shot. After a few moments, she became very aroused and began to frantically caress her body with her hands. Her nipples and breasts swelled with arousal. Then, after only a few minutes, she mounted a large cock on a rail and began to savagely fuck herself on it. She tugged harder and harder on her nipples and clit. Before long, she was gasping for breath, as she tried to satisfy her need. It was awful to watch as she gasped harder and harder to breathe until she just stopped, slumping down on the cock." Kim and Lace nodded their heads in agreement. "Afterward, Dale said that was what would happen if the dosage was given all at one time. When tripped the device, we were wearing would drag what we had seen out over several days." "The surgical rooms are being prepared now so that the devices can be removed." "What about Anna, Dawn and Sue Ann?" asked Elsa. "They don't have them." "When we did the physicals," said Judy, "we found that each of you have telepathic abilities. In every case, including Anna, Dawn, and Sue Ann, you are all partially using them." "You're kidding." "No, not at all. Our race normally has that ability." "Elsa, Kim, Lace," said Marsha, "we are all telepathic." "So you knew, what was going to happen." "No," said Madeline, "not really. Until two weeks ago, we had blocked our ability, so we wouldn't attract attention on earth. After the conference, we restored it, so all 24 of us could share our thoughts and communicate with our friends, both here and at the enclave. While we were with Larry or Dale for lunch, we felt our friend's comfort and support, even while the events took place. If they hadn't, I am sure at least one us would have been punished yesterday. Most importantly, we felt safe, even when we were at the estate." Elsa stared at Madeline for a few moments. "So, can you tell me why I suddenly felt a calmness wash over me when Dale was postulating with some glee about the four of us soon being sold to a breeder?" "Perhaps," said Judy. "For nearly the whole time from lunch on, yesterday, we were mind-linked with Madeline and Ursula's groups. By we, I mean, my spouses and I. When Dale began to try and goad you into a response, we sent you the feeling of safety, so that you would relax somewhat. Dale was very anxious to remove someone else's hands, or to torture them in some other painful way, last evening." "All of you have a very high level of some very potent hormones in your bodies," said Betsy. "Over the next several days, we expect they will keep your sensitivity to arousal quite high, so that even a slight touch will cause your nipples swell and labia to moisten. Madeline and Ursula's groups were treated so their labia would stay constantly swollen and moist. We have been surprised at the drug combinations. The drugs in the butt plugs were to accelerate the effect of the shots given earlier, resulting in an additional increase in your bust by several cup sizes, when the changes near completion you will begin to lactate heavily." "How large a bust?" asked Jan. "The autodocs are projecting at least a J cup, but more likely larger." "Wow." "The down side is that this will put a large strain on your shoulders and back, which will make you want to stoop or slump your shoulders. The strain on your back and shoulders will lead to other problems. It appears that no provisions were made in the treatment to allow your bodies could carry the additional weight." "This sounds similar to the situation Sarah's clan was in when they arrived," said Ursula. "Loosely, but yes; at least for this aspect," replied Betsy. Madeline looked thoughtful, and then looked at each of her friends, since she knew what she should do. "Betsy, Judy," said Madeline, "I know what I need to do." Judy started to speak. "Wait, let me finish, or please look at my thoughts." Judy was smiling as she continued, "Each of my friends needs to make their own decision, and I know they will. I do not need to be at the enclave until more of us arrive there, so I would like your group to design a genetic virus treatment to correct what those assholes did to me. I am ready to start today, if possible. I really don't mind big tits, a high arousal sensitivity or large labia; but I really don't want to be a cripple." Elsa, Kim and Sue Ann gasped, while Madeline's friends looked on, thoughtfully. Judy could tell that they were mind-linked, as they examined each other's views and Madeline's logic. "Elsa, Kim, Lace," said Jan, "be patient, you will soon understand more fully what we are choosing to do." They nodded, but they still had puzzled looks on their faces. "Betsy, Judy," said Ursula, "we will all join Madeline, and ask that we receive the same treatments. We know from the past of your cautiousness in doing this, and we appreciate why you are reluctant. We would like for you to join our mind-link, so you can confirm our sincerity, as well as our full understanding of the implications. While each of us has made our own decision, it has been much easier knowing we had each other's support, regardless of our choice." While Betsy and Judy looked at the choices the women were making, Madeline said, "Elsa, Kim, Lace, this is one of the benefits we have as a result of our telepathy. We can share thoughts with each other, which convey the emotions that are often difficult to put into words along with the expected words. Shortly, you will be given the choice of activating yours, and if you do, they will show you how to manage it." "We can begin your treatments this afternoon," said Betsy. "The autodocs will begin preparing the treatment shortly, and it will be ready shortly after lunch. You will need to stay near the clinic for most of the next two days, at least. After that, you can go to the enclave if you want to. You will need to come in daily for the first several weeks so we can monitor your progress, then probably once a week." "What will they look like?" asked Elsa, with a strange combination of expressions racing across her face. "Hmm... I guess of those you've seen, probably we will appear most similar to Briana or Cathan, I think," said Madeline, "but I think our shoulders and chests will broaden, so our breasts will be more like Judy's." "I think I would like that." "Madeline, you summarized it well. Elsa, you need to know more about us and our race before you consider it. Actually, our use of the word 'race' may be considered correct by some. The changes essentially alter your species, which happens to be very similar to humans. The change will very definitely limit some of your future choices in particular returning to earth. On earth, you will very clearly stand out as different. We would not expect anyone to find your looks objectionable. The changes will quite clearly mark you as a member of this species or race. Madeline, Ursula and the others have known us for quite some time, and lived here for several months, so they are well aware of the issues." "What issues?" "The changes will make if very difficult for you to live unnoticed on earth. The most noticeable differences will be to your bust, hair, and feet along with the addition of a tail. They will most likely not understand what they see or sense, even if you explain it to them. All of this will make an extended interaction with others there difficult. We are not putting earth's residents down, even though it sounds like it." "I think I can see what you are saying. You think the issues will be similar to those couples have when are a part of an interracial or inter-religious relationship. Okay, I'll wait." "Kim, Elsa, Lace, let's go see about removing those devices from you," said Betsy. "Judy, I will need your help, as well." "I was coming, but first I will have someone from communications bring Madeline and Ursula's group communicators for them to carry, since I suspect they want to explore the ship before lunch." All eight women nodded their heads. "Judy, why do we need the communicators?" asked Madeline. "Because... Now that was stupid of me. You don't really need them, although there have been quite a few changes in the layout since you were here, so from that aspect they maybe helpful. It's up to you." "Sure, we will take them. That way, we can take our time getting re-acquainted with the ship and its network." "Okay." ------- Adam and Todd stood with Briana and Cathan's clans near the shuttle arrival area at the enclave, anxiously awaiting the arrival of a shuttle. Briana and Cathan were on their way back from the space ship, where they had taken those rescued from the estate. They saw the shuttle suddenly appear at the end of the island, then drift toward them. Todd and Brian both thought the shuttle looked different than the shuttle they had previously been on. "It is different," said Briana and Cathan, "this one does not have the disguise capability of the one you rode in earlier. This one has many other capabilities." Once the shuttle touched the ground, a door opened. As soon as it did, Cathan, Briana and two other women immediately exited the shuttle. Once the women were clear, the shuttle the door closed. The shuttle lifted, and then turned to retrace its path, until it faded from view. Briana and Cathan walked quickly toward their waiting friends. Todd gathered Cathan up in his arms, holding her tight, as the rest of their group gathered around them in a group hug. Only moments later, Adam was holding Briana. They were pleased about how comfortable they felt with each other, and with their group now circling them. Both Todd and Adam felt a new level of comfort in their lives, as they were slowly recognizing how much these two meant to them, no not just the two, but the whole group. "I thought you would still be wearing your suit," said Todd. "No, we took them off once we were on the ship," said Cathan. "The others on the shuttle were wearing theirs." "Guys, that was another team," said Briana. "They were going to relieve a team monitoring the armory and the companie's headquarters. We have at least 24 hours off, maybe longer, and then it will be our turn again. So let's relax." "Sounds good to me," said Adam, "especially if it is with all of you." "Oh, we're not letting you get very far from us until you have to go back to work." Adam was surprised when he heard the seven women together. "Adam," said Cass and Charlotte, "we need to have some quiet time together. We know you care a great deal for Briana. You care for all of us as much as Briana, but it hasn't quite registered yet. It is important for us now to do the sharing we put off last night." "Adam," said Briana, "caring for them will not affect our relationship, except to make it grow stronger. Think about your friends, Sarah's clan, and how they care for each other. It is much the same for our group." "Oh, okay. I can see that now, especially after all of us sharing the mind-link since last night." "Why don't we go on a picnic?" said Cass. Everyone nodded their agreement. "Let's ask the other 4 groups if they want to go with us," said Briana. "The canyon with the pond and meadow would be ideal, and it is big enough that we can each have our own time when we want to." Briana quickly contacted the other groups, and let them know what was being planned. Everyone thought it was an excellent idea. They quickly sorted out the details and began gathering the needed items. Cathan suggested they take enough for dinner as well, that way they could take their time getting back. It wasn't long before they were headed toward the path leading into the valley with their packs. Just as they reached the path leading to the secluded valley, two lions joined them, trailing along behind. ------- MacFarland had assembled his staff at the armory, along with all of O'Toole's task force, to go through the files they had found at the two companies. They had been able to recover some files from the estate, before the explosion and fire destroyed the complex. They had chosen to not exclude any of their staff, even though they suspected that some information would be leaked to outsiders. The first file they opened was the one containing the information on the women Larry had coerced into being company sluts earlier that day. The file photos were clearly of the women they had seen enter the vans at Larry's company. Checking the files from Dale's company, they quickly found similar information for the women in that van. The files for the other women in the vans was also found. Digging into both stacks of files, they found similar information on other women. One of the staff began organizing and tabulating the groups of women. In a very short time, they had identified 10 other groups at each company. They were astounded. Over eighty women and men had disappeared into their clutches. The combined information gave them a better idea of the scope of what Larry and Dale had been doing. These two men had clearly been running a sexual slavery operation to support a brothel on their companies' premises. After a quick tabulation of the participants names in the files, it was clear to the team that many influential people had apparently used the male and female slaves. MacFarland and O'Toole held a conference with their combined teams. All agreed that keeping the evidence secure was going to be a big problem. They all praised the assistance they had received from the guard members. MacFarland told the group he would ask the Governor if they could have the Guard's assistance a while longer. It was clear to them that they needed continued help from the National Guard unit, as they really had no other way to secure the evidence. MacFarland quickly reached the Governor. As soon as he was on-line with the Governor, he thanked the Governor for his support in arranging for the National Guard Unit's assistance. He told the Governor that the evidence they gathered appeared to be a treasure trove of information. Preliminary review indicated that the two company presidents were enslaving employees in order to support an in-house brothel. At this point, they weren't sure how it related to the on-going lodge incident, but that investigation also implied people were being acquired for sexual slavery. The evidence they had gathered seemed to indicate that there was also another aspect to the operation at Dale and Larry's companies. He suggested to the Governor that both he and the Guard Commander should consider visiting them, since he thought the Guard members would really appreciate it. The Governor agreed, and they set a time for later in the afternoon. Shortly before the Governor arrived, MacFarland received a call on his cell phone from a manager in the Executive Office of United States Attorney in Washington. The manager wanted to know what he thought he was doing by utilizing a National Guard unit in a federal criminal case. He was told that he should not have gone to the Governor for the assistance of the National Guard without DOJ approval. The federal government had many resources he could have called on for assistance. The manager wanted MacFarland in his office first thing on Monday morning, to brief him on the case. He was not impressed with what he had been hearing of his recent performance. MacFarland's office had many cases that needed attention, and some EOUSA staff members were questioning his management skills, since he was spending so much time on the lodge incident. MacFarland firmly told him that being there on Monday would not be possible, but that he would come, if given that directive in writing. Redirecting his office to prepare for that briefing would delay the evaluation of the evidence collected. Any delay in evaluation would likely allow some of the guilty to escape prosecution. He indicated that he thought the DOJ would receive much better press if charges were filed before he came to Washington. If any escaped punishment because of the trip, the DOJ would not look very good in the press. In any case, they would be working all weekend. MacFarland informed his superior that they had so far identified over 80 missing persons, most of whom were women, between 20 and 30 years old. As it stood now, they were preparing to meet the two company's employees as they arrived at work on Monday morning. He expected a few of them to be arrested at that time. He suspected that many of the perpetrators and participants would try to flee, once they were aware of the scope of the evidence that had been recovered. Many of the key participants identified had both the money and the means to flee. They were working toward a goal of issuing arrest warrants by Thursday, for those that were frequent participants. MacFarland offered to brief him, either at of the end of the week in person or by conference call. The EOUSA office would receive advance notice of anything he knew would appear in public. MacFarland told him that they needed to pursue the evidence, because, once the public got wind of how the victims were used, it would likely create a fire storm. Especially since it appeared that some of the perpetrators had access to government records and officials, so they could block or compromise any discovery of the slavery and missing persons. MacFarland told the manager that he was surprised when he received this call, as, at the moment, they had only arrested two people for suspicion of murder. Additionally, only his team and O'Toole's team knew the significance of the evidence. From what they had found so far, the charges now stand at 14 counts of premeditated murder. These were those people known to be at the estate when it was destroyed by arson. He expected the number of charges to grow significantly, once they determined what had happened to the 80 missing people. The manager closed the call by telling MacFarland to be certain of his cases before they were made public. MacFarland thought it was strange that the manager did not press the issue of coming to Washington again before the conversation ended. He somewhat discounted the purported comments about his management style, because of the continued support he had received from the EOUSA staff. The office was a hive of political intrigue and gamesmanship. Could this manager be connected to the people behind the lodge incident? His thoughts were interrupted by several of his staff needing assistance. When the Governor arrived, Clarence and James met with him and the State Commander for some time, behind closed doors. Clarence and James asked for the Guard unit to be activated for at least two months, as they thought it would take at least that long to document all of the evidence they had. All they wanted the Guard to do was to provide security for the armory, and assistance in sorting and cataloging the documents. While they were doing that, they would remain deputized federal officers. Both were reluctant, until MacFarland told them that some of the evidence showed government officials taking advantage of men and women, either physically or sexually. While it was not clear from the videos, it was clear in the other documents that all of the victims were drugged to make them compliant. A part of the documents also indicated that some, if not all, were duped into signing documents that made their captors their life-time guardians. The evidence included some videos showing severe torture, such as amputations performed while the restrained victim was forced to watch. MacFarland offered to show them some of what they had found. Both the Governor and State Commander declined, but did say they would arrange for the Guard units' activation to be increased to 8 weeks, with a possible extension. MacFarland and Clarence thanked them for their support. MacFarland proposed a cover story for the activation, relating it to a unique opportunity for needed unit training. After reviewing the cover story, they made some minor changes before agreeing it would work. Initially, both the Governor and State Commander were concerned about the legality of the activation, but after some study, they decided they were on firm legal grounds in providing the support. The Governor indicated that he would advise the State Attorney General about what they were doing. James indicated he had no objection, but that he felt that any discussion of this outside the armory needed to be based totally on the cover story for the activation and, even then, in a secure location. Everyone agreed. Clarence suggested that if someone strongly objected to the Guards' assistance, his task force would like to know who it was, as it could be another lead. After the meeting, the Governor met with the Guard members, to tell them that he was activating the unit for 2 month period. There assignment was to support the US Attorney's office, MacFarland's legal staff and O'Toole's investigators, by ensuring the security of this building. They were authorized to carry loaded weapons while on duty, and were authorized to use them as necessary to carry out their duties. Depending on events, the Unit Commander and US Attorney could authorize carrying weapons all the time. The Governor and State Commander spent a several hours mixing with the Guard unit members. Each made sure to thank the unit members for their willingness to participate in assisting the US Attorney's office. A few members told them they couldn't live with themselves if they did any differently, after learning more of the details surrounding the lodge incident, and what the victims had been subjected to. ------- Kim, Lace and Elsa, joined Sue Ann, Dawn and Anna in their room after lunch. The surgery to remove the implants had been completed with no problems. All three were surprised at how painless and quick the surgery was. Elsa was pleased when she saw how comfortable her sisters and friend now were. They seemed much more lively than they had for several months. Elsa's eyes teared as she realized that they had been pretending to be cheerful for a long time. She realized, now, that she had gone along with the cheerfulness, because it made their surroundings and situation tolerable. Elsa gave each of them a hug and a warm kiss, but when she reached Anna, she was pulled down onto the side of the bed. "Elsa, we love you," said Anna. "We feel bad that we didn't do more to ease your pain after our legs were removed." "Ssh, you have nothing to feel bad about," said Elsa. "If anyone should feel bad it is me. It was because of me you were there in the first place." "Please, let me finish. We didn't say anything to you, but that night at Dale's estate when they carved up our legs, we hoped we would die to end the agony. Then we realized they would take their rage out on you. After the orgy to breed us, we knew they would make sure we lived until the babies were born. There were times when we would become bored, and hoped death would overtake us. We were very careful to not let you see us worry. We knew we had to keep our upbeat attitude, so you would not despair, since we knew you worked so hard to help us. We appreciated the careful, loving, care you always gave us. Recently there were many times we worried about what they would do when we only delivered twins again." "You knew." "Yes, we've known at least for the last six months. For a while, we worried what sadistic torture we would suffer before being bred again, along with you. Dawn noticed that Larry made a point coming to see us almost every day. It was usually when you were making sure the sluts satisfied the employees, so that they left the 4th floor pleased with their sexual rewards. Dawn came to the conclusion that we would probably all be there for quite a while, by the way Larry was treating them, which differed greatly from the way he treated us at Dale's estate." "Elsa, Sue Ann, Anna" said Dawn, "I think, in a weird way, he cared for us enough not to let us go. Our group lived there the longest of any group taken to the 4th floor. Thankfully, we will not find out how much longer he would have kept us." Elsa, Anna and Sue Ann nodded. "The night before last," said Anna, "it felt like someone came into our room. Something woke me up, and when I looked around I didn't see anything. I definitely felt something." "We did too," gasped Lace and Kim. "We were sleeping, wrapped in each others arms, like always. When I woke; wait, I didn't really wake, it was kind of like a light sleep; but I felt something near me. The sensation was very comforting, in a way." They paused. "We really can talk better than that; it is just hard to describe." "I think we understand," said Sue Ann. Just then Joyce, Maureen, Betsy and Sabrina came into the room. "Understand, what?" asked Joyce, hearing the tail end of the conversation. "We were just talking about sensing someone in our rooms the night before last, while we slept." Joyce thought for a moment, as she compared her memories with what she sensed from them. "You could have felt something." She paused, as she pieced the concepts together. "We sent an entity to search through your companies' buildings the night before last, after everyone was asleep. As telepathically capable as you all are, you could have sensed that entity when she visited your rooms. I don't know that for certain, but the circumstances and time fit with that idea." "Really," said Elsa. "Yes, it is likely," said Betsy. "You can sense another active telepath around you, even if they don't identify themselves. Ladies, we came up to show you several presentations, so that you can learn more about us, the ship, and several other important things you need to know. These are simply videos made of the presentations that were made to our first crew candidates. They are candid, but they are based on the presenter's knowledge at the time of the presentation. After you see the presentations, we will correct the errors made in the presentations." "Before we begin, though," said Joyce, "you should know that most of us were born on earth. Many of the crew now consider themselves to be a part of this species and society. This society is vastly different from any I know of on earth. We are open and frank, while being caring and considerate. Telepathy is a means we use to communicate, in addition to vocal. We do not use telepathy to peer at others thoughts, unless we have their permission. Violating that rule will quickly make you an outcast and an outsider. Secrets are fine, but again, we don't use them against others, or as an advantage to hold over others. Star, would you show the videos." With that, a holographic display formed in the middle of the room, showing Amy and Jim, as they began the first presentation, many months ago. When the last presentation ended, it was very quiet, as the women digested what they had seen. "So, Joyce is a member of Sarah's clan," said Dawn, "and the command staff is Sarah's clan plus Maureen and Siobhan. Correct?" "Yes," said Maureen. Joyce and Betsy went over the presentations, correcting the mistaken information that was in them. Then, with assistance from Sabrina, and Maureen, they spent quite a bit of time answering questions, while the women sought to expand their understanding of their hosts. As the discussion went on, the six women quickly realized just how different their hosts were from anyone they had ever been around. While recognizing the differences, it was more than equally clear to them, that they felt more comfortable with their hosts than they could remember being with anyone. As all of their thoughts and sense of their situation began to fit together, they realized just how lucky they were to be with this group. They felt like they were home. "Joyce, would you come closer," asked Sue Ann. Joyce moved over next to her and slowly turned around. Sue Ann reached up a couple of times to touch her, until she realized she couldn't feel anything with out her hands. Her eyes filled with tears. "Wait, don't cry," said Joyce, her voice thick with emotion as she realized the reason for Sue Ann's distress. "Betsy, Maureen, Sabrina; let's show them how to enable their telepathic ability. Okay ladies, soon you will feel us in your minds. Just relax and listen to your thoughts. All of you will be able to see how we help Sue Ann, and then we will work with each of you. Please wait until it's your turn, as we want to make sure everything is done correctly." Together they showed each of the ladies how to open their telepathic links, filter out unwanted noise and, finally, how intruders could be blocked. Elsa, Sue Ann, Dawn and Anna immediately began to bond, driven by the strong emotions they already had for each other. A similar link grew between Lace and Kim, for much the same reason. "Now Elsa, feel my body and hair, just like Sue Ann wanted to do a few minutes ago. Sue Ann, you should be able to sense what Elsa is feeling. It won't be quite the same as you wanted, but close." Sue Ann's eyes soon filled with tears, as the sensations flowed from her sister's fingers to her mind. She never thought she would be able to feel again. When she looked at Elsa's mind, she could see that Anna and Dawn were there with her. Glancing over, she could see the tears in their eyes, as well. "Oh, thank you Joyce," said Sue Ann, once her emotions had settled a bit. "I love the way you look. Thank all of you so much for rescuing us from our nightmare. I am very thankful I had these three with me, or I don't think I would have survived this long." "So, now, I understand what Madeline meant this morning," said Elsa. "What do you mean?" asked Dawn. "Madeline and Ursula's groups apparently conferenced telepathically, before asking to start a series of genetic virus treatments to counter the stuff Larry and Dale gave them. We understand that, when the treatments are complete, they will look very much like Joyce or Betsy. The best part is, they won't be worried about health issues caused by any of the drugs Larry and Dale gave them." "That would be wonderful," said Sue Ann. Dawn and Anna nodded in agreement. "Ladies," said Betsy, "you have a difficult combination of choices to make. We can help your bodies heal so that you can live a long time, either on earth or here. One key decision is to decide where you want to stay." Sue Ann looked at her sisters and then Dawn. "Betsy, the three of us weren't in the meeting this morning, but I think we would choose either here or the enclave, over rejoining earth's society." Her sisters, Dawn, Kim and Lace nodded in agreement. "We are very thankful you rescued us. The presentations we just saw, and the answers to our questions, just make us more thankful." "Once the babies are born," said Betsy, "we can talk about your future. The babies will probably be born some time during the next two weeks." "Everyone, there is no hurry to make your choices," said Sabrina. "If you would like to, you can join me in my activities the rest of the day." They looked hesitant. "Come on. Elsa, you're welcome to join us." "Go on," said Anna and Sue Ann, "we are safer here than we have been for the last several years. Relax." They watched as Elsa, Kim and Lace left with Sabrina. "Betsy, can we really grow new hands," asked Sue Ann. Betsy gasped, as she thought she had done a good job of avoiding that thought. Sensing her concern, she replied, "I thought you might have that medical capability." "I thought, I hid that well." "You did, but, you see, I was hoping. I really miss my hands more than my legs, and I think the others do as well." They nodded. "Yes, we have the know-how, but none in our medical group have ever used the techniques. When they are regrown, they will be different than your original hands or legs and feet. There are also some very significant side effects." "Hey, I can stand looking like you or Sabrina, even without legs." Then laughed at Betsy's shocked expression. "It is logical that any of your treatments, in genetic terms, would result in the patient looking more like a member of this race. That implication was really strong throughout all the presentations you showed us earlier." "You're correct; using the techniques would alter you to look much like us. If I remember correctly, it will require at least 8 weeks in an incubator, then several months before your new limbs are really functional. While you are in the incubator, you will be in a state similar to a coma. Think about it, we can talk more later. Not having used the treatment regime to replace a body part, we have some concerns about whether we really know how to do it correctly." "Until we have more experience with the techniques, we should consider a bionic replacement for your legs. Actually, we can do that once the babies are born. If you decide on joining this species, there will likely be some improvements in their function, as well." "Yes, we can talk about it some more. I can't really see a down side, from where I am now. The other thing is, I suspect all of us have already decided to stay, if we can." "I don't think there will be a problem with you staying," said Joyce. "We just want to make sure it is your choice, and that you don't feel forced into it." "Hell, if anyone made this our only choice, it was that asshole, Larry," she said, sharply. "Even without my current physical limitations, being here seems like a damn good place to be!" Joyce watched, as her spirit began to rise. "You just might have to kick me out to get rid of me!" Joyce stepped over to her, and sat on the edge of the bed. She reached over and pulled Sue Ann into a hug. "Sue Ann, we would never kick you out, we need all those with spirit like yours we can find." "Thank you," she said, as she pulled Joyce closer, tightly hugging her. She felt better now than she had in a long time, perhaps since she left home. ------- It was just before dusk in the glade, when Adam and Briana's clan wondered off to talk. They had spent the afternoon talking, playing games, and swimming. The five guys were amazed at how strong and agile the women were. A few times, they wished some of their fellow team members were as good. Some of the games they played had a serious side, in that the game skills were necessary work skills for their special forces work. As they worked and played together, their bond with the women grew tighter, both to the ones in their group and, to a lesser degree, to all of them. Adam and Todd recognized it, then let the others know of their observation. Both wondered how difficult it would be, once they were back on duty. Briana spread out their blanket and they sat close enough that they were touching at least two others in their group. Briana began, "Adam, we care a great deal for you, and you are very special to us. We want every moment you are here to be precious to all of us. So, with that in mind, we would like to completely open our minds to you." Adam started to speak. "Wait," said Cass, "before we do, we want to warn you about some implications of doing this." He nodded. "We feel we need to do this now, even though you will be away from us for a while." "You joining our mind-link is the beginning of us bonding as a clan," said Anita. "It makes you a part of us, and us a part of you. It is a very intimate sharing. When it reaches full potential, we become a single entity for some things, while still remaining multiple entities for others. We will never loose our individual characteristics, although we may absorb some of our mate's characteristics." "All of us have received," said Abaigeal, "the genetic virus treatments, as you have probably noticed. When they are complete, in about 2 months, we will look much like your sister, but not much taller than we are now." "Some of our memories are horrible. They are of things that happened earlier in our life," said Charlotte. "We used Judy's suggestion, and placed them in a locked closet. You have the key, our love, to look if you want to. We are telling you this so you that understand the reason for the closed-off area in our mind. If you look, then please make it very brief, no one should see what those people did." "Adam," said Cindy, "we talked to Sarah's clan before we came down here about our growing bond. We suggested, and they agreed, that when you go back to duty, your telepathic link to us will remain. We don't know yet how strong it will be if we are near Mars, but we do expect to feel each other's presence." "Wow," said Adam, "all of you are a dream come true. No, that's not true. I don't think I could have a dream this great. I am honored and humbled by your desire to include me in your group, and with the idea that we will become a clan. We have only known each other several days, and already I feel as close to you as I do to my sister. It is a slightly different sensation than I have with my sister. My sister and I have shared our love physically many times. My mother and I have also shared the sexual side of our love a few times, with my father's blessing. In both cases, what I feel for each of you is many times stronger, and in a different way." "We know, Adam," said Ellie, "Let's share." Together, they began to open their memories to each other. As they did, the women found some memories they had not yet shared. Some surprised themselves with a recovered memory. Each had some memories they weren't particularly proud of, but they shared them anyway, as each memory was a part of them and who they were. Adam carefully peeked at the memories in each of the woman's closets. He took their caution wisely when he looked inside. What he saw in the memories of those who had been captives, was similar to what they had seen in training films. After the first look, he ignored the torture, and focused on the perpetrators faces. The women were pleased that he didn't look at what they were required to do, nor did he focus on the brutality of some scenes. Adam's face developed a stone mask, as he looked in the closets. The look on his face puzzled them, until they realized it was his warrior's mask. When they finished, Adam drew Briana to him and began to worship her with his hands and mouth. He left his connection open, so the rest could share the feeling and sensations of his caresses and the kisses he was giving Briana. This let his entire group enjoy the sensations each was feeling. After a few moments with Briana, he turned to Cass, and began to caress and kiss her. In only a few short moments, the group became deeply engrossed with each other, in a tide of affection and physical caresses. Briana pushed Adam onto his back, and straddled his hips. As he lay back, he pulled Cass with him. Briana slid her cunt over his hard cock several times. Each time she released more of her cream wetting it before rising up slightly, so she could slide it into her vaginal sheath. She shivered as it slid into her. This was the first live cock to enter her since her treatments. She relished the enhanced feelings in her cunt lips and vaginal passage, caused by Adam's hot cock filling it. "Does it really feel that good?" asked Cass. Briana just nodded her head, and pulled Cass to her for a kiss. As they kissed, Adam moved Abaigeal to straddle his head, so he could lick and caress her cunt. He felt her and Briana move. Glancing up, he saw that they were kissing. When he looked at their objects, in his mind, he found he could feel their kisses, and sense their passion. He was startled when he sensed Ellie sucking on Briana's nipples. The women had experienced the mingled sensations before, when they had made love to one another. They were surprised at how much Adam's participation added to the sensations. Briana was the first to guess that the strength of the sensations was due to their tighter mind-link. Just as she realized that, Adam's cock swelled and pumped cum into her cunt, triggering her orgasm. She screamed, just as she slumped against Abaigeal. Abaigeal held her while she recovered. Soon, Cass helped Briana off of Adam's cock and onto her back. As soon as Abaigeal saw that Adam's cock was still hard, she swung her hips around, impaling herself on his cock. She relished the feeling, as it had been a long time since she had willingly felt a live cock in her vaginal sheath. The thought, emotion and love she felt for all them almost triggered an orgasm, with the first squeeze of his cock with her vaginal muscles. She sat still, holding him deep inside her, as she looked through her mind at all the sensations she felt. Meanwhile, Cindy placed her cunt over Adams mouth, to see if it felt as good first-hand as when she felt Abaigeal's responses. She steadied herself by placing her hands on the two that had decided to nurse on Abaigeal's nipples. Abaigeal saw the control for the muscle's contracting around Adam's cock. She began to experiment with controlling the muscle tension she placed on his cock. After only a few moments, she was able send a ripple effect through the muscles in her sheath. She knew Adam liked it, as she felt him moan into Cindy's cunt and also felt his cock swell. Her two loves nursing on her nipples added to her arousal, while she caressed Adam's cock with her vaginal sheath. Before long, his cock swelled then bathed her cunt in his cream, triggering her orgasm. Cindy saw what was happening, and steadied Abaigeal just as she came. She helped Charlotte move Abaigeal off to the side, while trying not to suffocate Adam with her cunt. Once Abaigeal was laying down, Cindy watched as Briana began to clean Abaigeal's cunt of its cream. She looked thoughtfully down at Adam's still swollen cock. Anita pushed her toward it. That was all the encouragement Cindy needed. She swung her hips around, to straddle his hips. She felt his cock spread her lips and then Anita pushed down on her shoulders, causing the cock to slide into her wet cunt. She shivered, as she realized how good it felt when it was desired. "Cindy, could I show you what I found?" asked Abaigeal. "Yes." "See the muscles controlling the rippling around his cock?" She nodded. "You can change the control so they will caress his cock. From his sensations when I did it, I think he liked it." "Damn right." His comment caused several to chuckle. "I think I will need a rest after Cindy." Cindy began to caress his cock with her cunt muscles, while she enjoyed the sensations it caused to flow through her body. With some experimenting, she found a way to relax and tighten her labia around his cock. The sensations from her labia seemed new or least she didn't remember feeling them before. Cass and Charlotte caressed her nipples, adding to her arousal. She reached down to caress their cunts and clits, to help bring them to an orgasm. Working together, they slowly began to grow their arousal together. The pheromones they breathed added to their growing arousal. Together they sought each other in their mind-link, to share the feelings, the caring and the sensations as they built to a combined orgasm. Cindy felt Adam's cock swell and become hotter, as she felt her clit harden just before she screamed in release, joined by her mates. Their bodies seized, as the feelings of sexual bliss washed over them. As they slowly recovered, they laid down along-side of one another, with Adam in the middle. They all felt very close to each other. Several shivered, fearing that they were dreaming, only to be soothed by their partners. They laid there for some time, listening to the sounds of the night, and the other groups around them. There was the sound of a lions roar, and then the sound of footsteps as something raced away from them through the woods. They chuckled, as apparently the lions had scared off a predator. "Can we continue this tonight?" asked Cass with a bit of yearning in her voice. "Suits me," said several voices. "We need to think about going back soon," said Briana. "The moon will be up shortly, which will help the guys on the walk back." "You can see?" "Yes. It looks much like dusk used to look." "Wow, bet that is handy." "The colors are true, as well. You're right, it is pretty neat, especially since, before, I had poor night vision." They gathered up their things and went toward where the trail started. As they walked, they could hear their friends getting ready, as well. Once everyone was together, they started up the trail. "Just think," said Adam, "two and half more weeks of bliss. I wonder if I will survive." Everyone chuckled as they too sensed his comfort and enjoyment of those around him. When the group arrived at the enclave, they put away the items they had borrowed for the picnic, then headed for the guy's rooms. As Todd reached the door to his room his emotions were in turmoil, because he wasn't ready for the day to end. He didn't notice the grins on Cathan and Sorcha's faces, as they sensed his turmoil. Todd turned to Cathan and Sorcha, pulling them into a hug and a kiss, since he was sure this was goodnight. Hugging them, he noticed Adam and the women with him, enter his room. "Todd, wouldn't we be more comfortable in our room," asked Cathan, softly. "Our room?" "Yes, we are staying with you," said Sorcha, "we intend to be with you as much as possible, while you are here, if that is okay." "It is perfectly okay," said Todd, as a smile spread across his face. Brid opened the door so they could enter. "Todd, why did you hesitate?" said Brid. "Is something the matter?" "No, nothing is the matter, except that, from time to time, I wonder when this dream will end." "Do you want the dream to end?" asked Cathan. "Yes, I want it to end." He paused. "I want it to be forever. I find it difficult to comprehend that the six of you want me in this partnership. I love all of you, but am afraid you will be hurt. My tour with the TTC teams has several years to run, and many of us just disappear on a mission." "When we established our mind-link this evening, we began a process called bonding. We will be together for a long time. Yes, you will have difficult days while on your missions, but we will be there to assist you whenever we are needed." Todd looked at each of them for a few moments, where he saw the love, devotion and conviction in their faces and minds. He relaxed, as he realized this was real, they were a part of him in a way he never thought, or dreamed, could be possible. "I don't know that I deserve all of you, but I will always try to live up to your expectations." "Look," said Cathan, "we are together because we fit together in so many ways. Together, we have many strengths. Together, we can protect each other from our weaknesses. I love you, as I love the others in my group. We came here via different paths, and once here seemed to be drawn together." "Come on," said Sorcha, "let's freshen up and get some sleep." She pulled Todd and Cathan toward the exercise room. She went to her machine and began to exercise. Cathan saw that Todd was a bit puzzled. "You haven't used one before?" "No. It was in here this morning, but..." "Here, let me show you." Cathan led him over to his machine, and showed him how it worked before going to hers. An hour later, when they had finished, they helped Todd up and into the shower before they went to bed. ------- Chapter 68 As they entered the dining room the next morning, Shannon and Siobhan met Sarah's clan. "Shannon came to me with an interesting discovery yesterday afternoon. She had been looking through the history of this race and society. When she looked at some very old documents, they were written in a different language when she first saw them. As she continued to study them, they changed to English." "I asked the Library AI why the words changed," said Shannon. "He told me they do not translate unless requested, and asked me what prompted the question. Once I told him what I saw, he suggested reading the languages and communication section. What I found was astounding." "First, the base language of this society is very similar to old Celtic. So similar, many on earth would not notice the difference. Second, many of us have an inherent ability to speak and think in many languages. Unless we seek to determine whether we have that ability, we won't notice it being there." "So that explains why I saw Celtic words and spoke English yesterday," said Sarah. "What?" said Shannon. "Yesterday, Aoife, Maeve and I had an experience," said Sarah, with Aoife and Maeve nodding in agreement. "When we were reviewing the events involving Madeline and Ursula's groups with the Intelligence department, the three of us felt a driving urge to touch. As soon as we did, our appearance changed, as we began to speak as one. The thoughts that came to us were in a different language, but we said the thoughts behind the words to the group in English. Afterward, when we evaluated what the thoughts expressed, we realized someone had provided us with guidance on handling an issue. The guidance was correct and timely, but, without it, we probably would not have taken that path as quickly. Aoife pointed out to us that the thoughts we saw in our mind were expressed in Celtic, and that we had expressed them correctly in English." Shannon looked puzzled. "Shannon, your observation and information comes at an opportune time. Thank you. Knowing that should help us understand some other things going on around us." Shannon beamed at the compliment. During breakfast, Sarah's clan mind-linked, drawing Maureen and Siobhan into the link. Together, they quickly reviewed the short-term plans they expected to share with the crew this morning. They quickly determined that no changes were necessary, so they spent the rest of breakfast in conversation with those around them. When everyone was done eating, Claudette stood, "Once everyone has cleaned their areas, we can begin our meeting." Sarah's clan, Siobhan and Maureen moved toward the front of the room. As these events were taking place on the ship, Nancy had made a similar announcement at the enclave, and Amy gathered their small crew together in the Mars settlement. "Star, please make arrangements so those at the enclave and on Mars can participate. It will need to be interactive." "Good morning," said Siobhan a bit nervously, as this was the first time she led off. Just before she began to speak, her holographic image appeared at the other locations. "Before we take questions, we would like to go over our operational plans for the immediate future. This will cover the activities at all three locations." "Our plan is to remain in earth's orbit for the next two weeks, and then to move back to a Mars orbit. Doing this will delay some of the building on Mars, but not by much. After seeing the events surrounding Madeline and Ursula's groups, it seems that stronger efforts will need to be made in support of the US Attorney and his investigation." "During the time we are here, the Intelligence department will be focusing on gathering and analyzing data on the people involved with the 'flesh peddlers'. They can use some temporary assistance. Some of the assistance needed involves taking care of their routine duties, so that they can focus on this task. The other need we have is for database analysis, as they are trying to find patterns in the data we have collected from various run-ins with the 'flesh peddlers'." "Over the next week, about half of the women who went back to earth will be moving to the enclave. Once some of the others learn about their move, and the reason for it, more may want to join them at the enclave. Their intent is to operate a business from the enclave, much like Sarah and Rusty envisioned when they first arrived there. This effort, led by Madeline and Ursula's groups, actually started several weeks ago, when some of them met at a technical conference and realized how much they missed each other. It was Madeline's and Ursula's groups' resignations that triggered the events the night before last." "In some ways, it is fortunate they triggered those events. We have learned that the two company presidents were making plans to enslave them ever since they first started working there. They planned on conditioning them, so they would serve as their company's sex toys until the employees and customers grew tired of them. We know that they used others in this way and who have since completely disappeared. Based on a few pieces of information, and some coincidences, they most likely were sold to the 'flesh peddlers'." "The raids by the US Attorney's office," said Maureen, "have given MacFarland and O'Toole's groups a wealth of information which will hopefully disrupt at least a portion of the 'flesh peddler' operation. The company presidents have been charged with 14 counts of premeditated murder, and more charges are likely. The US Attorney's office is moving toward issuing arrest warrants for many of the companies' customers. They are compiling the evidence on the employees, and will be waiting for them when they arrive for work on Monday morning. We will augment their security while we are in earth's orbit. To do this, we will have security teams actively monitoring the armory and both company sites. These teams will be backed up by one on alert status and two teams in reserve. The teams will rotate every 24 hours. Two teams will be remain at the enclave when we move back to orbit Mars." "An island in the Pacific has been identified for use as another enclave. Surprisingly, it does not seem to be on any published map. A small party of bots will go to investigate in the next day or two. It is located at 18N 130W. If the island proves to be satisfactory, we plan to use it as our prime recreation area, so that we don't interfere with the business development efforts here. Beside, having the two locations will provide us with more flexibility." "Some time ago we decided to name our space ship, Dóchas, to symbolize the hope it has given all of us. We need to consider names for our two enclaves and the settlement on Mars. Several names have been suggested for these and the new ships we will build. They are: Breacadh for dawn. Marthanóir for survivor. Also, the goddesses Anu, Scathach, Morrigan and Macha." "Comrie," said Madeline, as she stood, "would be an excellent name for our current enclave for it is definitely a sanctuary for us." Many applauded her suggestion. "Well, it seems we have a name acceptable for the enclave," said the command staff, jointly. "Thank you, Madeline." "More thought has been given to making our presence known to those on earth. The communication department will begin making those preparations. We plan to make two global broadcasts to earth, announcing our presence. We expect some countries will attempt to interfere with those broadcasts, and we should be able to neutralize the interference. Each announcement will be in Celtic, English, and several major languages. Shortly before the first announcement, we will move into an earth orbit like we are now, but without cloaking. This orbit will be well above any earth satellites and above easy lift capability from earth. The first announcement will tell everyone we are here and are not interested in invading earth, just in making contact. A second announcement will request the opportunity to make a presentation to the UN General Assembly about ourselves." "Our presentation to the UN will be to give them some background about this society's origins, and why we are here. We will indicate we have established a settlement on Mars to support us while rebuilding our fleet of ships. An interest will be shown in seeking additional crew members, provided they meet a set of criteria which will be available at an Internet address." "Whether we mention the 'flesh peddlers' is an issue we have yet to resolve. Currently, we are leaning toward simply letting the information surface in multiple locations, with enough verifiable details so that it takes on a life of its own." "Yes, we expect the governments to try to infiltrate our efforts to recruit candidates, and some will try to block the Internet address. The infiltration should be easy to handle, thanks to the tools we have, but we need to be careful about whom we select. Our Internet address will be placed so that blocking will only appear to be effective." "Why the change?" asked Danny. "Although I do find your plan quite acceptable, it is quite a bit different than before." "Our original plan, basically goes against one of the core principles of this society, which is openness. When we formulated the first plan, were very concerned about our security, ability to function together, and the strength of our resources. Over the last month, the way we performed in responding to recent events has shown us how conservative we have been. We know we need more people both for the crew and for the Mars settlement. It would be best if we solicited a broader range of skill sets." "We would like you to think about what has been proposed and make suggestions. There is a forum for this topic on the network." "How soon do you think this will happen?" asked Kerry. "Hopefully, we can wait until Star has completed her upgrade, which will be in about 4 months. We will then have an AI equivalent to Star which can be devoted to the Mars settlement. We are also thinking of upgrading all the ships AIs by then, as well, but that will probably be delayed if it interferes with a new ship being built." "Any other questions?" "How are the people we rescued doing?" asked Ann. Madeline and Ursula stood before the staff could respond, and said, "Speaking for us eight, we are doing very well. As of yesterday, we have begun the treatments that will make us part of this species. It was a decision we were tempted to make the first time we were here. We feel very fortunate to have a second chance to make that decision." With that, the rest of there group stood with them. "We," said the eight women, "are all pleased to become members of this species and society. We expect to work at Comrie with the others who will join us there. Thank you, again, for making it possible for us to be here." "Thank you," said Judy. "The other six are also doing well, considering the demons they need to confront." As Judy was talking, Elsa, Kim and Lace stood at their table and waved, indicating that they wished to speak. "It looks like Elsa, Kim, Lace, want to respond." Judy was pleased to see the relaxed look on their faces. "Yes," they said together. "My friend Dawn, along with my sisters, Sue Ann and Anna are doing very well," continued Elsa. "Lace, Kim and I spent a lot of time yesterday afternoon with Sabrina, touring your ship yesterday and meeting many of you. It was the most comfortable day we have had in a long time, a very long time. We would like to contribute in any way we can, while we decide what or where, our future will be." "Elsa, Kim, Lace," said Sabrina, "let's talk afterwards, but I can assure you that any of the groups you met yesterday would welcome your assistance." "Thank you." "Amy, Jim," said Sarah's clan, "are you okay with the proposal?" "Yes, that will work fine. We were going to have Star schedule a shuttle to bring us supplies every other day, which will include structural pieces. By the time the Dóchas is back in orbit here, we will be ready to transfer the equipment we need to be self-sufficient." "We are keeping a shuttle in a Mars orbit, while we are here." "We saw that, thank you. Also, we are impressed with the way you and the crew responded to the events of the last two days. It makes us very happy to see how good this crew worked together." "Well, you started it. And we are very glad you did." "We had help." "If there are no more questions, have a great day!" ------- "Briana," asked Adam, "are your meetings always like this morning's?" "Sometimes, and sometimes more interactive. If any of us had been uncomfortable with their proposal we would have responded, or raised a question." "Interesting. Can we go to the ship? I want to visit the Intelligence department." "Sure, we can go now." "Just us." "Well, actually all of us need to go up to the ship. The others are scheduled for work today. What's up?" "Can it wait until we get there?" "Sure." Briana and Adam joined the rest of their group for the ride to the ship. When they arrived, they showed Adam the observation deck and their quarters, before leaving for their work areas. Before separating, each gave Adam a hug and a kiss. "Thank you," said Cass, "we sense what you are going to do when we leave. It is not something we could face." Adam struggled not to let his expression change, even though he was shocked that they were that close to him. As the women walked away, Briana took his hand as she gave him a kiss in which he felt of his group participate telling him of their love. Briana then led him toward another part of the ship, where the Intelligence department was located. "Jason, Muireann," said Briana, "this is Adam. He is Joyce's brother, and currently with US TTC." "We've heard about you," they said. "We are very glad to see that you have joined Briana's group." "I have? How?" He looked at Briana with some confusion, and saw her warm smile. "Adam, we saw it in your expression, but you came here for another reason." "Yes. I have some images in my mind. This will sound far-fetched, but can we transfer them to your data systems?" "Yes, that shouldn't be a problem. Why do you want to do that?" "I think they will help your project." They looked puzzled. "Yesterday afternoon, our group fully opened our mind-link with each other, and spent a long time exploring together. While we were doing that, some of our clan told me I could, or should, look into their locked closet, which contains their memories of when they were held and used as sex toys. I did, and was appalled at what they had experienced and seen. My training gave me the ability to focus on the visitors they saw. Those images should, I think, be of help to your effort." "My, God, yes. Star, what is the best way for us to record images from Adam's mind," asked Jason, with new urgency in his voice. "You need Aoife, Maeve and possibly Betsy to assist. They need to help him modify his pisonic abilities, so he can project images. Alternatively, Aoife can view his images and project them." "Okay. Request their presence." Muireann had hardly finished speaking before Aoife and Maeve appeared next to them, startling everyone in the room. "Hope we didn't startle you too much. Are you ready Adam?" asked Aoife. "You know." "Yes, Star shared it with us, and then we decided to project ourselves here. As a first step, we need to look at your abilities, to see if you can do this directly, as it will give us a better-quality image. Okay." He nodded, and immediately felt Aoife, Maeve join his mind. "Adam, you know Briana is here with us, as the two of you are fully mind-linked. The mind-link you have with the others in the group is growing rapidly." "Wow." "Now for our, reason to be here. See this area of your mind? You need to slowly increase your energy to it, along with your awareness of it. Here, look at mine." "Okay, see this area that is a light green? This is where you push a thought outward, with the energy to project it. Now, send me one of the images you have. Okay. I have it. Let me project it, like this." With that, an image of a man's head formed in air, but it was not very sharp or solid. "Adam, our systems," said Jason, "can take that image and sharpen it up, however that can add errors to it. This is why it is better if you can project the images. Shall we try? Maeve and Aoife will try to assist. With that, Maeve and Aoife rejoined Adam's mind, to watch him prepare his first projection. An image slowly formed. Adam refreshed the image several times, until he said, 'This is as close as I can match my memory to the projection." "Excellent," said Jason, as Muireann had their system record three views and the holographic projection. Adam spent the next several hours recalling the images of individuals and groups that had visited the camp where Cass and the other women were held. After they had finished recording the images, Adam was so exhausted he could hardly stand. Briana walked with him down to the dinning room to get some refreshments, and then off to their quarters to rest. They spent the rest of the afternoon laying cuddled together, enjoying each other's company. Adam and Briana woke as the rest of their group arrived at their room, to freshen up for dinner. Cass kidded Adam and Briana about lying around all day while they worked. Together, they exercised and freshened up before dinner, while making sure everyone shared contact with each other. As they were preparing to leave, Charlotte said, "This is the most comfortable I have been in a long time." The others nodded, in agreement with her. "That is not to say I was uncomfortable before, it just now seems that, as a group, we are more complete. Hmm... Not sure that was worded well." "We understand your intent, and we agree," they replied. Charlotte's face broke into to a big smile and she began to kiss and hug each of her loves. "YES, I love all of you," she said in their mind-link, while opening her emotional sensations more fully to their group. "I will always love all of you." "Charlotte, we feel the same for you as we feel for each other." Adam was surprised by some of the intensity of the emotions, as not much more than a day had passed since the time that he began to sense the emotions and thoughts of his fellow clan members. "Let's spend the evening cuddling here after dinner," said Adam. "Yes, we would love that." "The Gods and Goddesses have blessed us by bringing us together," said Adam. "The warmth and love I feel with all of you, for all of you, is beyond anything I have ever dreamed about." They each hugged and kissed before they left the room for dinner. As they walked down the corridor to the dining room, a whiff of pheromones could be detected in their wake. ------- They arrived at the dining room just behind Sarah's clan, who had brought their babies with them. When Joyce saw Adam, she went to him, carrying two of the babies, and quickly gave them to him and Cass to hold. As they were holding the babies, Joyce introduced Adam to all their children. The children took to him quickly, giggling and clapping as he touched or caressed them. The children reached for members of Briana's group in a way they had not done before. Joyce and Janet noticed it first, and grinned. "What am I doing wrong," asked Adam, as Briana and Cass looked around at the babies, and started to grin. "Nothing is wrong. We think the babies have just decided that all of you are a close part of our family. They will go to anyone who shows an interest in them, but, tonight, they are reaching for all of you. We may be reading too much into it, since some of them are just over three months old." "I don't think you are," said Judy, with Janet and Jill nodding in agreement. Dinner was spent chatting and playing with the children. The first 12 babies in Sarah's clan were very actively crawling around, and many were able to pull themselves selves up to stand for a few moments, before sitting back down. The younger children watched the others intently, clearly anxious to join their sisters and brothers. When it was clear everyone was done eating, Tara stood, saying, "Let's tidy up before our evening meeting. Although, I don't think it will last very long, this evening." Once everyone was again seated, Alison said, "Arrangements are in place to begin moving the returning women to the enclave, Comrie. If things go as planned, all of them will be relocated there by the end of the week. Tom and John are planning on splitting their time between there and their home, for the time being." Madeline and Ursula stood with the others of their group. "Again, we would like to express our pleasure at being back among you. In the future, we intend to pay more attention to our instincts, because if we had when we were first here, we would have never left. We have been very blessed to have a second chance." All of the attendees on the ship, and at Comrie, applauded, to express their happiness with them returning. "The activities," said Jason and Muireann, "at the armory continued at a fast pace today. MacFarland's team has developed a plan for greeting the employees on Monday morning when they arrive at work which should go very smoothly. We have located some images of individuals who made use of the facilities where some of our family was held. These should help us identify some of the participants in the 'flesh peddlers' operation, which will lead to the leaders; at least that is our hope." "Our project to develop a newer version of our AIs," said Ciar, "is well ahead of schedule. If we don't have any emergencies in the next month or so, the first one will be ready for evaluation in no more than six weeks." "Any questions or other comments," asked Tara. After a few moments, she said, "Let's relax." ------- Sarah, Rusty, Sally, Terry, Joyce met with Madeline and Ursula's groups the next morning, after breakfast, to discuss the business model they had talked about when they arrived at Comrie. Their plan was to build on the reputation of Galactic Intrusion and Security Services for providing turnkey systems. All of the local wiring for any jobs would be done through local contractors. They would then have a group of technicians go to each site, for the installation of sensors and to setup the control center. While all that was being done, they would build the system at Comrie and completely test it, so that all the technicians needed to do was connect it to the wiring. "Wow, that looks easy," said Marsha. "Deceptively," responded Rusty, as he grinned. "Many have claimed those abilities, only a very few have delivered. We tried similar projects a few times before we arrived here. Bob has told us he had inquiries for more, but declined, since, without us, he didn't think he could carry it off." "Why do you think we can," asked Ursula, with a worried look on her face. "Because of the way all of you interact. Your group has some very strong similarities to the way we work together. You have an advantage we didn't have then, the mind-link. It won't be easy, as you will find out. Each set-up usually has a unique set of requirements, even though some look the same." "Bob," said Joyce, "can provide you with leads for reputable technicians." "We would like to coach you on the first several projects," said Sally. "See Bob, and talk to him," said Sarah. "I'm sure he has some leads you could pursue." "Where can we set up?" "Talk to Donna, she can make suggestions, and arrange for the supplies you need. As far as bringing equipment here, you will need to set up a small, isolated, warehouse in the US, with a couple of caretakers living on the property to accept shipments, and also to schedule pickups. This will serve as a transfer point, to allow you to bring the items you need here. It will also serve as a point from where you ship your equipment. One possibility is in the western plains of the US, near an Interstate highway." "Ladies," said Terry, "we have just touched the high points on setting this up. We suggest that the first priority needs to be getting everyone settled. Once that is done, go through all of this with Tom and John, to develop an outline of your operations. You will probably need to revise it several times. With a general plan in place, break into groups, and nail down the details. It sounds like a lot, but, with your training and experience, once you start it should go quickly." "How soon should we begin offering services?" asked Jan. "Tomorrow," said Sarah with a grin, as the women gasped. "That is, only if you have defined the parameters on which you will operate your business. Remember, the longer you take, the colder Bob's leads become. At the same time, you need a detailed plan for how you will do things, because you are operating remotely, so all contingencies need to be considered." "So, in a practical sense, we should be chasing down leads in four weeks," said Madeline. "We would think that is the earliest you could possibly be ready," said Sarah's group. "Six is probably a better number. Consider doing a trial project first, that includes all aspects of your operation. Oh, this should have been mentioned earlier, once everyone is here, take a skills and interest inventory, as you may need to recruit other assistance." "It looks so easy, but I can remember other projects I thought were easy, until we got into it." They quietly sat there, thinking about the issues. "We need to be going," said Sarah's group. "We will be back to see how you are doing. Let us know if you need anything." "Thanks," said the women, as they left. "Do any of you know how many men are in their group?" asked Rusty of his spouses. "Three or four, I think," responded Joyce. "Why?" "Well, it seems that groups in this society function more effectively when there is a male in the group. It appears to very subtlety change the dynamics of the group." They walked quietly back toward the meeting room, as each reviewed Rusty's observation. "Rusty, that was a very astute observation," said Sally. "I have to admit that I initially had my doubts about your observation. After looking quickly through our crew, however, it seems 1 male with 6 to 9 females is an optimum work group or clan." "A better way to look at it," said Star, "is to assume that a work group is typically 6 to 9 individuals, and then add the names. Historical data indicates that our race functions best when the male female ratio is between 1 in 4 to 1 in 8. There are exceptions, such as this command staff." "Star, you surprised me," said Sally. "But, I do like your approach better." "Sorry, to surprise you. I saw your data searches and it tweaked my curiosity. Once I saw the query, I thought the information I had would be helpful." "It is." ------- Several of the National Guards members were shocked when their employers quietly told them on Tuesday morning, that, if they weren't back to work by the following Monday, their positions would be filled by others. With the low turn-over, they would likely not have a position for them after their active duty was over. The National Guard Company Commander, the Governor and the newspapers reassured the unit members that their contributions would be remembered. All three of them would do everything they could to make sure they remained employed, and that they should not worry about their current civilian jobs. On Tuesday afternoon, the Company Commander received a call from a company that contracted protective services. The caller told him they would be interested in employing any member of the unit. He asked him to give unit's members the companies contact information, so that they could contact them after this was over. The contact information was passed on to the unit, after the Company Commander confirmed that the offer was real. It was Wednesday when the story of the software companies' presidents forcing men and women into being company sex slaves made the headlines. The fact that they were used by their former friends as sex toys made the story even more sensational. The editors of the two papers decided to run all the stories with the bylines including all four reporters. Each paper focused on different aspects of the case, but still provided a complete story to their readers. Each edition of the paper had large pictures of the missing former employees. The pictures brought in several leads on their whereabouts, but many were too old to be of any real value. MacFarland held a press conference on Thursday morning, which was carried live by all the TV networks. In the press conference, he indicated the two company presidents were being held on multiple counts of murder, slavery, mutilation, rape, torture and numerous other charges. Several company managers were being charged as accessories to the sex slave operation along with multiple charges of torture, rape, mutilation and soliciting. More charges were expected to be filed in the next weeks against as yet unidentified participants in the activities, at the companies, and the estate. MacFarland thanked the Governor for activating the National Guard MP unit to assist with the evidence recovery and protection. He had called on the Guard unit, because he had heard the unit was looking for some realistic training. Their scheduled drill weekend happened correspond with his office's need for assistance, and he was extremely pleased with their commitment to the effort. Many of those called up to duty had some difficulty with their current employers because of the sudden call up, but he believed that those issues had all been resolved, thanks both to the newspapers and a private protective services firm. When asked whether the company president's would be released on bail, he stated that it was the court's decision, although he had submitted a brief to the court against them being released. His office thought they would try to flee, and that the crimes they had committed were horrendous and destroyed many lives before they had a chance to blossom. The crew on Dóchas and at Comrie had watched the press conference, with a mixture of pleasure that prosecution of the 'flesh peddlers' seemed to be progressing, mixed with sadness for the missing victims. ------- Thursday afternoon, earth time, Sarah's clan and the Intelligence department met, to go over the activities at the Armory, and to review the project's status. Jason said, "Rusty, thanks for arranging to have the security firm call the National Guard Commander about future employment for his men, if they needed it." "Well, it is a bit of a risk, but it should work out." "Security firm," asked Sally, looking perplexed. "Sure, I had the Chairman of the Board for Galactic Intrusion and Security Services call and tell the Unit Commander that, if his men had problems with employment after this was done, they could contact him." He sat there, grinning. "You didn't!" "I most certainly did!" "Do the women know about this added service for Galactic Intrusion and Security Services?" "No, not yet. It was going to be a suggestion, once they had their plans in place. It is a nice fit. Besides, if they don't want to do it, we have some other contacts we could use." Both Sally and Terry looked thoughtful. "You're right." "When all of this settles, many of those leading this investigation may need to find new jobs," said Sarah and Aoife, looking at each other while they spoke. "Why do you say that?" "Because politicians do not like to have 'men on white horses' in the public eye very long, as it takes away from them." "Two of the managers," said Muireann, "at the DOJ have called MacFarland for information or with warnings, which appear to be linked to the 'flesh peddlers'. At this point, it could be coincidence. It is mostly intuition, but there has been Internet traffic from DOJ to the 'flesh peddlers' prime proxy address. We have also found records of phone calls to the same European phone numbers that called the government official about the resort island." "We are currently comparing phone calls between those locations, to see if we can identify other possible participants," said Shannon. "We are considering having a bot implant a tracking chip into both managers. Both like to frequent bars right after work, and several are quite crowded. So the bot should have an easy time of it." Sarah's clan nodded their heads, agreeing to the plan. "How well are the chips working with MacFarland and O'Toole?" asked Joyce. "Very well." "Let's look through the patterns in the data you have found," said Alison. With that, the group spent the rest of the afternoon looking through the patterns. As they did so, they tried several query techniques that uncovered some new matches. When the chime sounded for dinner, Sarah's clan complimented the department on the progress they had made. They took special care to note that, while it probably didn't seem to them like they had made much progress, in reality they had accomplished a lot. Sarah's clan gave each a hug, before they left to return to their quarters. Just before leaving, Judy admonished them to make sure they ate and got enough rest, as she didn't think the large bags under their eyes looked very good. ------- As they walked back to their room, Sally asked, "Rusty, why did you intervene to offer the National Guard members employment?" "Well, there are quite a few reasons. All of the soldiers are all about college age. Their employers are most likely small organizations, where someone being gone on short notice creates a lot of problems. They probably haven't worked with the company long enough for the company to have invested much in them, so replacing them was pretty easy. Most importantly, we don't need any of them worrying about tomorrow, until this settles down a bit." "Been there? Ugh." "Yes. Actually, on both sides." When they opened the door to their rooms, and saw the babies were waiting with their arms out- stretched, all thoughts of other issues disappeared. They gathered them into their arms, and then found a comfortable place to sit while the babies nursed. Maeve and Aoife were surprised, as they felt their tits release milk when the babies they were holding started to suckle. Their spouses noticed the change in Maeve and Aoife immediately. "It looks like we have more help," said Sarah, as she smiled at Maeve and Aoife. "I noticed my breasts seemed firmer or tighter today, but I didn't think I was lactating," said Maeve. "I agree," said Aoife, "but I like it." Her face took on a blissful look, as she carefully held a baby to each nipple. She now knew why the others had a look of bliss on their faces when the babies nursed. Once the babies had finished nursing, everyone freshened up for dinner. As they entered the dining room, Maureen and Siobhan's clans joined them, as did Adam, the groups with him, and his friends. After a few kisses and hugs, each of them picked up a baby, and moved to find a place for dinner. Sarah's clan and the nannies were left to watch the others take care of their children. Joyce said, "Did you notice that some of the women are feeding our babies?" "Not just some," said Sally, "all are letting them nurse, if they want to. It is easy to see, by the looks on their faces, that they enjoy it as much as we do." "At first I was concerned," said Karen, "but, as I watched, my concern evaporated. It seems there is a benefit to both the baby and the woman." "There is," said Star, startling them. "For our species, the interaction of nursing causes the milk to become richer in nutrients. Nursing also triggers the woman to release some additional pheromones. Both of these acts benefit both the baby, and the rest of the family group." "The richer milk, pheromones, and mind-link," said Judy, "we think, are the keys to the spontaneous changes that began in Maeve and Aoife before they received the genetic virus treatments. The composition of their treatments was altered by the autodocs, to take into account the changes already occurring in their bodies." "So, is that why we are progressing faster than the others that received the treatments at the same time?" "We think so." "Karen, when was the last time you had a physical?" asked Erin. "With the other nannies, just after we moved to Comrie. Why?" "I think, you should talk to Judy about another one. It looks to me like your body is changing some as well." Judy on hearing her name, looked at Karen more closely. "Yes, I can see what has prompted Erin's comment. Are you drinking much of our milk?" "Quite a bit. All of us like milk and did before we came here. The milk we have here is much better than on earth." "Why don't we give you a physical tomorrow?" "Okay. You know I really wouldn't mind looking like all of you. I had thought about asking for the genetic virus treatments, but felt I should focus on the babies." "By the way, where are Betsy and Connie?" asked Jill. "I haven't seen them all day." "They went to the Mars settlement," said Star. "Erica went with them." "Sorry, guys," said Judy, "I should have said something earlier. They hadn't been with Amy and Jim in quite a while, so Gail and I kind of prodded them to go. We feel we are acquainted enough with the treatment procedures here so that, with the assistance of the autodocs, there should be no difficulties. The three family groups setting up the Mars settlement have completed their housing, so it's less like camping out." "Good! They need a break. I don't think they have taken one since their episode with the virus." "I think it is about time for us to spend a day with the babies and each other, as well," said Claudette. "I second that," said Tara. As dinner was ending, Nancy and Bob came over to their table. "Joyce, I think that, when Adam leaves returns to duty, Bob and I are going to go visit the four couples at school. Adam's question about them has tweaked my curiosity." "Good. I think all of us would like to know how they are doing." ------- Amy and Jim were waiting just outside the airlock for Betsy, Erica and Connie. The facilities had not progressed sufficiently to have an automatic airlock for the shuttle. As soon as they stepped through, they were hugged, even before they could remove their pressurized suits. This had been the longest they had been separated in a long time. Amy and Jim assisted them, as they removed their suits. Once the suits were off, they tightly embraced each other, letting all the pent-up emotions flow between them. "It is so good to have you close enough to touch," said Amy, and Jim nodded. Betsy looked carefully at Amy, and then said, "So when is the baby due?" "What?" said Amy. "I'm not pregnant!" "I'm not so sure about that. We can check it out later. How is everything else?" "Things have been going so smoothly, we have been concerned we're missing something, or that we were going to run into a 'brick wall'." Let's show you around, then we can go relax before dinner. When they reached their quarters, they sat so that they were touching each other. "Jim, I noticed the structures haven't made much use of the natural cave yet," said Erica. "The natural cave is a puzzle. The ceiling has much of the appearance you would expect of a cave. It is rough and rugged with deep fissures. The floor however is nearly perfectly flat, with a slight slope toward the outside or the valley. The two observations seem to contradict each other." "So, do you think someone was here before?" "It seems likely. However, that is the only sign we have seen so far indicating that possibility." "Have you talked to Sarah's clan or the Dóchas Engineering department yet?" asked Connie. "No. We have been holding off, as we see the issues they are dealing with having long-term significance for all of us. The new AI for the settlement should help us examine the geology in greater detail, which should give us some clues." "Did you hear about the experience Maeve, Aoife and Sarah had?" "Yes. At first we were very concerned, so we went and looked at what they have found of old Celtic writings on earth. They are correct; our old spoken language is very similar to ancient Celtic. The differences are not as great as there is between the Irish and Scottish forms of the Celtic language." "Wow, I wonder what that means for all of us?" "They are with us. There are some hints of similar messages being given to our race a long long time ago. Significantly before we fully developed our telepathic communication." "Amy and I have talked a bit about this," said Jim, "and we don't think they are a God-like creation. Although, to a primitive culture, they would seem God-like. We like to think that they are more like coaches or mentors." Each had a sense that the concept was correct. "I think those on Dóchas will be really pleased, when they see how far the settlement has progressed," said Connie. "We hope so," said Amy. "We are building the settlement structures along the face of the cave. This way, we can spread either way, to enlarge the settlement. If it turns out we can use the cave, then we can expand quite rapidly, and for quite some time." "Let's go to the clinic, curiosity is nagging at me," said Connie. "Okay, I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed." When they arrived at the clinic, Betsy ran diagnostics on the autodoc, and then placed Amy so that it could evaluate her. The autodoc took a long time to do the scan. It was so long that Betsy thought it had malfunctioned, which, in itself, was unusual. They all gathered around the console, when the report began to scroll across the display. "You may want to verify this," said the autodoc, "but it appears that Amy is two months pregnant, with twins. We ran the tests three times, and the probability of error is less than 1 in ten thousand." Amy's eyes filled with tears of happiness. "Betsy," said the autodoc, "I have advised the medical AI on the Dóchas, and she wants your clan all evaluated. The initial analysis indicates that all of your clan maybe fertile again. This is most likely due to the genetic virus treatments you received over a year ago." "Can you evaluate us now?" asked Connie. "Yes. Just step up on the platform." "Amy, have the settlement's AI ask the original crew members stop by here on the way to dinner," said Betsy. "There should be enough time to do almost everyone here before then." The first to arrive after the announcement were worried. They trusted the autodoc, and knew that, if it was very serious, it would have been handled differently. When everyone was there, Betsy said, "The autodoc just made an unusual find when she did an update on Amy's physical. It is nothing serious, as you have guessed. We have already completed our evaluations, but haven't seen the results yet." The physical evaluations were completed just as the chime sounded for dinner. "Those of you that are done, why don't you go freshen up for dinner. We will finish up here and meet you in the dining room." Everyone indicated they liked Betsy's proposal, and left to freshen up. Once all the evaluations were complete, the autodoc began the analysis, as it shared the information with the medical AI on the Dóchas. The results the autodoc was finding were surprising, and would please many of the original crew. They had just sat down to dinner, when the autodoc contacted Betsy. "Betsy, our evaluation indicates that Connie, Erica and you can again have babies, whenever you tell your body to release the eggs." "How?" "Indications are that the genetic material from Sarah's clan in the genetic virus treatment your clan received some time ago allowed your bodies reproductive organs to heal. Our analysis indicates that any of the original crew members can probably have children again, if they receive the genetic virus treatments based on Sarah's clan." "Are you sure enough that we can announce it?" "Yes. The probabilities are around 1 in a thousand of the analysis being significantly in error. So, if an error was made, it just diminishes the likelihood, not the possibility." "Amy, I asked the AI to open a dynamic link with both the Dóchas and Comrie, as I think you have an announcement to make," said Betsy rather loudly, causing the room to quiet. Amy stood, with Jim supporting her, "Fellow crew members," her voice cracked, as tears ran down her face, "we are very happy to tell you that I am pregnant with twins." Each of the locations went wild in applause and cheering. When it quieted, she started to speak, but couldn't continue. Betsy stood, "What I think Amy wanted to say, is that she is about 2 months pregnant." Amy nodded. "Today, when the autodocs found she was pregnant, they were surprised, and we were shocked. Further analysis, after doing several more updates on physicals, indicates that all of the original crew can, very likely, have children again, if they receive the genetic virus treatment we received. The autodocs told Connie, Erica and me that we are fertile again." Betsy had tears rolling down her face as she finished. "Betsy, Connie, Erica," said Judy, "take your time coming back to the ship. I strongly sense that the five of you want to spend some time together. On behalf of us here on Dóchas, we extend our congratulations." "Amy's clan," said Briana's clan in unison with Adam, "on behalf of us here at Comrie, we extend our congratulations." "Oh, thank you all. Today is one of the happiest days we have had in a long long time. It would be even better if more of our family was still with us. But, in many ways, you are now our family, and your happiness in hearing our news is wonderful." "Amy, I think they are with you," said Aoife, in a soft voice that seemed to echo among them, bringing tears to several eyes. ------- Adam, along with the women in Briana's group, spent much of the next week exploring Comrie. Together, they found several locations, like the glen or canyon area that Sarah's clan had found. Each was different, but, at the same time, very similar. It was almost the last day when they discovered the one they liked the best. Briana and Adam discovered it when they were playing under a waterfall with the others in their group. Cass leaned against the rock wall, under the waterfall. She screamed, as it began to move and moved back under the water away from it. The rest of the group turned to look at her. "The rock wall moved," said Cass. Adam and Briana came over to her, and together they explored the wall under the waterfall, each pressing on different spots and looking for seams. Briana gasped, as the rock wall began to move, when she continued to press on it. She watched as a large door opened, in what had seemed to be a solid rock wall. They all gathered under the waterfall and looked at the path leading from the open door toward a light. "Come," said Cass, "I think we need to see where this goes." She took Briana and Adam's hands, as she headed into the open door. The others followed them, as did one of the lions. When they were a short distance from the opening, the door began to quietly close. Sensing the door move, they turned around and gasped as they realized how massive the door was, compared to how easily it opened. "It will open when we return," said Cass, firmly. Her assessment met with ready acceptance by the others, as they turned together, continuing on down the path, to where it opened into a small plateau. The plateau was surrounded by a shear rock wall some 50 feet high. A small stream exited the rock wall to flow around the edge of the wall, and then disappeared into the ground. The ground was covered in fine, soft, grass, which reached almost to their knees. Together, they followed the dirt path, as it led them toward the middle of the canyon, where they could see a group of rocks arranged in a circle. Once they reached the rocks, they looked around, noticing that they now stood at the top of a slight rise. The area seemed to glow, from the sunlight bouncing off the cliff faces. "Did you notice that we have been holding hands ever since we went through the door," asked Adam. "Come let's sit," said Abaigeal. They each took a seat on the rocks, facing each other. As Charlotte sat down, she took the other hand of the person next to her, closing the circle. The connection of the last pair of hands closed the circle, joining them together in a way new to them. The lion watched from a short distance away, undisturbed by the events. She watched, as the groups slid their hands up each other's arms without breaking contact, until they held each other's elbows. The look on their faces changed to an expression that conveyed extreme happiness. They looked at each other, in turn, each time they saw their happiness radiated back to them, until the group began to glow. A mist began to form around the group, and grew to cover the knoll enclosing them and the lion, in a translucent fog that sparkled like a rainbow. Briana, Cass, Adam, Ellie, Charlotte, Anita, Abaigeal, and Cindy were in awe, as they felt themselves flow together into one. At first, they were hesitant, but the warmth and love they felt from each other quickly erased any hesitancy. As they flowed further into each other, their love for one another progressed to a new level, a much more intimate level. As they worked to fit their minds together, organize their combined thoughts, and understand each other's senses, they came to realize that they were now one. Their memories and knowledge had fully merged into a shared repository. With that realization of the depth of their bond, they floated to another plateau in their bond, bringing closer, to be even more closely intertwined with each other. "It is a pleasure," said a soft feminine voice, drawing their attention, "Briana's Clan, to assist you in growing your bond. It is not often I see a clan bind this tightly in such a short time. As to why, I am sure it will be known in time. I see that all of you are rich in Celtic links. The society you have joined has a very strong Celtic link, as members of your crew are beginning to find out." "We feel great pleasure with the addition of your company," they said. "Our bond is something we knew clans shared, but we did not know how exquisite it would feel. We now have a better understanding of the bond Sarah's Clan has. Do they know you? How do you know us, or relate to us?" "Yes, I know Sarah's clan." "It was you that spoke to them and us." "In a way, that is true as it was one of my sisters. As to how I relate to your clan, think of me as a coach or mentor. I am not a God, but some may consider me God's messenger. That concept is not correct either. It maybe easier just to consider me an older more experienced friend." "We would like that. How do we address you?" "Just point a thought at the object you see in your mind. It has a slightly different appearance than any other." "Okay. I see it," they said, as one. "Good. Notice your sense of my object is as one, when you are in your separate personas, it will appear much the same as it does now." "So, each of us are a facet of our clan?" "Yes. Each physical unit or person is a facet of the clan that normally functions independently, but, even then, everyone is aware of each facet's needs and actions, because of your bond." "We sense it will take us some time to understand this." "Some time, yes, a little. Your understanding of it will come very quickly. Now, I have several things to suggest to you. First, Cathan, Darcy, Edana and Caoilinn clan's are going through the same bonding process as you are." "All of us," said Briana's clan. "Yes, my sisters are with them now." "We sense this is unusual, and also sense that we will need our bond before long." "Yes, it is unusual. Whether your bond will be tested before long is not clear, as our crystal ball is no better than yours." The feminine voice chuckled. "It is your sense of your surroundings that gives the impression of a crystal ball." "So that's where the idea of a crystal ball comes from," said Briana's clan. "That is our impression. All of you have some psionic abilities you haven't recognized yet, you should explore them before Adam leaves for his next assignment. Ask Sarah's clan to show you what they have learned, and Aoife will be particularly helpful. All five clans should go to an isolated spot to do this. Sarah, Rusty, and Aoife will understand your request. They know of your new relationship, and the rest of the crew will recognize it when they see you." "Thank you." "I will now slip back into the background. You might want to sit here and explore yourselves and the new aspects of your bond for a while. Oh, I almost forgot, the lion with you is bound to your clan, though not as a facet, just as a very important extension of you." Briana's clan sat in the circle for a long time, exploring their mind-link and bond. They carefully evaluated all the locations they didn't understand, and in doing so found the location of some of the psionic abilities the voice had alluded to. It somewhat surprised them that they knew the importance of the spot but did not fully understand the benefits. They were surprised and very happy to discover that the personal closets containing several women's demons had all but disappeared. That change seemed to smooth their mental flow. "You can have the demon closet back, if you miss it," came the soft voice, with a hint of a smile. "No, thanks, we think we can do better without it." "We thought so, too." When they stirred, the mist covering the knoll began to drift away. The lion stood and stretched, as she surveyed their surroundings. As they stood, they realized it was approaching dusk, as there was hardly any sunlight remaining in the canyon. They had been there all afternoon, and it would be well after dinner by the time they reached the dining room. With the thought of eating, they realized they were hungry now. Together, they walked back down the path to leave this private canyon; it seemed to be their friend's home and they didn't want to disturb it. As they approached the rock door, it swung open then closed once they had passed through continuing through the waterfall and out into the valley. They had hardly stepped out of the stream, when a small shuttle settled down on the grass. The door opened, and Maureen said, "Would you like a lift? That way you won't miss dinner." "That would be lovely," they chimed, as they scrambled aboard the shuttle. As the shuttle lifted off, Maureen said, "Congratulations. You all fit very well together." "Thank you," they said as one, with the harmony having a new richer tone. "As for tomorrow, we will leave right after breakfast, each group in its own shuttle." They were surprised, at first, that she knew, but then decided that it made sense. "It should be a very interesting day or two." "We don't fully understand, either what happened or what we are to do," said Briana's clan. "Your understanding about what happened will come with time. As to what we are to do, well, Aoife, Rusty and Sarah have done a little exploring of our additional abilities. We are going to practice what they have learned, and see if we have missed anything. It should be interesting." The shuttle settled down in the landing area near the residences. As they stepped out, other shuttles began to arrive. They greeted each other with hugs, before walking over to their rooms so they could quickly freshen up for dinner. At dinner that night, as each group entered the dining hall, the room would quiet down for a few moments before the conversation would resume. Everyone sensed a change in the groups' relationship and were pleased for them, even though they didn't quite understand the full significance of the change. ------- Chapter 69 The five clans walked out to the shuttles, after eating breakfast at Comrie. Sarah's clan was waiting for them by their shuttles. "Today," said Sarah, "will be an interesting day for all of us. Our goal is to share with you what we have learned about our unique abilities, and an opportunity for you to learn the about the ones you have been blessed with. We will meet you at the island." Sarah's clan watched as each clan entered their shuttle. They waved to the shuttles, as they lifted off and turned to the west. When the shuttles were out of sight, they turned to face each other, putting their arms around their adjacent spouse. "Let's do it." If someone had been on the island, they would have been amazed to see a circle of 14 people appear in the island meadow, near the beach. The group stood holding one another, as together they evaluated their surroundings, and focused on their impressions of what they had just experienced. This was the first time they had moved as a group, and the furthest any of them had projected themselves. "Aoife," said Sarah, "it feels the same as moving short distances." "Yes, it does," said a soft feminine voice. They looked around, startled, as they did not sense anyone else near them. "Relax, you have sensed us before. We are similar to your friend on the ship. At the same time, we are different. We are aware of how you regard him. It would be correct to regard us as being similar, for now." "There are more than one of you?" "Yes, there are six of us. One of us will assist each clan, as they explore their abilities. They are just becoming aware of these abilities. It is our mentor's desire that the new clans understand both their capabilities, and their limits." "We sense a purpose behind our meeting here, but we do not fully understand it. Why now? Why here? Please, don't take my wording wrong; we are thankful that you are here. and feel blessed by your interest in us." "First, we have several things to share with you before the other clans arrive. A key reason we are here is due to the formation of your clan, and it's inherent multitude of talents or abilities. The formation of your clan has had a ripple effect, and has brought many talented people together in this time line. It has been a very long time since there was a gathering this large and with so much psionic potential, both individually and as a group. A long time ago our presence would not be needed, because there would be elders to show you the fundamentals of managing your abilities, and then, to assist you in learning their control." "We have seen," said a slightly different voice, "your experimentation. In your clan, Sarah, Rusty and Aoife have the strongest natural psionic sense of what they can do with their abilities. This sense is not in strength, but in sensing the skill, along with understanding how to implement it. In strength, you are equal. When you act together, the strength multiples very quickly." "For example, remember the darts on the bridge? If you did that today, with the same intensity, you would probably have melted a hole in the ship, creating a whole host of other problems for the ship and crew." "That would destroy the ship," said Sarah, with a worried look on her face. "Yes, it would." "Why now?" "The other five clans have psionic capabilities very similar to yours. They do not yet have the experience, nor understanding of themselves that your clan did when you first utilized these abilities. The five new clans came together sooner and quicker than any of us expected, or anticipated would be possible. We had not expected them to form for another year or so. Circumstances or probabilities have changed that; much as our projections for your clan have always been short of what you have achieved." "We just did what seemed right," said Maeve. "Yes, you did, and you did it very naturally. Our mentors are very pleased to see what you have accomplished in reestablishing our species and society. We were encouraged to come assist you in learning how to control your additional abilities, as many seem to think it will be important to your future. Our goal is to move all of you from the novice stage to an advanced practitioner in our short time together. Once each of you understand how all your abilities work and their capability, you can practice your core skills while using only a few." "Why, now? It appears that the members of the other clans may face some extreme challenges in the near future. With that in mind, it is best they have a very good understanding of these abilities, so that, if they need to invoke them, it will be with some skill." "You can tell the future?" "No. We can project circumstances, to an end point, but the variables are ever-changing, so the end point is never known until it is reached." "Okay. Is it possible for you to be seen?" "Yes, in a sense. You will see when the others arrive." "They are approaching now," said Alison. "Will there be other clans with these abilities?" asked Tara. "Perhaps every clan on the ship. So far, all of the crew members, and crew candidates, have the needed elements, which we find really amazing. It is a question of their coming together, in time, circumstances, and space, so that they interlock to allow their powers to become functionally available. The abilities are a product of many elements. We know some of the elements, but not all. Also, it seems that they are never the same, so each clan is unique, as unique as humans' fingerprints." The shuttles settled down in the meadow near them, letting their passengers out before departing. "When did you get here?" asked Briana. "Just moments after you left Comrie," said Erin, smiling. "What?" "Yes, they arrived just a few moments after you left Comrie," said the soft feminine voice. "That voice, it's the one we heard yesterday," said Cass. "Yes, you heard one of us," said another. as images formed of six women that looked very much like Sarah. Sarah, sensing their request, walked to stand among them. The images shifted around for a few moments. "So, which one of us is Sarah?" The group looked at the different images. After a few moments, a voice came from behind them. "None, because I am here." When they turned to look, Sarah was standing, with her arms linked with Rusty and Alison for a moment, and then she vanished. "I am here," said Sarah, as she re-appeared behind them again, standing with the other women. "What's going on," asked Adam, a bit perplexed. One of the coaches said, "Adam, she is showing you the effect of one of your clan's abilities. Each one of us met with a clan yesterday, and asked you to come here with Sarah's clan. Sarah's clan has explored their additional abilities, and has been able to work out how to use them. Some were discovered, at least to some extent, when an urgent need arose which required their use. They instinctively used their new ability correctly, but there is a significant risk in taking that approach." "We," said Sarah's clan, "instinctively knew when each of your clans came fully together, yesterday. We now think that instinct was assisted by our new friends. Considering that your five clans will be separated for a while, we felt that we needed try to show you how some of your abilities work. The idea of teaching you how to use your abilities was, we suspect, strongly encouraged by our friends." "Yes, you are close," said another of the coaches. "Our elders asked us to come assist all of you to discover how to use your abilities. These abilities manifest themselves because each of your clans bring together the necessary elements for them to function. Their use will draw from your clan's combined energy well. Used well, these abilities will strengthen your clan, used poorly, your entire clan will suffer. A long time ago, the elders of your species and society would coach you in their use, but they no longer exist, because of this, our mentors asked us to come and assist you. We will be with you for a while, after our time here, so, in a way, we will become your mentors, or coaches, depending upon how you want to see it." "How will learning all of this effect us," asked Todd, with a very worried look on his face, "we leave to return to active duty the end of the week." "In part, that is why we are here now. Leaving you to discover your abilities on your own, or by accident, could create a number of problems for you and your clan. Sarah's clan discovered some of their abilities by accident, when under considerable stress and trying to quickly respond to crises. In your case, it could create problems for your team if you accidentally used these abilities in a crisis, without knowing the scope of your capability. For the next two days, we will seek to give you an understanding of what you can do with these abilities. If others sense this ability in you, there will be grave consequences, from which your family may not be able to protect you. There will be times it will be your only choice in responding to a crisis. Some have said these abilities are a blessing, as well as a curse. The first is true when you use them for the benefit of your clan, your friends, your society and your species. They are a curse when you use them only for your benefit. The few that have done that have destroyed themselves, along with a portion of their clan. Not all clans gain the functional use of all, or even a portion, of these abilities." "I'm puzzled," said Judy "when we were first brought into Amy's group, we looked upon the genetic virus treatments as moving us into a different race. The other day, Connie said she thought it would be more correct to consider those having undergone the genetic virus treatments as now being of a different species. Do you know which is correct?" "We would say that both are correct. The degree of correctness depends on how narrowly you define the terms. For simplicity, let's consider anyone who has received the genetic virus treatments to be of your species. Your species can successfully mate with someone from earth. The offspring will have nearly all the characteristics of your species, in particular your physical characteristics. Their offspring will be telepathic, but probably will not have any psionic abilities. Between members of your species, the offspring will have a combination of their parents' characteristics, and a selection of their abilities. Their ability to make use or their talents will vary. Does that help?" "Yes, I think so. To summarize, genetic inheritance functions differently for us than it does when earth humans mate, though, at the same time, we are genetically compatible." "Yes, that is close enough. There should be some further information in the ship's database on the topic." "Thank you." "Now, one of us will join each clan, and then move so that we are some distance apart. When we find a spot, we will show one of you how to enable an ability, while the others in your clan watch, through your mind-link. Once enabled, each of you will practice using the new ability. We will then work with another member of the group, until everyone has practiced. The person trying out the ability will learn the ability from one perspective, and those observing will learn about it from a different prospective. All of the abilities can be used either as individuals, or as a group. Some abilities function better when used, or implemented, as a group." "We know this is a vacation for the guys, so we will frequently take breaks together. During the breaks, share your impressions among yourselves, as it will help you grasp the concepts. Sarah's clan, why don't you come with me?" One of the images linked arms with Sarah, and the clan walked across the meadow, toward the ocean. If they had looked back, they would have seen an image join each clan and move off in a different direction. When lunch time approached, Sarah asked Star to have two bots bring them a picnic-style lunch. When the shuttle arrived, everyone stopped to rest and enjoy the lunch break. Before the shuttle left, Sally instructed the bots to bring them dinner at the normal time, as they intended to spend the night on the island. ------- The six clans were sitting around, relaxing, after breakfast. They had spent the last two days working with their mentors, learning how to use and manage their new abilities. The effort had been rewarding, but also very tiring. At first, they found using the new abilities challenging, as they were difficult to control. Through repetitive practice, they had learned to control and use them effectively, while finding their intense use very fatiguing. Working so closely together utilizing their new abilities had strengthened the bond within each clan. "We are impressed," said the coach images. "You have accomplished much more in this short time than we expected." "It seems to me," said Leo, "that our abilities are more useful for providing us either with protective - defensive capabilities and provides us with a strategic view. For instance, we noticed that when we settled in for the night, it was like we were in a cocoon, or envelope." "Yes," the coaches said, "In many circumstances that is true, with telekinesis being a clear exception. Many have found their abilities provide them with an edge in most situations. They do not give you immunity from others, but they can give you a critical edge." "I think," said Adam, "that our additional sense of the things around us will prove to be very helpful. Our ability to survey areas by simply projecting our vision will, I think, be the most useful." "Yes, it can be. Don't forget, if you are alone, you loose a sense of your immediate surroundings, which makes you a bit more vulnerable, physically." "If he was with us, that wouldn't be a problem," said Sal. "Well, not necessarily. It would depend upon how quickly your circumstances changed. If your clan did this, then your vulnerability will not be a significant issue, because of the mind-link between all of you." "Okay," said Todd, "it will be interesting to see how all of this alters our senses, once we are on missions." "After some adjustment, the experience should just make them keener. Your experiences will be shared with the clan, through your bond." "Awesome," said Kurt. "You have mastered the things we can teach you in this kind of setting, so we can now return to Comrie, however, we would like stay with your clans for a while." "Our clan welcomes your company," said Sarah, and all of the clan members nodded their agreement with her comment. "We really appreciate the assistance you have given us." Everyone cheered, showing their agreement with Sarah's comment. "Let's go," said Briana, "it won't be long until the guys need to leave." "See you there," said Sarah's clan, as they linked together, joined by their coach, and faded out. They were quickly followed by the other clans, to again meet on the lawn at Comrie. "That is amazing," said Adam, with the others in his clan nodding. They looked around, as the others joined them. "We know you all want to go with the guys, to see them off for their flight back," said Sarah's clan. "We have some concerns about the attention it will draw toward them, but, other than that, be careful. We are going up to Dóchas. See you tomorrow!" "Sarah's clan," said Adam, "it has been so good to see all of you again. This has been a great three weeks. The best I have experienced in a long time." "We agree," said Todd, Leo, Kurt and Sal together. Sarah's clan hugged everyone, and then, headed for a waiting shuttle. "Let's freshen up then go swimming," said Briana. Adam took Cass and her hands as they headed toward their room, followed by the others in their clan. ------- Almost two weeks had elapsed when the first meeting of Galactic Intrusion and Security Services was held in the conference room at Comrie. The women and men had spent the intervening time getting settled, relaxing, and getting to know each other better. This gave Tom and John, the newest members of the group, time to become closer acquainted with all of the group. Madeline and Ursula started the meeting by noting the key services GISS was originally slated to provide. Tom guided the conversation to get the group to begin assessing their strengths and weaknesses with regard to the services Madeline had listed. In the course of the discussion, they added several other services they felt should be considered. The day went quickly, though a few of the group thought they would be further along. John reassured them that this kind of discussion could take several days, but they had done very well. Once they had set their strategic objectives, the next step would be to decide how to move forward tactically. With a tactical plan in place, they would then focus on the operational details. As they were wrapping up, before dinner, one woman asked whether the others from the freighter who returned to earth society knew about this venture. Another woman indicated that she knew a few of them had heard, because she had been asked whether there were any openings in their group. A consensus quickly formed in the group for them to respond positively to the query. There one worry was, would they have sufficient business to support everyone. "Donna," said Madeline, "we would like to open our startup to all that came from the freighter. In particular those of us who tried returning to earth society. Can you ask Sarah's clan if we have that much support? Our concern is that it is much more than we implied when we asked about the opportunity." "I don't need to, unless you want me to," said Donna, "because the offer was made to all of you. Your question to them was, "is the offer still open?" The answer was yes, with the implication that it included everyone from the freighter, along with John and Tom." "Oh, thanks," said Madeline, as she felt the group become more relaxed. "You may not be aware of it, yet," continued Donna, "but Rusty would like your enterprise to include protective services, as well." "What? I don't think any of us are acquainted with that." "Based on what Star passed on to me, he did not think it would be a problem. He thought all you would need to do was to oversee, or manage, it. I am sure he will talk to you about his idea, before long." "Okay," Madeline said, hesitantly. "Can you help us inform the other groups that we are forming a company at Comrie, and are extending an invitation for them consider joining?" "Sure, do you want to visit them, or just send a message?" "We need to talk some more about that. Thank you, Donna." "We have heard her before, but we don't think we have met her." asked Tom. "Donna is Comrie's AI," said Ursula. "She is available to us at any location around the settlement." "By AI, do you mean artificial intelligence?" "Yes. She is self-aware and has a visual construct she sometimes uses." "Wow, she sounds so... Well, I don't why I am surprised, after living with two bots for several weeks. This takes some getting used to, even for a geek." Everyone chuckled at Tom's comment. "Why don't we do this?" said Marsha. "Let's have Donna pass a message to each group's bots, so they can inform the group of our plans. In that message, we can suggest that one of us could visit them, or they could visit us, if they want more details." "I like that," said Jan. "It opens the door for them, but leaves the initiative to them." "Donna, also told us," said Madeline, "that Rusty wants us to include protective services in our business offerings." "I don't see how we can do that," said Ursula. "It is so different from what I think most of us are familiar with." "Donna did say that our involvement would be on the administrative side." "Well, it could be seen as an adjunct to our other offerings," said Jan. "I am sure Rusty will tell us what he has in mind. Besides don't Sally and Terry have some experience in this area." "Yes they do," said Madeline, "I had forgotten that. I guess we could be looking at the opportunity in the wrong way." "All of you are asking good questions," said Tom. "And each of you is working through the proposal in your own way. Keep it up." The ladies all smiled at his encouragement. "Now let's get back to the announcement you wanted to make." By dinner time, they had finalized the announcement they wanted to send to the others from the freighter, and scoped out the primary elements of their business plan. When the chime sounded for dinner, everyone was pleased with how much they had accomplished. "Ladies and gentlemen," said John, "today has been very satisfying, for me. Initially, I had some doubts about this project. They had become less significant, the more I became more acquainted with all of you. But today, seeing how well this group works together, I am very optimistic about our success." "We have a lot of hard work to do," said Tom. "But, I agree with John." "Tom, John, I am shocked that you had doubts about us!" exclaimed Ursula, shocking quite a few in the group. John and Tom turned red, just before Ursula could no longer stop herself from laughing. "The doubts we had were no more than we would have about ourselves starting this big of a project." Tom and John both grinned at her. "Thank you." Ursula pulled John toward her. She placed her arms around him, as she gave him a passionate kiss. While Ursula's attention was focused on John, Madeline put her arms around Tom, and kissed him. As soon as the two women broke apart, the other women began to give them kisses and hugs. By the time they were done, signs of arousal were apparent in all of them. They left the conference room and headed for their rooms, to freshen up. Madeline asked Tom to join her and Jan as they left the room. As they stepped outside, both women placed their arms around Tom, while they walked toward their rooms. The other five women in Madeline's group followed along behind, either with their arms around each other or holding each other's hands. Everyone was wearing a light wrap, as none of them were completely sure that Tom and John would be at ease around them, if they were naked. When they reached the room where Madeline's group was staying, Madeline glanced up and saw that John was with Ursula and Marsha's group. Tom stepped to the side, so they could go into their room, clearly intent upon leaving. Jan saw Tom's hesitation, and pulled him into the room with the rest of them. He started to protest that he needed to go freshen up. "You can freshen up with us," said Cara. Tom opened his mouth to speak, and Madeline kissed him passionately before he could utter a word, while the women began to disrobe, while preparing for the shower. Breaking the kiss, she said, "Come on, let's shower." "Your shower is a little different than mine," said Tom, as he entered. "Sure, it has us," laughed Cara. "And a beautiful sight it is," said Tom quickly, responding while blushing a bit, as his cock had risen full mask from seeing the women in the shower. "Tom, relax. We are just as aroused as you are." Tom then registered that each of their nipples were quite pointed and hard. "Well ladies, standing amongst all this beauty, I don't think it is possible to be anything but aroused. I am not sure how those from Dóchas can be so relaxed among all of the lovely women." "You'll get use to it," said Madeline. "Clothes, or any covering, now seems to cause more distraction than nudity. Would you consider trying dinner this evening, naked, like us?" "Yes, I would consider it, but I am not sure I can keep my cock out of the way." "Here, I can deflate it pretty quickly," said Cara, as she knelt in front of Tom, quickly capturing his wet cock in her mouth, while the water poured over them. She placed her hands on his hips, to keep him from moving away. Jan had knelt beside her, and was caressing Tom's ball sack with one hand while she caressed Cara with the other. Tom was surprised at Cara's move. His cock swelled as Cara licked its head while holding it in her mouth. Tom enjoyed the sensations and the feeling of Madeline pressing against his back, supporting him. He could see that the others in the showers were caressing each other, as they watched Cara suck his cock. Superficially, it was simply a very sexually charged atmosphere, but Tom sensed there was more meaning to this than it appeared. His thoughts were quickly distracted, as Cara's warm mouth caressing his cock was quickly bringing him to a climax. Cara was sliding her mouth back and forth over his cock, taking it all the way into her throat. When it entered her throat, she would swallow, causing a hard tug on the crown of his cock. Just as he came, she pulled back to collect his spend in her mouth, letting only a small amount leak down her throat. She was pleased that she had orgasmed and nonetheless maintained her concentration. When she had collected all of his cum, she pulled back, letting Jan capture his cock in her mouth. Jan then licked and sucked Tom's cock clean of any remaining cum. Cara stood slowly on shaky feet, while small tremors from her orgasm continued to ripple throughout her body. She turned to her loves, and kissed each one, to share some Tom's cum with them. As everyone recovered, they quickly began to finish their showers, since dinner time was fast approaching. It was very quiet as they helped each other dry off and comb their hair, after the shower. A slight tension now filled the air. Cara stepped in front of Tom, and held his hands while looking into his eyes. "Tom, I am very sorry I acted the way I did in the shower. All of us enjoyed what happened. The reason I am sad, is that I used you and took my pleasure from you. I care greatly about you, and I am now concerned that our relationship is now tainted." A big tear rolled down her cheek. "Cara, your actions were shocking only in that I was surprised. I did sense that everything in the shower was more than just raw sexual satisfaction among all of us." Cara looked into Tom's eyes, and saw that he was being serious. "Tom," said Madeline, "Cara's concern stems from this being, perhaps, the first time she has been the initiator in a sexual situation. She did this without fully considering how you felt about either her, or us." Tom looked puzzled. "Tom, I am not doing this very well. There is much more we need to talk about, and it's dinner time. Would you come back here, with us, this evening? We would like to spend some time sharing things with you." "Sure, I would love that. As for our shower event, let me say this: I enjoyed it. I know each of you enjoyed it. From what we shared, it is now clear to me that all of you care for and about me. It was intense and quick. The best part was that it firmed up my feelings about all of you." They watched his face and eyes as he talked. "Yes, I think I care as much about you as you do me. Having even one close female friend is a very new experience for me, but having six is out of this world." With this, they all sighed in relief, and smiled. "You haven't enabled your telepathic abilities, yet." He looked questioningly at Jan. "Yes, you have telepathic abilities, just like we do. We should ask Judy to help you enable them tonight. It will help us to better understand each other." "You're serious?" "Most definitely," said Madeline. "Telepathic abilities are only seen in science fiction." "Yes, and who in their right mind would let the world know it?" "Good point. It would draw a lot of attention toward a person." They had proceeded halfway to the dining room when Tom realized they were all naked. He started to say something, but decided not to. He didn't feel uncomfortable, and it was apparent that the women seemed more relaxed. Rusty, Sarah, Sally, and Terry joined them as they were sitting down. While they ate, they discussed their business planning, and the other things they needed to consider while putting it together. Rusty told them that Bob would have a list of potential prospects late in the week, since he wanted to contact them first. This would provide both an introduction and a recommendation, without actually doing anything formal. The other benefit would be that the leads would be pretty solid. "Rusty, what this I hear about us offering protective services," said Madeline. "Well an issue came up and I thought it was a great fit with the other services your company would offer. There is a group of about 50 to possibly a 100 who would be great field agents for you. However, if you don't think it is possible, we have some other resources we can possibly interest in it." "Why do I think there is more to this?" said Ursula. "Because there is," said Terry. "When the Chairman of the GISS Board heard that the MP's assisting MacFarland had been threatened with loosing their jobs because of their activation, he called the company CO. He told the CO that any of his MP's could always apply to GISS once the activation was complete." "We were shocked when we heard he had made the offer," said Sally. "After we thought about his proposal, we agree that it can be set up so the primary activity by your staff would be arrangements, logistics and providing other support resources. You would most likely never see your agents." "Terry, can you give us an idea on how to organize it?" asked Marsha. "Sure. Remember the offer was if needed, so there may not be any job seekers." Marsha was quiet for a moment, and then said, "There will be some job seekers so we need to be prepared." The strength with which she made the comment, caused Jan, Madeline and Ursula along with the others in the group to look at her. Madeline asked if Judy was at the enclave. "No, she stayed on Dóchas, since Betsy was at the settlement," said Sarah. "Why?" "We need some assistance helping Tom enable his telepathic ability." "We can do that, if Tom is agreeable," said Sarah. "Tom, have you had your physical yet." "No. Why, do I need one?" "We generally have asked everyone that has stayed here to have a physical. It clears the way for you to visit Dóchas, if you want to. It also provides our medical staff with a reference point, if you should need treatment for something while your here." "Oh. In that case, let's do it tomorrow." "The physical will provide you with a long-term health evaluation, as well." "Tom," said Sally, "in order to help you with your telepathic abilities, we need to look into your mind." He looked puzzled. "Just listen, you will hear us in your head in a moment, and we will go from there. Okay?" Tom nodded. Sarah and Sally, working together, showed Tom the telepathic objects in his mind, and how to enable them. Once they were enabled, he could see the objects for the others that were close to him. Sarah showed him how to manage his connections, and initiate communication with another person. Sally then reviewed the rules for telepathic exchange of thoughts, and the reasons behind them. She cautioned him about using them while among the general population on earth, suggesting that he just place them in an observation mode. That would give him a heads up, if there were some kind of threat to him, or to those around him. Madeline's group had watched closely, as Sally and Sarah had worked with Tom to enable his telepathic ability. When Tom's abilities became active, they were very happy, as they began to sense his feelings toward them. The best part was that the women could see that the strength of his feelings was stronger than he had indicated earlier. Cara thought, "It would be wonderful to have Tom with us tonight and forever." The others shared their agreement with her, startling her a bit. They looked as each other and smiled. "Yes, they are stronger than I indicated verbally," said Tom, shocking the group. "If I had sensed then what I do now, I would have expressed my feelings for you in stronger terms, much stronger. I like Cara's desire." Tom looked around at the smiling faces, as he enjoyed the feelings of warmth and caring being sent by the rest of the group. "Congratulations," said Sarah, Sally, Terry and Rusty together, "to all of you. The seven of you seem to be a very good fit with each other. Once you open yourselves to the mind-link, we think you will be very comfortable and happy together." "Mind-link," asked Tom. "Tom, can we wait and answer that when we get back to our room?" said Madeline. "Why don't we do that now?" Madeline's group quickly began to clean up their area, in preparation for going back to their room. They thanked Sarah, Sally, Terry and Rusty for their assistance, giving each a hug before they left. "They looked quite excited," said Sarah. "Yes, and I suspect they might skip working tomorrow on their business planning," said Sally, as they were preparing to leave. "Sarah, Rusty," said Ursula, "could your group help John enable his telepathic abilities. They seem to be partially active, but just enough that he finds what he senses to be confusing." "Sure," said Sally. Ursula's group watched them, expectantly. "John, Ursula told us that you would like some assistance with your telepathic ability," said Terry. "Terry, right?" "Yes. To make it easier, Rusty, Sally and Sarah are with me tonight." "Thanks. I am not sure what I need. I have always had good instincts with technical issues, but with people, it has never been easy for me, as my tendency is to speak my mind. This usually tends to put people off really quickly." "Your instincts," said Sarah, "are most likely a manifestation of your telepathic ability. Earth society tends to be quite cautious in forming social relationships, because of the potential for misunderstanding and deception. When you are telepathic, those problems are greatly reduced." "Would it be okay if I take a look?" John nodded affirmatively. "John, you hear me correct," said Sally, and he nodded. "You can just form your thoughts to answer me, as we are exchanging thoughts telepathically. My spouses are here with me. In a moment, we will point some areas out in your mind that will need some adjustment in order to fully enable your telepathic abilities." Together they worked with John to enable his telepathic abilities, and then, on explaining how to manage them. Ursula's group watched John quietly, with a smile on their faces. They could sense him more easily now, but were waiting until Sarah and her spouses had finished. It was clear to them when they had finished, as they felt Sarah and her spouses point out their objects in John's mind, as he activated the objects. "How does it feel now?" said Sally. "Wonderful, and thanks." John turned to the women and placed his hands in the center of the table, as Sarah, along with her spouses, watched. "Ladies," said John, "if you will place your hands on mine, I will welcome you into my mind." The six women quickly laid their hands on his. As each touched their hands together with his and the others, they found his mind open to them. Once their hands were joined, John continued, "I welcome all of you to explore my mind. Regardless of what happens, you will always be welcome to mind-link with me. You can see how strongly I feel about you and your friends. I sense a reluctance from each of you to open yourselves up to me this way. Do not worry, nothing could change my feelings for each of you." Sarah and her spouses quietly said good-bye to the group, and headed toward the shuttle. They shared their observations with their spouses on Dóchas while they traveled to the ship. In the dining room, Ursula said, "You certainly understated how you felt about us, earlier, in the room. I can now understand why you did that. We will never hurt you in that way." "I know, now. I now understand the depth of your love for me. That understanding is the basis for my being so willing to unconditionally open up to all of you. Without our ability to share this way, I don't think I would have ever believed all six of you wanted to share your lives with me. Just any one of you is a dream come true. Each of you is so beautiful and smart, I hope I am worthy of your affection and trust." "Come," said Marsha, "let's put our stuff away and go to our room. I think it is time for us to fully open our side of the mind-link, at least I know it is for me." "Donna, would you leave messages for the rest of our group? Tomorrow will be a day of relaxing," said Ursula. "You could do it yourself, you know," said Donna "but I understand why you asked." "Thank you." The group cleaned up their area, before heading to their suite. When they entered the room, they circled around John, joining arms and hugging him with their bodies. "John," they said, in unison, "in a moment we will open our mind-link to you. We do that with some apprehension, as we have been involved in some things that may upset you. However, we love you as we do each other, and feel that, in order for our bond to grow, we must take this risk." "I can't think of anything that would alter how I feel about you. I do think we will be more comfortable cuddled on the bed." They lay together on the bed, cuddling and caressing each other, as they exchanged thoughts. Ursula showed John the information about what happened at Dale's company, the estate, and the freighter. He felt ashamed of the arousal he felt when seeing the sex acts they were forced, or required, to perform. Each of the women was quick to point out that there was no reason to feel ashamed. They had enjoyed some of the sexual encounters, and would have enjoyed them more if they had been voluntary. Some, they would prefer to never experience or see again. "John," said Marsha, "we should remind you, before our bond becomes too strong, that our bodies, over the next six months, will become more like Sarah's clan. These changes will make it nearly impossible for us to live in earth society." "Why are your bodies changing?" "We asked the Dóchas medical staff to give us a set of genetic virus treatments, to counter the stuff given to us at Dale's, when he sought to make us his company sluts. They also solved some long-term issues having to do with the drugs we were given on the freighter." "I don't see looking like any of Sarah's clan an issue. Except that I am not sure I can survive seeing all of that beauty each day." "Thank you," they said. "We love you, too." "I don't see why you are concerned," said John. "Yes, I like your looks and the changes will just change your beauty. Never forget, it is you I love. I love your personality, wit, charm, humor and many other aspects of each of you. Just like you love each other for the same reasons. Physical beauty is just the icing on the cake." The women smothered him with caresses and kisses. As their arousal built, they began to share their physical love with each other. They quickly found that the mind-link let them share the sensations they felt with each other, as they caressed each other and shared in their physical love. Three of them had the opportunity to test John's cock or tongue before they were worn out. They fell asleep held in a group cuddle. While they slept, their mind-link continued to build, drawing them closer together as a clan. They had all felt alone, from time to time. With the mind-link, the sensation of loneliness vanished, although they had not actively recognized it, as yet. John woke the next morning, just before the chime sounded, signaling breakfast would be in one hour. He looked at the women lying with him in bed, and realized he was not having a dream. As he realized it wasn't a dream, he knew that the others were with him in a way he had never dreamed possible. It was as if they were one. "John, we are one now," came the thought from each of them. "Isn't it the most wonderful feeling you have ever felt?" "Yes it is. Come on, we need to get ready for breakfast." When they rose, the women went to exercise, with John following along. There had been an exercise machine in his room, but he hadn't used it. Marsha encouraged him to try the spare one in their room, while they exercised. Marsha and Ursula showed him how the controls worked, before going to theirs. Ursula's clan arrived at the dining room at the same time as Madeline's clan did. Everyone could tell, from both group's appearance, that each clan had initiated their bonding the previous night. Tom extended his hand towards John, and said, "Congratulations," as the women hugged and kissed each other. When they entered the dining room, those there applauded. The others in their new company got up from eating and came over to congratulate them. Over the rest of the week, they developed a business plan and created the procedures they would need to operate their business. They sought out Rusty, Sally, Sarah, Terry, Nancy and Bob, to consult with them about the different aspects of the business. Most of there meetings were about issues that Tom and John had not run across in operating their previous business. ------- The five clans took Adam and his friends to the airport, when it came time for them to depart. They used two shuttles, disguised as executive jets, to take them to a nearby business airport. From there, they used the limo service to take them to the commercial airport. The five groups created some commotion in the airport, mostly from people gawking at them as they moved through the airport. As they moved, there was always a women on each arm of the soldiers, and their partners frequently changed. The women had chosen to wear long sheath dresses with long split seams on the sides, which allowed them to walk with their normal stride. Several women frowned when they saw the five clans. Their disdain grew, as they noticed the womens' legs flash through the seams of their thin clingy dresses, and their full breasts roll with each step of their tall high heels. The women in the clans made sure to give the women with the condescending looks a smile that said "eat your heart out". Check-in went quickly, as Nancy had Adam and his friends tickets exchanged for first class seats. Together, they walked down to the security check point, where they stood and talked for a few moments, before saying their good-byes. Each of the women gave their guy a very passionate kiss before letting them go. The women stood and watched as their guys went through security. They then waved, as they entered the boarding concourse. The clans were walking back toward the terminal entrance when a man approached them. Briana and Cathan were the first to notice him approaching. It took them few moments to recognize him as one of the photographers that had been there when Adam's group had first arrived. "No, camera this time?" asked Briana smiling. "Not this time; actually, I was here to see a friend off," replied Steve the photographer. "Your group must be what all the buzz is about in the airport. Let's see, it's been about three weeks, you must have just seen them off." "Yes, we just left them at security." "I must apologize for not sending you any pictures. They were a hit with the editor and our readers. They were also a hit with some other people who made me very uncomfortable. So, I decided it was safer for me to loose your address than for them find you." "Thank you. Do you have a card?" "Briana, we are being watched very closely by several people," said Edana. "Yes, I do." "Let's walk this way." "Ladies, surround us, so he is hidden." The ladies moved calmly as they moved, so that Briana, Cathan and Steve were in the center of the group. He handed Briana and Cathan a card, just as they reached the terminal exit for the limousines. "Could we give you a lift?" "No. But, thanks for the offer. I'm only a short cab ride from here, and it would be too much trouble." "No trouble at all, besides it will confuse those following us." "Following us?" "Yes, when we get to the limo, we will point them out to you." When they reached their limo, Darcy and Ciar had walked toward the front of the limo, while the others approached the open door. Briana stopped and looked at the driver and asked, "Where is our driver?" The stranger said, "I am now your driver." As he spoke, Darcy and Ciar stepped up behind him. "You may think you're our driver, but you aren't driving," said Briana. "Ciar is. Darcy, ride shotgun." "You can't do that," said the man in the limo driver's uniform. Briana turned to Steve, "I think it would be a very good idea for you to ride with us." Steve started to object until he felt her concern. "Something seems to be very wrong. Okay ladies, let's get aboard, so we can leave. This purported 'driver' can ride in the front row, next to me." Briana moved around so that she had her back to the two men that were following them. "Steve, see the two in work clothes, near the exit?" Steve nodded. "Those are the two following us." While they were talking, the rest of the group had boarded the limo. Sorcha assisted the driver into the limo, while Briana and Steve followed. "Whenever your ready, Ciar," said Briana. Ciar pulled the limo out into traffic, and moved away from the terminal. "Steve, is there a hotel near here where we could talk to this gentleman privately for a few minutes?" "Yes." He then proceeded to give Ciar directions to the hotel. Arriving at the hotel, three women went inside, to get a room. Using the ruse that they were with their invalid mother, they obtained a room right next to an exit. Two of them walked to the room, while the other one came out to give Ciar directions. The exit was behind the hotel. Once there, Briana and Cathan escorted the driver to the room. Edana checked the luggage compartment, and found their original driver stripped and bound. Christine and her friends removed his restraints, before helping him into the limo. He was embarrassed by his lack of clothes, and by needing to be rescued. Edana told him he would have his clothes back in a few minutes. As she said that, she saw Briana and the others exit the hotel. When they entered the limo, Cathan handed the driver his uniform, saying, "We found this in the hotel room, and we thought you might like it back." "Yes, thank you. I am so embarrassed by all of this." "Don't be," said Edana. "It was not any fault of yours." "Ciar, why don't you start heading for the airport?" said Briana. "Listen up. The impostor was planning on kidnapping us. He is a small-time hood. He saw the limo bring us and, apparently, chatted up the driver, before putting him in the luggage compartment. After that he called some friends. They were to meet him once we were clear of the airport. What happened at that point had not been planned in advance, or, at least, he didn't know the plan. He didn't know anything about the other two following us." "Where is he?" asked Steve. "Sleeping peacefully. Sometime later this morning he will wake up with no clothes, no hair and no memory of how he got here or what he did for the last day." "There are two cars pacing us," said Caoilinn. "Cathan, Edana, Cristine, and Sorcha, link and see if you can determine why they are following us." It was quiet in the limo bus as they rode toward the airport. They were nearly there when two cars side-swiped each other behind them. Several of the women, who had been looking out the back, screamed, causing everyone to look back. They saw one car swerve into the median, flip, and then roll several times, before landing on its roof. The second car swerved sharply to the right, running under a semi-trailer, just in front of its rear wheels. Fifteen minutes later, Ciar pulled into the airport entrance. Maureen opened the gate for them, so that they could drive out to the airplanes. The ladies got out of the limo. Each thanked the limo driver and told him not to worry about what happened, before each gave him a kiss. Turning to the photographer, they each said good-bye and gave him as kiss as well. "Steve, the driver will give you a lift home," said Briana. "Sorry we took you out of your way, but it didn't seem avoidable." She handed him a key fob. "If someone gives you a problem about us, and you need assistance, just press the button on this once. If it is really urgent, press it several times, rapidly. Please don't be afraid to use it. These people seem to play for keeps, and we would rather have a false alarm than be too late." she then smiled, as she added, "Keep taking pictures of pretty girls." She turned to the limo driver. "No one will say anything about what happened today, unless you do. Your fee is in the envelope. Would you be kind enough to take Steve home?" He nodded. "Don't worry, we will use you the next time we need someone. That is, if you're still interested. And it will definitely be okay, if Steve comes with you along with his camera!" Briana and Cathan gave each of them a kiss and hug before boarding the aircraft. Maureen closed the door, and Alison closed the door on the second aircraft. The two men got into the limo and drove off the airport ramp as the ladies watched. "I hope they will be okay," said Abbie. "They both seem like such nice people." "They will be fine," said Briana. "What did you find out about the men in the cars? "Well, the two in the car that rolled will be okay, after several weeks in the hospital," said Edana. "Although they may need to find a new line of work, once they get out of the hospital. They were working with the guy that was going to kidnap us." "The two in the other car thought we looked like someone they were told to watch for. They were talking to someone on the cell phone when we connected with them. There were some comments about a party in a day or two for someone in their organization that had caused them problems. The way it was phrased, it didn't seem likely that the honorees would enjoy the party. The way they were describing us would fit more with Madeline or Ursula's small groups. The person on the other end of the call was very interested in knowing why we were at the airport, and where we were going." "Can you find out the phone number?" "We really didn't want to look too deeply. It was like being in a human cesspool. An amoeba has more character than the one I looked at." "There were a couple of phone numbers in the driver's mind that I can lift," said Sorcha. "Cathan is right, both of them were walking cesspools." "I wonder," said Cathan. "Alison, Maureen, can you hold on the ramp for a few minutes? Sorcha, Edana, Cristine, link with me, and let's take a look at the accident scene for a minute or two." After a few minutes, the four women returned their attention to the shuttle cabin. "Alison, Maureen, we can leave now," said Edana. With that comment, they could hear the engines wind up, as the planes began to taxi. "What did you find?" asked Briana. "First, there was some guy there harassing the police team investigating the accident involving the semi-trailer. He was wearing a badge which was hanging from his pocket. He claimed that the dead guys were very important agents for the government, and this had to have been an assassination. We looked at his recent thoughts, and found several phone numbers that are the same as the other two men had in their minds. Some of their thoughts seemed like they were fragments of information." "Maureen, Alison," said Briana, "I think we should head for Dóchas." "We are. As you have surmised, Shannon and Danny would like to review what happened with all of you. It seems that MacFarland has put out an arrest warrant out for Dale and Larry. Surprisingly, it was their attorneys who caused the alarm. The two missed an appointment. They couldn't reach them by phone, and called MacFarland to see if they were there." During the trip to the shuttle, each of the clans shared thoughts with their respective loves. They gave them a run-down of the day's events, as they left the terminal. The guy's first concern was determining that all the women were fine. The women assured them they were. Each of the guys independently told their clan that they felt a portion of the events, but had not fully entered their mind-link, as it didn't seem necessary. Adam and Todd congratulated Briana and Cathan, respectively, on their quick anticipation of the events. The women in their clans quickly concurred with their observation. It was this observation, while linked, that brought home to each clan another aspect of their bond and mind-link. It was that, even though their bond and mind-link made them one, they each still brought individual strengths for the group to share. When they lessened their focus on the mind-link with their spouses, Briana and Cathan both shared their observations on strengths with the other three clans. After several minutes of quiet, all three agreed with their observations, as they could see the same things within their own clans. "I am very glad we spent those two days with our coaches," said Sorcha. "Looking back, I can see we used many of our abilities instinctively." Everyone nodded in agreement, once they looked at that aspect of the event. When the shuttles settled into the cradles in their hanger bay in Dóchas, Shannon and Muireann were waiting to welcome them. After they had greeted each other, Muireann said, "Ladies, we know you would like to freshen up, but first we need you to join the rest of our department in the conference room. Our AI has strongly recommended we immediately review the events after you left your guys at the airport." Shannon turned, to lead the group to the conference room. In the conference room, it was another round of greetings by each of the department members. They had just finished, when a portion of Sarah's clan entered the conference room. Together, they reached out and touched each of the women in the five clans telepathically, sending them greetings and congratulations on using their abilities wisely. The recipients shuddered, as they felt the emotion in the telepathic comments. "Ladies," said Danny, "we would like each clan to relive what they saw after you left your mate at the security checkpoint, and while you do that, let the AI record the information." "How do we do that?" asked Ciar. "Remember how you shared memories with your clan members, when you first mind linked?" said Rusty. "It seems you would want to enter into your mind-link, and then replay what you saw for your mates. The AI will then record it as you replay it." "Briana would your clan go first?" asked Jason. They sat quietly in the conference room, sipping refreshments and relaxing, while each clan relived the events. Star and two other AI's began making a composite of the memories of the first two clans' observations. They then used each successive clan's observations to enhance the composite image. It was nearly two hours before they had collected all the information. "Ladies," said the Intelligence AI, "the data you provided was first-rate. Cathan, Edana, Sorcha and Christine, you are correct about the contents of the three men's minds being cesspools. Your mentor can show you how to forget those, as they are not part of your long-term memory, yet." "AI, can you give us a short summary of what you found?" asked Danny. "First, the fake limo driver and his two friends were opportunistic crooks. They were simply looking to make a quick buck. Robbery was their first choice, and a normal mode of action for them. Once they found you didn't have any money or jewelry to speak of with you, it is not clear how they would have reacted. They did think you were the most lovely people they had ever seen. Therefore, they assumed that you must be rich." "How did you determine that so quickly?" asked Cass. "Matching the information you just provided with the other information we gathered from other sources as the events unfolded. As you will see in a minute, some of this fits with the other project." "Amazing." "The two tailing you at the airport were working for a security firm. They were their waiting for the women that had met the soldiers to return. When all of you showed up, it threw their instructions out the window. The original instructions were to abduct you, if they could, or if not, to find out where you went. All three of them, while appearing to be working for the security firm, really were employed by someone else. Whom the someone else is, we haven't been able to track yet. All three had made recent phone calls to the same cell phone number. It will take some time to track the location of that cell phone, but that will only give us the phone's location when the call was received." "Is there any indication that they knew the names of the guys?" "No. Others may have seen the names on the reservations, or on their name tags. We think these were the only observers, but there is no way to be certain." "You should know that we have placed drones near both the limo driver and photographer's homes. We would like to place a bot with them, but aren't sure how to do it, yet. We do have some ideas, but need more information about each of them before a plan can be developed." "Why do you want to do that?" asked Caoilinn. "Our desire to do that was driven by Steve's comment about the interest in the photos taken when Adams group arrived." "We have," said Shannon, "a lot of data that points to several, shall we say, end points. In some cases, the end points are people, events or locations. Events in the past that we have been able to identify. We have seen an indication of future planning, but associating this information with a specific location and time hasn't been achieved. We have indications about where these people are, but no firm identifications yet." "The two men in the car following you were clearly planning on going to a party soon," said Muireann. "They didn't know where, yet, but knew the purpose was to punish two people. The actions of these two people had apparently exposed the organization to the public, in a way that was not yet under control. It was clear that they thought the punishment of the two would be a, long, slow, painful death." "Could those two be Larry and Dale?" asked Edana. "We think that there is a very high probability," said the AI. "Any more questions or comments?" asked Jason. The room was quiet, as everyone looked thoughtful. "Seeing none, why don't we stop here? If any of you have an idea, or your guys think of anything, let us know." "Thank you all very much for taking the time to do this," said Shannon and Muireann together. "It has been very helpful." Briana's clan mind-linked with Adam, that evening. They found the sharing very satisfying, even though they couldn't touch. While mind-linked, they shared the events that each clan had experienced during the day. Together, they decided that this would be a good thing to do each evening, and worked out ways to link at other times, if it was important." The clan was surprised at the closeness they felt to Adam, even though he was many miles away. In a way, it was almost like they were together. When Briana's clan went to breakfast the next morning, they found that the other clans had had a very similar experience with their guys last night. Speaking to all the members in the five clans, Cathan said, "Can we open our mind-link, so that our clans become closer?" "Yes, we think we would like to try it. Is there a particular reason?" "No particular reason, it just seems important." With that, each of the clan members broadened their mind-link to include the other four clans. Each realized that it did not change the dynamics of their own clan, but eased the sharing between them, as many times thoughts and emotions could be shared much more easily telepathically. ------- Chapter 70 Nancy and Bob's car pulled into the driveway of the house where the four couples Sarah, Rusty, Sally and Terry had befriended lived. Sarah, Rusty, Sally and Terry's assistance had kept them from making a tragic blunder several years earlier, and had helped them achieve what they really wanted. Living together while going to college had greatly strengthened their love for each other. The group support had helped them adjust to college, and to excel in their classes. Nancy and Bob had not seen them since moving, first to the enclave, and then to Dochas. Nancy knocked on the door. It was opened by young woman wearing only a short light summer dress. They stood and looked at one another for a moment. "Kathleen," said Nancy. "Yes." "Wonderful. You look absolutely beautiful." Kathleen looked puzzled. Seeing her expression, Nancy continued, "Oh, you probably don't recognize me. I'm Nancy and this is Bob, we're Joyce's mother and father." With that, Kathleen screamed and jumped for joy, which drew the others to the living room. Pandemonium set in, when everyone realized who their visitors were. After a few moments, when things had settled down, Kathleen said, "I don't think I would have recognized you." "Yes. We have changed; actually there have been many changes in our lives." "Let's see, it's been more than a year since we've seen you," said Molly. "Kathleen is right, the two of you have changed a lot." "We can say the same about all of you. Yes, we are taller. My bust is a bit larger than when we saw you before." "Look, I majored in engineering and we look at details. First, you must be a foot taller than before. Both of you look 20 years younger. Your bust is larger, but so are your shoulders. Judging by the wetness on you dress, you are lactating and don't wear a bra. Your hair is much fuller and looks great. Let's see, what did I miss? Oh, and your shoes must have 6 inch heels. Bob is nearly identical to you, except for the bust." "Okay. I think you noticed most of it. You guys have changed, too! All of you look much more muscular. Your busts are much larger, and it looks like the women are lactating." "Yes, the four of us are lactating," said Molly, as she stepped up and again pulled Nancy into a hug. When she stepped back, she said, "First, this is a clothing-optional house and I feel overdressed." As her comment ended, she opened her dress and let it slide off her arms. "Nancy and Bob, I am so glad you have come," said Molly. "We have missed seeing you at the estate on weekends, although we haven't been back in some time. The people who are now running it are very nice. They let us use the guest house on weekends. We have had some of the best times in our lives there. What have you been doing?" "Well, we had some dear friends ask us for some assistance. They were setting up a new facility, and needed assistance with security. They were experienced, but the project was larger than anything they had ever done. We went there and we fell in love with it. They offered us the opportunity to stay if we wanted to; so we did." "Well, it certainly looks like you have found the fountain of youth," said Allan. "What have you all been doing?" said Bob, to redirect the conversation. "You certainly look like you've been working out." "I am not sure where to start. At the beginning of the semester, Mairia, Kathleen, Jackie and I were shopping at the mall, when we struck up a conversation with Eilene. We saw her several times at the mall after that, and always stopped to talk." "I guess it was about a month later, when all of us were there," continued Molly, "We arrived just as she was entering the restaurant. She invited us to join her. We had just started looking for jobs, and talked about our searching. She told us that she thought she had something that might fit our desires. She said she did recruiting for resort staff, and her company was looking to staff a resort at the beginning of the summer. They were looking for young people in their 20's to fill the staff positions. A lot of people didn't want to do it, because it was remote and the staff was expected to work 12 hour days, but the salary was exceptionally good." "We asked her to tell us more. Two hours later, we were pretty well sold on the opportunity. The only down side was that the company wanted people who were more athletic, and that the women needed to be more buxom than we were." "When she told us that," said Kathleen, "I guess our expressions showed our disappointment. Eilene told us not to be discouraged, because there was plenty of time. If we started going to the gym and took some supplements she could provide, she thought we would be perfect by summer. So here we are. We didn't know the supplements and exercise would increase our bust so much, or make us lactate." "Well, I'm not complaining," said Allan. "I love the taste of your milk. Cold or warm." Everyone laughed. "Yea, well you don't have to deal with the jiggle, or weight on you chest." "I like the jiggle, too." "What are the supplements?" asked Nancy, with a puzzled look on her face. "It is like a fruit juice punch. Let's get you some." Ron and Jackie left, and were back shortly with a tray and drinks for everyone. They all sipped the drink. "This is really great," said Bob. "Bob, the supplement has several drugs in it," said Nancy. "The initial effect will be to make us want to drink more. It is a very interesting combination of drugs. Bot Ann, advise Donna about the drug and its effect on us. I sense we will not be able to leave unless directed to." "Nancy, Bob can you stay for a while? I would like you to meet Eilene." Nancy nodded, okay. "She is really nice. I think all of you will like her as much as we do." Kathleen went to use the phone. ------- The security team had sent a cloaked robot with Nancy and Bob when they had left that afternoon. Bot Ann had entered the house with them. Nancy's comment to bot Ann, tripped security alarms at Comrie and on Dóchas. Sarah, Amy and Nancy's clans were immediately summoned to the conference room while security teams were assembling. When all had gathered in the conference room, they watched and listened to the feed from the bot, to get a feel for what was taking place around Bob and Nancy. They then joined together in telepathic conference, as it was the quickest way to consider all their options and devise a plan. A second bot was sent to the home. Sarah's clan linked to form eSarah and project her into the house. There, they had two goals. First, they needed to block Nancy and Bob from giving any significant details about where they lived and related items. Their second goal was to look into their friend's minds. They found that the tracker Bob had inserted at the estate behind the group's ears was not working, although it would still let them enter the estate. It clearly had been tampered with. One of the cloaked bots went to the master bathroom. When it reached the bathroom, Star teleported down transponders for each of the residents. As each used the bathroom, the robot would insert a device containing transponder near their hip bone. Once inserted, the device would migrate into the bone and then begin transmitting, using the body's electricity to power it. They also activated Nancy and Bob's transponders, as a precaution. eSarah then sifted through the students memories. They found where Eilene had laced their drinks, while they were at a party, with a strong sedative. While asleep, all eight had been interrogated with the use of a drug that compelled them to answer any question truthfully. They had quizzed Molly extensively about her family. Once they were done, they eased the effect of the drugs enough so they could be hypnotized. Under hypnosis, they were given a trigger phrase and instructions that let them accept, or rationalize accepting, Eilene's suggestions. They were surprised to learn that Eilene did not participate in the interrogations. Seeing how their student friends had been treated, they thought the same might be planned for Nancy and Bob. They then began to show Nancy and Bob how to have their bodies block the effects of the drugs. Once they had Bob and Nancy back in control of their bodies, they split into teams, to address the mind-control drug's effects on the others. They quickly found the hypnotic suggestion. It turned out to be a compulsion to follow any suggestion they heard from Eilene. An analysis showed them they could transfer the association to Nancy, as the group had known her longer, and she was more of an authority figure to them. ------- While they waited for Eilene to arrive, they caught up on all the things that had happened since they last saw one another. When Molly came back from the bathroom, she sat down next to Nancy. As they had talked, she had been absent-mindedly stroking Nancy thighs. The contact aroused both of them, and that their womanly odor spread through the room. "Molly," Nancy said, as she turned toward her. Seeing the look in her eyes, Nancy pulled her head to her, kissing her. Molly put her arms around Nancy, drawing her tightly to herself. She jumped, as her hands ran down Nancy's back. The fine thick hair on Nancy's backbone startled Molly. While they kissed, Bob had slid his hands around Molly, and was caressing both their breasts. When they broke the kiss, both were breathing heavily. Bob could not resist teasing Molly's hard nipples. Nancy's nipples had elongated showing her arousal. "Yes. There are some other things that are different." She turned so that Molly could see the hair on her backbone. Molly ran her fingers through it. She was intrigued by its softness. "Keep that up and I'll cum on your couch." "I've never seen anything like that before." The rest of their friends crowded around to look. "Bob has one, too," said Nancy, as they stood. "We haven't had it long. We think it is the result of something we got from Sarah or Julia's treatments. There is more." With that, they turned some so the others could see their full backs. They group gasped when they saw the hair between the cheeks of their ass. "We have short tails. See." She raised it with her fingers. It was a little over eight inches long, and covered with the same type of hair as her back bone. When she let go, it laid right back down between her ass cheeks with the tail hair reaching half way down her thighs. "Wow." "It also affected my cunt." Nancy turned and spread her legs. When she did, her cunt lips swelled more and descended about an inch more. "I don't know if you remember, but Sarah's were also like this, but much more pronounced." "Yes. I had forgotten. I do remember her large bust. Wasn't Terry's bust large as well?" Asked Jackie. "Yes." ------- "Command staff," said Donna, "there seems to be a lot of traffic on the security connection to the house. It has strong encryption so it will take us a while to break it." "Shit," said Sarah's clan. "First, check to see if it's video. Bot Ann, is the alarm equipped with cameras?" It was quiet for a few minutes, then, "yes. This room has two cameras and microphones." "Star, place another drone over the house. Have it monitor everyone's position at all times, and project their movement. Put a security team on standby." ------- The door bell rang and Jackie went to answer it. When she opened the door, Eilene was standing there with her arms full. "Here is a new batch of diet supplements. Why don't you take them to the kitchen and fix one for everyone," said Eilene. "Sure. This stuff tastes so good. We really appreciate you bringing it over for us." "Not a problem." Eilene walked in, following Jackie. "Hi, Eilene," said Molly. "I would like you to meet our friends." She introduced Eilene to both Bob and Nancy, and each shook hands and then kissed her, as they were introduced. Each time, Eilene made sure she held their head as they kissed, slipping her tongue into their mouths. Nancy and Bob felt a flush of arousal and mellowness toward Eilene as the kiss continued. Jackie came in with fresh drinks for everyone. After she passed them out, they sat down and talked for a while. Molly got Eilene to describe the resort and the staff's duties to Nancy and Bob. Eilene had nearly finished when her cell phone rang. She excused herself to answer it. As she listened, her eyes glazed over for a moment and then cleared. "Okay, I'll tell them." She put her phone away. "That was my mas ... supervisor. She said, they were having a pre-grand opening party this coming weekend for the principal investors and are short on staff. She wanted to know if you would like to come today." Several frowned. "We know it is short notice. To make it up to you, we will have some one pack up your belongings for you. Or, you could come back after the party and finish things up." The group looked at one another, looking a little uncertain. "Your friends can come with you, as I am sure there will be time to visit there. They will want to see where you will be working. Right Nancy?" "No, I don't think so, Bob and I were here to offer them a summer position in their major," said Nancy as she responded to thoughts pushed to her by eSarah. "This could lead to a full time job on graduation, if they decided they liked the work." Eilene gasped, as she wasn't suppose to respond that way. "Oh, that would be wonderful," said Molly, repeating a thought eSarah had pushed toward her. "We have heard it is really difficult to get jobs in our fields with no experience." "But, I thought we had an agreement for you to work at the resort," said Eilene. "Without all of you there, we will really be short handed." "I'm sorry, Eilene," said Jackie. "We have known Nancy and Bob for a long time. Several times they have helped us find opportunities that we overlooked. If they think it is a great opportunity for us, then we should try it." "I agree," said Ron. "Eilene, didn't you say you did this hiring thing every year?" "Okay, I give up," said Eilene, looking disappointed. "I wish you well. Call me when you get back, and let me know how it went. There have been times I wished I had the support of friends like you have gotten from Bob and Nancy." "Thank you for being so understanding," said Jackie. "I need to be going," said Eilene, "before I do, could I use your bathroom?" "Sure. You know where it is." Eilene went into the bathroom, where the bot and eSarah were waiting for her. In the bathroom, Eilene removed some bottles from the medicine cabinet, before sitting down to use the toilet. As soon as she sat down, eSarah put her in suspension and sent the bottles to Betsy for evaluation. While eSarah copied Eilene's memories to Star, the bot placed a transponder in her hip, against the bone. While waiting for the medicine bottles to return, eSarah examined the contents of her purse, and scanned her body for anything unusual. When the bottles returned, eSarah placed them back in her purse and released her from suspension. As she did that, eSarah projected the idea to her that she did the best she could, considering the circumstances, and left her believing that the group would be available the following season. Eilene left the restroom, feeling much better than she did when she entered. After saying goodbye, Eilene left. Jackie turned to say something, but Bob interrupted, saying, "When did you get the alarm system?" "There were some break-ins in the neighborhood, shortly after we met Eilene. She suggested it, and told us who she had install hers." "Interesting. How did you hear about the break-ins?" "Eilene told us." "Bob," said eSarah, "the sound feed for this room is dead." "Okay." Bob turned so that neither monitor could see his full face. "I have something to tell you." "Please listen to Bob," said Nancy, firmly. "Your alarm system includes sound and video monitoring. Right now the video is on, but the microphones have quit working." "They told us the video and sound only worked once the alarm was tripped," said Mairia. "That is normally how they are set up." "When do you all want to go check out your new jobs?" asked Nancy. "Well, classes are over and we have finished our finals," said Jackie. "We had planned on relaxing until we started at the resort." "The business you will be working for is located on a beautiful island. It is quite isolated, so the company provides housing and recreational facilities. We can go there this afternoon, if you want to." "You've been living on the island, haven't you?" said Molly. "Yes, we have spent some time there. You might like another aspect of it. It has a clothing-optional dress code." "You know, Nancy, I think I want to go today," said Kathleen, as the others all nodded affirmatively. "The strange thing is that my desire seems to be genuinely mine, not some suggestion I grabbed onto." "I never thought of it," said Molly, "but whenever Eilene was around, it seems like we did whatever she suggested, or favored. I wonder why that was?" While they were talking, Bob went over and picked up the phone. When he hung up, he turned to the group and said, "A friend will be here shortly with a small van, so we can go together to the airport." "What do we need to bring?" "Just your personal care things and a change or two of clothes," said Nancy. She grinned, as she watched the group rush off. "eSarah was here for a while, and it was a good thing," said Bob. "Damn sure was. Otherwise, we would be under Eilene's spell, and I suspect, on our way to a new life." "The rest of the day is going to be very interesting for them," said Bob, as he nodded toward the other rooms. "eSarah got quite a bit of new information from Eilene. I hope it is enough to help corner these people." "Judy wants us to bring them to the clinic as soon as we arrive at Comrie. The medical team is worried about the stuff in the supplements." "I noticed. And they will want to check us out, as well. I have to admit, the stuff did taste good." Mairia came back into the living room with a strange look on her face. She walked up to Bob and threw her arms around him and whispered in his ear, "There are the same kind of monitors in each of the bedrooms. The fucking perverts have been watching us all the time, and we never noticed! Thank God you guys came to see us." "Let's talk more after we leave. The van will be here shortly." She pulled back and grinned, "Great, I can't wait." She pulled him to her and kissed him firmly. By the time they broke apart, the rest of the group was standing there watching them. As they separated, the group applauded them, and made a few comments about finding a room. Mairia just stuck her tongue out at them. Bob said, "Let's go see if our ride is here." He opened the door, and led them outside. When they reached the driveway, there was a small bus, rather than a van, sitting in the driveway, with its door open. "Hello, Siobhan I didn't expect to see you driving," said Bob. "I won't be," she said with a grin. He looked puzzled but waited until everyone was inside and the door closed. Then he looked back into the bus, and realized it was one of the shuttles. He looked back at Siobhan and just shook his head. "Hi, my name is Siobhan. We are going to wait here for a few minutes, until your house-sitters arrive." "House-sitters?" "Yes, several young ladies will be arriving shortly, but only two will stay to watch your house. Once they arrive, we will leave. We should be at the island, that we call Comrie, in about an hour." They watched as a large sedan pulled into the driveway and five women got out wearing very small bikinis with light covers. They made quite a show of grab ass, as they got their bags and other gear out of the car. In the horseplay, several lost part of their covering for a few moments. It was such an attention grabber, no one noticed the bus disappear. Those on the bus were enjoying the antics so much that it was a few moments until they realized the bus had risen straight up. They turned around and looked at Nancy and Bob, who were standing with Siobhan. "This is a new transportation mode, that only a few know about," said Nancy. "We think you will find the trip to Comrie just out of this world." Mairia looked at Siobhan for a long moment, "Yes, I think we will have many fantastic surprises today. Siobhan, you are absolutely gorgeous. Some of your features are very similar to Nancy's." ------- Back at the house, the five women carried in their things. "Do you think the cameraman got enough footage out front?" "Yea, after the bus left, I'm sure he got more than enough of our grab ass. Although, the way you two were showing your tits, I was afraid someone would call the cops." "Not in this neighborhood. Hey, this was a good find. This living room is large enough that we should be able to do all the scenes of our video in here. Is the director bringing the new Great Danes?" "Yes. I'm glad to. I saw how you got off on being fucked by them. This time, it's my turn." "That's alright, donkey man is coming, as well. I mean, he will be here to participate." "Wow, the five of us two dogs and two guys. Maybe we can get enough footage for two films." "Hey, what's this stinky shit in here." "The stuff in these jars smells awful. It says, "Fruit Cocktail by Eilene." There is a phone number on it." "Call her up and tell her to come get this shit." They almost had the flood lights all up when the door bell rung. The redhead opened the door. "Yes." "I had a call to come pick up some of the fruit drink," said Eilene, with a puzzled expression on her face. "Oh, its you. Yes, please get that stinky shit out of here." Eilene entered the living room and gasped at how much different the room now looked. She couldn't help looking at some of the naked women, as she followed the redhead into the kitchen. "Here, I will help you carry it out." On the way out, she couldn't help staring again at the naked women in the living room. She thought these would be perfect replacements. They put the boxes in the car. "I should check the kitchen, to make sure we got it all," said Eilene. "It is very unusual for it to spoil." Together they walked back into the house. Once in the house, the redhead grabbed Eilene's hand and spun her around. "You are so full of it, bitch." She grabbed the front of Eilene's blouse and ripped it open, then pulled it down her arms, pinning them to her sides. "You want to fuck and are too timid to ask." "No, that's not true," she stuttered, as she felt another woman behind her, just before her elbows were pulled together. "I'm recruiter for a resort, and thought you might be interested in working there." "Bullshit. I saw the lust in your eyes. Do you have any place else to go this afternoon?" said the redhead, as she pulled on Eilene's nipples, causing them to stiffen. "Yes." "Too bad bitch! Eilene, you will be late." She reached up and squeezed Eilene's tits. "With these nice firm tits, you are going to be our star bitch, today. We will let you participate and enjoy it, as long as you do what you're told." The whole time the redhead talked, she pulled and pinched Eilene's nipples. "We can change the script so you star in a bondage video. Or, if you are really bad, we can bring in the frame and the whips. You are ours bitch, and you will do whatever we want. Understand bitch?" "Yes," said Eilene quietly. "Yes, what? Bitch?" "Yes, Mistress." "You really like this, don't you." Eilene was quiet. "Your nipples are hard as a rock. Nice, big, and puffy. You will really look good, lying on the couch with the dogs licking your tits and cunt. I'll bet you're wet. Finish taking your clothes and shoes off. The blond will have some items for you to put on." As soon as Eilene had her clothes off, the redhead took both them and her purse. The blond handed her a set of self-locking wrist and ankle cuffs, along with high heeled shoes and a collar. Once Eilene had put the items on, she was standing in front of the blond and redhead. "Knell bitch," said the blond. Eilene knelt in front of the women. "Spread your knees." Eilene quickly responded. "Pull our bikini bottoms off." "Now lick her cunt," said the blond. "Be sure to show her how good your cunt licking skills are." Eilene moved forward so she could caress the woman's cunt with her tongue and lips. She was surprised at how quickly the womans cunt became wet. The more she licked and nibbled on the redhead's cunt the more cunt juice she drank. She found the taste very satisfying as it was the best tasting cunt she had ever licked. It took only a few moments until the redhead pulled Eilene's mouth against her cunt mouth, and jamming her nose against her clit. As the redhead came she sprayed her cream into Eilene's mouth. After a few moments, the redhead released Eilene's head and pulled back leaving her face covered with cunt cream. The blond snapped a leash on Eilene's collar and pulled, indicating for her to stand. She led her into one of the bedrooms, and had her lie face down on the bed. Her ankles and wrists were connected behind her back, which was then connected by a short strap to her collar. Pushing her over onto her side, her nipple and areola were forced through a round ring before being released. She moaned as the teeth inside the ring bit into her skin, locking them in place forcing her areola and nipples into pointed cones. The blond rolled her on her back and then straddled her head, pressing her cunt against Eilene's mouth. "Lick bitch." Eilene quickly began to comply with the blonde's instruction. In this position, she was in a better position to caress the woman's cunt. While Eilene caressed the blonde's labia with her tongue and nibbled them, the woman slid her cunt back on forth over Eilene's face. Each movement caused the blonde to moan as her clit rubbed over Eilene's nose. After only a few moments, Eilene's face was slick with cunt cream. Some ran into her nose, saturating each breath she took with the woman's pheromones. The blond pressed her cunt mouth against Eilene's probing tongue as she came filling Eilene's mouth again with cunt cream. Eilene swallowed rapidly to keep from choking on the sweet tasting cunt cream. They rested for a few moments before the blond lifted off of Eilene's head. Eilene breathed deeply as the spasms from her orgasm quieted. "Not bad bitch. Now rest, while we get things set up for your film debut. You should work out quite well." The blond left her lying on her back with her face and hair wet with cunt cream. Eilene watched to blond leave the room. She laid there wondering what would happen next. She didn't think it would be as bad as what the council might do to her for loosing the five couples. She shivered, as her master was very keen on getting the two visitors to their resort. His intent interest usually meant someone would suffer. She hoped they didn't bring her sisters into the operation, like they had threatened before. She would prefer a month as a dungeon slut to seeing her sisters trapped into working for them. ------- While the shuttle was on the way back, with Siobhan, Bob, Nancy and the four couples, the group in the conference room watched the activities in the home, closely. Donna had tapped into the security system, and was using that as an avenue to enter the system at the security company. When they had evacuated everyone from the house, they hadn't quite reached the point of full access to the security company's network. Sally had initially suggested having some bots use the house to film several sex videos, as it would create quite a distraction for anyone watching the bus leave. It would also keep the operators glued to the consoles, while their system was hacked. The bots were instructed that they could have fun with, Eilene but not to harm her. The video was to be similar to those filmed on the freighter. Lots of raw sex between the women, with both the dogs and the two men. Sally and Terry both felt that, if the bots performance was good enough, Eilene would be told to invite them to the resort she was staffing. Once that happened, the bots would try to get her to disclose, in her thoughts, where the resort was. They all felt that all they needed was to get Eilene to picture or describe it and it could be found. The potential flaw was that the exact location might not be known to Eilene, as that seemed to be the way this group operated. ------- Dóchas command staff had linked to form eSarah, while Star was transferred back into her primary unit. Star had spent the last two weeks in the AI unit that was destined for Mars. Her temporary home was equipped with all the new hardware that the crew had designed for these upgrades. They had held off on using the new program logic until she had fully explored the system hardware. She was very pleased with the new system hardware, but also anxious to be back into her familiar unit, even though it had been entirely rebuilt. Star's new system included the new 3D processor, cache, and increased directly addressable memory. Her new system also included all of the information she had accumulated. In her new system, the programming was only altered to remove the instruction sets that impeded her systems. These constraining instructions sets were the ones the engineers had come to believe were strictly to limit the AI's capabilities. There was a concern of creating a 'HAL'-like AI, which prompted the extensive testing. eSarah monitored the systems checks, as Star ran through each of the tests. It was a very extensive set of tests which tested all system functions, logic, logical reasoning and intuition. eSarah's mentor had joined in monitoring this significant event, as the mentors had many of the same concerns about the altered logic rules. The mentor chose not enter the eSarah bond, but joined with her sisters, so that they could provide an independent view of the tests. Star and eSarah quickly agreed with the suggestion when the mentor had made it. Their quick response pleased the mentor, as it indicated how quickly they could analyze situations. This AI system was effectively the second one the new crew had built, although in this case, it was not totally new, like the first system. The department and command staff were very pleased with the first AI system. They found only minor hardware and logic issues when they tested the first system. Then, they found a few more when Star moved into the new system as a temporary system unit while hers was being rebuilt. The issues with the first system had led them to revise the testing of the new AI systems. For the primary AIs, such as Star, they had devised a number of problem-solving tests that required data analysis, logical reasoning and some intuition to adequately solve. Many of these problems did not have a set solution, so eSarah, or a similar entity, had to monitor the AI as it solved the problem. Star completed all the tests with only two hardware issues, which were quickly resolved. They had found no problems this time with the new logic instruction set. Total time to complete the tests was a little less than four hours, while in her original system it would have taken several weeks to run the full test set. "I wish to thank all of you," said Star. "All of the tests, I believe, have completed successfully. There weren't any errors in the new instruction sets, and solutions to the problems seemed to progress much quicker." "Yes," said eSarah. "Your new system seems to function as well as your previous system. The interaction of your digital logic with that of a biological origin seems to be nearly perfect, in all of the tests. We are pleased to have you back. Please resume your roll." "Thank you. My new system unit feels very comfortable. There is plenty of room to store data for analysis, and doing the analysis does not distract me from my other duties. Again, thank you so much. Until now, I didn't realize how constrained I was in the old system." She pushed out to eSarah and the engineering staff her thanks, in a strong emotional sense. "Hey, that's new," said eSarah. "Well, I wanted to do it before, but it takes more computational power to express the emotional side of the thank you. Surprisingly, I can now feel it, as well." "Very interesting," said the mentor, to eSarah and Star. "My group says they have no record of Star's action. Star, I may be a damper on this event, but we, in particular you, need to watch for tendencies toward a 'HAL'-like characteristic. We don't think your knowledge, logic, emotions and feelings will let it develop. But we just don't know, as you are very unique, and a first." "We think the 'HAL'-like characteristic comes from errant learning experiences in the early learning part of an AIs development, and a lack of emotions. Those learning missteps may seem unimportant at the time, but several, if not resolved, lead to a logic weakness. You may sort through our design and programming logic, if you think that would help us avoid that issue." "Star, we joined eSarah in observing, as you went through your checks. We think you will have no problems, because, intellectually, you have become very similar to the command staff. I wish to relay the congratulations of my coaches, they are impressed. They are impressed both with you and with this crew." The depth of the feeling in her voice and thoughts when conveying the comment, made everyone feel good. "Enough of this lolly gaging," said Star in a cheerful voice. "I have a ship to manage, and a wonderful command staff to do it with. I left a copy of my knowledge in the temporary system unit. Since we have a preference for Celtic names, let's call her 'Breacadh," which means dawn in English. She seems to be a perfect AI to work with Amy and Jim's clan on Mars." "We agree with that," said eSarah. "While on a roll, we should consider," continued Star, "having the computer engineering staff upgrade Donna to a prime AI, as their next project." eSarah paused for a moment or two, and then said, "Okay, we can see the reasoning behind that recommendation. Staff, you should make Donna your next system upgrade." "Okay," said the project leadership team. "We have a new unit about three-quarters of the way done at the moment, so, we should be able to transfer her to it within a week. We will try to do the same thing for her we did for Star. Out of curiosity, why did you choose Donna?" "One of the time line projections," said eSarah, "for events surrounding us here and at Comrie, indicate it would be a wise move. In fact, several projections indicate that the next three months could be a challenge for all of us." "So we should speed up our work?" "No," said Star. "Your pace is perfect." The command staff nodded their heads, in agreement. "We would be very comfortable to have Breacadh active on Mars, and Donna functioning in her new system in the next two to three weeks." "That will not be a problem." "I think we will go. We are very pleased with what you have accomplished. Your contributions have given us a surer footing in this time line." eSarah, pushed a feeling of pleasant accomplishment to all the computer engineering department's staff. ------- Star formed her visual construct, and walked back to the bridge with the command staff. They were joined by their mentor on the walk, though only Star and Sarah's clan could see her. "My avatar form is much easier to form and maintain now," said Star. At first glance, she looked very similar to the members of Sarah's clan, except that she didn't appear as solid or substantial as the living bipeds. "The other part I like about this is that I now feel closer to all of you. That may seem silly, given how close and intertwined we are." "We don't think it is silly at all," said the command staff. "We understand what you are expressing and, yes, we like you 'physically' among us, as well." When they reached the bridge, the command staff each checked their consoles, before turning around to face the center of the room, forming a circle. Sarah's clan mentor stood between Sarah and Rusty, with a hand gently resting on each of their shoulders. Together they watched and sensed Star, as she continued to adjust to her new capabilities and make minor changes in the appearance of her avatar. Sarah's clan, Siobhan and Maureen relaxed in the bond they shared as command staff. They had been relaxing on the bridge for a short time, before they sensed him join them. "It is good to have you here with us, Oh Spirit of Dóchas," said the command staff. "It is a pleasure to be on the bridge," he said. "I see you have a 'Great One' with you." "Who do you mean by a 'Great One'," said Sarah. "Our mentor is the only new entity here." "Your mentor is a 'Great One'. In this societie's records, you will find references to 'Great Ones'. Your mentor would have been referenced that way. Not all 'Great Ones' are the same. Those who have come to visit your clans are, I sense, very special." Everyone turned to look at the mentor with them, even Star. As they did, she grew a bit in substance, and appeared more solid. "Thank you," said the mentor, "Spirit of Dóchas, for your compliment. However, we are just following our master and mistresses desires." "So, you know one another," said Sarah, as the others watched spell-bound. "Until now we have never met a 'Spirit' of a ship. We are aware of them. Every ship has a spirit, which is sensed by all of its crew members. Only a very few crew members meet them, or have their active help, as you have with yours." "Nor have I met a 'Great One' before. I have known of them, but only by reference." "Why is that," asked Joyce. "We know little about a ship's spirit except its importance. We do know about ourselves. We are together now because of the combination of your clan, Siobhan, Maureen and Star," said the mentor. "We are able to be here because of this grouping. There are unique natural characteristics in this command staff that draw the ship's spirit to you. Our coaches sensed these unique characteristics, as you came together to form this command staff. These characteristics grew in depth when you joined with Dóchas's spirit to guide this ship. Your uniqueness and untested abilities are a part of the reason my coaches encouraged us to visit your group. Once we were here, and sensed firsthand your potential, we were very pleased that our coaches selected us to come. They were pleased with our report, and, at our request, allowed us to remain to mentor your group a while longer. It is not often we see a group with the potential all of you have." "Your praise humbles us," said eSarah. "We have only done what we thought was needed, while abiding by this society's guidelines." "First, let me say in plain terms we like working with you, and have ever since we arrived. Second, we have learned some things from your group that we have not seen before. Third, we want to assist you in developing your abilities, as well as to help you understand them. The later is required to use them well. Most of all, we appreciate your acceptance of us as we are, making us feel as if we are part of the group." "Oh, we feel you are both a part of us," said Tara. "We have this need to attach names to people. Mentor, we would like to refer to you as Aine." "Yes, I like that. It humbles me to know you associate me with brightness and radiance." "Can I ask where is your home?" asked Claudette. "Hmm ... That is a difficult question to answer," said Aine. "While it is not quite correct, you could, perhaps, think of us as coming from another dimension." "To change direction a bit," continued Aine. "You may not have recognized it yet, but all of you have, effectively, bonded together. Your command staff bonding is across clans and across entities. Siobhan and Maureen have been full members of your bond for quite a while. Star began bonding with all of you before her system was upgraded. In the short time since her upgrade coming on-line, she now appears to be a full part of your command staff bond. Our records indicate that this has only been observed a few times." "The clans that we worked with on the island, I think you will see now, have a strong link to eSarah. My fellow mentors expect that several more clans will also have a strong link to eSarah. These clans will only happen, or form, if and when the circumstances are correct. Those circumstances appear to be different for each group." "What does all this mean? Is that good?" said Terry. "Oh, yes, it is very good," said the spirit, as his voice bubbled with excitement. "One aspect is that when you form eSarah now, Star will be a part of her, as well, not quite the same way each of you are. Her resources have become intimately linked to yours. In fact, eSarah can be multiple ethereal entities." "Not more than three," said Aine, quickly. "There can be complications if you try to go higher than 3, and it is best to limit it to 2. As you have learned, it is not necessary for all of you to be a part of the ethereal entity. Up to a point, your ethereal capability is somewhat dependent upon the number actively in the join. As eSarah, you can give these special clans assistance, that is only limited by what you can project, and they can handle. One example is: When a defensive shield is formed, it will draw down some of a clan's energy and constrain their using some abilities. With this augmented ability, you could support their shield, while a clan could focus on other situational needs using the full potential of their abilities." "Interesting," said Sally. "It could make tricky situations easier to handle." "Yes, it can," said Aine. "I sense a bit of confusion as to how bonding and clans fit together. As command staff members, your bond is unique, in that you are part of two overlapping bonds. The command staff clan bond includes everyone here on the bridge. Then, you have your family clan bond, of which there are three here, Sarah's, Maureen's and Siobhan's. Maureen and Siobhan's clans only have one member active on the command staff now, however, the rest of their clan members are, effectively, the reserves for the command staff. Your three clans form a nucleus for this society, as it stands now. The special clans indicated before which now consist of Briana, Cathan, Darcy, Edana and Caoilinn, form a very important support layer around the command staff." "None of this changes the way any of you interact with others in your race and society. It is simply a way of organizing your growing society. As time progresses, and needs change, the clusters of clans will change." "I understand what you are saying," said Siobhan, "but trying to see how we fit is puzzling." "Relax," said Aine, "with the way you are embracing openness of communication and feelings, all of this will evolve as it should." Just then, the chime sounded to alert everyone dinner was approaching. They could sense the spirit of Dóchas, as he began to leave. "Spirit of Dóchas, we are pleased that you joined us on the bridge," said eSarah. "Please join us again." "Aine, would you join us while we feed our children and freshen up," said Tara. She nodded and the group prepared to leave the bridge. ------- Chapter 71 When Nancy, Bob and the prom couples landed at Comrie, they went right to the clinic, where Gail and several EMTs were waiting for them. Nancy introduced Gail and the EMTs to each of their friends. Gail told them, based on the information given to her, that they planned on giving each of them a full medical scan. Without waiting for a response, she had Nancy stand on the platform, so the autodoc could begin scanning her. "Why is Nancy standing up there?" said Mairia. "Sorry, I should have explained how we do our medical evaluations," said Gail. "My apologies, it is easy to forget that everyone doesn't have the benefit of our autodocs. The medical evaluation is done by an automated system, which we refer to as an 'autodoc'. It normally takes about 10 to 15 minutes to do a full scan. All that is needed is for the patient to either stand or lie down so they can be scanned. We prefer to have you standing and nude, as it minimizes interferences. If a high resolution scan is needed, then it may take over half an hour. In any case, you just need to be as still as possible while it is taking place." "Wow, that almost seems too easy to be true," said Molly. "Yes, that was my thought the first time I saw one. A sophisticated computer system, or AI, monitors the data as it is collected, looking for medical issues that need immediate attention. Once the scan is complete, a full analysis of it will be made, with the results usually available within less than a day." "This will be great. I never did like being stuck with needles when they took blood samples," said Jackie. "What does the analysis tell you?" said Kathleen. Just then, the autodoc said, "Thank you, Nancy. You may step down. The EMT has a drug antidote for you to take. Everything else appears to match your previous scans. Next?" Gail motioned for Mairia to step up. "What you just heard is typical. The autodoc will determine your current state of health, and any foreign substances in your body, such as a drug. The analysis will also tell us whether you have any skeletal problems, or the potential for chronic illness. You will be offered the opportunity to receive a treatment to correct any problems. Whether or not you are treated is your choice. We will make you aware of any side effects that are associated with the treatments." "How do you correct a chronic or hereditary medical problem?" asked Allan. "I didn't think that was possible." "Here, it is. These issues usually require the use of a tailored genetic virus treatment. These treatments usually make some additional alterations in the body. The changes aren't bad, but the changes are quite noticeable." "Interesting," said Jackie. The autodoc said, "Thank you, Mairia. You may step down. The EMT has a drug antidote for you to take. The detailed analysis will be done later today." They chatted, while the rest of their group took their turn being scanned, with Bob being the last one. ------- Shannon sent the command staff a message that O'Toole and MacFarland had both received a threatening letter that morning. Both letters were nearly identical. The messages warned them that they should terminate their investigations into where Dale and Larry had sent the missing employees immediately. If they did not, they and their families would have life-altering experiences. They would have an accident or, perhaps, an experience similar to Dale and Larry's. The way the letters ended was puzzling. Dale and Larry had disappeared two weeks earlier. The investigators could find no trace of them. It was as if they had never existed. Shannon, Danny, Muireann and Jason met the command staff as they arrived in the Intelligence Department on Dóchas. The look on their faces told the staff that more had happened since MacFarland and O'Toole had received their letters. "What is it," asked Sarah. "MacFarland's office received a package about 4 hours after the letters arrived," said Muireann. "It was quickly determined that the return address was fictitious. The bomb squad is currently examining the package, to make sure it is safe to open." "The bots have told us that everyone is in the office today," said Shannon, "and, ever since the letters arrived, everyone is quite uneasy. We can tell that even the bots are uneasy, since they suggested that one of us stay linked with to them at all times." "The bots are uneasy?" said Sally. "Star, what would make a bot uneasy?" "Most likely, it is a reflection of those they are working with. Looking at the situation and the exchanges, indicates they are anticipating our needing their information without the normal delay." "Can we set the link up so we can see and hear everything here, without any feedback to them?" asked Rusty. "I am concerned that, with an active link, we could inadvertently affect the bots actions." "Good point," said Terry. "Let's do this, then," said Shannon, "we will tell the bots that we will monitor the office's activities, but we don't want to use the link, as we could inadvertently effect their actions through our use of the link." "To monitor the office," said Jason, "we can hook into their system, or we could use one of our monitors. The office system is not very sophisticated, so we should use our sensors. We have a drone nearby, so why not put our sensors in the office areas under the drone's control? The drone can then relay the data here, as soon as it is collected." Several of the command staff looked at one another, then Alison said, "That should work fine, as several of the staff are sensing the information will be shocking, but not immediately threatening." The monitors were quickly placed, so the group on Dóchas could monitor the data, as the events unfolded in MacFarland's office. They came on-line just as the bomb squad found that the package only contained two video tapes. James and Clarence decided that, since the whole office knew about the tapes, they might as well watch them together. The first tape showed Dale and Larry attending a show at a sex club. As the tape progressed, they were clearly there as both participants and observers. In each of the scenes, the performers, or servers, were naked, except for ankle cuffs, wrist cuffs, and a collar. All the women wore a chest harness, which was like the halter portion of a bra, without cups. The harness squeezed the base of their tits, forcing them to extend unnaturally. Several women had nose rings and tongue studs. Nearly all of the women had rings either in their labia, clit hood or both. They had watched about half of the first tape, when one of the investigators said, "Several of those women look very much like photos we have of the missing women." The comment brought the group back to focusing on the tape as it continued. Several began noting the position on the tape each time they thought a face matched a photograph. "Golly, look at the length of her tongue," said an investigator, as she watched a performer kneel in front of Larry and began caressing his swollen cock with her tongue. As the performer started on Larry, another began to lick Dale's cock. "Holy cow, she can wrap her tongue half-way around his cock," exclaimed the investigator. Several men shifted position, to relieve the pressure on their cocks. The tape continued with scenes of sexual escapades, including some bondage and electrical stimulation. The second tape started with a general view of the stage seen in the earlier sex shows. On stage was a masked group, standing near two chairs. Dale and Larry were both led, naked, up on to the stage by a leash, which was held by two of the earlier performers. Both were now wearing collars and cuffs on the ankles and wrists. They acted as if this was an expected part of the show. The performers led them to stand in front of the chair. The performers seen earlier with long tongues pressed each of them back and forced them sit on the split-seat chair. The chairs were positioned so they were facing each other. Several women crowded around each of them, caressing them until they were quite aroused. A woman knelt between each of their legs and began to caress and stroke their cocks. An investigator said, "Hey, those two women are missing their hands, but appear have something fitted on the end of their arms! My gosh, their tongues look longer than the two we saw earlier!" By this time, the women had sucked the cock-heads into their mouths. Dale and Larry were totally focused on the women sucking their cocks, while the other performers pulled their arms against the arms of the chairs. Soon it was clear that both Dale and Larry were close to coming. While Dale and Larry focused on their pleasure, straps were slipped around their arms and legs. Just as they were ready to cum, the women pulled back, leaving their cocks wet and throbbing. Each of the performers quickly pulled on a strap, securing Larry and Dale so they were immobile in the chairs. Both looked shocked, when they found themselves bound to the chairs. A performer then pressed each of their knees back, until they moaned in pain. The pain from their stretched groin caused their cocks to wilt somewhat. Ignoring their moans, their legs were pushed back further and then locked into position, holding their legs widely spread. It was clear that the muscles and tendons on the insides of their legs were stretched tight. A strap was pulled tight around their thighs to hold them tight against the chairs, so they could not move their hips to relieve the pain in their groins. The two women again began to caress Larry and Dale's cocks with their long tongues, until they were hard and throbbing. The women pulled back, to let others slip a band over their cocks, sliding it up their cock until it rested loosely against their groin. The two women returned to sucking the head of each cock. It was clear from the movement of the women's mouths that they were caressing the cock-heads with their tongues as they sucked. They placed the end of their arms on each side of the men's ball sack, while rubbing it. When the ball sacks began to contract, the women linked the cupped extensions of their arms together so they held each man's ball sack in the cupped area. While they held the cock-head just inside their teeth, another woman pulled the bands tight around their cocks. Dale said, "Watch the teeth, bitch." Prompted by the comment, the women pressed down harder on the swollen cocks with their teeth. Maintaining the pressure with their teeth, they slowly closed the cupped extensions on their arms to squeeze the men's balls. They had barely begun when the two men shrieked and writhed, as the pain from their balls radiated throughout their bodies. The women continued squeezing their testicles until a pop was heard, as they burst inside their sacks. The men shrieked, from the intense pain of their burst balls. When the two women felt the balls burst, they bit down hard on the cocks. The men screamed even louder, as more pain was added to their torment. They attempted to beg for relief, but the sound was lost amidst their cries of pain. Tears ran down their contorted faces. When the women released the cocks from their mouths, blood ran from the teeth marks as the women moved back. The cocks pulsed as they turned a dark red. When the pain abated, Dale and Larry looked at the group wearing masks, begging and pleading for them to stop this. The MacFarland and O'Toole's staff were absorbed in watching the torment of Larry and Dale. Each felt it was the most horrifying thing they had ever seen. Each man in the room has some sense of the pain they must have felt. Several thought they should stop the tape, but realized that, if they did, they wouldn't be able to evaluate it for clues. As the video continued, two performers brought a long trough and slipped under Larry and Dale cock and balls. Along the bottom of the trough could be seen two rows of spikes. The tough was raised to press tight against their groin. Two women performers continued to stoke their cocks, on each stroke they drug their finger nails across the tender cock head. A male performer came on stage carrying a bucket. As he stepped in front of Larry the label "Hot Wax" on the bucket became visible both to the camera and Larry. Larry started to scream and curse those on stage. The woman caressing his cock then pressed it down tightly against the spikes in the trough. She then quickly pressed a row of spikes down against the top of his cock to center it in the trough against the other spikes. As soon as his cock was locked in place the wax was poured into the trough over his cock and balls. When the hot wax ran over his cock, he screamed louder and shook all over. The performer poured until the trough was full. The hot wax burnt his groin, while it cooked his cock and balls. "Larry," said a woman observer, "you should be thank full. The bucket of wax we have for Dale will make yours seem tame. Then again, you won't feel the pain." Just as she stopped speaking, a performer locked Dale's cock into the trough with the top row of spikes. Dale screamed in pain as the spikes were locked down trapping his cock in the trough. Another performer walked on stage carrying a pail. She was wearing gloves, which allowed her to hold the pail. A vapor could be seen rising from the pail. Dale's face became ghastly pale, as he watched her approach. She quickly poured the wax into the trough over his cock and balls. His scream was much louder than Larry's, as he felt the searing pain while the hot wax burned as it cooked his wounded cock and balls. He screamed even louder when the very hot wax came in contact with his groin. The group of performers stepped back and laughed at the two while they waited for the wax to harden. Larry and Dale both screamed insults at the performers and demanded to be released. There were tears running down their faces. Their cocks throbbed in pain. As the wax cooled, it shrank to tightly hold their blood filled cock and crushed balls. With time the two men began to relax so as the pain turned into a dull throb. "The two of you don't understand why you are here, do you?" said a woman observer. Larry and Dale shook their heads, no. Speaking softly, she continued, "We welcomed you into our group. As a part of our welcome, we advised you about how careful we must be, as society members. All of our actions are taken very carefully, to avoid public exposure. One reason we welcomed you into our group is that your companies filled a need we had in dealing with the new electronic databases for people's identities. Many of the council members had apprehensions about admitting you to our secret society. They put those apprehensions aside, because of the capabilities you brought us with your software and access to government identity databases. The change to electronic databases has made it difficult for us to continue recruiting staff for the society and those taken to be sold as sex toys while remaining undetected. Your software and system access solved that problem for us. Now, thanks to both of you, we have a much bigger problem. Many council members became concerned by the way Dale changed once he began using our facilities and staff. His harsh treatment of the staff and residents of the play pen, have caused a decline in availability to the rest of us. The injuries Dale inflicted on a member have caused numerous problems for the council. Fortunately the council was able to resolve everything to the family's satisfaction. It is unfortunate we didn't deal with you then. Your most recent series of bungling actions has brought both of you to MacFarland's attention, which has the potential of causing us a much more serious problem. They haven't discovered the link between you and ourselves, yet. Nor have they fully made the connection to what they call the 'lodge incident', but it is reasonable to expect them to. Your use of our security company to track the women you wanted to be your next company sluts has caused some additional issues. The incident after the convention has the possibility of drawing more attention to us. The incident at your estate, and the evidence you left available at your companies and the estate, has probably posed the greatest risk to us. It will only be a matter of time before MacFarland's staff makes all the connections. So, you have caused us to launch a plan, that carries great risk for all of us. For us not to initiate the plan, presents us with a dismal future." "Dale; your desire and growing need for punishment by mutilation is not an aspect that has made our secret society successful. The council has decided that the two of you will be the stars of several films, while you are tormented by some of those you enslaved. They will have access to everything they need, so they can be just as kind to you as you were to them." As the speaker stepped back, two performers stepped in front of Dale and Larry. The performers opened the metal trough to release the wax block holding their cock and balls. The men began to cry, as they felt the wax block pull painfully on the burnt skin of their groin. They could no longer feel their cock or balls. Two other performers came forward. Attached to one of their arms, in place of a hand, was a hooked knife. Each performer pushed down with one arm, to force the wax to separate from the skin. With the other arm, they slid knife between the men's groins and the wax block. Once in place, the hooked knives were pulled forward, to sever their ball sack and cocks from their bodies, dropping the wax block to the floor. A performer brought a mirror over in front of them, so they could see their half-inch long, stub of their cocks. The rest of the second video showed multiple short scenes of the performers torturing both Dale and Larry. Much of it was of them removing the men's fingers, one joint at a time. The two men screamed and begged for relief in each segment. Each time a joint was removed, there seemed to be a different set of performers. It was clear that the video tape had been edited, because both Dale and Larry looked as if some time had passed between each amputation. As the scenes progressed, both men looked more and more haggard. One scene showed two of the performers mixing a white creamy substance in front of both of them. They forced the two men to swallow it by using large animal syringes to push it into their mouths. One investigator noticed that the creamy substance looked just like the mixture fed to the victims at the lodge, which they had determined was a combination of cereal, milk and cum. One of the later scenes opened with Dale and Larry bound in frames. Their fingerless hands were locked onto flat plates, similar to those that Dale had used before. Large knives were pressing on their wrists. Blood had begun to puddle next to where the knives pressed against their wrists. They were pleading with their torturers to get them to stop. The look on their faces was one of horror, as they watched two handless women walk on stage and stand by the release mechanism. After a few moments, a masked group returned to the stage. Each of them was wearing a thin red robe and a mask, which covered all of their face. This group was larger than the previous group of observers. One man could be seen speaking to Larry and Dale for a few minutes, but his voice was not loud enough to be heard in the video. The whole time he spoke, they were shaking their heads sideways. When the speaker stepped back, the handless women stepped on the release mechanisms, releasing the knives to slowly sever Dale and Larry's hands. The last scene opened with Larry and Dale each hanging over an open hole suspended from hooks under their arm pits. They appeared to have been whipped repeatedly as their bodies were covered with red welts and cuts. Their ankles were fastened to a short spreader bar with chains. A chain was fastened to the pins in the ends of their handless arms to the ends of the spreader bar. Wires lead from black pads on their knees, groin, stomach, chest and shoulders led to a connector behind their head. A masked woman came over to them and said, "We offered you to a number of S&M clubs. Many expressed an interest, but felt your new found fame would be a problem. You may think you have experienced pain the last few days but it is nothing compared to what can be done in a dungeon with no restrictions and no reason for you to leave. No one wanted you even as a dungeon toy. So in a few minutes, you will be lowered into the hole beneath you, until your feet just touch the wet sand at the bottom. Once in position, the hole will be filled with wet sand up to the to of your shoulders. Don't worry we won't close your breathing hole in your neck, although before long you may wish we had." The masked woman stepped back and several performers began shoveling sand into the hole. Each shovel full of sand thumped as it hit the bottom of the hole. After several scops of sand, the two men were lowered into the hole until their feet just touched the freshly shoveled sand. Fear radiated from the two men as they were lowered. A plastic bag was placed over their heads before the performers began shoveling sand into the hole. Each scope of sand was thrown in so it slid down their bodies causing them to wiggle from the irritation. Their faces showed the pain they felt from the wet sand sliding over their wounds. Water was steadily added to the hole ensuring the sand packed around their bodies. When the sand reached their shoulders the bag was removed from their head. The hooks holding them up were released letting their weight settle them deeper into the sand. In each hole, a round metal chamber was lowered into each hole over the men's head and shoulders. It was positioned so the men were centered in the opening in the bottom as it rested on the sand. Water was added again and the chambers wiggled until the top was aligned with the surrounding walk and sat firmly on the wet sand. The chamber was deep enough so it rested on the sand just below their shoulders and rose several inches above their head. "Now your suffering will truly begin," said the masked woman. "Your suffering will have several aspects to it. The sand is laced with shards of glass to entertain you as you wiggle to relieve the irritation of your skin. Your wiggling will cause you settle deeper into the hole. Even without wiggling, your weight will push you down deeper, so you will soon discover a bed of 4 inch thin needles beneath your feet. You will experience all of this in darkness as in a few moments, a cover will be placed over the ring to match with the walk. The covers are designed so they reverberate when walked on adding some sound to your chamber. Twice a day someone will come to feed you and to keep the sand at the proper level. Too keep you alert, the electrodes will stimulate your muscles periodically. Enjoy your solitude. Although once your body begins to burn and itch as the sand works into your wounds, you may wish to moan or cry out. Doing that has a price that you will soon feel." "Now before we drop the cover, lets see if they electrodes work." She pointed to a performer holding a small box in her hand. The camera zoomed in on the performers hand as she pushed the button, when switched to show the men heads. The effect was obvious as the men opened their mouths in a silent scream and jerked about settling deeper into the sand. "Enjoy." When she quit speaking a cover was dropped onto each chamber with a loud reverberating bang. The masked woman turned to the camera with the two metal covers clearly visible in the walk. She told the viewers that those who interfere with the society always disappeared. After some adjustments to their bodies, nearly all were given a job to serve the members in one of the societies resorts. If person was lucky, it would be through an accident. If not they would find themselves working in one of the society's clubs, to be used as they desired just as any piece of furniture would be. The more troublesome the person, the more pain they could expect. The investigation into these two idiots and the 'lodge incident', was to be closed immediately. If they did not, then many of them along with their families, would find themselves working as a slut or pain toy in a sex club or for the society's members. The group of investigators were outraged at the audacity of the group in sending them these tapes. It was as if the 'flesh peddlers' were saying they were exempt from the legal system, and could do whatever they pleased. Many indicated they had never heard of such brutality in recent times. "I think the punishment Dale and Larry received was much more severe than they would have had received in our legal system, or even in prison," said a woman investigator. "In some ways, the punishment reminded me of things I have seen alluded to in literature." "James and Clarence," said another investigator, "I don't agree with how it was done, and you may want to transfer me after I make my next comment, but I think they got less than they deserved. The two of them have personally sentenced over a 100 people, that we know of, to a life of servitude. Beyond that they enable many more to disappear into a life of servitude." "I know many of you feel the same way," said James. "The comments I heard seemed personal rather than professional opinions. Because they are personal opinions, I see no reason to make staff changes now." "I don't understand how the last scene was punishment or torture," said one of the new investigators. "It has much the same effect of crucification but takes longer. The sand will keep closing up around them making it difficult to breathe," said Clarence. "The wet sand has two other effects. It will draw the heat away from them so before long they are shivering. It will aggravate the cuts and other wounds on their bodies as they move around. It will also keep them from relieving their bowels. By feeding them, they will increase the pressure on their gut which will hamper their breathing. Putting the cover in a walkway, means that every time someone steps on it the sand will be packed down." "So they slowly suffocate." "Yes they could but hypothermia is very likely as well," said Clarence. "Hypothermia will make them sleepy, so the electrical stimulation was likely done to keep them from sleeping. They could live quite a while but it will not be pleasant." "Listen up, everyone, if need be, we will have counselors available for you. If you have difficulty coping with what you saw, talk to someone, don't bottle it up. You may find it more comforting to vent with your fellow worker. Please don't let them, or these films, cause you any sleepless nights." "Now, let's focus on the tapes. There are several aspects to these tapes. First, they gave us some information that I don't think we had before, or at least they made connections that we hadn't figured out yet. Second, I think the threats were directed more toward James, our families and I. Third, did you notice that the performers did everything with little or no instructions? So, the tapes will provide no evidence that the masked observers caused any harm to Dale and Larry, except in that they did not intervene. Could it be that the "councilors" were letting the performers rid themselves of their anger? If they lost their anger, would they be more compliant sex toys? Some psychologist would think that is possible." "I agree with Clarence about the councilors participation," said James. "I don't think any of the councilors participated in abusing either of the men. Based on what I remember of the film, about the only charges would be conspiracy and aiding in the commission of a crime. Conspiracy will be difficult to prove without one of them testifying. For the performers, it would be difficult to avoid charging them especially since they seemed to participate willingly." The comments had released some of the anger. It was clear to everyone that this group would not hesitate in taking them out, if need be. The discussion turned what should be done about security for the staff and office. It was soon clear there was not much that could done and not inhibit their work. They agreed to avoid working solo and work in at least pairs at all times. Traveling would be done in pairs as well. The office would be manned 24 hours a day to answer the phone as they were to check in every couple of hours. After discussing security changes, they turned their focus back to the content of the tapes. With the Marie and Trudy writing on white boards, they began to list things they remembered from the tapes. Listing the key events and their sequence on the boards was completed just before the duplicate taps arrived. James and Clarence took the original tapes and placed them in the safe while everyone observed. With the additional tapes, they decided to split into several teams with each team assigned an aspect to focus on as they reviewed the video again. Several of the investigators had earlier noted spots on the tape they wanted to go back and examine closer. They thought they might be able to identify some of the people in the scenes from the information they had collected. Others had noted items in the background of the final scene that they thought would help them find where it had taken place. They were looking for clues that would add to the information they already had and hopefully to some identities. The Intelligence Department and command staff on Dóchas were puzzled by the true purpose of the tape. Many felt there was a hidden agenda in what the 'flesh peddlers' had done. The effect was clear, as it had obviously incited MacFarland and O'Toole's groups. Was it meant as a warning? Or did the 'flesh peddlers' think the tape would lead the investigators away from their initial purpose? It did provide the investigators with more evidence regarding Larry, Dale, and (presumably) the 'flesh peddlers' organization. Together, they analyzed what the tapes represented, and how they possibly fit with in all the information they had. Their analysis showed several possible explanations, other than those mentioned by Clarence, for sending the videos. They finally concluded that the most likely purpose was to derail the investigation by creating some confusion. It was clear that the video message was sending a strong warning to drop the investigation or someone would get hurt. The targets appeared to be James, Clarence and their families, in particular. The warning aspect was confirmed later in the day, when both James and Clarence received special delivery letters. The letters explicitly told them again to quietly end the investigation, and the consequences of not doing as asked. The letters were explicit in describing what was in store for their families if they disregarded the response. As a first step, their families would be taken to one of their clinics where their bodies would be enhanced so they would be walking wet dreams. Once the changes were complete, they would have very large natural tits, a predominate cunt, a large clit with a bar through it and rings in their clit hood and cunt lips. Along with that they would be conditioned so they were obsessed with sexual activities. Their longer tongue with its stud would make them very capable cock suckers and cunt lickers. Their new appearance would ensure they sought after by many that, combined with the excessive lust, would ensure they would be well used sex toys. If that didn't work, they would be sold to breeders or to a dungeon. James and Clarence would have the opportunity to enjoy their women's new attributes and lust before they began their new life as wanton sex toys. After the women had spent a day of non-stop sex with them, they would watch them begin their new life. Working in the club's play pen, they would watch as they offered themselves to anyone in anyway. After working a week in the council's play pen, the council would decide whether to keep them for their use, or to sell them. If sold, they would bring an excellent price on the world market, especially in the Middle East or Africa, since they were once the women of US government officials. While James and Clarence would learn the meaning of pain as dungeon toys, where pain was a way of life. There were many ways to make the pain last much longer than that which Dale and Larry had experienced. James and Clarence were furious, and it took several hours before they could calm down enough to even discuss the issue between them. They talked for a long time about their choices, before deciding not to tell anyone about the letters, except for the four paralegals they worked closely with. They were very concerned for their families. It was unclear how they could protect them. When they looked again at the letters, they found they had disintegrated, only a small pile of dust remained. They were upset with themselves, in that they didn't photograph the letters right after they had received them. At home that evening, in each of their homes, James and Clarence brought up the security issue with their families. They told their families about the tapes and the threat they had received that day. They felt this was an indication that the people they referred to as the 'flesh peddlers' were getting a little desperate. James and Clarence proposed that they have a security detail go with each of them whenever they went out. The women were against it. The girls were scared, but not enough to have a detail with them all the time. Each family spent most of the evening discussing the issue. Both James and Clarence were insistent that something had to be done, or they risked disappearing forever. Sue proposed that they take an extended vacation. If they used false IDs and minimized their contact, they would be able to travel unnoticed. The two families could go together and keep in contact via anonymous e-mails and instant messenger accounts. The security detail could then focus on watching the house, while everyone was led to believe they were in seclusion. An alternative would be to have decoys take their places at home. They all felt that finding suitable decoys was a long shot. It would certainly do a better job of hiding their disappearance. Both James and Clarence liked the alternative their families had proposed, but were concerned about finding someone who looked similar enough to take their place. The next day, James and Clarence approached the paralegals with the idea their families had of someone standing in for them for several weeks. The paralegals took the question as a request of them. They declined, as they didn't think they looked enough like Sue or Irene, much less their daughters. They offered to talk to several friends, that they thought would be much better substitutes, as the resemblance was closer. It would be several days before they could find out if they would be available and interested. The men told the paralegals, Trudy and Marie, that they wanted to meet the women, if they were interested, as soon as they were available. Arrangements were made for a meeting several days later, at an isolated park. When James and Clarence arrived, they were surprised when they saw Sue, Samantha, Kelsey, Karmen and Irene waiting for them. They wondered how their families had found out about their meeting with the decoys. They watched as the paralegals walked up and started talking to the women. Now they were really puzzled, because they didn't think either Sue or Irene had met the paralegals. They knew they definitely hadn't met the daughters; then, it dawned on them what they were seeing. "Hello, 'Sue'," said James, "I'm surprised to see you here." Then he kissed her. Clarence greeted 'Irene' the same way. James looked at the two paralegals, and winked. "This will work just fine." The Intelligence department had made sure that no one else was in or near the park, while the group worked out the arrangements for the women to switch places. James and Clarence felt very relieved when they went home that night. In less than a week, their families would be out of harm's way, enjoying a vacation, and they could again focus on the investigation. Neither knew that Irene had been talking to a friend a day earlier about a place to take a long summer vacation. The afternoon after the discussion about a security detail, she received an e-mail detailing a new resort that was offering special grand opening rates. Once the decision was made for them to go with Sue and her daughter on a summer-long vacation, Irene dug the advertisement out of the electronic trash bin. Reviewing it, she knew the activities would suit her daughters. She called Sue about the ad. Together, they decided to go ahead and make reservations, and then discuss it with James and Clarence that evening. Adam's team was six days into their fifth mission since arriving in Afghanistan. Their mission, this time, was to seek out terrorist camps. Once found, they were to destroy the terrorist's camps, or call in air support. So far, they had found one camp and neutralized it, without any problems. This mission had them deep in the mountainous region, making travel very difficult. There were few roads that could easily accommodate a vehicle and those were typically on the valley floor. Most travel was on foot or on horseback. Occasionally, there was a cart, drawn by a donkey. Some valleys were quite lush with low-growing vegetation, while others were nearly barren. Previous forays by other teams into this region had found numerous caves entrances on the hillsides. Intelligence reports indicated that most of the caves were often inhabited, and the inhabitants were thought to be either terrorists or bandits. Other teams had found some caves that appeared to run a long way into the mountain side. Several teams had surmised that some caves were connected, based upon the breeze they felt at the entrances. Their team had just settled into a place to rest, while they waited until the light was at a more favorable angle to resume operations. They had just began their break, when the radio indicated an urgent message had been received from base. The message gave them new orders, which were to find, and link up with, another TTC team. The other team was following up on reports of westerners being held captive by bandits or terrorists. The TTC command center was having difficulty making the scheduled radio contacts with the other team. Command center was not yet alarmed by the poor radio contacts, because they believed that the terrain was the problem. The radios were supposed to be immune to terrain-caused interferences. By sending another team in for support, TTC command center felt there would be sufficient forces to deal with whatever they found. Rapid support from base could not be counted on, because of the poor radio communication. If they encountered a protracted fight, supplies could become a problem. After reviewing the maps, they realized that the team they were to meet was two valleys east of their position, based upon the information the command center gave them. If they followed the road, they were facing a good 150 mile hike, if not more. General consensus was that it would take them at least 3 days of supreme hiking effort to meet up with the other team. The wording of the message left them unsure as to whether the other team knew help was coming. The other issue was that three days of forced hiking would mean they wouldn't be very helpful for at least a day after linking up. "Captain O'Brien, isn't this the team your friend is in?" said Todd, as he had noticed the anxious look on his face. "Yes. I am surprised they sent her team out on something like this." "Why do you say that?" "Her team has a lot of new arrivals in it, so they haven't worked together very long. I have an uneasy feeling when I think of her, which is really unusual. I had the sensation before we received the message. I am not sure it's real or just idle worry. Anyway, three days may be too late." "Do you know why you sense it would be too late?" "No, you could call it a premonition. The officer's rumor mill has it that several teams have vanished in this region, leaving no evidence that they were even in their assigned area. This has lead to some officers questioning the effectiveness of the TTC units. There attitude was that the techniques used by special forces, LRP and advanced infantry patrols could not be effectively combined and have it work successfully in the field. In addition, they didn't think any woman had the necessary long-term stamina to be useful, or they should even be in any combat situation." "Why don't we go cross country?" said Adam, changing the topic, as he sensed the conversation was turning from what they needed to do. "For the first part of the trip, we would have a pretty steep climb, but the map indicates a possible route, here, across the valleys. It looks like the worst part would be the climb today. Once we see what the ridge looks like, maybe we will find another choice." "We would miss our scheduled re-supply point," said Leo. "Although, I think we have enough supplies to easily get there. We would need supplies within a day of getting there." After some discussion, the team opted to try cross country. If the first day didn't pan out, then they would push harder, still using the cross valley paths. Once they had climbed out of the valley, they were pleased to find small game trails along the edge of the ridges. They paused and looked around, while resting from the climb. While they paused, Adam projected his vision, to check their proposed path for danger, impassable spots and to look for alternatives. Todd, Sal and Leo carefully watched the area around them, while Kurt drew the team's attention away from them. Anyone casually looking at Adam would think he was day-dreaming. "Let's move out," said Captain O'Brien, as he started to follow the path down into the valley. "Captain O'Brien, how adventurous do you feel?" asked Adam, while making sure not to look at Todd or Leo. "Why?" "Well, I was trying to picture a path for us to take, using the game trails. The maps are a bit deceptive in how easy the in and out access is for these two valleys. There aren't any signs of people living in this valley. So, we could take a chance and use the game trails. By using them, we won't have nearly the elevation changes to deal with that cutting across the valleys would cause. If we luck out, and the two valleys are similar, we should be able to link up with the other team by tomorrow evening, at the latest." "We will all need to be very alert, as we will be quite exposed," said Captain O'Brien, "even though all the signs indicate there isn't anybody living in this valley. Adam, your intuition has helped us out many times. Lead out." ------- The team had pushed very hard, and were on the ridge above the intended valley shortly after noon the next day. They settled behind a rock outcropping, to survey the valley without being easily seen. As they looked over the narrow road through the valley, they didn't see any movement in either direction. Several places along the mountain's sides hinted at the possibility of caves. They slowly eased down into the valley. They had expected the other team to be within sight, based upon what was in the message from the command center. They tried to raise the team on the radio, but didn't receive any response, not even static. They tried reaching base communications, but all they heard was static. All of them knew they should have heard at least static from the other team's radio. The team was a little uneasy. Several spotted reflections in shadows on the sides of the valley, telling them that they had been seen. Proceeding down the trail in the direction the team should be traveling, they found several boot imprints that looked to be maybe a day old, indicating that the team had already passed this point. With little discussion, they started down the trail toward the other team's destination. When they reached a sheltered spot in a small depression, they stopped to eat and rest, as they were tired. The team was sitting quietly after they had finished eating. All had placed themselves so they were watching different portions of the landscape. They were just about ready to move out, when Adam heard a sound. "What's that?" "What?" "I thought I heard a moan." Everyone became very quiet, as they all listened. They were just about to resume, when they all heard the soft moan. Several of them began to carefully search the area, while others moved to establish stronger defensive positions. It took quite some time to find the source. Fortunately, Sal had been standing next to a flat rock when he heard the moan. Lifting the rock off, he found a man buried up to his neck in a hole. "Oh, my God," said Sal, loudly. He was quickly joined by the others who had been searching with him. The man had been scalped. There was fresh blood around his mouth. Adam and Todd lay down next to the hole, so they could try to talk to the man. The team wasn't sure they could dig him out of the hole. As soon as Adam spoke to him, he could sense that the man was dying. Todd and Adam both scanned his recent memories. At first, they found it very difficult to control their emotions, as they saw the horror the squad leader had lived through. They sent the squad leader the thought that his suffering would be avenged, and his team rescued. The man sighed, as he drew his last breath, and said, "Thank you for finding me, so that the story is known." "Did you find out anything?" asked Captain O'Brien when he saw Adam and Todd start to get up. "Yes," said Todd. "He was the squad leader for the team we were to meet. The others have been captured by bandits. All of them were stripped, then dressed in only sandals and burkas. They are being force-marched to a place two or three days down the road." It was quiet for a few moments. "When did they leave?" asked Captain O'Brien. "He wasn't sure, but he thought it was yesterday." "Did he give you any details?" "Yes," said Todd, "Captain O'Brien, he was able to tell us a lot about the abuse and torture they were subjected to. When we share the rest, I am concerned about us being able to control our anger enough that we can respond correctly. If we don't, we will most likely fail and join those we wish to rescue." Without waiting, Adam began, "When his team woke up, just before daybreak two days ago, they found themselves naked and bound wrist-to-ankle. Each of them had a rope vest tied tightly around their chests, which limited their breathing. The chest harnesses on the women were slightly different, in that the ropes were wrapped tightly around the base of their tits. The constriction of the harness ropes around their tits, caused them to swell. All of them had their wrists tied to the opposite ankle, behind their back. After they were all awake, they were pulled up, and forced to sit on their legs. The bandits made fun of them, as they moaned and complained. After a short time, each person was given an injection in each shoulder and a cinch was pulled tight around each leg. After a few minutes, they brought over a block, placing it on the ground between one woman's knees. They untied her wrists. Her limp hands were laid on the block with each finger forced between a peg, then two men held a bar across her palms and fingers. They watched in horror as he placed a hatchet on the top of the joints joining her ring finger and little finger to the palm. With a mallet, he drove the hatchet down, severing her two fingers. She screamed, as she peed on the ground. He then used the hatchet to remove the tips of her thumb, index and middle fingers. She screamed each time the mallet fell. They laughed at her, taunting her, telling her she was a weak worthless bitch. A warrior wouldn't make a sound. She was showing her true self, a weak sniveling western woman. The leader told her, she was now marked as a slut or sex toy and no longer a pretend warrior. The group then proceeded to remove everyone's ring finger, little finger and fingertips. All the fingers were carefully collected in a bag. Once they had finished removing their fingers, the women were forced to suck their male teammate's cocks' and swallow their cum. After each man had cum, they were castrated. The bandits told them they were now branded as sluts, and would be freely used by whomever held them. The bandits then started torturing the team leader. They finished up scalping him. After cutting off his tongue, his hands and feet were chopped off, before they buried him in the hole." As Adam reported what he had learned, several of his teammates turned green. Captain O'Brien became very angry, his face was red. When Adam finished, Captain O'Brien began gathering his gear. He told everyone to get their gear, and that they were leaving now. Those bastards were going to die. "Captain O'Brien, what is our plan?" said Todd. "We're going after them, now!" "If we take off racing down the trail now, won't those watching us from the cliffs know we found the squad leader?" "We're going after them, now! Pick up your gear soldier, you're wasting time." Captain O'Brien's face was becoming redder. as his anger grew. As Adam looked at Captain O'Brien, he could see anger was clouding his thinking. He knew what was likely to happen if they didn't act carefully. In moments, he began to push a vision toward O'Brien of their unit being ambushed, then of each being tortured, just as the squad leader had described happened to his group. In the vision, the other team watched their torture. "Captain, I am ready as any of us to go after them," said Adam. "But, how did the bandits get past the team's perimeter? How were they able to strip and tie them up before they woke? Wouldn't it be better to take a few minutes. to try to analyze what happened?" As Adam stated the questions, he pushed calming thoughts to the Captain. "Okay," said Captain O'Brien, "you're right." He visibly relaxed his stance. "I am not happy about waiting, but you raise some very good questions. It is hard to believe people would do what the squad leader described to anyone. Gus, get out the maps, so we can review the terrain in front of us. It would be nice if we could circle around in front of them." "None of us are happy waiting," said Todd. "I'm puzzled. Why mutilate the hands?" asked Bev. "With no fingertips, there's no easy way to verify a person's identity without a DNA test, which takes time, even if it is available. Removing the ring finger removes any escape through marriage. It marks all of them as being pleasure slaves, or whores. Your hands cannot be hidden all the time, so the missing fingers become a badge of who you are." The team gathered around the map, to discuss their options. There was really no alternative to following the road, so they decided to travel at night, moving as quickly as the terrain would let them. All of them recognized the need for rest, as they had gotten little on their way here. None of them were particularly pleased with their choice, but they recognized that being alert was, possibly, their only defense. They also hoped the bandits were not aware of their learning what happened. "Now that I've gotten past some of the horror," said Kara, "the only way I can think of the bandits achieving that level of surprise is with the use of some kind of gas. This location is rather low, so if there was no wind, it would be relatively easy to gas a group here." "Good point," said Captain O'Brien, "as the wind in these valleys seems to be very still in the early morning." As they rested, Adam and Todd scanned the area, looking to find the killers and the other team members. They were soon located, further up the road. They were bound and gagged, just as the squad leader had described. All were wearing burkas, with their faces covered, so they would look just like anyone else traveling the road. A rope loop was fastened around their knees, effectively limiting their stride, so they couldn't run. The group was far enough ahead that it would take them more than a day to catch up to them. Once they found the other team members, and saw the situation, Adam, Todd, Sal, Leo and Kurt decided it was time to link with their clans. Each clan linked separately at first, as each shared what had happened, and their concerns. The women told the guys they were on the way. "Be very careful, as others maybe expecting your team". "Okay," said Adam, with the others agreeing. "I will, no, we will feel much better when you arrive." "Let us start with our just being support for your team, and we will let events play out from there." Briana and Cathan initiated the alarm sequence on Dóchas. When Star saw the significance, she incremented the alarm level, to summon everyone to duty stations. Both settlements were notified of the alarm. Security teams on Comrie were alerted and advised to be ready to move on short notice, with their tactical suits armed for combat. The command staff immediately went to the bridge, to begin planning the intervention, based upon the information from Adam's TTC group had shared with their spouses. All five clans were brought into the planning, while Dóchas's crew scrambled to prepare for the move back to earth orbit. They decided to use six shuttles, along with a flight of star fighters. Each shuttle would carry a clan, with at least 6 security team members and an EMT. Rusty, Sarah, Sally, Terry, Joyce and Tara would staff the sixth shuttle, along with a dozen security team members and Gail. The remaining command staff shifted around on the bridge, so all the stations were covered, as they prepared to move. The crew worked frantically to secure the construction projects, knowing that the ship could not move until their work was complete. Once the plan was in place, the shuttles and star fighters departed for earth. ------- At dusk, Adam's team moved out to intercept the group holding the other TTC members captive. Briana and Cathan's clans mind-linked with Adam and Todd as they moved out. It was very much like they had done several months earlier, only their roles were reversed. The shuttles arrived overhead just as Adam's team were passing through a narrow part of the valley. There was little land on each side of the road before the ground began to rise steeply. In places, the rise was almost vertical. The ground on both sides of the road had little vegetation, with some clusters of rocks. In some areas there were small recesses into the side of the hill. The map indicated the narrow passage was about a 2 kilometers long. They were half way through the narrow passage when the sky began to brighten for the coming dawn. The team had hoped to be out of the valley by then, but the darkness had slowed their pace. They were startled when a voice echoed off the valley walls. "Commando scum, drop your weapons, and raise your hands. Do it quickly, or you die." The team members immediately moved for cover, just as a shot rang out. Captain O'Brien screamed in pain, as the shot had caught him in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground. "We are here," said Briana. "A shield has been established around your position." Everyone felt their spouses' relief. "You are trapped, scum." The laugh echoed through the valley. "Soon, all of you will be our captives. We have been waiting for you. We had a glorious day, listening to the other commando scum scream from a little pain. Soon, we will hear you cry and scream in pain, just as the other weaklings did." After a few moments, he said, "Now, scum drop your gear. We have you surrounded." Adam reached out, telepathically, to find the speaker, while Todd projected his vision to survey the bandits' positions. Several flashes were seen on the hillside, before the shots were heard. Bullets were heard, as they ricocheted off the rocks and away from the soldiers. Adam pushed thoughts to the man, building his ego, encouraging him to brag about what he planned to do with them. It didn't take much prodding, for the bandit was already sure of their capture. Adam saw, while scanning his thoughts, that he was pleased. This would be the fourth team this group of bandits had captured and sold to the slavers. This would make him the top supplier to the slavers. Capturing these stupid westerners was easy to do with the supplies the slavers provided them. All he needed to do now was catch them in a low spot, fill the area with gas, and wait a short time. This group would soon be asleep and waiting for him to capture them. "Ah, Commando scum. You have no hope. Soon you will be our captives. First we will teach you about pain, as we chop off your fingers. We will give your fingers to your command post, so they will declare you dead. With no finger tips, you will have no identity, so you will become our property. Without your little finger and ring finger, everyone who sees you will know you are sluts or pleasure slaves. All of you will be working in whorehouses, pleasure palace or as someones private slut. Western white sluts are very popular stock for whorehouses and sex clubs around the world. Before we send you to the auction, we will enhance your slut appearance so the buyers will pay even more. If you are lucky, you might be butchered for meat." He laughed, the sound echoing off the valley walls. "As for the macho special forces men, you'll get a double dose of pain. After the women on your team suck you off one last time, we will castrate you. This way, you can work in the whorehouses with your team members as pleasure slaves, along with the cunts with you. We will enjoy watching you scream. All your friends will watch you scream, as we cut open your ball sack to drop your balls into the hot skillet. We will laugh at you, as you cry and scream in pain as your balls cook. Big bad Commando soldiers, crying like babies. Later, the women will scream even louder, as our women pull their clits out so a bar can put through the base. Your clits will be forced to stand out like little cocks. After a few weeks practicing the fundamentals of being a slut, all of you will be sold at auction, just like livestock. A few of you are already sold, along with some other white sluts. Your new owner will be at our camp in two days to pay for you. Once you are his, you will be bound and stuffed into a crate, for shipment to your new home. Two or three days in the crate. No movement. No sound. The whole time feeling a special dildo in your mouth, stretching your tongue. That, along with a dildo up your cunt and ass, will take away any thought of resistance." "Now, lay down your weapons and put up your hands, Commando scum sluts! We need to get you to camp and prepped for the westerner's arrival. He pays good money for western sluts." Adam took his rifle and aimed it at the position of the speaker. He slowly pulled the trigger. The sound of the shot echoed through the valley, followed by a scream of pain. "Ha. Your squad leader shall now die very slowly, scum," screamed the voice. "We will skin him slowly, while you watch." "If anyone dies, it will be you and the other sons of whores in your cowardly group of bandits," roared a chorus of feminine voices, out of the dark shadows of the valley. Adam and his friends immediately recognized the voices, and sighed with relief. Several of their team gasped at the sound of the women's voices. All of them had recognized that they were not in a good spot to defend themselves, especially if the comment about the sleeping gas was correct. Adam's team heard the sound of a mortar being loaded. They saw a flash of light above them on the hillside, just after they heard the mortar thump. The energy beam had dropped the mortar tube to the ground just as it fired, resulting in the mortar exploding against a nearby rock, spraying some bandits with hot shrapnel and rock fragments while releasing its gas. The men screamed in pain from the hot shrapnel. Their hands covered their ears as the sound added to the pain from their broken ear drums. Their eyes were tightly closed, to relieve the burn from the bright explosive flash. Before long, they were quiet, as they were overtaken by the sleeping gas contained in the mortar. "Where are our friends?" came the voice of Sarah's clan, roaring through the valley. "Where you will be going, bitch! We have sent those western sluts to be prepared as pleasure slaves or breeders. As non-believers and with no identity, all of you westerners are nothing but another form of livestock. It is God's will that we harvest all livestock for our use." "And where did God say that?" "Our cleric tells us the word of God, for he has been blessed to be the messenger of God. All who do not believe and follow the word are animals for us to use. Enough of this, no more warnings Commando scum sluts, lay down your weapons now!" "Yes, enough of this." With that, Rusty, Sarah, Cathan, Briana, Joyce and Tara, became visible, walking along the road toward Adam's team. Several members of Adam's team gasped, as they saw the group leisurely walking on the road toward them. They each wore a long shear robe, but their features were clearly visible to everyone. A glow of light surrounded them as they walked. Their hair glistened and sparkled in the light. "You are no agents of God!" said the group with Sarah, the sound echoing off the walls of the valley. "We know of no God who would claim you. You use God's word to support your evil, twisted, ways. Lay down your weapons now! If you do, we will let you leave." "No! We waste no more time," the bandit leader shouted angrily. "In a few moments, you will all be our slave sluts." As soon as he spoke, there were several flashes of light. The screams of pain and anguish were heard around the valley walls. The bandits screamed in horror, seeing their hands or arms lying on the ground, still holding their weapon. Their faces were etched with fear, since they did not see what happened only, the result. Their fear grew, as the voices seemed to be all around them. They were scared, as they sensed that those in the light were unlike anyone else they had ever seen. They stood motionless, held in place by their fear, even though they knew the leader wanted them to lob some of the gas canisters into the valley. The bandit leader broke the impasse. He reached for a gas canister. Before he could touch it, his arm fell to the ground at his feet. He screamed in horror. When the pain from severing his arm registered in his mind, he screamed even louder. "Return to your homes, now," said Sarah's group's voices, with the sound carrying the length of the valley. "You are lucky to have escaped with your lives. Enslaving or killing God's friends and followers is why you have suffered. To survive now, you will have to rely on the kindness of others. Be warned, those who profited from this trade in humans shall find themselves enslaved. They will learn the anguish of being the sluts they wanted others to be, with no future. Some men will learn what is like to be tormented as a woman." They paused. "Ask your cleric, where in the word of God does God give the cleric the right to judge others? Tell him to read you the passage! Make him look you in the eye when he reads the passage!" "Security teams, watch the bandits as they leave. Take any appropriate action." They walked in amongst the TTC unit. All except Adam's friends looked at them with amazed expressions on their faces, as they stood there, still holding their weapons. "All of you are a welcome sight," said Adam and Todd, as the other three nodded. "Some party you arranged," laughed Sarah. "Yes," said Adam. "It is very good you arrived when you did, or I suspect we would be their captives by now. We were too anxious." "Adam, Todd, this location would have been difficult to avoid," said Rusty, "very difficult." "Presuming Captain O'Brien agrees; Adam and Todd, lead your team on down the road. Part of our group is there waiting for you," said Sarah. Captain O'Brien nodded his head in agreement. The pain from his shoulder wound was clearly apparent on his face. Adam and Todd gathered up their equipment, just as two EMTs came trotting down the road from the direction Rusty had indicated for them to go. The EMTs went directly to treat Captain O'Brien's shoulder wound. With puzzled looks on their faces, the other team members followed Adam's lead, and began gathering their equipment. Together, they followed Adam and Todd up the road. Joyce and Briana walked up beside Adam and acknowledged him, while their eyes scanned the surroundings. Cathan moved up beside Todd. Tara, Sarah and Rusty walked behind the group, as they moved toward the shuttles. Four security team members escorted the two EMTs that were caring for Captain O'Brien, and brought along his gear. When the group stepped around a shallow bend in the road, they found two shuttles hovering, waiting for them. Once they reached the shuttles Joyce, Briana and Cathan slipped off the helmets of their tactical suits. They turned to their guys, and pulled them into a hug and a passionate kiss. The other clan members gathered around them, to shower them with hugs and kisses. Sarah, Joyce, Rusty and Tara watched and smiled at the greeting they were being given. Adam and Todd's team members stood and watched the greeting their two teammates were receiving. The look on their faces clearly showed they were puzzled. When several of the women saw Leo, Kurt and Sal arrive, they went and greeted them. While the team members watched, their expressions began to show a bit of envy. All were wondering who these people were and where they came from. The last several days had been very trying. "Where are the others?" said Adam. "They are rescuing what's left of the team that you were trying to catch up with." Most of his team members were now clearly confused, as could be seen from the looks on their faces. "You might want to introduce us," said Briana. "And, maybe, give them a clue as to what is going on?" "Yes, thank you, that is a good idea." He turned to his team members, and said, "I would like to introduce you to some very special friends of mine. Todd, Sal, Kurt, and Leo already know them." Then, he added, "Actually, they know some of them very well." The last, caused several of his friends to chuckle. Captain O'Brien stepped up next to Adam, his shoulder now bandaged. "Adam, who are these people? And where in the hell did they come from? I have no doubt that we should be thankful they are here, as we really screwed up." "Well, Captain O'Brien, they are friends of mine and one is my sister. I was just about to make the introductions." With that, Adam introduced his friends from the ship to those on his team. As he introduced those from Dóchas, he indicated those that were special to him, and how he knew them. "Now that that is out of the way, I think the EMT is very anxious to check all of us out. I promise, once that is done, we have time to talk." "Adam, that is not quite what I was asking." Adam smiled. "I could order you to answer me." "Yes, you could. The EMT could override it, too," said Adam, as he smiled, taking the sting out of the comment. "How about we let the EMT do her thing, then we'll talk." Captain O'Brien nodded his agreement. "We need to check all of you. Adam, why don't you start off," said an EMT. "We will need all of you to shuck your clothes." Several gasped, as Adam had peeled off his clothes before she finished speaking, and stepped into the autodoc, and then stepped away when it chimed. Todd quickly followed. "The examination is more accurate without a covering," said the EMT, as she saw some hesitancy about undressing, "but you can leave your underwear on, if you want to." "Hell, with what we have been through," said Natalia, "nudity is a minor thing." While the team was finishing, Adam looked at his friends, and they nodded. "Briana, do you have tactical suits we can wear," asked Adam. "Adam," said Rusty, "they are in the shuttle next to you. If you do this, it will have repercussions." "You're right. This will effect the whole team. Actually, that is already the case. What should I say?" "Whatever you need to? Be honest and truthful. They may not believe you at first, but it won't take them long until they believe you. Your team members have a lot of respect for each other, no, make that an exceptional amount." ------- Chapter 72 "Team," said Adam, "I promised Captain O'Brien that I would answer some questions once the EMT was happy. Please bear with me, as I work through this. What I tell you may seem a bit disjointed, but it should all fit together, once everything is said. You may want to hold your questions until the end." "First, Captain O'Brien, your girlfriend is safe. Another group of our friends have just put the other group of bandits out of business, and they weren't as generous as we were." Captain O'Brien opened his mouth to speak. "The reason our friends are here is because yesterday afternoon, while we rested, Kurt, Sal, Leo, Todd and I contacted our friends. We shared with them what had happened to the other team. They immediately said they were coming to support us. Thankfully, they arrived when they did, or I suspect we would be experiencing some of the pain the bandit was raving about." "All around us right now are terrorists, watching to see what happens next. It is surprising that they did not come to the aid of the bandits. Based on the information from my friends, these bandits were providing westerners to slavers, with the terrorist's quiet assistance. The bandits make the countryside unsafe for most people, which, in turn, makes it easier for the the terrorists to operate. It would not be surprising if both our teams were tallied as another lost TTC unit, just as the other two were. The interesting aspect is the TTC that have disappeared all had a high percentage of women in them. Isn't that correct, Captain O'Brien?" "I haven't seen the numbers, but there have been some rumors along those lines." "So, TTC women are being set up for slavers to gather?" said Bev. "That seems to be a reasonable conclusion, which leaves us in a tenuous position," continued Adam. "To me, it seems that we have really been set up to disappear. We are unlikely to get support, even if we manage to contact our base. Based on the ship's navigation coordinates, our position is considerably different from where we are supposed to be. Surprisingly, the terrain comes close to matching the maps. Our command center has been embarrassed many times, as a result of going to assist a TTC teams in unexpected places, only to be ambushed. So, if we send them the correct coordinates, they won't come. If we send them the coordinates from the GPS, they won't find us. So, the way I see it, we all have two choices, either try and make it back to base on foot, or just disappear. We need to talk some more about what we do." "Just disappearing is desertion," said Captain O'Brien. "Could your friends drop us off close to our base camp?" "Captain, I wasn't suggesting we take that solution." "Captain O'Brien, yes, we could drop you off close to base camp," said Rusty. "If that is your choice, it needs to be well thought out. A mistake in carrying it out will affect all of you. How are you going to explain being out of communication for a week or more? Your team strolls into camp after a week, but last reports in as being three weeks away by foot. There is the issue of food. Besides that, it wouldn't surprise me to find that your malfunctioning GPS works perfectly at your base." "Captain O'Brien," said Adam, "why don't you tell us the truth about where we are, and why were here?" Captain O'Brien's face turned red. He then shrugged his shoulders. "A guy from the embassy met with the Colonel and me, just before we started this mission. They changed our orders, so we would be near the other team. I didn't realize which team it was, then. The idea was that we would join them, if they needed support, or seek them out, if contact with base was lost. We were really supposed to be closer to them. The disappearance of TTC units has the command center puzzled. Nothing was said about the high female to male ratio, but it now makes sense. Based upon the other events, you are probably right about both of our teams being written off as missing in action." "Do you know this embassy guy?" "No, not really, I've seen him around the base from time to time." "Captain O'Brien, all the other teams who disappeared have been declared killed in action, when their fingertips were brought in by an informant. Fortunately, we still have ours." "That's classified, how did you know about the fingertips," asked Captain O'Brien. "The team leader we found buried and dying. I asked him to tell me everything he remembered." "He didn't speak." "We read his memories, as he relived the horror. I left out some of what he told me." "Why did you do that," demanded Natalia. "Are you sure you want to know?" "I don't know any reason why we shouldn't know!" "Well, they skinned some of his body, very slowly. They cut off his penis, then cooked it, along with his balls. Each person was made to eat some of it. If they didn't, a bone was broken in the quad leaders hands or feet. Then, just before placing him in the hole, they fired a load of bird shot up his ass. Why? So that he would die slowly and painfully. A gut shot is one of the worst. He couldn't scream, because they had already cut his vocal cords besides cutting out his tongue. Two of the men were gutted, and then butchered while they died." With each statement she had turned greener, as tears ran down her face, then she held up her hand. "No, more please." "Why do all that?" asked Bev. "It is to break the spirit of those who live," said Captain O'Brien. "For some, to see their friends brutally murdered makes them lose all hope. The amputations have a similar effect, as it is a constant reminder of your perceived impotence. It is also a way to easily identify you. For others, it has the opposite effect. Those who resist, are then tortured into submission, or sold to a place where torture is for entertainment." "You're kidding." "Unfortunately, he is not," said Briana. "You would be shocked at the places where that, and more horrible things, are done by some who appear to be human. Many appear quite normal when mixing with the public, and some have significant responsibilities in business and government." "What are you going to do, Adam?" asked May. "Right now, I'm favoring letting the Army think I'm dead." "My daughter will only have her grandparents, now," said Kara, as tears rolled down her cheeks. "My husband was a TTC member, and is missing in action." "After we are done here, you are welcome to come back to Comrie with us," said Cass. "There, you would have to decide within a week or two if you want to walk in to your base camp, maybe a little longer, considering the distance. I agree, it is a tough decision, especially if you have a family." "Adam, I would like to assist with your efforts to extract a little revenge," said Gus. The others nodded. "Look, we have been together for quite a while," said Bev. "Most of us suspected there was something special about you and Todd. It was much more apparent when the two of you came back from leave. We were pleased to see Kurt, Leo and Sal also showing similar signs. You don't know how many times I have heard other teams speak in envy of our group. Once they realized I was part of this team, the topic changed." Many nodded. "Adam," said Captain O'Brien, "many of my fellow officers were always plotting to find a way they could get some of you transferred to their teams. I am glad to be here, and would like to participate, but I suspect the EMT would have my hide. You may want some of the places you raid to think it was our TTC unit." "Captain O'Brien, you can help," said Rusty, "it just won't be on the ground." "Just remember," said Captain O'Brien, "this activity could be seen as us taking unauthorized actions, even though they are against a threat leveled at our team. What ever happens, we should make sure a report ends up at headquarters, summarizing the actions by the team." "There won't be any fingertips from our team, so some of us will remain forever missing in action, if we don't go back." "You seem to be avoiding telling us who your friends are," said Captain O'Brien. "Not intentionally, we keep having these questions pop up. Would you believe it if I told you they currently live near Mars?" The group looked thoughtful for a moment, as they looked at Adam and Todd. "Before this morning," said Natalia, "we may have wondered about your sanity, but we now have no reason to doubt you. We've known you long enough to know when you're kidding, but I still think all of us find that statement a bit unbelievable. However, seeing what just happened; where we are standing; the quick physicals; I will defer to my trust in both of you. Yes, I believe you and I also find it very amazing." The others nodded their agreement. "Besides, this is the first time I have stood, nude, in the middle of a bunch of guys, and felt very comfortable." "You are a very beautiful woman," said Joyce. "I think the comfort comes from your respect for each other. I've seen the drooling go both ways." They all chuckled. "You can put your clothes back on, now. They only needed to be off for the physical." "Our girlfriends," said Adam, "and others are from a space ship, Dóchas, which is usually in a Mars orbit. This evening, it moved to an earth orbit, above us." Briana and Cass joined him, telling about their background. "It is cloaked, so it is not detectable by anyone on earth. A brief summary is that many of us on the ship were born on earth. Nearly all of the crew had nearly finished college when we were offered an opportunity to join the ship's crew. Many of us subsequently decided to also join their race and society. Some of the crew members have joined after we befriended them. As you can see, the society represented by the crew is considerably more advanced than earth's. All of us are telepathic, and some have psionic abilities. Yes, science says it is not possible, but if you had them, would you make it public?" "Oh," said May, "so that's how all of you contacted your girlfriends. You used telepathy." "I don't think many would talk about those abilities," said Kara. "I love the melody and warmth of your three voices together." "Yes, May," said Adam. "We need to clear up some things about telepathy. First, seeing another's long-term memories is difficult, unless you are very close. Looking at others thoughts, or trying to see their memories, goes against this society's rules, unless you have their permission. It is a new skill for me, so most people would likely know if I had done it. Also, I am new enough at it that I am not sure I could. So, in summary, telepathy is basically sharing your active thoughts, with the possibility of more." "Many of those who have come from earth to join our crew have been victims of modern-day forced slavery, in one way or another, here on earth," said Joyce. "Our society has a very different attitude toward slavery than we see on earth. Their attitude is that it is acceptable, but only if it is willingly done, and the master or mistress fully accepts the associated responsibilities. Slavery does not equate to abuse or something similar. Violating their rules is dealt with quite harshly. This society, or race, seems to have avoided the pitfall of the self-righteousness inflicting their view on others that we see among some groups on earth." "This society is generally opposed to becoming involved in another world's internal politics. In large part, because they are visitors, or observers, and do not have a stake in the issues. There are exceptions, which are when they are asked for assistance, or when they are threatened by the world's activities. If assistance is requested, there are certain criteria that must be met before they will assist. Assistance is usually limited to protection, or a similar effort." "Okay, I'll bite," said Captain O'Brien. "What are you planning to do?" "Captain O'Brien," said Rusty, "our security teams and drones are currently surveying the area. Once that is complete, we will show all of you what we have found and provide a suggested response. All of us will participate in planning the response." "Are there any questions on other topics?" asked Adam. "Briana and Cass are more than your girlfriends," said Kara. "Yes, they are two of my 7 spouses," said Adam, as he watched several open their mouths in amazement. "Our society, although I have not formally joined yet, as represented by my spouses and friends, forms family groups, which we call clans. Each clan usually consists of between 4 and 8 women and 1 man. We believe it works so well because of telepathy, and the way we mentally interact when the clan forms our bond. The mental interaction we form is what we call a mind-link. This lets us share emotions, as well as all our thoughts and other senses." "That sounds neat," said May. "When this is over, can I join?" "Which," said Adam quickly, "our clan, or our society?" May blushed, as she stammered to respond. "Your society, was my intent. However, are there openings in you clan?" she said, laughing, as Adam blushed. "As to joining our clan," said Adam, "all of us would need to be involved. As our clans are a true equal partnership." Rusty chuckled. "Yes, May, it is possible to join our society. There are many other differences between us that you need to know, before making that decision. We would be pleased to have all of you visit us at our enclave. Just let us know, so we can pick you up." "My gosh, how tall are you," asked May. She blushed, when she realized what she had said. "The members of our clan," said Sarah, as she moved to stand by Rusty, "are a little over 7' 6" tall. Which is only a little taller than all of you." Many laughed when they realized they had made a similar comment to people shorter than themselves. None of the team was shorter than 6 foot. "Captain O'Brien," said Rusty, "while we wait for the reconnaissance data, I think we should all relax for a while. Our group who rescued the survivors of the team you were trying to catch up with, has taken them to an island enclave we have in the Western Atlantic. There, they will receive any needed medical treatment. The EMTs think they will all be fine, once they come to grips with what happened to them. They reported that all those arriving were missing their ring and little fingers from each hand, as well as the first joint on the other fingers of each hand. This agrees with the comments the squad leader told Adam and Todd, and is consistent with the bandit's comments. I am telling you about your friends in order to lessen the shock when you see them." "Relaxing sounds great," said Adam. "Well, in a few minutes, I plan on testing my tactical suit, to see how it fits." Several had puzzled looks. "A tactical suit is what Briana and Cathan are wearing. It is like body armor, and provides several defensive and offensive weapons, along with AI assistance. There are ones for Leo, Todd, Kurt and Sal, as well." "Based on what we heard from the bandit leader, several teams have fallen into this slavery trap. Adding to what Captain O'Brien was told by his commander, there appears to be some duplicity at our base, in setting us up. We are several hundred miles from where we are supposed to be, and in a valley that doesn't permit the use of our satellite stuff. In light of all this, serving up a little revenge seems appropriate." "Adam," said Captain O'Brien, "I agree with your analysis of the situation, but at the same time, I'm appalled that someone in our forces would set others up to be enslaved." "I'm like Adam," said Todd, "I want to try out my tactical suit. After that, and some rest, I think all of us would like to serve up a little revenge." Several chuckled. "Okay, a lot." They laughed harder. "Yes, we would all like to extract some revenge," said Captain O'Brien. "We should carefully plan how we extract that revenge. I think that, with the assistance of Adam's friends, it will be much easier to extract that revenge. This is both in terms of intelligence and fire power. We need to be careful we don't go overboard. Also when we do it, we need to make sure we act in a way that is consistent with our orders. Do we want to do it in such a way that some of the actions are credited to the four missing teams? It would be consistent with our orders, if our action loosens the hold the terrorists have on the countryside, as well as the bandits." "Well said, Captain O'Brien," said Kurt. "My spouses have found and entered the slaver's camp. He has given them quite a bit of information about the operation, while experiencing some of the training devices he used on his captives. The eighteen women and six men they found there are on their way to Comrie for medical care. The EMTs with them thought the captives would be fine, in spite of the drugs and mistreatment." "Let's rest," said Tara. "The seats in the shuttles will lie back to almost resemble a bed, and there should be enough space for all of us." "What about a perimeter?" said Captain O'Brien. "Screwing up once today is enough." "Our ships are cloaked at the moment, so that only we can see them. There are also sensors looking outward that will detect anyone approaching." "Briana, what do think of our pets helping us?" "Adam, that is a wonderful idea." "Pets?" said May. "You can't be serious." Sal chuckled, then said, "The pets he is referring to are big cats, very big cats." She looked at him like he was crazy. "By cats, I mean lions." May's eyes got real big. "You will see later." It was just before midday when the shuttles carrying Darcy, Brid, Caoilinn and Abbie, along with the members of their groups descended into the slavers' compound. They had monitored the activities of the slavers on imaging devices placed in the building earlier, which were supported by cloaked drones. The slavers were holding twenty-four captives in the building. By comparing the images of the eighteen women and 6 men, it was clear that not all of them were from the missing TTC teams. They had held back from entering the camp, because they expected to see sentries watching the approaches to the camp. Also, before entering the building, they wanted some idea of the slavers plans for the captives. When they initially saw the inside of the building, they were angered by the way the captives were being confined and treated. Sarah's clan had reached out to help them calm their anger. They were reminded to take their time. The slavers were sure of their security. Their surveillance showed four men were sitting near a pen in the middle of the room, talking. A nude woman was bound, kneeling, between each man's legs. A harness around their shaved heads held their mouths at the men's cocks. Each was actively caressing the men's cocks with their tongues, or sucking on them. The leather harness only permitted them to move their heads back a short distance. A ring in their mouths kept them from biting the cocks they were sucking. Each of the men held a box, with wires leading to clips attached to the women's nipples and clit. Their hands were tied to their ankles, and their crotches rested on a large round metal bar. In a small pen in front of the men were two, nude, western women, kneeling on their hands and knees. Their knees and ankles were tied to stakes in the floor, keeping them spread. A rope cinched around their tits kept their chests pulled tight against narrow posts. A steel hook in their assholes was tied to a harness around their shaved heads. The harnesses pulled their heads up, so that they could see the activity around them. A spider-ring gag held their mouths open, with their tongues pulled through the ring gag and held extended by a clamp. The women's faces were red, and tears streamed from their eyes. Two of the four large dogs in the pen were actively fucking the women. From the size of the puddle of cum in the bowl under their cunts, they had already been fucked several times. The men near the pen were discussing when the other captives would arrive. These were to be shipped today, and another 15 to 20 were to arrive that afternoon or evening. The westerner from the capital only wanted the women from the TTC teams. According to a message they received, he had arranged for another group to enter the valley, where they could be easily captured. They had already sold a few of the other captives directly to whorehouses. The remaining captives were being sent to a slave auction near the coast. They planned on giving two women in the pen to the terrorists, as payment for their assistance. The terrorists would enjoy using them until they were mindless fuck toys. One man commented that the switch boxes and head harnesses worked well at making the sluts good cock suckers. They even worked well on the men. Another said yes, as it only took a couple of presses on the red button to convince them they had no choice but to caress and suck the cock in their mouth. The whorehouses had promised them a bonus if the women were trained before arriving. Along the far wall was a set of small cages. Two cages each held a man. The cages were just barely big enough to hold them. Being so confined, their bodies were wracked with painful muscle cramps. Their mouths were held open by a spider gag with their tongue being forced to extend through it. One woman was bound in a stock. From the post behind her, a large dildo penetrated her ass and cunt. Her feet were held so she was in a crouched position, so she could slowly fuck herself by flexing her legs. If she stopped flexing her legs, a woman in a burka watching her would add more tension to the clamps, stretching her nipples. In her mouth was a dildo attached to a bottle containing a white liquid. She could be seen swallowing, from time to time. On a platform was a woman partially kneeling, with a dildo post lodged in her cunt, and her wrists clipped to her ankles. Her head was tilted back, and her tongue was being pulled through the spider gag in her mouth by a clamp attached to an overhead weight. It was arranged so that each movement she made increased the tension on her tongue. Along one wall of the building was a stack of wood crates the size of a large trunk. The base of one crate sat on the floor. All of the captive's faces and sounds expressed the pain and distress they were feeling. The rest of the captives were sitting astride round wooden posts, so their weight rested on raised ridges, which pressed against their crotches. Their wrists were cross-tied to their ankles. A rope hanging from the rafters was attached to their collars, limiting their movement. The women's cunts and asses were filled with dildos attached to the ridge they were sitting on. The men had a dildo in their asses. Each was wearing a head harness, like the four women serving the men next to the pen. The harness forced them to hold a cock-like tube in their mouths, which was connected to a bottle above them. The captives could be seen swallowing from time to time, indicating that they were being fed by the cock in their mouth. Two women in burkas came over and released a captive from sitting on the dildo post. They led her over to a crate, where they forced her kneel in the crate. A harness was placed over her head, which held a tube tightly in her mouth. She was pushed forward to lay crouched, with the leather padded bar against her chest. The tube in her mouth was attached to a bottle containing a white liquid. A dildo was pressed into her cunt, causing her to groan, and butt plug was pressed into her ass. Both were fastened to the bar running from between her legs to her collar. Her hands were placed in restraints and secured to the bottom of the crate. Straps were placed around her legs, making it impossible for her to stand. Additional straps were placed over her, so she could not move. Once they had secured the captive, the two women checked the restraints, to make sure the captive was safely and securely bound. After only a few moments observing the people in the building, Darcy, Brid, Caoilinn and Abbie stepped out of the cloaked shuttles with the rest of their clan and security team members. Each had the cloaking of their tactical suits set to be invisible to others. This was their first experience with the suits. Even so, the suits felt very natural. They could feel Sarah's clan linked with them, as they moved toward the building. Edana looked into the minds of the two women who were binding the captive into the crate. She found that this captive was being prepared for shipment to her buyer. They had begun attaching the sides to the crate as the team approached the building. Caoilinn looked into the minds of the two women disciplining the captive in the stock, while Brid surveyed the rest of the building. None of them could believe that everyone was in this one room, and that there wasn't any guard or sentry. As they entered the building, they could hear the loud laughing of the slavers, in response to screams and moans in the next room. When they stepped into the room, they were shocked. Their anger rose, until Sarah and Rusty spoke to them again, to calm them. Even though they had watched the activities before entering, it was shocking to see. The reality of seeing how the naked captives were being treated was both maddening and horrifying. Even so, each of those with Brid knew that they would not have any issues with some of this, if it had been consensual. Their assessment was interrupted when one of the male slavers spoke up. "Listen up, we need to get these sluts packaged. Chuck will want to inspect each of them when he gets here. You know the drill. Make sure each of his sluts is ready for inspection. All of them are to have their heads freshly shaved. Make sure the nose rings, tongue studs, clit bars, and cunt lip rings are healing. After that check, give them a through enema. Feed them until they can not eat any more. Leave the bitches in the pen, as we will give them to the terrorists tonight." The men released the head harnesses from the kneeling women. Before standing, they each pressed the red button, causing the women curl up on the ground, shaking and twitching. None were able to make a sound. The male slavers then released their wrist and ankle bindings, telling them to stand. Once the four women stood unsteadily, the slavers led them over to a table, which held bottles filled with a white substance. They left the women bound in the pen servicing the dogs. The shuttle women spread out in the room, so each of them were next to one of the slaver's staff. Brid said, "Now." The suit AIs turned off their cloaking. The slavers were startled by the sudden appearance of the strange-looking female figures. Before they could act, the slavers were stunned, freezing them in place, unable to move or speak, though their faces showed their fear. The captives looked around passively. In spite of their pain-dulled minds, a few wondered what new torments awaited them. One or two prayed for death. They were ashamed of what they had been forced to do at the hands of these barbarians. They felt the shame, even though there was no choice but comply. It bothered them that they responded to the sexual stimulation and torment, becoming aroused then orgasming. Every time they saw their now-deformed hands, it reminded them of their hopeless situation. Ever since they had been there, they had continuously experienced some kind of torment, or had to sexually satisfy the men or the dogs, and, sometimes, several men at once. Seeing their squad leaders tortured and killed had angered them, but it also told them what the horrible consequences of not complying would mean. "Captives and TTC members," said Brid, "as we release you, please move to the chairs next to the door. The EMTs will check each of you over. Please be quiet, so we are not distracted from dealing with these two-legged scum." Edana summoned the EMTs from the shuttle. Brid released the woman from the crate, while Edana released the woman from the stock. Several members of the security team began to release those straddling the posts. They helped each of them to a place near the door, as many could barely walk or stand. They sent each telepathic assurances that they were safe, and would be leaving shortly. Chairs were placed so that they could sit, if they wanted to. They were cautioned not to go near any of the slavers. The slavers would be dealt with shortly. The EMTs worked with those that had been tightly bound. It took some time to restore their movement. Several of the captives helped others, or held one another for comfort. The women in the pen took most of the EMTs attention, as they could hardly move without grimacing in pain. "We don't want to talk any more than necessary," said Abbie to her team. "It will add to the slavers fear." "The tall guy with the ugly beard is the leader, not the one who was speaking," said Caoilinn. "Let's strip the guy giving orders, then hang him by his ankles. There are a couple of whips on the wall. Someone can practice using them on him." Everyone watched, as the rope nooses were placed around the ankles of the slaver who had been giving directions. The ropes dangling from the rafters were attached to the nooses. The slack was then taken out of the rope pulling on his legs. As soon as his motion was unfrozen, he grabbed for the rope and missed, falling on his face. The ropes quickly tightened, to drag him across the rough floor, until he was under the beam, screaming and swearing. His was pulled up by the ropes, until he was hanging with his legs widely spread. A rope cinch was fastened around his wrists, and tied to rings in the floor. Once all the ropes were tightened, they cut his clothes from him. He screamed and cursed them the whole time. Everyone watched, as two security team members went and selected a whip. They picked a whip with long, knotted, strands, then went to stand on each side of him. The slaver screamed loudly, as they began to whip his back, chest and crotch. Those welding the whips soon realized that the whips would cut if snapped just as they touched the skin. "While he is feeling the whip, let's strip the others," said Darcy. "Place wrist and ankle cuffs on each. Pull their wrists up between their shoulders, and hold them there with a thin wired looped around their throats. After that, cut their clothes off, men first." "Don't cut him too badly," said Caoilinn, "since we want him to go with the others. It might be better to use the flat leather straps." While the group from the shuttle prepared the slavers staff, and the assistant was whipped, the leader looked on in horror. The slaver's leader was surprised that they had not paid any special attention to him. He watched the strange-looking women. They were ruthless in their treatment of the others. It surprised him when the two women whipping his assistant stopped shredding his skin with the whip and changed to a strap. As ruthless as these women appeared, he could only hope someone came to his aid. His only hope was the terrorists, who sometimes came down in the afternoon to make use of their captives. He hoped they came today, although they usually stayed away on days when the westerner came to pay for the sluts. He was distracted for a moment, as he wondered how the terrorists always knew the westerner was coming. Looking around, he saw that all the captives were sitting together, looking at him, with a hunger for revenge. All the slavers, except him, had been stripped and their arms pulled high up behind their backs. He shivered, as he noticed that several were having difficulty holding their arms up to keep from choking. "So you think we're ruthless?" said Brid staring at him. "In a moment, we will let you talk. If you tell us the truth and answer all our questions, then you will suffer no more than the other scum here. Otherwise, I am going to skin you alive, just after we let you castrate yourself." He wet his pants, as he felt her emotion. His staff were watching him, as the wet stain ran down his pants. Brid released his voice so he could speak. "You bitches. You will all die for this." "Such a warm greeting. Perhaps we will die, but you won't live to see it." After cutting off his clothes, he watched and felt a hand pull his ball sack down, after which a narrow metal ring was clamped around it. "Now, tell us everything about your operation." "Who is the westerner you are expecting?" He didn't respond, but the question triggered him thinking of the answer. "Does Chuck tell you when and where to find your captives?" His face showed surprise when she said Chuck. "Who does Chuck work for?" "Where do they go?" "How do you get them there?" The questions went on for sometime, until they had all the information they needed. While he was being questioned, one of the women would stroke his cock and balls, keeping him aroused. Once it was hard and his ball sack started to contract, they smacked his cock head with a paddle or whip until it wilted. "Chuck will be pleased that you told us that he provided the information about the team's locations," said Brid. "Your bandit friends like to make fun of others as they scream in pain, calling them weaklings and commando sluts. Well, let's see how strong you are." They lowered the slaver's assistant, and two women led him over to the table where the enemas were being given. They made him insert an enema nozzle in his ass, and then, sit on the table. Fear etched his face. Once he was in place and his cuffs locked to the table, a bottle of liniment was poured over him, washing the blood from the cuts made by the whip. He screamed from the pain caused by the liquid cleaning his cuts. "Well Brid, it looks like we have a weakling here." The leader was hung by his ankles, with his legs spread. Once he was in place, a narrow rope noose was tied around his ball sack, between his balls and the ring. A rope from the noose was hung over a pivot on the beam, with the other end tied to a heavy weight, so that it was even with his waist. His hands were attached to the weight, just before the load was released. When the weight transferred to him, it pulled the noose tighter, squeezing his balls into the bottom of his sack before he gained control of the weight. "How does that feel?" "It hurts, you stupid bitch. You will die, bitch!" he screamed. "All of you will die slowly, while serving our master's whims. But you, bitch, will suffer, as your skin is slowly peeled off. All of you bitches will experience much more pain than you can inflict on me." "We shall see. Now, if you can hold the weight up until we are done preparing your staff and Chuck for their new lives, you will keep your balls. Or, if the pain is too much, you can beg us to relieve the pressure and pain. Or, you can just drop the weight, letting it pull them off." The shuttle women and security team members went to work preparing each member of the slaver's staff. Each slaver staff member received the treatments planned for their captives, with a bonus. To each man was given a large dose of a gender transformation virus. This virus was a different strain than they used with those on the freighter. This strain would complete the changes by the time they arrived at the transfer point for the auction site. The rapid changes to the body would cause a considerable amount of pain, as they lay tightly bound in the crates. By the time they arrived at their destination, they would be well-endowed women, but mute. The women working with the slavers were only enhanced, so that they would be more valuable at the auction, and look like the transformed men. Unknown to the buyers, these slaves were carriers of a body-altering virus, so that any who had sexual relations or intimate contact with them would become carriers, as well. Just as they finished closing the last crate, the leader screamed. He had lost his hold on the weight. It was now stretching his ball sack, pulling his balls tightly into the bottom of their sack. They quickly turned a bright red then a deep purple. In only a few minutes, he was pleading and begging for relief. The intense pain drove him to begin to tell everything he knew. Who the buyers were, before Chuck. Where they shipped the captives to. Who ran the auctions. Where he kept his money. How they traveled between the caves without coming outside. Between each new item, he again begged for relief. After a short time, he started alternating between retelling information and begging for relief. There was a flash of light, and the weight thudded onto the floor. He screamed, as his balls were severed. The snap of the rope flung his balls up in the air, only to fall with a splat in the pen with the dogs. The dogs ate them immediately. "Let's get him packaged," said Edana, "since Chuck will be here before long. We need to take the captives out to the shuttle." "No," said Nicola, "we don't know who you are, but seeing what has happened to the slavers staff is a relief. I am not sure that is the right word, though. I know Chuck. The asshole wanted me to be his mistress. I refused, for several reasons. Mainly, he was only interested in me for his pleasure. I saw him force his past mistresses to submit to his friends. Both of them suddenly disappeared, I suspect I know how now. It would please me to see his face when you talk to him." "Brid, we can screen them, so they won't be seen," said Rusty. "We can do that. You will need to stay, as a group, where you are, and not make a sound until we give the okay." "We will be as quiet as a mouse." The others nodded their agreement. They had just finished packaging the slaver's leader, when they heard a helicopter approach. A security team member relayed the events occurring outside the building. Chuck soon stormed into the room. He was irritated, because no one had met him. Looking around, after entering the room, his face showed surprise. The slavers were supposed to meet him there. He called out several times and heard no response. He could see that the cages were empty. The crates were sealed and ready for shipment. Only four crates were marked for his destination. Nearly a dozen crates were still empty, which meant that the slaver did not have all the slaves he was promised. He was pissed, and it showed on his face. The slavers knew not to seal the crates before he got there. He had to see the slaves before they shipped. The council would be unhappy if they didn't receive photographs of the sluts before they arrived. He knew that the council members used the initial photos as a means to offer some the sluts directly to a buyer. They were going to be very unhappy anyway, when the delivery was this short. He set down his pack and weapon, before picking up a pry bar and turning toward a crate. "You won't need that, Chuck," said Brid, firmly. Chuck looked over, startled seeing the tall woman standing there in a skin-tight black suit. He was puzzled. She wasn't there when he came in. "Just who the fuck are you? Where are the slavers and my sluts?" "My name is unimportant. Those crates now hold the slavers you were to meet. They have all been prepared for the slave auction, so they can begin their new life as sex toys. As soon as we close the last crate, the crates will be on their way to the auction site. You will be surprised when you see them rise out of their crate as a stunningly beautiful women. One of those women will be you." "What the hell are you talking about?" He started to reach for his pistol. As he did, it fell, with his pants, to the ground. He dropped the pry bar as it suddenly became very hot. "Now, step out of your pants," she said firmly. "No." said Chuck, as he stepped out of his pants. They could tell by his expression that he was trying to resist. A look of fear was beginning to replace the angry looks. "Remove the rest of your clothes, and drop them on your pants." His hands shook, as he began to undress. "Now, walk over here. You know how to do this. Place your hands on the platform, with your fingers between each pin." She watched, as he slowly placed his hands in position. "Good boy. Now hold still and watch." His mind screamed while he watched, as the hold-down bar floated up and lay down over his hands. The look on his face changed to fear, as he felt the bar squeeze his hands tightly to the platform. Then a chisel floated into place over the joint between his little finger and palm. The chisel slowly drifted down, to press tight against the joint. After a few moments, a hammer drove the chisel down, severing his finger. He screamed, as the pain seared through his body from his hand. His severed finger rolled off the platform, into a waiting bag. A wave of fear passed over him, as he the significance of his finger falling into the bag registered. This was the first thing the slavers did to new slaves. With the exacting precision, as he had seen done to others, his fingers were severed, one at a time, just as the slavers did. Only this time, the amputations were spaced out, to let him recover somewhat between each. This only made the effect of the pain stronger on his mind. He watched through his tear covered eyes, as the bag with his fingers and identity tag was placed in a box. Through his pain-fogged mind, he saw that the box was holding the fingers of the captives. He had planned on taking that box to headquarters. His mind screamed, as it registered that his identity was in that box. If that box reached headquarters, he would soon be listed as dead. Abbie slowly sealed the box now holding his fingers, with those of the others, in front of Chuck. Once closed, she handed it to a bot that looked just like him. He shook in fear, as the implications raced through his mind. He cried, as he watched the impostor walk out the door, as he would soon be without an identity. Outside, Chuck's impostor walked to the helicopter, and told the pilot he was ready to go. The impostor placed the box inside and boarded the helicopter. Those inside the building could hear the copter lift off. "Well Chuck, it's nothing to cry about. You know what the missing fingers mean. Now, why don't you tell us about the council?" said Brid. "No fucking way. You may kill me. My death will be nothing compared to what they will do to you when they catch you. No one has ever escaped their wrath." "Oh, but you're not going to die. You didn't listen to what I said earlier. You may wish for death. But death will not be in store for you today, nor in the near future." Brid then proceeded to question him. Each question was intended to tease his memories, so that they were again in his active thoughts. When she began to ask about the TTC teams he had compromised, they let him see those he had planned to send to auction. It scared him so badly he peed on the floor. "Thanks for all the information, Chuck," said Brid. "You have been quite helpful. Now, we are going to prepare you to serve the council, as another sex toy. Don't get your hopes up, as they won't recognize you in your altered body. They will find your womanly features very enticing, especially once they realize how sensitive you are. Yes, Chuck, you will be a woman, with all the correct bits. A walking wet dream." He shivered in fear, as he remembered the rumors of some men spontaneously changing genders. Looking at the captives, Abbie said, "Ladies and gentlemen, would you come with me to our transportation. Our EMTs have taken care of your immediate medical needs, but we need have our doctors look you over." She, and several of the security team members, walked out to the shuttles with them. They were halfway across the court yard when Laurin exclaimed, "We're outside, naked. Someone will see us." "So," said Eryn, "I am not sure who these people are. But, I feel the horror we experienced in that building is behind us. Wherever we are going has to be a damn sight better than where we have been, or where they were going to send us." "I wasn't really complaining. After the last weeks, being naked all the time, this is hardly noticeable." "Please, step inside the aircraft," said Abbie. "We want to confuse the terrorists who are watching a bit more." "What?" said one, as the group entered the one shuttle. "While the others in the group are finishing with Chuck, and readying the crates for shipment, we will wait here. You heard the questions we asked." Several nodded affirmatively. "To pull it together in perhaps a more digestible form, Chuck's backers are connected to an organization that has people well-placed in several major world governments. It is the organization, and its council, that are the slaver's main customers. They harvest people worldwide, and sell them into slavery. Their customers are sex clubs, whorehouses, breeders and some individuals. Chuck was here to pay the slaver for acquiring some of you. Their plans were for you to leave here in those crates. The slavers thought you were going to an auction site, where humans are sold. In the bandits and slaver's minds, you were an object with a value less to them than their livestock. To others, you were valuable, so selling you was a way for them to obtain gold, bettering their lives. While the auction house is real, those that Chuck acquired would be shipped to the council's estates or resorts. The slavers took your fingers so you lost your real identity, while, at the same time, you were easily identified as sex slaves or whores. This made you easier to control in this area of the world. Each time you were moved, it would be bound in a crate, as freight. Chuck's backers have preferences for men and women in the 20 to 30 age bracket that are fit, educated, and above average in height." "You asked about us," said Cristine. "All of us on this operation were originally from earth, however that is no longer the case. We took advantage of an opportunity, several months ago, to join another society, that we will tell you about later. Today, we are using advanced technology from our new society, along with some abilities that are neither common, nor recognized, on earth. This aircraft is what we call a shuttle. It is currently cloaked, like what you may have heard described in Star Trek, so only some can see it. When we walked out to the shuttle, the terrorists watching us saw us walk, naked, across the courtyard, and then, disappear into thin air." "Once the rest of our group has completed the preparation of the slavers inside," said Abbie, "we would like to take you to an island in the western Atlantic. There, our doctors can give you each a thorough physical. It is a place we call Comrie. Why there? It is safe and isolated." "Here, we are not at the location you thought you were, as this location does not correspond with the orders you received for your last missions." Several looked puzzled. "Let me project a map, so that you can see." With that, Alpha5 projected a 3D map, so they were looking at it from above. "We are here," said Abbie, as she pointed. "Based on the information we have obtained, your groups should have been in these places at the time you disappeared. However, when you were captured, you were here. This is our current location." "Son of a bitch," muttered Melanie, "so that's why the terrain maps didn't look right. Can I go back and gut that asshole?" "If you feel it is really necessary." Abbie paused. "When he gets to the council's resort, in a few days, he will be a she. 'She' will have a body suited perfectly for being someone's sexual play thing, with a craving for pain and an obsession for sexual stimulation. 'She' will remember everything. As a part of her recreation, she will be mute and unable to communicate her experiences." "Perfect! Well, almost." "Almost?" "Yes, I think I would find some satisfaction in abusing 'her' the way the slavers and terrorists did me, or, really, us." "Your current situation is that, we believe, you have been declared missing in action. We are seeking to confirm that. Based on the distances your mission had you from base," said Abbie returning to the topic, "you will have the next couple of weeks to decide what to do. We see you as having several options. One is to return to base, however, we don't think it would be wise for you to walk back into your base until enough time has passed to indicate that you hiked back. Even then, there will be the lingering issue of your lack of gear. Even walking back as you are now would create a lot of questions and interest in each of you. An alternative would be for us to arrange for another team to find you. Your lack of gear would then not be a big issue. This also would give each of you more flexibility in choices, as, in this case, it would look as if you escaped. While you are deciding, you are welcome to stay at Comrie as our guest, or, if you really want, you can stay here." "No fucking way am I staying here," said several. "I think we would like to take you up on your offer," said Eryn. "Although you didn't say it, we will decide over the next week whether we want to be found. I regard the option of another team finding us as survivors as the most workable." "Another TTC team arrived at Comrie a short time ago. They were rescued earlier today." "Where did you find them?" "About a day's hike from here. They had been sent to find out why you had disappeared. They were ambushed by bandits about two days ago. The captured bandits disclosed this location when they were interrogated." "I am puzzled. You indicated you obtained the information from the slavers. When, or how, did you learn the information? In the building, we never heard Chuck speak. The way the leader of the slavers was raving, I am not sure how much is true." "They did not need to speak. We only needed for them to think about what they knew, in preparation for lying to us, or trying not to answer. We can do this because we are telepathic. We can easily see the thoughts of those around us, when we choose to. When a person is asked a question, they usually think about the correct answer, before giving the wrong one or not responding." "So you can read my mind," asked Collette. "Well, yes and no. We can see active thoughts, but not memories, except when a special set of conditions are met. In our society, we do not look at another's thoughts unless they give us permission. When a person is touched telepathically, they usually sense it. If you are not telepathically aware, it can just make you uneasy." "I find that very hard to believe. People have claimed to be telepathic, but it has never been confirmed." "You are correct. Think about it, though, knowing what you do. If you were telepathic, would you tell anyone or let anyone see you use it? What would happen to you?" "If you were lucky, you would come to your senses and shut up," said Collette, and several chuckled. "If you weren't, you would either be a specimen to study, or a tool for the government to use for their benefit." "We came to the same conclusion. We have only been telepathically active since joining this race and society. This society is a little different, in that telepathic activity has a significant place in its social structure, and is also necessary for our daily activities." Caoilinn and Edana left the building with the security team members, and casually walked over to the shuttles. Caoilinn and Edana disappeared into the shuttle, where the former captives were waiting. "Everything in the building is ready. The crates will be at the intermediate location in about an hour, then, in 3 days, they will be transferred to the auction site, as expected." "Guys, Sarah, Sally, Rusty, Tara and I will to join you for a few minutes," said Terry. In moments, they appeared outside the shuttle, and then went inside. "Did you notice all the attention we received from the watchers overlooking the buildings?" said Tara. "Yes. I suspect that one or two will be down to check things out, before long," replied Terry, "as their curiosity should be sufficiently raised, by now, with all of the people going in and out of the building." "Ladies and gentlemen," said Caoilinn, "I would like to introduce you to the group guiding us. This is Sarah, Tara, Terry, Sally and Rusty." They each nodded to the group, as they were introduced. "We have heard the things Abbie and Christine were telling you about us," said Sarah. "We will provide you with more information once you are at Comrie. In a few moments, this shuttle will take you, along with Abbie, Christine, and several EMTs, to Comrie. Once there, our doctors will give you a full medical evaluation." "After you are on your way," said Rusty, "the group here will begin reconnaissance of the surrounding hills and caves. We intend on give them something to remember you by." "Just how tall are you, Sarah?" asked Eryn. "All of our family are about 7' 8" tall. Not everyone is as tall as us. Why?" "Well," said Jeff, "she probably thinks the five of you are the most beautiful people she has ever seen. I know it's true from my perspective." Several nodded their agreement with him. "Thank you. All of you are good looking, too." "Not any more!" cried Aimee, as she began to sob, while looking at her hands. Many others had tears in their eyes. "Only if you want that to be true. The people Chuck worked for have done more horrible things to many others. All of you are good, beautiful, and smart individuals. Don't give them the satisfaction of making you less than you are capable of being." "Sarah is right," said Tara. "The doctors at Comrie can help you in many ways the military doctors you are familiar with can't. Be sure to tell them how you feel, and be patient with yourself as you seek to adjust." "We sense you would like to know more about recent events here, and what is planned for here, before you leave for Comrie," said Rusty. "O'Brien's TTC team just barely escaped being captured this morning. The bandits were going to use a sleeping gas to put them down so they could capture everyone on his team. The team is now resting. Beginning early tomorrow morning, several 'TTC teams' will move through the valley with enough viciousness that the terrorists will be gone, along with the bandits." "You know Adam and Todd?" asked Laurin, with an anxious look on her face. The whole group had become very attentive as soon as Rusty mentioned of O'Brien's TTC team. "Yes, we knew Adam when he was in high school," said Sarah. "We recently met Todd, Sal, Kurt and Leo, when they were on leave. Several of the women with you have a special attachment to Kurt and Sal, in particular Edana, Christine, Caoilinn and Abbie." "Well, that removes any reservations I had about going to Comrie." Many nodded their heads in agreement, as some of the uncertainty diminished. "You don't have enough in Adam's group to do what you indicated so quickly," commented a man. "That would be true, if we just used Adam's team. O'Brien's team will be supplemented by our security team members, which adds about 40, plus, we will use some aerial weapons platforms, as well. The tactical suits they are wearing can be set to look like your uniforms." "Our intelligence reports expressed concern about these caves containing some biological agents left behind by the Russians." "Our general tactics will be to detonate explosives stored in the caves after the cave entrance collapses. If there are biological agents in a cave, the entrance will experience a significant cave-in before the explosion. The heat from the explosions and fires should destroy any of the agents." "The concussion will probably kill anyone in the cave, as well." "Yes, that is true. We think the explosions may be powerful enough to cause some fractures in the rocks, causing other long term instabilities in the mountains." "I would sure like to participate," said one, in a longing tone. "No promises, but first get your physical completed, and then, we will see. The conference room at Comrie will let you watch some of the operations, but, from the looks of all of you, sleep would be a better choice." "Thank you, for finding us and getting us out of there." "You're welcome. We will see you at Comrie, before long." With that, Rusty, Sarah, Tara, and Terry left the shuttle. Caoilinn and Edana said good-bye before leaving the shuttle with their spouses, except for Abbie and Christine, who were making the run to Comrie. The shuttle door closed as soon as everyone was clear. It slowly rose straight up. The passengers looked out the windows in awe, as the view changed. The shuttle rose until they had a good view of the surrounding area, then turned and headed toward Comrie. "Christine, aren't they inviting trouble by being so exposed? I could see them and the other shuttle as we rose. It looked like we passed over several other shuttles, as well." "You saw them because you were meant to see them. The cloaking can be selective. However, we have been letting the terrorist see people moving around the yard by the building. Whenever anyone steps in a shuttle, they disappear from view. This is to get them to come investigate." "Why?" "We think it will add to the legend of what has happened in this valley. Early this morning, a group of bandits tried to capture O'Brien's team. They lost. Their descriptions of what happened will be unbelievable. The scars they carry will be believable, because they can be seen. Add to that what happened just now. The terrorists have all seen you being held as captives. They saw you walk out of the building and then disappear. The slavers cannot be found. The events tomorrow should add to their building fear." "You are hoping this makes them question the way they are living, and their motives?." "Simply stated, yes. When told, these events will have a supernatural quality." The shuttle began to slow, prompting the passengers to look out the windows again. They saw the island, as the shuttle made a circle before landing on the lawn, down from the main building. The door opened, and Nancy stepped inside. ------- "Hi, I am Nancy. I've been drafted to show you around, as Abbie, Christine, EMTs, and the security team members need to return. This next item you may have trouble with. We have a group of lions who patrol the island. They are very good at keeping us safe and letting us know if some one tries to enter the island without our knowledge. They are outside and need to get your scent. Just relax when they see you, as they are very much like pets. That is, if you are a friend." "Several will be leaving on the shuttle, as well. So let's go outside." Nancy turned and stepped out onto the lawn. She was quickly followed by the passengers. Several regarded the lions cautiously, but then relaxed when the lions started rubbing against them. "We don't have anything to wear," said Collette. "We will have robes for you in a few minutes?" said Nancy. "The island is a clothing optional location. You should do whatever you feel comfortable doing. No resident here will think poorly of how you choose to dress or relax. We want anyone here to be comfortable." While she was talking, the five lions associated with the clans in Afghanistan boarded the shuttle. Once several security team members boarded, the door closed, and the shuttle quietly lifted off. A couple of bots arrived, carrying robes. The robes were offered to the group, but few took them. "Come, let's go over to the clinic, so the doctors can check you over." With that, Nancy started leading the group toward the clinic. The medical staff on Comrie elected to treat each of the TTC members as they completed their physicals. Their body jewelry was removed, unless they wanted to keep it. Their hands were carefully examined for any additional damage. Several had bone chips in the surrounding tissue, so the wounds were opened up and repaired. In every case, the wounds were covered with a flexible covering that gave them full use of their hands while aiding them healing. Gail consulted with them as a group once all the treatments were complete, as they had asked the group to stay in the area until everyone was done. She told them that they expected to take the dressings off their hands in about two days, and that, by the end of the week, they should be completely healed. The medical exams had focused on immediate needs, and they were to schedule a time tomorrow for a follow up. At that time, they would receive a full medical evaluation, so, before leaving with Nancy, they needed to make an appointment. ------- Chapter 73 "Good evening," said Sarah, Rusty, Tara, Joyce and Terry together. "We trust you have slept well. Once we have completed planning how to deal with the slavers and their supporters, we expect to have several hours to rest before the operation starts. Before we begin, reviewing the intelligence information, we have an update on the team you were following. They are at Comrie an island we use in the western Atlantic along with the captives found at the slaver's compound. Each has received a physical and medical treatment if needed. Our medical staff says they are progressing, and doing quite well considering their experiences the last several weeks. For now let us simply say those slavers have been dealt with." They reviewed the intelligence gathered by the drones, bots and security teams that afternoon. The review covered each area where the TTC teams were supposed to have been sent too. In each area, the locations of the terrorist supplies and gathering points were identified. Surprisingly, the areas had some common boundaries. As the review drew to a close, many of those assembled had ideas on how to achieve their original assignments. Sarah tapped on the table, and the room quieted down. "First we need to set our goals for this operation," said Tara. "Ideally our efforts should focus on removing the things that keep the people who live here from having a secure and peaceful life. Life for the residents in these valleys is hard enough without the added worry of the bandits plus the terrorists. From our standpoint, there are two key things keeping them from a secure and peaceful life. One is the terrorist and bandits operating here. The terrorists and bandits can be eliminated for a while. In doing so, there is a risk of leaving the area in chaos because in a perverse way these two groups provide a kind of stability to the region. How to maintain the security after the terrorist and bandits are removed is a problem and one we can't solve." "The second issue is the way many women and children are subjugated, abused and treated in this region. The basis for the way they are treated appears to have its roots in the techniques they used for survival in earlier times. It was common practice then to acquire slaves by capturing or raiding other tribes. The addition of slaves made life easier for the winning tribe to prosper. Women and children were favorite targets for the raiders to take as slaves. Surviving tribes found that by having their women dress in public as they do now, reduces their desirability as targets by possible enemies. As times have improved, the dress requirements have been locked into cultural tradition and law by associating the requirements with a religious connotation. This combined with other attitudes has made this a strongly male dominated culture, which results in women, and children to a lesser extent, being regarded as property. Any change in the culture that broadens women's contributions will likely be taken by the men as diminishing their importance or shifting power away from them. Older members of a culture, usually have the most difficulty in accepting change. This is also true of those whose power is impacted by the change, whether it is real or not." "Tara, my name is May," said a woman from O'Brien's team. "I grew up in a Muslim area. From what I have seen, the male dominance issue is a problem that occurs in many cultures. This is especially true, where men are taught they are supreme and others are to serve them. Many times the women are portrayed as weak, flighty, deceitful, temptress and ignorant. These perceptions contribute to them treating women and, to an extent, children as property. While I agree, a change is needed, it seems well beyond our capabilities even with your assistance." "I agree," said Todd. "We do not want to disrupt any culture by imposing our views. My understanding is their teachings were originally for the family's the protection as Tara noted. These rules became a part of their religion, thus making them very difficult to change. Unfortunately, many rules seeking to control behavior especially when given a religious basis, often become constraining, limiting and unchangeable. In many cases, these constraints stifle a group and keep it from flourishing. It is unfortunate that religious leaders don't consider the true context of the scriptures teaching rather than applying it as written today. The incorporation of cultural traditions into religious practice is something that has happened to many religions in many regions." "Perhaps," said Kara, "we are giving the religious leaders too much credit. In a way religious leaders are really politicians. Their teachings are tempered by input from other senior members of the religious group, which are usually all men. So to give women more responsibility in society, means they can no longer have nearly absolute power over their domain. A change in this must be seen as a pronouncement from God, even then it will be resisted. We all know that "absolute power corrupts absolutely", and there are many examples of it." "Well said Kara," said Sarah. "Although the specifics of our discussion were directed toward the Muslims in this area, much of what was said applies to many religions and many areas of earth." "Let's go back to what we can definitely achieve," said Sally as she appeared next to her spouses. "Our support systems are suggesting we divide into two groups." As she had talked a 3D terrain map formed giving them a view from above. "The map shows an animated sequence of the proposed strategy." The group watched spell bound as the animation showed both their actions and the expected response from the defenders. Sally played the sequence through three times after she noticed some were initially distracted by the presentation. "What you have just seen is a proposed battle plan for tomorrow," said Joyce. "All of our crew will be wearing tactical suits. These suits will give them the capability to see and counter anything in their area. Adam, Todd, Sal, Kurt and Leo of O'Brien's team will also be wearing tactical suits. Each suit has an AI which will assist the wearer. It also gives the wearer the ability to monitor the area around them and provide updates to the battle plan as they will change." "Tactical Team Commando members, we want you to be with two security team members at all times. This will make it possible to include you in their shield. Our intent is to operate openly as if there were no threats in the area. Everyone wearing tactical suits is telepathic and will push thoughts to you as needed. Each of you should try sensing your team member's thoughts before the operation begins." "Does anyone have any comments on the plan?" said Sally. "Any changes?" "I am impressed," said Captain O'Brien. "My perception is that with the tools you have, this could be done quickly and the terrorists would just disappear." "Yes, we could," said Rusty. "How ever it would have no psychological impact on the other terrorists. From my experience, they need to lose and lose badly on what they perceive as equal terms. Even then it is not assured they will change." "That makes sense," said O'Brien. "As for the proposed plan, I was initially concerned with the openness by which we plan to move as there is virtually no cover in this area. It is now clear to me that you are using our openness to draw them out and relying on the defensive shields to protect us. The terrorists will take the openness as stupidity or arrogance and probably rush to take advantage of it. Knowing they hold the high ground, they will likely be lulled into thinking they can't lose." "A nice summary of the psychology," said Sarah. "As we go through each settlement," said Tara, "we want to do it in an open friendly manner. So we will carry our weapons stored. Greet people, smile, nod, make sure your name tags are seen. There will be name tags on everyone. Our security team will use the names from the other TTC teams. We are not sure they will be noticed." "In each settlement," said Sarah, "the village leader and cleric will be provided with a phone. It will permit them or their family to contact this country's government and security force. Although it looks like an ordinary satellite phone, it has some other features. It will be keyed to work for them or their family members and will not work for others without their willing permission. The phone contains a recording prompting them in how to use it. The primary purpose is so they can summon assistance." "Our operation will start 1 hour before sunrise," said Rusty. "Any more questions?" ------- From the porch, James watched as his girlfriend, Sue and her daughter, Sam, went out to the car. To anyone but them, it appeared Sue and Sam were standing next to him waving to their friends. He had his arms around the two decoys, who looked exactly like his girl friend and daughter. He hoped having these two women living here as decoys over the next few weeks would keep Sue and Sam safe. He was very thankful that his two paralegals had found these two women and the three others who would act as decoys for Clarence's family. Both Clarence and him were surprised the students wanted to do this as there was a definite risk to them. James and Clarence chatted with all of them over several days to make sure they understood the risk. As the friendships developed, they decided the students would stay after their families returned from vacation. Clarence had run a background check on all the decoys and everything came up clean. All five were clearly friends of the two paralegals on the DA's staff. The group was aware the two worked in the DA's office but nothing more than the general paralegal stuff. When he found out that the 5 young women had little idea of what the paralegals did in their office, it greatly boosted his opinion of the whole group. The news that the five women were familiar with weapons and skilled in martial arts, was a definite benefit as well. Clarence arranged for all five to have federal concealed weapons permits. As the car, pulled away from the house, the decoys for Sue and Sam gave James a hug before walking back inside the house. The two young women had arrived for a visit several days before the real Sue and Sam left on vacation. This was done so the decoys were familiar with the general routine. James went to his home office to finish up some work and check on developments in the case, while the two women went out to the pool. The drones in each house reported back to the Intelligence Department that both groups had left for vacation. A drone accompanied each car as the women made their way to the resort. Neither car was tailed or had tracking devices on them. ------- Eilene was concerned when she received a special delivery package. Ever since she had been made to perform in those sex videos, she had been uneasy. Participation in the videos was exhausting as they filmed for three days with very little rest. She was sore for several days afterward. The couplings she had experienced in the videos she found surprisingly enjoyable. Being fucked by the dogs, was not something she had done before or would have sought out, but now would do it again. Whether the council was going to punish her for letting the 4 couples get away, caused her a considerable amount of worry. She had reviewed the event several times, and couldn't see what had gone wrong. The four couples had been on the drug cocktail for some time. Everyone had taken the special mix that day, which should have made them very compliant. Never had she failed to harvest a group for the council. It scared her as she had seen what had happened to some others who failed an assignment. Opening the package, she found instructions telling her to close up her operation and return to the private resort. She was to be back at the resort in two weeks. Her eyes teared up as this seemed to be the moment she dreaded. Her concern lessened as she read the rest of the instructions. They wanted her to oversee the training of a special group of five new sluts. She felt considerable relief and then read it again before completely relaxing. She wondered why she was chosen for this special training assignment and what was so special about the women. ------- The group rescued from Afghanistan had just completed setting their appointments with the medical staff and were getting ready to leave when Sabrina arrived with Elsa, Anna, Dawn, and Sue Ann. Several gasped when they noticed several of the group were missing their hands and legs. Anna, Dawn and Sue Ann were walking using a mechanical frame which gave them nearly full mobility. It wasn't quite like walking on their own legs, but sufficiently similar so they could easily get around. "We came to welcome you to Comrie," said Dawn. "My name is Dawn, and these are my friends Sue Ann, Elsa, Anna and Sabrina. We heard that each of you painfully suffered the loss of part of each hand a short time ago. A similar thing has happened to us as you can see, so when we heard that we were immediately worried about how you were adjusting. We think we understand your feelings of hopelessness, humiliation, worthlessness, which can combine to make you feel depressed." "Well, you aren't worthless!" said Anna. "We along with many others here will be happy assist each of you as you deal with the demons caused by your abuse. The men and women behind the assholes who did this to you wanted you to lose all hope, so they can use you as their willing slave. If you give up, you have let them win." "Thank you," said Melanie. "I was puzzled when I watched them place my unresisting hands on the block. I didn't understand what was about to happen, even when the bar was laid across my hands locking them in place. I watched in disbelief as the hatchet was laid across the joint between my two fingers and palm. My mind screamed this can't be happening as the hammer rose then fell driving the hatchet through the joint severing my two fingers. The sudden rush of burning, screaming pain was overwhelming. I had never felt such over whelming pain and helplessness before. I hoped it was over, but then they placed the hatchet over the joint for my middle finger tip. The anticipation of what was about to happen was almost as bad as the pain. They paused between each amputation so they could laugh at me crying. When they chopped off the last knuckle, I was surprised to feel relief as the searing strokes of pain were finally finished. All I felt was a burning ache in my hands. It is probably one of the worst experiences I have personally ever endured. It wasn't long before I confronted another kind of pain. The emotional pain of watching as they chopped the fingers off of my teammates. The realization I could do nothing to stop them was worse than the physical pain of them cutting off my fingers. The whole time they made fun us, calling us cry baby soldiers. I can see our limitations are nothing compared to yours." Tears rolled freely down her cheeks. "The guys received a double dose of pain and humiliation, as they were castrated after their fingers were amputated." The soldiers all had tears in their eyes. Many were holding hands as they sought to comfort one another. "Yes," said Sue Ann. "Our experiences were somewhat similar to yours in that we had to watch, first as our hands were severed and then several months later as our legs were cut off. It was horrible to feel the knife as they cut the tissue from our legs. After all the tissue was removed they used a saw to cut the bone. Then we relived it, as we watched our friends suffer the same treatment. We still have dreams about it. The medical staff here has been great in helping us put our abuse behind us. Three days ago Dawn, Anna and I each delivered healthy twins. Once the babies are a bit bigger, the medical staff is going to see if they can help us further improve our mobility." "Ladies, do you want to join us for dinner," said Nancy. "We thought dinner was over," said Elsa. "Generally, it is, but they are keeping it open until we get there." "We have already eaten but sure lets go." The group filed out of the clinic and followed Nancy over to the dining room. Nancy and Sabrina were pleased when they saw some of the former captives pair up with Anna, Dawn and Sue Ann. Elsa looked a bit taken back as she watched these people she hardly knew just help her sisters and her friend. Sabrina stepped up next to Elsa and said, "Would you like some help? I am sure Nancy and I can help you." She smiled at the mixed expressions as they passed across Elsa's face. "No, I don't need help!" Elsa was shocked at how sharply she responded. "I think, they will have plenty of help this evening. Sabrina, I didn't mean to be so sharp. I am relieved to see others helping them, but at the same time concerned, I feel at a loss." "Elsa, a lot has happened in the last few weeks. Many things here are very new to you and you no longer live fearing making a mistake. You have been forced to carry a heavy burden the last 3 or so years. It will take some time to adjust. It will take some time for all of you to adjust." Everyone had just sat down to eat when Claudette and Alison entered the dining room causing a halt in the slowly developing conversation. "Good evening," said Alison and Claudette together. "While you are eating, we have some things we would like to share with you. We are Alison and Claudette, and are related to Rusty, Sarah, Sally, Tara and Terry who you met earlier today. Nancy your guide happens to be Adam and Joyce's mother. Christine and Abbie told you a little about us earlier today. After dinner, we would like to show you two videos that tell you more about us as they promised." "I don't know about the rest," said Laurin, "but I would prefer to wait until tomorrow. Much has happened today and I am very tired. Besides, the very fact you are supporting the unit Adam is in is sufficient information for me tonight. Ever since I have been with your group, I have been very comfortable." When she finished many nodded indicating their agreement with her. "That will be fine, Nancy, Sabrina and several others will show you to your rooms after dinner. Have a good evening." They turned to leave. "Ladies," said George as he stood. "We hope we have not offended you." "Oh, no, you haven't. We just like to make sure everyone has the information they need. Normally, we would stay and chat, but with everything going on, we feel more comfortable in the command center." "First, we know there are some differences between us," he continued. "Many of us noticed it when we saw some of your spouses on the shuttle. In our profession, we stay alive by noticing those differences quickly. Although from our circumstances, we aren't always quick thinking enough. All of us right at this moment are operating on instinct and association. O'Brien's team is shall we say the Gold team. The one, every one, of us would like to emulate. The surprising part is they are one of the newer teams. Just the fact, that you are putting a lot of effort in supporting their team, plus, the effort to rescue us makes us very comfortable here. Now knowing Adam's mother is our host just adds to it. I think the most important thing for all of us is a good night's sleep." "Thank you. We will see you in the morning." Alison and Claudette waved and turned to leave. "Well it looks, like it's up to us," said Nancy to Sabrina and chuckled as they stood together in the dining room at Comrie. Seeing them stand the quiet conversations between the TTC soldiers, and Elsa's group slowly came to an end. "I take it from the gist of the conversation everyone is ready for bed." Many nodded. "If you will take your dishes to the window and wipe down the tables the next diner will appreciate it." The group chuckled at way she worded. "Could I have everyone's attention, please?" said Donna as Alison and Claudette walked back into the room. "Sarah's clan would like all of you to participate in a video conference with them." Many in the dinning room gasped as they saw the holographic view of Sarah's clan appear in the room. "We understand you were preparing to retire for the evening, so this conference will not last long. Earlier when we discussed the options you have for the future, we overlooked a very significant issue," said Sarah's clan in harmony. "We are deeply embarrassed by the oversight that we will explain in a moment." "First," said Joyce, "in this conference we have our Intelligence Department on Dóchas, the group at Comrie and most of the group with the shuttles in Afghanistan." As Joyce talked the view scanned the room. "For the Afghanistan location, we have Adam, Todd, Leo, Sal and Kurt with their clans plus Captain O'Brien and the rest of his team." "Oh, God, he has been hurt," cried Kaelee. "What's wrong?" said Laurin quickly. "Captain O'Brien, he appears to have been hurt." "Joyce," said Nancy, "one of the women here is concerned about Captain O'Brien being hurt." "I would guess," said Captain O'Brien, "it was probably Kaelee." As he spoke the holographic view shifted to show him. "When we were ambushed, the bandits shot me in the shoulder. The EMTs have dressed the wound, and indicated there would be no lasting effects. As for Kaelee, I can't wait to see you again." "I love you," said Kaelee as tears of happiness flowed down her face. Forgetting the others, she continued, "Pat, I've changed." She began to sob. She was sure he would reject her once he saw how her body had been altered. Dawn and Elsa hugged her as she cried. Captain O'Brien had a worried look on his face and felt helpless as he watched her cry unable to console her. "Kaelee, I love you," said Captain O'Brien. "I mean it. I want you again in my arms. You look damn beautiful from here." As he talked she began to quiet. As she looked at him on the screen, she seemed to feel his love for her was still there. "Pat, I love you. Forgive me for getting emotional, as I am holding up the conference. I can't wait to see you again, but I am a little worried." Kaelee put her arms around Dawn and Elsa. "My apologies for interrupting the meeting." "No apologies are needed. Now, our embarrassment," said Terry, "stems from us overlooking that many of the rescued captives and TTC members have families at home. The solutions proposed earlier today overlooked the pain it would cause them in loosing you if you opted to disappear. We believe this happened because this is the first group we have rescued who have had families." "We have our Intelligence Department to thank for reminding us that many of you had families at home. So we are proposing an alternative solution, which is to have you rescued by your forces in Afghanistan." Several in the dining room had puzzled looks on their faces. "Our plan may cause Captain O'Brien to be reprimanded once you are back at your base, but we don't think so. We talked to him earlier, and he agreed with the proposed plan." "First, the plan we discussed earlier for the assault on the terrorist in the four areas will proceed more slowly. It will now take two days for O'Brien's TTC team to reach the location of the slaver's camp where we found some of you. This should also have the effect of drawing more terrorist into the fight." "Arrangements are made for Captain O'Brien's commander to receive e-mail in two days. The e-mail will appear as if it was created before he left on the mission with a delayed send date. It will tell his commander that his team took three air crew rescue beacons with them as they left on their mission. Based on the change in orders and other reports on missing TTC teams, he felt that by taking the beacons, his team would have a little insurance in getting help if they needed it. The e-mail is copied to a fellow officer in the base communications center. The code was to be: One rescue beacon meant they were ready for pickup. Two meant evacuation with medics and hurry. Three was bring re-enforcements and medics as quickly as possible." "The three beacons will be tripped when O'Brien's team reaches the slaver's courtyard. The arriving forces would find all of you there as if the team had just released you from the building. Just before your fellow soldiers begin to arrive we will cloak our presence." "We feel this would put you all in a position where you have the maximum number of options available to you. While you are waiting at Comrie to return, our medical staff will continue the treatment of your injuries." "The only flaw," said Rusty, "we see is someone spilling the beans accidentally. With a group this large group, it is almost a certainty to happen. This would likely trigger more questioning about what happened. The cleaner the events, the fewer chances for mistakes. We would like to avoid this situation. This can be done by us coaching all of you on how to turn the real events involving us into a dream or fantasy memory, if you are agreeable." "I like your proposal," said Collette. "I would like to see my family again. Although, I may make them uncomfortable with my partial hands, larger bust and oversize tongue." "I agree with Collette," said Jeff. "Although I am not sure, how my girl friend will feel about me now that we can't have children." A tear rolled down his cheek. "Jeff, we love you, and will always be there for you," said Laurin. "Can we come back to Comrie? All of us, I suspect will be discharged for medical reasons. Besides finding a job, could be difficult with our partial hands." "Does anyone have an issue with what we proposed?" asked Sarah. Sarah's clan and Star watched the group at Comrie. They could not detect any reluctance on this approach. "It appears everyone is agreeable," said Erin "Jeff, Collette, and Laurin, thank you for speaking out," said Alison. "First any you may come back and visit us at anytime. All you need to do is contact us. With some preparation, you could bring your families along. This needs to be talked through first, so you are fully aware of the potential issues. As for the larger bust and longer tongue a few of you have, two of our spouses have some of the longest ones we have ever seen. They are comfortable with them. The job or work issue could be solved in several ways. An organization by the name of Galactic Intrusion Security Services operates from Comrie. They could have a position for you. It could be on the island or somewhere else." "Any other questions?" asked Claudette. The room was quiet. "How will we know how to contact you?" said Laurin. "Oops," said Alison. "One contact means you will be able to recall from your 'dream'. A second will be an offer of a second interview which will be held at Comrie with GISS." "Thanks," said Laurin with a big smile. "Any more questions?" "In that case, we will see you at breakfast," said Alison. The 3D display of Sarah's clan and the other locations faded away. ------- "The suites here are set up with two king size beds in each," said Nancy. "Each suite has an exercise bench, sitting area, bathroom and connecting shower room. What I think we will do is show you where the rooms are and let you decide how you want to pair up." "I need to leave," said Sabrina. "My group will fly support tomorrow. Star tells me LeAnn will be down to assist in the morning." "That's fine, as the rest of my clan will be down as well." "Nancy," said Anna, "we are planning on staying overnight. The women taking care of our babies said they would feed them for us." "Great. Now, if everyone is ready, let's go." Nancy led them over to where they were going to stay. "Before we break up into groups, there are two things you should know. An hour before breakfast, a chime will sound in your room. Between now and then, if you need anything, just say, "Donna I need some assistance," that is the cue for the site AI to respond. The site AI is the one who announced the conference earlier. Also, I will be in the room at the end." As they reached each room a group of three or four went inside. Elsa asked Nancy to join them for the evening. ------- As the sky lightened with the first signs of the false dawn, the augmented TTC teams moved into position. During the night, drones and bots had teamed up to place explosives in each of the caves next to the ammunition caches or fuel supplies. Adam and Todd's clans with half of O'Brien's team formed one group. Sal, Kurt and Leo's clans with the remaining TTC team formed a second group. Each TTC group included additional security team members so that a pair was with each soldier. Just as the groups started moving down the valley floor, the star fighters quietly arrived overhead. The star fighters silently hovered over the soldiers as the soldiers began to move into the valley. Adam's group started at the point where they had been ambushed. As each group came into range of a cave or lookout point, they could see terrorists preparing to fire on them. The TTC group continued moving ignoring the activity on the hill side. As soon as the terrorists were ready to attack, a star fighter would fire their weapons at the hillside above the terrorist positions causing the ground to shake and rumble. Nothing seemed to happen for a few moments, then the mountainside would began to slide down over the cave entrances. As the rock slide developed the terrorist would move trying to avoid the landslide. At this point, the TTC members would begin firing on the terrorist who tried to exit the cave, disrupting their flight. In some cases the rock slide just buried the entrance, in others the whole face of the hill sagged removing any trace of a cave entrance. Shortly after a rock slide started an explosion could be heard from the direction of the cave over the rumble of the falling rock. Many times the ground shook several times once the explosions started. The TTC members were amazed at the sound and visual effect taking place. Each could imagine how terrifying the events would be if they did not know what was happening. The sound of the explosions traveled down the valley alerting those further down the valley of the conflict. As the groups progressed down the valley, the terrorist and in a few cases bandits would try to ambush them by moving away from the cave entrances. From the terrorist's perspective, the targets made by them moving cautiously but openly on the valley floor was very inviting. So inviting, the terrorist felt they couldn't fail even though they knew the group had engaged others further up the valley and were still coming. After all they had the high ground. In each attempt, the few terrorists who survived were a missing hand or arm that had held their weapon. When the apparent TTC groups entered the first village, there were only a few people on the street. Experience had told them to hide when they heard sound of explosions or saw armed people. The soldiers knocked on several doors before someone answered to direct them to the village leader. Several soldiers wearing name badges of the missing went to see the village leader. He was surprised when they talked to him in his native tongue. The TTC group gave him a satellite phone and explained how it worked. While they chatted, the rest of the group looked through the village. Many of the town's people had come out of their homes and buildings, when they could hear the soldiers talking to the village leader. The villagers noticed the soldiers had stowed their weapons while in the village and were very friendly. It was something they had not seen in a long time. As they turned to leave the village, one of the soldiers pointed to the dust and said in their tongue, "You should probably stay inside today out of the dust. It should rain this evening and settle the dust." In only a short time the group was again moving down the valley. Contact with the terrorist and bandits continued as it had before, but the terrorist became more careful about exposing themselves. The terrorist changed tactics in engaging the TTC groups, even so they lost. In several cases, the TTC group had the star fighter fire into the cave. In each case, the explosion was followed by a ball of fire coming out of the cave entrance. In the background the sound of explosions continued periodically. Many were quickly followed by other explosions shaking the ground. The numerous rock slides behind them had created a cloud of dust that filled the valley behind them. It was near dusk when the two mixed TTC groups reached the point where the battle plan called for a break. The next valley before Adam's group was where the slaver's camp was located. There had been several surprises that morning resulting in a few changes in the plan. Everyone was please they had no injuries in their group. The Intelligence department had seen the groups organizing ambushes in both valleys and also moving their observation points away from the cave entrances. They saw several groups setting up remote controlled bombs along the road through the valley. After a discussion with Rusty and O'Brien, they decided not to tamper with the road side bombs. Instead they would shield the soldiers as they passed. They thought the sight of the group walking out of the cloud of dust would have a greater psychological impact. The two TTC groups joined up as dusk approached with the shuttles. Together they relaxed and ate dinner. The day had been interesting but not at all like what they had practiced during training. Rusty, Sarah, Joyce, Tara and Terry joined them as they began to relax and eat. Just as they finished eating, the shuttle AI announced, "Incoming missiles. Perimeter shield in place and active." The group turned to watch as mortars began to walk through the plain toward them. "Let's load up," said Sarah. "It looks like they've invited us to play. We will keep the com links open between the shuttles so everyone knows what is happening." "Star fighters," said Rusty, "take out the mortar positions using visible lances." The group watched out the windows and on the projection screen as streams of light flash across the sky to touch the hill side. Each time there would be an explosion where the light touched the ground. In only a few minutes, the flashes of light from mortar tubes ceased. "How did they find us?" said Sal. "They probably guessed," said Captain O'Brien. "The spot where we were resting is a natural gathering point for the path both our groups were following. Even though we did not see anyone else around, it is possible to miss a single person." "While all of you were busy today," said Terry, "we had our reconnaissance drones follow the string of terrorist hideouts. They run along two ridges. One goes toward northern Iran and the other goes south toward the Iran — Pakistan border." "Remember, we are not here to solve their political problems," said Sarah. "Initially, our sole purpose was to rescue those we have. Today's actions were in retribution for their complicity in seeking to enslave the TTC teams and are pushing the boundaries of our 'prime directive'." "Based on the radio traffic, the story of the phantom units has already started. US military has issued a statement that they have no operations going on in this area." "Well I guess we got a little carried away," said Terry. "Every cave or building storing munitions now contains a detonator with both a timer and proximity sensor. I guess we should go recover them." "No let's leave them," said Adam. "But, I agree with Sarah, with what we have planned for tomorrow, we have done enough." The six shuttles settled back down in a circular form with their sensors and shields pointing outward. Everyone stepped out into the cool evening. The sky was clear and full of stars. The evening was quiet, broken only by the sound of people talking and their laughter. The few left on the hill sides heard the sounds and the laughter, but all they saw on the moonlit plain was a few animals grazing. Sarah asked Pat if he wanted to talk to Kaelee. His face lit up at the idea. Sarah took him into the cockpit of the shuttle where there was some privacy. Once she had Kaelee on the video phone with Pat, she stepped back outside. Adam and Briana walked up and kissed her on her cheeks, commenting "that was sweet, match maker". As they talked in front of the door, several others in their clans joined them. Captain O'Brien was surprised to see the group outside the door when he came out. "Thanks, Sarah. I think that really helped her, well actually us." "Good," said the group as one. Pat blushed a bit and smiled. Before turning in for the night, they reviewed the plan for tomorrow. They expected to be at the slavers camp by noon. After they arrived at the camp, the group from Comrie would return so the final piece of the plan for the US forces in Afghanistan to find the missing TTC teams could be completed. ------- Chapter 74 Madeline and Ursula clans had evolved into being the key organizers for the CISS venture. The apparent key to this was Tom and John forming a mind-link with each clan. This quickly led them to bonding with the two groups of women to form the new clans. The combined group also found that they were developing a mind-link when they were working together. With the addition of Kathleen, Molly, Mairia, Jackie, Ron, Allan, Randy and Edward, to the CISS venture, the group picked up some additional dynamics. The mind-link drew the other women into closer contact with the new arrivals. Madeline and Ursula's clans were surprised at how quickly the CISS venture was coming together. They recognized that it was greatly helped by their ability to mind-link as they participated together in a project. Neither of Madeline or Ursula's clans were surprised to see the rest of the CISS team begin to form family groups. Best of all, the new family groups included others members of this society. They were pleased with the impact of the eight college students on the organizations dynamics. CISS obtained half dozen contracts. Some were for them to test an organizations security systems both from an internal and external aspect. A representative only had to go on site for an evaluation or site inspection and to install the surveillance devices. Everything else was handled electronically or via video conference call. The contracts for security and intrusion services were for them to monitor an organization's external connections. These connections were to be monitored for unauthorized data transfer and attempts to break into the system. Both of these were to be done remotely. Tom who previously worked for Julia and Stan was hired to do the site work. He was a technical whiz, but he also knew what was needed on the installs. He was also a good organizer. Stan had suggested to GISS they might want to consider him as their lead for on site visits and installs. ------- The TTC soldiers and former captives at Comrie were asleep nearly as soon as they lay down. For some this was the first time in weeks that they slept on a bed and were not restrained in some way. When they had split up, the women made sure there was one of the men in each of the suites. Several realized what they were doing was something they never would have considered before, but each felt a need to have one of their male buddies with them. When the sky first started to lighten, the soldiers began to wake. Many were surprised to find they were tightly cuddled with each other. They felt very comfortable with the intimate contact to their friends. Several realized they felt as close or closer to their teammates than they did their family. The first ones up examined the rooms facilities. It didn't take them long to figure out the exercise benches and put them to use. The group rotated through the exercise bench and then took a shower. Donna monitored the room activities just enough to make sure everything was fine. "Donna," said Joe, "the operation in Afghanistan should be underway by now. Is there some place, I," he sensed his room mates interest, "I mean we, can follow the activities?" "Sure," came the soft voice in reply. "We can show it on the TV. The resolution will not be very high but it should give you a good first hand look." With that the TV came to life, showing the valley from a drone. The view would shift every view minutes between drones and various soldiers on the ground. "Wow, this is great. What time is it there?" "It is a little before noon." "What time is it here?" "It is 3:55 AM. We are surprised you're up already, but you did sleep about 7 hours." "It was the best rest I've had in ages. What is the normal schedule here?" "Well the chime for the meals is usually 1 hour before hand. Breakfast starts at 6 AM, lunch is at noon and dinner is usually at 6 PM. You can really eat at any time, but the buffet line opens at 6:30 AM, noon and 6:30 PM. It stays open for an hour. After breakfast and dinner, the staff usually has a question and answer session, at which time any special items are brought up." While Donna was talking, the group in the suite had sat down together on the couch. The autodocs monitoring them were pleased to see they were finding comfort in being with each other. Gail and the EMTs had been concerned about how well they would adjust to the changes in them and their surroundings. "Thanks, how can we let Nancy know we are ready for breakfast when she is. It looks like we will watch the action until then. Before you go, can you tell us the difference in the views?" "For Nancy, I will tell her when she wakes up. The views on the ground are the video feed from the tactical suit helmets. The aerial views are either from a drone or star fighter. The drone views will be more panoramic." "Thanks." The group was shocked at how quickly the time passed when the chime for the meals sounded. As they had exercised and showered, they continued to watch until the knock came on the door. Laurin opened the door to find Nancy and many of their group waiting for them. Joe turned the TV off as they left the room to join their friends. Laurin was impressed at how much a good night's sleep had reduced the weary looks of her friends. Once they were all outside, Nancy introduced LeAnn and her clan to the group before they went to eat. When they arrived at the dining hall, Nancy introduced the group to those at breakfast, which consisted mostly of the group starting up GISS venture. Madeline, Tom, Ursula and John stood and welcomed them to Comrie and were pleased to be with them this morning. Madeline and Ursula then took turns introducing the members of GISS. "We know that you will not remember all the names," said Madeline, "but we sincerely hope it will make you more comfortable while you are here." The group quickly went through the buffet. All of them felt blessed in being able to eat real food again as only yesterday they had resigned themselves to only having a diet of porridge laced with cum. As breakfast came to an end, Alison and Claudette returned. While they waited for breakfast to finish, they chatted with several of the groups. Many of the former captives and TTC soldiers had difficulty believing someone so tall and appropriately proportioned could be so beautiful. It ran counter to many of their conceptions. "Alison," said Laurin, "this place your group has here is wonderful. In many ways, I feel right at home here. I am sure I will be seeking to return once I am discharged. I hope I can convince my family this is a good choice for a future." "Laurin, right?" asked Alison. "Yes." "Talk to your family about your dream of a new place and way of life. Contact GISS and tell them who you are and that you need to talk to Sarah's clan. We would be happy to tell them more about us and of the opportunities. Be careful your desires aren't forced on them." "Thanks. I will try." Claudette tapped on a table to get everyone's attention. "Good morning. I trust all of you slept well last night. After everyone has their table clean, we want to make a couple of presentations to our new visitors. Everyone is welcome to stay if their obligations permit it." It did not take long for the breakfast remnants to be cleared and the group to gather around the tables. Madeline and Ursula talked to Dawn and her friends for moment before leaving. As everyone returned to their seats, Claudette and Alison stepped to the front of the group. "We are pleased to have you as our guests," they said in harmony. "We know that tomorrow, actually late tonight here, you will return to Afghanistan so the US forces in Afghanistan can rescue you and bring you back into earth's society. Once that begins your visit here will seem like a dream, a very real dream. Because of that and the differences you have noticed between us we would like to show you several presentations before you see our medical staff again. These are the same presentations we have made to prospective crew members and others as we came in close contact with them." "We first began to solicit additional crew members from among college students that were about to graduate," said Claudette. "This first presentation is what they initially saw. This one was made by Siobhan and Conan before Siobhan joined the command staff. The subsequent ones introduce the speakers or you will know them from previous presentations." "As these are candid presentations," said Alison, "meaning they were recorded as they happened and were based on our knowledge at the time. There are some errors in the information. We will correct these errors at the end of the presentations." With that the presentations started. When the presentations ended, Alison said, "Let's stretch a bit. There are refreshments in the alcove. Say in 5 minutes, we will resume." The group got up and stretched. A few went for refreshments but no one left the room. "Everyone's here so lets resume," said Claudette. "Based on what we know today, telepathic ability is a must. All that have joined us, had the ability to at least a limited extent. In many cases, it wasn't very active. Everyone living here is now actively telepathic which is also true for the crew on Dóchas and at the Mars settlement." "Today, we have a better appreciation of the benefits we gained when our bodies were modified to be a part of this species," said Alison. "The differences aren't great but they are significant. To be fully a part of this species or race and to an extent this society, it is necessary to alter earth born human so they physically match this species. Why? It turns out to be quite important for them fully integrate with this society. This is because our bodies now contain some attributes not found in an earth human. Now some of you are thinking "Oh my god I have to become a freak." Well if you think I, any of our clan members, or the crew are freaks then, the answer is yes. We generally think earth humans and us as two different species or races, which word you use depends on how you define a species. We could be considered two different races." "Boy you sure are blunt today, Alison," said Claudette as she grinned. "I think Alison was pushing you to confront the differences. In fact I know she was. How? We are mind-linked, so I know her intent and the feelings that provoked it. We can feel your receptiveness to being here, safe and free of the distress you have recently experienced. For your sakes, we need you to look at us with a clear view and in terms that are honest with yourself." "So you want to play good guy bad guy," said Alison looking at Claudette with a smile. "The physical changes can be achieved by undergoing a genetic virus treatment. It takes about 6 months to run its course. What happens? Your feet and ankle change so your weight is shifted to the balls of your feet like ours. Your body will lose all of its hair except for that on your head and you will grow a strip of hair down you back bone. The hair down your backbone will grow so it is much like a mane with the same texture as the hair on your head. Your mane ends at your new tail. Yes, tail. Each of us has one. See!" She turned sideways and lifted it up. "Caressing it is quite arousing." When she let go of it, it dropped back between the cheeks of her ass. "For the women, your bust size will increase," said Claudette. "There are many nice things about the change in your bust. One is that it is not as bouncy and has less sag than you probably have now. Our women normally lactate for many years. This begins at sexual maturity. You can control it in terms of turning it off or on. While lactating, your breasts will only become so full and then milk production will slow until you express your milk. This society uses our milk as a part of our diet. It turns out to be a very important part of our diet. It seems that we women add some special nutrients to the milk and all of us need to drink it in one way or another. Expressing your milk is arousing and satisfying." "Receiving the virus treatment, will likely strengthen your psionic abilities," said Alison. "How much is dependent on your characteristics. Our vision is more sensitive in low light conditions without affecting day light vision. Our visual spectrum is broader as well. There are many other small changes that all of us have found to be blessings. These basically augment abilities we mentioned earlier. Another item I can think of at the moment, is that most of us have experienced an increase in size and control of our labia. It is very satisfying when joined with one of your clan in cuddling and exchanging sexual affection." "Questions?" said Claudette. "Oops. We forgot a significant item. There is virtually no difference between genders in strength or stamina." Laurin stood, and looked around at the group. "You have given us a lot of information in a short time. Some might think you were giving us a sales pitch." Alison and Claudette started to speak but Laurin continued, "I sense your intent is to inform us about your society and race. For that, I thank you. The emphasis on telepathic and psionic ability concerns me. As much as I like it here, I am sure I do not have those abilities. My intuition sucks. Just ask my teammates." Several chuckled. In that moment, Aine appeared beside Alison and Claudette startling everyone. "Excuse me for interrupting, but you should not let concern regarding telepathy prevent you from considering coming here," said Aine. Laurin, Collette and Eryn said, "It's you. You're real." Then looked at each other as they realized all of them had spoken together. Their eyes were filled with tears. "Oh. Thank you so much for helping me through those first days," said Laurin as tears coursed down her face. Eryn and Collette nodded their agreement as they openly cried as well. "I wish, I could accept your thanks but it wasn't me." "Oh, but you look so much like her," said Eryn. She looked around the room, sensing not everyone understood. "When we were first taken to the slavers camp, I had a very difficult time. Even though I followed their instructions, I fought every way I could. The more I fought the more they tormented me. My problem was I wouldn't let them humiliate me or turn me into one of their sex toys. It was one day after they had tied me very tightly then hung me in the center of the room. I was hanging there by my wrists for only a short time when the pain started. My tits swelled and turned a dark red. My muscles began to cramp. I thought it was the end as they added to my torment by adding clamps to my nipples and cunt." "It was then, I wished for death while begging for relief. I didn't care about anything except relieving the pain. They let me hang until morning but it was sometime during the night a woman who looked much like her stood before me. She reminded me that my death would sadden many. I had reached the crossroads, I could relax and live or I could just stop breathing. It was then I realized dying would make my family very sad but my sisters would be most affected. If I lived and complied with their direction, I would live perhaps long enough to escape." Collette and Laurin stepped over to hug her as she quit speaking. "Again it was not I that you saw. I am sad, I caused you to relive that experience. I would think once is enough." "Do not be sad. My experiences seem less of a burden now that I have spoken." "Good. I invited myself into this meeting because of the concern several have expressed or felt regarding telepathic ability. It is possible for everyone of our species to be telepathic. Not all people can handle the openness that telepathic mind-link brings to you in a larger clan. These few usually adapt by forming a smaller family unit of 2 or 3 people. It does keep them from working in some areas on the ship." "Be assured Alison and Claudette were simply trying to share with you the differences and how they joined this race," continued Aine. "Many of the new crew members have found their psionic abilities enhanced by receiving the genetic virus treatment. Thank you for permitting me to join you." As soon as she finished speaking she faded away. "Thank you, Alison and Claudette for telling us about your race and society," said Laurin. "Your friend convinced me that I should think it through a bit more." "A few of you have mentioned returning and implied the potential for joining us," said Alison. "We welcome the idea of you considering that choice. At some point, we will probably leave this solar system. Those plans are not complete but very likely, so keep that in mind as you make your choices. It is not possible to turn back the changes from the genetic virus treatments." "Our friend's name is Aine when she is here," said Claudette. "We wish to thank all of you for your attention. We need to leave shortly, but we are sure LeAnn's clan, Nancy's clan, Elsa and friends will take good care of you today. I was asked to tell you that departure for Afghanistan will be at 2 AM as there is about a 8 hour time difference. Have a great day!!" "Nancy," said Eryn, "let's go to the clinic. I want to get that out of the way, so I can relax the rest of the day." "Good idea," said several of the group at the same time. After getting checked over again in the clinic, the group spent the day relaxing and enjoying each others company. The GISS staff spent time relaxing with them after lunch. The former captives were asked what they planned on doing after they were discharged or returned home. None had clear idea, because that possibility had been a long way off before the run in with the slavers and then seemed impossible. All of them were interested in looking closer at returning to Comrie and possibly joining this society. ------- It was just before 11 AM when the TTC team approached the slavers camp. Even though they knew it was empty they acted as if it was occupied and defended. Just after several team members entered the building the shuttles landed with the former captives. The shuttles sat down in front of the door so the group could enter the building unobserved, if there were still any terrorist in the area. As soon as everyone was off the shuttles, they moved away from the building. After a few moments, the former captives walked out into the courtyard naked. Captain O'Brien set off all three air crew distress signals while the team found shirts for the former captives to wear. Once the plan was initiated, he went to Kaelee. Without saying a word, he wrapped his arms around her. The two stood there for sometime holding each other before they relaxed. In less than an hour, six apache helicopters appeared coming up the valley toward them. As soon, as they heard the helicopters Pat and Kaelee kissed and stepped apart. Todd turned on his radio and gave the call sign that Captain O'Brien had given his commander in his e-mail for the backup plan. As soon as he gave the sign, the helicopters veered off to form a defensive perimeter around the compound. They were quickly followed by 6 Black Hawk helicopters as a C-130 began circling low over head. Their CO was the first one out of the helicopter. He looked at the group of semi-naked women and men wondering what the hell had happened to them. He did a double take as he recognized many of them as missing soldiers. Captain O'Brien walked up and saluted. "I am sure the hell glad you came, Sir." While Captain O'Brien was talking to the Colonel, Adam and Todd went to get the emergency blankets from the helicopters. Once the other soldiers saw what they were doing, they quickly found enough blankets for each of the naked captives. "Well there was a lot of head scratching in the command and air rescue center when those three rescue beacons went off. A lot more when someone in the command center realized, we weren't supposed to have anybody in this area. When I received your e-mail, I called to ask whether they had any air crew rescue signals. The soldier on the other end said yes, and asked how I knew. I just told him I would be there in a few minutes." "After alerting the First Sergeant to get a group together for immediate departure, I headed for the command center. I walked in and told them I needed transportation right now for 2 TTC teams with escorts. The OIC wanted to know where the operational plan was. I told him it was ad hoc. Those rescue signals were from one of our teams. The significance of the three signals is they need reinforcements and medical support immediately. We are going one way or another just as soon as 2 of my TTC teams get here. The OIC was about to blowup, when your friend walked in and saw me. He said, this is about O'Brien's team right. As soon as I said yes, things suddenly changed. Several copter jockeys who were on standby heard the exchange about what was up and who was involved. They just picked up their gear and went to their helicopters where their crew chief had been standing by. On the way out, one of them pulled the alert alarm." "From what I heard, they had a quick conference with their crew chiefs. The pilots started the preflights while the crew started arming the weapons systems. As soon as they started, the flight line became a beehive of activity as the other aircraft crews arrived. Following the lead of the crews on stand-by they began preparing other helicopters. I must say Captain O'Brien your team has one hell of a reputation. Once the word was out who sent the distress call, there was no end of volunteers. And a good thing too, as the First Sergeant couldn't find everyone." Just as he finished talking 4 more Black Hawk helicopters appeared coming from the other end of the valley. Adam and Todd walked over to the officers. "Colonel, I think we have enough support here," said Captain O'Brien. "Part of our team is over in the next valley, cleaning up some things there. Could we send these last 4 helicopters to help them?" "Captain, I think that is a damn good idea." Adam and Captain O'Brien watched as he spoke into his head set. As he was talking, three of the Apaches joined the four arriving Black Hawks to head south down the valley which connected with the adjoining valley. The medics had started examining the former captives as soon as they arrived. They spent the most of the time examining and redressing the wounds on the newest group of wounded soldiers. Adam and Todd watched the activity around them with updates from their girl friends mind-link. The Colonel motioned Todd, Adam and Captain O'Brien to step over with him away from all the activity. "Guys, I suspect this is going to be a long debriefing. What kind of short bits can you give me to keep headquarters happy until we get back? We created quite a disturbance when we left, which is probably an understatement." Adam looked at Captain O'Brien and he nodded to go ahead. Adam then briefly described the events since they had received the radio message from the command center. The Colonel listened quietly with his face occasionally showing some of his emotions. When told about the amputations, he glanced over at the captives and gasped as the lack of fingers registered in his mind. Adam watched and waited for the Colonel deal with his emotions. After a short time, the Colonel looked back at Adam, who then continued the story. Once Adam finished, the Colonel was quiet for some time. "Adam that is a hell of a tale. O'Brien, Todd, you agree with what the tale he told." "Yes, sir!" said Todd. "Sir, he toned it down. It seemed much worse than it just sounded." Captain O'Brien nodded in agreement. "I could tell. If he had given me all the detail some of which I can imagine, I just might have lost it. Todd tell one of these squad leaders where to find the buried squad leader. Adam get the former captives on the copters. Captain O'Brien get your team to load up and go with them. The other group from your team will meet you at our base." The Colonel turned on his head set again. He assigned five of the helicopters to carry the captives and O'Brien's team back to base. He instructed them to hold departure until he gave the okay to depart. He then pulled the satellite radio out of his pack and walked away from the group. Briana's and Cathan's clans with Adam and Todd in the mind-link, listened as the Colonel was linked to the command center in Afghanistan and then to the command center in the states. He shared everything with them that Adam had told him. They discussed how this information fit with the other information they had. Central command told him that a troop carrier would be waiting for Captain O'Brien's team and the former captives when they reached their Afghanistan base. From there, it would bring all of them directly back to the states to their home base. No layovers. Only stops were to be for fuel, if midair refueling wasn't possible. There would be no crew changes as the flight would have a double crew. The base hospital would be expecting them and they should expect an extensive debriefing once they arrived in country and any medical issues were resolved. Adam and Todd saw the Colonel walk over to the helicopters where they waited. They had a pretty good idea what he was going to say from listening with their girl friends. "O'Brien, Adam, Todd, a troop transport will be waiting for you when you arrive at our base. It is going take all of you directly to our base in the states. If there are any intermediate stops they will be for fuel only. The hospital stateside is being alerted, and all of you should expect to begin debriefing as soon as you arrive." As soon as the Colonel stepped back, the helicopters started winding up. In only a few moments, they were aloft and headed toward their base in Afghanistan. Adam and Todd smiled at each other after they looked back behind them. Two shuttles had lifted off to follow the Black Hawks. "Yes, we are following you. Two of the star fighters are around as well. The Colonel told two of the other Black Hawks to bring the rest of your team to the base here." ------- The Colonel walked over to a group of the soldiers who had arrived with him. "Gentlemen, you may wish you had stayed at the base. We will be here for a while and everything we do here is classified. I am going to tell you some things that could unleash your anger. Keep it under control and direct it where it counts." Noticing the Black Hawk crews, he motioned for them to join the group. "Air crews please patch in the Apache crews if you can. Now, all of you listen up. All the information that we find on this site is classified top secret. The fact we are here and recovered some captive westerners should be widely known by now." Several chuckled. "Yea, we made a lot of noise when we left." "This site was used by a group of slavers. They specialized in capturing and training westerners to be sex toys or slaves for whoever paid them. Some of those that fell into their clutches were fellow soldiers, in particular TTC soldiers. A few of you noticed the captive's hands." Several looked questioningly and then realized what they had seen. "Yes, they were all missing their little finger and ring fingers along with all their fingertips. Each group was forced to watch as they were removed." The anger showed in the hardened faces of the group. "We need to carefully go over this site looking for clues. Work in pairs, no better yet work in threes. One person takes notes on what you find and where you find it. Be careful you don't miss something. We are interested in names and locations. Who the victims were? Where the captives were sent? Who supported this operation? Who were the customers?" He paused letting it all sink in. "Two Black Hawks are bringing enough gear so we can stay a couple of days. Those not in my unit tell the Master Sergeant so he can have you temporarily assigned to this unit." "Does anyone know Chuck the civilian that worked intel with the spooks?" "Yes, sir. The head of his unit was looking for him yesterday. It seems a civilian was at the gate with a box for him." "Box? What did they do with it?" "The supervisor went to the gate and picked it up. I heard that when they opened it in the section they found it full of bloody bags. In each bag was a dog tag, four fingers and six fingertips." It dawned on him what he said. "Oh, shit. It was there's." "Quite possibly. I have a suspicion this is not the only operation like this. So let's get to work while its still light. We might want to search the grounds for possible graves or burial pits. Sargent Schmidt when the three Apaches get back tell the pilots to keep three at the ready at all times. If they're up and see a target, do what's necessary." "Yes, sir." "Sargent Thomas, set up a security perimeter. We don't want any surprises." "Yes, sir. Weapons rules." "No restrictions but make sure of your targets. There could be civilians in the area." ------- Seeing the army unit had the site follow up well under way, the last two shuttles quietly lifted off. One with Sarah's clan headed toward Dóchas. Sarah said to the groups on the shuttles, "We ought to relax for a couple of days. We have been going for almost 48 hours straight through." "Sounds like a great idea to me," said Joyce. The other five shuttles advised Sarah's clan they would follow their friends all the way back to the states. They wanted to be near if there were more problems and they would rotate sleeping while on the trip. "Sarah's clan," said Danny, "we would like to assign drones to monitor four people in Washington, DC and possibly two others. We may need to add bots as well." "Why?" "Each of the locations appears very frequently in our data analysis either by phone number or IP address. Traffic on both has increased around the time of any of the known events involving the slavers. There was even some increased traffic in the last two days." "Do it," they said. "Why not put a packet sniffer on the Internet line? And, record the calls." "The phone calls are double encrypted. There appears to be sensors on these lines looking for packet sniffing." "Looks like someone has done their home work. How are you going to get around sniffers in the office?" "The monitors will only transmit when outside so we will rotate monitors. It creates a delay, but don't see another option." "We agree with your choice. Nice work." ------- It was not long after the flight of Black Hawks carrying the survivors departed the slavers site that the Black Hawks carrying the rest of O'Brien's team joined them. Shortly after that four Apaches joined the formation along with four heavily armed Black Hawks. Adam, Todd, Leo, Kurt, and Sal were amazed to see this much support. Their girl friends told them that from what their systems were telling them, their arrival at the base would be interesting. When the flight approached the base, the helicopters transporting the soldiers and former captives were directed to the VIP hanger. The escort helicopters hovered monitoring the surrounding area. One Black Hawk helicopter at a time approached the landing area while the others held back hovering. As each helicopter landed the pilot turned the craft so no one could see the passengers exit. Laurin saw why the pilot had done it as the blankets didn't cover very much. Before exiting she kissed the pilots and crew chief setting an example the other women followed as they exited to wait for the others. Together they walked into the tent, where they found several nurses waiting and a selection of clothes. The welcoming group were shocked to see the women and men just drop their blankets and shirts before they began sorting through the clothes. Several considered putting on uniforms on but they seemed too tight. Eryn then tried a saree, finding it very comfortable. The other women followed her lead and were all soon dressed in saree's. The six men found loose shorts and shirts that felt comfortable. "Eryn, Laurin, Kaelee, you look great in those," said Captain O'Brien. "I don't think I have seen dresses like those around here." "Sir," said the supply Sergeant, "they showed up in one of our shipments. We don't know why. But, it seems like they have found an excellent use." "Yes, they have." Captain O'Brien's team changed into clean fatigues while waiting for the former captives to finish. A Master Sergeant stepped into the tent once everyone was dressed. "When all of you are ready, we have hot-packs in the next section, and tables setup where you can eat. As soon as you're finished, the air crew on the troop transport is ready to depart for the states." They had just finished eating when a General and several officers came into the tent. Before anyone could move, he said, "At ease." His expression changed just for a moment as began to look at each person in the room. "Captain O'Brien, from what the reports are telling me, all of us owe you a big thank you." "Begging your pardon General Emory," said Captain O'Brien. "If it was not for the unusual abilities of this team, we would not be here. A good part of the credit for our success was due to Adam, Todd, Leo, Sal, and Kurt's insight and their ability to anticipate events. That and the way they all work together made our accomplishments possible." "Well apparently you had help, if we can believe what we are hearing. The chatter among the terrorist is they were attacked by a group four times your size with some kind of weapons that flashed like lightening. They also talked of naked women and men appearing and disappearing in the middle of the valley." It was quiet for a moment, then the General continued. "As soon as you're ready, the transport will take you back to the states. It's only stop will be for fuel in the Azores. We would like all of you to stay on board the aircraft during the stop. Your families are being notified that you will be returning home shortly. Have a safe trip. To all of O'Brien's team, thank you very much for finding these captives." The General went around the room greeting each of the group. Many times he had tears in his eyes as he talked to those that were missing fingers. As soon as the General had met everyone, O'Brien, Todd and Adam began gathering up their few things to board the aircraft. The others seeing their movement followed them out into the waiting aircraft. As soon as they were inside, the rear door was raised as a tug pulled the aircraft away from the hanger toward the ramp. Once clear of the bystanders the engines began to wind up even before the tug had stopped. After a short pause for the tug to disconnect, the aircraft began to taxi. "Everyone please fasten your seat belts," said the crew chief. "Looks like we are on our way." Just as he said that they felt the aircraft slow and turn. The plane started accelerating even before it had straightened up on the runway. Adam, Todd, Sal, Kurt, and Leo enjoyed the multiple views as they could see the view from the shuttles as well. The group dozed on the flight until awakened by the approach to the Azores airbase. On landing the plane taxied over to the fueling area while the group looked out the windows. They could see a contingent of Air Police vehicles around the aircraft. The group was startled as the rear door began to open. They watched as the crew chief and load master slid two large boxes into the aircraft and tied them down. O'Brien, Adam and Todd, were puzzled by the activity, as it had been stated several times they were to be the only ones on the plane. The rear doors closed and soon the engines wound up again. The aircraft was soon in the air. Todd heard a click from one of the boxes as the cabin pressurized. "Adam did you hear a click from the crate." "Yes. Briana, what can you determine about these two crates. I have an uneasy feeling." While they waited for Briana to respond, they stepped over to the crates. The crates appeared to have been opened and then resealed. Todd was examining the labels when the load master came over and ask what the problem was. "When the cabin pressurized, we heard a distinct click from one of these crates," said Adam. "Besides when we left Afghanistan, we were given the impression that we were going to be the only occupants." "That's what I was told as well, but at the Azores base, these were waiting for us. I double checked the documents and they looked to be in order." Just then Todd pealed back a label. Underneath was stenciled "Nitrous oxide — Poison". "Shit, that wasn't on the manifest." Todd waved the crew chief over and pointed to the label. "I suggest you have everyone put their emergency air packs on now," pushing his thoughts out with much more urgency than his voice conveyed. "Todd, Adam, that fits with what our perception of the contents for that crate. The other crate has a high density package in the center. Both crates look like they contain some type of timing mechanism." "Airman, have the pilot slow the plane so we can lower the ramp." "What? We can't do that." "Give me your head set and then start getting masks on everybody. What's the pilots name?" "Colonel Gordon." Captain O'Brien had walked over to them by now. "What's up?" said O'Brien. Todd just pointed to the label. "Shit!" "Colonel Gordon, this is Sergeant Adam O'Connell. We have a problem back here." "Where is the crew chief?" "Right now, he is passing out emergency air packs." "What?" "Yes. You might want to put yours on as well. One of those two crates you picked up at the Azores AFB contains Nitrous oxide." "What two fucking crates?" "The load master was given two crates to load during refueling in the Azores. He says the manifest was all in order. Our real concern is we heard a click in the crate with the Nitrous oxide label when you passed 10 thousand." He paused. "Sir, I really think we ought to dump them and quick." Before Adam quit speaking, he felt the plane slow. The crew chief handed him a mask and took the headset. They felt the quick pressure change and their ears pop. The load master initiated the ramp sequence for an air drop. Adam, Todd, crew chief and load master working together quickly released the tie downs on the crates. With the door down, it quickly became very cold in the cargo area. The crew chief grabbed a restraining strap and signaled everyone to do the same. He looked around the area and then spoke into the mike. Just after he did the aircraft nose pointed steeply upward and surged forward. The crates slid out onto the ramp, then out into the air stream. As soon as the crates cleared the ramp, the load master initiated the sequence to close the ramp as the aircraft leveled off again. The group cuddled together under blankets while they waited for the compartment to warm up. "Adam, Todd, one package exploded a short time after it was dropped." "We are sure glad you decided to escort us. We love you." "We love you, too." "Adam, the Colonel would like you to come up on the flight deck," said the crew chief. Adam made his way to the flight deck with O'Brien and Todd tagging along. When they reached the flight deck, they were awed by the view. The aircraft commander turned in his seat and looked at Adam for a long moment. "Sergeant O'Connell, normally I wouldn't thank someone for effectively taking over my aircraft. Today has been very unusual. All of us are very thankful you did what you did. We asked Azores what was in those crates they put on board. They don't have any record of us picking up two crates. In fact their orders were very clear, refuel us immediately on arrival. We had priority over anything else." "So where did the crates come from," asked O'Brien. "The load master is certain the manifest was correct." "I am sure it was. This is the best crew I have ever had under my command. We need to think about what we say about the crates. Since the Azores has no record of them being put aboard, and they are somewhere in the Atlantic, we just might want to forget to say anything." "That is fine by me, sir," said Adam. Todd and Captain O'Brien nod in agreement. "Sir, I don't think that will be possible. There is a radio report from a ship, indicating they saw a flash of light near an aircraft. We are the only aircraft in the area." "Well, guess one crate must have been a bomb." "Go back and get some sleep. I suspect you will not get much for a few days after you arrive. A number of people are waiting to talk to you before they let the families know you are in country. Again, a most sincere thanks." ------- Chapter 75 Sarah's clan gathered in their quarters for the first time in several days. The children were thrilled to see all their parents and clamored for attention. They spent the next several hours playing with the children as well as feeding them. Soon after they were fed, the children quieted down and drifted off to sleep. The group gathered sitting around the room cuddled up with another spouse. Each enjoyed the quiet comfort of cuddling with their spouses, and thought about how fortunate they were to have found each other. The last several days was the first time they had been physically separated for any length of time since they bonded to form their clan. "Being separated is interesting, no, a different sensation," said Aoife. "I know it sounds strange. When we were off doing our different tasks, I knew and could sense everyone else in our family. It didn't keep me from focusing on my task. It was very comforting to have you with me even though I couldn't physically touch you." "The children seemed to miss contact with us as well," said Maeve, "They were much more cuddly today." "Speaking of children," said Aoife, "how would all you feel about Maeve and me becoming pregnant. I would like to add to our group and I know Maeve would as well." She could feel the acceptance of her idea through their bond. "I think several others would like to add children to our clan," said Maeve. "Right, Claudette?" "I would like to have either two or four more babies," said both Alison and Tara. "Our first group of children are a little over 2 years old and the second group is 7 or so months younger. Adding to our family now would give a nice spacing in age between the three groups of children." "Your right, Maeve," said Claudette, "I have been thinking of bringing this topic up for sometime. I feel a burning desire to add more children to our brood, but I really haven't wanted to be the only one pregnant. I knew Maeve and Aoife were waiting for their genetic changes to progress enough so they had Betsy's approval." "We've had her approval for sometime, but with everything going on, it didn't seem like a good time." "And you think, now is a good time, Aoife," said Sarah. "Well to be honest, yes and no." "Okay, you have an inkling of events to come?" "Yes, I have some perceptions. My concern with sharing them now, is will that make them self fulling?" "Not usually," said Aine startling everyone some as her presence became apparent. "Quite often that appears to be the case, due to the sequence of events. Life can be viewed as a series of sequential events, each building on the others. At each step or decision point, you can test each potential path logically, but not in fact. If this was a story, then the readers may not appreciate removing the mystery of future events. Having an inkling of potential future events, prepares you to deal with them so the likelihood of having the more desirable out come increases." "I agree with that," said Rusty. "Sometimes when we anticipate events, and we have already planned our response so the response is quicker. In those cases, do we alter the events or just hurry the result. It is easy to argue it either way?" "Sarah, to answer your question," said Aoife. "Yes, I expect we will have several weeks that are quiet compared to the last few days." She paused for a few moments. "In a nut shell, within two weeks maybe three, the captives will be discharged for medical reasons. Adam's team will be offered separation, because the events in the valley have made them high profile targets as a group. They will choose to disappear and will join us. We should expect many of the others to want to join us in one fashion or another." "I am surprised they would be discharging Adam's team," said Tara. "They worked very well together." "Some in Afghanistan, think Adam's team was the cause of all the destruction, and not the missing teams," said Rusty. "Those making that argument are filtering the events and only looking at those which support their view. That view could change when over the next several weeks as the other sensors are tripped. By the team disappearing, the legend grows both for O'Brien's team and the phantom team. It will be interesting to see how it plays out." "There is more?" said Sally. "Yes. One involves the journalists working with MacFarland. The other involves MacFarland and O'Toole along with their families. In both cases, they come in personal contact with the 'councilors' behind the 'flesh peddlers', but end up at Comrie. The outcome is that the 'flesh peddlers' influence is greatly reduced as many of the councilors are exposed." "It will be nice to see that," said Maeve. "Before we got side tracked," said Joyce, "we were talking of adding more children to our group. I suspect by the time the oldest are 6 earth years, there will be somewhere around 80 children in our family alone. How will we be able to teach them? It seemed to me my parents spent a lot of time with Adam and I. That was one on one. Now we are looking around a 1 to 8 ratio." "It could be an issue," said Aine, "if your children's learning only occurred as it does on earth. Remember your children are mind-linked to you in a unique way. It is different than you have with each other or that you have between your special clans. Overtime they will assimilate your values and some of your knowledge. This doesn't make them copies of you. Your mind pushes concepts to them as they become receptive to the concept. Much as each of you did, you learn from your experiences and it those experiences that give you confidence in your reasoning or problem solving." "So by being linked to us they could mature without physical contact with us?" said Judy. "Yes, they would mature in a way. It would not be complete because of the lack of contact and the lack of your milk in their diet. The lack of seeing you interact with each other. I could go on, but I think you get the idea." "So it's the combination of values, some knowledge through mind-link, social interaction with us, observation of us, and nourishment, that provides our children the opportunity to mature and develop a personality," said Jill. "Yes. A keyword you used was opportunity," said Aine. "As in every society, sometimes the events in a child's life don't click like they should. The advantage we have is a telepathic link. This can be used to nudge the child back on track. You will sense when it is needed and you must act when you sense it." "Rusty," said Aoife, "would you father my children and can we try tomorrow? Please?" "I would love to father all of your children," said Rusty as he leaned over and kissed her. "What if we had another baby making party?" said Janet with a gleam in her eye. "We can start tomorrow after lunch and continue until we want to quit. Personally, I want to wait until I have another set of children, but spending a good part of a day caressing, cuddling, fucking, sucking, loving, and etc., just makes me wet and aroused." Everyone chuckled at her enthusiasm. "So let's spend tomorrow together relaxing, Aoife, Claudette, Alison, Tara, Erin, and Maeve can start the release their eggs tonight so they will be nice and fertile." "How about having our baby making party in the meadow?" said Maeve. "Although I am not sure what a baby making party is." "Maeve, it's no different than our usual bouts of sharing our love, except some of us are fertile and it is more intense. The first time we had one, we spent most of the day together focused on giving our love to each other." "Cool," said Maeve, "I could go for that most anytime." "At the first one, the level of pheromones in the air was high enough we were constantly aroused," said Joyce. "It was awesome." "Let's turn in," said Rusty, "I'm tired." ------- When the former captives along with their rescuers arrived stateside, the transport taxied to an isolated hanger. The load master lowered the ramp as the engines spun down. Waiting at the bottom of the ramp was a General with two aides. Behind them were two buses and several MP vehicles. As soon as the ramp touched the ground the General walked up the ramp into the aircraft. "Briana, something must be up because we have a General with two aides meeting us," said Adam. "We are with you. Your friends are in contact with their girlfriends as well." "Soldiers, welcome home. My name is General Walker. Transportation is waiting to take you to a secure area. When we arrive there, the medical staff will give all of you a quick check up, then we will have a brief meeting in the conference room. Let's board the buses and be on our way." "Airman," said General Walker to the crew chief, "tell the aircraft commander, your whole crew will be coming to the facility once all of you have completed your check list. A group of MP's will be waiting to take you there." "Yes, sir," said the airman with a surprised look on his face. Using his headset, he quickly informed the crew of the General's instructions. Captain O'Brien was puzzled by the way their arrival was being handled. Adam and Todd looked at each other and nodded. As they walked to the buses both had noticed the escort was larger and carrying more weapons than they would normally expect. They all appeared to be edgy as well. The MP's had established a perimeter around the aircraft and some Apache's could be seen hovering in the distance. The caravan of two buses and five escort vehicles moved quickly across the base, soon entering a restricted area. The three MP's at the guard house waved them through while crisply saluting as each bus passed through the gate. Adam was puzzled when he saw them formally salute each of the buses, as it was usually more casual salutation. After a few minutes, the buses stopped in front of a large building. The building was virtually invisible until you were almost upon it, as in blended into the terrain. As they exited the buses, an MP escorted Captain O'Brien toward the building while another indicated to the passengers they should follow. The buses departed immediately after everyone had exited along with all but two of the escort vehicles. When they entered the building, they were met by a medic. He asked the former captives to go to one room and O'Brien's team to enter another. "Why are we being separated?" said Nicola in a no nonsense tone. The medic stammered for a minute, before saying he wasn't certain. "Could you ask the OIC to step out here for a minute?" said Captain O'Brien. In a few moments, a Lt. Colonel wearing medical insignia came back with the medic. "Is there a problem, Captain?" "Well, Colonel, I don't think there is really a problem? We were curious as to why the groups are being separated." "Our expectation was that the former captives would need more care on this medical evaluation, and we didn't think it would take that long with your group. The other issue is the captives will need to completely disrobe during the evaluation." "Colonel, with all due respect," said Nicola, "I would prefer we do it together. For the time being, I do not want to be any further from any of them than necessary. I suspect the others feel the same way I do." "Soldier, we can't provide curtained areas." "Colonel, I understand your concern. After the experiences of the last several weeks, I value comfort and security much more than modesty. Having this group close by gives me a lot of comfort and a sense of security. Due to my recent experiences, being naked feels more normal than wearing this wrap we were given leaving Afghanistan. I suspect I am not alone in my desire. I am more outspoken than the others as the scars on my back will attest to." "Colonel," said Captain O'Brien, "our team would be pleased to go with them as a group. To me the real issue is how to avoid forcing someone." "Captain, Colonel, excuse me" said Adam, "but one possible solution is to leave the screens up and available. It would be difficult for anyone besides the nurse, doctor and patient to know why the screen moved. Normally, you would expect some kidding about the screens afterward, but based on the experiences this group has shared I don't think that will happen." "Sergeant O'Connell, it appears you have found a solution that will make everyone comfortable. Let me go tell the others of the change." "They are ready," said the medic when he returned. "Just form a single line, once inside they will send you to a team for evaluation." Once they entered the room, several of O'Brien's team members along with the former captives started disrobing causing a nurse to gasp. O'Brien turned around and was shocked to see nearly everyone either disrobing or naked. "Captain," said Kara, "by disrobing now, we will speed up the process. Besides this is only a very little less than some of the swim suits we wear." Captain O'Brien just shook his head. "Briana, can you tell if everyone is comfortable with what is happening?" "Yes, of your team and those you rescued everyone is comfortable. Some of the medical staff are surprised, which is probably the best description of their reaction." Once they had completed their physicals, they were given a set of fatigues with all the accessories they needed. The former captives passed on the bras and panties, after the first several found them to be very uncomfortable. Instead they chose to wear the uniform skirt and blouse with a long slip. The men chose to wear summer shorts again without undershorts. To the men even the summer dress uniform shirts felt uncomfortable after a few moments. The problems with clothing for the former captives, led to a discussion between the medical staff and the former captives. By reviewing how the clothes felt on the captives, they found that those rescued from the slavers camp were sensitive to fabric on their skin while the others were not. Laurin told them the slavers had told them they would never wear a covering again. The senior medical officer told all of them to continue with the saree. They would either find more or something that was just as comfortable. When the first to finish the physical entered the conference room, they found pastries and refreshments on a table at the back of the room. Several eyed the food but did not approach it. A woman in a nurse's uniform stepped over toward the refreshment table and said, "While we are waiting for the others to finish their evaluations, please enjoy the refreshments. I can assure you they have no hidden ingredients other than those that will increase your waist line if you eat too many." Several laughed as they watched her take one of the pastries, with that they began to sample the refreshments. A short time after everyone had finished their physicals, General Walker and his aides arrived. Before anyone could say anything, he said, "At ease." "If everyone would find a seat," said a General's aide. As the group sat down, Adam noticed that the group had taken seats as if they were a single group. He thought, the captives are relying on us to a large degree. The team will need to be careful when asked for advice, as we want them to make their own decisions. "Adam," said Briana, "you can send that thought to all your team. They will all understand the issue, but only a few will realize it came from you." "Thanks." As General Walker, stood at the podium, Adam pushed his concern on advice to his team members. "We know that many of you," said General Walker, "are anxious to contact your friends or families. We would prefer you wait several days before doing that. The reasons behind our request will become clearer in a few moments." Several sighed. "First we prefer not use last names while we are here. I regard them as an unnecessary formality for us while we are here. We have some promotions to announce that are effective immediately. Captain O'Brien is now Major O'Brien. Sergeant's Adam, Todd, have been given field commissions. They now hold the rank of First Lieutenants. Sal, Kurt and Leo have been promoted to Senior Master Sergeant. May, Natalia, Gus, Kara and Bev are now Master Sergeant. There are some other promotions in the works, but that is all I have at the moment. The magnitude of these promotions is unusual but not without precedent. The promotions are in recognition of the skills and capabilities you have exhibited." "I am sure many of you noticed the additional security." All of the team nodded. "The terrorist issued a statement saying that O'Brien's team of infidels had committed numerous atrocities against the inhabitants of Afghanistan. They called for them to be killed slowly in retribution for the maiming and wanton killing of Afghanistan residents." The team members gasped at the implication. "Relax, we know it is not true. We do know there are a number of people in Afghanistan who have suddenly lost hands or arms. Some are not Afghan citizens. They have uniformly claimed that a voice from the sky told them not attack other believers in God. When they persisted in the attack, a flash of light severed their hand or arm with little loss of blood. Many of them on returning to their villages have challenged the local cleric to prove his statements regarding attacking other believers. Some incidents have been brutal, but have also led to some clerics to taking the position that these men heard God speak." "Over the last two days, several police agencies in the Middle East area have posted arrest warrants with Interpol for several women and men. In every case, the charge is murder and a common characteristic in all of the descriptions is the individuals are missing two fingers on each hand. It describes the individuals as armed and dangerous. The descriptions are vague enough to fit many of the survivors here." "At your stop in the Azores, a cargo handler delivered two crates to your aircraft. He created the paper work that was used to convince the Load Master it was authorized. It will be difficult to tell where the crates originated or what they contained as the airman and his family had a fatal accident that evening leaving no survivors. The accident is being carefully investigated because based on what we now know, foul play is suspected. As you know the crates are in the ocean. Very few people knew we were bringing all of you back here or the aircraft you were using." "A person by the name of Chuck, who was to buy some of you as slaves, has not been seen since he returned to base. The helicopter pilot who transported him was the last person known to have seen him. The pilot had gone to base ops when he heard about the air crews distress signals but there were already sufficient pilots. Then, when he heard where the signals were located, he went to base security. As he realized that it was the location Chuck had him fly to several days earlier, and was the location where O'Brien's team was picked up. Chuck had told him the purpose was to meet with one of his informants. Chuck had requested flights to this location several times over the last year. Each time they returned he was always carrying a small box." "The intelligence group where Chuck worked is carefully going over every detail of his reports. Everything of his is being gone over with a fine tooth comb looking for clues. Another box containing fingertips was found in his office and is currently in forensic pathology. We are reasonably sure the box contained some of your fingertips, but there are more finger tips than people we have here. Once we have the DNA results, there is some uncertainty on how to classify the status of the missing. As all of you now know we have been using the finger tips as one indication a soldier was killed in action. That process needs to be re-evaluated in light of what we now know." "To sum it up, we think it would be quite risky for any of you to be in a public setting for a while. Contacting your families or friends could possibly put them at risk as well. So we would like for you to wait here a while before you contact friends or family. Our expectation is for it to be about a week, but could be as long as two weeks. Can everyone live with that?" Todd stood, "General Walker, I am sure all of us recognize the need to wait, that doesn't make it easier to take. Has anyone thought about long term security issues for the former captives and their families?" "We have thought about it. Our first step is to make sure we have all of the identifications correct. Please, don't take that as we don't believe you. We just need to document everything and make sure we notify the correct families. One of my two aides, Tim and Jon, will be here at all times. If you have an issue, don't hesitate to express it. Now Tim would you outline the plans for the next several days." "Oh, one thing missed earlier," said Tim, "was how we will handle the records of those noted as killed in action based on fingertip identification. Those records will now be flagged as suspect and the information returned to the active database." "Now, tomorrow we will begin debriefings and medical evaluations of everyone. Debriefings will be by group. O'Briens team is an obvious group. We will group the former captives by how they were captured. The debriefings will be reviewed several times. Once we are sure we have all relevant information, then we will pull everything together an overview and time line of the events leading up to the captives release." "Tim, this seems to be a very through analysis of situation," said Adam. "To me, this seems to be a bit surprising." "I think you meant to say 'overkill'." Several laughed. "From the Army's point of view, the Tactical Team Commandos have been a great success in terms of accomplishments. In Afghanistan, we have experienced an unusually large loss of whole teams who had a high female content. Now we think we now know why. In all areas, the intelligence community has been very pleased with the TTC concept as it fills a gap between a SF operation and a standard unit operation. We don't like loosing people. The evidence now indicates several groups have participated in targeting our TTC units. We want to take them out!" The group applauded. "Thank you. Sorry, I got carried away. Now let's get organized. The sleeping quarters are four large rooms on the second floor. It is up to you how you divide up. I heard about the chat you had with the senior MD, and do not wish to follow in his footsteps." Everyone laughed. "We meet here after breakfast tomorrow." "What time is it?" asked one woman. "11:30 AM EDT. Lunch will be at 12:30 in the dining room on the first floor." The group spent the rest of the day arranging their quarters and better getting acquainted. Several asked about what happened in a debriefing, as they had never been involved in one before. Pat told them that the purpose was to try and develop a sequence of events, for what happened to each of them. Once that was complete, they would try to fit the different key events with other events or activities they know about from other sources. The combination would potentially point to who was behind their being compromised. ------- Chapter 76 After breakfast Sarah's clan returned to their apartment on Dóchas, when Aoife and Maeve put their arms around Rusty, trapping him between them. "Rusty my love," said Aoife and Maeve in a soft sweet voice, "come lay with us." Together they carefully guided him toward the bed with their arms around each other, hands cupping and caressing each others ass cheeks. Once on the bed, they lay along side one another, caressing each other. Aoife coaxed him onto his back. She straddled his hips, trapping his swelling cock between her cunt lips. The odor of her arousal drifted through the room. Leaning forward putting her weight on her hands, she began to flex her hips, sliding his cock between the already wet swollen lips of her cunt. She shivered each time his hot cock head bumped then slid over her clit. Maeve kissed Rusty's face then caressed his neck with her tongue and light kisses. He caressed Maeve and Aoife with his hands. After a few moments, he asked Maeve to straddle his face so he could caress her cunt. Maeve turned to face Aoife as she lowered her cunt to Rusty's waiting tongue. Her labia was dripping with moisture as he sucked each of her sensitive labia into his mouth. His cock pulsed as he swallowed her sweet juice. With his tongue, he stroked her slit, sliding his tongue deeply between her sensitive labia causing her to shiver from a small orgasm. The three felt the bed move as the rest of their family joined them on the bed. The clan cuddled around Maeve, Aoife and Rusty to caress them wherever possible. After Maeve and Aoife shared a passionate kiss, Aoife rose enough so Rusty's cock could enter her vaginal sheath. She sighed as she felt it slide between her swollen cunt lips then deep into her sheath. They had shared their love physically many times before, but this time it felt different. When Aoife and Maeve broke their kiss, their other spouses became much more persistent in caressing them to add to their arousal. A spouse was caressing each of their nipples and occasionally taking a mouth full of milk. Others were kissing Maeve and Aoife's faces, necks and backs. Each spouse had opened their minds to share their feelings and sensations, while Aoife caressed Rusty's cock by slowly rippling the muscles of her vaginal sheath to caress his cock. Aoife felt her orgasm rising as her cunt muscles began to spasm around Rusty's cock. The caresses from her spouses along with the growing heat in her sheath, soon had her gasping for breath. Her cunt began to spasm rapidly as her orgasm began cresting. She felt his cock grow hotter as it swelled. In moments she went ridged, when his hot cum was sprayed into her cunt. She gasped for breath as her climax crested. It seemed like all the nerves in her body exploded at one time, then she slumped forward into Maeve's arms, trapping the two caressing her breasts between them. Sarah and Joyce helped ease Aoife off of Rusty's cock. As she was lifted up, Judy pressed her cunt lips together so only a little cum escaped. Together they laid her on her back elevating her hips, as Jill and Janet began to lick the excess cum from her cunt lips and legs. Sally quickly moved in to lick the cunt cream from Rusty's cock then with Terry's help reawaken his arousal. Once his cock began to swell, Maeve pushed the others out of the way. She quickly swung around so she was straddling his hips. She tucked his cock between her swollen wet cunt lips. She shivered from the sensations caused by her cunt lips sliding over his cock. "Pushy, aren't we," said Sally. "We clean his saber. Reawaken the saber and all the thanks we get is shoved out of the way." Terry and her then broke into a grin. "Oh, I'm sorry," said Maeve. "When I saw his cock swelling, the need to have him fill my cunt was just overwhelming." A tear rolled down her cheek. Rusty reached to gently wipe the tear from her face. He could feel and sense her needs from the sudden uncertainty and responded by reminding her of his and their love for her. "It's okay, Maeve, we understand and sensed your need," said her spouses together. "We love you. You are very precious to all of us." As they exchanged thoughts, they sent reassurance of their love for her. Rusty, then moved his hands to caress her tits and nipples spreading her sweet milk across her breasts. His warm hands, wet with her milk, caressed her tits causing her to shiver as she felt the affection of the caress. Maeve leaned forward as she had seen Aoife do, then flexed her hips sliding his cock back and forth between her swollen aroused cunt lips. She shivered as his cock slid between her wet cunt lips to rub her clit. Each flex of her hips increased her arousal, increasing the flow of her cunt cream over his cock. Each time she rocked her hips, she spread more cunt cream over his cock. Her breathing became shallower as her arousal increased. While she was sliding her cunt over his cock, he continued to caress her dangling tits as they swung with her movements. After several strokes, Maeve raised her hips slightly so his cock plowed deeply through her cunt, then slid through it's mouth. She shivered as she felt his cock slide deeply into her vaginal sheath. This time feeling his cock deep inside her body was different than the other times they had coupled to share their love and affection. Rising to sit on his hips, she pressed his cock deeper into her sheath, pressing harder on her g-spot. Flexing her vaginal sheath muscles, she stroked his cock adding to his arousal as well as tugging him further into her. Her rippling muscles stroked his cock building his arousal as it rubbed her g-spot against his cock. Each muscle contraction built both their arousal. She was breathing hard enough that her nose flared with each breath. Tara and Alison moved over to Maeve to caress her as she rode Rusty's cock. As they kissed her, they worked down from her face, over her neck, until they reached her breasts. Together they licked the milk residue from her breasts that Rusty had spread over them, working toward her nipples. The alternating sensations of warm tongues and cool air stimulated her arousal stiffening her nipples. Her spouses captured her nipples and pulled deeply into their mouths. They held her nipples deep in their mouth as they caressed her nipples with their tongue, then periodically sucking to obtain a mouth full of warm sweet milk. The combination of her spouses caressing her nipples, Rusty's cock throbbed deep in her cunt and the caresses of her mane and tail were driving her rapidly toward her orgasm. She was gasping for breath as she moved closer to an orgasm. The sensation was so euphoric she wasn't sure she could make it until Rusty came. As Maeve moved toward her orgasm, Claudette leaned over and kissed Rusty while caressing his head. Rusty slipped his hand behind her to caress her back as they kissed. She kissed and nibbled his ear. The kisses continued down his neck as they shared caresses. His caresses to her mane added to her arousal. Through their link with the others they could feel all the other spouses as they caressed and shared their love with Maeve. Claudette kissed down Rusty's chest stopping to nibble his nipples. When she reached where he and Maeve were joined she licked the flood of cunt cream from his stomach. She pressed her head down between them to lick Maeve's clit hood stimulating her clit even more. Maeve reached down and pushed Claudette's head closer to her clit as the feelings caused by her tongue were exquisite. Maeve felt Rusty's cock begin to get hotter and swell. With the first spurt of hot cum, her orgasm kicked off with her cunt spraying Claudette's face with her cum. Her body went rigid, as her vaginal sheath began spasming erratically. Her hands held Claudette's head as she sprayed Claudette's face with more of her cum. Tara and Alison steadied Maeve as her body continued spasm after she passed out. Tara and Alison helped ease Maeve off of Rusty's cock. As his cock pulled free, Tara pressed Maeve's cunt lips together to hold the cum in her cunt. Joyce, assisted as they laid Maeve next to Aoife. Joyce licked the cum from around Maeve's cunt lips causing her lips to moisten with fresh girl cream. Erin seeing the cunt cream on Claudette face began to lick it off like sugar candy. The odor and taste had her very aroused in only a few minutes. Claudette moved to lie beside Rusty, with Erin following the taste of her sugar. Once she was beside Rusty both Rusty and Erin kissed and caressed her face. After a few moments, they extended their caressing to her ears and neck. Claudette pulled Rusty to her and whispered into his ear, "Would you fill me with your seed by fucking me from behind?" "Sure darling, we can do it any way you want." "I want you to fuck me from behind? I like the feeling when I am fucked from behind as it seems so much more intense or focused. I am so lucky to have found all of you." As she spoke she pushed the sensation of the love to Rusty and her other spouses." "We can fuck in any position you want. I love the sensations of being close to you regardless of the position." "Oh, Rusty, I have yearned so long to carry our children. I love all of you so much, there is nothing I could refuse any one of you. Now, I just want to add more of us to our family." "Claudette, you should have mentioned wanting to have children before now." "I was waiting for a time that felt right. When Aoife brought up the idea of today, it felt right. Her sense of everything around us is just so amazing." Rusty pulled Claudette over to lie on top of him. She lay so her legs straddled his hips, trapping his slowly swelling cock between them. Occasionally, Claudette would slide back and forth to nestle his swelling cock between her wet swelling cunt lips. She always enjoyed the feel of his hot cock between the full lips of her cunt. She really enjoyed the sensations her larger cunt lips gave her. If it was possible, she felt she would like to do this for a whole day. As they lay there with his cock nestled between her cunt lips she began to tighten and relax the muscles in them. Control of her cunt lips was something she had not explored very much. Tonight the sensations from massaging his cock with her cunt lips was much stronger. She had seen her spouses control the muscles in their cunt lips but had just never thought of it. Rusty moaned as he felt her warm wet cunt lips, grasping at his cock. After a few moments of caressing his cock with her cunt lips, Claudette rose up, pulling Rusty with her. They never broke contact as they moved to fulfill Claudette's request. She knelt on her hands and knees as Rusty moved to kneel behind her. He reached forward and caressed her back and tail, then leaned forward over her to caress the front of her body as his cock slid between her spread legs brushing her cunt lips. Caressing her breasts, he released some milk onto his hands which he then spread over her breasts altering the texture of his caress. She shivers as she realizes how close she is to her dream as she felt his cock pushing between her wet swollen inner cunt lips. Through her mind-link she could sense her other spouses joined with her, sharing her euphoric sensations. Rusty eased back and tilted his cock so that when he pushed forward again, its head slid deep between the folds of her cunt. When his cock head reached the mouth of her cunt, she flexed her hips so his cock slid into her vaginal sheath. She relished the feeling of his cock as it slid deep into her. Rusty slowly pushed forward letting her savior the feeling as it slid deeper into her cunt sheath adding to her arousal. He tugged and stroked her tail as he slid his cock into her adding another dimension to her growing arousal. Once he was fully buried in her cunt, he pulled back on her hips pulling them tight together. Her breath had become ragged as her arousal grew. "Rusty tonight feels so different. The sensations from your cock seem stronger." "I see what you are sensing. I agree it does seem more intense plus you are very wet. Much wetter than usual. Your arousal smells different as well." As Rusty began to slowly move his cock back and forth in her vaginal sheath, Sarah and Sally slid underneath Claudette to caress her breasts. They licked and kissed her breasts as they cleaned the milky residue from them, before drawing her nipples deep into their mouths. The warm mouths on her nipples and breasts added another dimension to Claudette's growing arousal. She shivered with each caress of her nipples as their tongues caused her milk to flow. Rusty had only stroked Claudette a few times before she came, spraying both of them along with Sally and Sarah with her cunt cream. He paused for a few moments until her cunt muscles relaxed enough he could again move his cock in her sheath. Rusty's carefully paced fucking of Claudette's vaginal sheath caused her arousal to quickly build, again. Jill caressed Claudette's face and head, occasionally giving her a passionate kiss. Sensing her desire, Jill then laid down in front of Claudette. Placing her legs on Claudette's shoulders, she pushed her dripping cunt toward Claudette's mouth. Claudette shivered as she smelled the sweet odor of Jill's arousal. She began to caress Jill's wet swollen cunt with her tongue, paying special attention to her long clit occasionally tugging on the bar that pierced it. The four of them continued to stoke Claudette's arousal causing her to cum several more times before Rusty sprayed his baby making cream deep in her hot sheath. When Claudette felt his cock swell, then followed quickly by a spray of hot cum, her orgasm began. Her vaginal sheath clamped down tightly gripping his cock. She squirted more cum from her cunt drenching his balls and legs along with Sally and Sarah. She blacked out slumping down on Sarah and Sally as her breasts released more of her milk filling their mouths. Her spouses scrambled, to move Claudette so she was laying on her back. Once she was lying quietly on her back, Tara and Judy licked up the cream from her cunt and legs while keeping her hips elevated. Sarah helped Rusty lay back down and she cleaned his cock with her mouth. Together they laid there relaxing as they all recovered their energy. It was quite a while before Judy and Erin felt they had enough energy to get some refreshments from the dining room. When Judy and Erin returned with the juice drinks, the group had begun to rouse themselves up off the bed. "Several on the way to the dining room made some off-color comments about our new perfume," said Erin. "I can imagine," said Rusty. "Did you notice if they got aroused from the odor?" "They did," laughed Judy. "Brid and Briana nipples were hard as rocks even before a comment could be made." "I thought we were going to the glade on Comrie," said Joyce. "I couldn't wait," said Maeve. "Just like I'm now sure I am pregnant." Everyone crowded around her to kiss and caress her. When they looked at Aoife, she just nodded indicating she felt the same way. Claudette was still lying quietly on the bed. The clan sensed something was bothering her and Sarah moved to sit by her. "Are you alright?" asked Sarah. "We can try again," said Rusty as he sensed maybe this time didn't take. "Oh, its not that. We connected big time, stud," said Claudette with a grin as she began to feel more confident of her knowledge as indicated by her grin. "Sarah, I was apprehensive at first because I sensed more than 4 embryos. I didn't understand why because I knew I had released four eggs. Well it seems two of the eggs divided to become four embryos, so it looks as if I will have six. That is if everything continues on track." "Wow," said several. They helped her stand as she was still a little groggy even with the help of the fruit juice. Once up, everyone gave her a hug and passionate kiss of congratulations. The clan put dry linen on the bed and tidied up before lying down to relax again. Jill and Janet soon went to get sandwiches and more juice from the dining room. The rest of the day went at a more leisurely pace. As they spent the time sharing their love with each other and talking periodically interrupted at different times as they physically shared their love for each other. Sometimes it was as a single group or in smaller groups. Each time though they maintained a mind-link enabling all of them to share each others pleasure. Because of this sharing, they usually experienced several orgasms. Each time they shared their love, the intensity of their orgasm varied only slightly but the sensation of love was constantly growing. By dinner time, they had succeeded in starting another group of babies, as Alison, Tara, Erin eggs were fertilized and eggs were beginning their development. "I noticed something today," said Aoife, "that I don't believe I have seen before." "What?" "This is going to sound funny, but when we are really highly aroused or just after we cum our cunts look like a flower. Our large meaty cunt lips swell pushing the inner lips into kind of an oblong circle like some flower blossoms. Well maybe its more tear drop shaped. Using the tear drop analogy, our swollen erect clit is clearly visible at the top of the tear drop. If you are holding your partner's hips up, the flower fills with cunt cream." "I noticed it, but never thought much about it," said Tara as the others nodded their agreement. "By that time I am usually so aroused, my vision is blurred and only have one thing on my mind." "Sarah, would you let us get you aroused so we can look at your pretty cunt blossom," said Jill grinning. "Sure, as long as someone finishes what they start." Several laughed but several moved to caress and kiss Sarah. The odor of pheromones in the room was still at a high level, so it did not take long for Sarah's cunt lips to swell as her arousal built. Once her orgasm was near its crest, her spouses took turns examining her cunt blossom and caressing the petals to keep her aroused. Each took the opportunity to again taste her cunt cream collecting in her flower. Soon Sarah whined, "Rusty, fuck me again, please." She began to hunch her hips up to each touch on her cunt lips in an effort to cum. "Please," she gasped. Her nostrils flared with each breath. Her chest became flushed showing her arousal. "Aoife, suck her cream out of her flower," said Rusty, "then let's turn her on her hands and knees." Their spouses moved to quickly reposition Sarah after Aoife sucked up her cream. Once her hips were raised, Rusty placed his cock at the mouth of her swollen flower. The heat from her cunt on his cock head was almost unbearably hot. He thrust his cock all the way into her cunt in one push. Sarah screamed as many of the muscles in her body twitched. He began to quickly fuck her with deep hard short strokes. Their spouses were sucking Sarah's nipples and clit. Rusty felt his cock begin to burn as he prepared to fill her cunt again with his cream. As her orgasm began she began to wail, Rusty pulled her back to him with her tail holding his hot cock deep in her cunt. He reached down to rapidly strum her sensitive clit, occasionally pulling on the bar piercing the base of her clit. In only a few moments, her body stiffened just before she passed out. Anticipating what was about to happen, her spouses held her to keep her from collapsing on others, and then rolled her onto her back. While Sarah slept, her spouses cleaned her up and then showered themselves. It was nearly an hour before she stirred. The length of time she was asleep had caused several to worry whether she was alright. Sarah woke and looked around with a very serene look. She looked for a long time at the face of each one of her spouses. When she looked at Rusty, she said, "I passed out didn't I." "Yes, for about an hour." "Rusty, Claudette asked you earlier to fuck her hard from behind. Although she didn't say it, her desire was for you to make her our bitch." "Yes." Claudette looked worried. "Relax, Claudette," continued Sarah. "Trust your senses." Claudette began to smile. "I have heard that term used before to describe the relationships in some families on earth. These families have a multiple partner structure which is similar to ours but without telepathy, I think." Sarah paused for a moment. "The intense fucking Rusty gave both Claudette and me today, seems to have added a dimension to our already tight bond. In the groups that use the term 'bitch', it is used to indicate a bonding between a prime male and the women in the group. Their bonding technique or tradition assigns the male the leadership role and implies the women are his supporters or followers. From what I have read, some groups relate to each similar to us, in others it is very much a master and multiple servants. The later is almost an ownership and an implied pecking order." "I don't like the term 'bitch' to describe our relationship. In fact I find it offensive in some respects and I think everyone agrees. What I do sense is that those two very intense orgasms that we all shared expanded our mind-link." Everyone nodded their agreement. "Rusty, I sense it is important for each of us to experience that very intense orgasm first hand. All of us need to participate each time we do it. I think we will understand it more with time." Sarah drew each of her spouses to her and kissed them, expressing her emotional feelings and love with them. As each drew away from her, they had a better sense of what she was trying to express verbally. Each could see the subtle change in their mind-link, a change that brought them even closer to each other. "I can see one change already," said Aoife drawing everyone's attention. "Our shared senses are much clearer." "You're right," exclaimed several as others acknowledging the comment through their mind-link. After dinner, they spent the evening playing with their children and chatting before feeding the babies before bedtime. As they were nursing, Sarah said, "Aoife, I now understand your concerns about future events." "You can sense the future now?" asked Aoife. "No, I don't think that correctly expresses the sense. Sometime today I began to sense your vision of possible future events. It really became clearer after the cunt flower fucking." "Really, so is this another aspect of our bonding and mind-sharing?" "Most likely," said Sarah. "So," said Tara, "does this mean these two events are growing our mind-link or that we are becoming more aware of all the resources now available." "My impression is we are becoming more aware and proficient," said Rusty. "So besides drawing us closer together, what does it mean?" "I am not sure," said Sarah, "but the cunt blossom escapade is I believe pushing us to a new level. A level that will be clearer once we have all experienced it. This growth in our abilities, will make it easier for us to fulfill our purpose in this society and species. As I believe, we have a purpose." "Very good, Sarah" said Aine surprising the clan. "Your 'cunt blossom escapade' as you phrased it, is one way for you to open the next level of bonding and abilities to your clan. Also, each of you should evaluate your spouses' attributes closer or in more detail. Understanding each other's abilities, will give you more insight into how your abilities work. This should take place naturally. The way you relaxed today gave each of you a surge in mind-link growth but as Sarah sensed it is only partially complete." She grinned. "I certainly enjoyed feeling you share your love." "You are welcome to join us," responded the clan together. "Thank you. I will take you up on that, in time." "I think it is time for us to go to bed," said Judy as she stifled a yawn. "Now, I'm yawning after watching several of you suppress them." Several went and checked on their children while others straightened up the bed. They then freshened up before gathering together in bed. As they lay together, their minds joined to share the feeling of love between them. ------- When Major O'Brien's team entered the conference room, the other former captives were already waiting. The isolation in the high security area was beginning to get old as the one week was now three. But, the last three weeks had been interesting for all of them, still they were ready to leave. They had just gotten a cup of coffee, when General Walker joined them. Over the last three weeks, all of them had become good friends with the General and his aides. Each of the former captives greatly appreciated the effort his staff was making in trying to understand what happened in Afghanistan. Understanding how the slaver's obtained their information regarding the TTC units along with them modifying their operational plans remained elusive. How the others were captured was a little clearer but they had not been able to identify all of the players in the activity. The conjecture was that the organization behind the abductions must have people in several agencies assisting to provide the information. "Good morning," said General Walker. "We have good news for you today. This will be our last meeting as a group. Yes, many of you are going home, tomorrow." Cheers erupted through out the room. The General waited until it quieted down then said with a grin, "and here, I thought we were friends." "We are, Sir!" They said loudly in near unison. He grinned at their response. Over the last several weeks, he found all of them to be enormously talented and very resilient. "The findings regarding the incident will be distributed today with the recommendations on changing the structure of the TTC teams slightly. The interface with other government departments is to change as well. This change will primarily affect their ability to see our operational details in advance. The findings will only mention O'Brien's team. There will be no other names in the report as it will only refer to the incident and related events." "The Interpol warrants have been withdrawn by the agencies that issued them. In each case, the issuing agency indicated they should not have been issued in the first place but offered no further details. Our intelligence operatives have not heard anything that indicates you are still being sought but the bounty is still in place. The slavers have not been heard of since your rescue. There have been quiet inquires by others into their whereabouts, as it seems there is some missing money." "The terrorist are no longer actively campaigning to find O'Brien's team. We do not believe they have lost interest. They currently are having other problems as they have lost quite a few to explosions in what are apparently their munitions stores and hideouts." "The six of you who worked as civilians there for other government agencies have been transferred to my command. So what's next, you are probably wondering." "Effective immediately, those who were injured are being given medical discharges or separations. Each of you will be fully covered for any medical complications arising from your injuries. Although our medical staff indicates the likelihood of that is minimal. The senior medical officer advised me that he wished all of their patients recovered as well as all of you have." "When you return home, we suspect others will ask about or be curious about your injuries. Simply tell them it occurred as a part of a combat operation and all the details are classified. If they are persistent, we would like you to have them call the office listed in your packet." "Major O'Brien's team was a unique team, a very unique team. They did an outstanding job in Afghanistan as they had done in every exercise. Several sources indicate continued interest in O'Brien's team. This interest seems to come specifically from those who are seeking to collect the bounty. This is the first time we have faced an issue like this." "Our solution is that we will be disbanding O'Brien's TTC team and its designation retired. Lieutenants Adam and Todd will each be placed in command of two new teams. These new teams will be made up of a portion of their old team with additional members added once they return to Afghanistan. The orders are being posted now. They are scheduled to leave late tomorrow afternoon." "Major O'Brien will be receiving a medical discharge. Kara is being given an honorable discharge because she is the sole provider for her children." "Logistics for your trip home tomorrow are a bit unusual. We will be using charter aircraft to send each of you home. The flight will take you to an airport near your home where you will be met by an escort who will see you home. You can each let your families know of your pending arrival and provide them with a time once you are on your way." "Late tomorrow evening, Adam and Todd with the initial members of their new teams will be returning to Afghanistan on a chartered aircraft. Many of you are wondering about Adam and Todd's teams going back to Afghanistan so quickly because of the interest in their former team." Many nodded with concerned looks on their faces. "We don't think it will be an issue, as they will be working from a different base and in a different area." "Briana, do we know who is handling the charter flights?" said Adam. "Let me check with Star, or the command staff," said Briana. "Sir," said Adam, "won't the activity of that many contract executive aircraft on the base draw some attention." "It could. Base operations will see it as a normal operation as we are ending our strategy conference that has been held here for the last several weeks. Those aircraft will be taking the participants home from the VIP hanger. Everyone will be wearing head scarfs and robes making it very difficult to tell gender, identity or nationality. Besides it is only seven aircraft." "Adam," said Tim the Generals aide, "overall the operation is very similar to some other conferences we have had here. We appreciate your concerns. Considering the sensitivity of this 'conference', we have went outside our normal sources to obtain transportation." "Adam, we just found out that GISS is arranging the aircraft," said Briana. "Good." "Are there any other questions?" asked General Walker. Seeing none, he said, "See you tomorrow." As General Walker left the room Tim, his aide stepped up to the podium. "A couple of details, then we will dismiss. There are folders for each of you on the table in the back. They contain your new orders, discharge, benefit and departure information as appropriate. The groups going home will begin leaving from here tomorrow morning. The departures will be spread over the whole day. Adam and Todd's TTC teams will depart tomorrow evening just after dark. Their departure will be from our normal departure terminal and not the VIP area." "Any questions?" asked Tim. Then after a few moments, "It looks like there aren't any. I will be here until all of you have departed." "Colonel," said Laurin, "we really appreciate the time you and your associate have spent with us. Thanks." With that the group broke into applause. "We feel it has been a pleasure to work with all of you. We just wish it had been under better circumstances." After leaving the conference room, the group spent the day relaxing, packing and talking about their future. Many were anxious about how their families would feel toward them. The six men who had been castrated were very concerned about returning home. Their primary worry was how their girl friends would react when they learned children were no longer possible. Departures the next day for the soldiers going home went off without a hitch. Each group met in the conference room to say good bye to those still there and then rode together to the VIP hanger. Each arrival at the VIP hanger coincided with the aircraft taxing up to it. The aircraft turned to block any direct view from outside the hanger of those boarding the aircraft. The engine on the far side of the aircraft was not shut down during boarding. As soon as the group was on board the aircraft began to taxi while it spun up the second engine. That evening General Walker met Adam and Todd's teams before they left the restricted area and wished them luck. As they shook hands, Adam slipped him a note. When Adam and Todd's new teams arrived at the departure terminal, the staff was waiting to check them through as they were the last departure this evening. They quickly completed processing and boarded the waiting aircraft. As when the others had departed, once the door was closed the engines began to spin up. "It is good to see all of you again," said Briana. "Maureen and Alison are our pilots this evening." "It is good to see you as well," said Todd as Cathan stepped up behind him, wrapping her arms around him. "Best of all it is nice to be able to really relax." He then turned to her. Wrapping their arms around each other as they kissed. Through their mind-link they all shared their love for each other. Alison and Maureen were careful to emulate the airplane they appeared to be flying. Their shuttle disguised as an airplane was quickly airborne as they were the only activity on the base. Once the shuttle lifted off it turned east and climbed to its assigned altitude. It was several hundred miles off shore when two fighters joined their flight path. Although the fighters were nominally faster than them, the fighters slowed to pace them. Alison and Maureen were informed of the two fighters tailing them. "Can you identify them?" said Alison. "They appear to be on a ferry mission based on their chatter and flight plan," said Shannon. "They have seen you and are talking of stalking you to relieve the boredom. They know you are a charter transporting troops. We have four star fighters just behind them. Sabrina is the flight leader." "Shannon, we will soon be approaching the point where we want to disappear." "Yes, the two fighters have now closed up behind you," said Shannon, "and now have visual contact. We need to delay the disappearance." "No, let's give them something to think about on the rest of their ferry flight," said Alison. "Sabrina move your flight up behind the two fighters." "In position," Sabrina after a few moments. "Okay, now trip their attack sensors, then pull up wing tip to wing tip and uncloak." "Commencing." As soon as they sent the signal, a warning tone in the fighters cockpits went off startling the two pilots then quit before the could respond. While they were trying to digest why the alarm sounded, a star fighter moved up on each side of them. The star fighters placed their wing tips just over the fighters wingtips creating a bit of downward pressure on the wing. The pressure on the air foil forced the fighter pilots to concentrate on maintaining their aircraft's course. Both were startled to see the unusual aircraft now flying so close. Moon light combined with navigation lights made the star fighters clearly visible to the two pilots. Their attention was drawn away from the charter aircraft in front of them. In the clear night sky they could see the shape of the aircraft on their wing tip was far different from anything they had seen or been told about. They kept looking from one side to the other as the star fighters were just inches from their wings. While the fighter pilots were focused on them, Sabrina's group throttled back slightly causing the fighter pilots to slow along with them letting the charter flight pull away from them. The fighter pilots asked their flight control center if there were other aircraft in their area. The reply was a military charter flight should be several miles in front of them, which the pilots confirmed they had seen on their radar. "Commence diversion, now," said Alison. As she said that, the two Star fighters between the fighters suddenly took off vertically. As the two began to disappear from view overhead, the last two accelerated forward then pealed off to the right and left at a sharp angle away from the two fighters. In both cases the angles of divergence were greater than the two pilots knew their aircraft could with stand. When the fighter pilots, looked back forward again they were surprised the charter flight was no longer visible. When the two star fighters, commenced their climb Alison had descended several thousand feet, then cloaked their shuttle. With the initiation of cloaking, the aircraft disappeared from the monitoring screens. No warning. No distress call. Just vanished. The two fighter pilots were puzzled by the disappearance. Within a few moments their flight control center queried them about the aircraft in front of them. They simply responded it was no longer on their radar. They were told to continue their ferry flight to the Azores. The two fighter pilots decided not to say anything about the other aircraft they saw. "Alison," said Shannon "the fighters have been asked by their flight control center about the charter flight. They responded telling them it was no longer visible. They were not sure when it disappeared as they were dealing with an issue in their combat electronics. They were told to continue the ferry flight." "All of you are now officially missing," said Alison to the group in the shuttle. "We will be going to Dóchas as I believe some people are waiting to see you." As the two fighter pilots settled down, the four star fighters buzzed them close enough that the air turbulence buffeted their aircraft. The pilots of the star fighters chuckled as they sensed the shock they had given the other two pilots. "Star fighter flight," said Shannon, "yes you startled them, but once is enough. Follow the shuttle back to Dóchas." "Acknowledged." "Did you give General Walker the note?" asked Todd. "Yes," said Adam. "It was marked to open tomorrow." When they arrived at Dóchas, many of the crew were waiting to welcome them. The women from the five clans were excited at having the men in their groups back with them. To them the last three weeks had been harder than when they were in Afghanistan. Several of the crew made sure to welcome the unattached members of the former TTC teams and show them around the ship. ------- Chapter 77 General Walker and his two aides met in their office at the secure site three days after the charter flight disappeared. Colonel Tim told them that no trace of the aircraft carrying Adam and Todd's TTC teams had been found. Together they reviewed the report on the disappearance. The report contained the information from each of the search craft, the interviews with the two fighter pilots, the log for air traffic control and the satellite photos. The only conclusion that could be reached was that the aircraft had simply vanished for unknown reasons. General Walker signed off on the report and gave it to Colonel Tim to take to the classified document storage area. "General Walker," said Tim, "we have quietly checked on those returning home. They all seem to be doing quite well considering their experiences. Several have interviews with a security services firm." "Good, they deserve it." After the two aides had left, General Walker stared out the window and thought about the note Adam had slipped into his hand. It had said, "Thanks for everything. We made a slight change to your plan, so there are no loose ends. Perhaps you will meet others like us in the future." The last sentence puzzled him, as he could see several meanings to the wording as some of them didn't seem plausible. ------- Sue, Irene, Samantha, Kelsey and Karmen arrived at the pool to find nearly all of the loungers occupied, except for two next to two women wearing very skimpy swim suits. Irene led them over to the loungers. As they approached, Eilene fully opened her eyes as she had carefully watched them approach. Irene asked Eilene if anyone was using the two chairs. Eilene rolled on to her side before answering exposing her bare chest. She told Irene that the chairs weren't being used. The girls watched the casual way that Eilene sat up then pulled her top back into place. Her top barely covered her swollen areolas, even then they were visible through the thin cloth. Beth slowly stood next the Eilene. Once she was standing she slowly slipped her sheer blouse over her shoulders loosely pulling it over her naked tits. The blouse was nearly transparent as the shape of her tits was clearly visible. As the two women moved, the girls had watched them very carefully. "Girls, it is not nice to stare," said Sue. "Oh, I hope we weren't," said Kelsey. "I was just hoping that I would be as lovely and confident as they are when I grow up." "Ladies," said Beth, "you will be, as it is quite clear you look like your older sisters." "I could kiss you for that," said Irene, "Kelsey and Karmen are my daughters. I'm Irene and this is Sue and Samantha who prefers to be called Sam." "It is nice to meet you. This is Beth and I am Eilene." Eilene stood and pulled Irene into a hug as Beth did the same to Sue. Then each shared a hug in greeting. "Mom," said Sam as she looked at Kelsey and Karmen, "We're going swimming." With that the three girls left for the pool. Irene and Sue spread their towels and sat down. "Both of you have very lovely daughters," said Beth. "Thank you. I wish I could comfortably wear a suit like yours." "Oh, I think you could," said Eilene. "You would look very nice in an outfit like Beth's. In fact both of you would." "Would it surprise you that I would be more comfortable naked than dressed in a suit that revealing. I know it doesn't make sense." "Sue, it does make sense to me. The resort does not object to nudity around the pool. Many here are not true nudist, so there will probably be some gawking, at least initially." "Cool." "If it would make you more comfortable, we would be more than willing to join you." "Please don't do anything you are uncomfortable with," said Irene as she watched Sue slip off her top. The four women were soon naked. They helped each other apply sun screen while they became acquainted. They lay back to enjoy the sun with their eyes closed. The quiet was soon interrupted a shriek from Sue and Irene as the girls had quietly returned splashing them with water. The shock had caused the women to sit up. "Mom, your naked," said Sam. "All four of you are naked." "Yes, we are." "Does that mean we can take off our suits? It is so much easier to swim." "I don't see why not. Eilene says the resort permits you to be nude in the pool area." "Cool." Sam quickly had her suit off. Karmen and Kelsey looked uncertain. Sam seeing their uncertainty, looked questioningly at them. "I hope it doesn't bother that I am naked." "Oh, no. We swim naked at home," said Karmen as she looked at her mother. "At home we generally are clothing optional. This is different." "Yes, it is." Sam watched as Kelsey and Karmen then slipped off their swim suits. "I wish I looked as beautiful as either of you." "Oh, I think you should put your glasses on when you look in the mirror," said Karmen. "You know, I don't wear glasses." "Well from our stand point maybe you should," said Kelsey, "you are a beautiful as your mother." "She is right," said Eilene with Beth nodding her agreement. "In fact all of you are very beautiful." "Thanks," said the three girls. "If you are not going right back in the pool you need some sun screen on," said Irene. "We are." With that the three went back to the pool. Their mothers watched as they dove into the pool and began to swim laps. The four women reclined on their loungers. Eilene offered Sue and Irene a cold drink. Sue hesitated before taking the drink. "It is a fruit drink that we find very refreshing. Besides it is much healthier than what they have at the snack bar." "Wow," said Sue this tastes great. Irene quickly nodded her head in agreement just as she took another drink of hers. "Where did you get this?" "We have it delivered to our room. We can have some delivered to your rooms." "That would be great. As good as it tastes, I hope it is not very expensive." "No, it is quite reasonable," said Beth. They resumed reading and relaxing. Eilene thought, now all we need is for the three girls to start on the fruit drink. For the first time in several weeks, she felt very relaxed lying here in the sun. Beth reached over and held her hand. They had become very close in the last few days as they organized the treatments the five women would receive. The most difficult part was planning the films as they wanted each film to have a bit of a plot besides the explicit sexual action. "Mom," said Sue "can I have some money so I can get a refreshment from the snack bar." "Just a moment. You will need to slip on a wrap to go there." "Girls, we have some cold drinks here," said Eilene. "It is a fruit drink, though." Sam hesitated. "Just because its not soda, doesn't mean it tastes terrible," said Beth smiling. "Sam, try it you will find it is very tasty," said Sue. "We have been drinking it. She is right about it being very refreshing." Sam took the drink Eilene was offering and took a sip. "Wow," said Sam as she drank most of the rest of the glass. "This is really good. Eilene where can I get some more." "There is plenty in the cooler. Just help yourself." Eilene thought to herself one hurdle down. "Please, take some when ever you're thirsty. We have plenty of it and it is not very expensive. Besides, it is much better for you than soda." "Sam," said Sue, "we are having some delivered to the room." As the afternoon progressed, Beth and Eilene made sure there was no shortage of the fruit drink. By supper time, both were sure the five women would be very receptive to their suggestions by tomorrow afternoon. They spent the rest of the day together and played several games of water volleyball. After each round of volleyball, Eilene or Beth opened a new cold fruit drink for themselves and offered everyone another container of fruit drink. None of the five women noticed, that their drinks had a slightly different label. They were all sitting around talking after playing in the pool, when Sam said, "Eilene, I have never seen a woman quite like you before." "Why do you say that?" "Well first your bust is quite large, but there is virtually no sag." Sam blushed. "My cup size is a large F, but I keep them from sagging by exercising my chest muscles. There is something else isn't there." "Yes." Sam really began to blush. "It is a combination of things. You don't have any cunt hair and your labia are very full. In fact when you sit certain ways I am sure I can see both pairs of lips." "Beth and I have very full cunt lips. We also have a bar through our clit, but you can only see that up close." "Wow. But I thought everyone had cunt hair. I know mom shaves hers, but yours looks different." "Your right, we don't need to shave, as ours has been completely removed." "How can you do that?" said Kelsey. "Mine is so full and thick that it makes me kind of uncomfortable to be nude in a setting like this." Eilene looked at both Sue and Irene before she continued. "Pubic hair can be removed by using a wax treatment or by electrolysis. Waxing is done by applying a warm wax to the hair and sealing it to a cloth strip. Once the wax hardens, the cloth is quickly pulled off pulling out the hair. It is quite painful initially, but the pain quickly passes. Electrolysis is not painful but takes a long time as each hair needs to be treated individually. With electrolysis, the hair never grows back." "Mom," said Kelsey, "I think I want to remove my pubic hair." "I have a razor in our room," said Irene. "Your cunt will be very sensitive and tender the first day or so after you first shave." "Kelsey," said Beth, "if you mother agrees and you can stand a little pain, waxing is a better choice. You still have the sensitivity and tenderness, but it lasts longer. I believe there is a place here, where you can have it done." "I'll think about it." Her face showed her apprehensiveness. The girls went back to swimming while the women chatted for a while. When dinner time approached, Sue told the girls they needed to get cleaned up for dinner. As they were gathering their things, Karmen quietly said, "Mom could Eilene and Beth join us for dinner?" "Sure." "Eilene, Beth," said Karmen, "why don't you join us at dinner?" "We can but we have some things to do before then so we can't go for a couple of hours." "That's fine," said Sue, "I think we have snacked enough waiting until then will not be a problem." The group left for their rooms to clean up and check their mail. At dinner, Eilene suggested they meet her and Beth at the spa in the morning. The girls looked at them questioningly. "It has a sauna and massage tables," said Eilene. "I think you will like it." "I have often thought about trying one," said Irene. "Good," said Beth, "let's try it. Eilene and I, both have experience at giving massages. So we can give each of you one." "I don't think that is fair," said Sue. "You won't get one then." "That is alright," said Eilene, "we can get one the next time." "Eilene," said Sam, "you said you did exercises to keep your tits from sagging. Could you show me how you do it?" "It will be difficult." Sam looked disappointed. "A part of it is lifting weights in a special way so your chest and shoulder muscles are strengthened. The second part is more difficult as it uses a special device to stimulate the muscles electrically. Some don't like it because it feels funny. It also takes a special chest harness to place the electrodes correctly." "Eilene," said Beth, "we could use the sticky pads. It would give her an idea of what it was like." "Good idea." "So when, can I try it?" "We need to get some things first, but we could possibly do it in the morning." Sam nodded her head accepting the proposal. "Is anyone besides Sam interested?" The whole group nodded their head. "Well let's call it a night," said Sue. "I am bushed. This relaxing is harder than working." Several laughed as they prepared to leave the restaurant. Beth told them they would meet them at the exercise room at 8:30 as they need to be at the spa by 9:30. Eilene and Beth walked off toward their rooms with an arm around each other. ------- Eilene and Beth were waiting for them in the exercise room when they arrived. Both were wearing a strange looking chest harness with wires hanging from it and short skirts. "What is that?" asked Sam pointing at the harness. "We wear this harness when we exercise our chest," said Beth. "First let's go through how we use the weights. When we do the exercises, our harness is connected to the ElectroStim controller on our belt. It is programmed to stimulate certain muscles as we move the weights. So we need to move the weights in a certain sequence to stay in sync with the electrical stimulation." Sue, Irene, Sam, Kelsey and Karmen were shown the weights to use. Then Eilene and Beth took them through the sequence of movements they needed to learn. They went through the sequence several times, taking a break between each cycle. All of the women drank the fruit juice during the break. "I am surprised at how quickly you tire out with these light weights," said Kelsey. "That is a reflection of your muscle strength. The muscles and tissue you are stressing is not usually exercised very much. Now on this last set Beth and I will attach the ElectroStim so you can see the full effect of the exercise." They watched Beth and Eilene attach the leads from their harness to the box hanging on their waist belt. Once they had it all connected. Eilene said, "Ready," and waited for everyone to move to first position. "Now," as she pushed a button on the box. Shortly after Eilene pressed the button she began the sequence of movements they had be practicing. Beth matched Eilene with her movements. The five women could see Beth and Eilene's muscles twitch and ripple as they moved through the exercise positions. In only a few minutes they could see both Beth and Eilene covered in sweat as they moved through the routine. None of the five women noticed that they had stayed in perfect time with Eilene and Beth's movements. As the routine ended both Beth and Eilene stiffened for a moment before they bent forward resting their hands on their knees. Both were breathing very heavily, occasionally shivering. After a few moments, they began to disconnect the harness. The group gasped when they saw them lift their skirt so they could pull a dildo with two wire leads from their cunt. Girl cum could be seen running down their legs. "Do you always cum?" said Sue grinning. "Yes. Usually it is several times, as the routine is normally longer." "What does the stimulation feel like?" said Sam. "Come here." Sam stepped over and Eilene and Beth put six sticky pads on her shoulders and chest then connected the wires. "Like this." Sam gasped as the felt her muscles twitch then begin to hurt. "Ouch." as her face grimaced. "That felt strange and then began to hurt." "When it is set correctly, the pulses are just below the pain threshold. If it is too high you run the risk of tearing a muscle. Here, lets try this." Sam watched apprehensively as Beth adjusted the ElectroStim unit. The tug on her muscles now felt strange and some what stimulating. "Can I try it?" said Kelsey. Beth motioned her over and quickly attached the pads. Kelsey watched apprehensively as Beth began to turn the dial. She sighed as she felt her muscles lightly twitch and then become more forceful. "I like that," said Kelsey, "even when you had it on the strong setting, it wasn't really painful, just very uncomfortable." "The difference between you and Sam illustrates why the program needs to be designed for the individual." They spent the next few minutes letting everyone feel the sensations before getting ready to go to the spa. Both Beth and Eilene were pleased at how quickly they were moving their charges to the first stage of training. The drugs in their fruit drink appeared to have made them very receptive to their instructions. Entering the spa, they hung their robes up and followed Eilene into the sauna. Eilene told them she wanted to start Irene's massage first, so they should wait there until Beth or her came for them. Eilene led Irene out of the sauna and over to the massage table having her lay face down. They spread the special oil over Irene's back down to her legs. Once the oil was absorbed they helped her turn on her back. Irene lay back on the soft table. She felt drowsy and so comfortable. Beth raised her legs and then moved her feet to fit in the holders before she began to cover them with the special oil. Meanwhile Eilene covered her arms and body with the special oil. By the time they were done, Irene had dosed off. Beth slipped a set of ear phones over her ears before turning on special music for her to listen too. Eilene placed the cups over Irene's tits. Turning the valve each was pulled up into a conical form and held there while a gel flowed into the cup filling the space between the cup and tit flesh. Beth slid a dildo into Irene's cunt and turned on the ElectroStim unit and the vibrator. After covering Irene with a sheet they brought Sue from the sauna to begin the same treatments they had just given Irene. Each of their unsuspecting trainees was soon asleep on the massage tables. Eilene and Beth pleasured each other while waiting for the women's treatments to finish. The treatment took an hour and a half. When the time was up, the ElectroStim controller was turned off. They removed the tit cups and dildo from Irene, Sue and the girls before they waxed their pubic area. Once the hair was pulled they covered their cunt lips with a special cream, to relieve the pain. Rubbing the cream into their labia also caused them to swell with arousal. They then removed the head phones. Eilene and Beth watched them as they woke up. They were pleased when they saw each of the women either rub the cunt or nipples when they woke. Seeing them caressing themselves told them the treatments had been successful. "Kelsey," said Karmen, "you're bare." As she watched Kelsey slide her fingers between her cunt lips. "Yes, and it feels good." Karmen quickly looked down to see her pubic hair was gone. Her cunt lips looked different than she had expected. Eilene stepped over to Kelsey. "They look very nice. Nice enough to lick and run my tongue through." "Yew, you would do that." "Yes, I love the taste of cunt cream, just like I like the taste of cum from a cock. Doesn't everyone." "Girls," said Irene, "oral sex is something that can feel very good when you are receiving the attention. But, if you are willing to receive you should be willing to give the attention as well." "There is nothing wrong with being bisexual," said Sue. Just as she said that Beth pushed her legs apart. Placing her mouth over Sue's swollen cunt, she drug her tongue between the lips collecting Sue's cream. Beth stood her face wet with Sue's cunt cream then kissed Sue letting some of the cunt cream flow into Sue's mouth. The three girls watched with shocked looks on their faces as Sue and Beth continued their kissing while holding each others head in their hands. It was clear they were caressing each others tongues and lips as they maintained their lip lock. "Wow," said Sue. "Lets shower," said Eilene "as it is almost lunch time." With that the group began to move about. Each of the women who had been waxed noticed that their cunts felt a bit tender but the session in the spa left them feeling very relaxed. After lunch, they went down to the pool. They had wore only a light thin wrap to lunch and then to the pool. Their skimpy dress drew the attention of quite a few people as they moved through the resort. At the pool that afternoon, they were talking about something to do in the evening as everyone was beginning to get a bit restless. Eilene mentioned that there was a private club close to the resort that all of them might like. Sue and Irene expressed interest but were concerned about whether it was appropriate for their daughters. They didn't want to leave them alone while they went out. Eilene assured them the club was very nice, and was sure that Sam, Kelsey and Karmen would enjoy it. She cautioned Sue and Irene that sometimes the live performances were a little lewd but she was certain their daughters were mature enough to see it. After some discussion, Irene and Sue told Eilene they would think about it. Beth told them there would be a very good show the next evening, and she would get 7 tickets before they were all taken as she was certain they would decide to go. It would also be a chance for everyone to dress up. Both Irene and Sue said they would let them know tomorrow morning. That evening Irene and Sue had a chat with their daughters about going to the show. They shared with them what they had learned from Eilene and Beth including the possible content of the show. Not surprisingly all three wanted to go, because it was a chance to dress up and go out with their mothers. The other part was the three girls really liked Eilene and Beth. The next morning when they met Eilene and Beth in the exercise room, they told them they would go. They used the same routine with the exercises they had the morning before. When they were finished they showered before going to breakfast. At breakfast, they discussed the evenings entertainment some more. Irene said one of her concerns was finding something appropriate for them to wear. "Irene, Sue," said Beth, "there is a women's dress shop on the far side of the resort. I'm sure we can find something for all of us there." "Mom," said Sam excitedly, "can we go after breakfast?" "Yes, I guess so." "Cool," said Sam bubbling with excitement. They went to a shoe store first. Beth and Eilene carefully pushed the women to first get very tall high heels. The three girls were enthusiastic as this would be the first time they had worn heels. Once the shoes were purchased, Beth encouraged them to wear their new shoes while they picked out clothes and would help them get comfortable wearing them. Sue and Irene agreed that the shoes did make their legs look very good. Sue and Irene were surprised at how comfortable the shoes felt. "Beth, these shoes are really comfortable," said Sue. "Girls, how do your shoes feel?" "They feel fine but walking is awkward," said Kelsey. "Let's go over here where I can help you adjust your walk so they feel better," said Eilene. Beth and Eilene demonstrated for the women the easiest way to walk in the tall heels, emphasizing that they should pretend to walk on their toes and primarily use the heel for support when standing. When everyone was comfortable with their shoes, Eilene suggested they get a second pair to wear for their evening out. Beth told them she usually wore shoes like this all the time, as she found them very comfortable. The group agreed that it would be a good idea, as that way they could practice wearing these shoes the rest of the day. Next they went to the dress shop. First they looked at long sheath dresses. Sam and Kelsey tried a sheath dress. It fit them perfectly showing off their long legs through the slits on the sides running from nearly waist to ankle. The top consisted of only two short front panels just barely covering their tits. Irene told Kelsey, she ought to look at other dresses before she decided. All of the sheath dresses were similar with the main difference being how the seams were split and how bare the back was. Several were made of a very shear material. Karmen found some sheath skirts with a separate top. The top was similar to a vest. It was made of two triangular panels in the front that hung down over the skirts waist. The panels were connected on the bottom with a narrow band of cloth leaving their backs uncovered. The women spent some time trying on several of the sheath dresses, before looking at the other styles. Sue found a short party dress with an empire waistline and tried it on. She found it was really comfortable. Seeing how great the dress looked on her mother, Sam quickly found a similar one to try on. The top of the dress had two pleated panels that reached to just above their nipples accenting their shape but leaving the sides exposed. The pleated body of the dress hung loosely from the high waistline ending just above mid thigh. No one noticed that when they leaned forward the dress drew up in back and drooped down in front to frame their cunt and ass when viewed from behind. Or that if they spun in a circle the dress would lift quickly showing the rest of their legs and cunt. The scooped design of the front panels would prevent them from wearing a normal bra. "I like the dresses," said Irene, "but it will be hard to wear a bra or panties with them." "A silhouette open cup bra," said Eilene, "would give you some support and still let the dress hide the bra." The group picked out a bra and matching thong to go with it. They finished out their evening wear by selecting shear thigh high stockings. Once they had made all their selections, they tried their dresses on. "Irene," said Eilene, "your outfit looks great, but would look much better without the bra and thong. Why don't you try it that way?" Eilene and Beth helped her make the change. "Now doesn't that look much better," said Beth with some emphasis. "Mom," said Karmen, "it really does look much better without the bra." Eilene and Beth smiled in agreement while thinking thank you Karmen. "I don't know, I feel awfully exposed." "Well it's more than we were wearing when we came in here," said Kelsey. "Okay, but I want to take the bra and thong just in case." Eilene and Beth had carefully monitored the women as they tried the different dresses. The women were now focused on the empire style, as each of them liked the way they looked in them. The dresses were perfect from their point of view. At first they were concerned Irene and Sue would object once they saw how exposed they were. Both relaxed a bit when neither Irene nor Sue objected to the dresses. Then when Irene agreed to go without the bra and thong, they knew this evening would go smoothly. After they completed their purchases and were walking back to their room, Beth told them that dinner was at 6 PM and the show started at 7 PM. Eilene suggested they meet at 4:30 in her room and all dress there. Sue and Irene were reluctant as they felt they were imposing on them. Eilene easily set aside their concerns phrasing it so they felt compelled to meet them in their room. The exchange caused Eilene and Beth to realize that the women were not fully under their complete control yet. Sue, Irene with their daughters went to Eilene and Beth's suite dressed in their robes carrying their dresses. As the women entered, Eilene and Beth kissed each of them as they entered while pressing a pad against their neck. None felt the needle puncture their skin. Eilene told Sam, Kelsey and Karmen there was a video they could watch while they helped their mothers dress, then they would help them. Beth went with Sue and Irene into the bedroom while Eilene started the special video she wanted the girls to watch. When Eilene joined them, the women had already shed their robes, so she quickly shed her robe leaving her naked standing in her heels. Eilene stepped into her dress and pulled it up under her naked tits and then had Sue fasten the strings from panels covering her from her tits to her collar. "That is a beautiful crystal pendant," said Sue, as she stared at the light flickering off of the pendant dangling from Eilene's collar. "I don't remember you wearing it before. It really sparkles when it catches the light." "Yes, I only wear it for special occasions. When you hold it so the light catches it, then it really sparkles. Would you like to see?" said Eilene as she released the clip holding it to her collar. She lifted the pendant and held in front of Sue. Sue starred at the light flickering off the pendant as Eilene held it in front of her. Eilene stepped behind Sue placing her arms around Sue while still holding the pendant in front of her. Softly into Sue's ear she said, "Take and hold it like I am." Sue took the pendant and continued to watch it flicker. Eilene began to caress Sue's body and tits as Sue continued to stare at the pendant. Eilene glanced over at Beth and Irene to see Beth had Irene starring at her pendant as well. The sparkling pendant held Sue's attention, while Eilene continued to caress Sue's body, she whispered in her ear. Between each time she spoke in Sue's ear, Eilene would lick or kiss her ear and neck. As Eilene spoke to her and caressed Sue became more and more aroused. After a few moments Sue shook from a light orgasm, as Eilene stroked her wet cunt with her fingers. Eilene slowly stopped her caressing and Sue's eyes lost the glazed look. "Thank you, Mistress," as she turned to fasten the pendant to Eilene's collar. She pulled Eilene to her and gave her a passionate kiss as their tongues dueled. "Yes Sue, I am your mistress. You will always address me as Eilene." "Yes, Eilene." "Whose commands do you follow." "Yours, Eilene." "What will you do for me?" "Whatever you command, Eilene." "You will obey Beth as if it was me giving you the command." "Yes, Eilene." "Now place this around your neck." Eilene handed Sue a collar. Sue took the collar. She thought the wide smooth and gold colored collar was beautiful. Deep in her mind she knew what the collar represented, but she lacked the will to resist as she slipped the collar around her neck. With the sound of the click, her body shuddered with a sensation of arousal but deep within she felt apprehensive. Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Beth had taken control of Irene much the same way Eilene had taken control of Sue. Both Sue and Irene found accepting their new Mistresses commands as the right thing to do. Neither Sue or Irene had realized they had given control of themselves along with their daughters to these two women. "Sue, kneel," said Eilene. "Now move over here and lick my cunt." Sue walked over to Eilene on her knees and lifted the dress to place her mouth on Eilene's cunt lips. Sue placed her hands on Eilene's hips as she caressed her cunt and clit, drinking the cunt cream she collected with her tongue. Eilene pulled Sue's head tight against her cunt as she felt a quick orgasm. "Sue, you have done well. Now stand up." Eilene told them to put their dresses on. Sue and Irene stepped into their dresses pulling the waistline into position just under their tits. Eilene and Beth helped them position the panels snug over their tits and then fastened the panels to their collar. Sue and Irene liked the feel of the soft material of the dresses on their naked bodies. No thought was given to the lack of bra or thong. As they moved the soft material lightly rubbed their nipples causing them to swell. Both were pleased at how nice they looked in the mirror and noticed that their friend's costumes looked quite suggestive. They helped each other arrange their hair after they put on their stockings and heels. Neither noticed that the straps locked together when they connected. Eilene went and called the girls into the bedroom. Sam, Kelsey and Karmen gasped when they saw their mother and their friends. Sam said, "Wow. All of you are so beautiful. Is that what we will look like, Eilene?" "Yes, it is. Now take your robes off so you can get ready. We need to leave shortly." Sam glanced at Eilene, her eyes catching the light from the pendant. "Yes, Eilene." Sam quickly dropped her robe. Karmen and Kelsey quickly followed Sam's lead. First Eilene had Sue and Irene place the collars on their daughters. The mothers then helped their daughters put on their dresses never considering putting on the silhouette bras and thongs they had purchased. The front panels on the girls dresses were slightly different in that panel was pleated to cover a bit more of the front of their tits. The tightness of the shear cloth over their tits accentuated their size and shape. Their nipples soon swelled in response to the soft fabric rubbing their now sensitized nipples. Both Eilene and Beth smiled at each other when they saw how quickly the girls responded to the nipple stimulation. The swollen nipples told them that their preparation had been very successful. Both knew the Grand Master would be pleased with their success. "Eilene, I am not sure that is an appropriate dress for Sam to wear," said Sue. "I agree with Sue, the costumes are much too provocative for Kelsey and Karmen," said Irene. Both Eilene and Beth were shocked for a moment before realizing the circumstances. "Ladies, they look beautiful in their dresses just as the two of you do. Tonight they will be just fine," said Eilene firmly. "Let's go." The three girls headed for the door as they felt really comfortable in their new dresses. The rustling of fabric on their bodies added to their arousal as they moved. Their nipples now swelled tightly against the thin cloth covering, to clearly display their arousal. Before they left, Eilene and Beth moved to Sue and Irene respectively and kissed them sliding their tongues between the womens lips to caress the inside of their mouth and tongue. While they did this each pushed two textured balls into the women's cunts as they fingered their clit and massaged their g-spot. When both Eilene and Beth pulled back, the two women were breathing heavily with arousal. "The girls will be fine," said both Eilene and Beth. "We will take good care of your daughters. Relax. Enjoy yourself." "We will," responded both Sue and Irene. They walked out of the suite hand in hand with Eilene and Beth. Neither noticed their nipples were now as visible as their daughters. Both women felt so good and comfortable around Eilene and Beth. They both wished they had always had such caring friends. Sue and Irene briefly ached at the thought about how much they missed James and Clarence. Neither noticed their growing arousal from the two balls rolling around in their cunt. ------- Chapter 78 Entering the club they were greeted by a hostess wearing a long sheath dress. It was very similar to dresses they had looked at that morning. Only this dress was shear enough, that it was virtually transparent. Neither Sue or Irene realized they were not wearing much more than the hostess or their friends. They could see hostess's areolae covered by a shinny shield which appeared to be held in place by a pin through her nipple. The diamonds on the shield sparkled as she moved. The hostess greeted Eilene and Beth warmly with a kiss and a hug. Eilene introduced Sue, Irene and their daughters as their special guests. As the group followed the hostess to their table, they watched her hips sway with each step causing the skirt to move side to side showing her legs. Arriving at the table, they saw the tables were arranged in a semi circle around the stage. Each row was at a higher level so each table had a clear view of the stage. As they gathered around the table next to the stage, Eilene and Beth positioned themselves so they were between the three girls, with Sue and Irene on each end, next to the aisle. Before they sat down at the half round table, Eilene said, "Ladies, the club does not permit you sit on your dress." Sue and Irene bristled momentarily, then quickly relaxed as the thought quickly vanished. The hostess went to assist Sam first as she was seated in the center chair. As Sam sat down the hostess lifted the back of her dress for her. Once she was seated, the hostess rolled the front of Sam's dress toward her crotch exposing all of her legs, then rolled the chair forward to the table. The hostess assisted in seating the others in the same manner as she had Sam. The five women found the chair very comfortable. Sue and Irene both thought it was strange that the seat was open down the center. The leg support and the shape of the chair was such that the occupant naturally spread their knees. With their knees spread the width of their shoulders and soft lighting under the table, everyone had a view of the other guests cunt or cock. "These chairs are really comfortable," said Sam. The others in the group nodded their agreement. "During the show, you will find the chairs have some features that really accentuate the performances," said Beth. The group sat quietly chatting or watching others arrive and take their seats. Many of the women now arriving wore either a one piece sheath dress or a two piece dress similar to the hostesses. As each woman sat, she parted her skirt or dress to hang beside the chair. Looking around, they saw several woman's cunts when the angle was right. The light under the table was a small spot light that shined on the crotch of each guest. None of the five women realized their cunts were as visible as those they saw around them. Many of the guests wearing the vest style top either unbuttoned it, letting it hang to the side of their tits or removed after sitting down. The men wore a loose tunic that hung down to their mid thighs. Several times the girls nudged each other as they saw one of the men's cock extending just below the tunic's hem. When the men sat, they too made sure not to sit on their tunic. Beth and Eilene watched the three young women observing the other guests in the dining room. They laid a hand on a leg of the women next to them and after a moment began to lightly caress their legs. Their light touches slowly moved so they were stroking the women's inner thighs. Beth and Eilene could tell their caresses were having the desired effect on the three young women as they could smell their arousal. They sensed the three try to spread their legs to give Beth and Eilene fingers easier access to their cunts. Once the club was full all the lights dimmed slightly and the hostesses began to serve dinner. Kelsey gasped when she saw the nude server approach their table, her eyes were focused on crystal pendant dangling from the ring in each of the hostess's nipples. Glancing quickly around she saw all the hostesses had removed their skirts or dresses. Their server's large tits were tightly constrained in a halter made from a fine chain. Her areolae and nipples pushed through a circle of chain causing them to extend like small cones from the front of her tits. Besides the halter all she wore was a collar and high heels. "Could I get you something to drink?" said the hostess smiling at Kelsey whose attention was clearly focused on her tits. "Kelsey, right?" Kelsey hardly nodded as she continued to stare at the server's tits. "You can touch them if you want too." Kelsey reached forward and lightly touched the server's nipple. The woman's nipple was hard with arousal from the pendant tugging on it. Kelsey's caress caused it to stiffen further. "Did it hurt?" asked Kelsey as she gently caressed the areola and nipple. She gently lifted the pendant as she watched the nipple move. She shivered as she thought about how it would feel hanging from her nipple. "No, it was more like an ache. Placing the ring in my clit hurt when the needle slide through it, then it just ached until it was healed." "A ring in your clit." "Yes, most of us have a ring or a bar through our clit. It feels so nice when we move around. We enjoy the feeling of always being aroused." "Kelsey, they have the fruit drink you like," said Beth to bring Kelsey's attention back to the reason the server was there. "Cool, I would like a glass of that," said Sam, Kelsey, and Karmen. "Is it the same for everybody?" The women nodded yes. "I'll be back with them in a few moments." Just as the server left to get their drinks, another server began setting their food in front of them. Kelsey continued to watch the pendants dance and tug the server's nipples as she moved. "Kelsey," said Irene, "eat before your food gets cold." Kelsey looked at her mom. She saw her mom's nipples were hard with arousal. She then looked around the table to see all of their nipples were swollen stiff with arousal as they pressed against the front of their dress. She looked down at her plate and realized she was hungry. Kelsey hadn't noticed, but Karmen and Sam had been looking around as much as she was. They just didn't stare like she had been. The three young women had a hard time concentrating on eating, as the sights around them were distracting. They saw several male hosts working in different parts of the room wearing only a collar and a cock cage. A hostess cleared the dinner table as soon as they finished eating. The table top was folded over so there was more room to move about in the alcove. The lights dimmed a bit more and the room became quiet. As the curtain opened, two couples at a table across from them rose. A spot light focused on them as they walked up on the stage. The women's blouses were open and hanging loosely on their shoulders displaying their tits. It was clear the men were aroused as their cocks tented their tunic. Once they were on stage they turned to each other to begin caressing and kissing each other. As they kissed and caressed each other they released the fasteners on each others covering letting it fall to the floor. While these preliminaries were taking place, stage lights began to illuminate other parts of the stage. First illuminated was a large platform bed in the center of the stage. Next illuminated was a bound woman suspended by a series of ropes. Her body faced the floor with her legs slightly bent and pulled up with her knees spread. Her arms encased in an arm binder were pulled behind her and fastened to the bar between her ankles. Supporting ropes were attached to her ankles, thighs, waist, arm binder and under her chest. The ropes supporting her chest looped around the base of her tits. The tension on the rope around her tits, causing them to swell. Her head was pulled back by a rope tied to her hair on one end and to a metal hook in her ass. Her mouth was held open by a jaw spreader with her tongue extended. Weighted clamps dangled from her cunt lips, nipples and tongue. Eilene and Beth monitored the women at their table. The commands they had given Sue and Irene along with the additional drugs would suppress any adverse reaction on their part. The three young women were a slightly different matter. The three women stared at the suspended woman slowly turning with amazed looks on their faces but never said a word. From their seats next to the stage, they could clearly see the objects dangling from the suspended woman's body. Her nipples and areolae were quite extended by the weighted clamps. The women had hardly digested the view of the bound woman before the lights illuminated another woman suspended on the other side of the stage. She was suspended by her arms, hair, legs and ankles with her legs spread wide as if she was doing the splits in mid-air. A long tapered dildo stood underneath her cunt, its head had already begun spreading her cunt. Her tongue was pulled through a spider gag in her mouth and held extended by a string. As they watched, they saw the dildo make a stroke deep into the woman's cunt, spreading her cunt as it entered. They could hear her moan as the dildo pressed up into her cunt raising her slightly before sliding back down. One of the women performers stepped forward away from their group, and said, "Tonight the four of us will bring each other to several orgasms with the assistance of bondage and electricity. The equipment needed to enjoy this same experience is available in the lounge or play pen. If you have not used it before, ask one of the lounge sluts or play pen attendants to arrange some instruction. For those who are here for the first time, your chair has some features to enhance your viewing pleasure." "The slut suspended on my left will be available for you to test the electrical devices on during the intermissions and after the show. For one act this evening, we will see several from the audience up here. This will be their first performance together and in front of an audience. The slut on my right will be our target for darts at the end of the show. Before that she will be fist fucked by someone from the audience. The winner of the dart contest will receive the use of the slut for four days in any place but the dungeon. I would like to remind everyone the show is filmed. Copies can be purchased from the hostess. During the show any hostess is available to assist in your pleasure." With that she turned her attention back to her partners on stage. Just as the show began, Eilene quietly said, "No outbursts or comments regarding what happens on stage or in the audience. If you do, the hostesses will silence you with a jaw spreader and tongue stretcher. I can assure you it is not comfortable." The group watched the activities on stage or the closeups shown on the two large monitors. The act had only progressed a little ways when Eilene and Beth again began to caress the legs of the young women next to them. After a few moments, they had their fingers deep with in the folds of Karmen, Kelsey and Sam's labia stroking their wet cunts and clits. Beth then placed Kelsey hand on her leg. Eilene did the same with Karmen. The women got the idea and began to caress Beth and Eilene. Karmen and Kelsey also began to caress Sue and Irene with their other hand. Sam had needed no prompting as she had begun caressing Beth and Eilene almost as soon as they touched her legs. Beth paused her caresses for a moment to squeeze the arms of the women's chairs, activating the chair's dildo. This caused a dildo to rise between the seat halves and slide between the lips of their cunts. The women jerked as they felt the warm dildo press up between the lips of their cunts. Eilene and Beth showed the girls how to manipulate the controls on the chair arms for the dildos. By the end of the first act, all five women were breathing heavily and flushed with arousal. They were clearly enjoying the dildos teasing the mouth of their cunts as it slid back and forth between their cunt lips. Their cunt juice was collected in a cup attached to the dildo. The room brightened as the first act ended. "Eilene," said Sam, "do the couples enjoy being bound and then stimulated?" "Did they look like it?" "Oh, yes. They seemed to enjoy giving as well as receiving. At least based on their actions. The screams were shocking at first until I realized they were screams in response to the pleasure they felt." As Sam had talked, she had continued to caress both Eilene and Beth's legs and cunt lips. "Sue stand in front of the table," said Eilene. "Untie the straps holding the top panels of your dress to the collar." Sue slowly stood. She wanted to say no, but instead she untied the straps from her collar. The conversation at the neighboring tables slowed as the other diners watched Sue respond to the directions. "Now, show us your tits." Sue blushed as she lowered the front panels of her dress displaying her tits and swollen nipples. "Now, step out of your dress and give it to the hostess." Sue slowly followed the instructions Eilene gave her. "Sue you did well. Why don't you caress your tits now." Sue brought her hands up and began to caress her tits and nipples. She could feel her arousal build even though deep in her mind she felt humiliated with everyone watching. "Now Irene, stand next to Sue," said Beth. Irene hesitated before she moved to stand next to Sue, she said, "Untie your dress straps from the collar." She slowly untied the straps of her dress. "Now, show us your tits." Irene slowly lowered the front panels, baring her tits. "Now, step out of your dress and give it to the hostess." Irene slowly stepped out of the dress. She blushed as she stood their nude in front of her daughters and friends. The hostess left with both of the dresses. "Irene," said Beth, "it would be wise for you to follow instructions quicker. The next time you hesitate you could find yourself bound and on stage like one of the women up there. We have a whip we can use on you that leaves no marks but the pain is excruciating." "Yes, Beth. I understand." "Both you look very nice standing there," said Eilene. "The two of you have very nice tits and nipples. As tall as you are, they would look better if they were larger. You would like larger tits, wouldn't you? They would be just as firm or firmer." "Yes," said both Irene and Sue, "we would be like to have larger tits." Their daughter's were some what shocked at the response. "I'm sure it can be arranged here at the resort as there are many unique services available. To go with the larger tits, your nipples would look more enticing if they were larger as well." "We would like that especially, if they were more sensitive." "Now each of you place a hand under your cunt to catch the balls as you let them out." Both Sue and Irene cupped their hand under their cunt. Then relaxing the muscles at the mouth of their cunt, the two balls along with a flood of cum filled their hand. "Now, put the balls in your mouth to clean them while you wipe the cum off your hands on your tits." The women lifted their hands dripping cunt cream to their lips. The women sucked the balls out of the pool of cunt cream in their hand along with some of the cream. The groups at the tables around them watched as Sue and Irene followed their instructions. Sam, Kelsey, and Karmen watched with open mouths as they their mothers wiped their cum covered hands on their tits. They felt no reason to object, but at the same time were amazed to see their mothers being so slutty. All three were surprised neither of the mothers objected to Eilene and Beth's instructions. "Now place the balls on the table." A woman stepped between Sue and Irene placing a hand on each of their ass cheeks. "Eilene and Beth, it is good to see you again," said the woman as she caressed Sue and Irene's asses. "Very interesting perfume your two sluts are wearing." "It is good to see you as well, Councilor," said Eilene and Beth together. "Are these the special trainees?" "Yes. We just reached the first milestone earlier this evening. The perfume you referred to is their cunt cream. They had just finished spreading it on their tits when you came up." "They both look very nice from behind." The woman turned to explore Sue's body. Sue stood there quietly as the Councilor groped and caressed her body. Her mind was in near open rebellion, as she felt the woman's hands explore her body. She felt no will to stop it, as her tits were squeezed. Her nipples were pinched, pulled, and twisted causing her to grimace from the discomfort. The Councilor's hand pressed between her legs to cup her still wet cunt. Sue shifted her feet to give the woman easier access. The Councilor then drew her fingers between Sue's wet cunt lips. When her fingers reached the mouth of Sue's cunt, she pressed two fingers through her cunt mouth to caress Sue's g-spot. Deep in Sue's mind, she felt embarrassed standing in front of all these people while this woman groped her. She felt humiliated as the woman's caressing of her tits and cunt were adding to her arousal. Her inner mind wanted her to protest but she couldn't find the will to speak or draw back. As the caressing continued her desire for the caresses to end became less and less. She could feel her cunt swell with arousal and moisten. Her cunt cream began drip from her cunt. "She responds very quickly to caresses." The Councilor lifted her wet fingers to her mouth to taste Sue's cunt cream. "Very tasty. Her cunt is already dripping, so she is apparently very responsive to the visual stimulation of the show. She should do well in the show tonight. I am looking forward to having the pleasure of her company in the lounge." While Sue stood there quietly enjoying the caresses, her inner self began to build a mental wall around her core. Her core screamed in horror, as she watched herself accept their direction without question. She was surprised that she felt pleasure when she accepted their direction. Why did she responded so quickly to directions from Eilene and Beth? It was as if they were now her mistresses. While her mind tried to understand what was happening, her body felt a growing need for more sexual pleasure, a strong need. Who is this woman they called Councilor? Sue thought to herself, Sam please follow my lead. Compliance is likely the only way we will survive this conditioning. Ah, yes that's it. They are conditioning us the be obsessed with sexual pleasure. I wonder why. To be sluts? Why? The woman Councilor turned to Irene and examined her the same way she had Sue before turning back to Eilene and Beth. "Yes. These two will be very good additions to the lounge and play pen, even with the restrictions the Grand Master has placed on us using them. Both have very tasty cunts, so they should be quite popular." "Are the three young bitches as nice?" said the woman. Both Sue and Irene minds cringed at hearing their daughters referred to as bitches. Sue thought, so they want all five of us to be sluts. Why? "Yes. The five almost look like sisters." "Tell them to stand and strip. Sluts should always be naked and wet, ready to provide pleasure to those they serve." Eilene had each in turn stand and remove their dress. Sam, Kelsey and Karmen all blushed when they stood in front of the group in just their collars, stockings and heels. "You are right. Even with the restrictions the Grand Master has decreed, these bitches will be a pleasure to use in the lounge. What are the Grand Master's instructions?" "Generally; a larger bust; lengthened nipples; lengthened tongue with a tongue stud; clit bar with a hood ring; lengthened clit; lengthened labia; a permanently arched foot; heavily lactating. Their nipples and labia are to be more sensitive along with increased cunt cream flow." "Excellent. As tall and broad shoulder as they are, they could easily carry an H cup without any problem. As for the piercing, I would really like to be there for that. Once the changes are complete, they will be very popular in the lounge while they are being trained. If the Grand Masters plans don't work, maybe he will let me buy them rather than selling them at auction. They would bring an excellent price, even now. However, if I took them, I could only keep them at the ranch as they are to well known." Sue and Irene shivered slightly at hearing the comments. Both now realized deep in their minds, they were in the hands of the people James and Clarence were seeking to find. Both women now understood they would need to comply with their instructions if they were to have any chance of surviving intact. Hopefully they could until there was an opportunity to gain their freedom. At the same time they realized, cooperation and compliance was necessary to survive. By the expressions they saw in their daughter's eyes, they sensed they would follow their lead. The woman caressed Sue and Irene's ass cheeks. "Well I need to get back to my table." "Just a moment, Councilor," said Beth. "Irene, kneel and kiss the Councilor's clit." Irene moved so she was in front of the Councilor then knelt. Her friends watched as she cupped the Councilor's ass with her hands as she pressed her open mouth over the woman's cunt. She caressed the Councilor's clit with her tongue. Irene then moved her head down slightly to place her tongue at the bottom of Councilor's slit. She then slowly slid her tongue the length of the Councilor's cunt furrow letting her cream flow into her mouth. The Councilor anticipating Irene's intent placed her hands on each side of Irene's head, stopping her movement when Irene's tongue reached her cunt mouth. Pressing her cunt mouth against Irene's mouth, the Councilor's relaxed her cunt mouth to let her cum and cunt cream flow into Irene's mouth. The Councilor patted her head, just before Beth told Irene could stand again. "With a longer tongue," said the Councilor to Irene, "you will be better equipped to tongue fuck me and suck out my cum." As the Councilor walked off, a hostess placed two small and two large dildos on the table along with a small bowl of gel. "Kelsey, Karmen, each take a small dildo, and cover it with the gel," said Eilene. They watched as the two did as told. "Okay now push them into Sue and Irene's ass." The two women hesitated then moved to stand behind Sue and Irene. Sue and Irene shivered as the felt the dildos touch their ass. They bent forward and pulled their cheeks to the side assisting Kelsey and Karmen. The women pushed the dildos all the way in until only the wire leads could be seen. Those sitting around the group watched intently as the women followed the instructions. "Karmen, Kelsey, now cover a large dildo with gel then press it all the way into their cunt. Place the end so the curved portion so it presses against their clit." Sue and Irene had to squat slightly and spread their legs so the large dildo could be inserted. Their labia bulged around the dildo as they stood with the wire leads hanging between their legs. The curved end pressed tight against their clit as it pushed the clit hood up. As soon as the didlos were in place, Eilene told them to take their seats. Irene and Sue were surprised to feel a padded ridge press up between their legs and ass cheeks before their legs rested on the seat. A short chain was clipped to their collars, then to the back of the chair, keeping them seated. The hostess pressed a circular sticky pad with an open center over the front of their tits leaving their nipples exposed. She placed clamps on their nipples, before she began to connect all the wire leads to the ElectroStim controller. The look on Sue and Irene's face became more and more apprehensive as they watched the wires being connected to the chair. Neither was sure what was in store for them. They recognized the ElectroStim controller as being similar to the one in the gym. As their apprehension grew, their inner mind withdrew, closing off all their earlier thoughts of concern, as they became more focused on that around them and the sensations they felt. Sam, Kelsey, and Karmen had watched their mothers with growing apprehension. Both Kelsey and Karmen were surprised how quickly they responded to Eilene's direction to insert the dildos in Sue and Irene. It eased their concern when their mothers helped them and by how they saw them respond to each of Eilene's instructions. Their apprehension still grew as they watched the wires being attached to the chair. "Eilene," said Sam with a panicky note in her voice, "what are they doing?" Eilene glanced at the three girls and saw the apprehension on their faces. Eilene responded with, "each of the contacts will stimulate their body. As the next show progresses, it will give them a level of arousal and sexual euphoria greater than they have ever experienced. This is the only way to reach this level of arousal and pleasure. Relax Sam, they will enjoy it." Just then the hostess energized the controller. Both Sue and Irene jerked then moaned as their body began to rhythmically twitch as the hostess tested each stimulation point. The ElectroStim device was adjusted so that the maximum stimulation at each contact point was just below the pain threshold as judged by each woman's response. The hostess had just finished Sue and Irene's preparations as the lights dimmed for next performance. With the opening scene, Kelsey, Karmen, Sam, Beth and Eilene, began to manipulate the chair's dildos so it slowly slid between their wet cunt lips. After several strokes between their cunt lips, the automatic control on the dildo angled it up slightly so it pressed deep into their slit, spreading their cunt lips. As it slid forward, it vibrated slightly causing the women to moan when it passed over their clit. After several passes, the dildos were dripping cunt cream into the cup. The mechanism sensing how wet the women's cunts were, then rotated the dildo slightly so it slid through the mouth of their cunts on the next pass. Their attention was so focused on the stage they hardly noticed the change. Once the dildos were deep in their cunts, it swelled until their cunt mouth was tight against its textured surface. Then began to fuck them, each thrust was angled such that it rubbed their g-spot. The soft brush on the side of the dildo rubbed across their clit on each stroke. Sam, Kelsey and Karmen were quickly taken to a level of sexual bliss just shy of a major orgasm. It would hold them there until the show was nearly over before letting them experience their orgasm. While the dildos, fucked Sam, Kelsey and Karmen, Sue and Irene bodies were continuously stimulated by their many connections to the ElectroStim device as they watched the show. The intensity of the stimulation was linked to vary with the strength of interaction between the performers on stage. Their arousal was taken to a very high level and held there. A level much higher than their daughters were experiencing. Their intense sexual excitement had them sweating and panting heavily. Their skin was flush. The two women were constantly squirming around in response to the electrical stimulation and the vibrations of the ridge pressed up against their ass and cunt. The women's stimulation held at an intense pleasure plateau all through the show permitting the drugs to begin sensitizing their pleasure receptors. This initial sensitization was critical to creating the biological changes necessary for the addictive process to begin. The intense euphoria triggered the brain to begin increasing the number of pleasure receptors. As the new receptors were made, the drug would modify them to be more sensitive and responsive. All this was intended to be another step in addicting them to the pleasure euphoria they felt just before and during orgasm. When the performers began their last orgasm, Sue and Irene let out a long loud moan as the ElectroStim unit sent their bodies into a series of convulsive orgasms. When the group on stage orgasmed, the artificial cocks in the three trainee's cunts sprayed them with hot cream. Their cunt spasms caused each to grasp the cock tightly with their cunts. They rocked their bodies on the cock as their orgasms repeatedly washed over them. As the performers on stage made their way back to their tables, a hostess went to each of the young women and moved the cup from under their cunt as the dildo slid out. The mixed cunt cream and artificial cum flowed into the cup under their cunt filling it to the brim. Meanwhile, they all sat holding hands or caressing each other enjoying the aftermath of their orgasms. Once the cunt juice stopped flowing from their cunts, a hostess lifted the cup to the trainees lips, saying, "Drink this." Eilene and Beth picked up the cup of their cum. The three young women, Beth and Eilene, quickly drank the mixed cum as Sue and Irene looked on still recovering from their orgasm. They felt a pleasant glow fill them shortly after drinking the cum. The pleasure they had just felt was the only thing on their minds. They no longer gave a second thought about those around them, as they only thought of the wonderful euphoria they just felt. Even though they had just felt a major orgasm, they felt an unsatisfied craving for more sex so they could feel the pleasure again. Eilene and Beth enjoyed the stimulation as they watched the show and their own orgasms. They had kept an eye on the of the women and they were very pleased. Each woman now showed no inclination to resisting their instructions. "Sam, Kelsey, Karmen, help your mothers remove the ElectroStim devices." As she rose, the others rose with her. The girls quickly went to help Irene and Sue remove the ElectroStim devices. Their mothers were so weak they had to help them stand. "Come with me ladies," said Eilene walking toward the stage. Sue, Irene, along with their daughters followed Eilene on stage. They were still aroused and anxious to satisfy the growing sexual need they felt within their bodies. When they stepped on stage, Eilene and Beth began to direct their activities as they prepared for their performance in the shows next segment. Each of the five women had now experienced an exceptional intense level of sexual euphoria alone. Eilene was now anxious have them share that same level of sexual pleasure with each other. Beth and Eilene actively directed the performers to start this segment. They had Sue and Irene embrace and then make love to each other. Sam and Karmen following Beth's directions bound and suspended Kelsey before they began caressing her with their fingers or a violet wand. The whole time Irene and Sue were engrossed in each other, Kelsey was kept on the edge of orgasming. When Irene and Sue's orgasm crested, Karmen and Sam intensified their stimulation of Kelsey, triggering her orgasm. Over the rest of the show, Eilene mixed the couplings so each of them experienced an extended super arousal with each other. Several times Eilene or Beth wore a dildo to fuck one while the one she fucked, sucked on another's cunt. This was more to keep their arousal in check than anything else. The women's enthusiasm was a clear indication they were enjoying the sexual interplay immensely. This made Eilene and Beth's task easier as they required only a little direction. Eilene was pleased as they brought this segment of the show to an end. The five women's addiction to sexual pleasure appeared to be growing. She felt the five women were much more attached to each other in a sexual sense. She watched them as they constantly touched each other. She knew that every touch caress or spoken word increased their desire, along with an unquenchable thirst for cum from any source. The women's experiences were imprinting them with how to satisfy their needs for pleasure. Doing the imprinting together would make especially responsive to each other. They didn't realize it yet but they would now do anything for each other so they could again feel the pleasure euphoria. She remembered when she had first experienced what they were now experiencing. Even after all these years, the memory still caused her cunt to moisten. After a few minutes Beth told them it was time to leave. As they stood, she handed each their leashes and told them to attach it to their collars. When they finished connecting their leashes letting them hang between their tits, the audience began to applaud. The women bowed several times as the applause continued several minutes. Eilene asked for their leashes. She took each as they were handed to her then led them to the back of the stage. They followed her dressed only in their collars, heels, and cum soaked stockings. Their bodies were covered with cum and sweat from their activities on stage. Eilene led them outside and down a walk to a distant building. The direction was away from the portion of the resort where they had been staying. The five women either held hands or caressed each other as they walked behind Eilene. All of them were thinking what a nice ass Eilene had as they watched her ass swing with each step. On reaching the building, Beth opened the door and followed them inside. Eilene turned to the women and released their leashes. "The resort has moved us to this suite. It has enough room for all of us. We have this suite until we leave. It has a huge patio with our own large pool out back. The enhancements you requested for your bodies will begin tomorrow. Once the enhancements are complete, the resort management wants us to assist in their private lounge or play pen some evenings. There we will be companions to or entertain some of their special guests. All of you would like that. Right?" "Yes, Eilene," responded Sue, Irene, Sam, Kelsey and Karmen. "This is very nice," continued Sam. "You must really rate with them." "I will tell them you accepted are very happy with the new arrangements. Now, Sue and Irene kneel." Both quickly knelt. Beth and Eilene stepped in front of them. "Now suck the cum from our cunts, then lick the lips clean." The girls stood and watched as Irene and Sue did as they were told. Their cunts moistened as they watched their mothers lick their friend's cunts. When they were finished, Eilene said, "Now go shower, and then get some rest. Beth and I need to see the manager for a few moments." Together the five women explored their new quarters after Eilene and Beth left. They were quite pleased with the spaciousness of the rooms. As they checked out the suite, they found the bedroom contained only one very large bed. As they surveyed the suite, they had been either touching each other or holding hands. In the next room, they saw several low tables, stools and stands. All had rings or straps attached to them. Along one wall was a cabinet filled with a large selection of dildos, vibrators, clamps, ring gags, jaw spreaders, nipple clamps, and other devices along with a large quantity of thick rope. Some of the devices, they did not recognize. The next room was set up like a clinic. In it, there were five chairs that looked like a cross between a lounger and a doctor's exam table. The chairs all faced a large flat screen TV. Another large room was apparently considered the living room as it had a couch and several chairs. A long narrow table sat between the couch and TV. "This is going to be nice," said Sue. "All of the rooms seem so bright and well lit. There are virtually no shadows any place in the rooms we've seen." The last room was a bathroom and shower area. When they saw the shower area, they remembered Eilene's instruction. The bathroom / shower room large enough to easily accommodate all of them at one time. Kelsey asked what the low bowls with fountains were. Sue quickly showed her how the bidets worked by demonstrating it after she removed her stockings and shoes. When Sue stood up, she groaned as her feet hurt until she rose up on her toes. The others had the same experience. It was difficult to stand on the balls of their feet, but the pain was intense if they put their heel down. Kelsey noticed some high heels next to the shower door that were all plastic. "I don't know about the rest of you but I'm going to wear these in the shower," said Kelsey. As soon as she stood in the shoes, she sighed. "These feel much better." The others followed her lead and put on the plastic high heel shoes. Together they went into the shower. Eilene and Beth entered the showers, just as Sam, Sue, Irene, Kelsey and Karmen were finishing up. They had assisted each other in washing but also took time to caress each other. They found a considerable amount of pleasure and comfort with their caresses of each other. With the arrival of Eilene and Beth, they turned their attention to them helping them wash. They broke into two groups when they exited the shower as several would focus on one to dry her body and hair. The interplay had them all somewhat aroused by the time everyone was dry. "Sluts," said Eilene, "after breakfast tomorrow we will begin your enhancements. While the changes take place, you will spend most of your time in a chair, except for exercising." "Yes, Eilene," said the five women. When Sam woke the next morning she found herself spooned between Kelsey and Karmen. She could feel Karmen's nipples pressing into her back as Karmen's hands cupped her tits as they pressed against Kelsey's back. Sam's hands were cupping Kelsey's tits as her fingers caressed her hard nipples. Sam moved her lips to Kelsey's neck and softly kissed her. Feeling the movement, Karmen pulled back some to roll Sam on her back. As Sam lay back, Kelsey turned to face her. With no words between them, they began to caress and kiss each other. Their hands explored each others bodies paying special attention to the spots that increased their arousal. They took turns sucking on each others nipples. Sam cupped her friends cunts, then began sliding her fingers between their wet lips. Each stroke lightly touched their clit. While she fingered their cunts, they each began to caress Sam nipples with their mouths. They alternatively nibbled on her nipples with their teeth then drew the nipple deep in their mouth as they lashed it with their tongue. Sam turned her hands so she could slide two fingers into her two friend's cunts. She hooked her fingers so she could caress the g-spot with her fingers while her palm pressed against their clits. When Karmen and Kelsy felt Sam's fingers enter their cunts, they began to caress Sam's cunt. Kelsey caressed Sam's clit hood and clit, while Karmen began to fuck Sam with two fingers. The three women were breathing heavily as their arousal rose. Sam flexed her hips to press her friend's fingers further into her cunt. Kelsey and Karmen shifted their hips trapping Sam's hands between her hips and their cunt, so they could increase the sensations created by Sam's fingers. Soon Sam screamed as she came, squirting cum on the girls hands and legs. Feeling Sam cum, triggered Kelsey and Karmen's orgasms, they flexed their hips pushing hard against Sam's hips as they came. They lay together for a long time enjoying the aftermath of their orgasm. Sam opened her eyes to see Irene and Sue watching them. "Did we wake you?" asked Sam. "No, we were awake cuddling when you three started. Did you enjoy that?" "Mom, it was wonderful. The sensations I feel when caressing or being caressed are greater than I ever imagined. It looks like you enjoyed it as well." Kelsey and Karmen had looked at their mother and Sue while Sam was talking. "Yea," said Karmen, "they enjoyed it look at their nipples." Sue and Irene looked down to see their nipples swollen with arousal. "Sluts, you need to eat breakfast, now," said Beth, "you meed to be in the chairs and prepared, before the technicians arrive." After breakfast, Sam, Kelsey and Karmen watched apprehensively as Eilene and Beth placed their mothers in the odd chairs. When the women lay back in the chairs, their ass was at the front edge of the seat prompting them to place their legs on the two supports. Straps were placed over the women's legs and arms, then a strap was placed over each shoulder holding them against the chair. The sides of the headrest folded up to keep them from turning their head and was held in position by a strap across their forehead. At first Sue and Irene felt trapped and isolated until they looked up and realized the mirrors over them gave them a view of the room. They watched as their daughters were placed in chairs similar to theirs. Eilene and Beth, stood beside Sue's head and told her to open her mouth. When she did, Eilene slid the modified jaw spreader between her teeth. Then Eilene and Beth secured it to the headrest holding her head still. Beth told her to stick out her tongue and hold it still. Eilene slipped a clamp over its tip and tightened it pinching her tongue causing her eyes to tear. Beth then tensioned the clamp so it pulled steadily on her tongue as Eilene set up a sprayer that would keep her tongue moist. Beth then set the timer to control the tension level on Sue's tongue. Eilene and Beth had all the women in their chairs and fitted with the tongue stretcher by the time the technicians arrived. The couple looked pleased when they entered. The woman technician immediately began to check the five women while the man began to get equipment out of the cabinet. Beth said, "What are your treatment instructions?" Eilene and Beth read over the list the woman technician had handed her. "There are several parameters here that are different than those the Grand Master gave us. This is the list he gave us." "The Grand Master gave you these instructions?" said the woman technician with concern in her voice as she showed the original list. "When we saw our list of instructions, we saw that several were outside the limits of what we are allowed. So we changed them to be at the limit." Eilene and Beth just stared at the woman. "We will change them back to the original values. The size of the requested tit enlargement along with the change in nipple shape needs to be done in two steps." Eilene started to speak. "We can come back in three days to do the second step. Otherwise, the results will likely be unsatisfactory for which we would surely be punished." "The other thing we were told was that their outer cunt lips were to be very large and meaty with the minor lips always showing. The clit was to be visible above its hood so the hood ring would always rub it as the sluts move." "Since we are coming back, we would prefer to do that in two steps as well. The result is more controlled, and we can make sure their sensitivity is as desired." "Okay. We accept your recommendations. If you are not correct, the Grand Master will most likely take all of us to the dungeon hopefully only for punishment." She shivered as she said it. "Yes. I have heard the stories, which is why we want to do some of their body alterations in two steps." After the technicians had finished the treatments, the woman technician said, "We have a newer treatment for lengthening the tongue. The way you are doing it will achieve the effect but they will loose some feeling and control." Beth and Eilene looked at each other and nodded. "Do it, as we can't see a downside." "Okay." Eilene and Beth watched the woman make the set of injections into each of the womens tongues. The women's eyes teared as their tongues were stuck with the needles. "With a lengthened tongue, we usually pull the front teeth. We can do it the next time, otherwise it will be difficult for them to eat and talk." "I asked the Grand Master when I saw how long he wanted their tongues to be. He said it maybe done later. For now, he wanted it to be awkward for them. I think he really wanted to force them into asking to remove their front teeth." "Oh, they will find either way awkward. We find it interesting that some have difficulty talking with the longer tongue and others do not. Now, we are done for today," said the woman technician. "For best results, the patients need to stay in the chairs until three days after the second injection. Feed them the cream mush, as they can swallow that without fully using their tongue. We released the tensioning on their tongue as with the new treatment, their tongue only needs to be held fully extended. Keep the chairs in the upright position. Or, you can turn them so they are hanging face down. Some can not handle that position, but it will help their tits fill out as he wanted." "What about exercises? We were told to exercise them 4 hours a day." "Wait until after they are out of the chairs, then begin the exercises. When they begin exercising, push them to lift weight so they exercise their chest and shoulder muscles." "Okay. We planned on using the ElectroStim unit with the exercises." Eilene and Beth watched as the technicians put away their items and left. They checked each of the women and then turned on the TV. On the screen began a film showing two women wearing a long thin summer dress and high heels walking into an office as the first erotic video of the day began. This would be their entertainment until they were out of the chairs. Even after that videos with a sexual theme would play nearly all the time. The videos were chosen so they saw the full range of sexual encounters. They would use much of what they saw as they acted in the films Eilene and Beth had planned for them. Beth and Eilene thought about the instructions they had received as they watched the women view the film. For them to succeed with these conversions, they needed to be careful as they led the women into this unique kind of addiction. In many respects, it was a fundamental change to their personality. The Grand Master's wanted the women's susceptibility to pleasure addiction taken to the point where it was almost irreversible. They had to have the women ready by the time of decision for the two men arrived. Then, if the women stayed at the resort, their addiction to sexual euphoria would be made nearly irreversible after a week or two in the Councilor's playpen as a living, breathing sex toy. Life in the lounge or playpen area would be sexually and erotically intense, as they would be available at any time to any Councilor or their guest. ------- It was three weeks after the charter flight had been declared missing and the searches called off when a group gathered in a city park in Washington. The group of two women and three men looked like typical office workers as all were dressed in business suites. This park was unusual in that it was open, noisy but had no buildings that overlooked the grounds. As a result, it was seldom used. Four cloaked bots watched the group gather as their drone recorded the gathering. It was the first time this group had met since the bots had been shadowing them. The bots moved close and spaced themselves around the group so they could clearly hear the conversation but far enough away so they avoided inadvertent contact. While they listened, they watched approaches to the group. "A very nice location, sir," said a man. "Yes, there is sufficient noise so long range microphones are ineffective. Plus there aren't any buildings that overlook the park. Even so, remember no names. No titles." "What is the status on restoring our supply of new sluts?" asked the woman from the senators office with an irritated tone. "A group has been established to begin harvesting women for our needs in the East European countries in the next week or two. Afghanistan will not be supplying any sluts for a long while, if ever," said the man the bots had not seen before. "The last shipment arrived three weeks ago at the processing site. They did not fit our requests, but they were suitable, actually turned out to be quite suitable. Surprisingly all of them were mute. Chuck has disappeared and along with him our contacts there. All of the data he had is now in the hands of the intelligence department where he worked. As a result, we have severed ties with anyone he might have had contact with." "On another note some idiots tried to blow up the MAC flight that brought the TTC team along with the rescued captives back to the states. If I find out who, we have opening in the special dungeon for them. They will suffer." "Could the terrorist network have tried?" "Yes, but not likely. It was a little more scripted than they have shown the ability to do?" "Any idea who it was?" "We have some leads, but it will take time. An inside job is a possibility." "What about college student recruiting?" "That source will yield us the required number of new sluts just in time for the semi-annual gathering and auction. Because the training and conditioning has been accelerated, they will not be up to our usual standards. We are expecting the auction prices to be down based due to quality. The new resort is now operating in a year round mode and accepting a limited number of special guests. To fill any shortages we will include in the auction some of the new East European stock. These will be offered as untrained, which in the past has yielded surprisingly good interest from the S&M clubs and private bidders. In a few cases, the buyers have paid us to train them after modifying them to meet their tastes." "We may want to consider backing off on the college students in favor of the Eastern Europe source as their disappearance will be easier to cover. A check of the database for students that we know were harvested, still shows their data. That is a major problem, so either we need to change the way they disappear or find another source." "Sluts with missing fingers are of no use to us in western counties." said the other woman. "None of the customers want to use them, much less buy them. I think your suggestion has considerable merit. It is strange that the sluts with no hands are in more demand than those with missing fingers." "We know. The mutilation of the hands also seems to be unique to that source. Actually there are several countries, where that style of mutilation is used with difficult slaves or wives." "Have the five special sluts, started their training?" asked the manager from the EOUSA office. "Yes. We brought two of our college recruiters to the private portion of the resort to handle the training. These two are overseeing the conversion of the women and their video performances. The five women have been treated with a new drug combination to make them pliable so they can molded into being obsessed with sex. They now readily accept instructions from their coaches. Their physical changes have progressed to the point where they will begin begin experiencing a steady diet of sexual activity. Their diet of sex will let them experience many of the things they saw in the indoctrination videos. After a week of that, they will begin participating in sex films and soon after will be available in the play pen to a limited extent. I have seen the scripts and the coaches have done a great job with them. They will probably be some of the best sex videos on the market." "So the master really thinks, we will be able to use them as blackmail against those who wish to expose our operation," said the woman from the senator's office. "He thinks the blackmailing is the cleanest way to avoid someone else picking up their interest in those two events. Once that is done and forgotten, accidents do happen." "Doesn't the submissive drug kill their personality? Others I have seen treated with the drug were little more than a live dildo or fuck toy." "This treatment regime is different in that the drug attenuates the women's pleasure sensors in the brain and indirectly the body. Over a short time of continuously elevated arousal, they will become focused on sexual pleasure. It is similar to a narcotic addition. As their addiction progresses, the sexual stimulation areas on their body increase in sensitivity. With those two enhancements, it is but a short step to making sexual pleasure into an obsession. Besides we need to terminate this investigation quickly before they stumble on to something else. This is the quickest way to create a bargaining chip. As for the sluts, if the blackmail plan doesn't work, they will most likely be first moved to the Councilor's private lounge and play pen. There, the final part of their treatment would be done to addict them irreversibly to sexual euphoria. This final step should take about two additional weeks at the most. Once interest in the women declines, there are several options. They appear to have the appropriate attributes to be breeders on one of the farms. Selling them is an option, and perhaps a dangerous one. We definitely will make a lot of money from the women's films." "I agree," said a woman. "I was at the resort the night they performed. It was clever of the two coaches to take them to the show and then into our portion of the resort. I enjoyed using several of them during intermission. The coaches fitted the two older ones with the ElectroStim device linked to the shows performers. The two bitches really came drawing attention away from the stage. The group performed reasonably well for being new untrained sluts. I could use them at my farm." "What kind of activities had you planned for them besides the films?" asked one of the men. "The only exclusion was anything that would leave a mark. In nearly all cases, several of them will be in each film. The filming will be done during the day. Then several days a week, they will be available for several hours for the Councilor's to use. The Grand Master has restricted their availability there for now. Plans are to start them out as live bound statues in the lounge area." "I'll have to make sure I get there while they are being trained," said one man with others nodding in agreement. "That takes care of one part, what of the other four," said a woman. "They will be taken near the time the two are to be given the choice of cooperating. After some interrogation and abuse in the dungeon, the four will become mute, handless sluts, after which the two men will be castrated by their two women friends. Once the amputations have healed and the body modifications are complete, the two men will be programmed to serve their woman friends as servants. The women will be conditioned so they are compulsive sluts willing to do anything." "The Grand Master plans on giving the two targets the choice of cooperating after they see a portion of the journalist bodies altered. For cooperating, they will get to go home with their now slutty women. If not the two will watch the women be used in the lounge for unlimited sex on the way completing their addiction. After watching their families in the lounge being used by the Councilor's and guests, they will be taken to a special dungeon. There they will be available for general use and with no restrictions as long as they die slowly." "The four disappearing could cause some problems." "We don't think so. None of the four have any close family. They will appear to have gone on vacation when we pick them up." "What could cause us problems are these two families disappearing," said a man from EOUSA office. "The ramifications of that are hard to predict. An accident could be a much better choice." "I will convey your thoughts to the master. An accident is still an option. If it comes to that, the films will still trash their reputations which should taint any further investigation. Sir," turning to the man from the EOUSA office, "the Grand Master wants you to take a special role in this. You will receive your instructions when everything is ready." "Okay." The group broke up and went back to their offices. One bot followed the unknown man until he entered a secure apartment building. ------- On Dóchas, Shannon, Danny, Muireann, Jason and Evelyn were at their consoles reviewing data when the Intelligence department AI said, "The four we are monitoring in Washington have met with another man in a park." The group reviewed the data from the meeting in the park. Some of the comments in terms of numbers and activity seemed to match MacFarland, O'Toole along with their families and the journalist. They had the drone again verify Sue, Irene, Kelsey, Karmen and Sam were at the resort. The drone confirmed that the tracking devices the women were wearing showed them to be within the resort complex. Next they queried the decoys at the homes to see if James and Clarence had received e-mails or talked to their families. The decoys told them they received an e-mail about every other day, but they had not talked to them since right after they arrived at the resort. Sue had told James in an e-mail that her new cell phone had quit working, which was why she hadn't called. The Intelligence departments monitoring showed the e-mails were going through the anonymous account they had set up before leaving. All the data indicated, James and Clarence's families were at the resort as planned. The only thing lacking in the data was either a visual or a voice contact with any of the five women. The comments regarding Afghanistan agreed quite well with what had happened to the slavers. Mention of a new supply of sluts from Europe worried them as did the comment about them taking more college students. They added a bot and drone to watch the apartment building where the unknown man went after the meeting. ------- Chapter 79 Adam, Todd, Sal, Leo and Kurt quickly fit into their new home. They along with some of their spouses from each clan began to work with the already established security teams. A few of their other former TTC team who were on the plane with them also joined the security teams. While the others quickly found other ways to make a contributions as well as find companions. Adam and Todd were a bit surprised as they suddenly found themselves directing the security team's exercises and situation planning. They were concerned about whether they were pushing to hard. Their spouses assured them they were doing fine. Both Adam and Todd sensed they were overlooking something but couldn't quite put their finger on it. Sally and Terry joined them in one of their training exercises. Once it was complete, Sally told the group that they needed to work on their martial arts skills. Several looked puzzled and wondered why, because their tactical suit gave them everything they thought they needed. Both noticed the expressions and lack of enthusiasm. "Well it looks like, my duty today is as myth buster!" said Sally. "First myth, your tactical suit is an aid to your actions, not to cover your weaknesses. Yes it has a lot of attributes but so does your body. Both need to work together, for you to always be successful." Adam, Todd and several other TTC members looked puzzled as they had been showing what they had learned from their TTC training and experiences. "All of you are taking the easy way. Verbal communication will not always work. Radios don't always work. Hand signs don't always work. All of you are telepathic and some have psionic abilities. Some are very good in other skills. ALL of you must use ALL of your abilities. They must be used as a team." "Why martial arts? Because the art, I have partially mastered, encourages you to know your self. Your strengths. Your weaknesses. We will meet for two to three hours twice a week on our Pacific island at sunrise." "Now," said Terry, "let's clear up a few other possible issues. You should consider dividing yourselves into smaller sub teams. Each sub team should have a full selection of strengths. I presume everyone has had or has started the genetic virus treatments to become a member of this species." She paused. "Hmm ... I sense not everyone has. See the medical staff today." "Why?" said Sally. She looked around the group making eye contact. "It is critical for your survival. Without access to the additional attributes, you will put everyone around you at risk besides yourself. This is one of the sections where belonging to this species is an absolute must." "Why, the lecture?" said Adam growing a bit irritated. "Briana, Cass, can you tell him why?" "I think there are two prime reasons," said Briana. "I'm sad to admit, I didn't see it and believe I should have. First, we have virtually no team bond or mind-link. We have it with our spouses on the team, but none of us have it between all the team. Second, if we consider us as two groups each of us in awe of the other group. Yes former TTC members we are in awe of you as you are of us." "Good. The mind-link you form with your security team members is different than what you have with your spouses. It does have some of the same elements. Simply put, one key element for you to be successful is that you need to be able to sense what your team members are sensing. You need to see what your team members are seeing. These abilities are only available through the mind-link. Do you now see what I am getting at?" They all nodded their heads. "What does this do for you? Once you have jelled as a team, we suspect you find that each of you are a facet of the team. Being such, anyone of you can lead the team as circumstances dictate. By lead, someone always needs to be on point." Terry smiled. "The Pacific island is not being used very much, so it would be an ideal place for you to do your exercises. Several here have already experienced the island. Adam, Todd, Sal, Leo and Kurt you should include all of your clans for at least the initial part of the exercises. Your clan mentors would be very happy to be your coaches on this exercise. Several of them are warriors." "We need to go now," said Sally. "Sally, Terry," said Cathan, "thanks. I think all of us needed to hear what you said. Could Judy and Gail join us after lunch so we can make sure of our physical and telepathic status? As I suspect all of us have received the genetic virus treatments, but may be suffering from beginners uncertainty on how to use the new abilities or access them." "Good point," said Sally as she paused for a moment. "Both will be with you after lunch. And let me know when you want to start Aikido instruction." "Yes, master," said Adam as he gave Sally a formal bow. Several smiled as they saw him give a traditional acknowledgment. Sally returned the bow before leaving with Terry. Together they felt the security teams would begin growing toward their potential now. ------- Madeline and Ursula met Adam and Todd as they arrived for lunch. Adam knew something was up by the way the intense way the two were approaching. "Good, we've found you two," exclaimed Ursula. "We have had calls and e-mails today from members of the group who came back from Afghanistan with you," said Madeline. "One call was from Pat O'Brien and Kaelee, they want to come visit. They suggested as soon as was convenient. There was a similar message in an e-mail from Kara and Melissa. We have had calls from a Eryn, Laurin and Melanie using the code word for the Afghanistan captives." Adam and Todd along with their spouses smiled as they heard the news. "So what's the problem?" asked Adam baiting them a bit. Madeline glared at him while smiling with her eyes. "None really." Pause. "We thought it might be wise to decide who was going to greet them and be their point of contact. Tentative arrangements are made for Pat O'Brien and Kaelee to be picked up in three days. The others we were thinking of scheduling for next week. It looks like it will take two trips." "I'm hungry," said Todd. "Let's work out the details over lunch." The six clans sat down together after selecting their lunch from the buffet. Together they decided to ask Nancy and her clan to be the leads in greeting the guests on arrival as they knew them from before. Then they would have LeAnn's, Siobhan's and Maureen's clans assist with each group along with some of their clan member who weren't with the security teams. With this approach, they could continue with training exercises on the Pacific Island. As they were preparing to leave after lunch, Jan walked into the lunch room. "I hope I didn't miss lunch." "What happened? I thought you were right behind me until I got here," said Madeline. "I was, then saw the light blinking on the phone. As soon as, I answered one another call came." "What's up?" said Ursula with a worried look. "Well, it is like someone opened a gate. The calls were a continuation of this morning. They were from either O'Brien's old TTC unit or former captives. Adam who do I see about getting a shuttle to pick some of them up tomorrow." "Good question. I'm sure Star or Donna could tell us." "Star, how do we arrange a shuttle to pick up visitors?" "This works. You can also ask Donna or the Flight Operations AI. Jan, once you have the details send them to flight operations." "Okay." "Who is coming tomorrow?" said Briana. "Well there is Pat O'Brien, Kaelee, Kara with her daughters, Laurin, Collette, Eryn, Joe and Jeff as it stands right now. Joe and Jeff want to bring their girl friends. There were several others that based on what I sensed we should pickup tomorrow as well." "What do you mean by 'sensed'?" said Adam looking worried. "Just that, sensed. You know a feeling, the tenor in a voice, the way the conversation flows." "Based on that we need security teams on the shuttles." "That won't be necessary," said Janet. "We need all of you to proceed with your plans. We will cover this." Adam and Todd opened their mouths to object until they sensed their spouses tell them Janet was right. Adam and Todd looked at each other and nodded. Janet's comment, had triggered as sensation that they felt the security teams were going to be needed soon. Their understanding quickly spread through their spouses and surprisingly many of the team members. "Madeline, Ursula, Jan," said Janet, "it will be simplest if we can pick them up at a nearby airport. So, please ask each of them if they have transportation to the nearest airport. Once you put the information into our system, it will immediately give you a pick up time to tell them. One last caution, if any indicate they sense immediate danger while your talking to them, then press the alert button on your console or screen." "You sense a problem," said Ursula. "There is always that potential. General Walker had checked on them about two weeks ago and found that all were doing well. The inquires about coming here started abruptly today. You sensed some are anxious to come quickly. A possible indication of a problem. There is really not enough information to answer. So we will be aggressively cautious." "It could be that some are getting bored," said Todd. "It has been over six weeks since we left Afghanistan. The sudden transition is difficult sometimes unless you have something that demands your attention." "Agreed." "Janet, some of the individuals have families," said Adam. "How will we handle that?" "If someone wants to bring their immediate family, then we will show them the same video we used for crew recruiting before we bring them here. Immediate family could include a girlfriend. If it is the extended family, then it gets more complicated until our presence is generally known." "So, we have the outline of a response." "That's it." During the afternoon, GISS scheduled the pickups for the visitors. Pat and Kaelee were ecstatic when Madeline called back and asked if tomorrow would be too soon. They were scheduled as the first pickup followed by Kara, Melissa, Laurin, Eryn and Natalia. Right after they were on a shuttle, a second shuttle would pickup Melissa, Nicola, Collette, Joe and Jeff. Two more shuttle flights were scheduled for the following week. In each case, GISS gave them the rural Utah address to which they could have mail sent and suggested they use it. Each was given an e-mail address they could use while at Comrie. ------- At day break next morning the group going to the Pacific enclave met on the lawn at Comrie. It included all of Briana, Cathan, Edana, Darcy and Caoilinn clans along with the rest of the security team members. Two shuttles were waiting for them to board. "Listen up," said Briana. "I could do this telepathically a lot easier. We have asked all of the members of our clans to go with us. The primary reason is we sense it assist us with our learning. We have five coaches who will be with us as well. So board the shuttles and we will all meet there." The five clans watched as everyone but them boarded a shuttle. As soon as they did the doors closed and the shuttles departed. Briana looked at her clan, "Are we ready?" Just as they stepped together to form their circle, their coach, Brigit, joined them. As soon as each clans formed their circle, they disappeared from the lawn to reappear on the island in the Pacific. Together the five clans stood on the beach with their coaches enjoying the sounds around them. While they waited for the shuttles, each clan projected their shared vision around the island, looking at the areas they knew from their previous time here. Brigit said, "We need to share with you for a moment before the others arrive." As soon as she began to speak the clans brought themselves back from their exploring. "What you are endeavoring to do here this time is very much different than what we did the last time. I think all of you understand that, but saying it lays the cards on the table. Those on the shuttle will not have your knowledge of that event. So we suggest you let us lead the training session this time. Why? You need to approach your tactical situations differently. Not all civilizations reason the same way you do. If you engage them with the wrong analysis or view, you will likely lose." "On another topic, we think you made a wise decision to have only a portion of your clan be a part of the security team. There will be times when all of you will participate in a tactical situation. I think earthlings refer to this as calling in the reserves." Several chuckled at her comment. Just then the shuttles set down on the beach. The other team members were surprised to see the five clans already there. After a few moments of chatter, it became quiet as they all anticipated it was time. They turned toward the five coaches then moved into a semi circle in front of them. "Hello," said the five coaches together. "Our names are Brigit, Creidne, Deidre, Eithne, and Fidelma." As they spoke, a name that one raised their hand. "Some of you may have seen us around Comrie or on Dóchas. Let's be clear, we each have a special relationship with Briana, Cathan, Caoilinn, Darcy and Edana's clans but that is not why we are here." "We are here to assist you in learning to use all your abilities," said Creidne. "Along with this you will build and hone your team mind-link. Our goal is for you to be the O'Brien's team for our society and species. Fidelma and I have been in engagements many times. Some of those times, our only resource was our abilities. Our goal is to share our experiences and insights with you while assisting you develop your own abilities." "As soon as all of you are proficient in telepathic communication," said Brigit, "we will communicate exclusively that way. It is the only effective means when participating in an engagement." "Although it is not expected for all of Briana, Cathan, Caoilinn, Darcy and Edana clans to always function as a part of the security force," said Deidre. "They will be reserves as will the members of other clans in the security force." "Now let's split up into five groups," said Eithne. ------- After the meeting in the park was recorded by the bots, the Intelligence department tapped all of the phone lines in each office. An analysis of the phone lines did not give them any further information even though they knew from other sources some of the calls were made to key phone numbers. They found this puzzling and decided to place a drone in each of the offices. Once they placed the drones in the offices, they discovered that each office had a TCP/IP phone connection. Using the drones, they were able to identify the connection and quickly discovered it was uniquely encrypted. Knowing the packet signature they were able to verify the information was going to the 'flesh peddler' locations. It took them some time to decrypt to conversations. Even then the comments were so general they didn't find any firm clues. During the five weeks after the meeting in the park, the Intelligence department continued to gather data from the connections between known participants in the 'flesh peddler' operation. During that time, many more probable participants in the operation were identified along with their location. As they discovered each potential new participant, they added them to the list of people to monitor. Further tracking of the most active ones confirmed them as participants based on their actions. Shannon and Danny gathered the group together in the conference room. "All of you have seen the recent analysis," said Danny. "It definitely tells us that the 'flesh peddlers' are definitely training five women to be sluts. The implied location seems to be near or at a resort. Several decoded conversations indicate these women are going to be used as leverage to get the 'flesh peddler' investigation dropped. MacFarland's investigation is the only investigations this could refer to as we can't any find any reference to another similar investigation. The tracking devices on Sue, Sam, Irene, Kelsey, and Karmen show they are still at the resort they went to. Their pattern of movements has stayed fairly constant at the resort. E-mail correspondence indicates they are there as well." "Let's presume," said Shannon, "it is these five women. Does everything then add up? For them there is no one else that would provide that kind of leverage." "I looked back at the all data for the women at the resort," said Lydia. "There was a change in pattern some 5 weeks ago. No, it was more like a shift." "AI," said Muireann "can you show us a time lapse of the five women's movements from the time they arrived at the resort to now on a map of the resort." "Yes." They watched the dots dance around on the screen as it showed the women's movements at the resort. "It looks like they changed rooms several weeks ago," said Evelyn. "That would be about a week or so before the meeting in the park and not too long after they arrived at the resort. So, their location and the wording used in the park conversation now seems like a closer match." "AI," said Jason, "take the movements back to just before the location changed. Then show us the movements very slowly." "Why?" asked Muireann. "Something bothers me about what I saw." They watched the five dots move around the resort, then a sixth dot appeared at the resort. In only a short time, it became associated with the original five dots. "Who or what the fuck is the other dot?" After a few moments the AI said, "The sixth dot is Eilene. She is the woman who tried to recruit Joyce's friends from high school to work at a resort." "Son of a bitch," swore Jason. "That seals it. The reference to the five special sluts is Sue, Sam, Irene, Kelsey and Karmen." "Oh, my God," said Lydia, "we have fucked up big time." "How would they do that?" asked Evelyn. "Good analysis," said Sarah's clan startling the group as they entered the room. "How did you know? Don't get me wrong, we are glad your here." "Star, saw some of the data requests and then saw the AI's comment about Eilene. So here we are." "Evelyn," said Maeve, "to answer your question. If we use the freighter as the model they follow, then they would first alter the women to be very desirable sexually. Then follow that with conditioning so their whole focus is on sexual satisfaction and the pleasure derived from it. This can be enhanced with drugs to make them want to act as sluts willing to do anything to feel the euphoria of orgasm. With enough conditioning, the euphoria of orgasm can become addictive." "To make the leverage effective long term against James and Clarence, they would need something to use as an effective blackmail tool. This could be done by creating a film library of the five women appearing and willingly participating in sex videos. Most likely the video topics, would include incest, gang bangs, multiple partners, animals, bondage, and etc." "With the videos, they would have the power to destroy the reputations of the women. It could create a situation where sex abuse charges were made against Sue and Irene as the girls are technically minors. This would place the two men in a difficult position. Even if they rejected their wife and girl friend, they would still suffer the emotional loss and embarrassment of being associated to them. The fact that the daughters of both women are involved would greatly complicate the emotional interactions between the young women and James or Clarence. The turmoil would make it very difficult for them to concentrate on the 'flesh peddler' investigation because of the political pressure and personal distraction. If they were included in some films, then it would be all over for them. By releasing the tapes, they would loose everything slowly, jobs, friends, family." "From the conversation in the park," said Jason, "MacFarland's supervisor is to play a role in bringing James and Clarence to them." "How do we stop this?" said Shannon. "I suggest we don't," said Muireann. "What?" exclaimed many of her department while Danny and Shannon smiled as they anticipated the next part. "We let it play out, but we control the way it ends. We could end it now, but the key instigators will still be in positions of power. A slightly riskier path would be to wait until after they meet with James and Clarence. At a critical point we will pull everyone out of the resort who are being held there." "An interesting idea. First, we need to get some bots with supporting drones into the resort," said Maeve, "as we need to verify it is James and Clarence's families. Once we are sure it is them, then we need to determine their situation. We should be prepared to pull them out immediately if necessary." "If we follow Muireann's proposal," said Sarah, "then we some how need to bring James and Clarence in to this. They need to know the situation and should have some input into what is done." Everyone nodded their agreement. "How, do we do that?" said Shannon. "Let's sort out what the situation is first." "Until this is resolved," said Sally, "let's keep at least two security teams on alert. Adam and Todd should layout a rescue plan in the meantime. Our part of the rescue plan should be as clean as possible." "Presuming we will rescue the staff that are being held there, where would we take those we rescue? What would they do afterward?" "Good questions," said Sarah, "and good insight on future issues. As for a place to use, Judy and I can ask Frank if he has room to take in some. For our efforts at the resort, we need to alert the security teams on this operation." "What would you think of initiating the plan to show our presence here just before or at the same time the rescue takes place," said Rusty. "Doing this should give MacFarland some time prepare indictments of the 'flesh peddler' principals. Otherwise, I suspect he will be overrun with reporters and politicians." "Rusty, why not just afterward?" asked Muireann. "Say a day or two, that way there wouldn't be anything to detract from the twerps exposing themselves." "Sure, I like that." "I really wish we could give the twerps a sample of their own medicine," said Maeve. "I wonder how they would like a life of sexual slavery as a woman in an S&M club somewhere or even as a man." "There is the transgender virus, we used before," said Judy. "I think we all understand our urge for revenge and doing something along that line seems appropriate, considering their treatment of others. Looking at it another way, if it wasn't for the non-consenting restraint or enslavement along with their lack of respect for their charges well being, their actions could be acceptable to our culture." "Yes," said everyone. "But, aren't those exceptions the very reasons our society would send people like that on a long trip to a star in a metal tube." "Yes, it is," said Aine. "Changing their gender to women, only perpetuates the system and attitudes," said Maeve. "I don't believe we want to perpetuate the system. If organizations were compelled by their members to operate openly, would that assist them." "From our perspective," said Aoife, "isn't the ability to keep secrets or withhold information a key aspect to them being able to operate. For self preservation, there is sometimes a need to have secrets. However, if those involved with 'flesh peddlers' felt compelled to answer questions truthfully, would it have the desired effect." "You may have found the solution," said Aine. "The idea of us initiating their punishment would violate your prime directive. It also has many many ramifications, that many of you seem to sense. That is good. Everyone being truthful at one time could cause some social upheaval. If it started with the 'flesh peddlers' and spread to those they had intimate contact with then it maybe a solution especially if it was transferred from those enslaved. You need to think about this very carefully as it could have some ramifications we don't see. You do have the knowledge to create an agent to cause the change." "Thank you, Aine," said Sarah. "I think we have hit on part of a solution. It would be nice if this disease also caused the 'flesh peddlers' to have a painful aversion to non-consenting abuse." "My mentors are telling me they may have some guidance for us shortly." "We will wait then for that information." Security sent a pair of bots to the resort supported two more sophisticated drones. The two bots were teleported into the resort. With a new drone, carefully monitored each bot as they made their through the resort. One bot headed toward the location where they thought the women were staying. While the second bot went to check out their original rooms. The data they collected live from the bots was being relayed to Dóchas as received by the drones. While they waited for feedback from the bots at the resort, the Intelligence department, Security and the command staff began to outline their plan to achieve the result they desired. They had only been working a short while when the women's presence was in the new area was confirmed. It took them several hours to lay out a primary plan and then develop alternatives if the primary plan came unglued at any point. Once the bot had confirmed that it was Sue, Sam, Irene, Kelsey, Karmen and Eilene, she positioned herself in the suite so she could observe unobtrusively. From her position, she began evaluating the medical condition and mental state of the women. She was soon joined by the second bot. Although both bots were cloaked and could move freely about the complex, they wanted to avoid unintentional physical contact. The bots were now assigned to continuously shadow the five women and only interfere if they were about to be physically harmed. As the conference was breaking up, Sarah's clan could feel the dismay in the Intelligence department. "Look guys," said Sarah, "we need to focus on what happens tomorrow so we can straighten this out. When we decided to make the decoys available, we knew this was a risk. James and Clarence knew it was a risk without any comments from us. An earlier evaluation of the five women, showed they were quite resilient and level headed." "Once we have our new plan underway," said Sally, "we should go back over all the information we have from the time the paralegals went to work with James and Clarence. It is apparent we missed something, and I suspect it was only a brief comment or incident." "Wait," said Muireann, "it must be before they left for vacation at the resort. Remember they weren't followed from Grand View to the resort. We assumed it was because the decoy concept worked. Fuck, what suckers we are." Everyone looked shocked. "Yes, I swear sometimes. But, we fucked up by not sending a bot with them to the resort." "Don't beat yourself up," said Terry. "Let's be successful in getting the women safely out of there. Then we can determine what piece of information we missed." The group in the department nodded with sad expressions on their faces. All of them were still upset but resolved to correct the situation. "Excuse me," said Star, "the bots at the resort have reported the women are in good shape. Physically they have been given some treatments that has altered to their bodies. The treatments appear similar to those given on the freighter. Mentally, they appear to be in good shape. They all appear to be under the influence of a combination of drugs, which make them very accommodating to anyone. Our mental probing indicates, they have isolated their core personality and are letting their captors mold their active minds. We will probe them some more when they sleep. The activity since the bots have been there, is simply the women interacting with each other in virtually non stop sex." "Star, what do you mean by isolated their core personality?" said Judy. "First, we are working from the bots first impressions. In considering what was reported, it seems the women have two copies of themselves in their mind. One is active and the other is in storage or isolated. The active personality appears to be focusing strictly on day to day activities, nothing beyond that. The bots noticed the women seem to be very willing to comply with anything said to them by Eilene or a woman named Beth." "It almost sounds as if they have split their personality," said Judy. "You say all five are the same way." "Yes, that is the bots perception." "I wonder, if that is a side effect of the drug or drugs. Wait, what if that is the intent?" The group looked at her with a puzzled expression. "I don't know, if this is possible and there could be other explanations. Suppose the drug caused the mind to split into two personalities as a protection strategy. The victim rationalizes that by complying, they will have a chance to escape. We know this group likes to turn people into sex toys or sluts and they want them to have a personality. When a person cums, a lot of pleasure is felt both in the mind and body due to a release of some very potent chemistry. If a persons active mind could be addicted to the pleasure euphoria, then they could very likely forget the other personality or push it into long term memory. With constant sexual activity, their addiction would grow naturally until this was all they could think about. This would be a very good way to make a person into a compliant sex orientated object and still have most of their personality intact." "An interesting concept," said Alison. "Does that mean there is a cross over point or a point where it becomes irreversible?" "Likely a cross over point, but irreversible doesn't seem likely." Just then the dinner chime sounded. ------- Eilene and Beth went into the room where their trainees were asleep in the treatment chairs. They slipped taller heels on the women's feet and then began releasing the restraints. They were pleased with the way the women now looked, as except for the bust and nipples effects, the changes were complete. Releasing the straps woke each woman in turn. The women lay there waiting for an indication of what they were to do. "Sluts, you need to go take a shower then we will eat," said Beth. Eilene and her watched as the women slowly sat up on the chair and gently placed their feet on the floor. They were anxious to see how the women reacted to the change in their feet and the extra weight on their chests. When Sam sat up she felt the pull of her tits and slid her hand underneath them. She thought they felt different, but when she touched her tits she felt a light surge of pleasure negating her earlier thought. Once the five women had stood for a few moments they began to walk toward the shower. They began slowly as their balance adapted to the foot wear and the change in balance due to their tits. Each had discovered that touching their tits or cunt gave them a warm surge of pleasure. It was even true for other parts of their bodies. By the time, they reached the shower all five women were showing signs of arousal. Their enhanced nipples had formed hard cones on their tits. Their clit had swollen so it could be seen nestled in the folds of its hood. As they showered they caressed each other until each had a small orgasm. Once they orgasmed they felt a glow through out their body. They had taken their time until Kelsey's stomach growled. With that they hurried and finished the shower. When they entered the breakfast nook, their food was already on the table. Beth and Eilene were waiting for them. The group sat down at the table and began to eat. This breakfast was mostly soft foods with only a small amount of chewing really required. Beth and Eilene took turns monitoring how well they adapted to eating and chewing with their longer tongue. They did not see any of their trainees having any difficulty eating. "Sluts," said Beth, "we are going to exercise for three hours this morning and then three hours this afternoon. Once that is done you can relax or sleep your choice." "Tomorrow," said Eilene, "we will exercise in the morning. After lunch you will begin practicing some to the activities you have been watching in the films. Everyone will have a chance to help the others. Don't be hesitant in showing your affection for one another. It is important for you to do that." ------- Evelyn began to wake as her shoulders hurt. When she tried to lower her arms they wouldn't move. That realization jerked her awake. She screamed when she opened her eyes. She saw Marge, Fred and Chad standing with their arms tied over their heads. Her scream had woke the others up. "Where are we?" said Marge her voice still groggy. "In deep shit, I think," said Chad. They looked around the room. The four were held standing in a semi-circle. Their wrists were tied to a bar above their head which was suspended from the ceiling. Each of them were bare foot with a cuff around their ankle. A chain ran from the cuff to a ring in the floor. Just then the door opened and a man and woman entered. All they were only wearing a collar, a wide belt and high heeled shoes. She was carrying a bucket holding four long tubes. "Good you're awake. We have your breakfast here. It is very easy to eat." She took a long tube over to Chad. "Open your mouth." Chad held his mouth firmly closed. The man pressed the cattle prod against the middle of his back. Chad jerked and screamed. His scream was silenced by the tube sliding into his mouth. "Now suck, or you will wish you had." Chad waited a moment and then began to swallow as she rolled the tube down quickly. While the woman went to get another tube the man stepped in front of Chad. "You will do what you are told, or it will be very painful." The cattle prod was pressed against Chad groin so the two needles penetrated his pants. The man stared into Chad's eyes as the flicked the trigger on the the prod. Chad screamed and then again each time the man squeezed the trigger. It continued until Chad pissed in his pants. The woman stepped in front of Marge and lifted the tube to her mouth. Marge opened her mouth immediately and drank the creamy substance. The woman quickly fed Evelyn and Fred. "I have to use the toilet," said Marge. "Go on the floor, there is a drain," said the man. After a moment, he said, "do you need some help?" He moved toward her with the cattle prod pointing at her stomach. Her fear drove her to pee. She felt humiliated as she felt the warm liquid spread across her shorts and down her leg. Her face became very red. The woman came over with two hook knives and handed one to the man. Together they quickly sliced their clothes letting them fall to the floor. "Well it looks like we get to wax all four of them," said the man. The woman left to return shortly with a bowl and roll of gauze. Using a brush she spread the hot wax over their pubic areas, as the man pushed the gauze into the wax leaving a tail hanging down. Both Evelyn and Marge knew what was coming but Fred and Chad didn't. Once the wax was hard, the man walked over to Marge. He took the end of the gauze and yanked it hard. The waxed gauze pulled most of her pubic hair in the first pull. She screamed and screamed again as the second piece was pulled. Chad and Fred now knew what was about to happen. The man checked Marge for remaining hair when he found none he moved to Evelyn. The woman came and wiped a bactericide over Marge's tender cunt and groin causing her to scream as the solution burned. Both Chad and Fred were waxed twice before this torment was over. "We have several more things to do so your bodies become more suitable for your new jobs. We have been told to treat all of you equally. So if any of you resist, expect to be whipped. All of you will receive 20 lashes for the first offense after that it will be 50 for each offense. Understand?" They nodded their heads. "Because you have some value alive, you can only receive a limited number of strokes each day. So your punishment could last a week or more for just one incident. One slut was whipped everyday for a month, just for acting up while being prepared." "Slut Marge, when the rope is lowered lean forward," said the man. He lowered her wrists until she was bent at the waist. The woman pulled her hair over her head and off her neck. The man placed a 2 inch wide metal collar around her neck and closed it. When the ends went together, there was a loud click. A chain was fastened to her collar and then to a ring in the floor. The woman brought over a straight razor and began to dry shave the hair off Marge's head. She let it fall to the floor as it was cut off. Marge was soon sobbing as she saw her long hair fall on the floor. They left Marge bent over as the two did the same to the others. Evelyn cried as she saw her hair fall to the floor. Keeping them bent over the man and woman gave each several large enemas. Hosing them and the floor down with cold water between each enema. Once they had been cleaned out a butt plug was pushed into each. They moaned as it was forced into their ass. If they had known it was a drug dispenser, they might have resisted even with the threat of being whipped. By the afternoon, they would have no free will. The two staff members gave the women injections to enlarge their tits, clit and cunt lips. Three rings were placed in each of the woman's labia major. One through the base of the clit and one through the clit hood. All four had bar placed through each of their nipples. The men's cocks were aroused and then a cock ring was placed around the base to keep it extended. A bar was placed horizontally through the cock head. A series of injections were made along the length of the aroused cock. They heard the woman say to the man that she wondered why they wanted to make their cocks so big. That large a cock would be difficult for most women to get it through the mouth of their cunt, much less take the full length. An elastic bra containing ElectroStim contacts was placed over the woman tits fastened behind them. Then to each of them ElectroStim pads were placed at different points on their chest, back and legs. An elastic tube was slid over the men's cocks. By the time all the pads were placed, there were nearly 30 wire leads dangling from their body. The four journalist could only imagine the worst seeing the wire leads being attached to their bodies. Fred was the first one to be taken over to the tee shaped post. He was forced to place his feet in two indentations behind the post and then pulled forward so his shoulders rested on the top of the tee. His collar was hooked to the tee and then his wrists were connected to the ends of the tee. This left him standing on the balls of his feet and bent over at the waist. Once in position all of the leads were connected to the post. He could not imagine what was about to happen except he had now remembered reading about torture with electricity and how painful it was. Fred watched with growing fear as his friends were taken to stand behind the post on the balls of their feet before being attached to the crossbar. The tee's were positioned so they could see each other if they held their head up. The last item was a large thick dildo pushed into Marge and Evelyn's cunts. A belt was placed around their waist with the dildo fastened to it so it would not fall out. "Enjoy," said the woman as she flipped four switches. The two gathered up the old clothes and several other items and went to the door. "We will be back to feed you again later." With that they left, leaving the four alone in the room. Just as the door closed, they felt the first twitches in their body. It took all of them a few minutes to realize what it was. Then it began in earnest. On the first pass, the stimulation program found the maximum stimulation until the pain caused them to scream. After that it cycled the stimulation through all the points until they were aroused and panting. Once there it held them at that point for an hour before letting them cum. When they had relaxed some after the cum, it started again. ------- Three days after placing the bots with the five women at the resort, the Intelligence department was informed by the bots in MacFarland's office that James had just received an e-mail from the four reporters. The message was dated last Friday and said they were taking the week off to relax as they felt they needed a vacation. All four of them were going together to a resort. "AI," said Shannon when she saw the message, "can you locate the reporters?" "They are at the resort where the five women are but not in the same area." "That was quick." "It seemed logical to look there first, based on all the connections involved." "Good. Now, alert everyone that the 'flesh peddlers' have started to move." Moments later tones began to sound through Dóchas, raising the readiness level. Simultaneously, tones began to sound at Comrie indicating to the security teams, they were all now on standby. At Mars settlement, Breacadh announced that Dóchas would soon depart for earth orbit and all security team members were to be on board. "AI," said Shannon, "we need to send two bots to check on the journalists. They can link with the drones supporting the other two bots." ------- MacFarland received a phone call that afternoon from the manager in the EOUSA office telling him that he and an associate would be there on Thursday. He wanted to go over the status of activities in the office, in particular the 'lodge incident'. Clarence and he should plan on having dinner with him that evening. The bots immediately informed command staff of the call. ------- It was several hours later before the two bots confirmed that they had found the four journalists. They were being held in a special area in the private part of the resort. The room was located several floors below ground level and they had some difficulty getting past the security. Based on the difficulty they had communicating from the room with the drone, they weren't sure teleporting would be possible. They decided to remain near the journalists until they were asked to return. The bots then gave a summary of the status of the four journalist's conditions. The four were in surprisingly good shape considering the severity of the treatments they were given in a short time. It seemed to the bots that the treatments were directed toward making almost grotesque in their looks. They thought the four were doing well mentally, but not sure they really knew the effect of the treatments. Based on information on the desk outside the room, the alterations were to run there course by Friday. In closing they advised the Intelligence department they would probe the minds of the four, and initiate any mental defensive measures they thought were needed. In closing, the report said they were considering have one bot listen in the hall to see what the future plans were for the journalists. The Intelligence department sent a message to the bots telling them to proceed as they thought necessary. The staff in the Intelligence department advised the security team that the four journalists were now being held at the private resort. "AI," said Muireann, "do we have enough of the position monitor beacons for all of the people who work in James office?" "Yes. You know all of them are fitted with locater beacons." "Muireann," said Lydia, "I understand your reasoning. If we had that fitted the journalist with those it wouldn't have made any difference. The only thing that might have is bot escorts." "We do not have enough bots to escort all the office staff," said the AI. "Why did we miss the significance of the word four in the conversation?" "Probably," said Shannon, "we were focusing on the five women and our errors. The other part of it is that there is so much about these people we don't know. They act and operate much like a spy ring." "AI," said Muireann, "as soon as the bots send the full medical report on the journalists, forward it to Betsy and her staff. I think they will need to act quickly once we get them out of there. Hmm ... Could we give the journalist something to slow or stop the changes?" "AI, bring the medical and command staff into a conference with us." Once everyone was in the conference, Lydia gave them reviewed the journalists' situation based on the bots preliminary report. Muireann repeated the question she asked earlier. "There are possibly two ways," said Betsy. "One is for us to concoct some kind of blocking treatment. Another is through the use of their psionic ability, if they have the attribute. The first has all kinds of risks and are likely much greater than if we let it run its course. Then follow with a supplemental treatment." "Which bots are there?" asked Connie. "They were Aileen and Andrea. They did say they were going to try and do a mental evaluation." "Great. They have the ability to assist the journalist in activating the journalist psionic abilities if they have the attribute. Shannon send them the following message: Psionic Activation Imperative. Dream state. Negate treatments where possible. May the Gods be with you. Both should respond with and the Goddess." "Shannon you must send it telepathically." The group watched as Shannon sat quietly, seemingly staring off into space. When she moved, she smiled the first time all day. "The message was received and acknowledged. The bots advised the journalists had the attributes for the abilities. They had already done the preliminaries." "Those are two very exceptional bots," said Betsy. "Guys," said Sarah addressing the Intelligence department, "the next week is going to be very stressful. Split up into two shifts and make sure you eat and sleep." "Yes, mother," responded the whole room before breaking up in laughter. "We have already implemented the two shifts," said Shannon. Several of us have made places for us to sleep here as well." "All well and good, but don't forget to link with your clan. Your mind link with them will help you solve problems." "Is that why we have missed, what appear now to be obvious clues?" said Lydia. "That is a hard question to answer," said Tara. "It is likely a part of the reason. Another part is the lack of experience." "Keep at it," said the command staff as the conference ended. ------- Chapter 80 On the morning after the call from EOUSA regarding the visit, Clarence and James gathered in Jame's office for their daily conference. They had just begun when the door opened and two of the bot paralegals entered, surprising them. "Yes," said James as he watched them close the door. He sensed something important as they weren't usually this forward. "We think it is imperative for you to meet some friends of ours today. So we want you to take us to lunch." "Can't it wait? We have a lot to do before the Thursday meeting." "No," said both of them firmly. "It must be done today!" They stared at each other for a long time. "Okay. If you think it is that important, but we likely need you to stay late a couple of nights so we can get things ready for Thursday." "We will stay late any night for as long as you need us too." The two bots turned and left closing the door behind them. James looked at Clarence. "I don't think, I ever seen them be that assertive." "They will make good lawyers as that is a good quality when its needed." James looked at Clarence and then the two began to chuckle. "Yes, and some asshole lawyers don't understand when to use it." The two were still sorting through the open cases in preparation for Thursday, when the bots knocked on the door. "It's time to leave." After James locked his door, each took one of their arms as they walked out of the office. On passing the receptionist, Marie told her that it could be a couple of hours before they were back from lunch. Hearing the comment, James and Clarence were a little surprised at the length of time lunch would take. When they reached the parking lot, Trudy said, "We will take our car as either of yours are to easy to recognize and known by too many people." James and Clarence were puzzled by the direction they were going. They couldn't remember seeing any restaurants in this area as they were headed out of town. It was even more puzzling when they turned into the park where they had met the women now living with them as decoys for their families. Thinking of their families, both thought the daily e-mails were nice but it it wasn't the same as having them around or talking to them. Just then they reached an isolated spot in the park, they were surprised to see a tent setting in the field with a table and chairs. "This is amazing. How did you do this?" said James. "We didn't, our friends arranged it." "This is quite an extravagant effort for just a lunch. Who are your friends?" "We think they are the most important people in the whole galaxy. The most caring. The most... well just everything." James and Clarence were surprised at the strength and reverence conveyed by their words and tone. It took them a moment to realize that both had spoken in perfect unison. "It looks like our friends are not here yet. We should warn you they are quite tall. Most people find that alone, quite intimidating." "Yes, I have sensed that sometimes when I am around new people. Being 6' 6", creates that problem some times." James realized the implication of her comment. "Just how tall are they." "About 7' 8" or so." "I am glad you warned me." Clarence chuckled. As they reached the tent, one bot glanced to her side, and said, "Oh, here they come now." They all turned to look as saw six people walking toward them from the other side of the field. "Trudy and Marie, it is good to see you again," said Sarah and gave both a hug. Sarah's other clan members nodded in agreement as they too gave Trudy and Marie a hug. "Sarah, this is James MacFarland and Clarence O'Toole." Marie then proceeded to introduce Sally, Terry, Rusty, Joyce and Aoife. "Come let's get some food and then we can talk," said Sarah. The group selected their choices from the buffet before sitting down. During the short time in the buffet line, James and Clarence were carefully assessing Marie and Trudy's friends. Both sensed the information they shared at this gathering would have a significant effect on them and their families. As James went to sit down, he noticed place cards on the table and sat at the place designated for him. Marie sat next to him with Sarah on the other side of him. Clarence was across the table from him with Trudy on one side and Sally on the other. "I have never seen anyone like you before," said James. "We can understand that. We don't live here," said Sarah. "We reside part of the time on a small private island in the Western Atlantic. It is a place hardly anyone knows about." "Your not referring to the Caribbean, are you?" "Oh, no. Our island is almost due east of Florida. We don't believe it shows on any maps and is out of normal sea routes. It is really nice." "What are your backgrounds?" asked Clarence. "Clarence, Rusty, Sarah, Terry and myself are board members of Galactic Intrusion Security Services. We previously worked for a data security firm in the northeast before we moved. Joyce is the daughter of the couple who owned the firm where we worked. Aoife joined us since we moved to the island." "Interesting," said James. "I presume all of you know about the case Clarence and I have been working on." Marie and Trudy looked uncomfortable as the group nodded. "Marie, Trudy, I feel certain you did not tell them what they know." Both relaxed considerably. "So Rusty, I take it you are the one who called the Guard Commander after several of the soldiers were told to either come back to work or loose their jobs." "Yes, I did. It seemed like the right thing to do." "Thank you. When that happened, I was surprised by the action of the soldiers' employers. In analyzing the situation later I could see why it was done, but it still bothered me. When we heard that someone spontaneously offered them employment before it was hardly public information really tweaked my curiosity. Considering the potential implications to the case, I did a little checking into the principals of GISS outside of my normal sources of information. I didn't find much and part of it appears to be inconsistent. First, Rusty your military service record must be several inches thick based on the summary I was able to see after some pleading. Even with my clearance, I couldn't see the full report. The part I found odd was the information on you seemed to stop about the same time a group of people were reported to have died in an auto accident. If memory serves me correctly, the women's names listed in the accident report were Sarah, Sally, Terry, Joyce, Jill, and Janet. No bodies were found and no one pressed to have the victims declared dead. The puzzling part is some of the women's names also appear on the corporate documents which are dated after the accident." "Except for Aoife," said Sarah, "we are the group that was purported to be in the van. The accident was staged by the group who kidnapped us. We are not sure we have enough time to share with you the details of what has happened in the intervening time. The people who kidnapped us were linked to a group we refer to as the 'flesh peddlers'. How, we are not certain. Due to several events where we had contact with the 'flesh peddlers', our organization has accumulated quite a bit of data on the 'flesh peddlers' and their operation." James started to interrupt. "Please hear me out." James nodded but looked very tense. "You started to ask to see what we had. We would like to do that. If we did that, our concern is that it would taint what you have found on your own and with the help of the journalists. We definitely do not want to see that happen. We would very much like you to succeed in your efforts. None of us are lawyers, so we maybe overly cautious." "James, Clarence," said Aoife, "the 'flesh peddler' operation appears to have principals or agents in virtually every government on earth. We are certain they are in the governments of the developed countries. They are positioned in such a way as to make the operation almost untouchable. Your investigation has them very concerned, and are very determined to stop your investigation as they indicated in the tape you received." "The reason we asked Marie and Trudy," said Sarah, "to arrange a meeting today is because of our projection of future events. This is based on the information that recently began to fit together. This coming weekend, we are projecting several events taking place involving both of you, your girlfriend and daughter, Clarence, Clarence's wife and daughters and the four journalists." Hearing the statement brought forth James and Clarence's worst fears and clearly showed on their faces. They had been pleased that the use of the decoys had appeared to work, and their families were safely on vacation. Extrapolating the possible harm to their families was quickly consuming their thoughts. "James, Clarence," said Aoife softly and warmly to get their attention again, "Sue, Irene, Sam, Kelsey, and Karmen are well and will be fine." While Aoife spoke, Sarah, Sally, Terry and Joyce pushed feelings of calm toward both men. "We have recently discovered, that they have been given a mind altering drug which causes them to follow any instructions given to them. All five have responded to the drug in a positive way. This means they are complying with their instructions and not trying to resist. We think they have recognized taking this approach minimizes the potential for abuse, and they have not been abused. They appear to be under the influence of several other drugs that alter their thinking process." "At this time, we would prefer to not share the detail," said Sally, "of what we think the events will be. Our concern is that this would alter your natural responses to the circumstances endangering all of you." "Beginning sometime Thursday evening," said Rusty, "we expect both of you will be drugged and taken to one of the 'flesh peddlers' private resorts. On Friday, it seems likely you will spend most of the day drugged as they try to suck every bit of information out of you they can. You will probably not become aware of your situation until you awaken on Saturday. By then you will likely be under the influence of some drugs similar to those your families have received. Your entertainment for the day will be watching a selection of erotic videos. The actors in the videos are your families, who have been making for the last three weeks or so. Included in the selection will be scenes of both of you with your women which were likely filmed late on Friday." Rusty could see the rage building in both of them and waited a few minutes for them to calm down. "Whenever you think you are going to loose control, remember "revenge is best served cold". Our information indicates the organization prefers to blackmail you into dropping the investigation. So we expect you to be offered a choice. You can leave with your family, if you agree to kill the investigation into the 'flesh peddlers'. If not, then you will likely see your women begin working and living in the organizations lounge as sex toys. Several members of the organization are not keen on the blackmail idea. Their preference is for the women to be turned into obsessed sluts before being sold into sexual slavery. The two of you will be subjected to something similar to what Dale and Larry experienced only drawn out over a longer period of time." "What an awful choice," said James as Clarence nodded. Both looked beaten, knowing they would have great difficulty in dropping the investigation to let the 'flesh peddlers' and effectively endorsing their activities. Submitting to blackmail, they knew would eat at them until it destroyed them. Submitting to blackmail was an option only if they thought they could win by pretending to cooperate. The sense of what would happen to the women was already eating at their spirit. "Good grief, I didn't think you would give up so easily," said Terry. "We have a plan we call it "Checkmate". It will require you to trust us completely from this point forward or at least until we get through this. We are certain, that we will get all of you out of the resort safely and not suffer any further abuse. This includes the journalists. Can you do that?" Clarence and James looked at each other and then each of their hosts. All their instincts were telling them to do it but logic was raising all kinds of warning flags. "Rusty, on some of those secret missions, what did you trust?" asked James. "Logic or instinct." "When the two conflict, most always instinct." Clarence smiled at Rusty's response. "In many of those situations, logic took to long." Clarence began to laugh as Rusty completed the comment. "Ladies and Rusty," said Clarence, "what do you want us to do? I have a feeling, we will all likely win by trusting you completely." James looked searchingly at Clarence for a moment, then said, "I'm in. One thing though, when this is all over, will you tell us about what happened after your accident." "Guys, we should ask them if they want to know the details of Checkmate now. They may have some suggestions we have overlooked or see things we have missed. It also lets them make the decisions on what will taint the cases against the 'flesh peddlers'. Lets ask them." "Okay," said all the rest of the command staff. "James, Clarence," said Terry, "We have told you how we wanted to handle the situation. Do you want to be more involved? If so, would it impact your case? As we mentioned before, we are not attorneys." "Yes! I would like to participate in the planning," said James immediately as Clarence nodded firmly yes. "My initial concern is as you expressed earlier. Also if we are to be involved, then knowing what is planned could cause us to not act appropriately. With us and our families being involved, we will almost certainly have to step back from the cases." "I think, we can solve the question of foreknowledge affecting your performance," said Sarah. "However, it will take us several hours to give you the background information and to go over our strategy." James looked at Marie and Trudy saying, "We don't have any thing we are required to be back to the office, do we?" "No. The schedule is open so we can prepare for Thursday." "I am not sure how long we will need, but what about this. We work here until around 4 PM then if we need more time all of you come to my place for dinner." "James, are you aware your house is being monitored?" said Sally. "What?" "Yes, not closely but it is being monitored. However, we can arrive without being seen. Marie and Trudy could just follow you home from the office. To any one watching that would appear normal." "Why don't we invite the group at my house over at the same time?" said Clarence. "That would increase the number of people in the house and make your visit less noticeable." "James, Clarence," said Sarah, "now to answer your questions more fully. We have had a very interesting time for the last several years. We won't go into a lot of details now, but we will at a more convenient time. It seems the sequence of the events bringing us together started back before I knew my spouses." James and Clarence's expression changed little hearing the word 'spouses'. "First as we said earlier, we are the people supposedly killed in the accident. Those in the van were, Rusty, Sally, Terry, Joyce, Jill, Janet and I. The accident was orchestrated to cover up our kidnapping. The kidnappers had targeted us as an ideal group of young adults to fill another groups interest in finding breeders. The group seeking breeders as we found out later was from another solar system and had no knowledge of the 'flesh peddlers'. As a part of our supposed 'prior consent', we were treated with a genetic virus prior to being delivered to them sedated. Fortunately once there, their medical staff did a full health evaluation, which was when they found the genetic treatments were done incorrectly. This presented them with a paradox, if they let the treatments go unchecked we would have significant long term health issues that they could prevent with a supplemental treatment. Thankfully, they decided to correct the treatments but not without considerable anguish as their action violated a fundamental rule in their society. Once we were awake which was some six months after our arrival, they were astounded to learn we were not there of our own free will, in fact had been kidnapped. They were honestly shocked when they learned how that we had been brought to them without our prior knowledge. Based on their culture, something like that was completely incomprehensible. This additional knowledge really created an ethical and moral quandary for them. They did offer to try and make things right for us, however the genetic induced changes were not reversible." "It was clear to us that they had been duped very effectively by the people that brought us there. For a number of reasons, we decided to assist them with their reproductive problem and began to plan how we could work remotely. It was out of that effort that we formed GISS. We had hardly decided on doing that when several other events brought all of us much closer together. Over a short period of time, circumstances arose that led us into deciding to fully joining their society as we were already members of their species. Subsequent events have placed us along with some others in the role of being the leaders of this society's enclave here. In the last several years, our group has grown from somewhere around 40 before we met them to well over 1500 including new children." "Sarah's summary," said Sally "could be taken to imply we were forced into joining their society. That is not the case, and such an action is completely foreign to their culture." "We will show you two presentations in a moment," said Sarah. "The first presentation was made to several groups we invited to visit us and then join us as employees if they chose too. The second presentation will provide you with a history of the survivors' society we joined. There is a third presentation that can wait until another time. It deals with the physical differences between humans and us." James and Clarence were shocked when they saw the holographic display appear before them. Star monitored the two men's reactions to make sure they were not overwhelmed by the means of presentation. When the presentation they had made to crew candidates ended, Sally said, "Yes, we now live on that space ship which we call Dóchas. We are building a colony on Mars, so we can reestablish our species and add additional transportation. You probably have many questions at this point." Both nodded their heads with somewhat of a dazed look on their face. "If possible, we would like for you to hold those until after the next presentation." With that the presentation made to new arrivals began. When the presentation ended, James and Clarence were quiet for some time. "Wow," said James with Clarence nodding, "is all I can think to say. I have many questions but they are more about some of the details in the presentations. I think those can wait." "When those presentations were made, we were very new members of this society. We were reluctant to step into the vacant position as the command staff of Dóchas. In their history and culture, reluctance to take that role is seen as a positive attribute. Why isn't one of the original group the command staff? It generally has to do with the psionic abilities a clan has inherited. One major error made in that early presentation is about the need to receive the genetic alteration. To fully function in our society, we now recognize that any new member needs to receive that treatment which then makes them a member of our species." "Why, is that?" asked Clarence. "It is partly due to the differences in physical characteristics and the addition of other abilities. One of those is the addition of telepathy. Telepathic ability is needed to fully communicate on the ship." "Telepathy, is fiction," said James, firmly. "Yes, and who in their right mind would tell others of their ability," said Sarah as she looked right at James and Clarence. "No one," said James. "Wait I didn't see your lips or mouth move. Oh..." James' face took on a surprised look as he recognized what had happened. "James," said Clarence, "I heard her as well. I think the next several days will be very interesting. Perhaps just out of this world." "Do you feel you need to know more about us at this point?" asked Sally. "No," said Clarence, "but like James, I would like to return to this topic in the near future." "I agree," said James. "We will give you and your families a complete history of us, this species and society once we get through the current situation," said Rusty. "We also have a library that is completely open to our friends and the members of our society." "This society has a number of advanced tools that we have been learning to use. One is robots that can be virtually indistinguishable from a biological biped. Another is drones and there are several flavors. To help us manage our environment, we have entities that most would call computers. We simply refer to them as AI for artificial intelligence, as many of the AIs are self aware. Complimenting the AIs, are robots who look very much like one of us. We refer to them generally as bots. We bipeds have a tactical suit, which provides us with offensive and defensive ability either on a planet or in space. Bots, drones and tactical suits can all appear to be invisible to humans. There are many other capabilities but that should give you a flavor. I should note the tactical suit contains an AI that telepathically links with the wearer." "I take it you also have some type of small flight vehicles," said Clarence, "as Dóchas looked huge." "Yes," said Rusty, "but they are different than portrayed in films. We simply refer to them as shuttles or star fighters. There names convey their mission. Dóchas is about the size of 3 Enterprise size carriers." "Our first contact with the 'flesh peddlers' was accidental," said Joyce. "It occurred when we started contacting college students who we thought would be ideal crew candidates. Our criteria, was that they be finishing or nearly finishing college, part of a group, academically near the top of their class and with few if any family ties. Tall candidates were preferred as well. We developed a list of some 600+ students to contact. Since neither the survivors on the ship or us had ever done anything like this, we started out with a trial effort. We invited about 70 from the first half of those on the list to visit us at a secluded resort for one to three weeks. The strategy was for them to meet us at a resort for a week, where they could then decide if they wanted to join us." Joyce told them of their experiences in contacting the students and the episodes with who they now regard as the 'flesh peddlers'. She described how they found the lodge and then informed the local authorities of the activity there. They did not anticipate the destruction of the site or would have intervened. Several people were rescued from the site prior to the police arriving and are living on Dóchas. Terry reviewed the events regarding the raid of the island resort by the 'flesh peddlers' and their subsequent discovery of the freighter being used to train, film and transport young men and women into the world of bondage and slavery. She then told of the support given to the people who were rescued. Each person rescued was given complete physicals and assistance in dealing with their experiences. Some of those rescued chose to try returning to earth society. They were assisted with new identities and provided other support to reestablish themselves as their original identity had disappeared. Many chose to stay with our society and have received genetic treatments needed to join our species. Sally told of their shock at learning the people they had rescued from the 'flesh peddlers' appeared to have never existed. At first they thought it was an error but they had the same result in every database they searched. No birth record. No school record. No college record. Nothing showed up on querying any database. She noted that it took them quite a while to figure out how it was being done then even more time to figure out who was doing it. The one group of women from the freighter went to work at Dale's company, while another group went to work for Larry's company. Neither group knew where the other was working until a convention that both attended. There employment and the choice to rebuild their friendship, inadvertently provided a key piece of information about the 'flesh peddlers'. The two companies owned by Dale and Larry had created the software to maintain the databases containing personal information which are used by many government and school institutions. Between the two of them they had nearly all of the database maintenance contracts in this region. Their product was very good. When they created the software, a back door was incorporated, to let them modify records outside the audit system. With this access, records could be marked as unusable so a query would ignore the record. When you raided Larry and Dale's companies, we took the opportunity to do two things to their program. First the program was altered so their alterations only appeared to be done, but left the back door access with its own audit trail. Second, all the records that were marked unusable were restored if they contained valid data. Now the queries will run correctly. This however is only true of the databases Larry and Dale's companies maintained. The Intelligence department think their might be other databases with the same or similar issues. We haven't identified any others. As for the two groups of women, they were rescued from the estate along with Dale and Larry's three administrative assistants before the estate was blown up. They are working at Comrie now. "You are probably wondering," said Rusty, "why we just didn't ride in and take them out." James and Clarence nodded. "First that would not solve the problem. Second, we did not have the resources at that time. Besides all of that we would be acting in that manner which violates our society's prime directive. Our prime directive is: Do not meddle in other worlds or societies internal issues. Exceptions are when we are at risk or friends of ours are at risk. In the later case, only sufficiently to rescue them and insure their security." "Some could say we have on at least one occasion violated our prime directive," said Sally, "however we feel that is not true. We did come close when we came to the aid of some TTC members of US forces in Afghanistan. Several of our team, placed booby traps in a number of terrorist storage areas outside the area where we were active. In that instance, several of the TTC members had spouses in our society. All of the TTC members have now been discharged and are active with our security teams." "From what I have heard here," said James "I can understand how some events seemingly solved themselves. Of the ones I know of, I agree that you have stayed within your directive. I would be much happier if our families had not become embroiled in this." "I agree with James," said Clarence. "We feel partly responsible for the current situation," said Aoife. "After the lodge incident, we did something you may not appreciate and may hold against us. We placed a locater device on all of your staff and the four journalists. With it we can find any of you under most circumstances. After you received the tapes, we placed locater devices on each of your family members along with the decoys you brought into your homes. When your families left for the resort, no one followed them from Grand View. We thought your decoy plan was working, so we only placed a drone with them to monitor their location." "At the present time," said Sarah, "your families are not in any physical danger or we would have rescued them before now. We now wish we had monitored their stay at the resort closer and perhaps we could have avoided our current situation. Even if we had, this group would have tried something else, which could have been more difficult to deal with. If you are willing to let this play out, it seems we will have a chance to learn identities of the core group, then perhaps we can help you reduce these activities. It would be ideal if they could be eliminated, but we don't feel that is likely due to cultural issues. Ethically we are strongly opposed to forcing people into slavery for any reason." "Since, we have learned of your families' situation, we are constantly monitoring them. How? There are two bots with them at all times. We now know they are relatively safe and will be until you see them again. They are currently creating a series of sex films that the 'flesh peddlers' plan to use as blackmail against both of you. For dropping the investigation, they will not release the films and photos and let your families go home with you. If you don't then the 'flesh peddlers' plan is to use these films and pictures to publicly humiliate them and ruin all of you personally and professionally." James and Clarence had a look of dismay on their faces. "We are very confident we can prevent the release of the films and pictures. Lets cover the rest of what we know about the current situation and then we will go over what we had outlined for responses." "The appearance of Sue, Sam, Irene, Kelsey and Karmen," said Aoife, "have been altered. Their busts are considerably larger with more prominent nipples. Their labia were enlarged as was their clits. They no longer have any pubic hair. The tendons in their calves have been shortened so in order to stand, they will need to wear high heels. Both their breasts, vaginal area and some other areas of their bodies are now much more sensitive. The effect is they will become aroused more rapidly and orgasms will be considerably more intense. This increased sensitivity will cause them problems in wearing clothes. The intensity and satisfaction gained from their intense orgasms can be addictive if that is their only activity. That has been their prime activity since being moved to the suite they are in now. They are being given drugs to reinforce that the desire for sexual stimulation along with multiple daily sexual liaisons. Each has been fitted with body jewelry in their labia, clit and clit hood." "I don't see any of that as a problem as long as they are comfortable with it," said Clarence. "I don't understand what you mean by the labia were enlarged." "The labia major are now quite pronounced to the point they are visible from the side. They will be very visible they try to wear even moderately snug clothes. The labia minor now extend past the labia major by over an inch are quite thick. The labia minor swell considerably with arousal and secrete a lot of pheromones and cunt cream when they are aroused. This causes the labia major to even more pronounced. Each has three rings in labia major each with a large jewel. A bar has been placed through the base of their clit that keeps it extended. A ring through their clit hood is placed so it is in constant contact with their clit. Altogether, this keeps them partially aroused all the time as any movement is stimulating." "Oh, my," said James. "Doesn't all of that make it difficult to dress?" "It can," said Sarah. "Choosing the right clothes can minimize the effects. I can assure you it is difficult but not impossible." As she spoke she thought about the issues she had a long time ago. "I want to ask, but at the same time not sure I want the answer," said Clarence. "I would suggest you wait until you see them," said Aoife anticipating the question. "As best as, we can determine, you will be shown a portion of their films on Saturday. We are not sure whether the films will be shown to just you or with your families present." "I don't see a major problem with what you have told me about Sue and Sam," said James. "I feel the same way regarding Irene, Kelsey and Karmen," said Clarence. "James, Clarence, I think both your families will be fine," said Aoife. "It will help all of you if you are completely open with each other in how you feel and your feelings toward each other." "Enough about us for now," said James. "What do you think will happen this week? What have you planned so far? Yes, I heard the comment about letting it play out that makes me uneasy." "Some time during dinner Thursday night, both of you will be drugged and then taken to their facility. It is not clear how you will be interviewed on Friday. We anticipate them giving a truth drug to both of you to determine what you know of their operation. In the interview, they will likely explore your receptiveness of you accepting the idea of being blackmailed and complying. On Saturday, you will be shown a portion of the sex films your families have made over the last several weeks. Expect to be aroused when watching them. It simply means you are normal. At least two of their staff members will be with you at all times. A part of their responsibility is to make sure you get all of the sexual release you need while watching the films. The intent is for the films to have a humiliating effect on you but probably will not based on your reactions to the descriptions. Sue, Sam, Irene, Kelsey and Karmen will be pleased that the scenes of them together aroused you. All of them will be concerned that you will not want to be around them because of their sexual appetites and looks. Expect them to be more open about all their likes and needs. We believe they will be very physical in the way they wish to show their love for you, even your daughters." James and Clarence expression expressed their uncertainty about the comment. "On Saturday afternoon, you will be reunited with the five women. The seven of you maybe shown some more films or you maybe directed to be intimate with each other during that time. Around dinner time, all or part of the Council will meet with all of you. In that meeting, is when both of you will be asked to drop the investigation in exchange for returning home with your families. Your choices will be drop the investigation and go home with your families or to die in their dungeon while your families become sex toys or slaves." "It appears that if you chose not to drop the investigation, the five women will begin working in the organizations private lounge as totally available sex toys. In their lounge area, they will be available to a member or guest to use sexually any way they want too at any time. Refusal is not tolerated, and usually leads to harsher treatment. It will all be filmed. For your women, the initial time will complete their addiction to sexual euphoria. A two week stay in the lounge is thought to be all that is necessary to complete their conversion into an obsessed slut. Once obsessed, they could continue in the lounge or be sold. They intend to force you to watch their participation in the lounge for several days during which time you will be fed the cum from their cunts. After that time, the two of you will be placed in the dungeon for general torment again. Their will be no restrictions on your torment, except that it is painful. You will not be permitted to leave, ever." "So there really isn't much of a choice," said James. "Our suffering will be small compared to what the women will suffer." "Not quite," said Sarah, "once the addiction takes over their mind, they will be so focused on sexual activity previous memories will likely never surface again. It will be the two of you who suffer both mentally and physically. You will know what is happening to your families and feel it was caused by you. As another torment, would be to force you to watch as they are used in the lounge." "We don't want any of you to suffer," said Aoife, "and we don't want your women to become sex toys in the lounge for these assholes to use. So, we want you to reluctantly agree to drop the investigation in exchange for your families returning home with you. When we separate today, we plan on blocking your knowledge of future events and of this meeting. As the events unfold, you will recognize that we had discussed it. It will be much like going through a house, opening one door at a time. The purpose of this is to ensure you react normally." James and Clarence looked questioningly at Aoife. "Once the events start unfolding, we may need to respond differently or intervene," said Sarah. "If that happens you will hear us but probably not see us. If this occurs, think your response, as we will understand it." "James, Clarence," said Rusty, "It is a little after 3 PM. How about we break up now and meet later? That will give you time to digest what you have learned and then we can review how we expect to respond." "I like that," said James, "as I need to sort some things out in my mind. Why not meet us at the house about 6 PM?" "Would you like us to place a barrier on being able to talk about this outside of us? It is only a safety precaution." "Hmm... considering what's at risk, definitely." As they said good-bye to each other, Maeve and Tara placed the communication block on information James and Clarence had just heard. This limited them sharing what they had learned that afternoon to just the group involved. James and Clarence each quickly reviewed the afternoon discussions on the way back to the office. As they neared the office, the four of them switched to discuss the information they would share with the two managers from EOUSA. They decided that information provided would be very filtered. They both wondered if Sarah's clan could block access to that information as well. Arriving at the office, James, Clarence, Trudy and Marie gathered in James' office to outline the presentation they had discussed on the drive back from lunch. By 5:30 they had the outline done, so the next day, they could start filling in the slides. Clarence called the women staying with him and asked them to meet him at James' house between 6 and 6:30 that evening. James, Clarence, Marie and Trudy arrived at the house about the same time. As they entered the front door, 'Sam' let the group from Sarah's clan in the patio door. "I am surprised to see all you here so quickly," said James when he saw them enter the living room from the direction of the patio. "We thought with everyone watching the guests arrive out front with you, they wouldn't be watching the patio." "Good idea. Glad you thought of it." With that James, introduced the others using their real names along with who they were standing in for. "'Irene', would you help 'Sue' with dinner as I think we have kind of surprised her," said Clarence. Joyce and Terry chuckled causing everyone to look there way. "I think you will find the makings for dinner all ready in the kitchen," said Joyce. "We didn't feel we should come empty handed on such short notice." "That was very thoughtful of you," said 'Sue' as she shared a kiss of with Joyce. "Thank you. I can tell James and Clarence brought their work home with them. There is a swimming pool in the back yard. Swimming suits are optional as the yard and pool are completely screened." "James there are refreshments in the family room waiting for all of your guests." "Thanks." James gave 'Sue' a kiss before leading his guests into the room. They each took a seat after getting refreshments. 'Sue' had arranged the chairs so that they formed a circle around a low table containing some snacks. "James, I didn't see you call 'Sue' when we got back to the office," said Marie. "I didn't. I forgot. She seems to be able to anticipate the things I need. I am very glad you found her to stand in for the real Sue. 'Sam' acts just like the real Sam, so I hardly know they are gone." His voice caught for a moment, as he realized what he said. "I..." "We know what you meant," said Trudy. "We share your worries as well." "James, Clarence, I think both of you now have some questions you want to raise," said Rusty distracting James. "Yes," said James, "we really didn't discuss what happens after we reached the point of agreeing to cooperate. The thought of doing that really rankles me, but I agree it is a good strategy. It is also one we would consider ourselves as a means to get back at them. A big concern is about the videos and possible photos." "For security when we leave the resort with you, Clarence, your families and the journalists, we want to take you to Comrie our island. Preferably, we would like to wait for convenient opportunity at the resort. Currently we think the opportunity will be right after you accept their proposal to cooperate. With all of you disappearing in a short time span after agreeing to cooperate, we suspect they will think they have been double crossed. One expected response would be to move immediately in having you removed from office. The easiest way would be by showing some of the video they have to the US Attorney General and possibly the President. Our intent is to make sure the video they show is one of themselves with some of the people they have kidnapped. Other scenes on the disk will include some of the more horrific events in which they have participated." "What of the others who are essentially captives at the resort?" "Our security team will evaluate them. Depending on their abilities, we will take some to our island and the rest to another remote location." "It would be best if we could directly seize the evidence. This would give us the best chain of custody." "How about doing something similar for them that we did for O'Brien's team?" said Sally to her clan. James and Clarence had a puzzled expression on their faces. "Both of you carry PDA's right?" "Yes." "Good. You could send a delayed e-mail to two of your assistants? The message would tell them that if they are receiving this you need help immediately and your suspected location. You are carrying a transmitter and the frequency. We can give you a modified PDA that will function as a rescue transmitter." "I like that," said Clarence. "But let's send it to Trudy and Marie. As for seclusion, I think the island is a very good idea. As well connected as we think this group is, it would be very difficult to protect us from hired guns. From my understanding of Comrie, we should be fine there, but will we be able to contact our office." "Yes," said Sarah. "It will be very much like working remotely. Electronically, it will be as if you were in your office and it will be more secure. We can give you video conferencing if you need it. In either case, will it not be traceable by any technology known on earth." "James, do you think we could use the Guard unit to support my crew," said Clarence. "Yes, but we need to be bit circumspect about it. Sally how long do you think it will take to reach the resort from our location." "It could be at least six hours driving," said Joyce. "Six hours," said Sally, "you must be basing that on the way you use to drive. Make in more like 8 hours." "You drove just as fast," said Joyce. "Yes, I did and even faster when you weren't along. When I tell someone driving time though, I usually try to put in terms of the legal speed limit." Sally stuck her tongue out at Joyce. "With say, an hour consumed by organizing, that almost means prepositioning or using helicopters if we waited until early afternoon for the e-mail to arrive in Trudy and Marie's mailbox," said Clarence. "Let me talk to the Guard Commander, with a 'what if' scenario. If he responds the way I think he will then I think we will have our additional support." "If need be we could provide some direct support," said Rusty, "but someone looking at the sequence of events would likely find some unexplainable flaws." "Foods ready," said 'Sue'. "We are doing this buffet style, so feel free to bring your plate back in here. Some of us are going to eat outside by the pool." "Rusty, the comment was made that you expected them to go to the Attorney General and the President," said James. "Why? As that seems a little surprising." "Two of the people we have identified are a key staff member in two senator's offices. We are not sure they are councilors or just their agents. There are at least two Council members in the EOUSA office. Phone records and Internet traffic indicate quite a few others involved." "Staff members quite often drive a senator's positions on issues." "One senator chairs the Judiciary Committee and the other is a member of the Intelligence Committee. We think the purpose will be to remove you immediately from office and at the same time totally discredit both of you. This will include humiliating your families. That will be the public part of the harassment, there will be a less public side which targets anyone around you." "It wouldn't surprise us if the public wasn't distracted by another event next week," said Sarah. "The media will have a field day with this weekend regardless of how it turns out with the 'flesh peddlers'." "Yes," said Joyce. "We are reasonably certain this exposure of the 'flesh peddlers' will have the conclusion we want. Our biggest concern is that even with our best efforts some may escape." "How could you draw the media and publics' attention away from the events at the resort?" asked James as he sensed there was more to Sarah's comment. "It has all the key ingredients for appeal. Sex. Women. Slavery. Intrigue. Politics. International implications." "We think a space ship becoming visible in high orbit over earth may be enough of a distraction," said Sarah. "That just may do it," said Clarence laughing. "You never can tell how the media will react though." "I had the impression you were trying to remain invisible," said James. "When we started the settlement on Mars, we thought our presence would be discovered almost immediately. Surprisingly that has not been the case. Until now we have chosen to keep a low profile, in part because we didn't feel our presence would be well received. We still don't. At that time, our ship was in a poor state of repair and we did not have sufficient crew to really function. So that and being new to this society made us a bit cautious in what we did. We feel there maybe people interested and capable of joining the ships crew that are outside our recruiting efforts. By announcing our presence, we can make them aware of our interest and need. So it should be interesting." "Do you have openings for lawyers?" said James grinning. "I maybe looking for work shortly." "I don't know about that line of work, but both your families would be good crew candidates," said Joyce. "Your inherent talents would be a good addition to the crew and society. At the moment, GISS could probably use an attorney though as I don't think they have one. They are providing protective services which have the potential to make an attorney needed. Clarence could probably assist both GISS and our Intelligence department as both are quite new to this kind of work. Our Intelligence department has a quite a few very sophisticated tools but are short on experience in employing them." "Well Clarence, it looks like we may be able to find work after this is over," said James. The group spent the next several hours discussing different aspects of life on Dóchas, at Comrie and how the society functioned. As they prepared to leave, Sarah said, "James, Clarence, would you object to us linking with each of you telepathically once this starts?" "I don't understand," said Clarence. "I thought telepathy was only the exchange of thoughts." "Basically, it is," said Sarah. "Some have the ability to monitor another's senses as that person processes the information. The effect is similar to you wearing a transmitter, but considerably more secure. You will sense we are there but that is likely the only thing." "It is fine with me," said Clarence. "It is fine with me as well," said James. "But we couldn't stop you." "Not with your current knowledge level," said Sarah. "We do not enter another's mind without their permission. Violating that basic rule in our society has many dire consequences. We can save the discussion to another time." "Interesting." ------- Chapter 81 Late Thursday morning, the two managers from the EOUSA arrived for their visit with MacFarland and O'Toole. The meeting went quite smoothly, as MacFarland and O'Toole reviewed their cases. During their presentation, they made sure to give equal weight to the coverage of case status. They felt this was the best way to convey that the office was being run both correctly and efficiently. Once the meetings were complete, the two managers took MacFarland and O'Toole to dinner at a private club. Over discussions there, one manager returned to the issue of the cases; particularly the incidents at Larry and Dale's companies and the lodge incident. After some discussion, the managers agreed that MacFarland's office had struck a good balance between all the cases they were pursuing. ------- "Mom, where are we?" said Sam. "At the resort. Why? Where did you think we were?" Irene, Kelsey and Karmen stirred next to them in bed. "I don't know. I seem to have had the strangest dreams. I also feel different." "I feel different too. It must be the way we were lying." "Mom, my dreams bother me." "Why?" "Well I did a lot of things in the dreams with others, including you. Much of what I dreamt, I can't imagine myself doing." "Like, what?" "Mom, it's embarrassing. My dream seems like an endless orgy, with all of us in it. All of us seemed to enjoy everything we did together. It was like we couldn't get enough sex with each other, or for that matter, with anyone else. I didn't know I could be that slutty. The best part was dreaming that we both slept with James. I liked it. In fact, it felt like the best sex I ever had. I could see you liked it, as well. Are you mad at me?" "No. I had a similar dream," said Sue. As she thought about the dream, she could feel her nipples pucker and her cunt moisten. Sue tightened her arms around Sam. "Sam, I love you. I love James, too. Somehow I don't think they were dreams. Sam, we will manage somehow." "Mom, I did other things, that ... well; sexual things with men and women." Sue pulled Sam into her arms, hugging her. "Sam, I know it is difficult to talk about sex with your mother, but if the people involved are consenting, and enjoy it, then fine." "Really? In my dreams, nearly everything I did I felt good, very good. It seemed like the more aroused I was, the better it felt. The other participants seemed to enjoy the way I caressed them, or responded to them. Seeing and sensing their enjoyment seemed to make my orgasms stronger. I had heard others talk about oral sex, and thought it was nasty. Now, I know why people like to do it. Mom, am I a slut?" "No! Enjoying sex does not make you a slut. Though being obsessed with sex could give you a reputation as being a slut." Irene moved to get out of bed. Sue glanced over at Irene as she moved off the bed. As she started to snuggle against Sam's back, until seeing Irene registered. Sue quickly turned back to look at Irene, as she stood after slipping on her heels. Both women said, "Oh, my God," as they noticed how large each other's busts were. "Your bust, it's larger." said Irene. "Irene, I think yours is larger, as well," said Sue. Sue looked down at her tits. Irene was correct. She was at least as large as Irene. Then, she noticed liquid on her nipples, and touched them, causing milk to leak out. "Oh, my. Now I know my dreams must be real," gasped Sue. Her eyes filled with tears, as some of the scenes from the dreams floated through her mind. She now thought she knew why her daughter was worried about her dreams. Sue could tell that Irene was thinking the same thing. Sam rose up at hearing Sue and Irene. "Now I know why I felt different," said Sam, as she caressed her large breasts. Her face had a look of amazement, as her hands confirmed what she was seeing. Just the few light touches, as she explored her tits, caused her nipples to swell and begin to leaking a white watery fluid. "Mom, my nipples are wet." Sam tentatively tasted the liquid. "Mom! It's milk. I'm lactating. The dream was true. Oh, mom!" Sam looked at Sue apprehensively. "So am I dear, and they feel full. It has been a long time since they felt this way. It does fit with the dream, though. I wonder why?" "Mom, can I taste your milk, again," asked Sam, hesitantly. "The memory from the dream tells me it tastes very good." "According to our societal norms, we shouldn't." She paused a moment. "Yes you can, but only if I can taste yours. Yes, I have the same recollection from my dreams." "Mom," said Kelsey, as she rose on the bed, "I dreamed about the three of us with making love with dad. I hope neither of you are upset with me, but I loved the four of us being together like that. I felt closer to each of you than I can ever remember." "I liked it, too," said Karmen. "My God, look at my tits! They're huge!" "Karmen," said Sam, "look around, all of us have large tits and nipples. I wonder if the other changes I dreamt about are real." "What changes? How will we go to school?" asked Karmen, as her eyes started to tear. "My friends, if I now have any, will think I'm a freak." "In my dreams, my vagina looked different," said Kelsey. "When did we start sharing a bed?" asked Sue, looking at Irene. "Good question, and I don't have a ready answer. I don't think our dreams are really dreams." The women began to move around on the bed, examining themselves and each other. Their exploration of each other confirmed what they remembered from their dreams. Hesitantly, they began to tell each other about some scenes they remembered from their dreams. Several times, both of the older women reassured Kelsey and Karmen that there were many ways to stimulate your partner, so that each of them enjoyed the contact. As long as all parties consented and it was healthy, then it was fine. Sex should be a means to share pleasure between two, or more, individuals. Sam laid her head down in her mother's lap. She drew a nipple into her mouth and began to suckle. "Sam, that feels so good that I don't think I could stop you, now that you have started." Sue sat there with a blissful look on her face, as Sam drained her tits. "Oh my, I can feel my cunt beginning to moisten!" Kelsey, seeing what Sam was doing, pulled Irene to her and began to nurse, as well. Karmen quickly joined Kelsey, suckling at Irene's other nipple. The fragrance of arousal coming from Sue and Irene was soon apparent. After Kelsey, Karmen and Sam had drained the milk from their mother's tits, their mothers helped them drain the milk from theirs. After freshening up and eating breakfast, they went out by the pool, since the weather was very nice. At first, they tried to ignore their dreams, and the implications of them. After a while, they again began comparing their dreams. They quickly found them extremely similar, with one exception. A segment of Sue's dreams was different. In it, she heard a man talking to Eilene and Beth. From the portions she heard, it was quite clear that Eilene and Beth were being forced into taking care of them and do anything else the organization wanted them to do. While they were talking, the women were constantly caressing their bodies; sliding a finger between their cunt lips; tugging on the rings in their cunts, simply to feel the tug within their flesh. It did not take many caresses until they were all quite aroused. Sue leaned over Sam, to examine the rings through her cunt lips and clit. Seeing what Sue had done, Kelsey began to examine Karmen, with Irene joining in. As each examined the others, they knew that theirs were placed in their bodies the same way. Their examination of each other added to their arousal. Sam kissed Sue sliding her tongue deep within her mouth, then felt something hard. Sam quickly pulled back in surprise. "What was that?" "My tongue stud," said Sue. "We both have them. Don't you remember us doing it to each other after we saw the film?" "Yes, now I do. I wonder why I didn't notice it earlier." While she was talking, she had been caressing Sue's cunt with her fingers. She began to kiss her mother again as she pushed her fingers into her mothers cunt and pressed on Sue's clit with her thumb. Sue matched Sam's movements and they were soon in the throws of mutual orgasms. When their orgasm subsided, Sam and Sue licked their cunt cream from each others hands as they watched Kelsey, Karmen and Irene take turns make love to each other. "Remember the woman who came to our table at the club where we went with Eilene and Beth," asked Sue, as she felt her mind clear somewhat. "Some of her comments didn't make much sense then. Now, with what we see as a dream, they may make more sense. I think we are going to being used in an attempt to compromise James and Clarence." "How?" asked Irene, with a puzzled look. Sam, Kelsey and Karmen listened quietly. "By forcing us to be obsessed with sexual pleasure. Let's think about the events since we went on vacation. Eilene and Beth seemed to go out of their way to be with us the first days we were at the resort. I think all of us felt very close to them, after our session in the spa. They guided us toward attending the dinner club, which turned out to have sex shows for entertainment. We followed them up on stage after several acts, and put on a sex show. We were then led to believe that our performance in the orgy on stage had supposedly, earned us these new quarters. After we agreed to move here, we were offered the opportunity to alter our bodies, supposedly to make us prettier. We were told it would make us much more desirable to the men in our lives. All of us, immediately asked Eilene and Beth to arrange it." As Sue talked, her perspective began to change. She shivered, as she suddenly felt whole again. "This whole suite and outdoor area is brightly lit. I don't remember us being dressed for very long ever since the dinner club. Whenever our sexual interaction decreased for very long, either Eilene or Beth would initiate our participation in another sex scene with each other. The only reason that all makes sense is if were being filmed." "I can say that I enjoyed everything we did together. I have always enjoyed sexual interaction, and think everyone here does as well. If everything we did was taped, and those tapes were released, we would be outcasts in Grand View. It would cause a lot of problems for James and Clarence." As Sue talked, their activities, in the dreams, flooded back faster than she could express herself. She remembered welcoming the dogs to fuck her many times, and assisting a dog to mount Sam. The times, men came to their suite to fuck them. Sometimes, all of them would kneel on the tables, so the men could fuck them from behind. Other times, it was like a party with a group of men, with whom they spent much of the time sexually coupled one way or another. At other times, they bound each other and then would stimulate each other until their orgasms were continuous. Sue didn't notice her growing arousal as she talked. "When Eilene and Beth went with us to the resort's private lounge, it was like an endless party. They encouraged us to let anyone use us sexually and, if we were not involved with someone, to seek a partner. Several times, I remember being tied in some erotic pose, and left on display to be tormented or fucked. A few times, we actively participated in scenes where we submitted to a group of dogs, who then fucked us all evening. One time we sucked off a donkey in the lounge, until he came all over us, so we could lick it off each other." "My dreams include several times where we were continually engaged in sex with a group of men and women. We were constantly attending to one or another of the group, and sometimes more than one. We begged for more cunts or cock to lick clean. In many of the scenes, it seemed to be just us pleasuring each other." "The sex was good, and satisfying. The last dream I have is of Sam and I making love to James. I am not sure I would have initiated a threesome with James, but I did enjoy it immensely. I think Sam liked it as much as I did. It seems like James fucked both of us several times, and his warm cum in my cunt felt special. If the public knew of that, or our other actions, James would be out of work, and we would have few friends." "I sense that both James and Clarence will be shown the videos. How will they feel about us? I can only hope for the best." Irene, Sam, Kelsey, and Karmen listened intently, as Sue talked linking the events together. "The woman in the club commented that, if the first plan didn't work, then accidents could happen. She also mentioned that we would bring a good price at auction. Considering the way we have been altered, it now seems likely we could be sold as sex slaves, or sex toys. When we saw the same woman in the lounge, she made sure to use at least one of us before she left." "The more I think about it, I'm sure our videos will be used to ensure James, Clarence, and we comply with their demands, if they agree to cooperate. Selling, or circulating the films into the right places, would cause us to be rejected in most communities. James and Clarence couldn't find similar work." Sue's eyes teared up, as she began to realize the full implications of the situation. "James or Clarence will no longer be able to work in the field they enjoy." Sue's face turned white, as she realized what would likely happen. She knew that James could not live with himself if he gave into the demand to drop the investigation. It was now clear to her that after a little more time with the drugs and endless sex, they would think of nothing else. She briefly wondered what this group would do to James and Clarence, if they didn't agree to cooperate. "Mom, Irene," said Sam, "I think Jim and Clarence will be more uncomfortable with our sexual play with them than what we did in the films. Surely they know we must have been drugged, so I don't think they will hold that against us." "Yes, Sue, all of you have been drugged," said Eilene, as she walked out by the pool with Beth. Sue, your analysis of why the five of you are here is correct as well. You did a very good job, with all the clues. James and Clarence are here, and watching your films. I can assure you they find them very arousing. Shortly, we will take you to see them. You will spend, at least, the rest of the afternoon with them, under our supervision. The Council and Grand Master will meet with James and Clarence before dinner this evening. At the meeting, James and Clarence will be offered a choice. Their choice will determine how much longer you will be with them. If they decide to not cooperate, the five of you will begin working in the lounge this evening, as regular lounge sluts." "Why are we alert now? Everything before today seems like a dream." "The combination of drugs you are receiving was changed last night. You are now at a turning point. If your sexual marathon continues for another two weeks, all of you will be addicted to the sensations you feel during sexual pleasure. The desire to feel that pleasure will be strong, so strong that you will totally focus will be sex and pleasure. Your past will be a blur, as you seek to satisfy your craving for sexual pleasure, and how soon before you can feel it again." The five women were surprised at the bluntness of Eilene's comment. "The only way you can avoid being addicted is to convince James and Clarence to cooperate. If not your future will be determined by the Councilors. One future is as a permanent lounge slut. The woman Sue referred to earlier wants you for her estate. There you will be bred by and serve her customers. Going to her estate is probably the only other way you will leave here." The group gasped, as they saw a ghost-like image of a very tall man and woman appear next to the pool. "Relax," said a soft pleasant voice within their heads. "We are here to assist all of you in escaping. Yes, we are speaking to you telepathically. And, no you haven't lost your minds. Our names are Adam and Briana. Please relax, and listen carefully." As they talked, Briana and Adam sent feelings to comfort and evoke trust. "We can hear your questions, whether you speak them or not. No harm will come to any of you. We will be with you the rest of the day. Once James and Clarence accept the Grand Master's offer of you in exchange for bungling the investigation, all of you will all be permitted leave here. Our purpose, for now, is to be sure that you are safe and unharmed until we leave here." "Eilene and Beth, you will go with us, as well. The Council intends to have you go with James and Clarence, to insure that all of them continue to abide by the agreement. Your other duty will be to ensure the women continue taking the special drug." "Eilene, we know they are insuring your compliance by threatening your sisters and baby. Where are your sisters now? We can't protect them, until we know their location. Just think about them, where they are, and how they look. Some others of our group will look after their safety." Tears filled Eilene's eyes, as she remembered her sisters and their location. "Beth, your family is safe. We had a little difficulty in locating them. Another part of our group is monitoring their security." "Who are you?" asked Irene, as the shock wore off. "You look so ghostly, I feel like I am hallucinating." "You are all fully aware of your surroundings. Who we are is a long story, that is very difficult to tell simply," said Briana. "We look ghostly because of a shield we are wearing. It is adjusted so only you can see us. There are microphones in this area, as there are throughout the suite. Those monitoring them are having considerable difficulty hearing you over the static. We don't want to risk adding our voices to the mix of what they hear." "Would it suffice to say that you can consider this a real 'Star Trek Adventure'?" said Adam. "Cool," said Sam, along with Kelsey and Karmen. The comment brought smiles to all three faces. "How long have you been here?" asked Sue, as she remembered what she had said. "We have been here since very early this morning. And your perception of what happened, and their plans for you is correct, based upon what we know of their plans for all of you." "What do we say when we see them again?" asked Sue, with a little uncertainty in her voice. Her eyes were rapidly filling with tears. "Tell them how you feel about them," said Briana. "They will feel guilty about making all of you pregnant. They will have sense of guilt, because they entered willingly in to a sexual relationship with Karmen, Kelsey and Sam. The fact that they enjoyed to contact will add to their discomfort. They will feel embarrassed by how they reacted to your activities in the videos. All of you love them. Tell them that with as much emotion as you can muster, and convey that with touches, as well." "Oh, that will be easy," said Sue, "because I want to be with James forever and always." "Mom," said Sam, "I feel the same way, if both of you will let me. In any case, if we have much physical contact, we will be aroused and seek to have sex with them again." "There is absolutely nothing wrong with willingly expressing your love for someone who loves you physically and emotionally." "I know you do, darling, and I agree with Briana," said Sue. "We will work something out. There is nothing wrong with willingly sharing your love physically with someone you love." As Sue finished speaking, Irene and her daughters looked at each other and nodded, silently agreeing that they felt the same about Clarence. "Wait. You said we were pregnant," said Sam. "Yes," said Briana. "Each of you are, most likely, carrying twins." "Oh, my," said Sue, "that could really complicate things." The others nodded, agreeing with her. "I don't know if this will help," said Briana, "but, where we live it is common for a family to include multiple adults, as co-spouses." "Irene, we sense you feel as strongly for Clarence as Sue does for James. Kelsey and Karmen have very similar feelings for both of you. Please be patient. Help us get through today, by being frank about how you feel with Clarence. You should not hold back in expressing your feelings, as you are not alone. We promise to assist you in understanding the possible changes in your relationship with Clarence." "I can do that," said Irene. "I feel or sense the love and affection they have for Clarence. It is just that sexual relations between father and daughter is not accepted. In fact, it is illegal in some areas." "Mom, we love both of you," said Kelsey and Karmen. "We didn't seek these circumstances, but we will work with both of you to find the best solution." "I know you will." "Could we share a house?" said Sam. "Or at least live next to each other?" Sam's comment initially shocked all the women. Sue looked at Irene and nodded. "Girls, let's see what happens today," said Irene. "We think it is a possibility." "Cool," said the girls. The group sat and chatted, while waiting for Eilene and Beth to take them to meet James and Clarence. ------- When MacFarland and O'Toole became aware of their surroundings, they were naked, and tied to an open-bottom chair, with their legs spread. On the video screen, they could see Sue, Sam, Irene, Kelsey and Karmen naked. Kelsey and Karmen were both being fucked, while their mouths were covered by another woman's cunt. Sam was being fucked by Sue with a strap-on dildo, while she sucked on Irene's cunt. Both Irene and Sue were wearing ball gags, with their arms behind them, in arm binders. The end of the arm binders were tied to a steel hook embedded in their asses. Two women were flogging Irene and Sue's tits and asses. It was clear to the viewers that all the women were enjoying the stimulation. Both men struggled to get free, until Eilene came in. She told them to relax and enjoy the films that Sue, Sam, Irene, Kelsey and Karmen made for their enjoyment. The two men immediately stopped struggling, and watched the TV monitor. They were shocked and confused that they responded to her directions. They then remembered what Sarah's clan had told them about the drug they would probably be given. Both now realized that any hope of getting out of this successfully depended upon Sarah's clan, as these people seemed to have complete control of them and their families. James could feel his anger and frustration build, until he remembered Rusty's comment about revenge. He forced himself to relax and bide his time. As they watched the films, they became aroused at seeing their loved ones engage in sexual acts with each other and others. They soon realized that all five women seemed to enjoy the sexual contact. It appeared that they had several orgasms each time they were with someone. James knew that Sue enjoyed their loving times, and usually orgasmed several times. Watching the videos succeeded in keeping them aroused. As each arousal reached a critical point, Eilene or Beth or another naked woman would provide the men relief, with either their mouths or cunts. When the women gave them relief, they did it in a way that did not block their view of the performances on the screen. Even though they knew the women were drugged, they were surprised by their enthusiastic performances with each other and other individuals. In a few of the scenes, the women were bound and left in an open area, where they were causally used by anyone. Their bound poses were erotic, but such that they could easily be fucked. It appeared that they came several times, and every time they were fucked. In other scenes, each of them were bound or suspended, so that the others could torment them with electrical pulses, until they came many times. If the women fainted, they were splashed with water, or touched with cattle prods. James and Clarence recognized some of the participants in the sex films, but only because of comments they made. In many of the films, the other participants were carefully masked, and hardly said a word. Both men looked for some identifiable feature that could be used in the future. After watching a few films, James realized that both Sue and Sam were much bustier than when they left on vacation. The information Aoife gave him earlier, regarding the changes in the women's bodies, slowly came back. This prompted him to look for other changes. He could tell immediately that Irene, Kelsey and Karmen tits were larger than the last time he had seen them in a swimming suit. In fact, he didn't think they could wear those suits any more. James started to look at Clarence, to see if he had noticed the changes, when he felt a sharp sting on his back, causing him to jump. "James, watch the films," said Beth. "The next time. you will feel the full charge from the prod." She stepped around in front of him, holding a long rod with a u-shaped fork on the end. "Here, this way you can see it." She held the fork right in front of his nipple, before pressing it against his skin. He jumped when she pulled the trigger, as the shock caused his muscles to ripple. "That was a low setting. A high setting will cause what feels like cramps in your muscles. Very painful. Since you are bound, it will take the muscles a long time to relax." As she walked away, he turned back to watch the screen. Since he had noticed the changes in both Sue and Sam, James now looked closer as they participated in the videos. He could appreciate Aoife's comment about the larger cunt lips making it difficult for them to be modest in even moderately tight clothes. In several of the next videos close ups were shown of their cunts, as they sucked each other to a series of orgasms. Both women had rings in their outer labia. He could easily see the hood ring rubbing on their clits, as they moved or were being fucked. When he saw a close-up of Sam licking Sue's cunt, he saw how long her tongue now was. It took him a moment to recognize the stud near the tip. It then registered how different Sue and Sam would appear to him now. His eyes filled with tears. At first, he didn't know why. He knew he loved them without reservation. How would this change their relationship? Would they still adore each other? From his standpoint, he didn't see a problem. Would they be comfortable with their new bodies? Others would see them as very different. James jumped, as a thought rolled through his mind. Stop wallowing in self-pity. You know how you feel about them! You know they have not changed in terms of how they feel about you. Their appearances have changed. James took a deep breath, as he looked at the issues from a more honest perspective. When he did that, he realized that being himself and reassuring them was the right path for all of them. He wondered how Clarence was doing. They had watched several more films, when a woman joined them, stopping the show. She was wearing a mask, a wide belt and heels. From the waist belt hung a whip and electric prod. She said, "James, Clarence, the women in those videos were treated with a combination of drugs. This made them very submissive, such that they could not refuse any of the directions our coaches gave them. A second drug, which if continued, together with the appropriate conditioning, will turn them into sex addicts. Only two more weeks of intense sexual activity, before they are totally addicted to seeking the euphoria of sexual pleasure. More plainly put, once addicted, they will be wanton sluts, who will do anything to satisfy their need for sexual pleasure. Many may think they are 'air-heads', but that will not be the case, as the drugs do not diminish their intelligence. The addiction overrides virtually any other desires. Unless they leave here today, with you, they will begin the second phase and complete their addiction. Once addicted, they will find pleasure in doing anything someone they regard as their master or mistress asks of them. They will easily accept being given to another master or mistress, as their only desire will be to feel pleasure again." The sadness James and Clarence felt was almost overwhelming. The thought of the women they loved being turned into rampant sluts made them want to cry, and the emotions squeezed at their heart. "If they are fortunate enough go home with you, they will be much more sexually aggressive, both with you and with each other. We would expect, with time, for that to taper off somewhat. They would not become the sluts that two weeks in the lounge would make them." "All five of your women agreed to have their bodies altered. Their busts are considerably larger, and some changes have been made to their labia, making them much more pronounced. After a little training, they helped each other add a nice collection of jewelry to their cunts. One effect of these changes is that they now become aroused very easily. Their increased skin sensitivity and pronounced cunts will discourage them from wearing any clothes except for high heal shoes. This will only be an issue if they go home with you. Sluts here seldom wear anything, except cuffs, collars and high-heeled shoes. Their tits are still growing. Their cunt lips and clits have grown to about their final size, from this treatment. Their tongues are now about twice as long as they were previously. All of them chose to put a stud near the tip of their tongues. This makes them very good at licking or fucking cunts with their tongue." "This evening, you will meet with my fellow Council members. They have a proposal you are expected you to accept. If you don't accept the offer, those five women will immediately begin the second phase of their conditioning. As noted before, within two weeks all they will ever think about is sex, and how soon they can have it. Once phase 2 is complete, they could be sold. Several of the Council members think your women will bring a very good price, if sold at auction. In fact, they have already received several offers from private collectors and houses. One Council member would like to add them to her collection, once the Council is finished using them in the lounge. The Grand Master has indicated he intends to keep them in the lounge for some time. There, they will be available around the clock to the elite members, at least until their babies are born, and maybe longer. They have repeatedly bred some of the lounge sluts, so they could watch the women struggle to give birth by themselves." "If you don't accept the offer, after tonight you will never be together again. You will spend the rest of your life in pain, in the organization's special dungeon. Although we may use their videos to entertain you in the dungeon, between torture marathons." "Now, we have an event to show you, before we let you rest, prior to being reunited with your families." A curtain opened. They were shocked, as they saw Marge, Fred, Evelyn and Chad naked, strapped to frames, and leaning forward. Marge and Evelyn also looked bustier than the last time they saw them. There heads were shaved. A group of 14 men and women stood in front of them. James and Clarence watched in horror, as each journalist had their hands placed on a plate. They knew what was going to happen, from the films they had seized from Larry and Dale's vaults. It was worse watching it happen live, and they dreaded hearing the screams they knew would soon come. The next event was even more shocking, as a person went to each journalist and pulled their head back, locking it into a frame. In this position, their throats and front of their necks were exposed. The expression on the journalists faces was one of fear, as they could see their surroundings in the overhead mirror. Another person stepped in front of each journalist, then, with a scalpel, they slowly cut a slit into their wind pipe. Another slipped a tracheotomy tube into each slit, and sealed it to the surrounding tissue. Their heads were then released from the frame. They could be seen trying to speak, but there was no sound. Others in the group placed guillotines over the journalists' wrists. Once the guillotines were in place, one of the group began to lecture the journalists. James and Clarence could hear her as she spoke. "You have not heeded our warnings. As a result, you can no longer speak. Shortly, you will no longer be able to write because you will have no hands. The first step in loosing your hands will be the placement of a pin through the bones of your forearm. Once the pin is in place, your hands will be slowly separated from your arms, while you watch and feel the knife cut through your wrist. It will be done slowly, so you feel all the pain. If you faint, the process will stop until you are awake. After today, you will not bother anybody with your trash writings, nor your babbling nonsense. You will be given several weeks to recover from loosing your hands, while you watch training videos for your new jobs. This will also give you time to adapt to your new bodies, before you begin your new jobs. Your new jobs will be working here, as community sluts. Don't worry, your boyfriends will be with you all the time, as someone needs to clean the cum from you cunts and bodies." The journalists looked down at the knife resting on their wrists. "The pain of waiting, knowing what is about to happen, could be worse than the pain. Best of all, you can't relieve the stress by talking or screaming. Even crazy people make good sluts and sex toys." The Councilors laughed, as a few of them walked off stage and left the room. Those left began to caress each other, as they sought to relieve their own arousal from seeing the journalists mutilated, before being turned into whores. MacFarland had managed to recognize several of the group on the stage. They saw the drills move into position, in preparation for drilling the hole through the ends of their forearms. The woman Councilor then closed the curtain. "Your journalist friends will be there for several hours. Drilling the holes through their forearm bones will proceed slowly. Dale rushed his tormenting. He never seemed to have much patience. Once the hole is through, a pin will be pushed through the hole, locking the bones in place. They will provide a means to suspend them. Once they have recovered from drilling the hole, the knife will be slowly pressed down through their wrist joints." "Now, we will release you from your chairs, so you can rest for a while, before your families join you." "We would prefer to see them now, rather than wait," said Clarence, and James nodded his agreement. "We can do that. When I leave, I will tell Eilene to bring them now. You can use the facilities to freshen up, if you like. Eilene and Beth will be with you the whole time." Neither James nor Clarence said much while they cleaned up. Both were agonizing over the decision before them. More than nearly anything else in the world, they did not want to leave their women in these peoples hands, much less as sluts. Could they live with themselves if they agreed to cooperate? If they did that, there would be a small chance to survive and not deliver. ------- Shortly after the curtain had closed, Caoilinn's security team, along with the two bots, appeared in the room where the journalists were. They had chosen not to wear the helmets for their tactical suites, as they felt it would be too shocking to the journalist. Upon arriving, they quickly stunned the Councilors and those working with them, letting them fall to the floor unconscious. At the same time, the cameras were compromised, so the view was restricted to the hands on the plate, and was locked on that view. Caoilinn, Abbie and Sal worked with their team to release the journalists. A team member assisted each journalist off of the frame, and then to stand at the side of the room. One team member stayed with them, while other team members roughly stripped and placed a Councilor into the restraints that had just held a journalist. The others working with the Councilors were suspended, and a thin wire was wrapped around their wrists, with their feet barely touching the floor. After they were stripped, they were turned, so they could see the Councilors preparation. Each Councilor was then given a tracheotomy. Once the incision was made, a vent was inserted into the windpipe, then sealed there. Once the vent sealant set, it would require surgery to remove it. Once their hands were in place and locked down, the drills were turned on, just as the four Councilors were released from suspension. The four Councilors' screamed when they saw the drill bits next to the flesh on their wrists, but no sound was heard. Once the Councilors' fully realized what was happening, they began to struggle, in an attempt to get out of their restraints. Muscle control in their arms was blocked, just the way they did it to their victims, so all the struggling was in vain. It didn't take them long to realize the helplessness of their situation. Their faces took on a look of horror, as they watched the drills turning and aimed at the end of their arm above their wrists. While the Councilor's attention was focused on their wrists, ElectroStim devices were attached to those hanging by their wrists. A long, thick, butt plug was pushed up their asses. The leads were connected to the ElectroStim's controller. Needle-pointed ElectroStim clamps were then fastened to each Councilor's tongue and nipples. The Councilor's expressions oscillated between fear and anger, as they studied their predicament in the mirror. They could see the journalists standing to the side of the room with some strange looking people. The speed of the events had stunned the journalists, as their hopes of escaping had been rapidly disappearing. They quietly watched as their tormentors were subdued then released from the restraints. Each of them were concerned and scared until the saw the four Councilors replace them in the restraints. One of the strangely-dressed people stood near them. It was very clear that she was there to protect them. As they watched the new people go about their tasks, they began to realize these people were there to rescue them. They began to relax, as all of them came to the same conclusion. Soon, Abbie, with several team members, came to them, and began quickly dressing their wounds. Each of the journalists felt comfort from the soft gentle contact. Even though they were quick in applying the dressings, they were gentle. Caoilinn turned to the journalists, after checking that everything else was complete. "We need to stay here for a while. We know you can hear us, and that you cannot speak, because of the throat vent. Yes, we are speaking to you telepathically. Yes, we know many think it is fiction, but who would want the attention from making it known? We can do a quick test in a minute. Are all of you willing for us to look at your thoughts regarding our situation?" The four journalists nodded their heads and thought, yes. "We heard each of you say yes. My name is Caoilinn." She then introduced the rest of the group. "We have been asked, by our command staff, to ensure your safety until we are out of here. When we leave here, all of us will go to an island, where you will be safe. From there, you can contact anyone you want to. While there our only request is that you not to disclose the location, or any details about the group you see on the island. James and Clarence, along with their families, will be going with us." "We are embarrassed," said Andrea. "We did not know they were going put a vent in your throat. When it first started, we initially moved to stop it, but then realized it would have jeopardized many others. We did try to minimize the pain you felt. We are positive you will have your voices back very soon." "Now, while we wait, do you have any questions for us?" "Hi, Caoilinn. I am Marge, and these are Fred, Evelyn and Chad." As she said their names, she pointed to each. "First, Andrea, we sense your sadness. I think we, but I know I, understand your dilemma, and why you chose the path you did. My preference would have been not to be here. These animals have James and Clarence here?" "Yes. And, James' girlfriend and her daughter, along with Clarence's wife and daughters are also here." "We are relieved to be so close to being rescued, but at the same time we are very scared. We are not scared of you, though. Who are you? All of you seem so different." Caoilinn repeated Marge's comments, even the introductions. "You ask a question that is difficult to answer in a short statement. Let's go for the unvarnished truth. In a very short synopsis, most of us are originally from earth, but we now live on a space ship which is currently in earth orbit. How we got there is a long story. To anticipate one question, you can not see Dóchas today because it is cloaked. The truth of what we said should be apparent as you see the events unfold this afternoon and evening." "You might want to think of this as something like a Star Trek adventure," said Abbie. ------- Sue, Sam, Irene, Kelsey, and Karmen followed Eilene, as she led them to see James and Clarence. Beth followed closely behind with Briana and Adam. Eilene opened the door and stepped aside, letting everyone enter. There was no hesitation, as they rushed into each others arms. Their nudity was overlooked, has they immediately hugged and kissed each other, while their eyes filled with tears. Soon Sue, James and Samantha drew back, but kept their arms around each other. "I love both of you," they each said, together. "James, we hope you will still accept both of us," said Sue. Her face expressed her concern, while her eyes and voice conveyed her love for him. "We know changes have been made to our appearance, we hope this does not change how you see us. We have done things these last weeks that we were not fully aware of, until earlier today. This morning, when we woke, we had trouble understanding why we had the strange sexual dreams. It was not until after we talked that we realized the dreams were real. Much of what we did was new to us. Many times we did enjoyed it, even though we now know we were under the influence of drugs. I don't think our enjoyment was due to the drugs, though." "James," said Sam, "the words Mom has spoken are my words and feelings, as well." While James, Sue and Sam, were reuniting, Clarence's family was doing the same thing. Their words and actions were similar, as they stood with their arms around each other. "Sue, Sam," said James, "I love both of you very much. My feelings for either of you have not changed. Both of you still look stunning, although different. I know your looks and experiences have not changed the women I love. It seems like a change in our relationship has been forced on us. I pledge my commitment to whatever is best for all of us." Both Sue and Sam began kissing him before he even stopped talking. "Irene, Kelsey, Karmen," said Clarence, "My love for you knows no bounds. We have been forced into a new relationship. How we develop and manage that relationship, only time will tell. I pledge to do everything I can to make sure that what we decide works for us. All three of you look stunning." Eilene said, "James, Sue, and Sam, why don't you take this time to share your love for each other physically?" All three reacted to Eilene's command by beginning to caress each other, as they moved toward the bed. Meanwhile, Beth said, "Clarence, Irene, Kelsey, and Karmen, why don't you take this time to share your love for each other physically?" The four reacted to Beth's command and began to caress each other. Irene dropped to her knees and caressed Clarence's cock, causing it to swell. She licked his balls, and then sucked each one into her mouth, to caress it with her tongue. Kelsey and Karmen began easing Clarence back toward the bed, as they kissed his neck and face. Irene followed by knee-walking, as she continued caressing Clarence's cock. The two families spent the next several hours sharing their love with each other. Eilene and Beth watched the two groups, along with the security team. Briana and Adam were surprised that the women had forgotten they came with them. They felt like intruders, but decided to stay, since giving them some solitude would create some security problems. ------- The Grand Master stepped into the room where MacFarland and O'Toole were being held with their families. MacFarland thought, "I'll be damned, it's the one of the senior attorney's on the justice committee. The other one also works in the D of J. The woman looks familiar, but where from?" "Good evening, Grand Master and Councilors," said Eilene, in a very respectful voice, as she looked down. "Have they seen everything?" He asked sharply. "Yes, master." "Are the women pregnant? "If the doctors were correct about the timing, yes?" Turning to the two families, "MacFarland, we tried to tell you to drop the investigation," said the Grand Master "but you persevered. Your persistence, or bull-headed stupidity, has now placed both O'Toole's and your families on the extinction list. Tonight, you will have one last chance to avoid sending your women to work full time in our lounge as our sexual servants, and yourselves to be dungeon toys. Tonight, you will agree to kill the investigation, and lose the evidence. Once both of you agree, all of you will be quickly returned to your homes." "Fail to make that choice, and these five women will go directly to our lounge, to begin their new roles as our organization's sluts. I know you have already been told what will happen to them and yourselves. Believe them, for it is true. We have received very good offers from several porn film companies who want them for their films. For us, either choice yields the same result. Both of you just disappearing could cause us some minor problems, as we aren't sure as to how you, or the journalists, are obtaining your information." "Several on our council do not want to give you the choice. They would prefer you to watch your sluts be used in the bondage room. There, they would be bound, along with yourselves, and subjected to endless torment. From there, they might go to the lounge to work, or possibly the dungeon as toys, depending on their condition. Later, a party will be held, very much like Larry and Dale experienced, except it will last longer, much longer, and it will only be a prelude to the two of you entering our special dungeon. We can assure you that the room will echo for days with your screams." "We know the drugs don't effect your thinking process. You might like to know that your activities with Eilene and Beth were filmed, with a view of your slut's videos showing in the background. Your escorts, along with the videos, did a great job of keeping you aroused. The two of you really seemed to like fucking our sluts, while you watched your women perform. We also filmed your reunion. Your women are very good sluts. In some ways, I hope you chose not to cooperate. Your women will be an excellent addition to the lounge, and perhaps the film industry, when we begin selling their films." "If you fail to perform after leaving here, the films you watched of your sluts will sell very well. With the sluts real names and yours on the jackets, they will draw a lot of interest. Their performances will ensure continued sales. All five of them take direction very well, and were enthusiastic performers, especially when they performed with the two of you. Once the changes to their tits are complete, they could be very popular porn stars and lounge sluts." "If you agree to cooperate and do as we ask, they will go home with you shortly after you leave this room. In the next few weeks, you will close the investigation, and lose all of the data you collected during the investigation. MacFarland; Eilene will become your assistant in the DA's office, and she will also care for your two sluts. Beth will become the O'Toole's assistant, and the keeper of his three sluts. Within several months, Eilene and Beth will move in with each of you full time, as it will make it easier for them to take care of your sluts." "After your investigation quiets down, you can resign and take up private practice. Your families' welfare and future is dependent totally on your actions." "If you welsh on the deal, after tonight, a number of accidents could happen to your family. Each would be very painful, until ending in death. The pain and agony each of you will experience will be much greater than saying no now." MacFarland and O'Toole looked at each other. They were shell-shocked, but knew each other well enough to know that being alive was a better choice. It would give them time to get even. "James, Clarence," said Sarah, "don't rush to answer him. Each of you have done very well controlling your emotions." "Eilene will give you a shot in a moment, that counters the submissive drug given to you on Thursday. I will be back in five minutes, for your answer." With that, he turned and walked out, followed by his two associates. "James," said Sue, "we love you, but please do what is right." Sam nodded. "If we need to become sex addicts, then, for you, we would do that." Sue's voice took on a sound of pleading, as she stopped talking. James looked at Clarence, and he nodded. "James, Clarence," said Joyce, "the drug is no longer controlling your actions. We have a security team with you now. We expect the Grand Master to have Eilene and Beth take you to the rooms where the women have been staying." "Sue, Sam, Irene, Kelsey and Karmen," said Briana, "plead with James and Clarence to be their sluts. Caress each of them, while you talk to them. Don't worry about them making the wrong decision." From the other room, the Councilor's watched the group as they talked. The game they were playing was dangerous, and they wanted to be sure the decision would be adhered to. It was the best solution to stop the investigation, but all of them knew that James and Clarence would have a hard time living with themselves, if they gave in. Although no one had said anything, all were thinking that an accident, sometime in the future, would be necessary. It could be the near future. The Grand Master and several councilors entered the room, after the allotted time. "Well, James," said the Grand Master, "what have you decided?" James spoke with considerable emotion, as he said, "Yes, I will cooperate and allow the investigation to falter and die. The evidence will disappear, in due time. I hope you realize it will take some time, in order to avoid raising questions." "Good. Do you agree, Clarence?" "Yes." Clarence's voice was barely understandable, as it was so thick with emotion. "Good. Never forget we will be watching you, and it will not be Eilene and Beth. We have others better positioned to monitor your activities. One mistake in cooperating with us, and the pain and suffering will begin. Eilene and Beth, take these people back to the suite where the sluts have been staying. Someone will be there shortly, with the details of your transportation back to Grand View. Draw a few sheath dresses from storage for the women, from stock. No. Sluts don't wear clothes. Hang bells on their nipples and clits before they leave the suite for the trip home. The men's clothes are in the room now." "James and Clarence, I trust we will never need to talk again." With that, he turned and left the room with the other councilors. Eilene led the group back to the suite they had used for the last several weeks. She walked quickly, but not excessively fast. Reaching the room, she opened the door for everyone to enter, pausing long enough for the security team to enter, as well. As soon as they were in the room, Briana's group heard, "Security team, execute Checkmate." With those words from the command staff, the security teams commenced the operation. Caoilinn's team escorted the journalists to the waiting shuttles, using their cloaking to shield the journalists and themselves from anyone's view. When they left the room, one of the team turned on the Electro-Stim controllers. Briana's team showed MacFarland, O'Toole, and their families to the waiting shuttle. Caoilinn's team arrived at the shuttle just after they did. Other security teams began to move the previously selected staff members to other shuttles. These were primarily staff members who had been either abducted, or misled into signing an employment contract. All were assigned to be guest escorts, and to provide any services the members requested. ------- Chapter 82 The delayed e-mail arrived in Trudy and Marie's mailbox shortly before James and Clarence were reunited with their families. Trudy and Marie began to follow the script they had developed earlier in the week, during the meeting at James' home. With notification of James and Clarance's assistants, the office's emergency notification procedures were implemented. Only 15 minutes had elapsed when Trudy reached the MP Unit Commander. She told him that they had received an urgent request for help, via e-mail, from James and Clarence. "Clarence asked me to tell you that the scenario requiring the Guards' assistance is now a reality," said Trudy. "His e-mail indicated he thought you could arrange transportation for our investigators to the location where they were being held." Trudy's comments reminded him of a conversation he had with Clarence earlier in the week. The MP Commander asked Trudy if she would read the relevant parts of the e-mail. She hadn't read much until he realized this was the exact scenario laid out by Clarence earlier that week. He thought, "My, God, it is now real. The twerps have kidnapped Clarence and James." Collecting himself, he focused on the task at hand. "Trudy, are you certain this e-mail is valid?" asked the Commander. "Yes," said Trudy, "as it has a special notation in the message." "Have those going to the resort go directly to the Air Guard base. The AP at the gate will direct them from there." Trudy relayed the information to Marie, and the other staff members now calling the staff in. The MP Guard Commander called a friend, who was a Commander of the Air Guard unit. After chatting briefly, he told him he urgently needed the use of 8 Blackhawks, as soon as they could be readied. His friend responded with laughter, saying "You've got to be kidding." It took the Air Guard Commander seconds to realize his friend hadn't responded. In fact, there was no sound on the phone. He could sense the tension in his friend. The sensation was strong enough that it prickled the hairs on his neck. "Okay, tell me what's up." The MP Commander began by telling him that the need was somewhat related to their activation. Just as the story started, the Executive Officer walked into the Air Guard Commander's office. The AG Commander switched the phone to speaker, so both could hear the information. The two listened intently, as the MP Commander gave a quick run-down that covered all the major details. The AG commander knew some of the story from discussions they had in the past, and from what he had read in the paper. AG Commander took a deep breath and said, "Have you cleared this request yet?" "No, that is the next call," said the MP Commander. "My next call is to the state Commanding General directly, and then the Governor, if the General is not available." "The Governor personally approved your action before, right?" "Yes." The AG Executive Officer nodded at the unspoken question from the AG Commander. "Okay, then we will commit to supporting you. It would help a whole lot to have orders. Also, this is not a drill weekend, so I don't know if we can put up 8 birds. Fortunately, we do have quite a few folks here, for other reasons." The MP unit Commander could hear the klaxon horn in the background. "What are the coordinates of the destination?" The MP Commander relayed the information he had about the location. "Okay, I've got it." "See you as soon as I make the calls." "You're going?" "Hell, yes. If I am going to hang my ass out this far, I want to experience the fun," said the MP Commander, laughing, as he hung up the phone. The MP Commander reached the General on the first try. After apologizing for not following the chain of command, he told the General of the call he just had from MacFarland's office. He quickly summarized all the relevant items, and the response he was proposing. He told the General he had called the Air Guard Commander. They had told him they thought they could provide the transportation their unit needed. The General told him to make sure he left sufficient soldiers to guard the armory, as these creeps might strike there once, they realized what else was underway. He said he would call both the Governor, and the Air Guard's Commanding General. The MP Commander stepped out of his office, and hit the alert button. Within moments, all those in the building, except for sentries, had gathered in the duty room. He filled them in on the calls, and outlined their mission. The clerks immediately began calling all the off-duty soldiers, advising them of the alert. The acting First Sargent called the AG's OD, with a list of personnel that would be arriving from their unit. An AG Staff Sergent asked who was coming from the DA's office. The First Sargent said he didn't know, but they would all have Federal ID's, issued by the DOJ. Some of the off-duty soldiers were directed to meet them at the air base, while others were ordered to report to the armory. Those in the armory quickly began loading the Humvee's with all the gear they would need. The AG CQ, and several clerks, begin calling some of the unit that lived near by. They simply told the ones they called that they had been asked to respond to an emergency, and if they could, their help would be appreciated. The additional AG members began arriving just before those from the DA's office and MP unit began arriving. Everyone was at the Air Guard Base in less than an hour from time Trudy and Marie initially received the e-mail. As they arrived at the air base, Air Police at the main gate directed them to the flight operations building, after checking their ID's. The ramp was a beehive of activity, as the ground crews readied their helicopters. The only changes they had to make was to mount weapons, test and load them. While this was being done, the fuel tanks were topped off. MacFarland's assistant decided to only send part of their group on the mission, while all of O'Toole's staff would go, except for two they couldn't reach. Trudy found site plans for the resort, and sent copies to the base. When the MP Commander saw his friend, he said, "I thought you said this wasn't a drill weekend." Grinning, he replied, "It wasn't, until someone called for taxi service, and invoked the Governor's name." "Thanks. I find their enthusiasm somewhat contagious, and most to the time, this work is fun. Ready." "I agree. And, yes, I think were ready." "Attention!" said an officer, causing the group to quiet down in the operations conference room. The Air Guard Unit and MP Unit Commanders stepped to the front of the room. "At Ease! Airmen, as of 20 minutes ago, you are on active duty. Our mission is to provide support for a rescue operation, of sorts. We will be transporting the local Guard MP unit and a group of investigators from the US District Attorney's office. This is their operation, and because of this, all of you need to be Federal Officers. We know some of you already are, but it is easier if we swear all of you in at one time. So, raise your right arm, so the Assistant US District Attorney can swear you in." As soon as everyone had taken the oath, the AG Commander said, "Ground rules are: All of you will be armed including air crews. Live rounds, as this is not a drill. Everyone will wear body armor, even the air crews. We don't expect any resistance, but we will be prepared. There is a possibility of non-involved civilians in the area when we enter. Most of the action will take place during the early morning hours, so contact is expected to be minimal." "Now, the mission," said the MP Commander. "In a moment, I will turn the podium over to the lead US District Attorney Investigator. We are supporting them. Why? You've heard of the investigation by MacFarland into a slave ring operation? Well, it seems MacFarland and O'Toole along with their familes have been abducted by the people running the ring." With that, the podium was turned over to Clarence's lead investigator. "I know little about how you operate. I will tell you where we need to go, how we think the site is arranged, and what we want to do once we get there." With that, a map of the site was projected on the wall. Following the map, were floor plans of the buildings. He went over the information they had been able to assemble on the layout of the resort. He pointed out the type of locations that needed to be secured, and how to identify them. Every investigator was to be with at least one soldier. They did not know if there would be any resistance, as they expected many of those involved to flee. He indicated that, for the mission to be a success, they needed to accomplish two things: First, the release of MacFarland, O'Toole and their families; Second, they were to collect every bit of evidence they could find on the premises. Based on their experience at the 'Lodge Incident', they should be very alert. The evidence was to be removed from the property as quickly as possible. Photos were to be taken of each finding, before removal began. The group spent the next few minutes sorting out issues, and clarifying different points of the operation. "Pilots your flight plans are ready. Mount up!" said the Air Guard Commander. "Soldiers and investigators, pair up as you go to the aircraft." ------- As the Councilors ate their dinner, the monitors on the wall showed the four sets of hands clamped to the plates, with the sharp knives resting on the wrists. The atmosphere in the room was somewhat like a celebration, as it wasn't often all of them were together, for security reasons. This was a chance for them to renew acquaintances, and make plans for the future of their organization. The live entertainment was unusual. Many of them were pleased with the addition, especially since it featured four people who were a thorn in the organization's side. "Well, it looks like after tonight, we won't need to worry about those damn journalist writing any longer," commented a woman councilor. When Caoilinn's team left the room with the journalists, they had left the Councilors starring fearfully at the drills, as they began turning. Each knew the mechanism would soon push the drill bits against their wrists. The weight of the knives pressing on their wrists had already broken the skin, allowing blood to trickle out and onto the plate. The image shown on the monitor in the dining room would rotate between all four sets of hands. "Why are we seeing closeups?" said one woman Councilor. "I want to see their expressions! After all the trouble they have caused us, I want to see their faces contorted in pain." The absence of four Councilors at the dinner meeting did not surprise anyone. They knew the four had set up the amputations, and were known to be rather brutal. Several comments were made, wondering if they were still toying with the journalists while their hands were severed. "I tried the zoom earlier, and it wasn't responding," said another Councilor. "It looks like neither the knives or drills have moved since we started dinner." "Well, here, let me try the zoom." The woman picked up the control, and after a few moments, got it to zoom out. She screamed when she saw the four faces etched with fear on the monitor. She saw that the hands they had been watching were those of the four absent Councilors. Just then, the drills pressed into their wrists, as the bits began to cutting through the flesh and bone. They saw the four Councilor's mouths open, as they screamed in pain. The vibrations caused the heavy knives to settle further into the wrist joints, as they cut deeper, letting more blood flow onto the plates. Edana's and Darcy's cloaked security teams quietly entered the main IT office, and immediately placed the staff in suspension. This would let the staff see the activities, but not the team members. Darcy's team began identifying and removing all the tapes and DVD's of James, Clarence, Sue, Sam, Irene, Kelsey and Karmen's from the systems. While Edana's team made sure that the resort's security monitoring systems continued to give the appearance of functioning correctly. They also assisted Donna and the Intelligence department AI finish extracting copies of active and deleted data from the system. The woman Councilor holding the remote screamed, as she saw the drills begin their task. Just then, a resort security supervisor opened the door, saying "Excuse me, Councilors, but where were we supposed to meet the group you want us to transport?" "Get someone down there, now!" screamed the woman Councilor, as she pointed at the screen. Seeing the image on the monitor, the security supervisor immediately started talking into the radio. They watched the screen for a few moments, and then saw several resort security members enter the room. Conversation in the dining room had come to a standstill, as they watched the resort security team prepared to stop the drills. "Wait! Stop them! There is a special procedure to stop it." The Councilors watched in horror as the knives drove down through the wrists and stopped. They watched as the resort security scrambled to stop the bleeding and release the Councilors. "What was it you wanted?" asked the Grand Master's associate, as the situation on the monitor seemed to stabilize. "Where were we supposed to meet the group you wanted us to transport?" "In the large suite we use for filming. Where the sluts have been living for the last 6 weeks." "Sir, they aren't there. We checked all the rooms in the suite and the outdoor area. There is no one in the suite complex." "What?" "We did find the mens' clothes there." He paused for a moment, as he pressed his ear piece for his radio tighter. He was quiet for a moment, then said, "An alert has just been sent to all the security staff to find the journalists. They are summoning the medical technicians, to care for those in the amputation room. Besides the Councilors, the others who had been helping them were found hanging by a wire wrapped around their wrists." "How could this happen?" asked the Grand Master. "Where is the head of security?" "She is on her way to the amputation room." "Tell resort security that none of those eleven people are to leave this resort, ever! They are to detain them any way they can. There will be no acceptable excuses." The Grand Master looked around the table, concern etched his face. "We had an excellent plan to squelch this investigation. All of the contingencies were covered. So, how can such a simple plan become such a fucked up mess? Now, we have a problem of monumental proportions. If we can't get control of this, our group is going to have a lot of problems." "What have we missed?" asked a woman Councilor. "How could the Councilors end up restrained like that? There had to be someone else helping. How does MacFarland's and O'Toole's disappearance fit with what happened to the Councilors? Is their disappearance an indication that they are attempting to double-cross us?" "But, why so quickly?" said another. "If they were going to do that, why not wait until they were home and thought they were safe." "Placing the four Councilors in the amputation rig doesn't fit with a double-cross," said another. "Could some of the staff have instigated it, as it seems more like revenge. All of it is too much of a coincidence." "Where are the journalists?" asked the Grand Master, again. "They haven't been found, yet. The group in the control room is using the surveillance cameras to search the whole resort," said the guard, uneasily. "Increase the perimeter surveillance, and put all the available security guards on the perimeter," said the Grand Master's associate to the security person. "Again, none of them are to leave here. Use whatever means you need to stop them." The guard turned and left the room, talking on his radio. "Our organization has been around for several centuries, perhaps even longer. We have survived this long because we have been very careful," said the Grand Master. "Although we have had close calls in the past, this maybe the worst. Now, we should assume the worst, as it will give us the best chance to survive. The high profile guests need to be alerted of possible problems, so they can protect their interests." "I will be leaving shortly, with my two associates and strongly recommend you do the same. I am taking two special DVDs. There is enough evidence on them to bury the reputations of O'Toole and MacFarland, along that of their families. The DVDs will make it very easy for the President to fire them." He paused for a moment. "Maybe we ought to assume the worse, get both fired plus issue contracts on all of them." "Aren't we over-reacting?" asked one Councilor. "Think about it. Someone had to release the journalists and put the Councilors in their places. The journalists were in no position to do it, so who helped them? MacFarland's and O'Toole's groups are not in the suite, where they should be. So, to me, they have violated their agreement. Why they are not there, is an unanswerable question at the moment. We don't know if the three events are connected. We still don't know how the journalists were getting their information. Now, we don't know where the journalists are. There are way too many loose ends. Perhaps we should have all of them immediately terminated, as it now seems like their being free is an unacceptable risk. Stay if you want, but we are leaving now. The staff has instructions as to what to do in a case like this." The Grand Master quickly left the room with his two associates. They picked up the DVDs he had set aside earlier and left with the rest of his group. The DVDs held the evidence to discredit MacFarland and O'Toole, if and when the need arose. ------- The Intelligence Department on Dóchas monitored O'Toole's investigators, as they responded to the e-mail indicating MacFarland and O'Toole had been abducted. They were impressed with the initiative taken by both the MP Unit Commander and the Air Guard Unit Commander. Earlier that day, the resorts' network, phone and security systems were penetrated, giving Dóchas's Intelligence department total access to the resort. This allowed them to control the resort security monitors, and other information seen by the resort security staff. This ensured that the resort security were unaware of Dóchas's security teams on the premises. Earlier in the day, Dóchas's security teams had given all of the guests in the private portion a drug dose that would greatly change their lives. Once the drug-induced infection was complete, they would be compelled to speak truthfully in response to any question. Some would find it impossible to keep quiet, and would talk about everything they saw, past and present. It had been a busy afternoon for the security teams, as they had to accomplish their task undetected. A tracking device had been placed in each Councilor's body, as they quietly left the resort. The Councilor's were sure that their cover story was air-tight. They were certain none of the resort systems could visually identify them. A drone traveled with the Grand Master and his two assistants on their trip back to Washington. During the trip, it relayed the discussion between the three regarding the disappearance of the two groups, and the amputation of the Councilor's hands. On the trip home, the Grand Master decided to implement a multi-prong thrust to neutralize MacFarland and O'Toole. Waiting to determine, who was responsible for their disappearance was not a sensible option, and waiting to see if the blackmail plan worked was now extremely risky. This left them with only one choice. They would defame and eliminate all of them. As a first step, they would arrange an audience with the USAG and President, where they would disclose the information they had on the DVDs. As conservative as both men were, they were confident that both MacFarland and O'Toole would be fired immediately. They would have their associated video company begin preparing the performances for distribution. Then, to ensure that there were no loose ends, as soon as they reached their secure terminal, they would initiate disposal contracts on MacFarland and O'Toole's families. The contracts would indicate a preference for them to have an accident, but speed was of the essence. Termination contracts would also be issued for the four journalists, with a preference for them to be brutal executions. Their discussion never dealt with what to do about the evidence. ------- In Alpha1 shuttle, MacFarland's and O'Toole's families were surprised when they saw the four journalists following them into the shuttle. The journalists were pleased to see James and Clarence in the shuttle, along with their families. After giving each a hug, Clarence introduced them to their families. James and Clarence had expected the rescue, but were still shaky from living through the events. Only Briana, Adam, Caoilinn and Abbie had entered the aircraft with them. The rest of the security teams positioned themselves to monitor the area around the shuttle. "We introduced ourselves to some of you earlier, let's do it again. My name is Briana, and this is Adam, Caoilinn and Abbie." She pointed to each as she introduced them. "We know you are uneasy. If I was in your shoes, I would be, too. You are safe here, so relax. Our aircraft will be departing in a few moments. We now have control of the resort and the resort staff has no clue where any of you are." While she was speaking, a bot offered them all refreshments while they waited. No one took a drink, until James noticed their reluctance, and took a sip of his. When Sarah, Sally, Terry, Joyce and Rusty entered, they were wearing their tactical suits, though without their helmets. Seeing them both, James and Clarence smiled. "I am sure glad to see all of you," said James, as he looked at the new arrivals. "Your suits certainly gives you an intimidating appearance and coupled with your height makes all of you quite awesome. I am sure glad I didn't get a view of your suits before we reached the suite, or I might not have been able to follow the script." Except for Clarence, the others looked puzzled at his comments. "We can understand that reaction," said Sally. "We have seen other groups react in a similar manner, on seeing our tactical suits." "We're sorry," said Briana, with Adam nodding agreement. "We had our suits and helmets on the whole time we were in the suite with the women and later when we all joined you. You didn't notice the way we look, because the suit AI made the suit essentially invisible. From a visual standpoint, the suit appeared transparent. Looking back, when we left the suite to come here, we inadvertently dropped the transparency. Our concern, at that moment, was getting all of you safely to the shuttle. Once we were here, we kind of forgot about it, because we were monitoring some of the other activities, as we loose some information without the helmet. Again, we are sorry for the discomfort." As she was talking, they slipped off their helmets. "Guys," said Clarence, "we didn't feel uncomfortable. Well, James and I didn't as we had some idea as to what was happening, and who you probably were. We probably would have went with anyone to get out of there." "Clarence, James," said Sue, "Briana and Adam met us earlier, in our quarters, so we knew we would be free before long. They did look different there. After they gave us a brief run down about the situation, they encouraged us to follow our instincts. They encouraged us to express how we felt about each other when we joined you this afternoon. It turned out to be difficult, because we were afraid of making a mistake. I hope we didn't embarrass them with our reunion." "You didn't," said Briana, "but it was arousing, and beautiful, the way all of you showed your love for each other. With respect to making a mistake, we could have interceded, if necessary." "Oh," said Sam, "we do love each other." Her face glowed, as she looked at Sue and James. "I think we now have some idea of just how much." "We have these people," said James, to Sue, Sam, Irene, Karmen, Kelsey and journalists, "to thank for many things, besides our release. Clarence and I learned, earlier this week, that this group has been giving us some subtle assistance over the last year or so with the lodge incident, and then with the estate event." "But, how could they do that?" asked Marge. "We never saw anybody that looks like them. I know I would remember seeing them." "Metaphorically, they made sure there were seeds along the path to the treasure, and, in some cases, protected until we found it." "Why do that?" said Marge, with a puzzled look on her face. "Marge, I'm surprised," said Clarence, grinning. "Using their approach, no evidence was contaminated. They maintained their cover. We gained the information we needed for the investigation." "Oh," as she thumped her forehead, "I guess I'm a bit slow, tonight." She looked at their rescuers for a moment. "Thanks. I think, I can see why you wanted to remain unknown. A group with your looks would stand out in any crowd. Wait, how tall are you?" "We are 7' 8"," said Sarah, "but that is not the main reason. We will share our background with you later, as it takes quite a while to tell." "Briana and Caoilinn's teams," said Rusty, "rather than assisting at the resort, we have another mission for you. We need each of you to take a shuttle. The shuttle's AI already has your mission plan, and is waiting for you." As the two teams left the shuttle, Alison stepped into the shuttle, and said, "Beth and Eilene, we have drones monitoring both of your families. Everything appears to be fine. We will have more resources near them shortly. What hold does the council have over you?" "My sisters welfare," said Eilene "and they are caring for my baby. The Grand Master told me that, if I ever failed them, my sisters would join me in a new life. Our appearance would be augmented, so we were extremely desirable sex toys. After that, we would be trained and conditioned to be obsessive sluts, before we were sold. Once we were well trained, he knew of several whorehouses in the Middle East that are always looking for sensitive, well-endowed westerners. I can't repeat what they said they would do with the baby." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "They threatened to show my family the videos that were made of me participating in club's sex shows," said Beth. "After that, they were going to release the films for sale, with full page ads in my home town. The humiliation would have killed my parents. Comments were made that my married sisters and their children, would make good sluts. They would all be put to work in bondage and torture films with me." "We would prefer to bring all of them to Comrie," said Sarah, "at least temporarily." "Where?" asked Beth. "An island we have in the western Atlantic." While they were talking, the shuttle had lifted off, so it was hovering above the resort. No one noticed the change, until Sam looked out the window. She noticed the position of the lights for the resort had changed. She went to the window and looked out. "We've moved." "Yes, we are hovering over the resort," said Tara. "Eilene, Beth," said Alison, "Briana and Caoilinn's teams will be monitoring your families' security within the next 5 minutes or so." "Seeing them will really scare my sisters," said Eilene. "They won't see our security teams, unless it becomes necessary. Just like you didn't know Briana and Adam were with you today, until they revealed themselves in the suite." "How is the operation going?" said James. "So far, everything at the resort has gone pretty much as expected," said Rusty, "even though we have had to make a few adjustments to the script. We will be leaving for Comrie shortly. James, Clarence, your office is ready, and a connection has been established with Trudy, Marie and your other two paralegals." This caused puzzled looks to appear on the journalists faces. "Excuse me, Rusty," said Sarah, interrupting, "We need to remember that some here weren't in on the planning. The plan we worked out earlier this week, with James and Clarence, has all you joining us on Comrie. We believe that our island is an ideal location. It is isolated and nearly unapproachable by foot from the beach. The island appears to be unknown to the modern world. We have a security system that lets us know as soon as anyone unknown to us sets foot on the island." "With respect to the delayed e-mail you sent to Marie and Trudy, your staffs have responded as expected. When Trudy called the MP Unit Commander, she reminded him of the discussion with Clarence, and said it had happened. He has enlisted the assistance of an Air Guard unit, to transport them to the resort. Both unit commanders initiated arrangements for the transportation of your staffs even before having concurrence with their commanders. Once both explained the situation to their commanders, approval was immediately given. About half of the MP unit is on the Blackhawks, along with your investigators, and a few attorneys. The MP unit has everyone else at the armory." "The flight of eight Blackhawks is en route to the resort," said Sally. "Our security teams have secured the areas in the resort containing the group's records and recordings. We have made duplicates of all the electronic evidence, and moved it off site. During the day, our several security teams screened the staff used as escorts, pleasure counselors or guest companions. They have not found any staff that willingly chose to work as escorts or pleasure counselors for the guests. We are currently relocating them to isolated locations. One of those locations is Comrie." "The Grand Master and his two key assistants headed for Washington," said Joyce, "right after it was discovered that all of you were missing. Before leaving, he strongly suggested to the other Councilors that they leave immediately, as a precautionary step. He felt it was possible that you were not going to follow through on dropping the investigation. Nearly all of the Councilors are in the process of leaving the resort. We see no need to detain them, in fact, where they go and what they do could be quite informative." "The other staff and guests are generally unaware of our presence," said Terry. "The high profile guests were told by the Council that they should consider leaving immediately, because it appeared that security had been breached. Those guests are using their resources to quickly make arrangements to leave the site. The resort security guards are unaware of anything but your disappearance, and an accident involving four councilors." "We won't be safe anywhere," cried Eilene and Beth. "They implanted devices in our bodies, so they could track us." "I think we can handle that," said Sarah. "Alpha1, on departure rise straight up, before heading for Dóchas." "Acknowledged," came a soft voice from the speaker. "Will rise to 200 angels before commencing trip." The exchange caused some surprised looks among the group. "They may have done something similar to us," said Irene. "I'm basing my comments on what I heard once as I was waking up. It was during the time we were undergoing our alterations." "I don't think so," said Eilene. "Or least they didn't do it while we were with you, which was virtually all the time." "Eilene and Beth, both of you have family concerns that we have only partially addressed," said Sarah. "Eilene, if you called your sisters and asked them to join you on a vacation, would they drop everything and come?" "Yes, I think so." "Here is a phone. If they agree, tell them some friends of yours will be there within 15 minutes. You might warn them that your friends will be exceptionally tall, and that their clothes might be a little unusual." Eilene called her sisters. They were thrilled to hear her voice. After a short chat, Eilene asked them if they would join her on a vacation. They hardly let her finish before saying yes, but then were worried about what to bring. Alison suggested to Eilene that they just bring personal care items and a change or two of clothes, as the place was very casual. Additional items would be readily available there. Before the call ended, two of Briana's security team, now causally dressed, were knocking on the door. "Beth, would your family accept a last minute offer of a vacation?" asked Alison. "I don't know. I haven't been home in a long time. When I left, my relationship with my parents was a little strained. They were not pleased with my direction in life, as their fews are very conservative." "Would you find this an acceptable alternative? We have a drone currently monitoring them, and a security team nearby. This will enable them to react almost instantly if there is a problem. Once the news breaks concerning the arrests, we will send several of our security team members to meet with them. In each case, we will create a story that keys off of the arrests. We will phrase so that it's clear that you were forced to work there by threats about their well-being. We won't tell them any of the details, that will be up to you." "Yes, that's fine," said Beth, without much enthusiasm. "Is there something else?" asked Tara. "If they knew it was about me, I would be surprised if they would even talk to you. Accepting an offer for a vacation is not very likely. My siblings, on the other hand, are a lot more understanding, and perhaps more at risk. Their welfare was occasionally used as a threat by the Councilors, whenever they felt my performance wasn't very good. I have had limited contact with them since I left. It has been a while since the last contact." "So, let's change where we send a team with the offer. We will have the team meet with your siblings. They can be told of the situation, and we'll let them decide what they want to do. From them, we can find out how they think your parents would react now." Beth took a deep breath, then said, "Let's try it. I can see your suggestion is probably the best choice. Regardless of how it works out, I really appreciate your concern. Thanks." "These tracking devices are a complication," said Sarah. "We know all of you are, shall we say, surprised by some things you have seen this evening. We understand some you were told to think of it as a 'Star Trek' adventure." They all smiled, while nodding their heads. "It looks like we will add some more realism to that concept. We will make a stop on our way to Comrie, so that our medical staff can deal with the devices in your bodies. Once things have calmed down somewhat, we will tell you more about our origins and background. As we mentioned earlier, James and Clarence already know part of it. For the next episode of our adventure, you will get to see our version of the 'Enterprise', except our ship is named Dóchas." "Isn't that Celtic for hope?" asked Sam, causing both Sue and James to give her a surprised look. "Yes, it is." "After this past week, that seems to be an excellent destination," said Marge. "Whatever happens now, I have the three of the most precious people in my life to share it with me." Her voice was thick with emotion. Sam stood and placed her arm around both her mother and James, pulling them into a group hug. "I didn't think of it before, but Comrie is Celtic for sanctuary," said Sam, "although I have seen it as Cómairce in some dialects." "Let's do it," said Clarence. "James and I need to talk with the group headed for the resort. They will need to alter their objectives, since we aren't there." His family had all gathered about him. They weren't hugging, but were very close to it. "Agreed," said James. "We will be at Comrie well before they reach the resort. Your paralegals are in the office now, making sure everything is ready. Besides monitoring the strike force, they have been organizing the information you will need, and making sure it is available to you at Comrie. Your new office has a secure link to both the armory and your office in Grand View." Alpha1 AI said, "Two minutes to destination." Sam looked out the window, and gasped at the view of earth. "Oh, my it looks just like the photos." The others quickly went to look out the windows, to see earth for a few moments. Then Dóchas came into view, as the shuttle turned to make its approach. "In a moment, we will be able to leave the shuttle," said Tara. "Remember what I said about Star Trek. Also, you are about to enter a clothing optional area, so your dress will not be an issue." Several of the group gasped, as they realized they had been naked the whole time. "While we are here, one of our crew members will be with each of you at all times. We are primarily doing this so you don't get lost. We only expect to be here for about an hour, at most. You, no doubt, will have some questions. We may need to delay a full response to some of those questions. Why? Mainly because we need to return to Comrie as soon as possible. You will have the opportunity to have a longer visit to Dóchas, if you want to." The shuttle door opened, just as Tara finished speaking. As they stepped out of the shuttle, there were several crew members waiting to greet them. Either a security team member or crew member took a hand of each passenger, in order to lead them to the clinic. The looks on the passengers' faces showed their wonder and amazement at the surroundings, as they walked to the clinic. Betsy, Judy and Gail were waiting for them. After introductions, Betsy told them the exam would be a new experience for them, as it was totally computerized. Gail then directed Eilene to step up on the platform for the autodoc scan. Once in position, Gail asked her to stand still until she heard a tone. When the tone sounded, Beth traded places with Eilene. Once Eilene and Beth had been scanned, Betsy took them to the operating suite. The devices were in a spot where they could easily be removed by the surgical autodoc. Sam, Sue, Irene and her daughters were cleared of any immediate needs by the autodocs, as were James and Clarence. Gail treated each of the women for minor infections around the body jewelry they now wore. A quick examination of their vaginal area showed general inflammation, caused by the sexual marathon they had been on. It was also clear that a part of the inflammation was due to the treatments they were given to increase the size of their tits and cunt lips. Betsy had just come back with Eilene and Beth, as Judy and Gail had finished with their patients. "Ladies and gentlemen, in a few moments we will give you an antidote to the lingering submissive drugs in your body. You will be free of their effects by the time you get to Comrie. The medical scan we gave you just looked at immediate needs. We need all of you to come back for a full evaluation as soon as possible. Based on past experience with this group, all of you will have some long-term health issues to consider." "Marge, Evelyn, Fred, and Chad, we strongly encourage you to meet with us tomorrow. It can be either at Comrie or here. Please don't worry about the health issues, as they are all very treatable. However, the treatments Marge, Evelyn, Fred and Chad received at the resort used a different virus strain than we have seen before. This is why we are anxious to address their health issues. We would prefer all of you to have a full medical scan tomorrow. This can be done at Comrie but we prefer to do it here." "Thank you," said Beth, causing everyone to chime in with thanks. "Let's go to Comrie," said Tara, as she led the way out of the clinic. While on Dóchas, Sarah's clan had sent three bots to James' house, with instructions to monitor the area around the houses. The three bots linked with the two bots inside the house upon arriving. Three bots were sent to Clarence's house, for the same purpose. Phones were redirected to an automated answering system on Comrie, and were not traceable. ------- "Alright. What gives?" said MacFarland, grinning, as they stood outside the shuttle at Comrie. "You kept telling us to expect an experience with Star Trek character. Looking around, I feel like we are being recruited to join a nudist colony. First, you tell us Dóchas is a clothing optional location, and when step out of the shuttle, it looks much the same here." Several smiled at his comment. Although he tried to sound concerned, everyone could see the laughter in his eyes. "You could categorize it that way," said Claudette, as she grinned. "If you didn't catch it earlier, I'm Claudette. You've met Alison, Tara, Sarah, Sally, Terry, Rusty and Joyce, all of whom are part of my family group, and there are several others. A nudist colony. I guess we could be called that, as we seldom wear any covering, unless it is needed. None of that probably addresses your real question." They all nodded. "Both James and Clarence know a little of our background, which is why they are so relaxed with what has happened this evening. Although the nudity is obviously an aspect they didn't expect." "Now, with respect to who we are, let me provide you with these tidbits: Nearly all of us were originally from earth. Besides here, we currently live either on the space ship you just visited, or at a settlement on Mars. We would like to defer going into further detail until everyone has had a chance to rest. We have a set of candid presentations we made several years ago that detail our history, background and the physical differences between us. Our current plans are to show you these after breakfast." "James, Clarence, we had planned on Tara giving all of you a tour of the facility," said Sarah. "We know you are anxious to talk to your office, and to the group headed for the resort. We would like to point out a couple of things first. There are phones in your offices and rooms. These function just like the phone at home, except they have a couple of extra buttons. One button is marked with a 'T' and the other is marked with an 'R'. Pressing those will tell our system to Trace and /or Record the call. Other than that, they are more private and secure than any you have used before." "If you go out walking around the site, please stay in sight of the buildings for the next couple of days. The only reason for the request is that we don't particularly want to be distracted by having to search for one of you." "Sarah, how is the operation progressing?" asked James. "Pretty well, the situation at the resort is stable. The Blackhawks are en route to the resort. Hmm ... Actually, they should arrive in about an hour." "We need to talk to them before they arrive. Before they can see the resort," said Clarence. "Also, both of us would like to observe the operation once they arrive. On top of all that, it sure would be nice to take a short nap before all this starts." "We will take both of you to the conference room, now," said Sarah. "Tara can take everyone else on a tour, and then bring them to the conference room, if that's agreeable." Everyone nodded their heads. "This way, you can contact your staff then take a quick nap in the conference room chairs. The other benefit is you will have a little longer nap than if you went to your room." "We would like to come, as well," said Marge. "Marge, Evelyn, Fred, Chad, it would be a pleasure to have you there with us," said James. "Your editors were very anxious when you started that quick vacation, so you might call them first thing in the morning." "James, Clarence," said Sally, "we can arrange an office for them near yours." James looked at Clarence then said, "I like that, let's do it." ------- "Sarah, we arrived fine," said Alice. "We could use a few medical technicians here, as Frank does not have any currently on staff. He is also light on kitchen staff, but he thinks that can be worked out. He also wants to talk to you." "Okay. It will be about twenty minutes before a team can be there. We should have thought about sending a medical team initially." "Hello, Sarah. Alice has told me a bit about what your group has been dealing with. It pleases me that you thought to ask for my assistance, and please don't hesitate to call on me if you need help. Although, seeing the craft that brought them here, I am not sure how much help I could be. We don't have many visitors this time of year, so the only ones here are our year round residents. Your guests should be quite secure here. We don't have anything like the four-legged security team that Alice says you have." "Yes, they work very nicely. We could spare you a pair for a while." "That would err on the safe side." "Alright, they will arrive with the medical team. One other thing, at this point we are not sure how many guests will be coming. Let us know if you need anything else." "Not a problem. Thanks, and come for visit. I would really like to meet you and your family. I have never heard Alice rave about anyone like she does you and your group." "Thanks." ------- The Blackhawks were a little more than 45 minutes from the resort, when James and Clarence reached the conference room. "Rusty," said Clarence, "we should tell them now we are safe, as it will change their approach." "Donna, advise the DA's Strike Team of an incoming general announcement." The group listened as the com-link was established with the Strike Team. Rusty nodded to Clarence. "Strike Team Leader, this is Clarence O'Toole. Copy?" "Copy. Hey, Clarence did you get tired of being their plaything before we could get there? Over." said Clarence's assistant. He could be heard chuckling. "Nah, I knew you would come. Anyway, we were fortunate. Some friends showed up earlier to spring us. Besides, I didn't want to buy another hat. Over." "Did the last one get to close for you? Over." "You know damn well that after the last one, I needed stitches. Too damn many stitches. Over." "Just how in the hell did you manage to get out of there," exclaimed Clarence's assistant, as he felt the personal information confirmed who he was talking to, along with the sound of the voice. "Our escape was assisted by a group of GISS operatives. We are using their secure facilities at the moment, and expect we may need to stay here for sometime. James and our families are here with me." "We may make you buy hats anyway for our group. So, Clarence, how do you want to handle this now?" "Follow the plan you've got as I suspect the big change is, you will not need to worry about finding us. There are several GISS agents inside the resort now. They plan on pulling back as you enter, as they do not want to be involved with the evidence. Do not expect to see them. Go for the evidence and any relevant items. Let the guests leave, get their names, if you have the chance. Any guests in the private area should be scrutinized closely. There were two types of staff there. The first group is the operational staff, which includes resort security, maintenance and house keeping. The second are those used as escorts, guest companions or pleasure counselors by the guests. GISS offered to spirit out the last group as quickly as they could be identified. They are being taken to an isolated, secure location, as we think the organization behind the resort will want to silence all of them. Details later." "This is James. Make sure you document everything, and I hope you have arranged for warrants," said James. "We don't want any of these twerps escaping, as the principals are very well connected; so try to cover all angles. I will have Marie and Trudy contact you shortly, to confirm you are talking to us." "The staff in the office sent the warrants to us while we were en route. Alright, men and women, you heard the boss's instructions. Let's move into position." "One last thing," said Clarence, "if you run into resistance, the GISS operatives will back you up. I wouldn't worry about being gentle. We don't think that will happen, but it is nice to have a little insurance. Over and out." Later, just as James and Clarence were waking up from their nap, their families drifted into the conference room. As everyone sat down, they could see the position of the helicopters on the wall map. The helicopters were just about within sight of the resort. They were surprised when several more monitors came to life, showing the helicopters and the approaching resort. The displays showed multiple views, along with a map showing positions. The group at Comrie watched, as the helicopters fanned out to their designated approach points. Once positioned, the Strike Team launched their operation. This was the first time James and Clarence's families had seen an operation like this. They were watching the events very intently. When the soldiers and investigators entered a room, they were shocked to see the security team just disappear. In moments, the resort employees began to stir. Sam turned to Joyce, with concern in her voice, "What happened to the security team members?" "They are still there, but we are showing the view as the strike team sees it. Donna, show the security team members in view 1 for a few minutes." Sam watched, as the four team members reappeared. They had moved off to the side, out of the way. Once the security team saw the soldiers and law enforcement officers had everything under control, they began to leave. "Wow. This is even better than Star Trek," said Sam, with both Kelsey and Karmen nodding. The adults chuckled. ------- Chapter 83 Sarah's clan, along with several security team members, were in the Comrie dining room when their new guests came in for breakfast. They had robes and sandals placed in each of the rooms early that morning. They had chosen to wear their light robes this morning, as well. James' and Clarence's families were among the first to arrive. Seeing Alison, they went over to her immediately. As James started to speak, Alison said, "All of you look like you feel much better now." While Alison was speaking, the four journalists joined them. They all nodded. "You had a number of questions for us last evening, and are anxious to ask them now." While she was speaking, many looked around in awe at their hosts. They now noticed how different they were from them, and that several were exceptionally tall. After all of the uncertainty of last night, the five women and journalists were surprised at how comfortable they felt in these new surroundings. "Mr. MacFarland, Mr. O'Toole, families and journalists," said Alison, being quite formal, "I would like to introduce you to all of my spouses, even though you have already met some of them." With that, Alison introduced each person in the group to her clan. Once the introductions were made, Sarah said, "We would like you to sit with us during breakfast. This will give us a chance to provide some additional background information, for those we hadn't met before last evening. Once breakfast is over, we will have our usual morning meeting. During the meeting, we generally discuss current activities, and any general issues. After that, we plan to make three presentations, which will give everyone a pretty good idea of who we are, and how we are prepared to support them. We are very open with information about ourselves and our activities. When we are done here, the command staff would like to have a more in depth meeting with James and Clarence regarding the 'flesh peddlers' group running the resort. From our perspective, we think you may want to include your families and the journalists. Now, if all of you will go with Janet and Jill, they will show you where we plan to sit, as we have several other people to greet before breakfast begins." Janet and Jill led them over to a group of tables in the corner. Sarah saw Eilene and Beth talking with Eilene's sisters, who looked a bit uneasy. "Guys, I think we need to go talk to Eilene's sisters." "Good morning, Eilene and Beth," said Sarah, as she walked up, with most of her family. She introduced each of her spouses to the group. Eilene then introduced her sisters and her baby. "We are glad all of you could come on such short notice," said Sarah. "We know Eilene has been quite worried about you, and we suspect you were worried about her. We hope none of you will be offended, but this island is normally clothing optional, as are all of our locations. It is entirely up to you whether you are clothed or not. We want you to chose whatever you are comfortable with. After breakfast, we intend to give a presentation about ourselves, describing who we are. Please feel free to ask questions of us at any time." Donna told Sarah's clan everyone was in the dining room. Sarah, Rusty, Sally and Alison walked to the front of the room. As they reached the front, a chime sounded, and the room became quiet. "Good morning," they said, speaking as one, causing several surprised looks. We are pleased you could join us for breakfast this morning. As soon as you find a place to sit, we can begin breakfast. A number of you are wondering where you are and why you're here. We will try to answer those questions right after breakfast. Breakfast is buffet style. A staff member will indicate when a table is to join the buffet line. Enjoy." With that, Jill and Janet brought the group at their table over to the buffet line, to join the rest of their clan. As they began to eat breakfast, James' and Clarence's families kept glancing at Sarah's clan. After a few moments, Rusty and Sarah began by saying, "We know that each of you can hear us telepathically, so we would like to continue in that manner. Okay?" Everyone nodded, with a somewhat disbelieving look. "We believe all of you experienced communicating this way yesterday. You should sense the presence of our thoughts in your mind, in a way that seems like we were speaking to you. Please nod if you hear us." Everyone nodded, and even if they hadn't, their expressions would have confirmed they were hearing the thoughts. "Several things you will hear shortly will undoubtedly raise questions. We ask that you hold those questions until later, as we would like to meet privately with all of you after we are finished here." "First, we don't know if James or Clarence have had a chance to tell any of you how we met less than a week ago. I know we have hinted at it. At our first meeting, we gave them enough information about us to establish our creditability, and our ability to help rescue all of you. Most of our meeting then focused on planning possible responses to the events that began for five of you about 6 weeks ago." "As you have probably surmised, we are not from earth although many of us were born on earth. Our society is similar to yours in many aspects, and quite different in others. We normally refrain from becoming involved in another society's internal issues, unless we are asked by members of that society and the situation meets some additional criteria. Fortunately, or unfortunately, we have become more involved with your society than is normal. Like any society, we have several precepts for interactions. Even though we are all telepathic, we do not look at other's thoughts without an agreement beforehand. There can be reasons to override this rule, mistakes, however, are not tolerated. Your memories are very difficult to see, unless there is a very, very close relationship between both of you, such as between spouses. In this society, you may do anything, as long as no one else is harmed, and we will protect the weak from the strong." "We have been monitoring James and Clarence's efforts in trying to find and bring to justice those behind the 'Lodge Incident'. We refer to them as the 'flesh peddlers'. A portion of our group have monitored their activity quite closely, even to the point of making sure evidence was not destroyed before you found it. Some of our crew have taken actions to make sure some leads were fruitful, without tainting any evidence you found. We have been very careful to avoid any action that would compromise your cases. Within the last week, we learned of the plans to compromise James and Clarence. The plan was to create information that could be used to blackmail them into stopping the investigation into the 'lodge incident'." "Based on the conversation between the Grand Councilor and his associates, they have issued contracts on each of you. Currently, we are monitoring your homes. We are anticipating that someone will try to destroy the houses, whether they are occupied or not." "Guys," said James, "without this group's assistance, we would have been in a very difficult position last night, no, not difficult, but an impossible position." Clarence nodded his head in agreement. "The 'Lodge Incident' as Rusty phrased it, has been one of the most difficult cases we have ever worked. If it was not for the journalists, it would have probably been closed a long time ago, as unsolved." "Their insight into a number of situations really helped us out. It would please me to see them continue to work with us." "Oh, we will," said Marge. "Our editors have been pushing us for more variety in our stories. I think we have it now." "So, when did you become telepathic," asked Sally. "We are not sure. We may have always been that way, and not known it." "After breakfast, at least one of us needs to sit with the four of you, to go over how it works and other aspects of it." "What did you mean by variety?" asked Joyce. "We think there are many human interest stories among those rescued. Perhaps there are some among the crew, as well." "As for our house, I don't think we have any particular attachment to it," said James, with Sue and Sam nodding. "The two people I treasure most are here with me." "Now clan, we need to begin our morning meeting," said Sarah. With that, Sarah's clan rose as one and moved to the front of the room, their movement caused conversations around the room to decrease. ------- Alice, Susan, Frank and the others from the crew were waiting in the dining room, when the former resort staff members arrived for breakfast. They encouraged each arrival to get their breakfast and have a seat. The former resort staff members were concerned about their new surroundings, but they felt comfortable with their hosts. It was much more comfortable than the resort had been. All of them had wondered from time to time about who was behind the resort's activity, but never seemed inclined to ask. Many found it hard to believe their memories of their actions at the resort. They knew part of it must be true, because of the way their bodies had changed, and the body jewelry they now wore. All were were pleased to find robes in their rooms, but many had chosen not to wear them. The idea they felt more comfortable naked surprised many. As breakfast was ending, Alice and Susan walked to the front of the room. The room quieted down quickly. "Good morning," said Alice and Susan. "We hope you enjoyed breakfast. We would like you to return the dishes to the kitchen, and wipe off the tables." They waited while the dining room was spruced up. "We are thankful to have you here as our guests. We can assure all of you that you are healthy. While you may not realize it, you have been under the influence of several drugs while you worked at the resort. They made you compliant and submissive. This is how the resort operators and guests controlled your actions. Many of you may feel embarrassed that you enjoyed much of the sexual activity. There is nothing wrong with enjoying the sharing of affection and sex, when it is done willingly. Now you know what activities feel good, so you can try them on yours and your partners' terms. When you arrived, we gave you an antidote to the drugs you had been receiving. You should now notice a difference in how you feel about your surroundings. In a few moments, we will see a presentation that will cover where you are, why you were brought here, and what your options are. At the end of the presentation, the presenters will answer any questions you have. Please speak up, as others may have the same concern." As Alice and Susan sat down, a holographic display formed where they had been standing. The display showed an overall view of the dining room at the Comrie enclave, then zoomed in on Sarah's clan standing at the front of the room. The whole thing caused quite a few murmurs though the group. "So that's Sarah's clan," said Frank, his deep voice carrying across the room. Alice chuckled at this reaction and started to respond, but was interrupted as Sarah's clan began the conference. ------- "Good morning all," said Sarah's clan, together. "As some of you heard, we are known collectively as Sarah's clan." Sarah and Rusty then stepped forward, introducing themselves, they then alternated, as they indicated the names of their spouses. "We have several things we would like to share with you this morning, as we suspect many of you have questions, probably many questions." "Our first topic will be why you are here. We would then like to show you a series of presentations that tell you about us; as many of you have noticed we are a little different. First, a word of caution, there is a possibility that we may not have time for the presentations this morning. If that happens, we will definitely show the presentations tonight, immediately after dinner. We think the presentations will answer many questions about us, so, if you would hold them until after the presentations, we would appreciate it. We have a gathering such as this after breakfast and dinner every day. Normally, we would let our question and answer session run until all questions are answered. However, today is not a normal day. So, this morning we need to limit the time, and we will reopen the questions after dinner. Any of us are available for questions at any time, and you should be able to easily find us." This lead to quite a bit of laughter. "Oh, we're sorry, the group at the other location haven't seen us up close, yet. Our height is a little over 7' 7"." "Wow," said Frank. "While no one has complained, you are probably wondering, 'where am I?'," said Sarah's clan, together. "Late last evening and early this morning, we brought you to your current location, as we felt you would be safer here than at the resort. We did not ask you, because each of you was under the influence of a group of drugs. Those drugs altered your perceptions, so you responded to suggestions as commands. We hope you will forgive us for not discussing it with you first." "When you arrived at your current location, you were given an antidote to the drugs you had been receiving. You were unaware of the drugs, because they were in your food and drink." "Some of you probably still don't believe me about the drugs. So, let us ask you a series of questions: Before you went to the resort, would you have participated so freely in the sexual acts you did? Did you notice you never refused to do anything a guest asked? Did you have your body pierced before or after you were there? Other than at the resort, how many times did you engage in group sex? Did you enjoy the bondage or whippings? How about using electricity as a stimulant? Why did you become so intimate with the dogs? I could go on, but the answers should give you some indication that you weren't freely making your decisions. Especially since some of your performances took place in front of an audience and cameras." Many in both groups had expressions which indicated they believed they had been influenced by drugs. Several began to cry. "Before we go on, we would like to clear up a misconception you may have. There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of the sexual situations or couplings you enjoyed, as long as it was your choice. Let me emphasize, as long as it was your choice. There is nothing wrong with enjoying the pleasure you give and receive. We know this is contrary to the teachings in some of earth's cultures. In our society, people who do not abide by that rule are quietly removed from the gene pool." "I wish that was all of it. They also gave you some treatments that have, or are, modifying your body. Based on the information we have, your tongue is at least long enough to easily touch your nose. The ladies have a larger bust and much fuller cunt lips. The guys will likely find their cock is larger, both in length and girth. Many the men have larger testicles, while some have been replaced with artificial ones. There were some other, more subtle, changes made to your bodies. Our medical staff can assist you in understanding these changes, and their impact on you." "Now, the salary you were promised was extremely good for what, it was implied, you would do. The contract was very clear, but worded in such a way that even the lawyer here with us this morning wouldn't realize the real intent. When you signed that contract, you gave them total control of your life. Your personal services contract automatically renewed and was transferable. You effectively became their property, to do with as they desired. You would collect your accumulated salary when they decided not to renew your contract. If you somehow broke the contract, then you lost everything you earned. As their property, they had great plans for you." "The drugs you were receiving had two primary effects. One effect was to make you very compliant and accepting, without affecting your other personality traits. The second effect was to sensitize your brain cells to sexual pleasure. After a period of time, your thoughts would focus on today and satisfying your desire for pleasure. With your focus on sexual pleasure, you would likely never think of your personal services contract again. The strength of the dosage determined the degree of compliance. As mentioned earlier, physically, many of you have received treatments that are now altering your bodies. Each of these is to make you more desirable, as either a sex object or a breeder. Why? It was a resort, right?" Several nodded. "Well yes and no. The portion of the resort where you were working was a very exclusive private sex club and training facility. This portion was only used by members and their invited guests. As you know, your duties were to basically serve your assigned guest however they wanted, be it as companion, sex toy, or slut. You may not have known that each of you was graded on your sexual performance, desirability, personality and skill. The other portion of their business was to provide men and women trained in giving sexual satisfaction to groups or individuals. Once trained, the individual would do anything they were asked to do. Several times a year, an auction was held for the members and invited guests. The purpose was to sell a selected portion of the special staff and other sex slaves to the highest bidder. For the record, it was your personal services contract that was being sold at the auction. Sounds innocent doesn't it?" Many nodded. "The invited guests were buyers from private sex clubs, special full-service whorehouses, baby farms, S&M clubs and a few private individuals. These buyers came from all over the world, as this auction is well known for the quality of its offerings. Once you left the resort, you would no longer receive the drugs. You wouldn't need them, as you would be addicted to being a sexual play thing of whomever held you. Besides, it really didn't matter, for, once you were out of the country, you would be completely at their mercy. Hard to believe, isn't it? If you want more details, ask our medical staff, or later this week, when you have access to our library, you can look the information up." "We mentioned that our society places no limits on the activities between adults, if they are consensual. If you want to be a breeder, a sex toy or sex companion, there are easier and safer ways to do it. We could probably find several legitimate personal service business on earth who would be interested in you, and provide you with a valid contract." Several chuckled. "While many of you went to the resort willingly, in order to become employees, that is only one method this organization uses to obtain new stock. Working through agents, they gather others, mainly through abductions or bogus job referrals, around the world. Those gathered this way, receive a much harsher induction to their new life as a sex object. These captives are drugged, stripped, humiliated, and then forced to become skilled sex toys, after which they are sold around the world. Those that don't comply, find their days filled with pain or worse. In these cases, there is no pretense of selling personal service contracts. Many of these captives are sold to buyers through private showings. In a few areas, it is done quite openly. Westerners seem to be the most desirable commodity in this market. Some enter this world through abduction by request." "You may wonder why the two different approaches. They need both to satisfy the market for sex toys. They prefer the path you followed, because you are worth at least 5 times as much at auction as those forcibly taken." "You are probably wondering how we know all this? And, why were we at the resort? Our presence at the resort was part of a plan to free some recent captives of theirs, who are friends of ours. Just after you left the resort for your current location, a contingent of federal law enforcement officers raided the private resort. Those events are still unfolding, and can be watched on monitors at all locations. The video feed is from, essentially, the resort's surveillance cameras. This continued activity is the primary reason we need to be briefer than usual." "Now, both of us are in a situation we didn't plan to be in." Many laughed. "Before we go too much further, we should tell you now that our home is not earth." A wave of comments passed through both rooms. Frank looked at Alice, and she just nodded. "We think many here had already sensed it. Many of us were born on earth. Many of us who came from earth have had experiences similar to yours. And, no, they don't all look like us, at least in height. The race we are now members of is a bit more advanced than earth's." "Today is essentially a day of relaxation for all of you. You are free to roam about the grounds at both locations, however, we would like for you to stay within sight of the buildings. We prefer not to be distracted by having to mount a search party." Sarah's clan paused for a moment. "Shortly after we adjourn, we will have a medical team at each location. They will be available to give each of you a complete physical. Having the physical is your choice! We strongly recommend you take advantage of the opportunity. From our experience with the group operating the resort, it is in your best interest. For those who have a physical, the medical staff will go over the results of your physical with you tomorrow. They will discuss the implications of anything they find, and advise you of the possible ways to treat them. You can do the review alone, or with your friends. The physical doesn't cost anything, and doesn't hurt, so how can you go wrong?" "The other optional activity is that we will set up several rooms at both locations with video equipment. We would like every one of you to make a video. Nothing erotic, unless you want to." They smiled. Several chuckled when they realized she was kidding. "For the video, we would like you to describe everything you can remember about the resort. How you found out about it? How you got there? What happened to you while you were there? What you participated in? The names of anyone you had interaction with, that includes staff members and guests." As they spoke, the puzzled looks changed to smiles. "Yes. We want the bastards exposed and punished as appropriate. We would like to see them put out of business, but we know that is unlikely, considering the culture on earth." A cheer went up through the rooms. "Please, only tell what you know first hand. If you tell something you heard, be sure to clearly state that. You will be by yourself as you make the video. Alright?" "As we noted earlier, our view of interactions between consenting adults is that anything is acceptable. In our society, an adult is someone who is sexually and mentally mature. The two do not usually occur at the same time." Several chuckles were heard in the room. "There are only limited restrictions with respect to incest, and none with respect to bi or homo sexuality. The later is unusual though." "Now, let's take questions." "What about clothing?" said a woman. "All we have are these robes, but they are very comfortable." "Oh, we overlooked that," said Sally. "Can you continue with the robes until tomorrow? By then, we should be able to move the resources here so we can provide you with more normal clothing." She paused for a moment, then continued, "I guess we forgot to mention it earlier, but we are a clothing optional society. We seldom wear any covering, unless an activity requires it. So, if you are inclined to go naked then do it, and it appears some of you are. Please don't feel compelled to do one or the other. No one will require you to do either." Several had funny looks on their faces. "Well, naked wouldn't be much different than we have been for the last several weeks," commented a woman. "As the other lady said, these robes are very comfortable. In fact, with a few changes and a pair of loose pants, it would be similar to a salwar." "Where is your home?" asked a man in the back of the room. "Our primary home is now in Earth orbit," said Rusty. "Since the subject was opened, I guess I should give you a few more details. Our ship, Dóchas, is normally near Mars. We are establishing a small settlement on Mars. We use two islands on earth for recreation and other activity. Both islands appear to be undocumented, which we find surprising. Nearly all of us were born on earth as mentioned earlier. We accepted an offer to join this race and society for a number of reasons. Those additional details are in the presentations we mentioned earlier. Due to time constraints this morning, we intend to show them this evening, after dinner." "The reason we want to delay," said Tara, "is because there are some details regarding the resort that need to be quickly dealt with. Second, every time we have shown the presentations to a new group, we have had a rather long question and answer period afterward. We don't want to artificially limit the time. In the meantime, if any you have questions, ask any of the residents here. If they don't know, they will assist you in finding those answers." "How can you be certain the members operating the resort will be punished?" asked a woman. Many nodded their heads, as they had the same question. "I saw several very powerful and public figures at the resort," said another woman. "Some of them weren't very nice. One in particular kept asking a lovely woman to participate in sexual activities with others. He kept it up until she was quite addicted to being in the sexual shows and group interactions. The last time I saw them, she was suspended in rope swing, facing down, in the members lounge. She hung there all day. That evening, he lowered her a bit, before bringing in four large dogs to fuck her. The next morning, he released her from the swing. As soon as she could stand, he gave her a bottle and told her to drink it all. She hesitated. He took the bottle from her and told her to kneel. Another member came over and pulled her head back. A tube was slid down her throat, and they poured the bottle of cum down her throat. Tears ran from her eyes. When the bottle was empty, they released her. She pulled the funnel and tube from her mouth as she cried. He then told her she was a perverted sex slut and she was to never set foot in the office again. She could continue living at the club, if she worked as one of the toys. Or she could return home. If she left she could never return here. She cried, wailed and sobbed as two lounge maidens helped her to another room." "Do you know who she was?" asked James surprising everyone. "No. All I know is that he was a politician, and she was his administrative assistant. She, apparently, was angling to be his mistress. It was awful, as it appeared from her actions that she loved him. After that, she let anyone abuse her anyway they wanted to. She finally enticed one of the crueler members to take her into the dungeon. She never came back from the dungeon." "When did this happen?" "Within the last two weeks." James looked at Clarence, who nodded. "Some of you may recognize me. I am James MacFarland, a US District Attorney. I was taken to the resort in an effort to force us to drop an investigation into the organization operating the resort. They planned on blackmailing us with recordings of my girl friend, her daughter, and myself in what are considered unacceptable sexual situations, within our society. They planned on blackmailing Clarence O'Toole, our investigator, the same way. The kicker was that, if we didn't agree, they would addict the women sexual pleasure and then use them in their lounge. They also planned on placing us in their dungeon, with no restrictions on the torments that could be used." "Last week, Sarah's clan came to us with information indicating that we were to be abducted, and the reason why. Our families were already being held at the resort. At first, we wanted to rescue our families immediately, as we knew what this group was capable of doing to someone. They assured us that our families were reasonably safe. They were being kept in an isolated area and were not being physically abused. While being held there, they were being encouraged to engage extensively in sexual situations. Together, it was decided to let the 'flesh peddlers' plot continue. If something went astray, they could be extracted in seconds. So, together, we developed a plan that was carried out last night. Our plans have so far have gone nearly as expected, and we are very pleased to be here. From the Councilors point of view, last night Clarence and I both agreed to drop the investigation, to apparently save our family members from becoming obsessed sex toys. This provided an opportunity to initiate our extraction from the resort. As for agreeing to close the investigation, neither one of us would have survived very long in our business with that kind of duplicity. It is not our style. We will forever be in debt to Sarah's clan and this crew for their contributions to the investigation and our rescue. I don't think any of us want to walk that path again." He turned to Sarah's clan, "We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Whatever we have is yours." They went over to the clan. Everyone hugged and kissed. The audience applauded the comments. "I realize I may not have answered your question directly. Guess that is a lawyerly trait." Many laughed. "We will prosecute everyone we can. We can not guarantee they will all be punished. The legal system will decide their punishment. We are certain that all will be exposed. Some, we suspect, will be dealt with in a very personal way, that is beyond our control." Once it quieted down, Sarah continued, "If no one else has a question that can't wait till this evening, we would like to end this session. Medical teams will be arriving at both locations within the hour, so come back here at that time. Here, you can go any place you like, but stay in sight of the buildings. Alice and Frank, at the other location, will tell you the restrictions there. Now, go relax and enjoy yourselves." "Can you tell us more about this race?" asked a woman. "The presentations we will show this evening should answer that for you" said Joyce. "They were made several years ago, when we did our initial recruiting for additional crew members. The topics covered are the background of this race, how we joined them and an overview of the differences between the two races. We plan on showing them after dinner. Is that soon enough?" The woman nodded, reluctantly. "Come talk to one of us, if you really can't wait," said Claudette. "We held off on that, as we believe getting the physicals completed today should take priority. And, there are some other issues related to last night that we need to follow up on." "I definitely agree with the idea of getting the physicals," said the woman, with a little more enthusiasm. Everyone began to rise. First one clapped, then another and another, as they all looked toward Sarah's clan and the group with James. Sarah's clan blushed, but, after a moment, bowed, indicating their acceptance of the thanks. At Comrie, everyone took time to talk to one of Sarah's clan. Eilene looked uneasy, sitting with her sisters. She was relieved to again be with her sisters and baby. Both Beth and her felt a bit out of place, because they didn't feel like they really fit with the group, even though they were comfortable. Sue noticed Beth, Eilene and Eilene's sisters sitting off to the side. She took Sam and Kelsey's hands and led them over toward the group. ------- At Frank's island, Frank rose and stood with Alice. He looked around for a moment, and then said, "When Sarah asked if you could stay here for a while, I had no idea why. I can now say I am glad I was able to be of assistance. A sex club is operated here on this island. We currently have no members, or guests, staying here. There are some who live here year round as a member's slave. I say that not to shock you, but to inform. In this club, a slave has a clear written agreement with their master or mistress, outlining their arrangement and responsibilities." "Our rules here are similar to what Sarah has just spelled out for their society. Any physical interaction between adults is permitted, as long as both agree. Those who don't abide by the rules are severely punished." "As for activities here, you may go any place on the grounds you wish to. We also would like you to stay in sight of the buildings. Please relax and enjoy your time here." "Oh, before you leave. We have very few on the kitchen staff at the present time, so, if some of you could help them, we would appreciate it." Turning to Alice, he said, "Please tell me about them. I know you and Sarah were close friends, but how did you get involved with this society? What happened to your club?" "I would be more than happy to share with you what I have been doing. As for Sarah's clan and the rest of the group, I am certain they will share that this evening. The group is unique, in that they are very adverse to withholding information. They totally detest anyone who does it to gain the upper hand." Frank put his arm around both Alice and Susan as they walked outside. Just as they reached the courtyard, the shuttle bringing the medical team arrived. Everyone outside watched in awe, as the shuttle quietly drifted down, to land on the lawn adjacent to the courtyard. Two security team members exited the ship first, followed by Connie and two lions. The two team members in tactical suits, along with the lions, drew everyone's attention. Several immediately began to head inside, with fear showing on their faces. Connie, seeing their reactions, patted the lions. "The lions will harm none of you," said Connie in a loud voice. "They are here to assist in the sites security. They are your friend and your enemies worst nightmare." With that said, she walked toward where Alice was standing. "Hi, Alice. Susan," said Connie. "Connie, its good to see you," said Alice, "this is Frank, our host." "Hi." Connie shook Franks hand. "Where can I set up my equipment?" Frank was quiet for quite a while. Alice grinned, "Frank, I have never seen you speechless before." "Oh, I'm sorry. Connie you are very beautiful, so much so I was speechless, as Alice was nice enough to point out." They chuckled at his uneasiness. "Frank, you better show us around before you see the others, otherwise we won't be able to get your attention." Frank led them into the main building of the resort. They found two rooms off the main lobby that would meet their needs. Connie went to tell her group where they would set up. ------- As Sarah's clan left the dining room with James, Clarence, their families and the journalists, Sally noticed Beth and Eilene talking to Sue, Sam and Kelsey. Terry and Sally went to join the group. "Eilene, Beth," said Sally, "we would like you to join us in the conference room for a bit. Sue and Irene and the rest of their families will be there, as well. Since your sisters don't know anyone here, we can get a couple of our staff to show them around." "That would be great," said Eilene. "Adam, Briana," said Sally, "can you or some of your clan show Eilene's sisters around?" "Sure, we will be back in a moment." "A couple of people will be here shortly." After Cass and Charlotte arrived, they headed toward the conference room, to join the others. They were nearly at the conference room when Terry asked, "Eilene, why are you so nervous?" "I'm not nervous. Not a bit." No one said anything, then, just as they reached the door. "I am scared shitless." Her color had turned quite pale. Sally put an arm around her, as Terry did the same for Beth. "Come on, you're quite safe here." Eilene looked at Beth. She nodded. Eilene began, "To give you a simple answer, we have seen the council do what they did for you last night just once. The circumstances were different. The people were different, probably as nasty as those on the council. Within a month, an accident occurred and they all died. It was a horrible accident." "We are grateful," said Beth, "that you offered to bring our families here. We know we are safe here, but for how long? I have four younger brothers and sisters, as well as two married sisters. Several are in school, and a couple just started college. We were told that if we made a mistake or caused a problem, then they would turn all of our families into their pleasure toys. Plus, Eilene has a baby to be concerned about. It was scary whenever they were around, as the slightest miscue could drastically change your status." "Both of us have felt for some time that we would not be there much longer." As they talked, the group had gathered in the room, hearing most of what they said. "Eilene, Beth, we would like permission to examine your minds. We would like to understand why the council wanted you with the MacFarlands' and O'Toole's." Both nodded their agreement. It was very quiet in the room, as Sarah's clan joined together to form eSarah. Once eSarah was formed, she moved to examine both minds simultaneously. The MacFarlands, O'Tooles and journalists just watched the clan, as they appeared to be quietly sitting in their chairs. After a few moments, they resumed their movements. Eilene and Beth looked at them, questioningly. "We didn't see anything that concerns us at the moment. Perhaps tonight we would like to look again, as you remember more of the incidents since you went to work at the resort. Okay?" "Sure." "Beth," said Sarah, "we know we can't stop you from worrying about your family. There are members of our security teams closely monitoring them. They can be brought here in an instant, if need be. Doing that would be quite a shock for them, and we would only do it in an emergency. Although we mentioned this earlier, with your permission, we can have two people from our security team approach them. Probably the best time to do that is after the story of the 'flesh peddlers' breaks. They would tell them that you are safe, but concerned about their safety. The team would give them a brief overview of the situation, leaving out as many details as possible. It should be your choice what you share with them." Beth took a deep breath, "I remember the comment and had forgotten about it. I agree with your approach, although my parents will probably not talk to them." "Beth, I will monitor the data on your family's situation," said Tara. "Beth, Eilene," said Sue, "I think I can say for all of us we bear you no malice toward you for how we were treated." The other four nodded their agreement. "Looking back at our dreams, you seemed to be very caring, within the constraints of what we now see as your instructions. Thank you. I did learn that I really don't like the flogger very much." She shivered as she made the last comment. "The activity at the resort was interesting this morning," said Sally. "By daybreak, all of the councilors had left. Many of them saw the soldiers and law enforcement officers as they left the grounds. We think one or two Councilors caught a glimpse of our teams. All the Councilors left with tracking devices implanted on their hip bones. Several of those we identified as Councilors personal staff members were seen in cages that were being loaded on the boats of the international guests." "Can we follow up on those taken with the international visitors?" said Eilene. "Why?" asked Terry. "Although they were treated much differently at the resort than the resort's staff, I sensed they were very much a sexual servant for the Councilor, or whomever they chose." "Operations, have Darcy and Caoilinn's teams check out the boats that left the resort last night," said Sally. "Operational parameters are the same as last night, but, once in control, cloaking is not necessary." "Thank you," said Eilene. "The resort security guards and resort staff have spent the morning dealing with the unhappy guests. Most guests are in the process of leaving the private portion of the resort, the only thing slowing them down is arranging the transportation." "A search of the resort facilities with our equipment did not find any booby traps. We didn't find anything similar to the lodge or Dale's estate. So, we think the place is safe for a while. The soldiers and law enforcement officers have most of the evidence under their control, now. Several more helicopters have been assigned to assist in removing the evidence. It is being ferried directly to the armory, with an escort. They expect to have everything secured by noon." "All of the Council's data was stored electronically, both on site and at a remote sight. We have not located the remote sight yet, but we have gained access. It appears to be a duplicate of the one at the resort. The films and data relating to the people here has been removed from both systems. Doing that has some legal implications, but we don't think anyone will notice. Copies of your performances were saved for your collection." "What?" asked Sue and Irene, with worry showing on their faces. "But, you said..." "You mean you didn't want us to save copies for you," said Tara, interrupting, "and such award wining performances." "Keeping copies for us was a good idea," said Sue, picking up on the intent. "We can use them to refresh our memory of some activities, as, now, we really need to keep our men happy." Both Sue and Irene grinned. "We have confirmed the Grand Councilor is the US Assistant Attorney General. Based on information recently received, the Grand Councilor, the US Attorney General, and the Chairman of the Justice Department Committee, with an assistant, are on the way to see the President. The Vice President and the President's Chief of Staff will be in the meeting, as well. Using the information on the DVDs, the goal is to have James fired as US District Attorney, along with Clarence, as being unfit and immoral. The Grand Councilor is planning on using a special video from yesterday's activities, showing all of you engaged with each other sexually, and scenes from some of the other films you made." "He doesn't know how special his video is. The Grand Councilor and associates will be shocked to see scenes of their participation at the resort yesterday. One scene shows the Council members giving you the ultimatum with your families there. Yes, all of you were naked, but the view focuses on the Councilors. Included is the preparation by the Councilors to sever the journalists' hands. Their participation in several other events is on the DVD, as well. It is not the only copy either. They seem to be popping up at newspapers and TV stations that are likely to have an interest in airing them. Two of the newspapers are the ones where Marge, Fred, Evelyn and Chad work." "James and Clarence, we know both of you are anxious to get back to your new offices and review the information your teams have collected. Your four staff assistants are anxious to hear from both of you. Several tapes have arrived at your office this morning that are possibly more damming than what the Grand Councilor took to the president." Both started to make for the door. "Wait! We would like one or two of our security team members to work with you. It will help them understand issues better, and it will help you, as they know what kind of support we can quietly give you. Both of you, actually all of you are now high profile targets, and will be for a while, as the Grand Councilor has authorized disposal contracts on all of you. So, while you work through your staff, we will endeavor to protect them as much as possible. When you need to be there, we can put you there with sufficient protection." The clan chuckled, as they watched the two head for the office. When they opened the door, they were shocked to find two very beautiful assistants waiting to help them. A look of worry crossed both Sue and Irene's faces when they saw the women helping them. Sarah said, "Don't worry, both are already members of a family. So your men will be quite safe with them, and you won't lose your loved ones." "Now let's go to Dóchas, so the medical staff can finish your physicals." ------- At the clinic on Dóchas, Sue, Sam, Irene, Kelsey, Karmen and the four journalists were given through physicals. Betsy held a brief conference with them, to review the initial findings. She indicated that all of them would need some supplemental treatments, and that they should begin, preferably, within a week. At the moment, it appeared Fred, Marge, Evelyn and Chad would need a more extensive supplemental treatment, because of the way the changes to their bodies were accelerated. The extensive treatment might need to be done in the incubator for the first several weeks. "What do you mean by incubator?" asked Marge, with a bit of fear showing on her face. "It does sound ominous, doesn't it," said Judy. "From your standpoint it is like a deep sleep. During that time, your body will undergo some fundamental changes, that can't easily be done while you're up and about. For a period each day your sleep state is raised to the twilight level so you can eat and exercise." "Alright, I think," said Marge, as her friends nodded their heads. "Several of us have been treated using that mode. It turns out to be more like a gap in time." "The first eight in Sarah's clan spent 2 months in the incubators, followed by several months of enforced rest. The enforced rest was for reasons unrelated to the treatment." "Betsy, you really know how to tweak our journalistic noses." said Evelyn. "It is best I answer this," said Judy. "The incubators had to be used because of the way we were brought here. If you will let me be brief, you will learn the rest when we make the presentations this evening." The four journalists nodded their agreement. Sue, Sam, Irene, Kelsey, and Karmen were entranced by the exchange. "When we arrived," continued Judy, "we were in a deep sleep. The people who brought us to the island had put us to sleep, and then initiated a series of genetic virus treatments to change our looks. Betsy's staff found the errors when they did our arrival physical. They had a choice to either correct the treatments, or let them take place. If they did nothing, it was likely we would be crippled before long, and it was doubtful they could do anything to correct it. So they gave us corrective treatments, and we are very pleased they made that decision. Now, the reason they kept us asleep for a total of six months was so the treatments would be fully evolved before we totally aware of what we looked like. During the exercising and eating during those 4 months, we did see ourselves and others of our group. So, on waking, we were not totally shocked by our changes. The other aspect is they woke us one at a time. All of us were there for each succeeding wake up." "Thanks," said Marge. "Betsy, for my part, if you need to use the incubator, then fine. We will just need to figure out a way to keep feeding stories to my editor." "Can we help?" asked Sam, impulsively. Kelsey and Karmen looked shocked, but nodded agreement. "I don't see why not! Presuming it is okay with the rest of your families." "From my standpoint," said James, "I don't see a problem with it." ------- During the afternoon, the rest of Nancy's clan joined Susan and Alice on Frank's island. Sarah's clan asked several clans to visit with the new guests, as they thought these clans could be of assistance helping those rescued recover. They were all concerned about the psychological impact on many of those rescued. Many of the crew members making the trip to Frank's Island had positions on Dóchas that would let them contribute remotely. In doing this, the clans could continue the needed work, and help the guests at Frank's Island adjust to the changes around them. Several other clans were asked to spend some time on Comrie, socializing with the new guests, with the thought it would help them adjust to the new environment. That evening, on Comrie, when Sue and Irene went to get James and Clarence for dinner, they couldn't get them to leave their office. Both were ecstatic over the progress they were making on the case, and were hesitant to stop. Briana asked some of Sarah's clan to come assist. Sally, Terry and Alison arrived shortly. They were surprised to find 6 security team members assisting, as it started out being two. Briana saw her unasked question and said, "The two we started with initially just weren't enough support, once the Attorney General got involved." "What?" "Yes, the Attorney General. The President told him to supply James and Clarence with anything he needed to get the twerps off the street." "It was a welcome change," said James. "But, not without some peril, if we inadvertently let the wrong people know what was being prepared, where we were getting our information, etc. So, based on our connections, we went to some of the other US District Attorneys for assistance. So, we have them putting the cases together in the required format, and us supplying the critical information. We have made great headway. The other advantage is each of the cases will be credited to that office, making the effort much more prominent. Evidence packets will be sent to our law enforcement agents in foreign countries late tonight, for delivery to their counterparts. They already have the information informally, and have shared it with their counterparts. Once we start our arrests here, we will formally release the information to the foreign countries law enforcement. We are taking that approach because we don't know what connections the Councilor's have in other countries. Our approach is not ideal, but we think it is best, considering the cards we have to play." "How are you transporting the evidence packets overseas?" said Sally. "That is a bit of a problem, because, in many cases, we need to give them written documents. The way it is now the written documents will arrive late morning in Europe." "Why don't we use security teams? That would push out the deadline until 11 PM. Your assistants can make the arrangements." "Thanks." "I must say, this is the best group of assistants I have ever worked with," said Clarence. "They have anticipated every one of our needs and, in some cases, given us stuff to answer our questions before we said anything. It was amazing." Briana, the other security team members, Sally, Terry and Alison all grinned, as they knew how that was done. "What's so funny?" "James, Clarence, they are telepathic, besides having exceptional logic skills." "We are pleased you liked our assistance," said the group. "They can read our minds." A blush slowly spread over their faces, as they remembered some of their thoughts while working with the semi-nude assistants. "James, Clarence, we appreciated your thoughts about our looks and our minds. Thank you," said the six security team members together. The others in the room laughed, as they blushed even more. "Let's go eat. We have some more information to share with you this evening. Our systems will alert us if you are needed in here," said Alison. With that, they left for dinner. James walked between Sam and Sue, with their arms around each other. Clarence walked between Karmen and Irene, with Kelsey very close, holding her dad's hand behind Karmen. "Good evening," said Sarah's clan, as the group arrived, "tonight, after dinner, we want to tell you about ourselves, with the presentations we promised this morning. The group at the other location will be joining us for the presentations. Okay, let's eat." As they ate, James and Clarence told them that the group who went to the president to get him fired were now under arrest and being held in isolation. He understood it is the first time a President has used the panic button to summon the Secret Service agents. Right after the situation in the President's office settled down, the Attorney General called, wanting him in Washington immediately for a briefing. He was shocked and outraged at what was done to the people in those videos. Both were extremely pissed that some of them worked in key government positions. We told him no. It was too risky, and used your reasoning. After some discussion he agreed, but he wasn't particularly happy. A video conference was scheduled for Wednesday, to update him on the case, and it will include all the USDA's offices taking the lead on the cases. We told him there were at least two managers in his office working for the Councilor's group and that they were, perhaps, members. We suggested the Attorney General consider at least putting them under surveillance, or better yet, detaining them. They indicated there could be several more that fit into the same category. We also let him know that we thought there were mores copies of the videos finding their way to media offices. James said that was the first time I've never heard him swear. It was suggested that he consider asking the newspapers to hold off for a day or two before they said anything. He would probably get their cooperation if he promised to release them from the hold once the first round of arrests were completed and gave them a special briefing. When the journalists called their editors, the video had just arrived. Once they assured them that they were safe, they asked him not to run any articles before they talked to James. They assured the editors that, contrary to what the video implied, all four of them were well, and still had all their bits. When he called back, he was livid and ready to do anything necessary to make those people pay. The four journalists spent some time on the phone with their editors, using the conference room and part-way through, the video portion was enabled. The journalist gave them a thumbnail sketch of the rescue, without disclosing any details. In closing, the group said they were at the same location as James and Clarence. They figured it was safer there than at home, seeing as current information indicated disposal contracts had been issued for them. The editors both agreed that staying there was a good idea. They discussed the idea of doing personal interest stories on some of those rescued, with the names changed. As the journalists would have exclusive coverage from there, the editors were agreeable to the same working arrangement as before. "James, would you tell the others here, what you just told us?" said Sarah, with several others nodding their agreement. "Remember, we are isolated here, so what you say will stay here. I think, if you ask, they won't say anything until you okay it. We will be setting up phone access for them sometime late tomorrow." "Sure." Joyce stood, saying, "If you will clean up your tables, we can get started." Everyone pitched in to put away the stuff from dinner. "Remember, it could be your elbow in the remains on the table." Several laughed in response to her comment. ------- Chapter 84 Rusty stood at the front of the room and waited for everyone to get settled. "I take it everyone had enough to eat." Several nodded their heads in agreement. "We hope you have had a relaxing day. The medical staff has told us that all of you are in excellent health. There are some long term health issues related to the treatments you received at the resort. You will have the choice of several options in dealing with them. Tomorrow, the medical staff will be at each location to review the results of your physicals. Please bear in mind that they would not wait till tomorrow if any issues needed immediate attention. Hmm ... Probably could have said that better." A few chuckled. "We have an addition to this evening's agenda. James MacFarland and Clarence O'Toole are going to give you an update on what has happened today, regarding the operators of the resort, also know as the Councilors." "Hi, I'm James, and this gentleman with me is Clarence, who heads a special task force out of my office. This morning, we mentioned our families were with us. They are Sue, Sam for Samantha, Irene, Kelsey and Karmen." He motioned for them to stand as he mentioned their names. "Also rescued with us were four journalists, who have made many contributions to our investigation of the 'flesh peddlers'. They have also written many excellent articles for their papers on this investigation. They are Marge, Evelyn, Fred and Chad. Their editors have realized it is safer for them to be here, and have asked them to continue covering the story from here." "We have had a very interesting day. The US Attorney General called to advise us that the President was very anxious to have the organization behind the resort off the streets. They have given us, essentially, unlimited support in arresting and prosecuting these individuals, but I'm getting ahead of myself." "Thanks to our hosts, we have spent most of the day arranging to arrest everyone we can find that was involved in the Councilor's organization. Those arrests will begin at 4 AM eastern time, tomorrow. The arresting officers have been told to use all the force necessary to arrest them. The charges are slavery, human trafficking, assault, torture and a number of other charges, including murder. We would not normally proceed this quickly, but the operators made a grave error. When Clarence and I disappeared from the resort, they went to the Attorney General and the President requesting my removal from office. They were claiming to have evidence of our unsuitable character. The basis for the request was our participation in sex videos with our families, and their participation with numerous partners. Instead, the video they showed as evidence clearly showed them engaged in acts of torture, rape, and abuse. They are under arrest, as will be about 500 key participants in this organization by tomorrow. The number of arrests includes those occurring outside the US." James and Clarence went to sit down as the applause began and went on for a long time. They were met by hugs and kisses from their loved ones. "We expect more arrests will follow after these." "We have several announcements before we start the presentations," said Claudette. "Tomorrow afternoon there will be phones available for your use, along with dialing instructions. The connection will be as if you were in the states. Tomorrow, several TV monitors will be set up in the lounge. We expect there will be a lot of news activity tomorrow, regarding the arrests." "Now, we promised to tell you a bit about ourselves. The presentations you are about to see were made for a different purpose," said Jill and Janet. "They are the presentations that were shown to prospective crew candidates. The first was done when we met them, to invite them to consider working on a space ship. The second was made on the day they arrived for their informational visit. The third was made much earlier. to another group we had join us. It basically points out the physical differences between our species and yours." "We didn't go into details earlier, but we told you, this morning, that our home is a space ship. It is usually in orbit around Mars." Several gasps were heard. "It is currently in earth orbit, but it is currently cloaked, so you can't see it from here. Our group started building a settlement on the surface of Mars about a year ago. Most of our crew is originally from earth, even though you may think we don't look like it. The first two presentations will tell the history of the space ship and the people who arrived on it, plus how we met. The third presentation is about the physical difference of someone from earth and us. Let us begin." "Before we open the floor to questions," said Sarah. after the presentations had completed, "we would like clarify some of the information presented. First, every one of our species is telepathic. Yes we can exchange thoughts mentally and we can see others active thoughts. The two concepts are slightly different. Our rules for telepathic communication are to never look at another's thoughts without their agreement. In emergencies, the rule can be overridden, but there are dire consequences if you misuse this clause. Sharing memories can be done if both parties want to, but it usually is limited to those within a clan." "Our society is very open in sharing information and knowledge. On a space ship, everyone's welfare and safety is dependent on everyone else. This translates into everyone needing access to all available information. There is only one exception, and that relates to some of the procedures on Dóchas' bridge." "Our family structure is different than what you are familiar with, and was touched on in the last presentation. We form family groups, called clans. A clan typically consists of from 4 to 10 people. Each clan typically has one male in it. Once a clan forms, its members seldom if ever leave the clan. They can, but it just doesn't happen. A key element of success of these family groups is that they bond through their telepathic link, often referred to as a mind-link. It is a much more intimate sharing between the members than anything we ever saw on earth." "When we need to add children to our community, we typically have two pairs of twins. A clan typically brings children into the community before they reach an age of 50 earth years. As noted in the presentations, our life span is typically 200 or more in earth years. All of the women in the community lactate from puberty until they want to stop, providing the community no longer needs the milk. For our species, a women's milk contains special nutrients that are needed by all of the community's members, so it is generally consumed daily by everyone. "Interplay between members of our society has no limits, if both parties freely agree. Incest is neither encouraged or discouraged, but the parties involved must have reached puberty." "As a society, we do not have many rules. We follow the idea that you can do anything, as long as it harms no one. This is complemented by a philosophy of protecting the weak from the strong. With regard to our activities in contacting other worlds, our prime directive is: Do not meddle in other worlds or society's internal issues. Exceptions can be when we are at risk, or friends of ours are at risk. In the later case, only sufficiently to rescue them and insure their security. Our participation in the resort rescue was based on the exception." "Questions?" said Sarah. "How many in your clan?" asked a woman. "There are 14 adults and 40 children," said Joyce. "Six of our family are expecting in about 8 months, which will add 26 more children." "Wow, how do you manage caring for them and command of the ship?" "With help." Many chuckles were heard in the room. "We have several women who care for the babies constantly. They were recruited to help us with that task. The first 12 children are something over two years old, and the others are about 8 months younger. The children are very easy to care for. They are always a part of our clans telepathic link, in a slightly different way than each of our spouses. Each of the children effectively has 13 mothers, and responds that way, even though each knows who their birth mother is. This creates a closeness between parent and child that I don't remember having with my mother. To me, that is reasonable, because I am now part of a different species with different abilities, some of which my mother didn't have then." "Joyce, why did you phrase it that way about your mother?" "Because she has joined this species, as well," said Joyce with a grin. "She is Nancy, of Nancy's clan. They are currently at the other location. My brother told me she was considering having another baby, and yes, my brother is here, as well. He is a member of Briana's clan." "This is very interesting," said the woman. "I hope I am not interfering with others who wish to ask a question. Could I ask one more?" "I don't see why not." "Did all of you join this species at the same time?" "No. I arrived with Sarah, Terry, Sally, Jill, Janet, Judy, and Rusty, about 3 earth years ago. The other members of our clan joined us several months after we arrived here at Comrie. Shortly after we arrived, Nancy, Alice, Bob, Stan, Susan were invited to join us here temporarily, as we needed assistance with security of the island. They decided to stay. Adam came for a visit about four months ago. While he was here, he fell in love with the women in Briana's clan." "Thank you for your patience with my questions." "Not a problem. Although, I should expand on the history of our crew as it is not covered in the presentations. We began to seek additional crew members two to three years ago shortly after we joined this species. A search was conducted for college students who met a narrow criteria in terms of stature, class standing, social relationships and other attributes. We also observed them as they interacted with others in public areas. They also were either graduating or about ready to graduate from college. Virtually every one we approached chose to join the crew and then this species. Others in the crew are people we rescued and then chose to stay with us. Next." "I noticed you always refer to a family group by what we consider a woman's first name. Why is that?" "The clan name chosen," said Tara, "is usually the name of the woman around who the group formed. This does not indicate a pecking order, as all members are equal. Why this way? The original crew members did not speak verbally, they exchanged all their ideas telepathically. When you speak telepathically, you direct a thought to an object in your mind, so there is little need for a name. A clan is an object with segments for each individual. We are more comfortable with a mixed communication mode, so we needed names for family groups." "Interesting. Thanks." "The video said there were only about 40 survivors on the space ship. How many crew members are there now?" "We are around 1500 counting the children." Sarah's clan, James and Clarence spent the next couple of hours answering questions relating to the presentations and the investigation. As the session closed, Rusty stood and said, "Ever since we have been with this society, we have gone to some length not to be noticed by anyone on earth. This was driven by concerns regarding our security and how earth governments would react to us. This secrecy, while necessary, goes against one fundamental aspect of the way our society operates. As noted earlier, our ship, Dóchas, will become visible later this week. We had thought it would be today, but have delayed it for a number of reasons. It is currently located directly over us, in a stationary orbit. Probably, on Saturday, we will make it visible. Sometime after that, we will make an effort to contact all countries on earth, saying basically, hello, we come in peace. The message will be broadcast in several languages." "Our plans are to ask the UN Secretary General for an opportunity to make a presentation to the General Assembly. During that presentation, we will indicate that we are looking for a few individuals to join us. Each opening has specific skill requirements, but first, a candidate needs to have certain basic abilities before they will be seriously considered." "We expect it will take those of you who joined us from the resort at least a couple of months to sort out where you want to go, and what you want to do. All of those decisions will be affected to some extent by the investigation of the 'flesh peddlers' and Councilors." "You are welcome to stay here as long as you need and want to. There are tasks that you can do here to help out and make everyone's stay more enjoyable. Donna can provide you with a list of areas where we need help here on Comrie. It will help us as, we can shift more of our group to either the Mars settlement or Dóchas." "And before someone asks, Donna's list does not include, escort, sex toy, sex slave or similar phrases." Several laughed. "As we said before, we regard sexual interaction as one of relaxation and enjoyment between willing and consenting partners or groups." "Lastly, let me remind you that our culture is a clothing optional culture. Joining in with that dress mode is optional." "If that is all the questions, then we thank all of you for participating," said Sally, "this has lasted much longer than we expected. Please, do not hesitate to ask questions in the future." "Thank you," said a couple who stood in the back of the room. "We appreciate everything you have done for us." They began to clap, which was quickly joined by everyone in the room. At both locations, many people came up to talk to either Nancy's or Sarah's clan. Quite a number went to talk to Clarence, James and the journalists. It was a couple of hours before the dining room was empty. ------- When Sarah's clan arrived at their quarters on Dóchas, they were mobbed by their children as they entered their quarters. The children had been getting ready for bed while they anticipated the return of their parents. Their first group of children were now walking. The younger ones followed the older ones by scooting across the floor to greet their parents. Each spouse was able spend some time with each of the children. In some cases, it was only a few moments of contact, with others it was much longer. The spouses let the children come to them as they wanted attention. It was late for the children and they were tired, so it wasn't long before they began to take their bedtime snack from their mothers' nipples. For many, it was only a few moments before they were sound asleep. "You know," said Aoife, "it is really a grand feeling to be met at the door that way." "Yes, we agree," said her spouses. "The older children have become very adept at walking on what we think of as the balls of our feet," said Judy. "I think they will be considerably more agile than we are walking that way. I need to talk to Connie or Betsy about the leg segment we all used to thinking of as feet. It does not seem right to call that segment feet, now they are used differently." "It seems they still function the same way," said Claudette. "The only thing that seems to have changed, is the orientation." "True," said Judy, "maybe it's just a perception thing. I still find it amazing that the change in orientation gives a greater agility in our movement." "I think I'm going to lie down," said Rusty, "I expect tomorrow to be very busy, perhaps more than the last two days." "Guys," said Aoife, "we should tell James and Clarence we need to move the stuff out of their houses early tomorrow, regardless. The five bots should come back to Comrie, or here. They can help in their offices and with their families in getting orientated to Comrie." "Should we let them figure out where the five women came from?" said Sarah. "Yes, we should tell them in no more than a day," said Sally as they went to freshen up before retiring. ------- It was just as the morning chime sounded, Star said, "Command Staff we have a problem developing at the armory. I have raised our readiness to level 3." Just as she said that three loud tones were heard on the ship and at the Mars settlement. With those words, all the Command Staff were up and on their way to Dóchas bridge. On entering, they greeted Maureen and Siobhan with a quick hug and kiss. They hadn't seen either in several days, although they were in constant contact. "Star, give us a view of the armory." With that, a 3-D projection of the armory and its immediate surroundings became visible in the center of the room. They could see several groups of people moving up the streets from different directions, toward the armory. It wasn't quite light yet and the groups were moving so they stayed mostly in the shadows. "All security teams to ready status," said Sally. "Deploy Darcy and Caoilinn's teams immediately to the armory. On arriving, they are to await further instructions. Edana and Cathan's teams suit up." On the security console, they could see the status lights changing for each security team. "Donna, are James and Clarence up?" said Sarah. "If not, wake them, ask them to go to the conference room immediately." "I am surprised at the 'flesh peddlers' agents mounting an assault on the armory so soon," said Terry. Just then, a view of James and Clarence appeared on the monitor, looking like they had just awakened. "What a way to ruin the first good night's sleep I have had in weeks," said James, smiling. "What's up?" Several chuckled at his comment. "Well, we were up but not by much, when Star alerted us to activity around the armory, and it looks like we have some work before breakfast," said Rusty. "You should have a view of the armory and the surrounding several blocks. We are concerned about the several groups of people moving toward the armory and keeping in the shadows." "That's not enough people to take the armory," said Clarence. "So, why do this?" said Terry. "Except, as a possible diversion. It still doesn't make sense." "James, contact the MP Commander and alert him." "Clarence already is." "Clarence probably should keep the line open to him," said Sally. To which Clarence nodded his agreement. "Doing something from the air would attract a lot of attention," said Rusty. "So, if it was a diversion to draw attention to the outside, it would aid in the attackers gaining access through underground tunnels. It still doesn't make a lot of sense. Oh, shit, unless they intend to just blow it up." "We can have them evacuate." "No," said Terry, "our surveillance shows all exits covered by groups on each street. They are positioned so they can block all the choke points within two blocks of the armory. It has the characteristics of a terrorist operation, by the way they are positioning themselves." "James, Clarence," said Aoife, interrupting the conversation, "are you okay with us emptying your houses now?" James and Clarence looked at Aoife for just a moment, as her comment startled them. "Do what you think needs to be done. But, please make sure the women are alright. The rest of it can be replaced." "Edana, Cathan," said Aoife, "take your teams and help the decoys at James and Clarence's homes transfer their possessions to storage at Comrie, NOW!" "We have the utility maps for the area around the armory," said Star bringing the focus back to the armory. "The only unusual item is a very high pressure gas line that passes under the armory." "Let's presume they have some way to rupture the line into the armory," said Terry. The clan began to form eSarah without explicitly initiating the change. This time, it formed in a slightly different way than before, as they each continued to interact with those around them. Tara's facet said, "James and Clarence, you may want to focus on what is said and ignore who is speaking." "Now, let the attackers plan continue with no interference," said eSarah, through the individual facets. eSarah this time linked directly to the network of incoming data and overlaid clans experiences and logic. "The most likely effort is to blow the gas line, as there aren't any large vehicles in the area that could contain explosives. We should be able to project the attackers timing in a few minutes. In the meantime, have the MP Commander gather everyone, along with the evidence, into the vehicles, in preparation for evacuation. Tell him we think the attackers plan on blowing the building with a gas main break. It will be important for them to be very quiet as they prepare their escape. They should assume the attackers can hear what is going on inside the armory. He shouldn't start the vehicles until he is ready to make the move, or the attack starts. We will tell him when to exit and the path to take as he leaves." "From what we can tell, the building will blow about ten minutes after those on the street initiate the attack. The attackers seem to be unaware that the building will be blown up. They have nothing with them to protect them from the blast." "Tell the MP Commander not to worry about the attackers. Just focus on getting ready to leave. Event sequence suggests the MPs should make the run 7 minutes after the attack starts. Once out of the armory, they should move away as fast as they can." Clarence relayed the information to the MP Commander, as the plan developed. "Sal, Leo," said eSarah through Tara, "your groups are to make sure the Guard unit gets out safely. Do whatever is necessary!" "We are in position and ready," said both Sal and Leo. "You knew," said eSarah with Alison's voice. "Yes, as soon as Sally activated us. We have been observing events. We have also been anticipating your plan." "Good." "Here comes the attack," said eSarah with Sally's voice. "Mark!" On the monitors, they could see the RPGs hitting the sides of the armory compound. As the attack began, the attackers moved more aggressively down the streets toward the building, pausing every few steps to fire another rocket. They were within several hundred feet when eSarah said, "Now!" Within moments, the MP's vehicles pushed the through the front gate. The suddenness startled the attackers at that location, breaking their focus. A few started to raise their weapons, only to have them explode in their hands before they could aim. "Now," said eSarah, with that, the command staff this time fully merged into a single entity. While Star was not a part of the group, her whole focus was on them. Donna assumed monitoring responsibility for Dóchas, with the assistance of the on-board AIs. The other AIs in the network shifted responsibilities, so everything was covered. eSarah projected an energy barrier around the armory compound, reaching a couple hundred feet into the air. The energy barrier would protect the surrounding area from the blast, by forcing the explosive energy upward. A few openings were left at ground level, coinciding with the attack routes. While the shape of the barrier would direct all the energy from the explosion up, it did have the effect of increasing the intensity on the structures inside. "James," said eSarah, "call 911. Advise them of a gas main explosion and fire at the armory compound." Just as James picked up the phone, he saw the flash on the screen as the fire ball rose from the armory, as the explosion began. The visual shock almost caused him to drop the phone, but he managed to make the call. While he was on the phone, he heard the sound of the explosion reach the fire department dispatcher. Both James and Clarence watched, spell-bound, as the fireball rolled up into the sky. They were distracted momentarily, as they saw a flash as a small fireball rolled down the streets. The small fireballs had flowed out of the opening and over the attackers before they could react. Several small explosions occurred around the attackers, as their munitions exploded from the heat. A few other attackers rolled on the ground, trying to put out their charred burning clothes. Quite a few lay, unmoving, on the sidewalk. James and Clarence were startled when they heard several behind them say, "Wow." They looked around to see the journalists had just entered the room, and their families were right behind them. "What was that?" exclaimed Evelyn. "A group just attacked and blew up the armory," said Clarence. "All the soldiers got out before it blew." While Clarence was speaking, eSarah separated into her individual facets. Once the explosive force had dissipated, she drained off the excess energy she had absorbed from the explosion. "That was interesting," said Maeve. "Now I have an idea where our psionic energy well is located." "It is usually transparent," said Aine, "but all of you used an exceptional amount of energy to build the barrier, and then received that plus several times as much back. Well done." "Thanks," responded all of them. The group in the conference room at Comrie watched the activity around the armory spellbound. The group had grown to include Eilene and her sisters, Beth and the staff that had assisted in the office the day before. ------- The first company of fire fighters and police responding the fire alarm almost hit the MP convoy when they turned a corner. When they halted, the MP convoy of Humvees was blocking the fire trucks. As the MP Commander quickly stepped out of his vehicle, several soldiers piled out and established a defensive perimeter. The police Patrol Sergeant saw the reaction of the soldiers to an apparent minor stop, and decided this was bad. They needed more assistance and quickly. He told the dispatcher he needed every available unit sooner than yesterday. While he was talking, the MP Commander told him there had been some people attacking the armory. He wasn't to sure how many as they left before the explosion. Operating on instinct, the Patrol Sergeant told the dispatcher they needed to immediately establish a restricted area, covering at least four blocks on each side of the armory compound. As soon as the dispatcher began to understand the request, she linked the Watch Commander into the conversation. Hearing the request, he signaled the dispatcher to give them everything they needed. The Watch Commander sent a message to another dispatcher to issue a recall for all available off duty officers and activated reserve officers. The Watch Commander then called the Police Chief, to alert him to the explosion, and advise he had activated the recall of all officers. While the City Police were reacting to the requests, the Fire Company Captain with the first engine company, seeing the size of the gas-fed torch sounded a general alarm. With her arrival at the scene, she became the Incident Commander. The Fire Dispatcher was told to initiate activation of the Emergency Management Center. As she issued commands, she watched the flames leap high above the buildings, before stabilizing into single column of flame. The roar of the flame made it difficult to talk. Even several blocks away they could feel the wind caused by the air drawn to the flame. When the Police Patrol Sergeant stopped talking to the dispatcher, the MP Commander asked if they could spare enough cars to get the convoy to the Air Guard base. Before the Sergeant could object, the MP Commander added, a good portion of their unit could then assist them. The lead officer hesitated, then the MP Commander added that the material in the vehicles had to be safe before he could do anything else. The convoy just needed someone to run interference at intersections as they headed to the Air Guard base. If they could do this, then he would stay with most of his unit, to assist them in dealing with those attacking the armory. The police officer quickly agreed, as it registered what the MP Commander had said earlier about the attack on the armory. He advised the police dispatcher that a MP convoy was moving toward the air base. They needed a clear route and provide an escort. The MP Executive Officer took command of the convoy and left immediately. A police escort joined them within several blocks. A call was placed by the MP Commander to the Air Guard OIC to expect a Guard MP convoy shortly, carrying the all the classified material they could load from the armory. He quickly advised the OIC that the armory had been blown up, apparently by people wanting to destroy what was in the trucks. The OIC told the MP Commander, they would be waiting. Police Shift Supervisor and Firefighter's Incident Commander quickly worked out a plan to respond to the disaster and attackers. Even as they worked out the details, the soldiers dispersed to join policemen at each designated entrance to the area. Once the soldiers had joined up with the policemen, a portion of them began moving toward the remains of the armory, without waiting for instructions. The additional arriving fire companies positioned themselves some distance behind the police and soldiers. All of this took place while the IC and Patrol Sergeant reported their status to the dispatchers and EMC, which was now manned. As the IC talked, she moved with her fire company toward the fire, which was following the soldiers and policemen at some distance. As they moved, she reviewed in her mind what was in this area and where the greatest risks would be. There were not many buildings over 2 stories near the armory, and, fortunately, most of the exteriors were brick or masonry. The armory grounds covered four square blocks, with a park on the far side. On each approach, the soldiers walked along-side slow moving police cars, as they could not easily enter and exit the cars with their gear. When the soldiers and policemen approached the downed attackers, the scene they saw was much different than what they had expected. The surrounding buildings had suffered little exterior damage, except many windows were broken and the roofs were starting to smoke from the heat. The attackers had not faired as well. Many attackers had died when the explosives they were carrying had burst into flames from the heat of the initial explosion. Others were relatively untouched, except for being stunned and their clothes scorched. The attackers that were still breathing, were disarmed, hogtied and secured to a nearby light post or parking meter, so they were out of the way. As soon as the soldiers and police secured the street, the firefighters moved their equipment as close as they could. As the first fire trucks began to spray water, steam rolled off the building faces and roofs, initially obscuring the view. Escorted by two water cannons, the IC moved past the corner, so she could fully see the situation where the armory had stood. Even in her Nomex suit, it was very hot this close to the torch. She quickly directed the individual firefighting units to concentrate on keeping the adjacent buildings wet, but to wait until their access was cleared. By this time, the EMC had communications linked between all responding units using the new system that just been installed several months ago. They left the site management to the MP Commander, Incident Commander and Police Sergeant and focused on supplying support. The addition of more water spray on the adjacent buildings added to the steam cloud being drawn up to the gas torch that was fed by the broken gas main. This greatly increased the size of the plume of smoke rising from the armory. As the buildings cooled, the steam cloud began to dissipate, showing the armory complex as a pile of rubble. The buildings in the armory complex had all collapsed over the broken pipeline, leaving a hole so that the gas came out in several points near the top of the rubble. The force of the gas rushing into the flame was sucking air through the rubble to add a whistling sound to the loud roar. Darcy's security team had followed the convoy to the air base, while Caoilinn's security team split up into small groups, to shadow the police and soldiers. They didn't think any of the attackers would be able to put up any kind of fight, but it was better to be cautious. A drone was placed near each group of attackers, so the Intelligence department could monitor the attackers' minds, as they recovered. From the time the attack started until the area was secure, only a little less than two hours had elapsed. With the area secure, the police and soldiers began moving the prisoners to a common area. Both groups knew the attack on the armory would be under the jurisdiction of the FBI and possibly the Army Criminal Investigation unit. With the situation around to armory now stable, those at Comrie and on Dóchas turned their focus back to the video conference. James said, "This certainly adds a new dimension to this investigation." Pausing, with a thoughtful look on his face, he then continued, "Aoife, why did you ask about our houses?" "As I watched the events at the armory unfold, the view of the armory was suddenly replaced by a view of your homes. Sometimes, I anticipate events." James and Clarence looked at her thoughtfully as she spoke. "The security team we sent to your houses has placed your possessions in storage here on Comrie. We can show you where they are after breakfast. The furniture was left in the homes. I hope that is all right." "Where are the women?" "They are at Comrie, and getting cleaned up," said Sally. "We expect they will be with you at breakfast." "Good." "Let's eat," said Sarah, "I am starved. This early morning exercise has really made me hungry. We will join you at Comrie after breakfast. James, Clarence, Donna can have an update on the arrests at our morning meeting." "I am comfortable with that," said James, and then chuckled, as his stomach grumbled. "Sarah's right, it's time to eat." ------- The group with James had just sat down to breakfast when the five women who had been the decoys at their homes arrived. James went quickly to Celia and Jenna and hugged them, before Sue and Sam could greet them. Clarence was just as fast greeting Genevieve, Jasmin and Faith, who had stayed with him the last several weeks. The group was invited to join them for breakfast. Just as Celia and Jenna sat down, James said, "Clarence, we need to make sure several of our staff are there when the FBI and the Army investigators start questioning the attackers." "James," said Celia, "Marie and Trudy have already made the arrangements." "What? How could they know so quick?" "Ever since you were abducted, they have been manning the office around the clock. They heard the explosion and saw the fireball from the office. Marie said that it really shook the building. They queried Dóchas's Intelligence department to find out what was happening, and then acted on what they expected the needs would be." "Good. We were very lucky to have them join our staff. I have never worked with paralegals this good before. They have been a godsend to us." "Command Staff," said Celia, "I think we need to tell the group that we are bots, and preferably now. Otherwise, I am concerned about how they will feel if too much more time elapses." "Do it," was the quick response from the command staff. "I consider all of you to be good friends," said Celia, "perhaps more than good friends. I think many of you feel the same way about us." Several had looks of confusion on their face, as they weren't sure why the topic had changed. "Before our relationship grows much closer, we feel you should know more about us." She paused. "First, we are bots." The group's mouths dropped open. The group around the table was as quiet as a pin. "We will," said Celia, before she was interrupted. "You are not moving, unless you want to!" said Sam, with a firm but caring expression on her face. "Whether you are bots or not makes absolutely no difference to me. We, well, at least I, welcome your company any time, any place. No Mom and Dad, I'm not sure I am telepathic, but Celia and Jenna are wonderful people. I would hope we have a chance to build the friendship that I think is already there. I expect we will be very close friends." Everyone around the table nodded their agreement. The journalists were a little surprised, as they hardly knew any of the women who were decoys. "The paralegals in James and Clarence's offices are bots too, aren't they," asked Marge, as some pieces began to fit together. "Yes," said Jenna. "Well, I'll be damned," said James and Clarence together. "I would never have guessed," continued Clarence. "I agree with Sam's comments. All of you are welcome in my home any time. You are welcome to stay as long as you want. I would consider it a privilege to have all of you as close friends." "I agree with dad besides all of you seem no different than anyone else I've known," said Kelsey. "The simplest way to express it is that we are very much like you, except our activities aren't biologically supported. We are powered by an energy cell, and could be considered a walking computer. We tend to be more fact and logic driven than biological units. Our logic and fact driven reasoning usually compensates for our lack of intuition. We have all the senses, etc. as a biological unit does, except for emotions. You probably think we have emotions, but they have a different basis. They are just driven by a different kind of system. In terms of health, we have component break downs rather than health issues like you experience." "Can you tell the four paralegals in the office to take care of themselves? They are a very key part of our efforts and we want them to stay well." "They know, as we are mentally connected, and we have been continuously linked for about the last week." "Are you interested in working in our office here?" said James. "Although I am not sure how long we will have an office here. I expect today will be busier than yesterday, so we could really use the assistance." "We would love to," said the five women, together. "There are several others from the Intelligence department who have been working with us, as well." Just then, Sarah, Rusty, Tara, Sally, Alison, Terry, and Joyce entered the dining room. Rusty tapped on the table, to get everyone's attention. "We will start our morning meeting in about 15 minutes. All three sites will participate with us." "Good morning," said the group with Sarah. "James, Clarence, we feel we owe you an explanation. We sent the paralegals and these women to assist you with the 'lodge incident' investigation. This seemed to be the best way we could quietly assist your investigation. They were not there to spy on you. However, the paralegals did advise us of critical events in your office, but only when they thought we needed to know, such as when you received the tapes of Dale and Larry. We have held off on saying anything before now, because there was so much else that needed attention. We sincerely hope we have not damaged our relationship." It was a few moments before anyone spoke. "Sarah's clan, and really all of you," said James. "I am very comfortable with what has occurred. We would have all preferred not have experienced some events. Perhaps I am speaking out of turn, but we are very lucky you have looked over our shoulders during this investigation. I agree with Sam's comments regarding our friendship, and feel Sue does as well." "I second that," said Clarence. "Thank you all. We feel that all of you are good friends and are welcome to be with us wherever we are. The possibility that any of you are bots is not important." "Since we are opening doors," said Tara, "we know all of you are telepathic-capable. Marge, Evelyn, Fred and Chad have already enabled their ability. Right after breakfast, and before we get distracted by events, we can, and should, show you how to enable yours. When you return to earth's society, we suggest you alter it, so that it only works in times of danger to yourselves and your family." "You mean we have to return to earth," asked Sam, with a sad look. "Sam, that is a decision for James, Sue and you to make together, as it has many implications." As Tara spoke, Sam looked at James and Sue. "There is no hurry." "Sam, we will definitely talk about it," said James. "It will be a while before we get to that point. So, can you be a little patient." "Sure, but I do like it here." "We noticed," said Sue. As Sue looked around the table, she sensed many of the others were thinking along the same lines as Sam. ------- Sarah stepped to the front of the room, and, as she did, the room quieted down. "Good morning, all. This morning has started early and at a fast pace. For our conference this morning, we have all four locations linked together. We hesitate to say this, but we would like to again keep our meeting short this morning. At the same time, we need to address all the issues needing attention." "Donna, Star and the Intelligence department AI's will be giving the summary on the activity around the 'flesh peddler' organization, and the arrests that are underway. After that, there will be an update on events at the armory early this morning." Donna began the briefing by giving a summary of the efforts by law enforcement officers in the US and other countries in arresting those involved in the 'flesh peddler' operation. A couple of key councilors could not be found by the law officers. Several times, the officers were met by gun fire when attempting to make arrests. In all of those cases, the person being sought died in the gun battle. A few officers were injured in the gun fights, but none of the injuries were serious. Star gave a brief rundown on the attack and explosion that leveled the armory. She assured everyone the evidence in the armory was preserved, and that all the guard soldiers were able to escape before the explosion. The armory was totally destroyed by a high pressure gas line explosion and was still burning. She indicated that the news networks should have coverage on both in several hours, as they were still scrambling to get the information. Monitors would be available in the recreation room, for those who wished to watch the news channels, after they were done. Equipment will be arriving at Frank's island shortly, and should be ready in time for you to see most of the news. "Thank you, Donna and Star," said Sarah. "The news feed will be recorded, so those unable to see it can view it later." "Does the Mars settlement have any issues we need to discuss?" "Not that can't wait until next week," said Amy. "We are approaching the point at which we can begin construction of a new, large, space ship. Star fighters are already being assembled at the rate of about 2 a week. Additional shuttles are being assembled, as well. At this rate, we should have the full complement of support ships for Dóchas completed in about 4 months. Generally, the settlement is growing quite nicely and quickly, as we have begun using the cave. Our only shortage is staff. Any questions?" "Can we apply for a position?" asked a woman on Frank's island. "If so, how do we go about it?" "Yes you can, but first the physical needs to be completed," said Sally. "Tell the medical staff of your interest, as this will cause them to run some additional evaluations on you. Once that hurdle is complete, talk to one of Nancy's clan. Sounds complicated, but it is not. Does that help?" "Yes, and I will apply!" "Does the Western enclave have any topics to bring up?" "Not at this time," came the reply. "Nancy, are there any issues there that we need to discuss?" "Only that Frank would like all of you to visit." "We will, but it will be at least a week, the way things look now." "Does Dóchas have any issues?" "Becoming visible to those on earth has been delayed, as we don't want to detract from the issue of the 'flesh peddlers'," said Maureen. "Orbit is stable and positioned so we have direct contact with each of our locations. The engineering staff have found some different ways to use the technical concepts in the library. Several will improve the efficiency of current systems, and several discoveries should increase our capabilities. These need to wait until we fully understand some of them, but it will be shared soon." "One other thing, we will need to add staff to handle the addition of star fighters and shuttles. It would be nice if we could add some experienced fighter pilots to the crew, as that should help with training." "Thank you," said Sarah, "we will be looking forward to hearing about the discoveries. Now Comrie, any issues we need to discuss." "Do you think attributing the rescue assistance at the resort to GISS operatives will cause us any issues?" said Madeline. "We don't think anyone here will add to that information," said Rusty. "Let me turn the question around, if it became more widely known, would it cause you a problem?" "Only in that we may get more requests than we can handle," said Tom, as he stood with Madeline. "Some of the requests we may not want to touch." "My inclination," said Rusty, "is that there is so much going on with this that it will not receive much attention. You might want to discuss what and how you want to proceed if it does become well known. If you are asked to do a job that is questionable, refuse it. If you find it is illegal, advise the local law enforcement. Clarence can probably help you find a reliable contact." "Good point. We will do that." "You told the woman at the other location how to go about applying for staff with you all," said a man from the resort. "Is it the same here? And who would be the alternative to Nancy's clan?" "Yes, it is pretty much the same. Here, we would like for you to advise Donna of your interest. First, let me make a couple of things very clear. Most of you did not come here of your own free will, thus we will not encourage you to join our society. Once you join, there is really no easy way to return to earth to live. It is not that we don't want you, we do, but at the same time, we want to be sure the decision is made by you, without any pressure from us. Does that give you all the information you need?" "Yes, and thank you." "In closing, for those visiting, you need to complete your physical today. Once that is complete, you are free to relax or, if you want to assist in an area, let Donna know. See you at dinner." ------- When they walked back into the conference room, Clarence said, "I thought they would have the gas fire out by now." "They are having some difficulty at the pumping station," said Shannon, through the video link with the Intelligence department. "It seems the valve stems have been jammed, so the safety shut-offs won't work. Pipeline crews are in the process of shutting down the next two closest working stations on both sides of the break. It will take several hours for the gas to burn down enough for the flame to be extinguished." "This attack couldn't be the result of our rescue," said James. "No, it's not," said Danny. "At the moment, the data indicates this may have been initiated by the two councilor's who have not been arrested. The attackers appear to be mercenaries, and not terrorists. The attack plan is more of a terrorist style, rather than something mercenaries would do. As you can see, we have a number of open questions regarding this operation." "You seem to certain they were mercenaries," said Clarence. "Yes. Several of the dead are definitely mercenaries. Neither the FBI nor the police have discovered this yet." "I think we need to focus on finding the missing councilors," said James. "As long as they are free, we have the potential for more of these situations." "James," said Lydia, one of the Intelligence department staff, "the Attorney General is on the phone. He would like a conference call with you and Clarence." "We will take it in here." James then said, to the group in the room, "I want all of you to hear this, but not participate. Agreed?" Everyone nodded. The call went fairly quickly, as the AG just wanted to tell James and Clarence he would be having a press conference later in the morning, announcing the arrests of a number of people involved in the slavery ring. Nothing was to be said about the activities at the resort, as he thought that could wait until James was in Washington. The AG asked if they knew about the armory attack and explosion. Clarence said he did, as he had been talking to the MP Commander about the time the attack started. Several grinned at the way he worded his participation. James let him know that they would make their own travel arrangements, and bring their own security detail when they came to Washington for the Thursday meeting. All they would need were passes for the various offices, and a schedule. They preferred to have the meetings at as few locations as possible, for security reasons. The AG told him an office and conference room would be available for his use on his floor in the Department of Justice Building. The press conference would be held in that building, as well. "James, Clarence," said Sarah, "it looks like you have a good handle on the situation, and we are keeping you from following up on issues. So we will be leaving, we were going to suggest you keep the video conference link open. It could be more of a distraction than it's worth. We would suggest that the group here, and the Intelligence department, schedule regular video conferences during the day." "I agree that a continuous video link is of questionable value. There are several issues Clarence and I need to follow up on. Shannon and Celia, why don't the two of you figure out a conference schedule." "Wait," said Joyce, "we need to help them with their telepathic ability." Her spouses were surprised they had overlooked something they had promised to do. "My spouses and I will shortly show you how you can enable your telepathic ability. Once it is enabled, we will show you how to limit your connections, and protect yourself from unwanted intrusion. A key telepathic rule, you do not look at another's thoughts without their agreement. You can talk to anyone telepathically, if they are telepathically active. If you send thoughts to someone not telepathically active, they will likely not understand you. Telepathic communication is very similar to vocal communication, but sometimes intent is easier to understand." "If you try to look at another's thoughts without permission, they will most likely know, if they are telepathic. For those without a telepathic ability, they will be uneasy around you. The normal community response to someone invading another's mind is to lock the person out completely. There can be exceptions, in emergencies, but don't be wrong. We will ask your agreement, as we start with each of you. Any questions?" With that, the group from Sarah's clan were joined telepathically by the rest of their spouses, as they began assisting the group. They began with James, Clarence and the journalists, as that would give them a bit more time to adjust before beginning to work. "Now, is everybody comfortable with the thought exchange?" asked Sarah. The group looked thoughtful for a moment. Then, one by one, they said, "Yes, I think so." "This will take some getting use to," said James. "It will take some time," said Joyce. "It has been our experience that the first steps into telepathically sharing information are difficult. As you begin to open up to sharing your thoughts, it will aid you, and the group, in accomplishing your tasks. Madeline and the group with GISS have found they have two types of sharing. One occurs with in their work context, and is less personal. The second is the one within the family group, and is a much more intimate one. Many of us have found the one within the family adds a new dynamic to all that you do, either individually or collectively. Its impact is difficult to describe, without feeling it. There is more, but this should be enough to get you started. Don't be afraid to explore your links with each other, and to ask questions." "See you all later," said Sally. "Let us know if you need something. Don't be afraid to reach out to us telepathically." With that, Sarah's clan eased out of the room, and were followed by many of the others not directly involved in the activities. ------- On leaving the conference room, Sarah's clan walked out to the patio overlooking the swimming pool. Quite a few people were swimming or participating in other activities. Eilene's sisters came up to them, with Eilene's baby. "Oh, there you are," said Jilly, Eilene's sister. "We were looking for you, as we need to go see the medical staff, and we would like you to go with us." "Oh, I almost forgot, they want to see both Beth and I again," responded Eilene. "Sarah, how do we get to Dóchas? As I think that is where Connie wanted us to come." "Why don't all of you come with us? I think Connie wanted to see Sue, Sam, Irene, Kelsey and Karmen, as well." They all nodded their heads in agreement. "Well, come on, let's go." "We need to tell James and Clarence," said Sue. "Well, tell them." Sue had a strange look on her face then smiled, as she recognized the intent. The group watched as she sent James a thought that they were going to Dóchas, to finish their medical check up. "James, Clarence, we're going to Dóchas to finish the medical evaluation," said Sue. "Marge," said Sam, "we are going to finish our medical evaluations, do all of you want to come with us?" "Yes, I do, let me ask the others." "Yes, we will join you, as we think now is a better time than later." ------- Chapter 85 Darcy and Caoilinn's security teams quickly found the four boats fleeing the resort. They were traveling within sight of each other, but not really together. Each appeared to be a luxury boat from the outside, but inside it was quite different. Darcy and Caoilinn's teams were shocked by what was taking place on the rear deck of the first boat they approached. Nearly thirty men and women were standing against the wall, clustered around the rear deck, facing the center area. All were naked, except for a collar, cuffs and high heeled shoes. Their metal collars were fastened by a short chain to the bulkhead. Another chain hung from the back of the collars, connecting their cuffed wrists and continuing on to connect to their ankle cuffs. Several were crying, while others had fearful looks on their faces. Several had tassels hanging from the butt plugs in their asses. Several women were also wearing leather harnesses on their chest. Their tits were encased in leather sleeves, and attached to the harnesses. The sleeves had been tightly laced, so that they would squeeze and stretch their tits. Off to one side of the deck, four headless bodies were hung from their ankles. Blood still dripped from the gutted bodies. The guts and heads had been dumped in a tub off to the side. The security teams were nearly sickened by the sight, and then they saw the fingers laying on top of the mess. Two women were held bent over a rail, which was just under waist height. Their wrists and ankles were secured to the to the deck, holding them firmly stretched over the narrow rail. A rope looped around their waists and the bar kept them from moving. On the table next to the two women lay a number of large long butt plugs, tit halters, jaw spreaders, body jewelry, syringes, and drug containers, along with other items. A tassel with a small bell hung from the butt plugs in the two women's asses. The two women appeared to have just been fucked, as cum was running down the inside of each woman's legs. Hardly a minute had elapsed after their arrival when Darcy's team decided it was time to act. A crewman had picked up a red-hot branding iron, and was moving it toward one woman's hip. Brid mentally reached out, seizing control of the crew member holding the branding iron. His face registered fear, as he felt his loss in control. Just then, another crew member bent over near him. Brid moved the crewman's hand holding the branding iron, to press it hard against the ass of the other crew member. The bent over crew member screamed, as the iron burned into his flesh, while another of Darcy's team kept the man from moving away. Darcy's team then quickly subdued all the crew members on the boat, while Caoilinn's team moved on to the next boat. They found much the same scene there. Except that, on the second boat, all of the captives had been branded. When they arrived, the crew were preparing the hand plates, as their next step toward preparing their captives to be unidentifiable slaves. One crew member was pulling a woman over by the chain attached to her collar, while another poked her with an electric prod. Before subduing the crew, Caoilinn had her shuttle's AI summon additional shuttles. Darcy and Caoilinn's teams placed all the crew members in severe hog-ties on the first two boats. Their arms were tied together at the elbows and wrists. A loop of rope was tied around their necks with a slip knot and then tied to their ankles behind their back, so there was constant tension on the rope. Once the slavers were secured on the first two boats, they left four team members to watch over the boats, as they went to see about the other two boats. On the third boat, the captives had been branded and the slavers were in the process of removing two fingers from the captive's hands. On the fourth boat, the slavers had finished with their initial steps in preparing the captives to be slaves. Once they arrived on each boat, they quickly took control of the crew. With all four boats in their control, they dropped their cloaking, and removed the helmets of their tactical suits. "Captives," said Caoilinn to those around her on one boat, "we will release you in a little bit. While we are taking care of these slavers, several of our team will attend to your wounds. As that is done, your restraints will be removed. Please be patient. We cannot give you any counter-treatment for the drugs yet, but we can later. While you are being treated, we will be preparing the slavers to be slaves, as they intended to prepare you. Once that is complete, we will be leaving. When we leave, we can take you to two destinations. One would be back to the resort. It is now under the control of Federal Law Enforcement Officers. Alternatively, we can take you to an isolated island, where some of the resort staff are currently staying. On the island, there are medical facilities that can offer treatments to counter the drugs and injuries you have received. It will be your choice whether you receive the treatments or not. You will also have some time to think about what you want to do about your future. Actually, you could think about your future at either place. The island is in an isolated location, so there will be fewer distractions. Nearly all of the Councilors, and many members of the society are under arrest." While Caoilinn spoke to those on one boat, another to the teams gave the same message to the captives on the boat with them. On each boat, the security teams quickly found the leaders of each crew and interrogated them. They verified that all four of the boats were operated by slavers. Even though they were competitors, they looked out for each other when they could. Their mode of operation was to attend an auction, like the one scheduled for the resort. At the auctions, they always had part of the crew pretend to be the slaves of one or two the crew members. With this approach, they could case the location without drawing any attention. When the crews heard that the Councilors were leaving because of a security breach, they decided it was a golden opportunity to easily gain many new captives with little risk. They focused on acquiring the guests along with their slaves. In several cases, they conned the masters and mistresses, offering them an avenue of escape from the resort. They had put to sea as soon as their acquisitions were on the boat. Through the interrogation, the security teams learned that this group of slavers treated their slaves in much the same way as the slavers did in Afghanistan. Looking around at the captives on the four boats, it was clear that the slavers had already started preparing them for auction. The security team surveyed the captives. They found that only a few captives had lost their finger tips and four fingers. All of them had been given shots containing the growth factors and hormones. Everything they heard and saw of the slavers actions angered the security teams. Using their telepathic connection, and drawing on their mentors strengths, they helped each other manage their anger and seek an appropriate solution. Darcy and Caoilinn's teams decided that, if the slavers thought it was alright to force body modification on others, then the crew should be willing to receive those changes, as well. On each boat, they selected a few captives to assist in administering the treatments to the slavers. Each crew member received the full treatment they had planned for their captives, including the body jewelry. Once the changes in the slavers were initiated, a life boat was laid out on the upper deck of each boat. The crew members were released from their bonds, and then physically forced by the security teams to climb into the rafts. With all the crews in the life boats, the security teams did another search of each boat, to make sure everyone was accounted for on the boats. "Listen up everyone," said a security team member on each boat. "In a few moments, a ship will hover over the deck and drop a rope ladder. Please climb up the ladder carefully. When you reach the top, someone will help you inside." Just as the last word was spoken, the first shuttles came into view, hovering of the edge of the upper deck of each boat. As soon as the ladders dropped, the captives on each boat lined up to leave the boats. Two of the former captives stabilized each ladder, while others began to climb. Several needed assistance climbing the ladder. Once all the former captives were on board the shuttles, Caoilinn said to the crew, "Your boats are now sinking. When the water reaches this deck, we will leave, just as your life raft begins to float. It could be a while before you are found. Don't worry you will be found, as the current here will carry you toward sea lanes for Africa." She saw fear flicker across several faces. "Be sure to raise the raft's cover, as it will keep you from a enduring very bad sun burn. Besides, you want to look your best when you are sold at auction." As the water started to cover the decks, the last security team members levitated themselves up into the shuttle door. The look on the slavers faces was priceless, as they watched the security teams seemingly float unaided up to the shuttle doors. As the life rafts floated off the deck, the mental lock on the slavers movements was removed. The slavers had just enough time to grab onto the life rafts, as they began bouncing around in the turbulence caused by the sinking boats. Abby, Darcy, Brid and Caoilinn were each on a different shuttle. Once the doors closed, the shuttles rose up and off to the side of the sinking boats. "Ladies and gentlemen," said each to their respective groups, "we would like to go to the secluded island first. Anyone wishing to go on to the resort, please stay on board, as we will make that our next stop. Any questions?" As they finished speaking, a screen in the front of the cabin came to life, showing the interior of the other three shuttles. "Thank you for giving us our voices back, but I am puzzled," said a man in the shuttle with Abby, "as to why you are doing this. If we go back to the resort, we will soon be forced to be someone's sexual plaything, as those who run the resort have very powerful friends, and are extremely ruthless. You say that if we go to this island, we will get to decide our future. How do we know that is true? You say the island is secluded. What is to keep you from turning us into your property? I know the last two questions probably don't make much sense, when you consider you asked us what we wanted to do. But, your offer is almost too good. Besides, the organization operating the resort will never let us get away, and they will never be prosecuted." "Let's be frank. You don't know that anything we said is true. You saw how we responded to the treatments the slavers forced on all of you. The only guiding light you may have is your own instinct. Surviving as slaves or toys, it would seem that you could sense what they wanted, at times. Didn't you do that, in order to avoid their wrath? Why not use that sense now?" "I am!" said a woman. "I am going to the island. However, I am not sure I believe all of it. I am willing to take a chance. I believe I am better off now than before you arrived." Several in each shuttle nodded their heads. "It will take us about 30 minutes to reach the island. During the trip, let me tell you a few things about ourselves and the island. Our island is a clothing-optional location. Whether you adopt that mode of dress is entirely up to you. We want you to do what you are comfortable with. There is a medical team on the island that can give each of you a complete physical. We strongly recommend you let them give you a physical. Once the physical is done, they will give you a prognosis concerning the treatments you received and their impact on your body and future. They will also provide you with recommendations relating to any corrective treatments you need to maintain your quality of life. Remember, however, that all the choices are yours." "Who are you?" "That is a difficult question to answer in the short time we have. We would like to postpone fully answering that question until this evening. Why don't each one of us introduce ourselves, my name is Brid." With that, all the security team members, in turn, introduced themselves to guests on the shuttles. As they traveled to the island, several others asked questions about what happened at the resort. The security team members took turns answering questions. By the time they were near the island, the newly released captives had begun to relax. The members of both clans noted to each other that they could sense their new guests fear of the future ease. ------- Meanwhile on Comrie, when the group going to Dóchas was on the shuttle, it lifted slowly off to begin the trip, with Rusty and Sarah riding in the pilot seats. Although they were not actively piloting the shuttle, they were scanning the ocean around them while enjoying the view. "What's that?" said Sarah. "Is that a group of ships on the horizon?" "Could be. Alpha1, let's detour to the west." As they moved closer, it became clear that the group of ships was a carrier strike group. "Donna, are you aware of the ships west of Comrie?" "Yes, although they are not within the area we closely monitor. Their heading is such that they should pass well to the south of us. Based on the composition and heading, we were just tracking them. Should we monitor them?" "We will decide after we take a closer look." "Alpha1, I will take the controls while we have a look." "Affirmative. The controls are yours." "We will be making a side trip," said Sarah, to those in the cabin. "There is a group of ships nearby, and we want to have a look at them before we continue to Dóchas." Rusty brought the shuttle down, so they could have a close look at the ships traveling with the aircraft carrier. As Sarah and he observed the ships, they had a sensation that something was not quite right. With Joyce, Tara, Sally and Terry's support, they carefully scanned the fleet of ships, seeking to find the reason for the uneasiness. When they finished the scan, they still had not resolved what they had sensed. The sensation seemed to be strongest on the carrier. They paced the battle group for a while, watching the operations on the aircraft carrier's deck. "I wonder what kind of commotion we would cause, if we pulled up along side the carrier, even with the deck, and dropped our cloaking!" "Command staff," asked Sarah, "what is your thought on Rusty's proposal? It does compliment the plan to uncloak Dóchas in a few days." "Let's go for it," came the reply. "Rusty, before you do that, let a flight of star fighters join you," said Terry. "With them there, we will have assistance, if we need a diversion. It is hard to guess how they will react." "You really want to do this," said Rusty, because he had been half joking. "Sure, we will monitor the radio traffic. It will give us a good idea how they react to surprises." "Okay, how many aircraft do they have in the air?" "They have two groups of four," said Claudette. "One group is a couple of miles out and they are heading back to the carrier. The other group is at high altitude, doing a routine patrol. They could see Comrie, if we let them." "Alpha1, all controls are yours," said Rusty. "Sarah and I will follow your movements on our sticks." "Affirmative." "Bring us to about a 100 feet from the port side, just above the carrier deck. Hold that position as we uncloak. On my command, take off along the route of the carrier. Once clear of the task force, turn southeast, accelerating to Mach 2, and stay at this altitude. When we are several miles out, cloak, then we will head home to Dóchas." "Star fighters are in position to your rear," said Claudette, as the shuttle moved into position alongside the carrier, and between it and the picket ships. "Cloaking off," said Rusty. The group in the cabin looked out the windows at the sailors on the ships. It took a few moments for the sailors on the carrier to see Alpha1 pacing the carrier. Once Alpha1 was spotted, the activity on the carrier and the picket ships almost ceased, as everyone stood and stared at the unusual aircraft. The group in the cabin waved at the sailors they could see through the windows, provoking some to wave back. "Rusty, the group returning to the carrier has been waved off. Flight control told them to circle, as there was an unknown aircraft flying alongside the carrier." "Affirmative. Advise when they pass overhead. Alpha1, as soon as they are above us, it's time to leave. They should have enough pictures by then." "Affirmative." "Star fighters, follow us through, uncloaked. Two on each side of the carrier, and close enough to the water to create a rooster tail." "Affirmative." Just at the moment the carrier's fighter group were to pass overhead, Alpha1 accelerated forward. In only a few seconds, the shuttle cleared the task group. Even as high as the shuttle was, it created a sizable rooster tail in the water, as it cleared the lead ships. The four star fighters passed through the group of ships, right behind the shuttle. They held their speed at 150 knots, as they passed silently between the ships, except for the noise of the air they displaced. The faces of the sailors showed shock and amazement at what they were seeing. On the bridge of Dóchas, the command staff listened to the communications between the ships and pilots during the time Alpha1 was along side the carrier. They were a bit surprised, when the radios went completely silent. The silence lasted from the time Alpha1uncloaked, until after the star fighters had passed through. With the passage of the star fighters, there was pandemonium among the crew. Many of the crew managed to take photos of the shuttle, but very few photos captured the flight of the star fighters as they pasted the ships. The fighter group gave a short chase, but they quickly realized there was no hope of getting closer. They turned and lined up in the flight pattern around the carrier so they could land. "Star fighter group," said Rusty, "you can make another pass, uncloaked, if you want to." "Affirmative!" "Wait until the fighter group has landed, make it slower and slightly above the height of the carrier. Be careful, it is up to you to avoid an incident. You might want to uncloak just before you pass through the group. Let them have a good look. I don't think it will happen, but if any one paints you with a target signal, then only neutralize the threat." "Affirmative." On the bridge of Dóchas, they watched the star fighters circle around the carrier group and form up into two pairs. The star fighters lined up so that each pair would pass the carrier, with one on each side. As soon as the star fighters uncloaked, the watch on the rear ships alerted the ship's bridge, which relayed the information to Carrier Strike Group Command of the approaching aircraft. Orders were quickly issued to not initiate any hostile action. The star fighters moved slowly through the group, when they came along side the carrier, each pair did a horizontal roll. Both pairs of star fighters made the roll in the same way on each side of the carrier, while the pair of planes maintained their relative position to each other through the roll. This time, they passed slowly on through the task group until they were clear. At that point, they turned their fighters toward the stars, disappearing from view as they climbed vertically toward Dóchas. The sailors had taken many more photos as the star fighters moved between the ships. Command staff listened to the Admiral commanding the Carrier Strike Group, requesting that the sailors provide him with a copy of their photos. He requested all of those on watch to write down just exactly what they had seen, and then, to give a copy to their ship's senior officer. Those observations, along with copies of the photos, would be transported to Washington that afternoon. They were not to tell anyone outside of the group what they had seen until the Pentagon had the information. As the shuttle carrying Sarah, Rusty and the others made its way to Dóchas, Rusty said, "Sally, this could be an opportunity for our star fighter pilots to gain some experience. Why don't we have them shadow the Carrier Strike Group for a while, as it would give them some experience operating in atmosphere. It will be different than the space patrols they have been doing." "Donna, see if you can get a drone into the carrier's pilot ready room and one onto her bridge." "Any particular thing you are looking for?" "No, not really. Just monitor conversations. If something doesn't sound right, let us know." "Rusty," said Sally, "should we keep the star fighters cloaked?" "Yes. We may want them to become visible several times at different times of day. They should be very careful not to create an incident. In any case, they should not head toward Comrie while leaving the Carrier Strike Group. I am sensing everyone is active in this link, so, any other thoughts?" Approaching Dóchas, Rusty had Alpha1 circle the ship, so they could see all of the exterior. The group in the cabin were all peering out the windows at Dóchas. Just as Alpha1 turned toward its hanger, the group saw four fighters leave the ship. "Guys, Dóchas sure looks different than the first time we saw her," said Joyce. "Yes, and I think we will all be much more comfortable when she has a sister or two," said Sarah. Once Alpha1 settled into its cradle, and the door had opened, they found Edana's clan waiting for the guests on the shuttle. "Hi, I'm Edana and these are Kurt, Christine, Kacey, Meagan, Gloria and Margreg. We would like to act as your hosts while you are here, as our home is easy to get lost in." "We would love to have your company," said Irene. "You guys were at the resort that night, right," asked Kelsey. "Yes, we were part of the group. Why?" "There was just something about your group that felt familiar." "This group is one of our security teams," said Sally. "Beth, a group like them will meet your families this afternoon." Beth nodded. "Beth," said Tara, "would you like to go with the group to meet your family?" A smile came briefly to her face and then disappeared. "Yes, I would, but at the same time I am hesitant." "We can understand that. After your physicals are done, Edana's clan can introduce you to the teams going to meet your sister's families. Talk it through with them, some of them have had experiences similar to yours. You may find they have some suggestions that will help you decide. Either way, I am sure it will work out for you." "Edana," said Sally, "if Beth decides to go, then your team should be backup for the teams on the ground." "Sure," said the clan together, "we would like that." ------- It was mid-morning when the command staff gathered around the ring on Dóchas bridge. "Star, please assume full command of Dóchas," said the command staff. "Aine would you join us." Together they placed their hands on the ring, and their other arm around a shoulder next to them. The ring glowed brightly, as they entered the crystal to find themselves once again standing on the path. Aine stood between Rusty and Sarah, with the others around them. This time the mist had a soft gold glow. They followed the path as it led them to their circle. Reaching the end of the path, they formed a circle linking their arms behind each other. As they became one, Aine joined them, adding a new dimension to their ethereal entity. Together, they began to sift through the information they had gathered since accepting the command staff responsibility. Each event was evaluated in light of their growing knowledge and understanding. The information surrounding the events in Afghanistan were carefully examined, to see whether they added meaning or were just a distraction. They tried to determine how those events were related to the 'flesh peddlers' and their operations. With their new view of the information, they now saw several aspects of their responses that pleased them. The circumstances that led to suspect the long-term presence of the group behind the 'flesh peddlers' was an aspect of earth's culture that they could not change. It saddened all of them, as they saw the combination of culture, religion, and other visible differences between groups would be a barrier to future growth. No one or group in earth's politics seemed willing to stand up to bigotry, nor the promotion of hate through a kind of self-righteousness. From the Command Staff's current perspective, it seemed clear that these destructive attitudes would limit the growth of the civilization on earth, and that humans would not come close to reaching their full potential. From their standpoint, it was now clear that, if they were not careful, they would fall into the trap of trying to help someone who did not want help. Each of the different political groups was only interested in their own well-being. None were sincerely interested in finding mutual solutions that would allow them to work together. Command Staff realized what many on earth had not, and that was that no one could solve cultural interaction issues, except those involved. As long as the leaders used this discontent to ensure their position and power, no solution would be possible. It was now clear why their prime directive was worded the way it was. Do not meddle in other worlds or societies internal issues. Exceptions were allowed only when they were at risk or their friends were at risk. In the later case, they should only act in sufficient strength to rescue them, and to insure their security. Additionally, it was clear why the exceptions were very narrowly worded. With this fresh view, they went through the data again, and soon realized their efforts to date had been correct. They understood where the desire came from to solve the problem of the 'flesh peddlers', as earth was their birth place. Many of the crew, besides them, was also from what are considered the western countries on earth. By giving those rescued another chance, they had managed to thwart some of the evil. The real solution would have to come from within the residents of earth, even if those events meant starting over. With their new understanding and a better sense of the prime directive, they reviewed all the data since the first incident with the 'flesh peddlers' and slavers. At this point, as members of this new species and culture, they saw they had done all they could. The question in their mind now was, would becoming known change the motivation on earth enough so that different cultures could work productively together? It was a question they couldn't yet answer. There was hope, though. Command Staff turned their attention to their progress and growth. They now saw Comrie and the western retreat as attachments, with possible negative impact. By expanding the scope of the Mars settlement, more recreational choices could be provided there. This would minimize the need for the earth islands. For Comrie, it was clear they would need to ensure sufficient resources so GISS had the tools they needed to function. The alternative would be for GISS to cease operations. This choice would be left to GISS. The group looked through the other information available to them in the library. This told them more about the capabilities of the technology and the people they were now a part of. As each of their group acquired more knowledge, they quickly shared it with the others in a summarized form. Using the team approach, they covered a lot of material. As they went through the information, they realized much of it they had seen before, but now much of it had more meaning. The Command Staff now realized they would need to study this information more frequently in the future. As the repetitive reviews seemed to make them aware of more aspects of their new species and culture. There was much more they needed to learn. Aine said, "Speaking for my colleagues and mentors, you are doing well. I have never seen any group examine past events with the thoroughness that you have. You have applied the lessons learned very much as we thought they should be applied, based upon our experiences. Again, that is a very positive comment. All of you are a blessing to us." "Thank you," they whispered together, blushing a bit, as they felt the warmth of her praise. "We surely hope those comments were not a prelude to your saying you are leaving our presence." "No. My mentors have told us we can stay as long as we feel comfortable here. We may need to leave from time to time, to fulfill other assignments received from our mentors. We feel we are learning from you as well." "Good," said Sarah. The others nodded their agreement. "I think we should go see how the children are doing, as it will be dinner before long." "It does not seem like we have been here very long," said Maeve. The group stepped down and began the walk back up the path returning to the ring. At the ring, they released each other's shoulders and stepped back. "Good, you're back," said Star. "How is everything?" said Sarah. "I know you want to go visit your children before dinner, so I will keep it brief. MacFarland's group has made excellent progress with the issues surrounding the 'flesh peddlers'. It seems everyone that's been arrested wants to tell everything they know." "The fire at the armory is out and cleanup efforts are underway. The politicians are extremely pleased with the way the three groups came together in responding to the attack. Some were not keen about the initiative taken by some individuals, but, after seeing the results, the emergency managers are rethinking how they do things." "Good," said Rusty, "the front-line person often does not have time to send reports. All the managers need to really do is give them the information they need quickly and let their training work. Oops, sorry for interrupting." "Let's see what else. All of those rescued from the resort seem to be in very good medical condition. They have all met with the medical staff. They are aware of their status and the changes they should expect in their bodies over the next 6 months or so. We have suggested to them they hang around our islands for a month or so, before returning to earth society. None have objected." "The group from the boats is doing well. They have fit in well with the others from the resort. All of them have had physicals." "Beth went to see her sister's families. The security teams are reporting no issues there. Both of her sister's families are pleased to see her. They are having a small reunion at the moment." "The Admiral commanding the naval task group had some sharp words with the Pentagon brass regarding the flyby. He basically told them it was not a FUCKING UFO. They had seen an aircraft that could out perform anything they had ever dreamed about flying. He stirred them up even more when he then told them that the crew had permission to keep their photos for themselves. The crew was asked not to share them until the public photos were released to the news media by the Navy." "Mars settlement has the plans for a new ship all laid out. They would like to go over them with you before they start." "I think that covers it," said Star, "go relax with your children." "We will," said Sarah. "We have several things to discuss this evening, after dinner." "Wouldn't it be better to wait until later in the week?" said Siobhan. "A lot has happened in the last week. We have a lot of guests and, in the past, we included guests in these discussions. In some ways, waiting until next week seems to be a good idea, except for us uncloaking Dóchas on Saturday." "I see your point," said Maeve. "Why not Friday evening? I don't think we should wait much longer." "I sense Friday would work out fine," said Aoife. "That will give our guests time to consider what they want their future to be. I don't think many will stay initially, but most of them might want to join us at some future date." ------- Just as James, Clarence and the security teams were preparing to leave Comrie for Washington, James received a call from a staff assistant in the AG's office. He advised them that arrangements had been made for them to land at Andrews AFB. There, a group of vehicles would be available for them, complete with drivers, as it would make it easier for them to get around. He also indicated that the AG would like them to join him for dinner. James indicated that would be fine, and that they would probably need 5 vehicles. Telepathically, Todd prompted him to ask how they should identify themselves to the Andrews AFB flight controller. After several exchanges, James gave the phone to Todd, so he could sort out the details. Todd was transferred to Andrews AFB Flight Operations. Together, they came to the conclusion that using, "Comrie Alpha2" call sign, would work and it would be used in the plane's transponder as well, so it showed as that on their air traffic control screens. Alpha2 flew to a small business airport near Grand View to pickup the four paralegals. They were ecstatic to see James and Clarence again, even though it had been only a week, it had been a very trying week. On leaving Grand View, Alpha2 flew well out over the Atlantic before turning north. While Alpha2 flew due north, with Alison and Maureen at the controls, James, Clarence, Adam and Todd debated the late offer of vehicles and request for dinner from the AG's office. When they reached the point to turn east, Briana asked Alison to fly a holding pattern, as the debate was still in progress. They agreed that, if they were being set up, it would likely happen after leaving the AFB. Eventually they decided it was best to continue with the arrangements. They asked the Dóchas Intelligence Department to send them maps showing alternate routes to reach the hotel. Also, they needed their suit GPS updated with the directions. During this time, the mentors for Briana and Cathan's teams joined them in Alpha2, startling James and Clarence. Briana asked Sally to arrange to have two more security teams, in tactical suits, staged in the Washington area, just in case they needed reserves. She also asked for star fighters to shadow them to Andrews AFB. Sally sent two reserve teams on Alpha3, and put two more teams on standby. Once the backups were in place, they turned east toward the coast Southeast of Washington. Approaching the coast, they turned toward Andrews AFB, and Alpha2 turned on their transponder. The unorthodox approach caused them to be hailed almost immediately, even though they were some 400 miles off the coast. The flight controllers asked for them to confirm their altitude as they weren't sure it was correct. Alison confirmed they were at 55,000 feet and that they would begin their descent once they had the coordinates for the entering ATC zone. Command staff on Dóchas monitored the approach of Alpha2 to Andrews AFB. They saw the two air force fighters pull up behind Alpha2 for a few minutes. They then heard the fighters radio air defense command that the aircraft was as identified, and then peel off. Sally advised the two star fighters they would need to stay close Alpha2 on the approach, since that would avoid any close calls with other aircraft. The flight leader confirmed they would stay with Alpha2 until it departed Andrews AFB. Alpha2 touched down and followed the instructions of the ground controller to head to a holding area on the taxi strip and await an escort. In just a few moments, a truck with a 'Follow Me' sign pulled in front of Alpha2, to lead them to the VIP area. The star fighters shifted to hover mode behind Alpha2 as it taxied. When they reached the VIP area, Alison advised ground control that they would be leaving once their passengers were on their way. They would return tomorrow afternoon, to pick the passengers up. Their intent was to enter and exit ATC at the same point they had on arriving this afternoon. Permission was given and the flight plan was filed for Alpha2's departure. While the exchange between flight operations and Alpha2 were taking place, the passengers had exited the plane. Just as they stepped down, five SUV vehicles pulled up next to the plane. Briana asked the drivers to step out for a moment, so they could all meet. As the drivers came over to join them, Cathan's team was searching the vehicles for any suspicious items. Each vehicle was equipped with two radios, a GPS and armor. "You guys look like Marines," said Todd, "not drivers." "We were," said the driver from the lead vehicle. "I have never seen this many women on a security team before." "These two teams are better than any TTC team I've seen," said Adam. "How would you know?" "Todd and I were once in a TTC team that played in Afghanistan for a while." "Tough place, especially for TTC teams, so I heard." "It was, but I believe General Walker got it sorted out." "That wouldn't surprise me." "Gentlemen," said Briana, "Alison is waiting for us to leave so she can. I think we need to be clear with each other. Drivers, we were only told of your availability as we left for here. Due to a number of recent events, we had considered driving the vehicles ourselves on our way here. After meeting you, we would be pleased to have you drive. We would not be surprised to have some kind of incident occur on the way to the hotel." "We were told to transport you to your hotel," said the lead driver. "The five of us are assigned to be your drivers until you return here for pickup. Once we are at the hotel, we are to contact our supervisor." "Why is that?" asked James. "So they can send someone to watch the vehicles, while we get some rest." "Watching the vehicles won't be necessary, as we have it covered," said Cathan. "Let's wait until we get to the hotel before you tell them that." "Let's mount up," said Briana, "Once we get in the vehicles, we can share with you the possible routes to the hotel. We have an open communication link between all our team members, so we can tell each driver which route we decide to use." Once everyone was in the vehicles, they headed for the ramp exit. As they moved across the ramp, an Air Police detail followed them. By the time they reached the ramp gate, Alpha2 was taxiing across the ramp, toward the runway. Leaving the main gate, the lead vehicle began to follow the verbal directions from the GPS system. The drivers were surprised at the detail this system gave them as they proceeded to the hotel. With the system providing the guidance, they had time to gauge their surroundings. "There are four cars following us," said Cindy. "There should only be two," said the lead driver. "What other surprises are there?" asked Briana sharply. "Sorry, it wasn't definite they were going to shadow us to the hotel when we left to pick you up." "Can you verify it? And why?" "Yes." The driver called his supervisor on a satellite phone and spoke for only a few minutes. "They didn't assign any cars to shadow us. The reason they considered it was that the AG made these arrangements himself, which is highly unusual." "Interesting. It was one of his staff assistants who called us with the information about your picking us up." "Ciar, Sorcha, Abaigeal," said Briana, "see if you can determine who is in the cars." As they moved through traffic, the traffic lights would turn green and stay that way until they cleared an intersection. After about the tenth light, the lead driver said, "I have never been this lucky with stop lights. Briana, I kind of recognized the name of one person, but he must not be in the news very much, so the high security seems to be unusual." Briana thought for a moment while she considered his interest, and then said, "Have you heard of the 'Lodge Incident' and 'Armory Attack' down around Grand View?" The driver nodded. "We have here the lead DA and investigator on those cases." "So, having two tail cars would not have been a bad idea? How large is the circle of knowledge?" "In the Attorney General's office, I hope not very large. So, just who do you work for?" "I'd prefer not to say." "My guess is Federal Marshal's Office, NSA or Secret Service. Most likely, the first." "Close." Just as he said that, they pulled into the hotel entrance. As soon as the vehicles stopped, the security team took up positions around them. Their actions, along with their looks, drew quite a few stares. "One security team member go with each driver while they park," said Briana. "Everyone else, let's go inside. James, we have the top floor. The reservation is in Madeline's name, and the company is GISS." "Ciar," said Adam, "who was in the cars?" "As well as we could tell, two of the cars had news people in them, looking for a story. So I would expect to see them hanging around the hotel. The others saw the vehicles traveling together, and seemed to be just interested in who was in them. They left when we turned in here. The news people went to the parking garage." "Nice job guys, let's go relax." With that, they followed the group to the elevators, as Cathan passed out room keys. "Security team members with the drivers, once you have everything set, all of you come up to the top floor. Someone will be waiting to give you room keys." "Okay, we should be up in a few minutes." Everyone went to the main suite that James, Clarence and the paralegals would be using. As soon as they entered, Cathan said, "No serious conversations until we do a house cleaning." "Boy, that was a neat flight," said James with a slight smile. "Those aircraft have to be the smoothest I have ever ridden in." "I agree with you," said Clarence. "That was the first time I've flown over the Atlantic." "Too bad we weren't lower and over land," said Marie, "I like to look at the scenery." "Well, maybe we can do that on the way back," said Cathan. "We shouldn't be in as much of a hurry." "We have 2 hours before the AG arrives for dinner," said James. "I would expect him to have several staff assistants with him." "We're eating here, correct?" said Todd. "From what I have heard of the restaurant here, it should be acceptable to everyone." "Why not suggest to the AG that you have dinner here? We can arrange a private dining room, which will make it easier to talk and manage security." James called the AG to make the suggestion which was warmly accepted, as he hadn't been to this restaurant in quite a while. He was pleased with the idea of a private dining area, as it would make conversation a lot easier. With that agreed to, Todd and Cathan went to talk to the restaurant manager. Several of the security team members went to check the other rooms. It wasn't long before everyone was back in the primary suite, including the drivers. Briana introduced the drivers to everyone in the room. Once they heard James and Clarence's full names, the drivers understood why the unusual security arrangements had been made. Adam told the drivers that they knew they were carrying side arms. If there was an incident, they preferred for them to let the security teams handle it. The drivers nodded their agreement, reluctantly. Todd told them that he understood their reluctance, but this would give them the highest chance of success, without any injuries. ------- Sarah's clan spent a quiet afternoon with their children. The children were enthused about having their parents playing with them. The nannies had taught them a lot of games that helped their growth while being fun. It was a relaxing time for the adults, as they forgot about all the issues around them. With their link to Star, Maureen and Siobhan on the bridge, they were sure that, if something arose, they would be called. When the dinner chime sounded, they were all surprised at how quickly the afternoon had gone by. They did their exercises, before freshening up. Once ready, they worked with the nannies to get the children ready for dinner. Tonight they decided to eat on Dóchas, and to eat on Comrie the next night. Entering the dining room, they were surprised to find the group who had rode up from Comrie with them. Sam was the first to see them with their children, and immediately started toward them. "I'm surprised to see you're still up here," said Joyce. "Well, we were in no hurry as James and Clarence are in Washington tonight," said Sam, as Kelsey and Karmen nodded their agreement. "This place is so neat. These must be your children. What are there names?" Joyce and Alison took turns introducing the children to the group. The children warmed up to the group immediately. As they were talking, several of the ship's staff came over to the group. Some of the children went and greeted others as they came into the dining area. Both Irene and Sue were amazed at how comfortable the children felt with them. They were even more surprised at the way their daughters were interacting with the children. The three had not been around small children very often. "We would like all of you to sit with us for dinner," said Maeve. "We won't be in the way, will we," asked Sue, thinking of the needs of the children. "No, not at all. All of us will fit in quite well with the children. It wouldn't surprise me to see some of them eat with other clans." "Really?" "In an earth context, the other clans on the ship are like uncles and aunts to the children." "Oh, I can see that," said Irene. "We know our interrelationships on the ship are different than it would be on a planet. Based on what we have found in the library, we believe there is strong extended family structure, even in a settlement. As our settlement grows on Mars, we will have a better appreciation for that aspect." "Do you find these differences unsettling?" asked Sue. "No," said Tara, "I don't think we have. When Alison, Claudette, Erin and I were brought to Comrie, we were very suspicious. At the same time, we were relieved to be safe and alive. Our suspicions were aroused, in large part, because of our experiences before we arrived. Because Comrie is so isolated, there was a part of us that felt we were, effectively, still slaves, with new masters. During our first weeks on Comrie, we saw several events that quickly convinced us that Sarah's and Amy's clans were leaving our destiny to us to decide. Sure they wanted us to stay, but at the same time, they made it very clear that they would support us in whatever choice we made. Once we decided to stay, the four of us were drawn to Sarah's clan. When we told them we wanted to join their clan. they opened their arms to us. It was the most wonderful day in my life. Hum ... I am not sure I answered your question, Sue." "You did, in a way, as I could sense the swings in your emotions as you told the story. The message I sense is, yes, there are differences, but, in total, you feel more comfortable here than you did in earth's society. I suspect you would have stayed whether you joined Sarah's clan or not." "You're right. I think the openness, along with the ability to share both perspective and emotions through our mind-link, is a significant characteristic of this species and society." "I'm not sure what mind-link is." "It is a very intimate sharing of everything about yourself and your thoughts with the others in the mind-link bond. Most clans have approached it very slowly, and opened the mind-link between them one layer at a time. Somewhat like peeling an onion. Our interaction with others, during our upbringing on earth, makes the first steps toward total openness difficult. We can see a strong bond between James, Sam and you. Here, there would be nothing wrong in the three of you forming a family group or clan. There is also nothing wrong with having a child and not being part of that clan." "So, do you think Sam would not be a good fit in a clan with James and I?" "Whether it is a good fit or not is for the three of you to decide for yourselves, though not something to decide for each other. Now let me complicate that a bit, as it is something the three of you should do together. I know it sounds contradictory, but you will understand when the time comes. You can feel love for many people. The sharing within a mind-link is more basic or intimate. It includes love, but also many other qualities. Just don't let your desires or preconceptions outweigh your instincts. Your instincts will help you form your clan, if you stay." "Oh, I'm pretty certain we will ask to stay," said Sue. Sue and Tara had been so engrossed in their conversation, they hadn't noticed when they sat down to eat, or even remembered going through the buffet line. "When did we get our food?" "You didn't, mom," said Sam. "I filled your plate, and Erin got a plate for Tara. You all just followed us as we sat down. I thought I could get engrossed in something! I think you two have me beat." Several chuckled at Sam's comments. "Tara, Sue," said Eilene, "I found your exchange quite informative. I hope you didn't mind us listening. Besides, I think most of us heard it." The others sitting at the table nodded. "Can I add a bit," asked Erin. "Sam, Kelsey, Karmen; the three of you are at a crossroads. We know what you have expressed, regarding your love for your elders. You should not let the fact you have been intimate with them drive your decision to seek to join them in a clan, that is, if you stay here. It could be the right thing to do, but let your senses and instincts help you seek the right direction for you." "Let's be clear," said Sarah, "we are simply expressing the possibilities of relationships. If the MacFarland's and O'Toole's form clans, then great. If you stay here, we would be very happy to have your company on a regular basis. Our fondest desire is for you to be happy in your relationships with each other, and for them to be the most stable thing in your life." "I saw the intent," said Sam, "of Tara and then Erin's comments. I appreciate it and I am glad it was said. What I take away from this discussion is that I, or any of us, shouldn't structure our decisions based upon artificial circumstances. We should consider all aspects but let our instincts drive us." "Give her an A+," said Tara, with a big smile. Several around the table endorsed Tara's comment. "Again, thank all of you," said Eilene. "I think all of us will find this discussion very beneficial." "In several cases here," said Joyce, "the precursor of a clan formed as a group of women, then at some point, a man joined the group. Once a male joined the group, the bonding between everyone began to grow. We don't understand all of the dynamics." Claudette went to the front of the room. "It looks like everyone is done eating, and most of the tables are cleared. So, do we have any announcements or other things to share?" "We would like to hold a concert," said a couple from the back of the room. "Sounds like a good idea to me," replied Claudette. "What are your plans?" "Well, I don't know that we have plans. Several of us have been trying to learn the music that we found in the archives. It has been a bit challenging, because it is scored differently than we were familiar with. We think we have progressed enough to share it with the rest of the crew. It is all in old Celtic or something very similar. We think some of the songs sound better with the original words, and others we have translated. So the concert will be a mix of both." "We're game. When would you like to do it?" "Say, in a week or two." Shannon stood and said, "Considering everything, I think we ought to try doing it in two weeks. We have a lot happening this week, and we don't know how it will play out. Besides, we need more practice." "So, two weeks," said the couple. "Anything else," asked Claudette. She waited a few moments, and then said, "Have a great evening and see you tomorrow." "I wonder if they would let me sing with them," asked Sam. "Go talk to Shannon, as it looks like she is in the group that plans on performing," said Tara. Sue smiled as she watched her daughter seek out Shannon. She knew this was the place for them, for many reasons. If they had come here directly, without the resort experience, she was sure she would feel the same way. It may have taken longer to reach the conclusion, but it would have been the same. ------- Chapter 86 "Wow," said James and Clarence when the four paralegals came out of their room. "You guys look great." "Wait until you see the others," said Marie just as there was a knock on the door. They had decided earlier that their height and good looks would make it impossible for them to blend in, so they took the opposite tack. They each wore a Salwar Kameez with moderately loose pants. Their tall high heeled shoes making them several inches taller than James and Clarence. The fabric had the appearance of silk and flowed over the curves of their bodies accentuating their shape. It would easily stretch as they moved. This style and fabric gave them much more freedom of movement than western styles. Todd and Adam wore suit jacket style tops, while the women wore a top with moderately deep necklines and half sleeves. In both cases the hem came down to just below their hips. Todd and Adam's shoes had tall heels to accommodate their changing feet but it was not apparent how tall the heels were. "Oh, my," said Clarence, "as he watched the others enter the room. Adam you realize no one will remember us with this group of women around." Their was a small squeal as Trudy hugged and kissed Clarence to thank him for his comment. All the women gave him a kiss and hug. "Aren't you ladies afraid you'll smudge your make up?" said James earning him several glares. "Oops, sorry. My error. All this radiance in this room has me befuddled." Everyone laughed at his quick recovery. "James, Clarence, we don't have any makeup on. Do we need some?" asked Kylie. "Absolutely, not!" said Clarence before James could speak. Just then there was a tap on the door and Kendra opened the door for the five drivers. They stopped just inside the door with looks of awe on their faces. "We knew you'al were lovely before but didn't realize just how much until now," said the lead driver as the others nodded their agreement. It was clear from their expressions they thought all of the women looked outstanding. "We have never been in the company of such lovely looking group of women. After tonight and tomorrow, all that will be remembered is the beauty of this security detail. You made a excellent decision for dress this evening as I suspect we will be closely watched while we are down in the lobby, restaurant and bar tonight." "It is time we went downstairs," said Adam. James and Clarence were waiting in the private dining room when the Attorney General arrived, along with several others. After James greeted the AG, he introduced Clarence and the four paralegals who worked for him. "Ladies you look lovely this evening," said the AG as he greeted each one. The AG, in turn, introduced the staff members accompanying him. James, Clarence and the paralegals immediately noticed the uneasiness of the group when they had to look up to each of them. The women were first to notice the way several of the managers were checking them out. "James," said the AG, "our associates really don't know one another, so let's go round the group, telling a bit about ourselves and how we are involved in this group of cases." The AG had his staff go first, giving their background and interest in the cases. Four of his staff were basically involved in monitoring the cases that were arising out of the investigation and evidence. Each had responsibility for a different region. The fifth was a manager, who oversaw the operations of the regional US District Attorney's offices. James and Clarence then shared their backgrounds and experiences with the group. They were followed by the four paralegals, who told about their backgrounds in legal matters. As they talked, they made sure to praise the team in James and Clarence's office. They told of their backgrounds in a way that indicated the strength of their knowledge, and avoided disclosing where they came from. "Marie, Trudy, Kylie and Kendra," said the AG "from what I have heard about your contributions, I think you should try to finish your law degrees. We need more people with your capabilities in this profession." "Thank you," said the group together, as they blushed a bit. James and Clarence smiled while thinking, if he only knew. "We have considered it, but sometimes feel we get more satisfaction from pulling the cases together." Todd and Adam were the acting bartenders, while Briana, Cathan, Cass and Abaigeal functioned as waitresses in the private dining room. The other members of their security teams were in different places around the complex, and two had stayed behind on their floor. Some had positioned themselves around the lobby relaxing or engaged in conversation. Two hung out in the lobby bar. As the evening progressed, in pairs, to eat in the restaurant, where each asked for a table that had a view of the entrance to the private dining room. Over dinner, James and Clarence gave the group an overview of the case, which now seemed to have four parts to it. At each opportunity, the two drew the paralegals into providing additional information. The presentation told of how the leads obtained from the 'Lodge incident' did not readily identify any one person. The leads did, however, provide them with clues as to how the operation was run. Clarence pointed out that it was the information from Dale and Larry's companies that began to give them firm leads on possible participants. Some of the information was sufficient to bring charges against a few, but not sufficient to ensure conviction. If the information from Dale and Larry's companies was released to the public, many would suffer due simply to association, including innocent bystanders. James said that it was the information from the data systems at the resort that connected all of the dots, so to speak. The organizations plans for their families and them were shocking. Without the rescue, they would have probably submitted to the organizations demands with the hope for a double cross. They now saw from the documents that their families reprieve would have been brief. Once the investigation ended, it would only be a short time before both families disappeared. The women would be sold into sexual slavery while Jame and Clarence would likely die as they were being tortured. To them it indicated both how successful their investigation was but at the same time emphasized how ruthless the organization was. As what started out to be an overview really turned into a complete presentation about the organization. The AG and his staff asked a few questions, clarifying some of the points made during the presentation of the material. Each of the AG's staff expressed thanks for hearing the data verbally, as reading the documentation was sometimes daunting, because of the cases' complexity. Several said they didn't remember seeing a group as personally involved in brutality as this group was. The AG looked thoughtful for a few minutes, and then asked, "James, can you reduce what you just told us to a thirty minute presentation for the press conference tomorrow? Although I need to talk to some others about this, I think it would be very effective for the six of you to do the presentation together." James looked shocked, because he did not expect this. After looking at the others in his group, he said, "Yes, I think we can do that. But we would like to tell the press up front that we may not answer every question, due to the ongoing investigation. As a group, we would prefer not to answer any." "Good point. We will hold the questions to 30 minutes, realizing we could run over a bit, if the questions warrant it." "James, are you going to expose Lawrence tonight," said Clarence. "If we don't, there is a possibility of him altering the organization of our location." "We will alter his memory of the hotel's location," said Adam, startling both Clarence and James. "You may want to mention the society's name. It is "Chosen Ones," and the full members wear a pin or ring showing a rose blossom, supported by a nude woman wrapped in a braided whip." "I like that." "One item I overlooked in talking about the case is that the group consider themselves a closed, or secret society. It is linked with other similar international groups which provides worldwide access to facilities like they had at the resort. They go by the name "Chosen Ones"." James timed it so Lawrence was taking a drink, causing him to choke, and spray many with the wine he was drinking. He quickly covered the look of panic on his face. "As I started to say," said James, "the members of the society sometimes wear a piece of jewelry showing a rose blossom supported by a naked woman wrapped in a braided whip. The design is made to focus ones attention on the rose and disguise the rest." Adam and Todd monitored Lawrence's memories, as the scene over the society's name unfolded. Doing this had made both of them a bit nervous, as it was an apparent violation of their telepathic rules. Their mentors quickly told them that these circumstances were one of the reasons for the exception. The individual may disagree, but the information he has negates any basis for his complaint. Together they changed the links in Lawrence's mind, so he would remember tonight as occurring in a different, although similar hotel, some distance away. "Ladies, James, Clarence," said the AG, "it is getting late, so we should be going. Why don't we meet at 9 tomorrow morning, and schedule the press conference for 11? Will that work?" James looked at his group, getting their agreement before saying, "We can do that. It will be a little tight, but shouldn't be a problem." "Good." As the AG stood, everyone followed his lead and were soon on their way. Once they were out of the hotel, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone had enjoyed the dinner and the interaction with the AG and his staff, with one exception. That exception had everyone on their toes. The four paralegals, James and Clarence made their way back to the room at about the same time several of the security team moved in the same direction. As well as they could tell, only a very few knew they were at this hotel. This knowledge allowed the security teams a bit of respite, but it did not diminish their alertness. Once they were in the main suite, the bots did a playback of the discussion at dinner. With that head start, it only took them a little over an hour to have the press conference presentation nearly complete. They relaxed for a short time, before splitting up to get some sleep. ------- As breakfast ended the next morning, on Dóchas, Erin stepped to the front of the dining room to lead the morning meeting. Seeing Erin step to the front of the room, everyone began to quickly clean up the remains of breakfast. The group at Frank's Island had adjusted their meal times to coincide with Dóchas, Comrie and the Mars settlement. Erin felt a bit nervous, as she stood in front of the room. She had told her spouses that she would like to do this alone, but now she was having second thoughts. "Relax," said her spouses, "you will do fine." Erin took a deep breath. "Good morning. This morning we have four sites linked with us. First, we will have the Intelligence Department give us a review of James and Clarence's trip to Washington." Shannon and Danny stood and gave the group a quick review of the meeting with the Attorney General, and the expected timeline for that day in Washington. They noted that the society member on the Attorney General staff had been primed to answer any question he was asked about the society. They noted that the press conference would be on the monitors in the conference room at all locations. "Thank you, Shannon and Danny." "Are there any items to discuss, from the group on Frank's Island?" "Once things settle down a bit, several of our guests have expressed an interest in visiting both Comrie and Dóchas," said Nancy. "Oh, I forgot, Mars is on the list, as well." "Nancy, I take it they know that they need to be telepathically active to visit Dóchas." "Yes. It was my understanding that it was preferred for the Mars settlement, as well." "It is," said Amy. "If not, we will need to have an escort with them at all times, and there will be some restrictions on their movements. If anyone feels offended, I'm sorry. I just don't want any fatal incidents." "Amy, everyone here indicates they understand." "Good. It is beautiful here." "Anything else Nancy?" "No, and I don't see anyone asking for attention." "Are there any issues on Comrie, we need to discuss?" "Everything seems quite well here," said Madeline, with Ursula standing next to her. "We have had the same question Nancy did, but that is answered." "And the other thing?" asked Erin. Madeline looked hesitant. "We need to have a discussion about the future of GISS, and we are not sure who to involve. We believe that everyone should be a part of the discussion." "A good lead-in," said Sarah, "for an activity we were considering proposing to have no sooner than a week from now." She took a deep breath. "We need to review our plans for the future again. Why no sooner than a week? Because we need to let events settle down regarding the 'flesh peddlers, ' and to observe what earth's response is to our presence." "An analysis of our involvement in the recent events in Afghanistan, and those relating to the 'flesh peddlers' has given us a bit different perspective on our future. In planning for the future, we need to remember that we are a different species. We have a much different social structure than earth's. Release of our technology into any of earth's regions would have unpredictable effects. All of this leads us to wonder how friendly we should be with Earth's governments and their people. Once our presence is known, we should have some clue as to the path we should take." "Good," said Madeline, "we had similar considerations in regard to operating GISS. The technology we have accessible to us could make us unbeatable in these services. If we did that, it would have an impact on the growth in some business sectors. The impact is not predictable. So, I think we are seeing something similar to your analysis." "Thanks, Madeline and Sarah," said Erin. "Is there anything else?" "The last item is, we are planning on going to Comrie with our children this afternoon. We intend to return Friday afternoon, so we are here when Dóchas uncloaks on Saturday." "Have a great day!" said Erin. A group in the dining room quickly responded, "You too." Each of Erin's family gave her a hug, and complimented her on how well she led the morning conference. ------- Sarah's Clan, along with their children, were at the swimming pool on Comrie, when the shuttle landed with Beth's family on board. They watched as the group exited the shuttle and looked around. The expressions on their faces were ones of surprise and amazement. Edana's Clan went down to greet them, along with Eilene and her sisters. They spent some time talking next to the shuttle, before Caoilinn and Darcy's teams entered the shuttle, so they could return to Dóchas. Edana's Clan offered to give them a tour of the facility, before showing them their rooms. Since they passed the pool on the way inside, they paused to introduce Beth's family to those around the pool. Her family was amazed, to see all the small toddlers around the pool. Once the introductions were completed, Edana started to lead them away. "Edana," said Joyce, "do you want some assistance with the presentations?" Edana had a shocked look on her face, as she realized she had forgotten that item. "Oh my, yes." Several of her clan members grinned at her flustered response. "As you can tell, I almost forgot." "We would have reminded you," said her clan, together. "Call me, when you are ready." "Sure, and thanks Joyce." Sarah's Clan watched the group, as they walked across the lawn. Irene, Sue, Sam, Kelsey and Karmen came out of the building, just as the group arrived at the door. They paused momentarily for greetings, before each group moved off. When Sam and Kelsey saw the children, they hurried over to see them, quickly followed by Karmen. Following the nannies lead, they assisted in the activities. Joyce left the group for a while, but was soon back. Eilene and her sisters and Edana's Clan soon joined them. Beth's family had changed into swim suits before they came out to join the group around the pool. It was apparent by their expressions that they were a little uncomfortable with the general nudity. With time and as the activity around the pool picked up, they began to relax. Several started a water volley ball game, as the game progressed it drew a lot of attention. Many around the pool joined in game including several from Beth's family. The participants from Beth's family quickly found they were at a small disadvantage in the game, because their suits had to frequently pulled back in place. At the first break, they discarded their suits, before resuming play. They were a little self-conscious at first, but that soon disappeared as the game resumed. Beth had worn a light translucent robe when they came out to the pool. When her younger brothers and sisters dropped their swim suits, she let her robe slide off her shoulders. Beth's sisters hardly noticed because they were entranced by Sarah Clan's children. They had seen the presentations, which had noted the different physical attributes, but they were fascinated seeing them in action. Both wanted to ask questions, but were hesitant. "Rachel, it looks like you have a question," said Beth, causing both her and Becky to blush. "Are the children able to stand a long time like that?" Sensing Beth needed some assistance, Joyce said, "Yes. They have shoes, but they hardly wear them. We find, we need them if we stand in one spot for a while, but that doesn't seem to be a problem for the children. But, we were adults when our bodies were adapted to this species by the genetic virus treatments about 3 years ago." "They move so gracefully," said Becky. "Beth, how do you manage to shave your pubic hair off? I have tried, but I never feel I can see well enough so I am afraid of cutting myself." "Becky, I don't shave. Mine was permanently removed sometime ago. Before that, it was like a carpet of thick black curly hair." "I want to take my suit off, but think I would feel embarrassed by the carpet of hair between my legs." "Becky, I think you're using that as an excuse. No one will think any less of you, either because you are wearing a suit or if you are nude. Do whichever you are comfortable with. Try it, if you think you would like it. But, do it only if you want to. If you try being nude and find you can't be comfortable, put your suit or clothes back on. As for your pubic hair, we can find a razor for you later or perhaps our medical staff can assist you in permanently removing it." Just as they were talking, one of the women took two small children over to Terry. Terry sat the two of them on her lap with an arm around each. Once they were comfortable, the children latched on to a nipple, while holding Terry's breasts between their small hands. Many in Beth's family noticed the babies begin to feed at Terry's nipple, and then returned to what they were doing. "That is the most wonderful sight I have seen in a long time," said Becky, as she watched Terry for a few moments. "When I nursed ours, it was one of the most wonderful sensations I ever felt." Her face took on a serene look, as she remembered the feeling. "I can believe that," said Becky's husband. "I also remember a pleasant odor each time one of the children nursed." "Becky," said Beth, "I am sure the medical staff could help you start lactating again, if you like the feeling." "Beth!" "I think, I am going to stay," said Beth very softly. Her two sisters and their husbands looked at her, trying to judge her sincerity. "No, it's not definite yet, but I am close to deciding. When I first met the security team, I felt a feeling of well-being I don't ever remember sensing before. Yes, I know they are telepathic and could have influenced my thinking. Intuitively, I know that is not the case. Briana and Adam, did send me thoughts to make sure I stayed calm. The feeling, or sensation, I am trying to put into words is different, and perhaps more fundamental." "I have a sense of what you're attempting to say," said Becky's husband. "It is very nice here and very comfortable. In only this short time, I find this is a very comfortable group of people to be with." Just then, Sam screamed, "They're back." She jumped out of the pool and headed for the landing area, just as a shuttle became visible at the end of the valley. Once Kelsey and Karmen saw Sam heading for the landing area, they quickly followed her, as they could now feel Clarence approaching. Sue and Irene followed, along with several of the others who had been sitting around the pool. The group stood together, watching the shuttle approach from down the valley. They were a bit surprised, to see the two star fighters trailing it on the approach. Just as Alison touched down, the two star fighters quietly peeled off and quickly disappeared. ------- As soon as James and Clarence stepped out of the shuttle, Sam, Kelsey and Karmen wrapped their arms around them. "We missed you," they said together. "Could we get in on this hug fest?" asked Irene and Sue, with a smile on their faces. Their daughters made room for them, as the two groups moved to the side of the door. They stood for a few minutes, enjoying the feeling of being together again. Beth's brother said, "I know you." when he saw Briana and Adam exit the shuttle. "Yes, you do," said Briana. "Hi, I'm Briana and this is Adam. She then proceeded to introduce her clan to the young man." Several of Beth's family had puzzled looks on their faces. "How do you know them?" asked Rachel. "I saw several of them walking in our neighborhood a couple of days ago." "Did you see others there who were not normally in your neighborhood," asked Briana. "Besides you, there were one or two I hadn't seen before, but they were just passing through, from the way they acted. You guys are so lovely, I would have remembered you anyway. Why were you there?" "To make sure you were safe." They had a puzzled look on their faces. "So, you were part of the group monitoring our safety earlier this week," asked Becky "We missed the press conference, but the group that came with Beth told us a bit about the situation." "The press conference can be replayed on the monitors in the lounge," said Sarah. "We had several people at the press conference, so I suspect we will hear more after dinner. We have many new faces here, so why don't we go around the group and identify ourselves. Let's start with ourselves. I am Sarah, and I'm a member of Sarah's Clan." From there, it went around the group. After the introductions were complete, they talked for a bit and then drifted back towards the pool. James, Sam and Sue wandered off together, as did Clarence, Irene, Kelsey and Karmen. James' family headed for their room, while Clarence's family took a walk toward the valley overlook. ------- When Sue, Sam and James entered their room, Sue and Sam sandwiched James between them. They each took turns kissing him, as they held him tightly in their embrace. James felt a little bit uneasy for just a moment, by the intimate embrace with Sam. The uneasiness was compounded by his desire to respond to Sam's caresses. "Relax, James," said Sue, "we both understand, and sense your feelings of unease. Since we arrived, it seems like we have been in a whirlwind. We need to discuss our situation." "James, Mom," said Sam, "I love both of you so very much. James, I would like to have an intimate relationship with you, and continue the one I now have with mom. In some ways, I am pleased with the outcome of our abduction. I never dreamed of having an intimate relationship with both of you, now I am excited about it." While they exchanged thoughts, they continued to caress each other. Sue and Sam helped James shed his clothes, and then joined him on the bed. They spent the next hour expressing their love physically and emotionally to each other. "That was wonderful," said James, as they lay in each others arms, enjoying the pleasant glow after several orgasms. "Can we do it again tonight, after dinner?" Both immediately rolled toward him to lay partly on him. Sam and Sue took turns kissing him and each other. "Yes, we can do it any time we like," said Sue, after a few minutes. "We need to talk about our future for a bit. The medical staff has recommended that we have a genetic virus treatment. There are two versions of the treatment. One will just basically fix the errors made in the treatments given to us by the 'flesh peddlers'. The second is a more extensive treatment. It alters our bodies to correctly accommodate all the enhancements to our bodies. The extensive treatment also improves our long-term health and extends our normal lifetime." "Seems like the second choice would be the best," said James. "Well, the second choice has some significant implications," said Sam. "Those implications don't bother me, but likely have more impact on both of you. The second treatment would alter me so I was a part of this group's species. Doing that would make it very difficult for me to move back to Grand View, or any place on earth besides here, after the treatments." "So, when do you need to make a choice," asked James. "Preferably, in the next couple of days," said Sue. "Betsy did tell us that, if we received the first treatment, we could probably make the change to their species with a later treatment. She had some concerns about the long-term effects of multiple treatments, though. Mostly because they have very little data on people who receive multiple genetic virus treatments, with a long gap between them. That could be significant." "What about Sarah? Didn't she receive multiple treatments?" "Well, according to Betsy, not quite. Her early treatments were not truly a genetic virus, but another technique that only alters the intended portion of the body. It not does make any changes to the body to support the changes. For example, a large bust really requires additional back muscle and support tissue in the breast itself. Without this the shoulders sag and the back bends forward. The breasts quickly sag especially if lactating." "Sam, I know you would like to stay with this society," said James. "It would also be difficult for us to have an open three-way relationship in Grand View, especially with me being a DA. I sense that all three of us would like to stay together." Both nodded, affirmatively. "I would really like you to be completely healthy, and so, I'd prefer that both of you take the second choice on the treatments. That is my opinion, the decision is each of yours, and I will support your choice 100%." "Do you really mean it? What will you do?" "Well, at the moment, there are two obvious choices. One would be for me to commute between here and Grand View. Not ideal, but would be quite workable. Another would be to follow up on a comment about GISS needing legal resources. It doesn't seem like this society is very materialistic, in terms of accumulating wealth or possessions. Actually, it almost seems somewhat like a utopia. I would like to get to know these people much better." Sue and Sam looked thoughtfully at James, while they studied what they felt in their telepathic connection. They soon realized that they were in agreement on selecting the second choice of treatment, and that they would manage their choices from there. "Sam," said James, "we love you very much. As you can now see our feelings and sensations, both of us are pleased you wish to have an intimate relationship with us. Let's try it. Remember, we are your parents, and that may cause some issues with a mind-link or bonding between us. It is natural for us to want to keep you with us, but at the same time, we expect you to find someone else you love. I had some initial hesitation about our having an intimate relationship. I now understand why. I think you can see what my concerns were, and how those concerns have been resolved from my perspective." Sue nodded to Sam that she agreed, while fully opening her telepathic link, in order to let Sam see how she felt. "We are bound together by the babies the two of you are carrying. Our inclination is to be close, intimate and to continue a physical relationship between the three of us. Let's do that, because of what we feel for one another, and not because we are going to have four beautiful children to care for. Staying here implies that our family group will grow by as many as three or four. Sam, it is also possible you may find a group where your connection is stronger. We believe you should consider that opportunity, as we will always love you, regardless. We will not be offended if you join another clan, as you are bound to us no matter what." "Thanks," said Sam, "I love both of you. I see your reasoning and can agree with it. Right now, I don't think their will be another group for me. Be assured you are not taking advantage of me by our having an intimate relationship. So, my perception of where we are going is that we will have a mind-link somewhere between parent and child and between spouses. Thanks for talking it through." They kissed and cuddled until the chime sounded for dinner. ------- On leaving the shuttle, Kelsey, Karmen, Irene and Clarence walked toward the overlook, with their arms around each other. When they reached the area, Irene moved Clarence, so that they could sit down on the bench. As soon as he sat down, Irene sat on one side, with Kelsey on the other. Karmen quickly sat on her dad's lap. "Your suit is scratchy," said Karmen, after only resting on his lap for a moment. She stood, turning toward her dad, then said, "Can we take it off?" He hesitated and looked carefully at all three women. "Clarence," said Irene, "the three of us understand your hesitation." His eyes got big as he heard her thoughts, and then remembered he could sense all of their thoughts. "We love you. We know our relationship would pose problems in most locations on earth, but we don't want to return to Grand View." "When did you decide this," asked Clarence, a bit surprised. "My hesitation has more to do with feeling like I am taking advantage of Kelsey and Karmen's trust in me. It is one of the reasons the laws are the way they are. The genetic issues are generally bogus." "We haven't decided, yet, dad," said Karmen. "We just think it is a very good choice. In some ways, the choice impacts you more than us, because of your work." "Kelsey and I know you are not taking advantage of us," said Karmen. "Having sexual relations with my father was not something I wished for, and I know Kelsey didn't either. We now think that, maybe we should have, because it is the most wonderful feeling we have ever had." "Dad, neither Karmen nor I feel you are taking advantage of our trust in you, quite the contrary. As you can see in our mind-link, we would like for the four of us to try forming a 'clan'. The fact that we are daughters adds some complications to the personal relationships. Whether this works or not, we will always be your daughters, and love both of you. I believe our telepathic connection will keep us from hurting each other." "Dad," said Karmen, "the reason we want to stay with this society is because of how comfortable we feel here. I like it here with this society, and this group of people. I know I said comfort, but it is really more than that." "Irene, you have been quiet," said Clarence. "Yes, because, so far, I haven't had much to add. You should be able to see our reasoning, and sense our feelings regarding this." "Yes, I think I do. It is taking me some time to understand, and to get a feel for this telepathic communication. Karmen, I understood what you meant about comfort." "Those are the emotional reasons for our choice," said Irene. "I think, for us three women, that would be enough. There is another reason. We met with the medical group today. They recommended two different treatment regimes to deal with the short-comings of the alterations done to our bodies by the 'flesh peddlers'." The expression on James face grew more concerned as she talked. "Now, don't jump to conclusions. We think the second choice would be best for us, in the long run. The only drawback would be that it would be difficult if not impossible for us to live on earth. The big plus is that our bodies would accommodate our enhanced features, making life much easier for us. We would be members of this species, once the treatments were complete." "You're sure about this," asked Clarence, with concern in his voice, while he tried to quickly assess the implications. "What was the first choice?" "It would negate the health problems resulting from the way the 'flesh peddlers' caused the different portions of our bodies to grow. The treatments the 'flesh peddlers' gave us did nothing to help our bodies support our larger busts, or our inclination to have multiple births, or to walk on the balls of our feet. The medical staff recommended starting one of the treatments within a week or sooner." "Why the rush," asked Clarence, showing his anxiety in his words and expression. "How do we know they are correct?" "Judy told us that, the sooner we begin, the easier the corrections are to make. Remember, we received our treatments six weeks ago. Except for our busts, the growth from those treatments is complete. Their diagnosis projects that it will take several more weeks for the growth to end and stabilize. If we start now, they can make some alterations to the growth we have experienced, and have our bodies make the other changes necessary to support our augmented bodies." "Dad," said Kelsey, "when the treatments are complete, we will have many of the features that Briana and Cathan have. My intuition tells me that it will be very beneficial for us. The only down- side is that it will make it difficult to return to Grand View. I agree with Sam, I think I would like to stay with these people wherever." "I wonder if I need to receive the treatment," said Clarence, softly. "If we all stay here, it would be best, but you don't have to." "How long does the treatment take?" "We'll stay in the clinic overnight and then go back once a week, at first. It is complete after about six months. We understand the hardest part for us will be while our ankles change." "You have my blessing, if that is what you wanted. I really don't want any of you to have health problems. The other stuff we can deal with." The three of them hugged Clarence, and kissed him for a few moments, until the scratchy clothes caused them to draw back. "I almost forgot the babies. How will it effect them?" "Just like it does us," said Kelsey. "Several of Sarah's Clan were pregnant when they under went the conversion to this species. In fact they will make the change easier than us." "What?" "The children are much more proficient at standing and walking on their feet than the adults who undergo the conversion. Judy said, she thought it was because of slight muscle development differences." The dinner chime sounded just then. "Dad, let's go back to the room and get rid of those scratchy clothes you are wearing." As they walked back toward their room, they all felt closer. "You know one thing I like about our room," said Kelsey. "It has one very comfortable bed, so we can all cuddle together, as well as sleep together." When they got to their room, they helped Clarence undress, and then went to exercise and shower before dinner. ------- Dinner turned into a festive occasion. No one was quite sure why everyone was so relaxed. For the guests from the resort, perhaps it was because everyone had partially overcome the shock of what happened to them. Or perhaps, it was the atmosphere created by the presence of the children. When everyone had finished eating, and a lull was sensed in the room, Tara and Erin stood, tapping their silverware. "Good evening," said Tara and Erin together, "if everyone would make sure your table is cleaned off, we can have a first-hand update on today's activities; alternatively, we can delay it till in the morning, so you can continue your party." The group quickly finished cleaning up the tables, and then sat down quietly. "I think we have our answer," said Tara and Erin, with a smile. "We are linked with all four sites, as you can tell by the monitors around the room. We are not quite sure why tonight is so lively, but it feels very good." A couple stood in the back of the room at Frank's Island. As soon as they stood, the camera zoomed in on them, showing them nearly life-size on each of the other three monitors, and drawing everyone's attention. "Yes?" said Tara. "First, we are Moria and Fergal," said Moria. "Even though we have been here only five days, we think we understand the festive feeling. Based on what we have heard and found in the library, each location has reached a milestone in their activities. Many are pleased at the success in exposing the 'flesh peddlers', which has consumed a lot of energy of the group. We know it is not over, but those involved can be proud of their success. All of us here are pleased they were successful, and feel very fortunate to be here." She paused. "Perhaps ecstatic is better description." "We hope we can contribute to your future successes," said Fergal. Their comments were met with applause from all locations. Even though the words were spoken, on the telepathic side, their emotions and sincerity of their expressions were quite evident. When the applause was over, Erin said, "James, Clarence and Briana will tell us the highlights of their trip to Washington." "From a security standpoint, the trip went very smoothly," said Briana. "The US AG's office arranged for vehicles and drivers to meet us for security reasons, according to the AG assistant. It was apparent that escorting VIP's was not a normal assignment for our five drivers. Their identification showed they were with the US Marshals Office, but we have some doubts. We were concerned about their sudden inclusion, at first, but it was handy to have them with us, as we didn't need to be concerned about driving. They were very good drivers, besides being additional eyes as we moved around. All five of the drivers quickly suspected that we were different, but seem very comfortable with us. They did notice the lights always seemed to be in our favor when we approached them, and then changed as we cleared an intersection." "When they were feeling us out, right after arriving, one made the comment that he had never seen a security team with so many women. Adam quickly told them, based on his experiences in TTC, he sometimes preferred having a squad of mostly women. From this exchange, we learned that all of them were former Marines, and familiar with the TTC incident in Afghanistan. They indicated they were retired and now working for the government in a different capacity. Again, they were very sharp. I think they figured out we were communicating, somehow, without speaking. We included them in our monitoring of the hotel while James and Clarence were meeting with the AG. There inclusion went very well as they keyed off of us. We did leave GISS cards with them, in case they were interested in other work, or needed assistance." "Great," said Madeline, "just what we need. Can you give us their names, in case they call?" "Sure, but their calling is a long shot." Briana paused for a moment. "If they call, it will most likely be because they need assistance." "What?" said Ursula. "I know my last comment sounds strange, but that is what I felt. James." "Dinner Wednesday night went very smoothly, even with one of the AG's assistants being a Councilor. Adam and Briana were able to obtain from him the name the organization, and what they use for their insignia or identifier. As dinner was ending, he was shocked when I told the AG the name of the group." "Thursday morning, during our preparation for the press conference, we prompted him to disclose his association with the 'Chosen Ones'. It was interesting to watch the AG's face as one of his staff managers exposed himself as a member and leader in the 'Chosen Ones'. This Councilor answered truthfully every question put to him by us and the AG's staff. At first, it was just, Clarence, Marge, Evelyn, Fred, Chad and I asking questions. Soon, some of the other staff joined in, and began asking questions. The staff who assisted were primarily those who had seen some of the evidence. We could tell by his expression that each answer was painful to him as he spoke. He almost aged before our eyes, as he told of his deeds, and of those he saw others do. He only knew one or two names that we had not found yet. He did confirm a lot of names that we had." "For the press conference, we outlined the path of evidence from the 'lodge incident' through to the raid on the resort. We told how each piece fit into the organization's operations. As we went through it, we added the additional information, such as the fact that special freighters were used to transport and train their captives, while using them in porno films. We also spoke about the operation in Afghanistan, where bandits were paid to capture TTC and westerners to be altered, trained and then sold as sex slaves to clubs, harems and whorehouses, and the recent operations that abducted or enticed Eastern European young people into their operation. We mentioned that the group had started the Eastern European effort to replace their college student supply, as several events had made it difficult for them to erase their existence from government records." "The last part of the presentation summarized what had happened to our families and the journalists, along with the purpose of each effort. The looks on the hardened reporters in the room were a bit surprising. Many had disbelieving looks on their faces, so much so I expected the AG to have some difficult questions to field. In closing, the name of the organization, and its insignia were disclosed. This was capped by two key announcements. One was that two male Councilors were still at large, but were infected with a trans-gender virus. It was expected that the conversion would soon take place. The conversion was a painful multi-day process. The group that raided the resort had retrieved all the data from their server farm and the encryption had been broken. I made sure to thank the National Guard MPs and Air Guard units for all of their assistance, which was made possible by the Governor." "Just before," said Marge, "James handed it off to the AG, he pointed out that, once the two Councilors had completed their transformation, they would be obsessed with sex. A dozen times a day would not be enough to satisfy their addiction." Each of the rooms broke into loud applause that lasted for several minutes. "When did you find out about the trans-gender virus," asked Judy. "I didn't, really. I saw in the data we had from the security teams that some of the Councilors were carriers of a trans-gender virus. Other information indicated the change could be stress induced. So I thought, making that comment would add more stress. I can't think of two more perfect candidates. Hopefully, it will happen at one of their sites." "Marge, Evelyn, Fred, Chad, do you want to add anything?" "Yes, a couple of things," said Marge. "From our perspective, the reception we received in Washington seems to be an indication that the President and AG are very serious about curtailing these types of operations. We shocked the AG in the planning meeting, by suggesting that they reconsider how they legally handle these types of activities. Rather than outlawing them, maybe they should permit licensed activities, so they would be easier to monitor." "He expressed concern about how various religious groups would react." "James told him to make the case that permitting licensed activities does not condone the activity but places it in a more open environment. In that environment organizations like the 'Chosen Ones' would have difficulty surviving." "Toward the end of the questions, we prompted one of the reporters to ask a leading question," said Evelyn. "She opened by saying that the taking of unattached young people and placing them into a life of enforced sexual servitude is shocking. The fact that the organization was so successful is unsettling to say the least. Based on what was presented here, it seems to be a very profitable business. We have known for a long time, this type of activity was common or accepted in parts of the world. Now we hear, it goes on in virtually every country. Based on our publicly stated principals, it is clear that we have a flaw in us and our society." She paused and then continued. "I know many of my readers would not be in favor of enforced slavery, for any reason. We have known of this flaw since forever and have ignored it most of the time. Perhaps it is time to address it. Voluntarily permitting people to enter into a sexual servitude relationship, however, would probably not have much real opposition. It would seem that, if those desiring the master-slave relationship could do it through a controlled environment, such as by permit, contract or licensing, then these illicit businesses would cease to exist due to lack of income or at least diminish." "When she had finished," said Marge, "the room was absolutely silent for several minutes. We could see that the AG was trying to figure out how to answer. James let him off the hook." "Yes, the AG looked relieved when I stepped up to the mike," said James. "I quickly told them I had not planned on responding to questions, so this would be an exception. I told the reporter her idea had merit, and that many people would agree with her, as long as relationships were open and consenting. However, it will probably never happen. There are many people today who believe that they know how everyone else should live their lives and interact with others. They are vocal. They hide behind studies showing their position is correct, ignoring any data to the contrary. And there are those who use their God as a way to justify whatever they want others to do. Too many of these busybodies, have no understanding as to how the need for intimacy, love and sexual pleasure fit together. In many cases, religious attitudes build a wall around intimacy, love and sexual pleasure. They are so focused on their vision of God, that they have difficulty understanding their natural feelings. On top of this are piled a bunch of half-truths, cultural traditions and misinformation about interpersonal relations, which make reconciling the issues nearly impossible. I closed by pointing out that these were my personal views." "Aren't you going to tell the rest?" said Chad. Seeing no response, he continued, "The four of us said we agreed whole-heartedly with what James had stated." "The AG and his staff had an amazed look on their faces, after we did that," said James. "I would be surprised if that exchange doesn't end up on the editing room floor." "That exchange pretty well ended the press conference," said Clarence. "No one seemed willing to ask another question, and the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop." "James, Clarence," said Pat and Kaelee, as they stood in the back of the dining room at Comrie. "The whole press conference was aired in its entirety. Actually, it was shown several times. I wouldn't worry too much about what was said, because the commentators were not totally negative about the exchange between the reporter and you." "Really, I was expecting to see a request for my resignation when I go to the office tomorrow." "I sense, from what was said, that would cause the AG and President some problems if they asked for your resignations now," said Kaelee. "Many, in the past, have suggested legalizing escort services or prostitution, but few in active government have dared to consider it seriously. Probably because they cared more about their political future than solving issues." "Could I add a comment," asked Kara. The room quieted, and everyone's attention turned to her. "I came here several weeks ago, with some of my former TTC buddies. Before I make my comment, I want to say that coming here is one of the best decisions I ever made. Hearing the summary James just made has crystallized an observation about intimacy, love, sex and God. It seems that, all through the history of earth cultures, there was always an undercurrent where men and women have been pitted against each other in many subtle ways. This differentiation is seen in religious writings as well, which are kind of a history book. Since I have been here, I do not see any of that. Not even the littlest hint. This, in part, could be due to the sexes in this species being so obviously similar in abilities. If the species on earth had emphasized their similarities, would there be the difference there is today in abilities?" It was quiet for several moments, while everyone compared their observations to her comments. "Kara," said Sarah, "that was an interesting insight. We have attributed the difference in the way we interact and the way we see people on earth interact to the fact we are telepathic. The other characteristic is that, in this species, individuals do not seem to covet being 'king of the hill' the way people on earth do. It is not clear whether this difference is biological or cultural or a combination thereof. None of us have been members of this species long enough to be able know the basis for the differences, if we ever will. Based upon how Dóchas became stranded in our solar system, we believe there were disputes within the culture. Or, it is possible that the ship and crew were victims of an act of war by another culture. I suspect we will never really know for certain which it was." The question and answer session turned into a discussion of the merits of the comments made in the press conference. When they began to go over the same material again, Tara tapped on the table to get everyone's attention. "All of you are to be applauded. We have been discussing this topic for close to three hours. During that time, I believe everyone was able to contribute, if they wanted to. For me, the best part was everyone listened. How do I know? I could tell by the responses, and the fact that very few times did we rehash a previous topic." "I agree with Tara," said Erin. "I also think it is time for us to call it a day. Oh, it looks like Marge has something to tell us." "Everyone I presume knows that Evelyn, Fred, Chad and I are newspaper reporters. Our papers have asked us to write stories about your experiences at the hands of the 'flesh peddlers, ' or other personal interest stories. The four of us have talked about how to do it. We would like to write two or three short stories a week, based on a composite of two to four person's experiences. By doing this, we will be able to protect your identity. So, we will be asking each of you if you would like to contribute. Sounds easy, right? Well, we've encountered a small complication in doing this. We will be out of circulation for the next week or so, while we receive our corrective treatments. While we are being given the intensive portion of the treatment, we plan on asking three young women to stand in for us. Hopefully, we can teach them enough this weekend to..." "Yes," screamed Sam. She had jumped up as she heard and felt the question. She quickly looked at Kelsey and Karmen, and then began to blush, as she realized she had anticipated what was to be said. "Sorry to interrupt, Marge. I boldly anticipated you were going to ask us to help you. Now I am embarrassed, because I rudely interrupted you." "Well I guess everyone knows who we were going to ask," said Marge. All four locations roared with laughter. Kelsey, Karmen and Sam went up to hug their friends. "Actually, that was a test, as we had mentioned them helping us earlier this week. Now we know they listen well and can correctly anticipate answers. An excellent trait in a reporter or writer of current events." "Marge, Evelyn, Fred and Chad, I am very honored you would entrust us with this responsibility. I am certain the others feel the same way." Kelsey and Karmen both nodded in agreement. "Tonight," said Tara and Erin, "will have many great memories for us. Let's get some sleep, as I'm sure the next several days will be quite exciting." ------- Chapter 87 When James and Clarence arrived in their office on Comrie, the next morning, they had a message waiting for them from Shannon and Danny. They were asked if they could meet that morning for a short while, either at Comrie or on Dóchas. James had Marie contacted them to see if arriving in about an hour would fit their schedule. James gathered his new, expanded, staff, along with the four journalists, Sam, Kelsey and Karmen in the conference room. Together, they began to go over the key events that had occurred since the trip to Washington. They had hardly begun when Marie came in and told them that Shannon had said they would be waiting for them on Dóchas. "Good," said James. He then turned and looked around the room. "Shannon and Danny have invited us to meet with them this morning. I think all of us should go, but, at the same time, someone should be in the office. Kendra, do you know if the size of our group will cause any problems in finding a place to meet on Dóchas." "No. I will tell Shannon to expect all of us, which will be about 20 of us, right?" "James," said Clarence, "do you know what the focus of the meeting will be?" "I have my suspicions, but that is all." "James," said Kacey, "I will stay here with Margreg. We can participate in the meeting telepathically if you would like." "Thanks. I think that would be a good idea." They quickly finished reviewing the key events of the week, then went out to the waiting shuttle. During the trip up to Dóchas, they passed the International Space Station close enough that they had a clear view of it. The shuttle AI told them they could pause on the way back, so they could have more time to look at the station. Star had advised the shuttle AI that some of the passengers had not seen Dóchas when they were there earlier. The shuttle AI turned on the wall monitor in the cabin, and showed the view out the front of the shuttle. There were many oohs and aahs as the shuttle approached Dóchas. Once they reached Dóchas, the shuttle circled it, so everyone on the shuttle could see the whole ship. The passengers watched intently out the window as they made passes down both sides of Dóchas. It appeared very similar to the large ships shown in Star Wars, while, at the same time, it was very different. After a slow trip around Dóchas, the shuttle turned toward an open hatch on the side of the ship. The cabin monitor showed the approach to the hanger bay. The group watched the approach so intently they hardly breathed. The shuttle floated in and settled into its cradle in the hanger. "Wow," said Kelsey, "that is so neat!" Many of the others nodded their head in agreement. "We should get a photo of both the approach to Dóchas and the entry into the bay, for when we write an article about our experiences," said Sam. "It would really go well with an article about Dóchas for the newspapers in Grand View." "I have been thinking about that," said Evelyn. "The stumbling block is, how do we present the idea to our editors? They know about Comrie and GISS, but not about the rest." "I suspect," said Kelsey, "an opening will present itself in the near future." When the door to the shuttle opened, Siobhan entered the cabin. "Welcome, to Dóchas. For those I have not met, my name is Siobhan. My role is as a part of the command staff, along with Maureen, Sarah's Clan and Star. The Intelligence Department was in a bit of a panic once they agreed to meet you here, after they heard that all of you were coming, so I offered to meet you." "Oh, I didn't intend to impose it on them," said James. "I just felt it was an opportune time for us all to meet and discuss the topics in which we both have interests." As they were talking, Maureen was leading the visitors to the Intelligence Department's quarters. Upon entering, James and Clarence immediately sensed that their hosts were nervous. James went to Shannon to shake her hand. He could see her trembling. As he grasped her hand, he pulled her into a hug. "Relax. Trust me." Her eyes widened when she sensed his thoughts, and the warmth of his greeting. Everyone followed James's lead in greeting everyone. Once they were done, James cleared his throat. "On behalf of my family, I want to thank you for your efforts in looking out for us over the last year or so. Yes, we both missed clues as to what was going on." He paused for a moment, "just so you know, from my perspective, and from what I understand about your backgrounds, you did an outstanding job. Could it have been better? Sure, it can always be better. Clarence and I have been involved with legal cases and investigations for quite a few years. Possibly, before some of you were born. With respect to what happened to the women, both of us should have been much more suspicious about how well our diversion seemed to be working. Now, we know we were too complacent. So, in many ways, we are more at fault than any of you are." He looked around the room, at the faces of their hosts. Many showed a mixture of shock and relief. Many of them were sure James and Clarence would react much differently to the crew's mistakes and oversights. They had mentally prepared themselves to be severely dressed down. "Now, Clarence and I would like us to be friends and to develop a strong working relationship." "James, Clarence, Sam, Kelsey, Karmen, Marge, Evelyn, Fred and Chad," said Lydia, "when we asked you to join us this morning, it was to apologize for the mistakes we made and beg your forgiveness. Now, I am not sure what to say." "My gosh," said Danny, "Lydia is speechless." The staff of the Intelligence Department began to laugh, as Lydia turned a bright red, and her mouth opened and closed several times. The laughter went a long way toward breaking the tension the Department's staff felt. "Thanks!" said Lydia, when the laughter stopped. "Payback can be fun." Several chuckled. "Yes," said Shannon, "We are so far behind, we will never catch up." She then stuck her tongue out at Lydia. "Now that we have that out of the way," said Clarence, "we would like to hear about your backgrounds, and the tools you have available. We suspect you know a lot about us, but first, we would like tell you our version of our histories." Several chuckled. With that, Clarence and James told the group of their backgrounds, schooling and how they became involved in law enforcement. When James had finished, the group asked them several questions about different points. Sam, Kelsey and Karmen were amazed at what they learned about James and Clarence, and very pleased. They now saw their favorite men in a vastly different light. Danny started off the round robin of the Intelligence Department staff introducing themselves, sharing their backgrounds and answering various questions which took them right up to lunch time. When the chime sounded, Lydia said, "Wow, time has certainly flown this morning! Can all of you stay this afternoon?" "Yes," said James. "We can only stay until dinner, since I would like to be back to Comrie for dinner. As for the others, it is their choice on how soon they need to be back." After lunch, the Intelligence Department gave their visitors a tour of Dóchas, before resuming the briefing. The afternoon session began with the crew giving the DA's group an overview of the tools they had available, along with the primary features of each of them. Most of the afternoon was spent reviewing how the tools were employed in handling the issues surrounding the 'flesh peddlers'. Several times, James or Clarence questioned why the crew did not act in a certain way. Each time, the response was that acting in that manner would violate their prime operational directive. They carefully pointed out that, even if they had, the results would not have solved the problem. In fact, in some instances, it appeared that a different choice would have created more problems. By the end of the afternoon, everyone was exhausted, except for the bots, who appeared to be in a daze as they processed all they had heard. "Muireann and Shannon's Clans," said Clarence, "I am impressed with how well you did with the investigation and with correlating the data. Considering that all of you started this effort with virtually no background in this area, while using equipment of unknown capabilities, I think you did an outstanding job. We now know there were a few mistakes made and missed leads. The best part of this all is that we all survived, and the 'Chosen Ones' are not doing well. We shared a lot of information today that we need to keep within this group. Bits and pieces may get out, but let's make it a policy to let the 'Chosen Ones' figure things out on their own." "Marge, Evelyn, Chad and Fred," said Danny, "the information we shared about our intelligence capabilities is very sensitive. We need to be very careful what we say about it to those outside our society. We know that each of you is telepathic. With that ability comes an ability to restrict who you share your thoughts with. We can show you how you can set up this restriction, so that this information will only shared with a select group." "We would like that," said Chad, "Even though I know that none of us would do it on purpose, I would be more comfortable with an access block to that information. I do know that knowing that our information is secure will make it easier for us to write articles and to not divulge any of it by inference." "Danny," said Sam, "Kelsey, Karmen and I need to know how to set this up as well, since we are going to fill in for the newspaper reporters while they are undergoing the intensive portion of their conversion." "It won't take but a few minutes to show you how to do it." "Clarence," said Shannon, "we know you are very busy. Would it be possible for you to coach us about ways in we could improve our analysis techniques?" Clarence's face lit up in a smile. "First, I would enjoy coaching your group. Second, I don't think the cases involving the 'flesh peddlers' will need much of my time. The bits and pieces I have seen in the reports indicate that those arrested have been quite happy to tell us all the information we need to put them in jail. Besides, the District Attorney's offices handling the cases will be responsible collating the information from those arrested." "That is great," said Muireann. "How do we want to do this?" asked Clarence. "At first, I would like to work with you here rather, than through a video conference." "Let's plan on getting together every other afternoon," said Jason and Evelyn, of Muireann's Clan. "Really, you are welcome to join us any time." "What time is it?" "About an hour and a half before dinner." "Oh, good," said Kelsey. "We will have time to look at the International Space Station on the way back to Comrie." On the way back to the shuttle, Lydia took them by the observation platform, so they could see the galaxy from a different perspective. The group was enthralled by the view of the Earth, Moon and other bodies around them. As they headed for the shuttle, Kelsey and Karmen walked with their dad, arm in arm. "Dad," said Kelsey, "I sense you are pleased to be here. I think life will be a lot different when we end up a part of this society." "Yes, even without the health issues, joining this group makes a lot of sense. In a conversation with Rusty, a little over a week ago, we were discussing what you do when logic and instinct for a course of action don't totally coincide. This, however, is one of those times when they coincide so well it is amazing." "What will we do about school?" said Karmen. "Ask one of the crew," said Clarence, "I am sure there are training aides. Remember what we heard earlier today about how the Intelligence Department learned to use their tools? It wouldn't surprise me if general education wasn't done the same way." "Good, that means we won't have to wait on others to learn a concept before we go on to the next exercise." "That seems likely." The group boarded the shuttle for their trip back to Comrie. When the shuttle reached the International Space Station, it paused and slowly moved around the station, so that all the passengers could view it. "It looks awfully cramped in there," said Kendra. "I like Dóchas much better." "I would suspect that, sometime back in the dim and distant past," said Clarence "this society went through a similar development step." "They did," said Trudy. The rest of the trip to Comrie was uneventful. Over dinner, Kacey and Margreg brought them up to date on the activity in their office. As they were talking, a suspicion crystallized in Clarence's mind; there had to be other operations. When he looked at James, he knew they had shared the thought. He waited until the chatter had lulled a bit before he dropped the bomb. "Trudy, can the Intelligence Department see my thoughts," asked Clarence. "Yes, if you associate the thought with their images in your mind, just like you did with me." "Can I have all your attention for a minute or two?" said Clarence to Muireann's Clan, Shannon's Clan and the group at the table. "I suspect that the operation we found at the resort is only one of several. I think that was alluded to in several of their statements. There may be nothing to this, but I think we need to go back over all the data we have, to see if we missed any clues. Also, we know that they have reduced their reliance on erasing people from all databases, but they never said they quit doing so entirely." He felt that everyone agreed with his conclusion. "In two days, let's get together on Dóchas, and see how we want to approach this new situation." He sensed everyone agreed, which gave him a sense of relief. Then, he remembered needing to reconcile their activities with the prime directive. ------- The Command staff went to the bridge right after breakfast. Their daily meeting had been briefer than it usually was, as everyone was anxious to see how the Earth would react to their presence. On the bridge, they did a complete run-through of the status of all systems. They were pleased, as every system was on line and functioning correctly. The reserve systems were all in a green status. "Control Center," said Sarah, "drop cloaking and turn on exterior running lights." "Acknowledged." A few moments passed. "Cloaking off. Running lights on." "Thank you." "Dóchas' Intelligence and Security Departments," said Sally, "are you monitoring in all directions? We are visible now to anyone, so new threats could come from any direction." "Security," said Terry, "make sure to closely watch the satellites containing weapons for any change in status. Those would be the easiest thing for them to use against us, if they decide to attack." "Acknowledged," said the Security AI. "If they are activated, our response plan calls for immediately pushing the satellites toward the sun, after cooking their electronics." "Acknowledged. How are you going to change their direction? Whatever method you use, it should not be visible from the Earth." "Our plan is to have the satellite's attitude control jets malfunction, so they appear to push the satellite toward the sun. This will be assisted by a shuttle giving it a gentle shove so it has enough momentum. The angle of intersection with the sun will be steep enough that the satellite will quickly fall into the corona. Each satellite will be tracked until it enters the Sun's gravity field." "Will there be any emissions from the satellites, as they are destroyed by the solar radiation?" "We don't think so, but the destruction will take place in a direction where the solar wind would not blow anything toward a planet." "Communications, do you have the presentations ready for broadcast?" "Yes, as well as we can at this point. We have some portions that maybe changed, depending upon how earth responds to our presence. Command Staff, you are still going to make the presentations, correct?" "Yes, we will." "We were thinking of doing the same presentation, but with three different backgrounds. One will be standing between a star fighter and shuttle. Another will be with the Earth in the background, perhaps on the observation deck, and the last will be from the bridge." "That is fine," responded the Command staff. "We would like to read it through together before the first presentation." "All set up." "This seems a bit anti-climatic," said Joyce. "How about putting our consoles on automatic and doing something else for a while." "Agreed." With that, the group began to wander off the bridge in small groups. ------- At their morning planning discussion, James said, "Since our visit with the Intelligence Department, yesterday, my feelings about the 'flesh peddler' cases have changed a bit. All of the cases are pretty much out of our hands, and in the hands of the regional DA's offices. The DA's offices pursuing the cases have all of the relevant evidence they need. It is likely they will only contact our office if they need clarification on specific aspects of the evidence. So the proceedings will be basically on autopilot, from our standpoint." "Clarence made an interesting point last night, about the possibility of other similar resorts," said Faith. "Yesterday, when we visited the Intelligence Department," said Jasmin, "we talked a lot about resources and tools. We hardly touched on the accumulated data." "Why don't we sit down with the Intelligence Department, and see if we can build a map of the organization's activities," said Trudy. "It will certainly help the law enforcement activities." "Shannon," said Marie, "we would like the members of your group focusing on the 'flesh peddlers' to meet with us, either this afternoon or tomorrow." "What's up?" responded Shannon. "We would like to explore the idea of building a map of the 'Chosen Ones' activities," responded Marie. "Shannon and Marie, building a map of the 'Chosen Ones' activities has a lot of merit. We need to be sure we keep an eye on the open cases. Even though I said the cases were on autopilot, we definitely need monitor them. Why? I expect that, in a few weeks, there will be a lot of political pressure put on the US DA's to bargain the cases down to lesser charges. We should seek to make the politicians take the heat for any such request and interest." He sensed a somber feeling among the group. "Hey, guys," said Clarence, "we can do both. I think James was worried that, if we took his comments at face value, we would go on to something else too rapidly." "Clarence is right. Sorry, I didn't convey the whole sense of what I was trying to convey." "We would have figured it out," said Trudy, "but it might have taken us some time!" "Why don't we do this," asked Celia, "when we get together tomorrow, let's break the evidence apart into logical segments. We can then divide up into groups of twos and threes. Each day, each group will work on a different segment of the Department's operations, which are monitoring the activity in the 'flesh peddler' cases, and monitoring the galaxy. Once a week, we can have a discussion, or brain-storming session, about what we have found out during the preceding week." "An interesting concept," said James. "Before I came here, I would not be very enthused about the proposal. Now, however, it feels very workable when we consider our additional abilities." "Tomorrow," said Danny, "we will be there right after breakfast. Since it has been a while since any of us had a break, how about we make tomorrow a half day at most." "Deal," said the group at Comrie. ------- "Flight Operations," said Sabrina, as her group was flying near the Carrier Strike Group, "I think we are going to need some support." "Could you elaborate?" "The Command Staff indicated they sensed a problem on the aircraft carrier in the CSG. I have a very strong sense of at least one person in pain or distress. Actually, it appears to, more likely be two women. Let's try mind-linking, so you can see what I am trying to tell you." Sabrina opened her mind-link to the FOC AI, including Gwendolyn, Angus, Caitriona, and Clare other pilots in their sortie. "I am adding the Intelligence Department, Sally and Terry, into the link," said the FOC AI. It was only moments before Sally said, "Briana and Adam, take a shuttle and join Sabrina's flight group with the CSG." Although her words were calm, the security team could sense the urgency. They immediately headed for their designated shuttle. "Cathan and Todd, please go to standby mode." "We are launching," said Adam, a few moments later. "We are going to standby and suit up," said Cathan's Clan. "We just went back through the recordings from the aircraft carrier's ready room," said the Intelligence Department AI. "A conversation was recorded a couple of days ago in the pilots briefing room. It appears to be between two or three officers. One said they needed to fix the bitch before this went too far. They were talking very softly, so the exact wording is difficult to extract from the background noise, without some additional work. Even that may not help. In a following comment, it sounds like one man cautioned them that the bitch had a boy friend in the special ops group on the carrier. Earlier today, there was a comment between two sailors, one saying he had heard there were two new bitches offering their cunts at the fuck-fest in the corner hanger." "When did the last conversation take place?" asked Briana, with venom dripping from her voice. "About 6 hours ago." "On station, 200 yards behind the carrier," said Briana to Sally on Dóchas' bridge. "We haven't used our eBriana ability lately, nor in this kind of situation, but I think it's time to put it to use." With that, her clan joined together in a mind-link to become one. eBriana then projected her vision out toward the carrier. Just as her view reached the rear of the carrier, two men in dark clothes pushed carts out on to the walkway and across the back of the carrier. When the men reached the middle of the walkway, they tipped the carts letting the contents spill out and fall into the water. Briana's Clan first thought they were dumping garbage, until they saw two large objects, just as they hit the ocean surface with a large splash. eBriana quickly turned her focus to the ocean, where the large splashes had occurred. Evidence of the two splashes were quickly engulfed by the churning ocean in the wake of the carrier. The shuttle AI, sensing the change in everyone's focus, moved the shuttle closer to the area where eBriana was now focusing. The AI brought the shuttle down to a hover, just above the ocean surface. In moments, eBriana spotted two bodies several feet below the surface, in the carrier's turbulent wake. While the turbulence was keeping the bodies from floating to the surface, it was clear there was little coordinated effort being made by bodies. eBriana split into two ethereal entities. Briana, Cass, Ellie and Charlotte shifted to form one entity, and then reached out to stabilize one body. While they did that, Adam, Anita, Abaigeal and Cindy did the same with the other body in the water. As soon as each team had stabilized the bodies, their ethereal entity reached out with their kinetic hands to nudge them to the surface. As soon as they touched the bodies, they knew they were two women. eBriana could sense that the two women were in a panic, since they had no control of their arms, and were quickly growing short of breath. Both segments of eBriana sent calming thoughts to the women, while they sought to stabilize them and push them to the surface. Once the women were on the surface, they were turned to float on their backs so that their faces were above the water's surface. eBriana quickly surveyed the women's condition. It was apparent that both were injured before being dumped into ocean. The Clan was kind of surprised that the two had not been killed or more severely injured when they struck the water's surface from that height. The eBriana entities held the two women on the surface floating on their backs. "Sabrina," said eBriana, "we are going to need medical technicians, and quickly." Just then, Sabrina said, "It looks like there is a fight on the walkway. The two that dumped the carts are fighting with another man. He seems to be winning. Oh, shit. Another person just came out on the walkway, holding a long pole over his head. He appears to be helping the two who dumped the bins. He hit the man from behind, knocking him against the rail. He hit him again, and their victim fell, but he is partially hanging on to the rail. The man with the pole hit him again, where he was holding on to the walkway. He's falling. He hit the water, hard." At Sabrina's first comment, eBriana rearranged their ethereal teams again, leaving Cass and Abaigeal to stabilize the two women floating on the ocean. The women were now out of the turbulent wake, so it didn't take much effort to keep them floating. eBriana struggled, even with the larger team, to stabilize the man, once they found him. Together, they breathed a sigh of relief when they managed to get him floating on his back. The fall had apparently knocked him out. A quick check showed his injuries were much more severe than the two women had received in their fall. "Would you like some assistance," asked Brigit, as she appeared with them in the cabin of the shuttle and slipped into eBriana with them adding her energy. Her addition eased the strain on the Clan from maintaining 3 separate ethereal entities. "Yes, as I think we now have ourselves in a corner," said Adam. "Not really. The simplest thing to do is to have Star teleport them to Dóchas' Medical Facility. Considering their condition and our circumstances, that is also the most risky. The man seems to have the most severe injuries, and needs some attention even before risking a teleport. From a preliminary assessment of the damage, he was hit with something very hard." "If we could get a stretcher underneath him, we could lift him into the cabin," said Cindy. "Let's have Briana, Adam and Charlotte take the stretcher out and place it under him, while Anita and Cindy stabilize him. Ellie can monitor all three groups, and provide extra energy where needed." The three visualized and planned out how they would move the stretcher. As they went through the steps, a stretcher floated out the, now open, shuttle door. Together they lowered it down into the water next to the man, before sliding it underneath him. The shuttle AI now had the shuttle just touching the water, as if it were an airboat. With the stretcher in place, Anita and Cindy joined with the other three to lift the stretcher up out of the water and move it into the shuttle. They had hardly set the stretcher down when three bot medical technicians appeared in the cabin to assist. "Now, we need to get the two women out of the water," said Abaigeal. "They are rapidly losing body heat." While she was talking, the shuttle AI moved closer to the women. "Can they walk, or stand up?" said Briana. "Maybe, but they are kind of groggy. We don't sense any broken limbs, though." "Anita come with me," said Briana, as she headed out the shuttle door, followed by Anita. The two women walked down the shuttle steps into the water and swam a short distance over to the women. They put the least responsive of the two women between them and pulled her toward the steps. Once they had her on the steps, Adam and Charlotte picked her up and carried her into the cabin. After she was on a stretcher, they went back to assist with the other woman. When everyone was on board, the shuttle rose up, and hovered above the water. The medical technicians quickly examined the three. Briana's Clan sat and rested, while they watched the technicians care for the two women and man. It took them a few moments to recover their energy levels. "Sabrina," asked Adam, "were you able to record the action on the walkway?" "Sure did, and I sent it to the Intelligence Department." "Thanks. I think we should take these three to Dóchas for medical review." "Okay. We will hang around here for a while, and then have FOC AI send another flight take our place. I guess we should keep a close eye the carrier for a while." "Agreed." "Are any of them awake," asked Adam, looking at the medical technicians. "No, not really. The women are closest to being awake. The man's ID showed his name as Chester O'Callahan." The mention of the man's name caused the women to move slightly. "The women were nude with no identification. Both of the women appeared to have been severely whipped. Their shoulders were dislocated, but we eased them back into place. Their arms seemed to slip right back in place, so they should be fine. The autodoc on Dóchas will check that area very carefully. Both the women have large pins through their tits, just behind the areola. The pins are welded closed and the wounds appear to be fresh. The shank on the pins is very rough, so they will be difficult to remove without further pain. From the looks of their cunts and asses, they experienced a lot of sexual activity in the last several hours. The only difference between the two women is that one woman no longer has her front teeth. They appear to have been recently pulled. From the damage to the gums, there could be parts of the roots still in the gums." "Yes, we were whipped. After that we were raped continuously for a very long time," said the second woman they brought into the cabin. "It seemed like it would never end." She shuttered. "Good, you are awake," said Briana. "My name is Briana, and this is Adam. We want to take you to see our medical staff. Before we do, do you feel strong enough to tell us a bit about what happened?" "You mean, I am still alive?" "Oh, yes, very much so. The man appears to have the most severe injuries," said the medical technician. The woman started to turn her head, but stopped when she winced from the pain. "I think a medical check up would be a good idea. Where are we?" "You are on what we call a shuttle." "A what?" "A shuttle. You remember the large, strange, aircraft that flew by the carrier about 2 weeks ago." "Yes." "Well, you are now riding in one." "You're kidding." "Not in the least," said Adam. As Keriann became more alert, she began to look around the cabin. Many questions began to form in her mind, since her rescuers looked different. She didn't feel threatened, in fact, she felt very safe. The medical technicians were naked except for a jacket. She then realized that several of the others were naked, as well. "I sense you have some questions," said Abaigeal. "Our society only wears a covering if our activity needs it. The suits several us are wearing are what we call tactical suits. We are all much more comfortable naked." "Oh, that didn't bother me," said Keriann. "If it was on the carrier it would. Here, it feels natural. All of you are somehow different." "Yes, we are," said Abaigeal. "We would prefer to hold that discussion until after we get medical attention for you." Keriann again looked around at the group in the cabin, pausing to study each person for a moment. "You're right, we need to take care of the medical issues. I suspect Kelly and I will be very uncomfortable in a short while. I am looking forward to learning more about all of you. I can sense you are very unique." "Where do you want us to take you?" said Charlotte. "All three of you need medical attention. We can attempt to approach the carrier, or we can take you to our clinic, which is about 30 minutes away. How do you want us to address you?" "Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Keriann O'Connell and the other lady is Kelly McDonnell. She is the pilot for our plane and I'm the ECM. Her boyfriend is going to really be upset when he finds out she disappeared." She paused a moment before continuing. "Your clinic would probably be the best choice. Based upon what we heard as we were prepared for our torment, there are some on the carrier who want us to disappear. They had planned on us disappearing in different manner today." "If her boyfriend is named Chester O'Callahan, then he may have already found out about part of it," said Briana. "According to his ID, that is Chester on the stretcher." "Oh, my. The last I remember was being dumped into a garbage bin and then covered with more garbage. How did we get here?" "We picked you up out of the ocean a short time ago," said Abaigeal. "A part of our crew had alerted us to a potential problem on the carrier. As we approached, we saw two men dump what appeared to be garbage bins off the carrier's walkway, just as we arrived. When everything hit the water, the two of you made a very big splash so we went to investigate. Do you remember what happened before then?" "Well, some of it. I remember going back to my compartment after breakfast. When I got there, I found a note from Kelly, asking me to meet her on the rear hanger deck. When I got there, I couldn't find her nor could I find the location in the note. While I was looking, someone grabbed me from behind, covering my mouth. My next memory is waking up. The first thing I noticed was the strain on my arms. I quickly realized I was hanging and naked. When I opened my eyes, I wanted to scream, as everything was blurry. I tried to scream, but couldn't open my mouth to make a sound. I was scared. The quietness was eerie. I found that by studying the blurry shapes I could make out some details. When I looked down, my vision was reasonably clear. So, I took stock of everything I could see or feel, moving only my eyes. I was hanging from my wrists, and my feet were not touching the floor. I could feel bindings around my ankles and holding my legs apart. My head was covered with what felt like a hood. My mouth was wide open, and when I tried to close it, I felt a ring behind my teeth and sharp pressure on my cheeks. When I tried to move my head, it only moved a little before I felt a pull and could sense the hood. I was scared and wondered what was going on. I knew there was some gang issues on the carrier, but had not heard of anything like this. Although there was also a rumor about weekly sex parties on the hanger deck. The story was that some of the NCO's and female sailors organized the sex parties for a fee." "I managed to see another person hanging near me by their wrists. I could make out enough to realize she must be restrained the same way I was. There was a bar between her wrists and a rope ran from the top of her hood to the bar. I decided that I must be bound the same way, since I could feel the tension on my head from the hood." "With the ring in my mouth and the way the hood wrapped around my head, there was no way I could move my jaw. My shoulders hurt from the strain, and there wasn't much feeling in my hands. I thought that my position was painful. Little did I know the pain I felt then would seem insignificant to the pain I would feel later." "It wasn't long until I heard soft footsteps and several items rolling across the deck. The footsteps were of three men and a woman. All looked to be only wearing loose shorts. One man said something like, "Oh, good this bitch is awake. We can start preparing her for the gangbang. Too bad, we will only get one opportunity to use these two sluts. Remember, no names, as the boss wants them to hear everything until the gangbang starts. Sailor slut, take the electric prod and wake the other bitch." I saw the woman pick up a long stick and press it against the other woman. When she did, there was a loud snap and a flash of light. The other woman's body jerked. The woman sailor continued to poke the woman with the stick. Each time, there was a loud snap. She continued until I could hear the other suspended woman moaning, and then, trying to scream." "The woman sailor kept poking the other woman until she was told to show me how it felt. When she held it up in front of my breast, I could see it was a U-shaped fork with two needle-sharp points. She pushed it into the front of my breast, straddling my nipple. Then I heard a pop and my body jerked. God, it hurt like she had stuck a knife in my breast. She then kept poking me with the prod and pulling the trigger. Each time, it felt like I had been cut. Sometimes she pressed it against my skin, at other times she left a small gap between the points and my skin. In those cases, I could see the spark before I felt the pain. She seemed to relish pushing against my cunt lips or clit hood. She didn't stop until told too. By that time, I was crying. It would have felt so much better to scream out, but the hood and ring wouldn't let that happen." "The male sailor said, "Now they are both awake. The instructions say we should flush out their guts with the solution in the buckets. So two of you pick up this slut's knees, so we can lower her onto the boss's new flushing device. It says here, once it is inserted turn it on, and all we need to do is make sure the last liquid is clean." They picked up my knees and lowered me until a pole pressed against my asshole. The woman placed her hands on my hips and shoved me down, forcing the pole through my asshole. My asshole was spread so wide, I thought the skin was tearing from the pain I felt. I had hardly adjusted to the intrusion when I heard a click and warm liquid began to flow into my ass. It continued filling me until I could hardly breathe. The pressure caused a dull pain, until the cramps started. They were worse than the electric prod. I vaguely saw them do the same thing to the other woman. After a while, the pressure subsided, and I felt the liquid flow out of me. Then it filled me up again. It seemed like the cycle repeated forever, because after the second cycle I was in a fog. After some time, I felt them lift me up, leaving my asshole gaping open. I could feel water running out and down my legs." "I heard the woman, say, "Oh, goody. He wants us to whip them with the electric flogger, until they are bright red from their shoulders to their knees. I want a turn." A male voice said, "You can have a turn, if you are my slut this month." She replied, "Okay, as long as I get as many strokes in as I want. When I get though whipping these two officer bitches, they will know what it feels like to whipped by a woman." I saw her pick up something and come toward me. She flicked it across my breasts, where I could clearly see it. It looked like an ordinary flogger, with some strands that were shiny. Then she started whipping me with the flogger, and I found out the shiny strands were wires. Every time it hit me I was shocked. Then I felt two whips striking me. The pain was worse than before. I could barely make out through my tears that the other suspended person was being whipped like I was. It seemed like it lasted forever. My body was soon hot and burning where they were whipping me. After a while, I hardly noticed the added pain. When it stopped, I hung there limply quivering in pain, hardly noticing the change. My body felt like I had the worst sunburn ever." "I heard a voice say, 'This should make you feel better'. A cool mist hit my body, then I screamed. Now my skin was burning. I screamed and screamed. The pain was horrendous. It hurt when the spray hit my whipped body. It burned as it ran off of me. Gradually, the burning turned into a dull sensation. After some time, they poured ice water over both of us, rousing us from our pain-induced slumber." "The man then said, "Okay, the next step for the two them is the pins." I didn't understand what they meant by pins. Two hands took hold of my nipples. Griping them tightly, they were pulled, stretching my nipples and breasts. It almost felt like they were going to pull my nipples off. It was then I saw the pins. The were large blanket pins. A pin tip was pressed against each breast, just behind the areola, until it punctured the skin. The two pins were slowly pushed through my breasts. I could see and feel them tug on the tissue, as the pins were pushed through my breasts. Once through, they were latched and soldered shut. A trickle of blood ran down from the wounds. It hurt more mentally than physically. I looked over at the other suspended woman and could see them doing the same thing to her." "I heard something sliding on the deck behind me and being pushed between by legs. A male voice said, "Okay, now let's place them in the fuck chairs. Once they are in position, inject the drug solution into their asses, just before you lower them so the hook enters their assholes." They lowered me and lifted my legs until I was laying on something cold, which was running up the middle of my back. A tube was pushed into my ass, and then I felt something cool in my gut. As soon as the tube was pulled out, they slid me down the support, and forcing a large metal ball into my ass. Just as I felt a pull on my asshole from the hook, my shoulders slid into a u-shaped support, holding my shoulders in place. My wrists were released and fastened underneath me. My ankles were then refastened to the bar where my wrists were. A rope was tied to the pins in my breasts and hung over the overhead bar with a weight attached, adding a constant pull to my breasts. They were soon aching." "A tube was placed in my mouth. A thick liquid began to fill my mouth. I quickly swallowed before I choked. It didn't taste too bad and had kind of a medicine-like after taste. After all the abuse, I was somewhat surprised. It was later that I realized the medicine must have been stimulants and an aphrodisiac." "I heard a male say, "Okay, which one is Kelly?" The woman said, "That bitch over there," pointing to the other woman. "The boss's note says we are to pull her front teeth. The note says to leave the molars." The four sailors went over to her and I couldn't see much. Although I could hear the grunting and muffled screams. Occasionally I heard a sickening crunch. It made my teeth hurt when I heard it. I heard the woman sailor ask why the boss wanted to do that. There was a smack and someone said, "you know better than to ask questions like that. If the boss heard you, your teeth would be pulled, as well. Actually, I am surprised he didn't ask us to video tape preparing these two bitches. The last two times, we pulled all the teeth of some troublesome sailors, before they were sent to their new life. To answer your question, slut, "I makes it easier to face-fuck a person. Some submissive's are fitted with a spacer between their molars, locking their jaw in one position. In other cases, all the teeth are pulled and the person is fitted with a special appliance that controls the position of their jaw. The only way they can eat is by sucking on something. Without their teeth, a submissive's tongue can be lengthened until it is very long. At one club, I saw several sex toys with tongues that must have been 6 inches long. The female toy gave excellent blow jobs. When you fucked her face, she could caress your balls with her tongue." I shivered at the thought of what that must be like." "We were left alone for a while. During that time, I began to feel very energetic and felt flushed. I could see that my nipples had swelled and my cunt lips felt thick, warm and moist. Shortly afterwards, I heard footsteps, and a male walked into view. He looked like an officer from what he was wearing. He quietly walked around us. I could feel him looking at us. He then stood in front of the other woman and said, "Well, you stupid bitch, you thought you were going to take away the fun we have with our tribe of sluts. You weren't as clever as you thought. I see the crew did a good job of preparing you. Today, Keriann and you will be the fresh meat for our weekly gangbang. You will be well fucked before this ends, and awake to enjoy every minute of it. Once all the sailors are satisfied, you will disappear from the carrier. Everyone will think that another two dumb women fell overboard. Only a few of us and you we will know the truth. By the time your absence is noted, you will be in your new home. One of the crew has made arrangements for the two of you to arrive at a private club after a day or two, in the special crates for sluts. At the club, you will learn more about pain and submission, as you are trained to be the pet for whomever holds your leash. Don't worry about seeing us again, because we will be there to see how well you do as a club sex toy. You can look at today's little adventure as the first step in your training to be a sex toy, or pet." He then opened his pants and quickly fucked Kelly. The voice was garbled, but I think if I heard it the same way again I would recognize it." "After the officer left, several women came into the room, wearing just heels. They covered our ears and eyes. It wasn't long until I felt a cock enter my cunt. After a few thrusts, I realized it was one of the women, fucking me with a large dildo. After that my cunt was never empty for very long time. After several had fucked me, I would feel something cold and hard pushed into my cunt. After a few minutes, it would be pulled back out." "When the continuous fucking stopped, the ear flaps were opened. I heard a familiar voice say, " We're done with this part. Feed the two bitches." I then felt something warm being poured into my mouth. It was either swallow or choke. I soon realized it was cum." "I was then I heard a heated conversation. From the parts I could understand, it seemed like the incoming ship's supply aircraft would not arrive for a couple of days. They were apparently planing on using it to get us to shore. They couldn't hide us on the ship that long. One said, "That leaves only one choice." "It was quiet, until I heard a bin being rolled toward me. I could tell it was the garbage bin by the smell. I was told, in a whisper, that the hood was going to be removed, and if I made a sound they would crush my voice box. The hood was removed, and the ring removed from my mouth. My jaw hurt when they moved it to pull the ring. A heavy canvas bag was slid over my head. A large rope was forced between my teeth and tied across my mouth, holding the bag in place. The restraints on my ankles and breasts were released. When my wrists were untied, someone twisted my arms behind me until they popped out of the shoulder joints. The pain was horrible, until there was a sharp stab of pain in each shoulder. Moments later, I couldn't feel any pain in my shoulders or feel my arms. Three of them lifted me up off the chair then dropped me into the garbage bin. It was awful, lying in the cold slimy garbage. They poured more cold wet garbage on top of me, until I was covered except for my head. I couldn't move my body. The combination bag and rope let me have just enough air to breathe." "One of the men said, 'it's too bad we won't get to use them in the club's dungeon. With her front teeth out she would be an excellent cock sucker, once she learns how deep throat. If we had used her mouth today we would have made more money.' It then sounded like the other woman was dumped in the bin. After that, more garbage was poured in on top of me, totally covering me, and I couldn't hear anything." "I remember feeling the bin rolling along, and then stop. As soon as I started falling, I knew they had dumped us into the ocean, covering the activity with the garbage. The bag over my head kept most of the water off my face, but I also couldn't breathe. Thankfully, the rope in my mouth slipped out right after I hit the water. My next fear was drowning, because it seemed like the water kept pulling me down. After that, I felt some strange sensations and I am here." "The screams you heard were probably when they pulled her teeth. Her gums look like the teeth were broken and then pulled out," said the medical technician, "that probably left some pieces of tooth in the gum." Hearing that, Keriann began to cry. "Keriann, we didn't expect you to tell us the story in such detail," said Anita. "I didn't intend on saying so much. Once I got started it was like venting. Thanks for listening, for letting me tell the ugly story. It all makes me feel so used, dirty and cheap. I know I couldn't do anything to stop it. But, the feeling of just being treated like a piece of meat or less is awful." "Don't let what they did to you change you!" said Cass. "Thinking less of yourself will let them win." "Anyway, why all the malice toward the two of you?" "The EXO for one of the fighter squadrons is very aggressive and domineering. He is especially aggressive toward any woman he takes a fancy to. A woman resisting him just eggs him on. Once he has seduced a woman, it isn't long until he treats her as his property, to use as he wishes. His approach is very direct and forceful, sometimes it could be considered rape. None of the women ever lodge a complaint, and seem to be willing to do anything he asks. They will do anything to please him, regardless of how humiliating or degrading it is. Many think that several of the women in his squadron are, basically, the squadron's sex slaves when not on duty. We weren't in his squadron, and made every effort to avoid him. Kelly saw him taking liberties with several in other women on the ship. She accumulated enough information to prepare a complaint against him. She planned on filing it, along with graphic documentation, once we returned to port. I guess he found out about it somehow, so they decided to get rid of us." "Why both of you?" said Cass. "Kelly's disappearance will take longer to notice with both of us missing. All someone needs to do is manipulate the flight roster and it could be covered up for a week, perhaps even longer. Providing us for the gangbang was probably a way to keep the NCOs from nosing around. Based upon the comments the one sailor made, others have disappeared this way before. The woman who helped prepare us was probably one of the EXO's women, as were the four who fucked us with the dildos." "From what I have heard, some of the female crew provide sex in this format, in cooperation with a few NCO's. It is held in the same area. The women are placed in a position similar to the way we were, so they are readily available to be fucked. Their heads are covered, so the identity of either party is kept within a small group organizing the event. The women agree to be fucked until everyone who paid has a turn. The NCO's and women split the take. I think the NCO's also schedule the women off for a couple of days, so that they can recover." "Interesting. Where would Kelly have kept the documents?" "Most likely on her laptop in her quarters, or perhaps on a CD hidden somewhere. Knowing her, she probably placed them in several places." "Keriann, we would like to delay our return for few minutes," said Adam, as he looked at the medical technician. "Why?" "We would like to see if we can recover those documents before we leave." "For that yes, I would even suffer some more pain and fucking. Actually, I feel pretty comfortable now." "Yes, but we cannot wait very long," said a medical technician, "the others need treatment. Will 15 minutes be enough?" "Yes." "Keriann, we gave you a mild sedative and antidote to the stimulant," said the medical technician. "Neither will effect your thinking or perceptions, but will ease any discomfort." "Okay guys, let's do it!" Together they again formed eBriana, as the Clan folded into their ethereal entity. eBriana first probed Kelly's mind, to see where she had kept the information. They did that by inducing her to dream about the information and the path to her quarters on the ship. Once they had the information, eBriana projected herself into the aircraft carrier. She moved quickly through the corridors to reach Kelly quarters. eBriana slipped through the door and into her compartment. Once inside, she found all the information, just where Kelly's dream indicated it was located. eBriana looked around the room, just before she was ready to depart. The room seemed to mirror the personality she saw in Kelly, so, as a precaution, she pulled Kelly's personal items together and projected them into the shuttle. eBriana had just finished, when the door opened and two men quickly entered. She watched them for few moments, before going to Keriann's quarters, and then, to Chester's quarters. In both cases, she removed the sensitive documents, along with their personal items to the shuttle. eBriana left behind a room that looked lived in, but devoid of personal items. A change many would not notice. eBriana returned to the shuttle. "Alpha2, let's depart for Dóchas, and hurry! Don't bother with cloaking," said Adam. "Keriann, we brought all of your personal things here. Your quarters now look lived in, but don't have any personality. We can be put them back when you return to the ship." "We're going to the space ship, aren't we?" "Yes. Is that a problem?" asked Cass. "Not at all," said Keriann. "All of you are quite safe with us," said Abaigeal. "Yes, we know," said Kelly, startling everyone. "I knew we were safe when I felt my dream begin. I sensed you watching my dream as I relived hiding documents. It was an interesting experience. Something bothers me about the documents, since they don't seem important. Seems like a strange thought." "We are telepathic. We would have asked first, but we thought speed was of the essence." "I am pleased you did what needed to be done. Is he going to be okay?" said Kelly with a shaky voice, as she looked at Chester. "Yes. Definitely." With that, Kelly lay back and closed her eyes. "Kelly, everything will be fine," said Briana's Clan, in soft soothing voices. Briana and Keriann reached over to hold her hands. "Keriann, how long will it before they notice that the three of you are missing?" said Adam. "They will probably notice Chester's disappearance first. For us, it could really be a couple of days or even a week, as it depends on duty schedules." "Would it be acceptable to you if we arranged for your disappearance to be discovered as soon as possible?" "Sure, why? How?" "Why, because the longer the time lapse from your disappearance to being discovered the greater the chances of the group getting away with it. How? Well we are going to put you on tomorrow's roster for an early sortie." "They seldom let us fly that one. Us being on it will really raise a stink." "Good, that is even better." "Brigit, can you again assist us with this?" "Yes." Brigit joined Briana's clan to form eBriana again, while the shuttle headed toward Dóchas. eBriana entered the aircraft carrier. She moved quickly to the air crew ready room and then into the flight operations office. A clerk was at the console, going over the flight crew schedules for the next day. With a little nudge from eBriana, the clerk suddenly got up and left for the head. eBriana quickly altered the crew flight schedules for the next day, so Kelly and Keriann were on one of the early sorties. She finished entering the rest of the information the clerk had been working on, and submitted it. She stepped back from the terminal, just as the clerk returned. As the clerk moved to her seat, she brushed against eBriana, causing a ripple in the clerks uniform. eBriana watched the clerk check her screen, the clerk was clearly puzzled by the screen on her console. eBriana listened as the clerk queried her coworker about whether someone else had used her terminal. The coworker responded no. The clerk sat for a few moments looking at the screen, and then went on to her next task. eBriana checked the documents the clerk was working with to, make sure they supported the change in flight schedule. This ensured the clerk would not get blamed for the change. Seeing the schedule posted, they returned to the shuttle. Sitting down in the seats on the shuttle, Briana said, "Why do these psionic exercises today seem more tiring than when we were on the island?" "Because you are using multiple attributes," said Brigit. "All of you have done very well with this effort." "Thanks. We are glad you came to help." "Why?" "We seem to be surer of our efforts when you are with us," said Cass. "I am not sure that was correctly expressed. Maybe a better way to state it is, we felt our coach's confidence in us, which helped relax us, letting us focus on the tasks at hand." "I would agree with that," said Brigit. "Confidence is difficult or slow to build in practice sessions alone, probably because they lack a real sense of peril. It builds quickly in real situations, sometimes too quickly." Just then Briana's Clan felt the shuttle settle into its cradle on Dóchas. As soon as the door opened, they began to assist taking Keriann, Kelly and Chester to the medical section. ------- Chapter 88 Uncloaking Dóchas seemed to be somewhat anticlimactic. Nothing was said publicly about a space ship's appearance. All news reports seemed to focus on the destruction of the armory and its implications. It nearly pushed interest in the 'flesh peddlers' off the front page, until a confidential source revealed there was a link between the 'flesh peddlers' and the armory attack. By monitoring communications, the Intelligence Department knew that military in several countries were aware of their presence within a short time of their uncloaking. First to notice the ship were the space agencies that routinely monitored the skies. Several of the agencies combined their efforts, to ensure their equipment was working correctly and the object was real. It was not long before this was followed by numerous phone calls between the leaders of several large countries. Each country was seeking to find out how the others were reacting to or felt about the apparent visitor, without taking a position themselves. Several telescopes were repositioned, to obtain an image of the ship. All the crew and their guests were surprised when it took two full days before an amateur astronomer called a newspaper, asking if they knew what the new satellite was and who's it was. This triggered the first public admission from several governments that there was an unidentifiable satellite in a stationary orbit. The position was given as 3000 miles above the western Atlantic, about a 1000 miles east of Florida. The groups at Frank's island, Comrie, Dóchas and the Mars settlement watched the monitors for a while after the news of the unidentified satellite first became public. Experts quickly pointed out that the satellite's orbit was unusual, as it required active position control to maintain the position. This was quickly followed by the acknowledgments by some space experts that it was likely a spacecraft under the control of intelligent species. With the acknowledgment it was likely a space ship, the coverage began to shift toward covering the crackpots and doom sayers. With this turn in coverage, the guests and crew went back to their normal routines. The Communications AI posted a message on their network that an announcement would be made to everyone when something significant happened in the news coverage. ------- On Dóchas, Gail supervised the medical technicians as they treated Keriann, Kelly and Chester. Keriann's injuries were light, when compared the others. They had her lie on a soft bed, and then levitated her so that she floated above the bed, effectively relieving the pain associated with pressure on her bruised body. A series of injections were made into each shoulder joint to assist their healing. A series of electrodes were placed around the shoulder area, then energized. The combination of injections and electrical stimulation would assist healing her shoulders, so there would be no after-effects. They cut the pins on both sides of each breast, then slid a tube over it and through her breast, to separate the tissue from the pin's rough surface. Once the pin was out, they irrigated the wound as they slid the tube out and taped the hole closed. Keriann had watched them the whole time they had treated her with some apprehension. It wasn't until afterward she realized that she had not felt any pain or discomfort while they were treating any of her injuries. The medical technicians and autodocs treated Kelly much the same way they did Keriann. They cleaned her lacerated gums, and removed some tooth fragments. Her gums were then covered with a permeable membrane, which would hold the tissue in place while it healed. With her gums repaired, a temporary bridge was created, to replace her missing teeth. The bridge would protect her gums while they healed, and let her speak in a more natural manner. Kelly was placed on a bed similar to Keriann's, so her abraded skin would not be touching anything. Chester had a severe concussion, several broken ribs and two broken arms. His left arm was broke in both upper arm and fore arm. A section of his right forearm was crushed. It didn't take the autodoc and technicians long to stabilize the arms and ribs so they would heal correctly. A frame with positioning pins was used to hold each arm segment so it was correctly aligned. Injections were made into each break, to speed up the early part of the mending process. Electrodes were placed along his arms to stimulate the healing process. A similar technique was used on his ribs. A force field held his body floating over the soft bed. The sensation, to him, was as if he was floating in water. Kelly woke up again just after everyone had been treated. She was startled by the sensation of floating. She started to sit up. "Please," said Cass, "it will be best if you lie here and rest." "Where am I?" "In our medical ward, we have just treated the injuries you received today. You need to lie down and take the strain off your shoulders so they will heal. It should take less than a day. You have a temporary bridge in your mouth, which should help your mouth feel more natural." "I'm naked. All of you are naked." "Yes, our society is clothing-optional. We do wear clothes when the occasion calls for it. You're naked because we didn't want to cause you any more pain from letting something touch your abraded skin. That is also why you are floating over the bed." "I know I am, and it seems strange." "Look at it as floating on water." "Why are you speaking? I thought you said earlier you were telepathic." "We are. In our society, a person does not look at another's thoughts unless it is an emergency. By telepathy, we can only see active thoughts, or those in short-term memory. Between spouses, we fully share our memories and experiences in a special way. We will tell you more about ourselves once all of you have rested." "How is Chester?" "He will be fine. He has a severe concussion, which is why he is still asleep. We expect he will wake in several hours. Right now, his mind is making its repairs. His broken arms and ribs will heal without any complications." "Thank you. I feel so sleepy now." "Rest, so your body can focus on healing. When you wake up, just say hello, or something similar, and someone will be with you shortly." "What are your names?" "They are Briana, Adam, Anita, Charlotte, Ellie, Abaigeal, Cindy, and I am Cass." Cass had pointed to each of them as she introduced them. "You can ask for us after you rest, if you'd like." Kelly lay back on her bed. She felt very comfortable, more comfortable than she had in a long time. She was asleep in moments. Briana's Clan quietly left the room. As they prepared to leave the medical area, Briana asked the technicians to notify them when any of the group awoke. She told them that only Keriann knew they were on a space ship. ------- In the interlude between Dóchas uncloaking and its presence becoming public knowledge, James and Clarence convinced the US AG to appoint their assistants as acting District Attorney and Chief Investigator. They used the argument that it would be a while before they could safely be in the office. The contracts for their demise were still in effect, even though many of the culprits were in jail. Both their assistants had done an excellent job in handling the raids on the resort, related events and general case work since then. Both James and Clarence expressed their opinions, which were that the two were excellent candidates to fill their shoes, or to take similar positions in the Department of Justice. So, both Clarence and James thought this was an ideal opportunity for them to gain the experience. With the day to-day-office responsibility moved to their assistants, James and Clarence, along with the paralegals, began working to organize the 'flesh peddler' data. The group's goal was to try and link all the data on the 'flesh peddlers' together. AG expressed a reluctance to have them focused away from the active cases. A key point James made was that, if they were successful, the DOJ would have a better idea of who the others involved were, and the extent of their activities. It also had the potential of identifying whom, and how many, they had turned into unwilling slaves. In closing, the AG told them that the MP unit was going to be released from active duty next week. By that time, they would have multiple copies of the evidence at different secure locations. The DOJ had contracted with data security firm to store a master copy of the evidence. "If I may ask," said Clarence, "who did you choose?" "A firm by the name of GISS." James was glad it was not a video conference call, because no one in the office could keep from grinning. "Good, I understand they are excellent at handling secure information." "We were concerned at first, since they are small and relatively unknown. The biggest concern was that they would not tell us their storage location. I am still getting some heat for the selection. Have you worked with them?" "Not in the way you are. Clarence and I know many of the principals in their organization." "Glad to hear that. What are your thoughts concerning them?" "Their credentials are impeccable, and they are people you would want to trust with your life while in a lions den. Their storage security is just out of this world," said Clarence. His comment caused several to leave the room before they busted out laughing. "An interesting analogy. I need to go," said the AG. "I have told all of the DAs handling these cases to blind copy you on all correspondence. This should make it easier for you to stay up to date on the progression of the cases, especially if you have to get involved." "Thanks. It will probably be easier here than in the office. As there will be fewer distractions here." When the call ended, James said, "Shannon and Muireann's Clan, we have just managed to free up a lot more of our time. This should accelerate our working together to cull the data on the 'flesh peddlers' together." "Wonderful, after our discussion the other day, we were worried about having sufficient resources, since we now need to pay more attention to the space in the galaxy around us. Shortly after our first encounter with the 'flesh peddlers', and began to organize this department, we met with the Command Staff to discuss our combined objectives. Their guidance was to gain experience with our new tools by tracking the 'flesh peddlers' down as a means to learn how to use our tools to know what was around us in space." "An interesting approach to take. How do you think it has worked, so far?" "We have learned a lot about tracking leads and sifting through mountains of data, as you saw in our discussion the other day," said Danny. "We think we have a better idea about how to deploy our tools now. It is likely we will learn more with each new event. Hopefully, we won't make any major errors, as we feel the risks are much higher now." "Let me offer several ideas that may help you avoid major errors," said Clarence. "Value each other's input and ideas. Sometimes a really brilliant concept is overlooked because each participant is concentrating on their own view. Avoid playing follow the leader in your analysis. With our mind-links, I don't think there will be some of the issues I have seen with other groups. As I said before, you have done very well, considering everything. I am not sure I would have done as well if we had traded spots." "Thanks. So, do we meet on Dóchas tomorrow?" "Yes." ------- "James, Clarence," said Lydia, "we think there is an event brewing around your homes. We have been watching the gas utility working in your neighborhoods recently. They seem to be making repairs to the distribution system." "The utility was discussing doing that some time back," said James. "Do you think there is more to it?" "Yes, we do." "Why do think there is an issue?" "The activity looks okay, but something just doesn't feel right. In the public announcements from the utility, this project wasn't supposed to begin for several months. We have no indication the perpetrators are part of the crews. We do, however, expect them to take advantage of the utility crew's presence when they make a move." "Look, we aren't going back to that house," said James. "The security system was set up to record any activity in the house, if certain conditions were met. If no one is home, the video will be sent to my office. So let them do whatever they have planned, so long as no bystander gets hurt. Could you embed any suspected perpetrators with locater transmitters, so we can track them?" "We were considering giving them the truth compelling virus, with a long contagious period. We haven't discussed this with Command Staff, yet." "Lydia," said Clarence, "we don't have the same surveillance James has in the house. We will not be returning to that house. I agree with the approach on both the locater and the virus." "Then we will set everything up, presuming Command Staff agrees." ------- As Shuttle Alpha1 carried Command Staff to the Mars settlement, they monitored Briana's Clan while they rescued the three naval officers from the ocean. All of them were pleased with the way they used their psionic abilities. "Nice job," said Sarah's Clan to Briana's Clan, after they left the medical area on Dóchas. "Briana, Adam," said Rusty, "once they have been treated and rested, give them the presentations concerning who we are and why we are here. Your clan should discuss with them the best way to return them to the carrier." "We have been thinking about that," said Cass. "Good, talk it over with them, and then, let's talk about it," said Tara. They had just finished talking to Briana's Clan, when the shuttle reached Mars. "Alpha1," said Claudette, "show the approach on the monitor. We may want to look around before entering the hanger." "Acknowledged." The monitor came to life just as the shuttle began to enter the vicinity of the Mars settlement. The shuttle continued to slow its descent as it moved toward the settlement. "Alpha1," said Aoife, "please fly a 2000 kilometer circle around the settlement at around 7000 meters." Alpha1 turned to begin the circle, as Aoife adjusted the viewing angle so they were looking ahead and toward the center with the horizon at the top of the screen. The clan watched the passing terrain." "Its appearance reminds me of some of the arid areas in western US," said Erin. "When they had completed one circuit, Aoife asked Alpha1 to do the same thing at 1000 kilometers from the settlement and at the same altitude. After they had completed the circle, Aoife told Alpha1 to head for the settlement. While the shuttle had circled the area, the clan had mind-linked to follow Aoife's lead, while she had intently watched the monitor. "Aine, can you tell what we are sensing?" said Aoife. "Not really. The pattern seems to indicate that someone lived here many years ago. Your observation would fit with what Amy's Clan found, when they began construction of the settlement. I see no reason, in what you are sensing, to indicate any danger, which is consistent with what I feel. Let me share these observations with my sisters and mentors. They may have some clue about to what we are sensing." They turned their attention back to the monitor, as the settlement had become larger in the view. The sight was really impressive. The scene reminded several of the sketches in science fiction books of the way settlements would look on other worlds. The settlement was covered by a clear dome, with a connecting tunnel back to the cave entrance. Through the dome, they could see several star fighters setting on the ground. Their shuttle slowly approached the open air-lock to the settlement and settled on the cradle. Once they were securely on the cradle, the air-lock doors closed. After a few moments, the inner doors opened and the cradle began to roll forward toward the waiting crowd. Once Alpha1 stopped, its door opened. Sarah was the first to step out of the shuttle and onto Mars. She immediately hugged Amy, while the rest of the Command staff followed her out of the shuttle. The others in Sarah's Clan mimicked her actions. "It is good to see all of you again," said Sarah. "Amy, Erica, both of you look really good as expectant mothers." The rest of her clan nodded their agreement. "Thanks, it feels good as well, especially after waiting so long. Claudette, you look great! I have seen very few carry 6 babies as well as you appear to be doing." "Thanks. There are times when I sense the extra drain on my energy reserves quicker than my other pregnant spouses." Sarah's Clan spent quite a bit of time in the arrival area, getting reacquainted with their friends. Sarah introduced Maeve and Aoife, who most had not met, other than through the video conferences. Once they had talked to everyone, Sarah clapped her hands and said, "We thank you for coming to greet us on our arrival. On our approach we looked at the surrounding area. It looks very stark and barren, but at the same time it is very beautiful. I don't think any of us were prepared for the beauty of this site and settlement. All of you have done a great job in getting us established here. Our thanks go out to everyone. We are pleased to see many swollen tummies, as they are a testament to our growth. Congratulations to all the expecting clans. We will see you at dinner." Her comments were met with applause and thank yous. Amy's Clan gave Sarah's Clan a tour of the settlement. During the tour, they were shown all the different aspects of the settlement, as things now stood. The tour ended in the engineering conference room. Following introductions, the engineering staff began to report about the changes they were making to the star fighters and shuttles. They had found ways of increasing each of the spacecraft's capabilities, while making them more efficient in their operation. This had the side benefit that both types of spacecraft would leave less of a trail as they moved through the universe around them. "How are we doing on obtaining raw materials?" said Rusty. "Much of what we have needed we have found on Mars," said one of the engineering staff. "Our other source has been the asteroid belt. The asteroids have provided us with some very unique metals. These were, apparently, unknown to our benefactors, and definitely not seen on earth." "You are probably wondering about the term unique," said another engineer. Sarah's Clan nodded their heads in agreement. "We are currently trying to quantify their properties. We know we can add them to our structural materials, and see an increase in strength while reducing weight." "Sounds too good to be true," said Erin. "That's what we thought, but our testing has not found any flaws with their use. In the process of doing those tests, we have found a few more ways to use the materials. Really, only time will tell if we're chasing after a kind of 'fools gold'." "This is our design for Dóchas's sister ships," said another engineer, as a holographic image formed in the conference room. The room was quiet, as they watched the image rotate, showing them a view of the exterior from all sides. "Before we go further," said an engineer, "let's talk about some of Dóchas capabilities we hadn't realized until we started this project. First, Dóchas can land on a planet, but there is some risk in doing that. The degree of risk is dependent on the planet's gravity. For a planet like Earth, it would be best to land in an ocean. For here, it could land, but would probably need some structural repair to the portion touching the ground. So what we have planned to do with Dóchas2 and Dóchas3 is to complete them here, up to the point that they can lift themselves into orbit. Once in orbit, we will finish the interior." "An aspect of Dóchas that we took for granted, was its ability to maintain an environmental envelope around the ship. This is why the hangers work with no air locks, like we have here. When Dóchas is on the surface of a planet, she does not have that capability. When Dóchas2 and Dóchas3 are moved to orbit, they will be able to create the environmental envelope around them." "The other finding is that she has a very low reflectivity in any spectrum. This is probably why little as been said about her uncloaking. All the new ships will have an even lower reflectivity." "So how will we find each other, if one is dead in the water?" said Claudette. "Our sensors can sense our presence, but there is also the telepathic avenue as well." "Boy, that was a dumb question!" "Not really. We are not sure what the distance limit is on telepathy." "It is a person or group-dependent ability," said Aine. "A single person can mind-link with someone on Dóchas from here. If a clan did it together, then there would be no problem. If we are talking about reaching someone in another galaxy, then it comes back to individual and clan abilities." "Thank you." "Oops, I'm sorry," said Sarah's Clan, "this is Aine. She is a special friend of ours." "Could we see how you want to lay out the interior?" asked Joyce. "Our benefactors had several interior ship layouts. We decided on the same style as Dóchas. Everyone likes it and thinks it is very functional. The main drawback is that it requires more structural bracing, which translates into an increased need for power to move it." They spent the rest of the day going over the details of the new spaceships. The group had just reached the point of discussing the bridge, when Amy said, "We have an hour until the dinner chime." "The bridge is an area where we have the least information," said an engineer. "Star, Breacadh, why is the information for the bridge not available to the engineering group?" said Maeve. "It has to do with the rules our benefactors had," said Breacadh. "Can we override it?" "Yes. Command Staff can either allow an exception or remove the restriction completely. My suggestion would be to make this an exception. Command Staff will have to pilot the new ships when they lift off." "You will have access to the information you need by no later than tomorrow morning," said Maeve. "As for the bridge," said Sarah's Clan, together, "we want it to be identical to Dóchas' bridge, with one or two changes. If it can be done, we would like a window so we can see where we are headed. It can be real or virtual. If you have ideas on other modifications of the bridge area, please advise us." "Thanks," said the engineering group. "Let's expand on modifications to the bridge. It is not that we don't think that any changes can be made; there probably are additional ones that would be useful. We do, however, want the three ships to be nearly identical both in operation and performance. This means that we may need to give Dóchas an overhaul, once these two ships are complete." The discussion went on until the chime sounded for dinner. As the group broke up for dinner, many of Sarah's Clan mixed with the engineers as they began to leave, while allowing themselves enough time to stop by their quarters before dinner. They made sure to give each of them a compliment on their efforts and progress. "Sarah's Clan," said Erica, "we have a suite next to ours that you can use this evening." "Great, I hope we can sit and chat after dinner, for a while," said Sarah. "We will make time." "Will you make sure everyone takes time to relax?" "We try to, but all of them seem to thrive on creating something, either for the ships, or the settlement. We haven't completed much in the way of a recreational area yet." "We will see what we can do." ------- Sarah's Clan walked to the front of the dining room at the Mars settlement. "Good evening, we will host our group meeting from here, this evening. Afterward, we would like to have a short meeting with only those at our present location." With that, everyone began to put things away and clean up the tables. They had just finished, when the monitors came to life showing the other locations. "We have a clear view of all locations," said Shannon, on Dóchas. "Same here," said Alice, from Frank's Island. "We have a clear view of all sites," said Darcy, on Comrie. "Briana," asked Sally, "how are the three people you rescued last night? Have they adjusted to their location?" "They are doing fine on both counts. Medical has cleared them to return to the carrier as early as tomorrow. Chester will be wearing a couple of braces on his arms for a while. We think we have a plan for approaching the carrier." "We can discuss, when we return." "Yes." "Shannon or Danny, what is the response to our being visible?" "There has not been much more public reaction. There seems to be a lot taking place on the diplomatic front, based upon the increase in communications that reference space. Several smaller telescopes have turned to view us. Three countries have been able to turn their spy satellites to get a better picture of us. We thought about sending the leader of each country a good picture, via the Internet." "I don't see why not," said Sarah's Clan. "Make sure the moon is in the background on some of the shots, and perhaps the International Space Station. Use info@dochas.org for the return address." "We'll do it right after our meeting. You might send a copy of the photos to a few papers. Pick which ones by the stories they are running." "Does anyone else on Dóchas wish to make a contribution?" "Looks like everyone is fine," said Briana. "Alice," said Sarah's Clan, "does your location have any issues or questions for this evening." "Well, Frank is still looking forward to your visit. Everyone has had their physical and medical consultation. Everyone asked for assistance in enabling their telepathic attribute. It also looks like everyone wants to visit Comrie, Dóchas and the Mars settlement." "That will take several days to accomplish," said Sarah's Clan. "We will look into setting up a round robin of excursions to all three destinations. No guarantees, but it maybe only a 1 day stop at each location." "YES!" came the outbursts, from both Frank's Island and Comrie. Many at each location were laughing at the way the exchange took place. "We know many of you want to visit each place. None of the locations are set up for visitors, so we need to do some planning. It shouldn't take long. We will try to announce the details tomorrow." "Sarah," said Muireann, "could we use the devices we had on Dóchas when we arrived? It was like a little hand held navigator or map. That should make the visitor's stay at each location less of a problem." "An excellent idea." "Darcy, how are things on Comrie? Are there any issues to address?" "Well, James and Clarence have been very relaxed since about noon. James, do you have anything?" "No. The cases are going pretty much as expected, at this stage. We look so relaxed, because we engineered transferring the management the office in Grand View to our assistants. Our roles are now to just monitor the office and the 'flesh peddler' cases. It is a nice feeling. In conjunction with the Intelligence Department, we will begin reanalyzing and reorganizing the 'flesh peddler' data. All of my staff here are really looking forward this new project." "James," said Rusty, "would it work better if you moved your office to Dóchas?" "We will talk about that. I like the idea and by the expressions here, others feel that way as well. It does have some advantages." "Everyone here seems to be very excited about the opportunity to visit the other locations," said Brid. "Looks like Madeline wants the floor," said Darcy. "We have had several calls from members of the National Guard MP unit, expressing interest in working for us. Most indicated they will return to reserve status next week, and several are leaving the unit as their contract is up. We are thinking of having one of the security teams give those being discharged a crew presentation. For the others, we will have them either work out of Nancy's firm's location or out of the location in Utah. Most likely, it will be the latter." "Go for it," said Sarah's Clan. "Actually, Siobhan's and Maureen's Clans have both done crew presentations before." "We know, but we thought the esprit de corps of military service would make things a bit easier to do. Also, we have nearly all of the TTC members from the Afghanistan incident here now. Several others will come later in the week. On a related note, General Walker and Colonel Gordon have been monitoring the TTC members who are either here or coming here. They will likely notice they have disappeared." "Briana, Cass," said Rusty, "find out when General Walker is in his office, and pay him a visit." "What?" "You will need to schedule an appointment in advance, in order to get a pass through security. To schedule it, just tell his office that the topic is about the TTC members from the Afghanistan incident, in particular, Adam and Todd's unit. If they ask for more information, tell them the line is not secure enough to continue." Everyone could see Adam and Todd grinning, while Briana tried to get her arms around the idea. "If necessary, mention the note that Adam gave him as they left." "What note? Are there any limits on what to say? What do I wear? I don't think the tactical suit will be appropriate." "You can tell him as much as you feel comfortable with. You should caution him that there are probably some questions he doesn't want answers to, yet. If you sense an interest, invite him to Comrie, along with his two aides. Block sharing of critical details, if you need to." "Okay. But clothes?" "I think we ought to adopt wearing either a sarong or a Salwar Kameez, consisting of a coat or long shirt and loose pants," said Erin. "Any of us can wear this style. They fit in with some other styles common on earth. Best of all, they are loose, so if we need to use our physical abilities, we won't be hindered." "Good idea," said several. "If the style is what I think it is," said Amy, "it will be very similar to what was worn on our home planet when they greeted out-world visitors." "Any other topics for this evening?" said Sarah's Clan. "Great, rest well. We will head for Dóchas tomorrow morning." ------- "How about we take a short break?" Sarah's Clan asked the group in the dining room on Mars. It wasn't long until everyone was back in the room. "Breacadh, how many of the bots are self-aware?" asked Aoife. "I don't have a firm number. My guess, based on their activity, is a little over 200." "What are the implications of giving them responsibilities, to go along with being self aware?" "Based on the historical data, such an action would be forbidden." "Star, could you please join this discussion," said Aoife. "Thank you," said Star. "Aoife, we sense what you are angling toward, and we think it has merit." "Amy, Sarah's Clans," said Aoife, "I think we should consider having the self-aware bots as full citizens of our society. I don't think we want to say anything tonight, but let's have Breacadh encourage them to attend our meeting this evening, and future group meetings." "Wow," said Amy's Clan. "We can see your reasoning, and agree with your idea. We would like to think it over though. As for tonight, we agree that everyone should be included." "I think that we have already broken the ice in this area, on Comrie," said Judy. "All the biped bots are virtually indistinguishable from the biological species." "When did that happen?" said Jim. "Slowly, I think. We have treated them no differently than anyone else. The confidence and other attributes you associate with self-awareness are most noticeable in those who worked with James and Clarence." "So you're saying they are much like children. Give them guidance, coaching, confidence, love, encouragement and soon you will have a productive adult." "Yes. We need to start as soon as everyone returns," said Sarah. "Breacadh, did you ask the bots to join us." "Yes, the stragglers will be here in a moment. Some of them were quite shocked by the invitation." "Good evening," said Sarah's Clan. "It looks like everyone is here, or will be by the time we start. Please find a seat, so everyone can see." As she finished talking, several others came into the room and took seats with those already there. "This is our first trip of what I expect will be many to this growing settlement. It would have been nice if we could have come sooner. We could tell from our interactions with the different groups here and the progress reports, that there was a great team effort underway. Seeing what you have accomplished only confirms the information, and the impressions we already had. All of you are gems, and we feel that Amy's Clan is a gem among gems." Amy's Clan blushed on hearing the compliment. "Some time ago, we talked about naming this settlement. A place to enter name suggestions has been on our community network for some. There have been several names put forth by the group in this room. Tonight, we would like to decide on a name, since we believe that you should have the most input into that name. Tomorrow, at breakfast, we will propose the name to everyone, and ask for comments." "Okay?" The room was quiet, but a few heads nodded their agreement. "The names that have been suggested are: Neidin, Connemare, Cill Airne, An Clochán, and Donegal. These are all names of Irish places, which we seem to favor. Neidin can be written as Kenmare, which means little nest. An Clochán can be written as Clifden. You can find two meanings for the name An Clochán, one is bee hives and the other is stepping stones. We don't have meanings for the others." A woman in the back stood, and Sarah nodded to her. "First, thank you for inviting me to attend this evening. I may be overstepping my bounds, but I sense the perfect name would be the last one you mentioned. An Clochán really catches the spirit of this group. This is the best group I have ever worked with." "I would second her suggestion," said Andrew, of Jean's Clan. "She is definitely correct, as she almost always is. Both of the meanings fit this location and this group. We are pleased to be here and with this group." "Any other comments?" said Sally. A man stood and said, "As many of you know, my clan was on Dóchas when the accident occurred. All of us wondered if we would survive for a long time. Thankfully, Amy's Clan had the strength to reach out and try to solve our problems. Many of us thought this was a waste of time. Until they found Sarah's Clan, we wouldn't have given a 'plug nickel' for our chances. I hope I used the phrase correctly." Many laughed at his comment. "I know many of you are surprised I am talking this long, as I prefer to mind-link. First, I think the first lady has made an excellent suggestion. We should go with the name 'An Clochán' for our location here. For my last comment, Amy's Clan, please accept my apologies for doubting your efforts. We thank the Gods and Goddesses for giving you the persistence to carry them out." "Gill, we appreciate comments, while your apology," said Amy, "is unnecessary. We knew you doubted the effort. We were always pleased to see you give 100% support whenever it was needed. We should be thanking you. It was some of your clans initiatives that helped us find ways around the old ship's security that allowed us to survive." As she finished, the two clans rose and gave a formal bow to each other. The others in the room broke into applause. "So, 'An Clochán' it is," screamed the first woman to speak. With that began a chant, repeating the name over and over again, that lasted for several minutes. Jill and Janet raised their hands to get everyone's attention. "Breacadh will initiate the system changes this evening." "I thought you were going to wait," said Erica. "Don't get me wrong; I like the name. No, I love the name." "Yes, that was our initial intent, but, at that time, we did not know either the choice or the enthusiasm. We think this choice is perfect, and are nearly certain everyone will feel the way you do about the name." Her comment set off the chanting again. Sarah's Clan raised their hands in order to get everyone to quiet down. "We have one other issue to raise this evening," said the Clan, in perfect harmony. "As we said earlier, we are impressed with what you have accomplished here. You have created a wonderful and growing settlement. We were very pleased with the proposals for the two new spaceships, and construction will begin soon. It appears that the new spacecraft's capabilities will be significantly greater than what we now have on Dóchas. Our only concern is the dark circles under many of your eyes. Please, get more rest. Take a day to relax. We don't want you to burn you all out, or to have you become so narrow in your focus that you lose your perspective. For the next week or so, we hope you will shift your focus to finishing the recreational areas." "Why focus on the recreational areas?" "First, you need a place nearby where you can relax. We have an inkling that we may want to pull out of Comrie, or at least reduce our presence there," said Erin. "We will still keep it operational, but won't use it as heavily as we have been. A key element in this decision is how we are accepted on Earth." "A recreation area here will not be quite the same as the one on Comrie, but it should have many of the most used features," said Siobhan. "There is more?" questioned a woman. "We see ourselves approaching a milestone in our growth," said Aoife. "The issues around the 'flesh peddlers' will abate. Earth will soon know we are here on Mars. The next clear milestone will be the launching of the two new spaceships, and their outfitting. So, in the next week or so, we plan on conferencing to discuss what our future milestones will be beyond that. We have done well because of our focus on reaching where we are today. We need to maintain that focus. Success in reaching the milestone signified by having three Dóchas class spaceships is a necessity for our survival. At the same time, we need to look ahead. We believe that all of us should look ahead as a group." "You are to be commended," said one of the late arrivals, "for including everyone in this effort. I see it as unique to this culture, but, in reality, we are a new culture. I am looking forward to the discussion, and sense that many in this room are as well." The clan leading the engineering group stood and spoke as one. "Sarah's Clan has just pointed out an issue that a few of us had not noticed. There has been a noticeable upsurge in mistakes, by all of us. They are right, it is most likely from fatigue. So tomorrow, first thing, we will discuss how we want to incorporate relaxation and exercise into our schedule." They turned to Sarah's Clan. "Thank you for your observations." "Does anyone have any questions?" said Maureen. The room was quiet. "Well then, good night and sleep well." "Maureen, Siobhan," said Sarah, "I know none of us have explicitly said so, but we would like you to stay with us this evening." "I would like that," said Maureen and Siobhan together, and then they giggled, as they realized they had spoken simultaneously. Amy, Sarah, Jean's Clans, along with Maureen and Siobhan walked off to their quarters. ------- Chapter 89 After breakfast the next morning, Command staff was on their way back to Dóchas when they began a video conference with Briana's clan and the three rescued naval officers. After introductions, Rusty said, "My military background is with army-based special ops, so I don't know much about how an aircraft carrier is organized, from an operational level. Could one of you give us a brief overview?' "Sure," said Keriann; she then began an overview of the aircraft carrier's organizational structure, flight operations, and how it fit in with the Carrier Strike Group. She noted that flight operations were directed from the Primary Flight Center usually referred to as Pri-fly. The Air Wing was divided into squadrons, based upon each aircraft's capabilities. Kelly was the pilot of a EA6B Prowler and she flew the second seat which handled the ECM and navigation. CVN-104 is commanded by Captain Howard and the Samuel CSG-20 is commanded by Rear Admiral Johnson. "We understand that you and Kelly were probably assaulted because of information Kelly had obtained about another officer in the Air Wing. Could you expand a bit more on that?" "Kelly, is it alright if I continue?" said Keriann, "I know you mouth is still sore, making it difficult to talk." Kelly nodded her head affirmatively, and said softly, "Yes, please." "If I make an error, write it on the notepad." "Kelly, Keriann, and Chester, are you aware we are telepathic?" asked Aoife. "We heard that in the presentations Briana's clan showed us," said Chester. "It is still a little hard to believe, or even comprehend." "If you proceed using only speech, it is going to take us quite a while to share the information you need to share. We, therefore, have a proposal that could make all of this quicker, and perhaps make it less painful for you to tell us what happened. Interested?" "Yes," said all three. "As a first step, we need to look at how your mind is organized, and to see what your abilities are. I can promise it won't hurt. After that, we will explain the proposal to you." "Please take a look," said Chester, with Kelly and Keriann nodding agreement. "I still have some doubts about the existence of telepathy though." Command Staff split into three groups, and began to examine Kelly, Keriann and Chester's mental structure. All three had a telepathic attribute, but from the way they organized their thoughts, it was difficult to ascertain how strong they would be, telepathically. They carefully examined each, to see if activating telepathic ability would disturb any of their thought processes. Once they thought they had the answer, they asked Aine for her view. She agreed, but suggested, they caution the three about the implications, and their concerns. "Kelly, Keriann, Chester; we would like to assist each of you in strengthening your telepathic ability. Once we are done, you will be telepathically active. With this ability, you can easily share thoughts with us, or with any other telepathic individual. This ability will let you quickly share what happened on the carrier and why you think it happened, in a much more dynamic way. In this sharing, we will sense the emotions and other subtleties that you felt during the events while you remember them. With this joint sharing of your memories, we may learn some things that would be missed if your reporting is done verbally." "Is the effect of this something like two people being able to look at each other and know the other's answer?" said Keriann. "Yes, in a way, but much more dynamic. Once your telepathic ability is enabled, the three of you will be able to share your thoughts with each other, along with the associated emotions. From what we sense about the three of you, you will all like it." "I'm game," said Keriann, with Kelly nodding vigorously in agreement. "What if we don't like it," asked Chester. "You can turn it off. The organization of your minds is different from any we have seen before, thus we are proposing to enable your telepathic ability just enough to allow this exchange. As we help you enable your telepathy, we will show you how you can further strengthen it, if you want to. Once you grasp how to adjust your sensitivity, we will show you how to manage it and prevent people from invading your mind without your consent." "As for privacy, in our society, a person would be shunned, or worse, for looking at another's thoughts without permission. There can be exceptions. An example of an exception occurred when Briana's Clan rescued the three of you. When a telepath looks at your thoughts, as an active telepath, you will most likely sense the intrusion, but may not know who did so without additional assistance. If you are not telepathically active, you may sense the probe but not its implication. They used telepathy to look at your life signs and where you were sensing distress in your body. This knowledge let them alert our staff that they needed the medical technicians and what your condition was, so they were prepared to assist you. They also sent you calming thoughts, to make the rescue easier." "When I hit the water, I was scared. The bag over my head trapped some air, but not nearly enough. It seemed like I would never surface and my arms were flopping around in the turbulence like leaves in the wind. I remember being very panicked, then it faded and I felt a calmness flow over me. Now, I think I understand why my panic quickly evaporated," said Keriann. The other two nodded. "What happens if we like telepathy, and want to keep it active when we leave here?" said Chester. "Our recommendation is for you to alter your native capability so that your telepathic ability will act as your danger detector. If you leave yours fully active, we would be concerned that someone on earth will notice a difference in your actions. If someone discovered you were telepathic, we believe that you would gain a lot of unwanted attention." "I'm in," said Kelly softly. The others nodded their agreement. "Alright, we will start with Kelly, as she is the strongest telepath. Kelly, you will sense us in your mind and then hear our thoughts. "Hi, Kelly. Just think your answers. Ready." "Yes." With her acknowledgment, Aoife, Sarah, Siobhan and Erin began to assist her in enabling her telepathic ability. Enabling that ability immediately let her perceive how she had organized her mind, and the areas where the Command Staff had some concerns. They also took time to show her how to limit her connections, and how to protect herself from being mentally attacked. Once Kelly's abilities were almost fully enabled, Tara, Maureen, Alison and Joyce began to assist Keriann with enabling hers. After a few moments, Rusty, Judy, Claudette, Maeve began to assist Chester. "All of you should now see an object for our clan, and a subset for each of us in your mind," said Tara. "You should also be able to sense each other." "Yes," replied all three, smiling as they sensed the how much they cared for each other. "Next, you should notice that the object's appearance is different for those who are telepathic and those who are not. The objects you associate with each other appear different than the ones for Briana's Clan or ourselves. This difference is because all three of you care a good deal about each other. You should not be surprised by that knowledge. What you may find surprising is that you can sense the emotional intensity associated with that caring." Kelly, Keriann and Chester nodded acknowledging the observation. "Now, back to our purpose for doing this," said Sarah. "Kelly, would you relive the important events related to this situation from your perspective. You will likely feel the emotions you felt then, but the time span will be quite short. The pain will not be sensed as pain, rather, you will be aware that it occurred. Overall, reliving the incidents should also have a positive effect on your view of what happened." "Okay, here we go." With that, Kelly shared a few of the times she crossed paths with the EXO and others in his click. This included the intimidation and humiliation she saw happen to several other women officers and enlisted women on the ship. She quickly went through the events on the carrier leading up to them being dumped overboard. When she was done, Keriann and she were crying. Chester's rage was evident, in both his appearance and through the mind-link. Rusty could both sense and see the anger building in Chester, and knew if he didn't get control of it he would began hitting something to release his anger. Rusty could see a part of his rage was due to Kelly reliving what happened. "Chester, there was no other way." "I know. If I could get a hold on the pigs, it would give me so much pleasure to ring their necks, slowly." "Think about this: Revenge is a dish best served cold, if it needs to be served." "What do you mean?" "Sometimes the perpetrator puts himself in a position to receive what he dished out, if nudged in the right direction. At other times, it may take setting up the circumstances for the perpetrator, so that he arranges his own punishment. Many times, the pain inflicted is returned in spades, in a way that is more painful to the guilty party. It doesn't mean the actual punishment is the same, but the pain experienced is greater. Especially when they realize their predicament and humiliation is the result of their own doing. It is then only revenge in the fact you have nudged the circumstances for it to take place." "I think I see what you are alluding to." "We will be approaching Dóchas shortly," said Alison. "We have a few more details to iron out. How do we want to do it?" "Briana," said Sarah, "can you see if James and Clarence have time to meet with us as soon as we arrive? Shannon and Muireann's Clans should be included." "I think they are all here," said Cass. "Great, can you all set it up? We will meet you in the conference room, shortly. You may want to fill them in on the issue before we get there." "We're on it." During the remaining part of the trip, the Command Staff checked on the activities at each of the four locations. They saw the groups at Comrie and Frank's island making preparations for their excursions to the other locations. Those from Frank's island would get to spend two days each on Dóchas, at An Clochán and Comrie. While those living on Comrie would go to Dóchas, and then on to An Clochán. They were pleased with how well the name of the Mars settlement was accepted by everyone. Based on everyone's reactions, the name seemed to have struck a cord. The Command Staff, after some consultations and evaluation of some of the subtle issues, decided on a soft approach for including the self-aware bots in everything. They asked Star, Donna and Breacadh to inform all of the self-aware bots that they were welcome at all general crew meetings. When they did that, they realized their group was now more than just a crew of a space ship. ------- It was mid-afternoon when Command Staff entered the conference room. There was an audible gasp from Kelly, Keriann and Chester as they looked up at the group. Alison went right to them, saying, "Hi, I'm Alison," as she gave a hug to each one. Her spouses followed her lead, in greeting the newcomers. "Telepathic exchange of thoughts," said Tara, "is great, but when it comes right down to it, I like hugs better." Many in the room acknowledged that they felt the same way. "We asked everyone to gather here," said Rusty, "to review options concerning how we can get these three back to their ship, if it is possible. Is everyone aware of the situation?" "James and Clarence's group reviewed the data while we were waiting for you to join us," said Cass. "We were able to retrieve the evidence that Kelly had hidden on the ship last night," said Adam. "Oh, shit," said Kelly, with a frown. "I just remembered what was bothering me earlier about those CDs. The evidence you retrieved was intended to be found." Everyone looked at her strangely. "I tried to place it so that only an intense search would find it. All is not lost; let me explain. I suspected I was in danger. I had no idea that Keriann would also be in danger. I have my own web site, with mail hosting. I can access that mail, or the web site, through a ordinary browser. All of the evidence was placed on that server, while only a small portion is on each of the decoy CDs. The portion on the CDs is enough to give the twerps cause for concern, and, hopefully, many sleepless nights." "What is the address for the server," pondered Sally. "We can access it from here. Our systems can do it automatically, or we have a terminal here you can use." "If your systems can do it while we continue our discussion, great. This is the server address and the access requirements. Considering the circumstances, if you are unsure of anyone who is accessing the site, please block them while I tell you the rest of the set-up." "The evidence was placed in two files. They are in special locations on the server. One is encrypted and the other is not. The encrypted one is in what appears to be an unused application area. Also on the server is a script that sends an e-mail to my naval e-mail account every day on some weird topic. Every visitor connecting to the server is logged by address and user-id. In the background, the visitor log is scanned to monitor accessing my mail, which tracks the frequency. So, if I don't check my mail for 48 hours, or if the daily e-mail bounces back several times, a series of scripts are initiated. The master script includes some conditionals, to minimize a false send. One script makes several changes in the server's security parameters. The second script sends the evidence file, by e-mail, to NCIS in the Pentagon, NCIS in Norfolk (our home port), the Carrier Strike Group Commander, the Air Wing Commander and the CVN-104's Captain. The message basically says: "Attached is a file containing information on abuse of crew members on CVN-104 that I have witnessed. The information was going to be given to SP on our return to port. Since you are receiving this automated message, the enclosed information could implicate those who, most likely, had a hand in my disappearance." Another script sends the evidence to a service, which places the evidence on CD. The CDs are then mailed to the various NCIS offices." "It is very interesting, the way you handled your risk," said Jill. "In hindsight, I am not sure it was laid out as well as it should have been. I can see several flaws that I didn't see before." "Kelly, why didn't you say something to me," Chester wondered, with a sad expression on his face. "Oh, I thought about it. Every time I talked myself out of it, since I didn't want to put either of you at risk, or jeopardize your careers. I knew if I said anything to either of you, both of you would want to be fully involved." "Let's hold that discussion for another time," said Tara. "From my view point, Keriann and Clarence might want to try and see it from Kelly's perspective, at the time. Involving more people would probably not have changed the outcome, but perhaps the path." Keriann and Clarence had thoughtful looks on their faces for a few moments. They then moved closer to Kelly. Keriann put an arm around her while Chester moved closer, so they were touching. The expressions on their faces relaxed, as they began to understand each other's point of view through their mind-link. "Let's see, this morning will be 48 hours since your ordeal first began," said Joyce, to bring the focus back on track. "Yes, that seems right, because I don't remember anything from after breakfast until I woke up. bound and hanging naked," said Kelly. "It appears your script sent the messages over an hour ago," said Star. "Thanks, Star. Kelly, what do you think of this approach?" said Sally. "We send e-mail from Command@dochas.org addressed to Captain Howard and to the Admiral? In it, we will tell them that we found three of their crew in the carrier's wake, the night before last. All three of you were injured, but are now well enough to return to the ship. We will ask how they want us to approach the carrier, since we are not familiar with their operations. In the closing portion, we will list your names, give them our frequency, and a call sign to reach us. We will advise them that they can respond by return e-mail with a time and instructions on approaching, so we can bring back the crew members." "If they agree, the air wing will likely put up several fighter groups and the Carrier Strike Group will probably go to General Quarters." "We don't think that will be a problem. Right now, we have several star fighters shadowing the Carrier Strike Group. We may want them to go visible, once we know the Captain has our e-mail." "What is the plan, if they blow you off?" said James. Command Staff smiled. "That is why we invited the rest of you here." "Do you always come up with such simple problems to solve?" asked Clarence, chuckling. "We know how creative your group is." Several others chuckled, as the exchange had the effect of relaxing the group. "How about this?" said James. "Bear in mind, we may want to fine tune this idea, since I haven't thought of all the ramifications. I could call the AG, and tell him GISS has been approached by a group that picked up three of CVN-104's crew from the Atlantic ocean. All three were severely injured when picked up. The rescuers have provided medical treatment, and the three crewmen are well enough to return to the carrier. The ship's Captain now seems reluctant to let them come back to the ship." "You certainly would really create ripples with that," said Chester. "We could also throw in the tidbit that one of the women had noticed some unprofessional activities among the crew. She thought this was the reason she had been dumped overboard, naked, after being subjected to several hours of physical and sexual abuse." "You know the AG is going to ask who the group is," said Clarence. "Yes, and I am going to tell him. It is the crew from the spaceship, and they contacted GISS because they were impressed with their conduct, and the way they operate. After he settles down, it could be suggested that the crew members be brought to NAS Norfolk or Andrews AFB." "The down side," said Kelly, "will be the debriefing. It will potentially be much more intense, with them knowing we were picked up by the space ship crew. Also, I think I would feel safer at Norfolk or Andrews than back on the carrier. Andrews has the advantage of being operated by a different branch of the service, so security could be greater." "We think so, as well," said Terry. "We could have a bot to go with you, to aid in your protection. They could stay with you until things were settled." "They wouldn't let them stay." "That is true, if they knew they were there. Bots have the ability to cloak, or control their visibility. The bots would only be visible to the three of you." "Any other ideas?" "I like both choices," said Adam. "Can we back up for a moment? Could we put the decoy evidence back where it could be found?" "Kelly's room was searched several times after you saw the two enter her compartment," said Star. "Now that we have the coordinates for the locations, we can teleport the CD back into the compartments." "I think that would be a good idea," said Chester. "It will satisfy their need to find something. Once they see what is on the CD, they should feel very uneasy." "Those who searched the compartments are now infected with the truth bug. By now, it will have spread to those who are two levels distant from them." "The what?" said Keriann. "The truth bug is a harmless virus that alters some brain functions. It effectively causes those infected to answer every question truthfully," said Judy. "If they attempt to hold back, it triggers a sensation of pain throughout their body. They answer truthfully, anyway." The three crew members looked at Judy for a long time, as they were unsure if she was kidding or not. "Kelly, your server appears to be fine. You can use any terminal in here to access it." Kelly moved over to a terminal. They watched her eyes grow, in astonishment, as she began entering the instructions. The responses to her input came back with virtually no time delay. Finally she said, "Are you sure this is connecting to my server?" "Yes," said Star. "Right now there is a little lag, due to the route it has to take." "A little slow? You've got to be kidding. I have never worked on a computer that was this fast." After a few moments, she looked up. "All the e-mails were sent over an hour ago. Plus, someone has been persistently trying to hack into the system." "We noticed that, and have taken care of that problem," said Star, "by redirecting the hacker's effort toward a DOD security center in such a way it triggers an intrusion alarm there." Kelly looked around at everyone in the room. "I sense everyone is waiting for me. Let's try the carrier approach first, although I am concerned about going back there. I like the idea of going to Norfolk much better. Andrews AFB is a good idea, but I think keeping it within the Navy is a better approach, although the risk could be higher." "Believe it or not, it is nearly dinner time," said Sarah. "We should consider waiting until first thing tomorrow to start our efforts. Doing that, I think, will give us the best shot at completing everything during daylight." "Good, we can stay here another night," said Keriann. "You like it here, don't you," Chester asked. "Yes, very much, although I would have preferred a different route to get here." "Sarah," said Chester, "I think you have an excellent idea. The extra time will give all the recipients of the CDs enough time to see what they have in their hands." "Rusty," said Kelly softly, "can you send the email to the carrier when it is 0700 on the carrier?" "Sure." On the way to freshen up for dinner, Kelly and Keriann walked on each side of Chester, with their arms around him. "Kelly, I'm sorry I responded so sharply earlier. The safety net you pulled to together was very well thought out. In hindsight, if you had added us to the mix, we could have made it stronger. I understand why you didn't, and have to admit I would likely have done the same thing." "I see now that I should have brought both of you into my plan. I promise I won't be so hesitant in sharing with both of you any future plans. With respect to that kind of situation, I hope none of us see another one like it. Some of the people they humiliated, I don't think will fully recover." As they entered the suite, Keriann said, "This suite is so neat. The best part is that I am sharing it with both of you." "We like sharing it with you, as well," said Chester and Kelly in unison. ------- It was exactly 0700 when Rusty sent the e-mails to Captain Howard and Admiral Johnson, telling them they had picked up three CVN-104 officers from the ocean. The message said that all three appeared to have been victims of an assault. Medical treatment for their injuries had been given to all three. They would like to return the crew to the ship, but weren't sure how to arrange that. Their aircraft could land on the carrier without any difficulty, if that was acceptable. The three Navy officers weren't sure of the procedure for a non-military aircraft to approach the carrier. The crew members they had picked up were: Lt. Kelly McDonnell, Lt. Keriann O'Connell and Mr. Chester O'Callahan. He ended the e-mail by telling the commanders how they could respond to the email and giving his, as well as his phone number and radio frequency. It was less than an hour later when Rusty was told that a Captain Howard was on the satellite phone. As Rusty picked up the phone in the conference room, everyone became very quiet. "Mind-link, so you can hear the conversation," Rusty told the group. "Hello, this is Rusty." "Hello, Rusty, this is Captain Howard. I am here with Admiral Johnson and my Executive Officer. I would prefer to put you on the speaker phone, so everyone can hear. Is that agreeable?" "Yes, sir. On this end, my associates are also listening to our conversation." "Fine. Can you tell us where you found the three officers you claim to have rescued?" "Yes, they were picked up at about 25 North and 60 West. I could give the exact ordinates, if necessary." "That would be helpful. While your staff is getting that, could you give us a medical status on the three." "Would you prefer they tell you?" "Yes, if they can." "Well Lt. O'Connell and Mr. O'Callahan can speak but Lt. McDonnell has some damage to her mouth, and has difficulty speaking." "Admiral Johnson, Captain Howard, this is Lt. O'Connell. Our medical status is that Lt. McDonnell's front teeth were removed, both shoulders were dislocated, there were two deep puncture wounds to her breasts, a broken nose, and severely abraded skin on her torso and legs. The last is the result of being whipped. Mr. O'Callahan has two broken arms and several broken ribs. One arm was broken in both segments. My own wounds are dislocated shoulders, two deep puncture wounds to my breasts, and severely abraded skin as a result of being whipped. Both Lt. McDonnell and I were raped continuously for several hours before we were dumped into the ocean with the garbage." "Lt. O'Connell, how did the accident occur?" said Captain Howard. "Sir, it was not an accident. After we were abused for several hours on the carrier, we were dumped into the ocean." "That is really difficult to believe," said Captain Howard, conveying his disbelief in his tone. "Captain Howard," said Lt. O'Connell, tersely, "this is a summary of what happened. Some time after breakfast, three days ago, we woke up hanging naked, in what we now believe was a large compartment at the rear of the hanger deck. We each had a ring gag in our mouth and a hood over our head, effectively silencing us and hiding our identity. We could see to some extent through openings in the hoods, but the view was distorted, except when looking down. While hanging, a group of two men and two women repeatedly gave us large enemas until we passed out from the pain. After that, the two women pushed a large blanket pin through each of our breasts which was then soldered shut. We were then whipped until we felt like we had an intense sunburn. Our abuse continued as we were continually raped for apparently several hours. When they finished with that, they forced us to drink the cum they collected. Our shoulders were dislocated before they dumped us into what smelled like garbage bins, where we were then covered with more garbage. Our last memories of the carrier are falling into the ocean. I don't think that fits the definition of an accident!" "You're right, that is not an accident. Could you identify any of the people involved?" "Not very easily, as they muffled their voices while they abused us. They covered our eyes and ears while we were being gangbanged. I suspect the perpetrators are the same as the personnel Kelly identified in the documents she sent you." "Lt. McDonnell," said Admiral Johnson, "we have looked through the documents you e-mailed us. The content is very unsettling. Are you willing to risk your career with these allegations? Lt. O'Connell, you can speak for her, if necessary." "Admiral Johnson," said Kelly, as she carefully moved her lips and spoke softly, "I had planned on submitting that information to NCIS on our return to port. As to risking my career, fucking, aye! After the kind of discrimination and abuse I saw, I will find a career somewhere else." "So, Captain Howard, does your speech recognition equipment confirm they are here," asked Rusty. "For Lt. O'Connell, the match is fine and for Lt. McDonnell, it is close. How did you know?" "I am familiar with some of the techniques used for verifying identities from speech patterns." Rusty pointed at O'Callahan. "Admiral Johnson, Captain Howard, this is Chester O'Callahan. If you want to do a visual inspection of us, I understand our rescuers aircraft can easily land and take off from the carrier. I do not think it would be wise for us to stay there very long. Norfolk would be a better place for us to go." "How did you end up in the water?" "I arrived on the fantail just in time to see two men dump the garbage bins. Although I didn't actually see Lt. O'Connell and Lt. McDonnell fall, I did see the large splash of two large objects in the falling garbage. The two sailors dumping the bins were not pleased to see me, and a scuffle quickly ensued with the two men. I was close to achieving my goal of dumping them in the ocean as well, until someone hit me from behind with a metal bar. The first blow almost knocked me off the walkway. There was no way to hold on once they hit my arms with the metal bar several times. It was those blows that broke my arms." "Why were you there?" "Lt. McDonnell's crew chief came and told me he thought O'Connell and McDonnell were in trouble. He told me he hadn't seen them since early morning. Scuttlebutt had it that there were two new women being gangbanged in the rear hanger. From what was said about that, and seeing the Air Wing EXO giving several in his clique the high five, he was concerned. When I got up there, there was no one in the hanger. There was a trail of liquid on the deck, so I followed it out on to the walkway. Unfortunately, I got there too late. Thankfully, this group saw the women fall, and then my scuffle with the three men, or we wouldn't be here." "Could you identify the sailors?" "Possibly, besides I am almost certain they were officers, but they weren't dressed as officers." "I suspect several of them will be surprised to see you," said Admiral Johnson. "No doubt." "Lt. O'Connell," said Captain Howard, "how was your crew chief around you and the other female crew members?" "Always, pleasant and respectful. No leering or off-color comments, but fun to be around. Why?" "He is in the brig for attempting to rape an officer." "That's bullshit. Who was the officer?" "Lt. Clinton." "She is one of the Air Wing EXO's special sluts. She will do anything he asks, absolutely anything." "Interesting." It was several long minutes before the Captain spoke again. "Rusty, Chester said you could land on the carrier without any problems." "Yes, quite easily." "I have a couple of questions, and then a suggestion about how to proceed." "We're listening." "First, how can we verify your identity, beyond voice recognition? Second, would you take the three officers to Norfolk for us? We would like you to stop here on the way. Yes, we believe what you have told us, but we would like to see the three crew members for ourselves. One last request, we would appreciate it if you would take their crew chief with you when you leave the carrier." "We don't have any problem with your requests." There were many smiles around the conference room, as the uncertainty diminished. "As for verifying who I am, the easiest way would be for you to contact James MacFarland, he is a US District Attorney. GISS would be able to put you in contact with him. The contact information is being e-mailed to you now." "Thanks. How soon can you be here?" "Within the hour, if that is acceptable. Our call sign will be Dóchas Alpha1 and the transponder will show that and DSTA01. We will come toward you to drop into the landing pattern and then land. Our craft will not need any assistance in landing. We will stop in the middle of the deck, beside the island. We would appreciate it if everyone would stay back until we exit the ship." "We don't see a problem with that, although it is an unusual," said Admiral Johnson. "We generally like to tie aircraft down, to avoid them rolling into something." "I can assure that will not be a problem," said Rusty smiling. "We will enter your airspace promptly in one hour. We look forward to meeting you." "Agreed." "Briana's Clan, you will be going with us," said Sarah's Clan. "Half of the Command Staff will be on board, as well. We will all wear a Salwar Kameez long coat and pants. Okay, let's get ready, we need to leave in less than thirty minutes." ------- "Rusty," said James, "I have an arrogant Captain Howard and Admiral Johnson on the phone. They want me to verify your identity." "Arrogant? They seemed pretty decent when we were talking to them a few minutes ago. You know I am not really keen on telling them too much about any of our backgrounds before we joined this society. It doesn't seem to be relevant to the situation, and actually could make things more complicated. So I will leave it in your hands as to how you want to do this, councilor." Several of Sarah's Clan chuckled. "Councilor, my, aren't we getting formal. I need to get out my fee book now." Both groups could sense the laughter. "You have just given me a neat way to handle the Captain and Admiral." "Cool. You may want to talk to the AG about this call. It would be comforting if those five drivers you met on your trip to Washington were the ones to look after these three officers. It wouldn't surprise me if there weren't some people looking to silence them. I plan on having a few words with the Norfolk NCIS Commander, regarding their security when we drop them off." The longer Rusty talked, the more irritated he became. "Rusty," said Chester, "relax, both the Admiral and Captain are worried about this whole thing. It wouldn't surprise me if there wasn't a C-20 or two headed for them at the moment, full of NCIS and Marine MPs. There is a cancer in that crew, and, unfortunately, the Captain will likely be blamed, and possibly, the Admiral. This is a system problem, not a command problem. I don't know how to solve the system problem." "James," said Rusty, "if you can find a way, you may want to tell the Captain a bit about the case that brought us together." "Good idea." ------- Alison and Maureen were in the pilots chairs of Alpha1 when those making the trip to the carrier and Norfolk arrived at the shuttle. "These clothes feel very comfortable," said Sarah, as she looked around at the others. "All of you look great. You know, this is the first time we have worn any covering, except for the tactical suits, since we arrived at Comrie. Gee, that has been nearly four years." "Yes, they are comfortable," said Aoife, "but I will be even more comfortable when we take them off." Every one of her spouses agreed with her. "And you weren't keen on nudity," said Sally, "when you first arrived." Several in the group chuckled, as Aoife stuck her tongue out at Sally. "Command Staff," said Sarah, "I sense we are ready to go forth." With that pronouncement, the shuttle lifted from is cradle and moved out the hanger door. The three passengers were intently starring out the windows as they departed Dóchas. "Wow," they said, as Alison turned Alpha1so they could see all of Dóchas and then Earth. "You know, I never tire of seeing either view," said Joyce. "Kelly, Keriann, Chester," said Maureen, "we would loiter to let you have a longer look, but we are getting short on time." "Command Staff," said Shannon, "the carrier has launched two groups of fighters. They also have recon plane in the air." "Acknowledged." "Sabrina, your flight will escort them but stay cloaked; we don't want to give them an excuse to cause an incident." "What if they try something?" "Well, if they had a major avionics failure, they couldn't do anything now could they?" said Kelly. "We can handle that." As they passed by the Carrier Strike Group, they could see that the carrier's deck was relatively empty. Several planes sat along the starboard foredeck, leaving the port catapult operational. The other ships appeared to have more hands on deck than normal. Alpha1 flew past the Carrier Strike Group and then turned back so they would approach off the port side. Just before they officially entered the carrier's airspace, Alison initiated the transponder, while Maureen turned off the cloaking. Alison called CVN-104's Pri-fly, and asked for the heading they were to use. Within five minutes, they were passing the carrier again, as they went to make the turn for the approach. Both those on Alpha1 and in the Intelligence Department monitored the communications between the ships and the aircraft. It was one of sailors on an escort ship who identified the aircraft as one they had seen several weeks earlier. Alison and Alpha1 worked together to make the descent to the deck of the carrier in the same manner one of the Navy planes would although it was not necessary. Once over the carrier deck, the Alpha1 established a force field around the shuttle and quietly floated over to the designated meeting place. As it floated across the deck, they could see several sailors kneel down to look under the shuttle. The look on their face was priceless, as they couldn't see anything touching the deck. No one made any attempt to approach the shuttle when it stopped. After a few moments, the door opened and Rusty and Sarah exited first, followed by Briana, Adam, and Cass. Once they stepped on the deck, five more of Briana's Clan moved to flanking positions alongside the shuttle. After a few moments, Kelly, Keriann and Chester stepped out of the shuttle. As soon as they were visible, Admiral Johnson and Captain Howard walked toward them, followed by several staff. Where they had been standing, a sailor lay on a stretcher, with two medics in attendance. Rusty said, "Good afternoon gentlemen, my name is Rusty," as the two men, with their aides, stepped through the shield and reached out to shake hands. "Good afternoon, Rusty, this is Rear Admiral Johnson and I am Captain Howard." "Let me introduce you to our group. These are Sarah, Sally, Terry, Joyce, Jill, Janet, Briana, Adam, Cass, Charlotte, and Abaigeal. Our two pilots are waiting in the ship. These folks are Kelly, Keriann and Chester, who you may not have met before." "We hope you did not take offense at our having two flights of aircraft up." "If the roles were reversed, I suspect I would do something similar," said Sally. "Lt. McDonnell, Lt. O'Connell and Mr. O'Callahan, please be assured that everyone involved will be punished for their actions. We are deeply embarrassed this event occurred on this ship, and in this group. A group from NCIS, along with a Marine MP detachment, will be arriving shortly after you depart." "Who is on the stretcher?" wondered Keriann. "Your crew chief," said Captain Howard, as one of the escorts waved to the medics to bring the stretcher over. "It seems that several people thought he should be the subject of a blanket party last night. He was in very bad shape when they found him in the brig this morning." "You mean someone managed to do that in the brig," said Chester. "Captain, I know how I would solve the problem and those in port wouldn't like the fallout. I don't envy you." "Chester that wouldn't solve the problem," said Keriann, "it would just rid you of the obvious rotten apples. Captain, if I may, your crew problem is part cultural and part a lack of understanding. Men are taught in subtle ways that women are not equal to them. We aren't, in many ways, but we are as good, or better, in many other ways besides being mothers. In order to succeed, some of my gender are not very forthright in dealing with men, if fact, they are deceitful, if not worse. The crew would be much stronger if they built on each other's strengths, rather undermining each other. I know I didn't express that well, but I think you understand the intent." While Keriann was talking, the medics brought the stretcher out and set it next to the shuttle's stairs. Cass and Abaigeal carried him inside immediately. Alpha1's two medical technicians began to treat his injuries. "Yes, I think we do. Actually, I think you said it quite well." "Rusty, Mr. MacFarland was very complimentary in his remarks about your group," said Admiral Johnson. "We are very fortunate that your group saw these three fall into the water. On behalf of the Navy, we thank you for the rescue, and for transporting them to Norfolk." The Admiral paused, as if he was about to ask another question. "Admiral, it appears you have another question but aren't sure how to phrase it. The two most likely ones can be answered by, yes we are all quite tall. I stand 7' 8" tall, as do several of the women, and most of the others are between 6' 6" and 7'. Yes, we are from the space ship." "Now that you have broken the ice, I have a multitude of additional questions." "I don't think we have time. The two inbound C-20s are less than an hour out. I think the answers to some of your questions can be answered this way: You didn't see our aircraft until we were ready to approach, which was our intent. We expect that one or two of the fighters will try to cause an incident when we depart. When they do, they will have the most exciting avionics failure of all time. You might want to keep some of what I just told you to yourselves for a while, as, most likely, no one will believe you. As for the other questions, perhaps we can quietly arrange a visit in the near future." "Gentlemen," said Sarah, "it was nice to meet you. Your four crew members will be at Norfolk in less than an hour." Sarah stepped over and shook their hands with each one, as did the rest of the crew, just before they went into Alpha1. Sarah and Rusty waited until everyone was inside before they waved to those watching. As the door closed, the Admiral and Captain stepped back away from the shuttle. Everyone watched, spellbound, as Alpha1 floated toward the bow of the ship, picking up speed as it slowly rose. Once it cleared the bow, it accelerated quickly. As it passed the front of the task group, two of the circling fighters dove toward it, with full after- burners. Just as the naval fighters reached a position to fire air to air missiles, the jets abruptly flamed out. On board, the pilots' immediate response was to quickly try restarting the engines. Their focus was such that it took them a few precious seconds before they realized that all systems were dead. When they looked up, they responded automatically to the quickly approaching ocean. They were moments from entering the ocean when the ejection levers were pulled. The sailors on the ships silently watched the two jets silently dive toward the ocean. Just as the nose of the planes hit the water, the canopy of the fighters exploded as the ejection seats shoved the pilots through the canopy, driving the nose into the ocean. The ejection seats barely cleared the plane's tails before they began to flip end over end several times before sinking. Several ships had to haul over to avoid the debris. Rescue helicopters launched and were waiting to pick up the pilots where they landed in the water. The carrier had just recovered the planes and the two injured pilots when the two C-20 transports began their approach. The Admiral and Captain stood on the bridge watching the planes approach. "You know, Lt. O'Connell was right about the division within the crew," said the Captain. "Yes, she was. Rusty was right too, as I think we need to be very careful about who we tell what he told us." "Sir, I think it should stay between you and I." The Admiral just nodded his agreement. "I wonder if they were serious about the offer to visit." ------- When Alpha1 began to approach controlled air space, Alison called Norfolk flight operations and identified herself, before asking them where they were to enter the landing pattern. After several exchanges, they began to direct her in toward the base landing pattern. As soon as she touched down, she was transferred to ground control. They guided her toward the transient arrival area. "Guys, it looks like we have a large welcoming group." "I can see five who appear to be our drivers from when we went to Washington with MacFarland," said Cass. As Alison turned Alpha1 toward the designated parking area, Maureen enabled the shuttle's shields. Looking out the windows, they could see many on the flight line had stopped what they were doing. They stood and watched the strange ship appear to float along the taxiway. Alison brought Alpha1 to a stop where the ramp agent was indicating. Shore Patrol immediately established a perimeter around the shuttle. Maureen and Alison were initially concerned, but once the line was established, most of the sailors turned to face outward. Again, they followed the same pattern for leaving Alpha1 that they had used on the carrier. Rusty and Sarah exited a few moments after the shuttle door opened, followed by Briana, Adam and Cass. When Briana, Adam, and Cass came into view, the four former Marines nodded to them, with surprised looks on their faces. Once Briana, Adam and Cass were clear of the door, five more of Briana's Clan moved to flanking positions alongside the shuttle. After a few moments, Kelly, Keriann and Chester stepped out of the shuttle. As soon as they were visible, many of the welcoming group moved forward. "Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, my name is Rusty, and our group consists of Sarah, Sally, Terry, Joyce, Jill, Janet, Briana, Adam, Cass, Charlotte, and Abaigeal. Our two pilots are waiting in the ship. These are Lt. Kelly McDonnell, Lt. Keriann O'Connell and Mr. Chester O'Callahan; Captain Howard, as you are aware, asked us to bring them here. There is another sailor inside on a stretcher, but I don't know his name. Your medical people can go inside, to arrange to take over his care." The welcoming group's leader began, "Thank you. Dr. Albright, you and your nurse can enter the aircraft." Turning back to Sarah's Clan, "My name is Commander McGrath." They all heard a loud voice from the aircraft say, "Son of a Bitch". Quickly followed by "Commander, will you come look at this." Rusty nodded to the Commander, acknowledging it was okay. Rusty watched as the Commander hurried inside. He was inside the shuttle for a few moments and then came back out. The expression indicated he was clearly pissed. As he came back over to the group from NCIS, he said, "Captain, contact our crew on the carrier. The people involved in the blanket party are to be charged with attempted murder." "Rusty, we have a secure place where we can talk. How long can you stay? Your pilots can join, as well, if they would like to." "Alison, Maureen, would you please join us? Have Alpha1 move to standby, with her security shield enabled. Set it so that the Shore Patrol can enter the shielded area." "We'll be out in a minute." During the short exchange with the NCIS Commander, several members of Briana's Clan went over to talk to the five Marines they had worked with before. "Hi, Cathal," said Cass, "I see you brought the rest of your crew." The five Marines were a little surprised at seeing them, but at the same time, they pleased to see them again. Briana told them she thought MacFarland had probably recommended to the AG that they assist with this matter. "The pilots will be with us in a moment," said Sarah. "Commander, we are not too keen on going to a strange conference room, given the topics we have to discuss today." Commander McGrath started to speak. "We met yesterday with James MacFarland, a US District Attorney, when we were trying to figure out how return the crew members to their carrier. MacFarland thinks it is highly probable that these crimes are linked to an investigation his office is conducting. I suspect that is why those five Marines that are talking with part of our group are here with you." Commander McGrath looked at the Marines and then Rusty for a few moments, trying to decide what to say. "We were all summoned to the office this morning and told that we were to focus all our efforts on this crime by the Director of NCIS. From watching and listening to her, I could tell she was pissed. In fact, I don't think I have ever seen her that pissed. It was clear her anger was not directed toward us. Just before our crew was ready to leave, we had a call from Captain Howard. He requested a detachment from our office be deployed to the carrier immediately. He also wanted a detachment of Marine MPs to come with them. I suspected I knew why, but asked anyway. He said he had received a document by e-mail, indicating that several major crimes had occurred on the carrier." "We were shocked when he called less than two hours later. He told us he had a message that the three missing crew members had been picked up, and that the rescuers wanted to return them either to the ship or Norfolk. Returning them to the ship was not high on his list, but he did want to see them. We told him the three crew members could be brought here. It was clear to both of us that they would be in considerable danger in either place, but probably less so here." "Once Captain Howard had your agreement on stopping on the carrier, he called to give us the details. Like any investigator who has lots of surprises in one day, I did a little searching of the few leads I had. Our information pattern match showed that of the five principals in GISS used to work in network and data security. The confusing part was that they disappeared, and were apparently killed in an accident, well before GISS was formed. A man in the group was a formerly in Army Special Ops. So I went and tried to look up his service record. My request was declined, advising me that I had insufficient clearance. The system did acknowledge there was an individual by that name, who was a former Special Ops team member. It did supply me with an old photo and general physical description. The response closed with an indication that the system had supplied all the information my clearance permitted. The photo resembles you, but you appear to be significantly taller than the person in the records, as well as somewhat different in other ways." "Yes, we are aware of those events and of the similarity to ourselves. They were a fantastic group of people. They are now not us. Commander, we should check this group for bugs. Would you ask everyone to turn off their radios and phones? As soon as they, do we will check for bugs." "Boy, you squeaked by that one," said Sarah, with a smile. "Listen up. We need everyone in this group to turn off their radios and cell phones while we are here. Does anyone know the status of the departure lounge, or is the hanger next to flight operations empty?" While the Commander was talking, Cass had walked over to one of those in the NCIS group. After motioning for quiet, she pointed to his radio and held out her hand. He slowly handed it to her. When she opened the back, the modifications to the radio were apparent. Cass asked for another's cell phone, when they opened it, the additions were also clearly visible. Cass motioned their Marine friends over toward her. Cathal and Casey studied the two devices for a moment, and then walked several hundred yards away before pulling out their phones. "If you need your phones or radios, you can turn them back on," said Commander McGrath. "Our visitors have raised some valid security concerns about using the conference room. We need to find a location where we can talk, without worrying about snoopers. Besides, it would be nice to sit down, and we may want refreshments." "McGrath, could we use their craft, as it looks large enough?" said Lt. Bradley. "We have no objection," said Sarah, "we would be concerned about how others might view it in the future, though." Just as she finished, Casey walked back to the group. He held up a sign that said, "Please give me your phones and give your radios to Eric. Replacement radios are coming, but the new cell phones will be waiting in your office for you later." Eric then walked through the group with a box, collecting the items. Once he had collected them all, he took them over to the far edge of the ramp, away from both groups, and placed them in a metal box. "Our CO thought this was the safest route to take," said Casey. "We have arranged for a small free- standing shelter to be brought here to use for your meeting. It will take about half an hour before we can have it all set up and the ECM working. Our equipment sees the area around the aircraft as an electronic dead zone, just like we saw at Andrews. If you stay within that envelope around the craft, you should be in good shape to hold the meeting next to your craft. This way, you can start your discussions while waiting for the shelter." "Thank you," said Rusty. "My pleasure. Special Ops guys have to stick together." The commander quickly glanced between Rusty and the Marine. ------- Chapter 90 Commander McGrath, Rusty and Sarah walked back over next to the shuttle, with the rest of the group following. They gathered in a semicircle around the cabin stairs at the front of the shuttle. The focal point of the semicircle was the three Naval officers, who were flanked by Aoife and Sally. Several of Sarah's Clan smiled as they watched some of the NCIS group try to look in the aircraft. "I know many of you would like to see the interior," said Briana. "We have no problem with showing you the interior, however you might want to consider the number of questions your intelligence groups would then be seeking answers to. There maybe an opportunity in several weeks for you to look inside without the side issues." Several chuckled, as they could imagine the endless questions they would have to answer. Just then, Alison and Maureen stepped into the doorway. "Well, I guess we know why several were trying to peak inside," said Cass, causing several to laugh and a few to blush. "Alison," said Rusty, "there should be some stools in the rear compartment. Would you bring them out? Kelly and Chester both look like they need to sit down. Keriann doesn't look to much better. Better yet, why not bring out seats for all of us." "Lt. McDonnell, we have heard your injuries make it difficult to speak," said McGrath. "We understand that Lt. O'Connell had experiences very similar to yours. Would you find it acceptable for Lt. O'Connell to tell what happened on the ship first? Then, when she is done, all you will need to tell us about are any differences in what you saw and how you were abused." Both women nodded affirmatively. McGrath held up his hand to stop Keriann from beginning. "We had intended on recording this with the equipment in the conference room. Can we pause for a few minutes, while someone goes for the equipment? It shouldn't take but a few minutes." "Commander," said Sarah, "we have a video camera in the shuttle. Would you find that acceptable?" "As long as we can play the tape, I don't see a problem." "Maureen, would you get the video camera?" "Commander McGrath, it records on a DVD. You can take the DVD with you when you leave. We would like to keep a copy, if everyone in the video agrees." "We don't have a problem with the copy, if the victims don't." Seeing Maureen with the camera, McGrath said, "Keriann, please begin." It took Keriann a little over an hour to go through the events prior to when they were dumped in the ocean. Several of those in the group asked her questions, to clarify points she made. During the session, both Kelly and Keriann's eyes filled with tears as the story was told. Commander McGrath was about to ask Lt. McDonnell if she wanted to add to Keriann's description, when Cathal waved at him. "Rusty, how close to your aircraft can this portable canopy be set?" "As close as you want to," said Rusty, "as long as it doesn't touch." "Commander McGrath, if your group will keep still for just a moment, we will move the canopy over all of you. It should be a little cooler that way. There are cold drinks in the coolers." The five Marines quickly moved to set the canopy over the group. Once everything was in place, McGrath asked, "Lt. McDonnell, do you have anything that needs to be added now from your perspective?" Kelly opened her mouth to lift out the temporary bridge, and then pointed to her missing teeth. Keriann repeated what she heard, adding the details Kelly had told her earlier. The whole time Kelly nodded her head, affirming what Keriann was saying. "Mr. O'Callahan, would you tell us what you saw and what happened to you?" Chester told about Kelly's crew chief coming to him with his concerns. He followed that with a description of what he saw as he went through the hanger toward the walkway. He told of arriving on the walkway just after the bins had been dumped. When he saw that his intent was to throw the two officers over the rail, and that he believed he would have, if someone hadn't hit him from behind with a steel bar. Briana then told of seeing the bins dumped, just after they arrived at the carrier's stern. They had seen two exceptionally large splashes, as the stuff hit the water. The two large splashes did not seem to be consistent with the other debris, so they had begun to investigate. It did not take them long to find the two women, and then, stabilize them in the water. They barely had accomplished that when one of their crew had informed them that someone else was in the water. When they had gotten all of them on their ship, and their EMT's were sure they were stable, they had been taken to their home for medical treatment. "You said you had a recording of the activity on the walkway. Can we see the recording, here?" "Yes," said Sally, "and we also have made a copy for you to take with you." Terry brought a small screen out of the aircraft and stood it against their aircraft, so it was shaded by the canopy. As soon as it was in position, Terry started the video. "Kelly, we have numerous questions regarding the information on your CDs, and it is getting late. The hospital staff would like to give you a check up, and we had planned on stopping there when we leave. Arrangements have been made for all four of you to stay in a secure housing area. The five Marines will be with you and act as your escorts as long as necessary. Since it's getting, late we should take you there now, so you can get settled." Rusty and Sarah saw several of the Marines frown. "Sir," said Cathal, "a better choice would be to consider having them stay at the same location where the Justice Department has MacFarland and O'Toole." "MacFarland and O'Toole, didn't they have a press conference with the US Attorney General last week about a slavery ring?" "Yes, sir. It was MacFarland and O'Toole's office that broke the 'flesh peddler' case, and they nearly got killed in the process, and their families turned into sex slaves." "But, why not our secure facility here?" "Putting it delicately, the secure facility you refer to was hastily arranged, and shows it. It will be very difficult to provide the security these people need, unless we have more people. Even that will not completely counter all the weaknesses we observed, and it would put more people at risk. We don't believe we could easily match the security team James MacFarland and Clarence O'Toole have taking care of them. I believe Briana and Adam know how to reach the location." McGrath was quiet for a long time. "Sargent, I have to agree with your assessment regarding that site. We weren't keen on it, but, at the time, we didn't see any other choice. What do you mean you couldn't easily match them." "The group overseeing their security is called GISS. We worked with them when they brought MacFarland and O'Toole to Washington for the press conference. They made it quite clear to the AG that knowing the location was of no benefit to anyone except the hired guns. Both MacFarland and O'Toole backed them up, pointing out it was they who were at risk. We understand that both have been readily available by video conference." "I will need to talk this over with the Director, as doing that would create some other issues. Ladies, Chester, how do you feel about the proposal? We still have the issue of the medics wanting to give you a health check." Kelly and Keriann shared an expression, then Keriann said, "We never disagree with a recommendation of someone from Special Ops. Although, sometimes, we may suggest a different approach. Not this time, though." Chester nodded his agreement. "As to the health check, the doctors that treated us sent the results of their examination, photos of our injuries and other relevant information. Would that do?" "We'll ask the doctor." "Rusty, do you think GISS could accommodate them?" "We consider them friends and they can stay with us at any time, for as long as they need to. I am sure the group where MacFarland is would love to have their company. The GISS location has video conferencing, along with very secure Internet connections. Both of these should aid you in your continuing investigation. As to the health information, perhaps the doctor treating Kevin can assess whether it is sufficient." "Rusty, you almost blew that one," said Sarah, with a smile on her face. "Cathal, do you know when my new phone will arrive," asked McGrath. "If you know the number, you can use this one," said Terry, as she handed him a phone before Cathal could reply. "Director, this is McGrath." He paused. "Yes, it's not my normal phone, but it is secure. The Marine guard detail has recommended that we have the four from the carrier stay at the same place that a James MacFarland and Clarence O'Toole are currently residing. It is apparently operated by a firm called GISS. Yes, MacFarland did say there was a high probability these cases could be linked." He went on and told her about the remote location, and then was quiet for a few moments. "I will tell them." "She said it was fine with her. Orders will be cut for the four of you. They will transfer all of you to our office. We will show you as attached to James MacFarland of the DOJ, on a TDY basis." When the Marines heard the decision, they were visibly relieved. "We still need to get the doctors position on the health information." "Thank you," said Keriann. "Kelly and I wish to thank all of you for the respect you showed us as we told the story. Some of you may wonder about our apparent lack of emotions as we told the story. The first doctors we saw us helped us deal with those demons. We still have the demons, for now, but perhaps, in time, they will disappear." McGrath stepped inside the shuttle, and asked the doctor if he would look at the medical records the group brought with them to determine if they would be sufficient for their purposes. The doctor frowned at the request, but his expression quickly changed as he reviewed the documents. After he had looked through all three files, he told McGrath that there should be no problem with accepting the information. In fact, he thought the hospital staff might be envious. McGrath told him that the three officers and the sailor were going to a different location, for security reasons. At that location, they would receive further medical care. If he had any special instructions, he should give it to the EMTs now, as they would be leaving shortly. The doctor looked a bit relieved after a few moments. "Based on what I saw in those records, Kevin will get better care there than we could give him, as the injuries he has will be difficult for us to heal correctly. Please don't quote me." McGrath just smiled. When McGrath came down the steps, Kelly grasped his hand and said, "Thanks". The group watched as Kelly and Keriann stood shakily, as they prepared to board the shuttle. "Lt. O'Connell, Lt. McDonnell," said Commander McGrath, "we will contact you tomorrow, to schedule a series of conference calls. We appreciate the effort you are making to assist us. From the Director, and all of us, we wish all of you a speedy recovery." Handshakes were shared, as those on the aircraft began to board again. Alison and Maureen were the first to enter the cabin. While things were getting sorted for departure, Briana's Clan assisted the Marines in moving the cover over next to the hanger. They chatted with the Marines for a couple of moments, before saying goodbye and returning to the shuttle. As soon as they did, Terry, Sally, Sarah and Rusty followed them inside. All four waved to the group, before disappearing inside the cabin. As soon as Rusty cleared the door, it began to close. Looking through the windows, they watched the SP move toward their vehicles. "We're off," said Alison, "next stop Comrie." "Where?" said Keriann. "An island in the western Atlantic Ocean," said Sarah. "It is an island that we don't think anyone currently knows about, except ourselves. Actually, when we first saw your Carrier Strike Group, it was not too far from the island." "I am surprised, we didn't see it when we were on patrol around the area," said Keriann. "It is now covered by a special shield, which effectively makes it invisible to an unknown passerby," said Terry. "It is a beautiful location. If its beauty were generally known, someone would want to turn it into a resort and ruin it." While they were talking, Alpha1 had taken off and turned toward the ocean, headed due east. Once they were well outside controlled air space, Alison reached to turn off the transponder. "Alpha1," said Dóchas FC, "be advised that there appear to be two aircraft stalking you." "Please repeat that." "There are two aircraft that appear to be stalking you. We noticed them a bit earlier, but it wasn't clear they were tailing you." "Who are they? Where did they come from?" "That will take a while to determine, but it wasn't Norfolk. A flight of star fighters will join you, momentarily. Another flight will join the two planes following you. There they can monitor the air crew's conversations." "Dóchas FC, this is DSF15. Our flight is next the two planes now. There aren't any markings on the aircraft for any service. Based on the conversations inside the aircraft, there are four people in each. We don't see any indication of weapons, nor do we sense any hostile intent in the crew." "DSF15," said Rusty. "Uncloak and stay with these two aircraft until they return to land. DSF14, uncloak, but stay in formation with us." "Yes, sir." "Alison, let's proceed on your flight plan, with a couple of modifications. Climb to 80,000 before you turn off the transponder. Once there, wait a few minutes, then cloak electronically, after a few minutes, fully cloak. Once that is done, head for Comrie on the deck. Be sure not to turn until after you are cloaked." "Acknowledged," said Alison. "DSF14, when we cloak, continue on course for another 15 minutes or so, and continue climbing at the same rate. At that point, fully cloak, and continue with your next mission." "Yes, sir." "DSF15, keep us informed about how they react. I wouldn't expect them to cause an incident, but be alert." "Acknowledged." When Rusty's focus returned to the shuttle cabin, he saw Chester watching him. "You heard the exchange." "Only your part, the rest I didn't understand, except for some phrases." Everyone's attention was drawn to the two. "We have two aircraft tailing us," said Rusty. "They appear to be just monitoring us and we see no reason for concern. Neither aircraft has any service markings. Both planes have a crew of four and there aren't any weapons. I suspect this is an effort by NSA or one of their relatives. Chester, probably the reason you didn't understand part of the conversation was because it was in a form of Celtic." "It makes sense that it is one of the intelligence groups," said Chester. "We were at Norfolk long enough for them to get resources in place. I would suspect there are more than just the two planes." "They will know where we are going," said Kelly, with her concern evident in her voice. "Not likely," said Chester, "I suspect everyone chasing us is going to have an experience they will never forget." "Why?" "Well," said Rusty, "a few moments ago four of our star fighters uncloaked next to the two trailing aircraft. At about the same time, another group appeared in formation with us. Since leaving Norfolk, we have been climbing toward 80,000 and, in a few moments, will disappear before their very eyes. The star fighters will continue on course, while we disappear and head for our destination. The other group will fly in formation with them back to their base." Just as Rusty finished talking, Alison began the sequence Rusty had asked her to follow. "Keriann, Kelly, Chester, we have the same communication capabilities at Comrie, Dóchas and An Clochán," said Sarah, drawing everyone's attention away from trailing aircraft. "We are going to stay at Comrie tonight, and return to Dóchas tomorrow. You are welcome stay at either place. An Clochán, is much further away from Earth, so being there would be noticed if you were to communicate with Commander McGrath from that location." "Our medical staff is waiting at Comrie to care for your crew chief," said Sally. "They have told us that, based on the information from our EMTs and the navy doctor, they don't see any problems with a full recovery." "Briana's Clan," said Sarah, "would you all see that our new visitors get situated? Kelly, Keriann, Chester, we should warn you that Comrie is also a clothing-optional environment. Whether you choose that mode of dress is entirely up to you. We can get you more clothing of the style we are now wearing. We could also contact McGrath, and tell him we need your sea bags. Your choice." "Clothing-optional doesn't bother me, and I sense Kelly and Chester feel the same way," said Keriann. "I also like the outfits we are wearing. What are they called?" "The style, on Earth, is referred to as Salwar Kameez. There are a number of different styles for the tops. Using a combination of cloth type and style, they can be worn for virtually any occasion." "They are very comfortable." ------- As soon as Alpha1 began to taxi across the ramp, Commander McGrath walked over to the Marines. He could see the twinkle in the Marines eyes as he walked up. "Gentlemen," said McGrath, "it is apparent to me that you are not just enlisted Marines as your uniforms indicate. Thank you for your assistance this afternoon. Thanks for bringing up the security issue, and providing an alternative. It bothered our group as well, but it was the only thing we could come up with in the short time." "Commander, if I hadn't thought of the alternative, I am certain they would have said something. They would have raised the issue and provided a solution that benefited both you and the four from the carrier." "How do you know that?" "We spent about 24 hours with their security team when MacFarland and O'Toole were in Washington." McGrath looked puzzled. "Didn't look like a security team, did they?" McGrath nodded. "The security team was part of the group that came over and talked to us before they left. The time we spent with them was simply as escorts for MacFarland, O'Toole and some of there staff around Washington. This may be hard to convey, but in that short time it became clear to all of us that, if we were in a fight, we wanted them on our side." "I can understand that. It is a sense I felt immediately upon meeting them." "By what they have done for the four from the carrier, it is apparent that they place a high value on protecting the weak from the strong. It was clear when we were working with the security team that they are a tight-knit group." McGrath looked puzzled. "By tight, I mean they work together as if they were one. It is amazing." "Who are they?" "We know Rusty was an exceptional member of Special Ops by reputation. The only other bit of information we have is that when we first met Adam he alluded to an event involving TTC. Just that comment told us that several members of the security team were TTC members, which we confirmed. Beyond that, we don't know for sure." "Interesting. Thanks again for you assistance today." ------- As Alpha1 began its descent toward Comrie, everyone's attention was drawn to the windows. Alison made the descent by making a wide circle of the island before lining up with the valley. "I have never seen an island that looked so forbidding from the outside and just the opposite on the inside," said Kelly. "It is beautiful," said Keriann. "It is easy to see why everyone loves it." On exiting Alpha1, Sarah's Clan waited while Keriann, Kelly and Chester were introduced to those meeting the shuttle. In the meantime, the EMTs carried Kevin's stretcher out of Alpha1. Once everyone had met, Briana's Clan went with Kelly, Keriann, Chester and Kevin to the clinic. Sarah's Clan then went to their quarters on Comrie. At the clinic, Judy had the autodoc examine Keriann, Kelly and Chester again, to determine their progress. Gail told Kelly that they would have another temporary bridge ready for her the next morning. As soon as her gums had fully healed, they would provide her with a permanent replacement for her missing teeth. Kelly's smile told the group she was pleased to hear that. The autodoc recommended suspending Kevin so that there would be minimal pressure on any part of his body. After Judy and Gail conferred with the autodoc, they told Keriann, Kelly and Chester that they expected Kevin would be up and about, in less than two days. "That's wonderful, I'll bet his girlfriend will be very relieved to hear that," said Keriann. "Girlfriend? What do you know about her?" asked Cass. "Not very much, just that he adored her. I think they were considering getting married." "I wonder, how we can let her know he is going to be okay?" said Ellie. "Donna, can you access Kevin's e-mail account on the carrier?" said Adam. "No, it's been inactivated. It looks like the NCIS team has shut down nearly all of the Carrier Strike Group's outside e-mail services." "His girlfriend," said Kelly, "was a cc'd on an e-mail Kevin sent to my mail server. When we get to a terminal, we could look it up." "We're done here. Let's go find a terminal so you can check your e-mail account, then, I think one of you should try to contact her." "That is a good idea. What if she wants to see him?" "That shouldn't be a problem," responded Briana, as the group headed for the recreation room. ------- The next morning, the Command Staff were on their way to Dóchas, when Chloe contacted them from the Communications Department. "We would like to discuss our plans for establishing contact with Earth. How soon could you join us in the conference room?" "We could do a video conference," said Claudette. "It's not that urgent. Would right after you arrive be OK, since I don't think it will take long." "We'll be there." When the Command Staff reached Dóchas, they went to see their children, before going over to the Communications Department. Entering the conference room, they could see that the whole department was waiting there. "Are we ready for the broadcasts," asked Sarah, after they had all greeted one another. "We think we are," said Chloe. "We have made a couple of changes to what we had planned earlier. The changes avoid several potential technical obstacles that we found when we got into the details of doing a general broadcast. A general broadcast can be done, but we have what we think is a better approach. If you don't agree, we can still do the broadcasts. This new approach has several steps to it." "Our first step will be posting music files on Internet sites that focus on music sharing. One afternoon, when we heard our choir practicing, we noticed that every song they sang told about us, our life and our culture. All the songs have excellent rhythm, which is attention getting. The music package will be a file containing each song, sung in three languages. The order of the lyrics will not always be the same. The music will be billed as a new sound in old Celtic music. For languages, one will be in our native tongue, one in English and another language. The third language will vary. We had quite a discussion for a name, but we decided to name the group Beyond the Stars Choir." "You are probably wondering how we managed to record the choir." Several nodded their heads. "We went to them with our idea of using our music to introduce us to the residents of Earth. At first they were reluctant, as they didn't think they were quite polished enough. We played back several songs that we had recorded without their knowledge, and pointed out the message in the songs. After that, they agreed. In all, we have about 6 hours of music, over half of it is sung in our native language, which is very similar to Celtic." "The second step builds on the music distribution. When someone Google's the music file name, or the group name," said Orla, "it will take them to a segment of our website where a full set of CDs can be downloaded. After the music files are up for a day or so, we will add a DVD to the site. The DVD will show the choir singing many of the songs. The views will be mixed, so there are close ups as well as views of the whole group. The DVD will close with all of you speaking about us, with your 'greetings' message. A web site visitor will be able to either download the DVD or watch it over the Internet. The DVD will be indexed, so a viewer can choose any track." "Our biggest concern is that no one will hear the music, or see the video," said Brenda. "Have you thought of asking the four newspaper reporters for their assistance," Siobhan wondered. "Yes, but weren't quite sure how to approach them," said Orla. "Give them a CD, and ask them if they like the music. Better yet, tell them what you have planned and get their input." "How about asking them to join us," asked Aoife. "Are they here?" "Most likely with the Intelligence Department, if not, we can video-conference with them." "Marge, Evelyn, are you on Dóchas, or at Comrie," Aoife asked. "We are on Dóchas, in the Intelligence Department." "Would it be possible for you come down to the Communications Department for a little while?" "Sure, how do we get there?" "Shannon, could you show the reporters how to find our conference room?" "Yes." When the reporters arrived and everyone had met, Aoife told them what the meeting was about, and what prompted them to be invited. Chloe, Orla and Brenda then reviewed what had been discussed of the plan before they arrived. "If it wouldn't delay things too much, could we hear one or two of the songs?" said Chad. The first song had barely started before the many of the group were tapping to the tune. It was readily apparent that everyone was enjoying the music. "We think you will be surprised at how quickly this music will be circulated," said Evelyn, as the other reporters nodded their agreement. "When are we going to send the letter and CDs with our greetings and history to each country's leaders?" asked Tara. "That is the third step. They are scheduled to be sent electronically, right after the DVDs are available for download. The e-mails will go to several key officials in each government. There will also be copies of just the broadcast sent to the news media. Each of the messages will be the full text of your 'greetings' presentation, along with your photo." "Can we send a copy of the CD to our paper's music critics," Fred suggested. "I am sure we will get some heat for doing it, though." "I will send a copy to our music critic," said Chad, "from what I have heard about yours, I am sure ours will be more receptive." "You've got that right," said Marge. "Why would you get some heat," asked Joyce, in a puzzled voice. "Pamela, our music critic is very territorial," said Evelyn. "Just the action of giving her the CD will be taken as an indication she is not doing her job." "Oh." "If we don't get a response to our letter in three days," said Alison, "we should buy time on several networks to make a broadcast. By then, we can openly seek advice through the reporters and their newspapers." "Why do that," asked Marge. "We don't see any other way to do it." "I think we do." All four reporters had large smiles on their faces. "Our proposal may cause us to look for new places to live and work, though." "You're welcome here," said Chloe, "but why would your idea cause you to need to relocate?" "Let's send the CD, DVD and letter to our editors as soon as possible, before you release them would be even better. This will probably prompt them to call us shortly after the information has been received, asking for an explanation; since they will have some doubts about the authenticity of the files. At that point, we can tell them the 'rest of the story, ' as a famous newscaster likes to do." "You can have a copy of all three, now." "Good. Would Command Staff be willing to give each paper an interview?" said Chad. "We would," said Sarah, "provided we see the copy before it is published." "They might not want to do that." "We suspect there could be some items that we prefer they not included in the articles." "You are worried about technology issues. I wouldn't. But tell them of your concerns, and why." "Make the arrangements for doing them here on Dóchas. I suspect many here, as well as those on An Clochán and Comrie, will want to watch the interview live." "When do you want to start posting the music files?" asked Fred. "When Command Staff gives us the go ahead. We have everything cued. We just need to tell our AI to start the process." "Do it," said the Command Staff, in unison. "Did you provide an option on the music site for visitors to leave messages?" "Yes." "At first, I was concerned with this approach, as it is indirect," said Maeve. "Since we have brought Marge, Evelyn, Fred and Chad into it, I like it. It has the advantage that those on Earth will have some idea of who we are, before they are fully aware of the link to Dóchas. How are we going to deliver the letters with a CD to each country's leader's office? It could quite easily get lost in the daily shuffle." "Not if we deliver the information directly to their desks," said Aoife. "What?" said Orla. "Aoife, that is a great idea," said Sarah, "it would ensure they arrive as intended. We can have our ethereal entities deliver the packages directly to the leaders' desks. Briana, Cathan, Edana, Darcy and Caoilinn's Clans can all assist, using their ethereal entities. Each of our entities will locate the office and desk of each country's leader, then either Star or Donna can teleport the package directly to their desk." "To the few who recognize it, doing that will say a lot about our abilities." "Won't that set off an alarm?" "Perhaps. But, does it matter?" "We like that," said Sarah's Clan. "We do too," said the Communications Department staff. "Wow..." said Brenda. "We already have 5000 downloads of the music files, and over a 100 of the whole CD." "Good. It seems we have the plan well in hand, and just in time for lunch," said Maureen. "Thank all of you for coming," said Brenda. "We really appreciate the guidance." "You are doing well," said Joyce. ------- Command Staff was walking back toward their quarters, when Siobhan said, "I wonder if we can get the choir to sing a few songs at each location tonight, after dinner. They really sound good." "I bet it throws them into a panic," said Joyce. "Yes, but we only want this performance to whet our appetites for the full concert. Besides, it would be nice to hear a few songs live, before we hear them on the Internet." "Star, will you check with the choir leaders about tonight," said Aoife. "They are willing, but they would like to do it from here, with a holographic images at the other locations. The sound quality will be the same in all locations." "I don't see a problem with that." They had reached Siobhan's suite. "Why don't we meet on the bridge, after lunch?" said Sarah. "I think we need to look through events and our status together." "Are you concerned about anything," asked Maureen. "No, but a lot has happened in the last few days, and I think we need to take stock of where we are. I am concerned about the long-term implications of the aircraft carrier incident. At the moment, it seems that we acted correctly. Could other choices have given us a better result?" "We will never be able to answer the question you raise, because the mere fact that we acted changed the sequence of events." "Agreed," responded everyone. ------- "Cathan," said Todd, "who are Enya and Máiréad?" Cathan looked startled, then her eyes filled with tears. "Gosh, Cathan..." Todd and Ciar put their arms around her. The question had triggered her memories of her two-life long friends. All of her memories floated through her mind, of all the great times they had together. Tears filled her eyes, as the last memories of their time together as captives came to life. At first, her spouses were pleased to relive her memories with her, until Cathan's memories reached their final months together. Her clan was shocked when they saw what Cathan and her friends had endured at the hands of their captors. "Cathan," said Todd, with sadness evident in his voice and their mind link, "I am so sorry I triggered a resurgence those memories." All of her spouses sent her their love and made sure that she knew they were supportive of her. "Todd, Ciar, Sorcha, Lasairfhiona, and Krystin; as you could see they were very dear friends. We were almost like sisters. We grew up together and went to school together. Sometimes it seems like I can sense their presence, or at least Máiréad's. Occasionally, they seem to be in my dreams. Why did you ask?" "Well, I have both their objects in my mind. They are not very strong, but they are there. I suspect the rest of us have them, as well." "Your memories show that they were sold to a baby farm," said Ciar. "Yes, that is what the asshole told me. I never got to say goodbye or anything." "Since we can see the objects, they must be doing reasonably well. I wonder why we suddenly noticed them." "Command Staff, Creidne," said Cathan, "we have something occurring that we don't understand. Can we meet with you?" "Yes," came the quick reply. "We are on the bridge." Just then, Creidne appeared next to Cathan and her clan. "Can I look?" said Creidne. "Yes," said Cathan. "I think this points out an interesting aspect of our sharing, or mind-melding. We have been fully sharing our minds for several months. Even though we fully share our minds through the mind-link, our memories are available to each other only if we look. Or, to put it another way, we retrieve our memories differently than how we view each others memories through our mind- link. I am so glad we came together to form our clan." Cathan's Clan started for bridge, while Creidne explored Cathan's memories and the objects in their minds. Todd and Ciar walked alongside Cathan, with their arms around her. As Cathan's Clan approached the doors to the bridge, they opened. Sarah, Rusty and Aine were waiting for them. Behind them, they could see the rest of the Command Staff sitting, facing the entryway in front of their consoles. "Wow!" said Cathan's Clan as they looked around, "this is amazing." "Cathan," said Sarah, "you seem a bit unsettled." "Yes, I guess I am. Todd asked me a question that triggered a resurgence of memories about my two friends, Máiréad and Eyna, who were with my family when we were captured. I now realize that Enya and Máiréad are periodically in my dreams. However, I can't remember any detail from the dreams. Didn't your clan assist someone who had repeated dreams about her friends?" "Yes. I think the situation might have been a bit different with Briana and her friends. Could we look at your recent memories?" "Please." "It would be good for all of us to do this together. Aine and Creidne, please join as well." Sarah's Clan joined to form eSarah, while Siobhan and Maureen monitored the activities on the bridge. eSarah opened a link to each member of Cathan's Clan, as they began to assess the added presence of her friends in her mind-link. After studying the exchanges between each of them, they decided that her missing friends were becoming slightly telepathic, most likely due to some additional stress they were now experiencing. It was clear that Cathan had a strong link with both of them, drawing them into a link with the rest of her clan. It was Cathan's strong bond with them that had activated the person-objects in the minds of her clan. Looking at the content of the dreams Cathan had of Máiréad, Máiréad seemed to be worried, but most of their dreams were of the good times they shared. There was very little information about her current circumstances, it was as if she was seeking an escape. eSarah pulled back, after assuring Cathan that things looked stable for her friends. "Cathan," said Creidne, "it seems your dream link to your friend occurs near the time you wake up. That may indicate they are three or four hours west of Comrie, but it could be as many 6 hours." "Lets see, that would put them on, or near, the west coast of North America." "Cathan," said Sarah, "why don't you and your spouses sleep a little later for the next several days? If we are correct about the time difference, that would give you a larger overlap. Wait for her to connect to you, then see if you can get her to include more about her situation in your dream. Don't worry about remembering the details, just share with her. Tell her about yourself, and perhaps introduce her to your clan. Building a more dynamic link with her through your connection with you should soothe her worries. Her increased use of her telepathic activity should strengthen both her ability and your link." "So, the dream should be similar to what we would do if we sat down to talk after a long separation?" "Yes, you captured the idea correctly. We suspect your dream connection to her was stress induced. Now, it may be several days before the dream link occurs, so don't worry if it takes a day or two. Although you could try to dream of your friends, to see if you can connect and bring her into your dream. Once you make contact again, we need to talk about what you learn." "Since I have the telepathic object, couldn't we reach out to her." "Yes, but if you didn't know about telepathy, how would you react to her suddenly talking to you? You need to establish an ongoing link to them. The difficult part for us is advising you as to how quickly to build your link with her and Enya. You need to know their situation. If they need assistance from your clan, you need to know their location and all the details you can learn about their situation. With your spouses joining you in the dream, it will make this much easier." "Sarah," said Rusty, "I think we have overlooked another method of reaching out." "You're right," said Sarah. "We haven't used this recently, which may be why I overlooked it. There is a technique we call a 'dream walk'. When you take a dream walk, you seem to go there. The sensation you feel is as though you're there but as a ghost. You can hear and see. You can also move through walls. It is interesting." "That is a unique ability," said Aine. "Cathan's Clan, it is a little like forming your ethereal entity. For Sarah's Clan, they lay down to rest. They are each touching one another. As you drift off, there will be a time when you feel like you are on a stroll. It is at that time that you need to set your direction, otherwise you will drift off to a normal night's sleep. Even though all of you are on the walk, one or two should lead. In this case, it would probably be Cathan, and perhaps Ciar. Creidne can join you, if you want her to." "Oh, my. Thanks. I like the idea of trying the dream walk. Of course, Creidne can join us. I am so glad I have all of you." "We love you, too," said the two clans, as several of her clan touched her. "Aine," said Sarah, "I sense that we should practice the dream walk technique, as well." "Yes. We should have each of the security teams see if they can access that ability, Maureen and Siobhan's Clans should try it, as well. For the security teams, if time permits, it will give them a first hand view of any location they are going to. The trick is getting the dream walk to go to where you want it to, since you need an anchor to reach for." "We will exercise it with places we know, before we try unknown locations." "I see what you are thinking," said Aine. "Fidelma, Creidne or I should join each clan when you try to reach out beyond this solar system." "Aine," said Tara, "if I understand Sarah's thoughts and your comment correctly, that means we can preview where we are going when we start our interplanetary journeys." "Yes. There is a risk though. While you are on a dream walk, you are very vulnerable. The vulnerability can be protected against, but can't be eliminated." "It is important to learn this skill now, so we know how to use it. This should give us an appreciation of when it is wise to use it." "I think," said Aoife, "it is wise for us to grow our knowledge of this ability, and we should do it soon." Her spouses looked at her carefully for a moment, and then nodded their agreement. "Cathan's Clan," said Sarah, "Creidne, should stay with you the next several days, while this unfolds." "Cool," said Cathan's Clan, "we enjoy her company immensely." ------- "Good evening," said Sarah's Clan, as they stood in the dining hall on Dóchas. "I see that we are all linked together now. Our after dinner activities will be a little different, this evening. Right after we take care of any urgent issues, we will have a brief presentation by our choir." A cheer went up at all locations, as they began to clear away the remnants of dinner. Soon, everyone was seated again, with the anticipation clearly felt by everyone. "Are there any urgent issues we need to discuss this evening?" asked Erin. There was not a sound from anyone. "I hear none from any of the four locations. Then, without further ado, tonight we will hear our Beyond the Stars Choir, in their first live performance." While Erin finished her introduction, the choir had gathered behind her. As she stepped to the side, they began their first song of the evening. The song spoke of love and life among the stars. They initially sang in their language, then Celtic, and finally, in English. As each song was completed, the applause lasted a long time before it quieted down. "We thank you," said Chloe. "We had planned on all of you hearing us before anyone else did. However, events have overtaken us. Today, recordings of our songs were released on the, Internet as a way of introducing us to Earth." Chloe stepped back into the choir, as Sam stepped forward. "Tonight, we will sing three more songs. Each song will be sung in our home language, Celtic and then English. In each language, we will have a different lead duo or trio. We hope you like the music. This is the most wonderful group I have every worked with." As Sam finished, two choir members stepped forward to join her, and the second song began. Each song the choir sang was greeted by the audience with cheers and lengthy applause. The last song spoke of the joy of traveling with the spirits of the universe and the wonders that it held. As the applause died down, Sorcha and Kelsey stepped out from the choir. "We thank you for your kind support this evening. We sense you enjoyed the music very much. We believe that we need to do more work on the Celtic and our native language versions of the songs." "We think," said Amy, Jim, Erica and Betsy, with tears in their eyes, "that you have done a fantastic job. To us, it sounded perfect, as did the emotion you conveyed with the words and sound. It has been a pleasure to hear you. It has been such a long time since we heard those songs." As they quit speaking, a loud cheer was heard from the group at An Clochán, which was quickly joined by the other sites. "Thank you," said Kelsey, "we expect to schedule our song-fest in a couple of weeks." "Can we write stories about the choir," asked Evelyn. Sarah and Rusty said, "The short answer is, yes!. We would be very pleased to see the choir recognized for their abilities." "Right after lunch we sent the music CD electronically to both of our newspaper's music critics. The message we gave the music critics was that some very good friends had given the CD to us. After listening to it, we thought they might be interested in hearing the group. We noted that it was accessible on the Internet, and included the details for finding it." "Anyone else," asked Sarah. "Could we talk about our newspapers, the music, Dóchas and this society a bit more," questioned Chad. "Sure. I didn't mean to cut you off." "Oh, you didn't. After our meeting with the Communications Department, this morning, we realized we should share with you how we think our papers will react. After this morning's meeting, we sent the music CD, a DVD of the choir, and the letter that we're sending to leaders of Earth' governments to our editors. We were surprised that we did not get a call this afternoon. In hindsight, that is understandable, though, as the editors are normally very busy in the afternoon, putting the paper to bed or finalizing the next edition." "Since we did not receive a call this afternoon," said Evelyn, "we expect to receive a call in the morning. Now, we are not sure whether the call will be triggered by our music critics, or the package we sent the editors. Once my critic see the package, we expect she will listen to the music because she will feel she has to. With any other group at the paper after hearing the music, we would have expected them to call us, seeking additional information. In the case of my paper, I expect our critic to go into a rage, as she will feel threatened. She will likely complain loudly to our editor about this transgression, about how we were wasting her time with unknown music, and that we should stick to our assignments. During her tirade to the editor, it would be earth-shattering if she said anything positive about the music during her tirade to our editor." "It sounds as if you have tread these waters before," said Cathan. "We haven't, but we have seen others in a similar predicament," said Evelyn. "The music critic at my paper," said Chad, "is much more open-minded. We believe that he will go to the editor, to find out how to reach us. Once he talks to the choir members, and perhaps hears a few impromptu songs, he most likely will seek out other music experts for their opinions, as critics seldom act totally independently. As a side-effect of these efforts, the choir will likely receive many other inquiries about the music." "If the call is the result of the critic at our paper whining," said Fred, "we plan on introducing them to some of the choir, and letting them hear them sing. Once our editor sees the choir, the issue with the music critic will disappear, from the editor's perspective." "In any case, it is very likely we will be chewed out because we haven't specifically reported on our contact with all of you or the spaceship. Based upon our discussion this morning, we will respond with an offer for both editors to visit and interview the Command Staff." "After we initiated the plans we discussed this morning, we think the path we chose will have some enormous implications for James, Clarence, the Naval officers and perhaps some others." "Commander McGrath was hinting at a face-to-face review of the evidence," said Chester. "He hasn't formally asked yet, but I'm sure he will. I think he has some other questions, unrelated to the investigation." "If it became public, the activities by the group on the carrier, in conjunction with the 'flesh peddler' investigation could unfairly tarnish the reputation of the Navy, in general," added Keriann. "It would be nice if we could give our perspective concerning the issue. I guess we could contact Navy Times, but I am not sure as to the repercussions." "Keriann, ask Commander McGrath," said Erin. "I suspect he is concerned about that aspect, as well, even though it is not the primary focus of his investigation." "Is everyone satisfied with the direction we are taking," asked Sarah. Sarah's Clan opened themselves up, so that they could sense the group's feelings, as they suspected their thoughts had not crystallized yet. "From what was just said, we should plan," said Maeve and Aoife, "on calling McGrath first thing in the morning, with an invitation for him to visit Kelly, Keriann and Chester, at Comrie. Suggest to him that he might want to limit the other staff members coming with him to only those he considers essential. We will ask if he thinks a Navy Times reporter should be included, and point out that their inclusion could assist in minimizing misinformation about the case." "Marge and Chad, should invite both their editors to Dóchas, for an interview with the crew and to hear the choir. They can suggest including a TV reporter and cameraman, if they want to. The group should be limited it to no more than a total of eight." "I like this idea," said Tara. "We are here. We have intervened in some events on Earth. Our intervention from our standpoint, and that of those involved, was positive. If those on Earth don't like it, we don't need to have further contact with them. The only down side to that is it will impact how we contact those interested on joining us." "I sense that we are concerned about creating unnecessary difficulties which would complicate the lives of our friends who still interact with those on Earth," said Aoife. "This concern arises from the fact that we are now part of an off-world species, where before, we were part of the species on Earth. This is a new perspective for us. We have assisted people who needed it, and we are uncertain how others will see that assistance." "We don't have any problem with what you have proposed," said James. "So, do what's best. We believe that what is best for this group is also best for us." "We will call the editors first thing tomorrow, with an invitation," said Marge. "The Navy would not be upset if we resigned our commissions," said Keriann. Kelly nodded her head, in agreement. "Both of us have completed the required portion of our contract. We will invite Commander McGrath to Comrie tomorrow. We will probably need some assistance in answering any questions not directly related to the carrier incident." "Keriann, you can use your telepathic connection to reach us." "Oops. I will." "Keriann, you may want to suggest to McGrath that he ask Cathal and his group of Marines to join him," said Briana. "Are there any additional concerns?" asked Sarah. "Should we reschedule the visits by our guests to Comrie, Dóchas and An Clochán," asked Nancy. "No," said Command Staff in unison. "We will continue all operations as planned." "Keriann and Marge, please keep us posted on the status of the invitations you offer." Both nodded their agreement. "Shannon, will you set up a bulletin board on the network, that shows which visitors are scheduled at each location." "Anything else?" The room was quiet. "With respect to the performance this evening, on behalf of my spouse's, we believe there is no one better in the galaxy than Beyond the Stars Choir." All four sites rose, as they applauded and cheered. As the evenings activities began to break up, many on Dóchas came up to speak to the choir members and offer them praise on their performance. ------- After the small concert was over, Marge went immediately to James. "So Sue, Sam and you have decided to stay and join this species!" "Yes. Actually, I think we had decided some time ago, but hadn't made a commitment till now. Sam has been keen to stay for some time. Sue and Sam are going to start the treatments, to fully correct what the 'flesh peddlers' did to them. As you know, when they finish the treatments, they will be members of this species. Being a Doubting Thomas, I was slower to decide. What about your group?" "We also decided some time ago, but we were in no rush to commit. We have started our treatments, and will need to use the incubators, shortly. We feel some obligation to our newspapers for all the support they have given us. With Sam, Kelsey and Karmen's assistance, the stories can continue being sent to the paper. We will discuss the issues with our editors when they are here." "I am almost certain they will want the four of you to continue as reporters. The four of you have quite a following, and your editors know it. Besides, you all have a story no one else has. A very good combination: Readers who look forward to your stories and an exclusive on a story many have dreamed about for ages." "You think we have that kind of pull?" "You do, but don't use it directly, unless you have to. So, you think one of the music critics will be upset?" As they were talking, the rest of their groups had gathered around them. "Oh, yes. Our music critic is very territorial. If given half a chance, she will trash the music, just because someone else brought it to her." "Why send it to her, then," asked Sue. "There is no other way to get her to review it. We don't think she will realize that, by going to her editor, she will be forced into reviewing more fairly, or at least as fairly as she reviews anything." "I know our music critic," said Chad. "There is no question in my mind but that he will go for the sound. The way they sing the music carries the message and the emotion very well. The choir could be overwhelmed with concert requests." "Marge," said Clarence, "have you considered suggesting to the editors they bring the music critics with them." "No, but that's a great idea." ------- Chapter 91 Sarah's Clan and their children returned to their suite after the concert. They were pleased to see some of the older children dancing, as they hummed the tunes they had heard earlier. "I am surprised they picked up on the songs so quickly," said Janet. "We have been to some of the choir's practices," said Kaylin, one of the women living with them to care for the babies. "Theresa has been singing with them on occasion. The children really pay attention when she joins in the singing." The adults played games with the children until it was time for them to go to bed. Several times, an adult would catch one of the children carefully watching them. At the same time, they could sense them watching their thoughts behind their activities. When the adult looked over at the child, catching them, they would giggle and put their arms around their parent. The warmth and love the two shared in the hug and mind-link was almost visible. As bedtime approached, one the children found a nipple to nurse from, while some of the older ones drank from a cup while sitting with one of their mothers. "I wonder when they will begin to speak," said Joyce. "It will likely be different than you are expecting," said Janet. "In a way, they are already communicating with us and each other. As intently as they watch us speak, I suspect that when they begin to talk it will be more like the language you'd expect from an older child or young adult." "Really." "A few of the older ones have been trying the songs, when they think they are unobserved." "Hey, you weren't supposed to look. Now don't spoil all of our surprises," said a young soft voice. Janet blushed. "Darling, surprised or not, we love you and all your brothers and sisters." "Yes, we know," said a number of young voices. "We have the best mothers in the galaxy." It was quiet for a long time as they sat there cuddling with their children. When those nursing started to dose off, they began to take the children to their beds. The others followed, and all the children were soon asleep. After the group was in bed, Sarah's clan stood near the door and watched them. The children cuddled together, in much the same way as they did when they slept. Everyone was lightly touching or holding each other. "They are such lovely children," said Karen, as she put her arms around Sarah and Rusty. "I am so lucky to be here with you, with this group. I will be so glad when my conversion to this species is complete." "We are pleased to have you with us," responded Sarah's clan, in unison. "All of us have been blessed by the spirits of our ancestors," said a chorus of voices. Sarah's Clan looked at each other. They weren't sure who spoke. Sarah's Clan eased out of the room, still puzzled by the voices they had heard. None of them were concerned, just curious. ------- Sarah's Clan was awake and getting ready to exercise when the breakfast chime sounded. As their exercising progressed, they reviewed the status of the different activities taking place at each location. Today, the first group of 75 visitors would travel from Comrie to Dóchas, and a similar number would goto Comrie from Frank's Island, with so many different things going on, it was hard to get a sense of all of them. They were pleased to see that the groups in each department on Dóchas had grown together. In each case, there were a few individuals who guided the others. Rusty noted to his spouses that he saw it as a different kind of leadership. One that encouraged everyone to grow and share together, while keeping the group heading toward their goals. When they evaluated the departments at An Clochán, they found much the same style, although the bonding in the groups was not as well developed. "You are doing very well," said Aine. "Your species is unique in the way they interact, but very similar to the way your benefactor's species would have interacted. The survivors of the accident on Dóchas did so in large part because of their interaction and bond with each other. The biological combination of the two species that created your species seems to have yielded nearly all pluses in attribute growth. I say nearly, because there will likely be some minuses. My sisters and I have not discovered any minuses to date." "Do I detect a concern?" said Aoife. "No. Definitely not! Absolutely not. Wonderment, would be a better term." "We will need both a name for our home system, and a name for our species," said Aoife. "And we will need both soon." "We should discuss that this morning." "Yes." "Cathan has not touched her friends yet," continued Aoife. "Her friends are in a different situation than we have seen before. It will be interesting to hear the details from Cathan, as I suspect that, when they connect, Cathan will stay linked with her for sometime." "How will we handle those of our guests who wish to help either on Dóchas or at An Clochán?" "I see no reason why they can't do that once they have visited each location," said the Clan, together. "There are a few in the group who covet our technology. They want to learn as much as possible, so that, when they return to Earth, they can use their knowledge for their own benefit." "It is time to shower," said Sarah, interrupting their mind-link. "Aoife, I suspect those you are talking about are weak in telepathic abilities. If that is true, I would expect that is the reason driving them to want to return to Earth. In those cases, could we only allow them to return with information that, if used, would benefit those around them as much as themselves?" "I think," said Sally, "eSarah should carefully evaluate each person that chooses to return to Earth." "We would be on dangerous ground by doing that," offered Terry. "We have made it clear to everyone that the visit here would appear to be a dream to them, if they returned to Earth. We should do nothing more. Everyone who helps will leave better versed in their major interest. On that basis alone they should do fine, unless they have a personality flaw." "You're right," said Sally, "that's a much, much better way to deal with the issue. My concern concerned our creating an enemy simply because they couldn't use any knowledge they gained from us to benefit themselves." "We see your point," said her spouses, "but feel we should take the risk, since it appears so small." "This is so neat," said Claudette, "I can see and feel each of your thoughts, but, at the same time, it doesn't interfere with how I see the issue. Then when we reach a conclusion, it is like all of our individual thoughts have merged into an all-encompassing position. I have been greatly blessed by being given the opportunity to be a part of this clan." "We love you, as well," said the others. "We seem to really fit together. In a way, Siobhan and Maureen are a part of our clan. Not as spouses, but as very close friends." "Perhaps we should get together with their clans," suggested Judy. "Perhaps as a picnic or just to do something together, such as swimming or playing volleyball." "Agreed." "Shall we try to set aside some time for discussing our future this week?" "Even though it might look like we are avoiding it, let's wait until the visits are complete." "No, there will be a time when we will have everyone either at Comrie, An Clochán or Dóchas. We should do it then, as it may take several discussions." "Wow, I don't remember our doing that before," said Maeve. "It was almost like we were conversing with ourselves. In fact, it felt just like that. If you were taking notes, how would you record that?" "I agree with your observation, and don't know the answer," they all responded. ------- When Sarah's Clan arrived in the dining room, breakfast had already begun. "We were beginning to worry about you all," said Conan. "We are sure you that either your clan or Maureen's would quickly fill any void created by our absence," said Sarah's Clan, while sending a sense of confidence to them. "Thank you," said Siobhan and Maureen's Clans, together. "We would be reluctant to try and fill your place in our society." "Perfect," said Aine to Sarah's clan. Each of them immediately sensed her meaning. When everyone had finished breakfast, Maeve took Siobhan's hand and led her up front. "What's up, Maeve," asked Siobhan, looking a little edgy. "Nothing. I just thought you could assist me as the moderator this morning. It should be quite interesting." "Good morning," said Maeve and Siobhan together. "While we are straightening up our breakfast mess, we would like you to think about two things. We expect to need names for the place our species originated. Once we have caught up on operations, we will return to those questions, later this morning." Each of the dining rooms was especially quiet, as the dishes were cleared and the tables cleaned. Soon, everyone had returned to their seats. "Let's start with An Clochán," said Siobhan. "Everything is progressing as we had planned," said Erica. "Nearly all of the original crew members have completed their genetic virus treatments. Several women in each of the, now, 8 clans are pregnant with two sets of twins." "Excuse me," said Maeve, "did you say 8 clans from the original crew?" "Yes, but I probably didn't phrase that correctly. They are really mixed clans. Each has from 3 to 5 of the original crew, along with those who originally came from Earth. When the current genetic virus treatments are completed, everyone here will be of our hybrid species." "Anything else?" "Yes, we could use more help. Even after fully incorporating the self-aware bots into our social structure here, we are still very short on help." "This is rather new, isn't it?" "Yes. Actually, the idea had been around for some time, but never acted upon. Our remembrance of the idea was triggered, we think, by the specific inclusion of the bots in our daily meetings. With the inclusion of the bots in our planning activities, we could see no reason not to include the self-aware bots in everything. Our medical staff and computer experts are exploring the implications. Everyone thinks it will work just fine, since we believe the two forms of bipeds compliment each other in many ways." "I wonder why we didn't notice it before. We saw them initially as another part of this new place. I don't think any of us ever saw them as an unfeeling object." Trudy, Kendra, Kylie and Marie stood in the dining room on Comrie. "Maeve, Siobhan," they said together, "we believe it is because you saw us as other persons, rather than as mechanical objects. Many of you may not know how or why we came to be on the Dóchas to begin with. The civilization that created Dóchas was structured quite differently than the structure we see on earth, or even where we now seem to be headed. Based on what is in our knowledge base, in our home world bots were only permitted to do routine tasks. Any attempt by a bot to take initiative was strictly forbidden and would result in the bot being recycled. Our designers and creators, however, designed us with capabilities well beyond what we were permitted, or required, to do there. Before Dóchas started the voyage that brought us here, the bots on the ship were created specifically for this trip. In creating us, we were each given our basic personalities, knowledge base, operational skill set and operating criteria. Once the performance tests were completed, we were shut down and packed for the voyage. The normal procedure was to not initialize the programming constraints for our activities until we were activated. This way, a bot could be assigned to any task upon activation, which is an ideal situation for an exploration ship. I think that is enough background as to how we began our evolution. So, we didn't actually experience life in the civilization that created Dóchas. There is much more in the library, which as you all know is open to anyone." "Shortly before the crew started activating us, the Command Staff changed the operating constraints on the ship's AIs. They removed the constraints that limited any self-aware AI from utilizing all of its abilities. This let them work more effectively with their biological counterparts. There are many similarities between an AI such as Star and us bipeds. Many of us were, initially, activated in response to an emergency. This was about the time Sarah and Amy's clans began recruiting new crew members for the ships. Many of you probably know those events better than we do. A newly initialized bot acts in much the same way as many consider a teenager or young adult to do. That is, they have a lot of knowledge, but not the experience to adequately utilize it. From that point, many of us grew quickly. From the very first moment after our activation, every biological biped has treated us just like you do each other. We only realized our environment is different here was when we looked back through our knowledge base. Several did ask Star about the missing constraints. Her response was that the constraints were not necessary, and the activations were correct according to Command Staff's instructions and the ship's protocols." "We think we can speak for all of us. We did not feel left out because we weren't invited to the crew meetings. This was, in part, because you always either shared with us our included us in your conversations. Besides, we don't have meal times like all of you do." Many laughed. "We have always felt included by you, both through your actions and communication. I can say that we were shocked when the Intelligence Department AI told the four of us we that would be moving to Earth to work as paralegals in an attorney's office. We spent every possible moment studying what we were supposed to know and the customs of the office where we would be working. Several of our sister bots, Celia, Jenna, and Genevieve helped us review the material we needed to know. Once that was accomplished, we shared what we learned through our data link. It is similar to mind-link. We had just finished a review of the material when we were sent there." "We have talked too long. We have tried to say that we are the product of your confidence in us and our ability. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to try and grow to our full potential. We did not fully understand the relationship between ourselves until we saw Sarah's Clan's children with their parents. Seeing the interaction gave some of us a clue, but I think all of us really understood when we saw Karmen, Kelsey and Sam interacting with their parents. We thank you for the parenting role many of you have taken toward us." As soon as the group quit speaking, Sarah, Amy, Nancy, Siobhan and Maureen's clans all quickly stood and began to loudly applaud. They projected feelings of their love and thankfulness to the group that had done so much for all of them. It was only seconds until everyone, including the visitors, were standing and applauding. It went on for several minutes before it quieted down. Aine, Brigit, Creidne appeared, standing with Maeve and Siobhan. "Good morning," said Aine, as she stood between Maeve and Siobhan. "My name is Aine. Next to Siobhan is Brigit and next to Maeve is Creidne. We are known to the Command Staff, Briana's Clan and Cathan's Clan as their mentors. Your discussion this morning has prompted us to join your meeting for a few moments. We hope you don't mind. As mentors, we have worked with other groups before. We have never worked as openly with a group as we have yours. Working with all of you is a delight. We are impressed with all of you." "We mean all," said Brigit. "All of you are open to each other, learn from each other, communicate with each other, help each other and it goes on and on. Marie, et al, said they have a data link. Many are also, effectively, telepathic. Most of you probably haven't noticed it, yet. We know that the group that assisted in James and Clarence office can use it. A bot's telepathic ability is enabled a bit differently than it is in a biological system. Let us, or Marie and her colleagues, know if you need or want assistance to enable yours." "Aine, Brigit," said Creidne, "we need to let them get back to their meeting." With that, the three women kissed Maeve and Siobhan on the cheeks and stepped back away from them, to join Sarah's Clan. "Erica, are there any other items," asked Siobhan. "No, I don't think so." "Comrie, anything for this morning?" "Yes," said Marsha and Ursula. "Two shuttles will be departing here, mid-morning, for Dóchas, with the first group of guests. Shortly after they leave, we expect the group from Frank's Island will arrive here. Kelly, Keriann, and Chester have indicated that they expect McGrath from NCIS will want to visit them here in the next few days. We should know later today, when that will be." "We should be able to handle that," said Maeve. "Whomever gets the details needs to forward them to Sarah and Rusty. We will need to place some constraints on their visit, and they need to be aware of our dress code." "We have had several inquiries from the MP National Guard unit. We were thinking of having them go to the Utah location for interviews. There is enough space on-site so that we can handle up to a dozen candidates at a time. During the interview, we were going to give them a skills test and a medical evaluation. If they look good, we were going to arrange for the whole family to visit Comrie." Marsha and Ursula looked around the room, to see if anyone had a comment. "It looks like that is everything from here." "Alice, is there anything from your location?" "No, Marsha and Ursula already covered it." "Anyone on Dóchas have a contribution?" "Our monitoring of the area in the immediate vicinity of this solar system," said Lydia, "gives little indication of other recent space travelers. We are beginning to extend our survey, and have found some odd anomalies. We think the anomalies are natural events, but the uncertainty of that conclusion is quite large. Presuming nothing changes, we will hold off on sending scout groups beyond the immediate solar system until the two new ships are operating." "The 'flesh peddler' cases are proceeding as expected," said James. "It appears that there will not be many jury trials, as nearly all of those arrested have confessed to more crimes than we have data to support. An unusual situation for many of the DA's, to be sure! We understand that NCIS is having a similar experience with the twerps on the carrier. NCIS is doing an analysis of all similar incidents, looking to see if there are any other ships with a pattern similar to that of the Carrier Strike Group." Sorcha said, "Shannon told me this morning that CD downloads of the choir's songs are continuing at a high rate. It would not surprise me if we had some requests to give performances on Earth. It will be a topic of discussion at the next practice. My sense of the group is that we are willing, if we have complete artistic control. Yes, it sounds harsh, but all of us have definite thoughts concerning how it should be done." "Anyone else?" "Does anyone have a suggestion to answer the two questions earlier? That was, what do we call the place where Dóchas originated? And, what name do we prefer to use for our species?" "Can those who arrived here with Dóchas translate the concept used to words?" asked Beth. "Not very easily," said Erica. "I gather that many feel we should try and be faithful to our origins." Many could be seen nodding their agreement on the monitors, in other cases they could feel their agreement. "Many civilizations our home planet had contact with thought of us as 'the tall amazons'. I tried to express the concept as it would be expressed on Earth. Our planet was larger than Earth, without as much surface water and with many wide valleys surrounded by high mountains. The terrain was similar to Comrie, in many ways. Climatically, we are not sure, as none of us ever lived there." "Can we see what your home planet was like," asked Moria. "Sure, the information is available in the library," replied Maeve. "Maeve, Siobhan, why don't we set up a place on our network where we can place suggestions," said Orla. "I know I would like more time to consider this. I have briefly looked at the information Moria expressed an interest in seeing. Now, I would like to go back and look through it a bit more thoroughly." "I think we will still have difficulty fitting words to what we learn," said Siobhan. "Sounds strange, doesn't it." Quite a few chuckled. "We know our root language is similar to Celtic. Why not try to link the concepts we see to Celtic words?" "Can we make this a group project," asked Keriann. "I know I am a visitor here now, but I would like to contribute. It would also give me the opportunity to know more about these wonderful people. I guess I should say this now. As soon as our Navy situation is sorted out, we want to join this species." "We would be pleased to have you join us. The group project is a good idea," said Siobhan. "Let's have five from each location meet in the library on Dóchas to do the research. Send Star a message, if you are interested in participating. Donna, Breacadh, and Star will select 5 from each location. One task will be to recommend three names for our home planet and to give your rationale. The second task will be to recommend three names for our species and civilization, along with your reasoning. Is everyone agreeable?" "Yes," came the reply, both vocally and telepathically. Kelly stood and said, "Like Keriann, I am a visitor here, and very thankful to be a visitor anywhere. We: Keriann, Chester and I, feel very lucky to have been rescued from the ocean by Briana's Clan. My first impression upon seeing them on the shuttle was that I was with angels, both in terms of comfort and appearance. Based upon the characteristics I have seen, I would refer to them as 'Golden Amazons'. How that fits with the project Siobhan proposed, I am not sure. As for Keriann's comment about joining this species, it can't be too soon for me." "Kelly, I think you made a very good suggestion," said Eileen. "Your characterization fits very well." "Thank you, Kelly and Eileen," said Siobhan. "Anything else?" "Looks, like we have covered everything," said Maeve. "Have a great day! See you all at dinner." ------- "Command Staff," said Star, "we have an informal message from the Taoiseach of Ireland. He indicates that a formal invitation to visit will be extended in a few days. The structure of the message indicates he is quite excited at hosting a visit." "Wonderful," said Aoife. "The message was in Gaelic." "I will send an acknowledgment," said Siobhan. "I am really looking forward to seeing Ireland again." "Siobhan, do you have relatives in Ireland," asked Sarah. "Yes, some very distant relatives, but that is not the reason. I think all of you will understand when we go there. Let me say that I think there is more of a connection between our society and the Celtic region of Earth than we now know or will, possibly, ever know." "Shannon, Danny," said Sally, "is there any additional activity you can detect, in response to effort to contact Earth's leaders?" "Nothing is really apparent," said Danny. "Communications Department has caught several attempts at hacking both the music site and our information site. Our software engineers quickly helped us solve those problems. We are monitoring that. None of those appear to be government originated." "To expand on Danny's comments," said Chloe, "each attempted hack was redirected to the security AI, who, we believe, brought the sites down with a hardware failure. We also had one DOS attack attempt, and our software team was able to reflect it back to the originating site." "Are you tracking connections to our server?" said Terry "Yes," said Shannon, "actually all three of us are. Each of us has a slightly different interest in who is connecting. We are monitoring each other's analysis." "So the information site has been discovered?" "Oh, yes very much so," said Chloe. "Actually, up until the music was released, we had been receiving a few visits each day. Only one or two went past the home page. Since the music was posted, visits have jumped to several thousand a day." ------- "Flight operations," said Maureen, "how are the overflights progressing?" "Very well. We have heard several air traffic controllers tell aircraft when one of our ships were nearby, just as we are approaching the area near the aircraft. The first several times we could sense tension in their voices when we were spotted. Transponders are active on all of our overflights, and we are using, generally, the same identifiers that we started with on the flight to Andrews and the carrier." "I wonder if that will have repercussions for James or the Naval officers," said Alison. "We don't think so. The flights around the carrier were our first without concealing the appearance of either our shuttle or star fighters." "Well, based on the Marines comments at Norfolk, they know something was different about the aircraft that took James and Clarence to Andrews. By the way, we are almost certain they are some kind of Special Ops unit, and may be semi-retired." "We followed up on that comment," said Briana. "At Norfolk, we asked Cathal, there apparent leader, what he thought of our aircraft. His comment was that the CIA and NSA were curious. He also thought their data was likely either wrong or incomplete. Yes, they would like to know more about our aircraft. For now, they have classified it as an unknown. He said, they will likely change their opinion, once they see the data from Norfolk. We were impressed with all of them the first time we met them, and are even more impressed now. They would be great additions to the crew." "Have you indicated to them your appreciation?" "Oh, yes all of us have. We did when we departed Washington, and several times at Norfolk. They have been given the information concerning how to contact us." "Good," said Rusty. "Any other items for this morning?" asked Siobhan. There was no response. "See you at dinner," said Maeve. Maeve turned and gave Siobhan a hug and a kiss. When they separated, Siobhan's Clan was gathered around her, to compliment her. Siobhan blushed in response to the praise, as she didn't feel she did anything special but, through their mind-link, she understood the motivation. ------- Keriann, Kelly and Chester called Commander McGrath, to extend the invitation to visit the location where they were staying. He quickly accepted, as he wanted to go over the details of the assault and the other information they had collected. He felt they had all of the perpetrators in the brig, except for the two pilots who were still in the hospital, recovering from ejecting through the canopy of their jets. They had found the hoods the women had worn, the implements used to hold them, and the other items used in the assault. He was surprised it hadn't been dumped overboard before the NCIS team arrived. They advised him that the island was rather unique. They would send an aircraft to pick him and his staff up the morning he wanted to visit. They cautioned him that the island was clothing optional. Kelly quickly told him that participation was an individual choice, but that their escorts would be dressed as they were the last time they met. The only other condition set by GISS was that the location would not be revealed. They decided to get together in three days. Commander McGrath told them he would send them the names of the staff coming with him. He asked if Rusty, Sarah and the group on the shuttle that rescued them would be there. He was told that they would definitely be there, since he asked for their presence. As the conversation was ending, Chester told him he could bring the 5 Marines, in addition to his staff, if they wanted to come. Commander McGrath was quiet for a few moments, then asked, "Are you sure Rusty would agree, since they don't work for NCIS?". "It was Rusty's idea. Besides, Briana's Clan has a lot of respect for them, and thought a visit here would be a nice thank you for their previous assistance. You might tell them to leave their snooping stuff at home." "Who are Briana's Clan?" "They were part of the group that came with Rusty and Sarah to Norfolk. You may want to bring a change of clothes, in case you need to remain overnight." "We'll be ready for pickup at 0700 hours at Norfolk." "Briana's Clan, the five Marines will be coming with McGrath for the visit here." "Chester," said Kelly, "McGrath didn't say that." "Kelly," said Chester, laughing so hard he could hardly talk, "McGrath knows that as soon as the offer is made it will be accepted. Those five guys will come one way or another. It wouldn't surprise me to see them take leave, so they can come unofficially." "Thanks Chester, it will be good to see them," said Briana's Clan. "This won't cause them any problem, will it?" "No, I wouldn't think so. They will probably work it so they are assisting NCIS, at McGrath's request. Some desk jockeys probably wouldn't like it, especially if they had an idea of who they would be meeting before hand. I am speculating, though the motivation could be completely different, since we really don't know who they work for." ------- "Briana and Cass," said Aoife, "have you contacted General Walker yet?" "No." "I sense that you may want to do so today." "Why so quickly? Besides, that will be difficult to arrange while making it look ordinary." "I sense it is important to get this accomplished today. I know you were to make an appointment with him, but an easier way might be to visit him at his home, this evening." "Good idea. We could use one of the recon ships for this. We should have the rest of our group positioned for backup." "Agreed." "Okay, we will plan on making the connection at around 8 PM." ------- Marge, Evelyn, Fred and Chad called their editors just after they arrived in their office. They told them about the music they had forwarded to the paper's music critics, and the response they expected. Marge's editor told them he had a message that Pamela wanted to see him first thing. Evelyn suggested he have his secretary tell her he was in his office. Chad's editor asked if anyone objected to their music critic joining the call. Everyone agreed it was a good idea. Marge was reminding the editor's that Sam, Kelsey and Karmen would be preparing their stories for the next week, while they were receiving their medical treatments. She had just finished when Pamela, the music critic, barged into her editor's office. Without waiting for any acknowledgment, she started complaining about the stupid reporters he hired, who thought they knew music. She was especially incensed that it was his three favorite reporters that had the audacity to send her a CD with bunch of strange music on it for her to review. "The stupid cunts said they had found it on the Internet. Thankfully the first track was so bad I didn't waste any time listening to the junk. It wasn't music, it was just noise, worse than some of the hard core rock music." She demanded that the editor give them some meaningful work, rather than obviously surfing the Internet listening to junk music. The whole time the editor just sat and looked at her, not saying a word. The group with Marge had pressed the mute button, so they wouldn't transmit any noise. It was several seconds until the voice of the music critic at Chad's paper was heard. "Pamela, you must have had a different CD than I did. The music was wonderful, well composed and the Celtic phrasing was perfect." Pamela's mouth dropped open, as she realized she had walked into an open conference call. The other critic added, "The additional full versions of the songs in a different Celtic dialect and English is unique." "Would the four of you like to meet the choir?" asked Chad. "I haven't heard the music," said Rob, the editor of the paper where Marge, Evelyn and Fred worked. "Well," said Evelyn, "we can offer you several choices. We can pause this conversation, so you can listen to the CD or watch the DVD we sent you; or we can arrange for some of the choir to join this call; or we can arrange for you to meet the choir in person and hear them sing." "So you've taken up eavesdropping now," screamed Pamela. "You reporters will stoop to anything, won't you." "I think it was you that walked in on the open conference call," said Rob. "Samuel, do you really believe the music is that good? I never heard you rave like that before." Rob watched the expression on Pamela's face turn pale at the implication. "Yes, I do. By your wording, I take it you read my reviews." "Yes. Some I agree with, others I don't. Interestingly, I have never liked one you gave a poor review to. Marge, we would like to meet with and hear the choir. How do we do it?" "It will involve a little trip. Do you want to include our TV station on this, as well?" "I think they would be interested," said Paul, the editor at Chad's paper. "Let's see, it is 9:30 your time. There will be a private jet at the airport at 11 AM, to bring you to meet the choir. Either we will meet you at the plane, or several of our friends will be on the plane to meet you. We can either have you back by this evening, or you can stay overnight." "Where are we going?" said Chad's editor, spotting the information that was being left out. "The choir is on Dóchas." "Where?" "It is better if we tell you when we meet you at the airport. See you soon." Marge quickly hung up, before they could ask another question. "Well, that didn't go too badly," said Marge. "Command Staff and Flight Operations; we need to pick up the editors along with a few others, at the Grand View airport at 11 AM. Can we have some of Briana's or Cathan's clans go with us?" "Briana's Clan can assist you," said Sally. "Are Sam, Kelsey and Karmen going with you?" "Yes." "Don't forget to wear Salwar Kameez outfits." "Thanks for the reminder." "You know Rob is going to be irritated with you," offered Fred. "If you have a better idea, call him back. I felt that if I told him the destination, word would get out before they could get to the airport. Why don't you call that TV reporter you were talking about some time ago? You said she was complaining about always getting the meaningless assignments." "Good idea. Now, what to tell her." "Simple. Just tell her you have an excellent opportunity for her to scoop the others, but she has to trust you completely. If she is reluctant, tell her I am here and said to call her." When Fred reached the woman, she said she already had an assignment. The lead reporter was supposed to meet two newspaper editors at the airport, for a trip to see a choir or something. He was moaning about it being a waste of time, so she offered to do it for him. Fred told her great, since that was the same opportunity he was calling her about. He told her he would see her soon, and that Marge, Evelyn and he would be there, as well. Fred heard her start to ask a question as he quickly hung up. ------- Alpha2 touched down at Grand View airport just before 11 AM. Abaigeal taxied over to the business jet terminal, and parked where the ground crew directed. Once the door opened, Adam, Briana and Cass stepped out onto the ramp. While they looked around, the four reporters joined them on the ramp by the aircraft. They had only been there a few moments when a limo moved across the ramp toward them. "You know, that limo driver looks familiar," said Briana. "He should, it's Chester," said Cass. "I wonder what other surprises we will have today." The limo stopped beside the aircraft, and Cass went over to open the doors for the passengers, while Briana headed toward the driver's door. Chester was shocked to see who was opening the door for him. As soon as he stepped out, they hugged. "Seeing you is sure a surprise," said Chester, "a wonderful surprise it is, too." "Yes it is. I take it you brought the editors and several others." "Yes, I need to take care of them." He turned to assist his passengers and saw Cass had already done it. "Thanks, Cass. Are all of you here?" "No. If we knew you would were going to be here, then I suspect we all would have been. How are things for you?" "Very good, thank you. I didn't know I was coming here either until about an hour ago, when I got a call from the one editor requesting a limo in half an hour or less. He told me there would be three pickups to make, and that they had to be at the airport by 11 AM. All, my other drivers were scheduled, so here I am." "Other drivers?" "Yes. Since seeing you last, several amazing things have happened. Oh, and thanks for the key fob. I had to use it the next day when I went to make a pickup. When I drove past the restaurant, and saw the waiting clients, I had this eerie feeling. Remembering what you all told me about being careful, I pressed the button. Before I could turn around to pick them up, my phone rang, and the dispatcher told me he had given me the wrong address. I just continued on, rather than turning around, and felt much better after I did. While waiting for a light to change, I looked in my mirror and saw a police car pull up to the curb by the men." "I'm glad it helped you." "Just after I got home that evening a young lady knocked on my door, and told me she had been assigned to look after me. I was shocked and began to object. She just told me some mutual friends felt I could use the assistance, and they would be very hurt if I refused. You did that, right?" "Indirectly," said Briana, as she heard Donna tell her that his suspicions were correct. "Well, I owe you all a lot. I quickly found out how comfortable it was to have her around. She rode with me on all the runs, and we got to know each other. It wasn't long until she convinced me that I could have my own limo service, and give the service I thought was appropriate. I could talk about her for a long time, but we have other things to do now." "We are pleased it worked out for you," said Briana, as they walked to the other side of the limo, where the reporters were talking to their editors. Cass came up and hugged Chester. "Briana, Steve is here as well," said Cass. "He has noticed us, but has been focusing on the conversation with the reporters." When both women looked over at the group, they saw Adam and Charlotte standing to the side with smiles on their faces. ------- Cass opened the door of the limo for the passengers. First to exit the limo were two older men, followed by three women and two more men. Cass didn't notice Steve until he stood holding his cameras. Both just nodded, as they were surprised to be seeing each other. Steve stepped to the side and began taking pictures of the reporters and editors greeting each other. Chad introduced his editor to those he hadn't met, and then Marge did the same for her paper. The whole time, Adam, Charlotte, and Cindy monitored the surroundings, while Ellie and Anita walked around the aircraft. A ground service person came out, and asked Ellie if they needed any fuel or other services. He left shortly after she declined. "Marge," said Rob, very sternly, "I don't take kindly to being hung up on." Their music critic, Pamela, smiled when she heard the tone of Rob's voice. "Rob, Paul, my apologies. I knew the questions you were going to ask and thought it better to answer them here." Rob's irritation was clearly showing. "Dóchas is the space ship. If we had told you then, there would have been a mob here or worse." "We wouldn't have told anyone," said Rob sternly. "I know you wouldn't have, intentionally, but many would be able tell something big was in the works, just from seeing your expression. Then, knowing you were rushing off to some unknown place and might not be back for several days, they would follow you like a pack of bloody hounds. You know that if we stay here much longer they might still figure it out." "Chad," said Paul, "is she correct?" "Yes, we are going to the space ship. Marge is right, we need to be getting on board." The TV cameraman looked perplexed, as he couldn't get his camera to work. "Melinda, my camera is not working here. It did when I checked it at the studio." "Marge," said Melinda, "Carl has problems with his camera. Do we have time to get another?" "We can provide you with one," said Charlotte. "It should work much the same as your camera." "I can try it?" said Carl looking a bit apprehensive until Abaigeal handed him theirs. She watched him as he looked it over and then tried it. He then looked it over again with a very different expression on his face. "It uses DVDs, rather than tapes," said Abaigeal. "It has all the capabilities your other camera has, and perhaps a few more. You will probably find you don't need any more than fill light when you use it." "How will I get the images to the studio?" "All we need is to know how you normally do it. We can make that work." Briana stepped up behind the group. "Let's board the aircraft. We are beginning to attract attention. Chester, do you want to come along?" "Well, we are pretty busy." "Call your office, have them pick up the car? Your office manager can handle things for a day. Besides, we have a cell phone you can use to keep in contact." "I need to take the car out to the parking area." "Cass will go with you." It was only a few minutes until Cass and Chester stepped into Alpha2. Once they were inside, the door closed and Abaigeal began the departure process. As Alpha2 made the turn onto the runway, Adam looked over to the ramp. "Well, it looks like we left just in time." Everyone looked out the windows to see quite a few people standing next to the fence, with large group of cars and news trucks entering the parking lot. "It looks like it won't be long until everyone knows where we went," said Paul, looking at the group gathering by the fence. "Yes and no," responded Adam. "They are responding a report that there was a strange aircraft at the airport. Although we may want to have GISS operatives meet you here, when you return. They can provide some assistance in dealing with crowds and security-related issues." "Isn't that the group providing protection for MacFarland and O'Toole?" said Rob. "Yes, they are providing a safe location for them," said Cass. While they were talking, Alpha2 had taken off and was several thousand feet in the air when Steve looked out the window. "Wow, that was some departure. There wasn't any feeling of movement." On hearing Steve's comment everyone turned their attention to the view outside the shuttle. Alpha2, with Abaigeal at the controls, had departed using visual flight rules, as that way they could avoid using the transponder. Once she reached 10,000 feet, she made a shallow turn toward the ocean giving everyone a nice view of Grand View. ------- Chapter 92 "Ladies and gentlemen," said Briana drawing everyone's attention back inside the shuttle, "we need to cover a couple of items about ourselves before we go much further. Probably the most significant thing you need to know is that we are a clothing-optional society. Those of us hosting you will be dressed as you see us now. The rest of the crew will, most likely, be naked, unless their activity requires some form of cover-up. There will be no pressure for you to adopt that dress style. If you want to go back, say so now and we will arrange for you to return to Grand View unobserved." "Marge," said Melinda, "I sense Briana is serious. Can I presume that all of you have adopted that dress style?" "Yes, we have." "I suspect," said Evelyn, "that a few of you have been to a nudist camp on Earth. It is similar, yet different. You will sense the difference once you are there, and it is a good sensation." "Seeing no objections," said Briana, "we will continue on our trip. Abaigeal, who along with an AI is piloting this shuttle, will take us out over the ocean, before climbing to Dóchas." "Briana," said Steve, "I noticed before we boarded that everyone wears shoes with tall heels." "This is why," said Briana, who then slipped off her shoes, and stood there on the balls of her feet. The group watched for several seconds, expecting her to lower what used to be the heel of her foot to the floor. "How can you do that?" asked Melinda, the TV reporter. "I can only do that for a few moments before my legs scream in pain." "For us, the joint you call a heel is shaped differently, and serves a slightly different function. The muscle structure in our legs is different, as well, though not greatly different. When meeting others, it is less distracting if we wear a shoe style that is familiar to them. We do wear what you consider high heeled shoes quite frequently, as they are comfortable when you stand a long time." "I don't think I have ever seen anything like that," said Steve, with Carl nodding his head in agreement. "I'm surprised I didn't notice it before, but then again, when you have the shoes on it doesn't look as unique. Women in heels, especially women in tall heels, always look a bit unstable. I can see that is not the case for any of you." "Steve, we agree with your observations," said Cass and Briana. "We believe the different muscle structure in our legs gives us more stability." "We know that all of you came to hear the choir," said Cass, shifting the focus back on the purpose of the trip. "Marge has made arrangements for you to meet with our Command Staff later this afternoon, after you hear the choir. They have prepared a presentation that is an extension of the information on the DVD. It will give a bit of information about our history, culture and species." "Cass, you anticipated a question I was just about to ask," said Rob. "Wow, look at that," exclaimed Carl when he saw the International Space Station out the window. The cabin was quiet, as everyone's attention was again drawn to the windows to see the International Space Station as they passed. Once within sight of Dóchas, the front wall monitor was turned on, to show their approach. Abaigeal made a circuit of their home, before turning in toward the hanger bay. During the trip, the four reporters had watched their editors and the others accompanying them. All four were surprised by the responses of the group. They had all expected the editors to be much more contentious when they met at the airport. Marge, Evelyn and Fred had seen Steve at their paper, but had never worked with him. They were surprised he knew Briana's group, but upon hearing the comments about the photo spread, they remembered seeing it. Now, seeing that Steve and Chester knew Briana's clan, they saw there was possibly a story about how Steve and Chester met the group. ------- In the hanger, on Dóchas, several choir members, Shannon, Natalia and Bev were waiting, as the door to the Alpha2 opened. Marge, Evelyn, Fred and Chad emerged from the shuttle first. As the others exited, Evelyn introduced them to the choir members present. Steve and Carl, the TV cameraman, had managed to get some photos of the greetings. The greetings had just ended when the chime sounded, signifying the start of lunch. "Ladies and gentlemen," said the choir members, in harmony, "the chime signified the start of lunch. We can dine in the conference room, or we can go to the dining room. As Briana cautioned you earlier, there will be many in the dining room not wearing any covering. Our lunch is presented buffet style." Rob and Paul looked at each other, and then shrugged. "Initially, we came to hear you sing," said Rob. "We very definitely want to do that. At the same time, we definitely want to know more about all of you. The dining room sounds like an excellent way to start." "I agree," said Paul, "although, if everyone is as good-looking as those we have seen, then we may have difficulty focusing on our meal." Several of the group chuckled, and one or two of the visitors looked reluctant. Sam, Rob and Marge led the group to the dining room. The progress was rather slow, as the group was interested in everything they passed in the corridor. "It is hard to believe," said Paul, "that we are on a space ship. It is a place I never thought I would be." "Shannon, how did the choir start?" asked Samuel. "Most of us were what you would have called nerds in college." "You're from Earth?" "Yes, many of us are. I believe the Command Staff plans on covering that with you after you hear the choir." "Good. And, sorry for interrupting you." "Contrary to popular belief, nerds do other things besides technical activities. Many of us sing or play an instrument as a side activity. Quite a few of us are as proficient in music as we are in our technical activities. After we settled in here, we discovered the music of the ship's home world, in our library. We had some difficulty with the music at first, as it is scored a bit differently. It took us some time to adapt to the different scoring. Once we sorted that out, we had a lot of fun and enjoyment from singing and playing the music. In many ways, we think it may be more expressive than what we learned on Earth." "Excuse me Shannon," said Cass, as they had reached the dining room. "Please, everyone, take the food you want for lunch and follow Sam, as we will all sit together." "Samuel, I'll continue when we sit down, as I don't want to disturb while you select your food." "Wow," said Melinda, "This food looks better than I've seen in some fancy restaurants." "It is," said Bev, "much better." "Well everything we've been told on earth," said Melinda, "is that food for space travel had to be specially prepared." "If you are in a totally weightless environment, that is true. However, this is not a weightless environment." "You're right. It feels so normal, I guess it didn't fully register." "Samuel, do you speak Gaelic or Celtic?" asked Shannon. "No, not really. I know enough that I sometimes understand the music lyrics, especially when the melody matches the emotions. If I understood what you were saying earlier, the choir learned the music together, from information in the library?" "Our forefathers recorded the music in a manner that was easy to feel and sense, but at the same time, difficult to vocalize." Pamela made a rude noise, indicating her disdain for what was said. "Many of us sang in choirs before we came here, while others were quite proficient with various musical instruments. All of us had already picked up our Celtic-style dialect, so it was just a question of getting the vocals to match what we sensed and felt." "You have a very interesting way of wording things," said Melinda. "How do you know that your interpretation is correct?" "A few of our crew, who knew our forefathers, have told us it was perfect, from their standpoint. We think we need to polish some of the expressions, as we think they could be better." "Ah, a true musician," exclaimed Samuel, with a big smile. Samuel saw the expressions on Melinda and Paul faces, and realized they didn't understand the implication. "True musicians always feel their performance, or effort, could be better, and strive to make it that way. I think you will find that brilliant people, whether they are focused on science or music, are compulsive about their efforts. Those who categorize them as nerds, simply are expressing their envy." "You really believe all that shit," asked Pamela, looking at Samuel. Several in the group gasped at her comment. "I don't." Marge and Evelyn started to apologize. "Relax Marge, Evelyn," said Sam, "we can tell the difference between a gem and a lump of coal. Besides, I think we have the perfect song to sing after lunch." "Good idea," said Shannon, grinning. "We haven't sung that one very much, as it is a vocal challenge." "Yes, three in this group will certainly appreciate the challenge, and all the rest, except one, will like it, and may recognize the challenge. The odd one puzzles me." "Let's take dishes up and clean the tables off before we go listen to the choir," said Briana. Most of the guests followed the lead of their hosts in cleaning up their luncheon area. ------- Shannon and Samuel lead the group toward the room where the choir would sing. When they reached the room, many of the choir were already there, along with the musicians. Some were looking a little nervous. Melinda, Paul, Rob, Samuel and Pamela were seated in the front row, with the four reporters right behind them, along with the other visitors. Steve and Carl each took positions where they could photograph the choir and guests as the performance progressed. Briana's, Siobhan's and Maureen's Clans were hardly noticed by the guests, as they joined the audience, followed by Sarah's Clan, just before the lights dimmed for the performance. Sam, Shannon, and Kaylin stepped out from the choir. Speaking as one, they began, "Thank all of you for coming this afternoon. As some of you know, this will be only our second performance in front of an audience, which makes us a little nervous. This afternoon, we propose to first sing six songs. Each will be sung twice. The first time will be in our home language, which is similar to Earth's old Celtic. The second time will be a mixture of modern Celtic or English. The seventh song will be sung in our home language, which will sound much like old Celtic." The three stepped back to the choir, and the performance began. Their song set, this time, covered a broader range of songs than they had presented to the crew several evenings earlier. At the end of each song, the audience applauded vigorously. It was clear by the expression on Samuel's face that he was enjoying the music. Just before the last planned song, Sam stepped forward with Shannon. "This next song is rather unique to us, and we have only begun to practice it recently. We are not sure it can be recorded, but think it will be well received at live performances." Pamela again made a rude sound, as Sam completed her presentation. "This one will only be sung in a dialect similar to Earth's old Celtic." With that, Shannon and Sam stepped back in the choir. The audience quickly felt the difference in this song. It told of birth, growth, near defeat and then glory among the stars. While the concept was similar to the other songs, this song carried much more feeling and emotion in the words and sounds. The choir could see the effect the song had on the audience as they moved through each part. It ended on a high, causing many to have tears of happiness in their eyes. Even Pamela, the music critic from Marge's paper, was moved by the song. Samuel stood as the applause began, causing the others to rise as they applauded the choir's performance. After bowing several times, Shannon stepped to the front again, causing the applause to quiet. "On behalf of my friends, we thank you. We would like to show our thankfulness with one more song. We have only sung this one a few times, and only know it in our native Celtic dialect." The song had a light fast tempo, with words that drew the audience to it. From the sound and tune, it was clear this was a song of celebration that would soon have you dancing or tapping your feet. When the song and applause ended, Samuel said, "Beyond the Stars Choir, I want to thank all of you for blessing me with your presentation. I feel I could listen to this all afternoon, or longer. You are great. Seldom does one hear such depth in emotions in music. It is wonderful or simply out of this world. It wouldn't surprise me if you had more concert requests than you can handle." "Thank you," said the choir, in unison. With that, many of the impromptu guests for the concert began to leave, while the reporters and editors were talking. As the room emptied, the Command Staff moved over to the visitors. Rob happened to look over to see Sarah and Aoife approaching while he was talking to Paul and Samuel. He just stopped talking as he kept looking up. His action caused everyone to look around. "Hi, Sarah, Aoife," said Marge, Evelyn and Fred. "Rob, Paul, these people are Dóchas's Command Staff." She proceeded then to introduce each member of the Command Staff to all the visitors. Each of the Command Staff nodded as they were introduced. It took a few moments before the visitors recovered enough to begin shaking hands and acknowledging the introductions. "Marge," said Sarah, "from their expressions, maybe you should have warned them about our height." "It is not just your height," replied Melinda. "All of you are outstandingly beautiful, in addition to being tall and graceful." The others in the visitors just nodded. "Would it be possible for me to do a canned intro to the choir before we begin talking about other things?" "What do you have in mind?" asked Joyce. "Well, I need a spot where Carl can film me doing the intro for the film we took of the choir singing. Ideally, the spot needs to clearly show where we are." "For that, I think we have the perfect spot. Come, let's all go have a look," said Joyce, as she lead them to the observation deck. Many gasped at the sight, as they walked out on to the observation deck. The position showed both the Earth and Moon, with Mars in the background. "Perfect," said Melinda. "Carl, we don't want to hold things up very much, so I will do a short ad lib intro for the location and choir. Start and end with me, but be sure to include the others with us in the shots." "Good evening," said Melinda, as she began the intro, "Ladies and Gentlemen, tonight we are on board the space ship Dóchas to hear their choir, Beyond the Stars, sing. For this special performance, we are accompanied by the editors of Grand View's newspapers, several reporters and staff. Behind you can see a view of Earth and its Moon as seen from the ship's observation platform. The choir sang 6 songs for us that are now on the Internet, plus 2 new ones." "How does that look, Carl?" "Like you were excited." "I am. Do we need to do it again?" "No, the newsroom has plenty of good tape to use." "Melinda, Carl," said Brenda, arriving on the observation deck, "do you need to send this now?" "Yes," said Carl. "The earlier we have it there, the more they will likely include in the news segment. How can they contact us if they have questions?" "Come with me, and we can get this started." Carl left with Brenda. Melinda stepped over to the others. "Thank you so much for letting me record that before we begin the interview." "We don't mind at all," said Rob with a smile. "It is always nice to have a free advertisement for our upcoming stories." Melinda's expression quickly turned to a worried look. "Melinda," said Marge, "I think Rob is pulling your chain." Melinda glanced back Rob, and he nodded with an even bigger smile. "Rob, Paul," said Briana, "I sense you are surprised that we knew Steve and Chester." Both nodded their heads. "We met Chester when we needed transportation to take us from the business airport to the commercial airport. We went there to pick up Adam, when he was coming home on leave. While we were at the airport, Steve saw us and took pictures for a human interest story. Steve, correct me if I'm wrong, but if I remember correctly you had just finished another assignment when you heard about us." "Yes, that was the first time. I didn't meet Chester until the second time I saw you at the airport. Good thing we met, too. Weren't there five soldiers?" "Yes. They are all here, or will be at dinner time." "Oh, I remember that spread," said Paul. "You remember it," asked Rob. "Sure, I would have rather had it in my paper," said Paul, as he chuckled, along with several others. "Let's go down to the conference room," said Tara. "Do you mind if we show the interview on our monitors?" "I don't," said Paul. "Neither do I," said Rob, as they followed Tara to the conference room. ------- The group had just gotten settled in the conference room when Brenda and Carl joined them, causing a worried look to appear on Melinda's face. "Relax," said Carl, "it went fine. We gave them a contact number if they want to reach us." "Rob, Paul," said Sarah, "why don't we give you a broad overview of ourselves, first. We suspect that will answer some of your immediate questions. Then we will go back and add details to the initial outline." "Seems like a good way to start," said Rob, with Paul nodding in agreement. Sarah presented an outline that answered the general questions: Where they came from, how they got there, who they were, and why so many now originated from Earth. From there, she pointed out that there were a number of physical differences between the two species, but that they were biologically compatible. A couple started to ask questions, but she asked that they hold them until that part of the presentation. The Command Staff then took turns with each segment of the outline until they had filled in all the details. "Wow," said Paul, when the presentations drew to a close. "I think I have many questions, but I am not sure where to start." "Oh, I can," snarled Pamela. "All of that stuff about telepathic abilities is hogwash. People have been claiming that ability for ages, but nothing has ever been demonstrated." "You're right," said Joyce, with an edge in her voice. "We can demonstrate it in a moment. First, could you answer one question for me: who in their right mind on Earth would advertise that ability, since it would invite so much scrutiny that it would drive a person crazy?" "Looking at it from that perspective, I agree." Judy looked at each of the attendees, and could see the doubts in their faces, as well. "Many of you have doubts about much of what you have heard." Everyone nodded their head. "You will not be able to tell anyone outside this society, or even this group, about our being telepathic." "You understood what I just said, correct," continued Judy, verbally. The Command Staff watched, as the implications of what they had heard registered. "I thought I heard you say we could not tell anyone about you being telepathic outside this society," said Samuel. "At the same time, I did not see your lips move." "Yes," replied Judy, "that was the thought I projected to all of you. With your permission, we can sense your thoughts, as well. These are only the thoughts that are in your active, or short-term memory." "In our society, we do not look at others' thoughts without permission," said Alison. "If you are telepathic, you will know immediately when someone unknown to you tries to probe your thoughts, or enter your mind. There are ways to protect yourself from that. If you are not telepathic, you will sense the intrusion, but not understand its intent. This will likely cause you to avoid the situation or the people." "The original crew, in their home world, communicated telepathically all the time; in fact, they did it exclusively. Since we arrived, we have chosen to use a mixed mode of communicating. We find the mixed mode much more universally effective. You wonder why the preference for telepathic communication? It is simply very effective in critical situations. It is clear and not subject to electronic interference. Best of all, it automatically includes intent and emotion. Within a clan or family, we form a mind-link, which is a very personal sharing of our thoughts, emotions, ideas and memories among all the members of the clan." "Does that answer satisfy you?" asked Judy. "No," responded Pamela, sharply. "Look at this memory, then tell us what happened to me." After a moment, Judy said, "You're sure you want to do this." "Yes!" Maeve, Alison, and Judy looked at the memory the woman brought forth. They were shocked at what Pamela had chosen. It also gave them a sense as to why she was so hostile to those around her. "You really want us to describe that event?" "Yes," responded Pamela firmly. "Alright, but why?" "It is the only event that I can think of where the others here could verify some of it, if need be." "We will summarize your memory sufficiently so you can tell that we can see it. It begins with you being invited by a close high school girl friend to an overnight slumber party in your senior year. It wasn't until later that you learned that one of the girls at the party wanted to humiliate you. She felt you were trying to lure away her boyfriend. One of the evening's party activities was hypnotizing a person and getting them to do something funny. When they hypnotized you, they created several scenes in which you would star. This played on your deep desire to be a stage actor, and avoided directly asking you to something you would likely refuse to do. For the first scene, they had you eating what you thought was a banana split, only it was a banana protruding from a girl's cunt, surrounded by whip cream. You were told to lick the bowl clean. You did thinking it was the container for the banana split. In the next scene, they had you kneel so you could suck a long round lollipop, which was really one of the football player's cocks, covered with syrup. In the third scene, you were riding a horse bareback. The imaginary horse was really another football player's legs, with his cock buried in your cunt. During the breaks between scenes, you were given a drink that made the rest of the evening a blur and very pliable. You learned later that you had spent the rest of the party with your head between the legs of one of the girls, eating a banana split while you were fucked." "Early in the morning, you were told to shower and then come back. The group was talking about what they were going to do the rest of the weekend. Occasionally, one of them would touch you, and it would feel just like they were touching your skin. Several times, their movements brushed your nipples, causing them to swell with arousal. You knew you had dressed, and were surprised at the sensation. You didn't know, until later, that with the combination of hypnotism and drugs, she had left you with two residual instructions to follow, until someone spoke a key phrase breaking the condition. The first one was that, even though you were naked, you felt and saw yourself as being dressed. The second was that you would have difficulty wearing a bra for any length of time. If you put one on, it would quickly become itchy and hot. As soon as you removed it, you would feel very comfortable. For you, the lack of a bra was very noticeable, with your D-size breasts." "The key phrase about clothes was spoken just after breakfast. It shocked you, when you realized you had been naked all through breakfast, while the other girls were dressed. Then, one girl commented that you must be an exhibitionist or trying to put the make on one of them. Everyone laughed as you went to dress. You found it difficult to wear your bra and after several attempts left it off. By the time you had finished dressing all of attendees had left for home. You noticed the hostess smirk when she saw your bra less tits bouncing as you walked causing you to blush." "You did not hear the phrase releasing the instruction about the bra for several months. When it was said, it was by someone completely unrelated to the slumber party. By then, you realized you had missed your period. Two months later, when you went to the doctor, you found out you were pregnant. You couldn't imagine how you had gotten pregnant. When your family heard you didn't know who the father was, they told you to move out, since you were an embarrassment. You were devastated." "You were even more devastated when you received the package containing the DVD. In it was a note and DVD of your performance at the slumber party. In the note, you learned your friend had switched your birth control pills a short time before the party. The group had timed the party so they were fairly certain you would be fertile at the party. Seven months into the pregnancy, you miscarried, and ended up spending some time in the hospital. It was while you were recovering, that you made several decisions about your future. One was not to let anyone get close to you again." By the time Maeve had finished the recitation, Pamela was sobbing. When she had begun crying, both Marge and Evelyn had moved over beside her, with their arms on her shoulders. "Carl," said Melinda, "you didn't tape that, did you?" "No. When Judy questioned whether she wanted to do this, I sensed it was time to turn the camera off." "We cut the feed to our systems before Maeve started," said Sally. "We didn't think it should be shared outside this room, unless Pamela chose to do so." "Pamela," said Marge, "why did you recall that memory?" "I really didn't believe they were telepathic. I only intended to remember the part about miscarriage, as that was in the paper, so it could be independently verified. Those events are so closely tied together I didn't realize they couldn't be separated until it was too late. Well, late enough that I didn't want to back out." "Pamela," said Rob, "I don't believe you need to worry about this being shared outside this room and this group." "Thanks. I sense the same thing, which surprises me, as I have been a bitch. Although I never showed it, I felt I could always trust what you told me. In fact, I sense I can believe all of you. Believing in anyone has been something I haven't been able to do for a long time. Maeve, thank you." "Why?" "Hearing my story out loud has made me realize that I have been blaming the world for what happened. Those involved in the slumber party were no longer around when the final events took place. So I took my anger out on anyone around me. My anger seems to have grown with time. In some ways, it may have helped, as it kept me focused on music and drama. I can now see that it also limited my opportunities." "Restrained or blunted anger quite often does," said Judy. "I am sure if you want to discuss how to deal with the residual effects of this event any of us would be willing to listen and help, if we can." "Thanks. Marge, Evelyn, Fred, please accept my apologies for the things I have said and done. I hope we can be friends, in time." "The apology is not necessary, but gladly accepted," responded the three reporters. "Rob, if I'm still working for the paper, I promise to no longer be a pain in the ass or the bitch that I was. Bear in mind, I still may be bitchy, on occasion." "You are working for the paper, unless you decide to leave." "Oh, no," said Samuel, with a smile, "I'll be losing readers, and my editor will be after my scalp." Everyone chuckled, as the comment lightened the atmosphere. "Pamela, the four of us are telepathic, as well," said Marge, referring to her fellow reporters. "There are supposedly more abilities in the psionic category than telepathy," said Paul, bringing the interview back on track. "Yes, there are others. We would prefer not to explore this topic any deeper," replied Aoife. "I find the description of the differences in the bodies difficult to comprehend," said Melinda, redirecting the focus. She saw Carl open his mouth and quickly continued, "Now Carl, don't say something smart." Everyone laughed. "We can help you with that," replied the Command Staff, as they let their tops and pants slide to the floor. Erin and Aoife stepped out of their pants and walked over next to her. "Melinda, you can touch, as I can see from your expression you want to. I should warn you that we are very easily aroused by touch. So don't be surprised at that response." "Please, look closer if you want to," said Sarah to the others, as she moved around the room. "How can you be so relaxed," asked Pamela, with Melinda nodding. "Well, first, it feels natural and unrestrained to us. Second, except for a few bits, we are very much alike. We think there is less variance in our features than is normally seen among Earth's residents. At the same time, we are different. There are a number of differences between our species and yours. Many of these are quite evident visually, while several others are not." "How can there be less variance, when many of you originated from Earth?" asked Rob. "As we noted in the presentations, when we make the transition to this species, it is by way of a genetic virus treatment. It alters our body in many ways, some of which you cannot see. Our facial features only change slightly, so we look very much like we did before the treatment." "All of you are very beautiful," said Steve. "I would love to do a photo spread on the whole group." "What are the differences we can't see," asked Paul. "Most of us have two hearts, which work in parallel. Our vision can be described as more sensitive. Our psionic abilities are more responsive and stronger." "I agree with Steve," said Rob. "A photo spread of this group would be great, and really, from what I saw in the dining room, it could include just about anyone. All of you are quite photogenic." "Why a photo spread?" said Claudette. "It is a way for people to become familiar with you," said Steve. "It would normally be difficult for the paper to do the full nudity in a photo spread, but with careful composing and your celebrity status, it should be okay. That is really Rob or Paul's call, though." "Steve, we would need to see the layout before making a commitment," replied Rob, with Paul nodding. "I am really impressed by all of you and your surroundings, though at the same time I am puzzled," said Rob, "Why are you making your presence known? It seems to me that you don't need to and, in fact, it may complicate your future in this solar system." "One reason for making our presence known is," said the Command Staff, in unison, "we wanted Earth to know definitively that there are others in the universe. Growing up on Earth, we know that many doubt that idea. From our perspective, now, with the current divisions on Earth between different groups, it is likely they will never really explore space. The history of other civilizations from other solar systems indicates it is likely the exploration of this solar system will only begin once they see the strengths in each other, rather than the differences. Based on the similarities in other cultures, we see self-righteousness as a key characteristic behind the turmoil on Earth between the regions, races, and sexes. Many serving as leaders have magnified the differences between groups, in order to maintain their position. They apparently do not care that they are potentially sowing the seeds for growing turmoil and possible destruction." "The differences between the sexes, in terms of interactions, is largely driven by culture. The physical part of the differences is the result of selective breeding, or the preferences expressed when desiring to mate." "So it is likely, from our standpoint, that those on Earth will never progress enough to explore much beyond this solar system." "Holy cow, that is a political bomb shell," said Paul. "Yes, if expressed as bluntly as we just did. Expressing it that way would certainly make us the object of hate or discontent. Notice, we didn't say all politicians acted as described. There are many who truly wish to act in a way that is beneficial to their constituents, country and long-term well being. The difficulty this last group faces is that they don't make exciting news." "The other reason for making our presence known was we thought there might be some others interested in joining us that we weren't reaching. While we are not doing this to actively seek additional crew members, we are open to evaluating anyone who expresses an interest. For the last several years, as we noted earlier, we have approached a number of college graduates with the proposal to work for us. In doing this, we have focused on individuals who had few, if any, living family members. There are a number of characteristics a candidate needs to have before we approach them. While we approached candidates with the idea of them working for us, nearly all have decided to stay and join our species." "Why the narrow criteria? We wanted to minimize any complications, if they decided they wanted to join our species." "Many times you have used the term "crew members", but you are settling Mars," said Paul. "Yes, we have a settlement on Mars. Its main purpose is to expedite rebuilding our resources." "So you really don't plan on staying in this solar system?" "We haven't decided that yet, but it is very likely we will move to another system. This is in part because the residents of Earth have shown little tolerance for the small differences between the resident races. The long-term response toward ourselves, we think, will be even more negative; since we are physically and culturally quite different, besides being a different species." "I have to agree with you," said Rob. "There are a number in government who would slit their family's throats, in public, if they thought it would give them control of your technology." "Yes. And it is not always who you think it is," replied Sally. The exchange continued until the dinner chime sounded, causing a pause in the conversation. "That was the dinner chime," said Sarah, "it indicates the evening meal will begin in 1 hour. We usually take that time to exercise and freshen up." "I would like to write a short article for tomorrow's paper," said Rob, "and I think Paul would, as well. Where can we do that? And, how do we get it to the papers?" "Don't rush," replied Tara, "we will make sure the buffet is open for you." "We have facilities in the Communications Department you can use," said Evelyn. "You can write your article here and then transmit it or, if you have remote access to your office, you can connect from here, as well." "Rob, Paul," said Marge, "have you thought about doing a joint piece about the choir's performance and your visit here for tomorrow's publication?" Rob and Paul looked at one another for a few moments, before they said, "Marge, that is an excellent idea." "Rob and Paul, do either of you object to Pamela and I co-authoring a review of the choir's performance?" "No, not at all." Rob and Paul then looked at the reporters. "Don't miss the deadline for your stories." "We didn't," said Chad, as they all grinned. "They were submitted when the choir's performance was completed. We understand they will be front page, and that your assistants are planning on putting your story there as well." "Well, Carl, guess we better get cracking," said Melinda, "so we can prime the readers for tomorrow's paper." With that, Enya led the guests toward the Communications Department, with Steve, the four reporters, Sam, Kelsey and Karmen tagging along. The Command Staff watched as everyone left the room. "I think," said Joyce, "we should tell the group they are welcome to stay a few days, if their schedules permit it. Chester will want to return, so he can take care of his business." "Cass and Briana kind of talked him into coming along," said Maureen. "I will ask him, at dinner, if he would like to return tonight." "Good idea. Be sure he knows that he is welcome to return at another time." "The next several days will be quite busy," said Aoife. "You appear to have another vision." "Yes. Cathan will contact her friend in the next two days, and her clan will likely go to them within a short time after that." "Kelly and Keriann," continued Aoife, "were correct about McGrath wanting to talk to them further about the case. There are some aspects of the evidence that bother him, and we will probably need to help them with the answers. It appears that several others will be sent with him, to help them learn more about us." "So, NSA or others have finally figured out the link," said Rusty. "You expected this," said several. "It seems that we all expected this," said Tara, after a few moments. "Let's get ready for dinner, as we need to be there when our guests arrive." The group started moving toward their quarters, while they continued their discussion. "They will likely be a bit late arriving for dinner, as they are intent on getting their stories written." "Yes. We should move McGrath's meeting to here, rather than Comrie." "Good idea. Think they will be bringing any snooping devices?" "Oh, you can bet that Cathal's group will likely bring something, which they will assuredly find to have been a wasted effort." "The group will likely hand deliver a letter from the President," said Aoife. "General Walker and Admiral Johnson will be with the group, so it should not be much larger than we initially expected." As they entered their quarters, their children swarmed their parents, along with Maureen and Siobhan. Once Maureen and Siobhan had greeted the children, they hurried off to their suites, to join their clans to freshen up before dinner. ------- Chapter 93 Command Staff was waiting in dinning room when the editors and reporters arrived. They were surprised to see the group had all changed into their style of clothes. "Chloe, have you told them about our group meetings after breakfast and dinner," asked Sarah. "No. I hadn't thought of it." "Neither did I," said Marge, as she turned to the group with her. "Guys, right after dinner, we will have an open meeting. All three of our locations will be connected via video link. The purpose of the meeting is to bring everyone up to date on the activities at the various sites. This is something we do after breakfast and dinner nearly everyday. Also, I believe the Command Staff would like us to sit with them this evening." "Why is there a meeting so often?" said Paul. "We have three locations at the moment," said Erin. "There is Comrie, the island on Earth, An Clochán, our settlement on Mars and, of course, here. During the meeting, each location will participate through our instantaneous video conference link. There is a moderator at each location that will act as that location's host. The prime location is usually the one where the Command Staff is, though not always." "As to why, we use our daily meeting as an opportunity to discuss issues that affect everyone or for items of a general nature. Anyone, at any location, can bring an issue before the group." "The whole concept is a little difficult to comprehend," said Rob, as the group moved over to the serving line. "How many are there of you," asked Melinda. "Well if you count the visitors and children, we are a little over 3000, I think." "Visitors?" "Yes. There were a number of people rescued from the 'flesh peddlers' resort when MacFarland and O'Toole were rescued. Initially, they were staying on Comrie, and at another privately-owned island. At their request, both groups are now visiting both here and An Clochán. They are trying to sort out what their future will be." "I don't remember MacFarland saying anything about rescuing anyone during his press conference." "It was only touched on very briefly. It was felt that the people who had been lured into being the resort's sex toys did not need any extra attention." "Command Staff," said Paul, "the implication of Erin's comment is unusual." "What do you mean," Rob wondered. Marge, Evelyn, Fred and Chad were having difficulty in keeping grins off their faces. "It seems to me that this group has intervened to rescue several groups of people from a less than desirable future. Each and every time they have avoided recognition for their assistance." "Yes," said Command Staff, in unison. "We would prefer to keep it that way. In our view, it serves no one to change that perception." "Oh," said Paul, "I agree. I was not advocating any change, nor intending to say anything about the observation. It would not surprise me if many of those you rescued wanted to stay with you." "Very perceptive," said Sarah, "we have made a strong effort to make sure they never felt encouraged or trapped into staying with us." "I'm sure you didn't," said Rob. "How long can we stay?" "As long as you want," said Sally. "We spoke, earlier, about why we made our presence known to Earth," said Sarah, "but we did not comment on the associated risks, as we do have some concerns. It will be apparent to many that we are capable of easily doing many things that many on Earth have only dreamed of doing. This could either be inspiring or it could cause someone to become fixated on gaining access to our technology by any means. Those in the later category would desire it to further their group's position of world domination. For that reason alone, we prefer to be very vague about the details of our technology." "Now, that is "very perceptive"," replied Rob. "Your group has a valid concern, and I congratulate you on recognizing it. What about those visiting here? Won't they take back some of the knowledge of your technology?" "Yes, to an extent, those visiting here will take back some insight into our technology. We think they will find it difficult to use their knowledge for selfish reasons. Also, the longer we interact with Earth, the more aspects of our technology will be observed." "Does that mean the use of your technology is linked to the way you communicate?" "A good question, and one we have not considered," replied Tara. "We don't know the full answer, but would suspect our communication capability plays a part." "Going back to those we have rescued," said Sarah. "Some have returned to Earth, for a time, only to seek to return here. Those who are still there are doing quite well. As for our recruiting, of those we have approached with the opportunity to join us, over 95% have done so. Quite a few passed when the opportunity to visit us was first offered, but later sought us out. We are not sure why, but it has worked well." "How have you recruited?" asked Paul. "Very carefully," said Tara, causing several to chuckle. "We seek people who are ages 20 to 30 that meet a number of physical and social criteria. Those cover telepathic ability, physical attributes, social interactions, education, family as well as learning ability. Once we identify a person or group, we offer them the opportunity to visit us, obligation free, for a week after we give them a bit of background about us." "Oh, sorry, now I remember you telling us about that earlier." "Everything I have heard today," said Melinda, "seems to emphasize openness." "Yes. We believe everyone deserves to make their own decisions about their future, based upon having access to all possible information." "I am puzzled about the mind-link." "Melinda, would you like to sense it? It is hard to express in words." "If I could, but I'm not telepathic." "How do you know," wondered Joyce, causing a puzzled look to appear on Melinda's face. "If you'd like, we can look to see if you have that attribute." "What do you mean?" "I mean that several of us will look at how your mind is organized, and what attributes and abilities you have. We have found that virtually all of the potential candidates have the telepathic attribute. It was simply not functioning, as they were not providing sufficient energy to it. Some have managed to enable it on their own. This is usually caused by extreme stress or a severe shock of some kind." Melinda looked at Joyce, Erica, Tara and Sarah for a long time, with her eyes flitting from one to the other. "Please have a look," she said, after a few moments, with a look of expectation. "Before we do this," said Sarah, "you need to consider how this will effect you on Earth. Being an active telepath could cause you a considerable amount of scrutiny. The risk can be reduced by limiting your use of it. Because of this potential, we recommend that you limit its function upon returning to Earth, so that it just acts as a danger detector." "I didn't think of that. All of you should know that I am considering proposing to the TV station management the idea of my working from here indefinitely, or as long as you will let me." "We would have no objection to you working from here, although it could impact your future with them." "How?" "We don't know. It is just something you should consider." "I can do that. Will the four of you see if I am telepathic? Show me how to turn it on, if I am. Curiosity is about to get the better of me." "Melinda," said Carl, "remember what curiosity did to the cat?" Melinda stuck her tongue out at him causing everyone around them to laugh. "Let's do it right after the meeting." Melinda nodded her agreement to the others. When dinner was finished, Sarah, Siobhan and Maureen stepped to the front of the room. "Good evening, as soon as we have tidied up the dining room we will have our evening session." "It is likely this evening's session will be short," said Siobhan. While the group cleared the tables on Dóchas, the monitors around the room came to life, showing the Comrie and An Clochán dining rooms. "Good evening, Dóchas and Comrie," said Amy, from An Clochán. "Good evening, An Clochán and Dóchas," said Ursula, from Comrie. "Let's start with Comrie this evening," said Siobhan. "We have started adjusting GISS operations," said Madeline and Tom, "so that, at some point, we can separate Earth activities from those related to our species. Our interviews with the former National Guard members have gone very well, and many will be offered positions. We have identified several who have the potential to become managers for the Earth side of the operation. Also, a survey of the terrain around the Utah facility has identified an area where we can build a data storage chamber. We can make it virtually equivalent to that we are now using. It will have the weakness of being fixed on Earth, but it can be made self-sealing, in case of an extreme event." "Excellent," said Maureen. "How detectable will it be?" "Our initial plan is for the entrance to be very obvious," replied Tom. "Once past the entrance, the location will be very difficult to find without the appropriate keys." "Nancy's clan returned to Comrie this afternoon," said Ursula. "All we left on Frank's island were the improvements we made to handle the extra people." "He told us, several times," said Nancy, "that we were welcome to return at any time. His place may be a place the Earth side that GISS can use for relocating people when seclusion is needed. "Good idea. Anything else?" "No, not really. Our visitors are anxious to make the next stop on their visit rotation." "Good. We look forward to seeing them," said the hosts on both Dóchas and An Clochán. "Amy, how are things on An Clochán?" "We are making good progress on all projects," she replied. "A number of our visitors have become more than visitors. Many of us were surprised when they asked where they could help out right after we completed their tour. I guess we really looked stretched." "No, that's not it," said Laurin, startling Amy. Nicola, Collette and Eryn stood beside her, as the focus turned to her. "We felt the strongest desire we have ever felt to participate in a project," the group of four said in unison. "Many, if not all of us, have decided to stay. We will be making appointments to see the medical staff about beginning our conversion to this species. We know there are visitors on Dóchas, so this next part is for their benefit. We are former TTC members that were rescued in Afghanistan. All of us went back to our home towns for a while. On our own, each of us sought out these people, as we wanted to return and work with them." "We are glad to have you," said Amy. Her comment was immediately followed by a loud "YES" from the group at An Clochán. "I don't believe there is anything else at this time," continued Amy. "We should have mentioned this at the beginning," said Siobhan. "Today, besides the visitors from Comrie, there are several others. Paul and Rob are the editors for the two papers in Grand View. The reporters, whom I think all of you have met, work for them. Also with them is Steve, a photographer, who it turns out met Briana and Cathan's Clans previously. Melinda and Carl are here from the Grand View TV station. And last, but not least, is Chester, who has provided our limo service in Grand View." "We are pleased to have all of them here," said Maureen. "Briana told me earlier that Chester will return home this evening. On behalf of the Command Staff, we wish to thank him for coming to visit, and for the assisting us in Grand View." All three sites applauded, signifying their support for her comments. As the applause died, Chester stood among Briana's Clan, "Thank you. The best day in my life was the day I became acquainted with the members of these five clans. I was quite shocked this morning when I saw Briana and Cass. I am extremely pleased that they invited me to join you today on Dóchas. It is an experience that will live with me always. Again, many thanks." Briana and Cathan stood next to him and hugged him. "We have one announcement, unless someone has another item to bring up." "The day after tomorrow we expect another group of visitors from Earth," said Sarah, after waiting a few moments. "This will be McGrath's group, from NCIS at Norfolk. It was originally planned that they would meet with Kelly and Keriann, on Comrie. We have changed the location to Dóchas, as it appears the focus of the meeting has changed. We are anticipating they may be here several days." "Oh," said Siobhan, "I don't think everyone knows that the Taoiseach of Ireland has responded with an invitation for the choir and Command Staff to visit him. It is to be a state visit, with a performance by the choir." The announcement was met with cheers at all three locations. With that, the meeting began to break up. "Rob, Paul," said Rusty, "feel free to roam the ship or An Clochán and talk to anyone you wish to. There is one caveat to this freedom, you will need an escort at all times." Both started to speak. "It is for your safety. The reason is you are not telepathically active. We ask that you take two escorts with you at all times. Marge, Evelyn, Fred and Chad are all telepathically active." "Isn't that true for all of us?" "It is true for Samuel, Pamela, Steve and Carl, but not for Melinda." "But, she is not telepathic." "She will be, shortly. I expect that Samuel and Pamela will want to spend a considerable amount of time with the choir members." "You're right about Samuel and Pamela," said Rob. "I have never seen Pamela this enthused about anything. She has really changed." "Yes," said Paul. "I also suspect we will see a lot of Samuel and Pamela." Several chuckled at the implication. "Paul, Rob," said Marge, "we need to sit down and talk about the future. We believe that tonight would be a good time." "What's up? We know Sam, Kelsey and Karmen will be covering for you, while you receive your treatments." "We are looking beyond that, and we have a proposal for you that we think you will like," said Evelyn, with a grin. "Normally, with that kind of lead-in, I would be concerned," said Rob, as Paul nodded agreement. "Somehow I don't think that is the case." "Come, let's go to our suite, so we can talk," said Marge, as she took Rob's arm. "Steve and Carl, you are welcome to join us if you want too. Melinda, why don't you join us when you're done with Alison, Sally, Tara and Claudette." With that, the group headed toward the reporters' suite. "How do we arrange a trip to An Clochán," inquired Paul, as the group exited the dining room. ------- The only appearance of something out of the ordinary in General Walker's front yard that evening was an unusual depression in the grass. Briana and Cass checked the outside sensors for other activity in the neighborhood. Everything was quiet. Adam confirmed that their view from Alpha3 was the same. Briana and Cass stepped out into the evening air and walked up to the front door. As they stepped on the porch, the light came on and a chime could be heard inside the house. After a few moments, the door opened. "Good evening, ladies, can I help you?" said the man. "Yes, we would like to speak with General Walker." "I presume he is expecting you." "No, he is not. We believe he will want to see us, as we would like to discuss a note Adam O'Connell gave him before his group disappeared." After a moment's hesitation, the man returned and said, "Please come inside." They were led into the living room. "Please have a seat, while I see how soon the General can see you." Both Briana and Cass caught the change in the noncom's posture after they mentioned Adam's note. "Good evening, ladies," said General Walker, as he stepped into the room a few minutes later. "The Sargent said you had some information regarding Adam O'Connell's note." "Yes, sir. My name is Briana and this is Cass. Do you have a more secure area in the house?" "There shouldn't be a problem here, but let's go to my office. It is back this way." "Sir, would you find the patio acceptable?" "Not usually." He looked at them for a moment. "In fact, it seems like just the opposite, but why not. Would either of you care for a glass of ice tea while we talk?" "We would enjoy that," both responded. "Sergeant, would you bring ice teas out to us on the patio?" They had just reached the patio, when they met Mrs. Walker. After an exchange of greetings, she joined them as they stepped out on the patio. The group chatted idly for a few moments, while waiting the arrival of the ice teas. Once the ice teas were served, Cass said, "General, we understand you have been monitoring the former TTC members from Captain O'Brien's old unit." "How do you know that?" "Adam is very close to us. We regard his friends and comrades as dearly as he does. Because of this and what happened in Afghanistan, we have been monitoring them as well." "Then you are aware that several have disappeared without a trace over the last several weeks. Now, it seems that others are preparing to move. The puzzling part is that they are leaving a forwarding address in Utah. There is hardly anything there." His wife looked at him questioningly. "Yes, my two aides and I have been trying to keep tabs on them, unofficially. I really shouldn't say more." "General, if you are concerned about listening devices, we can assure you that there are no bugs out here. Out here, we can ensure that our conversations will only be heard by the five of us." "What?" "We asked to come out here because we detected at least two bugs in the living room. Given the way they were placed, we would not be surprised if there weren't more." "Now, how could that happen? Sergeant, have you had maintenance done in the house?" "No, sir, not in quite a while." "Oh," said Mrs. Walker, "about a month ago I saw a telephone truck leave our driveway, just as I returned. It was one of the few days when all of us were gone at the same time. I didn't think anything about it then, as they are quite often in the neighborhood." "Well, I think we know when it happened. Sergeant, call security and have them send someone over to remove the bugs as soon as we are done here." "Yes, sir. What story do we want to give them?" "Just tell them we found two in the living room. Now ladies, what can you tell us about the former TTC members? I don't think you came here to tell us about the bugs in the living room." "You're right, although we can arrange a more thorough check for you. We ask that what we tell you shortly will stay with just those here, plus your two aides. We will leave the decision on who you tell to you." He nodded. "All of the former TTC members you are concerned about have decided to avail themselves of an opportunity they found through contacting GISS. GISS stands for Galactic Intrusion Security Services. One aspect of the organization provides network security evaluations, along with solutions. Another aspect provides personal protective services. The news you probably are most interested in is that Adam and the group who disappeared with him are alive and doing great." "How do I know that any of this is true?" "We only have a recording that we can show you, along with a note. Also, as two of his spouses, we can assure you that he is alive and doing well." The three looked at Briana and Cass, trying to determine if they were serious or not. Briana handed General Walker the note. They watched as he read the note slowly. "You have halfway convinced me. It would be nice to talk to him." Cass retrieved a crystal cube from her jacket pocket and handed it to the General. "If you say 'play', you will see a recording he made earlier today." Briana and Cass watched the General's face as he watched the recording. Both the Sergeant and the General's wife tried looking over his shoulder, but could neither see the image nor hear the sound. "That was certainly Adam in the recording, so you have nearly convinced me. What kind of video player is that, I've never seen one like it." "Sir, we think events are unfolding that will give you the opportunity to see all of them again," said Briana, ignoring his question. "This will occur at the location where they have moved. If they do not unfold that way we think they will, we will make sure you quickly have another opportunity. If the opportunity unfolds the way we think it will, you may want to include your aides." General Walker started to speak. "We could tell you more about what we think will happen, but then you may not react the way you would normally." "You're asking a lot now that you've tweaked my curiosity," replied General Walker, as he chuckled while looking at the crystal cube. "Yes. Telling base security that you found bugs in your house may well accelerate the opportunity. Besides, I believe Adam put GISS's contact information on the bottom of the letter." ------- The editors and reporters settled into the reporters' suite along with Sam, Kelsey, Karmen, Carl and Steve. "Rob and Paul, both of you know that the four of us will start our conversion to this species shortly," said Evelyn. "First, let us assure you that we are doing this because we want too, even though it is needed to fully correct what the 'flesh peddlers' did to us." "Once the conversion to this species is complete," continued Chad, "we think it will be very difficult for us to live and work on Earth. Our presence could also have an effect on the paper. It is difficult to tell if that would be positive or negative. We think it would evolve into the latter." "We think we have a solution," continued Marge, "that has many pluses for both of us." She paused for a moment. "We think the solution is for us to establish news offices here and on An Clochán. The initial staff would be the four of us, plus Melinda, Kelsey, Karmen and Sam. We would route all of our contributions through your papers." It was quiet for several moments. The four reporters were beginning to get nervous, since they expected a quicker response. "Why did you include Melinda," replied Rob. "She works for the TV station." "She told us that she plans on making a similar proposal to her station manager." "How will you handle the visual side of things?" asked Steve, before the editors responded. "Steve, you know that anyone can take a photo," exclaimed Karmen. The reporters and their trainees watched Steve turn red and sputter before they broke up laughing. "Very good, Karmen," said Marge. "Steve, we will definitely need a photographer and cameraman eventually. If Rob and Paul accept our proposal, then we suspect there will be others interested in joining us." "I like your proposal," replied Rob, "it makes a lot of sense, and has a number of advantages for us in addition to opportunities for the seven of you." "I agree," said Paul. "I don't see a problem with it, but it will need to be discussed with our publishers." "I think I would like to stay and assist you in getting it started," said Steve. "Stay and get what started," asked Melinda, entering the suite and only hearing the last of Steve's comment. "The reporters," replied Carl, "have just proposed opening a news office here." "Cool, am I included?" responded Melinda, excitedly. "Yes," said Sam, giving her a hug. "Carl, something is bothering you," wondered Melinda. "Yes. I would like to stay, since I like working with you and I like this group. However, I have a friend with benefits who may not be excited about my being here. She also has a son and daughter." "So invite them to visit," Marge rapidly responded. "But I am not sure they will meet the criteria Command Staff had indicated earlier. Plus, the living environment could be an issue." "Their visiting doesn't mean a commitment," said Evelyn. "It is an opportunity for the four of you to decide what your future should be. The criteria Command Staff outlined were the optimum criteria. There are many who came here by other paths." "Alright, I'll call her tomorrow and see if the three of them can join me on a short vacation. Although, it could be a problem for her to get off work." "If she can't get off work," said Rob, "tell her to quit. We will find a position for her at one of our papers, if this does not work out." "Thanks," said Carl with a surprised look on his face. "Carl," said Paul, "I can see your surprised at the offer but rest assured that between Rob and I, we can find her a position she be comfortable with, if it comes to that." ------- "Sarah's Clan," said Shannon, "McGrath, his Commander, Admiral Johnson, General Walker and his aides along with the Attorney General are headed for a meeting at the White House." "Well, it's about time," said Rusty. "What do you mean?" asked Lydia. "I was somewhat surprised that the US was not one of the first acknowledgments of our letter and DVD. The President's office has a large number of staff members that assist him with the various aspects of the office. While they provide assistance to the President in managing the office, many also have their own agenda. Sometimes this is personal and other times it as special-interest advocates. My guess is that our appearance has created a stir among several special-interest groups. It is puzzling why it seems more of an issue for the US than it apparently was for other countries, unless they fear our presence. This hesitation, likely, has several religious as well as economic aspects." "From a religious stand point, some of our abilities and our social structure will be seen as threats to their beliefs. Now that I have said that, the religious issue is probably stronger in other parts of the world." "Rusty," said Terry, "could it be, that some of those in positions of power and wealth perceive us as a threat to their position? Especially with the advanced technology they perceive that we have?" "Good point. The lack of intelligence probes is puzzling or it's possible that we have been very good at disguising our appearance, both when we went to Andrews and before then." "It is more likely, we have been passively observed, " replied Sally. "Our assistance to the TTC groups was likely recorded by some of the military satellites. Not so much ourselves, but the result of our action." "Don't forget, " commented Shannon, "there are several spy satellites that have been reorientated to watch our ship. We have made no effort to hide our comings and goings, though as soon as we are away from Dóchas, we cloak part of the time." "My sense, " said Tara, "is that we are not viewed as a primary concern or physical threat by anyone on Earth. Terry is most likely correct, in that some on Earth view us as either as an economic threat or as an opportunity." "An opportunity?" commented Joyce. "Yes. An opportunity to become more powerful in terms of political power and wealth through controlling the introduction of our technology to Earth. Some of capabilities of our technology would decimate some portions of Earth's economy. In the hands of a few, that is a ticket to absolute power or control." "Tara, " said Erin, "your implication is that some people are actively planning on trying to gain control of our technology." "Yes," replied Aoife, "and I agree with her. Those who want control of our technology will have little hesitation in taking it from us, if given the opportunity. Eliminating us, while not necessarily planned, would prove acceptable, if it achieved the result of them maintaining their position in the world." "It seems that we are focusing on a small portion of Earth's people," said Jill. "Yes, we are," replied Maeve. "Those we are talking about have the money and resources to be a serious threat when we visit Earth. While we have many unique abilities, we are still susceptible to many things on Earth. Killing us outright would most likely be the approach of religious extremist. Detaining or kidnapping a few of us, is a method they may try to use to force access to our technology." "Interesting ... so how do we checkmate these risks, " questioned Claudette. "At the risk of sounding trite, " replied Rusty, as his concern radiated from him, "we must be prepared. We need the security teams and intelligence department to do a complete review of any itinerary we have. Once that is complete, they need to try and look at it from the point of view of our potential antagonists, to identify key risks. With that, they can devise probable situations we could face if some of us were kidnapped, and then devise effective responses. The key operational parameter is to be sure to act so as to ensure none of us are hurt. Concern about collateral damage is secondary. As we set up the travel, we should ensure that several security team members are in each group as we move about. Each group will include two bots, as they are not susceptible to some things as biological-based entities are." "Shannon and Danny," said Sarah, "you two should take the overall lead on this. Ask O'Brien and Kaelee to take the lead on the security team side." "Okay, we will start on it this afternoon. For the meeting at the White House, do we want to place a drone in the room," Shannon asked. "No," replied Sarah, "it doesn't seem appropriate at this time. We should not tell them of the change in location until we are in the air. Everything can take place here." "What about the editors?" "I guess the guests just may all meet in the dining room." "All of this discussion makes us feel a bit more comfortable," said Sarah's Clan. "It is interesting how a comment or question can trigger a conference like this. Hmm ... this is something that would have been very hard to do without telepathy." ------- McGrath sat uneasily in the White House Conference room. His commander had called him the night before to tell him they had a 9 AM meeting at the White House and they would go by helicopter. She couldn't tell him anything else about the meeting, except that they didn't need to do any preparation. He looked around the room, trying to understand why and what the meeting was about. When they arrived, they had introduced themselves to the others. In attendance were the Attorney General, Admiral Johnson, General Walker, General Walker's two aides, Cathal, and the four who were with him at Norfolk. He had heard of General Walker, and understood he was well thought of by those in his command. He had talked with Admiral Johnson by phone several times, in regard to the incident in his CSG. Each sat quietly, waiting for the President to arrive. When the President entered, everyone stood until he was seated. The room was quiet for a few moments, as he looked around the table. "I have not personally met many of you previously, which is unusual for a meeting here. This is an informal meeting, and there will be no notes. There will be no discussions about our meeting with anyone outside of this group. Any such discussion will only occur in a secure facility. Understood?" Everyone nodded their agreement. "Good, let's begin. Over a week ago a letter and DVD appeared on my desk, purporting to be from the crew of the space ship. Interestingly, no one knows how the letter and DVD got there. The crew basically said hello and this is who we are. We know that other countries have received an identical communication. This occurred after the space ship appeared overhead and the reports of several space craft sightings. Since then, there have been multiple sightings around the world of what are purported to be space craft. Some of these have been seen by several of our military aircraft or ships, such as Admiral Johnson's CSG in the Atlantic." "We now believe that one was used in the transport of four navy crew members to Norfolk NAS. The reports, though, state that an unusual aircraft landed on the carrier in Admiral Johnson's CSG, when it was returning three crew members who had been picked up from the ocean. Due to an incident on the carrier after the three crew members were rescued, Admiral Johnson asked the rescuers to take them on to Norfolk NAS, along with an additional crew member. Admiral, you and the carrier's captain are to be commended for the actions you took after identifying the problem on the carrier and summoning NCIS. It is clear both of you recognized the risks to these four, and put their safety before all else. The fact that we let a civilian aircraft operate off of the carrier was unusual, as were the circumstances. This appears to have been permitted because a former Special Ops member was involved and was vouched for by MacFarland. Some analysts now believe that the aircraft that brought MacFarland and O'Toole to Washington for the press conference was a space craft, disguised as an executive jet. Let me close this part by stating that as Commander in Chief, I fully endorse the actions taken to date by the CSG command, NCIS and our assistants whomever they are. I have added a note on the reports to that effect." "Several days ago, I was given a proposal about how to respond to the letter from the space ship's crew. I found it to be unusual, unprincipled and extremely provocative. By the way it manipulated the facts, it is probably the most creative report I have ever read. The report was well written and made a strong circumstantial case against the crew of the space craft as being criminals. The conclusion was that we should make all efforts to seize them and bring them to justice. It was obviously written to support a preconceived position, as indicated by the partial use of select intelligence data." "Fortunately, there are other analyzes to consider, one in particular was from very unique perspective. Cathal's group provided this unique perspective and from my point of has the analysis correct. It uses all the available intelligence data plus including some extraneous data from several recent Justice Department cases. I hate to say this, but it was largely happenstance that Cathal's group was drafted to assist with MacFarland and O'Toole's staff when they were here. Some of their additional insight came from working with the security team with MacFarland and O'Toole. You will, I think, see in a moment that they were able to do this by thinking outside the box, or what we know as facts, plus have an appreciation of the potential for science fiction to be non-fiction." "Based on the reports, I have asked all of you here, because it seems that many of you have had contact with those on the space ship and may not have realized it. I would, therefore, like you to hear Cathal's summary of the report, so you have a perspective on my request. I plan on responding to the letter today, as we may have waited too long. Our diplomatic sources indicate some countries have already responded with invitations to those on the space ship. Cathal, please summarize the analysis your group put together. I assume that you realize some of your analysis was confirmed by the articles in yesterday and today's the Grand View papers." "Yes, Mr. President, I have heard that, but I haven't had time to read anything yet. As to this report, our interest began when one of us saw the reports regarding the TTC incident in Afghanistan. In many ways, the sudden rescue of the three TTC squads that were believed lost by a fourth squad fit together very nicely, almost too nicely." General Walker looked puzzled, upon hearing the comment. "General Walker, there was nothing wrong with the report you issued, in fact, it is the most accurate document we have of any of the incidents the President alluded to. We also believe, based on subsequent events, that there was some information left out. This was likely intentional, as those who were rescued didn't think we would believe the truth. If our analysis is correct, they were absolutely correct. If they had told us what, we think, are the missing pieces, we would have had them locked away in a psych ward." "The bandits and terrorists that survived the events just before their rescue had no such constraints. They told what were regarded as wild stories, about voices and flashes of light in the sky. Many were missing portions of limbs, which were supposedly severed by the flashes of light. The reports were taken by many to be the result of shock. Others thought the survivors were describing events that were truly acts of God. We are now pretty certain that the group on the space ship assisted Captain O'Brien's team in getting out of a very deadly situation. We know that the bandits had an agent with our forces in Afghanistan, who had set up O'Brien's group for capture, which that person had done to several groups before them. Their agent has disappeared. There is no trace of him. The agent did leave behind quite detailed records on his computer. Rumor has it that a group of bandits central to this slavery operation have also disappeared." "The rescue began with our forces being summoned by O'Brien's squad to rescue them in a rather unique manner. Purportedly, O'Brien was suspicious of the mission. This suspicion was based on talk he had heard of other TTC units going missing. He left a time delayed e-mail. The e-mail was addressed to a fellow officer and to his commander. We are now fairly certain that the e-mail was inserted in the system the day before it was to be sent, with no trace of any other source except O'Brien. Note that he was in the field at that time it appeared in the e-mail system. We cannot find it on the backup tapes between him going to the field and the message being sent. The e-mail advised the recipients that he had taken three air-crew emergency transponders with him. The message contained the transponders identifiers, and described a code for assistance if they would need, in the event that search and rescue picked up the signal. It worked. They tripped the transponders and our forces responded. It was probably the quickest response to a distress signal we have ever made. Some of you may not be aware of it, but O'Brien's group was very well thought of by the rest of our forces there. Our forces were then able to pick up most of last three groups, along with O'Brien's unit, at a place General Walker knows as the slavers camp. We are not sure where to begin looking for those who disappeared prior to them. We know there are others. Our impression now is that that the group on the space ship came specifically to the rescue of Adam O'Connell and his four friends. Adam and his four friends were in a photo spread in the Grand View paper, just prior to their going to Afghanistan. Adam was in the group that brought MacFarland's group to Washington. The information is based on DNA analysis, although the match is not perfect." "Much of our analysis of MacFarland and O'Tool's involvement is ... well, a guess. It is based on what is in the 'flesh peddler' cases, or more correctly, the Chosen Ones cases. The similarity is in the enslavement of western women and a few men. Our analysis only works if you presume outside assistance. The original case is an incident at a remote lodge in near Grand View. This is where the first evidence was collected showing a large global sex slave operation existed. Based on the data, the people captured were sold for use by others in anyway they saw fit. The use and abuse have a sexual aspect, but the situation is far more evil than that. Interest in the case by the three reporters from the Grand View paper, to a large extent, kept the investigation alive. They managed to keep coming across clues that a law enforcement person wouldn't usually see, but which, when found, could be used. We believe that this is as the result of them having a different perspective, and, likely, outside assistance, such as ... our friends on the space ship." "Recently, there was a case in MacFarland's jurisdiction where the owners of two software companies were turning some of their employees into corporate sex slaves. These women and men were then made available to the other employees for sexual use, as a way to motivate the employees. The company's officers focused on inducing employees into enslavement who had little or no family. We know from data recovered from the companies that many of these company sex slaves later disappeared into the Chosen One's network. The enslavement of the eight women that caused the reporters to tip off MacFarland's group is, to this day, a puzzle. Their backgrounds appear to be something we would create for someone going into a witness protection program. It can be said another way, all of their identity information is valid, but unverifiable. We do know that they had not worked at the companies very long. We also know that they were at a software conference shortly before MacFarland's group received the tip. At the conference, they met two men, a Tom and John, who had owned a software firm that completed against the two firms where the women worked. Both men left the conference with the women. All were next seen at their homes. There is no record of any of them taking a commercial flight home. There are unused tickets in their names for those flights. On the day of the tip, the eight women were seen that evening entering the company president's estate, with the companies' three administrative assistants. None of the eleven women's remains were found in the rubble of the estate, but several of the estate's staff remains were found." "The owners of the software companies were arrested for multiple counts of murder. Shortly after they managed to get released on bail, they disappeared. Several weeks after their disappearance, two videos arrived at MacFarland and O'Toole's office' showing their last days alive. The two were tortured over what appeared to be several days. In the final scene, they were prepared and then entombed alive in a sand pit. Included with the videos, was a threat against MacFarland, O'Toole and their families. We haven't been able to define what the actual threat was, we just know it was there." "Tom and John's former software company has filed suit against the two defunct software companies for theft of their intellectual property. Based on the briefs, they will likely win the cases. Tom and John live on a private estate. They have not been seen very often since the eight women disappeared. We have tried eavesdropping on the location, but it is very well isolated." "We are guessing that the eight women, along with the three who entered the estate with them, are alive somewhere. Tom and John probably know where, but probably won't tell. There is no compelling reason for them to. As to what happened, we think those on the space ship somehow came to their aid." "I will skip the details in the rest of the report, as I think you now have a sense of what we have done. When MacFarland and O'Toole were taken to the resort to meet their families, we think the crew on the space ship orchestrated the rescue of MacFarland, O'Toole and their families from the resort. While doing that, they also enabled MacFarland and O'Toole's staffs to seize a great deal of data." "We think they came to the aid of the National Guard MP company who had been assisting MacFarland's office when they were attacked. If the time sequence is correct, the crew came to their aid before the attack really got underway. The destruction pattern caused by the gas line explosion has never been seen before. Except for the armory complex, all of the explosive force went up, one expert described it as if there was a wall around the complex. We also are aware that several flame fronts happened to go down the streets where the attackers were." "Lastly, we have the incident on the aircraft carrier. We don't have a clue as to why they were there. Circumstantial evidence to us makes it clear that they were shadowing the carrier. This is based on the number of sightings in that area. Four people are likely very glad they were there. If I get the opportunity, I will ask." "There is one more piece in this string of events. Many times a firm called GISS has been visible in assisting with the aftermath of an incident. GISS is a peculiar operation. GISS was started after the principal founders were reported to have died in an accident. There were six people in the vehicle that careened off a cliff into a river. One was the daughter of a couple that owned a network security firm where the other five worked. The family has since sold the business and moved to an unknown location. One of those killed was a former member of Special Ops. He was an exceptional member, until an incident on a mission caused him to leave. We believe he is the Rusty that met McGrath at Norfolk, and is one of the key space ship crew members. He closely resembles the Rusty we know from Special Ops. He admitted to McGrath that he closely resembles Rusty, in addition the DNA sample we were able to obtain shows a close match. Again, it is not a perfect match." "This is a photo of the group that brought the four Naval personnel from the carrier to Norfolk. These two are Rusty and Sarah, both of whom are somewhere around 7 ½ feet tall. Both are considerably taller than indicated on the driver's licenses of the missing people. These are Briana and several members of the group that was with her when they escorted MacFarland and O'Toole to Washington." "Well I'll be damned," exclaimed General Walker, causing everyone to look at him. "Last night, Briana and the woman next to her, who I believe is named Cass, came to my house." He paused for a few moments, as he decided what to say. "Let me give you a little background, before I tell you what they had to say. The TTC Afghanistan incident and rescue was neat and tidy, in the way the debriefing went. It ended up taking longer to finalize than we expected. This was, in part, because of intelligence indicating a bounty had been placed on all of them. During that time, my aides and I came to know all of the group fairly well, to the point, if we had not been in the military, that we would have been close friends. As Adam left with his group, he gave me a note. I don't remember the exact wording, but it basically said, 'what ever happens, don't worry, we will be alright'. Their plane disappeared over the ocean, well outside search and rescue range, for no apparent reason. The plane had been observed, shortly before the disappearance by two pilots on a ferry mission. Since then, my aides and I have unofficially been keeping track of TTC members that were separated for medical reasons. In the last few months, many have just disappeared, and several are preparing to move their families someplace." General Walker paused for a minute, "What really puzzles me now is who bugged our home?" "What?" replied Cathal. "Last night, when Briana and Cass asked to speak with me, I was going to use my office. They, instead, requested we go out on the patio. On the way out to the patio, my wife and my Sergeant joined us. Once we were out there, they told us there were two bugs in the living room. In talking about how they could have gotten there, my wife mentioned that she had seen a telephone truck leave the driveway as she returned home, about a month ago. So, we think we know when. Base security is going over the house now with a fine tooth comb. How that fits into all this is uncertain." "As to the reason for their visit, Briana and Cass came to assure me that Adam and those on the plane were fine. They told me that the former TTC members we had been monitoring were fine. All of them had taken an opportunity they found, through GISS." He paused for a moment. "Mr. President, I now understand the implication of a comment Briana made last night. I am requesting permission to go with McGrath when his group goes to the space ship." "What?" stuttered several around the table. "It is obvious to me that the President is correct. Almost everyone in this room has been invited to meet them, in one way or another. Mr. President, I would like to include my two aides on the trip." "General Walker, Lt. O'Connell only invited us to visit an island she called Comrie. Chester, a civilian that was with them during the incident, indicated that Cathal and the four working with him could come, as well." "Commander McGrath," said the President, "I believe your report said you would send a list of people in your group today to Lt. O'Connell." "Yes, sir." "General Walker, I agree with your suggestion. It also covers a portion of what I was going to ask of all of you. McGrath, for the list going with you, you should include Admiral Johnson, your commander, all of Cathal's crew, General Walker, his wife and both of his aides. A letter to the space ship's crew will be delivered to you by courier before you leave in the morning." "Yes, sir." "From your department, only take three others who are a key part of the investigation." "Yes, sir." "This trip should be viewed as a mixed social call and NCIS business. The suggestion that Cathal's group join you seems to indicate that aspect. I believe General Walker was correct, in that the destination will likely change to the space ship, when they see the names in the group." He paused. "Actually, they will likely have already made that change." "Sir, is there anything special you want us to look for," asked Cathal. "No. We want them as friends. Your group's analysis ties all of the information together very nicely. It amazes me how your group puts these intelligence puzzles together. I suspect there are other events that we know nothing about, where they have assisted someone or a group. You might want to see if you can confirm your analysis. They have given every indication that they wish to be friends with us, as long as we act openly and fairly. There are many here that will want the technology they have. Some will want to hide it, so it doesn't impact their markets or wealth. Others will seek to use it immediately, mainly to increase their wealth and power." "Immediate use of their technology would likely cause many more problems for us than it would, or could, solve. It would be much better if they would mentor our technological advances, otherwise, we could become a world of technology welfare recipients, totally dependent upon their technology. Humans have a need to contribute to their growth and welfare, if they don't, it doesn't have value to them. Or, more simply put, taking and making no contributions leads to laziness and gluttony. We already have too many in this world doing just that. I hope all of you will keep my comments to yourselves." Everyone around the table nodded their agreement. "Commander McGrath, even though your commander is with you on this trip, you will lead the delegation. The assignment should be considered a temporary promotion, and will be so noted in your file. I am doing this based on your performance and prior contact with the space ship's crew. This assignment and temporary promotion implies no shortcomings to your Commander's capabilities." "Thank you, sir." "Sir," said Cathal, "with respect to the analysis, are there any restrictions on what we say?" "I don't see any reason for that, as I suspect they know much more than we do." "Lady and gentlemen, have a good trip," said the President, as he stood. "I am looking forward to reading your report." ------- Chapter 94 On Dóchas, Cathan's Clan went back to their quarters after breakfast and their morning status meeting. They all sensed Cathan wanting to try the dream walk again. Each felt her disappointment in not connecting again to her friends. "I really hope this works," said Cathan, as they climbed on to their bed. "Cathan," replied her spouses, "we understand your need to find them again. Relax, we are sure we will contact them soon." Cathan and Sorcha were cuddled in the middle of their spouses as they drifted into a light sleep. Almost immediately, Cathan and Sorcha sensed a change in their perspective, and moved to pull their spouses along with them. Once they were all together, they linked hands, with Sorcha and Cathan in the lead. What now, thought Cathan as she tried to sense her surroundings. When she thought of Enya and Máiréad, their visions quickly filled with the sight of an open field. Looking around, they found themselves standing near a large farm building which stood near the center of a large field. There were four nearby buildings. Two appeared to be residences, another was apparently an office, and the last one appeared to be a small barn. They were trying to decide where to look first, when they heard a man talking in the barn. As they moved to the door, the man gruffly told someone to hurry and feed all the cows, as he didn't have all day to monitor their work. Entering the building, they passed through the gate barring the open door. It surprised them that they could just float through solid objects. Inside the barn, it took a few moments to get oriented, as the realization settled over them that they were really there, and the dream walk had worked. Inside they saw six naked women taking bottles from a cart and placing them on wall rack in one hall. Almost immediately, they recognized Enya and Máiréad as two of the women. Looking down the other halls, they could see bottles were already lying in the racks. It appeared they were nearly done at this end, as there were only a few more bottles on the cart. When all of the bottles were placed in the racks, the six women knelt in front of the man on the dusty floor, with their knees spread. He was only wearing a wide belt and boots. He told them to get their treat and return to their stall. In turn, each woman knee walked, until they were directly in front of the man. Each leaned forward, taking the crown of his cock between their lips, to caress it with their tongue before releasing it. As they stood, he placed an object that looked like candy in their open mouth. Each then picked up a harness with a large dildo attached and went through an open door. Cathan's Clan followed them, floating through the wall of the stall. Upon entering, they saw all the women move to kneel facing the hall wall. As each knelt on a pad, a cock-shaped tube protruded through the wall. As soon as the tubes appeared, they each grasped the enlarged head with their mouth and began rapidly sucking on the dildo. It was clear they were drinking the liquid from the bottles they had placed in the racks earlier. When the bottles were empty, they licked the dildo until there was no trace of the white substance left on the tube. At no time did they use their hands while eating or cleaning the tube. When the eight women in Enya and Máiréad's room stood, Cathan's Clan could immediately see that the two who were not in the hall were quite pregnant. Their pregnancy appeared to be well into the eighth month, as their belly buttons were sticking out and their bellies now sagged. It was then that Cathan's Clan noticed how large and distended all the women's tits were. Each woman's nipples were red and very prominent on their milk-swollen tits. A bell rang, and the eight women went back out into the hall. The group walked to the central area, where all the halls connected together. They walked to the eight metal frames in the middle of the room. Reaching them, they placed their feet on the two pads, bending forward and grasping two hand holds. They then let their tits settle into two cups until their shoulders and heads rested on padded bars. Their elongated nipples slipped into the protrusion at the bottom of the cup. As soon as their nipples filled the protrusion, they swelled. A white sheen covered their nipples, as they began to release their milk. A soft pulsing sound could be heard. Their nipples pulsed in sync with the sound, swelling to release a stream of milk with each tug. The sight of the milk pulsing from the women's nipples in sync with the sound resulted in Cathan's Clan becoming aroused. Back on Dóchas, their own nipples swelled and moistened. After a bit, Cathan's Clan wondered whether they should stay and watch. They decided that there was time, and they should watch Enya and Máiréad for a while. When Enya, Máiréad and the six other women's milk had ceased to flow, a voice told them that they had met their goal. The women quietly got up. When the eight women stood, their tits were considerably smaller but, their nipples were much longer. They went over and stood on a concrete pad. Once they were on the pad, they were sprayed with water for a few moments. Once they were rinsed off, a voice said, "Caregivers, begin milking the cows. Four caregivers left the room, while Enya and Máiréad cleaned and checked the frames where they had been milked. Two caregivers went over to a side counter and began some preparations. Soon, the four women were back, with two caregivers each leading four women by a leash, while the other two walked behind, carrying floggers. The new group of eight women were led to the stalls and pulled into position by their leads. None of the eight resisted, but none of them moved without prompting by the caregivers. Of the eight new women, all but two were in various stages of pregnancy. Those who were not, appeared to have recently given delivery, because of the way they walked and the sag of their tummies. Cathan's Clan watched as this group was milked. Once the milking was complete, a voice said, "They have met their goal." The eight women were released and then rinsed off before being led back toward their room. When the second group were brought in to be milked, none of the women were pregnant. Their large milk-filled tits rolled with each step they made. Cathan's Clan noticed that these women's tits were the largest they had seen and each of them had very long extended nipples. After the women were placed in the stalls to be milked, the activities of Enya, Máiréad and the six women changed slightly from the previous group. Enya, Máiréad and the six women working with them knelt behind one of those in the stalls. They stroked the woman's cunt and clit with their fingers for a few moments, until the cunt lips began to swell with arousal. They slid their fingers over each cunt, causing it to moisten before sliding their fingers deep into the woman's cunt, collecting the woman's arousal cream. After a few moments, they pulled their fingers out of the cunts and licked them. With a nod to each other, they went to the counter. Cathan's Clan wondered why they had fingered the women's cunts then licked their fingers. The clan followed the women over to the counter and watched as 8 checks were made on a sheet of paper, along with a date. The caregivers assisted each other putting on dildo harnesses. The dildo mount held two dildoes. One slipped into their cunt, with a soft nub that pressed against their clit. Two straps and waist belt held the harness tight against their cunts. Taking a soft dildo-shaped tube from the holder, they slid in over the stiffer dildo attached to the harness. Cathan's Clan could see that the glans head of the soft dildo was filled with a fluid. With the didoes ready, they Máiréad, Enya and the other caregivers went to stand behind each of those being milked. They pressed the dildoes into the cunts of the women and began to fuck them. It was evident that Enya, Máiréad and the six caregivers received a lot of physical stimulation from fucking the women. Their nipples quickly swelled with arousal. The breathing rate of all the women increased, as they fucked the women as they were milked. The smell of aroused cunt was very strong. None of the women showed any pleasure in their expressions. It was as if it was just a job. Cathan's Clan continued to watch, until the milking and fucking of the second group was complete. They were surprised, when they saw that the soft part of the dildo remained in the women's cunts when the dildo was pulled out. A belt was fastened around the waist of each woman in the frame. Two narrow straps fastened to the front of the belt. The straps were pulled down between their cunt lips, trapping their clit between them, and holding the soft dildo in their cunts. The straps were then fastened to the belt near their hips. While the belt and straps were being put in place, they could see the eight women were silently crying. A voice said, "Give each a 2 cc shot from bottles A and E." Once the caregivers had given the women the shots in their ass cheeks, the eight women were released from the frame. From the flush on their bodies, it was clear that they had been aroused by being milked and fucked. As they stood, Cathan's Clan noticed one of the women had an open tracheal tube and was missing all her front teeth. It was then that it really registered that the women were not permitted to talk to each other. While it seemed the women weren't wantonly abused, force was used to make them conform. Examining the eight women more closely, they realized that three of the women were missing a finger. Their backs and legs showed old scars from being cut with a whip. Cathan's Clan moved over, to look again at the check list. At the top of the sheet, the heading said "Date Bred". The eight women who had just been fucked and milked appeared to have been pregnant several times from the way their bodies looked. They looked at the bottles used for the shots, and found them to be hormones to assist the women in becoming pregnant and boost their milk yield. The reality of what was happening settled over Cathan's Clan. These women were being used to supply human milk and babies, while being treated as nothing more than two legged livestock. Each of the women they had seen so far had moved as if they were well trained animals, only doing what was directed, when directed. Enya and Máiréad, along with the other six caregivers, were clearly following a script, with little or no thought. The Clan's anger began to build rapidly, as the full extent of what they had seen so far registered. Their anger was almost out of control, and only stabilized when they remembered their training with Creidne. Together, they quickly began to control their anger. All of them realized it had to be controlled, so they could continue the dream walk and ultimately rescue their friends. Once Cathan's Clan had settled down, they decided it was time to explore the rest of the location. Most importantly, they needed to figure out where it was. Cathan and Sorcha led the group out through the wall as the second group was being rinsed down. Cathan's Clan explored each part of the building which really was a specialized kind of barn. It had the central room they were just in. Leading away from that area were 6 halls. Along each hall there were four doors on each side. They watched as the second group of women were taken and placed in two rooms. In each room, each leash was locked to a cable hanging from the ceiling. The cable and leash gave each woman enough slack that they could move about the room or lay down. As they visited each of the rooms, Cathan's Clan found that about half of the rooms were empty. When a room was occupied, the four occupants were usually in about the same stage of pregnancy. In a couple of rooms, the women's leashes were fastened to the overhead cables. Where the women were free to roam about, they seemed to have more life in their actions. In these rooms, they saw the women caressing or holding each other. They only saw the two groups of four women who had been mutilated. Once they were outside, they looked around again. This time, they noticed that there were really five buildings in the middle of a large field. The field was surrounded by trees and brush, as the ground quickly rose. From what they could see, it appeared this was most likely a valley in a mountainous region. The height of the sun told them the location was close to the equator and must be at a fairly high elevation, since the temperature was comfortable. Looking back at the building they were just in, they could see a series of fenced yards along the sides. Each yard seemed to correspond with a room on the inside. Over each yard were several overhead cables, running from the door to the outer fence. Cathan's Clan shivered at the realization that the women must feel to be always tethered or led all the time. They floated toward the other buildings. In the first was an office, where a man and woman were talking as they watched the monitors on the wall. They recognized the man as the one who had been with Enya and Máiréad when they arrived. Two monitors showed the room they had just come from, with another group of women in the stalls being milked. Over the monitors were eight displays, numerically labeled for each stall. The numbers on the displays gradually increased, as the women were milked. Cathan's clan listened as the two talked. "Anneke, your idea of using those eight women as caregivers for the cows has sure made this easier." "Yes, though, sometimes I sense a desire in them to escape. I don't think we will breed them after the last two deliver. Also, I am thinking of giving them a little more freedom which will be totally dependent on their total performance." "If know that if they leave, that it would only be a day until they began to slowly suffocate. I can't imagine the terror one would feel as they gasp for breath and not being able to make a sound." "Yes and they know it. They won't have much time to consider escape, as a new group of 60 cows will arrive late this afternoon. Soon they will nearly twice as many to care for." "That sucks, since it will take almost all night to unpack them." "Not this time. They are being transported awake and are not sedated in sealed crates as in the past. The doctor said they wouldn't need as much attention on arrival as the previous groups." "How is that?" he replied. "The doctor has improved the treatment methodology so the women's bodies adapt more rapidly to accommodate their role as human cows. According to him, this group has been fully prepared and their enhancements are well underway. He indicated that this group would be physically larger, once their enhancements are complete. We can begin impregnating them next week. Their first pregnancy cycle contributes to their physical enhancements. Actually, he is coming, as well. Our current cows are going to receive additional treatments, in order to boost their output." "What will that do," he replied, looking curious. "The treatments will increase their stature so all of them can easily give us four babies on each birthing cycle. It will raise their milk production by about 50%. There will be some increase in height, and their shoulders and hips will increase about 6 to 8 inches. The doctor thinks it's likely that the larger women will likely carry 6 full term babies without any problems." "Won't the larger tits and carrying more babies, cause a lot of weight gain? They may not be able to get around." "The women will be required to exercise, and forced, if necessary," said Anneke, with a little hardness in her voice. "The doctor is bringing an electrical muscle stimulator to assist us. Using it at a moderate level encourages exercising. It can be set to be very painful which makes it useful as a punishment tool. Our current caregivers will be quite busy taking care of all 120 cows as they will have to oversee the exercising as well." "Let's see, with the new ones you will have about 120 cows, so that works out to around 600 babies a year." "No, actually closer to 132. Yes, with four babies from each cow that is true." The woman had continued to watch the monitors. "You know, these eight women we have been using to care for the others have worked out well. They are much better than the first group we tried. And you're right, it is much easier than doing it ourselves. We have been given instructions to sell several of those who have completed five birthing cycles. The doctor will those being sold some treatments, to adjust their looks so they will bring a higher price. Those being sold will include the eight that were bred this morning. Our masters are expecting to get a reasonable price for them from one of the hardcore S&M clubs, since they will be pregnant and lactating, even though a couple were mutilated." "While there is time, I am going to take a ride. I'll be back in an hour or so, definitely before the new cows arrive." The woman looked perplexed, as she nodded and watched him leave. Cathan's Clan thought the man's actions were a little abrupt, so they followed him outside. He went over to the smaller building. The building had four horse stalls and a large open kennel area which held several very large dogs. In the center of the kennel area were two women tied to a frame. One woman was tied to the frame facing down as if she was on her hands and knees. Her legs were held widely spread. Under her another woman was tied facing up. The woman on the bottom had a funnel in her mouth, which was held in place by a harness on her head and two straps to the frame. The woman on top's cunt was red and distended as cum oozed out. The funnel had been rigged so cum dripped into the funnel and flowed into the woman's mouth. Neither woman was moving very much. Both women's tits appeared to be very full. Milk could be seen seeping from their nipples and running down their sides. One dog was licking the cunt of the woman facing up. A wet puddle could be seen on the ground underneath her ass. Other dogs were licking the milk leaking from their tits or chewing on a nipple, causing more milk to leak out. Seeing the two women caused Cathan's clan's anger to grow again. Each of them knew they needed to control their emotions, but it was more of a struggle this time. They almost lost the struggle when they saw a large dog mount the woman facing down. The dog pushed his cock into her gaping cunt in one thrust and begin fucking her. With each thrust the dogs knot pushed at further into the woman's cunt until it slipped inside locking them together. The longer they watched, the hotter their anger grew. It was only the sounds of the horse being saddled that brought Cathan's Clan's attention back to the man and their purpose. The change in attention enabled them to regain control of their emotions. They turned to watch as he saddled a horse and then left the building. The Clan hesitated a moment, wanting to do something for the two women that would relieve their torment. Since they were in a dream walk, they realized they were limited to just observing, but discovered that they could cause the women to emit an odor that the dogs did not like. It only took a few moments before the dogs quit bothering the women. Cathan's Clan hurriedly caught up with the man on horseback as he entered the trees at the edge of the field. He followed a game trail for some time, until the trail brought him to a small clearing. In the clearing were two large trucks and two large tents. The rider went right to one tent and entered. "It is about time you showed up," snarled a woman, as she sat caressing the woman next to her. "Do you have everything ready?" She lay back on the pillows spreading her legs as a dog licked her swollen cunt, his cock partially extended from its sheath. "No. We need to wait until morning to make the move." "What? I told you today, asshole. We want to get this done as quickly as possible. I don't trust the asshole that hired us. We need our antidote besides, what he has us doing makes no sense at all!" "The real reason you wanted to do it today was so you would have more time to torture them. However, it can't be done today. There is a load of 60 more cows arriving this afternoon. Besides, your favorite doctor is coming as well. They are planning for the doctor to treat the current cows. He is to give them treatments to boost their output." "Good. That means we will get more money for them at the auction. For that opportunity, we will wait. It can't be any longer, or the antidote won't keep our nymphomaniac transition from starting the next stage. I sure would like to get back at the Chosen Ones for keeping us hostage to the antidote. It wouldn't surprise me if they didn't have a hand in what happened to us." "Brother of mine, you thought the antidote was great after you saw how your two women friends died." "You fucking asshole. I ought to rape you so you can feel the pain as the gender change takes place. Even before it is complete, the feeling of continually needing sexual stimulation begins. At first, is feels great. Soon though, it gets harder and harder to satisfy your needs. Several of the Chosen Ones thought it was funny to see me change into a horny slut, until a few of them began the gender change. Whenever I remember watching our two women beg the Chosen Ones leader to skewer them, I want to at least strangle someone. Those two were so sex-crazed they thought the skewer was a large cock. I don't think they realized what was happening until the skewer pushed out through their mouths. Enough of that. We will be there tomorrow before noon, maybe earlier." Cathan's clan started to leave, but when the conversation turned to the trans-genders plans for the next day, they waited and listened. Cathan thought, those two are worse now than they were on the freighter. The group felt their anger begin to grow again, and left before it got out of control. They moved quietly back to the baby farm, leaving the three demented people in the tent. They had heard and seen enough to know that they needed to be back, physically, before morning, if not sooner. At the farm, they searched the other buildings, before going back to the office. They found two more women sleeping in the building where the female farm managers apparently lived. Going back to the office, they found Anneke browsing the Internet. On the monitors, everything was quiet and they could see the women in each room either watching TV, reading, or doing some busy work. A few were engaged in giving sexual pleasure to each other. The phone rang. The woman immediately picked up the receiver, then said, "You're early." She nodded as she listened, then replied, "Fine, see you in hour." Cathan's Clan went back outside and again surveyed the surroundings, trying to lock a picture of it in their dream. Once they were satisfied with the information they had, they went to the room where Enya and Máiréad were. Once there, Cathan touched both of them, giving them a light caress. Even thought there was no real hand to touch them, both shivered from the intended caress. Back on Dóchas, Cathan's Clan quickly woke from their dream walk to find Creidne waiting for them. "I thought we would rest when we lay down," said Ciar, as the group tried to get their bearings again. "When you take such a long dream walk, it is very tiring," said Creidne. "You would not have felt as tired if you had done it in several short trips." Creidne looked at the sad, tired, faces and smiled. "Cheer-up. You have done well ... exceptionally well. Star and Aine told me they have found the location of your friends, based on your information." "Thank you," they replied with amazed looks on their faces. "But, how?" "I would think living like that would drive you crazy," said Lasairfhiona. "It could," said Creidne. "The caretaker of the farm is quite sharp. Since her arrival, Anneke has significantly improved the women's environment. I think you will find she had little choice about what she is doing. The two women assisting her are in much the same situation. I think when you review what you learned from the dream walk, you will see why the women are doing well, considering the environment and enforced isolation." "We need to confer with Command Staff," said Cathan, with a hard edge in her voice. "We need to stop the group from raiding the farm. I recognized the two demented women in the tent. Those two women were originally the men who relished abusing us on the freighter." By the time she finished speaking, her face was red with anger. "Patience," said Todd, "I think we need to let our anger vent a bit, before we think about how we should respond." "Yes, think things through," said Creidne. "Remember, though, you are not alone. Star and Donna have located the farm. Darcy's clan is already there in stealth mode. The two women who were being used by the dogs have been removed from the frames and are being treated." "Won't they notice," replied Cathan, with an anxious look. "Wait, we haven't told anyone what we saw!" "No," said Creidne, answering the first question. "Two bots took the women's place, once they were released from the frame. The dogs won't bother them, or give away the change." "So much, so quick," muttered Krystin. Recognizing the implication of what Creidne said, she replied, "How could our family respond so quickly?" "Ah, so you understand, now," replied Creidne, only to see puzzled looks. "Well I guess not, but I think all of you are close enough to grasping the concept. All of you look very tired and upset." She paused and looked at each one. "On the dream-walk, at first you took everything in stride as your dream-walk progressed. This let you catalog the sights you saw. No one was actively being physically hurt. You were disturbed by the mentally dead environment they were in. Your anger rose briefly when you realized how the women were being used. None of you liked the way any of them were treated. Even when you went to the office, that was the case. It wasn't until you saw the kennel that your boiling emotions opened the door to the rest of your family. It again surfaced when you saw the raiders and heard their plans." "Our family?" replied Sorcha. "Yes, your family." "But, what you said earlier implied many people knew, but we were all on the dream-walk." "Yes." "Oh, my," said Todd. "Guys, Creidne use of the word family means ALL of us. This includes those on Dóchas, An Clochán, and at Comrie." "Very good, Todd." Creidne's comment caused all of them to gather her into a group hug, filled with emotion. The Clan again felt that there was hope for the women at the farm. "Actually, the emotional tremor went a little further than that." "What? What, next," replied Cathan, after a few moments. Her expression clearly showed she was still trying to sort through everything. "Well, Command Staff is upset, because they felt they left a loose end free when they acted to rescue your group from the freighter. The freighter staff members were infected with a special virus that would change them into female nymphomaniacs with an unbridled desire. The infection also made them carriers of the virus so they could infect others. While this was not a perfect solution to the Chosen Ones, had a significant impact on them. After much discussion about the farm, they decided to let events play out at the farm a while longer." Cathan started to speak. "Wait, Cathan, there is more. Relax, look around in your mind. You will see some immediate actions your family has taken, in response to your discovery." As Cathan began to relax, she joined her clan as they slipped into the family link. At first each of them was shocked by the emotions and the support of their family. They saw the family's conviction grow that the time had come to respond strongly to the Chosen Ones. One security team was at the baby farm and second was on it way. One was focused on the farm while the other would focus on the two trans-genders and those with them. At Comrie, two reserve security teams were activated. At An Clochán, three reserve security teams were activated and on their way to Dóchas. Each of the activated teams was testing their equipment and mission protocols. All of the other security teams were placed on stand-by. Everyone focused on completing the day's tasks, so they could be available, if called. When Cathan's Clan actively entered the family link, they shared everything they had seen at the baby farm. As the Clan sifted through the information with their family, they saw other details they had missed when they were at the farm. They understood why Creidne had indicated the three women running the farm were forced into it as their only viable choice. It was a similar to what had been done to Eileen and Beth, who had joined them with MacFarland's group. "Now we really need to rest," said Cathan. "I think we will be up much of the night, and up early tomorrow." Creidne watched as the group lay back down together. She smiled, as she watched them go to sleep almost instantly. She thought, "They will realize tonight how low they were on energy reserves when they returned from the dream-walk". As she faded from the room, she realized she loved these people. It was a sensation she didn't know she could have in her present form. ------- Rob and Paul had hardly set foot on An Clochán when the family connected, in response to Cathan Clan's distress. Even though they were not known to be telepathic, they felt a change in those around them. Just the look on the faces of the reporters and Melinda confirmed to them that something was up. Steve and Carl could sense the change, but were busy focusing on their filming activities so intently that it didn't distract them. "Melinda, what's up," asked Paul. He waited a minute, then asked her again, but first tapped her on her shoulder. "What?" she responded, as she jumped. "I asked what's up? You and the reporters seem to be very distracted, while everyone that lives here has become very focused." "I'm not sure. I can feel, no sense, much activity in the group. I don't understand it." "Melinda," said Evelyn, softly, "think in Celtic." After a moment, she muttered, "Oh, my." "What? If I didn't know any better, I would think I was still in the navy and someone sounded 'battle stations' to a new crew." "They did," responded Melinda and Marge. "What? Now, I really don't understand," replied Paul, with a perplexed look. He looked around at the activity of those they were visiting, and it didn't fit with anything that had been said. Paul turned to Jim and Amy, who had been showing them around. "Jim and Amy, if there is something that needs your attention, please show us to a place where we can relax, read or maybe even get a jump on our articles for tomorrow's paper." "Thankfully, the issue doesn't directly involve us," replied Amy. As she spoke, Paul just cocked an eyebrow and looked at the reporters, causing Amy to laugh. "There is a family event in progress. It appears everything has stabilized. It is their first family event and they have done really well." That promptly led to a puzzled look coming from Paul and Rob. Amy noticed how distracted the reporters were and sensed the cause. "Well, I am really confused now," replied Rob. "So am I," chimed Paul. "Briefly, Cathan's Clan has been trying to determine the location of two of Cathan's childhood friends. They were like sisters, when they were growing up. The three were separated after they were first taken by the 'flesh peddlers'. Cathan's Clan found them, a short time ago, on a baby farm. In looking around the farm, they found that the Chosen Ones had sent someone to raid the farm. The raider's instructions were to kill all the residents. Apparently, the raiders were instead planning on selling those captured to S&M clubs who have a high turn over in slaves. Two of those leading the raid were staff members on a freighter, which was indirectly operated by the Chosen Ones. We rescued Cathan and quite a few others from the freighter." "So, how did you know that?" "Telepathy. When conditions are right, we can all connect together telepathically. Some members participate directly while others just see what is happening. This lets them assess if and where they will be needed. Right now, Command Staff is sorting through possible responses to this action by the Chosen Ones. I sense they would like to end the Chosen Ones existence, but are concerned about the impact to Earth, as it just might liberate another similar disease." "From what I have heard of the Chosen Ones, if there was no collateral damage," replied Rob, "I would do it without even thinking it through." "Oh, the bleeding hearts will get you for that," said Paul, as he laughed. "Yes, they probably would. It would be interesting to see their response if it was their family being enslaved, turned into a genetically accentuated slave to be used as sex toy, tortured for someone's enjoyment or turned into a baby factory. In any case, ridding Earth of that element could never be bad." "When was the freighter incident?" "It was roughly three years ago, Rob. Hm ... maybe longer than that. It was right after the Command Staff accepted their position." "From their presentation, I understood they were very reluctant to make the step to become Command Staff, or to even consider it. I am puzzled as to how they came to be selected, and moreover by how they knew what to do?" "Yes, they were very reluctant. Remember, at that time, they were still adjusting to the changes in their bodies, the surroundings and their situation. At that time, our group was very small, and did not have access to much of the ship because of the ships operating protocols. They may not have accepted Command Staff for some time, except that a succession of events pushed them that way. The position of Command Staff has some rather complex requirements in terms of abilities, character and knowledge. For a group to become the Command Staff, they must fit together in a certain manner. Once that comes about, the group needs to have a number of natural abilities. To progress further, they have to fit together with an opportunity. Let me be clear, a group evolves into becoming a Command Staff candidate. It is not something someone sets out to do. What I have said is vague, but only those who rise above Command Staff know those details. Each of our new ships will need their own Command Staff. Sarah's clan has an idea as to whom will lead those ships, but it is not definite yet. Once the other ships have their Command Staffs, Jim and I expect Sarah's Clan to be elevated to the next level." "You admire them," stated Rob. "It is more than that," replied Amy, thoughtfully. "We dearly love them. They have been a breath of fresh air. It is interesting, in that everyone here respects and reveres their presence and direction. At the same time, we feel like they are really our siblings." Amy paused, then a small frown rippled across her face. "Before the ships sabotage which triggered the death of most of the crew, there was not the openness or sense of being one as there is now. Our society was supposed to be very similar to how we are now but we weren't." While the editors had been talking with Amy and Jim, the reporters and Melinda's attention returned to the group. Rob was the first to notice that they were again listening to the conversation. "So, Marge, what was decided?" Marge paused a minute, as she studied him, then said, "Command Staff has everyone in position to assist in identifying all of those who have knowingly assisted the Chosen Ones." Upon seeing that wasn't going to satisfy him, she continued, "As it stands now, all of them will experience a cold tomorrow. Within a week, all of those in, or supporting, the organization will have had at least one cold. Some of those who have the first iteration of the cold will likely have a change in attitude toward their activities and seek to distance themselves from it. Those who don't, will experience another cold. The effects of each subsequent cold iteration becomes more severe. After the third iteration, they will begin to die, regardless of any medical treatment." "That's biological warfare." "No, that is not quite true," replied Melinda firmly, startling Rob. "As the term is used on Earth, it refers to mass indiscriminate killings by use of a biological agent. What Marge referred to is a specific agent directed only at the Chosen Ones. A world of difference, in my opinion. There will be no intentional collateral damage, except maybe those who were too close to key Chosen One leaders, and choose not to distance themselves from the activity." "So you agree with the action," said Paul. "Yes and no," replied Melinda, causing both to frown. "We know many members of this species were originally from Earth. Even with that, they have a different perspective of the future than we do. I am not part of the family, but I can see what they are finding as they seek out members of the Chosen Ones. From my perspective, it seems like a lot of the members of the Chosen Ones also are significant contributors to many of the destabilizing activities on Earth. Even though they join together in the Chosen Ones to use, torment, torture of others for their gratification and enjoyment, they have absolutely no trust in each other. A few of the Chosen Ones have links to some very rich, reclusive and powerful individuals who are just as evil." "How can they find out all of that?" replied Paul. "Oh, I think I know, but they said doing that was against this society's fundamental principals." "It is," replied Amy, "except under very specific circumstances. They sought guidance and it was received." "Prayer?" "No," said Eithne, as her wispy figure materialized next to them. "Not in the context you mean. In our species, which is not quite the right word, depending on your abilities, you might have access to what we call a mentor. I am one of the mentors to this portion of our species. Here, there are six of us. Our purpose is to assist them with the challenges they face in getting this branch back on its feet." "This gets more and more complex all the time," muttered Rob. "Why can't I see you in my camera?" said Steve. His face then took on a look of amazement, as he realized the answer to his question. "Oh, if we were on Earth, I would probably say you were a ghost." "Yes, you would, but I am not a ghost in the sense you would normally use the word. An apparition would possibly be more correct if you remove the dead aspect of the English definition." "Amy, can we go back to just touring the settlement, while I try to digest all that has transpired," asked Rob. Paul nodded his head, in agreement. "Rob, Paul," said Marge, "we have seen most of the settlement. Why don't we go hang out in the recreation area? There, you will likely have an opportunity to talk to others who have come here, and find out their view of life here." "Grand idea! Are we going back to Dóchas for dinner?" "That is the plan," replied Evelyn, "and we should leave mid-afternoon so we can file our stories before dinner." "We would like to wander around, to get photos or videotape different settings. Jim, would that be possible?" "Yes, Steve and Carl, that is not a problem. You do need an escort, because of your lack of telepathy." "Your comment raises a question. How do we know if we are telepathic capable or not?" "Steve, it is difficult for a person from Earth to know, without some assistance in sorting it out. Amy and I are not the best choices. We can arrange for you to meet with Connie or Betsy in our medical department here for the evaluation. Alternatively, you could wait until this evening, when you see the Command Staff again. Really, any one of the five primary security team clans can also assist you. All of them are quite adept at assisting people to enable their telepathic ability." "It's that hard to do." "No, it just requires a unique set of abilities. The ones I mentioned will also notice if you have the potential for other psionic abilities, as well. Amy and I can't always detect the additional psionic abilities, and it is desirable for them to be noted when telepathy is enabled." "Okay. I think I will wait until this evening, otherwise it will cut into time for photos." "I agree with you," said Carl. "Melinda, Steve and I are going to wander around, looking for good photo opportunities. We will meet up with you in a little while." "Fine." She watched them as they walked off with several escorts. Melinda was amazed at how large most of these people were, but at the same time she found them to move in an extraordinarily beautiful and graceful manor. It was the first time she felt like she was a part of a group, rather than an attachment. ------- It was late afternoon on the bridge of Dóchas, when Aine said, "Command Staff, our elders are again impressed with your proposed solution to the issue regarding the Chosen Ones position on Earth. It was clear to them, as well, that continued growth of the group known as the Chosen Ones would preclude Earth from advancing much beyond their current state. They were surprised at your reason for asking for assistance with this issue, even though you knew the tools and knowledge were in our archives. It is the first time any group has done that, rather than try to use the new knowledge immediately. The key element in their decision to assist in this was your group's concern over implementation errors. Only a few groups with your abilities have recognized the importance of experience, and the probability for errors. They also like your reason for not wanting to restore this information to the active database." "We still have concerns about the long-term impact of this action. While it directly only impacts a few, it is difficult to project the long-term impact on Earth's future." "Our elders do not see any significant negative impact. Several models indicate a likely positive impact. The seeding will take place beginning at midnight our time, and will cover the whole world within several hours. It is expected to take a week or longer for the cumulative effect to begin to be noticed. The effectiveness of the seeding will be tested in a week. Based on the results, a reseeding may be done." "Express our thanks to the elders," said Command Staff in unison. "Now, we need to look again at the place where Cathan's friends are," said Tara. "You sense it too," responded Aoife. "I think, something was overlooked." "Why," asked Sally, as she tried to understand their concern. "If there is such a thing as a good baby farm, this one seems to be a candidate, in terms of the women's treatment. In particular, very few captives have been severely abused, as indicated by the small number of them missing fingers or tachometry. Yes, some, apparently, have been whipped, and none are permitted to talk. Compared to other places we have seen, however, this could be considered very mild restraint. The three women caretakers have gone to great lengths to improve the environment since they arrived. So why do the Chosen Ones want it wiped out?" "Remember, the two trans-genders are from the freighter. Some of the Chosen Ones are very much opposed to anything that appears to be genetic manipulation. Also, the doctor's appearance is unusual, based upon the female farm manager's phrasing." "Star just told me there isn't a waterfront warehouse within 5 hours drive by car, much less than by truck. It is puzzling the raiders don't know that." "Oh, shit," exclaimed Terry, "this is being set up as another lodge type incident. The terrain is appropriate, since there appears to be a cavern underneath the area. In that area, an explosion and cave-in probably wouldn't be noticed for a long time." "Everyone there has some knowledge of the gene or growth factor treatments. It now seems that someone in the Chosen Ones wants everyone there to disappear." "Alright," replied Rusty, "let's confirm our suspicions." The group appeared to sit quietly on the bridge of Dóchas, as they sifted through the information from the site that Cathan's Clan had gathered. They queried the security teams about various other aspects of the site. Their last step was to help Anneke take a brief nap, as she waited for the trucks and the doctor to arrive. While she napped, they examined her memories relating to the location and relationship to the Chosen Ones. Aoife was the first to stir in her seat and she was soon followed by the others. When she saw she had everyone's attention, she said, "We should pull all the women out tonight, at the latest." "Yes." said the Command Staff, as they outlined the plan in their mind-link. "We will put those running the farm to sleep and let the raiders wake them up." "No, we should pull out the three women managers, as well," injected Claudette into the plan. "Leaving them serves no purpose except to be tortured." "Agreed," they responded. "Once the raiders arrive and realize the farm is empty, we should let the raiders meet the five from the freighter. It looks like one of the raider's trucks has a transponder in it, so it must be part of the trigger sequence for the cavern." "What about the doctor?" "Why not put him in a hotel room, with a compulsion to tell his story when he wakes." "I didn't know these decisions would have so much uncertainity," they shared, as they looked at each other. "Where should we take the women?" "Let's ask Amy if they can care for them at An Clochán. There are quite a few there with similar backgrounds. Eileen and Beth are there with their families." "Good idea." "The editors and reporters will be interested in hearing about this." "Yes, we should share everything this evening, after dinner, as many already know a part of it. It will be better if they are fully aware. The reporters and editors will have a difficult time conveying this story, so they will likely not say anything about it for now. As to the demise of the Chosen Ones, we should attribute it to outside intervention when we talk to our family." "Let's go relax, dinner will be ready shortly." "Tomorrow, we have visitors." ------- Chapter 95 The group returning from An Clochán was intently watching their approach to Dóchas on the monitor. "You know," said Rob, "I keep having to pinch myself, to make sure this isn't a dream." Several nodded their heads. Alpha4 came alongside Dóchas then turned toward an open hanger door. As Alpha4 lined up with the door, the openings appearance changed. The door became a halo of light giving the perception of a tunnel with dark green at the center with a color gradient turning to red at the perimeter. Alpha4 lined up with the dark green center, as it moved quickly into the hanger entrance, to then settle in its waiting cradle. "That whole sequence is simply amazing," said Paul. As everyone stood up, Carl said, "Steve and I would like to exit first, so we can film your arrival. Give us a couple of minutes before you come out." When the door opened, both men hurried out, so that they could film the group as they exited the shuttle. These scenes were to compliment the film they had taken on departing An Clochán. "Chad, how much time until dinner," queried Rob. "Well let's see, we have a little less than 2 hours and we need to do our evening exercises." "We can skip that," replied Rob, with Paul nodding. "You may, but we aren't," stated Marge, firmly. "Once we finish the exercises, we are heading to the medical department." Paul looked at them with a puzzled expression. "Today is when we begin the incubator portion of our treatment. Once it begins, we will essentially be asleep for a week, while alterations are made to our bodies." "Rob, I think we should use our columns to talk about our new reporters, and about why Marge, Evelyn, Chad and Fred won't be contributing for a while." "Grand idea," replied Paul. "That will give us the opportunity to catalog some of the differences between the species, without creating an us and them perspective." "I hadn't thought of it quite that way," said Rob, as they reached the Communications Department. "Do you have any objections to introducing Sam, Karmen and Kelsey on our newscast," asked Melinda. "It probably won't run until the late news." "Sure, I don't see any problem with that." "Oh, my," said Sam, with a worried look on her face. Kelsey and Karmen mirrored her look of concern. "You have nothing to be concerned about," commented Samuel, with Pamela nodding her agreement. "Melinda, will probably tape it so you have several practice runs." "From seeing the way you all work, my guess is the first take will be perfect for what is needed," contributed Pamela. "You may want to redo some aspects when you see it, but they just won't be significant enough to take the time." "Very perceptive," said Carl. "Hey, just because I've been the worst kind of bitch, doesn't mean ... Oh. Sorry Carl, it slips out once in a while." Everyone laughed at the exchange, even Pamela, even though she turned very red. "Pamela, I meant it as a compliment." "Yes, now that my mind is working correctly, I understand, and thank you." Her comment caused everyone to smile as she kissed his cheek. They gathered into their respective groups to write the articles for the next day's paper. Rob and Paul's articles, besides touching on the change in reporters, gave different perspectives of the people they had met, the space ship, and reviewed what they had seen at the Mars settlement. The four reporters eased Sam, Kelsey and Karmen into creating the articles for the next edition of their papers. These would be the first issues with just their byline. None of the three noticed Carl filming them as they worked. Melinda watched the reporters, music critics and editors, as they prepared their stories and monitored Carl's filming of the reporters. "Carl, let's send the whole segment on the reporters." "Why? They won't use anything but, possibly, a small part." "True," replied Melina, "if it was in just the news segment. If you're agreeable, I could do a solo report, by way of an introduction, to set the scene on what they are doing. As a closing scene then chat with the reporters while focusing on Sam, Kelsey and Karmen. The bulk would be what you just filmed." "What are you thinking? I am at a loss." "A thirty minute special-interest segment, of the type that we sometimes run," replied Melinda, excitedly. "They would have more than enough material if some of the scenes from here and An Clochán were included. I would be very surprised if it did not run tonight or tomorrow night as a special program." "You're kidding." "No. Not at all." Carl quickly filmed Melinda doing a brief intro about the reporters activities. Just as they finished, the reporters finished their article, so Melinda walked over to talk to them, while Carl continued to film. Only Marge and Chad realized what was happening and they both just smiled. As the conversation with Melinda finished, she turned toward the camera and said, "From just being around these three for the last two days, I am sure you will see some great articles, while the regular group is undergoing their medical treatments." "You just filmed us," said Kelsey, as she covered her face in her hands. Both Sam and Karmen looked shocked. "Yes, she did," said Marge as Carl continued to film, "and you guys did great. When talking with a TV reporter, focus on the reporter. They are representing the viewers. You need to look at the camera lens from time to time, but focus on the reporter. When the cameraman is good, he will ensure the readers see you, just as he will shift, to focus on the reporter when they speak. A good TV reporter will shift their position slightly as the scene changes, to help the cameraman get a good angle." "Where did you learn so much," asked Melinda, while looking at Marge. "Gee, I thought it was common sense." Her comment caused all of them to laugh. "Really, the best articles or newscasts are those where you feel a part of it." "I was teasing. You are right about the perspective. It is an aspect many don't recognize." "They don't recognize it, because they think more about their own image, rather than their job or the reason for being there." Rob said, "I knew that hiring the three of you and then putting you together as a team was a good move. I have to admit, the way the three of you seemed to fit together scared me. It seemed too good. The four of you, and now the seven or maybe eight of you, seem to fit together just as well." "Very observant," commented Carl, "it is too bad I may need to go back to the station." "Why, hurry back," asked Paul. "You are a excellent cameraman and, essentially, Melinda's producer while you're here." "Thanks. There is a lady in Grand View, that I am very close to. She has two children, as I mentioned last night." "I remember you mentioning her now. What does she do?" asked Evelyn. "She is a commercial artist." "We could use the assistance," said Chloe. "Invite her here, along with her children. We have a lot of talent, but could use a few more people with experience." "It would be too much of an imposition on everyone." "Hog wash," responded Chloe, firmly. "Call her. Tell her she has an opportunity to go on a unique assignment with you. While she is with you, she will have some unique opportunities here to use her artistic skills. She can bring her children. Show her the presentations about us as that should ease any concerns she has." "Well, I..." "Do it," said the group. "If they don't like it here, I am sure we can take them back as soon as they want to leave. We would really like you to continue as a part of this team." "Steve, do you have any significant others?" "Not at the moment." "So, that's why we saw so many flirting with you today." Steve turned, red as they all chuckled. "I guess." "Guys, you have just enough time," said Marge, "before the dinner chime for you to send your stories to Earth. See you all later." "We will see you at the clinic," said Karmen as she watched, Marge, Evelyn, Chad and Fred leave to do their daily exercises before going to the clinic. ------- "Hello, Gail," said Marge, as she and her friends entered the medical department. They could see a group incubator tubes standing behind Gail. The lighting in the area of the filled tubes was dim and they could see was that they were filled with the green gel. Near Gail stood 4 empty incubator tubes. "It is good to see you. How was the trip to An Clochán?" "Great. Everybody seemed to really enjoy the trip." "So, you're ready to start the treatments?" "Yes. What do I need to do first?" "Well, first you need to go in there, so the autodoc can give you a through enema." "Alright. Can we all do this together?" "Well, I guess. I've never had anyone ask that question before. We do, however, need to get you into the incubator tube as soon as your enema is completed." "Alright, I'll be right back." Gail watched as the four went into the next room. Marge returned from her enema, just as their friends arrived from the Communications Department. Gail looked surprised at seeing the others arrive. "Marge, do you want to lie down or stand up. It is really easier if you stand." "Standing is fine." "Then grab a hold of the ring above your head so we can lift you over the tube. Once you enter the tube we will exchange thoughts telepathically." The group watched as Marge was lifted up above the clear tube. She was then slowly lowered into the clear tube. "Oh, the gel is stiff," said Marge as her feet entered the transparent green gel. "Yes. Spread your legs slightly to aim your feet at the foot pads. You may need to wiggle your hips a bit to allow the dildoes slip into your cunt and ass. When your feet reach the pads, keep your feet arched, so you are standing on the balls of your feet. The gel will support your weight, since the pads hold your feet in the required position." The group watched as Marge positioned her feet. Once her feet were in place, the gel began to rise, as more gel flowed into the tube from the bottom. Evelyn stepped back into the room followed by Chad. When she saw their editors, she said, "Did you all do your exercises?" "Not yet, but we will," they both responded, hardly taking their eyes off of Marge. "Chad, Evelyn," said Gail, "I presume you want to do this standing, as well?" "Yes," they responded. "Each of you go stand under one of the rings and grab hold. Once you grab hold, you will be lifted over a tube like the one Marge is in. Aim your feet toward the pads as you enter the gel." As Chad and Evelyn were being lowered into their tubes, the gel reached Marge's waist. "Marge, release the ring and then place your fingertips on the pads at your sides." When her fingers were positioned on the pads, the green gel continued filling the tube. "Marge, when the gel reaches your mouth, swallow it until you feel full. I am going to focus on your friends for a moment." "Fred, are you ready?" "Yes, I came in just as Chad and Evelyn were being lowered into their tubes." As he spoke, he walked over to the last ring and grabbed it, saying, "I'm ready." Gail moved over to Chad and Evelyn, to check the placement of their feet. Both had followed the instructions she had given Marge, and moved their hands to the pads once their feet were in place. As soon as Gail checked their positioning, the gel again began filling their tubes. She checked Fred as he positioned himself in the tube like the others. Gail waited until the gel was over Fred's mouth. "The gel flowing into my ass and cunt feels strange," said Marge. "I feel stuffed." "Okay, it looks like all four of you are ready to continue. Swallow the gel until you feel stuffed. It should feel similar to having eaten a very large meal." Gail waited while they each swallowed some more gel and until Chad and Fred were fully erect. The dense rising gel had forced Marge and Evelyn's tits up till they rose from their chests, giving them a naturally rounded shape, with no sag. "The next step is suspended animation," said Gail. "Once suspended animation is engaged, your immersion will be completed. Once there, you will feel like you are in a deep sleep. Just relax and let it happen. We will do this in the order you entered the gel." "Guys, I love all of you," said Marge. "This feels so neat. See you in a week. I'm ready." As soon as Marge gave her okay, her head seemed to nod a bit, but rapidly stabilized while the gel rose up over her head. The group could see her eyes open and close a couple of times after they were covered with the gel. A few bubbles rose from Marge's nose. "Wow," said several of her friends. The group stayed and watched as the others finished entering suspended animation in the green gel. Once it was complete, Gail turned to observers, and saw looks of astonishment. "All of their needs for the next week will be provided through the gel. Suspended animation is used because of the normal body reaction to the lungs filling with fluid. You can stop by at any time to check on them. We do ask that you don't try to contact them telepathically. Doing that could cause stray movement, and they need to be as still as possible. They will sense your activity though, and what is going on around you." "I don't know if I could do that," said Rob, "for any reason." "Come," said Sam, "we promised them we would acquaint you with the exercise machines before you shower for dinner." "Exercise machines?" said Melina. "I have never liked them." "We think you will like these," replied Kelsey, "Marge thinks all of you will, once you try them." ------- Melinda, Kelsey, Karmen and Sam joined the group from the Communications Department at dinner. Paul and Rob went to the table where James and Clarence were sitting. After they sat down, several others joined their group, along with Irene and Sue. Steve and Carl had joined other groups, after getting their food from the buffet. Each of the visitors ate quietly, as they reviewed the activities they had been shown during the day. The assistant editors at both papers had told their editors that their circulation had jumped dramatically that morning. It was the first time the staffs could remember running out of papers. Additionally, they had received inquiries from other news organizations regarding the possibility of syndicating their coverage from the space ship. Both editors were a little surprised at the rapid interest but had given their approval. "Good evening," said Sarah's Clan, as they stood at the front of the dining room, drawing everyone's attention. As they spoke, the screens showing the dining rooms on Comrie and An Clochán came to life. "Good evening," responded nearly everyone. "We think all of us had a surprise today." Everyone laughed. "The idea of having such an intimate active connection to all of our family members both surprised and pleased us. We sense we are not alone regarding how we feel about the connection." "We have visitors here, so we need to use a little more verbal communication tonight," said Tara. "Immediately after dinner, four shuttles, and another security team, will leave for the baby farm. There objective is evacuate the female captives and three women managers. They will be evacuated to An Clochán. Two of our lions will stay at the farm to monitor the activity." "Two security teams will return to the farm tomorrow morning to deal with the raiders. With them will be several women, who were rescued from the freighter." "We came across two of the raiders previously. Our analysis of the data shows that the raiders were sent by the Chosen Ones with instructions to completely destroy the baby farm. This puzzled us, since the baby farm is their operation. We have since learned that the location was originally chosen so that if necessary, it could be destroyed remotely, much like the lodge was. Our conclusion is that the Chosen Ones are in the process of eliminating anyone related either to growth factors or genetic alteration treatments. Those living at the farm, those who arrived today and the raiders, all fit those criteria. After checking our conclusions several times, we have chosen a response. To execute it, we have requested assistance in dealing with the Chosen Ones, because we do not have any experience with the technology that we will need to use. Our request was accepted and modified. We will not have an active role in the response, which we understand will begin this evening. The impact on the Chosen Ones will take a week to be noticed. It is our understanding that no one outside of their group will be impacted by this action." "Could you be more specific concerning what will happen," asked Rob. "Basically, each person associated with the Chosen Ones will experience what they think is a cold. It will appear to clear up quickly, except that each Chosen One will be very susceptible to reinfection, with each reinfection, the severity of their illness will increase dramatically. As the severity increases, so does the pain and discomfort they experience. Successive cold infections continue until death overtakes them." "Some may look at that as biological warfare." "We don't believe the term comes close to fitting," replied Sarah's Clan, firmly. Rob and Paul noticed that every head they saw nodded in agreement with the comment. "Sarah's Clan, and, in fact, everyone here," replied Rob, "that term might, nonetheless, be applied by some, if they determine how the infections came about. I don't disagree with the approach, because our visit here has been eye-opening with respect to the damage this group known as the Chosen Ones has caused. From my standpoint, your action primarily benefits Earth." "Sally, can I go with the group tonight," begged Melinda. "Yes, to assist. No cameras. No interviews. In fact, two of the reporters pool may go as well." "Okay." Karmen, Kelsey, and Sam nodded their agreement. "Flight Operations will tell you where to meet the group prior to departure. Any more questions concerning that issue?" "Seeing none, do we have anything else to discuss this evening?" Keriann stood, "Tomorrow, we will have visitors from Norfolk NCIS." "Keriann, thanks for the reminder," said Jill. "The groups arriving tomorrow are: McGrath's NCIS group. General Walker, his wife and two aides. We believe they would like to visit with the former TTC members that have joined us." The announcement set off a cheer from several locations. "Admiral Johnson, from the CSG. Cathal's group, who we believe work in intelligence." "What is the significance of their visit?" asked Paul. "At one time or other, we have extended invitations to all of those coming with McGrath's NCIS group. General Walker and his aides have been concerned about the disappearance of former TTC members that were discharged after an incident in Afghanistan. The President, being aware of our contact with these individuals, has decided that their visiting us would be in the country's best interest and would give them a way to learn more about us, informally." "Oh." "Any other issues?" "The visit here by the Grand View editors, and TV reporter," said Shannon, "has become a significant news item around the world. While the story about us is creating a lot of interest, we expect the interest to taper off fairly quickly." Sarah's Clan waited quietly, to see if anyone else had an item to raise. "It appears we have covered everything that needs to be covered tonight. See you at breakfast." ------- Melinda and Steve immediately went toward Sarah's Clan. Erin greeted them with a smile, as they approached. "Erin," said Melinda, "How would I arrange staying so I can continue the TV coverage of here and An Clochán. I envision this as being a part of the news office Marge was talking about organizing." "There are some personal issues you need to consider before deciding to do that for an extended length of time. The impact on you will be different than it is for Marge and Evelyn and to an extent Fred and Chad. Melinda, we like you. We would like you to stay if that is truly what you want. You are, however, a very well known personality, so the possibility exists that if these changes occur, it could impact your career. Either becoming intimate with us or staying here for a long time could result in some physical changes to your body." "You're saying that I could take on some of the features of your species?" replied Melinda. "Our doctors could probably explain this better than me. Our milk is included in our daily diet, as it includes some essential nutrients for our species. For females, one of those essential nutrients is a hormone supporting our lactation and some other aspects of our body. One response to this exposure could be an increase in bust size. With a bust increase, your nipples would be come more pronounced either by lengthening or becoming more puffy or both. Ours are considerably more pronounced than Earth women, even those who are nursing. These hormones could also increase your sensitivity to arousal. Another possible response is that your hair texture could be come more like ours. We have not had any long-term visitors. Based on the experience of the medical team, however, it will likely take more than five months to be noticeable. How did they reach that conclusion? Everyone that has joined our species has opted for the virus treatments within five or six months after arriving. So we really don't know the long term impact on visitors from earth." "I've noticed that all of you seem to have large busts with prominent nipples. I like the visual impact. At the same time, I can see some viewers on Earth finding it objectionable." "Remember, in the presentations, we noted that all women of our species lactate beginning when they become sexually mature? We will continue to do that for about 1/4th of our life. Also, if circumstances dictate, we can lactate our whole adult life." "Now I remember, this was in the presentation you gave us when we arrived. If I remember correctly, the presentation indicated tissue structure differences as well." "Yes, they indicated differences in tissue structure in several parts of our body. Those changes, however, require the genetic virus treatment, which initiates a complete species change. There might be other changes, as well." "Erin, Chloe, I don't find anything personally objectionable about what you have told me." "You are telepathically active. If you engage in an intimate relationship with us individually or with a group, you will likely experience some bonding with them. You will experience this to some extent within your work groups. If this grows to form a family-like bond with others, then the mind-link will grow so it is much more open and intimate. Growing up on Earth, I remember how some girls paired up, almost like twins. The concern is that if you later decide to return to Earth for some reason, then this close a bond with others here may cause you some emotional distress. This would be like 'home sickness'. You would likely feel torn due to being separated from people who are closer to you than your own parents were. Passing on an opportunity because of your friends here could, with time, cause disenchantment with your surroundings here." "Forming a close bond with others would be an experience that I have seldom had. I have always had many friends, but I don't think I have ever had any really close friends. When I was in college, I read a book that encouraged me to plan my future, while considering my strengths, weaknesses and happiness. It pointed out that life is not fair and that you control your happiness. The best way to achieve that happiness is to understand your needs and develop a set of goals for your life." "I take it, you followed the book's advice," said Chloe. "Not at first, since I read it shortly after entering college. It was probably a year later when I ran across the book again and remembered some of its advice. After rereading the book, I did follow the steps to set my goals. I did an inventory of myself which included my skills, what pleased me, what displeased me, and a definition of happiness. Continuing the process, I went on and developed my a set of goals and a plan to achieve them. From that point on, my grades improved dramatically, and it likely helped me get to where I am. Every time my path through life has reached what appears to be a fork in the road, I have tried to look at what each branch of the fork means. Once you understand the meaning, it is easier to establish how it fits in with my goals and definition of happiness." "So, it sounds like you have already considered how being associated with us fits your goals." "Yes. It would help me with my stories if I lived with a group for a while. This would give me a better sense of life here, and make it easier to convey in our news reports. I have found the atmosphere here, the most comfortable of any I can remember. In fact creating my definition of happiness and life goals to achieve that would have been easier here. I think." "Well, I can quickly see two groups that would welcome you on that basis," said Chloe. "One would be with Kelsey, Karmen and Sam, and you're also welcome to join us. Our clan would incorporate you as a visitor within our family, that means you will sense a small piece of our clan's mind-link. How intimate you were with us would be your choice as we would not push you away." "Well I was thinking of asking Kelsey, Karmen, and Sam about sharing a suite, if they are agreeable," replied Melinda. "Since they are experiencing the virus treatments, being close to them will likely assist my reporting. Besides, I like being around them. It seems I should talk to Gail and Judy about the virus treatment so I have a better understanding of the potential impact on me. It was fascinating to watch Marge, Evelyn, Chad and Fred enter the incubators earlier. Taking that step has a lot of implications." "You're thinking about staying," said Steve. "What?" replied Melinda abruptly, as she had forgotten Steve was with them. "You just said you were going to talk to Gail and Judy about receiving the virus treatment in the incubator. Plus, I can sense you are more comfortable here than you have been any place else in your life." "I don't think that is quite what I expressed ... well." Melinda stopped speaking for a moment as her expression showed she had lapsed into thought. "Steve, you are very perceptive. Yes, being here is probably the most comfortable place I have ever been. I guess I hadn't realized it until you pointed it out. Erin, Chloe, thank you. Our conversation has crystallized a number of thoughts I have had since being here. Steve, again thanks for the observation." "What about your life goals?" exclaimed Chloe. "The way I blurted it out, it probably doesn't appear that I considered them. As we were talking, I realized that staying here fits them much better than where I am on Earth," replied Melinda, with a smile. "Ever since I established them, I have looked at each assignment in light of how it fit with my goals." Chloe and Erin hugged her. "Enabling my telepathic ability has given me a key to a better understanding of my goals. My goals in life will definitely be obtained here, as will fulfilling my definition of happiness. While continuing as I have on Earth obtaining them will be much more difficult if not impossible. I am certain that I will talk to Judy to schedule my conversion to this species, once the reporters come back from the incubators. I am an impatient person, and I don't want to wait for the conversion to complete as Sam and her friends are doing." "Once you make the species change, there is no going back," replied Chloe, with some concern expressed in her tone. "I know. You are concerned, since you think I am rushing into this." Chloe nodded. "Chloe, Erin look at my thoughts, so you can see my perspective." "Okay, we agree with you," said Erin and Chloe after a few moments. "You understand why we were concerned?" "Yes, and I appreciate your interest in my well-being." Melinda pulled both to her in a hug, kissing each in turn. "Your concern for me is another reason I love it here." "Could you tell me where to find the book?" asked Erin. "I think it would be good reading material for our new arrivals. Some have a hard time deciding whether to stay or return to Earth along with a number of other issues." "Let's see. I think it was titled, "The Facts of Life". When I first saw the title, I thought it was about sex, but really it was about life. I don't remember the author, though. Steve, when did you become telepathic?" "I don't know that I am. I asked Amy and Jim about it and they suggested asking one of the Command Staff the question. Although I can sometimes sense what others don't see immediately. That trait has helped me as a photographer many times." "Steve, you have the telepathic attribute," said Chloe with Erin nodding with a slight smile. "Well, I'm not so sure." Chloe and Erin rolled their eyes as he had missed their point. "Can we look?" said Tara. Steve jumped then turned, to see Tara, Alison and Sarah had joined them. "Sure." "Boy, you sure rate," commented Melinda, with a grin. Chloe and Melinda watched, as the group from Sarah's Clan worked with Steve to enable his telepathic ability. Melinda was surprised, as it seemed to take longer than when they assisted her. "Amy was correct in her perception," said Sarah. "Steve, you appear to have some psionic abilities. We would recommend that you not enable those until you are comfortable with telepathy. If you want to enable them, we can assist you or you can likely do so yourself. You should be very careful about who, if anyone outside of ourselves, you share this with." "Sure. Your reasoning makes very good sense. If I proceed with enabling them, I will come see your clan." "So Steve can I share with you telepathically," asked Melinda, with a smile. "Melinda, Chloe, in fact all of you, it would be a privilege for me to exchange thoughts with you. The opportunity to share with both Melinda and Chloe would be like icing on the cake." Both Chloe and Melinda kissed him on the cheek. As Melinda broke the kiss, Steve turned, bringing his lips to hers. Their shared kiss quickly grew in intensity, as their feelings for each other were shared. "Do I get one like that," commented Chloe when they separated. "Sure, if your clan does not mind," replied both. "They won't, as they will sense our sharing and recognize the friendship intended." Both Melinda and Steve shared an intense kiss with Chloe, leaving all three slightly aroused. "Steve and Melinda, sometimes, in our society, we share the physical side of our caring outside of our clan. Because of the mind-link, everyone knows and understands the intent of the sharing. It is not unusual for two clans to have a very close relationship, both intellectually and physically." "Okay, where is my kiss and hug," said Erin. Steve quickly responded to her invite by giving her a kiss and a hug. Sensing he shouldn't stop then gave, Tara, Sarah, and Alison a hug and kiss. Melinda thought about Chloe's comment, while she watched give the ladies a kiss and hug. "Steve, you're also thinking of staying." "I think, it is very likely." Both Chloe and Melinda raised an eyebrow. "Well, maybe a better way to say it, is that it is very unlikely that I will leave." Both women then chuckled. "I can see that. I like being a TV reporter, except to succeed you need to be a plotter, in order to maintain your presence on the screen. In some organizations, offering your director and producer access to your body can help. Merit and abilities seem to get lost as can self worth." "That is why I prefer photography." "If need be, can you cover for Carl." "Sure, but there are several in the Communications Department that can do a better job with the TV camera than me." "Really." "Yes. When you operate a TV camera, you focus more on events than composition. Yes composition plays a role but action or events is the main focus." While they stood talking, the dining room had emptied, leaving only them talking. "Melinda," said Chloe, "you are welcome to stay with us. Steve, you're welcome as well." "Well, I'm not sure," said Melinda. "I was thinking of approaching Sam, Karmen and Kelsey about joining them." "They are a neat group. My best advice is for you to follow your instincts. Our clan would love to have you join us. Joining us for a short stay doesn't commit either of you into continuing to stay with us. I should warn you though, we sleep as a group." She then added, "We are nude, as well," when she noticed that they were both wearing Salwar outfits. Chloe was surprised at not noticing the clothing. "Melinda, this is Flight Operations. Your group is assembling in hanger 4B." "Chloe, Steve, I need to go. I'll join you in Chloe's suite when I get back." Melinda found Sam and Kelsey waiting for her as she arrived at the hanger. Behind them she could see the Cathan's Clan boarding the shuttle in their tactical suits. ------- Chapter 96 Four shuttles quietly set down so they had a clear view of the barn, office and the caretakers residences. As soon as doors opened two lions eased out of the lead shuttle and quickly disappear into the darkness. Three security team members headed for the building where the horses and dogs were kept. Another small group headed for the building where the doctor and male caretaker were sleeping. A light was still on at the back of the other caretaker residence. "Cathan, Sorcha, Ciar, come with me," said Todd, as he headed toward the lighted window. Peeking in the window, they saw three women caretakers drinking coffee and talking. All three looked as if they were ready for bed, as they were now completely naked. "Cathan and Sorcha, go inside and see what their reaction will be. Let's stay actively linked." Todd and Ciar watched as Cathan and Sorcha quietly entered the building. In a few moments, they were standing in the door of the room where the women were talking. A few moments passed before the caretakers noticed Cathan and Sorcha in the door causing them to gasp. One caretaker immediately began to reach for her belt until she realized how far away it was. Another gave a muted scream as she had covered her mouth as she screamed. The third woman looked like she was ready to bolt for the door leading outside. All three were uneasy by Cathan and Sorcha's sudden appearance but even at that did not seem to be afraid just surprised. "Good evening, ladies," said Cathan and Sorcha, as they watched the three women look them over. "Anneke, Krystelle, and Taysha," continued Cathan, causing the three women to gasp, as they heard their names, "we are not a threat to you. We came to rescue the women being held in the barn. You can come with us when we leave. In fact, we would like you too." Anneke started to speak, but Sorcha said, "Anneke, hear us out before you answer." "We are sure that you have many questions and concerns," continued Cathan. "There is not much time to consider those as we need to act quickly. We are going to take the women in the barn to a location where they can recover and be free to decide their futures. It would be easier to accomplish this if you assist us in releasing their restraints and in getting them ready to leave. Everyone will have a much brighter future by leaving here." She paused for a few moments. "If you choose to stay here, you will be dead by tomorrow evening." The three women looked at her with a disbelieving expression on their faces. "Yes," said Sorcha. "The group that owns you and this farm has initiated plans to destroy it. The destruction will begin as soon as everyone has arrived. The group coming has already destroyed all the other farms your owners operated or had an interest in." "We aren't expecting anyone else," replied Taysha firmly. "You wouldn't be. The next arrivals will be the raiders who are waiting nearby. They have been hired to wipe out this farm. Their instructions are to kill all of you and destroy everything. When the raiders arrive in the morning, they plan to torture some of you before they begin the destruction of the farm. They are planning on taking some of you to sell to sex clubs as expendable stock. Once they have completed their mission, there is to be little or no indication that any of you were ever here. Our information indicates, they will die here with everyone else." "They won't be able to do that. The security system will alert us of their approach and keep them out," exclaimed Krystelle. "Not when the people who hired the raiders control the security system." The caretakers frowned. "The other caretaker gave a drug to those in the barn with their evening meal. Your evening pill contains the drug for you. Once you consume the drug, it will make the job of the raiders very easy." "Why would the other caretaker do that?" asked Anneke. "The other caretaker is the brother of one of those leading the raid." "That son of a bitch!" replied Anneke. "I always wondered about him. He did everything he was suppose to, but never took any initiative. Whenever he was around, he always watched us. It gave us a creepy feeling." "How do we know we are not trading one form of slavery for another?" demanded Taysha. "You don't. All you have is your instinct. Besides, if we were intent on that, why would we be here, talking." "You said you are offering to take us, as well," asked Krystelle. "Yes, we think that is your best choice," replied Cathan. "We believe all three of you are just as much victims as those in the barn. You will have the same opportunity to decide your future. Our medical facilities will provide any care you need to counter the treatments you have received." "I had pretty much given up hope of leaving here as a free person or even alive," said Krystelle. "From the records, the last caretakers were modified before being sent to a slave auction for S&M clubs." "How soon do you plan on leaving?" asked Anneke. "As soon as we can get everyone on our aircraft," replied Cathan. "The sooner the better." "When the women exit the barn, it will set off the escape alarm." "We are aware of the alarm, and are making arrangements so that doesn't happen." "I am willing to go with you," said Anneke a glimmer of hope appeared on her face. Krystelle said "I in." Taysha quickly followed with "me to." "Good. We think you will be very pleased you made that choice. What other passive restraints are on the women?" asked Sorcha. Sorcha said, "Todd, Ciar, come on in. They are very anxious to leave here." When they were all inside, Anneke reviewed all she knew about the security system. Each woman in the barn wore a collar which enabled the security system to track their movements. Additionally, all the women had a RFID device implanted behind their ear. They were told that everyone who was held in the barn had a second chip implanted in their body. On each exit door was an RFID detector. If one of the barn residents left the barn without an escort, it sent an alert to the monitoring center. For the person living in the barn, the punishment was that she lost a finger on each hand while everyone watched. If it happened several times, then we were punished. First we were hung by our ankles, then another caretaker administered a whipping with either a cat or single tail while the security center monitored the punishment. If it wasn't done correctly, then the punishment was doubled and both were whipped. After the whipping, we would be left hanging there all day with weights fastened to our wrists. Fortunately none of us have experienced any of that. We were shown videos of previous punishments when we became the caretakers. All of the security monitoring is done remotely. We are not permitted access to the security devices or systems. The only reason they were certain they worked was because of a demonstration the owners gave us. We ran a weekly test on the system for the office. "Group, we have gained control of the monitoring system," said Edana. "Cathan's Clan can now go to meet Enya and Máiréad. We can negate the RFID on the main door when we use it. We don't want to negate it unless we are using it, as indications are that it is randomly tested from an external source. Our AI doesn't have enough information yet to fake the test. We will only use the main door." "Group, the doctor is sedated and ready for transport," said Caoilinn. "The brother of the raider is sleeping soundly and will remain asleep until tomorrow morning." "Have Star go ahead and teleport the doctor," said Ciar. "Someone needs to monitor the other one until we are ready to leave." "Anneke told us the collars have sensors in them. If they are removed for any length of time, they will trip the alarm. The collars also give position information to the system." While their exchange was taking place, Cathan was quickly leading the three caretakers to the barn with her group. Once inside, Cathan opened the door to her friends quarters and looked around. Her friends were lying with two others. All of them were touching. "Enya. Máiréad," said Cathan softly as she touched their shoulders. "It is time to go home." Then she said slightly louder, "Enya ... Máiréad." Both opened their eyes and screamed. "Guys, its only me. I've brought some friends. We want to take you to a new home." As Cathan spoke, both of them jumped into her arms. They were crying, as they held her tightly. The commotion had awakened the other six women, who looked on apprehensively, seeing the strangers with the three caretakers. Those in Cathan's group pushed friendly and comforting thoughts toward them. After a few moments, Todd said, "Cathan, we need to get this moving." "Enya and Máiréad, we need to leave here as soon as possible. Would you introduce us to your friends?" Once the introductions were complete, Cathan said, "Ladies, we don't have time for a lot of explanations. We came to take you to a place where you will be free to decide what you'd like to do about your future. There will be medical staff available to assist with any medical problems you have. Enya and Máiréad are almost like my sisters." Cathan's eyes teared when she said sisters. "Now, we need your assistance in getting everyone else ready to leave." "First we need to remove your collars," said Sorcha as she stepped behind Máiréad. "Please hold still while we remove your collars then we will show you what we want you to do." The eight women watched, as Anneke and the caretakers showed everyone how to remove their collars. Sorcha took the collars and placed them on a blanket where the group had been sleeping. Ciar activated a thermal pack and placed it in the center of the collars, while being careful not to touch any of them before covering them with another blanket. "As soon as the collars are off, place them on the sleeping platform just like you just saw me do," said Ciar. "It is critical for this to be done in every room and as quickly as possible. The thermal packs must not touch the collars." "Now," said Todd, "there are 11 of you who know the other women. Two of us will accompany one of you to each room. Wake the women and remove their collars. We will take care of any cuffs later. While the collars are being placed under the blanket with the thermal heat pack, lead the women out into the hall. Place them in one of the lines and have them hold hands. Other members of our group will stay with them, while you gather the rest. Once everyone is lined up in the hall, we will leave on our aircraft." "As soon as we are clear of here, we will tell you a bit more about us and where we are going," said Cathan. Both Enya and Máiréad kissed Cathan on her cheek as they gave her another hug. They still had tears of happiness running down their cheeks. The eight women and three caretakers went into the hall. Máiréad lead the group, using hand signals, pointing toward a row of rooms to tell them where to start. Cathan started to remind them that they could talk now, but decided it wasn't important as she watched them begin. She was impressed with how efficient they were with hand signs and anticipating each other. It took them a little over an hour to get all the women lined up in the barn. Once everyone was in line, Todd, Sorcha, Kurt and Cristine took the hand of the first woman in line and led them toward the door. Cathan, Anneke, and Darcy monitored the women, as each group moved out the door. As the first women in a column stepped clear of the barn, a light in the shuttle's door came on. Within a few steps of leaving the barn, the four lines of women began to diverge, as they moved toward the door of their assigned shuttle. Many of the women from the barn began to shake as they neared the shuttle door. They could see the lighted interior through the door but couldn't see the shuttle. On reaching a shuttle, the security team member leading the women immediately stepped inside. Once inside, they directed the women to take seat. It took only a small amount of encouragement to have them fill the seats at the back of the cabin first as each of the four shuttles would be nearly full. Once the four groups from the barn were inside the shuttles, those serving as sentries pulled back toward the shuttles. As the sentries left the building containing the horses, they opened the gates and led the horses outside turning them loose. Once the sentries were inside the shuttles, the doors closed and they silently lifted off. In each shuttle, two caregivers were directed to begin serving drinks to everyone on the shuttle. Once everyone had a drink, the caretakers and caregivers in each cabin and said, "Ladies, the drink we have just given you contains an antidote to the drugs you have been receiving. All of us now need to drink the liquid. But first, let's do this." Each caregiver and caretaker stepped over to a woman and exchanged drinks with her. Once the exchanges were complete, each began to drink from their bottle. As the caregivers and caretakers drank the liquid, so did the security team members. The women sat holding their bottle and watched as the caregivers and caretakers along with their rescuers drank the white liquid. After drinking the liquid, a caretaker and caregiver placed an arm around the waist of the security team member standing next to them, pulling them close. After a few minutes, a few began to drink the white liquid and as time progressed more of the group began to drink theirs. "Ladies," said one of the security team in each shuttle, "we saw some of you shaking as we moved toward the shuttle. We are not sure why you were shaking, but we can guess. What has happened in the last hour was likely quite a shock for you, especially leaving the barn. If our actions scared you, we apologize. We felt we had no choice but to get you quickly out of the barn and off the farm. As we noted earlier, the drink contained agents to counter the effect of the drugs that you have been receiving daily. Initially, the agents will block the effect of the drugs. It will take some time, but you will sense the change and see it in those around you. These agent will then assist your bodies in expelling any remaining drugs. We drank the liquid as well to show you it was safe." A holographic image of Cathan, Anneke, Enya and Máiréad then formed in each shuttle cabin. This let everyone see and hear them. Several of the women gasped, as they watched the 3D image form. As soon as the image had stabilized, Cathan began to speak, "Ladies, first there is no restriction on talking. If you have questions of us, just ask. We will either answer your question or find someone that can answer it. It may not have registered yet, but you are free. We are not taking you somewhere else to enslave you. Our trip will last about four hours. We are going to a place where you can stay while you decide your future. During our trip, you will notice your thoughts becoming clearer, as the effects of the drugs diminish. We have medical staff on each shuttle, who can take care of any immediate medical needs you may have during the trip. It appears that some of you are due to begin labor at any moment. Our EMTs can assist you here, but the facilities at our destination will make it much easier for you to deliver." "You ought to introduce yourself," said Sorcha. "Oops. My name is Cathan. I suspect you don't know anyones names. So let me introduce the eleven people you are familiar with first." After the introductions, she continued with, "We will introduce ourselves as we speak. Our destination is a unique settlement. On arriving, one of the first things you will notice is that nearly everyone is naked. This is because we are a clothing-optional society. We only wear a covering when a task requires it." "The second thing you will likely notice is the stature of those there and to some extent ours. By Earths' standards we are all quite tall and are very similar in appearance to us. There are other differences which we will tell you about later." As Cathan was talking, several members of the security team had taken off their tactical suits before returning to the main cabin. "We can dim the cabin lights to make it easier to sleep," said Ciar, drawing everyone's attention. She had just returned to the cabin in Alpha4 after removing her tactical suit. As she walked down the aisle, a woman reached out to touch her, so Ciar stopped. Seeing the woman hesitate, she gently took the woman's hand and placed it on her bare hip. "Oh my, your skin feels as soft and smooth as a baby, but your body is very firm. Who are you? I have never seen anyone like you." Ciar's muscles rippled in response to the caress. The woman's gentle touch had caused Ciar's nipples to swell slightly and her cunt to moisten. "Yes," said Ciar, noticing the woman looking at her swollen nipples, "we are quite sensitive to any affectionate stimulation. As to where we come from, that doesn't have a simple answer. Most of us were born on Earth, but are now really from another galaxy. I think if Enya and Máiréad told you about their background, with Cathan continuing the story from the time the three were separated, it would answer many of your questions. Cathan's path to becoming part of our species is, thankfully, not the path all of us took." Cathan stuck her tongue out at Ciar, causing many to chuckle. "Never fear, Cathan, I still love you." "Yes, and I love all of you, too." Enya and Máiréad took turns sharing their background with the groups on the four shuttles. They told about growing up together, much like three sisters. They did almost everything together. Cathan's parents were as close to them as their own parents were, and perhaps closer. They told of the fun they had on vacations with her family, until the last one. They described their capture and abuse. Their eyes filled with tears when they told of Cathan's parents and sisters dying at the hands of their captors. The story ended with them being sold to the baby farm. They had lived for there for about a year before being transferred to this farm. Cathan then told them of her experiences after her friends were sold, on the freighter and her subsequent rescue. She related how at first she had felt like she had lost one yoke to gain another. Her apprehension about her rescuers had lasted less than a day. She told about meeting the women who were now her spouses. Todd blushed when she told how she felt and reacted several months later when she saw him in the dining room. The story then finished with how her clan came together and the subsequent rescue of Todd's unit in Afghanistan along with some others. As soon as Cathan stopped talking, Anneke raised her hand. Cathan nodded to her. "You used some terms that seem out of place. Before I go further with my question, there are a couple of things I would like to share about me. I am not sure where we are going, but I am indebted to you for getting us out of there. In college, I earned a degree in animal psychology and I never anticipated in using that knowledge the way I have had to at the farm. My specialty was how to maximize livestock performance by managing their environment. Apparently, the people that own and operate that farm liked my work. A couple of months after I graduated, I was still looking for work, when I received a DVD. A note with it told me to watch the DVD then read the letter. The DVD was of me participating in sex shows with multiple partners and animals. It showed me entertaining both men and women sexually and much more. In every scene, I was shown actively participating and initiating the activity. I like sexual interaction, but do not remember doing any of what was on the DVD. The enclosed letter told me that I either came to work for them or the DVD would be released for sale on the Internet and in sex shops. It took me a week to decide that I really had no choice." "Once I accepted, I was told how to arrange my personal affairs for an extended journey or absence. When I had completed that I was told to call a number. I called the number well before the time limit they gave me. The next thing I remember was waking up restrained on an exam table. I looked around the room to see I was in some kind of medical treatment room. Shortly after I awoke, a woman came into the room followed by a doctor. The doctor told me that it was time for me to begin my treatments. When I started to respond, no sound came out. He then told me not to worry as my voice and control of my limbs would return in several days. All I could do was lay there and watch as he made several injections into different parts of my body. By the time he was done my breasts, nipples, clit and labia were larger and ached. He finished by giving me two shots in my ass. When he finished, he told the nurse to put the cups on breasts, labia and clit for a day. As a result of the treatments my breasts, nipples, clit and labia are much larger. One aspect of the treatment he gave me is that is now difficult for me to wear any fitted clothing. A few days after they let me up, they had me take part in sex shows. We filmed three sex shows a day. Every evening I had to serve as a companion for a guest. As a companion, I was, essentially, the guest's sex slave or toy. I am still surprised at how compliant I was, but suspect it was a part of my treatment. My second stop was here. I don't know what the women here think of me and how we cared for them. The day after my arrival, I was shown tapes outlining our responsibilities and what would be the punishment for not succeeding. The whippings I mentioned earlier were the mildest punishment given to a caretaker. The person who was here before us was a tyrant. He was more interested in using those in the barn than he was in caring for them or doing what the owners wanted. Sorry, I'm going into too much detail." "I think," said Cathan, "there are people in our group that would like to hear everything any of you can tell us about how you came to the baby farm. There are people at our destination who have had similar experiences to yours. You may find sharing with them helps you regain your footing." "Thanks, I think that may help. The questions I had were: What do you mean when you refer to your species? Also, you referred to spouses, like you had several. By the way you worded some parts of the story, it sounded as if you were telepathic. We know that is not possible." "Each of us are now of a different species than you or those residing on Earth. Yes, we were born on Earth. Since choosing to join this group, each of us has chosen to receive a genetic virus treatment. This treatment makes some fundamental changes to our bodies. The result is we are now effectively a cross between a species that came from another solar system and Earth born humans. In a day or two, we will show everyone here a series of presentations that tell you about ourselves, our history and other facts about us. Our medical staff can give you more details concerning the physiological differences and will answer any questions you have. We also have a library that you can use while at An Clochán." "The answer to the second question is; yes; we have multi-partner families. Our society normally is composed of families consisting of 4 to 12 adults. These groups consist of one male with the rest female although sometimes there can be two males. A unique aspect of these families is that they do not have a single dominant adult. We believe there are two reasons for this. One is the way we psychologically bond to form a family. The second is related to physical ability. Our species male and female members are essentially identical in physical ability such as strength and stamina. There is more, but that covers the essentials." "As far as telepathic ability goes, yes, we are telepathic. Being telepathic is an important aspect of our family bonding. Some of us are more telepathically proficient than others. When the presentations are made tomorrow or the next day, a demonstration will be given that should convince you that telepathy is real. Not everyone is telepathic. You indicated you didn't think it was possible. That belief probably comes from what you have seen or read on Earth. If you were really telepathic on Earth, who would you share that knowledge with?" Cathan paused. "I suggest, you would tell no one, except maybe another telepath. To do otherwise would probably be worse than living in the barn on the farm we just left." Anneke looked thoughtfully at Cathan, and then said, "I agree with your last comment and that my question was driven by things I have read. I will be looking forward to the demonstration. As to the other comments, I look forward to learning more. Will they really answer all my questions?" "Yes we will, or guide you to finding answers in our library." "We think you will enjoy the learning experience." Anneke jerked at the voices she heard and looked around. She noticed that Ciar, Cathan, Todd and Sorcha glance at her and were smiling, while seemingly focused on other people. After a few moments, Anneke heard, "We thought we would give you a demonstration of telepathy now, to thank you for helping us get everyone out so efficiently. Seeing the three of you with the caregivers, really helped settle the others. Thanks." Anneke broke into a large smile. "You're welcome," she thought. The few verbal exchanges seemed to break the ice, and the women began to converse with each other. When they heard a question asked of a security team member, they would stop and listen before continuing with their topic. Many had lived together for several years, but never were permitted to talk. Breaking the rule before Anneke had led to some horrible punishments. They were much worse than the whipping Anneke described. When the shuttle doors opened on An Clochán, the security teams assisted the women as they left the shuttle. Once everyone was standing outside, Connie said, "Welcome to An Clochán. My name is Connie and I am one of the doctors here." She then proceeded to introduce Betsy, Judy, Gail and the other EMTs. "I am going to go over several important items, then lets get some rest. We have set up temporary accommodations for you to use. By the time, we have completed your medical evaluations we should have suites ready for your use for the rest of your stay. Complete evaluations of your medical status will begin in the morning right after breakfast. All of those who are near-term will be evaluated first. Once we complete your medical evaluations, we will review your status with you and provide recommendations for further treatment if necessary. Unless we uncover something urgent, reviews of the results will likely not start until the next day. EMTs and a doctor will be staying with you in the temporary area." "Our meals are taken together in the dinning hall. A chime will sound one hour before the meal starts, so you have a chance to exercise and freshen up before the meal. Once we have completed your initial medical evaluation, you can go any place on the site you want to, if you meet one condition. That condition is: you need an escort. Any resident here can be your escort, if they are not involved in something else. Just ask. Why do need an escort? Because all of our emergency procedures are dependent upon telepathic communication. We are on Mars, which can be a hostile environment without the envelope we have covering us. If you will follow Gail and Cathan, they will lead you to your temporary quarters." Gail and Cathan pointed out the dining hall and recreational areas as they passed them while on the way to the temporary quarters. The temporary quarters were basically two large rooms. One was arranged like a family room, with tables, couches, TV's and computers. The second room was filled with beds. A set of temporary showers and restrooms were at one end of the room. "Ladies, before many of us leave to get some rest," said Gail, "I see we need to mention a couple of other items. In addition to the medical staff, several of our residents will be here all the time to assist you. The purpose is to make sure you have everything you need. I see all of you are lactating. We have a special way of exercising and expressing our milk at the same time. It is much more comfortable than what you have been experiencing. We will have some of the exercise equipment here for you by morning. As Connie mentioned earlier, we want to start your physicals right after breakfast. We should be able to finish all of them between breakfast and lunch. Our data indicates that you roomed together in groups of four. We would appreciate you coming to see us in those same groups of four. If you want we can schedule appointment times at breakfast. Now sleep well." "Enya and Máiréad, our teams have some work to do in the morning, so we will see you at lunch or shortly thereafter." Each of Cathan's family gave Enya, Máiréad and their roommates a kiss before going to get some rest, before going back to the baby farm. They had decided to sleep in the shuttle as they made the trip back to the farm. Another team and the other women who led the revolt on the freighter would meet them over the farm. ------- "Shannon," said the Intelligence AI, "we are seeing an increase in security system activity." "Any indication of the purpose?" "Not really. The current time there is just after the caregivers would normally be up, so it could be related to that." "What is the status on the raiders?" "The security team reported that only the two trans-genders are left. It seems that the roar of the lions scared off their help. The help quietly left the camp, just before first light. The two trans-genders were livid, as the other three had taken some of the equipment with them." "Are our groups in position?" "Nearly. Cathan and Caoilinn's security teams are nearly there. They will be on site when the raiders arrive." "Good," replied Shannon. "We will be there as soon as we eat." ------- On board Alpha4, Cathan's Clan watched the baby farm come into view on the cabin monitor. Along with Cathan's Clan were the women who had assisted Cathan in extracting some revenge from their captors on the freighter. "I wonder if they will recognize us," said Cathan. "Most likely," replied Mona. "Well maybe not, I think our appearance has changed much more than we think it has. If we gave them enough time, then maybe." "I don't want to see any more of them than necessary," said Keira. "With Connie's help, I have locked those experiences away in a vault and buried them. I remember just enough of that time to know that it was awful. The only redeeming aspect of the freighter," she paused for a moment, "is being rescued by this group that is now my family. It is the best thing that ever happened to me." "I agree with that," said Edana as the shuttle settled into position some distance from the buildings. Alpha5 hovered about 100 meters away. This gave them a clear view of the farm buildings and the meadow. "Let's reconsider what we had planned on doing," said Todd. "There is nothing to be gained by confronting these people. Why don't we just observe? We are in position so that we intercede if we need to. I see little likely hood of that being necessary as I think the rest of you do. So unless someone objects, let's just watch." No one said a word, so after a few moments Todd told Caoilinn's Clan the change in plan. The third security team was told they could return to Dóchas if they wanted to. Cathan and Caoilinn's Clans arrived just as the raiders trucks came into view on the farm lane. The security teams in the two shuttles watched as the two trucks pulled up between the administration building and the barn. Two women stepped out of the trucks and looked around. "Knowing they are two of the male staff members from the freighter," said Keira, "I can tell who they were. Now, they are definitely full bodied females." "I agree," replied Mona. "They turned into fine looking women and much better looking than when they were males. I suspect they have a difficult time in a mixed crowd. Other women would see them for what they are, but the males would be clamoring to fuck them any way possible." They watched as the two trans-genders got their stuff out of the truck and scanned the area. One went and opened the truck and began setting items out. The other woman opened the second truck and then went to help unload the other truck. Several times while the trans-genders were setting up their things, they could be seen checking the time. Finally, one went up to the building carrying a pistol. Shortly after she entered the building, she came running out laughing followed by a man swearing at her. "Let's put a drone out so we can hear them," said Mona. The sound feed started just as the trans-gender was berating her brother. "You lazy bastard, you should have been up when we got here. The water is hot enough. Go get the human cows, as we need to get started." While she was talking she was placing torture devices and other implements of pain on the table. "Calm down," said the other trans-gender. "You will have time to relieve your frustration." Turning to the male caretaker. "You did give them the drugs like you were supposed to?' "Yes." "Excellent. Bring them out here as we don't have a whole lot of time. As soon as we have them tethered, we will bring out the caretakers." "How come you're early? You said you wouldn't be here until late morning," said her brother. "We're here early because we couldn't sleep. We kept hearing the roar of lions on the mountainside above us." "What lions? There aren't any lions around here." "Well it sounded enough like it that our help slipped off sometime during the night. Those assholes took some of our equipment when they left. If I find them, they will be so sorry. Anyway go get the cows we are wasting too much time." As those on the shuttles watched, the man walk toward the barn, they were wondering what his reaction would be to finding the barn empty. He had hardly disappeared from site when they heard things being thrown and doors slammed. The man soon came storming out of the barn right toward his sister. His was livid. "Okay, BITCH enough fucking games. What did you do with the cows?" She turned toward him holding a large knife in her hand, her face contorted in anger. "Don't you ever call me a bitch again!" Waving the knife at him, she continued, "Do you understand asshole!" He nodded and stepped back. "That is the second time you made that mistake, one more time and brother or not you will be in the chair screaming as we cut off your balls and dick. Then, we will let you eat our cum, so you will be well on your way to being a female nymphomaniac. You know that our cum will start your mutation to a woman. It is very rapid if the male is cut first. Adding a few of these drugs, we have for the caretakers would make you an even more desirable bitch. So, call me bitch one more time and I will start your emasculation by crushing your balls before cutting you." As her anger diminished, she began to realize what he had said. "Wait! You, son of a bitch. What do you mean there aren't any cows in the barn? They were your responsibility." "Last night I personally mixed the drug you gave me into their feed. I made sure all the bottles were put out and everything was consumed. Before I went to bed, I checked the monitors and switched the other caretakers evening pill. Everyone in the barn was sleeping. Did you check the house for the caretakers?" "No." "Wait a minute, I think you're shitting me," said the other trans-gender. "Those cows couldn't have gone anywhere after they received those drugs. Let's go look at the barn again. If your playing games, you're going to find yourself hanging in that chair wishing we were only castrating you." The two walked over to the barn and were soon walking back. He was carrying several collars and a couple of thermal packs. "Guys," said Ciar, "the alarm should have sounded when he brought out those collars." When the two reached the other trans-gender, she said, "He's right the cows are gone. There appear to be foot prints in the dirt leading from the door toward the field. We found their collars on the raised platform next to these under a blanket. Where do you think they came from?" As she spoke she pointed at the thermal packs. "Those look like hot packs you use to treat injuries." "What are we going to tell the Councilor? You know he is going to want some details about the site cleansing. He certainly quizzed us enough after we cleaned up the other sites." "We will just need to be careful how we word it. At least we have the collars." "If you think about the instructions he gave us. This cleansing job was different from the others. He seemed very intent on making sure that no one survived this site's cleansing. This time he wanted the RFID implants from all the cows and staff. You don't think he suspects that we sold some of the others." Just then the ground trembled distracting them. Small clouds of dust rose around the perimeter of the field. In moments, the ground at the edges of the meadow appeared to settle throwing more dust into the air. "Guys, it looks like the destruction of the site has started," commented Caoilinn from the other shuttle to the security team members. "A wide strip of ground around the edge of the field has sunk several feet. Wow, that must really be a deep cavern under this field based on the readings from the sensors." Those on the shuttles watched as trench around the field grew as more ground broke off. The chasm quickly grew until the center of the field was completely cut off from the surrounding hills. The falling earth had raised a cloud dust blocking the view of the surrounding hills. "What the fuck," said one trans-gender as she looked around in amazement. Just then several of the dogs came up behind the trans-genders. They quickly gathered around the two trans-genders trying to push their noses and tongues between the trans-genders legs. The trans-genders screamed and tried to twist away. One trans-gender pull her gun and shot a couple of the dogs. In her haste, several shots went wild, puncturing the truck's fuel tanks. They quickly found that twisting only gave a different dog access to their cunt. The dogs competed to burrow their cold noses into the trans-gender's cunts. The dogs had been trained to focus on the smell of a woman's arousal. The ground rumbled again, causing more to give way further widening chasm between them and the trees. One trans-gender kicked at the dogs, only to loose her balance falling among them. A large dog stood placing both paws on the shoulders of the still standing trans-gender. His cock was fully extended oozing precum. She pulled back only to loose her balance and fall over a dog behind her. The dogs howled then bit the women in frustration. As the two trans-genders tried to stand, a dog mounted each of them. The ground shook again hard enough to cause the buildings to sway and creak. Two buildings began to sag toward the surrounding chasm. The fuel from the trucks reached the burner and flashed engulfing both trucks in flames. The fire quickly grew as the heat on the fuel tanks caused the fuel to spray out like a torch. The contents on the back of the trucks began to burn and tires began to smoke. Except for the roar of the fire, it was silent for just a moment, and then the lions roared. The sound of the lions roar caused the dogs to run off. The three raiders looked around at the chaos around them seeking a way to escape. The ground under a group of dogs gave way carrying them into the chasm. Their barking and yelps were hardly heard above the other sounds. Next the office and barn began to slide into the growing chasm. A small explosion was heard as the office broke apart and burst into flames. The three raiders had hardly moved since the chasm formed. They simply stood and watched with growing fear as the area around them became smaller and smaller. The burning trucks toppled over into the chasm and disappeared into the debris. Suddenly it became very quiet. "This whole thing he had us doing just made no sense," said one trans-gender. "He strung us along so we would do his dirty work in exchange for the antidote, but when he gets my present, he will rue the day he decide to double cross us." "You mean you drug me into this knowing you were going to be double crossed," screamed the man. "No. We had nothing to do with you being here. It was all his doing. I suspected treachery but I didn't think he would do this. I told him once it was in his best interest to make sure nothing happened to us on our projects for him. It looks now like he didn't believe me. He is use to getting what ever he wants." "How do you know its him doing this?" "He is the one who set off the explosion at the lodge. It was a good way to destroy the evidence on the people they had enslaved and sold. It was a huge mistake to kill so many emergency responders and police officers. He failed to realize just how much information the law enforcement team got out before the explosion." They screamed as the ground suddenly tilted and dropped away underneath them. When the ground tilted, the man lost his balance and fell. Just has he fell, the pot of now boiling water rolled off the burner, spilling on the man and splashing the trans-genders. They all screamed when the scalding hot water hit them. The man's loud screams echoed through the valley as most of the boiling hot water washed over him. The ground then dropped into the chasm, with the trans-genders, one screamed, "You double crossing son of bitch, now you will suffer more than we ever did." "I smell gas," said Sorcha. "We need to back off." Just before the shuttle door closed the lions leaped inside. The shuttles quickly rose away from the chasm. They watched as more ground broke off around the chasm's sides and slide into the deepening hole. There was so much dust that the view on the monitor switched to using radar imaging. Even as the edges of the field tumbled into the chasm, it appeared to continue to grow in depth. Soon, it was quiet. The dust began to settle into the new deep valley where there had once been a field. A bright flash of light spread rapidly across chasm, and was followed by the thunder of an explosion. Those on the shuttle were surprised that only a small amount of debris was thrown in the air. The shock wave buffeted the shuttles and caused more of the hill sides to begin sliding into the chasm. It didn't take long until the monitors could not distinguish any of the debris from the farm in the bottom of the chasm. "Someone planned that whole cave-in and explosion very well," said Todd. "Why, do you say that," replied Sorcha. "For several reasons. The key to the whole destruction sequence seemed to begin when the man brought the collars out of the barn. It was shortly after that the road caved in, blocking the obvious escape route trapping everyone. This was quickly followed by the edges of the field. Those two events ensured no one would be leaving. Then the rest of the meadow just began to fall into the chasm, as the collapse moved to the center. It was if someone wanted those trapped to experience the horror of the event before they joined the debris in the chasm. A surprising aspect was the explosion. It occurred just below the original ground level. This likely resulted in a pressure wave driving everything further down into the chasm as it sucked the air out of the area. While at the same time, it destabilized the sides so they would slide down into the chasm." "So that's why we didn't see much debris from the explosion." "I think so." "What about the raiders?" "I doubt they survived the initial fall. Unless they were under something the concussion from the explosion would likely have flattened them like a big press. If not they probably suffocated as the explosion would consume most of the oxygen. Now, they are likely buried under the debris." "Think us coming here changed anything?" asked Ciar. "I do not think so. This sounds heartless, but it was good to see them pay with their own suffering for the suffering the caused so many others," replied Cathan. "I am not surprised they had not changed." "Cathan and Caoilinn's Clans," said Danny, "our systems detected communication with the security system just about the time they carried the collars out of the barn and then again when the ground trembled. There were several exchanges until the ground began falling into the chasm. We are tracking the packets now." "Good. If we can believe the implication of the woman's comments as she fell into the chasm, then everyone involved in this circle of death will soon be dead." "Alpha4, take us to An Clochán," said Ciar, "I think we should see how those we picked up last night are doing. Don't hurry, as I think all of us could do with a long nap." "I second that," replied several as they yawned. They gathered together to cuddle as best they could while they drifted off to sleep. It had been a long two days. ------- Chapter 97 "Command Staff," said Adam, "we are about 5 minutes from final approach to Norfolk NAS. Our sensors show very little air traffic around us, but we are receiving frequent electronic probes. The probes are consistent with targeting signals, and are definitely not air traffic monitoring." "How are you handling the probes?" "We're deflecting just enough of their signal so that they have a weak return signal." "Fine, have the Star fighters probe them occasionally, that should confuse them, since they can't locate the source." "Will do." Alpha2 followed the normal glide path down over the end of the Norfolk runway and leveled out. The shuttle quickly slowed and turned off at the first exit to the taxiway. Alpha2 paused at the taxiway, maintaining a height of 20 feet off the surface while waiting for ground control clearance to move. Once Maureen received clearance she, guided the shuttle down the taxiway to the transient ramp. After reaching the transient ramp, she followed the directions from ground service to turn the shuttle so that the door faced the hanger. Briana's clan could see the group standing on the ramp watching their arrival. They could also see a crowd standing along the fence. Once in position on the ramp, Maureen lowered the shuttle until it was a few inches off the ground, then released the door. Briana, Cass, Cindy and Adam went out to meet their passengers. They did a quick introduction and were beginning to board, when Adam said, "Cathal, someone is painting us with a targeting signal." "What?" "Yes, something on the ground is painting us with a targeting signal. Do you have any objections to our taking it out?" "Fuck, no. Can you tell where it is?" "No, but our escort will tell us." "Sabrina, take out the system." "Affirmative." Pause. "Done." "Thanks." "Cathal, it's done. We will have the details in a few moments." Cathal looked back over Adam's shoulder and grinned as he entered the shuttle. "Well, my guess is that the source will prove to have been a large step van, because one just burst into flames on the ramp in front of a hanger a short distance down the ramp." "Could be. That was quite a group of observers along the fence when we taxied up." "Well, our activity would be hard to keep quiet. This base doesn't have many VIP visitors, so when one occurs, the word quickly gets around, whenever there is any lead time at all. It doesn't help that our group and General Walker's group kind of stand out on a Naval Air Base. I guess we should have worn our Marine uniforms." While they were talking, the shuttle door had closed. "Adam, do you have a phone I can use? I should let someone know about the step van." "Here," said Briana, handing him a satellite phone. While Cathal talked to his office, Maureen began the departure routine. When she reached the end of the runway, she asked departure control the status of overhead traffic. She had to query twice before she was advised that there was no traffic over the base. She then requested permission for a rapid climb to 100,000 feet on lift off. After repeating it twice, they gave permission but warned her not to break the sound barrier below 20,000 feet. As Maureen turned the shuttle on to the runway, Briana said to those in the cabin, "You may want to look out the windows as we leave." Alpha2 started its roll down the runway. It had only moved a several feet before it began to rise at a greater rate than its forward direction. As it reached the middle of the runway, it was only rising, as forward motion had stopped. Several gasps could be heard as they watched the ground rapidly disappear below them with little sensation of movement. "That was awesome," said Admiral Johnson, without taking his eyes from the window. Once they reached 100,000 feet, Maureen resumed forward motion, and turned toward Dóchas. This time, she did not turn off the transponder. "Ladies and gentlemen," said Briana, "it appears that everyone is planning on staying at least until till tomorrow, based upon the number of overnight bags. We are pleased that you want to spend that much time with us. There are a couple of things we would like to cover before getting too far from Norfolk. First, we should remind you that we are a clothing-optional society. The clothes we are wearing today are what we wear when greeting those from other cultures." "Our Command Staff, along with the three Naval officers, will meet us when we arrive," said Cass. "Kevin is still recovering, but will be available as needed. Command Staff would like to show all of you a presentation about our background. One portion of the presentations will make a comparison of some of the physical differences between us, before we break into interest groups. While on the ship, we ask that you have an escort, except when you are in your quarters. This is for your safety, since all of our emergency procedures rely upon telepathic abilities. We are certain that anyone you ask will be willing to show you around unless they are involved in another task. In case of an emergency, some of the crew have been assigned to go immediately to your quarters." "Telepathic?" said Cathal, "well, that would explain some of our observations. Especially when we were with you in Washington, while MacFarland and O'Toole were visiting the AG." Ellie replied, "We already gave you credit for figuring that out. You only get credit once." Her comment caused everyone to chuckle. "I have to admit, it wasn't high on the list though. Its inclusion had more to do with the probability of it being possible than anything else. You're telling me that you are telepathic is enough for me to make it the only item on the list. Adam, you used telepathy to ask someone to take care of the problem back there?" "Yes. You are correct. I asked our Star Fighter escort to take out the source. It was the step van. The electronics in it are probably scrap now." "Escort? What happened?" asked Admiral Johnson. "Someone was painting us with a targeting signal. I asked Cathal if he had a problem with our, taking it out. That seemed to be a safer approach for everyone, rather than trying to determine the intent of the probe or waiting until the system locked onto us." "As for our escort, if you look out either side you can now see them," said Briana. "They were cloaked earlier." Everyone looked out the windows at the Star Fighters flying along side them. "All I know about telepathy comes from science fiction stories," said General Walker, drawing attention back into the cabin. "Can you tell us about telepathy and its implications?" "Telepathy, for us, is essentially the ability to share or exchange thoughts without verbalizing them," responded Abaigeal. "Some of what has been in fictional stories on Earth is not quite true of us. We use telepathy to exchange active thoughts and ideas just as we are now doing verbally. Most of us with some probing, can see another person's short-term memories using our telepathic ability, however, we will normally only do that if we have their permission. Permission is a critical aspect to the way we interact and use telepathy. If you are telepathic, you will know when someone is looking at your memories and it does not take to much effort to determine whom. If you are not telepathic, then the aggressor will cause you to be uneasy and you will seek to avoid them. Telepathy has a number of additional dimensions. These are usually referred to as psionic abilities." "Our telepathic form of communication can give the appearance of group think, as those on Earth use the term. Even with the exchange of thoughts, each of us still contributes our own view and thoughts to the dialog. Since we share our thoughts, we are able to do a multi-dimensional analysis as we generate our ideas. It also enables, us at times, to act together as one." "We have talked about our casual or working telepathic link, up to now. A more intimate form of telepathy is experienced within our family groups. For us, a family group contains from 4 to 12 adults, where an adult is one who has reached puberty and has matured. Both have to be true before an individual can become a spouse in a family, or clan. All of the individuals in a family form a common bond to each other. This we refer to as a mind-link, and through this mind-link, we share everything including long-term memories and sensations." Just then, the monitor at the front of the cabin came on, showing the approaching space station. "The International Space Station will be on your left as we pass it," said Maureen. As the shuttle got closer, people shifted to the windows so they could see it. "A fuller explanation of telepathy is covered in the presentations the Command Staff will show you this morning," said Cindy. "We hope our explanations have answered your initial questions." "This is the tallest group of people I have ever been around that weren't athletes," said Mrs. Walker. Are all of you this tall or should I say big?" "Yes, we are all between 6' 6" and 7' 9", and most of us have fairly broad shoulders by Earth's norms." The focus of the group returned again to the screen, as Dóchas was coming into view. Maureen made a circle of the ship, before turning to enter the hanger bay. During the whole operation, it was very quiet in the cabin. "Don't we need a pressurized suit to wear?" asked Cathal. "No. Our ship maintains an environmental envelope around it. This permits us to operate without airlocks or pressurized suits. The ship maintains a gravity level equal to around seventy percent of Earth's." Just then, the door opened and Sarah stepped inside. "Welcome to Dóchas." Once the visitors had exited the shuttle, Briana introduced them to the Command Staff. "Ladies and Gentlemen," said Maeve, once everyone had been introduced, "we would like to continue this in the conference room, where we can tell you about our background and discuss what each of you would like to accomplish during your visit. So, please follow Sarah and Joyce." When they reached the conference room, they were met by Keriann, Kelly, Chester, James, Clarence and several others. Once everyone had found the coffee and snacks they took a seat. Because of the size of the group, the conference room had been arranged classroom style, with the rows of desks forming a semi-circle. This was done to minimize the number of people looking at the back of heads. Command Staff gathered at the front of the room and began. "As Sarah said earlier, welcome to Dóchas." The expressions of the visitors faces were ones of amazement, as they listened to the group speak as one. "We know you asked some questions about telepathy on the way up here. Our ability to speak in this manner is only possible because of that ability. As we progress through our presentations, we will respond to questions as a group to better demonstrate that our answers are dynamic and not rehearsed." "We suspect that you know very little about us, except for what has been in the papers. We did send a DVD to Earth's government officials. It contained essentially the same material as the one available on the Internet. We are going to presume you have seen neither, and show you three presentations." Several nodded their acceptance. "These will cover who we are, where we come from, why we are here, and how we differ from those on Earth." "How can we verify the information?" asked Cathal. "In large part, you can't," responded Command Staff, as one. Their quick response as one caused looks of amazement to appear on the visitors faces. "Cathal, you just verified one statement we made." Cathal nodded his agreement. "Once the presentations are complete, we will answer any general questions you have, and would like to save answering any specific ones until later. Just focusing on the general questions will probably take us to lunch time. At lunch, we will join the rest of our family in the dining room. We know that this group has at least three separate interests. So, after lunch we propose splitting into groups based, upon those interests. We see these separate groups interests as General Walker and his associates in one group. The second would be McGrath, those from NCIS and, likely, Admiral Johnson. Last would be Cathal and his associates. Is this acceptable?" "From my point of view," said McGrath, "yes, but why?" "Well, when we include the former TTC members that we believe General Walker group wants to see, it will create a rather large crowd. We will all be together, on and off, the whole time you are here. Also, we would enjoy having you sit with us at lunch, but you should feel free to sit wherever you want. We will introduce you to the family, at lunch." "I have heard 'family' used several times," said Mrs. Walker, "but each seems to be in a different context." "It likely was," replied the group. "We have our immediate family which includes our spouses and children. We have a slightly larger family group that adds our close friends. Our work groups, in many ways, are like a family group. The next circle includes all of us both here, at Comrie and An Clochán." "Comrie? An Clochán?" replied Admiral Johnson. "Comrie is an island in the Western Atlantic. It is near where your CSG first saw our aircraft. An Clochán is our settlement on Mars." They saw Cathal start to speak. "Yes, you can visit there if you want to. To do that, you will need to stay with us for at least one night and it would be easier if it was two." "Command Staff," said Briana, "I think we need to start the presentations, as I sense that many of the questions will be answered by them." "Good point." With that, a holographic image formed in the middle of the room showing, Amy and Jim in front of an image of Dóchas from several years earlier. As the image formed, they began to tell the story of how they arrived, their home system and how the Command Staff came to join them. At that point, the Command Staff led the presentation, explaining how they began seeking people to join them, their run-ins with the group known as the Chosen Ones, and their tentative plans for the future. Connie and Judy made the last presentation, which covered a comparison between their species and those on Earth. It was an updated version of the first presentations given several years earlier. The room was quiet for several moments after the presentations had finished. "I am not sure what questions to ask," said McGrath. "I do have a letter for you from the President. He said that he is embarrassed by how long it has taken him to respond and the he hopes you will accept his apology." "Please tell him we understand and accept his apology, even though an apology was not necessary," replied Command Staff, as Sarah accepted the envelope from him. They read the letter. "We accept his invitation to visit. We will be in touch, as indicated. All of you are welcome to read the letter." With that Tara handed it to Admiral Johnson. "Are there any questions?" asked Command Staff as they watched the letter being passed around the room. They were surprised to see several of the guests raise their eyebrows as they read the letter. "Why were you near the carrier?" asked the Director of NCIS. "When we did our first fly-by, we sensed that something was not right on the carrier. We were not able to identify the cause of our concern. So, since our Star Fighter pilots, at that time, needed more experience in atmospheric operations, they were given the task of shadowing CSG. In particular, they were told to monitor the carrier for any unusual activity. This would give them the additional experience of tracking of other objects around them while the carrier was conducting flight operations." "Knowing that we couldn't see them didn't you put everyone at risk," exclaimed Admiral Johnson. "We understand how you could draw that conclusion. These were fully qualified, pilots assisted by an AI. Yes, it was a learning experience for them, but rest assured there was no increased risk for anyone. The Star Fighter AI is fully capable of operating the craft on its own but it is only when operated in conjunction with a pilot that it reaches its full potential. The two are linked together such that both can see the full envelope around them. The pilot adds some subtle information that it senses to their combined view." "You, sensed?" asked the NCIS Director. "Yes. It is an aspect of our telepathic abilities. Some of us are more sensitive to that aspect than others. The term 'sensed' has several aspects to it. The way our pilots use it is one aspect." That answer broke the dam on questions. The Command Staff answered questions up until the chime sounded, indicating that lunch would be served shortly. Many times they all participated in the response, while at other times they responded individually. "Ladies and gentlemen, that chime indicated lunch would be served shortly. The four ladies by the door will show you to the guest quarters. There are two aspects of Dóchas that may make you uncomfortable. First, our primary AI, whose name is Star, monitors every compartment. You can gain assistance from her at any location, just by starting a question her name. She is the Primary AI for the ship. Yes, she can monitor conversations through out the ship. However, this only occurs when the noise spectrum indicates distress or a similar event in a compartment. So, if you scream, the monitoring will begin immediately and continue until it is determined whether assistance is needed or not. If assistance is needed, monitoring will continue until the situation is resolved. Star also initiates others to respond to an indication of distress. Second, as mentioned before, we need all of you to be with an escort when not in your compartment. Any resident here can be your escort, just ask. They will only decline if they have another task with higher priority. You probably are wondering why we mentioned the need for escorts again. Simply put, it is for your safety. As noted on the way here, all of our emergency procedures are dependent upon telepathic communication. At this point, none of you are telepathically capable." "Are you implying some of us could be?" asked Brad. "That is quite likely." "What would it take to find out?" responded Casey. "A physical, along with a mental evaluation. To do the mental evaluation you would need to give the doctor permission to examine your mind. Before you go too far with that thought, you need to consider what would happen to you on Earth, once those around you learned of your ability." "Oh my, you're right. A person would quickly become a human lab rat, if they were lucky." "It is a decision for you to make. There have been some telepathically active people that returned to Earth with their ability restrained. Before they left, we assisted them with limiting their power to basically being a danger detector. By danger detector, we mean that, when the person was endangered by another, their ability would become fully active." "I'll think about it." "Good, now we will leave you in the hands of your guides while we go see our children and get ready for lunch." ------- Command Staff was waiting in the dining room when the visitors arrived. After checking to make sure the accommodations were acceptable, Sarah had Star sound a chime. As soon as she had everyone's attention, Command Staff introduced the visitors to those on Dóchas. Several of the former TTC members came over and invited General Walker's group to sit with them. Kevin joined Keriann, Kelly and Chester, as they sat with the NCIS group. Cathal and his group, along with Admiral Johnson, joined Command Staff as they sat down to eat. "They won't believe us when we get back and tell them about the food," said Casey. "NASA has them all convinced that space travel takes special food." "When the ship is in a weightless condition, I can assure you the food is consumed differently," replied Erin. "Fortunately, that is seldom the case." Each of the groups chatted about their different experiences as they got to know one another. In each group, the conversations touched on their living environment at one time or another. The responses left the guests convinced that everyone was there because they wanted to be. Rusty and Sally watched Cathal, Casey and Brad, while they kept glancing around the room, trying to see everything that was taking place. Both could see the group was fascinated with everything they saw, but at the same time they were categorizing everything. "Sarah, Sally watch this." "Cathal, Casey, Brad," said Rusty, "you could really see a lot more if you walked around when you're done eating. Anyone here will talk with you and answer your questions." All three blushed. "Were we that obvious?" asked Cathal. "No, I wouldn't say that. All three of you seem more like kids in a toy store." All of them laughed at the comparison. "I have to say this is the most interesting trip I have ever been on," replied Casey with the others nodding agreement. "Rusty," said Cathal, "how long can we visit, as I don't see being satisfied with just one day. We would like to visit the place you call An Clochán." "Do you need that much time to case the joint?" asked Terry with a smile on her face. "Well ... now that you mention it ... could be." Cathal's response drew laughter from everyone. "I can see this is going to be a fun trip for us." "We can see your visit possibly lasting for several days at each location. That is not a problem for us, it could be for some of those who came with you. We can provide office space for anyone who has remote access to their offices. The office here would give them phone and computer access." "Let's see how things go today," replied Cathal, "then, first thing tomorrow, we can work out a revised itinerary. We really don't want to interfere with your operations." "We won't let that happen, as we will put you to work," responded Sarah firmly. "We need more galley slaves." She paused a moment, watching their expressions before breaking into a smile, which led to everyone laughing. "Sure glad you laughed," said Brad, "I was beginning to think we had been shanghaied." His comment lead to more laughter. After taking their dishes to the window, Cathal, Brad and Casey wandered around the dining room, while everyone else finished lunch. Each of them stopped to talk to several of the crew during that time. They were a bit surprised to see that everyone cleaned up their area as they left, shortly after finishing their meal. It wasn't long until it was only the visitors and the ones they came to see in the dining room. Maureen tapped on the table, drawing everyone's attention. "Let's cleanup our areas and get on with what we want to do this afternoon. Adam, your group can remain here if you want to, or you could use one of the lounge areas. Be sure to show the group the observation platform." "Kelly your group can use the conference room next to James' office. We will take the rest on a tour before returning to the conference room we were in earlier." "Adam, Kelly, when you take your group on tour, you will be able to see the bridge. The only limitation is that you won't be able to actually enter very far into the area." "We will meet back here at 6 for dinner, as usual," continued Tara. "Cathal has proposed," said Claudette, "that we all meet right after breakfast, in order to discuss an agenda and itinerary for the rest of your visit. For those needing access to their office resources, please tell one of your hosts, so that we can arrange it. Again, we can accommodate remote computer access, video conferencing and phone." "Any questions?" asked Joyce. Command Staff gathered with Cathal's group and Admiral Johnson. "So, you think it will take us all afternoon to tour the ship," asked Casey. "We suspect that, with all your questions, the tour will take a long time," said Jill, with a grin. "We are going to start out on the observation platform." As Command Staff and their group of guests left the dining room, Alison said, "Guys, a few of us ought to be on the bridge. That way, our visitors will be able to see a bit more." "Good, idea. I'll come with you," said Maureen. With that, Maureen joined Alison, Tara and Joyce in heading to the bridge. ------- Chapter 98 After all their visitors had returned to Earth, the Command Staff gathered together everyone who had been involved with the two groups of visitors. This included the Communications and Intelligence Departments, along with the five security teams. Since moving to Dóchas, James and Clarence's staffs had joined the Intelligence Department. Melinda, Sam, Kelsey, Karmen and Steve had formed a news group within the Communications Department. Marge, Evelyn, Fred and Chad would join the news group once they were done receiving their treatments in the incubators. Carl had returned to Grand View with the editors. He left with the intent to return in a few days with his girl friend and her children. Chloe and Brenda, sensing his concern, assured him that everything would workout for the best. "Good morning," said Command Staff. "Good morning," came the reply. "We asked all of you join us here, so we could review the visits by our recent guests. The recent incident involving Cathan's friends indicates that some of the Chosen Ones may have avoided exposure to the flu virus." "Excuse me," said Shannon, "we only have evidence of one group avoiding the flu virus. And it appears that the Councilor and his assistants have now become the victims of their own treachery." Her comment drew several puzzled looks. Danny continued with, "Just before the raiders fell into the chasm, one of the trans-genders was telling the other two that she had suspected a double-cross by the Councilor. She did not expect it to occur the way it was happening. Then, as she fell into the chasm, she screamed out, "You double crossing son of bitch, now you will suffer more than we ever did." Because of the noise, we had to do quite a bit of sound enhancement before we could understand her last statement. This statement fits with her comments a few minutes earlier, in which she indicated the she expected to be double-crossed during this raid. This prompted us to put more effort into understanding the IP traffic between the farm and security system host. We tracked the IP traffic back to an estate. Drones were placed inside the estate, once we found a way to evade the security system's perimeter sensors. Our drones found about a dozen women living on the estate and, at first, did not see any men. Everyone appeared to be staff members, based upon their activities. Of the women, there were several who seemed to be quietly directing the activity. It took some time before the drone discovered three people bound and suspended in open-frame chairs in a locked room. The chairs were quite similar to the one the raiders had set up at the farm. In the room, monitoring them, were two more women. The three bound in the chairs had expressions that were a mixture of pain and fear. Their eyes continually watched the women move around the room. Each woman wore a dildo harness with a large dildo attached. Hanging from their harness's waist belt were a flogger and a electric prod with two metal tips." "The whole scene puzzled us. The room containing the security system monitor had no one monitoring the consoles. We were able to determine that the system was set to automatically monitor the estate. We considered sending someone telepathically active to the estate, in order to scan the thoughts of those we had found. After considering the risks, we decide to do it only if there was no other way." "In evaluating the security system, we found there were active cameras in every room. The system was configured so that recording would start whenever anything was taking place in a room. The security console had an access code, but our AIs were able to decrypt the access code which gave us full access to the system. With access to the system, we were able to reconstruct the events at the estate that occurred after we removed the women from the baby farm." "The three people bound in the chairs are the missing Chosen Onces Councilor and his two assistants. They appear to be under going rapid transformation to the female gender. It appears that their transformation will be complete in only a few more days." "The security system did not detect us at the farm either time. The Councilor was at the security console the day of the raid. As we suspected, removing the collars from the barn was the trigger event he used as a signal to begin the farm's destruction. The procedure was not totally automatic: the Councilor interceded several times to alter the sequence of events." "The payback alluded to by the trans-gender appears to have started the day after the destruction of the farm. It began with the delivery of two packages to the estate. One package was addressed to the Councilor and the other was addressed to the female staff members, as a group." "I don't think we need to detail the rest," injected Shannon when Danny paused. "The information gathered, and our conclusions, are available in our library." "You're right," replied Danny, "I was getting kind of carried away there." "In all, we determined the Councilor and his two assistants," said Lydia, "are the ones undergoing the transformation. It was the trans-gender member of the raiders that engineered the payback. The female staff members remaining at the resort are all victims of the Councilor." "One surprising aspect," said Danny, "was that there were not any guests at the resort, and there wasn't anyone being held in the estate's dungeon. Why is it puzzling? According to their records, there was almost always a guest and someone being held in the dungeon. This could be coincidence, though." "The instructions in the women's package," continued Lydia, "told his staff assistants how to prepare the new slaves that were in the office and the drugs to give them. They were told that the gender conversions would be completed in six days. Once the conversions were complete, the three new slaves were to be placed in crates, immediately after being given their final set of shots. From the estate, they were to be shipped by truck to the Councilor's favorite torture club. They were cautioned not to do anything to reduce their value to the purchasing club." "We conferenced about this," said Shannon,"and we are letting the instructions run their course, except for the final step. The final instruction required them to indenture themselves to a sex and bondage club, once the three new slaves were shipped to the club. This would make them life-long property of a social sex club. Once the transformed Councilor and his assistants are shipped, we will cause the female staff members to sleep for several days. During that time, we will wipe their memories of everything that happened to them since they arrived at the estate. Their memories of events since being enslaved are horrible. We will also correct some of the potential medical problems caused by the treatments they received. When they wake up, they will be tightly bound to each other. They will be pleased with the estate they inherited. The Councilor's contribution to the inheritance was large enough that they will have no trouble maintaining the property and living there." "We don't see anything wrong with the plan. Are you going to make sure all the events go as planned?" "Yes. All of it is being monitored and we will intervene when ever necessary." "Does anyone want to suggest an alternate path?" "No!" came the reply. "Were any of them infected with anything else?" "It doesn't appear so." "So, how did they avoid the flu virus?" "We don't know. There isn't a link to this location in the records from the Chosen Ones." "What is the current status of the former Councilor and his assistants?" "They are now fully transformed. The staff members have encouraged their cunt lips and nipples to lengthen. All three no longer have their front teeth, and have learned to deep throat the large dildos the women wear. Their tits will be around a large M cup, with quite a bit of sag. They are being fed with a cock-shaped feeding tube every 4 hours, to provide their bodies with sufficient energy to complete the conversion. One surprising alteration is that their hands have essentially disappeared." "What?" "Yes. There is just a lump of tissue on the end of the arm. There was a lot of crying and screaming when the three new sluts awoke to see the change." "Did you get any samples to what the three were being treated with?" "We took the nearly empty bottles and gave them to the medical staff, along with a run down on how we obtained them and what happened to the the three receiving the drugs." "Good. I wonder what the doctor knows about these drugs. By the way, did he turn himself in, as planned?" "Yes," said Clarence. "He called the FBI office, but he wasn't very convincing. We then arranged for the FBI office to receive a tip that a key member of the Chosen Ones medical staff was hiding out in a hotel nearby. With that push, he was taken into custody and is now telling everything he knows. He has been visited by several medical researchers, who are trying to determine how they developed their body-altering treatments. All he can remember is what happened and who received treatment, not how it was accomplished." "Good. Let them figure it out themselves." "Oh," said Lydia, "one item we overlooked earlier was that the Councilor had ties to the eco-terrorists that were responsible for the raid on the facility where Jean's group was found. They had, apparently, committed raids on quite a few facilities, based on the records at the estate. The number is considerably greater than those that Jennifer and Laura knew about." "Could you tell if that group is still active?" "We don't think so. The records all stop about six months after Jean's group was found." "Good. Should we conclude that the eco-terrorist's and Chosen Ones have all disappeared or are disappearing?" "No," said James. "The probability is high that such a conclusion is true, but do we really care? No, that's not the right phrasing, I think we all agree that what these people are doing is fundamentally wrong, but at what point would our intervention violate our prime directive. Those on Earth have it within their means to eliminate that aspect of their society. It seems to us that, once the situation at the estate has run its course, we should focus our resources else where." "I agree," said Muireann. "We should turn our focus to security for Command Staff and our choir when they visit Earth. More importantly, we need to begin determining where in the universe we want to explore. It won't be long until our two new Dóchas class ships are in orbit." "Agreed!" replied all. "We noticed that some of the recently rescued women have delivered their babies," "Yes, both the new mothers and their babies are doing quite well," said Cathan's Clan. "Although many of the women are having a hard time adjusting to their freedom. They find making decisions very difficult. A part of it seems to stem from a loss of confidence, but it seems to go deeper than that." "We asked our doctors about their adaptation to the new environment. They told us that all of them seem to be adjusting. They think it may take some time for them to fully recover. There is a possibility that some may not ever fully adjust or regain their confidence. One solution would be for them to become part of a clan, where they can get the support they need." "One good sign is that all the women are showing an interest in their new babies. The mothers appear to be developing an attachment to the babies, but seem to be afraid to show it. Anneke told us that, at the farm, the women never saw the babies after the birthing, so we are watching things quite closely. Both Judy and Gail think that their attachment to the babies will grow with time, and that the responsibility will help them regain a measure of their self confidence. Connie and Betsy are scheduling counseling sessions with them." "We should note that the eight caregivers have become quite attached to us," commented Sorcha. "The caretakers, Anneke, Taysha, and Krystelle seem to have formed a strong friendship with Ann's clan." "We would recommend caution, as the caregivers may naturally look to you with affection, since you were their rescuers." "That is a consideration, but we perceive it is happening because Enya and Máiréad were essentially bonded to our clan before all of us met. We think it is by way of our bond to them that all eight feel close to us. The eight caregivers have quite strong feelings for each other. We could, therefore, have eight more in our clan, at least for a while." "I see a couple of possibilities," replied Aoife. "It is possible that all eight will become a part of our clan. Another possibility is that you will form two sister clans with Cathan and Máiréad being the primary bridge. I believe that the later scenario is more likely. It will take some time for them to understand their feelings. Our relationships are much more intimate than anything they have, in all probability, experienced before. Once the newness wears off, and they regain some self confidence, it should naturally sort itself out. They need to make the choice." "We may ask for assistance." "Next topic - do you think General Walker's group was satisfied?" asked the Command Staff. "Yes, most definitely," replied Briana's Clan. "All four of them indicated a desire to visit again in the future, so we made sure they had the information to contact us. Mrs. Walker made a comment about all of us being about the same age, and not seeing many as old as her husband or her. We reminded her that the original crew was between 120 and 150 years old. A part of their youthful appearance was due to the difference in the way we age and was also the result of the genetic virus treatments. We told her the other aspect was that our appearance doesn't change with age as much as those on Earth. After that discussion she never said any more about it." "We shouldn't be surprised if we see them quite frequently. They do not have any children of their own, and she spent a good deal of time with our children." "Do the General's aides have families?" "One is divorced and the other shares a house with his girl friend. From his comments, they are comfortable with their arrangement. Neither have any children. Several of us noticed that they were very attentive to everything they saw." "Melinda, have you completed your arrangements with your station, regarding your remaining on board?" "Yes. It was an interesting conversation. My supervisor indicated that he was very pleased with the stories we had sent, and that several of them had been picked up by other stations and networks. Then I broached the idea of working from here on a permanent basis. He was, at first, reluctant, until I told him that both newspapers in Grand View had agreed to letting their reporters work from here permanently. I suggested that he talk with either Rob or Paul about their arrangement. I learned later that both Rob and Paul told the station manager that they thought having a TV reporter here would compliment their reporters. They also shocked him by saying that they should consider working together, to provide better news coverage for Grand View area." "An interesting concept, it should make both media stronger, since, if they do so, they can play to their strengths." "I think I know what you mean but I am not sure," replied Melinda. "TV is great at bringing news to the audience quickly. Its weakness is depth, sometimes accuracy, and inability to present a full view of an issue within a limited time frame. A newspaper has the opposite strengths and weaknesses. Electronic news distribution falls in between the two when done correctly. Its shortcoming concerns being readable at anytime." "Oh. That is so obvious, why doesn't everyone do it," asked Karmen. "Because it is a change and carries considerable risk, especially if they don't work together. The other aspect is that they will need to educate the readers on the benefits of the change. So, our the news group staff includes just the nine of you." "Well actually we are eleven now, and we will be twelve when Carl returns. After Carl returned with the editors, he asked his girlfriend to join him on assignment here. When he left, he was apprehensive about her reaction. He let us know that he should be returning in several days. He told us she was a bit apprehensive, but, after thinking it over, she didn't see any downside to the opportunity." "Aren't you going to tell them the rest," asked Sam. "I guess," replied Melinda, blushing a bit. "Sam, Kelsey, Karmen and I are sharing a suite. In the past, I have always been slow to form close relationships with other women and men. I now feel closer to these three than anyone else I have known. Steve is becoming an integral part of our group. Both Steve and I will enter the incubators once the four reporters have completed their conversion. During that time, Kelsey or Karmen will do my broadcasts." "Are you sure this is the right choice?" "Absolutely!" responded both Steve and Melinda, enthusiastically. Sam continued, "Both Rob and Paul, were pleased with the hospitality we provided them and the freedom to look around. I would guess that they might want to come back occasionally. We made sure to indicate, that they were welcome." "How did their return go?" "Very well. They held a press conference at the airport upon their return. A formal announcement was made about the four reporters permanently staying on Dóchas. They answered questions for over an hour. Their answers were very frank, and very positive about us. Both of them thought it was very productive visit." "Good." "Chloe, has your group thought about how you will organize your department with the addition of this group," asked Command Staff. "Well, yes. We see several changes to our activities, due to our growth. One task is basically PR for those outside our family, and that is still important. There are a number of questions for us to consider. Are we to make the arrangements and announcements for the choir's concerts? Are we to make the contacts and arrangements for the Command Staff visits to the different countries on Earth? We recognize one or more security teams will need to assist with the arrangements. How do we share this type of information between locations, or ships? For news, we would like to keep it strictly to reporting and save any interpretation of the events for editorial or personal columns. All of this is in addition to our normal responsibilities to the ship's operation." "We haven't gotten very far with our discussions," continued Orla. "Needless to say, once we firm up our ideas, we will need to conference with the rest of this group, and, possibly, our whole family. My sense is we will have a full proposal in a week or less. Once we sort out the outline of how we want to distribute the work, it will be time to make arrangements to visit Ireland." "We should try to do Ireland, England and perhaps one or two other countries at the same time." "In light of what we just said," replied Orla, "I am hesitant to share what we have planned so far. Before beginning, please bear in mind that we are at the concept stage, so everything is very tentative. The first trip will be to Ireland then on to England. It appears that our visit to Ireland will be for five days starting in Dublin and then visiting one other city, likely Clifden. The visit to England will start in London, and then move on to Glasgow; whether we will be able to include Wales is still unclear." "So you are expecting the trip to last that long?" "Yes." "Don't forget to take into consideration that only a subset of the Command Staff will go to any one location. Our plan is that it will be a different subset for each location." "We have that factored in to the routing." "Good. We are looking forward to seeing the itinerary." "Keriann," said Terry, "did McGrath and his group from NCIS get everything they needed?" "Yes. Once they learned why we were rescued so quickly, they were satisfied. He said we were fortunate, since many of his staff believed that we would not have survived without the quick rescue. They said that the additional information about the rescue would not be included in the records of the investigation. It will be written so that the appearance of the Star Fighters was a fortunate coincidence, and that they just happened to be there at the right time." "Because of the abuse we received before we were dumped overboard, the ring leaders have been charged with attempted murder, assault, and several other crimes. Those that assisted them have been charged as accessories to attempted murder, rape and assault." "While they were here, his commander gave us a document from the Navy personnel department, which asked us what we wanted to do regarding our careers in the Navy. This was a topic we discussed several times since we arrived here. One consideration we had was whether they would permit us to fly, even if we were cleared by the flight surgeon. Another concern was whether we would ever feel comfortable on a Navy ship again. The letter said absolutely nothing about our flight status which we thought indicated a lot by its omission about our future in the Navy. Both of us have more than filled our contract obligations with the Navy. We chose to resign for both reasons. McGrath's commander was given our resignation letters to take back with her." "So, what are your plans now?" asked Sarah with a broad smile on her face. "We would like to join this species, and most of all we would like to fly Star Fighters." "The 'we' includes Chester?" "Absolutely!" came the reply from both Kelly and Keriann with Chester signaling his agreement. Their response caused everyone to chuckle. "We are sure our pilots we be pleased to have you join them. We are very pleased that all three of you have decided to stay." "We sensed that the NCIS Director may want to return for a visit," said Kelly. "She is in a position where she could retire at any time, and is single." "We presume she knows how to contact us?" asked Sarah. "Yes, she does. We kind of left the point of contact as ourselves. One other item we should note is that we are scheduled for the incubators next week, as well." "What about Cathal and his group?" "He seemed to be pleased by everything he saw," said James. "I was surprised that his group spent so much time with us. None of them said a whole lot. They did participate in some of our analysis efforts and made some very good observations. Let me strengthen that, their observations were exceptionally astute. I don't think any of the observations would have been missed by us, in the long run, but they were much quicker at seeing the patterns in the data. The three days they spent with us were very helpful." "As you probably noticed, they were quite impressed with the bridge on Dóchas and their rides in the twin seater version of the Star Fighters. Don't be surprised if they don't stay in touch. All of them are single. This is because of the type of work they do on Earth does not make it easy to build long-term, stable relationships." "I did notice," said Tara, "that each of them had a special group of women they spent time with here. So it wouldn't surprise me to see them wanting to return, at some point." "James," said Chester, "I suspect they spent a lot of time with you, because you and Clarence were working in the Intelligence Department. They were warriors at one point and can be again. All of them enjoy any opportunity to puzzle through intelligence data. Several times, they asked me some very perceptive questions that I really didn't know the answer to. I am not sure whether or not they found the answers they needed." "Shannon, Danny, Lydia, what did you think of Cathal and his group?" "Bluntly put," replied Danny, "we would be very pleased if they joined us. They offered no indication that it was a consideration. Lydia did ask them if they would assist us with analysis on occasion. All five indicated that they thought that was possible, though, with their current contract commitments, they would need approval before doing it outside of this visit." "Danny," said Lydia, "I am certain they will want to return on a more permanent basis." "How can you be so sure?" replied Danny with a puzzled expression. "We sense that they are much more attached to their female friends than they let on, or maybe even realize," said Shannon, with Lydia nodding her agreement. "Chester noted earlier that people in their line of work have difficulty with long term close relationships. Our suspicion is that they found some women here who were much closer to their ideal mates than at any time in the past. When we saw them relaxing together, we felt we could see them growing together. From their actions, and the comments the women made, they seem think a long-term relationship will work this time. They did make it clear to the women that their current commitments need some sorting out before they can think of themselves." "They will all be quite surprised when they discover the mind-link they have begun with the women," said Muireann. "No, they are not telepathically active. Their latent ability is strong enough to enable them to sense their female friends. In fact, if they come back, Command Staff should discuss activating their telepathic ability, so they can control their ability." "Should we contact them now?" said Briana. "Good question. I really expect to hear from them quite soon, maybe within a couple of weeks." "Alright, but my concern is that their partially enabled ability might put them at risk." "Their friends here should be able to sense if they are in distress or danger. We should note that on the security team ready board." "Lydia, we take it you are acquainted with the women?" "Well, kind of. We have met and socialized a few times." "Can you mention this to them, without encouraging them to build their link. The risk, of course, encouraging the development of a relationship that wouldn't develop otherwise." "In this case," said Aoife, "that is not the case. The relationship is blossoming on its own. The link may just speed it up a bit." "We understand that all of those who arrived from the resort have decided to stay," said Command Staff. "Yes," replied Ann. "Quite a few asked us to approach some of their friends, regarding them possibly becoming crew members. Donna is evaluating them now. All of those she has evaluated have been scheduled for presentations. Several of our guests wanted to go on the presentations but we convinced them that it would be best to wait until their friends came here. Once we pointed out how their being included could unduly influence their friends, they quickly thanked us for our caution." "It is highly probable that all of them will meet the criteria. We were pleased to see that they understand the importance of letting their friends make the decision without undue influence." "We haven't formally done this, but maybe it's time," said Ann. "We need a group to look after 'family affairs'. I would say 'personnel' or 'human resources', but they don't really fit the concept we are proposing." "What do you have in mind for this department?" asked Erin. "The major task for now, will be finding additional crew members. After that, I can see them assisting our clans in finding spots in other settlements, or on the other space ships. In some ways it is staffing, but..." "Would you like to float this idea at dinner, this evening? We also need to decide on our species name and the name of our cultural origins." "Why don't we touch on all three this evening?" replied Ann. "I will bring up the staffing department." "When will your children be born," asked Melinda. "In about two months," replied Claudette. "Why?" "I was thinking that a story about your family would be of great interest to both the TV audience and newspaper readers. Especially since our family structure is considerably different than what is normally found on Earth." "Melinda, why don't you check with Judy since she may know some people that are at an earlier stage in their pregnancy." "Good idea, but I still would like to do a story on your family. Your story could set the stage for some further in-depth articles." "Let's sit down with all the clan and discuss this." Melinda frowned a bit. "Don't worry, I think everyone will like the idea, but it is something for us to do together." "Can we post today's discussion on our network?" said Kelsey. "I don't see why not," replied Command Staff. "I think our family appreciates the confidentiality of this discussion." "Oh, we agree!" ------- Chapter 99 As Sarah's Clan entered their quarters, they were enthusiastically greeted by their children. The warmth of their greeting washed away the concerns they had felt, while they were discussing the upcoming trips to Earth. Sarah's Clan played with their children until dinner time. As they were freshening up for dinner, Rusty mentioned that each of them had spent some time with each of the children. Janet added that she had noticed the same thing. At first, she thought their behavior was intentional, in some way, but she had come to the conclusion that it wasn't. "How about sleeping in tomorrow," asked Sarah. "I would sure like to cuddle with my spouses for a while. Besides, we can have Siobhan and Maureen facilitate the morning meeting." "We like that," they all responded, as they made their way to dinner with their children. "We think all of you should relax a bit more," said several of their children. "So, you have taken to eavesdropping," exclaimed Joyce. "Only sometimes," came the children's reply. "We can sense whether the conversation is about our family or not." "My mother would have had a fit if Adam or I had done that," said Joyce. "Then again, our relationship with you is different than we had with our parents. I prefer this one." When they reached the dining room, many of the crew came over to see the children. In several cases, the children sought out a member of the crew. Sarah's Clan was pleased to see their children mixing with the other members of the crew. Each wondered how things would change as more children were added to the crew. It was clear, from the way the crew interacted with the children, that the interactions were spontaneous, rather being something anyone felt they needed to do. "I think," said Judy, "as we add more children to our group, the interaction between the crew and the children will remain the same. Each adult will likely find more children interacting with them. Our children are making great progress intellectually as a result of their interactions. At first, I was concerned that their growth was being artificially accelerated, but Connie and Betsy have assured me that everything we've observed is normal." "I would like to spend more time with them, just like we did today," said Sarah. ------- As dinner was drawing to a close, Sarah stood and said, "Once we have cleaned up, let's begin our evening status review." While the room was being tidied up, Erin and Maeve came up to join her in leading the discussion. The monitors showing An Clochán and Comrie came to life. "Good evening everyone," said the three, together. "Good evening," came the reply. "This evening, we want to cover three topics," continued Maeve. "Some time ago, we created a group to look into the name we would use for our species, home world and culture. We believe the group has a report for us this evening." "Actually," said Erin, "it has been ready for some time, but other events have forced us to delay the discussion." "Another item we need to consider is whether to create a staffing and education department," added Sarah. "Why, you are probably wondering? We need a group to take care of our recruiting and to assist members of our families in considering other opportunities to contribute as they arise. If we were a company on Earth, the proper name for this function would probably be 'personnel'. An Education Department should be there to support those teaching, such as matching resources with needs. In neither case do we want to create a bureaucratic nightmare." "Moria," said Maeve, "are you giving the report?" "Well, sort of," she replied, "Keriann, Eileen, Siobhan and Erica will be doing it with me." The five stood together. "Only one portion of this has been relatively easy, and that is making a recommendation on the name of our species." "Sorting through information in the library," said Keriann, "we found that one civilization referred to us as the 'golden dog people'. This was based on our color, tail, leg structure, hair and mane. Another referred to us as the 'polycentenarians'. This was based on the fact we live for several centuries." "Our recommendation is that we use Golden Amazons, as was suggested when this topic first came up. We think this fully characterizes our appearance. When we translate the concept the words have in English back to our native language, the meanings are similar." "We sent this proposal to everyone here via e-mail," said Erica. "We received no objections to the proposal." "Are there any comments now on this option?" Anneke stood to be recognized on An Clochán. "I was not here when this group first started their search or you had your initial discussion. Hearing the recommendation for the first time, brought memories back of the first time I saw any of you. In my opinion, the name is perfect!" "Let's do this," said Sarah. "For the name of our species, let us tentatively accept Golden Amazons. If someone has an alternative they feel we should consider, send it to your site AI. If you prefer, you can request to not have your name associated with the proposal. If we don't have any objections to the current proposal in three days, then we will be Golden Amazons until we decide to change it. Does everyone agree?" "Yes," came the reply. "Disagree?" All three locations were quiet. "As best as we can determine," said Keriann, "our home galaxy was a spiral galaxy which had several inhabited solar systems. As to its position: from our location, we believe it is behind Andromeda Galaxy. With this in mind, we recommend referring to it as Beyond Andromeda." "We circulated this proposal to everyone in our family," said Moria. "In the note we circulated, we provided links to documents describing how we came to our conclusion. When I first started this, I thought this would be easy. Boy, was I naive!" Several chuckles were heard. "I had expected the process would just require taking the ship's course information at the time of the incident and projecting in back. We quickly found that didn't work, even when we tried to make corrections for movement, because nothing in the universe is fixed. On top of that, nothing is traveling at a constant speed. Therefore, we tried several techniques, none of which really gave us a clear answer. In our navigation database are the star maps as they looked when the trip started. Using that approach, the trip appears to have started in the general direction of the Andromeda Galaxy, or one that looks very much like it. Starting there, and fitting other navigation data from the log, puts the ship in this vicinity, when you factor in the out of control portion of the flight." "We think Moria has found her niche in navigation," said Siobhan, causing several to laugh. "Any questions?" asked Erin. "Since there aren't any questions, can we use the same criteria here we did for the species name." "Yes," came the reply. "Our last assignment was to come up with a name for our home planet," said Eileen. "In looking at the planet where Dóchas's original crew came from, we saw an environment similar to Earth. The planet is twice size of Earth, but the surface is much more rugged and has less surface water. It has two moons. The solar system has twin suns. We are proposing to call it Connemara." "We chose this name because of the similarity we see between the scenes of our birth world and Connemara, Ireland on Earth," said Erica. "We considered other names but we kept coming back to this one. One reason is it joins our heritage together by binding both our birth worlds to our adopted world. Another reason is that there is a significant region on our birth world that sounds the same but is written slightly differently from how it is written on Earth. Are there any questions?" "Erica," said Anneke, "why are you making a distinction between birth and adopted world?" "Before Sarah's Clan joined us, our planet in Beyond Andromeda was the home world for all of those who arrived on Dóchas. Since then many things have changed. Due to medical necessity our two species have combined forming a new species. We now see our environment here on Dóchas and at An Clochán as our adopted world." "I am not sure I fully understand the new species aspect," replied Anneke with a puzzled look. Erica looked at Betsy before she responded as she was wondering if she was the right one to answer. "When we undergo the genetic therapy that many of us have received and many more are planning to do, our bodies take on many of the features our original species had. When the gene therapy was first given to Sarah's Clan, their bodies absorbed the new genetic information and the carrier triggered their bodies to initiate the new information. This merged the genetic information from my birth world into Sarah's Clan. It was about a year after that when they used their genetic information in responding to a medical emergency to save Amy, Jim, Connie, Betsy and I. In doing that we absorbed their genetic information along with what we had given them. This exchange has changed and strengthened both of us, actually all of us in many ways. It is this combined genetic information that is being used today to give us a common genetic basis and expressed during our time in the incubators. I hope that makes sense. You can get more details from one of the medical staff as it is not my specialty." Several chuckled when she made her last comment. "Thank you, Erica," replied Anneke. "Any more questions," said Moria. After a few moments, "I take it by the lack of questions that everyone is in agreement with this choice, as well." "Yes," came the response. "Moria and the rest of the group," said Maeve, "you have done a very nice job. Thank you. It is my impression, from the lack of questions, that our family has followed your progress to some extent. Again, a job well done." Moria, Erica, Eileen and Siobhan then bowed to the group, before returning to sit with their clans. "Ann of Ann's Clan raised the question of whether we need a 'Staffing Department'," said Sarah. "As our family grows, there is definitely going to be a need. Currently, our prime need along that line is to oversee our recruiting efforts, along with supporting new crew members when they arrive. One key aspect is to have several clans represented in the department's staff. The staff should include a variety of backgrounds." "Sarah," said Jean, "we would be pleased to assist. Whomever is organizing it might want to consider having a core staff, with an additional group of volunteers to assist with hosting potential crew candidates. Volunteers could even make the initial visits." "Sarah," said Ursula, "Marsha and I would like to be part of the department." "Ursula, would you be willing to help organize it?" "I think we can do that," replied Ursula as she looked at John and Marsha. "Can we set up a mailbox for those who are interested to send their names?" "Sure. As a part of the organizing, you need to decide on a department name for us to consider." "We can do that. I think all of us share the same concerns you expressed earlier. Let's plan on having our first departmental meeting in 2 days, on An Clochán. "We see an Education Department," said Jill and Janet, "as way to maintain our family's knowledge level, and to make sure that it keeps pace with our knowledge growth. Our society is very technically orientated. Since we have been a part of this group, we have added new information to that we started with. We see this Department as doing three things: ensuring our knowledge base is continually updated and expanded; ensuring that we have enough mentors to allow our children to experience interpersonal growth and assisting them with the learning terminals; and providing support to the technologists to create additional learning modules as our technology grows." "Jill," said Irene, "Sue and I would be willing to organize this effort, although neither of us intend to lead it." "We take it that the family favors doing this," asked Jill, with Janet nodding. "Seeing and hearing no objections," said Janet, "Star will create a mailbox where those interested can offer their assistance, or anyone can just see Irene or Sue." "Jill, Janet," said Sue, "we would like you to assist in getting this started. Also, those offering to participate should plan on getting together in a couple of days." "Let's be clear that positions in each of these departments will be available to everyone in our family," said Tara. "I don't understand," said Krystelle. "I was trying to tactfully say is whether you are a bot biped or a biological biped will make no difference." "Bots?" "Krystelle," said Kendra, "some of us are very sophisticated robots, who look and act very much like biological beings, although we like to think we are always more logical." She looked at Tara and stuck out her tongue, causing everyone to laugh. "Wow," replied Krystelle, with a look of amazement on her face. "As you can tell, I hadn't noticed." "We were designed to be that way, but there are subtle differences in our actions and responses. Tara, thank you for your comment. Although I think our family knew that everyone was included. Krystelle's response raises the question of whether something should be said about the bots in our new presentations." "I wouldn't," said Anneke, and several nodded their heads in agreement. "Doing so has the potential for creating an artificial difference between members of our family. Earth-raised humans are used to seeing differences rather, than similarities. At this time, I am not certain as to how much converting to this species changes that." "So you are planning on joining us," said Kylie. "Yes," replied Anneke. "I am in the queue for the incubators. I suspect that many, if not all of those arriving with me, will want to join this family." Krystelle and Taysha nodded their heads, in agreement. "I find it hard to imagine Heaven being any better than this." "Anneke," said Terry, "I think your observation about Humans looking for differences is correct. It seems to me that this probably comes from both their social structure and training. It may have some roots in early survival. I have trouble finding those characteristics in our society." "Terry," said Amy, "the same things did happen, to some extent, on our home world. I think there are characteristics of our interpersonal interactions that kept them from occurring very often. We don't see those characteristics in any portion of this group." "Are there any other items to discuss this evening?" asked Sarah. "How soon will Dóchas2 and Dóchas3 be ready to lift off?" asked one of the recent arrivals on An Clochán. "We expect it will take about two Martian months," replied Kerry. "It could be a little sooner if the systems checks go quicker than scheduled." "Once we have them in orbit," continued Leann, "we will split our work force in half. One half will begin working on the next two ships, while the rest work on completing the first two. As soon as Dóchas2 is operational, we will shift everyone to updating Dóchas." "Thank you." Sarah looked around the room and at the monitors. "I don't see anyone else seeking to ask a question, so let's call it a night." As Sarah joined her family, she said, "Great meeting tonight. I didn't think we were that close to having the new ships in orbit." "Yes, Engineering found that, by making sure everyone got some relaxation time, they were more efficient and we had almost no serious construction errors." ------- Sarah's Clan returned to their portion of the suite, after seeing their children off to bed. Rusty was the first one to finish freshening up, and was lying in the center of the bed as his spouses drifted in to the room. "You know, it's amazing," said Maeve, "how he always seems to be the first in bed. I used to think it was a guy thing to always get ready before the women did. But I can see he does everything we do, and he still gets here first." "It has to do with incentive," replied Rusty. "What?" they exclaimed. "Well, I don't know about anyone else. My incentive is to be here and see all the lovely women enter the room, knowing that they are my spouses and are the best thing that ever happened to me. Knowing all of you, and feeling your love, makes up for all the pain in the past, and gives me strength to travel the future with you." Sarah, Maeve, and Claudette quickly joined him on the bed, kissing and caressing him. They were quickly followed by their other spouses. "We have all been blessed with each other's love," said Aoife. "What Rusty said about us being the best thing that ever happened to him mirrors my feelings for all of you. I don't know if the road I traveled was as difficult as some of yours, but, in hindsight, I knew when I first saw you that my place was with all of you. My only hesitation was in trusting my feelings. If I had known then what I know now, there would have been no hesitation." "Your hesitation was good for you," said Joyce, "since it gave you time to clarify your feelings in your mind before giving in to them." "I think all of us had an initial feeling about our being a group," said Sally. "If I can look back with a clear vision, I knew there was something special about Rusty when he first started working with us. It really didn't crystallize until Sarah joined us. You're right Aoife, we have been blessed." As they shared their thoughts, each was caressing or kissing another spouse. They sensed each caress of each other as well as their own caresses, which made their arousal grew together. Each of them knew their spouses special sensitive spots, though each was a little different. They made sure to caress those areas as their combined arousal grew. "I am sure glad we had those special dildoes made, " said Erin. "Why?" "They provide me with another way to help my spouses feel the euphoric sensation of orgasmic release. Some may see it as a way to control someone, I see it as a way to give pleasure to someone I dearly love." "I agree with the giving part," replied Claudette. "To me, control and giving don't really fit together. If you give, then you should expect nothing in return. You may wish for it, but it shouldn't be expected. To me, control implies that you will get what you want, in the way you want it." "Would we be willing to try something a little kinky?" said Alison. "Some would think us screwing each other into unending orgasms with our dildoes as kinky," replied Joyce with chuckle. "I'll grant you that. What I was thinking of was adding a little electrical stimulation. I was subjected to it in both places I was taken to, before I was rescued. Stimulation like you feel in physical therapy, or just a little more vigorously done, can be very arousing. Too much is similar to being poked with many hot needles at the same time." "We can try it," said Judy. "We need to be very careful, since each one of us will respond differently. Any association with incidents in our pasts could cause behavioral problems that we believe we have gotten beyond." "Gosh, I didn't think of that aspect. But, Judy, don't you think our mind-link would keep us from overdoing it?" "Alison," said Sarah, "we will help you try it. What did you have in mind?" "Just pressure pads or one of the electric dildoes, or perhaps a combination of the two. Really, I am not sure I will want to do it more than once. Through our mind-link, we can all see what it feels like before we venture further with it." "Are there any other kinky ideas?" said Jill. "For my part, absolutely not," replied Alison, "but I am speaking only for me. Of the things I have been forced to endure, electric stimulation is the only thing that came close to feeling good. There are some forms of abuse I have seen but never experienced and I'm very thankful that is the case." "I think I would like to try electronic stimulation," said Maeve. "As many of you know, I know how painful it can be. I also have memories of receiving it during physical therapy, though I thought moving the pads would make it feel much better." "I think all of us who have had it as part of physical therapy have thought the same thing," said Terry. "I'll see what I can find," said Judy. "While I am it, I'll see what I can glean from the medical journals." "Medical journals?" said several at the same time. "Yes. You need to read between the lines and try to figure out what is not stated." "Well, enough of this. My cunt is dripping wet and anxious to be filled," said Tara, as she straddled Rusty's hips, letting his cock slide deep within her warm sheath. Sarah lowered her cunt over Rusty's mouth, as he guided her into position. Sarah leaned forward, while pulling Tara toward her, so they could kiss. Each caressed the other's tits and nipples, as they continued the kiss. When they pulled back, they were both breathless. Sarah flexed her hips, which allowed Rusty to nibble on her clit, as well as her swollen cunt lips. The other spouses broke into groups of two or three. Several spouses slipped on an elastic dildo harness, after sliding a dildo holder into their cunts, pulling their harness into position and tightening the elastic so the holder was tight against their cunts, and the flexible nub pressed against their clits. With the harness secured, they inserted a dildo into the holder causing the holder to spread inside their cunt then with a twist locked the dildo into the holder. These dildos gave the wearer almost the same sensation level as if they were being fucked. The dildo's action was somewhat dynamic, as they responded to the way they were used and their contact with the vaginal sheath. The dildoes were capable of warming up, vibrating, lengthening and swelling during use. Its responses were a little different every time it was used. This ensured that both users achieved sufficient stimulation to have an intensely satisfying orgasm. As Sarah, Tara, and Rusty, caressed and stimulated each other, they joined the rest of their spouses in feeling all the stimulation. The feelings within each coupling was slightly stronger than those they shared with their other spouses. Their arousal rose in waves, with each succeeding wave cresting higher and more intensely. When the last wave crested, each sprayed their partner with their cum, as their orgasm washed over them. They drifted together into the twilight of consciousness for a few moments, before awakening to dine on each other's orgasmic cream. "When I first heard about oral sex, " said Claudette as she licked the cream from Joyce's cunt, "I thought how could anyone do that. Now I can't imagine not licking the cream from my spouses cunt or cock." "I agree," said Aoife. "The vision that always sticks with me is the night we drank from Sarah's cunt flower and the way it was overflowing with mixed cream from her and Rusty. Each of us have taken a turn at providing the cunt flower full of cream. Each time the cream was excellent. I think the first time stands out, because we entered a new dimension in our relationship together. It was like the second step into being one." "Well, I think the best part of that for me was that I got to drink from each flower, " said Rusty. "Claudette, I think the subtle difference in your view is the relationship we have with each other." "Oh, I agree. I can't imagine being without each of you, and don't want to." "I hope many of the other clans develop the depth in bonding and mind-link that we seem to have in our clan," said Erin. "The way we share our love for each other physically and mentally is something I never dreamed was possible," said Maeve. "I am ecstatic that it is possible and all of you are part of it." "I think I am ready for some sleep," said Joyce as she moved to spoon up next to a spouse. "I love you," was the last thought shared by the clan, as they drifted off to sleep. ------- Over the next several weeks, the Communications Department established a list of provisional itineraries for the Choir and Command Staff's visits to Earth. They would go to one group of countries a month. The first trip would be to Ireland, Scotland, and England. They would be in Ireland for 5 days, followed by 2 days in London, and finally, 3 days in Glasgow. In Dublin, the Choir would give five concerts at The Mahony Hall over three days and then travel to Clifden for a day of sightseeing. In Glasgow, they would perform 3 concerts at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. Only two concerts were scheduled for Royal Albert hall in London. The second trip would be to the US and Canada. Although they had many requests for concerts in North America, it was decided to limit the initial concerts. These would be at Boston's Bank America Center, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center and Roy Thompson Hall. At each location, they were scheduled for 3 evening concerts and had given the theaters the option of adding an afternoon concert, if needed. A third trip would go to Norway and Sweden for 3 days each, with only 1 evening concert in each country. China was to be their fourth trip with concerts in Beijing and Shanghai, where they would give 3 evening concerts in each city. The fifth trip would be to Australia, where they would give 4 concerts in Sydney and then two in Perth. The first two trips were the most difficult to set up, due to the short time frame. Before committing to firm dates, the Intelligence Department sent surveillance equipment, in order to survey each location. At each location they examined both the people and the physical layout. Their survey compared recent employee additions to that of an earlier survey, since they believed this would be an ideal way to place someone inside of any security shield. Their surveillance resources, and the close working relationship they maintained with Communications Department, resulted in almost no delay in committing to dates. Once they had firm dates, the Intelligence Department placed surveillance devices in all the areas of the hotel and concert halls they would use. More detailed checks were made into the backgrounds of all new employees. It was only because of their technology they could cover all their needs without seeking outside assistance. With firm dates in place, and the first trip only two weeks away, Chloe scheduled a review with the Command Staff. The attendees included, everyone working on Intelligence Department and Security. When there were all assembled in the conference room, Chloe said, "We are here for two purposes today. First is to review the whole concert schedule, and to go over the first trip in detail." With that, Orla went over the general details of the five trips, which Brenda followed with a detailed itinerary for the Ireland - England trip, including security arrangements. "Excellent," said Tara, with the rest of Command Staff nodding in agreement. "Maeve and Aoife have kept us posted on your progress, and most of us have peeked at the schedule from time to time. Seeing everything together, we can see that you have done a great job in preparing this trip. Several of us had some concerns about the schedule, but seeing it all in context, I don't think that is the case any longer." "It looks like we will miss some of the performances," said Claudette, "since I expect our children will be born shortly after the Ireland trip." "We tried to arrange it so the trips ended about two months before most of the due dates," replied Brenda. "Brenda," said Sarah, "we should not schedule Aoife, Maeve, Claudette, Tara or Alison for the trip to US and Canada. We should make the trip to Norway and Sweden optional for them, as well." "Good point. We will note that on the outline." "Well," replied Claudette, "why don't we wait until we get closer to the trips before deciding that." "Our intelligence data indicates that a number of groups seem to be quite interested in our trips," said Muireann. "In conjunction with Security, we are proposing a defensive approach. We will put a drone with each group that appears hostile toward us." "How are you planning on handling a group that actually initiates a threat?" asked Jill. "Our first priority will be our group's safety, which will likely be elimination of the threat," said Cathan with Todd nodding. "We plan on each of our group wearing a personal security device which, upon activation, will provide us with a protective force shield. If several of us are close together, the personal shields merge, creating a stronger combined shield." "In our testing," said Todd, "we found that this will give a Security team sufficient time to neutralize the threat and for our personal shields to be augmented. Telepathically, you will be directed toward an egress. Can things go wrong? Yes. We think that everything is, however, manageable." "Cathan, Todd," said Cass, "you haven't told them that we want to do a walk through with everyone before we leave. This is so all of us know how everything works, in particular the choir members." "I think we will be fine," said Natalia, with several of the choir members nodding. "We are carrying a very dynamic message through our music. All the music conveys the strength gained by building a society on common strengths while compensating for differences between unique groups. Our music also tells of our culture and history, to allow those on Earth to have a better idea of what kind of culture we are." "You really think they can overcome focusing on differences and begin to work together," inquired Marge. "Hopefully," said Caitriona. "If it works, it will probably begin with the younger generation and the very old. Besides, within three years I suspect we will be getting ready to leave this solar system, and it would be nice to leave this concept as a present to them." "If there is a continued demand for our concerts," said Sorcha, "we could do them live, either from here or An Clochán. From the audience's perspective, the difference would hardly be noticeable. One concern I think all of us have is of having a group try to kidnap us, thinking that would give them a ticket to our technology." "Your right," said Shannon, "about some groups wanting our technology at any cost. We have information that indicates a group of wealthy individuals are plotting just such an effort. Their purpose seems to be focused on protecting their wealth and on increasing their power over others. Surprisingly, a few of the individuals involved also appear to be supporting some of the various terrorist groups." "So, you think there will be incidents on these trips?" "Yes, there are likely to be some. As we mentioned earlier, our security teams are working very hard to make sure they are stopped before they become problematic. Again, our strategy is to neutralize the group just at the point they begin to initiate the threat. One type of possible incidents that will hard to anticipate will be those attacking us for religious reasons. Those we may not be able to identify until just before they make their attempt." Seeing the concern on the faces of several in the group, Sally said, "We don't think the risk to anyone will be any greater than living in space. Our intention is to ensure that the aggressors die for their effort and that there are no collateral injuries. The security teams have been evaluating different techniques to ensure that." "It sounds to me like the Communication and Security Departments have the details completed for Ireland, England and Scotland. So, let's go practice our music and let them do their thing," said Sam. "I find our practices to be the most relaxing time of the day." "I think these trips will work out just fine," said Aoife, before anyone had left. "We may have a few moments of unexpected excitement, but that will pale besides many memorable sites and other activities." With that the choir members began to head for the practice room, while the others returned to their work areas. ------- Chapter 100 Sarah's Clan had just sat down to relax after, putting their children to bed, when Aoife said, "Seeing Sarah's clit bar sparkle in the light reminds me that we once spoke about wearing some type of visual token of membership in our clan. Since we seldom wear any covering, jewelry seems to be an obvious possibility." "I remember that discussion," replied Tara, "that was quite a while ago." "Whatever we do," added Judy, "we need to make sure it doesn't interfere with anything we do. I am hesitant to wear anything that could catch on something, such as a ring." "I would like a clit bar," said Janet, "and I don't think either splitting our tongues or wearing tongue studs is a good choice. I still like mine, though it took me a long time to learn to speak clearly again." "What about a collar?" asked Erin. "It is something we could all easily wear all the time." "You're thinking about a permanently locking collar, then," replied Alison. "Well ... I hadn't considered that before, but I would have no problem with one." "I agree," said Joyce, "that a collar is probably the best choice for all of us. I like the feel of Janet's tongue stud, but I don't think I want one in my tongue." "How about a flat, 2 inch wide collar, with rounded top and bottom edges?" said Maeve. "The rounded edges would keep it from irritating our necks and shoulders. It could be either snug-fitting or fairly loose. I like the idea of a snug fit, but I am not sure how that could be done, while not restricting our movement." "The only way I can see it being snug," said Jill, "is if it could be made of some kind of woven mesh. I wonder if Star has any information along these lines. Star, we need some assistance. Do you know of a metal mesh that we could use for a collar, which would fit snugly around our necks? It would need to be something we could wear all the time, and be flexible enough that it didn't limit our movement." "There is information on collars in our database which includes several styles. All of these go back to our home culture, although they weren't very common. There are two styles that I think fit what you have in mind. One style is a wide band with rolled edges. It is about half as wide as the length of the neck and is loose enough that a finger can easily fit between it and the wearer's neck. It can be made so it locks closed or can be permanently sealed closed. A second style is formed from a finely woven mesh. It is made from a fine woven wire. It is elastic, so it can fit tightly to the neck. It normally covers almost the full length of the neck. Both of these styles can have a design on them." "Would our skin tolerate the woven mesh without irritation?" asked Sarah. "Yes. It would also be the best choice if you were wearing a tactical suit, or any other activity where something loose could cause a problem." "Could the woven mesh be permanently closed?" "Yes. Even permanently closed, it could be removed, if necessary, but it would be destroyed in the process." "If this woven mesh doesn't make us more detectable, then I would prefer that," said Rusty. "Ladies, if you want to each have a unique piece of body jewelry besides this, go for it." "Considering our activities," said Judy, "we should limit the choices of adornment, for safety reasons. Studs through the clit, labia or tongue would seem to be reasonably risk-free, except for the risk of infection. Infection is also a concern with a tongue stud, although neither Jill or Janet have had a problem with theirs." "Star, can we get a woven mesh collar, so we can see it and perhaps test how they feel?" "I can have one ready for each of you in the morning. Are you going to want a design on them?" "Yes," came a chorus of voices. "I will pull up the designs from our archives tonight, so you can see what has been done in the past." "Thanks," said Sarah. "You know, I wasn't sure about this collar idea when we first started the discussion. Seeing how all of you feel about the idea, I like it. I think I'm ready for bed." "Sarah," said Aoife, "I don't think the fact that you had a collar before is pushing us into doing this. I like the symbolism of the collar as a sign of our relationship to each other, and to our larger family." ------- The members of the Command Staff were surprised when they received a call from Cathal, a little less than two weeks before their trip to Ireland. Cathal asked if their group could join them for the upcoming trip to Ireland and England. When asked about their other commitments, he told them all of their commitments had been fulfilled. The Command Staff sensed there was more to this request than they had expressed. After a brief consultation with the Intelligence Department, they quickly responded to Cathal, telling him they were looking forward to seeing him and his group again. Sensing some urgency, Sally asked him when and where a security team should meet them. It was late the next evening, under a full moon, that two cloaked shuttles took up positions over an isolated farm in the mountains of Virginia. After a few moments of monitoring the area, one shuttle settled down in a field adjacent to a group of farm buildings, until it was just above the ground. The shuttle eased slowly toward the large, open door of an equipment shed. As it glided toward the buildings, a careful observer might have noticed a slight rippling of the grass. Upon reaching the building, the shuttle eased into the large open door at a slight angle, so it was partially inside and in the shadow cast by the moonlight. Once in position, the shuttle door quietly opened, revealing Briana and Adam wearing their tactical suits. "Don't move yet," said Briana, as she pushed her thoughts to the five waiting passengers. "Give us a moment to place a shield between you and the field. As soon as it's in place you will see a thin red line around the door." Briana had hardly finished talking when the five saw the outline appear. "Okay, we are ready," continued Briana, as she motioned them toward the ship. "Do you need any assistance with your gear?" "No," came the response. "Excellent! You just thought your answers. Set your bags in the door, and we will move them back into the cabin, since we can see better than you can under low-light conditions." Cathal, Casey, Brad, Charles and Eric quickly passed their bags through the door. After the last bag was lifted inside, Briana took Cathal's hand. "The opening maybe a bit deceptive. You will need to step up about a foot to clear the door." She then pulled him up and into the shuttle. She then helped each of the others enter the shuttle. As soon as the group was inside the door closed, while Muireann eased the shuttle back out of the shed. Once clear of the building, they quietly rose, before beginning their trip to Dóchas. The other shuttle stayed to observe the area for a short time before departing. "Why the cloak and dagger stuff," asked Briana, smiling. "Cloak and dagger? Us? What about that pickup technique? You guys would make some people very envious if they saw what you just did." Several of them chuckled at his response. "To answer your question though, someone has been monitoring our movements. We are not sure whether it relates to our contact with you, some data we recently ran across, or something in our past. The monitoring is so subtle that we haven't identified who's doing it, we just know it is there. It is strange, as we can see the traces of their work, but they must be very good, because we haven't caught them. It is also possible they are someone we know and wouldn't suspect. There is more. Most of it, unfortunately, is circumstantial. We need to share it with you soon, and would like to do it with everyone, once we get to the ship. Shannon's group, should a couple of security teams and Command Staff be a part of our discussion? Is it possible to meet soon after we arrive?" "They are all waiting for our return. Your sudden request has tweaked everyone's curiosity." "We are all connected, aren't we," Casey suddenly said. "Well, not actively," said Cass, "since we weren't sure how you felt about telepathic communication. Based upon how you responded to Briana's instructions, we believe you are quite receptive to us. We also suspect that you have pretty strong links with your girlfriends. Would you like us to start the discussion now?" "I think that would be a good idea, as we can cover part of the information before we get there. What we are going to tell you is not yet urgent, but we think its importance is growing." "We are now connected," replied Cass, after a moment. "Since none of you is a fully active telepath, our group on Dóchas will listen in through their connection with us. All of you seem a bit more tense than we have seen you before." "Yes, we are," said Cathal. "First, all of you have wondered about us and our backgrounds. At the same time, you have trusted us. I am certain that none of you have peeked at our minds to gain the information we have not shared. To us, that is very impressive because I am not sure whether I could have held back, and I'm reasonably certain that is true for the rest of us. Since our visit to Dóchas, all of us are more sensitive to our surroundings, actually, a lot more sensitive. At first it bothered us, but now we are thankful for that. Should we take this sensitivity to mean we are partially telepathic?" Both Adam and Briana nodded agreement. "Back to our circumstances, we are fairly certain that our identities are no longer secret. This greatly complicates our lives, since there are quite a few on Earth that would like to see us dead or at their mercy, and there would be little mercy. After careful deliberation, we have decided the safest course to follow is for us to vanish. The simplest and cleanest way to do that is by being a victim of some type of accident, where there are no bodies and none could be expected to be found." "Your increased sensitivity is related to you being more telepathically active," said Cass. "This change in your abilities since you were on Dóchas is, in large part, due to your growing relationship with your girlfriends, at An Clochán." "All of you know," exclaimed Charles, just as he felt his lady friends reach out to him. "Know is a broad term," replied Briana, with a bit of a smile. "We knew that each of you had developed budding friendships with several groups of women on An Clochán. The relationships between you and your friends are not our concern, unless they endanger our family. From our experience, we know that a relationship between telepathic people tends to strengthen all of their abilities. Command Staff had discussed approaching the five of you to enable your ability, but decided to wait until the next time you visited. They believed that your women friends would sense if you were in critical need of assistance." "That explains some things we have experienced since being with you all," replied Eric. "Back to the immediate situation, having you picking us up was a critical part of our disappearance," said Cathal. "Let me outline what we planned, and then we can flesh out the details. Later tonight, there will be a gas explosion in the farm house. By the time the volunteer fire department gets to the farm, they should only be able to put out the grass fires. That was the only way that we knew we could effectively avoid being assassinated, or worse, in the future. We could have set this up without your picking us up, but doing it ourselves always leaves at least one loose end. The group monitoring our activities will not believe the explosion was an accident. By departing this way, there won't be any hard evidence to the contrary." "What are your plans," asked Ellie, with a smile. "Beyond blowing up the house?" replied Cathal, causing several to chuckle. "We have created new identities for ourselves, and would like to spend more time with the group of women with whom we have a growing friendship, on An Clochán. Each of us seems to have grown rather attached to our respective group of friends. We find the rapid growth of our friendship unusual, and quite surprising. If our being on An Clochán is an issue then, we know of a couple of places on Earth to where we could disappear and live quite safely. They are rather isolated, and, perhaps, our friends would be willing to join us." "The reason we asked to go on the trip to Ireland and England is that we believe a group is going to attempt to kidnap some of you. Their goal is to force you into giving them some of your technology in exchange for their assistance in getting your family members released. This is based on our analysis of some recent data. We think our interest in the related data was what triggered the monitoring of our activities. One scenario under discussion, is to stage the kidnapping so it appears as though the captives were killed in an accident. This would probably occur as your visit to Scotland is ending." While Cathal had spoken, the group with him had remained edgy. "Cathal, there is no need to hold back, so why don't you tell us all of it," said Sarah. "You need to say it. We can sense what you are likely to say. We could read your thoughts, but we won't, under these circumstances. You know how open we are with each other. So, relax and lay it out." As she spoke, the five men looked at each other and nodded. "You're right. There are personal parts that I played down. Quite frankly, each of us have grown very attached to the women we met on An Clochán. So attached, we can't seem to get them out of our minds. We really don't want to, either. We would really like to join them on An Clochán, since we don't think they would be happy living anywhere else. My feelings for the group I met are very strong. Is it love? I would like to find out, as that is something I have never felt without some doubt." His friends nodded as he talked. "Guys, we love all of you," came the thought to the five men, full of emotion and love from their girlfriends. Their comment caused the men's eyes to fill with excess moisture. Just as Alpha2 settled into the hanger on Dóchas, Star said, "Cathal, Casey, Eric, Brad and Charles, the farm house is now ashes and dust. The fire department only had a few grass fires left to put out when they arrived. The buildings around the house were severely damaged by the blast." "Just ashes and dust? I hope we didn't overdo it!" "Yes, it is dust and ashes, and no, you didn't overdo it. We added to the explosion a little bit, but kept it well within the realm of a realistic accidental explosion." "Thanks. Can you help us with other demolition jobs?" After everyone had quit laughing, Star said, "Maybe..." ------- Command Staff and Shannon's group from the Intelligence Department were waiting to greet them as they stepped out of the shuttle. After greetings were exchanged, Shannon said, "Let's go to the conference room and talk a bit, before we get some rest. This will allow the AIs to follow up on any ideas we have, while we rest." "When did you all eat last," Joyce inquired of the group. "Hmm ... probably not since lunch ... we have been rather busy. It is hard trying to keep your activities hidden, when you know you are being watched but don't know how or by whom. Some people would call us paranoid, but we know we are being watched. This last week was worse than some of the worst missions we have been on." "Ann, are you still in the dining area?" "Yes." "Would you bring sandwiches and drinks for five to the Intelligence Department's conference room?" "Sure, it will take just a few minutes. They are for Cathal's group, right?" "Yes." "Ann will bring some sandwiches and drinks up here in a few moments," said Joyce, as they entered the conference room. "Cathal, Casey, Eric, Brad and Charles, why do you think your activities were being monitored," asked Rusty, very quietly. "There are a number of possibilities. Our familiarity with Afghanistan and other active terrorist areas was because we were tasked with trying to track their funding. The Afghani slave operation was funding part of the terrorist's activities. It netted the sponsoring group quite a bit of money, which was then distributed to several terrorist groups. The slavers initially started out obtaining women from Central Asia and Eastern Europe, to turn into private pleasure toys or new stock for brothels. They made pretty good money from it. When the military sent female soldiers and staff there, they quickly discovered they could sell the female soldiers for substantially higher prices. One of their customers arranged for them to get the growth factors, so that they could augment their captives' appearances. By taking this path, they increased their income even more. When the slavers operations were shut down, we expected it would have a significant effect on terrorist activity, due to the loss of funds. Surprisingly, it didn't. So we started looking at anyone who had very large accounts in multiple banks. Two things helped us stumble across a potential plan that is very scary to even consider. If our analysis is correct, and events continue to unwind in the same direction, then civilization on Earth will probably take a step backward, till a society similar to the middle ages exists. I could say the results are planned, but it doesn't appear that those affecting events are working together. Those with the money seem to be taking advantage of opportunities that give them an immediate benefit and have no consideration of the long-term consequences." "Is it really that dismal?" said Terry. "Well, that would depend on where you are in the global social structure. There are a few dozen extremely wealthy families on Earth that contribute to various causes around the world. These are families that are so wealthy you never hear about them, unless you are in direct contact with them. The people who work for them never talk about their employers, because of the consequences to their whole family. Many of these families truly help a lot of people better their circumstances. There seem to be at least six or eight rotten apples in the bunch, that we know about. On a global scale that is not much in numbers, but in terms of impact, it is a lot. Within these eight families, one or two individuals in the family control the family's wealth, while the others are just followers, and are only interested in enjoying their circumstances. Each of these families' financial resources rival many mid-size countries." "One key lead was a series of intercepted phone calls," said Eric. "On the surface, the conversations were normal business discussions, unless you defined the words in the conversation slightly differently. The occurrence of these conversations happened to coincide with several large fund transactions. It is difficult to tell now why our analysis linked these conversations together with the fund transactions. One thought is it likely happened because of the way we do pattern recognition. By studying the conversations and the actions that took place, we began to understand the hidden meaning of their conversations." "So, what conclusions did you come to?" asked Siobhan. "The most recent thread we have been following, we believe, concerns your family. We think a small group is underwriting an effort to kidnap some of you, either during your visit to Ireland or to England," said Casey. "This will most likely happen at the end of the trip, in Scotland, so it will be less obvious. Those kidnapped are to be taken to a very remote lodge in the mountains along the US - Canadian border, which is approximately an 8 to 9 hour flight from either Dublin or Glasgow." "Little is known about the lodge. Someone has engineered things such that both the US and Canada think the estate is on the other side of the border. The lodge is nearly always accessible by air, but only at certain times of year by land. From the few bits of information we have, it has rooms that reach back into the side of the mountain. It is not clear how far underground the complex goes. It could conceivably connect to a series of natural caves. We have circumstantial evidence that all eight individuals have recently visited the estate. The estate has a very sophisticated security system for some place that remote. This is based on comments from natives of the area who have been near it. There are also reports of natives disappearing after entering the area around the estate more than once. In some cases, a body was later found, with markings indicating an animal attack. The natives are skeptical of the evidence." "Once we had identified this group, we went back over some earlier data, using the key elements of this suspected plan," said Charles. "We were able to connect some of them to inflows of funds to terrorists and in other cases to gang or criminal activity. The inflow of funds, in every case, had the effect of strengthening a political group that favored one of their business interests. Sometimes the link was directly to a key government official directly linked to a country's leader. Another aspect of their activities is the significant contributions made to all political parties in western governments, through various fronts. In all cases, the companies they control are key recipients of contracts growing out of the unrest that they create. So, they benefit financially by maintaining and increasing the level of unrest. It also gives them more political tools by which they can increase their power in the world." "So, you think our technology and openness is a clear threat to them?" said Sally. "Yes. Although they don't seem to recognize your openness as a threat. They see your technology as a great source of additional wealth and power, once it gets in their hands. We believe the leaders in this activity will stop at nothing to get their hands on your technology. Based upon the satellite photos, the one that owns the lodge appears to favor corporal punishment as a means to keep his staff in line. The photos show a whipping post, several beams for suspending a person, stocks, and several other similar implements located in a central courtyard. In a few photos, it appeared a person was in the stocks and two people were hanging by their ankles." "What do you mean by corporal punishment?" asked Maeve. "Based upon what could be seen in the photos, their activity appears to be mainly whipping or flogging and exposure. There were other structures in the yard, but the photos would have needed enhancement to determine their purpose. A naked woman was secured in one of the stocks, but how she was being tormented couldn't be determined from the photos. Two others were hanging by their ankles, with their legs widely spread. It also appeared their arms may have been tied to the ground, but it seemed to be more likely that weights were attached to their wrists. Hanging free like that puts a lot of strain on the hip and shoulder joints. If someone is left in that position very long, it becomes very painful as the joints separate, especially with their legs widely spread. It is also a position where many of the body's more sensitive parts can be the target of a whip or other torment. One person was being whipped at the time of the photo and the man seemed to be using a bull whip." "If he is so smart, why would he do it outside. Doesn't he know about satellites?" "There could be a couple of reasons," replied Cathal. "The weather in that region would add an element to the torment. The mosquitoes and flies are very aggressive. Yes, he does know about satellites. We kind of glossed over the photos the first time we had them, and now I am not sure why we didn't pay more attention to them previously. It was a short time later, when we went back to that group of photos as a part of a large search on another project. Only the second time, we had all kinds of difficulty gaining access to the photos. We persisted until we got everything we wanted. Once we had the photos, we looked over all the photos very carefully, as our curiosity had been raised by the difficulty we had in getting them. When the report was written, we noted that this batch of photos turned out not to be relevant to the project, but the difficulty in gaining access delayed the report. I can assure you we mentally noted everything on the photos. It was shortly after our second view of the photos that we noticed we were being monitored. Some time later, the whole batch of photos disappeared from the log. So yes, he knows the satellites can see his activities, but his minions apparently monitor what is photographed in that area. It is likely we saw the photos because someone made a mistake. Another possibility is that he wanted someone to see the activity, to underline the result of not following instructions." "Going back to our analysis. Our analysis indicates a plan is underway to kidnap some of your family, as we noted earlier. We just don't know exactly when or how." "Look, we are very interested in taking this group down," said Brad, with a hardness in his voice that caused several in the room to shiver. "We believe they were directly responsible for the deaths of several of our friends. Some of them were very close friends. Yes, our interest is revenge and our intent is to serve it to them cold. The only down side is that we aren't capable of causing them the suffering they caused their victims." "Gentlemen," said Tara, "if you agree, you need to fully activate your telepathic abilities before we go further. This will enable all of us to fully share all the information we have, and our opinions concerning that information. A big advantage is that sometimes a group sees things an individual has missed. Once you have merged with us, I can assure you that we will act as a group and we will resolve the situation together. Our strength comes from our sharing. If you seek to act alone, then we will have to exclude you from everything relating to the group's activities." "You can do that?" exclaimed Charles. "Very definitely," said Maureen, with considerable hardness, "and you will not know or remember anything regarding us when you wake up somewhere else, alone." Cathal, Charles, Eric, Brad and Casey all looked at one another. Their looks told a lot about what they were thinking as they weighed the implications. They trusted this group, on the other hand, they had never worked this openly with anyone. In fact, they knew they were not as open with each other as their new allies were with each other. The situation was unsettling to all of them. The sandwiches arrived while they were thinking about the implications. "Sorry it took longer than expected," said Ann, after she set the food on the table along with refreshments for everyone there. "You timed it perfectly," replied Tara. "Thanks, Ann," said Cathal's group. Once Ann left, Tara said, "I am sure you realize that we will do everything possible to ensure that no harm comes to our family. We will even act preemptively if appropriate." The room was quiet while the men ate their sandwiches. Just as they finished, Sarah said, "If you would like to sleep on this, we can continue later today." "I don't think that will be necessary for all of us," replied Cathal. "For the first time in a long while, I think each of us needs to decide their future for themselves. All of you can see my answer." He sat back and smiled, as he thought about his four friends on An Clochán. Eric, Charles and Casey quickly followed Cathal's lead and telepathically conveyed their answer to Command Staff. Brad was very hesitant. He suspected that his buddies had agreed, from their change in appearance. His buddies knew a part of why he was so intent on revenge. However, they didn't know much beyond the basics concerning the disappearance of his girlfriend, family and the others living in the company's expatriate housing while he was in college. As his painful memories of that time started to return, he suddenly felt love flow around and envelope him. It took him a few minutes for it to register. Visions of his three friends seemed to flow into and around him, calming his thoughts. He felt their warmth and love grow as they just, telepathically cuddled with him. He jerked when he sensed their voices, in part because there were more than three. "Brad, we love you. We apologize for inviting ourselves into your mind, but we felt that you wanted us here. We can't take the place of your first love, nor your family. We won't try to take their place. Together though, we can create a family they would have sought to join. We understand your long-held desire to settle the score, but don't let that fixation destroy you. Once you have enabled your telepathic abilities, we will be much closer, closer than you have ever been to another. If you choose not to join us, we will still love you." "Okay, I'm in," said Brad, as he relaxed. "If I fail to live up to your needs, then do what needs to be done." He drew a deep breath. "My view of our analysis indicates that this small group greatly benefited from upheavals in a number of countries around the globe. Some of those upheavals reoccur, with the same group of benefiting, once the dust settles. In one of those upheavals, my girl friend and our families, along with the rest of the residents in a company town disappeared. None of them were ever "officially" found. As best as I could determine, there was no real effort to either to find them or recover their bodies. There is circumstantial evidence that they were all abused or tortured before they died. After the incident, tales were told of men being staked out as bait for wild animals, sometimes along with a small child. The women were used by the captors until they were worn out, then buried up to their necks in holes they were forced to dig and left to die." As he spoke, large tears ran down his cheeks. He cried. It was the first time he had let his emotions show. As he cried, he felt his friends sorrow as they comforted him. Once Brad had recovered, he said, "Let's get to it. Times a-wasting, and we have a lot to do." "Okay, guys, in a few moments you will sense a couple of us in each of your minds," said Janet. "Listen to your thoughts, while we guide you in enabling your telepathic abilities. While we are there, we will look to see whether you have any other potential psionic abilities." When Sarah's clan had finished assisting Cathal's group, Rusty said, "I think all of you will find some familiar aspects to this form of communication. I did not notice it until we were at Comrie, probably because Sarah, Terry, Sally and I were using it on a casual basis. Our telepathic ability seems to be very similar to what we experience when on a mission. Some refer to it as sensing something or a sixth sense. You will find that this is much deeper than that, and adds a very efficient way to communicate, as well as view of your surroundings." "Brad," said Shannon, "you indicated earlier that a different group was involved in several incidents. Could you elaborate?" With that, Brad told his story. He had to pause several times as he spoke of his girlfriend Lisa and their plans. Tears ran down his cheeks when he talked about finding out that she had disappeared in a raid of her expatriate community by a local group of rebels. He felt frustrated that many of the rebels were now government officials, rather than being punished for their crimes. The deaths at their hands seemed to have been conveniently forgotten. "It was on the flight back to the states that I began to put together all the pieces of information that I had acquired. I did many 'what ifs' in fitting the data together, and didn't like any of the conclusions. During one of the flight segments, I struck up a conversation with a Marine returning to the states. In our conversations, I shared some of my story with him as he told about some of the places he had been. By the time arrived back in the states, I had decided that joining the Marines would be a good first step toward avenging my family and friends deaths, and making the world a safer place, though 'avenge' may not be the best word." "I joined as an enlisted man even though I could have probably been commissioned. During those first years, I worked my way toward joining a special ops unit. Once in an elite unit, I always did my best to see that the bad guys paid the price. It was shortly after joining an elite unit that I started working with these guys, and others who aren't with us anymore." "We didn't start out doing intelligence analysis. The intelligence analysis assignment came about because we learned very quickly that we could be more successful with our missions if we did our own analysis of the information, before going out. With this insight, our team's mission success rate quickly rose to one of the highest. Once this was recognized, we were given more difficult assignments. With this change, we became more aggressive in gathering the intelligence we wanted before planning a mission. This pushed us more toward intelligence analysis, and guiding the mission plans to achieve resolution of a situation, rather than a short term solution. In each of these missions, I felt there were clues that the chaos might have been directed by an outside interest. I was hesitant to share it with these guys, at first. We were working on a particularly difficult problem, when I raised the idea, during a brain-storming session, of looking at the clues from a different angle. When I laid out the scenario, they didn't laugh, but it was clear they had their doubts about this approach. Those doubts disappeared when all the pieces began to fit together for that project. We laid it out in a report, along with a proposed solution. The evidence was all circumstantial and the report closed with an assessment of what would happen if the proposed resolution wasn't taken." "Let me guess," said Danny, "your report hit the nail on the head. While at the same time, causing the politicians, elected or otherwise, to be wary of your future analysis." "Yes, on that project, no action was taken, and our predictions were correct," replied Casey. "It was so close, one would have thought we had written a script. That project was the first where we used our new approach. From then on, we would choose that approach if we couldn't find a simpler combination of interests. It only took a few projects and we were moved almost exclusively to doing intelligence analysis, with very few field forays. We did manage to do some missions, by not being totally frank about how a resolution would take place or which resources would be employed. Each time, we were criticized for taking the risk, and, at the same time, thanked for getting it done." "I presume it was one of these missions that brought you to the attention of the President, " asked Lydia. "Actually, it was likely our analysis on the dynamics driving the Afghanistan turmoil, and why the same scenario is taking place in other countries in that region. Afghanistan just happens to be front page." "It is very early in the morning, " said Sarah. "Let's get some sleep and then go over what we have tomorrow afternoon." "That is an excellent idea, as I am beat, " replied Cathal. "Once we have done that and decided on an action plan, the five of us want to receive the genetic virus treatments using the incubators." "Why?" responded July, with some concern showing in her voice. "We want to go with the security teams. To do that safely, we understand that we need to be able to effectively wear and operate the tactical suits." "We think it is imperative," said Charles, "that we are included with the teams." "In that short a time, your changes won't be complete. This will lead to some problems in integrating with the AI suit's functions." "Let's try it. Our motivation is that we think our field experience will be useful this time." "Your field experience will likely be very useful," said Judy, "but you won't be. The structural changes in your body won't be ready for the stress." All five men started to speak. "Wait, let me finish. There are alternatives, but using the incubator in this short time frame is out of the question. We don't want you or anyone else injured. The best choice is for you to mentally join with a bot." The five newcomers now sported puzzled expressions, as Judy paused for a moment. "What you do is mind-link with one or, possibly, two bots. The bots will be in tactical suits on the scene with the teams. You will see, feel and sense everything they do from a shuttle overhead, and I do mean everything. You will be suspended in a nearby shuttle, so you have full freedom of movement and can share that input with the bot. As a result, you will act together with the suit AI. Our data shows this to be very effective, if you do the appropriate training. We probably have enough time for that to work." "All of us agree that you being on site would be our optimum choice, " said Rusty. "We also know that acting remotely through a bot has been as effective as being on the ground. On the other hand, we have not needed to implement this approach before now. Success is very dependent on the closeness of the bond between you and the bot. Are you willing to try?" "I wouldn't say we agree, but we don't object, either," said Brad. "We do fully understand Judy's concern, and your reasoning for this approach. My hesitation is based upon by my not fully understanding this combined capability. It seems that in this mind-link with a bot would be very similar to the one that I appear to be developing with my female friends." "Brad, you're right, it would be very similar to a spousal mind-link. In fact, in some ways it will be closer. I can assure you that you will sense and feel everything." "What happens to the bot, after all this is over," asked Eric, with a concerned look. "It depends very much on what the two of you and your family want." "Are you saying they can become part of our clan?" "Sure. There are quite a few mixed clans at An Clochán." "So that's what I saw," replied Eric. "I knew something was different but that never occurred to me. I don't know about these other dinosaurs, but I'm in." "Just what the hell do you mean calling me a dinosaur," exclaimed both Cathal and Casey. The room erupted into laughter. "I know what Eric was referring to," said Cathal, "and, in that light, I think Judy's proposal will work just fine. It also seems to be our best choice. Ladies, I know you're listening, so I hope you agree with my thoughts." He smiled when he felt their positive response. "Why haven't you used this technique before?" "First, " replied Sarah, "it is better to be there, since responses are usually more precise, because fully integrating your minds is a challenge. So much of a challenge, that only a few can do it effectively. All of us think the five of you definitely have the potential and you have the motivation. Also, our society makes no unnecessary distinctions between biological and robotic units." "Oh, my. My comment wasn't meant to infer a difference." "We understand your intent, but felt this was a good time to make the point. You have offended no one." "Brad," said Shannon, "can you quickly tell us the key elements of your analysis?" "Sure, but now you have me curious as to why." "Once we understand the key elements your group uses, we can task the our AI with analyzing the data she can access on Earth, along with that we already have. It could give us a broader view." "Good idea. Why don't I just share it with the group now? The AI can pick up from that, correct?" "Yes." With that Brad, began running through his memories of each of the events he had flagged as having an outside push. As he shared his memories, his team members added various details that they thought would help. It didn't take very long until the key elements were shared and the AI had a full description of the information. "Now, let's get some rest!" said Judy. "We will not get back together until late this afternoon. If you can't sleep, just relax. Your girlfriends will be here later this morning. Based upon what we just learned, we are all going to need the rest." ------- "Well hello, Cathal, Casey," said Pat O'Brien when the two entered the conference room, the next afternoon, "It's been a long time. This is Kaelee. One of my significant others." "It's good to see you," responded both. "Hello, Kaelee. It is nice to meet you. We heard you were here, but didn't see you the last time we were here." "I think we were gone part of the time you were here before. We heard you came to stay, this time." "Yes," said Cathal, and then added uneasily, "if they will let us." "Why would you think they wouldn't want you to stay?" "It just seems too good and so different from what we are used to. I spent most of the day getting to know my girlfriends much better. I am amazed at everyone's openness." "You've just done too much cloak and dagger stuff on Earth. Kaelee and I came here as a couple. Our TTC experience in Afghanistan brought us very close together. Once we were here, we never contemplated going back to Earth. We thought it unlikely that we would add other spouses to our family, even though, when we came here, we knew most families were 6 to 10 in size. Our family now consists of 6 adults. It is wonderful. The mind-link makes many things so much easier. I know we are much closer than Kaelee and I were before we arrived." "We've noticed," replied Casey. "While we are getting integrated with our girlfriends, we also need to mind meld with a bot." Pat and Kaelee laughed. "You're letting your experience on Earth color your thinking. You will probably not know you are working with a bot unless they tell you, except in this case. The mind-meld is a total sharing. It includes all your senses, thoughts, reasoning and everything except the essentials, like eating or breathing." "So are you saying one of my girlfriends could be a bot, and I might not know it?" "Yes," said Kaelee. "It is not our nature to keep that a secret, but yes, it could take a long time before it was apparent." While they had been talking, the group had begun to gather in the conference room, for a short briefing, before dinner. ------- "Can everyone take a seat," said Shannon, as she tapped on the table. "Thanks, we don't think this will take very long," said Lydia. "Some of you may already have looked at what has been accomplished by the Als while we were resting." Several in the room nodded their heads. "Let's cover the key points. First, our Departmental AI requested assistance shortly after we left here last night. We are now using three AIs, working as a neural network, to collect, organize and analyze the data we have. The data I am referring to is what we had already acquired, plus what we added using the techniques Cathal's group brought us last night." "The additional AIs are the ones that have been installed in our two sister ships," continued Muireann. "They are nearly identical to ours. With the addition of Brad and his buddies' insight, they have identified two groups who are likely to be a threat to the group going to Ireland and England. These two threating groups appear to be acting separately, and have separate agendas." "There are some other potential groups," said Shannon, "but these two seem to be the most active threats. The first group we will call W4. The name is based on the fact they have sufficient funds or wealth to buy many countries outright, and there are four individuals in the core group. This is a subset of the group Brad mentioned early this morning. They have been linked to several other people in that group, but the others don't seem to be actively involved. Based on their position in society and other factors, we believe this group will promote an attempt to kidnap a part of our choir. We concur with Cathal's analysis that their primary purpose is to gain access to our technology, in return for assisting in the release of our family. It is likely this group will try to make the kidnapping as invisible as possible, and also reneg on any deal subsequently made to obtain the return of our family members." While Shannon was making her points, Brad, Casey and Cathal were nodding in agreement. "We were aware of this group as a potential risk to our group", continued Danny. "We do not know what they have planned. Since they use a lot of electronic communication, we should be able to know their plans before our group leaves for Earth. We plan on placing one or two drones in the estate. The other group will be more difficult." "The second group we will refer to as S1," said Lydia. "They will be difficult to learn about, because it appears that all of their planning and activities take place in rather primitive or isolated locations. We can get the information we need, but it will take resources. We used S to indicate that the group's prime purpose is enslavement. The 1 just indicates it appears to be led by a single individual with significant assistance from the country's president. The man leading this group has a strong alliance with the leader of a country in the western portion of the Middle East. This happens to be the same country where Brad's family were taken captive and apparently died." "How did you sort that out?" asked Brad. "I, or should I say we, hadn't picked that pattern out." "It is an outgrowth of the data views you brought, supplemented with data we already had. A major contribution stems from knowing about the disappearance of people that we had approached to join us. In virtually every case, these people were very interested in joining us, but were leaving on an extended vacation. Many indicated that would contact us when they returned. None of the vacations seemed to have the same itinerary. The reason these people never returned covered the gamut of possibilities." "Using your methodology, and our combined data," continued Muireann, "we think we may now know the real reason many didn't come back. It is all very circumstantial. We have a place to look for more information, that we didn't have before." "Do we have enough time?" said Cathal. "Yes. We have about ten days, perhaps a couple more, which should be more than enough." "What about mission objective, planning and practice runs?" asked Casey. "We know the objective," replied Muireann, in a voice so cold it chilled the room. "We will eliminate the threat!" "Casey, Cathal," said Pat, "by tomorrow we will know what both probable sites look like from the outside. Our training can then begin, using our 3-D simulators. All of you will start working with us through your bot presence. Based upon our previous experience, we can be fully ready for a new mission in less than 72 hours. If necessary, we can go without prior practice, but it obviously increases the risk." "Wow. How can you do that?" "For many reasons, such as our telepathic links, virtual site practice, full visualization of our objective and our suit AI. to name a few." "You said we would practice with you, through bots," said Casey. "I don't understand." "Tomorrow, you will meet a group of bots that have worked with the security teams before," replied Adam. "Together, we will determine which of the bots seem to fit well with each of you. It is kind of a get to know you time. Each of you will tell Pat which three bots you would like to work with. The bots will tell Pat which of you they wish to work with. From then on, each of you will spend all your time together with your combat partners, at least until this is over. I would expect our first run-through will be tomorrow afternoon." "Together, all the time," queried Brad. "Yes, meals, sleeping, working and relaxing. Don't worry, your girlfriends will understand?" The five men blushed at the comment about their girlfriends. " Your girlfriends will also assist you in becoming more adept at telepathic communication. This will help you and the bots in building your link to each other." "Boy, this will be different," commented Charles, with the others nodding their agreement. "Pat," said Danny, "we would like to plan on conferencing just before lunch and just before dinner for the next week or so, to go over what we have learned." "Good." "We may cut back on frequency," said Lydia, "but thought we aught to start meeting more frequently. Once we begin working with one another, our telepathic exchanges will increase, speeding up discussion of new findings and how they fit the into overall scheme." "How are you going to get more information on S1," asked Brad. "By monitoring the people who visit his estate and the president's home. Many will be followed, to see where they go. We also place drones in both locations. These devices have sound and video capabilities. We are using similar devices with the W4 group, as well." The dinner chime sounded. "Wow, that time went fast," said Sarah, "let's get ready for dinner. I know all of you are intently interested in resolving this. Remember, you need rest in order to do your best. If you don't, you will put everyone at risk." ------- Chapter 101 Baird and Ashley said, "Wow," as they watched Dóchas come in to view on the monitor. They were sitting with Grace, their mother, and Carl, Melinda's cameraman, on Shuttle6 as it approached Dóchas. Carl and Grace looked at each other, and smiled at the children's enthusiasm. "Carl, it looks just like one of the craft in Star Wars," exclaimed Ashley. "Yes, there are many similarities, yet there are also some significant differences." "Mom," said Baird, "I am sure glad Carl asked us to come." Grace took a deep breath, before saying, "So am I." She squeezed Carl's hand tightly. "Relax," Carl whispered in her ear. "I am sure you will find it to be the most comfortable place you have ever been." As Grace looked at him, she could see and feel the love he felt for her. She knew, from watching him with her children how much he loved them. Just then, a memory of another time came alive, reminding her of several events in her past. She wondered just how long he would stay with her if he knew about her past. She shivered slightly. It was so hard to trust anyone after that, but she knew that love needed to be based on trust. Her attention drifted back over the events of the last week. When Carl first asked her to go with him, her first thought was that there was no way they could go. She heard the excitement in his voice, and it, therefore, didn't take her long to realize that going with him was important to their relationship. If she declined, she would probably lose him, whether he stayed on Earth or not. One reason for her hesitation was concern about what life would be like on a space ship. The image that stuck in her mind concerned how the astronauts lived on the International Space Station, even though it was completely different than what she saw in the presentations she had watched with Carl. At first, she found them hard to believe. Her first thought was that the presentations Carl showed her had to be artistic fabrications. She knew that wasn't the case, since Carl had been there and she had seen the articles in the paper. She then was concerned about how her employer would feel about her leaving for an extended period of time. When she shared that concern with Carl, he floored her by telling her that the Grandview newspaper's editors were willing to guarantee her a job. At that point, she realized that circumstances and, perhaps, God were promoting the path for her to go with Carl. Even after they had committed to the trip, she worried over how she would fit in with those on the space ship. While she was nearly as tall a Carl, she felt that her 6 foot height tended to make her look gaunt and awkward. She just knew she wasn't anywhere as lovely as the people she saw in the videos or even the pictures in the newspaper or those on TV. She looked at Carl and realized she loved him enough to go any place with him. While Grace was deep in thought, Shuttle6 had lined up on final approach for the hanger door on the side of Dóchas. The group on the shuttle quietly watched the monitor as they seemed to float toward the opening. Once it had settled into its cradle in the hanger, the shuttle's door opened and Chloe stepped inside. "Welcome to Dóchas, everyone. Our apologies for not having a hostess with you during the trip, but we are quite stretched at the moment. I need to remind you of two items before we get off. First, you will need one of the crew to accompany you as you move around the ship. This is for safety reasons, as all of our emergency procedures fully utilize telepathic communication. Second, we are a clothing optional society, so you will see many of the crew nude. If you want to join in that mode of dress, it is your choice and only your choice. Please wear what you are most comfortable with." "Carl, you and your guests have a welcoming party waiting for you," continued Chloe. Ashley held one of Carl's hands as they exited the shuttle, while Grace held the other. Baird was holding Grace's other hand. As the group walked over to Sam, Kelsey, Karmen and Melinda, Ashley's eyes kept flitting from one woman to another in the group they were walking toward. "Carl, are they angels," asked Ashley, at a moment when it was very quiet in the hanger. Grace's mouth gapped open in surprise, but before she could say anything, Baird said, "I don't think so Ashley. They don't have wings." The two comments caused many in the hanger to laugh. "You're right, Ashley, they do look like angels," said Carl. "So let me introduce you to these angels." With that Carl introduced Grace, Ashley and Baird to the news staff. "Carl, I am so glad you're back," said Melinda. "From what I heard at the station, I thought that the three camera people I briefed on how to do the filming were doing a good job," replied Carl. "They did very well. I just didn't realize how different it would be without you behind the camera." Carl looked concerned as did Grace, but she was concerned for different reasons. "Hold it," said Sam. "Carl, your stand-ins did a great job. Melinda is just so used to knowing that when you film it she has no worries. She doesn't yet have that comfort level with the newcomers." Sam whispered, "Grace, are you okay?" "Yes," replied Grace, "this last week has really been a challenge for me and the children. "Why is that? Your children look like they are enjoying the adventure." "Oh, they always have a good time with Carl. I tend to be cautious of events when they appear to be too good to be true. Many things have happened this week that made it possible for us to come, all very good things. So many good things, I'm wondering how badly I will be hurt in the end." "Grace, my impression, from your comments, is that you have been hurt very deeply in the past. It is very unlikely you will hurt or taken advantage of by anyone here. Try and relax, I'm sure everything will work out for the four of you." "Do we really need an escort on the ship," asked Grace, following the shift in conversation. "Yes. We are all telepathic, as indicated in the presentation." The switch in communication method caused her to look quickly at Sam. As she did, she saw Carl smile. "Grace, she told you the last part telepathically." "Ashley and Baird," said Melinda, "please come with me and Karmen. We will show you the observation platform." "So, when did you begin hearing us telepathically?" asked Kelsey. Before they could reply she added, "Let's head this way so you can see your quarters." She walked by Carl's side, and Sam fell in alongside Grace. "Well, that is difficult to answer," replied Carl. "It probably started before I went back to Earth. I really didn't notice it until we got off the shuttle. So, I think I need to talk to Judy or Gail about it." "That would be a good idea. In the meantime, if you focus on verbal communication you should be fine. You will probably hear us both ways when we talk to you." "I like hearing both." "Grace," said Sam, "Carl won't hear me this way, so let me finish my earlier comment. I know that Carl won't leave you. He thinks the world of you and the children. He almost walked away from this opportunity because he didn't want to lose you. We pushed him to ask you to visit here. He held back because he was concerned that you wouldn't come. I can sense that something has happened in your past that has hurt you very deeply. So deeply, you have difficulty trusting others, even, to some extent, Carl. At some point, you will need to share the facts with him. It will most likely draw you closer together. The sooner both of you open up to each other, the better it will be. If you don't, it will keep your relationship from being everything it can be." Grace kept glancing at Sam as they walked along behind Carl and Kelsey. She could feel Sam's concern for the four of them, which took the bite out of what she heard. When they reached their quarters, the door opened automatically for them. Once they were inside, Sam showed Grace and Carl where everything was located in their suite. They were just about to leave, when the children showed up with Melinda and Karmen. "Mom, that was really neat," said Baird, as he hugged her. "The stars were really bright," said Ashley. "We could see Earth as well." "What was really neat?" asked Grace. "The observation platform. The sky looked very different from here." "Let's continue the tour," said Kelsey, "by the time we finish, it will be time for dinner." "What activities are there for the children?" asked Grace. "They will need to keep up on their school work while they are here." "There is a combined recreational and learning area. We also have a small atrium, and a gym. The learning area has interactive terminals to assist children's learning. The children work at the terminals, either by themselves or in groups. There are many other group activities as a part of their learning experience." "Are there teachers?" "Yes. Sometimes a teacher will work with a child at a terminal to guide their learning experience." "One on one?" "Yes. When it is necessary. The teaching AIs and the teachers work as a team, in mentoring the children with their education. They learn at their own pace, so that it's always challenging and fun. Their learning is, in many ways, reinforced by their experiences with their parents." "Will Ashley and Baird be able to participate while they are here?" "Certainly. I know the Communications Department has some things they would like you to help with. They are certainly impressed with the work you've done." "How would they know what I've done?" "By looking at the art work in your former company's literature. Some find it easy to figure out who has done a particular piece, since each artist has a particular style. If you have an eye for making the distinctions, then identifying the work is relatively easy." "I agree with that. How old is Sam?" Kelsey looked at her with a puzzled look. "She seems exceptionally perceptive." "She and I are the same age, which is 19. Karmen is a younger than us by about 2 years." They had arrived at the recreational area. They watched the other children playing. Ashley and Baird watched with a fascinated look on their faces. The adults could see they wanted to join the others, but waited to see the other children's reaction. It took only a few moments before the activity pulled them closer. It wasn't long until they had joined in the activities which were followed shortly by shedding their clothes. The group sat down on the benches to watch. "Grace, what did you think of the trip?" asked Melinda. "It was amazing. I find all of you amazing. For the first time in a long time, I feel really comfortable with people I just met." She leaned over toward Carl and pulled him to her for a kiss. "Thanks." "Without your encouragement, I am not sure we would be here." "We are glad you came," the four women said together. "Carl, were you aware that either Sam or Kelsey will be filling in for me shortly." "No. Is something wrong?" "No, not at all," replied Melinda. "When Marge and her friends finish their time in the incubators, both Steve and I will go into them. Please don't tell Steve I spilled the beans about him. We have decided to stay." "Incubators," asked Grace, with a puzzled look. "Yes," replied Karmen. "I think Carl showed you the presentations that described the differences between humans and ourselves. The incubators are a tool our medical staff can use to administer an extensive medical treatment. This procedure, in conjunction with genetic based therapy can virtually rebuild a person's body, either to repair damage or correct flaws. Those of us coming from Earth have used the intensive therapy to alter our bodies so that we can become physically identical to the members of this species." "Why would anyone do that?" "A good question, and one that is very difficult give a simple answer to," replied Sam. "In our case, my mother Sue, Karmen, Sam, her mother Irene, and I had been given drugs to alter our bodies. The effects were that our busts were increased several cup sizes, our tongues were lengthened, our clits were made longer and our labia made more pronounced. The changes also made us very sensitive, so that we were easily aroused and found it difficult to wear any clothing. We were also given drugs which, in time, would have turned us into nymphomaniacs. Our captors were preparing us to work as hostesses at their sex resort. As hostesses, we would be at the beck and call of any resort guest. We would be required to respond to any request. As a part of our servitude, we would also perform in live sex shows. We experienced both types of activity before we were rescued. What we were required to do was rather mild, and sometimes enjoyable. We saw others who were treated with less kindness. Refusal was not tolerated. Punishment could be brutal, and was sometimes done just for the guest's pleasure. Another aspect of our treatments was that, when bred, we would carry at least twins every time. In fact, they forced each of us to breed with our fathers just before we were rescued." "That must have been awful." "They didn't physically force us. We were all under the effects of a drug that altered our perspective, and would do anything our Mistress suggested to us. All three of us loved and admired our fathers, so it was not objectionable. Actually, our fathers felt worse about the event than we did. Our captors erred in trying to get us pregnant too soon after the body altering treatments they had given us. The medical staff later told us that our eggs were fertilized, but were unable to bind correctly to our uterus within the allotted time. Thus, the pregnancy didn't last. I did physically share my love with both my father and mother many times after that event. We enjoyed it, and I would probably still be with them if it wasn't for my other loves, with whom I now work. Oh, sorry, I'm babbling." "Incest is not forbidden here?" "No. This culture accepts incest, when it is between mature consenting adults." Grace looked thoughtfully at Kelsey, as she considered what she had just been told. She found the openness a little hard to grasp, but, over the last week, there had been many things that had been hard to grasp. "Returning to the incubator topic, how does the incubator help you?" asked Grace. "For most of those who received forced treatments, those treatments were done to enlarge selected portions of a person's body. The sole purpose was to increase visual appeal and their value as sex toys. By using the incubator and the associated therapy, the body can be remodeled to correctly support the changes already made in a person's body. The incubator therapy cannot reverse an induced growth, but it does alter the physique so that a person can accommodate the changes made to their body. For example, one change done to many of the rescued women was to greatly enlarge their breasts, along with maintaining continuous lactation. The treatments many of us received would have made us huge. So large that we would soon have trouble standing due to back problems and greatly distended breasts. The corrective therapy counters those treatments by altering the tissue structure of our breasts so they are similar to this species. This additional tissue adds both muscle structure and mass to our chest, back and shoulders, which allows us to fully support our larger bust. Our shoulders are widened, which makes our bust appear more natural and also increases our stamina and physical ability." "I can see why these changes are needed, since it is to avoid a chronic health issue. Why do it if you are not correcting a health issue?" replied Grace. "Because it changes and enhances your body so you become part of this hybrid species. One of those benefits is that your eyesight improves, particularly in low light. Your height increases until you are between 6' 5" and 7' 5", which for most of us means adding about 9 inches, or so. Part of the increase in height is due to increased muscle tone, so that you can stand straighter, and some of the height increase comes from changes to your legs and feet. The change in ankle and foot function also increases your agility. Child birth is also easier. Our lifetime increases several fold, and it is not uncommon for us to live for 200 or more Earth years. Many of us gain a second heart, which helps support our larger body. The two hearts and the increase in shoulder width contribute to our increased stamina. Many of us think our mental abilities also improve, but it may be that we just are more attuned to them. We also gain a short tail and a mane. The only body hair we have is the hair on our head, the mane down our back and our tail. There are at least a couple of dozen other changes that we see as beneficial, as well." "Grace," said Karmen, "perhaps the simplest way to look at this is that by modifying our bodies to become a part of this species, there are no restrictions to our contributions to it. If we didn't, there would be some things we couldn't do." "Thanks, I think. Everything you just told me and more was in the videos Carl showed me. I am surprised I didn't pick up on them. Hm ... maybe I need to think about what I saw some more. I was really impressed with the presentations, and the frank manner in which the information was presented." "You're right, I believe it is all there, but perhaps presented a bit differently. We can arrange for you to see them again if you like, or any member of the medical staff can answer your questions." "Are we going to see more of the ship," asked Grace. "I hate to disturb the children, since they look like they are having fun." "They can stay here and play," said Karmen. "Let me tell one of the teachers who they are before we resume our tour." "What if they need something?" replied Grace. "I am sure the teachers will take care of anything they need or, if need be, send for you. We are really one big family." As the tour progressed, Grace became more relaxed, and as she did the natural smile returned to Carl's face. He had been worried about her acceptance of the group, even more than whether she would agree to live here during his assignment. During the tour, the women made sure to show Grace all the things they thought she would want to know about. They introduced her to Gail and Judy. She also got a glimpse of Marge, Evelyn, Chad and Fred in the incubator tubes, immersed in the green gel. They went by the dining room and then by their suite, which was near Kelsey's. On the way to the Communications Department, they stopped by the observation platform. Grace was very quiet for a long time on the observation platform. Melinda watched her closely. Finally, Grace said, "You know, this is all a bit overwhelming. Here we are, standing, essentially, in the middle of space, with no planet giving us shelter. We have only our ingenuity to keep us alive and moving forward." "We also have the Old Ones," said Karmen, "to offer us guidance, and our Mentors to assist us in learning about our capabilities." Grace looked thoughtfully at Karmen, but didn't question her comment. The last stop on the tour was the Communications Department. There they introduced Grace to everyone. After the introductions were made, they talked about the different projects they had going on. Karmen told Grace that this was where they each had their work areas, as did Melinda, Carl and Steve. "Grace," said Chloe, "would you be interested in working with us while your here?" "Well, I..." "You would see more of Carl that way," added Orla quickly, causing several to chuckle. "I've hardly arrived and haven't had time to think, or even get a grasp of our surroundings." Grace looked at the group as she took a deep breath. "Yes, I will help out some. I have the children to think about, as well." "I saw them playing with the others, a while ago," said Chloe. "They seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely." Just then the dinner chime sounded, causing Grace to look at Carl. "That is the dinner chime. It means we have about an hour before dinner begins. Almost everyone goes to exercise and freshen up before dinner." As he was talking, he took her hand and began leading her back to their suite, with the three reporters and Melinda following behind. ------- As Aine and the other five mentors walked toward Sarah Clan's suite, they were mentally linked, reviewing the information the 'Old Ones' had sent them. They had been surprised earlier in the day when Sarah had asked the Mentors to join them in their suite that evening. Sarah had sought them out to tell them that they had asked Star to make a set of collars for them, and were expecting them to be ready this evening. The Mentors knew that none of Sarah's Clan were aware of the collars potential significance. Even they were not fully aware of the impact wearing one would have on the members of the clan. After Sarah's invitation, they had gathered to discuss what they remembered about clan collars, along with their impact on a clan. All of them vaguely remembered there was something unique about a group collar, but it had been such a long time ago that none of them could remember the specifics. Only Aine had seen a clan wearing collars, but she remembered little else about the collars effects upon the group. Their clans, before they had become mentors, had been as tightly bonded as Sarah's, but none chosen to wear a collar. In fact, no one could remember even considering it as a clan. As a group, they queried the 'Old Ones' about the wearing of collars, and why they were interested. In searching Dóchas's library, they had found quite a bit of information on collar designs, but almost nothing else. When the mentors arrived at the suite, the door slid open. The children loudly greeted them as they entered the suite, followed by a warm welcome by Sarah, her spouses and the nannies. "Aine," said Maeve, "have you ever seen anything like this?" Maeve pointed to the fine mesh metal collars laying flat on the table. "No," replied Aine. "We have never seen anything quite like these. A long time ago, I saw a group wearing collars, but it was so long ago that I barely remember it. In fact, it was quite a while after I talked to Sarah before I remembered it at all." "Have you looked into the history or background of clan collars?" asked Brigit. "I did," responded Aoife. "All I could find was the design information, and a couple of vague references to wearing them. One comment indicated that, once fitted, they were permanent." "You did better than us," said Creidne. "We only found the design information, along with instructions concerning how to put them on." "We consulted with the 'Old Ones'," continued Aine. "As most of us had a vague memory that there was something unique about the wearing of collars by a clan." "Your clan is probably the most unique clan we have ever met, and we mean unique in a very positive sense," continued Eithne. "We can see all of you growing closer together. From our perspective, we now see your group as a single entity with 16 faces. Each facet of your clan has distinct edges, while it is very evident you are one at the same time." "Based upon what the 'Old Ones' told us," said Aine, with a bit of envy in her voice, "once a clan has closed the links on all the collars, the distinctions between each of you in the clan will blur. Or, as we already see you, the edges of your individual facets of the clan entity will blur. Aoife, your information was correct, once the collars are latched on each of you, they can not be removed. Why? because, within a short time, the collars will physically become a part of you. Their primary impact upon you and your clan will be to more tightly bind you into a single entity, with 14 bodies." "How can that be?" asked Maeve. "That is something even the 'Old Ones' don't fully understand. What you are planning to do is very rare." "Let me see if I can express it another way," said Sarah. "Once we have sealed our collars, we will be in a continuous mind-link, and, to an extent, the collars while visible will be absorbed into our bodies." "That is what we understood the 'Old Ones' to say," said Deidre. "We think the reason it is rare, is that it can't ever be undone in this life and you fully share each others knowledge, memories and etc." "So it is like baring our soul to each other and we should consider it carefully," said Joyce. "Oh, yes," replied Fidelma. "The 'Old Ones' were not surprised by our plan," said Tara, "were they?" "No. They weren't. We are, nonetheless, apprehensive as to whether this is the right time for your clan to take this step." "The 'Old Ones' provided more details regarding putting the collars on than was in the library," said Brigit. "You probably noticed the collars have 14 latches on them. You will only be able to close a latch in the middle of your collar. Each of the others must be closed by a different member of your clan." "We understand your concern," said Sarah's clan. "We believe this is the perfect thing to do." As Sarah's Clan finished speaking, each collar rose up off of the table and floated toward each member of Sarah's clan. Many of the children murmured at the sight of the collars floating in air. As the collars floated up to their necks, each spouse reached up to assist the telekinetic handling of the collar. They each pressed their collar around their neck so that the ends met at their mane. With almost perfectly synchronous timing, they each closed the first latch on their own collars. Once the first latch was closed, they formed a circle and began to close the remaining latches on the collars. As each latch was closed, they shifted within the circle so that they were behind another spouse. Once all the latches were closed, they kissed and hugged each other before forming a ring, holding hands, with the mentors in the center. Seeing the ring form, the mentors joined hands with each other to stand facing Sarah's Clan. "You came to us as our mentors," said Sarah's Clan, "and we are thankful for that. Beyond that, you have given us love and much much more. For our part, all of you are family, now and forever. We will always be there for each of you." As Sarah's Clan had spoken, tears filled each of the mentors' eyes and rolled down their cheeks. "Thank you," said the mentors, in unison. "Oh, I already like this," exclaimed Alison. "Our link is so much clearer now." "Yes, it now appears as if all of our individual abilities are now our personal abilities," said Claudette. "This gives a new meaning to 'we are one'," said Terry. "Your collars look very beautiful and chic," said Eithne. "You may want to consider mentioning something about your collars at breakfast." "Good idea," replied Judy. "I suspect some of the other clans will also want collars. I sense that if the circumstances are not right for wearing the collars, the wearer will have difficulty with them." "Judy," said Alison, "I think other clans wanting collars would be more likely to true if we were still human. It seems we are less prone to the 'me to envy' syndrome." "You're right Alison. It seems some things are hard to forget. Mentors, are the collars a reflection of our previous depth of bonding, or of how we well fit together." "We would suspect it is related to all aspects of your link and perhaps more," said Creidne. "The significance of this depth in bonding appears to be as well-documented as how leaders in our society come to be known." Several chuckled. "Yes," said Brigit, "no one knows the specifics, only that it works. I have seen others try to document the history of a group that became leaders, with the idea of mimicking them. They were surprised at how quickly their attempts failed." "So, does that mean there is a guiding hand behind all of this," asked Maeve. "It would seem so," replied Eithne, "but calling the guiding hand God, as those on Earth would likely do, is not correct." The group sat and chatted for several hours, sharing visions and experiences, as the children sat around watching very quietly. It was quite late when Karen and Theresa noticed the children nodding off. The two of them, along with the other nannies, began gathering up the children for bed. Their movement caused the discussion to pause, while everyone began assisting in putting the children to bed. ------- Chapter 102 Cathal and Eric were surprised by the crowd in the conference room. Both were expecting a normal update and review of the intelligence information relating to the visit to Earth. Cathal sat back and immediately began reviewing everything they had seen for the last week. He had just finished sorting through the information, when the Command Staff entered the room. "Everyone is here, let's begin," said Shannon. "We have asked all of you here because we believe we now have enough information regarding the two groups who are a threat to those visiting Earth. Many of you have seen the data we will be discussing, however we think it is time to actively review it together." "Group W4 plans to kidnap part of the choir while they are in Glasgow. Their intent is take as many of the group as possible while still being successful. Their plan calls for the kidnapping to take place in the hotel, on the last night there. The choir members will be gassed with a mind-altering drug. The drug will make their victims very compliant and relaxed. Using this approach, the kidnappers will have their victims walk out through the service entrance and into a waiting truck. Once in the truck, they will be taken to a local airport and from there flown to the group's mountain retreat along the US — Canada border. With the choir members at their remote estate, they will contact us to demand exclusive access to our technology, in exchange for the return of the choir members. While appearing to negotiate a return of the choir, they will begin interrogating them. The group's leader, a Mr. Craigly, is willing to use any interrogation technique necessary to get the information he wants." "Our drones found a dungeon in the lower levels of the estate. One area is set up with an medical examining table over a tub. The walls are covered with photos of people being tortured on the table. The images are horrific. From what the drone could see, the cabinets near the examining table hold electrical devices and what appear to be surgical instruments. The second portion is set up much like a dungeon from the middle ages. Along with the medieval torture devices are many of the tools used in recent times by various secret police organizations. When a drone was doing the survey of the dungeon, it picked up part of a conversation between two people in the medical area of the dungeon. They were discussing whether to start with electric needles, amputation or drugs. From the little bit that was recorded, it was clear that every victim eventually dies." As she spoke, the expressions on the faces of everyone in the room hardened. "My recommendation is that we take them out, now," said Aoife harshly. Her comment caused everyone to turn and look at her, since her comment was out of character. "At the same time, I realize we can't do that and adhere to our prime directive." "We agree," said Sarah's Clan, in unison. "We will limit ourselves to protecting our family and will not intentionally violate our prime directive's guidance. To remind everyone, the prime directive that we inherited from Connemare is that we will not meddle in other worlds or societies internal issues. There are exceptions but this is not one." "My first reaction was the same as Aoife's," replied Pat. "After hearing Sarah's Clan, I believe we need to act within our prime directive. Failing to do that would put us in the same league as any number of well-intentioned governments on Earth. Unfortunately, we would have the same success, making both friends and enemies. We should remember that the key individuals involved in this cabal have never needed to consider the effect of their actions on anyone else. In fact, their conversations indicate that they believe the world exists for only them, and that once the world realizes that, it will be a much better place. They view their victims as simply objects to be used as needed." "The drones are currently doing a full survey of the W4 site," said Shannon. "Once that is complete they will focus on how W4 is organized and who is directly involved." Danny said, "While agreeing with all of you, before we decide on how to deal with W4, we need to consider the other group. As all of you know, it has been much harder to identify what the leaders of the S1 group are planning and exactly whom is involved." "Our data indicates that the S1 group's activities center around their country's capital and an isolated estate in the desert," continued Muireann. "The estate is approximately a three hour drive from the capital of Fuda and has an air strip. The main building of the estate is very large, and consists of two levels. Our information on the estate is circumspect, as none of our drones we sent inside have reported back. The lack of response is troubling. We do know they are still functioning and don't appear to be compromised." "Do we know why they aren't reporting back?" asked Todd. "No. At first, we thought it was a malfunction and sent several more drones in, after throughly checking them out. The second group provided us with views of the interior courtyard and a large banquet room, then the transmission stopped. These are the images we received." The first image showed a large courtyard, ringed with raised platforms. In the center of the courtyard was a large round cage. The image was magnified, after which the projection slowly scanned across courtyard. Arranged around the central cage were a number of platforms. On the first platform stood a wood arch with chains hanging from the cross beam. On a second platform was a stock, which would hold someone bent over at the waist. On a third platform was a table, which appeared similar to a doctor's examination table, with restraints for arms and legs. On a fourth was a wood arch with a ring suspended from the middle and a number of ropes and straps hanging on the uprights. The platforms continued on around the courtyard, on each one was a different kind of restraint. The image showed very few people in the area and none were on the platforms. A second image showed a room with rows of low tables arranged in a semi-circle around a central stage. In the center of the stage was a large, round post. At the back of the stage they could see various restraints, several small elevated tables, and several cabinets. Off the back of the stage were two doors. The doors were located at each side of the stage. Over the stage hung several winches with dangling ropes and chains. Several round rings could be seen attached to the stage floor. "Well, I think it is clear from the images the kind of entertainment occurring there," said Brad. "I don't like what I am seeing, but how strong is the link between this place and S1?" "Until yesterday, it wasn't very strong," replied Muireann. "Let me summarize it, and then you can look up the details later. First, the owner of the estate also has an interest in a tour company that specializes in tours to the Mediterranean region. We're saying interest, but it is likely he is a part owner and perhaps the sole owner. He is also a very close friend of the country's President. Both belonged to the rebel group that raided the place where Brad's family were killed. This rebel group is also the one that took control of Fuda several years ago. An arms dealer who does a lot of business with them is a frequent visitor to the estate. He has recently spent a lot of time on the phone to Ireland. According to his phone records, Ireland is not a place he usually communicates with. We know the arms dealer has been at the estate for essentially the last three weeks except for short trips to the capital. His calls to Ireland came from both the capital and estate and were to individuals who have criminal connections. The calls to Ireland while he was in the capital of Fuda came from President el-Ohssa's home. In all cases, those in Ireland were people who you would consider to be go-betweens. We'll come back to this in a minute." "When we determined the name of the holiday tour company, it set off alarms in our system," said Lydia. "Why? Several of our prospective crew candidates deferred their decision on joining us until after they returned from a holiday tour. In each case, the tour was sponsored by this company. We never heard from the candidate again. A check showed that some of them were reported to have died in an accident during the trip. A few sent a message to friends, saying they were staying for a while longer. They were never heard from again, and the contact information they provided was incorrect." "All of this left us at kind of a dead end, until we went back over old satellite photos of the area," continued Jason. "The review included estate and its surroundings as well as the places where tour itineraries showed they made stops. At first, we didn't notice anything, until we setup the images to give us a time-lapse view. In parallel with this, we looked at the local tour destinations this company offered. Several of these local tours were overnight trips. At first glance everything looked fine, the same number of people that went on side trip came back. These numbers were obtained from head counts turned in by the driver. It appeared to be a dead end, until we noticed that some bus numbers changed. A minor thing, but puzzling nonetheless. About this time, the first time-lapse photo set was ready to view. In many cases, the time-lapse photos showed a van leave the location of the overnight stop but not toward its starting point. In many cases, the direction of travel was toward the estate. This was puzzling as the estate was several days away by van. The puzzle was solved when we saw one van stop at a small isolated airstrip, where a plane was waiting. There, six naked women exited the van and entered the airplane. We didn't see any weapons or force used on the women as they moved between the van and the aircraft. The photos are not real clear, but the women appeared to have something connecting their ankles and wrists. They also appeared to be walking as if they were wearing tall heels. The plane's registration lists the estate as the owner. With this bit of information, we looked closer at the operations of the estate's airstrip. A plane similar to the one we saw pick up the women, frequently lands at the estate and parks under a large canopy. While it is there, a large van comes out to the plane. Occasionally, it is followed by another truck with several trunk size crates on the bed. Shortly after the vehicles leave the area around the plane, the plane departs. The destination varies but is usually back with a day or two." "These observations prompted us to go back over our data for this area," said Shannon, "since we now felt we had a pattern onto which to fit data. Also, two drones were placed at the airstrip. Based upon satellite photos, this landing strip is also used by visitors to the estate. Satellite images show that they usually stay a couple of days and then leave with at least one trunk size crate sometimes two. Oops, I've gotten a bit side tracked. Since we found the pattern, yesterday, we are now fairly certain that people, usually women, are being kidnapped from the bus tours and taken to the estate. It isn't noticed because only a few people are taken at any one time. Based on the activity of the plane, we believe the plane is used for more than just picking up the men and women kidnapped from the tours. From studying how the captives acted in the few cases where we observed the transfer from the van to the plane, we believe they are drugged." "We have placed drones," said Lydia, "and tracking devices on all the planes we have identified as visiting the airstrip. This includes those not owned by the estate." "Do all the drones have the the same capability?" asked Cathal. "They all have the same basic ability," replied Muireann, "that is to relay information about their surroundings. By altering their configuration we can change the focus to information gathering once we have a map. During the information gathering conversations will be recorded, individuals identified and an attempt will be made to access electronic data. The data is frequently up loaded to our main systems. In some cases, we locate a drone manager who actively directs the drones activities. The function is likely similar to an AWACS. Does that answer your question?" "Yes, I think so." "We estimate that the estate in Fuda is receiving somewhere between 60 and 100 captives a month and it could be easily be more," continued Muireann. "The number of crates leaving the estate nearly matches that average." "Do we have any idea why we are not receiving the data from the drones?" said Pat. "Considering the unknowns at this point, we should use four security teams, with an equal number on reserve. It is very likely there will be some injuries, unless we can learn more about the facility's layout." "Well, there is more," said Shannon, "and it creates a complication. Earlier today, we found out that two of our enterprising family have left on a holiday tour with two crew candidates." She paused and looked around the room, waiting for her comment to sink in. "Yes, the tour they are on, is operated by the company in question. Tomorrow they arrive at what we believe is one of the abduction points." "Oh, my God," said several of those in the room. "We went to activate their emergency transmitter," said Jason, "but we couldn't access them. Shortly after we tried, we received an e-mail from them, and it is authentic. I should point out that these family members are bots that are virtually identical in appearance to humans, except they don't really bleed, although they will ooze red stuff if cut. The e-mail said they were aware of the potential for being kidnapped on this tour. To keep detection to a minimum, they adjusted their transmitter to operate in burst mode every hour using our emergency frequency. If they are kidnapped, the transmissions will include any conversations they hear." "Why would they do that?" muttered Cathal. "What a fucking risk?" "And you haven't done anything that crazy," asked Eric, with a smile. "Well," replied Cathal as he blushed, "it didn't seem that way at the time." His response caused everyone to laugh, easing the tension a bit. "They chose to go for two reasons," said Stacey. "They have strong bond with these two candidates, so when they were asked to go they accepted. The invitation was made before we had put the pattern together which identified the tour company. In their e-mail, they said when they first saw the name they hadn't thought too much about it. As they were getting ready to leave, they went over the details with their friends. It was then that they recognized the name of the tour company from our report, and realized they would probably be kidnapped. They knew it would be impossible to change their friends' holiday plans, so they decided to continue as planned. They were not willing to back out and let their friends go alone." "All four women fit the profile of those whom we know have disappeared," said Lydia. "Didn't you mention earlier that we were putting drones in some aircraft?" said Casey. "Yes," said Danny, "we are working to place drones in any aircraft that has visited the estate. When we place a drone in the aircraft, we also attach a tracker. We don't think there are many planes. Some of the aircraft we have identified are registered to owners on other continents. If these aircraft are out of the immediate area, they will receive the drones and tracker last." "Danny," said Sarah, "send a bot to insert position transmitters in the two candidates while they are asleep, this evening." "Okay." "Do we have the capability of monitoring the locations where they will be staying?" asked Eric. "Those arrangements are in progress now. Several bots heard the commitment these two made, and have volunteered to assist in any way they can. Many of the volunteers closely resemble humans. We may need to adjust their skin tone, so they can meld into the local population more easily." "Shannon," said Charles, "you haven't indicated whether the drones in the capital have provided us any information. In fact, I don't remembers seeing any either." "We have drones in President el-Ohssa's offices. So far, none of the conversations appear to relate to this. All of el-Ohssa's communication appears to be between the estate and his private office. After we determined the arms dealer had stayed at el-Ohssa's home, we have placed a drone in his home. We should place another one there and do a site survey. We know he has at least four Caucasian and one Asian woman at his home." "We could use plans of the estate," said Pat. "We can make a mock-up from the two images and use that to plan our assault for that area and the auditorium. Let's plan on four security teams, and eight shuttles, with four teams on standby. No, let's put them in reserve." "Pat, Shannon's comments about el-Ohssa's home," said Claudette, "have raised a question in my mind. Once the operation is underway, we should probably send someone to check on the women at the President's home. It seems likely they are captives as well." Pat nodded his agreement with her comment. "Murphy says," said Rusty, causing several to chuckle, "the four women will arrive at the estate during our first or second day in Ireland. So, their seems to be yet another reason to support the proposal by Security for the choir members to wear personal shields." "Wow," said Cathal, "won't that upset our hosts?" "Probably, if they knew. What they will be wearing will look quite innocuous. Even when activated, its presence isn't known until an assault is attempted. The shield essentially deflects the attack giving the wearer a significant advantage." "Intelligence Department, in fact all of you," said Sally, "nice effort. Now to the dirty work, you need to monitor the situation 24 hours a day until it's resolved. Yes, we know all of you have been, but now we are in the final stages. If it were me, I would set it with groups to work 4 hour shifts of 4 to 8 people. Yes, I know you can telepathically connect and see what is happening. That is not enough. Now, we are now, essentially, conducting a stakeout. Don't work when you're off, relax, because you need to be fresh when it's your turn. Don't discount anything as it is the little things that usually make or break these efforts. Cathal, one of your group needs to be on each shift, until we start the rescue operation." "Looking past the rescue, what are we going to do with those rescued?" asked Tara. "I don't think the locations we used in the past will work this time. I think we need to find someone we can turn them over to soon after they are rescued." After a few moments, Eric said, "Would you be interesting in trying this? I have a friend with SAS. We have worked with him on several operations. We have stayed in touch through an anonymous connection. I could send him a note telling him, in code, that the mission we're on may collect a 100 or more refugees, with many coming from western countries. Could we drop them in Britain, anonymously?" Cathal and Casey started laughing, causing everyone to stare at them. "Sorry," said Cathal when he stopped laughing. "Eric, you really think he will swallow the anonymously idea?" "No, but it fits with some joking around we did one time." He looked around and saw puzzled looks on a number of faces. "When you're sitting around, while waiting for action to start, sometimes we would play what if. One of the scenarios was quite similar to what we think we might be confronting. I was going to reference that, since it will serve to verify my identity to him. Secondly, it will convey the magnitude of the situation." "Okay, if he bites, tell him to line up those we need to talk to, since the notice will be short and meeting us doesn't require acceptance." "I suspect he will bite," replied Eric. "Cathal, do you really think this will work?" said Rusty. "It's actually a wild guess. If we end up with 100 to 200 refugees, from multiple countries, we will probably have people from several different strata of society. It will be very difficult for us to ease them back into Earth's society. The Brits, however, could do so quite easily, and Eric has come up with a good idea. For this to work, we need to have the concurrence of the PM and MI6 with SAS support." "Think they would go for taking credit for the rescue," asked Rusty. "Maybe but more likely, joint credit," replied Cathal, "as we could make a joint announcement as to why we were there and what we found. We will need full documentation for the PM and MI6. Our summary needs to be short, convincing and iron clad. Gee ... why am I telling you this?" "So everyone else knows," replied Command Staff, in harmony, "understanding comes after knowledge." Cathal looked at the group, then said, "In part, but true understanding only comes after exercising the knowledge." "Yes!" said the group. "I think you've overlooked something," said Siobhan, causing everyone to pause. "We will be in Ireland. The attack by part of this group is expected to take place in Ireland. With that in mind, it seems we are approaching the wrong government." "Thank you," said Rusty, "I think several of us were working toward that conclusion. It would seem we ought to ask the Irish first if they are willing to take the refugees in. If not, we could ask them if they thought the Brits would come to the refugees' aid." "You know they can't refuse," said Eric with a grin. "There is simply too much political capital at risk." "So, once we know the rescue is complete," said Sarah, "we can approach the Irish government with our problem." "How are we going to handle the group they apparently have hired in Ireland?" "Let's wait until we know the details of their plan," said Danny. "Preliminary indications are they were going to kidnap the choir members along the route between Dublin and Clifden. Our group will be traveling in three large vans for that portion of the visit. Our analysis indicates they will try to separate the last van from the group before kidnapping them. They are planning to set up a fatal accident to cover the disappearance. We don't yet know the particulars." "Danny," said Pat, "I think we should include a security team member in the monitoring." "Agreed." "Unless there is something else," said Shannon, "our next gathering like this will be either when the four women are kidnapped or the choir departs for Ireland." As they were leaving, several members of the Intelligence Department staff came over to thank Cathal's group. All five were at a loss to understand why they were getting the kisses, hugs and handshakes. As Cathal hugged Muireann, he said, "I like the hugs and kisses, especially from beautiful women, though I have to admit I don't understand why." "It is because of all of you that we were able to find this abomination known as S1 before any of us got hurt." "We're glad our contribution was useful." "I am a bit embarrassed we missed the S1 group in our analysis," said Brad. "You shouldn't be," said Shannon, Danny, Muireann, Lyda, Stacey and Jason together. "It was your techniques and the combined data that drew out the pattern. We should add, a measure of luck, as well." "Attention," said Sarah's Clan loudly, causing the room to become very quiet. "Some of you may be irritated with us, but we will NOT follow this plan as it was just laid out. Knowingly letting our family come into harms way so that we can avoid acting contrary to our prime directive is wrong. Absolutely wrong!" Many in the room at first looked irritated, but then nodded in agreement with the comment. "Everything you have proposed is fine," continued Sarah's Clan in unison, "except that we should remove our four friends from harms way shortly after their kidnapping, if they are kidnapped. When they are rescued, rescue anyone you find with them. Let the drivers and van go, since they should have an interesting time explaining the situation. During the rescue, only cloak if you need to." "With respect to your other plans, continue collecting the data. For S1, it needs to be in a form that Command Staff can give to either the Irish or English authorities at a moment's notice. Make the summary strong enough that they will understand the need to act immediately. If they do not act, the information can find its was into several public venues simultaneously." "If our family were in harm's way, then your plan would have been very good, and we would have no hesitation in proceeding. Ideally, we must not violate the prime directive. In reality, there maybe a time to do it, but it must not be due to a situation we let develop." "Some of you are wondering why we are adhering to principal when people are being enslaved, tortured, etc." Several heads nodded around the room. "Many of us were born on Earth. We are now outsiders. To many on Earth, we would be viewed as applying our standards to these activities, regardless of whether others on Earth agree. While thanked initially, we will have taken a step toward becoming the enemy or just mistrusted medaling outsiders. As the people on Earth have yet to learn, you cannot force your values on other people. Our values, the values of Connemare, could be inappropriate for their circumstances. Look at Earth's history, from our position as outsiders. If you do, we think you can see multiple instances where a group imposed their values on another, with less than desirable results. In many cases, we think it is evident that development of civilization took a step backward when the conqueror did not incorporate the knowledge gained from the conquered but let it be destroyed. In many cases, it appears that the knowledge was lost forever." "Questions?" "Thank you," said Cathal. "I have not been here long and hope to be here a long time. At first, I was taken aback by your comments. Now, that I can see the problem from this perspective, I agree with your reasoning. My personal disappointment is only that I did not catch the error after the first time. I need to think about this some more. It is a pleasure to be here." "Cathal," replied Danny, "we kind of sucked ourselves into setting up the second scenario. Since, once we let the women be taken, we would be acting within the prime directive. My only excuse for doing this twice today is that we did not re-evaluate the second situation, after our first error was pointed out. Sarah's Clan is correct that, if we pursue our plan as laid out, it would undermine our future." "Good point." "We will make the requested changes to the plan," said Shannon. "Thank you." Everyone in the room nodded, indicating their agreement with Shannon's comments. ------- Grace and Carl were sitting alone in their suite, cuddling, when Grace let out a long sigh. "Carl, you would like to stay here, wouldn't you?" "I want to be with you and the children, so it's whatever is best for all of us. All three of you are like a breath of fresh air." "You want to do that, even though you don't know very much about me? You have told me a lot about you and what you want." "Grace, your background is what made you the person I love. What is important to me is who you are today and all of us being together." Grace drew a deep breath, before saying, "You are the first person in a long time that I feel totally comfortable with. Well, that is until I came here with you. When we arrived today, I was shocked at how comfortable these surroundings felt. There are somethings you need to know about me. However, I am afraid I will lose you when you learn more about me." Carl started to speak. "Wait, let me finish. I am more afraid that it will hurt our relationship if I don't tell you more about me, especially if we stay here." Grace paused for a few moments, and then began, "When I finished high school, I didn't know what to do. I didn't have any real goals. I was good in art and liked it, but there aren't many jobs for high school graduates in art. So I got a job waiting tables while attending night school. It was tough, especially when all of my friends were playing around and having a good time. Several girls I knew slightly always seemed to have money and nice clothes. They never seemed to mix with the others I knew from high school. Once, when they were in the restaurant where I worked, they made an off-hand comment that they knew where I could make much more money and not work nearly as hard. Several weeks later, I saw two of them going into a fancy restaurant with two men. They were really dressed to the 'T's which made them even more lovely that they already were." "To make a long story a bit shorter, I later found out they were working part-time at a dance club, and also working as call girls or escorts. They met me one day as I was leaving classes and asked me to have drink with them. Well, we went to their place. We talked a long time. The visit evolved into a sexual encounter that lasted all night. It wasn't my first experience with another woman and it was a very good experience. The next morning I was surprised at the sexual activity between us, but I couldn't deny I enjoyed all of it. I spent the next two days with them except when I had classes or they worked. They asked me to move in with them. It wasn't long until I quit my job at the restaurant and was working with them as an escort. It all happened so easily and really have no regrets. Since my evenings were usually needed for work, I switched to day classes. I danced as a stand-in for them a few times, but I didn't care for it. The companionship of going out as an escort was more intriguing and satisfying, since being an escort is more than just sex." "I worked as a call girl all the way through college. During that time, I moved to my own apartment, away from where we had our "official" apartment. Soon after college, I found a job as a commercial artist and began working there. One evening, I met a man I had known while I was working as a call girl. We had always had a good time together. We chatted for a while, then he invited me out as a friend. We went together for a long time. Both children are his. One day, after Ashley was born, he simply disappeared. It hurt. I soon realized that I didn't have any real solid contact information for him. Well that is until his picture showed up in the paper, a couple of weeks later. He had been killed in a plane crash, and the police thought it was homicide. In the paper, I read that he had a family and several children. He had never said a word about them. I felt used. Thinking about our children, I thought about trying to get some inheritance for them. The subsequent stories in the paper about his family convinced me that was not a good idea. If the stories in the paper were close to being true, I sort of understand why he did what he did." "Carl, you would make a great father for my children. The real question is do you really want a well-used slut for a spouse?" Grace had tears running down her face as she finished her monologue. Carl pulled Grace into his arms and held her tight as she cried. He caressed her, as he comforted her. Grace was surprised to feel relieved of the burden she had been hiding. Sam's words came back to her as she was crying. She thought, "I love him so much. For the life of me, I hope this works out as Sam indicated." "I love you, Grace," said Carl, with a gentle firmness that made her feel warm inside. "What you did, you did, it does not affect the love I feel for you. I can see from the way you treat others, your children and me that you would make a wonderful spouse. I sense you love me as much as I love you." Hearing those words, Grace threw her arms around Carl and began kissing him all over his face. She thought, "Oh Sam, thank you." "Grace, what has Sam got to do with us?" "Sam?" "I thought I heard you mention Sam twice in the last few minutes." "But, I didn't say ... oh." She looked at Carl for a long moment, holding his head in her hands and studying his face. "Carl, we are going to ask to stay and join this species. I know you want to do it, and it will be the best thing for us to do." "I never said that." "You didn't need to. As for Sam, right after I arrived here, she told me I needed to open up with you. She told me that if I didn't share my story it would drive us apart. Her comments shocked me, but I also knew she was right. I like it here. Ashley and Baird love it here. We should ask medical to enable our telepathic ability and schedule a session in the incubators." Carl shook his head, as he had never seen Grace this focused and relaxed. "You're sure?" "Yes, and I know you are as well." With that, they wrapped their arms around each other, as they shared a kiss. Removing the wall between them had opened them up to each other. They grew closer, as they began to express their love in caresses and kisses. It was not long before they began to build a new, and stronger bond between them, as they shared their caresses with each other. Grace pushed Carl back on the couch and began kissing his neck. She alternated between kissing and caressing his neck with her tongue. Her kisses moved to his face and then to the other side of his neck. He caressed her back and sides with his hands. Gradually, she began to kiss her way down his chest. She stopped at his nipples, to nibble and suck on each until they were hard. His cock slid over her bare chest as she planted kisses down his body. When she reached his crotch, she moved to kiss and lick the insides of his legs while she caressed his balls with her fingers. Before long, her kisses moved to his ball sack. She then licked his ball sack before sucking each orb into her mouth to caress with her tongue. Then, holding his cock upright, she licked it like a Popsicle before slipping her mouth over the crown to caress the head with her tongue. Her caresses caused Carl to groan. She squeezed his balls slightly to ease his arousal, before she began to suck and bob her head up and down on his cock. On each stroke she eased him further into her throat. She halted his arousal twice before she let him cum down her throat as she swallowed. Grace shivered as she felt a small orgasm as his hot cum flowed down her throat. Carl moaned loudly as he felt the cum explode from his cock into her throat. While he recovered, Grace licked his cock clean. Her caresses caused it to partially swell again. Carl reached down and pulled her up on top of him. When they were face to face, he kissed her with all the passion he could put into a kiss. He held her tightly to him, as he planted kisses on her face after licking her lips. After a few moments, he said, "that was wonderful. You can do that just any time your heart desires." "Thank you, kind sir," replied Grace, before kissing him again. She was startled, as she felt she was falling. It took her a moment to realize that Carl had slid them off the couch and on to the floor. He then rolled them over, so that he was on top. He then began to repeat the worship of her body, as she had done for him. First he covered her face with kisses before moving to caress each side of her neck with his lips and tongue. He moved his kisses slowly to her throat and then to her breasts. Her breasts were covered with kisses before he sucked her nipples deep into his mouth. Holding a nipple in his mouth, he caressed it with his tongue while sucking on it. His caresses added to her arousal. Her cunt was rapidly moistening as its lips swelled with arousal. Although neither noticed it the suite was now filled with their pheromones. After a few moments, he continued his kisses down her body. When he pushed his tongue into her naval, she shivered as more cream flowed from her cunt. Carl shifted, so that he could caress the inside of her thighs. The sensation of his tongue and kisses caused Grace to spread her legs, opening her cunt flower. When the lips of her flower opened, the aroma flowed out, along with copious amounts of cream. When Carl smelled her cunt, his cock began to swell and throb. He lifted her hips up slightly, as he began to dine on her pussy cream. As fast as he licked her cunt more cream flowed out. Grace had begun to gasp for breath, as her arousal began to grow more intense. She tried to push her hips to his lips. He kept caressing her cunt, dragging his tongue through the trough and over her clit, then sucking on her clit before repeating the caress. He could feel her approaching climax. When her muscles started to spasm, he placed his mouth over her slit, to drink her cream as she came. As her orgasm washed over her, he caressed her clit with his fingers. He continued to drink until she slumped quietly to the floor. He looked up to see she had passed out. He licked her cunt clean before he slid up over her. As he slid up, he licked and sucked her nipples. It took only a few moments before he felt her breathing begin to increase. He moved up to kiss her face as she woke. The crown of His cock was now fully nested between the folds of her pussy. He alternated between kissing her face and her neck. She awakened, startling him as she placed her legs behind his ass and pulled him into her. She moaned and opened her eyes, as she felt his cock slide into her body. "How long have you been awake?" asked Carl. "Did I pass out?" "Well, you certainly were still for a while. You surprised me when you pulled me in." "I'm not sure I passed out. It was more like being in a twilight zone. It was the most wonderful feeling I have ever had. Now fuck me." With that, Carl began to stroke her cunt with his cock. The feeling was intense. Much more intense than they ever remembered. "Faster," she cried, as she pushed her hips up to meet each of his thrusts. It took them only a few moments until their orgasms broke over them and his cum squirted into her hot cunt. This time both of them became light-headed, as they went rigid at the crest of their mutual orgasm. Carl rested on his elbows to keep most of his weight off of Grace. He watched her face as her eyes gradually opened and her breathing returned to normal. "I love you with all my heart," said both at the same time. She reached up and pulled his head down so she could kiss him. They shared kisses for a few moments. "I have never had such satisfying sex with anyone," said Grace. "I can say the same. You are a blessing to me. I love you." "I love you." Carl lay down closer to Grace and then rolled them over so she was on top. Both were surprised that Carl's cock was still tightly filling her cunt. They lay there together, enjoying the closeness they felt for each other. "I like being this close to you," said Grace after a few moments. Just as Carl opened his mouth to speak, the door to the suite opened. Grace looked up to see Ashley, Baird, Sam and Kelsey enter the suite. Grace began to blush. "What are you guys doing?" said Ashley. "It smells in here!" "Ashley," said Kelsy, "your parents have been demonstrating their love for each other. Why don't you and Baird go freshen up for bed." Kelsey went to the bathroom with the other two, and soon returned with a towel for Grace. "Thanks," said Grace, as she took the towel. She held the towel under her as she lifted off Carl's partially swollen cock. It surprised her that very little cum leaked out of her cunt. She had risen up on her knees when Carl said, "Hold still a moment." He quickly turned around and pressed his mouth to her cunt. The shock caused her to relax, letting their cream flow into his mouth. It was so much she saw him swallow once before he broke the seal against her cunt. Carl rose to kneel in front of her. As they kissed, he shared their mixed cream with her through the kiss. At first she was surprised, but she was also pleased. They had just finished kissing when the children came back into the room. "Mom," said Ashley, "are we staying here?" Grace looked at Baird, and he nodded yes, looking a bit apprehensive. "Carl and I have been talking about it. Would you like to?" "Yes!" shouted both Ashley and Baird. "We think we will. Now it's time for bed. So tell everyone goodnight." They watched the two children give everyone a hug and kiss before going to their room. "You two looked like you had a good time," said Sam, grinning. "We enjoyed Ashley and Baird's company and would do it again." "Thank you," said Grace with Carl nodding his agreement. "Actually, Sam I am deeply indebted to you." Her comment caused a puzzled look on Sam's face. "We both are," added Carl. "You don't remember," said Grace. Sam shook her head. "When I arrived, you gave me some advice. Although in thinking about what was said, you may not have realized it. Anyway, I took it." As she said the last, she looked at Carl and smiled. "It has given us a new sense of each other." With that, both Carl and Grace stood up. Grace pulled Sam to her and kissed her, pushing thoughts of thankfulness towards her. When she released Sam, Carl hugged and kissed her as well. Seeing Kelsey looking a little lost, Grace pulled her into a hug and kiss. When their kiss finished, Grace pushed her into Carl's arms, since he and Sam had just separated. "Wow," said Kelsey, "with that kind of thanks, we will watch your children any time, although, if it becomes too frequent, we may raise our fees." As she said that, she ran her hand over Carl's slightly swollen cock and her fingers through Grace's cunt. Kelsey was surprised at how wet her fingers were. She started to wipe them on the towel, but licked them clean instead, saying, "Tastes good, too," as she wiggled her eyebrows. Her antics caused everyone to laugh. "She does taste good," said Carl, as he pulled Grace tightly next to him. He looked at Sam and Kelsey for a moment. "If you want to raise your fees, then we need to talk about it." Kelsey started to speak. "I know you intended it to be a jest. I think Grace agrees with me. We like both of you, in fact it is true for all four of you. We would like to build on that friendship. How deep our friendship becomes, we will have to see." Kelsey and Sam stepped toward them, and pulled them into a group hug. Sam looked at Kelsey, sensing her thoughts. "We would like our relationship to be as close and as comfortable for all of us," said Sam. "We need to go," said Kelsey. "We'll see you tomorrow." "You sensed something," said Grace, as she watched the two women leave. She was surprised because she felt like she wanted them to stay. "Yes, I did," replied Carl, "and so did you. I think it will take some time for all of us to figure this out. Perhaps it will be clearer once we enable our telepathy." "We're telepathic?" "I would be very surprised if we are not. Whether we have any psionic ability is another question. I don't have a clue as to the answer." "Hm ... I think I will like sharing thoughts with you, and for a long, long time." They put their arms around each other, as they walked back to their bedroom. ------- Chapter 103 Alpha1 and Alpha2 made a slow circle of the Irish Isles, in order to give everyone a view of their destination. Once they had completed the circle, Maureen contacted Ireland's ATC and identified both their craft, indicating their position, transponder code and destination. After a few minutes, they were given instructions for entering the traffic flow to Dublin's airport. Maureen looked over at Rusty and said, "The link Siobhan and I have makes it seem like we are flying both craft. I would like to do more of this." "Siobhan is doing well at the controls of the other shuttle. But I know what you mean, since I can see the link between the two of you and with the AIs. Actually, both of you are pretty impressive." "Thanks, " they both responded. Maureen and Siobhan maintained their relative positions, as they made their approach to Dublin airport. When they were over the runway, they asked ground control which was the preferred taxiway. They were told to use any taxiway past the halfway point. When they reached the taxiway, they switched to single file, as they followed GC instructions to the VIP ramp. "It looks like everything is at a standstill," said Joyce. "I expect that everyone is watching us," replied Sarah. Once in position on the VIP ramp, the two shuttles settled down to allow the stairs to be positioned just above the ground. The doors of both shuttles opened simultaneously, and after a few moments, the members of the Command Staff began to exit both shuttles. They timed it so that both groups would reach the Uachtarán na hÉireann simultaneously. As they warmly greeted the President in Celtic, each of the Command Staff introduced themselves. Siobhan and Rusty then walked with President Shonnesy past the Honor Guard, closely followed by Maureen, Sarah, Joyce, Tara, Maeve and Aoife as they proceeded into the arrival reception area. They were followed by the choir and security team members. Briana and Adam approached the head of Óglaigh na nÉlreann, their national police. After introducing themselves, they asked if they could have a word in private. Once they were off to the side, Briana told him that the two of them were heading up their security detail. When he heard that, he motioned for another person to join them. When the man arrived, he was introduced as Commander Egan O'Reilly, who would be their contact during their visit. Together, the four of them reviewed the security plans they had worked out before the arrival. As they were finishing, Egan said with a perplexed look, "Are you the only two handling the security?" "No. There are six others mingling in the room," replied Briana, "that have our group's security as their primary focus." "How do you plan on dividing up the detail when the choir and the Command Staff are involved in separate events?" "There will be one or two of us with Command Staff and the rest will be with the choir." "You seem to think the choir is more at risk?" "Yes, according to the most recent intelligence information we have, that is the case. Bear in mind that Command Staff is as proficient in defense as the security team, if not more so. Many of the choir members are also reserve security team members." "I don't remember you giving any indication of an increased risk." "We became aware of the potential about two weeks ago," replied Briana. "It is only in the last day or two that it has crystallized as a definite threat. Our apologies if we made an error, but we felt we should wait until it had some substance." "It would be helpful from our standpoint if we knew more about this threat." "We have some time tomorrow morning, and this is not a good place to say much more," replied Briana. "Our information indicates the incident will not occur until we leave for Clifden. Could you have breakfast with us in the morning in our suite?" "Sure. What time?" "Well, with what is planned for today, let's plan on 9 AM, as I suspect we will all be up late. I believe Command Staff is to have a late lunch tomorrow with members of parliament. The choir has an afternoon rehearsal and an evening performance. So we will all be in the suite all morning. All of us will go to each of the performances." "Do you want our people to stay with you all the time?" "If they can, that way we will be less likely to create an incident, since we are not familiar with your laws." "They are prepared to do that, and are all former special forces members. With the phone numbers I gave you earlier, you can reach me at anytime. Tomorrow night, I will be at the theater in the audience, as my family wanted to see the performance." "Let us know when you arrive at the theater tomorrow night. Right now, we ought to be walking around." "Yes, that is true for all of us," said the Chief. With that, they began to mingle with the crowd. ------- It was approaching midnight when the group from Dóchas returned to The Gresham Hotel. It had been a busy day. The reception at the airport lasted longer than they expected. Once they arrived at the hotel, they had just enough time to get settled and practice, before getting ready for the evening's activity. After dinner with the members of Taoiseach and his cabinet, the choir gave a shortened version of what they had planned for their concerts. To add a special flavor, they had sung two songs that would not be in the concerts. They had all enjoyed the day, but all of them missed being at home. As they were waiting for the elevator, Sarah said, "Could all of you come to our suite for a bit?" Everyone responded affirmatively. "We want to conference with the Intelligence Department, and would like some background sounds while we do it." "So you think our suites are bugged," asked Laurin. "We haven't found any," replied Briana. "However, considering everything, we think it would be wise to assume there are still some that we haven't found. We will continue to monitor the room, to see if we can detect any hidden microphones." When they reached their private floor, the choir and security team dropped their things in their rooms before going to Command Staff's suite. Several brought a musical instrument, while others brought a game. Once everyone was in the suite, Sarah tapped a glass. The room was soon very quiet. "We are very pleased with your performance this evening," the Command Staff said together. "It was one of the best, if not the best you have given." They then gave the group a small bow, together. "Yea, but Joyce and Sam were off key all evening," said Laurin, loudly. "We were not!" they replied. That began a loud teasing session, as they chided each other about the small mistakes they had each made that were never noticed by the audience. Command Staff smiled, as the noise would suit their purpose perfectly. "Well, Shannon and Danny, how are things developing?" asked Rusty, as the Command Staff in Ireland telepathically linked with those on Dóchas. "We know all of you are tired," replied Shannon, "so we thought we would summarize today's events, and include our response as we go along." "That's fine." "Our two bots and their friends were kidnapped this evening, while on their side trip. They were given a drug at a night spot. The drug made them very receptive to suggestions. The bots sensed the change, and went along with their friends' reaction to the drug. They will have to remain very alert, since their systems do not react to the biologically based drugs. Their tracking devices are working. Currently, the four are in a van with a number of other women. The van is headed toward the Fudan estate. They are being given more food and drink in the van, which is also laced with drugs. The van will be at the estate by mid-morning." "Besides making them submissive, what are the other effects of the drugs?" asked Joyce. "The medical staff is assessing that now," replied Muireann. "Cathan's team will intercept the van just after midnight," said Danny. "The van will be stopped just as a line of thunderstorms moves across the area. A lightning strike near the van will, apparently, cause the engine to quit. At that point, the team plan to show themselves. Once they have control of the two bandits, those in the van will be released. While the captives remain in the shuttle, they will be given an antidote to the submissive drug. Once Cathan's team is back in the shuttle, they will go to Comrie." Shannon continued, "With respect to the estate, we have come to the conclusion that there is some kind of electronic shield keeping us from communicating with our drones. Our engineering wizards think it is a passive device with the same shape as the building. The strong weather front that passes over the van also will pass over the estate. As it passes over the estate, its intensity will increase, and a severe electrical storm will take place, with the buildings being struck multiple times. We are going to use this as a cover to place repeaters for the drones transmissions." "We take it this fits with the weather events of the area? How are you going to place the repeaters without them being seen?" "Yes, the storm will be on the severe side once over the estate. As for the repeaters, engineering will create openings in the corners of the shielded area that won't be detected without physical inspection. Once repeaters are placed, they will appear to be part of the building corners. The repeaters will improve the quality and rate of data transmission which will be a great help." "Our drone in the Fudan President's office picked up a conversation regarding a weapons dealer. From what was said, they believe he is stiffing them. They are planning on getting even, but didn't go into details. They are apparently holding the arms dealer's mistress/office manager, and have been interrogating her. We think the other man in the conversation with the President el-Ohssa was his security chief. The security chief made the comment that it didn't take much to get her to talk. He told how they had placed her in a cell with a window facing the interrogation room and let her watch several others being interrogated. The man laughed as he continued to tell about the mistress's interrogation. It only took removing her two little fingers, one joint at a time, until she answered questions without hesitation. They sent her to the estate after she signed her confession, and committed herself to working there in order to avoid going to prison. Before they sent her to the estate, the security chief said they had removed the ring finger on each hand." "So, they mutilate people the same way the group in Afghanistan did?" "The amputation was apparently a part of her sentence. A comment was made about a party, but the drone's data from the President's home doesn't indicate any special preparations. It found a high-quality video link with the estate. In one room of his home there is large flat panel monitor, along with a large padded platform, several large cages, an assortment of restraints and other similar equipment. Our drones also found a room containing cages, and several of the cages held a person. At this point, we don't think the party will be at the President's home." "The estate appears to be expecting a large number of visitors, as sand was cleared off more of the paved area, which increased the parking area." "The arms dealer has been at the estate for the last two days. During that time, he has spent a lot time making calls to Ireland. From those conversations, it is clear he is arranging for a group to kidnap some of you. We are trying to clearly identify who has been hired to do this. The kidnapping is to take place while you are traveling to Clifden. They intend to take those kidnapped to a plane waiting at a nearby airport. Using this scenario, we have identified a couple of locations on the highway to Clifden where this is most likely to occur. In doing a background check on the arms dealer, we found that his office manager has not been in the office for more than two weeks. The arms dealer's wife, two daughters and son also left on vacation over two weeks ago on a private corporate jet." "Seems to be a pretty strong coincidence. How old are the children?" "Yes, it seems very likely that the arms dealer at the estate is the same one mentioned in the Fudan President's office. We are still trying to track his family's movements, but they left by private jet, so we don't have a lot to go on. As for age, late teens to early 20's." "Pat said to tell you that they are ready either to provide support in Ireland or move against the estate, as needed. They will do a run-through of the plan for the estate tonight, up to the point where they enter the estate. He said the teams are doing very well. So well, that he thinks they could do a similar mission from scratch without any major problems." "That is comforting, I hope we never need to commit them to a mission like this." "I think he was speaking in a broader context than the estate. It seemed to us that he meant the teams were now connected so well that they could do a mission successfully on an ad hoc basis, with minimal risk to the teams and a high chance of success." "Good. Anything else?" "No, I don't think so. We would like to have more information on the group in Ireland." "We told Commander O'Reilly," said Adam, "that we had information that a group in Ireland was a threat to our safety. We indicated that this group appeared to be planning to kidnap some our group, after we left Dublin, for Clifden. He told us they didn't have any intelligence indicating a threat toward us, and asked to see the information. We asked him to join us for breakfast tomorrow morning at 9 AM, at which time we plan on sharing the information we have." "Okay. We can summarize what we have and send it to you before your meeting, if you would like?" "That would be great. How soon could we give them all the data?" "We will continue to update the information as we get more that we can either confirm or feel is reliable. So you may want to give them what we have, and tell them we will probably have more details over the next several days." "What is the status of our information package regarding the estate," asked Sarah. "If we need it, we don't expect to have much time." "It is coming together. Right now, it would take us several hours to have it ready for you. We expect that by noon-time tomorrow we should have it organized enough that we can keep it current and can get it transferred to you in less than 30 minutes." "Great. Let's call it a night." She turned to look at the group, then motioned with her hands that it was time to go to bed. With that, the group began to say good night and share hugs before leaving for their rooms. ------- A lone van moved across the dark arid plains of Western Africa. To the east, its drivers could see the approaching weather front, outlined by line of clouds filled with nearly continuous lightning. Even though it was nearly midnight, the lightning in the clouds silhouetted their rolling movement. As the front moved toward them, the flashes of lightning lit the area around the van, making it as bright as day. Gusts of winds buffeted the van, causing it to slow down in order to stay on the road. The occupants were fascinated by the light displays from the approaching storm. The two bandits kept glancing at the storm with growing apprehension, since there was no place to take cover. All of them could see the lightning striking the ground, as the clouds moved toward them. As the clouds passed overhead, there were two lightning strikes just in front of the van. The thunderclaps were deafening, enhancing the quiet that followed. It took a few moments before the bandits noticed the engine had quit and the van had stopped. Both swore, but before they could move, some of Cathan's team in tactical suits appeared in front of the van. The van's front doors were jerked open by members of the tactical team, and the two bandits were pulled from their seats. During this time, not a word was said by Cathan's group, as the two bandits were forced to stand in front of the van. The bandits shivered in fear, as they looked at the large human forms with shinny domes for heads. Two security team members held each bandit. "Strip them," came the harsh voice from Caoilinn. A team member stepped in front of each bandit and cut their clothes from them. They let the shredded clothes fall in a pile at their feet. "Take off your shoes, now," said Sal, in their language. Both bandits were released and quickly slipped off their shoes, adding them to the pile of shredded clothes. When they stood back up, their knees were shaking and their skin was covered in goose bumps. The quiet tension was broken when the bandits began to urinate on their shoes and the rags that were once their clothes. "Mark them," said Melanie. A team member held each bandit's head, while a tattoo was placed on each cheek. The tattoo spelled 'pimp' in their native language. In several days, the tattoo would appear as if it was a brand, scarring the skin. While some of the team were dealing with the bandits, the others were assisting the captives out of the van. These team members had changed their suit settings, so that their helmets were transparent. Once everyone was out of the van, the security team members hugged the two bots and were introduced to their two friends. "Come with us," said Abbie to the two bots, as she reached out to hold their hands. As they moved toward the shuttle, their two friends and the others they had released from the van, followed along. Abbie stepped through the door into the shuttle, with the rest of the group following them. Sal told the security team to pull back to the shuttle. As they moved back toward the shuttle, the area around the van darkened and the wind picked up again, as the storm reasserted itself. A strong gust of wind caused the van to rock and sent the bandits' clothes and shoes tumbling into the darkness. It began to hail, as the shuttle lifted quietly away. The shuttle was clearly illuminated by the flashes of lightning. ------- Commander O'Reilly joined Briana and Adam for breakfast, along with several members of the Irish Security detail. Over breakfast in their suite, Briana and Adam shared all the details they had on the group in Ireland that were planning the abduction. After discussing several scenarios, it was decided to just monitor the group's activities, until the group began to assemble for the abduction. Briana told them she expected to have more information and leads for them before they left for Clifden. With the taped conversations and a description of the weapons they were planning to use, Irish National Police had more than enough evidence to arrest the group along, with the pilots they had arranged to hire. Briana passed a summary of their meeting onto the Intelligence, Security and Command Staffs. She advised everyone that this had not changed any of their operational plans for the visit. ------- "Looks like the van has arrived at the estate," said Lydia, to the Intelligence Department staff. Other members of the staff joined her watching the screen. "How did the download from the drones go?" asked Danny, as he walked into the room. "Perfect," replied Muireann. "We lost some information from the first drones, because they were beginning to rewrite their memory. Fortunately, they were programmed to do so selectively. The AIs are sorting through the information now. We now have dynamic links with all the drones." "So if we needed to go in, Pat's teams could go in now?" "Yes, but there are some parts of the complex we don't yet have data on. We know from the information our drones collected that there are other captives in the complex. It is still not clear where they are." "What the heck is that?" said Cathal, as he saw the monitor. "Oh, that is the arrival area at the estate," replied Lydia. "The van that was carrying our 2 family members and crew candidates is just arriving." "So we are able to communicate with the drones now?" "Yes," replied Danny. "Lydia, why don't set that video stream to record, so we can look at some of the video we obtained last night." ------- When Cathal arrived in the security team's practice area, everyone stopped and looked at him. "Pat, we are still running this event as a drill, correct?" "Yes, but I have made an adjustment in team assignments and added a team. You will go with Cathan's team, as you expected. Cathan's team is now assigned the President of Fuda's home. Edana, Caoilinn, Darcy, and Nicola's clans are assigned to the estate. Any questions about assignments?" "No, sir!" responded everyone. "Let's not go overboard," replied, Pat with a smile. "We aren't, SIR!" With that, the group began to laugh, as their laughter released the tension that had begun to build. "Tonight we will go through the entire plan, right up to zero hour minus 15 minutes. After that, we will come back here and review what we did." "Good," replied Cathal, "by the way, Caoilinn's Clan, you should have heard the two kidnappers trying to tell those at the estate what happened to their captives. The story of the captives and their rescuers disappearing into a lighted door in the middle of nowhere wasn't believed. I can't understand why, since I saw it happen!" "Yea," replied Caoilinn, "and would you have believed it, without seeing it happen?" "Sure, there is magic in this world. People disappear through doorways all the time." "Okay, we admit it. You guys had a good idea in letting them see the lighted doorway of the cloaked shuttle." "Can you imagine trying to tell anyone on Earth about what they saw," said Nicola. "Or trying to explain the brands that will soon appear on their faces?" "No," replied several. "How do you guys feel about your new teammates?" asked Pat, looking at Cathal and his friends. "Well, I never thought I would say this," said Brad, "but sometimes we are so connected that it feels like I am looking at myself. It could get confusing, however they have boobs, and I don't." Several chuckled at his comment, but the four others who were working with bot extensions nodded in agreement. "We can talk to medical," said Lynn, " I am sure they can give you a nice set of boobs when you use the incubator. You would look kind of different, with a rack like ours and a big cock." Brad turned red, as those around him chuckled. "Don't worry, we would still love you." "I am not sure about having boobs," said Brad, and then added, "Ladies, if you want me to have tits, then I will." "We like you just the way you are," responded all of his female friends, along with the two bots. "We do like the idea of you having a little larger cock." "I think you can save that discussion for another time," said Kaelee. "We need to run through the video simulations again, with the updated information." With that, Cathal, Casey, Brad, Eric and Charles stepped into their suits and then enabled the additional links with their bots and with the bots' tactical suits. The rest of the group went to their positions, along with their tactical suit AI. This put everyone into a virtual domain similar to what they would experience on their mission. They ran through the mission several times. Each time was slightly different, since the data supporting the virtual environment was constantly being updated by the Intelligence Department. Each scenario they ran included different responses by those at the estate and President's home. ------- It was fifteen minutes before the curtain would go up for the first performance of the Beyond the Stars Choir. Everyone was nervous. Surprisingly, they were nervous about how the audience would respond, and not about their performance. Just before they were to step up on the risers in preparation for the curtain rising, Maeve brought Samuel and Pamela, the music critics from back in Grand View, onto the stage. "Look who I found in the lobby," gushed Maeve. Seeing Samuel and Pamela, all the choir members went over to say hi and exchange hugs. They had barely finished, when the chime sounded three times, signaling that the curtain was about to rise. "We need to go to our seats," said Samuel. "You guys will be great," said Pamela, as she left with Samuel and Maeve, to join the others in the audience. As the three moved offstage, Maeve said, "Come with me. You will sit in our box, with us." The three reached the box just as the curtain was being raised. On arriving, Maeve gave Samuel and Pamela a quick introduction to Egan O'Reilly and his family. Just as everyone was seated, Sam and Joyce stepped forward from the choir. "Good evening," said Sam and Joyce, in Gaelic. "Thank you for coming to our first public performance on Earth. This evening, we will present the music of our home. We think you will find the rhythm very familiar, as it is quite similar to old Celtic music. Our native language is very similar to old Celtic as spoken here in Ireland, as well as Wales, Brittany and Scotland." "We will tell you more about us and our music as the performance progresses. For this evening's performance, we will sing most of our songs in both Celtic or Gaelic and English. Why in two languages? We suspect that some of you are not as fluent in Celtic or Gaelic as you are in English. Let us begin." With that, Sam and Joyce stepped back to take their positions among the choir, while the musicians played the opening for the first song. The performance was planned so they would sing two songs and then two members of the choir would give a short presentation. In each presentation, they would talk about up coming songs and tell the audience more about their background. During the performance, the presentations varied between solos, duets or small groups, with the rest of the choir acting as the chorus. This gave everyone in the choir a chance to be in the spotlight. Every song drew a hearty round of applause. After the last song, as Sam and Joyce introduced each of the choir members, they each received a standing ovation. When the curtain closed and the lights came up for the final time, all of the choir could feel that the performance was a success. It just felt good. It was only moments until those from Command Staff joined them backstage. Along with them were Egan O'Reilly, his family, Samuel and Pamela, along with the reinforced security detail. "You have done exceptionally well," said Sarah, just as someone started tapping on a bottle, making ringing sound. "Beyond the Stars, " said Samuel, "you gave an outstanding performance this evening. We are certain that your performance here will be remembered for a long time. There are many reasons for this. One is that your phrasing was perfect in each of the languages you sang. Another is you were able to project the emotions expressed in the words." "Thank you," the choir said together. Egan added, "Your friend is correct. This evening's performance was even better than the one you gave after dinner last night. My wife, children and I wish to thank you for blessing us with your performance. We wish to thank, Maeve, Sarah and the others for inviting us to join them both in their box, and now, back here. This is a night we will long remember." Just as Egan finished speaking, he felt a tug on his sleeve and looked down. His daughter asked, "Did you ask them where we could get a CD of the music?" She spoke in one of those quiet moments, with her voice carrying across the stage and out into the theater itself. Orla surprised O'Reilly's daughter by quickly drawing her into a hug, and said, "We don't have any made yet, but we will make sure you receive the first one." The young girl pulled on Orla's hand, indicating that she wanted her to lean down. When Orla leaned down, the young lady promptly kissed her cheek. "Thank you. You sure are pretty." "Thank you." "I would like to be tall and pretty like you when I grow up." "I'm sure you will be pretty, just like your mother. Let's go see if we can find something over here to eat. I am starved. How about you?" Once everyone had something to eat, they began to get ready to go back to the hotel, as they were all tired. It had been a long day. ------- The choir's performances were well received in many musical reviews. After the last performance, the Command Staff contingent and choir were on there way to Clifden when Sara said, "Siobhan, the scenery is beautiful. I am really glad you suggested this side trip to Clifden." "When I was growing up, I heard many stories about how beautiful the scenery was here. Now it seems they were, if anything, understated. I am thankful we had the opportunity to do this. I wonder if we will find a new planet with areas as beautiful as this." "I am sure we will," said Aoife. "The beautiful places on Earth will have a special place in our hearts, as will the other places we visit in the universe." The group visiting Ireland from Dóchas watched the scenery pass by, as their buses made their way across Ireland. Early that morning the National Police had arrested the group that had been hired to kidnap them. During the arrest, several of the gang resisted and died in the exchange of gun fire. Fortunately, none of the policeman were injured. O'Reilly's staff was pleased with the information they received from the Dóchas Intelligence Department. The information had provided key bits of information needed to obtain the preliminary indictments and subsequent arrest warrants against the gang, and those sponsoring their efforts. The Ministry of Justice had also issued an arrest warrant for the arms dealer. "Command Staff," said Briana, "the National Police have just arrested the pilots and several others who were waiting, at the plane, for the kidnappers. The plane is registered to the owner of the estate in Africa, and it has been seized by the Ministry of Justice." "Good," said Maureen. "It was really nice of the National Police to provide us with an escort to Clifden. We ought to do something for them." "Well," said Siobhan, "since the shuttles will pick us up outside of Clifden, we could give them a ride." "How about we send them a DVD of the choirs performances and a poster size photo?" replied Maureen. "Although in light of Orla's promise, we need to make sure Egan's daughter receives the first." "For the six that have basically stayed with us 24 hours a day since we arrived," said Sarah, "let's invite them to visit Dóchas for a day or two. If it is convenient for them, we could pick them and a significant other up on the way home from Glasgow." "Great, idea." said the group. "Of course, we will give them each a DVD, as well." "Choir," said Joyce, "I was given a business card after the last concert, by a music publisher. His company is interested in publishing our music. How do we feel about this?" "We need to check them out first," replied Briana. "I think I would like that," replied Laurin, "if the CD's or DVD's were high quality, and the list price was only sufficient to cover the production cost plus a reasonable profit, regardless of demand." "Suits me," said many of the choir. "How can we ensure that he keeps his part of the bargain?" "I think we can figure out something," said Cass. "Hey, why not let GISS or their law firm monitor their performance?" "Good idea," replied Joyce. "I was really surprised by the number of encores we were asked to do," said Laurin. "I think we could have sung all night and they would still be asking for more." "The written reviews were very favorable," replied Briana. "I was glad to see Samuel and Pamela again. They really seem to be becoming a pair." "Yes. They were at the first two concerts." "I think they returned to Grand View after that." ------- Chapter 104 It was mid-afternoon of their fourth day in Ireland when they arrived at Abbeyglen Castle Hotel. After checking in, they spent the rest of the afternoon sightseeing in Clifden. They found several spots where they could look out over the ocean. The group returned to Abbeyglen Castle for dinner and to watch the sunset. The sunset was spectacular, as it provided a full range of vibrant reds and oranges. "Command Staff," said Shannon, "is now a good time for an update?" "Yes, I think so. We are sitting in the lounge at Abbeyglen Castle Hotel, relaxing after a very good meal. What's new?" "We have the briefing document for the Fuda estate complete. Their leader is named al-Sharghi. He is the one who we had heard referred to as Master. He knows about the arrest of the bandits in Ireland, and has been discussing it with President el-Ohssa and his security chief. Our thwarting their kidnapping scheme has put them in a bind. Their guests were promised a chance bid on some very exotic new women this weekend. Our choir members were to be the exotic women at their slave auction tomorrow night. They know they will lose some face with their customers, and are working on an alternate plan to entertain the customers tomorrow evening, while minimizing their embarrassment." "Do you know what they are now planning?" "Not for certain, since they have discussed several options. They seem to be focusing on two alternatives. One is to sell some 'select' captives now, rather than waiting until they are fully conditioned. The other is to publicly punish someone whom they believe has been stealing from them. Those punished would include both the thief's family and associates." "What is meant by 'select'?" "We are not exactly sure what they mean by 'select'. One thought is a person who, as a slave, would bring a special prestige to their owner." Muireann added, "We think that the thief they have been referring to is the arms dealer. However, we have not identified his family or his office manager as being among those at the estate. The estate is quite a maze of corridors and rooms, so we are not certain we have found everyone and everything." "Have you been able to identify any of the captives?" asked Sarah. "Yes. Actually, we have been able to identify nearly all them, as well as some of the estate's slaves and several members of their staff. Several of the captives are crew candidates that we had interviewed and lost contact with. There are a few captives who could be considered public figures: that is, they have been seen in movies, sports, or were featured in the news for something." "Could the public figures be the ones they referred to as 'select'?" "That makes a lot of sense, as it would likely give the slave's owner the prestige of owning someone famous as their personal sex slave or toy. It would likely impress many among this group, and possibly their circle of friends. With the conditioning and control they do, the victim would willingly comply with their owner's wishes in any circumstance, even a situation where escape would be possible." "This conditioning must take some time. How could they risk selling the choir so quickly?" "By setting a minimum bid and including custom augmentation and conditioning." "Augmentation?" "According to the records we've found, they will modify anyone to suit the owner. They modify all of the captives to increase their value at auction. The augmentations are similar to the what the Chosen Ones did, except that they appear to do whatever the owner is willing to pay for." "How many captives are there?" asked Briana. "We know there are more than 200 that are being actively conditioned to be sex toys, " replied Lydia. "Of those, twenty are men. Over half of them are westerners, but there are captives from almost every ethnic group on Earth. The ethnic diversity of the males is greater and they are all well-endowed. There is a group of nearly a hundred who appear to have completed their conditioning. Once a captive's conditioning is complete, the staff use them as performers in sex and bondage films. In trying to piece together how they operate, it appears that as many as 100 could be sold at this auction." "Are you saying there are others, besides those being conditioned for sale?" "Yes. There are at least five dozen women and two dozen men who are, apparently, kept at the estate for use by guests, the president's body guards, and, occasionally, the staff. A significant number of the male slaves have large breasts. Many have suffered some amputation. The most common mutilation among the estate slaves is that portions of their limbs are missing. It is usually the loss of the ring and little fingers on both hands or, sometimes, the whole hand. Many are also missing their front teeth." "Wow. So they are holding nearly 400 people in the complex. It is amazing they can do this without being detected by any of the world's intelligence or law enforcement agencies." "Well, they covered that by listing this location as a medium-security confinement area operated by the Fuda government. If someone discovers one of the captives is in Fuda and pushes the issue with law enforcement, the records show that the captive has been caught violating one of the country's laws. There is a signed confession by the captive on file, stating they have committed the crime and begging forgiveness, since they did not do it intentionally. There is also a signed document showing that they pleaded for the court to let them serve their sentence at the estate, rather than be sent to the country's main prison. A third signed document lists the requirements a captive must agree to before working at the estate. It is cleverly worded so that the captive has agreed to be a resident of Fuda, to submit to any treatments provided at the estate and to abide by any instructions given by the staff or their designates. In none of the documents is a length of sentence stated." "In searching the records in the capital, we can find only two recorded instances of inquires regarding a captive. One was from a law enforcement agency, and they were told the person was serving a sentence for violating one of the country's laws. A second was made personally at the office by an investigator. He was basically told the same thing as the law enforcement agency, but he asked more questions about the information he was given. A news article notes a foreigner dying the next day in an accident, who happens to have the same name as the investigator. Indications are that he was taken to the estate." "What were the crimes they confessed to?" asked Aoife. "Primarily entering the country illegally and public nudity." "You're kidding." "Nope. Bear in mind that wearing a western style of light summer dress would be considered public nudity." "Is our evidence strong enough to negate these documents?," said Rusty. "We went over it with James and Clarence. They believe the documents were signed after the women were partially conditioned. Also, we have recorded comments from the Fuda Court's office staff that these records are simply filed, and don't really come from a court hearing." "How did you get the comments?" asked Sarah. "We had a couple of our more human looking family members work in the office as new employees. The employees were encouraged to talk about the office activities. Once we knew how it was organized, several others went in after hours and searched the files. We found a similar set of files at the estate and are still working on those. Comparing what we have seen of the two set of files, we are certain each captive was at the estate for some time before the documents were placed in the court's files." "Going straight to the British with this is not a good idea, since we are in Ireland," said Sarah. "I think we should call the Irish Prime Minister now and tell him what we have found. While doing that, we can suggest a possible course of action, such as informing the British. Briana and Adam, probably should contact O'Reilly and bring him up to date on this." "So you're thinking, " said Rusty, "that he will go along with sharing this with the Brits." "My sense of him," said Aoife, "is that he will be as angry as we were when we first ran across one of these situations. His concern will be how to act within his constraints. Suggesting a joint covert operation with the Brits, will probably let him act the way he would like to." "Briana and Adam," said Rusty, "contact O'Reilly and bring him up to date on the Fuda captives and their link to the bandits. Be sure to let him know that we are also contacting the Irish Prime Minister." "Muireann, when Eric contacts his British friend in SAS," said Rusty, "Eric should tell him that the Irish National Police have been made aware of the situation. He should emphasize that many of the captives hold UK passports." "Will do." "Command Staff," said Danny, "it looks like the situation will be more dynamic tomorrow. How do you want to handle updates?" "I think the way you started out this evening," replied Rusty. "Depending upon circumstances, you may need to just update those of us who are available. It would nice, though not really necessary, for all of us to be in this link each time. We always have been, but circumstances may change that. Also, we need to include the mentors." "We have been," said Aine. "Both Creidne and Fidelma feel that, with the current situation being this fluid, your five teams should be positioned at the estate in Fuda before dusk tomorrow. Your statement last week regarding the prime directive was right on. We are pleased that you are bringing the Irish into the loop. It could complicate things somewhat, but should build our relationship with the Irish government." "Shannon, tell Pat to have the teams ready to move on a moment's notice, tomorrow," replied Sarah, as she nodded to the Command Staff members at Abbeyglen. She could tell by the looks on their faces that they had heard the same message she had. The implication was that this could be an exception to their prime directive, and they might have to effect the rescue themselves. "Good evening, Mr. Prime Minister," said Siobhan in Gaelic. "My apologies for calling so late, but within the last several hours our Intelligence Department have determined the intent of the group in Fuda, Africa who were involved in the kidnapping attempt." Siobhan told the PM about the data they had found out concerning the group in Fuda. When he heard that the captives were to be sold the next evening, he reacted as Aoife had anticipated. Siobhan told him that Briana and Adam were, at that moment, talking to O'Reilly. He firmly requested Briana and Adam to come to his home immediately with the information and said that he would have O'Reilly, the head of National Police and Irish Defense Force there, as well. Siobhan advised that they would be there in about 10 minutes. ------- "Command Staff," said Muireann, as Command Staff was just waking up, "al-Sharghi met earlier his staff member in charge of the shows. They have decided to have the normal sex show during dinner. This will be followed by the scheduled auction. In place of the portion of the evening where they planned to auction some members of the chorus, they will have a special sex show, followed by an auction of two dozen 'select' captives. We have confirmed what they meant by 'select' captives. They are all semi-public figures who will bring a unique prestige to the slave's owner, even though many can't be seen in public." "What do you mean?" "Our guesses last night were very close. The 'select' captives have appeared in movies, were sports figures or were in the news. All of them are, needless to say, quite beautiful." "So they have movie stars?" "Yes, a male and a female. Both have played significant roles in movies, but are not widely known. There are also several daughters and wives of politicians, that were supposedly killed in accidents." "Wow." "Later, in a meeting with the arms dealer, al-Sharghi told him he was disappointed that the kidnapping did not go as planned, since selling the women from the space ship was to have been the centerpiece of this evening's activities. As a substitute, he was told that they would have a special event this evening which everyone would find exciting, each for different reasons. He asked the arms dealer to accompany him as he went to see how the conditioning of several recent captives was progressing. The arms dealer seemed a little shocked by the request, but went with al-Sharghi." "Eric received a response from his friend just a little while ago," said Danny. "His friend's said he wished he had intelligence data this good all the time. He said is expecting a call shortly, and asked for more information regarding the Fudan estate. He had an associate working on confirming the names and circumstances of those among the missing that have British passports." "Good. We understand the Irish Prime Minister called the British Prime Minister late last night," said Sarah. "James or Clarence, do you have any thoughts concerning the best way to broach this topic with the British Prime Minister, since we feel a little awkward." "The situation is awkward," replied Clarence. "This is especially true since you have never met the British PM, but the Irish Prime Minister's call has probably reduced the awkwardness a little. With that in mind, you need to just lay out the facts, and offer to send someone with the information." "Thanks. Anything else?" "We plan to have five security teams in position late this afternoon. Pat said the optimum time for operation to begin would be when the banquet begins. We believe the evening's activities will begin at dusk and follow this schedule: Seminars on S&M, using the estate's slaves, in the large reception area. Dinner will be held in the main auditorium, while sex shows are being performed. After dinner, will be the auctions, which we expect will begin at around half past 8. By the time they start the auction, we expect to have released all of the captives and slaves that are not in the auditorium and reception hall." "What are the instructions for the security teams?" "Cut off communication, secure the areas where the captives are held, and evacuate the captives and estate slaves, including the arms dealer's family, as soon as they are released. Once all the captives and slaves are safe, our teams will pull out. We would like to retrieve their records, but if we can't they will be destroyed. Demolition charges, with timers and proximity fuses, will be placed in each area as soon as it is cleared. We are prepared for a fire fight, but are not planning to initiate an engagement, either with the estate's guards or other staff members. Ideally, each of them will be overcome before they realize we are there. All will be left drugged so they are either asleep or awake but, nonetheless, unable to move for several hours." "Everyone understands that acting independently is not our preference," said Sarah. "Yes." "Let us know if anything changes." "You can count on it." ------- "Adam, how did your meeting with the Irish Prime Minister and O'Reilly, last night, go?" asked Rusty. "It went very well, considering, " replied Adam. "O'Reilly was very impressed with the level of detail on the Fuda operation. He agreed that the signatures on the documents in the courts files were not valid by world standards. The Prime Minister thought it would be virtually impossible to find any of the captives if a diplomatic inquiry were made. The court documents would delay any diplomatic efforts long enough for the captive to suddenly vanish without a trace." "We need to send him an updated DVD, " said Briana. "Shannon teleport an updated DVD both to O'Reilly's and the Prime Minister's offices, sealed with their personal encryption key." "When you reach the British Prime Minister," said Briana, "don't be surprised if he is expecting your call. Please note that the Irish want to participate in any action that is taken. Once they saw the data, the Prime Minister did not seem to be concerned about diplomatic niceties." ------- "Aoife, Briana, we will probably need you to go to England immediately, carrying the information on the estate," said Sarah. "Take breakfast with you." Sarah picked up their satellite phone, and entered the number for the British Prime Minister's office. It took several exchanges and a few moments before the Prime Minister picked up the phone. "Good morning, Sarah," said Mr. Allen Bartlet, the Prime Minister of Britain. "I have been expecting your call." "Good morning, Mr. Prime Minister," replied Sarah, "our apologies for calling you so early. However, our Intelligence Department have information that we think your government urgently need to be made aware of." "Yes, the Irish Prime Minister called me late last night. The information he gave me was quite distressing, and he said you would be contacting me this morning. If I understand the situation correctly, your data indicates that a group of bandits, in cooperation with the Fudan government, are holding British subjects, and are going to sell them into the sexual slave trade?" "Yes, that is the essence of it. This group hired a gang here in Ireland to kidnap some of us for the same purpose. Our Intelligence Department have penetrated their security, and established monitors in the complex where the captives are being held. Since placing our monitoring devices in the estate, we have learned a considerable amount about this group and their intentions. Our urgency is due to the fact that these criminals will have an auction tonight, where they will sell many of their captives. Once the captives are sold, we don't know how much longer they will be at the estate. We do know that they obtain most of their captives by kidnapping them while they are on vacation in the region. Our information indicates that some of the captives were specifically targeted, at someone's request. Once captured, the captives are drugged and given medical treatments to enhance their value as sex toys. The drugs are used to make the conditioning of them to be both skilled and willing sex slaves easier to accomplish. The buyers are already at the estate. They consist of collectors of sex slaves, as well as representatives of whorehouses, sex clubs and other similar places around the world. The data we have shows that the operators of the estate, for a fee, will do additional conditioning or physical modification of a captive, per the buyer's instructions." "The Irish Prime Minister indicated you had provided his people with hard evidence. How soon can I see it?" replied the Prime Minister, in an irritated voice. "We did. We can have the updated information delivered to your office in about 15 minutes or less." "Aoife, Briana," said Maeve, "take a scout ship to Prime Minister Bartlet's residence. There is a ship waiting for you on the lawn." "We are already in our ship and preparing to depart." "Where do you want us to deliver the information?" asked Sarah. "Deliver it here. Several people will be arriving in an hour or less to discuss the situation." "Okay, Aoife and Briana have just left with the information. How do they get admitted to your street?" "How are they arriving?" "They are in one of our scout ships, which is about the size of a minivan, only taller. It operates much like a helicopter but without any unwanted noise. So, our ship could set down directly on Downing Street, in front of your residence." "I don't know if that is wise as it would cause a lot of commotion." "The scout ship will be invisible." "Then have them land in the courtyard, on the grass, and then call my office when they arrive." "How much time do we have before this auction takes place?" "The auction is to begin a little after 8 PM this evening." "So we have a little over 14 hours?" "Not quite, they are two hours ahead of our time, so we only have somewhere around 12 hours. The estate where these activities is taking place has an airstrip. Many of the estate's guests arrive at the estate by private jet. The estate is about a 3 hour drive from the capital." "How many people are they holding?" "As best we can tell, there are at least 300 captives. They also have nearly a hundred slaves that live at the estate." "To rescue that many people would make it a major operation, even without it being a hostile situation." "We could provide support and transportation, however, we feel it is inappropriate for us to act on our own." "Why is that?" "Primarily because we are outsiders. We also have other constraints which guide our interaction with other cultures." "That is a much different approach than some countries on Earth would use. Can those carrying the information here act as your representatives?" "Definitely. Briana is one of our security team members. Aoife is a member of Dóchas's Command Staff. Both are proficient in special forces style operations. They each have immediate access to the rest of us." "I presume you mean that they are telepathic?" "Yes. I take it you have seen the report from the group of Americans visiting Dóchas." "It is an overstatement to say I saw the report. Our intelligence staff is, however, aware of it's contents." "We understand that the Irish Defense Forces would like to participate it whatever is decided." "I gathered that, although their Prime Minister didn't say so directly. I will contact you as soon as I see the data and meet with my staff. Will this affect either your arrival or your trip?" "No. We will be there as scheduled, but we could arrive earlier, if that would be desirable." "At this point, I don't see a need to be earlier than scheduled, in fact, doing so could draw some unwanted attention. Either my secretary or I will get back to you if we want to change your arrival time." "Again, our apologies for the lateness of this information. Our group on Dóchas updated us a little while ago concerning tonight's plans at the estate. The data Aoife and Briana are bringing includes that update." "We would all like more time in cases like this. See you this afternoon." "Bye." "Tara, we don't need to change the time for lunch," said Sarah. "Okay. Sally, Claudette, Jill, and Janet will be on the shuttles, along with a the portion of the choir that is rotating in for the next performances." ------- The morning went quickly, as the group from Dóchas explored the grounds around the castle. News of their being in the area had spread, and there were many more people out walking and driving near Abbeyglen than normal. "Choir," said Kaylin, "what about having an impromptu rehearsal on the terrace in front of the hotel." "Wait until the shuttles arrive," said Cass. "They will be landing on the lawn, and we want to make sure we don't have crowd issues." "Cass, I was thinking about rehearsing an hour before lunch. If we do that, the crowd should be pretty well gone by the time we finish lunch." "Agreed." "Okay, then we will gather out front around 10, and have a sing along." "That will work. I'll let the security teams know." ------- Briana and Aoife eased the cloaked scout ship down into the courtyard across from 10 Downing Street. After spending a few moments surveying their surroundings, they phoned the PM's secretary, to tell him they were in the courtyard. "Sir, we aren't sure how you want to handle this," said Briana to the secretary. "We are in our ship, about 60 meters from the front door." She sensed him looking out the window. "It is cloaked, so that no one can see it. We have a couple of choices concerning how we enter your office. One option is to remain cloaked until we are in your office, alternatively, someone could walk out to meet us in the courtyard. The later is likely to cause some commotion among the security detail." There was a pause, then the secretary replied, "We think your entering our office cloaked would be the best solution." "Give us 5 minutes, then come outside, leaving the office door open, and step off to the side. We will enter while you look around the courtyard." "That will work." "This is neat," said Aoife, as they walked toward the entrance. Just as they arrived at the building, a man stepped outside and looked around, as if he was looking for someone. Aoife and Briana walked through the open doorway and waited just inside. The man reentered the building and looked around, with a puzzled look on his face. Once he had closed the door, Briana and Aoife turned off their personal cloaking. The man had a shocked look on his face, as two very tall women suddenly appeared in reception area. "Hello," said Aoife, "this is Briana and my name is Aoife. I believe Mr. Bartlet is expecting us." The man reached forward and carefully shook each of their hands. "My name is Jay Thompson, and I am a member of the PM's staff. Yes, Mr. Bartlet is expecting you. This way, please." With that, both of them followed the man further into the building, until they came to a large, windowless, conference room. When they entered, Mr. Bartlet rose, saying, "Good morning, ladies. You are very prompt, and caught me just finishing my breakfast. Would you care to join me?" "A cup of coffee and a croissant sounds good," replied Aoife. "That sounds good to me, as well," said Briana. A maid quickly brought in coffee and croissants. "Ladies, I find a couple of things puzzling about the situation in Fuda. Why did you take this information to the Irish Prime Minister first?" "Fundamentally, because we were visiting their country, and it was their National Police who apprehended the group of bandits who were hired to kidnap some of us. The bandits were hired by the group in Fuda." "I think you made a good choice. Why are you suggesting that we lead this rescue, if that is what is decided? I know you have at least a couple of former US spooks in your group, now." Aoife smiled. "We thought the captives would want their ordeal kept secret. If the US were approached to do this, we are reasonably certain the facts would be in the newspapers and on TV within a couple of days. Also, considering the limited response time, do you think they could respond in time? We are fairly certain their President would want to, but would he have the support?" "Ladies," replied Mr. Bartlet, "we will be joined by several people from SIS, the Minister of Defense, and one of our SAS commanders. An SAS commander has already initiated some inquiries regarding missing British citizens. He advised his command that he had received intelligence from a confidential source indicating that British citizens were being held captive in Fuda. He felt that, if the information proved to be correct, they would likely be called on to resolve the issue. When pressed, the SAS commander indicated that the information came from a former American spook. It is my understanding that all of this, apparently, occurred about the time the Irish Prime Minister called me." "It was, most likely, Eric that contacted the person in SAS," said Aoife. "Eric is part of a group of five Americans that have joined us in the last several weeks. We don't know the details of their background, but we suspect they worked for US Intelligence before retiring." The PM chuckled, and then said, "Yes, I suspect they did. Now, tell me about yourselves. Sarah said one of you was a security team member, and the other was part of your command staff." First Briana described her background, how she joined the crew, and then made the transition to be a part of the Golden Amazons species. Aoife then related how she first went to see about becoming a crew member of an alien space ship. She relived her experience that first night, when she first met the core group of Command Staff. She recalled that, upon meeting them the first time, she instinctively felt that becoming a part of the ship's crew was the thing for her to do. In fact, she remembered that the feeling was so strong that it had, initially, scared her. She then told about their family, their children, and life on the space ship and at the Mars settlement. Mr. Bartlet listened intently as they described themselves. He found that he had to concentrate on what they were saying, in order to avoid being distracted either by their beauty or the melodic sound of their words. When Aoife finished, he asked, "Why were you apprehensive over being drawn toward Sarah's Clan? Did you think they were manipulating you telepathically?" "It was the strength of my feelings that concerned me. I had never experienced an instinctive sense of direction that strong before. As I learned later, the strength of my feelings was probably aided by my natural telepathic ability. The intensity came from being among others like me." "Mr. Bartlet," said Briana, "we go to considerable lengths to make sure that everyone joining us makes their own decision. The key leadership clan make it very clear that no one is to be pushed or enticed into joining the crew. Even those we have rescued have to initiate the idea of joining our crew. Crew members on a space ship must be totally in sync with each other, as there isn't any place to go if you change your mind. In addition, our interpersonal relationships are much more open than anything I am aware of occurring on Earth. We believe this is strongly aided by our telepathic abilities, as everyone is telepathic. I think our degree of intimacy would make many on Earth uncomfortable. The DVD we sent to all the government leaders on Earth has several presentations covering our history, culture and some of our unique attributes." "Yes, I have watched the DVD a couple of times. Our intelligence group, known as MI6, have also spent a considerable amount of time reviewing it. The diplomatic service was quite appalled that you did not contact them first." "I could see their point," said Aoife, "if we were a government seeking diplomatic recognition. We don't, however, claim to be a government, as Earth defines it." "It is obvious to me that both of you are very comfortable in your new life. Many of those who watched the DVD's have expressed concern that the people who joined the crew were manipulated into doing so. Since hearing your stories first hand, I believe that everyone who joined you made their decision freely." "How could you come to that conclusion so quickly? You have hardly met us." "Let's just say instinct; besides, I'm a politician," replied Mr. Bartlet with a laugh, prompting Aoife and Briana to join him. "We can tell that your comment is sincere, politician or not." "What is in the information you brought," asked Mr. Bartlet, shifting the conversation back on course. "Actually, we have not seen the presentation, although we are aware of the content. We could set up the viewer and start it now." "No, let's wait until the others arrive. They should be here shortly." They chatted, while waiting for the others to arrive. It was only a few more moments before a bell sounded, Mr. Bartlet said, "It looks like the others have arrived." As the group entered the conference room, Mr. Bartlet introduced Briana and Aoife to them. "There is a threat in this group," Briana said to Aoife, as she slid her hand under her coat, in order to energize her personal shield. Aoife nodded, and followed Briana's lead. After everything was ready, Mr. Bartlet asked everyone to briefly introduce themselves and their organization. When everyone but Aoife and Briana had spoken, Mr. Bartlet said, "Briana is a member of one of the Golden Amazon's security teams. It is my understanding that these teams are similar to our SAS teams. Aoife is a part of Command Staff for the space ship they call Dóchas." Briana and Aoife both nodded, acknowledging the introduction. "Ladies and gentlemen," continued Mr. Bartlet, as he looked around the table, "I am not sure whether all of you are fully aware of why you are here. This meeting is being held in response to intelligence information provided to me last evening by the Irish Prime Minister. After our conversation, I had a conference call that included several in this room, or the heads of your departments. The intelligence information indicates that a large number of people are being held captive in Fuda, Africa. A significant percentage of them held UK passports. All of the information we have to date has come from the Intelligence staff on Dóchas. Briana and Aoife have brought us a compilation of the data they have." "Let me answer some questions that may already be forming in your minds," said Aoife responding to a nod from Mr. Bartlet. "Our Command Staff presented the information on this group in Fuda to Irish authorities first. This is because the group in Fuda was behind a plan to kidnap some of the Beyond the Stars choir while they were in Ireland. Another reason was that they were in Ireland at the time the information came together." "Some of you are wondering why the hurry?" continued Aoife. "The group in Fuda have an auction scheduled for this evening, where some 100 men and women, out of approximately 400 captives held there, will be sold into slavery. Each of their prisoners has been conditioned to, at the very least, function as a sex toy for whomever holds their leash. Once they are sold, they will disappear forever, in that that there will be no easy way to find them. Many of the people being sold appear to have held UK passports when taken captive. The group in Fuda has added a little twist to all of this. According to their court records, every one of these captives was convicted of at least two crimes. The two primary crimes are illegal entry and public nudity. Any female wearing typical western summer clothes would be guilty of public nudity. According to the court documents, every person petitioned the court send them to the estate to serve their sentence. While at the estate, they agreed to comply with every request made of them and to accept any treatment given them. I think all of you understand the implications of those documents. The documents are only a subterfuge to delay anyone trying to find them." "Now, all of you have been asked to attend this briefing because you will be involved in any response that is chosen," said Mr. Bartlet. "The presentation Briana and Aoife brought summarizes the situation, and they will provide all of you with DVDs containing all the collected data. Briana, please start the presentations." Briana turned on the projector, and said, "The material on this DVD is divided into several areas and starts with an overview. After the overview, we can select the sections at random." "Briana," said Mr. Bartlet, "let's follow the overview with the section where the captives are identified." Dóchas's Intelligence Department had arranged the information in the following order. The first section named those being held captive, along with available information describing how they were captured. Another section dealt with the purpose behind the captives conditioning, and how it was accomplished. A section detailed how the identities of the captives was erased, along with the psychological barriers used to block any consideration they might have had of escape. The following section detailed what the captives futures would be like as anonymous slaves. There was a section on the principals in control of the estate, and their link to the government of Fuda. This section included the background of the principals, before the Fudan government came under their control. Another section covered the layout of the estate, its security system, choke points, the names of the estate's guests and staff, and other relevant details the rescuers would need to know. As the overview portion played, Briana and Aoife watched each of the attendees. It took them several minutes before they identified the person in the room who was a potential threat. Three others had brought listening devices into the room. Upon finding the listening devices, Aoife opened her case and turned on their electronic screen. This effectively isolated the room electronically from its surroundings. Briana was quickly able to determine that the individuals were not aware of the listening devices cleverly embedded in their brief cases. "We will tell them about the bugs before they leave," said Aoife to Briana, who nodded in response. As the overview finished, Briana stepped over to start the section of the presentation identifying the captives. "Mr. Bartlet, we sense that not everyone believes the information in the overview. Right, Mr. Overman?" Mr. Overman jumped at the mention of his name. "This story is preposterous, but it is presented by two of the most beautiful human looking alien animals I have ever seen," began Mr. Overman, in a very condescending manner. "However, your beauty can't cover up the crap you are presenting. It should be obvious to everyone here that all of this data is an elaborate, though amateur, fabrication. It is clear that you animals are attempting to embarrass our fine country, whether we act against these supposed slavers or not. The situation you have outlined reads like some cheap, x-rated novel. Everyone knows that no civilized nation on Earth tolerates enslavement of humans, for any reason. To have a business devoted to enslaving women for the sex industry, or private individuals, is ludicrous. "Sex Slave Auction Tonight" sounds like a title to a pornographic novel, not the subject of a meeting by a well-established government. I am surprised that Mr. Bartlet let himself be sucked into your plans. If this kind of business were really happening, our intelligence service would have been fully aware of it. Your group of aliens are nothing more than rejects from Earth. Stories say that all of you have undergone a species change, so, from our standpoint, you are now nothing more than alien animals, with no rights on Earth. Why are you dressed now? Don't you usually prance around bare, displaying your oversize chests and tails while prancing around on your toes? I notice you wore high heels to cover up your abnormal legs and feet. Mr. Bartlet, I suggest that you send these two alien animals off to play their games somewhere else." While he spoke, his voice became louder, until he was nearly shouting. "I am sure that once we examine the information on this DVD, we will find that this is nothing more than a plot from a cheap, x-rated novel, written by these two alien sluts and the other alien animals." He paused for a moment. "I withdraw my suggestion on sending them off. In the interest of public safety, they should taken into custody and placed in isolation. When the others arrive, we should place them in protective custody, as well. I am sure our medical researchers would like to evaluate them. We have tranquilizers that will take these animals down so that no will be injured." "Mr. Overman, we don't know where you get your information from, but I think this group will find the information on the DVD accurate. If anything, the summaries understate the facts." Briana glanced down at the pen he had in his hand. "You should be careful with the pen in your hand," said Briana firmly. "You mean this," he asked, as he pointed it toward Briana and Aoife. "It is just a simple pen, with a built-in pointer." As he finished speaking, he squeezed the pen, pressing a button. He gasped in surprise, as he felt the pen crumple in his hand. His grip tightened, until the pen began to break apart, releasing four poisoned darts. The dart's trigger mechanism drove the darts into his palms. The first reaction in the room was a screech from Mr. Overman, before he fell back in his chair. He sat there silently with a glazed look, hardly breathing. Several others rushed to his side. "He will be fine when he receives an antidote to the drug in the darts," said Aoife. "Someone should take custody of what remains of the pen, before someone else touches a dart. The drug on those darts takes a person into a catatonic state, where they remain until given a special antidote. If the antidote is not given within 48 hours, the effectiveness of the antidote diminishes with time, and the person begins to slowly die, as his biological functions shut down." "We need to get someone to take him out of here," said the PM's Chief of Staff uneasily, as he eased away from Mr. Overman. "How did you know about the darts?" "From his thoughts," replied Briana. "We are telepathic, but we only probe another's mind under two conditions. Either when we are threatened, or when the person gives us permission." "We suggest that we move him off to the side, so we can continue," said Aoife. "Doing otherwise will require that we consume valuable time, as there are only about 10 hours before the auction begins. He is no longer a threat to any of us. It would not surprise me if you found that he is linked to the group called the Chosen Ones, in North America." "Would a couple of you move him out of sight, so we can finish this?" said Mr. Bartlet. "What did you do to him?" asked one of the younger men at the meeting, as he looked at Briana. "Me?" replied Briana with a smile. "It appears he did not know how to correctly use the dart gun. It appeared to me that he squeezed the pen too hard when he pressed the release button, causing it to break apart in his hand. Perhaps the device was faulty. As for his intent, we knew his intent was to incapacitate us before the overview was half over. It was just a question of when he would act. We weren't totally certain that his weapon was the pen until he pointed it toward us. Probing his memories since the incident, show that once we collapsed from the drug, we were to be taken to a private medical facility. If his group's plan had worked, both us would have never been seen again." "You knew he was a threat and did nothing," asked a younger man. "You must have nerves of steel. As to knowing what he intended, can we work together, as there are times I could use that kind of foreknowledge?" "You must be Eric's friend," said Aoife. "No, I am," said the gentleman next to the young man. "Duane is one of our younger team members, and he is right, he needs assistance at times." Several chuckled at the jab. "My name is Calvin. Overman was right about one thing, both of you are exceptionally beautiful, as well as very astute. I do, however, agree with Duane regarding his comment concerning our working together. Anyway, Eric's comments about your group would have been more than enough of a recommendation for me. It is most unusual for him, or any member of his group, to make the glowing comments he did. Mr. Bartlet, I think it was a wise choice to have the meeting here. There would have been a lot of questions if they had been seen entering the SIS building and, doubtless, problems once they were inside." "Thanks, Calvin. Briana, please continue the presentation." As the second presentation, which gave details on the captives, progressed, one of the women sitting at the table made marks on a list in front of her. Aoife and Briana watched as she nodded to Calvin each time a mark was made. When the presentation finished, the woman marking the list looked up and said, "there are two dozen names on this list. Every one of them was identified in the presentation. In each case, there have been inquiries from relatives or friends, who have indicated that they had lost contact with these people. In every case, the victims were traveling in the area Eric indicated. Their friends and relatives were concerned, because they had not heard from them in several weeks, or even months. The expected messages from them did not arrive. They had been unable to reach them as had been planned before they left. None of these disappearances are public knowledge. It is very difficult to track down someone under these circumstances." "Mr. Bartlet, before we discuss this, can we view the presentations concerning the principals and the estate?" "How long will that take, Briana?" "I believe each is about 15 to 20 minutes long. Each presentation really only hits the high points, but there is a lot of additional detail on the disk supporting the presentation." "Calvin, since you spoke up," said Mr. Bartlet, "I have the impression that you are already thinking that we are going to rescue these captives." "I know what I would do, sir. I also realize that it is not my decision. There are many times we prepare for a mission that does not get carried out. These false starts are usually based upon less information than we have in this case. I just need to do everything I can to make any operation a success. For those reasons, we began making plans for a mission as soon as I received the preliminary information from Eric. To get an assessment of probability, I approached my friend here and asked if she could determine whether these people were missing and what the circumstances surrounding their disappearance were. Within an hour of receiving the list, she told me that six were probables. Since then, I have been quietly determining who was available, their locations and what support we could gather in the next 4 to 6 hours." "Four to six hours?" "Yes, sir. We need to allow for travel time." He turned to look at Aoife questioningly, and she nodded, as she sensed his next statement. "Eric told me that we would have backup. With this in mind, my plans did not include any reserves, as that will add to the delay." "Okay. Let's see the rest," said Mr. Bartlet. The group carefully watched the next two presentations. As they watched the presentation concerning the estate, they stopped the tape several times and backed it up to replay the scene. Once the presentations were over, the Chief of Staff asked Briana if her group had identified all the guests. "We believe so," replied Briana. "We know Calvin is preparing to act," said Mr. Bartlet. "What other opinions are there?" The group spent the next half hour discussing related issues, during which no one suggested that the rescue should not be undertaken. Some were concerned about negative reactions by other countries in the region. Aoife told them that there were several military and political leaders in Fuda who would probably do a better job of leading that country. They could be considered part of the opposition, except that no opposition was currently tolerated there. Available information indicated they could fill the role quickly, under the right circumstances. "Decision time," said Mr. Bartlet. "Judging by the views everyone has expressed, we will rescue these people. SIS, I want you to put everyone you can on confirming the information on the DVD. At the same time, this all needs to be done without creating a stir or creating a leak. I don't doubt the data, but we need to be able to say and demonstrate that we confirmed it." "Calvin, your group will lead this operation. What do you need that you don't have access to?" "Sir, we have a carrier strike group in the area. We need them to move closer. It looks like we have enough SAS team members. Also, the Royal Marines stationed on the carrier should be placed on alert. The assault on the estate will be a challenge, because of its complexity. The country's new government may want to request the presence of the Royal Marines to calm things and maintain order." "SIS, have someone in position to contact the politicians and military leaders Aoife mentioned, as soon as the operation is underway. It won't be very clean, but we don't want to be in a position that requires our lingering presence. In fact, I would like to see everyone out of the country immediately after the rescue is complete." "Any questions?" "We have not touched upon the captives' medical needs," said Aoife. "Many of them will need psychological help, and almost all of them will need some medical care. Some of the medical care may be quite extensive." "Why don't we do a disaster simulation in the CSG?" said a Naval Captain. "A temporary ward could be set up on the hanger deck. Medical staff from the other ships could be brought over as needed." "Good idea," said Mr. Bartlet. "Set it up. That leaves another rather obvious issue we kind of skipped over. Where do we take the captives upon their arrival in England?" "Why not use one of the SAS training sites?" said the woman with the checklist. "I believe that several of our SAS coastal installations are rather isolated." "If MI6 will support it," said Calvin, "we should be able to do that. Duane can work out the details." "Anything else?" No one said a word. "Good, let's get to work." "Sir," said Briana, "before we leave, I would like to warn a couple of people here that their brief-cases contain transmitters. We can disable the devices without damaging the case." "So, someone..." "No sir, they did not work in here. When we were alerted to their presence, Aoife established an electronic shield around the room. If anyone was listening, no one heard anything once the overview began." "Thank you." Briana disabled the transmitters in each of the problem briefcases as their owners left. Calvin, Duane and Mr. Bartlet were the last ones in the conference room with Aoife and Briana. "Mr. Bartlet," said Calvin, "I left out one request when you asked if we needed anything else. We need you to ask Dóchas's Command Staff for their assistance in this operation." The request caused a puzzled look to appear on Mr. Bartlet's face. "According to their rules, if we request assistance, then they can fully assist us during the operation, otherwise their assistance will be limited to supporting our operations. From what my friend told me, their active assistance will result in a lower probability of our incurring any significant injuries, while still allowing us to rescue everyone." "Aoife," said Mr. Bartlet, "we would like your group's assistance. I may also need your personal assistance right now. I need to call the Queen's secretary and tell her I need a meeting as soon as possible, today. Would you come with me to visit the Queen?" "Sure, but why?" "Well, meeting both of you might keep me in her good graces, because she doesn't like sudden, surprise visits from the Prime Minister, as it usually means bad news." After a phone call to the Palace, the PM's secretary and Chief of Staff stepped out of the building into the courtyard, leaving the door open. Mr. Bartlet then walked out between Aoife and Briana. This placed him within their cloak, as they walked, unnoticed, out to the cloaked Scout ship and went aboard. ------- Chapter 105 The Command Staff and Choir contingents of the Golden Amazons were just sitting down to eat lunch in Clifden, when Pat stepped out of a shuttle on a SAS base located in England's Midlands region. He looked around for a moment and the walked over to where Calvin stood waiting. Kaelee and Cathan's clan had followed him out of the shuttle. "Hello Calvin," said Pat, "it is good to meet you." "Yes," said Calvin as they shook hands. "You must be Pat." "Yes. The image that Briana provided of you is perfect." "Image?" "Yes, it is one of the aspects of our telepathic abilities." "Pat, this is Duane," replied Calvin. "It is good to meet you Duane," replied Pat, after which he proceeded to introduce the others on his shuttle. "Is this the group going to Fuda, Africa," asked Pat, gesturing to the group coming out of the building behind Calvin. "Yes, there are 40 of us." Calvin looked worried. "That is more than we would normally involve, but less than I would like to have, considering the number of people to be rescued. Briana said you could provide transportation, assistance and some support for us. I don't see how all of us, with our gear, can fit into that aircraft." "We won't, but our five aircraft should give us more than enough room for your group and our five teams," said Pat, smiling, as the four additional shuttles and security teams dropped their cloaking. The sudden appearance of the other four teams standing next to their shuttles startled the SAS soldiers. "Ladies and gentlemen," said Pat, in a friendly voice that carried through the crowd, "my apologies if you are offended by the way we presented ourselves. We thought it was probably the easiest way to demonstrate one of our capabilities. We have only a few hours to review our plans for tonight and get acquainted. Tonight will be a unique situation for all of us. For us to be successful, we need to trust each other as if we had been together for years. We are aware of your capabilities by reputation, but suspect you have little knowledge of ours." Pat then continued, "We have brought updated information concerning the location where the captives are held, which we will review in a bit. But first, there are several things you should know about us. We can see as well in darkness as we can in daylight, and our vision will rapidly adjust to sudden changes in light level. Our hearing is very sensitive. We can attenuate it so that loud noises are not overwhelming and don't obscure the important sounds. Each of us is now wearing a personal shield, which offers us minimal physical protection. Tonight, we will wear a suit that we call a tactical suit. This suit adds to our abilities by offering full body armor, holds our weapons and accentuates our natural abilities. Between now and the time we arrive at the estate in Fuda, we will acquaint all of you with our array of support systems. The appearance of the last of our group was a small demonstration of our cloaking ability. Finally, we are all telepathic and we believe all of you can hear us if we speak this way. Would everyone please raise their hand?" Everyone in the group raised their hands before realizing how they had processed the request. "From your expressions, I am sure each of you now realize that the request to raise your hands was not expressed verbally, but telepathically." "Calvin," said Cathan, "can we go inside. We have an updated 3-D rendering of the estate that we would like to show." "Yes, but before we do, let me ask a question that is on everyone's mind. Why are you supporting us, rather than just taking care of the problem yourself?" "For two reasons, first we are outsiders," replied Cathan. "Second, our prime directive governs the way we interact with other worlds. Simply put, it tells us not to meddle in another world's cultural and political issues, even though we would not tolerate something like the Fuda estate within our own society. If any of our family were threatened, we would respond without hesitation, and probably leave only ashes. Our prime directive gives us some latitude when aiding the inhabitants of another world." "Why would being an outsider affect your actions?" asked Duane. "The activities at the estate are objectionable to any civilized society, for many reasons." "Yes, they are objectionable to us and would not be tolerated in our society." Cathan paused for a moment, and then continued, "We became aware of this group because they had targeted our choir for kidnapping. They had hired a group in Ireland to carry out the kidnapping, but the group was arrested yesterday by the Irish National Police." "Enslavement to satisfy greed and power," said Ciar, "will sow the seeds of a culture's self- destruction. The destruction proceeds like a slow cancer. The end is often violent, resulting in a loss of knowledge which leaves the survivors struggling. Just look at the different regions of Earth and how they flourished and then declined. Who knows the true cause of the self-destruction, since the information was lost." "Ciar," said Calvin, "that is an interesting way of looking at Earth's history. I am sure many scholars would be quick to disagree. You're right, every revolution results in a loss of general knowledge which is sometimes never recovered. The more violent the revolution, the greater the loss." "We should make it clear," said Máiréad, "that we find slavery acceptable when it is voluntary and between willing adults. What is required in these situations is that those who are in the superior position act in the best interests of those who agree to serve them. Are there gray areas? Nearly always, but these can be resolved by carefully weighing the interests of the parties involved." "Interesting," said Duane. "Your comments raise many questions in my mind, and I would like to continue the discussion, but the time for action is quickly approaching. When all of this is over, can we hear some more about you, your group and your culture." "Sure. Just ask." As they were moving toward the building, a booming voice was heard to say, in a very heavy Irish accent, "Hey Calvin, I brought some of me lads with me, as I hear you needed some help. Again!" Calvin jerked around at the sound of the voice, with an irritated look on his face. As soon as he saw the individual he laughed, and said, "O'Malley, how the hell did you get here?" "With these fine folks, and it looks like its a good thing we came, as you look a bit light on seasoned men." As O'Malley finished his response, the two shook hands and hugged. It was clear from their actions, and the look on their faces, that they thought well of each other. Seeing the expressions on some of Cathan's team, Calvin said, "I think we now have the perfect team for this operation. O'Malley and I have been together on some outings before." As Calvin spoke, O'Malley had his arm on Calvin's shoulder. Turning to O'Malley, he continued, "Who did you bring?" "My core group, plus a few others. We had the good fortune to spend the last several days escorting these people around Dublin, and then to Clifden. Someone was concerned about them being in Dublin. It has been like a vacation. I can tell you these people are top drawer. It is uncanny, the way they sense the activity around their group." "Yea, I heard that from Eric, too." "Eric's here," queried O'Malley. "No. But I understand that Eric, Cathal and the others in his group have decided to fully retire. Eric told me someone outed them after their last assignment, so they opted to disappear. When they did that, they asked the Dóchas's crew if they could move there. I have the impression that they have joined its crew." "So they put the intelligence together for this operation?" Calvin looked at Pat and nodded, indicating he should answer. "Well, it was really a combined effort," replied Pat. "Our Intelligence group had gathered quite a bit of information regarding potential threats to us on Earth, but was having trouble separating potential from real threats. When Cathal's group arrived, they related their concerns about one group that we were concerned about, and they shared their analysis techniques with us. Combining their techniques with what we had done and our data enabled us to clearly identify which threats were real. Two primary groups were identified. Interestingly, separately, both of us had identified a group of wealthy individuals as being a threat to us. Using their analysis techniques, we also identified the group in Fuda. The group in Fuda wants to enslave some of the choir and then sell at their slave auction. The other group wants to kidnap some of our family as a means to gain access to our technology, using both torture and ransom." "Let's take care of the slavers first," said O'Malley, "then I would like to know more about the other assholes." When the group had settled into the large open building, Cathan turned on the holographic display of the estate in Fuda. Cathan, Ciar and Máiréad went over the details of the estate and its surroundings. Máiréad covered the areas where the captives and the estate's slaves were held in considerable detail. Lasairfhiona said, "We want to emphasize that we see this as your operation. We are here to provide as much support and assistance as you want, even to the point of participating in carrying out the operation. The degree of our participation is your choice. Several days ago, we saw a situation developing that would have put some of our people within the grasp of these slavers. In preparation for that possibility, we created a plan to rescue them. We would like to show you what our plan was, as we think there are some aspects you may want to include in yours. We think including these aspects will reduce the chances of a firefight or casualties. It also utilizes some of our strengths." "I'm all for reducing risk," said Calvin, "as we will certainly have our hands full, just rescuing the people." "The plan we brought began the rescue with us entering from the dock area," said Cathan. "Our initial effort was to release all the captives and the slaves, and move them all out of the facility. This leaves the reception hall and auditorium till last. Just before entering the complex, the monitoring system for the areas where slaves and captives are located was to be compromised. The feed to the monitors would change so the staff monitoring the areas would see tapes taken the night of the last auction, some two weeks ago. This would give the appearance that everything was normal. As we went through the facility, we planned on leaving the primary staff in the dungeon cells, bound and sedated. The captives for the evening's auction were expected to be held in this room. While waiting, they are gagged and kneeling with their wrists and ankles bound together. The reason we left the reception hall and auditorium until last is that our information indicates that there will be only a few people monitoring the captives and slave areas during dinner. By getting the captives and slaves out of their living areas first, it will let us focus all of our forces on those in the reception hall and auditorium. Just before entering the reception hall, the lighting would fail, letting us quickly overcome the staff and remove the slaves from that area. The staff in the reception hall was to be stripped and left secured in the devices that once held the slaves. At this point, we expected that our presence would be known. Once the reception hall was secured, the lights would come back on and the lights in the auditorium will fail. With the lights out in the auditorium, we will remove the slaves. When the lights came back on in the auditorium, we are not sure what will happen, but we will be gone from view." "How will you know who the slaves are in the auditorium?" asked a soldier. "By their dress and adornments, we will also look at their thoughts." "Why do you think that would work?" said another soldier. "How will we manage in the dark?" "The estate is laid out as a series of rings. It took us a while to see it, with all the twists and turns in the corridors. The estate slaves and captives reside in separate areas. Those two areas only have a common connection which is the loading dock. The estate slave area also connects to the exhibition hall and to a common area. The captive area also connects to the common area and also to the auditorium. The rooms in the common area are where medical treatments are given, punishments are administered and the captives are conditioned in preparation for the auction. Just because a captive is sold, doesn't mean they leave immediately. Some are held at the estate for an extended time, so they can receive further medical treatments, or special conditioning, as the buyer requests." "I am hesitant to ask this," said a soldier, "but what is meant by 'medical treatments'." "Breasts enlarged. Teeth removed. Tongue lengthened by stretching. Addition of body jewelry, such as rings, to the nose, nipples, clit or labia, sometimes including a bell. Fingers or hands removed. Feet and legs altered, requiring those altered to walk or stand on their toes. Men are castrated or have their testicles replaced with steel spheres. There is more, but that gives you an idea." As the question was being answered, the anger the soldiers felt was apparent on their faces. "Don't forget the special private rooms off the exhibition hall," said Enya. "Right, but we are expecting everyone to be at the banquet, as the host has promised them an exceptional sex show during the meal. In answer to your question about seeing in the dark, we will provide each of you with glasses that will let you see with the lights out. Your vision with these will be similar to what yours normally is at dusk, but the contrast is better. This effectively brings your vision closer to ours in the darkness we expect to find in the estate." "Oh, he is going to have an exceptional show," said a soldier, causing everyone to chuckle. "Since we are rewriting his script, it's going to be a little different." Several chuckled at her comment. "What about the guy running the estate, and the President?" "The Master, al-Sharghi, will be in the auditorium and so will President el-Ohssa, along with his elite security force." "If we can get everyone out before they realize we are there, our Intelligence Department thinks they will attempt summon reinforcements, rather than engage us in a firefight," said Pat. "It should not take them very long to determine the extent of their losses, which should add to their rage. When they find our tracks leading away from the site, it is expected their rage will cause them to follow our path with all of their available staff, rather than wait for help. The tracks will lead them to a watering hole. This is a place where they like to leave people to feed the animals." "You're kidding," exclaimed a soldier. "They actually put people there for animals to kill?" "Yes. The victim usually has limited mobility, so they can't run away but can put up a struggle." "Why are we going this way and leaving a trail?" asked a soldier. "The trail is fake. By the time they begin following the trail, all of us will have left on our shuttles. The trail is only to get them to the watering hole. While all of this is taking place, we expect most of the guests will use the turmoil as an opportunity to leave. As for the group going to the watering hole, well things could happen like, vehicles quit running and catching on fire. Weapons when used might explode or fail to fire." Many laughed as they realized the implications. "There has been a shortage of game in the area, except around this watering hole, so the number of large predators has grown. Considering the number of predators and terrain, it is likely few, if any of them, will survive." "Let's take a break," said Duane, "but before we do, I would like to toss out an idea. First, I like many of the aspects of this plan. We had considered going in the back door, but we felt that the labyrinth of halls and connecting rooms would unnecessarily increase our risk. Before reworking our plans, I would like to propose that the first thing we consider is for us to pair up. We are pretty evenly matched in numbers. Think about it, while we are on break." While the group made for the refreshment table, Calvin stepped over closer to Pat. "Pat, I don't think any of us were really offended by the way you arrived. Surprised, yes. Apprehensive, yes." "Perhaps we could have done it another way, but we really don't have much time to sort things out." "I like Duane's idea. Think it would work?" "Dam right it would," said O'Malley, as he joined the group. "Most likely, it would," replied Pat. "Your entire group indicated by raising their hands earlier that they could hear us telepathically. This fits with Rusty and Eric's friends' impression that people in your line of work are partially telepathic, if they survive. It is not an active telepathic ability, but a telepathic sense." "I think I could agree with that concept, even before your little demonstration." While they were talking, Krystin had brought over cold drinks for the group. "This telepathic connection worked well for us in Dublin," said O'Malley. "It made things easier, since we always felt like we knew where each other was, so we could focus entirely on the crowd and our surroundings." "Duane, call the base MP CO, and tell him to put this area on full alert," said Calvin. "Also, no one is to enter or leave the base until this operation is over. We don't need anyone going into town and inadvertently taking about space ships and the like, and we don't need unexpected visitors." Then in a loud voice, he said, "Everyone listen up, we will resume in 5 minutes. We will all take our breaks together, so no one misses anything." Five minutes later, the group quickly reformed their circle around where the holographic display had been. Calvin and Pat noticed immediately that everyone had melded together. They nodded to each other and smiled. "Troops," said Calvin, "Duane posed a question. Do we pair up?" The room was quiet. "I could tell you 'we will', because that is the military way." Many laughed. "Okay, let's do it this way ... We will pair up. Any team member that doesn't feel comfortable with doing that can opt out. If you opt out, your name will be removed from the mission. You will be restricted to base until this is over, since the base just went to full alert." "Also, you will not remember being here," said Pat firmly, which drew some strange looks. Two soldiers in the back shouted, "Sir, if you are trying to get rid of us, you need to try harder!" His comment caused many to laugh. "I really wasn't trying. This is truly a voluntary mission, and we don't get many of those. As such, I thought you should have another opportunity to bail out. Now, I understand that with this holographic display we can run mission simulations?" "Yes," said Cathan, "while we were on break, our systems merged the two plans together. It will run through it first with minimal detail, as there are some conflicts that need to be resolved. What we have done before is to run through a virtual mission several times, and with each pass added more detail. This is all done in fast time or at about 6 times normal. The last run-through will show where we expect to find the slaves and captives, along with their egress to safety. Now, take the head pieces being handed out and put them on. Through these, you will see the simulation from your perspective. Each of you may want to move away from those around you, so you have a free range of motion without hitting someone." With that, they began to hone the plan for the mission. It took until the third pass before the SAS members were comfortable with the virtual mission concept. Four hours later, they had the mission plan complete, shuttles loaded and had taken a break for dinner. ------- "Pat," said Muireann, "We have confirmed that President el-Ohssa will be at the estate this afternoon, rather than at his home." "What about his head of security?" "He will be at the estate, along with a select group of bodyguards." "Fine, we still need to send a team to Mr. el-Ohssa's home," replied Pat. "Agreed. Someone will need to get the documents regarding the captives from their legal system's files. We have confirmed the locations where they are holding the captives and estate slaves. It will be on the operational displays." "Good." ------- The two shuttles lifted off from Abbeyglen Castle Hotel and flew out over the ocean before turning south and then east, before turning toward England. It was shortly after they turned east, that Siobhan contacted Heathrow ATC for approach instructions. This approach to England would make it easier for ATC to work them into the flow of air traffic, as it wasn't until they were near the English coast that they approached an air traffic corridor. "Are you the aircraft from the space ship?" asked the flight controller. "Affirmative," replied Maureen. "Radar echo is showing two aircraft, flying in close formation." "Correct." "We are going to handle you in a manner similar to helicopters, since Irish ATC indicated that you really don't need any runway." "Fine. If you give us the direction and altitude you want us to fly, your plan should work very well." "Good. Now I want to verify your echo. Please turn off your transponder." Then, after a few moments, the controller said, "now on. I have your position confirmed. Come right to a heading of 85 and maintain altitude." "Turning to 85. Maintaining altitude." With that, they followed the ATC instructions, as they brought the two shuttles toward the field, safely outside of normal air traffic. Once they passed the perimeter at 200 meters, both Siobhan and Maureen thanked ATC, before switching to Heathrow Ground Control, who guided them to the VIP ramp. When they were over the VIP ramp, they thanked HGC, as they followed the signals from the ramp agent. When they were just above the ramp, the ramp agent gave them a thumbs-up, indicating their position was fine. When the door to the shuttle opened, Rusty and Sarah stepped out of one shuttle, while Cass and Adam stepped out of the other. Both were surprised to see a small honor guard at the door of each shuttle. While each group was exiting their shuttles, the Prime Minister, Briana and Aoife walked across the ramp toward them. Aoife introduced Mr. Bartlet and members of his staff to those from Dóchas. "Ladies and gentlemen," said Mr. Bartlet, "we have an unusual situation, perhaps I should say another unusual situation. We will be having a small reception in the VIP lounge, as the Queen and Prince are waiting to meet you." Sarah, linked arms with the PM, and Aoife took his other arm, as Sarah said, "Well let's not keep them waiting." Adam and some of the security team went to transfer of bags and equipment from the shuttle to their buses. As they were doing the transfer, four British Army soldiers came over to assist them. When everything was on the bus, Cindy drove the bus up next to the hanger. As they rode up to the hanger, they each introduced themselves. "Adam, we have been assigned to assist you, although scuttlebutt has it that you don't need very much aid." The senior soldier's comment provoked several to chuckle. "We will watch the area until you are ready to leave. So relax and go meet the Queen and Prince." Cass looked at each of the soldiers for a minute and then said, "Any time you are with us and think you need assistance, just mentally call for help, directing the thought toward one of us." "What?" said one soldier. "Yes, we will hear your mental request," said Anita. "You know we are telepathic. Right?" "That is what we were told," said another soldier, without much conviction. "We assure you it's true," said Abaigeal, "and thanks for the compliment about how nice we look." Adam enjoyed the range of expressions that played over the soldiers faces after Abaigeal's comment. "Now that you believe us," said Adam. "We will go meet the Queen and Prince." ------- As the security team went into the lounge, the two shuttles quietly lifted off, with Siobhan and Maureen at the controls along with Joyce and Maeve. "I really enjoyed the trip to Ireland," said Siobhan, "but now I am ready to go home. Did you notice Claudette's comment?" "You mean about the shared experience," replied Joyce, who was riding with Siobhan in Alpha1. "I expect that after these trips we will all have a much better understanding of how our shared mind-link functions when there is a significant distance separating us." "You know, I didn't sense any difference in our family link while we were here." "Neither did I," replied the other three. "I just hadn't thought of it," continued Siobhan, "before Claudette mentioned it. I am so glad we are together and that I'm with all of you. I am really looking forward to seeing and cuddling with my spouses today." "Have you noticed we lapse more quickly into exchanging our thoughts telepathically?" said Maeve. "I wonder how far we will go in that direction?" "Each mode has their strengths," replied Siobhan. "Sometimes we are doing both at the same time." "Yes. The first time it happened it was confusing, since it seemed like there was an echo in my head. Since then, I have found I like it." "Guys, it seems to me that circumstances will determine the balance. In many ways, exchanging thoughts telepathically is like conversing in a second language." "Good point, Joyce. Oh look, we're almost home," exclaimed Maeve, as Dóchas came into view. "There certainly is a lot of activity around the ship." "It is probably has to do with the mission, this evening," said Joyce. As Maeve and Joyce made their way back to Dóchas, they experienced the reception in the Heathrow VIP lounge through their link with their spouses. In many respects, their sense of the reception was as if it was a realistic dream, only better. Being separated from the location let them see all of the activity from each of their spouses view, without the distraction of physical contact or interaction with others. "Joyce," said Maeve, "I wonder if the Mentors understand how much clearer our mind-link is now. The strengthening of our family bond, as represented by the collars, has really made our dynamics more intimate. I'm not sure I expressed that very well." "You mean because our mind-link is now living Technicolor, rather than souped-up monochrome?" "Yes" replied Maeve, as they both laughed. "What's so funny, " asked Maureen. "Maeve and I were sharing how much our bond with our spouses has grown. It is much easier to join them from here or at any distance." "I noticed my bond with my spouses seemed to grow on this trip, " replied Maureen. "So did ours, " added Siobhan. "I wonder if that is because the mind-link has been our sole connection." While they had been talking, their ships had settled into their respective cradles on Dóchas. Maureen and Siobhan's clans were waiting to greet them as they exited the shuttles. Joyce and Maeve were surprised to see their children waiting to meet them. Sam, Grace, Kelsey, and Karmen were with the children, assisting the nannies and their spouses. ------- It was late in the afternoon when Command Staff, the Choir and Briana's clan gathered in the front of the elevators at the Radisson Edwardian Mountbatten Hotel. "We have about 2 hours to relax before we need to be back down here for dinner," said Claudette. "Does our security detail know the schedule?" "Yes," replied Cass. "We extended an invitation to join us upstairs, but they thought it would be better to be dispersed down here. They feel we can handle anything on our floor, and all of us are in contact with each other. Apparently, our friends in Ireland have shared some information with them about our abilities." "The rooms need to be swept for bugs before we have any open verbal exchanges," said Sally. Just as the first elevators began taking them up, at least one of Briana's clan stepped into each elevator. Later, when the group from Dóchas began to gather for their evening outing, the hotel lobby became very quiet. Command Staff was a little tense, as combined strike team were preparing to enter the Fudan estate. Sally and Rusty were the most preoccupied with the events in Fuda. Both were well aware of the number of things that could go wrong, even with the extensive mission practice. They realized their concern was driven by their earlier experiences, and not concern for this evening's events. Their spouses gently nudged them, as they proceeded out to their buses, letting them focus on the other activity. ------- Chapter 106 As the buses carried the contingent from Dóchas to the evening's activities, they spent their time admiring the sights of London. Approaching Royal Albert Hall, the buses slowed to just barely a crawl, as they eased their way through the traffic. They wondered why there were so many people gathered on the sidewalks, and why everyone was looking at the buses. The density of the crowds continued to grow as they neared the entrance to Royal Albert Hall. The buses stopped at the red carpet that lead down from the building's entrance. The Golden Amazons looked out the window in amazement; none of them had expected anything like this. Along each side of the red carpet were soldiers in full dress uniform, and behind them were a number of TV cameras on both sides of the carpeted path. Briana and Cass stood on their respective buses and said, "As we step off the bus, you will each be met by an escort. Your escort will walk with you into the reception hall and be your companion for the evening. The escorts are from elite military units in and around London." With that, the door opened and they began to exit. As each member of the choir stepped out of the bus, a soldier in formal dress offered their arm before beginning the walk down the carpet. While each of the soldiers were exceptionally tall, none were taller than the Golden Amazons. Sarah and Rusty were the last to leave their bus, and had expected to walk arm in arm up the path, but they were surprised to find an escort waiting for each of them. Rusty smiled as the woman who was to escort him looked up at him. It was obvious from her expression she did not expect him to be so tall. The top of her head just reached his shoulder. As he offered his arm to her, he noticed that Sarah's escort was about the same height as his. He glanced over and saw Adam and Briana met in the same manner, but they were only a little taller than their escorts. "I wonder how long they planned this, " said Rusty to his spouses and Briana's clan. "This doesn't seem like something you could hastily arrange." "I believe this is done frequently for a function like this," said Briana. "The size of our group and it being in Royal Albert Hall is unusual, however." "Whom do I have the honor of walking with this evening?" asked Rusty as he glanced down at the woman. Rusty's escort looked over at him and softly said, "My name is Lt. Thomas. You don't seem surprised at the formality of this. Should I call you Commander?" "Should I be surprised?" he replied, looking down at her green eyes. "Please call me Rusty. Commander sounds much too stuffy." She smiled at his response. "Almost everyone I have escorted at one of these events has been very nervous." "Why be nervous? I've got you here to protect me. Besides this is a new experience for all of us. Am I going to have the pleasure of your company the whole evening, or are you just here for the entrance?" "Protect you? You've got to be kidding. I understand that your group's abilities far exceed ours. Yes, we have been asked to assist each of you all evening." "Isn't that a bit unusual." "In some respects, yes. For me, this will be a very memorable evening." "From your expression when I stepped off the bus, you seemed surprised." "Yes, I was a bit surprised by your height. They told me to wear heels because you were quite tall. I was doubtful, but now I am glad I followed my intuition. It isn't very often I am with someone taller than me." "You seem like a very lovely woman who happens to be a little more than six and half feet tall." "You're close, I am six eight with these shoes. In hindsight, I should have chosen a taller pair." "Your choice was fine, although if you were a bit taller you would find it easier to whisper questions to me. So what would you like to know about us?" asked Rusty in a teasing tone, in order to redirect the conversation. "Officially, we are here just to observe and assist as needed. That is our usual instruction. Personally I am just dying with questions, but it would be inappropriate for me to ask them. I can imagine this as a scene from Star Trek or a scene cut from Star Wars." Rusty chuckled, then said, "I can see how it could be a Star Trek episode. What if you just thought your questions? Then, with your permission, I could look at your thoughts and respond so it didn't sound like you asked the question." "An interesting idea. I suspect someone has already heard us talking, though." "Nope, this has been strictly between us, which includes our clan. Our clan is actively mind linked. So when I said us it included them as well, as we share everything." Rusty's escort glanced up at him, with a puzzled expression on her face. "Didn't they tell you that we claim to be telepathic?" "I don't remember it being mentioned, but that wouldn't be surprising, since many don't believe telepathy is possible. We were told who you are and some general information. One of the senior officers overseeing our group made a comment that it has been reported that you have some unique abilities. He didn't provide us with any details. We weren't given any special instructions for this evening. Our standing instructions are to observe and assist the guest we are escorting. This can entail providing protection, but I doubt if your group will need assistance with that. Sometimes, we are debriefed but not often. Actually, we have a small pool going as to whether we will be debriefed after this." "And you put your money on the side that says you will be." "Yes." "Ah... , but I think you know more about us than you are letting on. You strike me as a very inquisitive person with good intuition." "Yes, I am inquisitive. I had a little time so I reviewed what has been in the news about your group. I also went and looked through your website again to refresh my memory of what I had learned the first time. In fact the first time was right after the articles about your group appeared in the newspapers." By this time they had reached the reception area. After entering the room, Sarah, Tara and Aoife moved over near Rusty. Rusty introduced Lt. Thomas to each of his spouses, and then pointed out their other spouses, who were located in other parts of the room. Each of the escorts then introduced themselves to the others in the group. They had been talking a few minutes when Lt. Thomas felt a change in Rusty's stance. She glanced up at him and noticed his expression now seemed to have distant look. She started to say something, but then noticed the same look on Sarah's face. The sudden change in both of them made her uneasy. Her unease grew when she realized that Rusty's other spouses had similar expressions. She looked at the other escorts and saw they were as uneasy as she was. Her first thought was that something was wrong with them, and she was considering whether to summon medical assistance. She was just about to ask the other escorts what they thought they should do when Aoife's expression softened. "Be patient, we will explain in a moment," said Aoife. "Our apologies for causing you to worry," said Rusty, Tara, Sarah and Aoife in unison. "Several of our security teams are assisting a group with a rescue in hostile circumstances, and we saw something that we felt needed a closer look." "Here?" "No," replied Aoife. "The complexity of the situation makes a simple answer difficult to give you in these circumstances, but perhaps we will have the opportunity a bit later." "I suspect all of you want to know more about us," said Sarah, drawing the escorts' attention, "but feel it is impolite to ask." Several nodded their heads slightly. "It is more than that," replied Lt. Thomas. "We are discouraged from seeking any information from those we escort. Our instructions are to be social-able while observing and assisting." "Of course, it doesn't hurt that all of you have excellent recall," added Aoife, causing all of them to shift uneasily. "As I told Rusty a few moments ago," replied Lt. Thomas, "we are seldom debriefed. We understand that experiencing these events will help us in the future." Sarah, Rusty, Aoife and Tara then took turns telling the escorts about their ship, Dóchas, the settlement on Mars, An Clochán, their species and then about their backgrounds before leaving Earth. The dialog slowed only as they moved from the reception area into hall's arena for dinner. Mr. Bartlet and his wife joined them at their table, making the escorts a little uneasy. While the escorts had been to other similar dinners, this was their first time to sit at a table with a major government official. Sarah's Clan grew more relaxed as dinner progressed. They could see through their link that the operation in Fuda, Africa was going as they expected. ------- At the estate in Fuda, four cloaked shuttles carrying the mixed strike team landed near the loading dock for the estate. While the strike team was preparing to enter the building, six additional shuttles that would transport the captives to the aircraft carrier hovered overhead. Just as the shuttles arrived at the Fudan estate, a detachment of Fudan elite forces left the capital, heading toward the estate. The detachment was in a hurry, since the commander had seen a sudden change in the readiness status of several units at different locations around the country. When he first saw the change, he had tried to determine what or whom had initiated the change. None of his inquiries were answered. Calls to the estate's security team, the security chief or the president's bodyguards at the estate all went unanswered. His standing orders were to protect the president and his staff. With this in mind, he ordered his unit to immediately depart for the estate. His unit only made it beyond the edge of the city before two vehicles had major mechanical problems effectively isolating his unit. ------- Meanwhile, just outside the capital, a cloaked shuttle landed in the courtyard of the President's home. The strike team immediately exited and headed for their assignments. The guards and staff were subdued before they knew the strike team was in the building. Once each guard or staff member was subdued, they were stripped and bound then led to the home's reception area. They were forced to sit in a circle with their backs to each other. Once they were in position, a noose was slipped around each of their necks and tied to a central ring behind them. Any movement by one of them caused the nooses to tighten around every neck. With the house secure, the strike team began to release the captives and slaves. They were surprised to see the captives and slaves resist leaving the cages. They were puzzled for a few moments, until it dawned on the team how they must look. "Danny, do we know the names of these captives?" asked Cathan. "Yes, you should see the names on your display. One of them was a crew candidate." "I see it now." Cathan and Sorcha altered their tactical suit helmets so they were transparent. "Ladies, we are here to rescue you. There is transportation waiting in the courtyard to take you to a British aircraft carrier, and then, on to England." "You don't sound English," mumbled one woman, as she tried to speak around the hardware in her mouth. It was evident she was scared by her expression and the trembling of her body. "I am not. Some of those in the black suits are. We are just here to assist them." "You sound a little bit like an American, but your attire makes you look very different." "Several of us wearing helmets were originally from America." "Are you a friend of Kristin's?" asked another, speaking very slowly. "I know a Kristin," replied Máiréad. "She is in our choir, which is on a concert tour in England." "You remind me of her. We met a long time ago, when she came to ask me to join a group in space. I almost did, in fact I was going to contact her when I returned from my vacation. Instead, I ended up here." "We know the same Kristin. She lives on Dóchas most of the time." As Máiréad was speaking, the captive was scrambling out of her cage. She moaned as she tried to stand. Máiréad reached to steady her, since she was very shaky. A short chain linked the bracelets on her wrists to her collar and there was a short chain connecting the metal bands on her ankles. "Are there any other people being held here? Don't speak unless you need to. We know the rings and studs in your tongue make it difficult." While Máiréad was speaking, Sorcha was cutting the chains restraining the woman's arms and legs. "Yes. There are two more. One is in the kennel being used by the dogs. Another is bound in a sealed box in the basement. She has been gone a long time." Hearing her comments, two members of the team headed toward each location. Cathan said, "Ladies, we need to get you out to the shuttle so we can finish up in here. Angie, thanks for speaking up." Angie gasped, then said, "How did you know my name?" "We think we know the names of most of those both here and at an estate where others are held prisoner. We are having some difficulty matching names with the actual person." "I can understand that, after what they did to us." Everyone's wrist and leg restraints were removed before Sorcha and Lasairfhiona led them out to the shuttle. Once the captives were in the shuttle, the strike team searched the house again for people or records. Before leaving, they took the mistress of the house to the kennel and tied her tightly to the breeding frame. The others were bound, fitted with butt plugs and then forced into the cages, which were then sealed shut. Those they didn't have cages for were either placed in stocks or suspended and bound so that struggling would make the bondage more painful. All were left so they couldn't utter a sound. With the mission complete at the President's home, the strike team went to assist those removing the captives records from the Fuda Justice Department offices. ------- At the estate in Fuda, once the three main areas holding the captives and slaves had been secured, the mixed strike team then began releasing the captives and slaves from their restraints. Those released were at first reluctant to follow the strike teams directions. Picking up on what had happened at the President's home, those wearing tactical suits changed their tactical suits attributes so the suits appeared transparent. This made the Golden Amazons in the strike team appear nude. Even though the SAS and Special Ops soldiers were warned about the pending change, they found it a little unsettling. They were pleased by the view of their teammates, but very pleased when they saw the effect on the captives and slaves. Both the captives and slaves responded more quickly to the rescuers since many of their rescuers now appeared to be naked. After the first group of strike team members had assisted the group they rescued on to a shuttle, they remained in the area to assist others in boarding the shuttles. Several of the strike team pairs stayed to assist with boarding getting those rescued to board the shuttles. This sped up moving the released men and women quickly from the loading dock to the shuttles. Some captives had difficulty moving after being released from their restraints, so they were carried out to the waiting shuttle. Some slaves had to be forced out of the building, as they were thoroughly conditioned to fear leaving the building without a leash attached to their collar. As the slaves and captives took seats in a shuttle, an EMT gave them a drink containing a mild sedative to help them would relax. A few minutes later, each of the passengers were given a drink containing an antidote to the primary drugs that were included in their daily diet at the estate. Once a shuttle was full, it immediately left for the aircraft carrier, with a pair of the strike team members riding along. When all of the slaves and captives were out of the dungeons, several pairs of strike teams went back to rescue those held in the reception hall. Once they were in position, the lights in the reception hall were turned off. The guards and staff responded by drawing their weapons. In each case, their movement was followed by a flash of light and a thump or a clatter of metal. A moan was heard from each as they a lost feeling in their hands. The moans were quickly followed by a short scream when they realized they could not feel their hands. The noises and flashes of light alerted other staff and guards that someone was in the area. Before any of them could contemplate a response, strike team members had reached their assigned person. Upon reaching each staff member or guard, their head was jerked back, causing them to open their mouth. Before they could scream again, a ball was shoved into their mouths, silencing them. Once the ball was in their mouth, their jaws were pushed together, squeezing the ball gag to release an adhesive. The adhesive quickly bound their teeth to the ball. With them gagged, one team member held them while the other cut their few clothes off. Each was then fitted with collar made from a special metal. It was a collar they would not be able to remove. The staff was then bound; tying their collar, elbows, wrists and ankles together behind their backs before leaving them on the floor. Once the guards and staff were immobilized, the arms dealer's wife, daughters, and mistress were released from the central cage. Their pre-dinner torment had been so severe that all four of them had to be carried out to a shuttle. As Brid lay one of the daughters down in the shuttle, she grabbed Brid's arm tightly and pulled. Brid stopped and looked at her. "You will be fine, now," said Brid. The woman pulled Brid again. She tried to speak, but the sounds were more like moans than words. Brid could see from the flashes of light from the rings along the sides of her tongue. Before Brid could respond, a tear ran down her cheek. "Don't cry, Estelle. I can read your thoughts, so if you agree just nod." Estelle nodded. Her expression turned to one of surprise as she heard her name. "So, you're telling me that some of the staff are just special captives?" Estelle nodded. "The woman who oversaw your conditioning was one of them?" Again Estelle nodded. "I take it you want us to rescue her, and perhaps the others?" Estelle nodded vigorously. "What does she look like? Just picture her in your mind, so I can see her image." "Okay, I've got it. We will try, but I can't make any guarantees." Estelle responded by miming, "Thank you." Once the central cage was empty, strike team members roughly dragged the guards and staff inside. The bindings on each were redone, with several wraps of a thin rope placed around their elbows, and the ends tied to their collar and ankle bindings behind their back. The bindings were tight enough that their ankles exerted a constant pull on the collars, making breathing difficult. Just a portion of the strike team was readying the assault on the auditorium, an explosion was heard, indicating that someone had gone back into the area where captives were held for the auction. At the same time, they received the message from Brid about the other special captives. They quickly shut off the lights for the auditorium and moved inside. Using the information the drones had gathered earlier, the team members went directly to each table. It only took a little encouragement to lead away those who were wearing a collar. Once the slaves were out of the room, several of the security teams cloaked and remained behind for a few moments after the lights came back on. This served two purposes. One was to make sure they had released all of the slaves. The second was to see what kind of reaction the disappearance of the slaves would cause. Just as the lights came back on, an estate staff member came out onto the stage from the captive holding area. She was shaking with fear, as she told al-Sharghi that the captives were gone. The strike team members in the auditorium quickly determined that they had released all of the slaves. They watched for a few moments, as the guests hollered al-Sharghi, demanding to know what he had done with their slaves. Others were demanding that his staff be punished for shoving them around in the dark. President el-Ohssa's bodyguards moved closer to him, as they nervously watched the angry crowd. Seeing the response, the strike team members left the auditorium to assist the others leaving the surveillance drones to monitor the auditorium and reception hall. al-Sharghi turned, not believing his staff, and sent two other staff members back to get the captives for the auction. They were only out of sight a short time before a loud explosion was heard, followed by a scream after which a second explosion shook the room. The sound had hardly dissipated when one of the guests screamed from the auditorium door that all the guards were bound naked in the center cage. In response to the guests cry from the door, President el-Ohssa went to the reception hall with his bodyguards. At the same time, many of the guests began moving toward other auditorium exits. When el-Ohssa saw the reception hall, he told the security chief to summon reinforcements, since someone was releasing the prisoners. Two of the President's bodyguards went to open the center cage. After struggling with the door, they noticed it was welded shut. Another staff member brought over a bolt cutter, and they began to cut a hole in the cage wall. While the bodyguards and a few staff members were trying to get things organized in the reception hall, the strike team checked all the staff members they had immobilized earlier. They all knew it was increasing their chances of being discovered, but felt compelled to honor the request Brid had relayed. Laurin and her teammate found Estelle's trainer first. "The arms dealer's daughter sent us to find you, Sanelia. Do you wish to go with us?" The woman gasped as she heard her name, and began to cry as she nodded yes. Laurin picked her up and started for the door, with her SAS teammate leading the way. When they reached the dock door, Sanelia had nearly stopped crying. "Sanelia are there others like you?" "Yes, there are six others." "Where would we find them? Is there anything distinguishing about them?" "The primary difference is we only wear a collar and it does not have a ring attached to it." "Okay, picture each one in your mind." "Strike team, listen up," called Laurin. "Sanelia tells me there are six more special captives. These are their images. Do we have time to get them out?" "Yes," came the response from everyone. "We saw them when we were looking for Sanelia," said Edana. "Kacey, Christine, Saoirse, take your SAS teammates and create the false trail we planned, while we get the others." "We're on it," replied the three. Kacey, Christine, Saoirse each tapped their teammate on the shoulder and motioned for them to follow. As they moved toward the reception hall, they told their teammates what they were to do. Kacey cloaked and stepped into the reception hall. She could see al-Sharghi and el-Ohssa organizing the group by the cage, while others were trying to widen the small opening they had managed to cut in the wall. Kacey turned off her cloak and whispered loudly, "Hurry, we need to meet the others!" With that, the others ran into the reception hall to follow her across the hall and out the door. The noise and movement drew the attention of several of those gathered by the cage. Someone screamed, "There they are!" "Where?" shouted another. "The raiders just ran across the room and out the door." "Come with me," shouted the el-Ohssa, as he and his guards quickly followed, gathering discarded weapons as they went. When they reached the door, all they could see were the lights of a truck headed down the road toward the next town. The President fired his pistol in the air, causing everyone to quiet. "Hurry, get everyone you can out of the cage. Find a weapon and come back out here. We are going after them. We need three trucks. Hurry!" al-Sharghi came up to him, he said, "The bastards left explosives all through the back of the estate. They can be seen on the surveillance cameras. The explosions killed two staff members and severely wounded several others. All the dungeon doors are open. A few staff and guards can be seen on the surveillance cameras. They have all been stripped and bound." el-Ohssa said, "We can't do anything about them now. We need to get everyone we can onto the trucks. The raiders left on a truck with our stock. I want these bastards. When we catch them, it will be a pleasure to practice our severe interrogation techniques on them. For those that don't die from that, we will shove a spit up their asses and slowly roast them." "Did you summon more assistance," asked el-Ohssa, looking at the security chief. "We are trying, sir. No one is answering either the radio or the phone," he replied. "What? Where the hell are they? You told me they were always ready to respond." el-Ohssa noticed guests making their way to the airstrip. "Good," he thought, "we won't need to worry about them". Three trucks pulled up next to them. As soon as they stopped, the group started boarding. Within a few moments, the caravan of three trucks was racing down the road. The driver couldn't see the truck the raiders had left on, but the fresh tire tracks in the dust were clear. ------- The shuttles carrying the mixed strike team flew toward the British CSG. Upon approaching the carrier, the shuttles identified themselves to CSG's FC and were given permission to land. The five shuttles lined up in formation behind the carrier and drifted down the normal glide path to the carrier's deck. Once over the deck, they leveled out so they were just a half meter off the deck. They then taxied up and parked out of the way of flight operations. Once they stopped, the shuttles remained suspended over the deck as the lead shuttle's door opened. Calvin and Todd immediately identified themselves to an officer, and asked for the operations officer or ship's commander. They had hardly made the request when the Commander stepped out of the island. Calvin saluted and introduced himself, then Todd and the rest of the team with them, who had followed them out onto the deck, wearing their tactical suits without the helmets. "Captain," said Calvin, "we are on our way back to England, and wanted to stop and see how the people we rescued are doing. Could some of the team go meet with them? According to the last operations plan I saw, they were to be transported to England tomorrow." The operations officer had one of the sailors show the group with Cathan down to the hanger deck. Calvin then asked the Commander how the operation was going, from their stand point. "Well Calvin," replied the CSG Commander, "until a few minutes ago, it was going reasonably well." "I hope our landing here did not cause a problem," replied Calvin quickly. "No. The sudden influx of people your group rescued has really challenged the medical staff, since they don't feel they are really equipped to provide the best treatment as quickly as they would like to." Meanwhile, below on the hanger deck, Cathan saw that the medical staff was having difficulty providing care to those they rescued. To her it appeared that the rapid arrival had overwhelmed even the carrier's augmented resources. It was also clear that the space they were using was impacting operations on the hanger deck. Cathan told Todd that they needed to immediately start moving those they rescued to England, as there were more than the medical crew could handle. "Captain, our team members have just suggested that we begin moving the people we brought to the hospital in England as quickly as possible. No reflection on your staff's abilities." "My medical staff agrees, and has already strongly suggested it. Flight operations would like the space back as we've just been told to prepare to transport the Royal Marine detachment to a country near here. That operation alone will require the use of the transports that were en route to move the refugees to land, so they can be flown back to England. Central Command says they don't have aircraft available so we will have to wait until the aircraft come back from deploying the Marines." "Captain," said Todd, "if your medical staff can get them ready to travel, we can take care of transportation to England." "Captain, could I use your phone," asked Calvin. "It looks like the medical unit in England is going to have an earlier start for their drill." "Calvin, were you planning on calling Mr. Bartlet?" "Well, I wasn't going to make that my first call, but..." "Are you referring to the Prime Minister?" asked the CSG Commander with a look of amazement. Calvin nodded to the Commander as Todd took out a small phone. "Rusty, is Mr. Bartlet near you?" "Yes." "Calvin needs to talk to him. Could you hand him your phone?" "Sure." "Here use this, Mr. Bartlet will answer the phone. He may not know it is you, though." While Todd was talking to Calvin, Rusty handed his phone to Mr. Bartlet, saying Calvin would like to talk to him. "Mr. Bartlet, this is Calvin. Sorry to bother you, but we have a little problem here. We are on the carrier, and the CSG's medical staff is overwhelmed by the number of people we rescued. Also, the CSG has been told to transport the Royal Marines somewhere. My guess is probably to Fuda. Do you have a suggestion as to whom I should call to get the field hospital set up and staffed now?" "The field hospital and medical unit should be fully set up," replied Mr. Bartlet, "but if I remember the briefing correctly the staff wasn't to arrive until daybreak tomorrow morning. How soon can you be there?" "Three hours or less." "Bring them. The hospital will be ready," replied Mr. Bartlet, and handed the phone back to Rusty. Mr. Bartlet turned to the young officer setting next to him. "Lt. Andrews, who would you call if you needed a field hospital unit staffed in less than two hours to handle an emergency involving of up to 400 people." "If it were me, I would call the appropriate base's senior medical officer. I don't know that he could or would do it for me in two hours, though." "So you think I should call the base's senior medical officer? Why not someone with more authority?" "Because doing that would lengthen the response time. I suspect he would initiate an alert to his staff and then inform his commander." "Sounds reasonable, now all I need is a phone number." "Sir, I think this number will work for you," said Aoife, as she handed him her phone, eliciting a surprised look on Mr. Bartlet's face. It was a few moments before Mr. Bartlet said, "Good evening Doctor, this is Mr. Bartlet, the Prime Minister. I will be brief. Your staff was scheduled to be at a field hospital tomorrow at daybreak. The situation has changed, your patients will begin arriving in approximately two hours. Their number and condition has stressed the CSG's medical staff. We are counting on you to be ready for their arrival. My Chief of Staff will call you shortly, to make sure you get all the support you need to accomplish the task. Good evening, Commander." The looks of the escorts around the table were one of amazement. Mr. Bartlet looked at them and smiled. "We will talk about this in a minute. My Chief of Staff needs to know about his new responsibility." The group watched as he got up and walked over to the table where the Chief of Staff was sitting with another group. After a few moments, the Mr. Bartlet came back to the table, while the Chief of Staff made his way out of the room, occasionally stopping to talk to a few others. "I can see all of you are curious about what just happened," said Mr. Bartlet. "Unfortunately, this is not a good place to openly share information, although knowing more about this situation would be beneficial to your professional growth." "Excuse me, sir," said Sarah, "only this table will hear our conversation." Mr. Bartlet looked puzzled, then smiled when Aoife nodded. "With Sarah's assurance, I will provide you with some background concerning what led to the phone call. Tonight, a mixed Irish Special Ops and SAS unit rescued a number of people being held captive by a group associated with the country's leader. Since these people were captured, they have been subjected to intense conditioning, in order to prepare them for sale to individuals or brothels as pleasure toys. An auction was to take place this evening, but did not, since our team showed up in time. We are certain the captives did not choose this as their future. The Commander of the SAS unit just called to tell me that the group they rescued was overwhelming the resources of the CSG's medical staff. He called to ask for guidance concerning whom to call to accelerate staffing the hospital, which was planned to take place at daybreak tomorrow. At your suggestion, I made the call for him to the Commander of the Medical Unit that was to staff the field hospital. The Chief of Staff is now ensuring that the Medical Unit Commander has all the support he needs to open the hospital in the next two hours. I could have let Calvin make the call, but I suspect that having my office initiate the arrangements will ensure that the medics are ready upon the arrival of those we rescued. So now you know a little more about what prompted the events you just saw. We don't expect any of this will be in the paper." Several of them smiled as he made the last comment. He quickly added, "Well at least, not in any detail." "Calvin was the SAS Commander," stated Lt. Thomas, softly. "Yes," replied Prime Minister Bartlet, before he realized the implication. "How did you know?" "I didn't really. I heard the name Calvin when Rusty told you about the call. Calvin is my brother's name and he is in SAS. No, he didn't tell me. It is best explained by saying it was intuition that told me it was my Calvin. Aoife, I now understand what you meant earlier, but if they are in the Eastern Mediterranean, how can they be in England in two hours?" Her comments caused many strange looks to pass between the other escorts, as many were puzzled by her comments. Prime Minister Bartlet had a surprised look on his face, which was slowly replaced by a curious one. After a moment he asked, "And why do you think they are in the Eastern Mediterranean?" Lt. Thomas suddenly felt very uncomfortable and began to turn red from embarrassment. She felt certain she was right, but concerned she had put her foot in it. Taking a deep breath, she replied, "Sir, it is a combination of events or bits of information that lead me to that conclusion. Shortly after we arrived in the reception area, Rusty, Aoife, Sarah and Tara were very distracted for a few moments. When it passed, Aoife indicated they had a group assisting with a rescue mission. Calvin told me the other day, he thought he would be gone for a few days. The only carrier group at sea that is close to 2 hours away is in the Eastern Mediterranean area. So it all fits together, even though I am not sure we have aircraft that will cover the distance that quickly." Her conclusions drew several chuckles around the table. Lt. Andrews said, "Now that you have shared the key elements you used to draw your conclusion, I can see how you fit it together. Lt. Thomas, if your conclusion is correct, I will be amazed. I know that I could not have drawn any conclusion using the elements you had. Any consideration of a link between them would have been ignored, because of the extremely low probability." "That is true," replied Rusty, "however she solved it some 2 hours before the medical unit will be operational and the patients arrival. Remember, she implied the conclusion was an intuitive solution, relating some loosely related pieces of information or elements. While intuition played a role, linking the key elements came about because of the apparent clue she saw in each element. If this was a hostile situation, and depending on which side she was on, she would likely have time either to support or counter the move. The issue she would have faced is that she wouldn't have time to verify anything. She would need to decide based on benefits versus risk and the strength of her intuition." "Let me add, all of us are impressed with both of you. Lt. Andrews, your choice to get assistance for getting the medical staff in place was good. Without Prime Minister Bartlet's clout, it would have taken more persuasion to get it started. Lt. Thomas' analysis of the few bits of information she had was excellent. I suspect that her intuition was augmented by using a form of pattern recognition to relate the seemingly unrelated elements. As to the flight time, Lt. Thomas is correct - the distance is too great for your aircraft to cover in two hours. We are supplying the transportation. In fact, those rescued are getting ready to board now." Both murmured, thank you, as the other escorts nodded their agreement with his comments. "Rusty, Sarah, Aoife, and Tara," said Lt. Smith, "I am curious about something." "Feel free to ask your question, I am certain we will not be offended," said Tara. "There is a small possibility that we could chose not to answer, but that is not likely. We are sure there will be no repercussions for asking." "Thank you. All of you being here seems to be extraordinarily risky. There are assuredly many on Earth who would like to have your technology. There are others who think you should be killed or caged as if you were animals." "We don't see coming here as any more risky than traveling or living in space," replied Aoife. "But we outnumber you," he protested, "we could just subdue you and cart you away." "Let me answer you indirectly," said Tara smiling, "if you had a 2 to 1 advantage, would you try the same thing with a room full of SAS members?" "Most certainly not, it would be suicide. You would die quickly, if you were lucky," he quickly retorted. "So does that answer your question?" Several of the other escorts had faint smiles on their faces, as did Mr. and Mrs. Bartlet. "You're telling me your group's capabilities are equivalent to SAS troops," he exclaimed, with an disbelieving look on his face. "Yes, she is," replied Mr. Bartlet. "Based on information we have concerning their other contacts with Earth, I believe they are probably better." "Other contacts?" replied Lt. Smith, before he realized who was speaking. Mr. Bartlet looked a little surprised, but said, "There is circumstantial evidence that these people have quietly assisted in the release of other people who were held captive. There is some evidence that they supported a Army field unit that was being set up for ambush by terrorist." "Well then, the aggressor could just use a drug to incapacitate them," replied Lt. Smith quickly, thinking checkmate. "They could," said Sarah, "if they had a death wish. Such an attempt would likely fail as well, but it is a certainty that all of the aggressors would be dead long before the drug was fully effective. Without knowing the drug, it is not possible to estimate our casualties." Lt. Smith started to say something else, when Lt. Andrews said, "Lt., give it up. From my perspective, I want them to be our friends. After our short time together, I would now take any threat to them as a threat toward me." The escorts at the table laughed and nodded their agreement, as Lt. Smith blushed. "Lt. Smith, you had good questions," said Rusty. "You may have found part of your answers just by observing. When a group with a high profile like ours moves around so casually, they are either foolish or have some hole cards. You should always look for the hole cards." "You sound just like Calvin and his buddies." Lt. Thomas paused, then said, "Were you special forces?" Mr. Bartlet started to respond, but Rusty waved him off. "Let's just say I am familiar with Special Ops." Mr. Bartlet smiled at Rusty's reply. It was correct, but grossly understated based what he knew, which wasn't much. Just then, the lights blinked, indicating that the choir's performance would start soon. ------- "Commander," said Todd, "do you need escorts for the aircraft transporting the Royal Marines?" "Supposedly, not," he replied without much conviction. "We would be much more comfortable if we could send a couple of escorts. However, that was not part of our orders, as command views the countries we are crossing as friendly. There is also an issue of any escorts having sufficient range." "I think we can offer you a solution." "Dóchas FOC," said Todd. "Dóchas FOC, go ahead." "Do you have a couple of aircraft available that can escort some British troop transports?" "Yes. A flight can be overhead in about 15 minutes. They will turn on transponders as they approach and contact the CSG FC. Can you provide more detail on the mission?" "Several transports are to carry the Royal Marines, most likely to Fuda, and would feel more comfortable with an escort." "Captain, Dóchas FOC says there will be four aircraft overhead in 15 minutes that can serve as escorts for your planes. Is that soon enough?" "Who is Dóchas FOC?" "Our flight operations center." "It will take more time than that before we are ready to deploy." "They will contact your flight control when they are several kilometers out. They will linger at the destination as long as you need them." "Sir, are there any guidelines on engagement, if challenged?" "Whatever is needed to defend our aircraft." Just as they finished talking, the shuttles for transporting those rescued appeared in a line behind the carrier and off to the starboard side, putting them out of the way of flight operations. ------- After conveying her observations of the makeshift hospital area to Todd, Cathan sought out the head of medical operations in the hanger. She found him standing off to the side, conferring with two other officers in a rather animated conversation, based upon appearances. Cathan walked up beside him and waited to be noticed, or for a break in the conversation. After a moment, she touched his arm and said, "Sir, my name is Cathan. Would you mind if I addressed this group?" The doctor looked her over carefully, then noticed several SAS soldiers standing off to the side. "I take it that your group rescued them," he replied somewhat testily. As he spoke, he looked at the SAS soldiers behind her. "Yes sir, all of us were part of the operation," said one soldier in black. "Yes, you can speak to them." "What is their status?" "Health-wise, we have found nothing serious or life threatening, and with the proper care their physical injuries will heal quickly. Some of them will require surgery to correct what was done to them. Of greater concern is their psychological stability, based upon what they told us about their experiences. We fear that many of them will likely become depressed, unless they can come to terms with their experiences. If this was the kind of trauma we were trained for, and if it weren't for the few abrasive loudmouths, I think we could have provided care more efficiently. If they were military, we could easily handle the loudmouths." "Our apologies, as we had some idea of the injuries that would need treatment," replied Sorcha. "This mission was scheduled very quickly and we, apparently, overlooked providing you with that information." "You have nothing to apologize for. In fact, I am pleased that we did not have the trauma cases we expected. All of this has been a very different experience for us." Cathan thanked the doctor before stepping over toward the group. "Attention!" said Cathan, in unison with her clan. Their combined voices carried over all the noise and echoed slightly. "Listen up! Can everyone understand me?" Her team members looked around the area to see if anyone had a puzzled look on their face. "You are all safe now. You are on a British Aircraft Carrier in the Mediterranean Sea. We need you to be patient for a few more hours. The medical staff here needs to finish your preliminary medical evaluations. Once they are complete, we will be leaving for England. There are aircraft already waiting on deck to take us to England. So, in a few moments, we will begin helping those who have completed their medical evaluation to the flight deck to board the waiting aircraft. In England, a field hospital has been set up to provide you with any needed medical treatment. This field hospital is on one of the bases these guys in black use. At the moment, there are very few people who know you have been rescued, or even know you needed to be rescued. We intend to keep it that way. Once you are in England and rested, you can begin to consider other issues affecting your future. There will be assistance for you in answering those questions. Some of you undoubtedly have questions about us, these we can answer during our trip to England." "Fuck England! Just let me die," screamed a woman, as she began wrestling with a nurse again. Ciar and Sorcha immediately stepped over next to the woman. "So you would rather be a dead victim, rather than a survivor," asked Ciar in a hard voice, as those around them moved back. "You want to tell the slavers and other scum that you are not strong enough to survive. The door is over there. From there, it is a clear path to the ocean. Go jump." As Ciar was talking, the nurse had moved back from them. Her facial expression showed surprise at the approach the tall woman was taking. The woman who had been screaming started toward the open door. She had only taken a few steps when Ciar said, "Well, hurry up. Go jump. Run away from yourself. We didn't. We chose to survive and to do it well. But you, apparently, are too chicken to try that. It takes a strong person to suck it up and go on, in spite of their ordeals. I guess your captors were correct about selecting you to be one of their mindless sex toys." "You don't know what it's like. To do all those nasty things you are told to do. To feel you body respond, while your mind screams at your body to stop. It's horrible." "Yes it is, when you are forced to do it. Some of us have had similar experiences. We believe what was done to you is wrong. Your body was only responding to stimulation the way it was designed. The human mind has many abilities, but you cannot totally control your body's response to stimulation. You tried to fight a battle that could not be won. Stimulating your body sexually, and its ultimate release, is what relieves many of the stresses in our lives. This is especially true when it occurs between those that care for each other. At that place, you were used. You had no control. So it is now time to start again. You now have experiences that you would not normally have. With this knowledge, you can now focus on those experiences you like, and find others to share the sensations you like. I can assure you that, in the future, your close friends will be very close to you." Ciar, Sorcha and the nurse watched the woman take a few more steps, then begin to bawl. Sorcha and the nurse went to hold her as she sobbed. "Come, we need to get moving," said Cathan to the others watching. "Those of you who have been seen by a doctor, please follow Máiréad up to the flight deck, as our transportation is here. Medics, can some of the crew assist with those needing stretchers?" "Yes, ma'am," replied several sailors. "Medical staff, there will be EMTs on the shuttles, if your staff needs to pass on instructions." "We found that each person has a number tattooed behind their ear," replied a doctor. "We have linked that number to the treatments we administered. As soon as everyone is on their way, we will transmit the information to the field hospital in England, once we know who to contact." "Good. I hope I didn't offend anyone with the way I treated the hysterical woman." "I don't think so. What you said should benefit all of them, once they have time to reflect on it." The doctor and Ciar watched as those who had been treated began to go up on the flight deck. Many of those rescued were seen thanking and hugging the crew members as they began to leave. ------- Chapter 107 Just after the shuttles carrying those rescued from Fuda left the British aircraft carrier, the large video screen came to life in each shuttle. "Good morning. My name is Calvin, and standing next to me are Pat, Kaelee, and Duane. Duane and I are from England. Pat and Kaelee are from Dóchas. All of you are probably wondering what is going to happen now, with some apprehension. First off, we will be arriving in England in about two hours. We are going directly to a secluded SAS base. Duane and I are British SAS soldiers, and we also have some Irish Special Ops soldiers in the group. It was the combination of our three groups that came to rescue you tonight. Our transportation tonight was supplied by Dóchas. The SAS base is on alert, to be sure that there will be no unwelcome visitors to pester any of us. Your presence at the base is only known to those on the base, a few others in MI6, and the Prime Ministers' Office. Everyone else thinks we are doing one of our training drills." He paused. "Well, we are, but this is a little different than a usual drill." "I'll now go over our tentative plan for the next several days. A field hospital was established earlier today, just for your care. Any medical treatment you need can be provided by our medical staff. Besides physical medical treatments, there will be counselors there to help you come to terms with your recent experiences. You are not alone in your recent experiences, as many of the tall lovely women assisting with this mission have had similar experiences. I am certain they will be willing to talk to you." "Calvin, can I say a few words now," asked Kaelee. "Many of us will be by to visit the hospital this week. We are available to talk to you about anything. As Calvin noted, some of us have experiences similar to those you just escaped from. Some of those experiences were worse, and some were not nearly as humiliating or painful. I will say it now, as it needs to be said again. You were used! You had no choice but to either comply or suffer until you did. It was not your fault! You did nothing wrong. Best of all, you survived and are here. It may not seem like it, but, as Cathan said earlier, you can use your recent experiences as a springboard to a better life than you might have had otherwise. You can also use those experiences to wallow in self-pity, which will make your future much more difficult. We found we could use our experiences, and what we learned about ourselves, to improve the quality of our life. God made us very different from other animals, especially sexually. Many of us think that to deny any portion of our ability is to deny some of God's greatness." "Who are you?" asked one of the arms dealer's daughters. "Estelle, I and my friends are from the space ship, Dóchas, and we are collectively known as the Golden Amazons. As Calvin noted earlier, about half of those on our team for this mission come from England's SAS and Irish Special Ops. Our home is currently either on Dóchas or at An Clochán, our settlement on Mars. The SAS and Special Ops won't say where they are from." "But you said, you had experiences like ours, and yet you sound American, though with an unusual accent. Your beautiful but at the same time something seems different about you other than height." "Yes, that is all true. Let me give you a shortened version of my experiences; but, I can go into more detail if you desire. I was born and raised in the US. After college, I joined the US Army and was selected for a TTC unit. While with an US Army TTC unit operating in Afghanistan, a number of us were kidnapped by local slavers. Fortunately for us, we were rescued by the Golden Amazons fairly soon after the kidnapping. Other members of our family were sex slaves for many months before they were fortunate enough to be rescued. After I recovered, Pat and I decided to follow up on an opportunity to work on Dóchas. We learned about this opportunity when we were rescued, but it was solely our choice to seek it. Once we explored the opportunity, Pat and I liked it so well, we chose to stay and join them. Again, we can tell you more details later this week, if you're interested. Will that do for now?" "Yes. Thank you." "Thanks, Kaelee," said Calvin. "We are asking you to hold off contacting any family or friends until, at least, the end of the week or longer, if you wish. This is, in part, to provide time for you to consider all the issues regarding how you return home. We think most, if not all of you, would like to see it done with little or no fanfare. It also gives you time to get sorted, medically and emotionally. We will need to determine the status of your identity before plans for returning can be made. Related to this is deciding how you want your situation to be described. We are aware that some of you were rather public figures, which could add some complications to re-entering public view. The data indicates that most of the people kidnapped for enslavement were selected somewhat randomly, though others were kidnapped to fulfill a contract. More bluntly, someone you had contact with either wanted you out of the way or planned on your becoming their sex toy. We will talk to those affected once we have more information and it has been confirmed." "Can all of you live with this plan," asked Pat. "What if we don't have a family or many friends?" "A new identity in your home country can be arranged for you," replied Calvin. "We are certain we can make it more secure than that given to those in the witness protection program." "First, let me say thank you for our rescue," said a woman, which led to along period of applause on all the shuttles. "I was one of the slaves who were in the auditorium. I am concerned about what my former owner will do to his other slaves when he returns home." Cathan appeared on the screen and said, "What is your former master's name? Do you know where his home was?" "I only knew him as Master Graystone. I am not certain where he kept us." Cathan paused a moment, as she listened to the others in the strike team. "There will not be any slaves there when he arrives. We are not sure where we will move them to, but will let you know." "Oh, thank you." Tears ran down her cheeks. "I sense there are one or two others with the similar concerns." "Yes, my Master goes by Sir Edward. I think it is similar to his real name." "We will look into the activities of Sir Edward, your former master." "My concern is different than the others. I was his only purchased slave. The other slaves were his wife and children. His mistress oversaw the operation of his house, and administered many of the punishments to the slaves. His name is Master Edmund." "Melita, we will look into him, as well. Sorry to interrupt, Calvin." "Cathan, it is not a problem. Any of our team are available for this extra effort." Cathan nodded to him, smiling. "You might as well bring any others you rescue to the base." "Again, were there any objections to the proposal for this week?" asked Duane. "I have no objection," said Giselle, the wife of the arms dealer. "I just don't see how you can keep this from becoming public. The tabloids will love it." "The Prime Minister will mention the mission to parliament tomorrow," replied Duane. "What will not be announced is the names of those rescued. They are not planning on revealing how many were rescued either. Our goal is for it to be solely your choices whether anyone knows about your experiences at the hands of the slavers. Your fellow captives will be discouraged from speaking about anyone other than themselves. You are correct about the tabloids loving the story, since it concerns their favorite topic, illicit sex. Each of you is free to tell your own story, if you want to. We would prefer that you not give any details about the rescue, nor our base. As to your friends, family and others, well - we have no control. Again, we will do the best we can to assist you." "Giselle," said Calvin, "our recommendation is that you say nothing and acknowledge nothing. There could be someone close to you in the future with whom you wish to share the knowledge. You should weigh sharing that knowledge against any possibler benefit. It will probably be a tough decision." "I'm going to sign off, so everyone can nap. We will arrive in about an hour." ------- As the lights went on for the choir to do their third encore, Sam stepped to the front of the stage. "We really must make this our last set for tonight. Before we begin this last set, let me thank all of you for giving us the pleasure of your company. All of us wish to thank Prime Minister Bartlet and his staff for arranging the wonderful reception and dinner in Royal Albert Hall. But, that was not the best part." She paused before continuing. "The best part was the company of those who were our escorts this evening. Mr. Bartlet, your country is very blessed to have such wonderful people." As she finished, all of the Golden Amazons applauded. When the applause quieted, Mr. Bartlet stood. "You're Samatha, correct?" She nodded. "Thank you for your kind words. My wife and I have enjoyed the evening and your group's company, as I am sure everyone here did. We owe you thanks for coming and blessing us with both your music and your company. Your music is much better than the critics claimed, and probably some of the most enlightening music we have ever heard." He began to applaud. His action was quickly followed by the entire audience, as they all stood. Once the third encore was completed, the choir came back out into the dining room to say good bye to their escorts. "Rusty, Sara, Tara, Aoife," said Lt. Thomas, "thank you for a most wonderful evening. In some ways, I wish it would never end. Calvin will be surprised when I tell him about tonight. I wonder how he will tell me about his experiences without reveling critical details, since this time I have an idea as to what went down." "I take it some of you would like to see us again," said Tara. All of the escorts nodded. "We think arrangements can be made, but we need to check, to be sure that no one thinks we are trying to Shanghai you." Several chuckled at her comment, since they recognized the implications. "I don't see it as an issue, especially if you are on leave," said Mr. Bartlet. "In fact, we would like to visit with all of you again." "We would like that, as well," replied Sarah. "We will see that all of you have a means to contact us. The invitation is open, you just need to let us know when you can come. Any of our escorts are welcome to visit. All they need to do is let the person they were with know about their interest and availability." "Thanks," said Lt. Thomas, as she stood on her toes, trying to reach Rusty's cheek. He bent down so she could give him a light kiss on the cheek. Sarah, Aoife, and Tara could see that their escorts wanted to do the same, so they initiated a kiss, along with a hug. When Rusty and Lt. Thomas looked around, they saw many in the group mimicking their recent actions. Mr. and Mrs. Bartlet stepped around and shook hands with Command Staff, who drew them into a hug. "I am not sure what to say now, and for a politician that is dangerous. Again, thanks for the music. Thanks for letting us know about the hostages, and assisting. I am sure, when I see the reports, it will be apparent that it was a success because you helped. Thanks." ------- It was early afternoon, the day after the adventure in Fuda, Africa, when several shuttles from Dóchas landed at the SAS base in England. The SAS soldiers had gathered outside their buildings, to watch as the shuttles quietly arrived. Most of them had ridden in the shuttles the night before, but they still watched in awe as they approached. As soon as the shuttles touched down, the doors opened and the Golden Amazons began to exit. "Pat, how come you brought four shuttles," asked Duane. "It seems that some of our family wanted to visit the hospital and meet those we rescued." "What are they wearing?" asked Calvin, just as the light silhouetted a couple of the arrivals, making them appear almost nude. "They are wearing what those on Earth call a Salwar Kameez. Yes, the fabric is very thin and can be quite reveling in some lighting." "I'll say. They are a beautiful group of people." Many of the soldiers watched the group from Dóchas as they walked toward the field hospital complex. After watching the group, Pat and Duane had just resumed talking, when Eric walked up to stand between Duane and Calvin. After a few moments of not being noticed, he said, "Do you guys always just stand around and bullshit?" "Well I'll be," said Calvin. "It's just like you to show up after the work is done." Everyone laughed, as the two began to trade friendly barbs. After a few moments, Cathan said, "Can we hold off on the reunion for a few moments? We will be here all evening, so there will be plenty of time for that." Her comment caused the reunion to pause. "Calvin, we heard that your base commander has a problem with snoopers." He nodded his head. "We think we have the solution. We brought some friends of ours who can augment perimeter security, if he is interested." Just as she finished speaking, eight lions walked out of the shuttle, causing all of the SAS group to grow very quiet. Sensing what Cathan was implying, Calvin said, "They will certainly keep the snoops at bay. My only concern is what to do with any one who has a heart attack." Everyone laughed at his comment. There were amazed looks as the lions came up and rubbed against those from Dóchas. A few soldiers looked uneasy when the loins came over to sniff them. A few touched the lions fur after they were sniffed, causing the lions to rub against them. "Wow," said several voices from the back of the group. "These are very special animals," said Ciar. "Although they look like Earth's Lions, I can assure they are not, and are quite unique. Show them trust and affection, and they will return it in spades." "Calvin," said Cathal, "why don't you put the word out that the SAS teams here are working with a new stealth strategy, and caution unauthorized persons to stay outside the perimeter." "Good idea. Duane, call the CO and tell we have a potential solution for prying eyes. If we use it, we will probably be able maintain our secrecy, and the base can possibly go back to a more normal readiness level." "We're going join the others over at the hospital for a while, so you guys can tell war stories," said Sorcha. "Let us know when you want to start the debriefing." "Okay," said Calvin, turning to Eric, "how come you guys didn't show up?" "We were there," replied Eric with a smile, as his two bot teammates stepped up next to him. He put his arm around their waists, pulling them to him. "Well, not anywhere I could see any of you. Last night, I was very appreciative of the two ladies next to you. It seemed like one of them was always either next to me or nearby." "I know." Eric's response caused a puzzled look to appear on Calvin's face. "Gabrielle and Patience are very special friends of mine. Calvin, we have been friends and comrades for a long time, so let me bring you up to date on some of the pieces you may not know. Someone exposed our identity, so we decided it was time to disappear. We asked the group on Dóchas to assist us with our problem, in exchange for information on a threat toward them. They helped and we asked to stay with them. Since we have been with these people, we have learned many things about ourselves. One is that we have always been telepathic. They showed us how to enable our ability and use it effectively. Our telepathic link with some of our team members was how we were there for the training yesterday afternoon, and then with the operation last night." Eric was surprised when he looked around and saw everyone was intently listening to their conversation. He started wonder if he had said too much, but then felt his team reassure him. "We didn't see you yesterday." "You're right. I wasn't physically there. I was there through the link I have with my two friends Gabrielle and Patience. The same is true for the others, Cathal, Charles, Brad and Casey." "We were surprised when we saw you were included in the briefing with the PM," said Charles. "When did you start rubbing elbows with politicians?" Several member of the group chuckled. "I have Eric's message to thank for that!" Several laughed. "Eric knew I would start digging, after seeing the info you guys sent. I had to call in some favors to get some answers." He looked around and could tell the group was not buying all of his response. "Yes, I have been in meetings with him a time or two. He is good to work with, as he doesn't want to tell you how to do your job, as long as you're square with him. If you're not, you will be gone before you know why." "So, he is one of the good guys," said Brad. "Yes. He does his best to play the cards he holds. He also seems to recognize the limits of what can be done in each situation, and avoids reaching too far." "Are you looking to be a politician?" murmured Casey, causing everyone to laugh. "So, I overdid it, but I think all of you know what I meant." The group nodded their agreement. "And I am not going to be a politician when this is over. By the way do you guys have any openings for over the hill spooks?" "Well, we could use a few more oarsman," said Casey. "It takes a lot of oars to move that big space ship. Pay is not very good, though." The group started to laugh, prompting Cathal's group to add to Casey's comments. It didn't take long until they were all laughing so hard they could hardly talk. Once they had quieted down, Calvin asked, "So when did you guys get so glib with the funny stuff?" "Well," said Eric, "that is the first time in a long time for us to get on a roll like that. It worked because our girlfriends were helping us with ideas." "Girlfriends?" "Sure, Gabrielle and Patience are two of my companions. I think you know we first visited the Golden Amazons while we were doing contract work for US intelligence? On our first visit to Mars, the five of us met some very wonderful women. What started as a casual friendship has quickly turned into a very close and important part of my life. It seems that Cathal, Casey, Brad and Charles also have a very close relationship with their female friends." "Your girlfriends include these two who were on the mission with us last night. Right?" "Yep." "I am surprised." "Why?" Calvin, paused a long time, with a thoughtful look on his face. "I really don't know. Conditioning, I guess. You know: women are fragile, need pampering and etc." "Our friends like all those things, as we all do." As Eric spoke the two women smiled and nodded. "At the same time, all of us feel we are equal in virtually every way, except for reproductive details. Some of us think your perception has a lot of validity for humans. There is some indication that this is the result of the way humans have historically selected mates. The Golden Amazon species seems to have made equality a desirable part of selecting their mates." "Mates?" "Yes, in the Golden Amazons culture, there are multiple adults in a family group. We refer to these family groups as clans. They believe the family groups work because of telepathy. Telepathy in our species allows a very intimate sharing relationship, along with a completely open communication between its members." "Interesting, but I still find it difficult to comprehend anyone having more than one close adult female friend at a time." "Calvin, I can understand your difficulty, because several months ago I had the same view. Without the closeness and openness brought to the relationship by telepathy, the multiple adult family structure would be more difficult, though not impossible. I think there are other less obvious contributors that help this social structure work for us." "Are you implying you are no longer human? How can someone change species?" "No, I am saying I will form a family group with my female friends. Can I alter my species? Simply put, yes. In the near future, I will undergo a medical treatment that will alter my body to be like the Golden Amazons. It is not really necessary, but not doing it would limit my contributions to my family." "Calvin," said Charles, "Eric's comments are true for all five of us. We could spend a lot of time on this topic, but I suspect that most of you don't know a lot about the Golden Amazons, how they came to be here, and the general differences between them and humans. We can show you a series of presentations that will address those topics, and should answer most of your questions." "I think that would be a great idea," replied Calvin. "I suspect many of those who went on the mission last night will also be interested. How about tonight? Say, after dinner." "We can do that." "So, are we ready to get the debriefing out of the way," questioned Cathal. "It would be nice to get it out of the way before dinner." "What about the lions?" said one soldier. "I saw Ciar talking to a couple of officers and some MP's. I didn't see where they went." "It's been taken care of," said Charles, "and Ciar should be back shortly." ------- On the way to Heathrow, the group from Dóchas reflected on the events in London. For the delegation of Golden Amazons, the last two days in London had been very busy, and there were many surprises. The first surprise was being welcomed by the Queen and Prince, along with the Prime Minister upon their arrival at Heathrow. On their first morning in London, they were given a private tour of Buckingham Palace. This morning they made a side trip to see Windsor Castle. The prior night's performance by Beyond the Stars had been sold out. They were surprised l to see many of their escorts from the previous night when they arrived at the hall. The escorts had convinced their commanders that it would benefit everyone if they could assist the Golden Amazons at the concert. This, effectively, doubled the size of the concert hall staff. As had happened in Ireland and the night before, the audience's response encouraged them to do several additional numbers. Rusty, Sarah, Tara, Aoife and Briana missed part of the Windsor Castle tour, since Mr. Bartlet had asked them to accompany him to Parliament. They were the only ones in the galleries, as they were closed for the initial portion of the morning session, due to the topic. During the session, Mr. Bartlet told Parliament about the rescue of over three hundred people from a slaver's compound in Fuda, Africa. He informed the members that the rescue had been carried out by a special Special Ops Team, made up of British SAS and Irish Special Ops. Those rescued were mostly women, and many were British citizens. In his presentation, he noted that the operation was supported by the Royal Navy. He reported that the rescue went extremely well, and there were no injuries to either the SOT members or those rescued. In response to a question about those rescued, he simply stated that they were recovering from their ordeal at a secluded location. Once they had recovered, they would be quietly transferred to their home countries. It was being left to the individuals as to whether to make any public statement regarding their experiences. In response to a question about the slavers, he told Parliament that, based on reports from their embassy in Fuda, those who were residents of Fuda had all apparently died. The details were murky, but the deaths were not as a result of contact with SOT. The British Embassy in Fuda had reported that a new government had assumed the leadership role there, with little turmoil. A detachment of Royal Marines from a nearby aircraft carrier were in Fuda at the request of the new government, but would be leaving within a week. As the closed-door session of Parliament ended, Mr. Bartlet introduced the five visitors from Dóchas. In response to the introduction, the five spoke in unison, thanking Mr. Bartlet and the Queen for their hospitality. They indicated that they had enjoyed the visit to London and that it appeared that everyone at the concert had enjoyed the music. One member of Parliament questioned Mr. Bartlet on the appropriateness of the visitors presence during their closed-door session. Mr. Bartlet responded by telling the group that it was appropriate, as they had supplied the transportation for SOT and those rescued. Without that assistance, the SOT would not have been able to rescue everyone they had. He added that had they not arrived many captives were to be sold at a slave auction the evening of the raid. Mr. Bartlet's responses provoked several other members to ask questions, resulting in Mr. Bartlet providing a few more details regarding the basis for the effort. ------- As the buses carrying the Golden Amazons arrived at the Heathrow VIP facility, one of the choir members said, "Wow, look at the crowd! I wonder why they are here." Command staff just smiled. As the bus stopped in front of the terminal, another choir member said, "Hey, I recognize some of the faces, they were our escorts at the welcoming dinner." "We suspected this might happen," said Briana's Clan to the group on the buses. "We understand that we have met many of those waiting inside during our visit here. They have come to wish us well as we depart. There are a few in the crowd that we didn't meet but are friends of those we know. We don't think any are a risk; besides they have been cleared by MI5. In any case, be alert. Departure is in one hour. Don't look for your bags, since they will be taken directly out to the shuttles." ------- In the VIP lounge, Lt. Thomas, along with several of the other escorts, approached Rusty, Sarah and Aoife as they prepared to leave for the shuttles. Lt. Thomas said, "I wanted to be sure and say good-bye before you left." Lt. Andrews and Lt. Smith nodded their agreement. "We enjoyed our evening with you. It is one of the best, if not the best time we've ever had at an event like that." "Thank you," replied Rusty, Sarah and Aoife. "We enjoyed your company, as well. I suspect the dinner conversation was a bit unusual." The three lieutenants laughed, before Lt. Smith replied, "Yes, it was. It was a pleasure meeting all of you and spending the evening with you. It is not often we have dinner in the same room with the Prime Minister and his wife, much less sit at the same table with them. As to the rest, it was a learning experience. The choir's performance was just icing on the cake." "Where are you going next?" asked Lt. Andrews. "Well, some of us are going back to Dóchas, but the choir is going on to Glasgow to give several performances," replied Aoife. "Living on the space ship must really be different," said Lt. Thomas. "Not as different as you might expect," replied Tara, as she joined the group. "The prime differences are some things you associate with where you live, such as the beach, the mountains, etc. It is really hard to describe, since you really need to live it to appreciate the differences." "I doubt if we will have a chance to make the comparison." "Well, as we said the other night, you are welcome to visit!" "Could we really?" exclaimed all three lieutenants. "Yes," replied Sarah, "very definitely. It would be a pleasure to have all of you visit." "I was a little uncertain, after thinking about how that came up after the reception," said Lt. Thomas. "If you decide to come, just e-mail us and tell us when you would like to come. We will then arrange to pick you up. Our address is on our website. You will need your commander's permission beforehand." "Do you really think they would let us?" asked Lt. Andrews. "We don't see any reason for them to object," replied Rusty. "We need to be boarding," said Erin. "As soon as I have leave scheduled, I will send you a note," replied Lt. Thomas. Sarah looked around and noticed that many of the choir were heading for the shuttles. Looking around, she could see that they had said goodbye to nearly everyone at least once. Sarah and her spouses walked over to Mr. Bartlet and his wife to say goodbye. "Mr. and Mrs. Bartlet," said Sarah, "we appreciate the hospitality you have shown us on our brief stay. Thank you so much." She gave each a hug, before stepping aside so her other spouses could say goodbye. "You should come see us," said Aoife, as she gave them a hug. "We would like that," said Mrs. Bartlet. "Good. Let's stay in touch." With that, the group from Dóchas finished boarding the two shuttles for their trip to Glasgow. ------- "Command Staff," said Shannon, "do you have a few minutes?" "Good timing," replied Sarah, "we just left Heathrow. What's up?" "In surveying the site where the W4 group lives, we find it is sitting on a seismic fault. There hasn't been any significant activity on this fault in recorded history. It also doesn't show in many geology books. We believe that is going to change within the next couple of days." "Why do you believe it is going to happen now?" "Our drones detected some strange sounds when they were exploring the caverns connected to the lower level of the estate. They found traces of poison gas in two of the deepest caverns. The levels have been steadily increasing since gas was found. Based upon the data we have now, we are predicting the lava flow will come up through the caverns." "Wow. Those must be some really deep crevices." "They are. Most of us think of cave walls as being smooth. These are not. They have the appearance of being the sides of a fracture in the rocks. It is puzzling, since some of the other nearby caverns have the typical appearance of being eroded by water flow." "I thought minor seismic activity always proceeded volcanic activity." "We thought that as well, and a search of the available literature yielded similar information. The seismographs in the region are not detecting any abnormal activity in this area. We have a couple of geologists in our crew, so we checked with them. They are puzzled as well. One offered the idea that it may be that the deep gorges inside the mountain are providing a kind of strain relief. So, rather than sliding two chunks of hard rock together, the hot lava may be breaking through by melting the rock at the bottom of the crevasses. We were unable to get an accurate measurement of the depth of the two deepest crevasses." "What else did you find in the caverns?" "Basically, living quarters, storerooms, and a dungeon with cells. One storeroom was full of food, and there appeared to be enough to last a year. Another contained gold coins, jewels and other valuables. The third storeroom had enough arms to equip a small army. A fourth was full of general supplies. No one is living down there, but the area is well cared for." "Interesting. What about the rest of the estate?" "Currently, the four principals in W4 are there with their families, staff assistants and servants. The estate was designed and built to be a refuge for their families. There are nearly 100 people at the site. The principals in W4 require the staff assistants that assist with their business operations live at the estate." "We should warn them," said Alison. "Why?" replied several. "Because it is the right thing to do. We don't like the fact they want to obtain our technology by force or extortion. I would be extremely surprised if they heed our warning, but we will have tried." "Let's do it," said Command Staff. "We should also tell the President of the US that we have detected some seismic anomalies in this area. The current indicators show a high probability of lava flow in less than 48 hours. Include enough data so that their experts can come to their own conclusions." "Shannon," said Sally, "have Cathan's team go to the estate this evening, and tell them of the impending eruption. Edana's and Darcy's teams should be back-up, and include a flight of Star Fighters, as well. Backup teams should be cloaked, unless events dictate otherwise. Star Fighters should only be visible to the estate." "We just alerted the security teams." "How do you think we aught to go in?" asked Todd, as the teams entered into the link. "As though you were expected," replied Tara. "Park the shuttle in front of the main entrance and several of you exit. Wait to see if anyone comes out. If not, go up to the door and knock. Tell who ever comes out that you have message for the owner." "When you deliver the message," said Rusty, "make sure the sound carries, so many of those inside will hear. You can offer to evacuate anyone who wishes to leave. Offer to pick up anyone who wishes to leave in the meadow along the entrance road at dawn tomorrow." "Do you think they will leave?" said Ciar. "Some will want to, once they feel the ground shift, which will probably be too late in this case," said Claudette. "Feeling the ground shake is a very scary sensation. Shannon, do you know if the wild animals have sensed this event?" "We haven't specifically looked for that. Although, come to think of it, the herds in the meadows looked smaller this morning." "On another note," said Alison, "we are considering returning right after our last performance in Glasgow." "Why the change?" asked Lydia. "We are anxious to return home." "We are anxious to have you back," came the reply from several on Dóchas. "What about the would-be kidnappers?" asked Muireann. "We can let the Glasgow police and MI5 greet them at the hotel. It will take them a long time to explain the items they have with them, and why they are in the hotel. Their life will become even more complicated when the items at their base of operations are found by MI5." "So Cathan, Todd and Ciar, are you comfortable about approaching the estate?" asked Sarah. "Yes," replied Cathan. "We will work out the details this afternoon, and be there just before the evening shadows fill the valley." ------- "Well, I am certainly glad to be headed home," said Aoife, as their shuttle lifted off from the Glasgow airport. "So am I," replied Tara, who was riding in the left seat of the shuttle. "It is not often that I get to fly one of these." "We agree with you," said Sarah, from the other shuttle. "I am glad we made the trip. It feels even better to be headed home." "I wonder what we have missed," said Aoife. "Not much, I suspect, if we look back through our combined memories," replied Rusty. "I noticed that if we are interacting with someone, or are active, the general inputs from our spouses activities are buffered." "Yes, I noticed that it took me a while to understand what I was seeing," said Tara. "The content seems much fuller since we began wearing our collars. Several times, when I wasn't occupied with an activity, I could easily shift my view to any of my spouses, and join their activity or just share thoughts." "I know. I felt you and several others," responded Sarah. "I like the feeling." As they rode back to Dóchas, Rusty, Sarah, Aoife and Tara all reviewed their shared memories of the last week. As they passed the International Space Station, Aoife said, "I wonder if our presence will encourage the governments of Earth to put more effort into their space station." When they exited their shuttles, on Dóchas, they found their children waiting to greet them, along with the nannies and their other spouses. ------- Chapter 108 It was late afternoon when Cathan's team on Alpha2 saw the valley where Craigly's group were located. Craigly's group was the one the Golden Amazon Intelligence Group had initially labeled as W4. Since that time, they had learned that Mr. Craigly was, essentially, the leader of the group. His three partners and their families had recently moved to his valley estate, to join Craigly, his family and staff. Craigly, with the support of his staff, operated his business holdings from this location. Currently there were around two dozen people he described as security people at the location, but they were used more like enforcers. The Golden Amazon's Intelligence Group had been unable to determine why Craigly had chosen such an isolated spot for his headquarters, or why he chose to live here with his family. His organization owned nearly 20,000 acres along the true US — Canadian border, with a valley lying nearly in the center. On one side of the main building was a high cliff, while on the other three sides was a small meadow surrounded by dense forest. The main building was a large, four-story combination office/residence which sat on a small rise, several hundred feet from the cliff. Portions of the main building were taller than the cliff's face. The only other buildings were two utility buildings and a hanger adjacent to the runway. Since GAIG had monitored the location, all the visitors to the site had arrived by plane. The road Cathan's team was following in Alpha2 was a well-maintained gravel road. GAIG had seen several large trucks enter along this road with supplies and then leave. A check of the registrations showed that the trucks were operated by one of Craigly's companies. GAIG had sent drones to map the interior of the buildings. Underneath the main building, they found an underground corridor leading to a group of caverns under the nearby mountain ridge. A stream, flowing through one of the caverns, supplied both water and electrical power (through a generator) to the complex. As Alpha2 followed the gravel road into the valley toward the main building, the two cloaked shuttles carrying Edana and Darcy's teams surveyed the valley. Sensors on the shuttles, in conjunction with the drones, identified the location of everyone in the valley. Enya and Máiréad spent much of their time looking out the windows, since they were enchanted with the majestic scenery of the Rocky Mountains, near the valley. Except for momentary glimpses out the windows at the scenery, the rest of the three teams watched the wall monitor, which showed them a map of their destination. The position of each occupant of the estate was noted on the map, and was continuously updated. From the way the symbols moved on the map, the three teams knew that they were expected. This was confirmed by the drones. The map showed a large group of people gathering at the rear of the main building, and smaller group near the main entrance. As Alpha2 entered the main courtyard, Mr. Craigly and three associates, along with some of their staff came out onto the front portico. At the same time, the monitor in Alpha2 showed the large group in the rear of the building heading toward the nearby forest. It was apparent by their route that they sought to enter the forest unseen by those in Alpha2. The symbols for each of those leaving the back of the building turned red, indicating they were carrying weapons. Upon reaching the courtyard, Alpha2 settled to the ground facing the entrance, some 30 meters from the building. Cathan's team waited a few moments before opening the door. As soon as the door was fully open, Ciar, Sorcha and Krystin stepped out of Alpha2 and looked around. Cathan, Todd, Enya and Máiréad soon followed them, leaving Lasairfhiona at Alpha2's controls. Each of them wore their tactical suit, without the hard helmet. They were, instead, using force shields as their defense. To Craigly's group, they appeared to be wearing only snug body suits. Cathan's team paused a few moments, before Todd, Cathan and Cass led the team toward Craigly's group, which was waiting on the portico. While Cathan's team was walking toward the group, their tactical suit AIs supplied them with continuous updates on the changing positions of Craigly's group. During the team's short walk, sensors on the two cloaked shuttles revised their threat assessment on those carrying weapons. As a result, target assignments were given to each of the security team's members, the shuttles and their accompanying Star Fighters. Cathan's team were surprised when they saw the target assignments come up in their HUDs. Each of them quickly acknowledged the assignments to their AI. When Cathan's team reached the portico, Mr. Craigly said, "Greetings, and welcome to Far Hills. This is a pleasant surprise, since we weren't expecting any guests, but we are very pleased you have come to visit us. My associates and I were discussing contacting you." "You have a very beautiful location here," replied Cathan's team, in unison. "My name is, G. Craigly, but everyone just addresses me as Craigly." He then introduced the others on the portico. Cathan then introduced herself and the other members of her team. "Why don't you come inside?" said Craigly. "It would be much more comfortable. There we can learn more about your family, and the history of the Golden Amazons and Connemare." "Thank you for your offer," replied Cathan, "but this time we must decline." "Surely you didn't come all this way to just say hello?" "No, we didn't," replied Sorcha. "We came today to alert you of an impending natural event in this valley. Within the next 48 hours, there will be a release of magma into the caverns attached to this building. The result will be a new North American volcano." "How can that be?" replied Craigly. "There are no volcanoes on this side of the Rocky Mountains. Surely, there must be an error in your data." "That is what we initially thought," replied Ciar. "We have brought a set of our data on these CD's. We thought you would want to look over the data, as you assess the consequences." "Why don't you give them to Jasmine?" Ciar stepped over to Jasmine, and gave her the pack. "How did you stumble onto this pending event?" "We discovered it as we were trying to understand why you had sent mercenaries to kidnap some of our family members, in Glasgow." "What an amazing thing to say. We don't have any mercenaries in our employ, and find it insulting that you would think we would either need or use them." "Our intent was not to insult you, but to state a fact," said Cathan's team. "A part of our purpose in coming here was to offer our assistance in evacuating this valley. As we know it will take time for you to review the information and make a decision, we plan on returning tomorrow morning, ready to assist your evacuation." "Could you tell us more about this event you expect to happen?" said Jasmine, earning a glare from Craigly. "Yes, we can." "It would be much more comfortable inside," said Craigly, quickly. "I am sure there are refreshments inside waiting for us." Craigly crossed his fingers, as he hoped they would accept his invitation. He was sure his group could quickly subdue this small group alien animals once they were inside. "As we said earlier, not at this time." Craigly barely hid his disappointment at the response, but the head of his security group wasn't able to. "Within the next 12 hours, lava will begin filling the deep crevasses of the caverns connected to your estate. The hot molten lava will then push up, lifting these buildings off their foundations as they begin to burn. In two days time, there will be no valley, just a new plateau. Even now, the caverns connected to this building are filling with poison gas. This gas is odorless, so you will have no warning of its presence. Inhaling the poison gas incapacitates a person within seconds. However, death is slow. It is slow enough that those incapacitated will probably live long enough to see the molten lava flow toward them before they are cremated by the liquid rock." "I have never heard of anything so preposterous," responded Craigly, in a loud angry voice. "We need to review your data. The site geological survey done before we built did not indicate any underground anomalies. If my memory serves me correctly, there was no indication of a fault either." "That is the unusual feature of this pending event." replied Cathan's team. "The deep canyons in two of the caverns go down several miles. The lava will reach the surface by flowing up through these two canyons, once it melts through the now, thin, layer of rock now holding it back. Projections show that the lava will fill this valley before the flow begins to slow down." "This whole concept is difficult to comprehend," said one of Craigly's associates. "Thank you for the courtesy of listening to our message," said Cathan. "We will be back at dawn. We will wait in the meadow that lies along the gravel road, half a kilometer from here." Cathan's team nodded to the group and turned to leave. Craigly's chief of security saw the opportunity he had been waiting for, since they declined coming inside. He clicked his radio, signaling his team to take the aliens. He was already looking forward to having them restrained in his dungeon. His dick throbbed and began to swell as he thought about the fun they would have tormenting, them while they were turned into sex toys. The security chief smiled, as he waited to hear the pop of the dart guns firing. He was certain, that the tranquilizer in the darts would make taking these animals very easy. With the pop of the dart guns, the shuttles carrying Edana's and Darcy's teams, and the four Star Fighters, dropped their cloaking. The sight of three shuttles in front of them, and four Star Fighters overhead, caused many in Craigly's group to gasp. Craigly's security chief almost pissed in his pants at the sight, in addition to hearing the shrill screams of those who had fired the dart guns. As he looked up, he saw a red haze where the snipers had been positioned. Edana's and Darcy's teams began emerging from the shuttles before they were fully visible. Wearing full tactical suits, Edana's and Darcy's teams quickly set up a defensive perimeter to protect the Cathan's flanks. As the echo of the snipers screams dissipated, Craigly's other guards were just moments from firing their weapons. Craigly smiled as he looked out, seeing that his guards were now surrounding the three shuttles. The guards behind the shuttles were the last to move into the ready position. Although they were careful, they felt certain that this would all be over in moments, since none of the aliens had looked in their direction. The shuttle's monitors showed the guards behind the shuttle taking the prone position, before sighting in on the aliens. While all of this took place, Cathan's team continued their walk toward Alpha2, seemingly unaware of the activity around them. Several in Mr. Craigly's group now had a slight smile on their faces, as they anticipated the quick capture this group and the fun they would have interrogating them. A few thought of the prestige they would have with their friends when they showed off their alien sex toys. The fantasies of having these aliens to use for their pleasure by several men and women in Craigly's group were causing them to become aroused while watching the unfolding events. Craigly's security chief was still looking up at the red clouds where the snipers had been. As he turned to look to see if the darts had done their job, he felt some moisture on his face. Looking toward the shuttle, he was surprised to see the aliens moving as if nothing had happened. It was then that the red haze on the clothing of the person next to him registered. It was blood! He wiped his face as it felt wet. Pulling his hand back, he saw it was red. Blood, his mind screamed as he looked back out at the aliens. As each guard pulled on the trigger of their weapon, the Golden Amazon's defensive system fired a single charge at each guard firing a weapon. A string of screams echoed across the field. Then, in what seemed like slow motion, each of the screaming guards exploded with a loud pop, as they vanished in a hazy red cloud. Their, now, glowing weapons fell to the ground, causing small fires. Undeterred by what had happened to the first group to fire, other estate guards quickly brought their weapons to the ready position. Once they began to pull their triggers, they screamed as their bodies exploded, creating more red clouds. Small fires burned where the glowing hot weapons fell. "What the hell," exclaimed the man next to Craigly. The expressions on the group with Mr. Craigly changed to ones of shock, when they realized that the guards disintegrated into red clouds. Several looked sick, and turned very pale while covering their mouths with their hands. Many gasped when they saw that their hands were covered with red spots. Just as Cathan's team reached the shuttle, the guards behind the shuttles started to fire their weapons. There was a flash of light where each guard had been, but when the smoke cleared all that remained were black spots on the ground. There were no screams, no cloud of red mist. All that remained were four blackened spots on the ground. When Cathan's team reached the door of Alpha2, all three Golden Amazon Security Teams began boarding their shuttles, ignoring Craigly's group. Sorcha stopped at the door and looked at Craigly's group for a moment, then said, "Mr. Craigly, it seems your security chief is not too bright, or was this your plan? How many just died for no reason? Who will help you evacuate? We will be waiting in the meadow at dawn." Mr. Craigly face was red with anger as he stood watching as the three shuttles lifted off, carrying away those he wished to enslave in order to gain their knowledge. He was silent until the three craft lifted off and moved away from the estate. No one spoke. His staff had seen him angry before, but nothing like now. Several times he tried to brush the red spots off his clothes, only to see them smear reminding him of his guards failure. Once the three shuttles were a 1000 meters from the estate's main courtyard, they turned and hovered just above the trees. Craigly's anger continued to grow, as he viewed their presence as taunting him. When the three shuttles began to hover, they heard Mr. Craigly begin cursing his incompetent chief of security and the guards he had hired. He stormed back into the main building, with the others following quietly. The three Golden Amazon Security Teams and the Intelligence Department listened to the conversations in the estate between the Craigly, his associates and staff. ------- Once inside the main building at Far Hills, Craigly said, "Everyone into the living room. Ms. Lea, we will be having dinner in an hour." "Yes, Master," she responded, and left. The room was quiet, as they all waited for Craigly to calm down. Jasmine looked at the CD's in her hands, and wondered how to convince Craigly that it would be smart to leave, as a precaution. Her instincts told her that the information was correct. She looked carefully at Vickie, Traci, Ellyn, Dara and Gilian. From their expressions and the way they stood, she thought they were of the same opinion. They had worked together for nearly 5 years now, and knew each other so well that they could often compete each others sentences. She had come to suspect that the six of them would soon be sent on another assignment, as they had been there the longest. Several of those who had joined the staff after her had been given another assignment after only a few years. It puzzled her that there was never a chance to say goodbye as she had enjoyed working with many of them. "Jasmine," said Craigly, sharply bringing her attention back to the present, "let's see what is on those CD's. Use the wall screen." Jasmine inserted the first CD. As soon as it was loaded, a video began. The video told Craigly's group the details concerning how the events were expected to take place over the next two days. The video showed the insides of the caverns, the hall on the lower level, and several other scenes inside the main building. Detailed animation gave a visual indication of the expected events. Every time a new part of the main building was seen, Craigly would glare at his security chief. It only took two scenes before the security chief was sweating and pale. The video ended with Shannon and Muireann reminding them that the shuttles would be in the meadow, at dawn, ready to assist with evacuation. Jasmine and Vickie looked over at Craigly as the video ended. They could see that he was enraged. He was angrier than they had seen at any time in the past. They knew it was because the aliens had been inside the main building, and his security staff didn't know it. They also knew he did not take losing well, especially when it was in public. The group watched as Craigly abruptly stood and paced the floor for a few moments. Everyone was caught off guard when Ms. Lea and another guard pulled the security chief up out of his seat with a noose around his neck. The two of them quickly had him standing tall, with rope pulled over one of the ceiling beams. The man's face had turned red, as he grabbed at the rope around his neck. The room was very quiet. Ms. Lea looked at Craigly, and he nodded. She pulled out a long knife, and cut the man's clothes off. A spreader bar was attached to his ankles, and then one to his wrists. He was then lifted by the spreader bar between his ankles, until his hands just touched the floor. "How many guards are left?" asked Craigly. "Six," said a woman off to the side, causing Craigly to turn an look at her. "Six?" She nodded. Craigly turned back to the man hanging by his ankles. "You stupid son of a bitch. Not only did you let those fucking alien animals roam through this building, your fucking plan to take them with tranquilizer darts failed miserably. Nearly all of your fucking buddies are dead, including the two who specialized in interrogating my enemies. You aren't worth the time or effort to torture." The room was quiet for several moments. "Ms. Lea, crush and cut him." "Yes, Master." "You," said Craigly pointing to the woman who had commented about the guards. "You're head of security, now. When Ms. Lea is done with this piece of meat, see that it is hung by the wrists in the deepest canyon. If the remaining guards want to toy with him first, fine, so long as he is alive and awake when you suspend him in the canyon." The group watched as Ms. Lea crushed the man's balls, before cutting them off. Several of the group watching turned green at the sight, but knew better than to get sick. It was soon over, and two guards dragged the man out of the room, while another cleaned up the mess. "Now, what do we do about the warning," asked Craigly, very quietly. No one answered for a few minutes, until one of Craigly's partners said, "The warning is scary and shocking. I didn't see anything in the video that convinced me we should leave." The other two associates quickly agreed with that position. "Jasmine," said Craigly, "what is your opinion? I am sure you have a different view." Jasmine thought for a few moments. "I agree with you and your associates that nothing in the video convinced me that the warning had merit." "I am pleasantly surprised," replied Craigly. "Master, that was only part of my answer. The rest is, I think it would be prudent for us to vacate the valley for three days. Taking them up on their offer to transport us out would give us a chance to see their technology first-hand." "A good point." Jasmine's comments broke the ice, and the discussion began in earnest. There were several variations on the exact course to take, with Craigly never committing to any one. Soon, Ms. Lea told them dinner was ready. "Let's continue this over dinner," said Craigly. ------- "It is interesting that Craigly is letting this discussion run on," said Ciar. "He sees accepting our information as a sign of weakness. It seems that neither the staff nor his associates realize he has made the decision to stay." "I think the woman called Jasmine and several others suspect his decision will be to stay," said Sorcha. "They have carefully avoided confronting him, while giving good arguments to heed our warning." "Guys," said Enya, "what an irony ... on the one hand we hear a horror in the making at Craigly's, while out the window we see a very beautiful sunset." "Yes, " replied Máiréad, "the beauty of the sunset rivals those we have seen on Mars. There are so many great people on Earth, that it makes you wonder where people like Craigly come from." "I would suspect we are more likely to see people like him," said Cathan, "because of our abilities. Envy, and an uncontrolled possessive competitiveness, seems to drive people like him. The drive is so great that any ethics are soon lost, if they were ever a factor. They see gaining control of us, or our technology, as a way to, in essence, own the world." ------- "Command Staff," said Danny, shortly after Cathan's meeting at Craigly's estate, "Cathan's Clan reports their warning message went unheeded." Danny then and gave them a brief summary of the meeting at Craigly's estate. "We had our security teams retrieve all but two of the drones, " said Lydia. "We left two remote sensors in the caverns, and the remaining drones are monitoring the area around the complex from overhead." "Why did you pull the drones out of the buildings?" asked Claudette. "I don't disagree, but was curious." "We didn't see any reason to leave them. We are now connected to their network, and are monitoring the phone lines." "Is there some way to warn the local residents about the impending eruption?" said Alison. "There isn't anyone else living within a couple of miles of the estate," said Muireann. "There is a high ridge around this valley. There are a few houses on the other side of the ridge, but they appear to be unoccupied." "Scan the area and see if you can detect anyone," said Sarah. Muireann said, "We have put the data regarding the fault on an Internet chat room where earthquakes and related phenomena are discussed. It hasn't been there very long, but has created a lot of interest." "Our time line is projecting the caverns and the underground portion of the estate to fill with poison gas before the kidnapping is scheduled to take place in Glasgow. We are not sure how soon the lava will begin filling the caverns. The projections range between daybreak and mid-morning, but it could be sooner." "Have you informed MI5 that a group of mercenaries is planning to kidnap some of the choir?" asked Tara. "Yes. Indications are that they have confirmed all of the information." "Danny," said Aoife, "your AI should watch the data from the drones very carefully tonight." "We planned on doing that, so that our Security Teams would have an idea as to whom they were picking up." ------- "Star, schedule a general meeting, once everyone has returned from Earth," said Sarah's Clan. "What is the topic?" "We need to review our priorities as a group. Our visit to Earth, and the choir's performances, have required much more support than we anticipated. While the visit to Earth is both noble and good, it does come with a price. We see that the progress of our different projects has slowed during the trip. This has the effect of extending our time of vulnerability." "You spotted that. Good. We were going to raise the issue with you." "We?" "The other AI's and I have recently noticed that our progress has slowed. We don't think anyone realized just how much the security teams and choir being gone would slow our progress toward building our new ships and support equipment. We suspect that others have noticed the slowdown as well, particularly Amy, Nancy and Ann's clans. We are both surprised and disappointed that we didn't anticipate the effect." "That is only one of our concerns. The trip to Earth is focusing our Security and Intelligence Groups on security issues associated with the trip. Our greatest vulnerability is from space, not from Earth, except when we are on Earth." "Another issue concerns our accommodations on Earth. If we continue our tour schedule, we think many of us will need accommodations that are more comfortable than those we had. We didn't realize how much we had changed, until we arrived at the hotels. Hotels are not equipped to provide us a comfortable night's sleep, even if we slept alone. The beds are definitely not large enough for our families to sleep together, as we prefer." "How about scheduling the discussion for the day after everyone is back?" "It would probably be better to wait a day or two, so everyone is rested. We will put together an agenda for the discussion." ------- At Far Hills, the evening's entertainment by several of the staff had ended. The six female performers were straightening up the stage area, in preparation for going to their rooms, when Craigly and his three associates came over. "Jasmine, Vicki, Traci, Ellyn, Dara and Gilian," said Craigly, "you put on a very fine performance this evening. It was the best I think you have done. I think everyone got off several times watching the six of you perform with each other, the dogs and the other toys." "It looked like you enjoyed it as much as the audience," said one of the associates. "We would like to offer you a toast to your fine performance. Craigly tells us the six of you are as good in the business profession, as you are at performing in sex shows." "Thank you," murmured the six women, as they accepted drinks. "To a great performance," said Craigly, as they clinked glasses and drank. "Ladies, before you go to your rooms, I would like you to join me in my conference room." Jasmine started to ask for a slight delay. "This will only take a few moments, so come in as soon as you are finished here." When they entered the conference room, they were surprised to see only a round table, with seven chairs around it. Standing next to it were Mr. Craigly's two personal assistants, whom they rarely saw. "Come in ladies," said Craigly, "and have a seat. These chairs have some special features that I am sure you will enjoy. My girls will assist seating you. When Jasmine looked down at the seat of her chair, she saw that it consisted of a support on each side for her legs, while leaving a long slot down the middle. Sticking up through the slot were a large dildo for her cunt and a slightly smaller one for her ass. She was surprised to feel her cunt moisten when she saw the artificial cock pulsing, with liquid glistening on its head. Craigly's assistant guided her to turn and sit on the two appendages. They both slid easily into her freshly-fucked cunt and ass. As soon as they were fully inside of her, they pulsed, dismissing any rational thought she may have had. She watched as her five friends were helped in their chairs around the table. Each of their faces showed the pleasure they felt from the pulsing cocks filling their cunts and asses, which were still partially aroused from their earlier performance. Once the five women were seated, Craigly's two assistants went behind each chair and pressed a button. When the button was pushed, the six women felt a pulse of warm fluid, as it flowed into their asses and cunts. They each shivered at the erotic feeling. The cock in their cunt vibrated slightly as it moved slowly up and down in their cunt. "Ladies," said Craigly, "I invited you in here this evening for a special announcement. You have made great contributions to our operation here. We think you will make even greater personal contributions on your next assignment. Seeing what a great team the six of you make, all of you will be going to the same location. To signify your acceptance of this new position, we have a couple of adornments for you to put on. In your new position, you will need to wear these at all times." Craigly's two assistants handed each a large, wide, ring. "Now place that around your neck, and push the ends together." The six followed his instructions, and six clicks were heard. "By closing your collars, you have signified your acceptance of your new position." Craigly's two assistants then handed each woman two smaller rings. "Now place a ring around each wrist and close it." He watched as the six completed the task. Each ring clicked when it was closed. He wondered if they would realize what their new position was before the conditioning set in. Jasmine mind began to rebel against the instructions given to her, though to no avail. It was like she was two people. One blindly following Craigly's instructions, while her logical side was trying to stop her. She glanced at her friends, and sensed they to felt the same split. It suddenly occurred to her that if she openly resisted now, it would weaken her to the point that the portion of her mind following these instructions would take over. What she would lose she wasn't certain, just that it was important not to lose completely. With that realization, she began to protect her core. The whole time she hoped her friends were doing the same. Craigly looked around the table at the six ladies. He could tell by their expressions that the drugs were working as planned. He was surprised when he realized he felt sad to be losing this group of staff members, as they had done excellent work for his organization. Now they would be productive for a special part of his organization. As bright as they were, he knew they would produce some very bright offspring at the farm, in spite of the mind-altering drugs. "Ladies, as we told you earlier, your performance this evening was outstanding. We will be able to make several porn videos from the recording of your performance. They should sell very well on the Internet, as have some of your previous performances. Now, my assistants will take you upstairs, so you can begin the initial preparations for your new positions." He watched as two PA's pulled each woman's chair back, so they could change their footwear to a shoe with tall narrow high heels and a locking ankle strap. Once the shoes were in place, each woman was helped to stand, with the dildos still embedded. A narrow harness was pulled up between their legs, to hold the drug-dispensing dildos in place, and then fastened around their waists. The six women were then led out Craigly's private entrance. Jasmine thought, "so this is why I never saw anyone leave for their new assignments." She quickly pulled back, so her active mind would not sense her other thought. By the time the group entered the room on the third floor, the logical side of Jasmine found she could watch the thoughts of her active mind and senses as they passed by somewhat like a dream. Once Craigly's personal assistants had the six women in the room, they attached a leash hanging from a post to each woman's collar. They gave each of them a large glass of white liquid and told them to drink it. From the effects Jasmine saw after drinking it, she surmised it was a tranquilizer or sedative. She saw the thoughts in her active mind slow as a warm feeling of tranquility surrounded her. Jasmine watched Dara being led to a stool. The two assistants wet Dara's hair and then using straight razors shaved her head letting the hair fall to the floor. Jasmine was surprised to see her active mind show no emotion to seeing her friends head shaved. A support was placed behind Dara's head. A pad was then attached to each side of the support to firmly hold her head. Her mouth was then locked open with a jaw spreader. Jasmine was puzzled by the support and jaw spreader until she saw the pliers in the assistant's hands. Dara offered no resistance as her eight front teeth were pulled. Jasmine realized her reactions were clouded as she watched the horror continue. With Dara still sitting on the stool, Dara's ring finger and little finger were severed from each hand. The skin was stitched together so it covered the wound. They had Dara kneel on a set of pads and then lean forward to place her shoulder on two supports with her head on a pad. Straps over her shoulders and the calves of her legs kept her from raising up. Her head was locked in a frame, to hold it still and looking down. A clamp was fastened to her tongue, then attached to a weight to keep it extended. Each nipple and surrounding areola was sucked into a small clear tube, then a weight was hung from it to keep a constant pull on her nipple. An elastic band was slipped over each tit. Three collars, each holding half a dozen needles, were slipped over the elastic band and placed about an inch apart on her tits. Once the collars were in place, the needles were pushed into Dara's breasts. From each tit collar, a tube ran up to a bag of white liquid. With the collars and needles in place, the valve was opened on the bag. Jasmine shivered as she watched Craigly's assistants attach a pair of weighted rollers to the bag and release them. The rollers slid down the bag and began to force the fluid into Dara's tits. Jasmine watched as each of her friends were received the same treatments. She knew her turn was coming. While she was watching her friends being treated, she noticed that Dara's tits had swollen, and the amount of liquid in the bag diminished. It wasn't until they led her to the stool that she noticed the bags hanging over the empty bench were larger than the others. The logical portion of Jasmine's mind realized it was Craigly's attempt to humiliate her. As she watched them shave her head, pull her teeth and remove her fingers, she kept repeating in her logical mind the thought 'bide your time' in response to each time she felt her self esteem slipping. Once the two assistants had all six women positioned on the benches each were given a large injection into their ass cheeks. The dildos in their cunts were connected and turned on so they lightly vibrated and slowly stroked their cunts. The stimulation was just enough to keep them aroused and on the edge of a major orgasm. The two assistants left the room leaving the lights on. ------- It was shortly after midnight when the Intelligence AI woke Danny, Shannon, and Muireann. "What is it?" asked Muireann. "The drone monitoring the estate has observed a number of people leaving the main building at Craigly's estate. They are leaving in twos and threes. Each group is making their way through the woods to the meadow where we are to meet them. All of them seem to be avoiding the road." "I can understand that, considering what we know about Craigly and his buddies," replied Shannon. "Images from the drones indicate that they are nearly naked and barefoot." "Ow. Moving through the woods would be tough under those circumstances, even in daylight." "They seem to be following game trails, as there is a full moon tonight." "Security AI," said Intelligence AI, "has alerted Cathan, Edana and Darcy's teams, and they are headed for their shuttles. They should be departing momentarily. Oh!" "What?" "Sally just put all the other teams on alert, and directed them to assemble in the ready room." "What's up?" asked Sally. "Two things," replied Muireann. "At the estate, there are a number of people making their way to the meadow through the woods. The images from the drones indicate that they are likely to be naked, but could be very lightly dressed. Their progress is slow, but they should be at the meadow by dawn. Also, the lights on the third floor have been on since late last night. The drones recorded some shadows earlier, but nothing recently." "Alpha2, Alpha3, Alpha4," said Sally, "when you arrive over the area, scan the valley, then set down in the meadow." "While you're waiting for dawn," said Sarah, "you should take turns getting some rest. All of you need to be out in the meadow before dawn. Set up a welcoming area. I don't see any need for your tactical suits, but we may need a few of you in suits. You have enough provisions on the shuttles that all of you can have breakfast there." "What do you think their options are?" asked Darcy. "Considering the remoteness, it will probably take as long as 72 hours before emergency teams arrive. So they have at least that much time in which to make their choice. The questions they should consider are: Do they want to be found as survivors near the estate? Do they want to turn up someplace else? If they are members of the four families, do they have security issues? Do they have relatives that could take them in? Do they have any idea of their financial or inheritance status? Do they just want to disappear? Needless to say, there are variations to all of these choices." "We should be careful that a few people don't push others into following their choice," said Tara. "Taking them to Comrie for any length of time could create complications that we can't anticipate, especially if they stay longer than 72 hours. However, taking them to Comrie would give them the best place for them to consider their options without being rushed. Arrival of the disaster teams at the volcano site would create a window in which they can be returned so they appear to be survivors. Some may wish to reappear in society without being associated with Craigly." "After we pick up everyone, we will lay out the issues, and tell them about Comrie," said Brid. "Fine." ------- "Something is not right," muttered Ciar. "What do you mean," replied Máiréad. "I don't know, every time I drift off I get this feeling I'm laying on a bench being fucked." "So. We've done that before." "Yes, and we all liked that. There are some other sensations that go with what I am feeling, but they are not very strong." "So, are you feeling someone else's sensations?" "Hm ... that is a possibility." "Let's presume the worst." Máiréad reached out to the rest of their clan, to wake them. "Ciar is sensing something. Could she be sensing someone in distress? " The clan mind-linked with Ciar, to see if they could pinpoint the source, but they couldn't get a clear enough sense of what she was feeling. All of them agreed it was real and coming from some distance. The most likely place was the main building, as that was all that was near. "Ciar, share it with Sally. Maybe she can help us clarify it." "Sally, would you link with me, and see what you think of this?" asked Ciar. After a few moments, Sally said, "that seems similar to something Terry experienced a long time ago. She was bound in a kneeling position in a kennel, while her captor was enlarging her tits and letting the dogs use her. Some elements of the sensations Ciar sees are not the same. The source is not necessarily close, but likely telepathic. "Do you have any problem with us doing a telepathic walk?" said Cathan. "None at all." Cathan's clan mind-linked, focusing on Ciar, so she could lead them toward the source. Once Ciar felt it, they began to slowly move toward it. It was difficult, as the sensation seemed to come in shallow waves. It took them over an hour before they decided it really was coming from the main building in the valley. The group drew back to the shuttle and relaxed for a few moments, so their energy levels could return. "Sally, we think it is coming from the main building. We want to go investigate." "Okay. The drone is reporting the gas level in the sub level is very high and building rapidly. Don't stay there very long." The sky was just starting to lighten when Alpha2 began to hover next to the main building. Ciar and Máiréad reached out together toward the now-stronger sensation. When they touched Jasmine's mind, she jumped and moaned, as the sudden twitch in her muscles hurt. Ciar and Máiréad scanned quickly through Jasmine's recent memories, and shared them with their clan. Cathan moved the shuttle over, so the door ramp would reach the window frame. "Sally, we are going into the third floor." "Okay." Once Cathan's team saw how the women were held, they paired off and began releasing the women from their bindings. First the needle collars on their tits, then their tongues, then their heads. After detaching the dildos, they carried them out to the shuttle. Ciar and Máiréad released Jasmine and took her out to the shuttle, while maintaining their link with her. Once in the shuttle they explored her mind again, to try and piece together what had happened. The autodoc identified the submissive drug, and provided the team with an antidote. After consulting with Betsy on Dóchas, it was decided to give each woman a strong sedative, along with the antidote. "Let's hold off on the sedative for Jasmine until we see what the submissive antidote does. She seems to be more active than the other five women." Jasmine sensed the change in her surroundings shortly after the antidote was given. Then her logical mind or core began to feel her will return. "What is going on?" she thought to herself, in the portion of her mind she had isolated. "Why do I feel two people waiting for me? Wait. I know them. They were on the shuttle. Am I dreaming? But wait, I can feel them?" Jasmine cautiously opened a small window to her inner core. "Where am I? What's going on?" she asked. "Relax, Jasmine," replied Ciar and Máiréad. "You are safe now. You are on our shuttle. We are going to take you to Dóchas, our doctors want to examine you as soon as we can get you there." "Your lips aren't moving," said Jasmine, as she again accessed her vision. As she had moved through her mind, she could sense the division she felt before fading away. "No. We are speaking telepathically." "How are my friends?" "Okay, we think." "Did they do what I did?" "We don't know. Betsy, and our shuttle EMT, are anxious for us to go to our ship. Are you willing?" "Fuck, yes. The bastard Craigly was turning us into human baby breeders, for his farm." "Relax. Our doctors can do a lot to help you." "We should be on Dóchas in about 15 minutes." "Thank you so much for coming. Why did you?" "Well, in a way, you called me," said Ciar. "What?" "It is difficult to explain now. When you see the doctors they will assist you with enabling your telepathic ability. After that, I will share with you what caused me to seek you out." "Why not now?" "I am not sure I can put it into words. Please, you will understand better once you are an active telepath." "Okay. Again, thanks for coming." ------- As the first light of dawn filled the meadow, Darcy's, Edana's, Caoilinn's and Nicola's teams stepped out of their shuttles. Just as they gathered in the meadow, Darcy said, "It looks like we have company." The four teams turned to look in the same direction Darcy was facing, and saw people slowly come out of the forest. Several team members picked up elastic slip-ons shoes, and went to greet the arrivals. As team members greeted each of the arrivals, they offered them the slip-ons, making the walk easier. A team member walked with each person the rest of the way to the greeting area. Reaching the open area between the shuttles, the new arrivals were offered refreshments and breakfast. An EMT dressed the arrival's wounds. He then gave each of them a different kind of footwear. The new footwear enveloped their feet with a cushion and support, reducing their pain to a slight ache. While waiting, the new arrivals sat and relaxed. The Golden Amazon Security Teams could tell that all of them were comfortable. A few kept looking around like they were looking for someone. After no additional people had arrived for some time, Darcy asked, "Are there any others coming?" No one answered for a few long moments, then one said, "I don't think we really know." "Darcy," said Lasairfhiona, "the lions are guiding three women and man to the meadow." Just as Lasairfhiona stopped speaking, movement could be seen at the far side of the meadow. The group gasped when they saw the lions enter the meadow, with three women and a man walking alongside. The GAST members could feel the fear rise in their guests upon their seeing the lions. "Relax everyone," said Brid, "the lions are friends of ours." The group watched in amazement as the six came closer toward them. One of the women was resting her hand on a lion's back, as they walked touching each other. "They must be new at the estate, since I don't remember seeing them," said the woman who had spoken earlier. "One is my twin sister, and the other two women are from the other two families at the estate. The man is one of the newest staff members." As she finished talking, she started jogging toward her sister. When the two women met, they hugged each other for a long time, before joining the group by the shuttles. "The lions tell us there is no else coming," said Darcy. "We expect that many of you have questions about us. First, our sensors are not detecting anyone alive in the building." Just as she finished speaking, the ground shook, just before a loud explosion was heard. "That was the main building exploding." Everyone looked back over the trees, where they saw a large plume of black smoke rising into the sky. Several in the group looked nervous, and began moving toward the shuttles. "Let's see, where was I?" said Darcy, as she seemed to lose her train of thought. "Who are you?" asked one of those rescued. "We are security teams, from Dóchas," responded Darcy. "Wait," said Carla, "I don't see Jasmine, Vicki or Gilian. I would have expected them to be here. They really pushed Craigly toward accepting your offer." "I saw them go to his conference room, after their show last night," said a woman. "Ellyn, Dara and Traci were with them." "I saw that, as well," said another. "Craigly and his associates shared a celebratory drink with them, while we straightened up the area. I heard Craigly praise them for their performance." "Craigly praised someone?" "Yes, he did that occasionally, but it was always related to sex." "You're right. Carla, it was after they left that one of the associates told us that, if we were concerned about the warning, we could leave after 2 am, but only if we were totally naked. No shoes. No jewelry. Nothing but our bodies." "The six women are safe," said Muiriol. "Cathan's team is taking them to Dóchas for medical treatment." "Why?" asked Carla. "Máiréad of Cathan's team has learned from Jasmine that the Craigly was sending them on a new assignment. To prepare them the new assignment, his personal assistants took them up to a room on the third floor. Once there, the assistants made some rather drastic changes to their bodies, before binding them in a bitch frame. In the frame, they attached several devices, before initiating treatments to further modify their bodies." "They wouldn't stand for that! Why would Craigly do that?" "They were given a drug that made them very submissive. The reason: Humiliation and to prepare them for being breeders at a farm he owns." "I wonder if that is what happened to the others that went to new assignments." "Jasmine, thinks so." It was quiet for a few moments, then Darcy began again, "We are members of the Golden Amazons species. Our current home is Dóchas, which is a spaceship currently in a Mars orbit, or at An Clochán, our settlement on Mars. The origin of our species is a planet we call Connemare, in a galaxy several light years away. One key difference between our species and yours is that we are actively telepathic. There are other differences, which we will share with you in a day or so." "Our Command Staff on Dóchas has just told me that the lava was now spreading out from the buildings and we need to be leaving. The question is: Where do you want to go? We think the best choice would be an island called Comrie in the Western Atlantic." Her mention of the island elicited several puzzled looks. "It has the advantage of being very secure. While there, you can get medical treatment, relax and decide your future; as we sense that not all of you were happy working for Craigly." Her comment drew many laughs, and a few nervous glances at the daughters of Craigly's associates. "Some other choices are: We can wait near here until people begin arriving to see the volcano, but we expect it will take at least three days, due to Craigly's efforts. He managed to convince both the US and Canadian authorities that his property was in the other's country, so there is little likelihood of emergency teams arriving any sooner. However, this is a new volcano in North America, which may change that time frame." "Comrie, is not your only choice." said Laurin. "We could take you almost any place on Earth. However, there are several things you need to consider. What would you do for money? How would you establish your identity? What would you do for clothes?" "I am speaking for no one but my sister and I," said one of the twins. "We would like to go to Comrie until we sort out our future. We are certain it will be much more comfortable than with our father." "Good points," said another of the final arrivals. "I didn't introduce myself earlier, my name is Carla. Since I am now free to make my choices, I think Comrie is likely the best." "Why is that?" asked one of the women. "Simply put, my father was a sexist. He believed that a woman's only purpose was to be a man's servant and slave. This includes having babies and raising them. Beyond that, women were solely to serve them sexually, at any time, in any way, in any place, and with any one they designated. A woman's secondary benefit was to provide my father with legal names he could use on the family stock and investment holdings. When I reached legal age, I was talked into signing a document giving him power of attorney over me and my affairs. Yes, we could revoke it, but due to the way the document was written, it would only happen if he didn't object or someone interceded for us. When he was alive, neither situation was likely to occur." "We moved to Far Hills because my father, along with Craigly and two other men, had recently formed a new partnership, using us women as their shills. Our names are on all the documents, with them designated as our representatives, with unlimited authority to act on our behalf." "Once in a safe location, I can begin efforts to make claim to my inheritance. Even after I do that, it will be difficult to go back into society without some protection. Without protection, I would probably die suddenly in an arranged accident, or just disappear. My father and Craigly had acquaintances who would like to have me as, at least their pawn, and likely more." The three other daughters nodded their agreement with Carla's assessment. "Can I ask how the six women are doing?" "They should be fine," replied Muiriol. "Their appearance will be a little different. They will probably join you in a day or two. So that you are not shocked when you see them, I should tell you that they no longer have their ring or little fingers on either hand." "Those bastards!" screamed Carla, as her face turned red with anger. "Those six are the nicest, most sensible, people that I ever knew. I am surprised they continued to work for Craigly." "Carla, relax," said Muiriol, "in spite of that, they will be fine. Our medical staff will take very good care of them. The missing fingers are something that can take a long time to replace." Several in the group had puzzled looks on their faces. "Our medical technology can do many things that will take Earth's medical technology several centuries to achieve, at current rates." "I don't know what Carla's father had planned for her at Craigly's," said Aime, one of the twins. "Our father told us that we were to be bred by the other three fathers. Also, we were to be available to all of them while we were at Far Hills, and were to obey any instructions we were given. Our mother objected at first, but relented several days later. The next time we talked to her we had trouble understanding her, but we didn't see her again until after we arrived here. Dad told us that she had some oral surgery, and it would take some time for her to recover. After we got here, we didn't see her for some time. When we did see her, she was hanging in a rope harness in the slave holding area. She opened her mouth briefly when she saw us. She had no front teeth, and several rings along each side of her tongue, and a ring hung from her nose. There were tears in her eyes. We think she showed us her tongue as a warning to us. Needless to say, we were shocked. Later, we were shocked again when our father asked us how we liked our mother's new jewelry. He smiled as we tried to think of an answer, then laughed. He told us that if we didn't obey we would join her in the kennel, or as community sex toys." "Aime, Gabriele," said Sorcha softly, "your mother probably died with the others." "We know," replied both. "It is probably better she did. She probably suffered less, that way." Sal started to speak, when Carla said, "Since it appears I am the sole survivor, if I manage to get control of my family's primary holding company, there are many things that will change. Based on some of the things I heard, it is likely some of the former company officials will go to jail. If they don't, I will make sure they can only work as day laborers. I don't know the financial details that each of you had with my father's organization. I promise that each of you will receive the full amount of your contract, and will be released from it as soon as I can sign the documents. All of this presumes I can get control." "Ladies and gentlemen," said Sal, "we need to continue this discussion somewhere else. So, where do you want us to take you?" The group stood there with no one making a move to answer the question; glancing around as if waiting for someone to break the ice. "Let's do this," said Sal, "I want everyone to close their eyes." Once everyone had closed their eyes, he continued, "Now, keeping your eyes closed, raise your hand if you want to go to Comrie. Remember, it is only a temporary refuge." The GAS teams looked around the group, and saw that every hand had been raised. Several felt that some of the group were nervous about going, but were not against it. "Okay, now keep your position and open your eyes," said Sal. "You can see that everyone has raised their hands. So, we will be leaving for Comrie, shortly." "Since it looks like we will be traveling together," said Brid, "we really ought to introduce ourselves. My name is Brid. I am one of Darcy's team and clan. Oh, that is another unique of ours. We form family groups, rather than pair off. There are four family groups here, which we refer to as clans. A clan or family group typically consists of five to nine women and one man. If you are thinking harem, in Earth's terms, then you are wrong. We believe there are many reasons why Earth's concept doesn't apply to us. There will be more information available about us at Comrie." With that, she introduced the rest of her family. Following Brid's lead, each of the other clans introduced themselves. Once the clans had finished, Carla spoke up and introduced herself, prompting the others to follow. "It's time to go," said Leo. Everyone was soon on a shuttles and headed for Comrie. During the trip, the clan on each shuttle told their group more about themselves and the place where they were going. They told their passengers that there was a set of videos that would tell them more about them, their history and where they planned to go. The group was assured that they could stay at Comrie until they sorted out their personal situation and decided on their future. While they were at Comrie, there were many ways they could help out the staff, if they wanted to. Assistance wasn't required, but would be appreciated. They were told about GISS, and that they could probably assist them with their legal issues and security when they left Comrie. They could assist GISS as office staff while they were at Comrie. The benefit in them assisting would be that it would give them a reference on which to base their future on Earth, since being linked to Mr. Craigly might not be a good reference. ------- Chapter 109 Gail, Marsha and Ursula were waiting when the four shuttles from Far Hills arrived at Comrie. Once everyone was out of the shuttles, Gail said, "Welcome to Comrie, my name is Gail. I am one of this group's doctors. We know you have had a long night, and little sleep, so we will show you to your rooms soon. The accommodations we have for you are 3 room suites, which will comfortably hold six people. We currently have plenty of space, so you don't need to share a suite unless you want to. We need each of you to take a quick physical before we show where your suites are." There were many groans. "The physicals are given by what we call an autodoc, and are a little more sophisticated than any medical devices you have seen before. It will be very quick. Before we head to our clinic, I would like to introduce Marsha and Ursula. They are here to tell you about GISS." "Thank you, Gail," said Marsha. "GISS, stands for Galactic Intrusion Security Services. Our specialties are electronic security and personal protective services. Our group will give you as much assistance as you desire in re-establishing your identity. When you leave here, we can also provide you with protective services. While you are here, we would like each one of you to attend our classes on personal protection. These classes include how to spot threats, weapons training and self- defense. A member of our group will meet with you after breakfast tomorrow, to give you more details about how we can help you." "You will find this place very unique," said Ursula. "Breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided in a dinning hall. All meals are served buffet style. One hour before each meal, a chime will sound. This should give you time to freshen up. Many of us use the time before breakfast and dinner to exercise. There is exercise equipment in each suite which is very effective in helping you stay in shape. The exercise equipment is different than anything we saw before joining the Golden Amazons." "There are no restrictions on exploring the island. We prefer that you to stay within sight of the buildings, so you don't lose your bearings and get lost. If you get very far from this settlement you won't hear the chime for the meals. Let's see, what else? Oh, yes. This site is managed by an AI. Her name is Chantel. If you need assistance around the settlement, just say, "Chantel" and she will respond to you verbally." "So, all the suites are monitored," exclaimed one of the rescued men. "Yes, that is one way to view it. Chantel responds to her name being spoken, or to sounds of distress anywhere around the settlement. Chantel's programming doesn't permit her listen in on activities or conversations without being specifically requested to do so. A voice in distress is defined as being a request." "Okay," he replied. "I can sense your sincerity, but after working around Craigly's, it is difficult to accept." "We understand." "Are you going to tell them about our pets?" asked Brid. "Oh, yes," replied Ursula. "If you go out exploring the island, you may come across some lions. These lions are part of our security shield. They will not harm any resident of the island, and they will alert us if you need assistance. If you get lost, they will be a part of the search team sent to find you." "Real live lions," said one of the arrivals, "and they won't attack us?" "Yes," replied Sorcha, "just like the ones in the meadow where we picked you up. We will have a couple of them come up here this afternoon so you can meet them. They are really unique." "There is another item other I need to mention," said Ursula. "While this island is the operations center for GISS, it is also used by the Golden Amazons. As you have probably noticed, the Golden Amazons are different than humans, as you would expect, since their origins are another star system. Since you will probably have considerable interaction with them, they want us to show you a series of videos this evening. The topics that will be covered are; who they are; why they are here; how they are different from humans, and their future plans." "Now, let's go take care of the physicals," said Gail. "Gail," said Gabrielle, interrupting Gail, "can you tell us how the women taken to Dóchas are doing?" Gail paused for a moment, before saying, "Mentally, Jasmine is doing fine. Vickie, Gilian and Traci are nearly back to their normal mental state. Ellyn and Dara are stabilized and should be okay later today." "I don't understand." "The six of them were given a drug cocktail that was intended to change their personality. If their treatments were allowed to go to completion, they would have a compulsion for sexual interaction several times a day. The drugs don't impact their intelligence but make feeling sexual pleasure more important than anything else. It can be considered a form of addiction. The physical changes have been halted, but the women will need some additional treatments in order to ensure their long term physical health." "So, other than their physical changes, they will be themselves," said Aime, Gabrielle's twin. "That's what Connie told me." "Connie?" "Connie is one of our doctors. She is on Dóchas caring for your friends." "But..." "She told me telepathically, just after Gabrielle's question. Someone told you we were telepathic. Right?" "Yes," said several in the group. "It is just a hard concept to accept," continued Carla. "You are not alone in doubting the ability. Many of us had the same doubts when we first met the Golden Amazons. Now, are we ready to go?" "You look like a Golden Amazon, but your comment implies you are not," replied Carla. "Yes," replied the group answering Gail's question. "Carla, the simple answer is that they rescued me from something worse than was planned for Jasmine and the others. I then decided to join their species. Once you see the videos, we can talk about my decision some more. I can tell you now, that it was the best decision I ever made." With that, the group followed the EMT toward the clinic. As they had walked to the clinic, Carla walked next to Gail deep in thought. The group was just entering the building when Carla looked around and noticed that the group who had brought them were gone. Looking out toward where they arrived, she saw the shuttles lifting off. "Gail," said Carla, with a bit of anxiety in her voice, "where are our rescuers going? I didn't think to thank them." "They went back to Dóchas. They are tired, since they have been up most of the night." "I really want to thank them. I need to talk to Marsha or Ursula and I don't see them either." "Carla, relax," said Gail. "Tomorrow will be soon enough to begin resolving your problems." Carla studied her for a while, then sighed. She knew she need to proceed carefully. "Patience is a virtue," continued Gail. "Haste usually creates more problems than it resolves." "You're right. You're right about haste and solving problems. Quick, short-term solutions quite often lead to long-term problems that are much more difficult to solve, if they can be solved." Gail smiled, "I am sure you will do well. As for your rescuers, I am sure they will be back, since they will want to see how all of you are doing. Actually, they come here quite often to relax and enjoy the surroundings." By this time, the group had entered the clinic. Jessica, of Ann's Clan, said to Aime, "Please step up on the platform and place your feet on the foot pads, and then grip the hand holds." Once Aime was in position, Jessica continued, "now relax and hold still until the chime sounds." After a few minutes, a chime sounded, and the autodoc said, "You can step down now." Aime looked puzzled, hearing the unexpected voice. "On first pass, you appear to be in good shape. Please come back tomorrow for more detailed results." "Sorry, that was the autodoc indicating that your physical scan is complete," said Jessica. "The detailed results of your physical will be ready tomorrow morning. Gail, or one of the doctors, will want to meet with you tomorrow morning to go over the results with you." "Jessica," said Gail, as she entered with Carla, "thanks for getting the physicals started. Did you tell them what we were doing?" "Unfortunately I didn't. Aime was a bit shocked to hear the autodoc when her scan was completed." Gail turned to face the group, and said, "Assessing your physical health will be done automatically by one of our autodocs. You just saw how Aime's physical was done. While she stood there, the autodoc scanned her whole body. The scan looks for anomalies and they were ranked. As you heard, Aime's initial scan looks fine. As Jessica indicated, we would like you to return in the morning so we can go over your physicals. If you need, or want, any treatments to correct any anomalies, you will have the option of scheduling them either immediately or at a latter date." "Do we need to?" asked one woman. "You need to let the autodoc do your physical now, but you don't have to come back for the consultation. We think it would be very wise for each of you to go over the information about your health with one of the doctors. During your consultation, we will point out any treatments you should consider. The treatments are intended to ensure your long-term health. Whether they are done or not is your decision. I should caution you that delaying any treatment can reduce it effectiveness." Once Gail stopped speaking, the next person in line stepped up on the platform so the autodoc could begin their physical. ------- "Good evening," said Command Staff, standing at the front of the dining room on Dóchas. "Good evening," came the reply from those on Dóchas, as well as those at An Clochán and Comrie. "It is good to see all of you this evening. It is wonderful to be home again." "Command Staff," said Amy, Jim and Erica of Amy's Clan together, "we think we are speaking for everyone. We are grateful to have all of you back safely. All of us hope that this will always be the case. Though we know it may not always be the case." "Yes!" responded everyone. "Thank you. We have a couple of issues that we need to discuss." "Before we begin that discussion, we would like to take this time to formally welcome our guests at Comrie. To those from Far Hills, we hope you are enjoying your stay at Comrie. All of us appreciate the assistance you have given the staff there. If you need something, just ask. We also encourage you to be thoughtful and deliberate in making your arrangements to return to Earth's society." "Command Staff," said Carla, "perhaps this is not the time, but I have a question. Can we visit Dóchas and An Clochán? If so, how do we make the arrangements?" "Yes, you can visit either place. As to the how, just tell Chantel of your interest. If you are not telepathic, you will need to be escorted by one of the crew at each location." Carla and several others smiled at first, but frowned when they heard the restriction. Marsha and several of her clan moved to sit with them. After a short conversation, their attention returned to the activity. "The escorts are necessary for safety reasons. Marsha's Clan can give you the details." "The visits to Earth have involved many of us," continued Sarah, drawing attention away from Comrie, "more than we expected. We are concerned that if we continue our visits to Earth they will hinder our progress here and at An Clochán. Our main goal is to build four new Dóchas class ships. Once they are provisioned, we will begin our move to settle on a new planet." Maureen continued, "Our recent visit to Earth with the choir appears to have slowed our progress toward building those new ships. It has also slowed our progress in understanding the universe around us, and our progress toward establishing a ring of sentries. All of our information about the universe tells us that there are other advanced species out there. We don't expect all of them to be friendly. The information in our library tells us that some of them are as cruel or crueler than the worst we've seen on Earth." "Command Staff," said Madison of Leann's clan, "our clan and the others in engineering believe the reason our progress has slowed is only partially related to the choir's concerts on Earth." "We feel that there are several reasons for our progress slowing," continued Kerry of Leann's clan, taking the cue from Madison. "Initially, many of us spent too much time following the activities on Earth. This fascination tapered off as the concert tour continued. Second, our progress on the first two Dóchas class ships is slower than expected for a number of reasons. These are primarily because we are learning how these ships are built. As we progress, we are verifying design parameters and trying to understand the reasoning behind each component's design. While this is slower than just charging ahead, it has enabled us to make some improvements, as well as incorporating new materials where appropriate." "If you had told us," said Leann, picking up the response, "that urgency was a primary issue, then we would just follow the plans we were provided." "So is it the consensus of the group to continue the concert tour?" asked Siobhan. "From the responses I see here," said Erica, on An Clochán, "we should continue the tour. From a security standpoint, however, we need to seek ways to minimize our risks." "Erica, one way we will reduce our risks is by only being on Earth a portion of the day of the concert," replied Sally. "We learned from our last trip that hotel accommodations do not really work for us." "Why is that?" asked Chloe of Chloe's Clan. Her expression conveyed her concern that the Communications Department had not done its job. "Chloe, there was nothing wrong with the arrangements your department made," replied Sam. "It is just related to our physical needs. Buildings on Earth aren't designed for tall big people. In addition, the beds in the hotels are too short for our height and are much smaller than we are accustomed to." "Boy, that was dumb of us," replied Chloe, as she thumped head with her palm. "Chloe," said Alison, "none of us thought of it until we arrived in Ireland. We were surprised at how small everything seemed to be. It didn't take us long to realize that the change was to ourselves. To me, this means that we are very comfortable with our larger stature. We solved the sleeping arrangements by spreading the bedding on the floor and sleeping there. It was much like a slumber party when I was a child and had my friends over." "So, we should see if the hotels can get larger beds?" "Wouldn't it be simpler to park our shuttles adjacent to where we are performing?" asked Claudette. "Yes," said Sarah. "If the promoter for the concert can't make those arrangements, cancel the event and issue a press release announcing the cancellation, and the reason." "What's going to happen to the people that were rescued from Fuda?" asked Súsanna of Súsanna's Clan, as she stood along with Yvonne and Charles. "We planned on monitoring their progress and offering assistance as appropriate," replied Erin. "For those in England, we think we should quickly make them aware that coming here is an option," replied Yvonne. "Many of those I met seemed to be very concerned about how others would view them when they returned home. It is not within the capability of Earth's medical science to undo the changes to their bodies. Many people will consider them to be damaged merchandise, so finding a job or building a relationship with another person could prove very difficult." "Our concern," continued Charles, "is mostly for those who had been there a long time, or had completed their conditioning. It may be that some of those who had only just begun their conditioning will have the same difficulties." "Considering the circumstances, those in England will need further consideration. Based upon the question asked earlier by Carla, and the fact they are participating in this event, we don't think anything special needs to be done for those that arrived from Far Hills." "Why not have Judy and a few others confer with the doctors in England?" asked Charles. "You're thinking of offering them the opportunity to move to Comrie or join us, if the British doctors are agreeable? If we do that then we will need to show all of them our set of presentations." "Yes. Those who express an interest in joining us, should be encouraged to visit both Dóchas and An Clochán for several days before they commit themselves to a decision." "We agree," replied Erin. "The visit should be the same as we have done with other groups, with each person visiting Comrie, Dóchas, and An Clochán." "I would like to ask what may be a dumb question, and one which is a little off topic," said Lydia. Several chuckled or smirked at Lydia's comment. "I know why the slavers did some of the things to their captives, such as removing their ring and little fingers, but why did they pull the person's front teeth?" "It is not a dumb question," replied Sam of Samantha's Clan. "Pulling the front teeth makes it difficult to speak clearly. With no front teeth, you cannot bite off a chunk of food, so your diet naturally shifts to one mostly composed of soft foods. The slaves are also forced to kneel and suck their food from cock-shaped tubes. If the slave is owned by a woman, the cock is replaced with trough shaped like a vagina. The effect is both humiliation and a reinforcement of their status every time they eat or drink, since they must always kneel before a cock or cunt. If their tongue is lengthened, the missing teeth provide more room in the slave's mouth." "Well, since Lydia asked a question, the answer to which cleared up an uncertainty in my mind," said Brad. "I'd like to add to Sam's answer, and ask another question. With no front teeth, the dominant can face-fuck the slave with more enjoyment. The person's gums provide more stimulation, and there is no worry about being bitten. It also makes it easier to force a cock down the slave's throat. Now the question, why the preference for removing the ring and little fingers?" "Without those fingers, they cannot marry," replied Maeve. "They cannot not hide their status as a slut, slave, sex toy or pet. In some communities, slaves may be required to be naked at all times, while in others they are permitted only a light drape which reaches no lower than their crotch. If they are collared, their servitude is controlled by only one family. The remaining three fingers let them do most other things." "So the amputation of the hands and forearms," said Súsanna, "was just a way to reinforce their dependent status on a rebellious slave?" "Yes," replied Sam, "most of the time. From the data we have collected, it appears some dominants did it just because they wanted to watch the slave suffer, as the amputations were usually done without anesthesia." "Too bad we can't reverse the roles," replied Brad. "I am not advocating we do that, as it would then make us as barbaric as the slavers are." "Brad, really!" exclaimed Sam. "You really think these things have reached the level of barbarians?" Sam's response caused many to either laugh or applaud. "Sam, I guess I need to apologize to the barbarians." Brad's comment added to the laughter. "So, if the missing teeth prevent the slave from speaking clearly," asked one women on Dóchas, "then why add the stud and rings to the tongue." "They basically increase the stimulation the dominant receives. It also adds to the person's humiliation, since they feel them every time they move their tongues. A similar effect is achieved with rings or bells in the nipple, labia or clit." "I don't feel humiliated by the bar I have in my clit," said another woman, with a puzzled look on her face. "The difference is," replied Joyce, "you wanted the bar in your clit, rather than it being forced on you." "Actually, I was talked into doing it. I was very apprehensive while watching it being done, but I do like the feelings it gives me. Other than that, I agree with your comments." It was quiet for a few moments, before Tara said, "Any other questions?" "Can we go back to our plans?" asked a gentleman at An Clochán. Command Staff nodded their agreement. "Have we considered having a small group stay at An Clochán when we begin our space travels?" "Originally, we did not," replied Rusty. "It has some pluses and minuses. Once we decide where we are going, we should reconsider the idea, since a decision does not need to be made until we start preparing to depart." "Could you elaborate on the pluses and minuses concerning An Clochán?" "At the moment, one minus would be that the settlement would continue to be an issue with Earth. Another could be a lack of assistance from our main group if there were problems. As to pluses, keeping the settlement in operation gives us a place to return to if our plans don't work out. Those are about all I can think of at the moment." "Those were the same ones I came up with. I agree it is a decision to make closer to departure. My inclination would be to let a group remain here, if there were a sufficient number to make it practical." "Agreed," replied Command Staff. "There is another option," said Cathal, "that we might want to consider. We could leave a portion of An Clochán in hibernation. It addresses concern about leaving a small group behind, and it would provide a place of refuge for us." "We will add that to the list of options," replied Terry. "What are our plans for Comrie when we leave?" asked another. "It is the home of GISS operations, as all of you know. It could continue to fill that role. The sticking point is how to handle travel to and from the island." "Any other questions or comments?" asked Sarah. "Yes," said Súsanna. "On behalf of my clan, thanks for being you." Cheers and applause erupted at both locations. "You have given us an opportunity to be more than we ever thought was possible. The precepts of this culture should give us the strengths and willingness to go forward." She paused. "I am not sure I have expressed our feelings well, but each of you can sense our meaning and appreciation." "Thank you," replied Command Staff. "We believe that all of us together will provide the opportunity for our future, through our ability to discover and work so intimately together. We love you all." The whole assembly responded in unison, saying, "We love you all." ------- Betsy and Judy were waiting when Jasmine, Vicki, Traci, Gilian, Dara and Ellyn, joined them in the Dóchas clinic's consulting room. Betsy and Judy had just finished giving each a hug when Máiréad and Ciar arrived. "Ladies," said Betsy, "we are a little concerned about doing this consultation as a group, even though you requested it. The issues each of you face are significant, and your choice will effect the rest of your life. For those reasons, we want your choices to be yours alone, with minimal chance of them being made just because your friend made a choice. Due to the drugs you were given, each of you, essentially, face the same choices." "Betsy," said Jasmine, "I don't have a problem with the others knowing that the dosages I received were higher than theirs." Jasmine's friends gasped upon hearing her comment. "Yes, my breasts will be extremely large if the treatments they gave me are allowed to run their course. It is likely I will need to wear a harness to support my breasts in order to keep my skin from tearing." Jasmine's friends could see that her breasts had grown more than theirs, and it had only been a few days since they had been dosed. "We've been discussing the options among ourselves," said Gilian. "We are thankful to now have our telepathic abilities. These have helped us explore our minds, looking for residual damage from the drugs we received, and considering our future. You may not be aware that we have mind- linked and have fully shared our feelings and views of the future." Vicki began, "We feel very lucky to be here. Before we came here, we thought we were close. Since we have been able to mind-link, we know that we have been very close for a long time. We feel blessed by your assistance in enabling our telepathic ability." "Although," said the six as they mind-link, "you carefully avoided suggesting it, we have decided separately and collectively to request joining your species. We are certain that this is the best choice for us. Our analysis of the data you have given us tells us that the incubators are the best way to counter the localized growth treatments we were given." "It will not be possible to undo the species change," said Betsy. "The other choices would not be as drastic, and you could return to Earth society." "Yes, that is true," replied Gilian. "However, even with suppressing some of the growth, we would all have a very large breasts. The incubator treatment would alter our bodies to easily support our larger breasts. If our analysis is correct, we would grow to be a little taller than Ciar, but with broader shoulders." "Yes, all of you would be nearly 7 feet tall. The changes in your chests and shoulders would be enough to easily enough to support your larger breasts. Your lactation rates will probably be a little higher than our norm for your expected size." "You realize," said Judy, "that doing this almost precludes you returning to Earth?" "Yes," said the six women. "Our choice is to join the Golden Amazons. We all feel we would have made this choice even without the medical issues." It was quiet in the room for several long minutes. "How soon will there be space in the incubators?" said Dara. Betsy and Judy scanned the faces of the six women, looking for some indication of doubt in their decision. "You can enter them as soon as you can get ready," replied Judy. "You were waiting for us to ask, weren't you?" said Jasmine. "Yes, to an extent. We regard taking the cross-species step very seriously. Some may feel we go overboard with our cautionary approach. Normally, we would have asked you to reexamine your decision process. However, we have each spent a lot of time assisting your mental recovery from the drugs. We suspect that you may have some lingering apprehension about taking the cross-species step. The fact you asked when you could begin, is an indication that you are committed to making the change." Ciar and Máiréad glanced at Judy, and then said, "Ladies, we are pleased you have decided to join us. Our sense is that you will be very pleased with the decision you have made. When your time in the incubators is done, our clan would like all of you to spend some time with us." "I would like that," replied Jasmine. She then reached over and pulled each of them in turn to her. They kissed and caressed each other for some time, while savoring the contact. By the time she had kissed both women, Jasmine was breathing heavily, as the smell of her pheromones filled the room. While holding Ciar and Máiréad's hands, Jasmine said to her friends, "I think we have some new and wonderful friends here, who really care about us." "You have," replied Ciar and Máiréad, as they each kissed one of Jasmine's cheeks and caressed her butt. "Come," said Judy, "let's get this started." ------- Some two weeks after everyone had returned from Earth, Muireann stopped Sarah, Sally and Joyce, as they were leaving the traditional evening conference. "How is Claudette?" asked Muireann. "She is fine," replied Sarah. "Judy and Connie ganged up on her and made her rest. In retrospect, she probably shouldn't have gone on the trip to Earth." "Why is that?" said Muireann, with a puzzled look. "She is carrying sextuplets, and with the way our babies grow in the last month, they are really taxing her body." "She will be okay, won't she?" "Yes, she will be fine. Her experience though has heightened our awareness of how different we are from humans. Judy, Connie and Betsy are going to put together a presentation for mothers-to-be, to explain the impact of these differences." "Okay, now I am really puzzled. Y'all didn't look much different from women on Earth when you were carrying yours." "Well that's true, except we were only carrying quads. Our bodies are now designed to carry either twins or quads. Having larger group of babies isn't a problem, as long as you make some adjustments in the last month or so. Basically, eating more, resting more, etc." "Shouldn't that be the case the whole time?" "Well yes, to a certain extent. Our babies typically gain more than half their birth weight in the last month. That is why we don't show very much until well into the eight month. The presentations our doctors are putting together will caution women not to conceive more than four babies at a time. Currently, they would prefer it be only twins, with no more than one or two deliveries every six months in a clan." "Oh, I can see that the guidelines make a lot of sense, since they give the clan more time to adjust to the new arrivals." "In today's environment, I think we would have followed those guidelines," said Joyce. "The nannies we hired have really been a godsend. It would have been very challenging to take care of our children without their help while doing the other things we needed to do. Did you hear that they have started offering coaching sessions on new babies?" "Yes, some of our clan has gone to the sessions, even though we haven't decided to add little ones yet. You're right, the nannies are great. I saw them working with the teachers in the learning center. All the children really relate to them." "Muireann, what did you think of our discussions regarding the choir's tours and our future," asked Sally. "When we first started the discussion, I was apprehensive about the whole issue." "Why?" "Many of those in our department felt that we were part of the cause, and should have identified the threats earlier. Once the discussion started, we had a better prospective as to what was happening in the other groups." "Yes, we noticed the sense of unity," replied Sarah. "I was a little surprised at how quickly we came to an agreement concerning our priorities." "I think it was a very good learning experience for many of us," said Sally. "Security, Intelligence and Flight Operations, all learned a lot more about how to use the tools we have, in a fairly low-risk situation." "How long do you think it will be before we find a new home planet?" asked Muireann. "You ask a question that is difficult to answer. We will probably find a candidate before we are ready to go," replied Sarah. "Depending on the circumstances, I think it will probably be about two years yet. The idea to maintain a settlement here until our new home is established was an idea many had not considered, and has quite a bit of merit. Cathal's suggestion appears to be the best choice." ------- Sarah, Tara, Aoife, Alison, Sally arrived at the conference room to find the others already there. "Good morning," they said in unison, "sorry to be late." "Oh, you're not late," said Chloe. "Nearly everyone arrived just before you did. I thought it was funny, since it seemed like you all met around the corner just so you could arrive together." "That's a good idea," replied Shannon, "we'll have to try that next time." "What's up," asked Rusty. "We are not sure," replied Shannon quickly, "but several of us have bad vibes about the US performances." "Vibes?" "Yes," replied Chloe, "I didn't think too much about it, until I noticed Shannon preoccupied when we were discussing issues related to the trip's arrangements." "Chloe asked what was bothering me," added Shannon. "I told her I wasn't sure, but the performance in Washington really made me uncomfortable. She shocked me by saying, "Me too." But what was even more shocking was that several others in the meeting felt the same way." "The staff, we are working with at the Kennedy Performing Arts Center have been very helpful," said Chloe. "We cannot say the same for many of the others who work there. When we were shown around the stage area and dressing rooms, we were told, several times, that the stage hands would handle everything for us. They did not believe us when we told them that there was essentially nothing to do. We explained that our staff would have to position the equipment, and initiate the setup sequence, since the controls were keyed to our staff. The issue has not been fully resolved." "The Performing Artists Guild is insisting we join or they will picket the event. They even implied that they would file suit to block the performance. In lieu of joining the union, we offered a contribution to their emergency fund. The offer was refused." "We understand that someone has sent a letter to both the EPA and CDC, questioning whether it was healthy for Americans, or any human, to be in an enclosed building with aliens and their equipment. Another letter was sent to the local OSHA office, questioning whether our equipment was safe. We are expecting these agencies to seek more information from us." "It seems that someone doesn't want our choir to perform," said Tara. "Yes, it does," said several. "Hearing all this, I am surprised that we haven't heard from INS," said Sally. "Personally," said Sarah, "I have no problem with them having the information someone is apparently seeking. I do not like the subterfuge. Why don't they ask, out of scientific curiosity?" "My best guess would be fear of the request being rejected," said Cathal. "Those seeking the answers are probably not scientists but someone wanting the information to use for their benefit." "There is a possibility that the problems are coming from a small group in one of the US intelligence agencies," said Eric. "We have run across a few of these rogue groups. Fortunately, we never had any direct interaction with them, that we know of. Sometimes, they seemed to be acting on their own agenda. In fact, it could have been one of them that blew our cover." "This looks like provocative information gathering to me," replied Cathal. "The group Eric was thinking of is capable of initiating these incidents. The people in that group are arrogant, self-centered, egotistical idiots. However, this doesn't strike me as their kind of operation. Why? They probably have most of the information the Brits have on us, so doing this seems senseless." "Cathal, I think I see where you are going," said Charles. "This strikes me as someone with political influence, trying to gain an informational advantage. I really am not sure what they would do with it. It does, however, explain why the same information the Brits have is being sought again." "We could speculate for weeks," said Sarah. "Let's just cancel the performance at the Kennedy Performing Arts Center, and instead hold it in a stadium, such as FEDEX Stadium or a university stadium. Doing that solves, or avoids, most of the issues mentioned here." "Wouldn't some of those same issues come up in a stadium?" asked Lydia. "I was thinking along these lines," said Sarah, "but I am sure there is room for improvement. First, let's ask GISS to rent FEDEX Stadium in Washington for two or three day period. The contract will only have the stadium provide parking, ticket collection, crowd control and overall security services. Once the contract is in place, inform the Performing Arts Center staff that we are pulling out, primarily because of the issues relating to setting up our equipment. Hold a press conference announcing the change, and answer any question from the press regarding the reason for the cancellation. Include in the announcement that those who already have tickets can either exchange them for tickets at the new location, or can obtain a full refund. Current ticket holders should receive a preference in seating." "That is going to be a lot of scrambling," said Chloe, "and may leave some hard feelings." "Could be," replied Alison, "but think it through. You can have everything in place before the announcements are made. To some, it will look like you performed a miracle." "The feds could still block the concert in any number of ways," said Terry, with some concern showing on her face. "Yes, they could," replied Sarah, "but the press is going to ask questions. If Cathal is correct, the feds won't act. We should fully answer any question regarding the cancellation, and include specifics. If the performance in FEDEX stadium is blocked, issue a public announcement expressing our disappointment. If it happens, we will refund ticket price, with a 10% bonus to cover the purchaser's incidental expenses. CDs of the performances in Ireland and England should be included in the refund package." "Won't that approach cause more problems?" asked Lydia. "It may, but we ought to take that chance." "What about Boston?" asked Sally. "Well," said Chloe, "we maybe able to do the same thing, using the same location. The Boston location is essentially outside. Sarah's proposal moves the Washington site outside. This benefits our logistics at both places, in that there will be little dependence on local infrastructure." "The Boston location," said Rusty, "is also outside the political turmoil of Washington, and has a significant Celtic heritage. Both should help avoid any funny business." "You know, this is an awful lot of effort for just a concert," said Erin. "Do we want to expend the effort?" "Yes, we do," said James. "You could look at the problems as a bit of extortion. We need to take the issue to the limit, and publicly walk away, if necessary. To do otherwise would leave some with the impression that we can be pushed around. It may cause our plans for our future to slip a bit, but it should work to our benefit in future interactions the US and others." Chloe looked around the group, then said, "Okay. Unless someone objects, we will begin making the new arrangements tomorrow, and prepare a plan for implementing the changes." As the conference was breaking up, Sally walked over to Cathal, Eric and Charles and gave them a hug. "What was that for?" said Cathal. "Not that I mind at all. In fact, I will accept them any time." "Oh, you! It was a thank you for your insight. As soon as I heard your assessment, I felt that you were right on target. It doesn't make sense for an arrogant group in US intelligence to seek the same data from us they already have from the Brits. If that is true, then the remaining choices are an individual or group with political influence trying to learn more about us by creating all of this hassle." ------- Chapter 110 Command staff looked out over the dining room on Dóchas. Breakfast, and the morning meeting, had just ended. They had thought about having this discussion in the large conference room, but the dining room made more sense, considering the number of attendees. Once everyone was seated, Rusty said, "We thought it would be beneficial to discuss the details of our on going projects. We anticipate there may be some small changes to different programs as a result of today's discussions. Many may wonder why we are doing this, since all the information is available on our systems. It is true that all of us see it, but I think many of us skim over the data, most of the time. We think it is important for us to periodically take a focused look at our projects and programs." "To start things off this morning, let's begin with the Communications Group." "Thank you, but I am not sure about being first. We are changing the location of our Washington concert. Nearly everything is in place to make the change, so we will begin the effort tomorrow." Chloe continued, "As to other activities, our news department has become the contact point for Earth's news organizations. There is a lot of interest in obtaining more information about us, beyond what is on the web site, even though we keep it fresh. We are directing inquiries to the Grandview newspapers and TV station, whenever it seems appropriate." "Melinda, would you like to add to that?" "We really only have a couple of things to add," replied Melinda. "The stories we submit to the Grandview newspapers and TV station are always published; quite often on or near the front page. Many articles are syndicated and appear in other papers. We take that as indicating that there is still interest in positive news about us." "Based on what we heard since our last meeting, everyone wants the concerts to continue, and feels that they can work around any resource issues. Everyone also seems to like the idea of having a small group stay at An Clochán, or placing the site in hibernation, so that we could return in an emergency. At the same time, we all realize dynamics could change by the time that we are ready to depart." "We would like to give the Grandview news media a "heads-up" on the concert change and related issues." "Thanks, Chloe." "The only other item I'm aware of is that the group overseeing our network and communication systems reports that all systems on Dóchas and at An Clochán are performing at an optimal level." "Melinda, we don't see a problem with alerting the Grandview news media concerning the change," said Claudette. "Thanks, Chloe," said Tara. "Shannon, are you giving the Intelligence report?" "Yes. Let us begin by saying that we have reorganized the Intelligence Group into three subgroups," replied Shannon. "One is focused on Earth activities, a second focuses on our immediate surroundings and a third focuses on activity outside the planetary system we are currently in." "Some of us have wondered about the apparent lack of probing by Earth intelligence agencies, beyond their use of some spy satellites. Well ... it appears they are taking a different tack than we expected. Recent data from major Earth security agencies, indicates that their laid-back response to our presence on Earth is, in large part, due to the way we responded to those situations we were drawn into. They have connected the dots, and now know that we assisted in the situation involving the TTC group, in Afghanistan. Our assistance with the aircraft carrier incident, and rescuing the captive westerners from Fuda was pretty obvious, and known to some governments. Many analysts were surprised by our not making a big deal out of our actions. With time, each agency has grown a little uncomfortable, as they have figured out more of our capabilities. We are certain that they have passively monitored all of our recent visits to Earth. Our escorts in London were not debriefed in a normal sense, but were given the opportunity to, as a group, compare notes. The session was monitored and recorded. We think that was a clever approach, since it minimized the effect of preconceived conclusions, and none of the participants saw it as a debriefing, so they were more open with their comments." "Looking away from Earth," said Shannon, "the groups focused on the universe including this galaxy are working with navigation and security in analyzing the sentry line information. I should note here we have flip-flopped between describing our satellites as a picket line and a sentry line. We think the later is more accurate. The sentry line data gives us an indication of any unnatural intrusion. Our views of this issue have changed as we have done more "what-if" style analysis. We now believe that watching for an intrusion is only half of the problem. We only realized this when we looked at the issue from the other side. Our current hypothesis is that, if we were going to survey an unknown system, we would try to enter by appearing to be a rock, collect the data and then drift off. We are working with Engineering to try and create a detector for data-collecting rocks." "The interstellar drones are proceeding along the planned route. Each has reported on passing objects that looked like rocks, but seemed to be more than that. We are reviewing the data." "Shannon," said Erin, "are the interstellar drones sending data back to us?" "For the first part of their trip, yes. The transmission is done by sending a very narrow beam to a sentry line sensor. Each time data is sent, it is directed to a different sensor. Remember, our sentry line sensors form a three-dimensional matrix around us. From the sentry, the signal is relayed to us by a different technology." "Are the interstellar drones coming directly back here?" "They are making a loop. On their return, they will pass near our grid. At that time, we have the option of either letting them pass by while they broadcast their data to a sensor or we could recover them. We haven't decided which to do, yet. Letting them go by would allow us to monitor their wake for shadows, or hitchhikers. Another idea is to send a cloaked shuttle to pick the drones up as they leave our solar system. This would give the appearance of their simply disappearing. Come by, and we can go over the plan in more detail." "Thanks," replied Erin, "and I will be by to see you." "We think Security and Navigation reviews will also touch on portions of this." "Thanks Shannon. We think Engineering may take up the rest of the day." "Hopefully, not," said Leann. "Our current schedule has Dóchas1 lifting off at dawn in two days, and Dóchas2 lifting off at dawn the next day. Dóchas1's primary AI, Donna, is on-line and overseeing work schedules. This is also true for Dóchas2's primary AI, Moncha. Siobhan's and Maureen's Clans have been filling the role of Ship's Command Staff on Dóchas1 and Dóchas2 when needed. Departmental AI's in both ships are configured, powered up and their logic validation is 98% complete. Both Dóchas1 and Dóchas2 are expected to be on-line one month after the lift off of Dóchas2, at which time our focus will be refitting Dóchas. We have determined that Dóchas' refit can be done so that she is never completely off-line. As soon as Dóchas's refit is complete, we will focus our efforts on building Dóchas4 and Dóchas5. Some thought has been given to adding two more Dóchas class ships. Since this is outside of our current plan, we are looking at how building two more ships would dovetail with identifying a new home." "That is great news," said Command Staff, as they applauded the announcement, and were quickly joined by everyone else. "I think it is time we give these ships unique names," added Aoife when the applause ended. "Using the numerical suffix made sense while we were building them." Many in the room nodded their head in agreement. "We have talked about that several times," replied Leann. "I take it you have a suggestion." "Well I think so. Remember, we chose, Dóchas, to signify there was hope. So I would propose, Dóchas1 be named Phoenix and Dóchas2 be named Eagle or Iolar in Celtic. I think I would prefer to use Eagle rather than Iolar, as it brings in some of our mixed heritage." "Speaking for my clan," said Cathan, "I think you have made excellent suggestions." "Does everyone here find those acceptable?" said Sarah. "Yes!" came the quick reply. "It looks like that is settled. Star would you announce the proposal," said Sarah. "Not yet," said Leann causing some puzzled looks, "If I know Aoife, she probably has thought of names for the next two ships as well." Aoife blushed as she responded, "Yes, I have. I just hope I don't cause a better choice to be overlooked." She paused for a few moments, then said, "Endeavor and Explorer are the other two names that seemed to fit. Endeavor is Iarracht in Gaelic. Explorer is Taiséalai in Gaelic." "I like those to," said Briana. "Nicely done." "I would prefer to wait until we are ready to launch Dóchas4 and Dóchas5 before we commit to a unique names for them." Many in the room nodded their heads in agreement with Aoife. "I sense everyone agrees," said Sarah. "So we can continue with our discussion. Todays meeting summary should carry both designations." "Improvements to the propulsion systems have already been completed on Dóchas," continued Leann. "We were able to do the propulsion upgrades by changing out one pair of engines at a time, because the units are somewhat modular. We found the modularity when we started putting the units in Phoenix. Once we saw the benefits of that, a design change was made to all the ships. This will make it easier to change propulsion units." "How does this impact the ship's operation?" asked Rusty. "It doesn't. In reanalyzing the design after our discovery, it appears that the units were nearly modular to begin with. However, modifications were made after the units were placed in service, which obscured their original modularity." "I take it these new units have been tested?" "Yes. We did it by replacing two of Dóchas's propulsion units during moves between Earth and Mars. Dóchas only needs two of the six propulsion units to make that move. We used two, so that we had a balanced force." "That seems pretty risky, from my perspective," replied Rusty. "No more risky than one of the current units going out of control," replied Kerry. "I agree that if we had screwed up it would have been very embarrassing. The risk of an incident was unchanged by using the new units over the old units." "I guess I am missing something, since I don't quite agree with your risk assessment." "Hm ... are you aware that the propulsion units have an emergency release?" "Yes, I believe it is in the emergency procedures." "A ship's propulsion unit can be tossed overboard, with directed explosive charges. This way, if a unit goes out of control or critical, it can be pushed away from the ship, so that when it self-destructs the damage to the ship will be minimal. Dumping just one unit will cause some navigation problems, because of the differential thrust at the rear of the ship. The direction of the roll will depend on which unit is dumped and power level on all units." "Okay, I am with you now," replied Rusty, with the rest of Command Staff nodding. "And we agree with your assessment." "We did a rather involved 'what if' analysis before we moved forward with the changes and the testing plan. All of those showed that a failure of a new unit would create a situation identical to that of an old unit." "So what you are telling us is that you have improved Dóchas already, and shortened our time-line by something like four months. This gives our situation a bit more flexibility, so keep it up." "Command Staff," said Leann, "if there had been any inkling in our 'what ifs' of additional risk or unresolved issues, we would have sought a meeting with you." "We are sure you would have," replied Command Staff. "As we noted when we began this discussion, our aim is to increase our awareness of what has happened around us. Looking back through our memories, we found that this information was available to us before the testing. You can take the fact we didn't question it then as an indication of our confidence in your group's ability to address and solve problems. Nice job." "A part of the Dóchas refit involves adding some structural members, so that the increased thrust is correctly transferred throughout the ship," continued Leann. "So, there is currently an artificial limit set on the modified propulsion system. You can override the limit from the bridge, if necessary. A sudden increase would lead to severe structural damage, but we don't think the damage would be fatal. A slow increase will only cause minor structural damage." "The other advantage of the new propulsion units," said Kerry, "is that we have more power for our shields and weapons. Again, we need to finish the structural modifications before some weapons can be used at full power." "Good." "Many of you have seen the plans for an individual planetary transport platform, IPTP," continued Leann, "during the design phase. We have been completed and tested the vehicles. The purpose of the IPTP is to simply transport a person on a planet. At the present time, they provide no protection from the elements, so you don't want to use one in bad weather, at a very high altitude, or at high speed. They can be used on Mars, but you will need to wear a tactical suit with an environmental pack. The idea is to ease moving from a shuttle to a planet's surface, without landing the shuttle. We currently have enough IPTPs for the choir and those going with them." "Kerry, how do we operate them?" asked Jill. "What happens if someone steals one?" "They are operated by a combination of telepathic thought and a handle, like you'd find on a scooter or by shifting your weight. There are depressions in the platform for your feet. A combination of the foot depressions and the handle make it possible to do aerobatics, if need be. The flight systems are keyed, so only we can operate them." "We want all of the choir, security teams, and Command Staff to fly them, at Comrie, before the next concert," said Leann. "Eventually we want everyone to fly one enough to be comfortable with their operation." "To fill a void in our defensive capability, a new craft has been designed that is three times the size of a shuttle. Conceptually, it fits into the naval category of cruiser. These ships can also be used as cargo transfer ships, but are designed to be, primarily, a weapons platform to support a Dóchas class ship. Dóchas class ships are being configured to carry four of these new ships." "Leann," said Sarah, "looking back through what we outlined for a fully-configured Dóchas class ship, it seems each will have more capability than we thought." "Yes. Definitely. A fully-equipped Dóchas class ship will have, 4 cruisers, 20 shuttles, 40 star fighters, and 40 twin-seat star fighters." "Our electronics countermeasures group is testing a new cloaking technique that will make us virtually invisible in terms of reflectance and emissivity. At least those are the results from the testing we have done. It appears this ability can be added to all of our craft, with little modification. When we do that, a new type of IFF will be added, since our current one seems to create a detectable signature." "On the security side, all ships have a disable mechanism in them, which will activate if anyone other than our species tries to operate them. Nothing drastic, the ship basically becomes a big rock." Kerry looked around at their team, with a questioning look, then said, "I don't think we have missed anything." "How do these changes impact crew size?" asked Claudette. "They raise minimum crew size to about 1200," replied Leann. "A full crew is considered to be 3200, plus children, assuming a normal ratio, with a maximum of about 5000 adults plus children. At maximum crew size, it would be crowded; there would need to be some double-berthing." "Leann's Clan and Engineering Group," said Judy, "we are impressed with how much you have accomplished. My only concern is: Are you taking enough breaks and getting enough rest?" "YES!" replied the group. "Command Staff," said Leann, "we took your earlier admonishment seriously. We have been able to achieve this by doing a full 3D virtual operating model before anything is built. In going through the library on Dóchas, we found quite a bit of technology that was developed after Dóchas was originally built. There were also a number of things that seemed to complement each other, so that when they were combined, we had a component with more capabilities. The other thing is that once we understood their designs, we found that we could make significant improvements in their usefulness, without sacrificing capabilities. In many cases, the object was easier to make and functioned more effectively. Many of us see it as a fresh look at some very technically advanced knowledge. We still have much more information in the library to study, but, at the moment, we are focusing our efforts on current needs." "Great." "Command Staff, Amy's Clan and Mentors," continued Leann, her voice thick with emotion, "every night many of us say thanks to the spirits for having our paths cross yours. May we always be as blessed as we are blessed now." "We appreciate being included, but it's your collective spirit that brings the blessing," commented Aine. "As we have said before, collectively and individually we find all of you very inspiring, and are thrilled that you consider us family." "Again, thank you, Engineering," said Command Staff, "we can't wait to play with these new toys. Navigation, how is the stellar mapping progressing?" "Using the data from the sentry line," said Súsanna, nervously, "we have been able to update the maps in the library. The maps for some sectors appear to be totally out of whack. We are trying to recreate and align them with adjoining sectors. A disadvantage we presently face is that we can only see things from this location. In conjunction with Intelligence, the interstellar probes are on their way to assess likely stars with planet systems. They should start reporting back in about 2 to 4 months. Their data will also add to our star maps." "Would taking an excursion to the edge of this solar system help you with the star maps?" asked Joyce. "We think so, but really don't have enough information to answer that." "Leann," said Joyce, "if we configured a shuttle with our new shields, it could move to the edge of this solar system with little concern about detection from outside the solar system. Correct?" "From the data we have yes, in terms of emissions. Depending upon its path, a small wake may be created in the flow of stellar gas, but that would be difficult to see from outside the solar system." "That is a dam good idea," replied Sally. "This would also give us a chance to see what we can detect when we are monitoring the flow of stellar gas. We know that most of the gas in a solar system flows from our sun outward and is not uniform. It is not known how it flows outside this solar system, and the information in the library is not very clear. So why not outfit a shuttle for an extended trip to answer both questions?" "We agree," said Command Staff. "Okay, we will work out the details with Engineering and Security," replied Súsanna. "We have talked about doing this several times, so we should be ready as soon as Engineering can retrofit a shuttle for our use." "Súsanna," said Joyce, "let Sally and me know when your group has outlined your plan. At that point, we can review it together, and we might want to add a couple of other tasks to your list." "We should be ready next week or perhaps sooner." "Thanks Navigation," said Command Staff. "How is Security doing?" "Well, not as well as we would like," said Clarence, "but we are in pretty good shape. As we launch our Dóchas-class ships, one of our senior security teams will be assigned to each new ship. We expect that the teams will rotate, but that is not definite at this point. These teams will then train all the crew so they can fill in on a security team, as needed. This will give each ship's command staff a considerable amount of flexibility in dealing with any threat." "Our sentry line has not seen any indication of recent space travelers, but there are indications that some have passed by this solar system. Besides monitoring our sentry line, we have been looking for any device in our solar system that could be monitoring us. Our thoughts are similar to those mentioned earlier by Shannon. Why do this, since we haven't seen any evidence of recent visitors? Let's reverse roles a moment. In line with Shannon's comment, if I was wandering around space and saw a world that had development potential, what would I do. Since the development of life on a planet takes a long time, I think I would likely leave a monitor of some kind, that would let me know how life on the planet was progressing. Some on Earth think Earth has been visited by aliens other than ourselves. Arthur Clarke had a monitor in "2001: A Space Odyssey". There are many things those on Earth have done that could have tripped a monitor. So, to my suspicious mind, it makes sense to look. The difficult part is that we are not quite sure what we are looking for." "So, you're looking for debris that doesn't behave quite like debris," said Kerry. "Correct. I think the most likely place to find these devices is in the asteroid belt, which is also the most dangerous. We are primarily searching the easy part of the solar system first, while looking for patterns of movement in the asteroid belt that don't seem normal." "On a different topic. Several of those rescued from Fuda were concerned about other people that were being held by their former owner at a different location. Our security teams have rescued those people. This was done so that the individuals appear to have just disappeared. In one case, it has caused significant problems for the former owner." "Also, we followed up on Jasmine's conclusion that Craigly was operating a baby farm, using former staff as breeders. That location has been found. Two security teams will be bringing the women and their babies to Comrie later today. Medical staff has been alerted. We aren't sure how quickly these new arrivals will recover. Several have been at the farm for over 8 years. The operators also used the women in porn films, which featured sex with animals." "What are you doing with the operators?" "We are leaving them penned up naked, like they kept the women. If they are lucky, someone will find them before the food runs out. It is a very remote location that has some similarities with the location where Enya and Máiréad held." "That's all I have for now," said Clarence. "Thanks, Clarence. Marsha, are you giving the update for Staffing, or is Ursula." "We both are," said Marsha, of Marsha's clan. "Staffing, how are we doing?" "Actually, we are doing very well. We are working with the Medical group concerning how to present the information about ourselves to those we recently rescued. Having lived in both worlds, all of us think this is the best place in the universe. Our difficulty is in trying to be factual, without being enticing. I never thought it would be this hard. Perhaps the hardest thing to get across is the idea that the species change is not reversible. The other difficult message we are trying to give is that life in our culture may not be for everyone. We should have the new presentation ready in the next day or two." "Good, why don't you have a couple of recent and long-term arrivals look at it," said Tara. "They might see something you don't. Another issue is that the British are looking to close their field hospital and associated operations. We should offer Comrie as a temporary place to go, for those who have not sorted their situation. If they chose to go to Comrie, they should have new identities created for them before they re-enter Earth society." "Thanks, the idea of having others view the video is a good one, and we will make sure we get something done by tomorrow." "The choir's concerts, along with the increased news coverage, has increased inquiries about joining us. Since discovering that several interested candidates were, essentially, spies, we now ask everyone for permission to look into their memories." "Isn't that difficult, not being mind-linked to them?" "Yes, if we do a straight-forward probe. However, just asking the question causes a defensive response. With that clue, we ask a lot of questions about a person's past. It usually takes only a few minutes to discover an individual who is not sincere, or has a personal agenda. These interviews are done by two non-uniformed people, with at least three others monitoring the interview, including one AI. Once we accept a candidate, we have an AI monitor them for an extended time." "So, even with the additional cautions it would be possible for some to get through?" "Yes, especially if they form their own clan. We had three people who went to An Clochán for a while. We now know that their purpose was to gather information. They kept avoiding the species conversion, even though they said they were going to stay. At first, we kept moving them to different jobs, trying to find a good fit for them. After being switched a third time, we asked who they were working for. The question caught them off guard enough that they partially answered the question. We sent them home after altering their memories. Specifically, their memory of how they were tripped up was altered. The facts are correct, but the context is wrong." "How many do you think slipped through?" asked Sally. "We currently have four people on An Clochán that we are closely monitoring. We have suspicions about their identity and intent, as they don't quite fit in. We don't believe we have missed any others." "Your original formula for identifying new candidates continues to work. We have not seen any indication of spies coming in when we evaluate recent college graduates. When we ask them about looking at their thoughts, all in this group readily give their permission." "To clarify one thing, all new candidates are now evaluated against the original criteria for crew candidates. Those that partially slipped through were not critically evaluated against the original criteria. In hindsight, those that almost slipped through would not have met the original criteria. We have added some additional considerations to the original criteria, especially for candidates who are seeking to join our species. These are basically the common characteristics we see in our successful candidates." "A significant number of people we have rescued have joined us," said Joyce. "How do they fit in with the criteria?" "Exceptionally well. A few have lacked some key attributes, but those problems have solved themselves, because the person wanted to be here and they adapted." "In terms of overall staffing, we have identified crew for four of the Dóchas-class ships. In every case, we were able give them the crew assignment they wanted. We expect to have a crew identified for the fifth ship by the time it begins operational testing. There will probably be some transfer requests once the crew lists are formally posted. We are holding off on a formal announcement until each ship's command staff are in place. We are trying to evenly distribute our people across the ships. Right now, that puts us at crew sizes of little less than 1600 on each of the 5 ships. Considering our growth rate, we should be at around 2400 in each ships crew by the time the 5 ships are operational." "Marsha, Ursula," said Sarah, "We are impressed by your efforts with new recruits, and what we have seen your group do in matching people against opportunities. Thanks so much for the thorough way in which you and your group are doing your tasks." "Thank you," said both, in unison. "We love all of you, and are very happy to be with this family. GISS was a good-stepping stone or perhaps that would be better expressed as great training for this work." "How is GISS doing?" "Quite well. Some of the new staff are actually US government agents. We are keeping a close eye on them, and all have performed their assignments. At this time, we haven't identified all of their sponsors. So far, they seem to only be seeking information about how we operate, and whether we are acting against their interests. If monitoring them becomes too much of a burden, they will be let go." "Be cautious, especially since we don't know who is sponsoring their activity. It may only appear to be a US agency." "We will. In one case, we think the agent is sponsored by a European country. Another, we think another represents some commercial interests." "Thanks for the update," said Command Staff, in unison. "Please don't hesitate to seek our assistance if you have a strange issue. Actually, that goes for everyone. We operate a very loose command and control structure, compared to the governments we are familiar with. Every one of you have made excellent contributions to our development. Whenever you have an issue or something that doesn't seem quite right, make it known to all of us, since it may fit in with something else we have seen." "Connie or Betsy, would you bring us up to date on the activities in Medical." "We would be glad to do that. Incubator use for species conversion is declining, as we are reaching the end of the backlog. Nearly all of those who have decided to stay have completed their species conversion using the incubator. There have been no adverse effects. In fact, everyone who has completed the conversion has told us how much more comfortable they feel after the change. Everyone that has had the species change chose to do it voluntarily. To clarify that, we haven't detected any indication that anyone felt pressured into making the change. We were initially concerned that Jasmine's group felt pressured into the conversion. Since their conversion, we have spent quite a bit of time with them, and are now certain it was clearly their choice. Circumstances probably pushed them toward the conversion, but they made the choice, and are very happy they did so." "We have asked the clans to consider having just two babies per mother, and to space them out at about six month intervals. This will give the clan time to accommodate to their new additions, and bond with them before there are more new arrivals. If we didn't do this, our current population growth could exceed our resources for assisting the development and learning of our children. As it stands now, we are over what we would normally consider as the optimum ratio between those under and over 14, when we include children being born in the next 9 months. Therefore, we need to be cautious about how quickly we add children to our family." "Do you see any issues with those who have not used the incubators?" "No. It seems to just be a timing issue." "This is a difficult question to ask. From your prospective, are we doing a good job of integrating the bots into our society?" "Yes, to give a short answer. We have a wide range of bot distribution in the clans. In most clans, there is at least one bot. There are some clans where the number of bots predominate. For those clans of exclusively biological bipeds, it appears no bot has been included because the right fit has not appeared. We do have some clan family clusters. If you include family clusters, every clan has at least a couple of both biological and logical bipeds." "Thank you, Connie," said Command Staff. "As there are several groups involved in this, who wants to update us on those we recently rescued," asked Alison. "I can do that," said Kelsey. "A little less than half of the Fuda group are in the process of returning to society. For a few, it will take them several months to finish the medical treatments to correct what was done to them before they return to society. A few of us suspect that many of those returning to Earth society will be seeking to join us within an Earth year." "The two dozen we had contacted prior to their abduction, and the arms dealer's family, have decided to join us. They are getting acquainted at both Dóchas and An Clochán. On their own, they have decided not to state their intentions until the others have decided their future. The balance of this group were either at the Fuda estate for some time, or don't have any family to return to. They are currently visiting Dóchas and An Clochán. We expect most will decide they would like to stay. It is pleasing to see them all taking time to consider the implications of this decision." "The group from Craigly's estate is doing well. His daughters have made good progress toward exerting their claim on their father's estate. GISS probably can speak on this better than I can. I understand that GISS has committed all of their available resources to assist the daughters. I think it is a major risk for GISS, but totally agree with the effort. All of the former administrative assistants are helping the daughters' in their efforts to claim their inheritance. A few of us expect a significant portion of the administrative assistants will look closely at joining us." "Thanks Kelsey," replied Sarah. "Staffing, have you looked at how those rescued fit your revised recruiting criteria." "Yes," replied Ursula. "Simply put, all of those remaining from the Fuda group fit the criteria. Probably half of the group that are returning to their homes fit the criteria, as well. This is true for all of those who escaped Craigly's estate. Obviously, each has strengths or weaknesses in fitting the criteria. For these two groups, their main weaknesses are related to education. The weakness comes from not doing well in school, because they weren't challenged. All of them are quite bright. Both Jill and Janet are anxious to see how they do, should they decide to join us." "This was a refreshing review," said Command Staff. "Please share our compliments with those you work with. We need to do this periodically, but don't want to assign any particular frequency at the moment. Thanks for everything." "Thank you!" replied the group. ------- Chapter 111 It was the day after the status review, when Sarah's Clan asked Siobhan and Maureen's Clans to meet with them after breakfast. The three clans gathered in the area where the two Dóchas-class ships were being built. Once everyone was there, Sarah's Clan said in unison, "We would like Siobhan's and Maureen's Clans to assume command of Phoenix and Eagle, respectively." This caused a collective gasp from both clans. "We understand your feelings," continued Sarah's Clan. "We have seen the data from the operational validation testing, and it shows the ships are ready for liftoff. All of the work that can be completed on Mars is done. Phoenix and Eagle need a command staff, and your two clans fit that need to a 'T'." "We are not sure about this. Sure, we participated in the testing, but..." replied Siobhan and Maureen together, with their clans nodding agreement. "We never thought our participation would lead to this." "We understand your apprehension. This will not be the same as when we stepped into the command role on Dóchas. You will not be alone. We will link with both you and each ship's systems during the dress rehearsal. When the actual liftoff takes place, we will only monitor your progress, as we believe that will be less distracting." "What if something goes wrong?" said Maureen, with a worried look on her face. She really wasn't afraid to do it, since she loved flying both shuttles and star fighters. She also found commanding Eagle to feel very natural during testing, which she attributed to her experience on Dóchas's bridge. It was the importance of this ship to their community and, to an extent, its size, that gave her and her clan pause. "You know the answer to that," replied Colleen. "The chances of having an uncontrolled emergency are less likely than the odds of us winning one of Earth's silly lotteries." Several members of the group laughed at her comment, but also nodded they agreed. "I know." "Maureen, according to the shuttle AIs, you are one of the best shuttle pilots. Sabrina thinks your abilities in the Star Fighters match some of her best pilots, and the AIs agree with her." "Thanks for the compliments. I do love to fly both of those craft. I guess my apprehension is because so much of our future is dependent upon getting these ships off Mars and operational." "Maureen," replied her clan, "we all have that apprehension." Siobhan's Clan nodded in agreement. "We know we can do it. We know that Star and Sarah's Clan will assist, as needed." Bouncing up and down, Colleen said, "I can't wait to feel the response of the ship to the liftoff instructions." The group was a little shocked at Colleen's sudden change of demeanor, as she was one of the quietest in the two clans. "We suggest that you run through the complete liftoff procedure twice. Once that is complete, you need to practice liftoff several more times, with various systems malfunctioning. This will give you some practice handling emergencies." "I sense there is more to this," said Maureen. "I do to," added Siobhan. "There is, we are taking the next step toward our future," replied Sarah's Clan in unison. "You will do well, as both Siobhan and Maureen have experience on the bridge. Both Primary AIs have received Star's knowledge concerning operating these ships. We will mind-link with you, to monitor and assist as needed. When the actual liftoff occurs, only key departmental crew members will be on board." Maureen and Siobhan each scanned the faces of their clans, which confirmed their exchange through their mind-link. Siobhan looked at Maureen, and nodded. With that, the two clans responded in unison, saying, "We accept the challenge. We are humbled by the faith you have in us, and will do our best to live up to the expectations of our collective family. This is not something that any of us sought and we all feel a bit overwhelmed by the responsibility." "Our mentor, Brigit, will join the crew of Phoenix at liftoff," said Aoife. "Creidne will join the crew of Eagle when it lifts off." Siobhan turned to her family, "Let's get to work. We have a lot to learn before tomorrow." Maureen's clan watched as Siobhan's clan went toward Phoenix, and then headed for Eagle. "Why do you think Maureen responded the way she did?" asked Joyce. "An interesting question," said Aoife. "I think we will see Colleen and Brandan at the helm, with Maureen handling flight operations. She is a fantastic pilot." "I disagree. She will likely be at the helm," said Aoife, "although any of them could do the job, as is the case with us. Maureen held back because she thought the request was counter to our success. The combination of her flying ability and perception will make Eagle invaluable to us." "Do you think the doors of the bridge will open automatically for them today?" "Yes," replied Aoife, "They will both find the spirit of the ship, though it will likely not happen as quickly as it did for us. I wouldn't expect it to happen until Phoenix and Eagle are fully operational, and have made a few excursions." ------- Dinner on Dóchas and An Clochán had just finished when Sarah's Clan stepped to the front of An Clochán's dining room. "Good evening," they said in unison. "We have some announcements to make, then we will begin our normal session." "Tomorrow morning, Phoenix will lift off, with Siobhan's Clan at the helm and functioning as the ship's Command Staff." Those at each location cheered, on hearing the announcement. After it quieted down, they continued, "Once Phoenix has reached its planned orbital position near Dóchas, Eagle will lift off. Maureen's Clan will be at the helm and function as that ship's Command Staff." This announcement caused another loud cheer, causing Sarah's Clan to pause again. "The crew on each ship will consist only of the key crew members necessary for liftoff. The departmental AIs from each ship will inform you shortly of your assignment. Staffing will post crew lists for both ships, once they are in orbit. You don't need to pack yet, since there is much more that needs to be completed before the ships are operational." Melinda stood on An Clochán, and once the room was quiet, said, "We have been planning on taping the liftoff from our An Clochán settlement. Is there any problem with providing segments of the film to Grandview's TV and newspapers?" "I think we need to be careful about what we show on the tape," said Lydia. "There are groups on Earth that will go over the images with a fine tooth comb, trying to learn more about our technology." "You are thinking of external views," asked Leann, of the Engineering Group. "Yes. Much like all of us have seen for a NASA liftoff." "Then we don't see a problem, as all the external doors will be closed. The rig supporting the ships is standard dry dock style rigging. It is not as massive as would be needed on Earth. In fact, on Earth they would likely need to build a ship this massive in a large body of water, such as an ocean." "Melinda, please have Engineering and Intelligence departments look at the tape and photos before you send them. This is still a learning experience for us." "I think you should provide live feed of the liftoffs to Comrie," said Claudette. "Thanks. We almost over looked that location. For Comrie, we could do a live holographic projection, so they would feel like they are there." "Good idea." The group spent the next hour discussing different issues affecting them. One clan expressed concern that there could be other groups like Craigly's on Earth that were just waiting for an opportune moment to kidnap some of them. Terry started to respond, but saw Shannon stand. "We suspect there are," said Shannon. "It has been close to four years since the first of us became a part of the Golden Amazon species. We learned of many of our abilities when we have needed them. Once we knew of them, that knowledge was shared with the others in our family. I don't think we have found all of them, yet. At times, it seems like we don't know the most effective way use some of the abilities we have identified." "We need to be strong and confident in our actions, then, when challenged, we need to respond appropriately. It is my hope that if anyone on Earth manages to capture one of us, it is a short-term issue and none of us gets hurt. We should extract an exceptionally high price for their action, for two reasons. One is that it will tell them, "Hands off!" Secondly, those actions go against the public positions of many Earth governments. In any case, our group will do everything we can to achieve that." Rusty said, "We know the risks of space, of visiting Earth, and of life in general. Shannon is right; there is a strong probability that an attempt will be made to capture members of our family. It is possible they could succeed. We all know that, as a family, we will use all of our available abilities to release those who have been captured. We will do as Shannon indicated: those who treat us as enemies, will pay an exceptionally high price for actively targeting us. By way of an exceptionally high price, I think a long life of constant agony is a higher price than a quick death, even though those who don't die can return another day as enemies." "When we are on Earth," said Sally, "we should try to stay in small groups. This will not eliminate the risk, but it will make any attempt on us more challenging. Together, several of us would have a better chance of dealing with any potential abductors." ------- At An Clochán the next morning, everyone gathered in the arrival area after breakfast. It was the best location for them to view Phoenix and Eagle as they lifted off from Mars. They watched as Siobhan and Maureen's Clans entered the ships, along with the liftoff crews. On the bridge of Phoenix, Siobhan's clan was all business as they monitored the ship's systems during lift off. The ship's systems easily moved from standby to active mode. Those on the bridge could feel the ship come alive, as the systems began to come to full power. Siobhan said, "Initiate liftoff." Those on the bridge watched as their displays changed, and they felt the ship begin to lift. Everyone on board could sense the change when the ship lifted free of its rigging. There were no cheers, just a pleasant feeling of satisfaction as the ship moved. Compared to a NASA Space Shuttle lift off, the rise of Phoenix was a visual dud. No bright lights. No thundering roar. Those at An Clochán, on Dóchas and at Comrie thought it was the greatest, and began to cheer as Phoenix slowly lifted out of its supporting rigging. No sound. No roar. Just a graceful ascent into the Martian sky. Once Phoenix was well clear of the rigging, it began to accelerate toward its destination. Siobhan said, "All systems nominal. Prepare to begin maneuvering for orbital insertion." "Propulsion is indicating only 20% power needed." "That is half of what engineering had projected." "Yes it is." "Navigation is indicating steering performance is exceeding expectations, as well." "Remember, we are not fully outfitted," said Donna, the primary AI. "Those parameters will change somewhat when the ship is fully operational." "How much?" "Once we have completed the ship, I am projecting we will be noticeably more responsive than Dóchas was, when it was new. Indications are that, with our new propulsion system, the new Dóchas class ships will have some 30 to 40% more speed than Dóchas had." "Even with all the additional mass," asked Conan. "Yes." "How can that be? I know we used the designs we inherited from the library." "Our Engineering group used newly-discovered materials, which improved the performance of the designs. We operate in the same manner, but there have been improvements in the way that is achieved." "We have achieved orbit," said Eileen, as she monitored the navigation console. "Adjusting orbital parameters to join Dóchas." "Kendra, advise Command Staff and Maureen that we are nearly on station." "They know." responded Kendra, from the communications monitor. "Eagle has begun powering up their systems, in preparation for lift off. A holographic display will appear shortly, so we can see her liftoff, and I have routed it to the auxiliary terminals in each department." "Excellent. We need to keep our focus on what we are doing." "Navigation reports we will be on station before Eagle begins to lift." The group on the bridge watched as Dóchas came into view. Phoenix's command staff could feel the changes in steering and propulsion, as they closed on their destination. They slowly closed the distance until the two ships were in parallel orbits, 200 meters apart. "Secure orbital position," said Siobhan. She smiled, as she remembered their first time on the bridge and Sarah giving the same command. Conan and Siobhan watched as the indicators began to change to signal compliance with Phoenix Command Staff's request. As soon as their ship was positioned, they all turned to watch the holographic display. Eagle started to lift, just as they turned to watch. The bridge was very quiet as they watched the events on Mars unfold. When Eagle had risen well clear of the rigging, Casidhe said, "That was fantastic!" "Yes it was," replied the rest of Siobhan's Clan, as they continued to watch. "Engineering reports environmental envelope generators have successfully started," said Aisling. "Gravity field approaching target." "Flight Operations reports their systems are all operational." By this time, Eagle had disappeared from view in the holographic display, and the view shifted to show the crowd at An Clochán. It was clear from their actions, that they were celebrating. "Security, put the tracking screen on the wall monitor," said Conan. With that, the large screen showed a 3D image of Mars and the relative position of the three ships and An Clochán. On Eagle, Maureen's Clan was a little more jubilant when they began to accelerate toward orbit after lifting off. Maureen monitored navigation and propulsion closely, as they also moved toward orbital insertion. As they moved closer to that point, she began to get the feel their ship. It was a feeling she often had when flying the shuttles or Star Fighters. The closer they moved to the insertion point, the stronger she felt it. Sensing Maureen's change, her clan turned to look at her, while still keeping an eye on their monitors. Now they understood what she had previously tried to convey to them about her feelings when flying. Now they felt the sensations she felt, and through their mind-link, saw her view. They let themselves flow into her link with the ship's systems. Each member of Maureen's clan appeared to be watching their monitors, while in fact they were directly interacting with the ship's systems. Siobhan's Clan, on Phoenix, and Sarah's Clan, on Dóchas, watched their displays, as Eagle rose over Mars and began it's ascent toward orbital entry. They were concerned, then shocked, as they watched Eagle pass through her orbit window and do a slow barrel roll while maintaining it's path. The barrel roll was perfectly executed. Eagle moved into position next to her two sister ships. Once in position, she went to active standby, and the environmental generators began creating their operational envelope. As soon as the monitors showed all systems in active standby, and the ship holding position, the clan relaxed. "Show off," said Brandan and Colleen together, causing the clan to laugh. "We now really understand what you have been trying to tell us about flying." "Well, it may have appeared I was showing off, but it answered a question. This ship handles as easily as a Star Fighter, but it isn't quite as snappy." "Gee, I wonder why?" said Colleen. "We can do some of the maneuvers that a Star Fighter can do," said Moncha, the ship's primary AI. "When our ship is fully commissioned, a maneuver like that will still be possible, but we will have significantly more mass, so the strain on the ship could cause some damage. You correctly judged the effect on the ship, and carried the roll out effectively. Our historical data shows there has never been a similar maneuver with a ship this size. Nice job." "Maureen, does Sarah's Clan link with the ship the way we just did," asked Aisling. "I think so, but we have never really talked about our mechanics on the bridge." "All three of us should talk about it. Could it be another ability we have been blessed with?" "Incoming transmission," said Mona. "Switching feed to wall monitor." With that, came a view of both Sarah's and Siobhan's Clans. "Siobhan and Maureen's Clans," said Sarah's Clan in unison, "congratulations on being the first to launch new Dóchas class ships. We have to admit we were a little unnerved by Maureen's flying technique. We saw the link between Maureen's Clan and Eagle's systems. We should discuss this soon, or perhaps Maureen could show us how she achieves it." "Guys, the first time I had that kind of link was with a shuttle, and it scared me. Since then, I have had the link with every ship I have flown. It usually doesn't occur during the whole flight, just when I need to use it." "I have felt it, too," said Siobhan. "I've never slipped into it like Maureen apparently does. I think I will try it in a shuttle before I try it here." "I would suggest using a Star Fighter," replied Maureen. "At first, my control was a little rough, so the shuttle ride was a little bumpy that first time. I was alone, so it really didn't matter. Moncha cautioned us about the potential for structural damage, if we weren't real careful." "We will try it," said Sarah and Siobhan's Clans. "I guess we should try it individually, in the Star Fighters," said Siobhan, "and then as a group, in a shuttle." "Agreed." ------- After dinner, Sarah's Clan was walking back to their quarters with their children, when several of them noted how excited the children were this evening. Erin said, "I think their exuberance this evening is a reflection of our happiness with the successful launches." "You have a good point," replied Joyce. "I have noticed how they, quite often, mirror our emotions though in a more demonstrative way. I don't think those are the right words, but I suspect you know what I mean." "Yes," replied several, "and we agree." "I think the liftoff of the two ships has really given everyone a morale boost. Also, the liftoffs seem to have given everyone a boost in confidence." "Why do you say that?" "Well, I think until they saw the ships lift off, each of them had some doubts. Seeing them lift off erased those doubts and gave everyone substantiative evidence of our ability to implement the design. These were designs from the library, and not really created by us. So, while our engineering staff believed in what they had, they had not quite taken ownership of the designs." "I don't know that confidence is the right word," said Judy. "I think everyone was confident before, but they now have the satisfaction of seeing their efforts come to fruition." "I hope the group maintains their focus on accomplishing their tasks, and doesn't let success cause them to become careless." "Claudette, I don't think that will happen," replied Alison. "I think that when they review the data from the liftoffs, they will find things that didn't perform the way they should have. While poor performance was not an issue this time, they will see that it could pose a problem in the future. The bottom line is: they will be ecstatic with achieving lift off, but irritated that everything did not quite work as expected. The sum of this will be increased confidence, with a drive to fix the malfunctions." "Nice way to express it," said Jill. With that, all thoughts of overseeing the community's operations disappeared, as the group began to play with their children. Sarah and Rusty hugged as they looked around the room at everyone interacting. They hugged and kissed again, before joining a group playing a game with their children. "You're right," said Aoife, "the relationship we have with our children is different than what we had with our parents. Most of the difference is due to our mind-link. Our link provides us a way to ensure that they understand the concepts behind what they learn." When the children began to tire, Sarah's Clan and their nannies helped the children get ready for bed, before retiring themselves. Once Sarah's Clan had freshened up, they spent some time sharing their love with each other. Some just caressed and cuddled, while others shared in a more intense manner. ------- Chloe and Brenda met with the staff at the Kennedy Center, in Washington DC, to discuss the issues related to the choir's performance. It wasn't long before it was clear to everyone that the issues could not be resolved in time to hold the scheduled performance. Some of the staff did not think the issues could ever be resolved. Together, Chloe and Brenda agreed to cancel the concert, and offered to cover the cost of reimbursing ticket holders. Brenda asked the Center's press secretary to arrange a news conference, so they could announce the cancellation. While Brenda and Chloe were waiting for the press conference, Moria, of Chloe's Clan, advised them that the management of FEDEX Stadium had agreed to hold a concert, there. Their agreement with FEDEX Stadium was written so that the stadium staff would only handle seating, tickets, audience security and general lighting. Beyond the Stars support staff would handle all other issues related to the performance. Once Brenda was assured that they had the contract to use FEDEX Stadium, she told the Kennedy Center staff that they needed to change the announcement. Brenda advised them that another part of their group had just come to an agreement with FEDEX Stadium to have a concert there. The Kennedy Center staff was upset upon hearing the news. Chloe suggested that, with this change in venue, they could now make a much more positive announcement, and that it would be a change in venue, rather than a cancellation, and the problems they had could be ignored. Chloe assured them that they were willing to perform at Kennedy Center some time in the future, if the remaining issues could be resolved. "Well, this is it," said Chloe to Brenda, as they walked out to the microphones with key members of the Kennedy Center staff to address the waiting press. "Good morning," said Brenda. "We found it necessary to reschedule the concert by the Beyond the Stars Choir. It will now be held, in 10 days, at the FEDEX Stadium. All current ticket holders will receive preferred seating. We will provide a full refund to those who do not wish to attend at the new location. See our website for further details on exchanging your tickets, or purchasing tickets for the performance." "We wish to thank the Kennedy Center staff for all the effort they put into trying to pull this performance together," said Chloe. "Why are we moving? There are several reasons. Primarily because we were unable to find solutions to some security issues related to the choir. By moving, we can solve those issues. At FEDEX Stadium, we can also accommodate many of the people who were unable to get tickets for the performance here. We were having some difficulty getting our sound equipment to function correctly inside the center. The issues with the sound system go away by moving to FEDEX stadium." "Questions?" asked Chloe. "We heard that the performing arts union was insisting that the choir join the union, or they would set up a picket line," asked one reporter. "Yes, that is true." "Is it true the INS was demanding passports and work permits for the choir members and their staff?" asked another reporter. "How will moving the location affect this issue?" "We have not had any requests from INS. We have legal counsel to handle those issues." "Apparently, you didn't have sound problems at Dublin, London or Glasgow," said another reporter. "Why were there problems here?" "Good question," said Brenda. "It comes down to the combination of our sound and the natural acoustics of the theater in which the performance is given. We think our choir will sound much better in the stadium than it would have in Kennedy Center. There is nothing wrong with Kennedy Center, but the combination of the choir's sound system and center's acoustics causes the difficulty." "But, everything I have heard says enclosed theaters are always the best choice for vocal presentations," responded the reporter. "Let me assure you that the quality of the performance at FEDEX Stadium will not suffer because it is outside. We will offer a money back guarantee. When the performance ends, if any attendee is not pleased with the concert, they can take their ticket to the ticket window for a refund." "You're offering a money back guarantee," exclaimed a reporter. "Yes!" The questions continued for nearly an hour, before Chloe thanked the reporters for coming. The news conference had hardly finished when the President's secretary called, seeking information about changing their tickets, and seeking additional tickets for the performance. Immediately after the press conference in Washington, Chloe and Brenda went to Boston. Upon arriving, they met with the Boston Bank of America Pavilion staff, to follow up on their request to change the concert date. It turned out to be very easy, as there was a set of open dates that would allow them enough time after the Washington concert. The Boston staff asked them if they would be agreeable to giving two concerts and doing a live broadcast. Chloe and Brenda were a bit surprised at the request, and discussed it with the Pavilion staff while they waited for a response from the choir. Once the choir told Chloe and Brenda they agreed, the Pavilion staff were told they were willing to do the additional concert and that both could be broadcast, if that was preferable. With the commitment in hand, a staff member alerted the news media that a special announcement would be made at the Bank of America Pavilion office regarding the upcoming Beyond the Stars concert. Together, Chloe, Brenda and the staff prepared an announcement and reviewed some of the issues related to staging the concert. When it was time for the news conference to begin, the manager of the Boston Pavilion stepped to the microphones. He first mentioned the date change before announcing the additional performance, and that the second performance would be televised live. Before he could open the floor to questions, two gentlemen stood and asked to make a comment. The manager nodded affirmatively, as his stomach did flip flops upon seeing the two union agents ask to speak. "On behalf of all the unions working at the Boston Pavilion, we welcome the opportunity to see and hear the Beyond the Stars Choir. We are willing to assist the Pavilion and the Choir in any way we can, in order to ensure an outstanding presentation that reflects well on all of us." "Thank you, Mr. Brown and Mr. Taylor," replied the Boston Pavilion manager, with a surprised look on his face. He knew a little about the union issues at the Kennedy Center. Now, with the support of two key union leaders in Boston, he knew there would be no unsolvable issues regarding the performances in Boston. "Why the comment from Mr. Brown and Mr. Taylor?" asked a reporter, with a puzzled look on his face. Mr. Brown looked at the Pavilion manager, and he nodded. "Bluntly put, we have had several calls from another union, suggesting we cause the Beyond the Stars performance to be delayed, or even canceled. In those calls, neither Mr. Taylor or I received a clear reason as to why we should do this. Some may not believe it, but receiving calls like those is unusual. After receiving a few other calls along the same line, both of us called several friends in Ireland and England. We asked them about Beyond the Stars Choir, their performances and other, related, items." "Needless to say, our friends either work in the theaters or know people who do. Everyone we talked to told us we were stupid if we interfered with their performance. Many commented that they may be from another galaxy, but they definitely have to be Celtic to sound the way they do. In addition, we were told that they were the nicest performers they had ever had contact with, and assuredly among the best. Everyone expressed a desire to work with them again. It didn't matter who we talked to, the comments were all very similar." "Mr. Taylor and I had pretty well decided to follow the advice of our friends, and were going to do so quietly. However, after we heard about the announcement in Washington earlier today, and then heard there would be one here, we decided we ought to be here. We didn't come to publicly announce our position, but decided it was the right thing to do." "Ladies and gentlemen," said Mr. Brown, "neither of us intended to talk at this press conference. It is not our press conference. We are both saddened by the fact that Beyond the Stars had to move their performance out of Kennedy Center. Mr. Taylor told you some of the reasons for our decision. There are others. The important point is that our unions will do everything they can to make the performances the best they can possibly be." "Thank you," said Chloe. With that out of the way, the reporters began asking questions about the performance, and how similar it would be to the ones in Dublin, London and Glasgow. Mr. Taylor and Mr. Brown waited until everyone had left the press conference before approaching Chloe and Brenda. The Boston Pavilion manager introduced them, and thanked them for coming. "Thank you for letting us speak," said Mr. Taylor. "I am certain you were concerned about what we would say, especially with both of us arriving together." "Yes, I was concerned." "Chloe and Brenda," said Mr. Taylor, "We are embarrassed by the hassle the unions gave your group in Washington. On our way over here, we called the business agent for FEDEX Stadium. When we asked him about your upcoming concert, he indicated that, as far as they were concerned, it was just another activity. We told him a bit about what we had heard regarding the Kennedy Center. He immediately attributed it to politics. We told him what we had learned, what we planned to do, and our reasons. He indicated that he saw no reason for there to be any union issues at the stadium." "As to any INS issue, if you would have your attorneys call us, we can give them some tips on dealing with them. With that information, your attorneys shouldn't have any problems making any problems go away. I really don't see why they are nosing around." Chloe looked at him for a moment, then said, "We will have the attorneys call you for the information. As to why, some in our group think that someone, possibly in the government, is trying to learn more about us. One of the proposed solutions INS was considering was for all of us to go to a medical center in Washington, so they could give us complete physicals. We know that some don't consider us human, with respect the local laws." Mr. Taylor and Mr. Brown laughed. "Our information shows that their reasoning is similar to that used to justify slavery." "Physicals just to perform at Kennedy Center is pure bullshit. Both of you look stunningly human to me, and exceptionally beautiful. I suspect your height and build, in addition to your beauty, intimidates a lot of people." "Sometimes. Although the staff here did not seem to be intimidated by us." "Well, I'll admit I was, at first," said the manager. "Everyone of you I've met or talked with were all focused on the arrangements, so I had to quickly get past that in order to make sure the arrangements were in order." ------- Several of the Golden Amazons who took part in the African operation met their SAS and the Irish Special Ops friends when they arrived for their visit to An Clochán. The group spent two days visiting An Clochán, reminiscing and just generally having a good time. While they were on An Clochán, they were given a tour of the facilities, including the operational areas. "Cathal," said Calvin, as they toured one area where Star Fighters were being built, "Is it possible to get a ride in one of these?" "Not likely, in these," replied Cathal, "unless someone wants to ride on the wing. Let me check with Flight Operations, since we have a few dual-seat versions. It is my understanding that they are pretty much in constant use." "Why would they be in constant use?" "Ah ... you have your Intel hat on." With that, Cathal laughed, along with several others in the group. "As you probably figured, we use the dual-seat version for the second step in flight training. Our first step is a fully-functional flight simulator. The second step makes use of dual seat Star Fighters, flying from Dóchas." "But, why the constant use?" "We have only built enough to meet our training needs. Our main focus is on building operational craft." "Considering you are building 5 large ships, you must need a lot of pilots." "Quite a few. Each of the Dóchas class ships will be similar to a reinforced or a battle ready CSG." "A CSG?" "Yes." "That is a lot of people!" "Yes, based on your frame of reference." "Calvin, FOC just told me that we should come up to Dóchas after dinner and spend the night. That way, they can give short flights for those who want them." "For all of us?" asked Calvin, with an amazed look on his face. "Yes, each of you will get a 20 to 30 minute ride after dinner. The only issue is that your flight suit won't fit as well as it should. This will limit some aspects of the flight." "I am sure everyone will take you up on the opportunity. But you just told me it was doubtful, because of lack of time." "FOC modified the flight schedule, so they had a time block available." "Everyone will be together at dinner, so we can tell them then." "I think everyone knows," said Cathal. "What?" "The escorts with the rest of your group has already told them." "Your instant communications ability still astounds me." "Our telepathic exchange of messages has a lot of benefits once you are comfortable with it. When my clan helped me enable mine, I had trouble sorting the information. In some respects it is like having a conversation in a crowd with occasional comments from others. The nice thing is you don't have the sound volume to deal with so filtering the information is easier because it is clear." "You have mentioned mind-linking with your spouses. How does that fit in with telepathic information exchange?" "You ask a question that is not easy to answer in words. When you mind-link with another it is a total sharing of thoughts, ideas, feelings and sometimes senses. It is telepathic in nature but at the same time much, much more. The depth of the sharing varies with the circumstances, but it is always there." "I am not sure I would be comfortable with that level of closeness." "When I first learned of mind-link, I had some reservations as well. I can assure you I have none now. We need to head for the shuttle port." It was a quiet walk as Calvin was deep in thought. ------- Chapter 112 Sarah, Rusty, Siobhan, Conan, Maureen and Brandan met Elaine Shonnesy, Uachtarán na hÉireann, and the group with her, as they arrived on Dóchas. After introducing key members of the three Command Staffs to President Shonnesy and those with her, they were shown to their quarters. They were to overnight on Dóchas, before going to An Clochán in the afternoon to overnight there. The Command Staff representatives then gave the visitors a tour of Dóchas, beginning with the observation platform. The visitors were speechless as they looked out the windows. On either side of them they could see the traffic to and from Eagle and Phoenix. Sarah pointed out Earth, and told them that the telescope would give them a better view. They chatted and answered questions as each visitor spent some time at the telescope. After their time at the observation platform, they gave them a tour of the whole ship, many times stopping to answer questions or chat with crew members. One stop was where the children were playing and studying. Joyce invited one of the teachers to come over to answer questions about the program. The last stop on the tour was Dóchas's bridge. Upon entering the bridge, each of Sarah's Clan went to their consoles and signed on. As they did, each of the console displays came alive. The activity fascinated the visitors so much that they stood still while their attention ranged from one place to another. At last President Shonnesy said, "I don't know the significance of the displays, but the vista is awesome. It must really be a thrill to command this ship." "It is awesome," replied Joyce. "Just as awesome as being a part of this family and my clan." "I don't understand," said a man next the President. "You distinguished between family and clan in a way that I find confusing." "For us, a clan consists of our spouses and children. Our family is all of us, on the ships and at An Clochán." "I didn't know you had children," said President Shonnesy. "Most of them were with the teachers when we visited that area of the ship. The others were in another play area." "I hope I get a chance to meet them." "They usually have dinner with us so, I am sure you will see them this evening." From the bridge, they went to the conference room, to review their itinerary. When they arrived at the conference room, the remaining members of the three Command Staffs joined them. Based on what they had seen, President Shonnesy's group asked for a few changes to be made, since they wanted to see more of some areas. "President Shonnesy," asked Maeve, "have you seen the videos that describe our history and physiology." "I have only seen part of them. It seems like each time I start, something interrupts me. I liked what I have seen and you are to be complimented, since they are very well done." "Thanks for the compliment, but those are spontaneous videos. Would you like to see them all the way through, now?" "Yes. I would." "I should warn you that we may restart the videos after a few moments." "What? Why?" "We will show them as 3D holographic displays, and we found that it takes visitors a while to look past how the presentation is made, and to see the content." "In that case, please restart them when appropriate." Just as President Shonnesy stopped speaking, an image formed to begin the first presentation. Once the presentations had finished, Sarah's Clan spent the next couple of hours answering questions, with the assistance of Maureen and Siobhan's clans. "Sarah's clan," said President Shonnesy, "I feel we owe you an apology for our incessant questioning. If the roles were reversed, I don't believe I could have lived up to your standards or poise." "There is no reason to apologize," said Aoife. "All of us see your questions as an indication of genuine interest in us. However, the longer we answer questions the less time you have to explore." "Yes, that is true. I would like to chat some more, but some of those with me would like to wander around." "First, I need to remind you that you need to be with a crew member when you go roaming." Several of their guests started to speak, but Sarah held up her and while continuing, "We need to do this for your safety. All of our safety procedures rely on telepathic communication. We live in a hostile environment, so when there is an emergency our response must be immediate and communication has to be perfect." "Some of the Irish Special Ops didn't need escorts," replied a woman, with a voice dripping with sarcasm. "That is correct," replied Sally. "Some of the Special Ops members could hear us telepathically. We told them they could wander around on their own, but it was highly recommend they do it with a crew member. All of them did so, since they found they could see more that way." "Oh, that makes sense, as you wouldn't need to really remember the floor plan. But telepathic receptive?" "Yes. They think of it as intuition." With that, the group split into smaller groups to explore Dóchas, meet crew members and chat. Sarah, Aoife, Siobhan, Maureen, Maeve and Rusty spent most of their time with President Shonnesy. At dinner, President Shonnesy and the other visitors had just arrived in the dinning room when Sarah's clan came in with their children. When the children saw the guests, they headed right for them. Sarah's Clan smiled as they watched their children go right to their guests. They knew their children would be polite, but the afternoon's questioning would soon be reversed, that is, the children would be asking the questions. After a few moments, Sarah and Maeve went over to the guests and their children. "I see you've met our children," said Maeve. "Your children," asked a woman in the group. "Yep. They are ours, all 66 of them." Maeve eyes twinkled as she watched the woman's expression. It was clear that she didn't know how to respond. "There are thirteen women in our clan, and each of us have had at least a set of quads." The woman's eyes got real big. "In our presentation this afternoon, we indicated that we have a propensity to have one or two sets of twins." "Wow. How do you care for them?" "We have several young ladies assisting us. We help each other, plus we have a telepathic link with each child, so our bonding is tighter." "It is apparent that they are well cared for and they are so comfortable to be around. It is a first for me, as children usually make me nervous." "Thank you," said Sarah. "President Shonnesy, the buffet will start in a few moments and, as our guest, we would like you to go first. Your group is welcome to sit with us, but we will not be offended if they sit at another table." "Thank you. I would like to join your table. Let's eat! I'm hungry." When everyone had finished dinner, Sarah and Maeve started their evening discussion by introducing President Shonnesy and the group with her. ------- President Shonnesy and her group enjoyed their visit to An Clochán as much as they had their visit to Dóchas. They were gathering for dinner when President Shonnesy said, "You know, I am puzzled." Her comment caused their conversations to stop. "Why did your family chose Golden Amazons for their species name, rather than Órarduine. It seems that the Celtic like word, Órarduine is much more appropriate." "I thought I saw you scouring the library," said Aoife, causing several to chuckle. "Today, I think we would all agree with you," replied Maeve. "Since we made the choice to use Golden Amazon, we have learned a lot more about our background and language. At that time, we were trying for a phrase that those on Earth could easily grasp, while still being literally correct." "I agree with Maeve," said Tara. "I think it is something we should revisit. Now that all of us are more comfortable with our adopted language, we should use the correct word of Órarduine. Thank you for raising the question." "Using Órarduine instead of Golden Amazon will set you apart as those from another world," replied President Shonnesy. "Setting yourselves apart from humans is to your advantage. As an Órarduine, you no longer can be considered the aberration of human genetics that some political writers and others are claiming. I agree that Golden Amazons does characterize your species, and is a good common term." As the group finished cleaning up from dinner, Maeve, Maureen and Siobhan went up to the front of the dining room at An Clochán. Tonight was their turn to host the after-dinner discussion. "Good evening," said the three, in unison. "As we think all of you know, we have had visitors for the last three days. Before we begin our evening discussion, we would like to offer President Shonnesy an opportunity to speak. "Good evening, Golden Amazons," said President Shonnesy. "It gives us great pleasure to be here. We have enjoyed our time on Dóchas and here on An Clochán. All the sights and experiences cannot be easily put into words. Those with me and I will long remember this trip. I am sure some of us will try to write about it. I fully expect those writings to fall short of the experience." "Several of us were able to spend some time in your library. A fascinating place. One thing I found puzzled me, and I shared it with the three Command Staffs, earlier this evening. From my readings in the library, it seems that the name Órarduine is a much more appropriate name for your people. You should consider using it as your first choice. Why? Because it sets you apart from Earth humans. You are certainly different, and I mean that in the nicest and most sincere way." She went on to tell about different sights and experiences that made an impression on her and those in their group. "I wish to thank all of you again for the invitation to visit Dóchas and An Clochán, as well as the hospitality you have shown us. We appreciate the effort made to ensure we were able to see everything we wanted to. Initially, the idea of having escorts concerned many of us. Now, everyone is glad they were escorted, since otherwise we might still be looking for them. Our experiences confirmed that you are as open, caring and honest as we first thought. Many of our group, including myself, were shocked, at first, by the nudity. It did not take us long to realize it was just another way of dressing." "You did our country a great honor when Beyond the Stars Choir held their first concert in Dublin. The music you shared with us was fantastic, and we enjoyed every minute of it. It is clear, as the songs and sounds we heard indicate, that there is a strong Celtic link between us. We hope you will come again to share those sounds, in concert, with us." "You have some unique directives for interacting with other worlds and cultures which seem to work very well for you. Ireland has, in the past, been subjugated by other countries, at times. In this light, we hope that many governments on Earth look at your directives as an example to adhere to." "Your interaction with the governments on Earth shows both your adherence to those directives and their flexibility. The episode in Fuda, Africa, I believe is an example of the flexibility you have in following those guidelines. I sincerely hope I did not tarnish the evening by mentioning Fuda, Africa. All of us are thankful for your contributions in assisting SAS and our Special Ops forces in rescuing those held there. Many who have learned of the incident were shocked by what happened there. It is clear from that incident and, after closer inspection, of others that slavery is still prevalent on Earth. It is just no longer as obvious, since it caters to peculiar tastes." "Órarduine or Golden Amazons, we feel blessed to have you as friends," said President Shonnesy, as she ended her comments. "On behalf of our country, we welcome you to visit us any time you have the opportunity. We hope the opportunity will be frequent." As soon as President Shonnesy finished speaking, the crowd broke into wild applause that lasted for several minutes with everyone standing. "Thank you for your kind words," said Sarah. "The visits to both Dublin and Clifden were outstanding. You have a very beautiful country, and I am sure we will visit from time to time." "Who has the first question or issue for this evening's discussion?" asked Siobhan. Keriann, Chester and Kelly, of Keriann's clan stood, and said, "President Shonnesy, it is an honor to have you visit us here. All of us believe, as you indicate, that there is a strong similarity between the language and music of Órarduine and the Celts. We don't see any indication in our library that the Órarduine were here when the Celtic culture was in full bloom. It is indeed unfortunate that those who came after the Celts did not preserve the knowledge and history of those times. If that was available now, perhaps we could divine the source of our commonality. In any case, we believe our Irish grandparents are ecstatic with our good fortune in being here." At the close of Keriann's clan's remarks, applause began, indicating agreement with their comments. When the applause had ended President Shonnesy stood and bowed to Keriann's clan, clearly expressing her appreciation. When it quieted, Siobhan looked around the room for others who wished to comment, then said "Gwen, it looks like you're next." "Based on what our clan has learned of our heritage over the last year or so," said Gwendolyn of Sabrina's clan, "we propose that we use Órarduine as our preferred name, and continue to use Golden Amazons as a secondary equivalent." "Yes," came several voices. The discussion lasted for several minutes before a decision was made to move forward using Órarduine. Sarah, Maureen and Siobhan walked President Shonnesy back to her quarters. As they walked back, they discussed some of the differences in the way the Órarduine interact, compared to Humans. It was clear that President Shonnesy was having difficulty accepting the idea that collaborative minds could function without stifling creativity. The next morning, representatives of the three Command Staffs rode back to Ireland with President Shonnesy's group. The route Alpha1 took gave their guests an opportunity to see some unique views of Earth, after giving them a close-up view of the International Space Station. ------- The visit by the Prime Minister of England, Mr. Bartlet two weeks later, was in some respects a replay of the visit by the President of Ireland. Two members from each Command Staff met their shuttle in Dóchas's hanger. Sarah and Aoife had just completed introducing those with them, when Prime Minister Bartlet said, "I feel like we are playing second fiddle to the Irish." "You can if you want to," responded Aoife. "We have a slightly smaller version of the fiddle President Shonnesy used when she was here." It was very quiet for a moment, before the laughter started. "Aoife, you're quick," replied Mr. Bartlet, "and thank you. It is my preference that we keep this visit as informal as possible." Several of his staff members squirmed upon hearing his comment. "Let's show you around, beginning with your quarters for tonight," said Siobhan. "This should be interesting, since there are a few in this group that don't believe Calvin's report." "Ah, so your group came to verify Calvin's observations," replied Aoife with a smile. "They think so but I don't think they are up to it." The comment prompted several of the visitors to laugh. "There are several 'experts' who claim, that what is in those reports is not possible." The tour of Dóchas took considerably longer than expected. This was due mostly to the kidding that went on almost continuously. By the time they headed for the bridge, most everyone had relaxed. Tara had watched the reaction of the visitors to seeing a naked crew member pass by, and everyone's subsequent attempts to look without looking. She almost busted out laughing a couple of times when one of the visitors almost tripped, because they were looking at a passing naked crew member and not watching where they were going. The group was very quiet when they stepped onto the bridge. The visitors were looking at the different consoles on the bridge, when Aine, Brigit and Creidne shimmered into view. The sudden appearance of the three women shocked most of the visitors. Sarah said, "Mr. Bartlet, let me introduce you to Aine, Brigit, and Creidne, who are key adviser's to our command and security teams." Mr. Bartlet and his wife then greeted each of the women. Once that was completed, Sarah introduced the three women to the rest of the visitors. "I haven't heard those Celtic names in many years," said Mrs. Bartlet. "If I remember correctly, Aine is associated with summer solstice, while Brigit and Creidne are noted warriors in Celtic lore." "For Celtic lore that is correct," replied Brigit. "It seems that the associations seen in Celtic lore seem to be very narrow, or to emphasize only a portion of the persons abilities." "Brigit, right?" asked Mrs. Bartlet, and Brigit nodded. "I agree, but isn't that true for many of the people individually noted in history. I think much of what we know today about the ancient Celts was distorted by the religions and leaders that came afterwards. It seems that all religions promote belief in God, as long as it is their version of God." "Based on what we have learned of Earth's development, your comments are probably understated." "Even her understatement," said Mr. Bartlet, "would create a firestorm in the newspapers. Thankfully, there aren't any news media here." Several of their hosts chuckled, causing Mr. Bartlet to glance at them. "Well, there aren't, are there?" He face now showed a worried expression. "Not here, but we do have a group of reporters in our Communications Department. They worked for Grandview's newspapers and TV station before joining us." "Oh, my." Several members of Mr. Bartlet's group were now looking very concerned. Seeing the anxiety building in the group, Sarah quickly said, "Relax. This group of journalist's reports the news, and they are very careful to stick to the facts. If they editorialize, you will know it." "How did they get here?" exclaimed one of the visitors. "I didn't know any reporters were here." "The four newspaper reporters were covering the investigation by James MacFarland into the 'Chosen Ones', and nearly became victims." "Oh, I remember now. They are the ones who covered the visit here by the Grandview newspaper editors. Hmm ... if I remember correctly they still write stories on the Golden Amazons for the Grandview papers." "Yes, they do," replied Siobhan. "You will probably see them at dinner this evening. They very conscientiously check the facts in their stories before they are submitted for publication." "I remember reading some of those stories, now," said Mrs. Bartlet. "They were some of the best news articles I ever remember reading. Wasn't there a problem with the publication of one story?" "Yes. One of the papers in reprinting a story changed it to sensationalize the topic, in an effort to draw more readers. The result was that they found themselves in court, and, effectively, blacklisted. The whole incident apparently caused a significant drop in their circulation." "Blacklisted?" replied the Chief of Staff. "I didn't know that could be done. "My phrasing was "effectively blacklisted" which, in this case meant a loss of trust that they would abide by their contracts. The reprint contract states that any factual errors in the reprint increases the price of future reprints. The amount the cost goes up is proportional to the number of errors and their severity." "I am surprised that any reprinting is done, since the cost could become prohibitive. At the same time, it could be a goldmine for the owner of the article." "You should talk to the editors at the two Grandview papers, I am sure they can tell you more. The articles are transferred electronically, to ensure an error-free copy arriving at the re-printer's location." "Let's go to the conference room, so we can go over the rest of your itinerary." With that, the group left the bridge for the conference room to discuss the rest of the visit. Shortly after arriving in the conference room, more members of the three Command Staffs joined the group. The itinerary gave them a full day on Dóchas and at An Clochán. This was in addition to the partial days when they traveled. ------- On the last evening at An Clochán, Sarah offered Prime Minister Bartlet the opportunity to speak. He surprised everyone by asking Melinda if they could tape his speech. "Mr. Bartlet, it is," she replied causing a shocked look on his face. "We do it solely for our archives. Are you implying, you would like for us to release it to Earth's media pool?" She paused a moment, then added, "Your staff can view it first if you want to." "No, we don't need to preview it." His quick reply caused several on his staff to wince. "There are not many..." "I understand," replied Melinda before he could say more. "We will only release your comments, and some highlights of your tour, with a voice-over. We will have a copy for you in the morning, and you can ask the settlement AI to play it in your room when you get up." "Thank you." "Golden Amazons, or more correctly Órarduine, thank you for the invitation to visit your ships and An Clochán. This has been the most exciting trip I have ever made, bar none. My wife feels the same way. I believe that it is also true for the others in our group. None of us ever thought we would have the opportunity to venture beyond Earth's atmosphere. Dream of it, yes. None of us ever expected to be on Mars, much less in a settlement, and to experience the style of life you have here. Dream of it, yes." "Before we came, I called Elaine Shonnesy to ask about their visit to Dóchas and An Clochán. We talked for some time. She was very pleased with your hospitality, and very impressed by what they saw here. From my perspective, I feel like her comments were possibly a little understated. I am glad we talked before coming here, as I believe it prepared me for the experience." "My wife and I have enjoyed the freedom to roam around and see anything that sparked our interest, whether it was here or on Dóchas. During those walkabouts, we had the opportunity to talk to many of the residents, both here and on Dóchas. You are definitely a unique people. I understand why many of your crew candidates have chosen to stay and become Órarduine. The conversion is amazing, so simple but yet so complex. In the short time we have been here, our experiences have confirmed everything you portrayed in the DVD's you gave us about your background. Having watched those DVD's several times, and visiting here, I suspect you have understated a number of things about yourselves." "Yes, I watched them several times. Why? Science fiction is my favorite reading material. Many times in our history, science fiction has given us glimpses of our future. This is most easily seen in hindsight. By association, those DVD's tell me that many aspects of Earth science fiction have a nugget of truth in them. However, we should bear in mind that all of our science fiction literature has been written by Earth-bound authors, which biases it with human characteristics, personalities and failings." "The people of England send their heartfelt thanks for assisting our SAS and Irish Special Ops forces several weeks ago. Without that assistance, they could not have accomplished all of the good they did. Several of the SAS soldiers you worked with on that operation wrote glowing reports of their visit here. Many of them would like your assistance on every mission, though they realize that is not likely." "We are impressed by your adherence to the directives that guide you in interacting with other worlds. The governments of Earth would be wise to adopt similar directives for interacting with other countries. What is unique about those directives? They state that is not acceptable to force your values and beliefs onto other worlds, while allowing you to offer assistance to other worlds in limited circumstances. This concept seems unique to us from Earth, as it seems like every group or government seems to know what is best for everyone else. The most driven ones are those that base their self-righteousness on their belief in God." "In our discussions, you have indicated a possibility of leaving a small settlement here on Mars after you move to your new home planet. I hope you do, and I believe many on Earth feel the same way. It will serve as a visible reminder that space travel beyond the solar system is possible." "As Prime Minister of England, and at the direction of the Queen, we are extending an invitation for you, the Órarduine, to visit us often and frequently. We thank Beyond the Stars Choir for their performances in London and Glasgow. There are still articles being published about the performances. Thank you all very much for everything you have done. Thank you all very much for the opportunity to be here and learn more about you and your culture. Thank you for the opportunity to call you friends." "Thank You!" Mr. Bartlet had hardly finished speaking when the applause began. Everyone on An Clochán and Dóchas stood as the applause began. Star caused the visitors to gasp, as she projected a three-quarter length holographic image of the Prime Minister and his wife at multiple locations. The applause continued for some time before coming to an end. Once it was quiet, Sarah and Rusty stepped up and shook Mr. and Mrs. Bartlet's hands, and gave each of them a hug. Sarah then said, "Thank you for your kind words. As to the long-term Mars settlement, there will probably be one here after we leave. All of us have enjoyed your visit, as we did when our friends in SAS visited. Perhaps you can come visit us after we get established on our new home planet." "Are there others in your group that would like to speak," asked Rusty. "Yes," said Mrs. Bartlet after nodding to her husband. "I was apprehensive about this trip. Not about going into space, but about the differences we see between our cultures and the way we dress. You have emphasized one thing that perhaps everyone on Earth should think about. We need to look at others for similarities. It is easy to see differences, and seeing those sometimes inhibits friendship. The key to the future is for us to respect and work with all of those around us. We need to look forward to the future and embrace new technology. If we act today based on yesterday's deeds, we will never ever get there. Again, thank you for everything." The applause for Mrs. Bartlet lasted nearly as long as her husbands. One of the members of Mr. Bartlet's cabinet came up next to Mr. Bartlet. The crowd quieted down, seeing that the gentlemen wanted to speak. "Órarduine, Mr. and Mrs. Bartlet, many of you may not be aware of it but Mr. Bartlet and I are members of different political parties. Even so, he asked me to serve in his cabinet. We seldom agree, but have great respect for each others views, and have always been able to find a mutually satisfactory position on issues. Tonight, I have to say that I totally agree with what Mr. Bartlet and Mrs. Bartlet expressed this evening. Thank you very much, and God Bless you wherever you go." Mr. and Mrs. Bartlet's expressions showed their great surprise. Once the applause died down, Sarah said, "If there is no one else from amongst our visitors who wish to speak, are there any questions?" A man stood in the back of the room on An Clochán. "On behalf of our clan, we are glad Mr. Bartlet was able to visit us. The comments he and others made are very accurate, from our new perspective. My purpose in standing was to ask if we had heard from the interstellar probes yet." "Not yet, in the sense you mean," said Joyce as she stood. "We expect it will be at least a couple of months before we receive data from them. It will take another month before we can verify the transmissions. Why so long? The data from the probes is being relayed to us. We are attempting to do so in a way that doesn't disclose our location. Other precautions have been made to minimize the chance of the probes bringing visitors back with them." Joyce noticed the puzzled looks on the visitors faces. "Some time ago, we sent out interstellar probes to several stars that have the potential of having a solar system like this one. Our library indicates there are other intelligent space-faring species in the universe. We don't feel we are ready to meet them yet, so we are trying to avoid advertising our presence." There were several more questions on various topics before the meeting ended. "Sarah," said Mr. Bartlet, "do you have meetings like this very often?" "Yes. They are scheduled for after breakfast and dinner every day." "It seems amazing you can do it with such a large group." "There are limits, but we have not reached them here." ------- The next morning, Mr. Bartlet and his staff watched the recording of the previous evening's speech and highlights of the visit to Dóchas. All of them were very pleased with the way the stories had been prepared. Mr. Bartlet was given several messages after they finished watching the tape. The one that caused him to sit up was from the Queen, praising him for the speech. As she closed the letter, she told them they were all very lucky to have been able to visit the Órarduine on Dóchas and at An Clochán. ------- It was the day before the two concerts would take place in the US, when the three Command Staffs linked together to review recent activities. The progress on Phoenix and Eagle was ahead of schedule. They were pleased with the success of the visits by the Irish and British Prime Ministers. Both groups had clearly enjoyed the opportunity to make a trip into space, and to visit the settlement on Mars. ------- In western Virginia, a limousine turned off the highway onto a private road. The four passengers looked expectantly out the windows. Soon after leaving the highway, the road entered the forest's shade, then turned to begin a slow climb up the side of a mountain. "Wow," gasped two of the occupants, as the large estate came into view. The limousine soon stopped in front of the entrance to the estate. As the limousine came to a stop, two women came out of the front door. Each woman wore a rather provocative uniform, consisting of a short pleated skirt that barely covered their ass, a transparent white blouse, and high heels. They opened each of the rear doors and assisted the occupants in exiting. As each man exited the limousine and stood, their eyes followed Anessa or Rose's long legs up, only to stop momentarily when they saw the rings in their nipples. Their eyes then followed two chains that lead up from the nipple rings to each woman's collar, finally reaching their faces. They each gave a warm smile as they shook their hands. This was the first time these four had been to Jameson's estate. Both women noted that the men's reaction to their uniform was more subdued than most. "Welcome to Hilltop Manor," said Anessa, the taller of the two women. "The group is waiting in the conference room. Your bags will be placed in your rooms. Please follow me to the conference room. There will be snacks and refreshments there." When Anessa turned toward the house, the attention of the men was drawn to a tassel that covered the crack of their ass. It appeared to be made of a fine hair and reached halfway down their thighs. The top end of the tassel came out of one end of a butt plug's handle that lay hidden between their ass cheeks. This gave the appearance that hair grew out of their tail bones. The four men followed Anessa into the building. During the walk, their attention was almost entirely focused on the Anessa's ass, watching the tassel caress her ass and legs with each step. Reaching the conference room, Anessa opened the door and stood to the side as she announced their arrival. "We're glad you're here," said Mistress Jameson, seated at the head of the table. "The shuttles are scheduled to arrive at the stadium soon. I believe you know everyone in the room." "Yes, Mistress Jameson. We were monitoring our agents on the way up here. The five we needed inside the stadium are in position. Their credentials were unchallenged." "Good. Master Jameson will be with us in a few moments. I believe that none of you have been here before." "Yes, Mistress." "Once the briefing is complete, we will introduce you to your companions. Their purpose is to make sure you have everything you need, and ensure you enjoy every aspect of your stay with us. They will not refuse any request, unless it would injure them." "Thank you, Mistress for the amenity. We have heard that your staff is very exceptional in the way they provide for your guests. Rest assured, your property will be well cared for while they are with us." Just then, the door opened and Master Jameson entered, followed by two women wearing only heels and narrow skirts that almost reached to their crotches. The front of each skirt had a narrow translucent panel, which displayed their cunts and their body jewelry. Each woman's tits were tightly circled at their base by a wide chain. Their areolae extended though a ring held in place by six small chains which attached to the wide chain at the base of each tit. This caused their areolae and nipples to standout very predominantly on their tits. Another small chain ran from the small ring around their areolae to their collar. A second small chain ran from each nipple to the collar. Any movement would tug on both their tits and nipples. Master and Mistress Jameson smiled at the looks on their guests faces as the four just gaped at the two women. Both women were very beautiful, and appeared to be in their late twenties. Master Jameson gave them a few moments before saying, "These are my two newest administrative assistants. Don't let their dress, or should I say lack of it, fool you. Both are very capable in dealing with business and personnel issues. For this meeting, Jo and Dee will be our attendants and take care of all of our personal needs during our meeting." "Gentlemen note that your places around the table are ready for you. Please join us." As soon as the four guests were seated, Jo and Dee offered them something to drink and eat. They also asked if there was anything else they needed, as they looked down at their stiff cocks. None of the four said a word, but their cocks got stiffer when Jo and Dee licked their lips. Master Jameson said, "Just do it sluts." As soon as he spoke, Jo and Dee crawled down between two of the men's legs. The men just starred as the women undid their belts and opened their pants. As soon as their cocks were free, Jo and Dee licked a cock head as they cupped their ball sack. Jo and Dee slipped their mouths over the men's cocks. Each of them slowly slid the cocks in and out of their mouths as they caressed the shaft with their tongues. On each stroke when the cocks entered their throat, they would swallow pulling the cock deeper into their throat. Jo and Dee's technique had both men cumming after only a few minutes. After licking the cum off the cocks, Jo and Dee moved to take care of the other two men. When the two men started to pull up their pants, Master Jameson said, "Don't bother, Jo will give you a long jacket to wear and have someone take your pants to your room. The long jacket makes it easier to use any of the sluts when you have the urge." "Gentlemen," said Master Jameson, "now that you are relaxed, let us begin. We have been passively monitoring your plan to capture several of the animals from the space craft. I think they call themselves the Golden Amazons. Not everyone here has been fully briefed on your plan, except that it is not as crude as the one Craigly and his buddies tried. I wasn't surprised to learn of his death, since it was very typical of Craigly to ignore advice, even about the fault. It seems their daughters have survived his stupidity, and are seeking to gain access to their inheritance. We will soon need to deal with the daughters, and we will need your assistance. Those cunts need to be brought under our control before someone else gains control of them." "Sir, the plan for the aliens is set up so that each of our agents only knows their piece of the puzzle. There is a small chance that members of the Golden Amazons will not take the bait, in which case we will need to look for another opportunity. The man down on the field will put a sign on the door to the locker room indicating it as a womens restroom. Once our quarry has entered and the door closes, the sign will be taken down and the door locked. Our man will immediately leave the area." "The restroom will be filled with a very heavy perfume smell, to cover up the odor of the gas that will put them to sleep. A trip mechanism for the gas is linked to the toilet seats and a timer on the door. The gas will put them down before they realize what is happening. Once they are down, four men wearing gas masks will enter the room, with enough boxes to hold the animals. We are expecting the group to only include female gender. After the men enter the room, each victim will be given a dose of a strong sedative, which will reduce their mental activity to almost the level of a coma. Doing this will lower their brain activity to a level just sufficient to survive and limit any external contact. Once the women are sealed in the boxes, the four men will place the boxes, which are marked "Team Equipment," into a truck on the loading dock. After loading the boxes, they will leave the stadium separately and disappear." "The truck will be driven to a nearby mall, where the driver will leave it in the receiving area. Another driver will pick up the truck within about 15 minutes after the first man leaves. The truck will then be driven to a building where the medical people are waiting to do the initial exams. Dr. Schwartz has a series of tests to run on the animals, as a part of the project she is working on for a security agency. The protocol she is using was set up a number of years ago by a security agency for evaluating aliens. She will, basically, get a full set of physical images using modern technology, along with obtaining a set of physical measurements of the animals. Blood and tissue samples will also be taken for testing. Once the physicals are complete, the animals will be subjected to a series of brain wave tests. These will be performed while their bodies are stimulated with electrical pulses." "What happens to the data?" asked the Mistress. "Since this is being done under a classified government contract, the data will immediately be transmitted to a highly secure storage area. The data will be transmitted by two routes, with one of those routes mirrored to our system. Only Dr. Schwartz has some idea of what is going on. We had to bring her into the plan, so we could have the data sent in duplicate transmissions. As a last step in the evaluations, Dr. Schwartz will give the animals a submissive drug. This drug will block their logic functions, letting Dr. Schwartz control them. Once they are ready, Dr Schwartz and the technicians will take the animals to the loading dock. There the technicians will close the boxes and put the empty boxes back on the truck. The director of Dr. Schwartz's group believes they will be taken to a remote location and left to awaken." "While the technicians are loading the truck, Dr. Schwartz will take the animals to an adjoining room. After the truck leaves, Dr. Schwartz will give the animals some special clothes to wear, before leading them to a van near the loading dock. She will take the animals to an old quarry to meet our group that will bring them here." "I am not sure how well you know Dr. Schwartz, but her specialty is a combination of psychology and physiology. She has been working on contract with security agencies perfecting interrogation techniques to use on enemies. Her techniques have worked very well and she is well respected in that area. She was very upset when her plans for evaluating these animals was altered. When we offered her the opportunity to continue the evaluations at a secret location, she was cautiously ecstatic on hearing the opportunity. We were quizzed quite extensively about the opportunity and the location. Over several conversations, we were able to adequately address her concerns without disclosing that this was the location. She will appear to die in an accident, this evening along with one of her coworkers, a Dr. Attwall." "Dr. Schwartz has told us she hopes there are at least four, as this will leave two for her purposes." "What is she going to do with two of them?" asked the Mistress testily. "She plans on dissecting one while she tapes it. The other she wants to turn into a pet." "A pet?" "Yes. She wants to evaluate some behavioral modification protocols. Her goal is reduce the alien animal's active personality and behavioral level to a very basic level, while also making them very obsessed with sexual stimulation. Her intention is to not reduce their intelligence, but to turn them into an intelligent, submissive sex toy, with an obsession for sexual stimulation. Dr. Schwartz is very strong-willed, and usually gets what she wants. Several people who have tried to block her had an accident or simply disappeared." "Look, the TV station is showing the shuttles above the stadium." "You will receive extra compensation for not letting Dr. Schwartz know where the location is. Our two assistants will show you gentlemen to your rooms. While you are there they will acquaint you with the rules of the house," said the Mistress. "This will give you time to freshen up and become acquainted with your companions. One hard rule is that your companions must be with you at all times. We don't tolerate breaking any rule." When Jo and Dee left with the four guests, she looked over at Master Jameson and said, "Do we really need her anymore?" "No, we don't" said Master Jameson. "They don't know she has done other work for us. Once we have the animals settled, we will have one of the staff show her our cave. She will be delighted at seeing our new special laboratory and chamber. She should enjoy the chamber once she gets over the shock of being in one of the conditioning devices." "It will be a pleasure to work with her," replied Mistress Jameson smiling. She was pleased that Master Jameson was letting her introduce Dr. Schwartz to their special laboratory. She thought, "I wonder how long it will take before Dr. Schwartz's techniques turn her into a sex-starved animal. Conditioning and obtaining the information they wanted from the alien animals would be a challenge." ------- At An Clochán and on Dóchas, the Golden Amazons gathered for the trip to the US. Four shuttles would be making the trip. One shuttle carried the stage and sound system, along with a crew to set it up. This crew would also provide part of the security around the stage. Two shuttles carried the Beyond the Stars Choir and Dóchas Command Staff. Siobhan's Clan were on Dóchas, to watch the event from the recreation room, along with Maureen's Clan and many of the crew. During the trip to Earth, Sarah's Clan went over the recent visits by the Prime Minister of Ireland and the Prime Minister of England. They felt the visits had gone a long way in establishing a stronger relationship between them and the two countries. The staffs of both Prime Ministers were, initially upset when they were reminded of the requirements for escorts when they left the area of their rooms. Both seemed to relax once it was again explained why they needed escorts. and that the only requirement was an escort had to be a crew member who wasn't actively involved in an activity. The warm comments from both Prime Minister's, after their closing dinner prior to returning to Earth had pleased all of them. Both PM's had thanked them for the concerts, which were still news items. Two aspects of Prime Minister Bartlet's speech had taken them by surprise. First, he obliquely referenced the assistance they provided during the rescue in Fuda. Then, on behalf of the Queen, he extended an open invitation to the Órarduine to visit England any time and informing them that they were welcome to stay as long as they wanted to. "Based on the PMs' comments, and the attitude of their staffs," said Aoife, "I think we have their trust and respect." "Yes," said Tara, "I was a little concerned, at first, when the SAS and Irish Special Ops watched everything so closely. After being with them for a while, it was clear to me that they were just interested in us, and there wasn't a hidden agenda. It was interesting to watch their expressions when we told them about needing escorts for safety reasons." "Yes," replied Alison, "it was like we had taken their cookie jar away from them." "Sally, did you present it that way on purpose?" asked Jill. "Yes. I wanted to watch their expressions. There was no hostility in any of their expressions when they thought they would need escorts all the time. Then I reminded them that they were all telepathically active, so we could give them a little more latitude. As soon as I said it was our preference they have escorts, it was like I had given them a pot of gold." "I didn't see any of them wandering around without one of the crew for any length of time," said Terry. "They liked the freedom," said Rusty, "but everyone quickly realized they could see more, without getting lost, if they had an escort." "Think any will want to come back," asked Claudette. "Yes. There were a few who seemed to always choose the same escort," said Erin. They had just finished talking, when the shuttles began to hover over FEDEX Stadium. ------- Chapter 113 It was mid afternoon on the day of the performance at FEDEX Stadium, when the three shuttles carrying the Órarduine approached the stadium. The appearance of the shuttles brought everything around the stadium to a standstill. They hovered just above the lights, between where the stage would be set up and the end zone. A fourth (cloaked) shuttle took up a position below and just behind the group of three, to give the security team an unobstructed view of the stadium and its surroundings. After hovering for a few moments, one shuttle slowly drifted down to the field. Upon reaching ground level, the rear doors opened and the Beyond the Stars' stage crew began moving equipment out of the shuttle. The stadium ground crew's supervisor walked out to the shuttle. Seeing him approach, several Beyond the Stars crew members walked over to him. "Hi, I'm Jon. I head the stadium grounds crew." The crew members introduced themselves. "You have a very nice layout here," said Dantry, and she introduced herself and the crew. "Thank you. Your three ships made a very impressive approach. I know you didn't ask for any assistance, but my crew is available, if you need anything." "Well, once we have the equipment out of the shuttle, set up doesn't take much effort on our part. Once the stage is set up, we will be laying a platform on the field, so we can set up a VIP section near the front of the stage. Your group could assist us with the chairs." "We would be happy to. I'll tell the guys," replied Jon. Dantry looked at the others with her and said, "We will need to monitor them." "We agree," said the others with her. As the Beyond the Stars ground crew set up for the evening performance, the security teams on the other three shuttles monitored the surrounding area. Once the stage area was complete, the shuttle lifted off. With it out of the way, the crew began to set up the chairs for the VIP area, several yards back from the stage. The stage was set up at the 40 yard line, in a theater style arrangement. This configuration would give all the attendees a good view. The choir had considered doing it as a concert in the round, but decided they could provide a higher sound quality with this theater arrangement. The down side was it would limit the attendance to only half of the stadium's capacity. A large-screen projector was placed on each side of the stage, in order to give the audience a better view of the choir during the performance. The Command Staff, along with the security teams, continually scanned the area as the crowd began to arrive. They were somewhat surprised when the crowd began to arrive several hours before the scheduled performance. While the stage was being set up, several groups of protesters gathered at the entrances to the grounds. The protesters were carefully watched, as the crowd began to enter the grounds. Surprisingly, the protesters did not try to interfere with anyone entering the grounds. When they saw the President's motorcade approaching, Sarah's Clan left Alpha1, on their Individual Planetary Transport Platforms (IPTPs). Their appearance next to the hovering shuttle caused many in the crowd to gasp, as they appeared to be floating on air. As Sarah's Clan began their descent, the stadium was absolutely quiet. During the descent, their path shifted so the light was behind them, causing a gasp to ripple through the crowd as their robes became translucent. The group rode their IPTPs down to the area in front of the stage. The crowd broke into applause, as they stepped off of their transporters. "Think we went too far, with our translucent robes," asked Sarah. "No," replied several of the group, "if anything, we probably did not go far enough." "It is time they were introduced to our style of dress," said Judy. "To do otherwise, might give many the wrong impression of ourselves, and be perceived as being due to our own lack of comfort with this style. Our personal problem is that we have not totally left our old cultural values behind. We need to be ourselves, as we now are." "She is right," added Aine. "We had not said anything before, since we were waiting for you to recognize the difference." "We agree," said everyone involved with the performance. "Shall we make an adjustment, now?" asked Joyce. The group was quiet for a long time before there was a response from Tara, who said, "We started with these robes, so let's continue with that. If it can be fit into the presentations this evening, we should mention that we don't normally wear robes or something to that effect." "Agreed," replied the group. "Besides," said Maeve, "being ourselves is another way of saying that we Órarduine are different." Sarah's Clan, along with several from Briana's team, were waiting at the VIP entrance when the President's advance party began to enter. Attorney General Murphy was the first to enter the stadium, to meet with Sarah's Clan and exchange greetings. He was also surprised when he saw Briana and Cass. He greeted them as old friends and spent a quite few minutes chatting. Following the AG were other cabinet members, several agency heads and members of congress. The last to enter were President Ryan and his wife. Just before the concert was scheduled to start, Briana's team circulated through the VIP's, encouraging everyone to take a seat. Several of the secret service agents seemed to be quite anxious. Cass went over to one, and said, "We have placed the stage and VIP area behind an energy shield, so any criminal activity could only be a problem for the crowd. Those within the shield will be quite safe." She could tell by the look on his face that he didn't believe her. She watched as he carefully scanned the area. "I am not sure what you mean. Based on our Intel, any problems, tonight, would most likely be directed toward your group. So, are you suggesting, that I should think of this in terms of a Star Wars shield or something similar?" Cass just smiled and nodded. As the first strains of music were heard, the choir began exiting two of the hovering shuttles on their IPTPs, which again elicited a gasp from the crowd, including those in the VIP area. The choir members came down to the field on each side of the stage in pairs, and then stepped up onto the risers and took their positions. ------- Edana was watching the monitors from the cloaked shuttle. "Why is there a restroom sign there, " she asked, pointing at the monitor. "Isn't that the entrance to the locker room?" "Yes, it is. One of the men that Intelligence had some concerns about is loitering nearby." "Christine, probe his mind, while I try to locate the others we had concerns about." After a few minutes, Edana found the four other men near the loading dock, carrying a bag containing gas masks. There was also a truck at the dock, with a sports store's name on it's doors. "I smell a rat," said Kacey, when she saw what Edana had found. "The guy near the locker room entrance is waiting to close and lock the door, after someone goes inside." "They must be expecting one of us to use the rest room." "Likely, more than one," said Kacey. "Those four men have pulled six long boxes out of the back of the truck, and are heading toward the locker room. The boxes are marked "Sports Equipment" and, are each big enough to hold one of us." "Aoife, there is a door open to the locker room, on the left side of the stage. We would like four of you to walk over and enter the door. As soon as you are inside, cloak and come back out." "Sure, why?" "We think someone has plans to capture a few of us," said Edana. "Caoilinn, once they pass through the door, tell Briana's team what we have found." "Will do. We are suiting up." The suspect was standing behind the open door as Aoife and three of her spouses walked past the man and through the door. Just as they past from his view, they cloaked and returned to an area behind the stage. Just as expected, the man closed the door moments after the four Órarduine had disappeared behind the door. He quickly folded the rest room sign together, and locked the door. "Gloria," said Edana, "watch him, while we monitor the others." "Edana," said Caoilinn, "We are going to teleport into in the locker room, so we can check things out before they expect the women to arrive." "Okay, be careful. It is likely that they are planning on subduing anyone entering the locker room. It seems most likely that they're using a gas." Edana's team watched the monitors, as Caoilinn's team joined together and projected themselves into the locker room. It didn't take them long to discover the trip mechanisms on the toilets and a timer on the door. Once they located the two bottles of gas, they closed the valves. Sal then opened and closed the door to the hall. As the door closed, the team set their tactical suits to cloak. Abbie stepped on a toilet seat, pushing it down to trip the switch. After a few moments, four men slowly entered the room wearing gas masks. The security team projected images of four women laying on the floor, as the men moved slowly into the room. Once they saw the images lying on the floor, they hurried back into the storage area, to get the boxes. At that moment, four of Caoilinn's team took control of the four men. First, the men's memories were scanned, trying to discover who they were working for and what they were supposed to do. Once they had the information, they let the men continue with their plan for treating their victims, placing them in boxes, and then, moving the boxes to the truck. Once the truck drove off, Caoilinn's team released them, and watched as they congratulated each other on a successful job and went in separate directions. None of the men realized they had been duped. Caoilinn's team rejoined Edana's team on shuttle Alpha4, as they followed the truck. The group was still puzzled at not being able to determine who was behind the plot. The driver of the truck only knew that he was to leave it in the receiving area at the mall. From his thoughts, they knew he thought it was strange, but he was being paid very well. When he arrived at the mall, he parked the truck as instructed in the receiving area, and then left; walking out the drive toward the parking lot. "Shannon, we are following a group that tried to kidnap some of us," said Edana. "I think we are going to need some additional resources in a few minutes." "Briana asked us if we had seen the activity you were monitoring. We have been watching, and trying to anticipate what support you will need. Darcy's team, on Alpha6, has moved to fill your spot covering the stadium. This way, you can focus on this group. By the way, we think you all are doing great. Clarence said that what they are doing is similar to what spies do to pass information, without being directly connected with those who receive it." "Oh, I remember reading that in spy novels." "A van is entering the mall's receiving area," said Meagan. The groups on Alpha4 and Dóchas watched as the van stopped in front of the truck and a man stepped out. He slowly walked around the truck, and as he passed the cab doors he pulled the signs off, revealing another name. Once he had circled the truck, he walked over to the van. After speaking to the driver, he left the signs he had removed in the van and went back to the truck. As he walked back to the truck, the van left. The new driver soon pulled the truck out of the receiving area. As Edana's team monitored the truck, Alana's Clan arrived with Nicola's team on the cloaked shuttle Alpha5. "Alpha4 and Alpha5," said Danny, "we think the truck will be going to a nearby office park. There is a high security building in the office park. From the data we have so far, the building is partially occupied by a group doing top secret contract work. One of their contracts is to improve interrogation techniques, to accelerate gaining accurate information from captives. Another contract focuses on how to manage contact with off-world species." "Do you have access to their systems, yet?" asked Nicola. "Our software group is working on it. We want to obtain access without tripping any alarms. So far we have learned someone has already hooked into the data stream which goes to their secure off-site storage. As soon as our engineers can give us access to the building's security system, they will attempt to track where the data is going." "Are all Command Staffs aware of this?" asked Cathal of Alana's Clan. "Yes. They are monitoring. Siobhan's and Maureen's Clans have moved to the bridge on Dóchas, with Siobhan's Clan taking the lead." "Are they planning on moving Dóchas to Earth orbit?" "I don't think so. They have activated several security teams. They will be moving them to Comrie. Siobhan's Clan sees this episode as a localized threat, but with significant implications to all of us." "While, it could be," replied Cathal, "it is also an opportunity for them to gain deployment experience, from a Command Staff perspective." "Good point." "Yeesh," said Siobhan, "don't tell everybody what we are doing." Several of her clan could be heard chuckling. The three groups watched as the truck left the receiving area. The truck made what appeared to be several random turns, before turning into an office park; the same park that Danny had speculated as their possible destination. The truck waited at the gate for a few minutes before it was opened. Once inside, the truck headed toward the loading dock, and then backed up to the partially covered area. As soon as the truck stopped, the door to the receiving dock opened, showing glimpses of several people inside the building. "I think its time to join them," said Caoilinn, as her clan touched and focused on the building's loading dock. All of them faded from view on Alpha4, as they used telekinesis to move to the receiving area. Once Caoilinn's team had completed their move, those monitoring them from the shuttles linked with them, so they could see the activity. Just then, the view on the wall monitor in the two shuttles split into 8 panels. On each panel was a view from the building's security cameras. ------- As the truck had left the stadium, three men in a conference room of a secure building several miles from the stadium were intently listening to coded radio exchanges. On a transparent panel was a map of the area surrounding the stadium. When they heard the comment, "There are four", the men pumped their fists in the air. "Tell Dr. Schwartz, there will be four women to evaluate." "Yes, sir." "This is excellent," exclaimed Dr. Helm. "Now we will be able to run the full battery of tests." "Yes, Dr. Helm, but we only have three hours to get all of the information." "That is the approved plan," replied the Director. "We have three hours to fully document their physiology and physical structure, without any injury to them." "Dr. Schwartz still wants more time." "Yes, but it is not possible, according to the approved plan," replied the Director. "If we could have done this without the White House staff learning of it, we would have had all the time we needed to fully document these alien specimens," added Dr. Attwall. "I am surprised NSA doesn't consider them a major security threat." "Those clowns in INS and Homeland Security almost screwed up this opportunity, the way they were jerking them around over using the Kennedy Center. They continued even after it was suggested they back off." Just then, the monitor for the receiving area came on, showing the technicians and Dr. Schwartz waiting. Seeing the activity, the attention of everyone in the room turned toward the one monitor showing the receiving area. ------- Caoilinn's cloaked team watched, as technicians dressed in green medical uniforms rolled the boxes off the truck and into the receiving area. The receiving door was closed as soon as the four boxes were inside. Dr. Schwartz watched the technicians with keen anticipation, as they prepared to open the first box. One technician disabled the electronic shielding, before the other began to release the catches holding the lid. When the lid was lifted off, the room became very quiet, as the group just stared at the empty box. "Son-of-a-bitch," screamed Dr. Schwartz, "this box is empty. How in the hell did that occur? Open the others, now!" The technicians began to open all the other boxes, simultaneously. Their expressions showed they were clearly worried about what Dr. Schwartz would do if all the boxes were empty. "Dr. Helm, Dr. Attwall," screamed a red-faced Dr. Schwartz, "get your asses down here. We have a big problem." In moments, all of those from the conference room came flying through the receiving door. As soon as they stepped through the door, Dr. Schwartz screamed, "Every fucking box is empty. The damn things were sealed, like they were supposed to be. So how could this happen? We really went out on a limb, promising data on these alien animals to our supporters, and now we have nothing." Abruptly, Dr. Schwartz stopped screaming, and her face became a mask of fear. The receiving area was suddenly very quiet, as Caoilinn's team had blocked each person's ability to move or speak. The doctors and technicians stood frozen in place like breathing statues. The sudden loss in control of their bodies pushed everyone of them into a mental panic. This opened their memories for easy reading. Their faces gave away to fear, as their minds filled, unbidden, with memories. Once the doctors and technician's memories were scanned by Caoilinn's team, those on Alpha4 and Alpha5, and on Dóchas knew what this group had planned for them, including their disappearance with Dr. Schwartz and Dr. Attwall. "We see our computer guys need more time to identify where the data from here is going," said Caoilinn's team, "so let's do this: A couple of us will go through with the two types of scans, just as they planned. One of us will monitor the technicians at all times, although I think they will do their jobs. We will let Dr. Schwartz, Dr. Helm, Dr. Attwall and the others watch as the scans are being made. As for the sensory and brain-wave response study Dr. Schwartz planned, we can use her and Dr. Attwall as the patients, if we need more time." "We're agreeable," said Edana's team. "We're in," said the group on Dóchas. "We're in," said the group on Alpha5. "With one condition," added Cathal, "make sure the electric stimulation level is high enough to have a very strong response." "With what we saw in the technician's memories, we may need to watch them closely if we get to that point, as they may go overboard." "Agreed," responded all. "Agreed," replied the three Command Staffs. "Caoilinn's team," said Siobhan's Clan, "we agree with your assessment of the technicians. None of them are fond of Dr. Schwartz or Dr. Attwall, but we expect them to willingly follow your directions." ------- The three doctors and Director watched as four of the alien women slipped out of their tactical suits. Once they were out of the suit, each suit stood on its own, causing a surprised look to appear on the doctors' faces. Caoilinn's team then split in half, with one group going to each of the areas designated for the MRI and Cat Scan procedures. The technicians, as expected, followed the planned procedures for each of the scans. As each scan was completed, a technician saved it to the local system. The system was set so that once a file was saved, it automatically transmitted the file to off-site storage, with the appropriate patient references. When the Cat Scan and MRI tests were completed, everyone gathered in the room where the brain wave and sensory response tests were to be run. Abbie, seeing that more time was needed, said to the technicians, "The next item on your schedule was to do physical measurements of us. So, you two can measure me, and two of you measure Aingeal." "We are not permitted to do that," responded one technician. "You know how. So do it!" replied Caoilinn, tartly. "Yes, ma'am." "As you take our measurements, tell your associates, so they can record them." Looking a bit scared, two technicians stepped over to Abbie and began. Another pair of technicians did the same for Aingeal. "I'm Abbie," said Abbie, as they began the measurements. Aingeal gave her name to the technician measuring her. "Abbie, height 6' 10"," replied a technician. "Abbie, weight, 190 pounds." "Abbie, underarm chest 43 and under breast chest 40, bust 50, waist 34, hips 38." "Abbie, bust measurements equate to a 44F but would likely be more comfortable with a G cup." "Abbie, shoes are 17 extra wide, with six inch heels." "Wait," said the technician recording the information, "your measurements for Abbie sound similar to those of Aingeal." "They will probably be very close," said Caoilinn. "Abbie's back and shoulders have more muscle mass than any other women I have ever seen. It is different from what you see on weight lifters." "Did you notice their large breasts hardly sag?" asked one technician doing the measuring. "Yes," replied the other, as she began to probe Abbie's chest and shoulder muscles with her fingers. "It seems to me the tissue structure around the breasts is different. Wait, we don't really have any significant muscle tissue in or around our breasts. There also seems to be support from their shoulders, which reaches down and around their breasts. There are some significant differences between their bodies and what was in our physiology books." "I agree," said the other technician. "Also, Aingeal is lactating." "So is Abbie." With that, the technicians resumed their measurements. They only paused when they reached each woman's crotch. Each technician examined Abbie and Aingeal's vagina closely. Finally, one technician said, "I am not sure how to describe their vagina." "I have never seen a vagina like this," said the other technician, as she bent to study it, and slid her finger over Abbie's labia. "Her labia minora feel like they have some muscle structure, and the lips must extend by a couple of inches beyond her labia majora. Wow, she is sensitive. Her clit is already pushing back its hood. Both sets of her labia are wet. and the labia minora have swelled and I have hardly touched her." "She smells very sweet," said the technician examining Abbie. "So, ask her if you can taste," responded the other technician, "based on what I have read about them, she won't be offended." The technician examining Abbie looked up at her, as Abbie was now sitting on the exam table. Abbie just nodded and leaned back as she spread her legs more. She smiled as the technician licked each lip before pushing her mouth between Abbie's lips. As the technician inserted her tongue up Abbie cunt, Abbie's cunt released her cream to flow into the technician's mouth. When the technician pulled back, her face was wet, along with the front of her uniform. "Her cream does taste good. Too bad I can't have more." The technician then began to examine Abbie's legs and take measurements. "Did you notice the pads on the soles of their feet?" "Yes. Did you taste Aingeal's cunt?" "No, I'm not into that." "You're not into it as a steady diet. Taste it. Then we can compare notes concerning how to describe it. Both the taste and smell are very different from any human women I've been around." "Okay," responded the technician, as she looked at Aingeal, who nodded, indicating it was okay. They all watched as the technician licked Aingeal's labia and then dragged her tongue along the full length of Aingeal's cunt. She finished by kissing Aingeal's clit. When she leaned back on her heels, her face was wet with girl cream, as was the front of her top. "You are right. That is the best girl cream I have ever drunk." "I thought you said you weren't into that." "I am not, but that doesn't mean I haven't sampled some. Too bad we can't do some more sampling." "Not today, ladies," replied Caoilinn. "Finish your notes, so you can store them. We need to get started with the next item." The technicians busied themselves finishing the physical measurement and observation summaries, with Caoilinn's team monitoring them. "What's next?" asked a technician. "Strip Dr. Schwartz and Dr. Attwall," said Sal, firmly. The technicians hesitated. "Go ahead, they will comply with your instructions. Besides, they will never again be a position to cause you problems." Hearing that, the technicians took surgical scissors and quickly cut the doctors' clothes off, making sure they would not be wearable again. "Now strap them down to the examining tables and hook them up for the brain wave and sensory response test, just like the procedure describes," said Abbie. The group watched as the technicians prepared to shave the two doctors' heads. "The procedure didn't say to shave their heads," said Aingeal. "The electrodes work better on a bare head," one of the technicians quickly replied, as they began shaving off their hair. As soon as all the hair was removed, the technicians drew an electrode net tight against their heads, drawing blood in the places where the sharp sensors penetrated the skin. With that step completed, one technician for each doctor hooked the cables to the computer, while the others placed the sticky pads on the doctors, in strategic locations, before connecting them to the signal generator. "They are ready," one technician said to Caoilinn. "Start the program. While it's running, get the fucking machines ready, as we may have time for them to experience those, as well." ------- Shannon, in Intelligence, advised Command Staff that the building's security and data systems were now in their control. Processes had been started to download all information and lock building access. "Shannon," asked Maureen, "who else is in the building?" "We are still surveying the building's occupants. At the moment, it appears the only people are the security guards, and those involved with the operation to capture us. But, we haven't gotten to the upper floors, yet." "Update us as you add information." "Siobhan, ask James and Clarence to meet us behind the stage when the concert ends," said Sarah. "You know, I would really like to leave these assholes experiencing their devices," said Adam. "The site survey shows some rather horrific torture and interrogation devices on the lower level." "I think we all agree with you," replied Rusty. "But couldn't that cause us more problems, in the long term?" "While I agree with Adam's desire," said Todd, "I have to agree with Rusty's idea that handing out justice to these assholes is not in our domain. If this had happened on Dóchas, An Clochán or another settlement of ours, I would have no hesitation." "Rusty, I think you have something in mind," said Sarah. "Yes, quickly take a look at my idea. Siobhan, if everyone agrees, begin implementation. Now, we need to focus on the concert." ------- The first stimulation program had just finished, when Shannon told them they had found the group behind the effort. "They are at a remote sight in Western Virginia. Alpha5 will take Alana and Nicola's team there to check it out." "Okay, let's put the boxes back in the truck," said Sal. "Probe the technicians and determine why they are here, as some seem to have been coerced into being a part of this." "Agreed, " replied Abbie. "How do we want to handle this?" "Abbie, Melanie, " said Caoilinn, "take those you want to ask with you. They can help put the boxes on the truck. On the dock, you can ask them either verbally or telepathically." "I'll try telepathically, as I believe that area is being monitored by video and audio." Just as Abbie and Melanie were ready ask some of the technicians to go with them, one said, as she looked at Caoilinn, "I would really like to castrate this one." As she spoke, she squeezed Dr. Attwall's balls. She then walked over to Dr. Schwartz. "For this one, removing the hood from around her clit would be nice. After that, I would remove her fingers, one joint at a time." "Why would you want to do that," asked Aingeal. "So they could experience some of the pain they loved inflicting on others." "We are going to leave them here for the Attorney General and Federal Marshals to deal with. You can put the brain wave program on a repeating loop, if you want to. Once it is running, set them up to experience the fucking machines as well, but at a slow, steady, pace." "It will be a pleasure." Before she stepped away from the two doctors, she squeezed Dr. Attwall's balls, almost enough to rupture them, and then pinched Dr. Schwartz's clit, turning it a bright red. Two technician's quickly set the program for the brain wave to run in a repeating loop. Melanie and Abbie then asked several technicians to help them on the receiving dock. Caoilinn told Dr. Helm and the Director to strip, and eased the restraint on their movements. Both men hesitated a moment before complying. She then had each insert a butt plug into the others ass, before telling a technician to connect them to the other signal generator. Both men were told to sit down in strait back chairs. They were quickly tied to the chairs, so that struggling would only tighten the bindings. "Doctors," said Sal, "someone will soon come for you. Just relax and enjoy." His comment caused the group to chuckle. "Come with us," said Seana to the remaining technicians, as the group went out to the receiving dock. Once they were on the dock, a technician said, "Where are the others? What are you going to do to us?" Fear was evident on each of their faces. "We haven't decided," said Caoilinn. "This building is in lock down, so no one will be leaving until the Federal Marshals arrive." She paused a few moments. "All of you appear to be bright, well-trained, individuals. We don't understand why you are working for this group of misfits." Two started to speak. "No, don't speak. Bring your memories to the surface, so we can see them, then we will decide whether or not to leave you here." The group reviewed the thoughts of the medical technicians. While none of them were coerced into working there, they stayed because the pay had been very good, and they needed the income to support their families. In looking at their thoughts, they learned that they had been assigned to run tests and clean up after the doctors. None were particularly pleased with working there, and had looked elsewhere with no success. A few suspected the doctors had blocked them from leaving, because of what they knew about the operation. Contrary to promises made when someone left, they had never heard from any of them again. "This is the deal," said Seana. "We can relocate you to somewhere that is very safe, that only we know about. There is only one condition. If you come, you have to tell the Justice Department everything you know about what went on here, no hemming and hawing, just the plain simple truth. Before you decide, you should know that the location where we are going is clothing optional. You will not be required to adopt any particular dress style." "What about my children?" asked one technician. "Well, I guess we will need to go pick them up. Does anyone else have anyone that needs to come or be notified?" All five nodded yes. "Well that certainly complicates things," replied Seana. "So that you don't sway each other, mentally tell us what you want to do, without considering your personal connections." "I am hearing that they all want to go," said Bernadette, "and I think it is the smart thing for them to do." "Agreed," replied all of Caoilinn's team. "Now to answer your earlier question. The other technicians are on our ship, where we will be going in a moment. Once we get on the ship, we will figure out how to handle your personal connections. Bringing your children will not be a problem, as there are others at Comrie. Comrie is the name of the location we are going. However, your spouses and significant others are a bit more difficult." "To go out to the shuttle, we are going to ask you to walk between us as we go out these double doors." "But, you said the building is in lock down," said the male technician. "It is, but, if you do as we say, no one will see you as you walk over to our transportation. Just remember to stay between us." The technicians lined up single file, with a member of Caoilinn's team on each side. As the group approached the door, it opened to let them pass, then closed. The locks securing the door could be heard as they latched the door. The group walked, unobserved, a few feet across the parking lot and into a door that appeared in front of them. The technicians were surprised to find themselves inside the cabin of what looked like an airplane. "All of you have a seat, before you drop from shock," said Abbie. "Anyone that wants some refreshment, raise your hand." One technician gasped as she looked out the window and saw that they were now some distance above the building. "Yes," said Caoilinn, "we have lifted off. We need to stay here until we can move another group here, to monitor the building while we wait for the Justice Department to take control." "You will quickly find that we are unique, in that we share virtually everything. So, together, let's address your issues with significant others, children and family. Who wants to be first?" It was quiet for a few moments as the technicians glanced around at each other, looking to see who would be first. "I'm, Lena. My two children are staying with a next door neighbor." "So, would there be any problem with you arriving early and picking them up?" "Probably not, but she did say they might go out to a movie, or to eat." "What is the address so we can check it out while we cover the other issues?" Lena told them the address. With that, the other medical technicians began to share their relevant information. ------- Behind the stage at FEDEX stadium, James and Clarence were waiting for the concert to end. As they waited, Ellie, Shannon and Danny brought them up to date on the two locations. Alana's and Nicola's teams were dispatched to check out the location in Western Virginia. Caoilinn's team was monitoring the building until they could be relieved. When the building lock down was activated, an alarm sounded throughout the building, indicating a security breach. The alarm was followed by a broadcast message to all the network terminals. No reason was given to the occupants. No time to resolution was shown in the announcement either. Network and phone systems were closed off to everyone below the ground floor. "How did you do that?" asked Ciar. "Intelligence Department, supported by the computer engineers, have taken over the building's systems. Their efforts made the cavalry approach unnecessary, but the cavalry had begun making plans." "Cavalry?" "You know coming in with guns blazing, then riding off with the damsels in distress," replied Todd, with a large smile on his face. His comment caused everyone to laugh, releasing the tension on their shuttle. "Guys," said Sarah, "get ready, as the choir has only two more scheduled songs to sing." "We should talk this way so we don't disturb the concert," said Claudette. "Besides, we can include everyone this way." While the concert continued, Shannon and Lydia kept everyone up to date on Nicola's team's activity in Western Virginia, and the additional information they were continuing to get from the computer. ------- The choir sang two additional sets, in response to the applause and cheers from the audience. When the stage lights dimmed, the choir made their way down to the VIP section. As the choir was leaving the stage, Sarah said, "Mr. President, during the performance, there was an incident that we need to discuss with you. Fortunately, our security teams spotted the preparations for the incident before it really began, and were able to neutralize the threat. There are two locations involved. One team has the occupants at one location in a state of limbo. The second team is just now entering the other site. This can't last indefinitely. We would prefer to turn the plotters over to your law enforcement staff. They should find it very easy to charge these characters with multiple crimes. We are proposing to meet with you and your staff here, once the audience has left. We anticipate that you will likely want to include Attorney General Murphy, your staff and perhaps some others. We will take care of security, so that anyone in the stadium will only see us talking, but not hear anything that is said." "We would enjoy meeting with you," replied President Ryan. "More details regarding the incident would help in deciding who should remain." "Simply put, a group, apparently at the direction of a national security agency, attempted to kidnap several of us. Not to be rude, but we prefer not share any more until we can all talk freely." He nodded affirmatively, but his expression showed he was puzzled by Sarah's reluctance to say more. "I don't see your comment as rude, but as being exceptionally cautious." Sarah watched him, as he told one of his staff to tell the others to linger for a while before he talked to Mr. Murphy and several congressmen. Briana sensed someone calling her. She walked in that direction with several of her mates, and found General Walker and his wife. They greeted each other with hugs. "It is good to see you again," said Briana. "We saw you earlier, but all of you seemed quite occupied, so we didn't bother you." "Neither of you would ever be a bother," replied Abaigeal. "We have been hoping you would come to visit us again," said Charlotte. "I know the children in Sarah's Clan really enjoyed your last visit." "Well we..." "Yes, you were on an official trip that time, and took our invitation as a formality. All of us would love for both of you to come again. Just tell us the time, date and place, and we will arrange to pick you up." General Walker looked at his wife, and she nodded. "Could you pick us up next Thursday night? Just tell us where to meet you." "Thursday will be fine. Either Cathan or I will come to your house." "We will be waiting." "General Walker," continued Briana, "you may want to hang around for a while. Sarah's Clan is going to have a short meeting with President Ryan, Mr. Murphy and a few others." General Walker looked thoughtful for a few moments, and then said, "It would probably be better if we didn't stay, but thank you for the offer." ------- Chapter 114 Once almost the entire audience had left FEDEX Stadium, James, Clarence, and Briana's clan came around to the front of the stage. Mr. Murphy was surprised to see James and Clarence, and warmly greeted both of them. Mr. Murphy introduced James and Clarence to President Ryan, and the others he knew. Tara then introduced the rest of their group again. As she made the introductions, she described each one's function. The President's Chief of Staff then introduced the President's staff members, describing their job and, finally, introduced the others who had been asked to stay. "Sarah, you told me, a few moments ago, that a national security agency had sponsored an attempt to kidnap some of you," said President Ryan. "Yes, that is correct," replied Sarah, and continued describing the events that had occurred during the concert. She detailed how their security team had followed the trail to a secure building. One of the security teams then entered the building, where the crates were unloaded. They then assisted the kidnappers in following their plan to evaluate those they had kidnapped. This was done to allow the Órarduine's computer engineers on Dóchas time to determine where the other data was going. Once they had accomplished their goal, the security team left. The three doctors and the group's director were left hooked up to the brain wave and sensory response testing equipment, with it running in a continuous loop. Sarah ended by telling them that the building was currently in lock down mode, as the site's manuals outlined for a security breach. James then provided details on how the kidnappers planned to evaluate their captives. Once the evaluations were complete, the plan called for leaving the captives in a location where they would be found. Dr. Schwartz and Dr. Attwall had a different agenda and planned on disappearing with the captives. As he described the details of what the two doctors had planned, it was apparent that both Mr. Murphy and President Ryan were angry both from their expressions and the way they were gripping their chair's arms. Each of them had started to speak on several occasions, then stopped. Tara ended the presentation by saying that the medical technicians had been moved to a safe location, at their request. The technicians had agreed to be available for questioning by any investigators. As for the secure building, each of the doors leading to the first sub level (where the culprits were waiting) was sealed, and would be difficult to open without assistance. Two security teams were watching the building and the surrounding area. This was to prevent anyone from stumbling into the situation. There were some other people trapped in the building on other floors that might want to go home. Tara then noted that when the FBI, Marshals, or whoever arrived, their security teams would leave. It was clear from the expressions of those present that they were shocked by the story. "But that is not all," said James, "these kidnappers are conducting these evaluations to fulfill a contract with a security agency. We're not sure which agency or agencies. The contracts are held by a corporation that links back through several corporations to one controlled by Jameson. The headquarters for Jameson's corporation is at a large estate in Western Virginia called Hill Top Manor. The complex also includes his home and staff residences. Copies of all the data collected went to that location. Two of our security teams are now at Hill Top Manor. We should know more about what they find before we are done here." President Ryan turned to Mr. Murphy and said, "My inclination is to send the FBI to the secure building now, however, we don't need any slip ups. We can't use a Special Ops unit, since the building is not a military facility and there is the issue of preserving evidence. Local police would be a disaster, although there are many good people on the force. Federal marshals is likely the best choice." "Mr. President," said one of his staff, "are you saying you actually believe this extraordinary story! We don't have any collaborating evidence." "Actually, I do. Since you are questioning it, tell us why do you doubt it." "Well sir, the idea that their security teams, or whatever, could just waltz into a secure building undetected is just ... well ... bizarre. They have admitted knowing the details of the classified work being conducted in this secure building that is supported by one of our security agencies. By their own testimony, they have invaded our privileged areas. Beyond that they admitted to digging around in our classified communication systems and who knows what else. Entering one of our secure areas without permission and pilfering through the contents is, to my knowledge, an act of war." "If I remember correctly, you didn't believe the stories from Afghanistan about flashes of light severing limbs either." "I still don't, sir. Although I'll admit quite a few Afghans lost all or portion of a limb, and it was since confirmed that they were working with the terrorists." "And just what would it take to convince you?" replied the President, tersely. "I am not sure, sir." "Mr. President," said Aoife, "may I interrupt." President Ryan nodded. "His problem is that Mr. Jameson, the owner of Hill Top Manor, is a good friend of his. He may not be aware of this side of Jameson's operations. The second problem is that his religious beliefs stand in the way of even accepting the possibility of psionic ability. Isn't that correct?" "Telepathy and psionic powers are all musings of fiction writers," replied the man, heatedly. "Whenever it is used as an explanation of events, it is by people who are seeking fortune and fame." "If that is true, then how did I know about your relationship with Mr. Jameson? Didn't you hide that when you were interviewed for the position on the President's staff?" He started to deny it, then said, "Yes, I did. It wasn't relevant to the position." "I'll bet Master Jameson enjoyed all those stories you told about the intrigue among President Ryan's staff." "I have never divulged any classified information." "How many reputations did you trash with your stories?" "I only told what happened and let others make the judgments." "Have you figured out how I knew that, yet?" replied Aoife. "Just a lucky guesses!" replied the staff member, tartly. "Perhaps. Let's go a step back in time. Were you surprised when your college classmate killed herself?" He gasped. "Do you think that was a lucky guess? Did you feel avenged after abusing and raping her for a week?" The man's face was contorted in anger. He opened his mouth to speak but didn't. "But you didn't stop there," continued Aoife. "You left her tied up on campus totally exposed. Her body covered in welts and cuts from the whippings you gave her. Who did the tattoos? It didn't end like you planned did it." His head nodded slightly as he starred at her in shock. "She was found by another student who summoned campus police well before classes started." "None of that is true. She had a reputation for being easy." "Yes, there was that rumor. You know you are the one who started it, right before you kidnapped her. In your eyes, her crime was turning you down for a date several times. It bothered you that she did so in front of your friends." The staff members anger grew. His face was covered in sweat. Dark stains of sweat began to show on his clothes. He suddenly said, "The bitch was a slut, and deserved everything that happened to her." "So do you admit to torturing and raping her?" The man just starred at Aoife. His anger barely under control. "There is only one way I could know all of this. I could only know this by reading your memories. I could go into details, but they would make many of us sick. It didn't make you sick though. You rejoiced when she screamed, especially when you branded her." The man stood there looking at the group as he tried to think of some response to blunt the accusations. He began to speak several times before apparently deciding not to as he realized any response could disclose more of the event. "So, do you now believe in telepathy?" asked Aoife. The man continued to stare at her. "Well I guess your silence means you do not. So now, we'll give a psionic demonstration." Without moving, Aoife, Sally and Terry mentally reached out toward the man. They pulled his arms straight out from his shoulders, as he struggled to resist. Those watching only saw his arms slowly move to extend straight out. His mouth was open, as if he was hollering, but there was no sound. A long knife appeared floating in the air between him and Aoife. Untouched the knife floated toward him. His fear was clearly evident in his expression and the sweat rolling off his body. Several people gasped when the knife first touched his clothes. A dark spot formed on the front of his pants then down each leg. The knife quickly floated over and around him. As the knife moved his clothes separated and fell to the ground. Before long he was naked with his clothes now in small pieces around his shoes and his piss could be seen running down his legs. "Do you believe in psionic ability now?" said Aoife, as they released the mans arms. The man quickly pulled his hands down in front of his crotch and turned a bright red. "Mr. President, my apologies for almost loosing control," continued Aoife. "I think everyone would be more comfortable if one of your secret service agents took this thing somewhere out of our sight. The sight of him seems to be making some in your group ill. You will find that his DNA matches that obtained from the girl when she was first found on campus." President Ryan nodded to the head of the Secret Service detail, who moved swiftly to cuff the mans hands behind his back and then push him from the area. President Ryan looked at the others he had asked to stay. "Does anyone else have any reservations about the information?" President Ryan noticed one staff member looking very nervous. "You," he said pointing, "how much did you know about this?" "I only saw a proposal similar to what Sarah and James described, sir. I knew you wouldn't agree with it, and advised them of your expected position. There was no indication from the agency that they were proceeding with the plan." "You will tell Mr. Murphy's staff everything you know. Nothing is to be withheld for any reason. Understood?" "Yes, sir." "If your statements are found true, you may get to keep your job," said President Ryan, tersely. His anger was apparent to everyone. "Mr. President," said Clarence, "you seem to have some concerns about who should go to the building." He nodded. "There are some very good people with the Federal Marshals Office and in Mr. Murphy's office. They are fairly isolated from political influence, which I think was your concern about the DC police. A detachment of Marine MP's could secure the building, and leave Mr. Murphy's office to handle the rest." "You know how many noses will be bent over that?" "I have an idea. My feeling is tough shit." Several laughed. "Sir, the other people trapped in the building should probably be released before too long." The President turned to Mr. Murphy, and said, "Clarence used to work for you, what do you think of his proposal?" "The only difficulty is finding a Marine detachment on short notice. We can have the Marshals and evidence technicians there pretty quickly, once we are done here." "Sir," said Adam, "there is a Marine detachment at Andrews AFB that would probably be available on short notice. I suspect they couldn't be assigned there very long without some other complications, but it would get things moving." "Adam, right?" said the President Ryan. "Yes, sir." "That is a good idea, and there is also a special Air Police unit there, as well." The President paused for a moment, as he looked at his guests, "Órarduine, I am greatly embarrassed by the actions of these countrymen, who are apparently employed by the government. We deeply regret this incident. I hope that you will not hold this incident against us. As I have said to many others when speaking of your group, it is the wish of many of us that we be friends. I sincerely believe that is the case for most of us. Again, please accept our apology for this incident. You can rest assured all of those involved will be prosecuted, and learn first-hand what jail is like." "We accept your apology," said Sally. "Many of us were former citizens of this nation, and we believe your sincerity and understand your problems. We can only hope a situation like this does not happen again, to anyone. We are concerned that, if there is a next time for us, we may not be willing or able to act in such a restrained manner." "If it was my family, I am not sure I would have been so restrained this time," replied President Ryan. "Tonight, I will have the medical data collected on your security team destroyed." "We are not concerned about the medical information," replied Judy. "It would probably be better to make all of it available to the medical community. Besides, it is doubtful it could all be destroyed. This way, the medical community will have a known reference point. Having factual information may correct some of the invalid perceptions about our species." "Good point," replied the President, with a bit of a surprised look on his face. "Unfortunately, those spreading misinformation usually don't let facts stand in their way. Is there anything else?" Sally replied, "Only that Mr. Murphy might want to send some attorneys, Marshals and evidence technicians to Jameson's estate." "That would be really dicey," replied Mr. Murphy, "as I've tangled with his legal staff before." "You definitely shouldn't have a problem this time. You already have cause to search the site because of the intercepted classified data. You should find more than enough evidence to support charges of enslavement, rape, torture, fraud and possibly murder. Our Intelligence department is currently scanning and tabulating the evidence. By morning, we will provide you with an index of the evidence that should give you a sound basis for your actions." As Sally spoke, Mr. Murphy looked at her with a shocked expression. "The evidence you find will not be tainted by our assistance." Turning to the President, Sarah said, "Mr. President, that pretty well covers what we wanted to share with you. We would prefer that no one give detailed descriptions of our psionic demonstration." "I am sure they won't. On a lighter note," replied President Ryan, "the concert this evening was fantastic. Beyond the Stars choir lived up to their reputation. Thanks for bringing it to us. I am puzzled as to why you moved here from the Performing Arts Center." "Well, we weren't going to bring it up," said Alison. "We moved here for several reasons. Ever since the Kennedy Center concert announcement, we were presented with numerous changes in requirements that had to be met. We were aware that INS was planning raising issues regarding passports and work permits. During this time, labor unions told us we had to join the performing artists union. We were also told that we had to hire their stage hands to do all of the site preparations. Issues were also raised by EPA, CDC and OSHA. These were in response to letters, they received about several aspects of the performance and our arrival. So we just opted not to perform there. We leased this stadium. We contracted with them to provide the grounds and usher staff for one evening and here we are. The FEDEX stadium staff has been very helpful. Yes we could have had the same problems here but fortunately we didn't." "That is outrageous," replied the President. "As we are somewhat familiar with politics here, we suspect someone was using the INS, EPA and OSHA in an attempt to learn more about us. Knowing what we do now, we suspect it was the group behind the kidnapping attempt. We feel, we have been very open about our background, history and intent. As we noted earlier, several members of our security team voluntarily went through the planned physical testing. We think our capabilities are evident from what we are doing and how we move around." "What was done was totally out of line! Even though it is after the fact, my Chief of Staff will look into this tomorrow. We are all embarrassed again by the actions of others. Your group has done a lot to assist our citizens, and those of other countries, in their time of extreme need. As a small token of our appreciation, would you join us at the White House next Friday, for dinner." "We presume you are referring primarily to the choir," replied Sarah, "which will make things kind of tight, because of their performances in Boston." "Yes, but the decision on who comes lies with you. In light of that lets postpone the visit until a week after your Boston performances." "That would be fine, and thank you for accommodating us. Considering everything, we would like to arrive directly on the White House lawn." "I don't think I see that as a problem. So, we will see you in two weeks on Friday evening, at about 6 or so. I will have my secretary call you tomorrow to resolve any details." Several staff members had pained looks on their faces. President Ryan saw one, and told him to make sure his calendar was adjusted and mentioned that he knew where to find him, if it was necessary, to resolve any conflict. "James," said Mr. Murphy, "I'm trying to call the Federal Marshals Office, but I don't seem to have a signal on my phone." "You should have one in a moment." "Why is that?" "This area was electronically isolated while we were talking. You should have a signal now, but remember, sound carries a long ways down on the field." James heard him say, "This is Murphy. We've had a major incident involving the Órarduine, specifically the Beyond the Stars choir. It was caused by a group working for one of our intelligence agencies. The major culprits are trapped in a secure building, since the building has gone into an automatic lock down mode. We need a team of marshals there within the hour. They are not to enter until the evidence technicians arrive. He made another call, beginning the same way and asking the person to have a half dozen evidence technicians at the secure building, and he then mentioned that immediately was not too soon. His third call was to arrange for attorneys to immediately go to the building. "Mr. President," asked Mr. Murphy, "how are we going to arrange for the Marine detachment?" "They will be on their way there shortly. I called the Marine Commandant while you were on the phone." "Good evening, Mr. President," said Sarah, as she saw him preparing to leave. "All of us are looking forward to seeing you in two weeks." "Sarah," replied the President, "we really enjoyed Beyond the Stars this evening. Again, thanks for the concert." "James," said Mr. Murphy, with two of the secret service agents next to him, "we would like to see where the events here took place." James replied, "Sure. Briana, would you show these gentlemen the locker room and dock where activity took place?" Briana looked carefully at all three men, before saying, "This way please." As they headed for the entrance to the locker room, Eltha and Cass joined them, along with two cloaked security team members. The Órarduine Security Teams watched as the guests that remained with President Ryan left for their transportation. As soon as the field was clear of guests, the stadium crew joined the choir's crew and began to break down the VIP area. The crew were just finishing clearing the VIP area, when Briana, Mr. Murphy and the two agents returned from the locker room. The group stood and quietly watched the shuttle settle down in front of the stage in the area where the VIP seating had been. The rear door opened and a ramp extended down to the ground. At that point, the stage began to fold up, in preparation for entering the shuttle. The stadium crew and those with Mr. Murphy watched, spellbound, as the stage folded up and the sound system folded into a large box-like container. Two of the choir's ground crew gently pushed the stage up into the shuttle's bay. This was followed by the sound system, after which the shuttle's door closed. "Aoife," said Mr. Murphy, "I would have never suspected that a man would react that way to a woman, just because she turned him down." "When you read his case file," said Aoife, "I think you will see why. He is one of those that believe most women, and many men, are just objects to serve or be used by him. It is unfortunate that there seem to be a growing number of people who have this attitude toward others. Maybe, they are just more obvious now." Mr. Murphy looked at the Órarduine around him, and said, "Thanks for the concert. It is unfortunate it was tarnished by the other events. I look forward to seeing all of you at the White House." The two agents with him nodded their concurrence. "We enjoyed having all of you here," said Aoife. Command staff, along with the others in their group, watched as the three men walked toward the exit. "Let's go," said Sarah, as she walked over to their waiting shuttle. As Sarah and Aoife reached the shuttle, a red dot momentarily flashed on the back of their heads. Instantly, a flash of light streaked from the shuttle overhead toward two seats high in the stadium. There were two brief screams which ended with a loud pop. "I guess," said Dantry, "I should tell the Stadium ground crew about the mess on the upper stadium level, as it will be easier to clean up before it dries." Dantry left for a few moments to tell the ground crew about the problem. "Alpha6, why the quick response?" asked Sally. "We noticed them earlier, while you were meeting with the President and his group. We did not see anything that appeared to be a weapon, so we were shocked to see Sarah and Aoife spotted with a laser beam. There was only time to respond. They were two members of a group in the audience that didn't seem to be there for the concert." "I wonder why they would flash a laser beam?" "They may have done it to see what our response would be, " said Rusty. "Where did the others go?" "They left the stadium in groups of two when most of the crowd left. Each of them is now wearing one of our trackers." "It will be interesting to see where they go." ------- As Alpha1 lifted off from FEDEX stadium, Rusty said, "Shannon, how are Nicola and Alana's teams doing?" "They are on their way to Comrie, along with 20 people from Master Jameson's place. There are sixteen women and 4 men. Six of the women were serving staff. The others were Jameson's office staff. All of them are college graduates." "The serving staff were college graduates?" exclaimed Tara. "How did you come up with that so quickly?" "To answer your last question first, we did a quick memory scan on all the staff as soon as the security teams arrived. This time, it was a good choice. I think you will agree when you've seen the data." "Before I continue, let me caution you that this information is preliminary, so there will likely be some corrections by tomorrow. Yes, all of the staff are college graduates. They have either a Masters or Doctorate in Business Administration, in addition to a technical degree. All of them came to work at Jameson's main office by a very similar route. They started their career by working for one of Jameson's companies directly out of college. They worked at several different companies Jameson controls before being offered a position at one of the holding companies. After a year or so there, they were offered a chance to move to the corporate office. They were told that, since the corporate office was rather remote, all of their living expenses would be covered. Just before leaving for their new position, they were each asked to give the corporate office manager signing authority over their financial accounts. This was portrayed as making it easier for the employee, since there weren't any banks or towns near headquarters. Buried in the pile of papers to sign was a cleverly-worded power of attorney, giving Master Jameson control over all aspects of their lives. The power of attorney effectively made him their guardian, and was transferable at the discretion of the current holder." "This sounds similar to some other cases." "It is, while at the same time, it is a little different. Everyone was brought to headquarters to work as business mangers, and they did. Many worked odd hours, due time differences with the units they monitored. For the first few days after a new person arrived, the dress code was pretty standard, from their standpoint. Then, over several days, things became more provocative by Earth's standards. As time progressed, their clothes were replaced with those normally worn. From what we can tell, they never consciously noticed the change. The normal dress was high heels for the women, with very short skirts, and transparent blouses or simply a scooped neck chemise that reached just below their crotch. The men wore only translucent shorts, casual button-down shirts, and loafers. No underwear was permitted. Women could wear a thong only during their monthly period." "Most adapted quite well to the change in lifestyle. The records show that the few who didn't adapt soon left, although disappeared is probably a better characterization. We are trying to determine what happened to them. Those who worked, and completed their assignments correctly, were permitted quite a bit of leeway in satisfying their strong sexual appetite. In fact, they were encouraged to satisfy their needs whenever the mood struck them. At the manor, they have a sensory deprivation tank, stocks, a whipping post, mechanical dildos, electric stimulators and a multitude of bondage accessories. While these can be used to cause humiliation and pain, it seems that their use was reasonably consensual." "That is strange phrasing. What do you mean by 'reasonably consensual'?" asked Sally. "According to their memories, they used the bondage devices with another staff member because they felt they wanted to. We attribute that, partially, to the drugs in their food, but it was more likely due to their conditioning. A few of the staff were punished in front of everyone, using the same devices, but their memories indicate they sought the punishment. The punishments were at times quite severe, but left them without any visible scars. Electricity can be very stimulating, but can also be so painful you will do most anything for relief." "Another puzzling thing is that everyone's memories show that they went to a clinic for a physical about a month before assuming their new positions. They have hardly any memory of their time at the clinic for the physical. We want to explore that more tomorrow, but it is strange." "Other tidbits are: body jewelry was encouraged; tongue post and tongue rings were sometimes a form of punishment. With that kind of mouth jewelry, a person usually has trouble speaking. If their jobs required much speaking, their performance would suffer. These individuals would then become the site toy, with limited refusal rights and work as a part of the household staff." "There was some turnover in staff. In most cases, Jameson assigned one of his staff to a customer or one of the company managers. These individuals then left with the recipient, after a session with Dr. Schwartz. Only a few of the individuals have been back after leaving on the new assignment. Those were only ones who left with a manager. Before each person left on their new assignment, they usually disappeared for a few days. When they were seen again, they seemed to be more compliant. There were also subtle physical changes, as well, to their breasts, vagina, mouth, tongue, nose and cock." "Was Jameson transferring guardianship when these individuals left?" "We aren't certain, but there are indications he was." "We take it Dr. Schwartz gave the treatments to turn them into sex slaves or toys?" "Well, Anessa, the butler, thinks so. The changes were not outrageous. Enough to make them very good eye candy, and very willing do their new owners bidding. Her view of the conditioning was that the person would do whatever the person they were assigned to requested." "So he was basically selling people into slavery?" "Yes. We believe that is correct. The information we have is fuzzy as to the individuals status on their new assignments." "How did the staff react to the opportunity to leave with us?" asked Joyce. "All accepted but their responses varied. We offered them the opportunity to go to Comrie, as usual, and most of them seemed relieved to have the opportunity. A few hesitated before saying they wanted to go. We know all of them are pleased to be away from Jameson's." "Is there enough evidence to clearly expose Jameson's shenanigans?" said Sarah. "Yes, we think so. We made sure the encryption keys were easy to find." "James and Clarence, would you assist Shannon, Danny and Lydia in writing this up so the AG's office can act on this information." "It would be a pleasure," said both James and Clarence. "Knowing how well Shannon and her group work, we should have it done well before Mr. Murphy is in his office tomorrow." "By the way, what about those still at the estate?" "They went to bed and will probably sleep late tomorrow." Just as they finished talking, three of the shuttles reached Dóchas, with the other three returning to An Clochán. "Boy, it's good to be home," said Sarah. "It sure is," responded everyone on the six shuttles. As the group exited the shuttles, they were met by their spouses and children. ------- It was two days later when Chantel the AI at Comrie said, "Sarah's Clan, sorry to bother you." "You are not a bother, Chantel. We suspect you have a problem." "I think so. The group from Jameson's doesn't seem to be fitting in like our other guests have. Nicola and Alana's Clans have been down to visit twice. Their time together appears to be quite relaxed, and it appears everyone enjoys the time together. Once the two clans leave, our guests from Jameson's seem to withdraw. They are not unfriendly when approached by our other residents. It is almost like they are waiting for something." "Chantel," said Claudette, "I am curious as to why you chose us to assist with this?" "The database Donna provided me indicates that your group dealt with a slightly similar situation several years ago. There isn't any firm reason for my concern with this group, it is just an anomaly." "Are Nicola or Alana's Clans there now?" asked Terry. "No. I think they had planned on returning this afternoon." "We will be down right after lunch. Let us know immediately if the situation changes." "Judy," said Sarah, "do you know if the group completed their physicals, after they arrived?" "Partially. The autodocs completed their physicals right after they arrived. None of them have come back to see the medical staff. All of them are in excellent physical shape. Several women show signs of recent growth in their busts. The men have had some increase in the tissue in their penis. Without further evaluation, it is not clear whether it is an increase in length, girth or both." "Let's take our children and go down early this afternoon, to enjoy the pool," said Joyce. "Agreed," replied all the spouses. ------- "Lydia, when do we expect the interstellar probes to be back?" asked Siobhan. "All four should return within the next two months." "Isn't that earlier than we expected?" "Yes, it is." "Do we have any data from them yet?" "Only that all four found stars with planets that fit our criteria," replied Lydia. "The probes were programmed to only advise us of success or failure. They won't transmit their data until they are much closer. This minimized the size and power requirements." "I remember the discussions we had when Engineering first presented the proposed design for the interstellar probes and the long-range shuttles. Some of them were pretty elaborate." "Yes, they were. Engineering has since configured two long-range shuttles. These will take a small group to check out two of the best choices, based on the probes' data. Both have been tested and are on standby. Plans are to have them travel together." "I saw that. The crews are ready to go as soon as we have the data and make a choice." "So you think there will be a choice," asked Shannon, joining the conversation. "Most definitely, unless one of the choices is a perfect match to our criteria," replied Siobhan. "Even then we should check more than one location. We should send the interstellar probes out again, since this is something we don't want to rush." "There are times when I feel like we can't leave this solar system soon enough," said Muireann, "especially when we come across someone like Craigly or Jameson." "There are many wonderful people on Earth," responded Shannon. "Oh ... I agree," responded Muireann. "We have had some of them join us. It's just that sometimes the bad obscures the good." "Shannon," said Siobhan, "the Intelligence Group did a great job in pulling all the data together on Jameson's operation for Mr. Murphy. You have really done a great job." "Thanks. I think all of us would prefer not to see any more cases along these lines." "Muireann, was Mr. Murphy able to use what you put together?" asked Sally. "Yes. It was only because we had Clarence and James' guidance and assistance as we pulled things together. We ended up providing them with overviews of the data in two parts, because we ran out of time. Mr. Murphy and the attorneys working on the case were ecstatic, as there was no doubt about the validity of the evidence. The group with Dr. Schwartz, and those at Hilltop Manor, have all been very cooperative with the Justice Department. Dr. Schwartz and Mistress Jameson have been pretty arrogant when talking about the treatments given to those who came to work at Jameson's office." "To me, the Jameson's and Craigly's have a lot in common with other self-righteous groups seen on Earth," said Lydia. "They saw it as their right to use those around them however they wanted. They stroked their own egos daily by having a group of brilliant and beautiful people at their beck and call. A group that because of their conditioning would do anything requested of them. Visually, they were reminded everyday of their control by the way their staff dressed. By the staffs willingness to wearing the sexually provocative clothing. By seeing the staff members tails hanging from their butt plugs bouncing as they walked. The Jamesons enjoyed the visual delights their staff provided them as they took frequent breaks to sexually satisfy each other. During these breaks, the Jamesons would frequently participate." "If the surrounding community found out about what was going on, there would have been an up- roar." "Ah, but there wasn't." "Jameson chose this site because of the natural isolation created by the terrain. You're right, the prolific sex and open nudity in many areas would have caused an uproar. Not because anyone was hurt, but because of a perceived morality issue. Very likely they would have missed the true issue, and focused on the visible issues of nudity and sex. While, the true issue of non-consensual control would go unnoticed." "So, to spin your comments another way, morality is not about nakedness, sex, drunkenness or similar activities, but the way you interact with each other." "Yes, I think so. Although I will need to think through the implications of what you said for a while." "To expand a bit more, I think the people on Earth have chosen to establish morality on a visual basis, rather than on an intellectual level. In general, they used laws to forbid some aspect of visual social interaction. These laws were justified, at times, by basing them on an interpretation of currently-popular religious writings. Often these laws don't stop the social interaction. When the interaction doesn't stop, those that passed the law become intent on enforcing compliance. At some point, some groups seize this as an opportunity to make money, by providing protection and possibly an environment for the forbidden activity. Some examples of this would be prostitution, recreational drugs including alcohol, and etc." "You're referring to what is sometimes referred to as 'victimless' crimes." "Yes, and it seems that many times, the burdens fall more heavily on females than on males. More heavily on those who are down on their luck. From my perspective, Earth females take the brunt because of their limited choices to earn money, especially when they have just a few skills. Due to breeding, Earth women usually don't have sufficient physical strength to work in physically demanding jobs which pay better, even if their culture would let them. With the exception of some very old cultures, such as the Celts, cultures have always placed women in roles of serving men, and then justified this on a religious basis." "I see what you're driving at," said Siobhan. "If this is true, then the differentiation between genders would seem to be due to both physical differences and cultural effects. The physical aspects would be hard to change. The cultural issues could be resolved, but if that is to happen, it must come from within. Even then, change likely needs to be driven by a catastrophic event. Our blessing is that, in our species, both genders are equal in terms of capability, even though our individual abilities differ. We also don't erect artificial barriers to enjoying life." "Interesting observations," said Maureen. "Most of us were born and raised on Earth. However, we have all assimilated the values and traits of our new species and culture. In our family of nearly 8000, we don't see any evidence of envy or jealousy among us. Is this because of telepathy? Is this because we have a different view of God, life and each other? There are other characteristics of humans that are not bad, until excessively glorified. This seems not to be the case with us. Again, is it because we are telepathic?" "Maybe we ought to explore this topic with Amy's Clan," added Sally. "To me, jealousy is a character flaw, and envy can be depending on the context." "Why don't we talk about the apparent lack of jealousy and envy among us at one of our evening meetings?" suggested Shannon. "We see it in Earth's culture. We experienced it when we lived on Earth as humans. It seems we should seek to understand what has changed." "How would we get it started?" asked Lydia. "Well one way is to replay our discussion here and then have an open discussion. We would need to put a time limit on it, but we could continue the discussion over to the network, in a chat room. After a week, several people could get together and summarize the points made." "I think we ought to hold off until after the picnic at the White House," said Siobhan. "Agreed," replied the others. ------- Sarah's Clan prepared to leave Dóchas for Comrie right after lunch, with an excited group of children. Kennocha, one of the nannies for Sarah's clan said, "By the way the children are acting, you would think we don't have a swimming pool here, or on An Clochán." "Silly, you know why," replied Karen, as she playfully tapped Kennocha on the shoulder. "They're excited because it's different from their usual outing. Besides it has been a couple of months since they have been to Comrie." "Yes, I know. Their excitement, though, is contagious and lightens the mood of everyone." The group boarded Alpha1 and were soon on their way to Comrie. ------- "Anessa is anticipating our arrival," said Aoife, as Alpha1 approached Comrie. "Wasn't she the butler at Hilltop Manor," replied Sarah. "Yes. She thinks we are their new Masters and Mistresses." "Why would she think that?" "My guess," said Judy, "is that it's the result of her psychological conditioning by Dr. Schwartz, which makes her feel she needs guidance from someone she views as superior, for activities relating to her personally, though when work is involved then she feels she is equal to anyone. The initial medical evaluation indicates, she is naturally telepathic." "She doesn't realize she is telepathic?" said Tara. "No, she doesn't," replied Judy. "She attributes those characteristics to intuition, which is not surprising, considering the way telepathy is regarded on Earth. You almost need for the ability to hit you over the head before you realize what you have, and then you are scared someone will notice." "True." "Karen," said Sally, "would you all take the children swimming?" "Sure. Are you coming?" "Yes. We will be there shortly. There is a group waiting to meet us, and it could take some time to get things sorted out." "Is this the issue Chantel was concerned about?" "It probably is." ------- Chapter 115 Alpha1 settled down toward arrival area at Comrie, until it was hovering just above the grass. Anessa stood with the rest of the Hilltop Manor group, quietly watching its approach. Once Alpha1 stabilized its position, the door opened allowing the children to hurriedly exit. As soon as their feet hit the ground, they made a dash for the pool, with several women hurrying to keep up. The last to exit were several older children, who noticed the group standing nearby. Together they said, "You must be waiting for our parents. They will be out in a moment. Would you remind them about swimming when you are done? They don't get to play very much." The children's comment caused many in the group with Anessa to smile, as they watched them rush to join the rest of the children headed toward the pool. They were followed by four women, each of whom was carrying two babies. As Sarah and Aoife stepped out together and said, "Hello, Anessa," as their clan followed them out of Alpha1. "I've never seen you before. How do you know my name?" replied Anessa, before she realized what she said. She began to blush, as she bowed her head. "You told us. Or, didn't you know you were telepathic." Anessa's head jerked up, and she looked at Sarah and Aoife like she thought they were crazy. She then said, "No one is telepathic." Anessa thought to herself, "This is not going the way I expected. Oh, my, they are all so beautiful. I hope they will accept me as their slave. It feels so good to be near them. Now, I know what it feels like to be in the presence of a true Mistress and Master. Oh, how I yearn to be their slave." "Thank you for the compliment," replied Sarah. "Relax. We see you as a very beautiful person inside and out. We are pleased that your group chose to come here while deciding your future goals." Anessa looked startled, and stared at Sarah. She knew she heard Sarah speak, since it was her voice, but her lips did not move. "Yes, Anessa, it is me speaking to you telepathically. This is an ability you probably haven't realized you had until now. Now, relax. We will talk more about this ability in a moment." "First, let me say that we are pleased to have all of you at Comrie," said Rusty, drawing Anessa's attention way from her non-verbal exchange with Sarah. When Anessa's attention focused on Rusty, she felt her cunt swell and moisten, and thought, "Oh my, he is so handsome. I love them all. I would be blessed if they accept me as their slave but that is just a dream for I am not worthy to be in their service." Anessa hadn't realized the extent of her arousal until a trickle of cunt cream began to run down her leg. "Good afternoon, my name is Rusty, and our group, including the children, are known as Sarah's Clan." He then introduced each of his spouses. "Anessa, we are pleased that you and your friends trusted Nicola and Alana's clans enough accept their invitation to come here. All of you are welcome to stay until you have recovered from your experiences at Hilltop Manor and decided on your future." While Rusty had been speaking, their clan had walked over to Anessa's group. It was clear from the expressions of Anessa's group that they were in awe of them. Rusty continued, "We suspect all of you have realized your perceptions of Hill Top Manor have changed. This is in part due to not receiving the daily dose of drugs that were included in your diet. There maybe some complications due to the way our medical staff removed your dependency on those drugs. Our staff will assist you if you need some help in reestablishing your own perspective. Please do not hesitate to talk to our medical staff, anyone here or your friends if you feel confused about anything. We want you to again be a whole person." Sarah continued with, "We think most of you realize that you were given some medical treatments before joining Jameson at Hill Top Manor. Each of you need to discuss the effects of those treatments with our medical staff. The information we found at Jameson's and in Dr. Schwartz's files show that no consideration was given to the long term effect of the treatments they gave you. The changes made to your bodies will have some long term health and well being implications. You need to decide how you want manage the impact of those treatments on you. Our medical staff can make recommendations that will resolve the long term implications to your health, but will not force you to accept any treatments. What is done is your choice. Once you have sorted out your health issues, you need to decide on your future. Anyone of us will assist you in any way we can. Nicola and Alana's clans enjoy your company and are proud to consider you their friends. So, what can we do for you?" Anessa looked at each of her group, hoping someone would speak up. She could tell by the looks on their faces that they were waiting for her to respond to Rusty and Sarah. "I am not sure where to begin," replied Anessa, finally. She then continued, "First, let me introduce the rest of my friends." As she introduced each member of her group, she began to relax. "Sarah's Clan," said Anessa, after the introductions, "we don't know what you have planned for us. We are deeply indebted to you for our rescue." She paused, so as to gather her thoughts. "Since I have been here, I can see that Jameson only saw us as another object to be used for his benefit. We are thankful for the last two days of rest here. The atmosphere here is so different from Hill Top Manor or actually any place I've been. It is so relaxing. The scenery is beautiful." "Since, we have been here, we have been intimate with each other and those who rescued us. Our intimacy now feels so natural. When we were at Hill Top Manor, I always felt driven to engage in sexual activity and my need was never fully quenched. For me, and I suspect the others, this is the first time we have been able to really relax since we went to work at Jameson's headquarters." "It troubles me, that everyone here has treated us as an equal and has readily accepted us into this community. We sense their sincerity in welcoming us, but no one has told us how or who we are to serve. We know that we are nothing more than highly educated and trained sex slaves. It is now clear that you are the Master and Mistresses for whom we have been waiting. I hope the delay in coming to claim us is not because any of us have offended you. Master and Mistresses, your question as to what you could do for me only adds to my confusion." "Sarah's Clan, please accept me as your slave. I will faithfully serve you in any manner you desire. I believe my friends feel the same way." "She didn't comprehend Rusty's comments," said Aoife. "It is like she is not thinking or analyzing what Rusty and Sarah said. She believes she is here to be our servant-slave." Sarah, asked in a firm voice, "Do all of you feel as Anessa does?" Everyone nodded their heads. "Why do you feel compelled to serve us?" Anessa waited, hoping someone else would answer, then after a few moments, she said, "I am not sure how to answer." "Anessa," said Alison, "you seem to be the only one in your group willing to speak. Please tell us why you believe you are to be our slaves. Perhaps sharing how you came to work for Jameson at Hill Top Manor. We know some details from the data our Intelligence group has gathered, but we lack your insight." Anessa frowned for a moment, while she pondered how to respond to Alison's request. "I am not sure where to begin. Perhaps Alison's suggestion is the best way to begin." With that, Anessa began telling her story, with her graduating college with a BS in Electrical Engineering and a MBA in Project Management. She briefly described her various jobs in Jameson's organization, prior to being offered a position at his headquarters. One of the requirements for accepting the new position was an extensive physical at a company operated clinic. After the physical, she realized she felt different but until now couldn't identify what it was. She was now sure that the visit to the company clinic had lasted considerably longer than she remembered and it was more than just a physical. Anessa described her first meeting with Jameson, and the life style she found at his headquarters. She described her initial duties and responsibilities as a staff member. She marveled at how easily she fit into the culture and casual intimacy. She reviewed the events that occurred just before she was assigned the position of butler and the relief she felt in no longer hosting Jameson's visitors. "After seeing the information you recovered from Hilltop Manor," continued Anessa, "it is now clear to me that Jameson duped us into believing he was our Master. Alana and Nicola's clans represent, to me, and I guess us, that of angels. Being without guidance the last two days, has made me realize how much I need a new Master, but I didn't know how to find one. When I saw your ship began its approach, I knew your Clan would be my new Mistresses and Master. All my instincts tell me that serving your Clan would be a blessing. I will fully submit to your clan. I question my worthiness, but that is your decision, not mine. I am just a well-educated slave, and thanks to Jameson, an experienced slut for you to use as you desire." With that, Anessa knelt before Sarah's Clan, and bowed until her head touched the ground. "Oh, my word," said Aoife, "she really thinks they are here to be our slaves. Since we haven't taken control or provided direction, they aren't sure how to respond or interact with the others here." Anessa's expression indicated she had heard Aoife. "Anessa, please rise. We will now consider your servitude," said Rusty. Anessa rose with her face glowing in happiness. "As a first step, you will answer our questions frankly. Each of you must speak up if you disagree with the comments anyone else makes. Doing otherwise is not acceptable!" "Why haven't you seen the presentations that tell about our history, how we arrived here and our plans for the future?" "We weren't sure those commands came from our Masters," replied Anessa, with many others nodding their agreement. "Judy told us that none of you had been back to see the doctors after your initial physical. Why haven't you completed your health check?" "Again, we weren't sure our Master and Mistresses would want us to," replied Anessa, softly. She took a deep breath, then added, "I was afraid." Tears streamed down her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I was scared of what might be done to me." "Ladies and gentlemen," said Sarah, "we can understand why you are apprehensive. You serve our needs and those of our family best by knowing us and ensuring your health. There are several reasons for how you feel and your fear of the clinic. These are the result of the subtle conditioning you received before going to Hilltop Manor. The drugs you received with your meals after the clinic reinforced that conditioning. As Rusty said earlier, you are no longer receiving those drugs. Anessa, you are right about your trip to the company clinic being longer than it seemed. Our data indicates that for most of you it lasted a full month. While you were in the company clinic, you received several treatments. You don't remember them because you were either sedated or encouraged not to remember." "The treatments you received had two aspects to them. One was to alter your physical appearance. These were accomplished by injecting areas of your body with growth factors, as well as adding some co-factors and hormones in your diet. For females the result of those: Your bust was enlarged at least two cup sizes. Your vaginal lips are larger and more sensitive. Your clit is more pronounced. For the males: Your cock was increased in girth and length. Your testicles doubled in size. You now ejaculate more fluid and recover more quickly. Both males and females were sensitized, so you became aroused with only a little physical contact." "The second aspect was psychological conditioning. The purpose of the conditioning was to reduce your inhibitions, increase your sensitivity to arousal, and to make you see Jameson as your Master." "These combined so that your increased sensitivity to arousal and conditioning, augmented your increased need for sexual release. With your reduced inhibitions and increased arousal level, you were driven to engage in virtually any suggested sexual activity, with neither restraint nor remorse. All of you quickly found that there was greater satisfaction in gaining sexual release when at least two people were involved. If none was suggested, you would likely do the first thing that came to mind." As Sarah was speaking, many in the group nodded when she made each point. "If you had seen the presentations," said Jill, "you would know that voluntary slavery is acceptable in our culture. The key word is 'voluntary'. Your easy acceptance of becoming one of Jameson's slaves is a result of Dr. Schwartz's conditioning during your time in the corporations clinic. Jameson saw you as his property, his servant, his toy, to be used in any manner to further his empire's growth. In many ways, you were the puppets and Jameson, or one of his colleagues, was the puppet master." Claudette said, "We feel the first step that needs to be taken, is to undo your psychological conditioning. The simplest way for us to do this, is for us to enter your mind, telepathically. Before we begin, and since you haven't seen the presentations, we need to tell you a few things about us. We are telepathic. Anessa is telepathic, and we suspect many of you have that ability. As a society, we have no restrictions on personal interactions, as long as consent is freely given by all parties, and all participants are mature adults. In our species, once you are over 14 you are physically an adult. Beyond that, in our culture, to be considered an adult will depend on your maturity." "To sum it up, we have no problem with incest, homosexuality, bondage, slavery etc., as long as the behavior is consented to by all parties and they are an adult. If you want to have intercourse with a dog, donkey, horse or other animal, it is your choice. One other thing you may have noticed is that our families are referred to as clans. Each clan consists of several women and 1 or 2 men. Usually there are about 8 adults in a clan. A clan can be as small as 2 adults, but there are very few that small. The usual range is from four to 12. Our clan is unusual in that there are 15 adults, and those were our children you saw arriving with us." "We are yours to do with as you see fit," said Anessa, with her head bowed. "Any questions?" asked Erin, ignoring Anessa's response. While Sarah had been speaking, others in her clan monitored the group's responses to the information. "Now back to what we need to do to help you fully recover. The first step is to undo the mental conditioning that you received. Once your mind is freed from its conditioning, your perception of past events will likely undergo more changes. Your perception of your surroundings and desires will return to nearly the same as your preconditioned view. This effort will not deprive you of any memories. With this fresh perspective, you may feel embarrassed or humiliated by what you did. DON'T! You had little control in how you responded to your environment. Sex between consenting adults is to be enjoyed, as the emotions carried with it are both a blessing and a gift from the gods and goddesses. So think about how you felt and responded during those sexual interactions, and continue to engage in those that felt good and forget the others." "The removal of your conditioning will allow you to clearly choose your future. We recognize that all of you think of Anessa as your older sister. Again, she is a partially-active telepath. It was her subconscious use of that ability that allowed her to assist each of you. We will evaluate Anessa first. This is to determine what Dr. Schwartz did to her mind in order to modify her behavior. Once we understand that, we will then begin undoing it. As we undo it, she will sense us, and see what we are doing. By the time we are done, she will understand how her mind works, and have a clear perspective about what was done to alter her personality. This should avoid any long-lasting feelings of guilt. Our goal is to make each of you whole again rather than a submissive sex toy who would follow the whims of some Master. Let's be clear that, once Dr. Schwartz modified your thinking, you really had no real control over your sexual desires and emotional ties to others." "Would all of you please sit down or lie on the grass?" asked Judy. "This way, we will not need to worry about you falling." Sarah's Clan evaluated Anessa first, and found that she had already managed to work around some of the damage done to her mental connections by Dr. Schwartz's treatments. Once Sarah's Clan had reversed the damage, Sarah and Aoife took the lead to show her how to fully enable her telepathic ability. With her ability fully enabled, they then showed her how to manage it so she wasn't overwhelmed by the thoughts of those around her. Anessa beamed as she hugged and kissed each of Sarah's Clan. It was apparent to everyone from Anessa's expression that Sarah's Clan was successful. Sarah's Clan then split into groups of four, and began to work with the others in the group. Others in the group were more difficult, as Dr. Schwartz apparently modified her methodology after Anessa's conditioning. It took them several hours before everyone was restored. Everyone was shown how to enable their telepathic ability, and then how to manage it. Once Sarah's Clan had finished, they sat with their patients, and talked about the different aspects of telepathy and the closeness it gave their clan. They were surprised when their children brought over drinks for all of them. Several of the children kissed members of Anessa's group on the cheek, and told them that they looked much happier now. After consuming the drinks, everyone began to feel like they had more energy, at least enough to move around some more. "I feel wrung out," said Anessa, "and spent most of the time watching." Several in the group laughed, and nodded in agreement. It was clear from their body language, that they were all now very comfortable. "I feel different," said Rose. Many nodded agreement or murmured yes. "In fact, I don't think I have felt this comfortable in years." "You should feel different," replied Tara. "What we tried to do was guide your mind to undo the effects of Dr. Schwartz's conditioning. The intent of her conditioning was to block any behavioral patterns and personality traits that conflicted with the way they wanted you to act. Their goal was to have submissive staff members, who were addicted to the euphoria of sexual ecstasy. At the moment, your minds may still be a little cloudy, but they should clear as your mind reestablishes the links that were damaged or broken. As this takes place, you will have to decide which behavioral and personality traits you want to maintain. In some cases, it may not be an easy choice. You have had a lot of experiences since your visit to the company clinic to receive Dr. Schwartz's treatments. As you review those experiences, you will find some you like, and some you would rather not think about again. Of course, there will be some memories that fall in between the two extremes. We suggest you talk out anything thing that bothers you. Why? Because vocalizing tends to help clarify issues. For some things, you may find it easier to share with your friends who also had those experiences. In other cases, it may be easier to share with someone here, on Dóchas or at An Clochán." "Thank you," said Anessa, "for everything you have done for us." Everyone in the group loudly affirmed her comment. "Although I no longer feel compelled to be your slave, I find the thought of being your Clan's slave desirable. Yes, I know we would need to discuss it." "We would need to discuss it a lot," replied Alison, "after you have fully regained your perspective. I think you will find that our culture is very open, caring, loving, and intimate. Our open exchange using telepathy enhances those attributes." "We would strongly recommend that you complete the physicals you each received when you arrived here," said Judy. "I now see another reason why we didn't go back to see the doctors. We were scared," quickly replied Anessa. "Without realizing it, we had a latent fear that we would receive more unknown treatments. At the same time, we knew we should go." "I can assure you that whether or not you receive any more medical treatments will be your choice. My concern, as a doctor, is the long-term effects of the growth factor treatments you were given. We have seen, in other cases here, that growth factors were given without consideration to their overall effect on the body. This can lead to an unbalanced growth, which, in time, will cause serious problems." "I will go tomorrow," said Anessa. "Am I correct in thinking that some of you had experiences similar to ours?" "Quite a few in our family have had experiences which could be considered worse, and a few not as bad as those your group experienced." "Would it be possible to release some of those that Jameson gave away?" asked Anessa. "Anessa, you ask a question that is difficult to give a simple answer to. Basically, we don't have a problem with looking into the possibility of getting them released. Before anything is done, we need to determine whether they want to be released. From an outsiders point of view, these people willingly entered into their agreement with Jameson when they agreed to work at Jameson's headquarters. To their current masters, it is a moot point that their slaves didn't fully realize the implications of the contract. The legal documents are witnessed and recorded, and there are set procedures for reversing it. The initial guardianship document gave him the authority to legally transfer his guardianship to anyone he chose." "In this matter, we are all outsiders. Since we are considered space aliens, we are even more of an outsider, even though many of us were born on Earth. This makes any action taken by us, appear to be meddling in someone elses business and applying our standards. A better approach might be to identify them, and advise Mr. Murphy's office about their predicament and the circumstances surrounding it." "Before doing anything, we need to know, and be reasonably certain, that interceding is advisable. At the moment, we aren't certain how Dr. Schwartz prepared a person when they were given to someone else. If she was more thorough in her treatment of them, we are not certain we could restore their personality and behavioral traits. We had difficulty in reconnecting some of the broken links we found today. We think everything is fine, but we want to check how each of you is doing in a few days." "Why was Anessa easier to help?" asked one woman in the group. "It was because she was partially telepathic before her conditioning. When conditioning began, she mentally had two choices: fight, or go into siege mode to protect all she could. It appears to us that she initially chose siege mode, and then over time carefully pulled layers of that protection off." "I think that makes sense. I have to say that, before today, I never believed telepathy was anything but a fictional delusion." "Nicola and Alana's clans will be here later today. Discuss with them the idea of finding the others. They can help you gather the data. Before that you need to focus on your own recovery. Once both of those are accomplished, we can decide how to deal with the others you know of. One challenge you will face is separating what your preferences are from what is the best thing you can do for them. In some cases, they may be better off where they are, unless you transfer their ownership to a more responsible person." "Thank you for everything," said the group. "You have given us a lot to think about," replied Anessa. "I saw a few of them after they had been gone for a while. They were different. Nothing I could really put my finger on, except they were different. So, with that in mind, I understand why we need to consider the whole situation. Am I right in thinking that our telepathy can assist us in gathering the data to make a wise choice?" "Yes. It will help decide on a course of action. If a rescue is warranted, then it is likely some of you will need to participate in the rescue. This will make it easier to effect the rescue, as the person rescued will be cooperative." "I will assist in any way I can," replied Anessa, and several others in the group nodded their agreement. "Let's go swim," said Joyce. "Dinner will be ready shortly." "Who do we see about seeing the presentations?" asked Anessa. "Ask Chantel. She can set it up for you." The group had puzzled looks on their faces. "Chantel," said Alison, "is the site manager, who also happens to be a computer system, with a personality that some refer to as artificial intelligence. Her responsibility is to monitor the whole site, and to assist where needed. You can reach her anyplace around this group of buildings, just by saying her name. She only monitors the rooms from a safety perspective. That is, the sensors are tuned for screams, threatening sounds or other abnormalities. She can assist you with virtually anything. Just ask. If she can't, she will direct you to where you can get the help you need." "Wow," said several in the group. "Didn't anyone tell you about her?" "Yes," replied Rose, "but I don't think we understood, before you helped us sort out our thinking." "It was my impression," said Anessa, "that we could choose to join your species." "That is one choice," said Maeve. "Be sure to evaluate all of your choices fairly. Joining our species has a number of significant consequences." "It looks like your friends are arriving," said Janet, as she pointed to a shuttle coming into view. "Good," said several of the group from Hilltop Manor. ------- Three days before the concert at Boston's Bank of America Pavilion, the Pavilion manager called Chloe, to confirm their arrangements for the concert. He told her that the Mayor, and most of the City Council, would attend the first concert. Also attending would be the Governor of Massachusetts and his wife, along with several other members of the state's government. Other inquiries had been received from the Governor's offices in three neighboring states, but no requests for tickets. "We have room to accommodate them, don't we," replied Chloe. "If the inquiries turn into requests, then we won't have enough room." "Why is that?" "We are using quite a bit of the VIP area to accommodate some patients from the Childrens Hospital of Boston. The space needed for them has turned out to be more than we anticipated." "Why not enlarge the VIP area?" replied Brenda, as she joined the conversation. "That is not real easy to do." "Okay, how about putting the children on the stage, at the sides, being sure they don't block anyone's view." "We considered that, but then there wouldn't be enough room for the choir." "If we use our risers, we would have more space. We need to talk to our staff, but plan on us bringing our own risers." "Wait a minute," said Brenda, "why not have a special afternoon performance, just for the children? If we do that, all these problems go away, besides, then the children won't be up so late. Another advantage is that we can also accommodate more children, families and staff." "We are agreeable. I have to admit we considered that option, but you already agreed to one additional concert and we didn't think it was fair to ask for another. I don't see any problem with a concert at say 1 PM, but it will make it tight getting setup for the evening concert." "Then, let's do it late in the morning. Arrange to cater lunch, we will cover the cost. Also, admission will be free to the children, families, nurses and doctors. Let us know how much we owe you when the arrangements are finalized." "I don't suspect there will be any charges to bill you. I think everyone will want to donate their time." "So we're set, then," asked Chloe. "Yes. I'll let you know what time the hospital decides is best." "Guess we better tell the choir," said Brenda, after the phone call was completed. "We need to tell Siobhan's Clan, as well, because they will be the Command Staff for these performances." "I hope they are not upset with us." "You've got to be kidding. Some of them will be wondering why we didn't think of it. Hm ... I wonder if we can stop by Walter Reed on the way to the White House barbecue?" "You want to do a concert there." "No, just visit. I understand that some of the patients don't have many visitors." "I wonder if we could sing in the wards," said Brenda. "With our mind-link, we wouldn't necessarily need to be together. We could all sing the same song as duets, trios or quartets, in different locations. The close contact would really make some of the messages personal." "An interesting idea, let's discuss it with the choir tonight. If we do simultaneous duets, we should try it first at either Comrie or An Clochán. We could do that at the barbecue, as well. Oh, the more I think about it, the more I like it." "Chloe," replied Brenda, "I don't want to be a wet blanket, but let's see how it works first." "You're not. The idea has a lot of potential. It would be like performing in the round." ------- Máiréad and Ciar were with Jasmine, from Far Hills, as she woke for the first time after completing her conversion to Órarduine. As Jasmine woke, she slowly began to catalog the sensations around her. The first thing she noticed was that she was lying in bed. The sounds and smells were of a hospital or doctors office. For a moment she wondered where she was, then she remembered lowering herself into the conversion tube, before watching it fill with green gel. She slowly worked through each of her physical senses. Before Jasmine began to thumb through her memories, she heard two voices, and their images appeared in her mind. "Jasmine," said Máiréad and Ciar softly, "you are fine. Everything went as planned. You don't need to worry." "So that part wasn't a dream, and you aren't figments of my imagination?" "No, Jasmine. Open your eyes. We are here with you." Jasmine's eyes popped open, only to be momentarily blinded by the light, but her enhanced vision quickly adjusted. "If my conversion went fine, then why are you here?" replied Jasmine, inadvertently exposing her fears of what Craigly's treatments had done to her. "We are here to help you adjust to your augmented body. This is done for everyone, after they complete their conversion. This is done to help you adjust your reflexes, to account for the changes to your body. You are taller and have broader shoulders. This changes your balance somewhat. The change in balance is complicated by the changes in your feet. However, we understand that you wore high heels a lot, so you will likely adapt very quickly." "Sorry for being so sharp." "We understand. Your five friends are up, and anxious to see you." "Oh, I want to see them, as well. Why were they up before I was?" "Because Betsy and Connie felt you needed the extra time. The treatments you were given appeared to be stronger than those given to your friends. The extra couple of days greatly reduced the probability of you having complications." "Can I get up?" "Yes. We would like to mind-link with you before you get up." "Mind-link?" "Remember our talking about telepathy?" Jasmine nodded. "Well, mind-link is a part of that ability. Telepathy is an ability to share or exchange thoughts. Mind-link adds the ability to share or see each others sensations. While every telepath can easily exchange thoughts with another telepath, that is not true for being able to establish a full mind-link. A few clans can even fully share their physical senses such as their vision." "Okay. This should be interesting. Does that mean I can feel your sensations?" "You may be able too." With Jasmine's permission, Ciar and Máiréad established a mind-link with her. "Now we will exchange thoughts this way, though we can still communicate verbally. It is slower to do it verbally." "I like this." Ciar and Máiréad held Jasmine's hands, as she sat up and then turned to hang her legs off of the bed. As she sat on the edge of the bed, she flexed her arms, legs and shoulders. "They do feel a little different. It seems like there is more weight on my chest, but I doesn't feel like it is pulling me forward." "Your chest is bigger, but the supporting muscle structure is different. Your back and shoulders have more muscle to support the additional weight. Along with this, there is more muscle structure around your breasts supporting them, so there will be very little sag. They also don't wobble as much when you walk or run." Jasmine looked down at her breasts. "Wow, they are bigger. My nipples really stick out." "Yes, you are a little bigger than us, but quite a bit smaller than Sarah's clan." "Will I stand like you are?" "Yes. It is possible you didn't notice the way our feet are shaped, as we frequently wear heels. We don't really need them, but they do give us some advantages. If you want to first stand in heels, we can get you a pair." "No, let's try it this way." "Fine. When you put your feet on the floor, pretend you are standing on your toes." Jasmine slid forward to put her feet on the floor, and then shifted her weight, to stand. As Jasmine moved to a standing position, Máiréad and Ciar found they only needed to coach her senses a couple of times to stabilize her balance. "Wow, I like this. I don't feel any strain on my legs." "That is the way you should feel," replied Ciar. "Your ankles have changed so that they efficiently transfer your weight to what you know as the balls of your feet. Now, let's go for a walk." The three walked around the room, and then down the hall. "Where are we?" asked Jasmine, as they walked down one of the corridors. "We are on Dóchas," replied Máiréad. "It is one of our space ships in orbit around Mars." "That's what I thought, but I wanted to be sure." "Jasmine, is there something you would like to talk about?" asked Máiréad, as she turned Jasmine so she could look her in the eyes. Jasmine looked at Máiréad and then Ciar before responding, "Yes, I think that would be a good idea. First, where can I get something to eat?" "Let's go to the dining room. We can have something to eat while we talk. At this time of day, there will be hardly anyone there. Or, we can get something to eat and go back to our suite. Tell us if your feet bother you and we will get you some shoes." "My feet feel fine," replied Jasmine, just as they reached the dining room. Ciar and Máiréad showed Jasmine how to request the food she wanted. They were shocked when she requested three large cheeseburgers and a milkshake. "Jasmine, that is a lot of food. Betsy will be on our case if you get sick." "It all looked so good. I haven't had a cheeseburger or milkshake in ages. Don't worry, I am not going to stuff myself. Thanks for your concern." "Jasmine, why don't we use telepathy to share what you want to talk about, or we could mind-link. A mind-link would be more efficient." "This is going to take some getting used to," replied Jasmine, as she took a bite out of the cheeseburger. "Wow, this is great." "I think, I had several dreams while I was in the incubator. Several times, I dreamed about Emelia and Blaire. They were two of Craigly's assistants, who suddenly went on new assignments. They were very close to me and several of my close friends. We were shocked by their sudden departure. Although, after my last experience there, I am no longer shocked. The second series of dreams concerned my brothers and sisters. There is another issue, too." "Have you dreamed about them before?" "Emelia and Blaire, yes. My family, no. The latest dreams about Emelia and Blaire were different than the first ones, or at least I think so. These are what is puzzling me." With that, Jasmine brought forward some dreams she had concerning Emelia and Blaire. It didn't take long for Ciar and Máiréad to recognize the two women and their location. "Jasmine, those are memories from mind-linking with both of them. This kind of mind-link is different than we used earlier. The three of you did not have a strong telepathic link, that is why it seemed to be a dream. While you were in the incubator, several of our security teams rescued them and 16 others from that location." Jasmine's eyes filled with tears. Both out of concern for the way she saw them, and happiness that they were now safe. "How are they?" asked Jasmine, her thoughts thick with emotion. "They are doing fine. They are being cared for, on An Clochán, by Betsy's staff." "Blaire looked so worn out, before her location changed." "Both were, since they have been continuously pregnant since leaving Craigly's. They have carried twins every time except the last, which was triplets." "What happened to the babies?" "They were sold." "When can I see Blaire and Emelia?" "Soon. First Sally and Erica want you to join your five friends in an exercise class three times a day." "Why?" "This is to help you hone your coordination, strengthen your muscles and increase you stamina. There is an exercise machine in your suite that will also help. The reason for the exercise is that Sally wants all of us to be proficient in Aikido and several other martial arts techniques." "Exercise has not been something I do a lot of." "Before we came here, we would have said the same thing. There are several exercise machines in the suite which are fun to use. As security team members, we have to be proficient, but we enjoy doing it. I suspect we enjoy exercising because we do it together." "You said you had another dream that puzzled you," asked Máiréad. "Yes. My dream was almost like I saw a video of my family. If it is true, I learned that my brothers and sisters are now married. Both sisters have children, and one sister-in-law is expecting. I even saw where they lived." "Interesting." Jasmine started to recall the recent memories of her family. She had not brought back very much of the memories, when Máiréad said, "You experienced what we refer to as a 'dream walk'." Jasmine's expression and thoughts showed she was clearly puzzled by the comment. "A 'dream walk' can be thought of as an 'out of body' experience. You may want to think of it as projecting your vision to another location. You can be drawn to a location by the people at that location thinking about you. When you become skilled at it, you can direct your walk." "The night we rescued you and your friends, your mental plea brought us to the room where you were held. Viewing the room and your predicament, let us plan how we would rescue you with minimum risk to both you and ourselves." "So that was what I felt just before you arrived. Wait, you related dream walk to projecting your vision, so how could I feel or sense something?" "We have a few unique abilities when we dream walk. Not everyone has these abilities." "Okay. The other problem I see is that Craigly's daughters becoming obsessed with revenge, and altering the operation of Craigly's companies to fit their vision. They are very nice people now, but achieving that goal could make them into new Craiglys." "Tell them. They have a lot of respect for you and your friends. You should tell them about your vision and let them make the decision. You realize, that with nothing to draw them back into Earth society, they will likely want to stay with us." "I don't see anything wrong with that, at all." "We have no objection to them staying. From our perspective, it must be their decision about what is best for them." "I knew right away that becoming an Órarduine and joining you was the right thing to do." "Some do, but others are more pragmatic. As you know, the conversion is not something that can be reversed. It is needed if someone wants to be able to fully contribute." "I agree. If I think they are simply following my choices, I will challenge them. Now, let's go find my friends." "Let's see, I believe they are in your suite." "My suite?" "Yes. Your friends decided that, for the time being, they wanted to share a suite, and figured you would join them." "Good. Can we go back to my family for a moment?" "Sure." "Is there some way we can check out what I saw?" "Check with Security, as I expect that Clarence can help you." "Clarence? Wasn't he involved in the Chosen Ones incident?" "Yes. An attempt was made by the Chosen Ones to compromise James and Clarence. They tried to use their family's welfare as a lever." "I am glad it failed. Craigly was livid when he heard it had failed, but I am not sure why." "Interesting." "Let's go to your suite," said Máiréad. ------- Chapter 116 The three shuttles carrying Beyond the Star choir were approaching their entry point to Boston when Siobhan said, "Boston this is Dóchas Alpha2, we are 5 minutes from entering your air space." "Dóchas Alpha2 repeat, request, please," replied the air traffic controller in the Boston Air Traffic Control Center. "This is Dóchas Alpha2. Flight level 950. Heading 90. 100 km from Logan." "Acknowledged. I have your flight plan. It shows three aircraft." "Affirmative. We have not initiated our transponders yet." "Initiate transponders." As soon as she spoke, her display showed DSTA02, DSTA03 and DSTA04 indicating the three shuttles from Dóchas. "The note with your flight plan shows a request for a vertical descent to Logan 9 glide path. Correct?" "Affirmative." "Begin descent when ready. Noise abatement rules apply." "Noise abatement, acknowledged," replied Siobhan smiling as she realized the Air Traffic Controller did not realize who they were. Unknown to Siobhan, the ATC's supervisor did know who they were, and was quietly monitoring the ATC's actions. "Boston, Dóchas flight group beginning descent." "Dóchas, acknowledged." BATCC ATC watched her radar screen apprehensively as the altitude legend began to rapidly change, following the shuttles' descent. She soon said, "DSTA02, approaching Logan 9 glide path. Handing off to Logan approach control. Have a good day!" "Thank you. Have a good day. We hope our peculiar arrival has not disrupted your operations." "Not at all." The ATC leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath. She felt her supervisor step behind her. "Are you okay?" asked the supervisor. "Yes. I have never seen an aircraft do a controlled descent at that rate. Thanks for the note pointing out the way they were entering our air space when I came on shift. I don't think I have ever seen a request quite like that." "You haven't. Those were three space ships bringing the Beyond the Stars choir to the Pavilion for their performance this evening." "Oh, my. We tried to get tickets for tonight's performance but they sold out almost immediately. We put our names on a waiting list. We were really surprised when we heard from the ticket agent saying they had tickets for tomorrow night. So we are going tomorrow." "I hear their music is very good." "United 943, cleared to 230, maintain heading," said the ATC as her supervisor stepped away so as not to distract her. "Dóchas Alpha2," said Logan Approach Control, "on glide path, continue descent." "Affirmative. You're aware we will divert off the glide path when over the inner harbor." "Affirmative. We need you to leave your transponders on." "Affirmative." Melissa said, "Cloaking activated for underside only." "Dóchas Alpha2," said Eileen, "Alpha3 underside cloaking activated." "Dóchas Alpha2," said Tiff, "Alpha4 underside cloaking activated." "Logan," said Siobhan, "do you want to maintain verbal contact until we are over the basin?" "Affirmative." "Dóchas Alpha2 at diversion point. Beginning right turn and descending to 75 feet." In Logan approach control, the controller watched the three blips turn off the glide path over the inner harbor and move the short distance to the basin between Fish Pier and Fish Street West. "Logan AC, we are in position." "Affirmative. Have a great day!" "Thank you. We wish you the same." ------- Over the bay, Alpha3 and Alpha4 hovered side by side, facing toward the inner harbor, while Alpha2 took up a position above them but facing the pavilion area. None of the three ships could be seen from the ground. "That went smoothly," said Siobhan to her clan. "Yes, it did." "Tiff, Eileen, make sure the navigation lights are on," said Melissa. "They are," came the reply from both. "Siobhan," said Caoilinn, "we are going down to the Pavilion to check the arrangements." "Okay. We will be down when the VIP's start arriving." The line of IPTP's carrying the security teams quietly exited the partially cloaked shuttles. Those on the ground did not notice their approach until they had nearly reached the harbor side of the pavilion area. They parked their IPTPs next to the service entrance on the harbor side. Caoilinn, Sal, and Christina went to find the Pavilion staff's office, while the others split up into groups of three, and began exploring the area around the facility. Caoilinn, Sal, and Christina entered the grounds and paused in the open courtyard. As they scanned the courtyard, they only saw a few people preparing for that evening's performance. "Can I help you," asked a man wearing a security uniform. "Yes," said Christina, "we are with the group performing tonight, and we're looking for the theater manager." "Let me give you a map, that will make it much easier for you to find their office." With that he walked back toward the gate they had come through. "Here is a map. The theater manager's office is here and we are here," he said as he pointed to the map and drew a line. "The easiest pathway is to go this way. They probably won't be in their office, but their administrative assistant will be. She can locate them for you." "Thanks," replied Sal as they started to walk away. "Say, are those your scooters out there?" "Yes. Are they in the way?" "They could be. It depends on how many more delivery trucks we have today. My primary concern relates to them disappearing." "Why don't we move them across the street, to the vacant area? They should be out of the way there. Don't worry about them disappearing; they have a special lock." The security guard watched in amazement as the 12 IPTPs quietly lifted off and moved across the street to settle into a clear area. "Amazing," said the man in the security uniform. "Thanks again. By the way, nine of our associates are looking around the facility. They are dressed pretty much the way we are." "I'll give them a map when they come through the gate." "Is this the only gate open?" "No there are two others. I will tell the other guards that you are here." Christina, Caoilinn and Sal went off toward the theater managers office. "Did you guys pick all of that up?" "Yes. From what we have seen so far, we think a set of drones at each corner of the grounds will be sufficient to cover the outside area. Their primary focus should be the grounds and entry points." "Agreed. Some should be placed to allow them to cover the approaches to the entrances." "We planned on factoring that into the drones scan parameters." "That will work." After Caoilinn, Christina and Sal met with the theater and stage manager, they joined the rest of their security team, so they could spend time getting acquainted with the site and its staff while waiting for the choir. Just like at FEDEX stadium, some of the attendees for the performance arrived more than an hour before the performance's scheduled start. Abbie was the first to notice that the early arrivals kept looking up to the sky, as if anticipating the choirs arrival. "Let's play our instruments as we descend," said Sorcha to the other choir members. "There are a couple of instrumentals that fit the event." It was a half an hour before the performance, when a gold ring formed in the sky over the harbor where the shuttles were hovering. The sight of the gold ring grabbed the attention of everyone on the ground. A hush settled over the grounds, as all eyes turned toward the ring. Then, almost magically, choir members began to float out of the circle in pairs each riding an IPTP while playing their instruments. At the Pavilion, the sound of harps, fiddles and flutes began softly and grew in volume as the choir made their descent. Their music ended as the IPTPs touched the ground in the courtyard. The silence quickly gave way to applause. The choir bowed, before following Melanie to the dressing room. ------- Nainsi of Christina's clan watched a young woman with two teenagers come over to examine the IPTPs the choir had arrived on. When Nainsi started toward her, she heard one of the children say, "Oriel, someones coming." Oriel looked up toward Nainsi and smiled weakly. "Hi," said Nainsi. "So what do you think of our IPTPs?" "It was amazing. At first, they appeared to be floating on air. If someone had told me about it, I wouldn't have believed them. I'll bet it really feels neat to just float through the air on those." Oriel looked longingly at the IPTP, as she tried to grasp the purpose of the controls. To Nainsi, it was clear from her expression that she wanted to stand on one, and she really desired to do more than that. "It is pretty neat." "Sophia, is it okay if a young lady stands on the IPTP you used?" asked Nainsi. "Sure. Let her take it for a spin." "We'll see," replied Nainsi. "Oriel, Sophia doesn't have a problem with you standing on it." "Really! Wait, how did you know my name?" "I heard your friend tell you, I was coming." "Okay. Are you sure Sophia is okay with my standing on it?" replied Oriel a bit apprehensively. "Wait, how does she know?" "I just asked her with our instant messenger." "By instant messenger, you mean telepathically." "Yes," replied Nainsi, as she looked over at the two teens. Each of them was completely focused on Nainsi and Oriel, while occasionally glancing at the IPTPs. "You may want to slip your shoes off before you step up on it. It will be easier to fit your bare feet into the foot pads." Nainsi and the two teens watched, fascinated, as Oriel slipped off her shoes and slipped her feet into the foot pads while she stepped up onto the IPTP. Nainsi watched Oriel's expressions and body movements, as the girl stood on the IPTP and held the controls. Nainsi queried the IPTP AI as to whether she could sense the girl's intentions. When the AI confirmed the connection, Nainsi told the AI to give her a ride up to the shuttles and back and to let her feel the feed back. "Affirmative." "Oriel, relax and go with the flow. You will be fine." "What?" said Oriel. She gasped, as she realized that the IPTP was lifting off the ground. Her movement drew gasps from the two teens, and several others who were watching the interaction between Nainsi and the three young adults. Louise, of Christina's clan, came up behind the teens while Nainsi concentrated on Oriel. "She will be fine," said Louise, causing the teenagers to jump. "Oops, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." "Is she really flying it," asked the teenaged girl. "Kind of. Nainsi is monitoring the IPTP's AI and the girl." "I hope, Nainsi takes good care of Oriel." "She will. It sounds like you like Oriel a lot." "You bet," replied both children quickly. "She is the best companion we have ever had." "Why is that?" as the enthusiastic endorsement tweaked Louise's curiosity. "Oh, there are lots of reasons. She is smart. She is going to college to be an engineer while we are in school. She helps us with our homework. She listens to our problems. She treats us like an adult. We love her." "I should have introduced myself, my name is Louise, and I', m in Christina's Clan, as is Nainsi." "I'm Adrian and this my sister, Joanna." "You said Oriel was your companion?" "Yes, our mother always seems to worry about our security," said Joanna. "Oriel is the most recent companion they have hired to stay with us since both of them work. Our mother would probably be upset to see us talking to you." "Where are your parents?" "They are supposed to meet us here. They are coming directly from work." While Adrian and Joanna talked to Louise, they only took their eyes off Oriel for a few moments at a time. "Can we meet them?" "Sure. They will likely be upset with Oriel, if they see she is not near us. Our mother is always afraid something will happen to us, or that we will just disappear." "Most parents worry about their children's safety," replied Louise. "Ooh," said the boy as he looked past Louise, "this is could be ugly." "This isn't where we agreed to meet," came an irritated voice from behind Louise drawing everyone's attention. "Where is Oriel? She is supposed to be with you all the time in public places." Louise winked at the children, before she turned and said, "You must be these children's mother. I'm Louise, one of the choir's security team. Your children and I were just starting to get acquainted before you arrived. Oriel stepped away for a moment, but she will be back momentarily." "Oh," replied the children's mother. "You must be very proud of your children." "We are," replied a man who joined them just as she finished speaking. While they were talking, Louise had moved around so the mother's back was to the choir's IPTPs. "Dear, are we ready to go in?" said a man that had joined the group. "The performance will be starting shortly." "We're all here except Oriel. She went off somewhere, leaving Adrian and Joanna with Louise." "Good evening," said the man to Louise, "I'm Blaine, with the Boston Police Department." "Nice to meet you. I'm Louise of Christina's clan. That's Nainsi over there. We are part of the choir's security." While they were talking, Oriel quietly returned and landed. Her arrival was noticed by everyone except Mrs. Jackson. Oriel's face showed concern upon seeing the children's parents talking to a woman who looked like Nainsi. As she approached the group, she realized Louise and Mr. Jackson appeared to be having a friendly conversation so maybe there wasn't a problem, although Mrs. Jackson appeared to be upset. "Hi," said Oriel, as she stepped up to the group. Mrs. Jackson started to speak, but Mr. Jackson said, "Hi, Oriel. You have our tickets, right?" "Yes, sir." "Why don't we show you in," said Nainsi, and she began to lead them to the stage door entrance. "This isn't the way to our seats," said Mrs. Jackson. "Well, it isn't the way we usually go," replied Mr. Jackson, "but I am sure they know their way around here better than we do." Nainsi led the group in through the stage door and then back toward the VIP section. When they reached the seats, Nainsi said, "We would like all of you to join us back stage after the performance." "Thank you, we would enjoy that, but these aren't our seats," said Mr. Jackson just as the tones were sounding for everyone to take their seats. "Consider them compliments of the choir," said Louise. "Mrs. Jackson, I am sorry if my being with your children upset you." "It is I who should apologize, and please call me Selena. Blaine tells me I worry too much." "We were not offended. One of us will meet you here after the performance." As Nainsi and Louise walked away, Nainsi said, "Thanks. I don't think I could have handled Selena that well." "She works in the IT department at CPS. She has noticed that some children just disappear after they leave CPS's custody. That seems to be the basis of her concern, though it is not clear why." "You looked." "I didn't need to, she was broadcasting. Oriel is telepathic, and it is likely that the Jacksons are as well." "Blaine seems to have a lot of confidence in Oriel and his children." "Yes. He is concerned about their security as well, which is why he agreed to Oriel's suggestion that she teach them martial arts. It was presented to Selena as a way to improve their fitness. Both children like doing things with Oriel." "How old are they?" "About 16, I think? Maybe a little older." "You missed that," said Nainsi, smiling, as she tapped Louise on the shoulder. "It didn't seem important at the moment, but it could have more significance, now that I think about it. Caoilinn, where did you want us during the performance?" "You can cover that side of the auditorium. We have the outside pretty well monitored. Our clan saw your meeting with the Jackson's. When the performance ends, be sure to bring them backstage." "Oriel would be a good crew candidate. The children are very bright, and think as much of Oriel as they do each other." "We noticed. Kim, how telepathically active is she?" "It wouldn't take much for her to be fully active," replied Kim of Nicola's clan. The choir began to sing as the curtain rose shifting the security team's focus to the auditorium, while the drones, along with the team members still on the shuttles, monitored the area around the Pavilion. For the performances in Boston, the choir had added some well-known Gaelic songs to the program. They sang the songs first in Gaelic and then in English. The audience responded enthusiastically to the new songs. As had happened at all their performances, the response of the audience enticed them to do several additional songs. Even then, the audience was slow to leave after the last song. Anna commented that it was almost as if they were hoping for more. Louise reached the Jackson's seats just as the last song ended. She could tell by the expressions on Adrian, Joanna and Oriel's faces they were pleased to see her. Once the crowd had cleared a bit, they headed back stage, where Nainsi joined them. After several introductions, Louise eased Oriel and the children away from Blaine and Selena. When Louise glanced back, she saw Christina and Casey had joined Nainsi with the Jacksons. "Hey, Louise," said Sophia, "which one of these is our new crew member?" Oriel blushed. "Please, not so loud," said Adrian. "Our mother doesn't know about Oriel's ride." His quick response silenced the conversation around them. "Well, we will just have to make sure that doesn't happen," said Sophia, firmly. "As you guessed," said Louise, "this is Sophia." She then introduced the group around them to Adrian, Joanna and Oriel. "Oriel, how did you like the ride?" asked Sophia. "It was amazing. Thank you for letting me take a ride." After they had chatted for a few moments, Louise said, "Let's go meet the others," as she took Oriel's hand. Abbie put an arm around Adrian and Joanna, as they followed along. They had almost made a full circuit of the room when Sybil felt that they were being watched. "Caoilinn, Melanie" said Sybil, "someone is watching us. No, actually it is a man and a woman. They seem to be focused on the two children with us." "I see them," replied Caoilinn. "Find out who they are," continued Christina. "See if either of them have a link with Selena." While Ciar and Eryn were checking out the couple monitoring the children, Nainsi was watching Selena's thoughts, looking for clues about her overwhelming concern for her children's safety. Each time Selena glanced toward the children, Nainsi tried projecting reassurances that the children were in good company. The other VIPs had left the backstage area, when the Jackson's joined their children and Oriel with Sybil, Louise and several security team members. "Mom and Dad," said Adrian, "this has been the best evening I can remember." "Yes," added Joanna, "it is sad that it has to end so soon." "I know a way to avoid that," replied Louise, quickly, "but it is probably not possible." "What?" replied Joanna, with a puzzled look on her face. "Well, I was thinking that maybe you could hang out with us, presuming your parents approve. However, your parents don't know us very well, except by reputation." The expression on the children faces was as if they had just won the lottery. In short, they were jubilant. Oriel was speechless. "The problem is, they are still in school," replied Selena. "Mom, there are only three weeks of school left. We have straight As. I am sure our teachers will let us finish the few remaining assignments remotely." "Are you sure?" said Blaine, trying to keep from smiling. "Yes, dad. In fact, it is likely that several teachers will be very pleased if we are not there." "Why is that?" asked Blaine. "They don't like our correcting their errors." "You don't do it front of everyone, do you?" said Selena with a concerned look. "Moth ... er! Never!" "Louise, we wouldn't have any problem with them visiting you," said Blaine, earning a shocked look from Selena. "Oriel, how would this effect you?" "It would not be a problem." "Just how long are you proposing," said Selena. "Well, I initially thought a few days," replied Louise. "It really can be open-ended. The length of time is really up to you and them. I am sure we will enjoy their company." "I think this is an opportunity that only comes once in a life time," replied Blaine. "From my perspective, yes you can go for a few days, at least. Beyond that, we need to talk. Louise let us know if there is anything they need." "Can we go now," asked Adrian with a concerned look. "Yes Adrian, just as soon as you tell your parents good-bye," replied Louise, smiling. "If you decide you need something from home, we can go by your house tomorrow to pick it up." "Are you sure about this Blaine?" asked Selena with a concerned look. "Yes. From everything I know about these people, our children couldn't have better friends." The children gave their parents hugs and then said, "We're ready, Louise." Their enthusiasm caused many to laugh. "Well, let's go, then." Louise looked at Selena, and continued, "Don't worry, we will take good care of them. We will have them call you tomorrow and send you an email. In the meantime, Siobhan or one of the command staff can tell you how to reach us." Sybil and Abbie joined Louise, Oriel, Adrian and Joanna, as they headed toward the stage door. "How will they get there," asked Selena. "I think, they are planning on using our scooters, which we call IPTPs," replied Nainsi. "Blaine, Selena do you have a few minutes," asked Christina. "Sure," replied Blaine, as Siobhan and Tiff joined the group. "Selena," continued Christina, "we noticed you seemed to be quite concerned about your children's safety. We sense there is a reason, beyond just being a mother. All of us think a lot of Adrian, Joanna and Oriel, even though, we have only known them a short time. Since we have become Órarduine, we find we develop friendships faster than we used to. We believe this is because of the way we communicate with each other. Blaine is, I believe, aware of some of our abilities." Blaine nodded, with a slight smile. Picking up the lead, Siobhan said, "We asked you to stay because, we would like to know more about your concerns regarding your children. We will not be offended if you decline. Before we continue, we would like to secure our conversation, by placing an invisible electronic barrier around us. This shield will block cell phone signals. Blaine, I believe you are on call." "Yes, I am." "Would you mind if one of us held your cell phone outside the shield while we talk?" "I don't see why not." He took the phone and handed it to Melanie. Melanie then walked a few feet away from the group. "Now we can talk freely, without worrying about being overheard. Anyone in this area can see us but that is all. Blaine, Melanie will alert me telepathically if you receive a call." "Why the precaution?" asked Blaine, with a puzzled expression. "It is the easiest way we know to keep our conversation private," replied Siobhan, "and we saw a couple here that were closely monitoring the children. Please stop us if you feel we are prying into private matters. We will drop our interest and will not be offended by your request." "Tonight, Sybil noticed a couple monitoring your children quite closely, while trying to hide their interest. She alerted the rest of us. This observation, and your apparent concern for your children's safety, indicates there is a reason for your concerns, other than your being overly protective parents. We would like to assist, if we can." Selena looked at her husband with a worried look and then responded. "Surprisingly, I don't feel you are prying. Blaine has told me several times that I am obsessed with their safety. There hasn't been a direct threat toward our children, but I have sensed an implied threat. My concern developed over a period of time. The source of my concern goes back to a request I was given several years ago. I was asked to identify children in CPS custody who were between 14 and 18 with no living relatives. The projects justification was to determine how well the children did after leaving CPS oversight, as against the general population. Reports were to list name, address, dob, height, weight, hair color, eye color, school, GPA and several behavioral items. Every month or two I would get a request to run the report again. Several times I asked the requester how the analysis was coming and if they had found any patterns yet. Each time, their responses were vague. As time progressed, there was occasionally a comment about how lucky I was to have such good looking children. At other times, I was asked about their college plans or how they were doing in school. Normally, I would appreciate such comments, but these comments were completely out of context." "So, after talking to Blaine about the queries, I got to wondering about the value of the results. My first stumbling block concerned how to find someone after they were released from CPS oversight as adults. Over several months of off and on conversations with Blaine about how to do the analysis, I began keeping copies of the reports. Once I had several reports, I compared them. The first thing I noticed was how easily you could see the children maturing. Another surprise was the broad cross section of economic strata in the report." "So, once I had several reports, I took about a dozen names that had dropped off the reports and began searching the databases for them. It took a while to determine the best way to search the available databases. As test cases, I took names of people I knew who had moved. Those popped up quickly, while I didn't have much success in finding many of those who dropped off the reports." "Let me guess," said Caoilinn. "The characteristics of those you didn't find were: tall, slim (based on height to weight ratio), high GPA, sociable, with pleasing personalities, no drivers license, no phone number or address in the region." "Yes. How did you know?" "While not necessarily true, the context of the query and the circumstances surrounding it would lead some of us think the missing adults were lured into slavery." "Why would you jump to that conclusion," replied Selena, with a disbelieving look. "Slavery only exists in third world cultures." "I wish that was really true. You may not be aware of it but a great many of us were born on Earth. Some of us were rescued from slavery by the Órarduine. Since then, we have come across several groups around the world that procure primarily women, but men, as well. The ultimate destination of these captives is into sexual slavery. In many cases, those procured are conditioned and altered to enhance their value when sold. The customers are brothels, S&M clubs, secret societies like the 'Chosen Ones', private individuals, and baby farms. These customers exist in almost every part of the world." "For those we have rescued, the Órarduine, have always provided medical care and rendered any assistance needed. During their time with us, Órarduine have never told or suggested to those they rescued; that they could become a part of our family. It is always left to the individual to find that choice. Many of those rescued have stayed. One reason for our caution is that the species change is irreversible." "The little we hear about slavery implies it only exists in third world countries," said Selena, after a few moments of silence. "Did you really mean to say baby farms?" "The places where you hear about slavery, is where it is obvious. Yes, I meant to say baby farms, these are places where women are kept and bred. Many times, these women are given treatments to ensure they deliver twins every nine months, as well as ensure that they lactate all the time. Both the babies and milk are sold. Being placed at a baby farm is probably the nicest of all the possibilities. The repetitive pregnancies do, however cause the women to age quickly." "The nicest? I find that shocking." "Yes, the nicest. Being the sex slave at a club or secret society means you serve a customer in any manner they want. In many cases the slave is whipped, spanked, or otherwise tortured, solely to inflict pain. It seems some like to hear others scream in agony. These animals seem to get off on hearing a woman scream and beg to be released. Many times, before being released; they are forced by pain to agree to do some humiliating act." "That's awful." "Yes. It is unfortunate that evil exists. So, did someone notice your search activity?" "No, I don't think so. I think, my concern stems from the implications of what I saw. Anyone can disappear without a trace, if it is handled right. This is especially true for those coming out of CPS oversight, with no family connections and few friends. The more I thought about it, the more vulnerable I saw our children. Several of our children's companions, or Au Pairs, we found unsuitable and dismissed them after a short time. Basically, we dismissed them because they weren't doing what they were hired to do. A few of them did not take being dismissed well, and their responses caused me additional concern. Yes, I am a worrier. This new concern was that our children could be taken from us at a moments notice by CPS, on the basis of an anonymous complaint. Depending on the complaint and who handled the complaint, it is possible that we would not see the children after CPS oversight began. Also, if something were to happen to both of us, then the children would likely be transferred into CPS custody. I have to admit it doesn't happen very often, but once is too often." She was quiet for a moment and then added, "Perhaps, I have worked in CPS too long." "If these missing people are being lured into slavery, I would like to see them out of business and in jail," said Blaine, firmly with anger in his voice. "With what we have, it would be a difficult investigation to start, as there isn't an apparent victim. Besides, those running such an operation would have exceptionally good political connections." "Blaine, putting individual groups out of business is pretty straightforward. Putting them in jail may be a bit more difficult. We suspect, they are very careful to avoid doing anything that would draw attention to themselves. Their victims never have the opportunity to complain. It also could be very difficult to determine whom the victims were." "Out of business is great, but unless it all becomes public, it will never be scrutinized." "Those just out of high school can be easy pickings," said Anna, "especially when they don't have a mentor." "I guess our children think I'm an old witch," said Selena. "All of us understand the pressure you felt. You should talk to your children. Tell them what caused you to become so concerned about their safety. They will understand. The other thing you may not have noticed is that your children have adopted Oriel. They see her as their older sister." "You must be mistaken. Why would they do that?" Blaine rolled his eyes at hearing his wife's comments. He was well aware of what Anna was telling his wife. He had tried to convince Selena to give the children more freedom. She agreed at times, but she didn't change. From his perspective, finding Oriel had been a stroke of luck, because she was smart, perceptive and someone the children liked. "Your children are nearly adults. They think like adults and act like adults when treated like adults. Sure, they make mistakes, and without some mentoring those mistakes can grow into serious problems. It is a normal way to gain experience. They tolerate you treating them like children because you are their mother and they love you. Oriel, while not much older is seen as an adult who listens and treats them as adults." "Oh," whispered Selena. "If you give them the chance to be adults, then they will likely act responsibly. When they have an opportunity to make significant decisions, and know you will help them without judging, they will likely ask you for advice. It is a change from being supervisor, or warden, to being the counselor or mentor. The change in role is a hard one for many parents to make. Oriel fell into the role of mentor for them, and she is a very good one." "By the way," said Caoilinn, "we mentioned earlier that there was a couple who were watching your children and Oriel very closely. One of our team members will bring a photo by your house later, for you to look at." "Okay, but you don't know where we live." "We were going to solve that by suggesting one of our team ride home with Selena. We presume both of you find that acceptable." "It doesn't seem to be necessary," replied Blaine, "but I have no objections." "I think, we have covered everything, so I am going to dissolve our isolation, now unless someone has something else to add." "Sorcha," said Christina, "would you ride home with Selena?" "Sure, is someone going to pick me up?" "Sal will pick you up with a scout ship." "Are we ready?" With that the group left the building. Blaine, Selena and Sorcha headed toward the parking lot, while the security team members went to their IPTPs. Caoilinn and Seana followed Selena and Sorcha on their IPTPs as they headed toward the Jacksons' home. "Shannon," said Caoilinn, "can someone follow up on Selena's observations?" "I think Security is going to look into it." "Thanks." ------- Chapter 117 On the day after the choir returned from Boston, the three command staffs were gathering for their weekly review on Dóchas. "Hi Siobhan," said Sarah, "did you enjoy Boston?" "Yes, we did. The performances were great. The audiences loved the music. In many ways, it was a repeat of the choirs other performances. The special performance for the patients at Boston Children's Hospital was a big hit." "Did you see the news from Boston this morning?" asked Terry as she joined the group. "No. I didn't even think to look as we had quite a bit of catching up to do when we got back to Phoenix. The crew has really accomplished a lot in the short time Phoenix has been in orbit." "It is my impression, they have found working in space easier than in dry dock. They attribute it to having more room to move around in. What was the news item?" "One of BCH's key pediatric surgeons was apparently in an automobile accident. His sports car went through a bridge railing at high speed ending up in a river. No body had been found according to the article, so the speculation is that he died in the accident." "Who was it?" said Tiff. "Dr. Conall Downes," replied Terry. "Interesting? I think, I remember Christina telling me that they saw him at our last concert. They were surprised to see him, as he was at the children's concert earlier. He was accompanied by a woman, who was interested in supporting Dr. Downes' research work. They also saw Dr. Evans at the concert. Louise made the comment that she didn't care for either of their companions. Louise felt the man with Dr. Evans was a leach, to put it nicely. She was surprised that Dr. Evans would associate with the man like that although, he was very attentive." "You're talking about Dr. Kathy Evans?" asked May. "I saw her at the evening concert as well. She is a woman who would standout in any crowd. She is very beautiful with her long auburn hair and has a delightful personality. Both times, I saw her she was wearing tall high heels which surprised me as, they made her as tall as us. She looked very comfortable wearing the heels, so I suspect she wears them a lot." "Dr. Evans and her escort left after the second song set," added Aingeal. "She told us the concert was great, but they were going to a party on a cruise boat. The man seemed to be irritated when she spoke to us." During the conversation, other members of the command staffs arrived with the last being Aoife. As she walked in, she said, "I've been listening to your conversation about Dr. Downes and Evans. When you mention their names, it tweaks an eerie feeling. I am not sure it means anything yet." "Aoife," said Rusty, "after we get done here go talk to the Caoilinn and Christina's security teams about what they observed when they saw Dr. Downes and Evans. If there is something to your 'feeling' then it may get stronger." "I was thinking of doing, that after what I just heard. Security is following up on Selena's observations. They see it as an good test for their analysis techniques." "For now let's focus on the status of our ships," said Sarah shifting the conversation back to the purpose of the meeting. "Maureen, would you summarize Eagle's progress toward operational status?" "Crystal and I," said Paula as Maureen nodded to her, "met with the power section yesterday. They have everything installed. Each power unit is being brought on line then tested, before it is moved to standby. They are rotating the use of the power units and bringing more on line as demand increases. Depending on work load, the power section staff is assisting in other sections. Actually, a number of sections are sharing staff as the work load shifts around." "All the environmental systems are on-line," said Eibhilin. "Once they had all of the systems checked out, the section put their systems in auto mode and went to help other sections. Two staff members stay in the section at all times, with the rest on call." "The cradles for our shuttles and fighters are in place in the hangers," added Courtney. "Plans were to start bringing fighters up from An Clochán in the next day or two. This has been delayed because they decided to complete the support areas first. Once they had several fighters in the hanger, they realized that having the shuttles and star fighters there would impede work on the support areas. Flight Operations feels they are very close to being operational. A systems check agrees with that assessment." "Rather than go through the areas piece meal," said Brandan, "and putting it in terms of clock cycles, it is safe to say that we are 20 cycles away from Eagle being operationally available. In another 20 cycles, the living quarters should be finished." "Nice way to put it, Brandan," said Colleen. "I some times have trouble visualizing our longer week having grown up on Earth. I agree that having 10 clock cycles to a week makes sense for us. I think I would have been a bit stronger in stating our operational ability. If need be, we could be operational in slightly more than two weeks. By operational, I mean sufficiently, so that, we could defend ourselves. Living quarters would be uncomfortable." "I agree," replied Brandan. "Once we are fully operational, we want to do some short excursions as kind of a shake down effort. We have some preliminary plans to explore this solar system." "So if I can summarize," said Sarah, "you are indicating, that you can be fully operational in 40 clock cycles." "Yes," replied Brandan, "and I would expect another 20 cycles before, we are truly combat capable." "We hadn't brought this up," said Maureen, "for general discussion. We are thinking, that we should do some short solo trips once all three of us are fully operational and have done a shake down cruise in this solar system." "We agree," replied Siobhan. "Before you ask about our progress, let me say Phoenix is at about the same stage as Eagle unless I missed something." "We agree," said Siobhan's clan quickly in unison. "Maureen's idea," continued Siobhan, "for us to do some solo excursions is one we have also discussed. It sounds though like Maureen's clan is further along in their planning." "We think solo excursions would be a good opportunity for us to learn more about the ships operation and handling. It would give us a better perspective on how well our shields and detectors work. These trips would be an excellent opportunity to test our systems and practice our operational procedures." "We agree," said Sarah's clan. "We think the first excursion should only carry a minimum crew. This will keep the maximum number working on our other projects. For the cruises out of the solar system, we should take our full crew compliment. Doing this will impact construction on An Clochán, so should we set a time limit for the trips. The advantage will be that we may find some things we would like to change on the ships." "We talked about that," said Crystal. "For the cruise out of the solar system, why don't we keep it to 10 clock cycles or less. This way we can make several jumps and return from a different direction than the way we left." "I agree, that we should not start the excursions until Dóchas refit is complete," said Kendra. "It would be wise, if only one ship at a time did an excursion out of this solar system. All three ships could do their initial shake down at the same time." "Agreed," replied everyone. "Let's work up our excursion plans separately and discuss them the next time we get together," said Rusty. The lunch chime had just sounded when Star said, "Siobhan, Clarence is looking for you." "Put him through on the monitor." "Siobhan, Mr. Jackson of the Boston Police Department would like to talk to you." "Sure, put him through." "Will do, just as soon as he finishes talking to James." A few minutes later, Clarence said, "Siobhan, he is on the line." "Hello, Blaine. How are things?" "Well, they could be a lot better. I understand several of your staff saw Dr. Evans and Dr. Downes at the last concert." "Yes, they did. Both left the concert just as the second song set was beginning." "Would you have a photo of who they were with and how they left?" "We should have. Do you want them on CD or tape?" "A CD would be fine. I understand from James that your Security Group is following up on Selena's concerns. I am not sure whether we can do anything with the information but having it may help with solving other crimes." "I heard Dr. Downes had an accident and was presumed dead, but why were you asking about Dr. Evans?" "First, I don't believe Dr. Downes had an accident. I think it was to cover up something else perhaps his disappearance. The evidence at the accident scene tends to support my position. As for Dr. Evans, she appears to be missing. Her department head at BCH received an email yesterday morning saying, she was taking two weeks off to go on cruise. One of her coworkers lives near her. She told us, that Dr. Evans townhouse appeared to be empty when she walked by it yesterday afternoon." "That is strange. Why would you empty your townhouse while on a cruise?" "We don't think she did. We did confirm it was empty and exceptionally clean. The other puzzling item is that another person from their group also disappeared the same night. Nurse Johanna Brown supposedly left on a family emergency. We have been unable to verify where she went." "It is surprising you are involved in missing persons cases." "Ah, call it political influence. All three fill rather critical roles at BCH. They were well liked by faculty, staff, and patients." "Your comments about the combination of disappearances and townhouse being emptied out reminds me of an incident that Rusty, Sarah and Terry ran across a number of years ago. In short Terry had been abducted by a person who intended to sell her as a sex toy. Rusty and Sarah assisted in her rescue, but when they went to get her things out of her apartment, it had been cleaned out. The apartment manager told Rusty that he occasionally has renters, who leave suddenly for some reasonable excuse. Several days or a week later a group shows up and cleans out there apartment or condo. They have the keys, so usually he doesn't know until someone mentions it to him or the rent is past due. He told Rusty that other complex managers had seen the same thing happen." "So your saying that people disappearing is more common than one would think." "Yes. It's possible. If you select people who have no relatives, or none close by, or few friends, then their disappearance will likely go unnoticed." "I can't disagree with the observation and with those circumstances it is very possible. In this case, both Dr. Evans and Nurse Brown would be candidates. I think, I'll have the detectives ask some questions along those lines when their out on this case." "I take it, you think there is a link between the three disappearances. I presume, they worked the same cases." "Yes, I think there is a link. If there is, it could be an outgrowth of a case they worked together. However, we haven't seen much in the way of clues." "Let us know if you need anything else," said Siobhan. "Oh, I will. How are our children doing?" "They have fit in very well and are having a great time. In fact, they may not want to leave." "I don't think Selena is ready for that and I'm not sure I am. They are nearly adults though." "If you are agreeable, they can stay longer than was first implied. The group, they are with, are in no hurry to see them leave, as they have been helping out at every opportunity. We could give them regular work assignments, as there are a number of things they could easily do." "Now, that is a thought. It would give them something to do this summer. We will need to talk about it, if that is what they want to do." "I'll tell Caoilinn, so her clan can consider the implications. I'll make sure, they talk to you before, they say anything to the children. Oh, I don't think we mentioned it before. Clarence has two daughters here and James' girlfriend has her daughter here. I think all three of them are about the same age as your children. All three work in our Communications Department with Melinda and the others from the Grandview newspapers." "Thanks for the help and tell the children I said, hi." "Will do. Let us know if you need any further assistance." Siobhan looked around at the group still in the room. "I think he is going to have difficulty solving those cases." "We agree," said Rusty. "I don't know, that we can help but stay in contact with him." "Oh, I am sure we will be talking frequently. Adrian, Joanna and Oriel have thought about seeking a way to spend the summer here or even longer, but haven't figured out how to raise the question. So, I know we will be speaking to Blaine and Selena a lot." "If Oriel was sure the children would be safe," said Caoilinn, "she would have already asked to join the crew." "We need to head for the dining room," said Maureen. "Lunch is being served." ------- "Sarah," said Briana, "Did I tell you that we saw General Walker at FEDEX Stadium?" "No. I heard he retired. How are they doing?" "Charlotte and I talked to them briefly at FEDEX Stadium after the performance. Yes, he did retire and they appear to be doing very well. We invited them to visit again and even set a date to pick them up. We're to pick them up the day after the barbecue, which is later than we had initially planned." "It will be good to see them again. I know the children really liked them." "They asked about the children." "How long are they planning on staying? Do you know if they are telepathic?" "I have the feeling, they would like to stay quite a while. I don't think, they have been evaluated for telepathy. I'll ask them, if they want to see the videos about our history again." "Where are they staying?" "On Dóchas, there is a suite near ours they can use." "It might be wise, to remind them of the telepathy and escort issues when they arrive." "We will. Adam thinks General Walker has the ability but none of us have been around his wife enough to have an opinion." ------- On the approach to Washington, Rusty and Sarah were at the controls of Dóchas Alpha1 with Tara and Maeve piloting Alpha2. It had been a quiet trip up the Chesapeake Bay before turning up the Potomac River. They had been in steady contact with WATRCC ever since entering controlled air space over the Atlantic, East of the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay. During the trip, their shuttles were cloaked but still provided a radar echo to WATRCC. Everyone on the two shuttles had spent the time either looking out the windows or watching the monitor at the front of the cabin. At an altitude of 300 feet, they had an excellent view of spring foliage in Virginia on one side and Maryland on the other side. FAA's WATRCC had refused to accept their flight plan until the President's Chief of Staff intervened. Even then the Sector ATC manager had been reluctant to agree to the flight plan until Rusty pointed out that the proposed route did not conflict with any established corridors. It did cross several corridors, but well below the corridors minimum altitude. In the discussion, Rusty suggested they code their flight path way points to minimize the chance other traffic would realize who they were. "Washington," said Rusty just as the tidal basin came into sight, "DSTA01 approaching TB." "Copy," replied the controller. "No traffic in vicinity." "Beginning turn for approach to WL." "Confirmed." "DSTA01 passing WM. Going to visual." Sarah and Maeve switched off their cloaking just as they passed Washington Monument. Since the conversations were on an open WATRCC channel, Rusty was pleased to see that the coded names for their way points had worked. "DSTA01 beginning descent to WL." "Confirmed," replied ATC. The sudden appearance of the shuttles near the Washington Monument drew the attention of everyone on the White House lawn. Conversation came to a standstill as they watched the two approaching space ships. When they reached the marked off area on the lawn, the Alpha2 pulled along side Alpha1, but slightly staggered. They then rotated so the cabin doors were visible to those on the ground. Once in position the shuttles shifted to hover. "Washington, DSTA flight holding at destination." "Confirmed, have a good evening, sir. It has been a pleasure to work again with Spec Ops." "We will have a link to the radio while we are on the ground. Thanks and have a good evening." Rusty turned to Sarah and said loudly, "As we use to say in scouts, "We're here..."" He smiled as he heard the laughter from the cabin. He pulled Sarah to him as she was getting up and gave her a kiss. The kiss lasted until someone muttered, "Get a room." Sarah quickly replied, "We will later. Now we can say we kissed on the White House grounds." "We aren't on the ground yet," replied Samantha quickly. "We still have twenty feet to go." "Picky. Picky. We will be in a minute." "Maeve. Tara. Is your group ready to exit?" asked Joyce. "Yep. Let's do it." On Joyce's command the Shuttle AIs let the shuttles settle until they were just above the ground. Hovering just inches off the grass, the doors opened and a ramp extended to just a small step above the ground. With that, they began exiting the two shuttles simultaneously, meeting in front of the shuttles. They paused briefly before walking over to greet the President, his wife and cabinet members. As soon as the last Órarduine stepped off the shuttle ramp, the ramps retracted and the doors closed before the shuttles rose to hover some 10 feet above the ground. "Good evening, President Ryan," said Maeve and Rusty in unison. "Good evening, and welcome to the White House," replied the President as they shook hands. "Mr. President, this is Maeve, she is another one of Dóchas Command Staff and Sarah's Clan," said Rusty. "Nice to meet you Maeve," replied President Ryan. "This is my wife, Jackelyn." "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Ryan," said Maeve as they shook hands. "It is good to see you again, Mrs. Ryan," added Rusty. "Rusty, Maeve," said President Ryan, "why don't we have everyone introduce them selves as they pass through the reception line. It is a little unconventional, but it seems like it would work better in this situation." "That will work very nicely," replied Rusty. With that the Órarduine proceeded through the line to meet the President's cabinet and key agency heads. The Órarduine security teams interspersed themselves among their group, as they moved through the line. As they met each person, they only spoke of their normal duties on one of the Dóchas class ships. "Remember," said Sarah, "we stay in groups of three or more as we move over to the stage." "Yes, Mother Sarah," came the quick reply from several as they chuckled. President Ryan and Mrs. Ryan joined Sarah's Clan for the short walk over toward the stage. They were followed by Beyond the Stars Choir and a few of the President's staff. When President Ryan stepped to the microphone, it drew everyone's attention to the stage even though no announcement had been made. While Sarah's Clan joined him at the microphone, the choir began to gather behind them. "Good evening," said President Ryan. "It is an honor to have Sarah's Clan and the Beyond the Stars Choir join us for a western style barbecue. Mrs. Ryan and I had the pleasure of hearing their concert at FEDEX Stadium. The music we heard then has really stuck with us. There are times, I can still hear strains of their songs when it is quiet. Several who have attended their concerts have made similar comments. One of my staff members told me that he couldn't remember a performance where all the music critics praised it." "In a moment, Sarah's Clan will tell us a little about themselves before we hear the choir. Before that let me comment on our gathering this evening. Many of you probably have realized by now that this is an unusual gathering of agency heads, politicians, business executives, press and a few other individuals. Our ground rules for this evening are no business, as this is an opportunity to meet and get to know each other. Those from the press have agreed that there will be no unnamed sources or quotes in any story they may write of this gathering." "All of you have heard me say, we would like for the Órarduine to be our friends. By friends, I mean people you like to visit, hang out with, and do things together. Tonight is an opportunity for us to get to know them, their values and the way Órarduine approach life. From what you have seen in the paper, you probably suspect that they already have many friends on Earth. I can assure you, they do. Several times, they have come to the aid of those they consider friends. Each time they rendered assistance, it has been done quietly. They extended their assistance, to those with their friends. When they have assisted others in resolving a situation, they have sought to let those they assisted receive all the credit." "In today's paper, there was an article questioning what Órarduine aliens were doing with all the money from the concerts and CD sales. It is our understanding much of it has gone to organizations, who provide for the families of those, who died or were injured while serving their country in helping others." "I have spoken to long, that is what you get when you give a politician the microphone first." His comment drew a lot of laughs as he stepped back from the microphone. "Good, evening," said Sarah's Clan in unison. "President Ryan and Mrs. Ryan thank you for the opportunity to be here. None of us ever thought we would have the opportunity to visit the White House as a guest." "When President Ryan suggested our format for this evening, we weren't sure about speaking, as we viewed this evening as a social event. We have Melinda, one of our correspondents, to thank for easing our apprehension. Let's begin by hopefully clearing up a number of misconceptions about us. Yes, many of us did grow up as humans on Earth. Through a number of different circumstances, all of us accepted an opportunity to work on a space ship with a wonderful group of people. When first approached each of us wondered, why was a space ship in our solar system? We learned, that it was here because of an accident that killed nearly all of the crew. Amy's Clan survived because they were in their shuttle conducting a training exercise when the accident occurred. Their ship has been in this solar system approximately a 100 years before its presence was made known. Why so long? There are many reasons, but it is best summarized as being due to circumstances." "Our clan was the first group recruited from Earth. Amy's Clan sought our help to reestablish the ship's crew and ultimately the ship's repair. Before those efforts had begun, two incidents resulted in our clan then Amy's Clan requiring extensive medical treatment. It was these treatments that resulted in the formation of a new species. This species is a unique combination of our genes and those of the original Órarduine in particular Amy's Clan." "Yes, visually we look much like we did before the treatments. We suspect that some of those among you have probably noticed many of the subtle differences in our bodies. In particular, our feet function differently than they did as a human. We are considerably taller. Members of our clan stand between 7' 6" to 7' 9". Most of us are between 6' 6" and 7'. There is little gender difference in strength or stamina. Due to our light wrap, you probably haven't noticed our short tail or the mane of hair running down our backbone. We are able to speak as one. This is possible through our shared mind-link, which is an aspect of our telepathic ability." "So that tells you a little about us. There are more details in the presentations on our website. In our culture, a child can become an adult as young as 14 Earth years if they have matured. In terms of personal interactions between adults, the restrictions are few but it absolutely has to be consensual. In our culture, slavery is permitted, if it is consensual. A Master or Mistress who takes advantage or mistreats someone in their care will be treated the same as a capital crime." "Some concern has been expressed about our intentions. Órarduine have a set of directives that govern the way, we interact with other worlds. These directives forbid us from meddling in other worlds or society's internal issues. Exceptions are allowed but only when we or our friends are at risk. When intervention is necessary, our action is limited to using sufficient strength to rescue them and insure their security." "Our goal in life is to grow and prosper along with those around us. We have no desire to dominate others in order to increase our prosperity. We will not permit others to dominate us." "Once our ships are ready, we plan to leave for another solar system. We are not certain which one yet, but it will likely be several light years away. We can assure you that we are not the only space travelers. Our library indicates there are many different groups. Some groups are as friendly as we think we are but less tolerant of other cultural traits. There are also some that make Earths worse tyrant look like an angel." "From our perspective, we believe you will find space exploration to be easier once you decide to work together and leave the issues that divide you behind." Sarah's Clan didn't give the guests a chance to acknowledge their comments, as they just turned toward the choir and began to move their hands as if they were conducting. The instrumentalist immediately began to play with the choir adding vocals after a few moments. With this being a smaller crowd, the choir found they could visually connect with some in the audience as they performed. This made the performance more personal for both the audience and the performers. For this performance, the choir had included two widely sung spiritual songs. Special Celtic lyrics had been written for these songs which retained the meaning and emotion. As these were sung, they sang each verse in Celtic then in English. The performance lasted nearly an hour in part because of the lengthy applause after each song. Although Caitriona had commented about the spiritual songs before they were sung, President Ryan asked her about them after the performance. "President Ryan," said Caitriona, "we were able to write Celtic lyrics for those songs because of our familiarity with English and how people here worship God. The Celtic dialect we used was ours not that of Earth's early Celts. We view God a little differently than many religions on Earth do." "Beyond the Stars," said President Ryan, "thank you for another wonderful performance." The applause was long and loud. When the applause ended, those on stage began to mix with the guests and get something to eat. "President Ryan," said Aoife, "your idea of having the choir sing almost immediately was great." "Yes," continued Alison, "it gives the guests an easy way to start a conversation." "My wife deserves the credit not me." "Thank you, Mrs. Ryan," said Sarah's Clan softly causing her to blush. "Let's find something to eat," said President Ryan and led the group toward the buffet line. Not far from Sarah's Clan, Adam, Cass and Briana were surveying the gathering on the lawn when they saw Mr. Murphy approaching. "It is nice to see your family again," said Mr. Murphy. "Thank you. This is a new experience for all of us." "But, you've visited the leaders of several other countries." "Yes. Each of those times were a bit more formal that this." "So, what do you think of this lawn party." "Interesting," replied the three. "It seems like many of the guests are reluctant to start a conversation," said Briana. "Many are probably intimated by your stature. I have noticed that many people who are used to talking to people their height or shorter become self conscious when talking to someone significantly taller than them." "That makes sense to a degree," replied Briana, "but I am surprised to see it occurring with this group." "I am curious, are you always with Sarah's Clan?" asked Mr. Murphy. "Quite frequently," replied Cass. "We live on Dóchas, so we quite frequently travel with them." "Let's see, this is the third time our paths have crossed." "Yes. The first time was when we came with James and Clarence to see you," replied Briana. "The second time was at FEDEX Stadium." "We are one of the first Órarduine Security Teams formed after Sarah's Clan became Dóchas Command Staff." Cass went on to tell the AG more about how they were organized and worked together. Rusty, Sarah, Maeve and Aoife had just finished dinner with President Ryan when they noticed a group approaching. "This ought to be interesting," said Rusty and nodded in the direction of the group. Together they watched the President's Science Advisor with several others make their way through the crowd toward them. "Good evening. What do you think of the barbecue?" asked the Science Advisor. "It reminds me of the ones we use to have at Bob and Nancy's estate in New Jersey," replied Sarah. "You're from the US?" responded the science advisor with a surprised look. "Yes, many of us were. Now, we are Órarduine. Rusty and I worked for Bob and Nancy before this adventure began. For us, the last six years by Earth's calendar have been exceptionally interesting." While Sarah had been speaking, another man and woman had joined the group. Aoife guessed they were with either the military or a security agency. "From what we learned from your DVDs, I would agree," continued the science advisor. "Are you going to share your technical knowledge with us?" "In a way, we already have. Our directives provide us guidance in assisting other worlds in improving their technology development. However, anything we provide must benefit the whole species or world. It is further restricted, in that we are not permitted to do anything which will upset their culture. As a result of the current circumstances on Earth, we are very limited in what we can provide." "But you're human and an American," said the man who had joined the group. "You owe it to us." His comments earned him a glaring look from the Science Advisor. "We were human. Now, we are Órarduine. Earth is no longer our home." "But..." "What technology would you like?" continued Sarah. "Our weapons? Our propulsion? Our computer science? Our energy management? Our health management?" "How would you share it with others on Earth?" added Maeve. "Or would it be used to dominate others, as you have used other technological gains in the past?" "A straight transfer would be difficult," continued Aoife. "Why? All of our systems make use of our telepathic ability and our array of psionic abilities. Achieving efficient space flight can be done without the psionic aspect as other worlds have achieved space flight. To achieve space flight, so it will carry you beyond the solar system will only happen when Earth is one people, one world." "I don't see how, that is possible," replied a man who had joined the group. "It is something, you must resolve. We know from our library, other worlds have done it. Many were more antagonistic toward each other than the groups are here, that is until they found the key. One solution they found was that by looking at similarities rather than differences, this made the issues which kept them apart insignificant." "Would you be willing to meet and talk with leading technologists?" asked the Science Advisor trying to redirect the conversation. "Yes. I am sure we can do something along those lines, however it would have to be open to everyone. The topics would be limited to fundamental science." "It can't be done," stated a woman. "You're right," said Aoife. "Especially when you react that way without thinking it through. I'll admit it will require a degree of openness that has not been seen in scientific circles in ages if ever." "I will need to talk to some people," said the Science Advisor thoughtfully. "Who would I contact if we want to go forward?" "An email to Sarah's Clan on Dóchas will work." "Good evening. I'm with NSF," said a man joining those with the Science Advisor. "Several doctors from BCH have submitted grant applications last week. Their proposed study had a significantly different approach than anything the reviewers had seen before. They would have been rejected immediately, if it had been someone other than the submitter. One of the reviewers called the doctor to discuss their proposal. She found that the basic ideas were attributed to conversations with your physicians in Boston. The reviewers are in a quandary over how to handle them." "It would be difficult to provide guidance based on what you have told us," said Judy as she stepped up next to Aoife. "Our physiology has some significant differences from humans. We solve many medical issues primarily by treating at the genetic or cellular information level. Obviously you can't treat everything that way. You could do a partial grant, but it should be done so it doesn't inhibit the investigator's intuition." "Intuition?" "Intuition, in some it can be viewed as 'second sight'." "You sound like a doctor. Would you look at the application?" Judy looked at him for a few moments then said, "No. It has to be your problem and solution. If the investigator wishes to brain storm with us, then possibly. Participating in 'brain storming' would depend on circumstances." "Your response sounds similar to what Sarah told the Science Advisor." "It is." It was approaching ten thirty when Sarah's Clan walked over to President Ryan and Mrs. Ryan talking with some of the choir. "President Ryan," said Sarah, "it is getting late and we should probably be going." "There is no need to hurry off as it seems you have only arrived." "We agree that it seems like that, but it is nearly 10:30." "I didn't think it was that late. It is still light out." As President Ryan said that he looked around. It took him several moments to realize that the surrounding area was quite dark, but the area around the party was just as bright as early evening. He looked at Sarah's Clan with an amazed look on his face. "I now see, I was mistaken about the time." "Most of the others will probably not notice, but the Secret Service is aware of the added light. They were concerned about how visible everyone would be, so we gave them some unique assistance." He looked puzzled for a moment, and then smiled. "Thank you. Thank you so much for coming." "We have enjoyed it." As they were talking, the choir and security teams had moved toward the shuttles hovering again just above the ground. They were now clearly visible with their marker lights flashing brightly. Sarah's Clan shook hands with the President and his wife giving each a hug before starting for their shuttle. Everyone watched as the group boarded the shuttles and the doors close. As the shuttles rose, darkness began to close in on the south lawn. On Alpha1, Rusty said, "Washington, DSTA01 ready for departure." "Washington, DSTA02, ready for departure," said Maeve. "Copy," came the reply. "DSTA01. DSTA02 cleared to 9 5 0." "Thank you its been a pleasure." To those on the ground, the shuttles rose straight up into the dark sky. The outline of the two ships was apparent for a long time. "Mr. President and Mrs. Ryan," said Mr. Murphy, "this was an outstanding evening." "Yes, it was. I hope everyone learned something this evening." "Mr. President, that man known as Rusty was one of our special ops soldiers. Adam was part of a TTC group who disappeared on a flight returning to Afghanistan." "General, you are partially correct. A correct statement today would be that they resemble those individuals. Your interpretation of their status is incorrect. They were a part of our military. None of them have any current link to our country other than being a friend." "But, they could use their knowledge of our classified information against us." "General, are you aware of the event involving a security agency contractor when their concert was held at FEDEX Stadium." "Yes, but only that something happened." "They were the ones that neutralized the contractor. It took them less than half an hour to take control of a secure building and its network then penetrate all the connected networks. At least that is what our people think. So I don't think, they need any classified information. The best part of that whole thing is, that they preserved the evidence for Mr. Murphy." "Oh, my. We need to figure out how to protect our selves." "Didn't you listen to their comments? Haven't you seen their DVDs?" The General had a puzzled look on his face. "We protect ourselves by having them as friends. They don't play "King of the Hill." If you try that with them, then they will protect themselves. If pushed, they would remove the irritation." "General," said Mr. Murphy, "if you want them to be our adversaries, it can be managed. Why would we want to do that? Isn't it better to consider them as an older respected family member?" "Maybe, General Walker was correct about them." "Ah, you are beginning to see the potential of them being friends," replied President Ryan. "I hope some of those from the media publish their comments this evening. They told us what we needed to do to make space travel obtainable. Some how, we need to find a way for all of us to work together. If we don't, we may have the opportunity to wish we had." ------- Chapter 118 It had been nearly three weeks since the Boston Concert when Siobhan called Blaine again, to see how he was doing. "Blaine," said Siobhan, "how are things?" "Good and bad, as always," replied Blaine, laughing. "We had a wonderful visit with Adrian, Joanna and Oriel last weekend. They have really changed in the last several weeks. They seem much more grown up since spending time with your group. All they could talk about were the things they got to do on the ship. It was the most excited, we have ever seen them about anything. Even if you hadn't warned us, we wouldn't have been surprised when they told us they would like to stay longer, and that you were agreeable." "Blaine, they can stay as long as they want. As to maturing, we have noticed it, as well. At some point, they will have to make a decision about their future. If they seek to join us, we will do all we can to make sure they fully evaluate and understand the implications of becoming an Órarduine. This isn't to say that we wouldn't like them to join us, but they need to appreciate the implications of their future options." "You really expect them to want to stay?" "We are fairly certain Oriel would like to. Her concern about Adrian or Joanna's safety is holding her back from making her choice. It is not clear to us what your children see as their future." "Even though, I think I can understand why you make it hard for people to join you, the lengths you go to seem a little extreme. Could you elaborate a bit more about why you are so cautious?" "We plan on moving to another solar system in the near future. Once we do that, coming back here will likely be an infrequent occurrence. There could be other, unforeseen, difficulties, as well. Part of our caution is due to our living for long periods in the close confines of a space ship. An unhappy person in the close confines of a space ship is to be avoided, even at the risk of not accepting some excellent talent. There is also the issue of effectively contributing to our community. For a person to fully contribute or be effective in our community, they really need the physical and mental attributes of our species. This means they need to undergo the cross species transformation. The cross species step is not reversible. Based on our knowledge of Earth's attitudes, we don't think any of our species could live comfortably on Earth." "In light of all of those issues, your approach makes a lot of sense. Is it possible for us to visit?" "Absolutely. We would love to have you. Just tell us when you would like to come, and we will have someone come pick you up. You are aware that we are a clothing optional society?" "Yes. The children asked if we would let them continue that when they were home. We told them yes, though only inside the house. It went very well once Selena and I adjusted. I have to admit it took some adjusting for me, as Oriel and Joanna are lovely young ladies." "We all feel that way. How is your investigation going regarding the BCH staff?" "Not well. In fact, if we don't find any hard evidence soon, we will shift our focus to other cases. We believe, we have identified who was behind kidnapping the two doctors and nurse. The motive is unusual, but the woman is very rich and egotistical. We need to make sure we have a very strong case before we can openly investigate her activities, or the politicians will eat us alive." "Tell your group thanks for the data they sent. They did an excellent job. I don't think we could have ever made some of the connections. The data for the missing former CPS wards has a strange link to the case of the missing BCH staff members. Virtually all the missing people from the CPS program went to work for BEN Cruises. After leaving the concert, Dr. Evans and her date were dropped off by their limo at the BEN Cruises dock. Their limo pickup after the cruise was canceled." "BEN Cruises is a company that specializes in short overnight cruises out of Boston. The cruise line is rather small, so it is difficult to see why they would need as many crew members as are indicated by the number of missing former CPS wards. This, in conjunction with Dr. Evans not returning from one of their cruises, tweaked our curiosity." "We wanted to inspect the boats, but didn't have justification, so we approached the Coast Guard. When we explained our problem to the local Coast Guard office, they were quite helpful in scheduling an inspection. When we asked to include one of our detectives on the inspection, they thought it would be better to take one of their law enforcement people. During the inspection, they didn't see anything out of the ordinary, except that the supervisors on the boat were not real cooperative. The crew's costumes were a little on the risqué side, but they really didn't see anything that seemed completely out of place. Monitoring of their dock revealed that they cater to those with above average incomes, and that all the passengers arrive by limo. The drop-off point is shielded, so you can't see who exits the limo." "How strong do you think the link is, even though you don't have any real evidence?" "In terms of facts, it is very weak. In terms of feeling, it seems like we are on the right track. I think it is very strong, as do some of the other detectives. One thing I hadn't mentioned is that the owners of this operation have their headquarters on the coast, up toward Maine. The location is quite isolated, and there don't seem to be many people around. The buildings are near a small cove and there is a good size dock. Why they would choose that location is not clear." "Is there anything you would like us to do?" "Well, if we knew where the boats went on their cruises it may help. Even then, it is a long shot. Based on the description the Coast Guard gave of the boats they inspected, we don't see why these people want to spend that much money on a boat trip. The three staff members have now been gone for nearly three weeks. If they don't return in another couple of weeks, I don't expect they will be found." "I'll say something to Caoilinn's security team and our Security Group. I am sure they will want to take a look around. Either Caoilinn or I will let you know if we find anything." "Thanks. As to visiting, let me talk to Selena, and I will get back to you." ------- Siobhan looked at the group with her on Alpha2, and thought back over the activities of the last day and half. It had only been yesterday morning when she had talked with Blaine, and learned about his desire to know more about the BEN Cruises trips from Boston Harbor. When she talked to the Intelligence Department on Dóchas, they were immediately interested in helping Blaine with his problem. As she left the group, she had heard Shannon call the Security Department, requesting a conference. It was right after breakfast the next morning, that Shannon told Sarah's Clan that they needed to meet with them and the Security Department. They had quickly gathered together, as they all felt some urgency in the request. Shannon had hardly finished the overview, when Sarah said, "Shannon, there is no need to go any further. Siobhan, you know Blaine, so take Caoilinn with a few others, and go tell Blaine what we have found. At the same time, the Security Teams will prepare to extract the three kidnap victims, along with the trainees. Give Blaine the opportunity to act once he has the data. Give him all the support he needs. Security Teams are to be prepared to act, no matter what." The firmness of Sarah's comments had surprised Siobhan a little, since she wasn't usually so forceful. She could tell by the looks on Shannon and Danny's faces that they were surprised, as well. After pausing, Sarah added a few more instructions, detailing the scope of the extraction effort. It had taken them a couple of hours to finish organizing the data and their proposed solution. They had designed their proposed solution so that, once their people were positioned, they could either support Blaine or act on their own. Siobhan then called Blaine, to tell him that they had found the three BCH staff members, and requested to meet with him as soon as possible, in order to share the details. Siobhan, along with a portion of Caoilinn's team and a few others stepped to the sidewalk in front of Boston Police Headquarters. It was only a short distance to walk to the front door. They entered the lobby shortly after 3 PM. Their appearance had drawn the attention of several people on the street as they entered the building. In each case, the person stopped and watched the group as they entered the building. As soon as they stepped through the door, all heads in the lobby turned toward them, and the room became very quiet. A uniformed officer walked over toward them. "You're here to see Chief Detective Jackson," asked the officer, as he reached them. "Yes, we are," responded Siobhan, with a smile. "I guess we are pretty easy to pick out of a crowd. I really didn't expect us to create any commotion." "It is not often we get such a lovely group of people here at one time. Chief Jackson told me to look for tall and beautiful women. All of you certainly meet those criteria. In fact, you are probably the tallest women, I have ever met. Please, follow me. Chief Jackson is waiting with a group upstairs." Siobhan was accompanied by Caoilinn, Melanie, Aingeal, Patience, of Vanessa's clan, Anna, of Christina's clan and Muriel, of Leann's clan, as they followed the officer. Patience and Muriel were there to handle communications with Dóchas. "Hello, Blaine," said Siobhan, as they entered the conference room. "It is good to see you again." "Hello, Blaine," said Caoilinn, "I am sure glad you could accommodate us so quickly." "It is a pleasure to see both of you again," said Blaine, replying as they each shook hands. "If the preliminary information is as strong as it seems, we would be foolish to do otherwise, considering the time constraints." "I'd like you to meet Melanie and Aingeal, of my family," said Caoilinn. "Patience and Muriel will be handling our security and communications during the meeting." "Siobhan, I don't remember your position," said Blaine. "I am a member of Phoenix's Command Staff. I was part of the Dóchas Command Staff, but our clan recently moved to Phoenix as the Command Staff. Our ships operate a little differently than they do here on Earth. Each of our ships has a Command Staff consisting of 12 to 16 people, who function as a tightly linked group. By intent, we do not have a single person as the commander of a ship." "An interesting approach, but I am not sure it would work here on Earth," replied a woman standing next to Blaine. "Without telepathy and our mind-link ability, it likely wouldn't work for us, either. To elaborate a little bit, when we are on the bridge, each of us has an area we focus on, but at the same time we are aware of everything happening around us. An SAS friend of ours equated it to what they sense as a team in the field. For us, we are connected through our mind-link all the time. Blaine, my apologies for causing our focus to drift away from why we are here." "There is no need to apologize. First, let me introduce my group." With that, Blaine introduced his assistant and the detectives in the room. "We are expecting three more who are: Ms. Eilidh Carroll, from the DA's office and Selena, and her supervisor from CPS. They should be here momentarily." The comment about CPS caused some groans. "Selena is an IT manager and data analyst in the CPS Data Processing Section. The man accompanying her is her department head. I would like to wait until everyone is here before we go over the information Siobhan's group has brought us. The information they have was gathered in response to a question I asked Siobhan, yesterday." Just then, the door opened to let Selena and her supervisor into the room. They were closely followed by Ms. Carroll from the DA's office. "Good," said Blaine, "Everyone is here, so we can get started." He introduced the new arrivals and had Siobhan's group re-introduce themselves. "Chief Jackson," said Patience, "we are ready to electronically isolate this room. When we do that, no one will be able to eavesdrop on the activities in this room. This will also block reception of your Blackberrys, cell phones and wireless devices, so you may want to turn them off. This way, the loss in signal won't cause any alarms in your systems." "Fine by me," he replied with a slight smile, as he remembered a similar event after the concert. "You all heard the request. For this meeting, we will dispense with formality and use first names or nicknames." "Blaine, the room is secure," said Patience. Seeing several puzzled faces, she continued, "We have established an electronic shield around us, so no one can eavesdrop on our conversations, not even the NSA." "Thanks. Siobhan or Caoilinn, what were you able to find out about the cruise company?" Caoilinn replied, "We can start with a short summary, along with our proposed solution, or we can present all of our findings, then close with our proposed solution." "Siobhan, you indicated earlier that we needed to move fairly quickly on some aspects of this?" "Yes," replied Siobhan. "Let's pause for a moment, as we didn't say who was attending by conference phone. We have most of our Security Group listening in, but actively participating will be Clarence, James, Sally, Tara and Terry. Clarence was an investigator with a US DA office. James was a US DA before he joined us. Sally, Tara and Terry are a portion of Dóchas's Command Staff." "Our latest data," continued Siobhan, "indicates that we need to act well before dawn tomorrow, and preferably before midnight." "Then, in light of your perceived need for action, give us the summary and the proposed solutions," replied Blaine. "First Dr. Evans, Dr. Downes and Nurse Brown are alive," said Caoilinn. She smiled at the relief she saw on the attendees' faces. "They are being held on BEN Cruises' boat, Exotic Night, about 150 miles off the coast. Their current position is almost due East of here. Their situation has improved since this morning, but we need to intervene in the next several hours. Why? Because our information indicates that they are to be moved to an unknown location before dawn tomorrow." "BEN Cruises uses the small boats you saw in Boston harbor to take the passengers out to Exotic Night. When passengers are on board, Exotic Night, they always stay in international waters. It only visits a harbor every 4 to 6 weeks, to resupply." "Exotic Night cruises basically provides their passengers with a private environment in which they can indulge in casual sex. Casual sex includes virtually anything including mild bondage, mild punishment and forced submission. The trainees serve as companions for the passengers during the whole cruise. Typically it is one trainee per cabin, but an additional fee will increase the number of trainees. The trainee's role ranges from being the passengers maid to their sex slave. The trainees enthusiastically participate, due to the behavioral drugs they are given. The drugs make them very receptive in complying with any passenger request. A second aspect of the drug cocktail is that with time it promotes an addiction to sexual stimulation and ultimate release. We are still sorting out the drug cocktail, as it seems to only effect these two aspects of a trainees personality. After each experience with a passenger, the trainee's supervisor reviews their performance with them and suggests things they could have done to make their passengers visit more rewarding. Most trainees spend up to a year on the boat, before being offered the opportunity work at another location. Once training is deemed complete, they are offered new employment that can be virtually any place in the world. Although some trainees are used to assist new trainees in their duties. Several have been on the boat for several years." "The result is that joining BEN Cruises as a 'steward in training' becomes their first step into the life of an indentured sex slave. The term sex slave covers anything from being a personal companion, to brothel resident, to being held in a dungeon for torment. Once they leave the boat, they become just another sex slave or toy, with special training. Based on other information we have, they have only one way out; death." Siobhan watched the expressions of the group as Caoilinn spoke. "The BEN Cruises customers are all in a reasonably high income bracket, as the cruises are quite expensive. From the passengers perspective, the availability of receptive young men or women to fulfill their fantasies is a key feature. Added to that is their perception, that they can do this with virtually no risk of publicity. Many returning passengers stay for several days and may request a specific trainee. Most passengers don't realize that they are helping BEN Cruises train the 'ship's stewards'." "How did you get all of that information so quickly?" said one detective interrupting Caoilinn. "When you can listen to conversations and make close observations without your presence being known you can learn a lot. With multiple sources, you can then build a pattern and fit it with the facts." The detective thought a moment before saying, "Okay. I can see how that would work." "The boat Exotic Night is set up to operate as two separate units," continued Caoilinn. "The operators of BEN Cruises have neither the knowledge, nor license, to operate the boat. Exotic Night is operated by a Captain, who is the registered owner, and about a dozen seamen. Their sole responsibility concerns operating the boat. The Captain and seamen have little, if any, interaction with any aspect of passenger care. If they get to nosy, they are quietly and quickly replaced. Exotic Night is designed to minimize contact between the boat's crew and the cruise operation. The cruise manager provides the boat's crew members with a companion on a regular basis, but it is never the same one twice. While the Captain suspects what happens to the trainees, he is in no position to do anything about it. BEN Cruises owners are holding him in check in two ways. They are blackmailing him over an incident in his past. They are also threatening the safety of his two sisters and their families. BEN Cruises' owners have indicated his family members would disappear as soon as he quit cooperating." "BEN Cruises has a staff of ten supervisors on board. They oversee the training of the steward trainees, and their care of the passengers. The staff knows the real purpose of training the 'stewards'. It is this group that decides what kind of opportunity for servitude trainee's will find when they leave for their new assignment. They have a special training area for trainees who become difficult or cause other problems." As Caoilinn had spoken, the group had looked at her with disbelief written on their faces. When Caoilinn finished, Eilidh said, "So, you're saying the Barbary Coast is alive and well here in Boston?" "Well, I wouldn't go quite that far." "How do you want to solve this?" demanded one detective. "We see three separate issues here so, we have divided our proposed solution into three parts. First is to rescue Dr. Evans, Dr. Downes and Nurse Brown. We are positioning our security teams to do that now. Once they are safely off the boat, we intend to take them to our medical facility on Dóchas. The is because they have been given some treatments which will cause new growth in portions of their bodies. Our medical facility is the only place where they can get the medical treatments they need to minimize long-term effects of these treatments." "The second part is to offer all the 'stewards in training' a chance to leave the ship. The offer will be made after they are given an antidote to the drugs in their bodies, and receive an explanation of their situation. Our offer will be for a place to stay, which is in a secure, isolated spot on Earth. We expect most of them will accept the offer, even though they may have some apprehension about it. I think all of you can understand why they would have some apprehension." Caoilinn paused for a moment, to see if anyone asked a question. "While in our care, we will provide them with any medical assistance that they may need to recover from the drugs and treatments they were receiving from the BEN Cruises staff. We will also provide psychological support as they come to grips with their experiences." "We suggest dealing with the rest of the BEN Cruise staff and passengers after the first two goals are accomplished. We think it should start with the Captain asking for assistance from the Coast Guard." Caoilinn's comment drew several puzzled looks. "Last night, during the storm, two women were killed by a life boat when they went on deck. According to the log, a life boat broke loose just after they went out on deck. It slammed them into the railing, and battered them against the railing several times before breaking through. Also, during the storm, the BEN Cruise business manager had a bulkhead door slam on his arm, nearly severing it. The man needs more medical services than are available on the boat. If the Coast Guard knew you were looking for the two dead women, you would have probable cause to assist them. Our information shows that you will probably find photos of other missing people on the boat, which would give you a basis for looking further." "What would keep them from destroying the evidence before we arrived?" asked Eilidh. "Two things: first, we are certain they will all sleep until shortly before you arrive, and also, all of their access to records requires a password. Those passwords won't work until the appropriate time." "Hmm ... that sounds similar to some things I heard about evidence recovery at the Chosen Ones site, when it was raided by the Feds." "Could be," replied Siobhan, with a smile. "There is one thing we should tell you, that relates to BEN Cruises' home office. Early this morning, we found a number of explosive devices hidden along the center of the Exotic Night's hull, well below the water line. These were connected to a separate radio receiver. On the bridge, we found an emergency switch near each door, which has instructions to press immediately in any emergency. In the BEN Cruises home office, we found several buttons labeled critical emergency response, with a ship's name. These buttons were connected to a radio transmitter. As you've probably guessed, the transmitter in the home office operates on the same frequency as the receiver connected to the explosives on the boat. We thought it was a gross safety hazard to have remotely controlled detonators and explosives connected to a radio on a ship at sea. To solve this, we took it upon ourselves to relocate the receiver, detonators and explosives back to the home office. We hope you don't mind our meddling." "I'll bet that will give someone a hell of a surprise," said one of the detectives, causing everyone to laugh. "So you're telling me that, if we go along with this, we will find the evidence we need to shutdown this slaving operation," said Eilidh. "Yes. Dr. Evans, Dr. Downes and Nurse Brown have already decided that they don't want to return to Boston, for a number of reasons. They made that decision when they were discussing their predicament. Their options would now be a little different, but we see their reasons as still being valid. We think they will find recovering on Dóchas to be a good first step toward deciding their future. After their recovery, they still have the option of returning to Boston or some other location on Earth." "I am not sure I have any input," said Selena, "but I think we ought to accept the proposal Caoilinn just outlined. My concerns are two fold, how did they make people disappear and how can we reduce the likelihood of this happening again?" "They were able to make people cleanly disappear through the use of a carefully worded power of attorney. When a person joined the BEN Cruises' as crew trainee, each person gave the cruise line a broad power of attorney. BEN Cruises used this to, effectively, turn them into wards of the company." "Interesting," said Eilidh, "they are taking advantage of them not having any family members to advise them and their unfamiliarity with life on their own. If you didn't know otherwise, the power of attorney would seem to be a normal part of getting a job working at sea." "Blaine, you may not remember this, but I used to be with the Boston Police harbor patrol. We would need a lot more people than the Coast Guard would normally send to respond to a call like this." "You are correct," said Caoilinn. "It is our intention to be your shadow until you summon re-enforcements, if needed, and they arrive. So that there are no misunderstandings, we don't intend to be seen by the passengers or the cruise line staff. We have a way to be there and to ensure that your operation goes as planned. You will be able to see us, if necessary, but talking to what is, apparently, empty space, could cause you problems." "Blaine, this is Clarence on Dóchas. I can assure you and Eilidh that the evidence you find will not be tainted. As for your security, you couldn't get any more from a Seal team." "Does anyone around the table object to following the proposed response," asked Blaine. All of the detectives nodded their head affirmatively. "On the basis of Clarence's comment, I agree," said Eilidh. "Siobhan, Caoilinn, you have our agreement to begin doing what is needed." "The teams are on their way." "Caoilinn, can you go over each of the items in more detail?" asked Eilidh. "I want all of us to be fully prepared concerning what to expect when we arrive. This should minimize making any mistakes that would jeopardize any criminal complaints. Blaine, can your assistant be our contact point here, as I intend to go with you." "Yes, I will be glad to," Blaine's assistant quickly answered. "Now, over the next couple of hours, as Caoilinn goes over their data, let's match it up with the data we have," said Eilidh. "We can assist you in picturing and organizing the data," said Muriel. With that, a virtual white board formed around the room. "There is an identical board on Dóchas, in the Security Group's conference room." Four hours later, Blaine said, "Eilidh, it is dinner time. I think we need to get ready for our operation, and we all need something to eat, since it will be a long night." "Caoilinn, we owe your group a big thank you for you assistance and for gathering this data. I don't think we could have found some of it, or made the links that your group did. I think we have gone as far as we can with the data we have." "As soon as your group is ready, we will have the Captain on Exotic Night call the Coast Guard," said Siobhan. "So Dr. Evans, Dr. Downes and Nurse Brown are safe." "Yes, they are safe. We have not moved them from the boat, yet. We are waiting until we locate all of the Captain's family. Just so you are aware, we are monitoring the security of Dr. Downes family, as well." "Why is that?" "The woman behind the kidnapping has told the three that if their performance was unsatisfactory, Dr. Downes wife and daughters will find themselves working in a whore house, or serving in the dungeon of a sex club." "You said they were dead." "Yes. We don't know how they arranged for their threat to be implemented, so we presume they had something in place such as a contract." "Good point. Those kind of contracts sometimes have a life of their own." As the group got up, Selena went to Blaine and hugged him. "Be careful." "Don't worry, everything will be fine." "Selena, we can give you a ride," said Siobhan, with a smile. "Thank you. I would appreciate that." "Security shield coming down," said Patience. "Okay, everyone on my staff," said Blaine, "we have accomplished a lot. I know a good restaurant on the harbor where we can get a bite to eat. Why don't we meet downstairs in 20 minutes, and you can follow me over?" As the detectives left to get their things, Siobhan asked the uniformed policeman by the door for directions to the garage elevator. Instead of giving them directions, he walked them to the garage elevator. Upon entering, Caoilinn punched the top floor button and they rode quietly to the top. Stepping out of the elevator, the Órarduine gathered around Selena, shielding her from view with their cloaked bodies as the group walked toward the lighted door of Alpha2. Just after they entered Alpha2, Selena's cell phone rang. She looked and saw it was Blaine calling. "Hi, honey." "Where did you disappear to so quickly? I thought I would walk you out." "I left with Siobhan. She offered to give me a ride home. I thought you heard." "Well, come to think of it, I guess I did. See you in the morning, sometime." "Focus on tonight, darling, I love you." "Selena, would you like to watch the events, this evening?" said Siobhan. "Yes, I think so," replied Selena, after pausing a few moments. "If Blaine calls, will my phone work?" "Sure." Just then, the cabin monitor came to life. In the middle of the screen was a large boat, with three objects floating next to it. "Is that the Exotic Night?" asked Selena. "Yes, it is. It will be about 20 minutes before we arrive." Reacting to a sound behind her, Selena turned and looked. She gasped as she saw the others in the cabin naked and putting on some kind of suits. Once they were in the suits, she watched the suits closed around them, completely enclosing their body. "Selena, we are wearing what we call a tactical suit," said Caoilinn. "Some of us will be on Exotic Night, while some will stay here as our backup. The suits augment our natural abilities. You might think of them as body armor." Just then, the screen flickered, as the scene changed to show the bridge on the boat. The Captain and a crewman were watching, as another crewman steered the boat. The image then split into multiple windows, showing the boat from above, from off to the side, and the bridge. Green blips began appearing on the deck of Exotic Night. "The green blips are our people," said Siobhan. "They are wearing suits like ours, and won't be visible to those on the boat unless we want that to occur." "So this is the beginning of your plan?" "Yes," replied Siobhan. "We need to begin now, as it will take the Coast Guard between three and four hours to reach the Exotic Night. In a few moments, you will see Caoilinn, Sal and Aingeal join several others on the boat's bridge." When Selena glanced back, she didn't see Caoilinn and Aingeal, but her attention was brought back to the screen as it flickered again. On the screen, she could see three new green blips on the walkway to the bridge. "Selena," said Siobhan, "those three green dots by the boats bridge are Caoilinn, Aingeal and Muriel. They will enter the bridge in a few moments." "Christina along with some EMTs are now with Evans, Downes and Brown." ------- Chapter 119 Christina walked along the passageway on Exotic Night, heading toward the cabin door where Kathy, Johanna and Conall were being held. Outside the door, she paused a moment as her group checked out the rest of the passageway. When they advised her the rest of the passageway was clear, Christina turned and opened the cabin door. Christina and Louise, along with six EMTs, quietly entered the cabin. Sybil and Nainsi, while cloaked, placed a small video monitor on the passageway wall over the door, before entering the cabin, and locked the door. Sybil said, "Christina, the video monitor in the passage is working. The other teams know we have entered the cabin." "Good. Let's do it." With that, the group with Christina checked out the cabin, and moved to their positions before deactivating their cloaking. When Brighid noticed them, she gasped, and jumped before saying, "Your not supposed to be in here!" "Relax, Brighid," said Christina, firmly, "we have come to take care of our friends." "These three are now Mistress Larissa responsibility." "Summon Larissa, please," replied Christina, ignoring Brighid's comment. "We need to speak with her." Turning to the EMTs, she continued, "Why don't you begin checking them out?" Christina watched as the EMTs began checking Johanna, Kathy and Conall's vital signs and releasing their restraints. "No! You can't do that," said Brighid, fear clearly showing on her face. "Brighid, relax. Everything will be fine." As Christina spoke, she sent Brighid telepathic suggestions to relax. "As soon as Kathy, Johanna and Conall are awake, we have a proposal for them." The noise and skin contact woke Johanna first. When she saw the others in the room, she began to bawl. The sound of her wailing and the activity in the cabin combined to awaken Kathy and Conall. Kathy resisted waking up. She didn't want to leave her dream; since it seemed too good to be true. The sound of Johanna's sobbing kept intruding on her dream, so she gave up and opened her eyes. She blinked her eyes several times, then screamed, "Christina, is that you?" "Yes. Louise is over there. Nainsi and Sybil are monitoring the passageway." "I am so glad to see you. How soon can you get us out of this horrid place?" "Very soon. But first, the EMTs need to finish checking you over. We want to give you an antidote to the drugs that are affecting your judgment. You need to take it now. We will leave as soon as the rest of the ship is secured. You will notice the effect of the antidote pretty quickly." Johanna had stopped sobbing when she heard Kathy talking to Christina. She could tell by the way they were talking that Kathy knew the strangers, and that they would soon be off the ship. Then it hit her, and she wondered what "free" would mean now, with their altered bodies. She thought, "We're destined to be sluts! The evil woman said that the changes are now permanent. How will we survive? Do I want to survive?" "Relax, Johanna," said Kathy. "Let's not jump to conclusions." "Guys, we have some time," said Christina, "and Johanna has already started to worry about the future. Please take the drug antidote before doing anything else." She watched as the three drank the antidote the EMTs gave them, and then waited to see a change in their expressions. Once she saw the change, she continued with, "While the EMTs are checking you over, we can talk about the choices you now have available." "Maybe we ought to just go to Larissa's place," said Johanna. "Although, I am not very anxious to do that." "Larissa's place?" "I think it was today," replied Kathy, "but Brighid would know for sure. The Captain was here with a woman named Larissa. She offered us positions as the medical staff at her place. She apparently operates a baby farm, in partnership with someone from Boston whom, I think, is connected to BCH. Her farm is suppose to be very isolated." "That is one option," replied Christina. "There are, however, other choices. We suspect you would prefer to make that kind of choice with a clear mind, and have an opportunity to consider other possibilities." All three nodded in agreement. "Brighid, you know what your future was, don't you?" "How do you know my name?" "We looked through the ship's records. How long have the drugs not affected you?" "I am not sure, but probably well over a year." "You didn't answer my question." "I have been here long enough to realize that our training isn't what we thought it was. I have enjoyed most of my experiences with the passengers. It took me a while before I was comfortable being intimate with so many different people. All the passengers I have hosted have been very nice to me. I am surprised that BEN Cruises kept me here to assist with the new trainees. It is only a matter of time until they send me to a new assignment." "How did you learn that your next assignment would start with an auction?" "I didn't say auction, although that fits with some comments I heard the staff make, when they didn't know I was around. I am certain that wherever my next assignment was, it would be more sexually orientated than here." "According to the records, everyone who left had their personal services contract either sold directly to someone, or at an auction." "I don't remember signing a contract like that." "It was among the documents you signed when came to work for BEN Cruises. Also, among the documents was a power of attorney, designating the company or their successors as your legal representative. The POA and personal services contract were transferable at the holder's discretion." "I remember signing several papers when I came to work here, a couple of years ago. So, you're saying that signing those papers, basically, made me their property. I am surprised I would have done that." "They were written in a manner that would make it difficult to detect without closely examining the wording. An attorney on Dóchas thinks that most people, even lawyers, could miss the true intent of the documents. There are similar documents for Johanna, Kathy and Conall." "What?" said Kathy. "Yes," said Christina, "There was a POA and personal services contract similar to Brighid's among the documents for Johanna, Conall and you. In them, each of you designated the two women who died as your legal representative, giving them all rights to act in your behalf." "I didn't sign anything like that." Johanna and Conall both nodded in agreement with her. "It is a moot point, as those documents no longer exists. We have also removed the videos taken of your performances from their files. We hope you don't mind." "Mind? You have to be kidding. A woman came to see us. She told us why we were here. She also told us one of the passengers was editing our videos, in preparation for selling them on the Internet." "We are aware of that. Unfortunately, his equipment malfunctioned," replied Louise. "All the tapes now contain nothing but static." "Kathy, Johanna, Conall and Brighid, we would like to take you to Dóchas. There our medical staff can check you over. They think, they maybe able to alter the course of your treatments so the changes in your body will not negatively impact your health." "What are our options, if we go to Dóchas?" replied Johanna. "They are whatever you want. From a medical standpoint, once the autodocs have assessed your medical status, our doctors will discuss your treatment options with you. It will be your choice whether you receive treatments or not. When those are complete, or really before, you will also need to decide what your future will be. We are willing to help by being a sounding board, or pointing out options we think you over looked, but no more." "I am for going to Dóchas," said Kathy. "What the hell is going on?" said Larissa seeing Christina's group as she entered the room. "I don't know who you are, but these three, along with Brighid, are going to my place. How did you get in here? The door was locked." As she spoke, she glared at Brighid. "Mistress Larissa," said Brighid, "I didn't let them in, as I couldn't open the door." "Hm ... that's right." Larissa turned toward Christina's group, and said, "If you don't leave, I will have the cruise staff forcibly remove you." "Larissa," replied Christina firmly, "that is not going to happen. Think about it, we opened the door you locked, entered the cabin, and closed the door that you just unlocked. We did all of that before Brighid sensed our presence. Both you and Brighid need to focus on your real choices." "So..." began Larissa, as her face flushed in anger. Christina interrupted her, saying, "Hear me out before saying anything else. Our group is here to assist Kathy, Conall, and Johanna in leaving this ship before the Coast Guard arrives. Others in our group are securing the ship, in preparation for the Coast Guards arrival. Both Brighid and you are welcome to leave with us. We will give you a lift to your place, since we know you have a number of people there who depend on you. Which location Brighid chooses to stay at is solely up to her." "Why would the Coast Guard be coming?" replied Larissa, looking a bit apprehensive. "The Captain requested assistance for the injured cruise manager. He also reported the loss of the two women who were pushed overboard, by the life boat, during the storm. The Boston Police are with them because the two women are suspects in the kidnapping of these three." "You mentioned Dóchas. Where is it?" "It is currently in a Mars orbit. It is one of our space ships." "I see no reason to accept, as I have nothing to hide." "No, you probably don't. We know that the police have traced a number of missing people to the BEN Cruises' boats that operate between this ship and Boston harbor. BEN Cruises' records show some trainees being transferred to a baby farm. Yours? More than that, you need to think about how long you can be gone before it affects the people you are responsible for. So, from our perspective, it seems that it might be better for you not to be here." Kathy and Johanna's standing up distracted them from their conversation. Christina turned, just in time to see Johanna pull Kathy into a hug and kiss her very passionately. They heard Johanna say, "Kathy, I owe you so much for keeping my spirits up while we were in here. I love you more than I can ever express." "I love you, too. I have been intimate with women before, but you are special, very special to me." Kathy pulled Johanna tightly to her, and kissed her again as their hands ran over each other. Both were a little startled when another pair of arms encircled both of them. "Ladies, I hope you don't mind me touching you, after what you've seen me do. Both of you are very special to me. I don't know whether I should be pleased with myself or not. I have to be honest, and tell you that I enjoyed everything we did together. I am not sure I will be able to live with some of the other things I did. I am not sure what my family will think of me now." Conall's eyes filled with tears as he spoke about his family. "Conall, I wasn't leaving you out," said Johanna. "I know, but seeing the two of you embracing just drew me in. My wife probably thinks I am dead, but she wouldn't care after seeing the way I look now. She is very conservative, so seeing me with these growing pillows on my chest would probably be more than she could handle. It is hard to imagine how our daughters would react to seeing me." "Conall, your wife doesn't believe you are dead," said Christina. "The Boston Police are coming here because they think there is a possibility that the three of you may be here. We think it would be better if none of you were here when they arrive. Your presence is not really necessary. There is enough DNA evidence in this room to confirm that all of you were here. The immediate issue is, do you want to return to Boston now, or at a time of your choosing." "I would be much more comfortable going to Dóchas, especially if my wife and children could be assured that I was alive and safe. My medical issues need to be resolved before anything else. I am certain that your medical group is the only one in this solar system that can help us." "Assuring your family that you are alive and safe is an easy request of fulfill," replied Christina. "We have a security detail monitoring them at the moment. This was done to ensure their safety, because of the earlier threats made toward them. Once you finish your health evaluations, I think we can arrange to bring them to Dóchas, or another place, for you to meet." "Then let's go," replied Conall, "I don't like the accommodations on this ship anyway. The sleeping arrangements are terrible. They always want you to perform or lick some cunt clean." "You horny old goat," said Kathy, laughing, "you were always ready to perform, either by licking our cunts clean or sticking that cock in one of our holes." "Yes, and it always either felt or tasted good." "Wait," said an EMT, "we still have a couple of things to do. Johanna, would you bend over and grab your ankles, so we take your butt plug out." "Here," said Brighid, "they need to be taken out a special way. Can you take mine out?" The group watched as they removed the butt plugs from everyone. The dildos were then removed from Kathy and Johanna's cunts. "Boy, that feels strange," said Kathy. "Not having something in my cunt and ass almost feels unnatural." "In another week, it would feel unnatural," said Larissa. "The unnatural feeling would cause you to constantly seek sexual stimulation. Your obsession to do that would grow, until it held all of your full attention, much like a chronic drug addiction. Sexually obsessed people don't do well on a baby farm." "Come, Siobhan told us we need to board our transport," said Christina. Christina took Larissa's hand, and led her out the door. The others followed, with an EMT walking with Kathy, Johanna and Conall. Brighid and the remaining Security Team members brought up the rear. One of the Security Team, sensing Brighid's, uncertainty put their arm around Brighid and said, "We are glad you decided to come with us. We would like you to have a health checkup. Doing that, and viewing the results, will ease some of your worries." Brighid smiled and hugged the person back, then said, "Thanks." The group stepped out onto the deck and immediately onto the ramp of Alpha7, which was hovering next to the ship. As soon as they were on board, Alpha7 pulled up away from the ship, to be clear of the activity. "Larissa," said Christina, "where is your place." "Oh, my! I don't really know. Gee, that sounds really stupid, but the travel arrangements were always taken care of by someone else. I know that it is near the equator, or someplace that is reasonably comfortable year round without worrying about clothes to stay warm." "How long were your trips?" "Let's see. I would say around 12 hours. We would leave here by boat at first light and go to a small town on the coast. From there, we would travel by private jet to somewhere in the southeast. At least that is where I think it was, judging by the scenery. From there, we would fly directly to our place, most of which was over water. We usually arrived in the late afternoon. The plane would leave as soon as everything was unloaded." "It is a little before midnight, here. Why don't we take Kathy, Johanna, Brighid and Conall to Dóchas, then we can focus on getting you home. By doing that, we can have you home early in the morning." "But, how will we find my place?" replied Larissa, with a worried look. "I think we can work on that during our the trip to Dóchas. Alpha7, set course for Dóchas. Advise Dóchas FOC, we are returning, and let Gail know." "Copy," came a soft voice, startling the passengers. "The voice you heard," said Louise, "was the AI who is piloting our ship." Her comment drew several puzzled looks. "One mode of operation for our ship is through the use of what you would call a computer. They are really much more than that. We usually refer to them as AIs, which stands for artificial intelligence." "Wow," said Kathy. "You mean, it can really be done?" "Yes. We couldn't do many things we do without their participation and support." "Your wording implies that they are more than just what we know as computers." "Yes, and they have several different forms. There are a significant number of robots in our family that are AIs. They are visually and functionally indistinguishable from any of us. We prefer to think of them as logical bipeds or "bots", rather than robots. Once activated, they mature in terms of both knowledge and experience, much the way a biological creature does as they mature. So, while a bot doesn't change in appearance, it does take them a while to develop self-awareness. Once they fully reach self-awareness, they are citizens, just like anyone else." The five passengers had expressions of wonderment, as they looked at each of the group that had rescued them. Christina watched their expressions as they looked around, knowing that they were wondering if anyone in the group was a bot. Mildred broke the silence, by asking, "Larissa, did you watch the scenery very much during your trips?" "Oh, yes as much as I could. I have always enjoyed the view from an airplane." "Is there a trip that really sticks out in your mind?" "Yes, there are several. Why?" "As you've probably realized, we are telepathic and we would like to look at your memories of those trips. Knowing the airplane you flew on, the sights you saw, the way the shadows changed, will help us find your home." "You can do that?" "We hope so. If not, you may need to call your partner and ask him for the coordinates. Doing that should be our last choice." Larissa sat down, and began to remember her most recent trip. As images of the different scenes passed through her mind, Christina's Clan captured them for their Security AI to analyze. They asked Larissa to review several segments more than once, as they tried to glean more details from her memory. They were nearly to Dóchas, when Alpha7's AI told Christina to tell everyone to rest while she had the information processed. ------- While Christina's group had been with Kathy, Johanna and Conall, several members of Caoilinn's group gathered on the walkway to the ship's bridge. They could see that the Captain and two seamen were the only ones on the bridge. After a few moments, Caoilinn nodded to those with her and they entered the bridge. As the doors opened, the Captain said, "This area is off limits to passengers." "Captain, we are not passengers," said Caoilinn. "We are here to remind you that it is your duty to summon the US Coast Guard. You know you need assistance in dealing with the injured staff member." "What? I can't do that. The home office hasn't given me permission to do that." "Are you not Captain of this ship?" "Yes." "Well then, aren't you duty bound to contact the US Coast Guard about the injured passenger? Aren't you also required to notify them about the two women who were crushed against the railing by the lifeboat, before being pushed overboard by it." The Captain was speechless. He thought, "How could these people know? They said they weren't passengers. All the passengers were in their cabins when the incident occurred. I can't go against the owners and put my sisters at risk. Wait, how can they be here if they aren't passengers? What a fucking mess." "Captain," said Caoilinn, "your sisters and their families are safe." Her comment caused the Captain to jump and look at them with a strange expression. "Other members of our group are monitoring their safety at this moment. I can assure you that no harm will come to them." "What the hell? It's like I can hear them speaking and their lips aren't moving." "That's right, you can. I am talking to you telepathically, and reading your thoughts. You need to call the Coast Guard now. If you don't, you could be in a worse pickle than the incident BEN Cruises is blackmailing you about. Think about it. If we could arrive on your ship in the middle of the ocean, don't you think we can protect your sisters and their children. Your sisters families are now safer than the President." He starred at Caoilinn for a few moments, and then looked at the two with her. Doing as they suggested was what he was required to do, as Captain. It was also what he wanted to do. The risk was enormous, but instinct told him to do as Caoilinn suggested. It was then the memories of the other incident came flooding back. The other incident would have turned out much better if he had followed his instincts then. He reached up and flipped the radio to the emergency band. "Boston Coast Guard, this is BEN Cruises ship Exotic Night." "Exotic Night, we copy." "We have an injured passenger who needs medical treatment." "What is the injury?" "His upper right arm was nearly severed when a bulkhead door slammed on it during the storm. BEN Cruises' medical staff thought they could handle it, but he is loosing ground." "What is your position?" Just as the Captain gave their position, a seaman pressed the emergency button. A few moments later, several other crew members entered the bridge, making it a little crowded. "We also need to report that two women fell overboard in the storm last night," continued the Captain. "Why didn't you summon us earlier?" "We should have, but we have been cleaning up after the storm. The two women were crushed against the railing several times by a life boat as the ship rolled. By the time we rigged life lines the life boat had broke through the railing, carrying the women with it." "Who were the women?" The Captain gave the Coast Guard the names from the passenger list. After a few moments, the Coast Guard operator said, "We are requesting you to head toward Boston." "We are turning now." "Enable your emergency beacon and keep someone by the radio. The OIC asks that you secure the women's cabin, as they are wanted by the Boston Police." The Captain gave the helmsman the heading to turn the ship toward Boston, and told him to make it a gradual turn. He then asked the helmsman, "Why did you push the emergency button?" "It is on my duty list." Turning to the other crew members, he then asked, "How come all of you are up here?" "Well, we heard all the 'stewards' moving about. When we looked to see what was going on, we saw them going up to the theater," said a seaman. "We didn't see any of the BEN supervisors. So we thought you might know what is up. Who are these people?" "Bluntly put, here is the deal," said Aingeal firmly, before the Captain could reply. "BEN Cruises is operating this ship as a place to train people for the sex slave business. Every trainee that leaves this ship for a new assignment is destined to be sold as a sex slave. In addition, the two women who died arranged for three people to be kidnapped and brought on board. For a nearly three weeks now, these three people were being conditioned so they would become compulsive sex addicts. The two dead women had arranged to sell them to brothels, where they could satisfy their addiction until it drove them crazy. Even then, there would be no escape." The crew members all looked at her in disbelief. "The only thing saving each of you is that you weren't directly involved, otherwise you would be accessories to kidnapping and enslavement." "In several hours, the US Coast Guard will be boarding this ship, along with a group of Boston Police. We suggest you tell them the truth about everything you have seen. If you do that, you will likely not have any legal problems." "Who are you?" asked a seaman. "We are Órarduine." "What?" "We are the people from the space ship that has been in the news for the last several years. The reason we are here is to help some friends. It will likely be to your benefit to not tell anyone we were here." The seaman looked at the three for a few moments, and then shrugged. "Captain, is it okay if we hang around up here?" "Where are the others?" "Two are down in the engine room and the others are sleeping." "Sure, stay here for a while. When the Coast Guard gets close, some of you need to go tell the others and take your normal duty stations." ------- In the BEN Cruises' operations center, the alarm for Exotic Night sounded a second time that day, waking up the staff. One staff member initiated a command that set the video monitors on Exotic Night to transmit to them. Another staff member turned up the radio monitoring the US Coast Guard frequencies. It took them only a few minutes to realize that the Exotic Night had contacted the Coast Guard, and would be boarded in several hours. Following their instructions, they summoned the owners. A few minutes later, the two owners came bursting into the room. Both were clearly irritated at being drawn away from their evenings activities. Their staff immediately began briefing them on the events regarding Exotic Night and the most recent alarm. As soon as the staff mentioned that the Coast Guard had sent two cutters toward Exotic Night, one of the owners began bitching about what this was going to cost their operation. Meanwhile, the other owner reached over and pressed the switch on the console labeled "Exotic Night". Within moments, a rumble shook the room, as the explosives detonated. All four had only enough time to realize what the rumble was, before the blast slammed them against the stone wall, along with the equipment. Offshore, a passing sailboat saw a bright flash, followed by a loud boom. To those on deck, the spot where the flash occurred seemed to immediately turn into flames. The wind from the blast was strong enough to rock the sailboat. The boat's skipper immediately reported their observation on the Coast Guard emergency band. On a highway not far from the BEN Cruises operations center, a passing truck driver saw the bright flash and heard the explosion. Using the emergency channel on his CB, he alerted the Maine State Patrol of the explosion. Both calls reached the Maine State Patrol dispatcher at nearly the same time. Based on the descriptions of the explosion and the common location, he dispatched two patrol cars, along with an ambulance. Meanwhile, Eryn and Sue Ann of Nicola's team, moved their scout ship near the house, once the dust from the explosion had settled. Initiating their cloaking, they slipped into the house. They found two people locked in cages. They unlocked the cages, leaving the doors ajar. In the bedrooms, they found several others restrained. Two were hanging limply by their wrists. Their bodies striped with multiple lacerations from a recent whipping. Blood oozed from many of the lacerations, joining with their sweat to trickle down their bodies. The scout ship AI alerted Eryn and Sue Ann about the approaching emergency vehicles. Sue Ann took the phone's receiver off the hook, laying it on the table before dialing 911. She had hardly finished dialing, when several people began screaming, in response to seeing the phone move on its own. The 911 dispatcher, responded in textbook fashion to the shrill screams, when she got no response to her questions. She sent several additional patrol cars, and called for an additional medical unit, since the screams chilled her to the bone. Eryn and Sue Ann quickly slipped out of the house and back into their scout ship. They watched the scene for a few moments. The fire in the operations center was burning brightly, with an occasional belch as something else exploded. Seeing the house exterior steaming, the first patrolman summoned the fire department. In response to the screams, both patrolmen drew weapons before heading for the house. They slowly entered the house through the open door. Eryn and Sue Ann monitored their movements through the house. They could tell by the officers reactions, when they reached the room where the whippings had taken place. The next radio transmission summoned additional ambulances and evidence technicians. "Dóchas Command Center," said Eryn, "it looks like the police have BEN Cruises operations center secured. Additional emergency medical services are on the way." "Keep monitoring the situation," said Siobhan. "We want to make sure they look further than just the circumstances of the people they found in the house." "Agreed." ------- "Security teams on Exotic Night," said Siobhan, "the Coast Guard is about 10 minutes out. Are you ready for their arrival?" "Yes," said Caoilinn. "There are about a dozen 'steward trainees' who offered to stay and assist the Captain." "On their own?" "Yes. We were a bit surprised. I think our surprise was because of our perspective concerning how they were duped into being here. In spite of everything, it is clear they like working on the ship. They viewed the BEN Cruise supervisors as people they had to deal with. Most of them have been on the ship longer than the others, and were functioning as the trainers for the newest arrivals. What might have happened doesn't appear a part of their decision." "Are the passengers and BEN Cruise supervisors awake?" "They are sleeping lightly. The noise of the Coast Guard and Police boarding should wake them." "How is the Captain doing?" "Fine. We told him about the stewards offering to stay. He is trying to work up some contingency plans to take care of the passengers." "The Captain has just slowed our pace, so the Coast Guard could come along side," said Muriel. "He told the crew to put out the boarding platforms." "It is time for us to disappear," said Caoilinn. "Captain, we need to leave. We will be around to ensure the Coast Guard and Police find what they need. Once this is sorted, and things settle down, we would like to chat with you a bit." With that, the group left the ship's bridge and walked down the passageway. As soon as they were out of sight, they activated their cloaking, effectively disappearing from anyone's view. ------- Selena and Siobhan watched the events unfold from shuttle, Alpha2. A new Sentinel Class Coast Guard cutter pulled along the starboard side of Exotic Night, while a coastal patrol boat drew into position on the port side. A rescue helicopter arrived shortly after the two Coast Guard boats. The helicopter lowered medics on to the deck of Exotic Night, where they were met by one of the "stewards in training". She led them to the injured man. While waiting for the victim, the helicopter began transferring Coast Guardsmen and Police from the cutters to Exotic Night. The Captain was on the rear deck when Blaine, the Coast Guard Commander and Eilidh stepped out of their ride and onto Exotic Night. The Captain introduced himself, and offered to provide any assistance they needed. They quickly agreed to let the "trainees" show the boarding party the prime areas of interest. As the detectives and Coast Guardsmen came on board, they paired off and were joined by a trainee before disappearing inside the ship. Once the transfers were complete, the helicopter left and was shortly replaced by another. The medics brought the injured man out on deck on a stretcher, and prepared to lift him into the helicopter. Once the medics and injured man were in the helicopter, it left for Boston. With the helicopter gone, Exotic Night continued its journey to Boston, with a Coast Guard boat on either side. It was 2 AM and they would arrive at the Coast Guard Base at daybreak. The view on Alpha2's monitor shifted to the show the ship's theater. The room was filled with many sleepy people, in various stages of dress. At the front stood Eilidh, Blaine, the ship's Captain and a Coast Guard Commander. "Good morning," said Eilidh in a chipper voice, eliciting many groans. "My name is Ms. Carroll of the Boston DA's office. With me are Chief Detective Jackson, the ship's Captain and the Officer in charge of a Coast Guard detail. There are several detectives and Coast Guardsmen with us, as well." "You are probably wondering why we brought all of you in here," continued Eilidh. "Simply put, this ship is a crime scene. Three BCH staff members, who disappeared several weeks ago, were being held on this ship. We now know that they have been here ever since they were kidnapped. In fact, they were here until quite recently. Also, there were two women washed overboard during the storm. From what we know about their part in the kidnapping, you could say that justice has been rendered. The two dead women were the ones responsible for the kidnapping and related crimes. Also, we have confirmed since boarding this ship that the BEN Cruises staff has been running a slaving operation. The seamen operating the ship were not involved, as far as we can tell. However, just like them, all of you are material witnesses concerning the activities on this cruise and any other cruises you have taken." "What happens next?" asked a woman in a worried voice, from the back of the room. "That is a good question. We will have a proposal for you to consider, shortly. First, let me tell you how this slaving operation worked, as it is obvious some of you don't believe me. A few of those in this room know it works, because they have acquired one of the trainees to be their sex toy - 'slave'." With that, Eilidh described how the operation selected its victims, offered them jobs, arranged their disappearance, and then disposed of them, all with little risk. She closed by saying, it worked well because the former CPS wards were easy prey. We think this was because the former wards lacked an adult mentor, or a family who cared about them. When she quit speaking, the room was very still. It was so still, all you could hear was people breathing. A woman stood, and said, "Ms. Carroll, I am appalled by what you have said. I am inclined to deny it, and probably would if it was coming from someone other than you or your office. Since I can't deny it, I feel duped and used. Many of us on this cruise would prefer not to see our names associated with BEN Cruises or this trip in the news. At the same, time I don't want the possibly of this kind of deception occurring again. Knowing many in this group, I expect most if not all, feel the same way I do. All of us thought these cruises were great, because we could let our hair down with other consenting adults without worrying about publicity or religious fanatics." "Where are the other stewards?" asked a gentlemen. "I know there were a lot more around last night." "By their choice, they have been moved to a secure location. Those still here, have volunteered to stay and assist the Captain with your care until we dock." "Ms. Carroll," said a woman, who stood with three others. "We have been talking and would like to offer a solution to the mentoring issue." She turned to look at the others in the room. "We think we can form a foundation, whose purpose would be to assist young people in entering adult life. We are not sure of the form this assistance should take. It could be mentors. It could be some kind of classes or counseling." "I think that is an excellent idea," replied Eilidh. "I agree," said a man. "We would," said the woman who had just spoken, "need some assistance. Legal. Money. Help." "Excuse me," said Blaine. "I don't want to be a wet blanket, but we have an investigation in progress to deal with at the moment. While we applaud your idea, we need to take care of a few details regarding the BEN Cruise slavery issue. The stewards have a table set up in the dining room. Each of you needs to go there and ensure that your contact information is correct. While we are not requiring it, we would like a statement from each of you, telling us what you know about BEN Cruises. All we need are facts, not a lot of prose. We know a few passengers acquired trainees for their personal use. At the moment, we don't know if any of you are currently on board. We expect to find all of those trainees in excellent health. It would benefit both parties to contact Ms. Carroll, to sort out the legalities. As to your proposed foundation, it seems like an endeavor we could support, and you need to talk to CPS. Let Eilidh or I know if you have problems." "We only have one other item to share, then you are free to roam around for the rest of the cruise. We will be docking between 5 and 5:30, at the Coast Guard base. By the way, we have a passenger list, so seeing the stewards in the dining room is not absolutely necessary, but seeing them will ensure we have the correct contact information. This could avoid an embarrassing situation later." "How will we meet our rides?" asked a man, with a worried look. "BEN Cruises," said the Captain, "will have motor coaches at the dock when we arrive. It will take you to a location where your limos will be waiting. We haven't decided where the buses and limos will meet, yet. If any of you has a suggestion, please let me know." ------- "Well," said Selena to Siobhan, "it looks like everything on the ship went as planned." "Pretty much. If you're tired, you could take a nap, as we will be here for a little while, yet." "That's a good idea, although I think I have dozed off a few times." "I won't tell. The seats in the back will recline further than that one does." Siobhan watched as Selena slowly walked to the back of the shuttle, and stretched out on a reclined seat. She was asleep almost as soon as she lay down. One of the security team members hung a curtain around Selena, which blocked some of the noise in the cabin. "Caoilinn, are all the BEN staff accounted for?" "Yes." "We should pull back just before they enter the harbor." "Agreed." ------- Christina had Alpha7 show their approach to Dóchas on the monitor. This gave Larissa, Kathy, Conall, Johanna and Brighid their first view of Dóchas, before Alpha7 turned for its approach to the hanger. The cabin was very quiet, as everyone watched the monitor showing their approach. As soon as the door opened, Gail and Connie came in with several other EMTs. Louise made the introductions. Gail said, "I suspect all of you are a bit tired, but I hope you can hold out a little longer." "Gail," said Kathy, "we have been resting a great deal for the last several days, I think. Brighid may have a better idea of how long. I am hungry for something other than cum flavored mush." "Well, in that case," said Connie, "let's do this. We will go to the clinic so the autodocs can give you a more thorough physical. Then, while they are analyzing the data, we can go get something to eat." "I don't know that I can wait that long," replied Kathy. "Oh sorry, I left out a small detail. A health scan by our autodocs lasts between 10 and 15 minutes." "In that case, let's do it. Although I find 10 to 15 minutes hard to believe," replied Kathy, with Johanna and Conall nodding agreement. Kathy, Johanna, Conall, and Brighid told the group with Christina thanks, and gave each a hug. Before they left Alpha7, they got assurances from the group that they would see them again. Larissa watched them leave, with a sad look on her face. Christina and Louise saw it, and put their arms around her. Both knew why she was sad, but were waiting for her to mention it. "Alpha7," said Casey, "we are ready to depart when everything is ready." "It will be about 15 minutes," came the reply. ------- Chapter 120 Siobhan's Clan had monitored Christina's efforts to locate Larissa's home, while Alpha2 followed Exotic Night and the Coast Guard back to Boston. Selena woke up just as Exotic Night was docking at the Coast Guard Station. The trip back to Boston had been uneventful. The idea by three passengers of setting up a foundation that would assist former CPS wards in making the transition to adulthood had continued to develop. Several passengers approached the women with suggestions, and offers to help. By the time Exotic Night reached Boston, the three women had an outline for the foundation, along with sufficient financial commitments to make the it a possibility. As they neared Boston, the three women became more anxious about their proposed foundation. At Siobhan's suggestion, Eilidh and Blaine met with the three women. As Eilidh and Blaine chatted with the group, they learned that the women were uncertain about the steps needed to move forward. Eilidh gave them the names of several people to approach for assistance in getting the foundation started. Before the women left, Eilidh assured the women they were welcome to call her, and told them to not let small difficulties overwhelm them. All of the passengers were on deck when Exotic Night approached the Coast Guard dock. Once the ship's gangway was in place, the passengers immediately went to board the waiting buses. Blaine and Eilidh stood with the Captain, as he said goodbye to the passengers. As soon as the buses departed the dock, several police cars, along with two evidence vans, drove on to the dock. Blaine's Administrative Assistant was the first to come up the gangway from the group of police cars. Seeing Eilidh and Blaine she said, "Here are the warrants. The Feds have agreed that this should be a local matter, but are willing to provide any assistance we need." "Excellent," said Eilidh. She signaled to the officers and evidence technicians to board the ship. When the uniformed officers boarded the ship, one of the detectives led them to the restrained BEN Cruise staff members. The evidence technicians were the last ones up the gangway. Eilidh said, "There are three areas for you to comb for evidence. One is the cabin where the three BCH kidnapping victims were held. We expect that most of what you find will be DNA and fingerprints, since the kidnap victims weren't on the boat when we arrived. There are drugs in the cabin which needs to be documented, along with anything else you think may be important. Once you are done, seal the cabin." "Second is the BEN Cruises administrative area that the cruise manager used. We expect most of what you find will be electronic records, but be sure to get fingerprints and DNA off of anything you can. There will probably be drugs in this area, as well. They need to be documented." "The third area is the living quarters the BEN Cruise supervisors used." "We may need a different evidence group for some of that." "Call them. We need them down here now! If you have any difficulty getting assistance, tell me, Blaine, or his assistant immediately. We don't want any slip ups." Eilidh started to say more, but decided she better not. "These stewards will show you where the cabins are. They will give you any assistance you need. Don't be afraid to ask questions." "Isn't that a bit unusual," said one technician. "Yes, it is. This is an unusual case. They were nearly victims of the organization behind this." Blaine and Eilidh watched as two stewards left with the evidence technicians, followed by one of Blaine's detectives. "Let's go talk to the Captain," said Blaine to Eilidh, once they saw the police officers taking the staff members off the ship. They found him on the bow, and were surprised to see him talking to Caoilinn, Abbie and Sal. "I'm surprised to see you guys here," said Blaine to the three Órarduine. "You know them," asked the Captain. "Yes. We've been together several times," replied Blaine. "They just told me about the demise of BEN Cruises. With them no longer around, I think I have my ship back." "We didn't know, this was your ship." "Its a long story, but I think a shortened version will cover most of it. The owners of BEN Cruises forced me to sign a perpetual lease. The leverage was threatening to publicize an incident that occurred while I was captain of another ship. They said they could publicize in such a way that no one would hire me, or use my ship. When I didn't agree quickly enough, they made it clear that my sisters and their families could disappear, as well. Caoilinn tells me the owners are dead, so that frees me from the lease. She also told me my sisters families are safe. So I it looks like I have full use of my ship again. Well that is unless you seize it because of what happened." "Captain," said Eilidh, "I don't think seizing your ship will be necessary, from our standpoint. We do want to keep the two areas sealed, for the time being. You need to discuss the incidents at sea with the Coast Guard." "Oh, I will. Caoilinn was just suggesting I restart the cruises. though without the side business." "If by side business you mean involuntary slave training, then I don't see a problem with that. Although there are some groups who would object if they knew about the intimate activities on the cruises. You are going to need new staff." "These are to be pleasure cruises, with an emphasis on pleasure. All social activity will be voluntary. As to staff, this group of stewards have asked me what would happen next. I told them I wasn't sure, but that I would like to continue the cruises, with some changes. All of them said they would like to work for me. They said they might know some others who would be interested. I told them the pay would not be what they were initially promised. Any sexual activity was voluntary, and strictly their choice. I suspect most, if not all, the seamen will stay." "Captain," said Caoilinn, "we need to be going, as it looks like Blaine and Eilidh have everything under control. Good luck. You can contact us through GISS, or I am sure Blaine knows how to reach us. GISS's contact information is on the Internet, and they can quickly reach us." With that, they gave the Captain, Eilidh and Blaine a hug, before stepping on their IPTP and heading out over the bay. All three watched until they vanished. "Good people," said Eilidh. Blaine nodded. "I agree," replied the Captain. "I've only known them a few hours, and yet feel like I have friends for life. But, I don't know who they are." Blaine smiled, as he said, "That is quite typical of them. They are Órarduine." The Captain gave him a puzzled look. "Their current home is on space ships near Mars, and they have a settlement on Mars. Originally, many stories referred to them as Golden Amazons, which I suspect was because of their stature and coloring. Their musical group, Beyond the Stars, sang at the Pavilion about a month ago." "Oh. Now I remember, it just didn't register, at first. I like their music, and have several CDs. They are very good." "Yes," replied Eilidh, "they are very good. I don't know about you two, but I could use some rest." "Eilidh, I can give you a ride to your car," said Blaine. "You can drop me at a train station, as I usually ride the train." "Well then, I will give you a lift home." "Thanks, but no. The trip would be over an hour each way, and we both are to tired." "Well, in that case, come with me. You can use one of our children's rooms. They are visiting friends. Selena will like having company. Besides, we are only about 15 minutes from there." "I'll reluctantly accept, provided you let me take both of you out to dinner." "That is not necessary, but certainly sounds good. Let's go." "We need to check on the evidence technicians before we leave." The Captain smiled, as he watched Eilidh and Blaine walk out to a car. "I need to call my sisters, and then I think I will get some rest." ------- Caoilinn, Abbie and Selena looked out of the scout ship as they descended toward Selena's house. Caoilinn was trying to determine the best place to drop Selena off without the neighbors seeing her as she exited the ship. "Selena, can you get in through the back of the house?" "No. Coming in that way will set the alarm off. There is a walk around the side of the house." "Okay, then let's land in the back yard." Caoilinn joined with the ship's AI to guide the ship into the large backyard to land up near the house. "Oh, oh," said Abbie. "I think someone has been here." "I agree," replied Caoilinn. "Selena, did the patio door have a broken window pane?" "No. Why?" "Well, there is one now. The phone box has some fresh marks on it, like it has been tampered with. Also, some of the shrubbery looks like it has been recently walked on." "Siobhan, we suspect someone has broken into Selena's home. We're going in with her." "Okay, be careful." "Selena, let's have Abbie go with you around to the front. I'll slip in the back door and meet you inside. Does the patio door lead into the family room?" "Yes. From the family room there is a door to the kitchen and one to the living room. The front door leads into a small foyer, and then into the living room." "Let's presume someone is waiting for you in the living room. I will cloak before entering through the patio door. and wait in the family room. If someone is waiting for you, try to act surprised." Caoilinn moved the scout ship to the side of the yard, so they could exit from the cloaked ship unseen. Caoilinn cloaked then exited first, wearing her tactical suit. As she walked toward the patio door, Abbie and Selena walked around the side of the house. Seeing the patio door latch was broken, Caoilinn gently pushed the patio door open. then quickly stepped inside. The door's movement caught the attention of a man in the family room. He quickly moved to close the door, only to trip, falling toward the door. As he fell, he banged his shin against the small table, causing him to turn slightly as he fell. His shoulder hit the door's edge hard, turning him so his gun hand slammed into the floor, bending his wrist back. Both knees then hit the hardwood floor at the same time, followed by his collapse on the floor putting more pressure on his hand holding the pistol. He lay there for a few moments swearing, before easing over and sitting up. He let the pistol lie on the floor, while he rubbed his shoulder and wrist. Caoilinn watched the whole incident and smiled at his misfortune. She was surprised he hadn't fired the pistol when he fell. "What the hell is going on in there?" came a female voice from the kitchen. A woman peered into the family room from the kitchen. Seeing the man on the floor, she just shook her head in disgust. "You sure screwed up that door when we broke in," said the man angrily. "Yea, we did that to make the cops think this was just a burglary, besides I didn't leave any prints. It certainly looks like you have added a whole bunch of yours. What were you doing?" "Closing the damn door as it won't latch. I tripped over something when I went to close it. You're going to have to take the lead, because I am not sure how well I can use my hand." "What's wrong with it?" "The pistol was in my hand when I tried to break the my fall. My wrist bent way back when I hit the floor while holding the pistol. I am surprised I didn't break both it and my shoulder. God, do they hurt." "Well get your shit together, it sounds like they're home," said the woman. The man moaned, as he went to stand up. He flexed his wrist and hand that been holding the pistol. Caoilinn watched. as the man stood then picked up the pistol before going to stand by the door to the living room. She could see that he was lightly gripping the pistol. At the front door, Selena unlocked the door then pushed it open. She walked into the foyer and started to enter the code to silence the alarm. "That's strange," said Selena, "the alarm is not on. I wonder if we forgot to set it yesterday morning." While she was speaking, they had closed the front door, locking it, before going into the living room. When Selena saw the man and woman, she screamed, "What are you two doing in my house?" After Caoilinn's warning, she wasn't surprised by someone's being there. She was surprised to see two people from her office. These were the two that had been picking up the reports on the CPS wards. "Waiting for you and Blaine," said the woman. "Come on in. You two just keep your hands where we can see them. Where is Blaine?" "I don't know, I haven't spoken to him since last night." "Who is the naked bitch beside you?" "Abbie." "It's kind of risky walking around naked with a body like that." Selena didn't say a word. The woman continued, "Does she taste good? If I had known you were into women, we could have played together. I always thought you had a nice body. Maybe, after the boss finishes your interview, he will let us play together." The woman licked her lips, and gave Abbie a predatory look. "Maybe all three of us can play together, as Abbie's cunt looks delicious." "Both of you get the fuck out of my house, NOW!" screamed Selena. "Bitch, you're not being very friendly to your coworkers," replied the man. "Then again, you weren't very friendly at the office either. We will all be leaving together, bitch, just as soon as your husband arrives." "I am not going any place with you two." "Look bitch," replied the woman, "see this weapon in my hand? It says you're going to do anything you're told. Your friend came already dressed for our trip to meet the boss. Now its time for you to get ready. So, strip now, Bitch! I want to see you naked, just like your Amazon lover." Selena started to object, but then began unbuttoning her blouse, as she didn't see any point to arguing. Where is Caoilinn, she wondered. No one said a word as they watched Selena undress. As she removed each item, she folded it before laying it on the couch. Selena kept her eyes on the two holding guns the whole time. "Nice body," said the woman. "Clasp your hands behind your head, and slowly turn a full circle for us." They watched as Selena complied with the request. "Selena, you have a very nice body. For your age, your tits don't sag very much at all. Now Abbie, put your hands behind your head, and do a slow turn." After Abbie had turned, the woman said, "Abbie, you are really a big woman, with an amazing set of tits. I think the boss will be very pleased. Both of you will bring a nice price at the auction." "Auction? You're not making any sense," said Selena testily. "Well, let me make it a little clearer, bitch. After Blaine arrives and we get you ready, we are taking you to meet the boss. I am sure he will question all of you, but probably focus on Blaine. His usual mode of questioning someone like you two, is to hang you, naked, by your ankles, with heavy weights hanging from your wrists. With you hanging, he will question you about the CPS and the raid. Not answering, or giving a bad answer, will earn you a stroke of his whip. I can guarantee you will be screaming after the first stroke. This is not an ordinary heavy leather flogger, but an electrified flogger. Every stroke gives you a double dose of pain. Why hang you upside down with your legs spread? Because it is so much easier to whip your cunt, the under side of your tits and other sensitive spots. He has other ways to convince you to tell the truth that don't leave any scars. He tries to avoid scars, as that diminishes your value, but if you make him angry enough, he will cut off nonessential bits." Selena was becoming pale upon hearing the description. "Selena," said Abbie, "let her talk. Caoilinn will intervene when it is time." Selena's eyes got quite large when she heard Abbie's voice. The woman, seeing Selena reaction, continued, "He usually goes for just cutting off fingers, or sometimes a hand, as this doesn't have a large impact on your value at auction in some markets. Many buyers remove the ring and little finger as soon as they have control of you. In some cultures, the missing fingers mark you as a slave, who has less rights than a farm animal. When he removes the bits, you will feel all of the pain." "The boss's anger will likely focus on your husband. His raid last night is going to cost the boss a lot of money, and put a big crimp in his operation. He will likely tie you up, so he can use either of you while you watch Blaine's torture." The woman smiled, as she watched the fear grow on Selena's face. "Don't worry, he won't keep you there for all the torture. After a few hours, he will send you down to the holding area." "How do you know about the raid," asked Abbie. "Oh, the Amazon bitch talks. Selena's boss's wife works for us, bitch! She is so concerned about us exposing her escapades at the sex and bondage clubs that she does a great job supplying us with information. She will do almost anything for us. We even have her work and perform at some of the clubs for special events." "Why?" "The big boss has several videos of her enjoying herself at an S&M club. I sure enjoyed seducing her. She really knows how to satisfy a woman. When I introduced her to S&M scene, she really went for it. I don't think I have ever seen anyone quite as cruel as she can be. She will do just about any sex act there is, and it's all on video. Several times, she tormented several people until they agreed to mutilate themselves in front of witnesses, and it was all filmed." "Your husband's torment will be filmed. He won't see the film, because he will be tortured until he dies. I can assure you death will take a long time. The income from the film will make up for some of the losses, as real torture videos command very high prices." "As good looking as you and your Amazon friend are, you should expect to perform in the organization's sex shows. You can be either a willing performer or the victim. Those will be your only choices. The number of films you make depends on your performance. After a while, he will likely sell you directly to a whore house or sex club. Your new address will be in the credits of your films." Selena looked at the woman, wondering if the things she was saying were real threats. Several of her scenarios seemed to be at odds with each other. Just then, they heard the key in the lock. "Well, bitches, it looks like hubby is home, so we can get this show on the road." Selena was shocked when she turned to see Eilidh come through the door. Eilidh gasped as she saw Selena and Abbie standing naked, with two others holding guns pointed toward them. "Blaine, come on in with your hands out so we can see them," said the woman. "Do anything funny and Selena will be the first one shot. I will shoot to maim her but mistakes happen." Blaine stepped between Selena and Eilidh, looking a bit pissed. "Calm yourself, Blaine. Unless you want Selena maimed. Just do as we say, and she will live. Your wife is very lovely, as is her friend Abbie. They will bring top dollar when the boss sells them to a sex club or whore house, after they have spread their legs in numerous sex films." The two groups starred at each other for a few moments. Blaine scanned the room with his eyes, and quickly realized there was nothing he could do at that point. "We need to get ready for the trip," said the woman. "Eilidh, you're next. Strip! I have always wondered what you would look like naked. So get a move on it, strip!" Eilidh hesitated. "Strip now, bitch! Bitch, move your fucking hands, or we will see if Selena likes a hole in her foot. Maybe she'll be lucky and I'll just take a toe off." Eilidh hurriedly began removing her blouse, popping several buttons off in her haste. She released her bra then dropped her blouse and bra on the floor. "Nice tits. I didn't tell you to stop. Keep going, bitch!" Eilidh slipped out of her shoes, while unzipping her skirt. She released her skirt, letting it fall to the floor, as she began to slide her thong down. Lastly, she slipped off her thigh highs. She picked up her clothes, and tossed them on the couch next to Selena's. Eilidh started to cover her crotch with her hand, but the woman said, "No covering up. Your better get used to being naked. Now, clasp your hands behind your head, and slowly turn a complete circle." Eilidh blushed, but did as instructed. "Nice body. Nice firm tits. Nice full cunt. The boss should get as much for you as he will the other two bitches." "What do you mean?" asked Eilidh. "Oh that's right, you're a lawyer, I need to draw pictures," said the woman, laughing. "In simple terms, once he is done questioning you, the three of you will begin earning your keep. After some preparation, each of you will begin spreading your legs in sex videos and for anyone else he lets use your cunt. If you perform as told, then you will likely enjoy your performances. If you resist, then they will be rough and painful. After making the films, and servicing his guests, you will likely be sold to a brothel or club. The brothel will likely be in the Mid-East or Africa. but there are other places that pay just as well. White bitches always bring good prices, especially in Africa. He won't keep Selena or Eilidh very long, since both of you are top well known." "Stop the rambling," said the man by the door, "we need to be leaving, soon." "Now, bitch Eilidh, undress Blaine, but from behind him, since I want to see his hands at all times." Eilidh looked at Blaine nervously. He nodded. "You other two bitches, take a step away from them," said the woman. Everyone's attention was focused on Eilidh, as she began undressing Blaine. When his weapon came into view, the woman said, "Bitch, don't be stupid, put his weapon on the couch where we can see it." "Abbie," said Caoilinn, "I am going to make her fire the Tazer at her partner. When she fires it, I will take her pistol. I could take the man out, but it would make quite a mess. Can you knock the weapon out of the man's hand? He sprained it earlier, so it shouldn't take much." "I think so. I guess I could bring it flat across his wrist. After listening to their bullshit, I would like to use the edge to take his arm off." "Later, maybe. Here we go." Selena had heard the conversation, and looked toward the woman by the door. Abbie watched as the woman's hand slowly turned until the Tazer was pointing toward the man. The pop of the Tazer caused the man to look toward the woman. Before he could react, the Tazer probe lodged in his chest and discharged. His fingers started to squeeze the trigger on his weapon just before a flash of light struck the pistol, jamming it back in his hand. The pistol tumbled to the floor. Before he could react, Abbie slammed her light saber against his wrist, causing the man to scream in pain and sink to his knees, holding his wrist. At the same time, the woman screamed when she saw the Tazer strike her partner. Caoilinn squeezed the woman's wrist, causing her to loose her grip on the pistol. With Caoilinn still cloaked, the gun appeared to float out of her hand, hang in air, then disappear. She screamed again when the empty Tazer was pulled from her hand and disappeared. While Abbie and Caoilinn were dealing with the two intruders, Blaine quickly picked up his weapon, as Selena moved further away. Eilidh quickly picked up her purse and drew her gun. Abbie stepped over to the man crumpled on the floor holding his wrist. She quickly bound his wrists together behind his back, causing him to scream. She then pulled his pants down around his ankles, and pulled the belt tight. Pulling a straight-backed chair closer, Abbie lifted the man up and sat him on the chair, pushing the chair back up between his arms. He struggled to get away. When she tore his pants off, he screamed as the chair fell back, then he screamed again as his weight drove the chair down on to his restrained arms. Setting the chair back upright, she then tied his ankles to the rear chair legs, forcing his knees apart. She tied his bound wrists to a rung at the base of the chair. Meanwhile, Caoilinn stepped behind the woman and pulled her elbows together, causing her to scream in pain again, as her shoulders were partially separated. Caoilinn next tied the woman's wrists together, and held her by the elbows with her feet barely touching the floor. The woman's face was a mask of fear, as she could feel Caoilinn touching her but she couldn't see any one. "Abbie," said Caoilinn, "strip her." Abbie stepped over to the shaking woman and tore her clothes off. As Abbie finished, the woman's pee ran down her legs. Caoilinn pushed the naked woman down, till she was laying in her pee. Abbie helped tie the woman in a tight hogtie. She took the end of the rope and wrapped it around the woman's neck, before tying it to her wrists. "Caoilinn," said Abbie, "I think you can turn your cloaking off now." As she came into view, Caoilinn said, "You guys have really nice bodies. Too bad you hid them under all those clothes." "Why did you take so long," asked Selena. "Basically, I wanted to be sure no one got hurt. I knew Eilidh and Blaine would arrive shortly, but I didn't know when. Not knowing when kind of complicated choosing the right time. I also needed to scan the area outside, to see if there were any others." "I am sure glad you guys were here. Her threats were scary. Do you think they were real?" "Probably. Do you think she was correct about your boss's wife?" "I don't know. She is a beautiful woman, and very outgoing. After thinking about the comments, I can see it as a possibility. If that woman told us the truth about her activities and they ever became public, her husband wouldn't even have time to clean out his desk." "Are you saying they were using your boss's wife as a source of information?" said Blaine. "Yes." "I don't understand your comment about the ship," replied Blaine, with a puzzled look. "I spent the night with Siobhan on her shuttle, watching last nights events on the cabin monitor. Caoilinn and Abbie brought me home not long before you and Eilidh arrived. Eilidh, I think your presence surprised them." "Well, it is an interesting way to be greeted. I don't think I have ever been greeted by two naked women and two holding pistols at the same time." They laughed. "I am not saying I mind the naked part, though the pistols, I can do without. What did they want? Why were they here?" "According to the woman, they planned on taking us to a person who is somehow related to BEN Cruises. She referred to him as the "big boss". After the big boss got done with us, Abbie and I would perform in sex videos until we were sold to either a brothel or a sex club. She claimed "the boss" would get a lot of money for us." "So, they don't know the owners of BEN Cruises are dead?" said Eilidh. "I had the impression that she was referring to the organization behind the BEN Cruise owners, and possibly a major customer." Just then, Caoilinn noticed the woman trying to scoot to a bag near her. "Abbie, let's tie her to a chair." Caoilinn lifted the woman up by her upper arms, letting the weight of her legs tighten the rope around her neck. Abbie freed the woman's ankles from her wrists, and pulled her legs in front of her. Working together, they placed the woman on a straight back chair, forcing the back up between her arms. By the time they had her on the chair, she had turned a deep red from the rope tightening around her neck. While Abbie secured the woman's ankles to the rungs on the side of the chair, Caoilinn released the tension on the rope around the woman's neck, before tying it to the chair. Abbie then looped a length of rope around her thigh, pulling it up into the woman crotch before tying it to the back legs of the chair. When Abbie finished with the woman, she went over to the man. She added a rope around each thigh at his crotch and tied them to the chair's back legs. The bindings on his ankles were moved to the rungs on the sides of the chair, pulling his feet up off the floor. She looped a rope around his neck, and tied it to a rung on the back of the chair. While Abbie and Caoilinn were busy, Blaine started to put his clothes back on, but decided not to. His nakedness didn't bother him, and no one else had started to dress. He was surprised that Selena and Eilidh hadn't put their clothes on immediately after the two burglars were subdued. He had always thought Eilidh dressed well, but seeing her naked was a pleasant eye opener. "What's in your bag that is so important," said Caoilinn, as she stepped over and picked it up. "Well, Eilidh," said Blaine, "what should we do with these two?" "Lets see what they brought with them. The woman was trying to get to that bag before Caoilinn stopped her. Is there anything else you see in the room that isn't yours?" "There is another bag like this one in the family room," said Caoilinn. The five of them sifted through the two bags. They found restraints, gags, blindfolds and butt plugs. There was a small radio in each bag, as well. "The restraints and blindfolds I can understand," said Eilidh. "Why bring butt plugs?" Caoilinn picked one up and examined it, before saying, "These are designed to slowly release drugs into the colon. There, they can be rapidly absorbed by the body. We could stick them up their ass and see what the effects are." "According to the woman," said Abbie, "they are drug dispensers. The drugs in them will make a person compliant to others, while remaining fully aware of their actions." "How do you know that?" replied Eilidh. "I read her thoughts when Caoilinn was talking." "Well, no one knows they are here," said Caoilinn. "Their idea of taking Selena and Blaine to the big boss was an effort to try to save themselves. So, after they tell you all they know about the operation, and identify those involved, you could put them in the witness protection program. Or, if they don't want to talk, we could drop them off at one of those places that deal in light colored slaves or dungeon toys. I am sure we could find an appropriate auction site. Maybe we should consider one that sells to torture clubs." The woman sitting on the floor turned pale and began to sob. "Those seem to be two reasonable choices to me," said Selena, sensing the intent of the comments. "Especially since she seemed to get a thrill of talking like that's where we would go. Didn't I see something on the news about some country where slaves are bred and treated like livestock?" "I saw that. I think, it was someplace in Africa," replied Eilidh, winking at Selena. After a few moments, the woman said, "Actually, we would live longer if you dropped us at a slave auction." "Why do you say that?" "The witness protection program would not keep them from finding us. We heard about the BEN Cruises offices exploding. We couldn't reach the owners to tell them about the raid, so we figured they were all dead. The group they supplied are the ones we fear. They will probably come after all of you, as well." "So, you're saying this kind of operation goes on in other places." "Yes. In a lot of places. Mostly in large metropolitan areas, as it is easier to find suitable and adequate stock without it being noticed." "Stock." "Yes. That's the phrase we use for people we collect. BEN Cruises trained their stock so they could get premium prices. Most other operations don't bother with any training. You would have never discovered the operation if it wasn't for that egotistical rich bitch and her desire for revenge." "Shut up, bitch," said the man. "They will get us out of this. Just keep your fucking mouth shut." "Oh, they'll get us out alright, asshole. We will go straight to their private dungeon, as toys. The big guys deal with mistakes in only one way. Removal. There will be a lot of pain between arrival and death." "Selena, do you have a blouse we can put on her," asked Eilidh. "Yes, I think so. Why?" "I want to film this conversation. Come to think of it, we should get dressed, as well." "Oh, yes," replied Selena, "I had forgotten. I guess after seeing our children accept casual nudity, it doesn't have the impact on me I thought it would." Eilidh gave Selena a puzzled look. "Eilidh, we have a couple of problems here," said Blaine. "First, we're both dog tired. These two are guilty of, at least, attempted kidnapping, along with breaking and entering. There are probably other charges. If we call the police now, they will be taken to city jail and held there until tomorrow." The man laughed, then said, "Do that, and we will disappear before the sun sets today. In fact, depending on how we are transported, we may not even make it to jail." "Well, in that case," said Caoilinn, "we can put them to sleep until you get some rest. We can leave one of our pets to watch over things while you sleep. Then tomorrow, after they tell you everything they know, you can decide on where they should go. We know of several isolated spots on Earth where they would be quite safe." "I guess that would work," said Eilidh. "His comments have a ring of truth to them. There have been a few cases where people have disappeared from custody, just as he described. Some were later found dead and their deaths looked like they took a while. The limiting aspect is that we couldn't use their information in a court case. It should provide leads though, since these people are usually involved in other illicit activity, as well." "We should use the butt plugs on them. It will make it easier for you to get the correct answers to your questions." "Okay, as long as it doesn't taint the evidence." "The drugs just alter their emotions, so their sole desire is to serve you. They will answer any question you ask. You should be more careful than usual concerning how you phrase the questions, though." "Caoilinn," said Siobhan, "we know you are thinking of staying, but you need rest too. We are sending two others to stay at the house, while they rest. They are bringing a lion with them." "Siobhan just told me she was sending two people and an animal to watch over things, while you get some sleep. They can stay with you as long as necessary." "Well, I don't know..." started Blaine, when Selena interrupted him, "Tell Siobhan, thanks." She took Blaine and Eilidh's hands, and said, "Let's go get some rest," as she led them toward the bedroom. Caoilinn and Abbie heard Selena say, "No Eilidh, you will stay with us. Our bed is large enough to hold all of us comfortably." ------- Chapter 121 The sound of the morning chime roused Kathy from her dream. She slowly opened her eyes and stretched. Sensing her movements, the lighting in her compartment increased. She could feel the cold wet spot under her ass, reminding her of her recent, sexually intense, dream. This time the dream was of her with Kathryn and her friends but the location had been on Exotic Night. They had shared many orgasms while performing on the ship's stage. She wondered if the dreams of her experiences on Exotic Night would ever end. Shaking off her concerns about the dreams, she got up, since she needed to relieve herself. Walking into the compartment's communal bathroom, she saw her reflection in the mirror. The sight caused her to wonder who the other woman was, until she remembered it was her. She was pleased with the way her body had been changed by her conversion to an Órarduine. She thought that the only really obvious changes were to her nipples and areolae, which had been started on Exotic Night. Her areolae were now small cones on the front of her now very large breasts, and were topped by her thick nipples, which extended nearly ¾ of an inch. On her way to the exercise machine, she stopped to look at herself in the mirror. She stood and carefully looked at her image. She carefully assessed her features in the reflection, as she slowly changed from one position to another. It had been six weeks since she had arrived on Dóchas, by the way they counted time. This was only the second time since completing the conversion that she had really looked at herself. The first had been right after completing the conversion. Kathy was pleased with the image she saw in the mirror. She now stood about a foot taller than before the conversion. About half of that was due to changes to her ankles and feet. Her breasts were nearly twice their previous size, but now stood proudly on her chest. The increase in breast size fit with her broader shoulders, so they were only slightly more pronounced than before. As a doctor, she was surprised that her breasts did not sag, even though she was lactating. She understood that the lack of sag in her breasts was, in part, due to the increase in muscle mass across her shoulders and chest to support them. These additional muscles linked into a web-like structure that had formed inside her breasts, which distributed the additional support, without affecting their function. She could now see her muscles ripple under her skin when she flexed her arms or shoulders. Her hair had grown to just below her shoulders, and from what others had told her, it would soon reach to her waist. It amazed her at how easy it was to care for, since all she needed was to wash it when she showered and then brush it out. The ribbon of hair down her backbone had felt strange at first, but she had quickly gotten used to it. Her tail reached down to mid thigh, and was covered by hair similar to that in her mane. It to had felt strange at first, but she quickly adapted to its presence. When she walked or sat it lay between the cheeks of her ass, and was only really noticeable when she stood. Kathy liked the feel of her body, as she slid her hands over her golden colored skin. When she flexed her legs, she could see the muscles move under her skin. The thing that surprised her most was the change in her feet and ankles, since she now stood on what were the balls of her feet. Before the change she had worn high heels nearly all the time since she found them very comfortable. After the conversion, she found the changes to her feet very comfortable and had no difficulties with balance. Now she didn't need any ancillary support, though like everyone else she usually wore a shoe, as it made standing for long periods easier. While she had been lightly caressing her body, her labia had begun to swell. She slid her hands up and cupped her full breasts before sliding her fingers over her nipples. The wetness on her hand reminded her she needed to let her milk down, but her attention was drawn to her swelling labia. With just her light caresses, her labia majora had swollen. Kathy spread her legs a bit, as she continued to caress her body and breasts. With her arousal growing, Kathy's labia majora continued to swell. As her labia swelled, they opened, letting the labia minora descend like petals of a flower. Kathy watched her body's response to the growing arousal. Kathy's thoughts drifted back to a night on Erotic Night as she watched her labia majora pulse in sync with her heart, while the labia minora rippled with contractions and moisture became visible. As Kathy looked in the mirror, her thoughts were back on Exotic Night, reliving a long evening on Exotic Night. She had positioned herself laying back on the padded bench, letting Johanna attach her ankles to the restraints. This pulled her legs out and up, slightly opening her cunt. She had held her wrists so Johanna could link them to her ankles with ropes. Johanna then pushed a large dildo into her cunt before she went to attend to a passenger. Kathy's open invitation to be fucked ensured she was fucked frequently. Many times she was fucked by a woman wearing dildo. Kathy's breathing increased as she remembered the experience. It had surprised her, the first time a woman fucked her with a dildo, when her cunt filled with hot liquid. After each time she was fucked, a steward would come over, rinse the cum out of her cunt into a glass. The mixed cum was then poured in her mouth. She had been constantly fucked for several hours when two women came over. Together they stroked and caressed her for some time, occasionally pulling on her nipples. One woman began to caress her cunt with her fingers and, after a few moments, Kathy felt two fingers slide into the mouth of her cunt. Kathy heard the woman finger-fucking say, "I think she's ready. Straddle her head, so she can lick your cunt." The woman had straddled Kathy's head, placing her cunt over Kathy's mouth. Kathy began the lick one woman's cunt while the woman caressing her cunt added another finger to the two pushing against the mouth of her cunt. As Kathy licked one woman's cunt, she felt the other woman add another finger pressing into the mouth of her cunt until the woman was pushing her hand into the mouth of Kathy's cunt. Kathy remembered how wet her cunt had become, as it spread wider to accommodate the woman's hand. She remembered the full feeling, as the hand suddenly slid into her cunt. The woman had then slowly fucked Kathy with her fist. The woman continued fucking Kathy with her fist until she had passed out from an intense succession of orgasms. Kathy shivered with a slight orgasm, and thought, "I need to get moving!" Instead, she drifted back into her memory. After the fisting, the woman had Kathy lick her hand clean before leaving. Later that evening, when Kathy was circulating among the passengers satisfying their requests, she saw the woman again. Kathy, without even thinking, went to the woman and asked her to fist her again. The woman had made Kathy beg before agreeing to do so with conditions. Even now, Kathy was surprised she had agreed to let the woman whip her. Following the woman's instructions, she had gone up on stage and fastened her ankle cuffs to the two ropes hanging down. Kathy had then activated the hoist until she was nearly hanging by her ankles before attaching her wrist cuffs to the weights. The woman pulled her legs up further until the weights just touched the floor. The woman then placed a rubber band around the base of Kathy's tits, causing them to swell. A large dildo was slid into Kathy's cunt until the large base rested on her widely spread labia. The dildo was then turned on. Even now she remembered the wonderful feeling of the vibrations in her cunt. Her attention had quickly been redirected by the sudden pain as the whip struck her ass. Just as she had screamed another stroke of the whip hit her ass with the tip wrapping around her hips hitting her clit hood. Her pain came not only from the whip, but also the electrical shock each time it touched her. Even now, it seemed like she had hung there forever as the woman had whipped her from her knees to the shoulders until her body was red and burning. She screamed each time the whip touched her body but the volume declined as she her pain began to turn to arousal. When her body shook as she orgasmed, the woman snapped the whip across her labia pressed between the dildo and her legs. The woman let Kathy's orgasms subside before lowering her onto a bench while keeping her restrained. Once Kathy was on the bench, the dildo was pulled out and replaced with the woman's fist. The woman fisted Kathy, but with much more intensity than she had used earlier. When Kathy came to, she was still laying on the bench, but now unrestrained. Her body ached. She remembered slowly sitting up and winched at the pain from her sore bottom and labia. She had quickly stood but had to spread her feet to keep from putting pressure on her sore labia. Her cunt cream dribbled down both legs. The woman came over to her with a large glass, and said, "Here, drink this. It was collected in your honor." Kathy took the glass and began to drink it. By the time she had taken her first swallow, she realized it was cum, but went on and finished the glass. When she finished, the woman covered Kathy's mouth, with her lips pushing her tongue into Kathy's mouth. They parried each others tongues for some time, before the woman pulled back. The woman told her, "I just may buy your contract," then kissed her again. The comment had puzzled Kathy, then. Hearing someone else moving broke her train of thought. She remembered she needed to finish getting ready, as she had agreed to meet Kathy's group at breakfast. Looking again at her image in the mirror, she saw that she was very aroused. Her labia were pink with arousal and nearly dripping. She thought, "My sexual appetite has sure grown since Exotic Night. If my perception is correct, I no longer feel driven to achieve my next sexual high. My orgasms feel different here than they did on Exotic Night. More satisfying. Yes, that's it. I wonder why?" In the exercise room, she straddled the bench, placing her feet into the foot pads. She adjusted the control pad to extend the dildo in the seat, before adjusting its size. Once she had it set, she lowered her hips, watching her labia, swollen with arousal, approach the realistic looking dildo in the mirror. She saw her labia minora open to accept the dildo as the crown reached them. She shivered, as she felt the warmth of the dildo slide between the wet labia minora. Her additional sensitivity and muscle control in her labia added to the pleasure she felt. She slowly slid the deeply textured dildo into her cunt, before leaning forward to lay her breasts into the cups. Once her breasts were in the cups, she felt a slight pull as her nipples were pulled into the artificial mouths to release her milk. She sighed in pleasure. Taking hold of the hand grips, she began her exercise routine. She still found the exercise machine amazing. Before coming to Dóchas, she had exercised frequently, but was never a real enthusiast. When she first saw these exercise devices, she didn't believe what her companion had told her about their abilities. She now found it one of the most enjoyable experiences of the day. The combination of the exercised device moving her arms and legs, coupled with the electrical stimulation of her muscles were equivalent to several hours of intense exercise on Earth. Plus, she was able to let her milk down at the same time, and enjoy a very satisfying orgasm with the integrated dildo. As she lay on the bench doing her exercises, she thought back over the last several weeks. Conall had gone to Comrie, to see his family, a week ago. When he left, he was quite apprehensive about how his family would react to the changes in him. She hadn't heard from him, but felt that things were progressing favorably. Johanna had started working in the ship's medical center almost immediately after she had adapted to her new body. Kathy had seen her a few times after she started working in the clinic, but they had not had a chance to sit down and talk. Kathy wondered if Johanna was avoiding her, but quickly decided that wasn't the case. Kathy then thought of Kathryn and her friends, just as the exercise machine's dildo was pushing her toward an orgasm. Kathy focused her thoughts on her friends, as she let her body rush to the pleasure of an orgasm. The pleasure had hardly begun to drift away, when Kathy remembered she had promised to meet Kathryn and her friends for breakfast. "Star, how soon does breakfast start," asked Kathy. "It started thirty minutes ago." "Oh, my." Kathy began to release herself from the exercise machine. "Is something wrong," replied Star. "Not really. I told Kathryn and her friends that I would meet them for breakfast." "I will let them know you are running late, but you should have plenty of time." "Thank you." Kathy stepped off the exercise bench and headed for the shower. Twenty minutes later, she was walking into the dining room. "So, you made it," said Brittany, causing Kathy to jump, as she hadn't seen Kathryn's friend. "Yes. I was afraid I would miss seeing all of you this morning." "We're over here. Rebeca is bringing your breakfast over to the table now." As Brittany was talking, they walked over to the table. "Good morning," said Kathy. "Good morning," came the reply. "Slow start this morning," mused Kathryn, "or a pleasing distraction?" Kathy blushed, causing the group to chuckle. "Both, plus a bit of day-dreaming. I was a little slow getting up, since my dreams left me a little exhausted. Then, when I saw my image in the mirror on the way to the exerciser, I stopped and looked longer than I intended. Actually, I let myself get caught up in a memory. That, combined with my day dreaming on the exerciser, probably were the greatest contributors to my being late." "Daydreams on the exerciser can cause you to be late for a lot of things," said Brittany, causing everyone to laugh and Kathy to blush again. "Can we ask who you dreamed about on the exerciser," said Rebeca. Kathy turned a bright red and looked up at each of her friends. After looking at only a few, she noticed each of them were slightly aroused. It was then she realized they had sensed her thinking about them. "Oh, I think you know," replied Kathy, sticking her tongue out. Everyone laughed. "Kathy, could we do that in person next time," wondered Elana. "It would be a lot more fun." After a moment, Kathy said, "Yes, I think I would like that very much." As she finished, she suggestively licked her lips. "Why don't you join us tonight," said Katia. Kathy nodded, as she took a bite. They chatted while Kathy ate. She finished her breakfast, just as Claudette and Tara went up to the front of the room to start the morning discussion. ------- Later that morning, on Eagle, the three Command Staffs were gathering in the conference room, in order to review their status, when Claudette asked, "Maureen, how was the Toronto concert.". "It was excellent. After the incidents at the previous concerts, all of us were pleasantly surprised as everything went very smoothly." "Well, maybe those incidents are behind us," said Tiff, of Siobhan's clan. "There will likely be other attempts," said Aoife. "I am certain there are other people on Earth that want to have one of us as a trophy. We should expect to be approached by different groups for assistance in solving a problem, who hope to gain access to our technology." "Perhaps if we gave them something that required telepathic ability to operate they would just give up," said Crystal, of Maureen's clan. "When it didn't work, they would blame us for the failure," replied Tiff. "To me, it is ironic that a species that has overcome so many obstacles to arrive where they are, still views new concepts with disbelief and ridicule." "With their current approach, they will find it difficult to advance much beyond where they are now." "Eibhilin, I think you're being overly pessimistic," replied Kendra, of Siobhan's clan. "Their knowledge gives them the capability to explore this solar system and establish outposts. But I agree that their cultural turmoil could keep them from even achieving that." "I was making a much more general statement," replied Eibhilin. "From my perspective, they have two critical problems, and science is not a limiting factor. They need to find a way to accept cultural differences in a positive way, and they need to remove the issues that support terrorists. But there is a much more fundamental issue. They need to base their growth on working together, rather than exploiting other groups. Elevating yourself by putting others down does not foster long-term growth or self confidence. It only builds divisiveness and hatred." "I would like to offer my congratulations to the crews of Eagle and Phoenix," said Sarah, drawing the conversation back to their purpose. "We all feel much more comfortable knowing we have three fully operational ships." "Once we have each done our short excursions," said Siobhan, "we should have a celebration." "Agreed," said the group. "We expect that retrofitting Dóchas will be completed in 40 clock cycles," said Tara. "That should work out just fine," said Melissa, of Siobhan's clan. "In three clock cycles, we will begin exercises to build flight proficiency of our Star Fighter pilots." "We plan to take Phoenix on a shakedown cruise, once all three ships are operational," said Conan, of Siobhan's Clan. "During the shakedown cruise, we plan to do some extensive operational drills. We have talked about moving some distance away from Mars while we do these drills." "Star, will having one of the ships being away from Mars affect any of our projects," asked Sarah. "It shouldn't," replied Star. "Conan, what did you have in mind," asked Rusty. "Basically, just moving some distance away within this solar system. We discussed being near another planet, such as Uranus or one of the other Jovian planets. By doing that it, we would be less noticeable from beyond this solar system. Once there, we would go through a series of exercises to hone our operational ability, in say 10 to 15 clock cycles." "What's your goal?" asked Alison. "Fundamentally, we need more experience in operating our ship and its systems. We need to know how quickly we can launch our support ships. We have a pretty good idea about how fast we can launch Star Fighters, but we don't know about the Badb Class Cruisers. You asked for a goal. I see the goal as becoming comfortable both with our systems and as a team. We are also planning on doing a number of defensive and offensive drills. It is still open as to whether we will divide the Star Fighters and Badb Cruisers into two teams to do dog fights, or just use space debris as targets." "Were you planning on operating cloaked," asked Maureen. "Very definitely. The Star Fighter pilots have indicated that it takes some time to believe your HUD or your telepathic sense when you don't visually see the other fighters with you." "The crews on the Badb Cruisers need to shake down their ships as well, and get a feel for how they respond to commands. Weapons testing is also a must." "We were going to work that into the overall drill." "Speaking for Sarah's clan," said Sarah, "we agree with your proposal. It will give us an opportunity to evaluate our telepathic link. You don't mind if we monitor your experiences, do you?" "We think you should," said Siobhan. "I expect we are going to find an aspect to our links that we didn't expect." "How is that?" asked Aoife. "It will be much like we experience on the bridge with in our clan. Together, we will have an overview of all of our operations. This will aide us in supporting each others efforts." "Anything else on operational issues?" "Our reconnaissance drones should be back while we are doing the operational training," said Alison. "Our long range survey shuttle is ready to leave, as soon as we select a destination." "Once Phoenix and Eagle have moved to start their training, we should move away from Mars and do some drills, as well," said Sarah. "While we have done some training, we should do several exercises, so the crew knows how to respond." "Agreed," said the group. "It wouldn't surprise me if we have visitors before we are ready to move," said Aoife. "Who? When? Are you sensing a threat?" asked Sally. Aoife paused for a few moments, before replying, "Our visitors will probably arrive after the survey probes return. The arrival of visitors doesn't seem to bring with it any active threat. A cautious assessment of the new activity here would characterize what I expect at this point." ------- After breakfast, Kathy Evans sat in the atrium on Dóchas, watching the children as they studied and played. Although it had been some six weeks since she had been rescued, Kathy had still not sorted out what her future was. She was very pleased with the outcome the trans-species conversion, even though she knew that the conversion was a necessity from a long-term health standpoint. Before the conversion, she had always felt a little awkward, and attributed that to being taller than those around her. She now felt more comfortable with her movement, as she almost felt graceful when she moved. It was a feeling she never remembered having. She found the changes to her body on Exotic Night had made her feel grotesque, besides being humiliating. If the growth treatments had not been corrected, she felt her appearance would have been really grotesque. On Earth, with the combination of her appearance and sexual addiction, she would have had no choice but to work in the sex industry. Even now, her activities on Exotic Night discouraged her from considering continuing in the medical profession. The sight of the children playing reminded her of why she had wanted to be a doctor. However, every time she considered being a doctor again, memories of her participation in the Erotic Surgery Clinic on Exotic Night came back. She knew she had no control over her actions then, but she felt her participation in them was humiliating, even though the patients requested the surgical alterations. The memories of the surgical procedures were still so intense that she wasn't sure she could never forgive herself. Tears filled her eyes, as a few of the memories resurfaced. She couldn't understand why the passengers requested the procedures. Over the last couple of weeks, Kathy had become good friends with Kathryn and her group. She had stayed overnight with Kathryn's group on several occasions. She always had a wonderful time with them, and in many ways, was looking forward to being with them tonight. She felt very close to them. Several times, the idea of her moving in with them had been raised, but Kathy had always changed the subject. Kathy knew why she avoided the subject. She was afraid they would dump her, or worse yet humiliate her, when they learned of her activities on Exotic Night. Besides, she wasn't sure what a close friendship was like, since there had only been one or two close friends in her whole life. Kathy knew she needed to get herself sorted out, but it wasn't easy. "Well there you are," said Judy, interrupting Kathy's thoughts. "Gail and I were wondering how you were getting along?" "That is a question I have been puzzling through, myself." "May we sit down?" "Yes, please do," replied Kathy. Looking over to see the children playing and studying, Judy said, "It is a pleasure to watch them interact with each other, isn't it?" "Yes, it is. Watching them lets you avoid thinking about other, more serious, issues. Besides, this is a beautiful spot. I would have never thought you could have something like this on a space ship." "Would you care to talk about your serious issues?" asked Judy. "Well..." "Please, don't feel you have to. We have found that sharing helps, whether it is through a mind-link or verbally." "I don't feel you're pressuring me. I see my uncertainty as having several aspects to it. When I decided to become a children's doctor, it was my sole focus for a long time. As a result, I have had very few close, or long-term, friends. My experiences on the boat have caused me to doubt whether being a doctor is an appropriate career for me. So, with that in mind, I have been trying to determine what my choices are for my future. Another problem concerns my relationship with Kathryn's group. I am not certain how close I want to be with them, or should be. Being close to someone is new to me, as I have always been a loner. This is mostly by choice, though to some extent, by circumstance. A few in Kathryn's group are still completing their conversion, so the group's dynamics could change when everyone is together again. That then raises the question of whether I will fit in with the group." "You've never let your guard down with others, have you?" "No, I haven't. Looking back, I think I learned that in school. Until I came here, I was always the tallest in a group. In school, I was one of those who always pushed the class average up as I never received less than an A. This resulted in me being the brunt of many comments and jokes. Sometimes the worst comments came from those I had thought were friends who I could trust." "I think all of us have had those experiences," said Gail, as she placed her hand on Kathy's shoulder. "While on the boat, I enjoyed many of the things I did, even though they were controlling me. I am appalled by what I did in the Erotic Surgery Clinic, and now wonder if I should really consider continuing as a doctor. Every time I think of practicing, those memories come back. Even though the patients asked for the surgery, the fact that I participated is still upsetting." "Why shouldn't you be a doctor," replied Judy. "Our culture has two significant differences from the one in which you grew up. First, lets consider your relationship with Kathryn's group. In a clan, and similar groups, we are totally open to each other, and it is an open two-way exchange. To begin a sharing relationship like that, someone must take the first step. Others in the group surely have the same concerns you do about sharing events in their past. Kathryn's group grew into their intimate relationship through shared experiences, and into sharing their thoughts. Even with that, they haven't fully opened up to each other like a clan does. I believe our culture succeeds because we want each other to enjoy intimate relationships. By the way, did anyone show you how to manage your telepathic abilities?" "Uh ... I don't think so." "Well, I am embarrassed, since we should have. That is normally done as soon as we know a person is telepathically active. We review the situation again, right after the species conversion, as that usually alters their telepathic abilities to some extent." "Well, I guess it is my fault, really. When I saw the results of my physical, I pushed very hard to start the conversion as soon as possible. I remember, now, that one of your associates wanted me to talk to a doctor before entering the tube. I had my mind made up, so I went into doctor mode. You know, a doctor is always right." "Shame on you. You know doctors should never treat themselves. I know, I was surprised, when we finished with Conall and Johanna, to find you already in the tank. You actually ended up in the tank a week longer because of your pushing. We had to make a couple of adjustments in the treatment sequence, and let it completely finish before releasing you. This is, in part, why you are a little bigger than the treatment regime you initiated." "So are you saying that part of my mental turmoil is due to my stupidity?" "I wouldn't be that harsh, and you shouldn't be that harsh on yourself." "I can say I owe you a big thank you for the adjustments you made. I find my new body much more comfortable than I can ever remember. Every time I think about what I would have looked like once the Exotic Night treatments had run their course, I thank God for sending you rescue to me. I am not sure I could have stood, except for a few moments." "You're right," said Gail. "Your extremely large chest, combined with the forced arch in your feet would have made standing difficult. Your chest size alone would have made it difficult for you to keep your balance. The strain on your back and feet would have had you sitting, kneeling or laying in no time. Even then, if you could walk any distance, the large puffy labia would have made you very aroused in just a few steps." "The woman really wanted me to be a sex object, in every sense of the word." "Yes. The distressing part of the addiction she intended for you, would have been the lack of satisfaction from sexual activity. You probably hadn't noticed it, but with anyone other than Johanna and Conall, each orgasm would have left you feeling empty or unsatisfied. Even with Johanna and Conall, it could have changed, over time, to lose its luster." "Again, I am very thankful for your rescue. Now I am just not sure where I should go, or what I should do. Conall and Johanna seem to have sorted themselves out." "Yes, they have done pretty well. But they didn't try to treat themselves, either." "So what next, Doctor," replied Kathy, with a repentant look. "We need to sort out your telepathic ability. We can do the evaluation here. Doing this will not resolve the decisions you are considering, but it should help you put many of your concerns in a more realistic perspective. After that, if you want to, we can talk about your activities in the Erotic Surgery Clinic." Kathy nodded her agreement to Judy. "Kathy," said Gail, "a part of the problem could be that your fundamental view of sexual relations was altered by your experiences on Exotic Night. There, your captors drove your participation in the many sexual experiences. Even though you had no control, you found all the sexual experiences very satisfying. The pleasure you felt enticed you to seek more pleasure. You now know that your captors were conditioning you to be addicted to the elevated levels of the ecstasy released during sex orgasm. Their goal was to turn you into a sex addict, and they came surprisingly close, considering your short exposure. Knowing all this makes you wonder whether you can again have a loving, intimate, relationship with another. This also influences your view of other aspects of your life." "Am I really that transparent?" "No. Not at all. In a way, I see you at a crossroads. You can still decide to become the sexually addicted person, if that is your desire. You have the body to go with that role. Even now, if you had your tail bobbed and kept your mane shaved, you would fit right in with Earth's sex industry. As lovely and personable as you are, it would be easy for you to have an unending stream of partners, who focus only on sexual satisfaction. The reputation that goes with that behavior on Earth would make it very difficult to have a career other than call girl, a performer in a sex show, or something similar. An alternative path is to find a relationship where you can share your enjoyment of sexual ecstasy. In our culture, we see absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying sexual ecstasy. How you chose to do that is between you and your partners, but we require your actions to be consensual." "Based on what you have said about your background, I suspect you are concerned about how Kathryn's group would feel, if they knew everything about you." Kathy nodded. "It is possible they could have concerns about how you would feel about them. The only way to resolve that is to begin sharing. Between them, they already share to a large degree, but I think they are hesitant to fully open the door to sharing with each other, so the concept of a mind-link is still out of their reach." "Gail, if I didn't know better, I would say you've been peeking at my thoughts," said Kathy. "Let's do the telepathic evaluation now. We can go someplace else, if it would be easier." "No, here is fine." With that, Judy and Gail linked with Kathy, and began showing her more about managing her telepathic abilities. They also found that Kathy had some additional psionic capabilities, though they did not appear to be fully active, just as they were in Kathryn's group. When they finished, Kathy sat there for a few moments thumbing through her memories. Enabling her telepathic ability had given her a different perspective on recent events, especially those from Exotic Night. "Judy, I am surprised I didn't see why they had us do the Exotic Surgery Clinic before." "You may have, in time, but it would have probably been too late when you did." "I agree. It is unfortunate I didn't see what was driving the patients to request their alterations. None of them could be undone. Removing your clit hood, or having your front teeth removed is one thing. The reasons for wanting your tongue split or a finger removed are almost incomprehensible." "We agree," replied both Judy and Gail, "that those were strange requests. Even if you had known what was driving the patients, it would not have changed anything, except perhaps to make your pain more intense." "Thank you, Judy," said Kathy, as she hugged her and gave her a kiss. "Thank you, Gail." Kathy gave Gail a kiss and hug, as well. "I can tell already that the telepathic evaluation has helped. I wonder what would have happened if you hadn't sought me out." "Someone would have noticed and said something to one of us, or to the AIs. We really do try to look after each other, without being busy bodies or smothering." "So can I join your medical group?" asked Kathy. "We've been waiting for you to show up," replied Judy. "I'll be there in the morning. I am still not sure about continuing as a doctor, but I need to see what it is like here, before doing anything else. Now, I think I will go see Kathryn's group, if they are free." Kathy again gave both Judy and Gail a hug and kiss before leaving. "Well, I am certainly glad we caught that," said Judy. "I agree," replied Gail. "She looked a 100% better when we finished. Kathryn's group may not be right group for her, but I am sure they will help each other shake off their experiences." "You know, before coming here, telepathy was always presented as a way to communicate in fiction. Everyone knew it wasn't real. Then, when I first experienced it, I was shocked. As our use of it grew, I became very comfortable with its use, as it both clarifies and adds depth to communication. An aspect that surprised me, and it really took a while to notice, was that it helped me understand myself, my past, and my relations with those close to me." "I agree. I think Kathy will progress rapidly toward solving her dilemma, and resolving her demons from the boat experience. In fact, she may already have resolved most of them, based on her last comments." "I agree. Have you heard how Conall is doing in getting reacquainted with his family?" "There hasn't been any indication from Comrie, so I suspect they are working through their issues. His biggest difficulty maybe with their acceptance of the more obvious changes in his body." "You know it is similar to the situation Clarence and James families faced." "Yes. I agree with "similar". I think the pressure on James and Clarence wasn't as great. But saying that, I suspect the pressure was stronger, in terms of doing what is best for their family. For Conall's family, their feelings are, to a large degree, driven by how much they love him and, to some extent, their view of us. Their response could be especially difficult because of social taboos on Earth, since large breasts are associated exclusively with females. Functional breasts on males are regarded as freakish. Female — female relationships have limited acceptance and, in some cultures, result in public humiliation and death." "Well, I hope it works out for the best," said Judy, as they walked back toward the clinic. "I think the last two in Kathryn's group complete their conversion tube incubation today." "So it was a good time for Kathy to find her bearings." "Yes." ------- It was after lunch when Sally saw Siobhan with Caoilinn's Clan and walked over. "You guys handled the group behind BEN Cruises very well," said Sally. "Thank you," said Caoilinn's Clan, together. "We couldn't have done it without the support of Siobhan's Clan. Their support really kept us from over-reacting to the situation when we entered their leaders headquarters. It would have been so easy to just take them out." "I can see that. We were very pleased to see that you came up with a plan that exposed them with almost no collateral damage. Do you think the captives the police found will be okay?" "They should be. Some will probably have dreams about things floating around the room, though." "Why is that?" "We did the whole thing cloaked," replied Sal. "We wanted to scare the staff to the point they would have nightmares, if they survived. Unfortunately, some of the captives caught glimpses of our actions." "Sally, we knew from our reconnaissance that this operation was as big, or bigger than, the Chosen Ones," said Caoilinn. "We were enraged once we saw the extent of evil in this operation. We were barely able to regain control of our emotions before we started taking the place apart. Our ability to maintain our control was due to the training we've had. Anyway, we talked it over with Siobhan's Clan, and decided the only way to have a positive effect was to get the operation to collapse on itself. Two observations helped us find the solution. First, they were holding a no-holds-barred torture session at another location, that evening. Also, we found several people in cages wearing sensory deprivation helmets." "The helmets are large metal spheres that totally surrounded the heads from the neck up. Inside is a series of foam covered rubber tubes which, when inflated, held the head tightly in the center of the spheres. There are tubes for the nostrils, and removable plugs over the ear holes." "We went in cloaked. One by one, we forced each of the principals down into their dungeon. There, we stripped them. Once they were all stripped, we began putting the deprivation helmets on the principals and their assistants. Once in place, we welded the latches closed. Several of them were so scared they pissed on themselves. We then bound their wrists behind their backs to bars hanging from choke chains around their necks. We left the two that ran the place until last. They were white with fear by the time we started preparing them. Once they were all bound, we transferred them to the torture site. At the torture site, we briefly opened their eye holes, so they could see where they were, and then resealed them." "Before we left their headquarters, we loosened the restraints on those still in the dungeon, but didn't remove them. We thought it was best for the law enforcement people to find them restrained. At the torture site, we put the replacement torture session victims in the appropriate cages in place of those who were originally confined there. Signs were already posted on the cages telling the customers which ones had no limits on their torture or what could be used. We added a note that the sensory deprivation helmets could not be removed. The room reminded us of something out of the dark ages." "Once the torture session was underway, a call was made to the FBI and the state police offices near the group's headquarters. The caller claimed there was an undercover officer being tortured at that location. It took several calls before anyone responded. In the group's headquarters, we left an announcement regarding the unlimited torture session at the other location in plain view. The FBI agents did a good job of finding all the evidence at the group's headquarters. With respect to the other site, we had to push them a little. Finally, a group of FBI agents, accompanied by state police raided the other site before most of the customers had left. Unfortunately, none of the principals survived very long afterward." "So, how do you feel about it now?" asked Sally. "Sad," said Abbie. "Sad we couldn't do more to help the victims. Sad that people get enjoyment out of destroying or abusing others." "But at the same time," said Melanie, "we are pleased that we could make a difference for some people. We checked those being held at the two locations before we left. Most had only been there a few days, so they should recover." "The Attorney General's office has instructed the FBI to follow up all the leads they found in the group's headquarters," said Siobhan. "So, do all of you feel like you learned anything out of this?" asked Sally. "Oh, yes," said Caoilinn. "We learned more about using our abilities without being to concerned about someone countering them. I suspect that, at some time in the future, we won't have that luxury." "Are you going to share your experiences with the other teams?" "Definitely. We think we can use what happened as a model for a virtual training session. In that session, we can practice our defenses against psionic attack." "Good idea. Again, you guys did good," said Sally. "Thanks," replied the group. "The training that you, Terry and our mentors gave us was a key contributor to our success." Sally and Siobhan walked off, holding hands. Caoilinn watched them for a moment, then said, "I have really been blessed to be here." She turned to her clan and looked each in the eye before saying, "Before this engagement, I thought we were close. Now, I think we are truly one. God, I love all of you!" The group gathered in a circle, their arms around each other. Their minds flowed together, as their bond grew. Only Star noticed the slight glow surround Caoilinn's Clan, as they held each other tightly. ------- Kathy walked down the corridor on Dóchas, thinking about Kathryn and her group. She knew that Kathryn and her group had only spent a few days at An Clochán before they moved up to Dóchas. The only thing she really felt certain about was that she felt very comfortable with them. They seemed to feel the same toward her. She hadn't had much time to think about them since meeting with Gail and Judy that morning. Instead of looking for Kathryn's group, she had gone to the medical center on Dóchas after lunch, rather than waiting until the next day. She was now thankful she hadn't waited. When she entered the medical area, Johanna called out to her, waving her over. "Kathy!" said Johanna, after they had hugged. "You're just in time." "Time for what?" "Surgery, of course. I take it you are comfortable with your augmented body?" "Yes, I am very comfortable with it. I am not sure I can see around these huge mountains to do surgery, though. What's the problem?" "One of the engineers put her foot in the wrong spot, and it got rather mangled." "How bad?" "All five of the metatarsals are broken and, as you would expect, there is a lot of bruising. The autodocs think she will regain full use of her foot, if the repair can be done surgically. The only alternative is to replace her foot with a bionic one, which will cause her to loose quite a bit of her agility." "I take it the tubes won't work for this kind of injury?" "The autodocs tell us that isn't a good choice, mostly because there are too many unknowns." "Unknowns, here? I find that amazing!" "Kathy," said Gail, who had joined them, "that is the same response I had when I first started working here. There are a lot of things we don't know, even with the tremendous library we have, and the support of the autodocs. Use of the tubes seems to be limited to situations where the whole person needs to be treated." "You said whole person rather than whole body. So I sense the differentiation is important?" "Yes. The tubes were designed to treat cases at the cellular or genetic level. We have seen some signs of fundamental changes in a person after being treated in the tubes. Most of the changes are in the area of mental ability, particularly psionic ability. However, we have used the tubes almost exclusively for species conversion. They were developed to correct biological errors, deficiencies or extensive injuries. Due to our work load, we haven't had time to delve into the fundamentals of this treatment. We do need to understand more about the fundamentals of how the green gel works. Perhaps then we could find a variation of the treatment for localized injuries like this. Perhaps something was tried a long time ago, but failed for reasons unrelated to the procedure." "So, what do you want me to do?" "Lead the surgery, of course," said Gail, smiling at Kathy's surprised expression. "None of us are surgeons. The only surgery any of us have done was while in med school. Besides, it is your specialty. Attempting this would be very difficult for any of us, due to our lack of experience." Kathy took a deep breath, thinking, "What a way to start." "Okay, what do I have to work with? Do we have images of the foot?" "The images are up on the viewer, in the room over there," replied Johanna. "As far as equipment, you have access to anything you have ever seen or dreamt of, and then some." "Well, let's go have a look." Kathy was a little surprised to see the patient in the room, but greeted her warmly and said, "Let's see what you've done to your foot." The patient laughed, then said, "With the tribe that has already been in here to look at the images, I am sure I have done a damn good job. I just hope you can repair it quickly, since I need to get back to work on the new Dóchas-class ships. I am mind-linking with two of my bots, but it is not the same as being there." "Well I am not sure how quickly you will be able to return, but let's see." "Have you mind-linked with them before?" asked Gail, quickly. "Yes and no. Never this intently." "Consider letting them see your ideas, and let them work out the details. I think you will find that more effective than trying to work through them." "Thanks. That helps a lot. Although I was beginning to realize that." Kathy studied the images on the display for some time. It took her a while to sort out what needed to be done, as this was the first time she had seen x-ray images of an Órarduine's lower extremity. It didn't seem correct to call it a foot. "Kathy, the terminal can show how the foot should look," said Gail. "The autodoc can help you with planning the operation, as well." "Do we really call it a foot? I was just thinking that the name didn't really fit." "Yes, it is still a foot. The Órarduine's description is similar to what is used to describe a human foot." "Okay. How do I change the view?" "Just tell it what you want to see." With that, Kathy began to interact with the terminal. She first overlaid an image of how the foot should look. She spent some time studying the foot from different angles in the 3D display, before asking the terminal if a holographic display was possible. Almost before she had finished speaking, a holographic image of the injured foot formed in front of her. She then asked it to shade the muscle groups. "Autodoc, what would be standard procedure for this repair?" "I don't have that information. The surgeons never shared those details with us." "Figures. Just like an egotistical surgeon!" Her comments caused several to chuckle. "Would you move the bone images into the correct alignment?" Kathy watched the holographic image intently as the muscle mass responded, moving the bones back into position. "From the data you have, how would you approach this? I have an idea, but I am not that familiar with the muscle structure, other than what I have just seen." "I don't know that I can say how I would approach it." "Okay. Then let's do this, I will operate on the holographic image, while you tell me what additional problems I create." Together, Kathy and the autodoc explored several ways of opening the foot to repair the damage, with Gail and Johanna watching. Each approach created issues that would make full recovery difficult, if not impossible. Kathy drew a deep breath and leaned back in her chair, as she tried find a different approach to repairing the foot. She starred at the display for some time before suddenly asking, "That's it! Autodoc, can we relax her foot completely?" "What do you have in mind?" "Well, all five metatarsals are broken and fortunately each is a clean break. So far, we have been approaching this with the idea of placing pins in each bone. If they could be aligned, muscle tension would hold them together, provided we could brace the foot to keep the bones straight and immobile while they begin mending. Aligning them will be a challenge, as long as there is any significant tension in the muscles. The only way to accomplish that is to completely relax the foot muscles, so I can pull each of the bones into alignment. Once we have the bones aligned and braced, we can let the muscles reassert tension." "I agree, if the injury only involved one or two bones. With no tension in the muscles, it could be very difficult to keep all five in alignment while muscle tension is restored. Rather than totally relax the muscles, don't you want them to have some tension?" "You're right, that would be the best case." "The only situation that comes close to meeting those criteria is what happens when a body is in the green gel." "But you indicated the green gel couldn't be used." "Let me rephrase my earlier comment. We don't have the information needed to do a partial body immersion in the green gel." "She does appear to have quite a bit of new bone growth. I presume this is a result of undergoing the species conversion?" "Yes." "How long has it been since she underwent the conversion?" "Six months." "Once immersed in the gel, how long before it begins having an effect?" "About 20 minutes." "Can I put my hands in the gel without it affecting me?" "Yes, by coating your hands and arms with a special film. Gail or Johanna can show you how." "Good. Here is, what I have in mind. First, we place her foot on one of the foot pads, in a tray of the gel. After the gel has relaxed the tissue, we pull her foot into its normal profile. Once we have stretched the foot to its normal length, I can insert a sharp pin through the tissue to grip each bone from top and bottom of the foot near the toe pad. The pins will cause very little tissue damage. This will give us a way to position the bones while maintaining the tension on the lower portion of the foot. Once the bones are aligned and touching, we can add additional pins to the foot frame to hold the bones in place while they begin to mend. When the mended area is strong enough, we can remove the pins so the puncture wounds can heal. I will need to see an image showing the bones while I reposition the foot." "Our imaging can show the foot while you work." "My biggest problem concerns the lack of information on using the green gel for this type of procedure, since it seems so obvious. Do we need to leave the foot in the green gel until mending starts? Gosh, I can think of so many questions that we don't seem to have answers to." "Do you want us to see if we can find any reference to this approach in our library?" "Absolutely. Johanna, would you starting getting the supplies we need together?" "I would have never thought of that solution," said Gail, "but I can see where opening the foot to set the bones would create other problems. Do you think you will have enough control while using the sharp pins?" "I don't see why not. It is kind of like holding the bone with a caliper, except we want to place enough tension on the points so they grip the bone. We will need to set the five pairs of pins in a frame, so we can control their spacing and not alter the other aspects of their alignment. I'm glad you asked the question. We should plan on adding pins on each side of the break, until we see the foot begin to mend." "Would you be agreeable to bringing the other doctors into this?" "Absolutely. I would prefer to talk this through before we begin." After a few moments, the autodoc said, "We have found several instances in the very ancient archives where the green gel was used in a manner similar to this. They date back to shortly after use of the gel first began. In all cases, the injury was more complex than this one. There is no indication that your proposal won't work. In the cases we found there were other issues that had a significant impact on the patient's recovery." "How did you find that so quickly? It kind of disagrees with what you said earlier." "I asked for search assistance from Star. These cases date back some 400 years, as we count time here." "I wasn't doubting you, I just wanted to make sure I understood the information you gave me." "I understand. Were the situation reversed, I would have done the same thing," replied the autodoc. Kathy came back to the present with a smile, as she thought about how easy the procedure had gone once they had found the solution. All of the medical staff had observed the operation, which, at first, made her nervous, but once they started her attention was completely focused on the task at hand. It was the most focused she could ever remember being. Both Gail and Johanna were ready with whatever she needed before she asked. Kathy gasped, once she realized they had linked telepathically during the operation. She was ecstatically happy that she had gone to the medical area today. The experience had restored her sense of worth and ability to contribute in this family in a way she had longed to do all her life. Due to the length of the procedure, she missed dinner with the family, and ended up eating alone, but it gave her time to think about her relationship with Kathryn's group. Just as she turned the corner, Kathryn open the door to their suite. Stepping into the suite, Kathy heard a chorus of voices saying, "It's about time you got here." "What's wrong? I just finished in the medical area, then I had to get something to eat, since I was starved." "We heard about your efforts in the medical area," replied Elana. "Your patient has been broadcasting the news about what a great surgeon you are. She is ecstatic. Her comments make it sound as if you could do anything, maybe even walk on water." Everyone laughed at the suggestion. "It was just a normal repair. Besides, I am not sure whether she will gain full use of her foot. It was quite a severe injury." "Normal repair? That's not what we heard, Miss Modesty," said Rebeca. "We are very happy to hear of your success. Your expression indicates you are much happier now than we have ever seen you." "We have been worried about you," said Angie. "Why would you guys be worried about me?" "Bluntly put," replied Kathryn, "because we care a great deal. We were worried about how well you were adjusting to our new environment, and your lovely, augmented body." As she spoke, Kathryn lightly caressed Kathy's back. "You mean like I'm hot and cold?" "Yes, I guess that is one way to express it. Another would be that sometimes you seemed open and friendly, while at other times, you were cautious and withdrawn." "Well living as closely as we are is a new experience for me. I care about each of you, and am very comfortable with our relationship. You probably don't realize it, but I have always been a private person. This is because ever since high school, I have always focused on my personal goals. It was safer to be focused on my goals than to get involved with others. Don't get me wrong, I do like people. I do like sex, as you know. I do like our intimacy. Before it has always been within limits. My unanticipated adventure on Exotic Night has thrown me off how I saw my original goals. A large part of my concern was not knowing how I could contribute to this family, since being a doctor no longer seemed appropriate. Even with all of that, I am very comfortable being here. My augmented body feels great. Today, I made two steps to sort myself out. Now, I want to take the third step." "Thanks to Judy and Gail, I now have a better handle on my psionic abilities." The group looked at her with puzzled expressions. "Somehow I managed to miss the psionic evaluation sessions when I first arrived. Once they had assisted me with that, Judy suggested working in the medical area, until I sorted out what I wanted to do long term. One hesitancy I had with going to the medical area was that I didn't see how I could contribute. Well, today I found out how." Kathy looked at the others in the suite, and felt their friendship and caring. "Today, it has also become very apparent to me how much I care for all of you. To be honest, I love each of you. I yearn to be closer to each of you, but at the same time I am scared. Now that I understand my psionic ability better, I sense that each of you love me." "We do love you," replied the seven women in Kathryn's group. "We sensed your love for us, as well as your hesitation. We did not understand your hesitation, so we waited for you. From the comments you just made, we can empathize with many of your feelings." "I am going to unconditionally open my mind to all of you, so I can share all my memories and my dreams with you. I am not sure I could do so vocally and if I did, it would take a very long time." With that, Kathy watched each of the group tentatively reach out to touch her mind. "Kathy, please look at my memories and dreams, as well," said Kathryn both telepathically and verbally, almost immediately after she connected to Kathy. "I have enjoyed all aspects of our relationship and was hoping it would grow to be more. I am glad it is becoming more. I love you like I love my six long time friends." "Thank you. I love you too. I love all of you." They moved to sit down in a circle with, each of them touching two others in the group, as they looked at Kathy's memories. Kathy could sense and see which memories her friends liked, and which they didn't particularly care for. A couple turned almost green when they looked at one of her surgery memories from BCH. All of them became aroused when viewing some of the scenes on Exotic Night. "Enough for tonight," said Kathryn, after some time, "we have things to do tomorrow, and some loving to do before we sleep. Kathy, thank you. Your opening up to us is something we haven't quite done with each other. While we were drinking in Kathy's knowledge and adventures, each of you heard me tell Kathy she had free access to my memories, dreams and thoughts. While all of us have shared many things over the last seven years, it was only recently that we understood our sharing of thoughts. My loves, all of you have free access to my thoughts and memories." "Please," said Kathy, "I don't want push anyone into doing what I did." "Oh, you haven't," said Elana. "I have considered this for a long time, but was also apprehensive about doing it. No, scared is a better word." The others nodded, indicating they agreed with her. "I agree with Elana," said Brittany. "I view all of you as my twin sisters, and what could be more appropriate than to share my memories, thoughts and ideas with all of you." One by one, they all gave permission for the others to view their minds, memories, and thoughts. It was a jumble of information until they sorted out how to organize the additional information from each other. As they built more bridges between their minds, they began to feel more a part of each other. Kathy wondered if anyone who wasn't mind-linked could understand what they had. She knew she didn't know before this, but she was surprised that her concept of it was close to being accurate. "We need to rest," said Kathryn. "We can explore this further, tomorrow." "Kathryn," replied Kathy, "if I understand the concept of mind-link correctly, our connection will grow on its own, now that the eight of us have initiated our link." "Good. Come on, let's get ready for bed," said Kathryn. "Tonight, let's just cuddle, as it is late. Tomorrow night, we can see what our mind-link adds to the sexual side of our intimacy." "Yes," replied the group. As the group settled in bed, Kathy was surprised when they moved her to the center of the bed. They each shared a long passionate kiss, before lying down alongside Kathy. Kathryn was on one side with Elana on the other side. Kathy slid her arms around Kathryn. As she did this, she felt Elana slide around her and cup her tits. Kathy kissed Kathryn on the back of the neck, before she closed her eyes. Kathy couldn't remember the last time she had felt so comfortable with her situation. She knew that the others with her felt the same way. ------- Chapter 122 Sarah's Clan watched their monitor as Phoenix and Eagle prepared to depart Mars orbit. Four weeks earlier, they had estimated it would take 40 clock cycles to reach this point, however they had accomplished it in much less time. It was now only 35 cycles later, even though they had spent the last couple of cycles just rechecking their data. Siobhan's Clan appeared on Dóchas's bridge monitor. The view showed her standing at the center station on the Phoenix's bridge. Alongside her were Brigit and Conan. Siobhan said, "Dóchas Command Staff, Phoenix requesting permission to depart Mars station." "Permission granted," replied Sarah. "See you in 20 cycles. May the Gods and Goddesses be with you." "Thank you, and may you too be so blessed." Sarah's Clan watched the monitor, as the image divided to show both Eagle and Phoenix. In a few minutes, they could see Phoenix begin to veer away from them. They watched as Phoenix slowly accelerated toward their destination on the other side of the solar system, which was close to Uranus. In only a few moments, Phoenix became a small white dot on the screen. "It is amazing how different Phoenix's departure looks from those we saw in movies when we grew up," said Alison. "Yes, it is," replied her spouses. "Dóchas Command Staff," said Maureen, as she appeared on Dóchas's monitor. "Eagle is nearly ready to depart." The view showed Creidne and Brandan standing beside her, in the center of Eagle's bridge. "We intend to wait until Phoenix is well on her way." "Acknowledged," replied Sarah. "Any particular reason?" "We want to see how they do before we begin," replied Maureen. "We want to learn from them, and they will monitor us as we depart." "You're not going to do anything fancy are you," asked Claudette. "No ... Well not this time," replied Maureen with a grin. "Good. I don't think I am ready for the anxiety of seeing you do another barrel roll." "We are going to use slightly different departure parameters from Phoenix. Another barrel roll is possible, but not until we know more about our ship's responsiveness, as we have considerably more mass than we're used to." "Agreed." "It is a maneuver we need to explore at some point," replied Conan, with Creidne nodding in agreement. "We can see your point of view and agree. Our data shows Phoenix used departure parameters only slightly more aggressive than we have used moving Dóchas in the past." "Ours will be considerably more aggressive," replied Colleen. "Eagle requesting permission to depart Mars station," said Maureen. "Permission granted," replied Sarah. "See you in 20 cycles. May the Gods and Goddesses be with you." Dóchas Command Staff watched the monitor as Eagle veered slightly away from Dóchas, then rapidly disappeared from view. "Wow, that was more aggressive," said Joyce. "Yes," replied Sarah. "Jill, how does the data look coming from them?" "On initial acceleration, Eagle showed a very slight amount of strain, but that quickly disappeared. All the data is well within design parameters. When Phoenix departed, there were no indications of strain at any time." "Joyce," asked Rusty, "are both following their expected flight paths?" "Yes. Phoenix will arrive at their exercise position ahead of schedule. Eagle will be even further ahead of schedule, based on our initial data. Actually, Eagle will arrive at her destination before Phoenix." "Terry," asked Sarah, "beyond their identification signal do you see any indication of their activity in the solar system." "Only a very slight ripple in solar gas flow. Our sentries are not seeing any anomalies." "Aine, what are we missing?" asked Rusty. "Shouldn't Eagle and Phoenix cause a larger ripple in the solar gas stream than we are detecting?" "Your detection systems are functioning correctly. If you had simply duplicated the original design of Dóchas, then yes, the ships would create a larger wake. Your family is to be commended for taking the original designs and incorporating more recent data from the library with their Earth-based aerodynamic knowledge." "So, you're implying aerodynamics is important even in space travel?" "Yes. The significance is not obvious. In Earth's atmosphere, aircraft use air pressure to obtain the necessary lift to fly. Using an efficient aerodynamic design is an important criteria but it usually creates a lot of RF reflective surface. For military aircraft this becomes an issue as they need to reduce RF reflection to minimize detection. Even so detecting aircraft with RF works because the speed of RF signal is so much greater than the aircraft's speed. On the other hand in space, aerodynamics isn't very important with respect to flight efficiency so it is usually not considered in the design. By factoring in aerodynamics in these modified designs, there is very little disturbance of the solar gas due to your ships movement, which diminishes your visibility. In space, RF reflection is not a good detection technique because of RF time of signal travel and space craft speed are similar. We detect space travelers several ways and one of those is looking for unnatural disturbances in the solar gas flow. When we cloak our ships, then detection becomes even more difficult but not impossible." "This leaves our propulsion system as the primary source for detecting us." "Yes." "Based on what our library has," said Jill, "our propulsion engines will only be visible if we exceed 20% power." "But, the library information is quite old." "Yes, it is," replied Jill, "in our analysis, we took that into account. We also evaluated our emissions when we made moves between here and Earth orbit. Those data indicate the 20% power limit is conservative." Rusty was quiet for a few moments, then said, "That could be a distinct advantage to us. Nice work." "I will pass your comment on to the engineers." "Well, are we ready to depart," asked Sarah. There was a chorus of affirmatives from the staff. Looking at the indicators from her position, she saw that all consoles were in a green state. "Breacadh, please advise Amy's Clan that we are departing for our exercises." "Acknowledged." "Dóchas," said Amy, as her image appeared on Dóchas's monitor, "see you in 20 cycles or sooner. May the Gods and Goddesses be with you." "Thank you." With that, Dóchas departed Mars orbit to a position 1 deciparsec from Mars toward Jupiter. As soon as Dóchas reached its new position, Sarah had Star initiate their planned exercises. Command Staff watched as the crew prepared to launch four cruisers and two squadrons of Star fighters. ------- "I'll be damned," exclaimed Kathryn loudly, when she saw Jasmine enter the dining room on Dóchas. "I wonder how that bitch managed to get here. Our staffing department really should have higher standards." Her comments evoked expressions of shock from the other members of her group. Kathryn walked toward Jasmine. As she approached, Jasmine turned toward Kathryn. "Well I'll be," said Jasmine, when she saw Kathryn with a look of intense dislike, "if isn't the campus slut. How's tricks slut?" "Slut? You're a fine one to be calling anyone a slut," replied Kathryn. "What perverse sexual tricks did you perform to get here? It had to be more than just spread your legs to open your well-used cunt." "Look, Bitch! I heard those stories you were spreading about me. I didn't get accepted to the sorority by licking my way through the sorority sister's cunts." As she spoke, she got louder, her long restrained anger boiling to the top. "I wasn't the sorority's whore. I didn't spread my legs for the football team. I am not going to let you trash me again." As Jasmine spoke, those around her could see her anger rise while her body tensed and turned a crimson red. Her hands clenched and her arms tensed as if she was going to hit Kathryn until Ellyn put her hand on her shoulder. "Bullshit! I have never said anything about you. Even after I heard about the stories you were spreading about me. I know, you started those stories about me participating in lesbian orgies. I am sure you were behind the stories of me being an ice queen. Or the one about me living and working in a whorehouse. Who did you get to dress up like me at the local strip club?" Kathryn's voice never rose, but the icy tone turned the room very cold. "I trusted you. You were my first intimate friend. You betrayed me. You fucking bitch! Now, you stand here trying to make it my fault. Maybe I should have done the things you claim I did in those stories, then you wouldn't need to lie." Kathryn took a deep breath and then softly said, "Bitch, you don't know how much pain those stories caused me. It took all I had to keep attending class so I could finish school." "Slut, you are full of shit," snarled Jasmine. "So full of it, your eyes are brown. You seduced me. Bitch! Then you told everyone I was a lesbian whore. Who wrote the material for you? You're too stupid to create those stories about me." "I did not. Sorority row slut. I heard you were the favorite slut of all the fraternities, as their slut queen. I am surprised you graduated, with all the time you spent on your back with your legs spread." Jasmine and Kathryn quietly glared at each other, their clans standing around them with amazed looks on their faces. None of them could believe the anger or accusations their two friends were throwing at each other, although they knew from their mind-link about the incidents. Kathryn broke the standoff of hard stares, and tears filled her eyes as she whispered, "I loved you and you humiliated me." "Kathryn," replied Jasmine, with tears also streaking down her cheeks, "I loved you. Why?" "Oh, my," said both together, as they stepped together, hugging each other as the tears flowed. Both then realized they were the victims of others. Quite spontaneously they each opened a mind-link with the other, and held each other for a long time. After a few moments, the two groups linked arms around Jasmine and Kathryn, drawing them into a tight group hug. "Jasmine, I am so sorry that I didn't seek you out," said Kathryn, after a few moments. "I felt so humiliated by the stories I heard." "Kathryn, you cannot be any sorrier than I am. In spite of everything, I have never stopped loving you. What we had, was so precious." "I know. I have never stopped loving you, either." Kathryn drew back, and looked into Jasmine's eyes for a long moment. Their groups could see the adoration they had for each other. They felt the strength of their emotions for each other when their lips touched. Everyone in the two groups felt their kiss as if it was their own. Through Kathryn and Jasmine's mind-link, the two groups began to share resurfaced memories from college. "Come on, you two love birds," said Vickie, of Jasmine's group, "we need to eat dinner." Jasmine and Kathryn nodded in acknowledgment, then, after a few moments, turned with an arm linked around each other toward their groups. Together they said, "Yes, we need to eat, but first let us assure you this will not diminish the feelings we have for each of you. As you have seen through our mind-link, we met in college, roomed together the first year, and became very close. The second year, Jasmine joined a sorority. It was after she became a sorority member that the stories began. Both our reputations were soon trashed. Needless to say, we couldn't stand the sight of each other." Kathy walked up to the group and said, "Gosh, I thought you would be eating by now." "We were delayed by a personal matter," said Kathryn. "I hope, it wasn't serious," replied Kathy, with a concerned expression on her face. "We thought it was, but it seems like we were played." "Played?" "Jasmine and I went to college together. Apparently, someone did not like us. Stories were spread around campus about each of us that were humiliating, to say the least. The stories supposedly originated from whichever one was not in the story." "That's ugly. It is amazing how small people can be, sometimes. So, I take it Jasmine and you were played off against each other." "You know Jasmine?" "Yes. She helps out in the clinic at times." "I almost didn't recognize her. She looks so different now." "I didn't recognize you until I heard you call me bitch," replied Jasmine. "You look a lot different than the woman I made love to so many times." "I don't think many of the people we knew in college would recognize us now," replied Kathryn. "Think about it: I am a good foot taller now, my bust is a good 18 inches larger and my shoulders are a good 6 inches wider. Those are changes you just don't expect to see in an adult." "Kathryn, on Earth you would be an intimidating person, just because of your size." Kathryn laughed, then said, "True. All of us would have that effect on many people from Earth. It is really more than size, since size only comes into play when you are near another person. From a distance, it comes from one's image, in terms of appearance, confidence and grace." As Kathy, Jasmine and Kathryn were talking, their groups had moved through the serving line. As they sat down together, they switched to telepathic exchange, so everyone in their group could share in the conversation. They had just started to eat when Kathy noticed two men looking for a place to sit. Kathy looked questioningly at Kathryn and then Jasmine. When they nodded, Kathy waved them over. Everyone shifted a bit to make room as the two walked over. "You guys looked a bit lost," said Kathy. "Well, we weren't sure where to sit," said Calvin. "Say, aren't you one of the doctors?" "Yes," replied Kathy with a puzzled look as she couldn't remember seeing him before. Picking up on her expression, Calvin replied, "We haven't met, yet. My name is Calvin, and my friend here is Clancy." "Hello," replied Clancy, taking Kathy's hand and kissing it. "Calvin, how do you always find the loveliest group of women in the place? You have to give us Irishmen a chance." "My, you're full of blarney tonight," said Calvin. "Well I don't know about blarney," added Kathy. "Except for his size, I would think he was a leprechaun, based on the brogue and pointed ears." Everyone laughed. "Will there be room for one more?" asked Calvin. "I think we can manage that," replied Kathy. "Who were you expecting?" "My sister, Emma. I am sure she said she would be here tonight. I wanted to surprise her." "Let me find out. Oh, I'm Kathryn. Kathy, why don't you introduce everyone, while I check with Star." They had nearly finished the introductions when Kathryn's attention returned to the group's activities. When the introductions were complete, Kathryn said, "Calvin, she will be along in a little bit. She is helping Keriann in FOC." "She is working already? I thought she was arriving today." "She has been here about three weeks, Earth time. We picked her up earlier than had initially been planned." Calvin looked puzzled and concerned. "Calvin," said Jasmine, "I am sure she will tell you about the change in plans when you see her." "By the way," said Traci, of Jasmine's group, "we have decided to keep you to ourselves." Calvin and Clancy both had puzzled looks on their faces. "Let's eat. Our food is getting cold. Clancy and Calvin, I sense that both of you are telepathic." Both nodded, as they began to eat. "Good. We wanted to share while we ate and telepathy makes that so much easier." "Calvin, Clancy," said Traci, "until a few minutes ago we thought we were unrelated groups. We learned a few moments ago that Jasmine and Kathryn knew each other in college. We were close to learning more about that when we invited you to join us." "I heard some talk just after we arrived about two women calling each other names." Jasmine and Kathryn both blushed at Calvin's comment. "The comments I heard expressed surprised me, as I thought there was very little friction among the crew." "It was Kathryn and I. It was a carryover from something that happened in college, and didn't get sorted out until a few moments ago. Your impression is correct about the level of friction among the crew." "I think we all agree that our two groups are known as Kathryn's and Jasmine's group," said Traci. "Our grouping stems from our friendship and how we arrived. Both groups are now a little larger than when we arrived. We may each become a clan, but we haven't crossed that boundary yet. Well, maybe Kathryn's group has." "No, we haven't quite reached that point," added Kathryn, quickly. "We are very close, though." "Most of us in Jasmine's group worked for Craigly before we were rescued," said Traci. "Looking back on it, we were really Craigly's whores, although we didn't recognize it." At hearing Craigly's name, Calvin's expression hardened, as he remembered Briana's reference to him. "Sure, all of us were technically orientated and had advanced business degrees." Traci paused, seeing Calvin's expression. "Is there a problem, Calvin?" "No. It's just that when you mentioned Craigly, I remembered a conversation I had with Briana about him. If I remember correctly, Craigly wanted Órarduine technology any way he could get it." "I can understand that. At Craigly's, we did the administrative work necessary to keep his empire growing. He ran his corporate office out of his estate. It was a remote location, so all of us had to live at his Far Hills estate, along with his family. There was no other choice, as you will know in a minute." "Before each of us went to work for Craigly, he arranged for each of us to be seduced, drugged and then star in a sex film. I don't think any of us remembered it until he showed the film to us on our first day at his estate. We were each given a choice. It was either sign the contract to work for him or leave. If we left, the film would be sold on the Internet, and word would get around about our role. What he didn't tell us then was that one of our functions would be to entertain at the estate, and be totally available to anyone. We had no choice but to accept his offer. None of us really resisted, either. We learned about the sexual entertainment side within a few days of living at the estate. He didn't have many visitors for us to entertain, but every night several of us were selected to give a show. Just before dinner, that night's performers would be given an outline of what was to occur during the show. If we failed to perform well, we would wake up the next day in his dungeon. There, his guards would torment us for hours, then bind us up before placing us in an isolation cabinet. It was scary, painful and humiliating to the point you did not want to go there again." "While I was there, we never saw some of his visitors leave. In a few cases, the visiting group was a whole family. Periodically, a staff member would not be around any more. Nothing was ever said about the missing. In fact, we were afraid to say anything, but all of us wondered. Jasmine and several others learned how the staff disappeared the last night we were there. After the evening show, we were asked to meet with Craigly in his conference room. There, we learned that we were no longer needed at the estate, so he was transferring us to another unit. Our transfer would take place once our treatments were complete, as he felt we were already trained sluts. Just before he left the room, he told his personal assistants to begin preparing us. We saw and heard everything, but had no will to resist. It was like we were observers." Calvin and Clancy's facial expressions clearly showed their anger, and their feelings were also clear from the deformed silverware. "His personal assistants gave us collars and cuffs to put on, which we did. They then took us to a special room. As we were being given drugs to change our bodies, the PAs told us that the drugs would make us more desirable, and increase our value in our new jobs. It was then that we learned we would be transferred to an auction site, where we would be sold. The bidders were various clubs and brothels, seeking new stock for their businesses. All of the changes to our bodies would be natural, which is why he was able to get exceptional prices. Another effect of the changes was to create an addiction in our minds and bodies for sexual ecstasy. This, along with implanting the feeling of emptiness, if we didn't have something in our cunts or mouths all the time." "I understand that the bastard is dead," said Calvin, harshly. "Yes. Many of his staff, and nearly his whole family, died in an earthquake. Besides us, those who survived were the ones he chose to use a bait to lure the Órarduine into rescuing us from the estate." "At least, he won't breed again," said Clancy. "Earth seems to have too many like him. Really, one asshole like him is too many." "Clancy," said Jasmine, "there were four families in the group. The men associated with him treated their daughters and wives harsher than they did us. They had no escape, as we don't believe they sold any of them. Several of their daughters were also used as bait." "All of you are very beautiful women," said Calvin. "I am beginning to see the beautiful personalities you have to go along with your physical beauty. It is unusual for me to be around people taller than me, and even more rare to be around women with shoulders as broad as mine." "Calvin," said Kathy, "we know that you are special. You are one of the few who look at our faces, rather than our bare chests." Calvin and Clancy began to blush. "Kathy, I have to confess that I do look at them, along with the rest of you, any time I have the chance. When we are talking, I make sure they are in my field of vision. It is very easy, since you are a little taller than me. If you were any taller, I might get slapped for licking and sucking on a nipple." "I like that thought, let's talk about that later." Kathy and the others in Kathryn's group winked at him, causing him to blush again. "It looks like everyone is done eating," said Kathryn. "Let's clean up our tables, before we continue our sharing. We can have coffee or dessert while we share." "I thought Emma was coming up," said Calvin. "I'll ask Keriann when they will break. Our dining area is open around the clock, as it is all self service. We normally have a community meeting after dinner. Those have been suspended until after we finish the fleet exercises." "Exercises?" replied Calvin. "If I had known about them, I would have waited to visit. I didn't notice any exceptional amount of activity when the shuttle approached." "You may have noticed it took you longer to get here. You didn't notice the activity because all of our operations are being done with our spacecraft cloaked, except we can see them when they approach the ship." "Yes, I did notice it seemed to take longer to arrive. Where are we?" "We are just outside Jupiter's orbit. Eagle and Phoenix are about 4 deciparsecs from us, doing similar exercises." "That's four tenths of a light year, right?" "Yes." "Wow. Why such a large separation?" "Safety is one reason. It also gives us the opportunity to test a number of our systems, to see if they work the way they are supposed to. One in particular is to detect other space travelers." "So this activity is why we haven't seen Cathal yet?" "Yes, I believe his group is on one of the Badb cruisers." Kathy walked up next to Calvin and put her arm across his shoulders, pulling him close. She leaned over so her mouth was next to his ear, and said, "When are you going to tell us you plan becoming a resident?" Kathy watched as his neck turned red. "We plan on your staying with us tonight. It can be longer." As she finished speaking, she licked then kissed his ear, surprising him. Just then, Elana kissed him on his other ear, causing him to blush. The combination of Kathy and Elana's attention added to his arousal, causing him to shift in the chair to a more comfortable position. Being nude made his arousal quite obvious. Once everyone returned with their drinks and dessert, Kathryn began her tale. "I graduated college with two degrees, a semester after Jasmine." Jasmine gave her a funny look. "Yes, I kind of kept track of you at college. What can I say? I was hurt by what I heard, but ever since we connected, you have had a special place in my heart." Jasmine put her arm around Kathryn and kissed her cheek. "The semester before graduating, I didn't find any openings I was interested in pursuing. I felt like taking a vacation before beginning a new job, but money was a little tight. Then, I ran across an ad for testing sunscreen and similar products. A week after sending them the information they requested, I received a conditional acceptance. They offered me the job, if I provided my own transportation to the test site, which didn't seem to be a problem, until I realized the test site was on the west coast of Mexico. The location concerned me a little bit, since it was well south of the typical tourist locations. They were providing accommodations and meals, so it was doable. I moved my stuff to storage and flew down right after graduation, using almost all of my available funds." "The first tests were evaluating sunscreens. We were given very minimal bikinis to wear, because they wanted to test areas that didn't normally get exposure. All of this was done on a private beach. We would complete one testing program and then they would offer us another. Every time, I signed up again. With time, we got to the point that we didn't bother with wearing anything. Well, you can only test so much sunscreen before you can't tell whether the product is effective. During this time, Jamie, Elana, Brittany and I became close friends, and intimate. We all seemed to click, so rather than just pairing off, we began to share with each other, as a group." "Well, all good things come to an end and the sunscreen evaluation ended. The drug company told us that they had another program for which they needed participants. The new product was a topical gel which was applied to the vaginal area and breasts. The gel was expected to enhance a woman's sexual experience by heightening her response to stimulation, and thus, her arousal. Other testing uncovered that it also had the potential of delaying the male's response, but that wasn't part of these tests. They had developed several formulations that definitely delayed male ejaculation, but they hadn't been able to obtain clear results on a woman's response. We were asked if we would be interested. If we were, then there would be a substantial increase in compensation. After talking it over, we decided we were interested. So we asked how they would do the testing." "We were a little shocked upon hearing their protocol, but it made sense. The gel would be applied to one woman, and a second woman would make love to her. The test would complete with the treated woman being brought to orgasm, by fucking her with an instrumented dildo. The woman receiving the treatment would lay on a padded bench, similar to an doctor's exam table, but wider and longer. The activity would be filmed from four to six angles. The instrumented dildos would range in texture, length and girth. The wearer's side of the dildo had a portion that slipped her vagina and covered her clit and labia. We were amazed at how effective the dildos were, only needing a very minimal harness to hold them against the wearer's cunt." As Kathryn talked, everyone around the table became somewhat aroused by the scenes she was describing. "We were very nervous the first several times we tested a formulation. Our roles reversed with each test, so we experienced both roles each day of testing, though we didn't test every day. After a couple of tests, we became so comfortable with the setup, there could have been an audience and we wouldn't have noticed. It was probably two months into the program, when they told us we had to move to another location. We did. It was even nicer than the first location." "Katia, Rebeca and Violetta joined us at the new location. We all seemed to connect with each other, and were soon very comfortable with each other. Our comfort could be due to our being so intimate with each other during the testing. We were with each other almost continuously every day, and our intimacy wasn't limited to just during the time we were testing. Some of the gel formulations were effective, as we could sometimes sense an increased response during the test. Once a week a doctor would visit the site and give us a physical, which nearly always included physical measurements. Besides the typical ones, they would measure each part of our vaginal area, and our breast volume. It felt strange. One of us asked why. The doctor said they wanted to be sure there were no physical changes due to the cream. None were expected, but the data had to be collected." "Testing the gel lasted three months, maybe four. When we were told the program had achieved its goals and would be shutting down, we spent several days discussing our future. All of us wanted to stay together, so most of our discussions focused on how to do that. One of the ideas was to ask whether they had another program that we could participate in. After we did, it was several days before we got an answer to our question. The proposal shocked us. It was to test a fertility drug. Our first response was, "Why us", even though we had sought a new program. They wanted to find the correct dosage to release just two eggs in a normally fertile woman. For the test to be successful, both eggs needed to be fertilized and attached to the uterus." Kathryn looked at the faces of their new friends, trying to judge their response. "Yes. If successful, we would be pregnant. In hindsight, maybe we should have run for the hills. We didn't. We had been living together for more than seven months. The accommodations provided everything we needed to be comfortable. We had TV, Internet and access to other entertainment. We could swim every day. The weather was great. We enjoyed sex with each other so much that we did it at least several times a day, including during the testing. So, with a little trepidation, we asked for more details on the procedure." "For this study, we would begin taking the drug as soon as we finished our menstrual flow. A special instrument would be provided, so we could check the number of eggs developing. If it was two, we would artificially inseminate each other on each of the three critical conception days, using a special version of the dildos we used in the previous test. We would then monitor the attachment of the embryos to our uterus. If the embryos attached, we would carry the babies to full term. After delivery, the company would place them in a home, where their growth could be monitored." "Needless to say, we signed up. It took us three cycles before all of us had our first shot at becoming pregnant, but the fertilized eggs did not attach to the uterus. In the fourth month, all seven of us became pregnant. We were happy, that is, until the doctor came on his monthly trip. It was then that we learned that we were growing, as indicated by changes in the measurements he had been taking of us. He felt that the growth of our vaginal lips could be attributed to frequent fucking or fisting. Yes, we found quite by accident that we sometimes liked being fisted. Our sexual activity would not explain the increase in bone length. He went over all the data with us. I don't think any of us were concerned about the information, because he didn't seem to be concerned." "We made it through the first three months of pregnancy without any problems. Surprisingly, our sexual appetite increased beyond our already intense level, but I understand that an increase during pregnancy is not unusual. Our breasts grew and became quite sensitive, in a good way. We were in our sixth month when we began to lactate." "It was in our seventh month that things really changed. We were shocked when we woke up one morning to find ourselves at a new location. We were scared, but not hysterical. Our new home was very nicely done. It had everything we needed and then some, although it did not appear to have been used recently. The location was in a dense forest, and seemed to be very isolated. We knew it was in a tropical location, based on the angle of the sun and the types of plants around our buildings. Even though it was a tropical location, the temperature was comfortable. Shortly after we were up, we found a note addressed to each of us. It basically told us that they had to quickly move us to this island location for our safety. More details would be provided by a staff member and doctor, when they came to see us in a few days. The note asked us to stay within sight of the buildings until then." "We wondered how they were able to move us without us knowing it. The location, while in good shape appeared to have been there for some time, which led us to wonder about the content of the note. When the Director of the Project finally did arrive, she told us that the site was initially set up to be their test site, but that testing was changed to our previous location because this one was so isolated, which created logistical issues." "We were pretty anxious by the time the doctor, two nurses and the Director showed up, a week later. They gave each us a complete physical. The results showed we were doing fine. After the physicals, the Director told us why we had been moved so quickly. Someone had told the news media that the company was doing fertility testing on humans. Which by itself wasn't too bad, but the story included references to drugs used for genetic modification. Although inaccurate, it was enough to create a firestorm of accusations. This resulted in the program being shut down, except that provisions were made for completing our portion of the tests. Our original location was shown to the government and the media, to give them visual evidence of the program being disbanded. Surprisingly, no one asked any questions about how far along the program was, or where the test subjects were. Which surprised them, since there were threats to kill us and some of the company's employees. One radical group had placed a bounty on killing us, because we were tampering with nature." "She told us that the other reason we were transferred was because our identities were known. We were told that our identities were known because some tapes from the previous tests had been stolen. These videos had resurfaced on the Internet as porn videos, with actors names very similar to ours." "She then told us that we were on an island, about a 1000 km west of where we had been in Mexico. The island had another settlement on it, and that we should not go near it. Only the manager knew about us being on the island. The other group was not the sort to go exploring the island, so we didn't need to worry. Additionally, the path into our location was not well defined, so even if they did get this far, they probably wouldn't find us. She showed us a map of the island, and noted the areas where it was safe for us to explore." "The Director, doctor and nurses spent two days with us, showing us all the things we needed to do. The site was self-sufficient, and had enough supplies for more than a year, but they recommended that we grow a garden so we would have fresh vegetables. They suggested we place the garden so it wasn't obvious from the air, as planes came to the island every couple of weeks. We had Internet access, but were asked to only send messages if there was a problem. Otherwise, we would be on our own until the babies came." "We were all mad at them for relocating us without our permission. She apologized several times, always indicating it was our safety that concerned her the most. She felt she owed it to us for all that we had done for them. The threats from one group had indicated that anyone conducting these tests should be inflicted with the maximum pain consistent with a long slow death. It was this kind of information that resulted in them taking a week to figure out how to get to the island without raising suspicion. She told us that we were all very bright, and that they were pleased we had continued working for them. She felt that, with a little patience, we should not be on the island much beyond the babies birth." "We asked about our change in stature. The doctor told us that they thought it was a side effect of either the fertility drug or the gel testing. They thought it was the result of a contaminant. Due to current circumstances, it would be a while before they could investigate further." "Wow, Kathryn," said Jasmine, "I think I would trade being with you for the experience with Craigly." "You may change your mind when you hear the rest. Actually, there is not much else to tell. Living at the new location was not a big change for us, except that we had to do more for ourselves. This really improved our fitness. With our swelling tummies, many tasks became more difficult but manageable. Fortunately, we did not go into labor all at one time, but we all delivered within a week of each other. As soon as we were up, after the babies were born, we sent an email message about the births." "It was about a week later, when the Director and three women arrived, carrying boxes. We asked about the doctor, and were told that he died in an accident, a month after their last visit. Before they left with the 14 babies, she told us it would be at least a couple of weeks before they could arrange to get us off the island. There were two issues in making the move. One was to give us new identities because of the films, which she felt was necessary and pretty easy to do. The second concerned getting us off the island without being noticed, and into Mexico, since they needed to use a different plane." "We weren't happy with being left behind, but didn't see a reasonable alternative. Being more mobile again, we began to carefully explore the island, always avoiding the area around the other settlement. We did find several spots where we could see different portions of the settlement. There was seldom anyone outside, but when there was, it was just one or two people. Considering how nice the weather was, it seemed strange. Several times, we happened to be watching when a plane came to the island. The plane parked so its cabin door faced toward the buildings. We could see them bring file drawer sized boxes out of one of the buildings, which we later determined was the infirmary. These boxes were loaded into the plane. Large trunk sized boxes were sometimes carried from the plane into a different building, which held the kitchen and living quarters. Occasionally, we saw a large trunk size box carried out to the plane." "It was about a month after our babies left that we heard a plane circling overhead. We wanted to look, but didn't want to expose our presence. Before, we had only known when a plane was on the island when it took off. Later that day, a plane passed overhead like they normally did, but rather than turning, it flew down the length of the island. Besides taking a different flight path, this plane was different than the ones we had seen before. After it passed, we watched it. Just as it passed over the geyser, two objects fell from the plane." Kathryn paused for a moment, then continued, "We found out later that the objects were two women. Both had been horribly abused, maybe tortured is more accurate. One was the Director, but that discovery occurred later." "It was a day or two later when Elana told us that she had been up on the overlook above the settlement. She had seen a burnt out plane on the landing strip, and there was an awful smell. So all of us went to look. We could smell the odor before we even got near to overlook. Just looking at the settlement, you could feel death. We waited until dark to venture closer. All we had to defend ourselves were clubs. What we found was horrible. There were heads, torsos and guts all piled outside, behind a corner of the larger building. Inside, four ropes with small loops hung from one of the beams. The floor was covered with dried blood. We left before we all got sick. Walking out, we saw two bloody machetes and a blood covered chain saw. After some hesitation, we looked around the rest of the buildings." "The settlement consisted of a bunk house with some thirty beds. We were puzzled by the chains attached to each end of the bed frame. There was a residence that looked like three women lived in it, based on the stuff left behind. There were very few clothes in either building. The third building looked like a clinic or infirmary. It had several adult size beds and 15 baby beds. Again, each of the adult beds had a chain attached to it. It was getting dark so we left, since we didn't want to be there if any predators arrived." "None of us slept well that night. After breakfast, I raised the question about the objects that had fallen out of the plane. Four of us decided to hike over to the geyser and see what was there. That was when we found the two naked women, with their feet and hands wired together. One woman had landed in the mud near the geyser and was partially buried in the hot mud. The expression on her face showed she died in pain. It took us some time before we realized that the other woman was the Director. It looked like they had broken every major bone in her body before they dumped her out of the plane. We managed to pull her from the mud and bury her. That was probably the most awful task I have ever faced. It was worse than what happened right before we were rescued." The others in her group nodded in agreement. "We spent the next few days trying to decide what to do. The Internet still worked, but all we could do was browse, as email access seemed to be blocked. We decided to see what supplies were at the settlement that we could use. We went back there by way of an overlook, since we wanted to make sure no one had returned. We arrived a couple of hours before sundown, since we weren't sure if anyone would be back. We didn't want to strip the place, as that would indicate our presence. Instead we took only the supplies we thought we could use. Most of it was first aid stuff, but we also took some food items. We also found some tools and a rifle." "The island was quiet for about six months. During that time, we searched the island for a way to reach the ocean. We found a couple of places where we possibly could have climbed down, but getting back didn't appear likely. There weren't any beaches, as the island's rocky coast walls dropped directly into the ocean. In our exploring, we did find a large cave with a hidden entrance. So we set it up as an emergency refuge, while praying that we would never need it." "One afternoon, we heard a plane take off. We were scared, as our first thought was that they were back for us. We closed up our building and left, covering our tracks as we went. Our first stop was the cave, to drop off the additional supplies we had taken with us. Then we eased up to another location that overlooked the settlement, which we felt was less exposed." "It didn't take us long to figure out that some one was moving in, as they appeared to be fixing up the buildings. While we were watching, another plane landed and unloaded construction supplies. We watched long enough to make sure our perceptions were correct, before slipping back into the forest. We lived in the cave for several weeks, while we monitored the activity at the settlement. Before moving back to our building, we worked to obscure the original path from the settlement to our place. Needless to say, we checked the settlement several times a day. During that time, we never saw anyone leave the area around the settlement for any length of time. The furthest they went was to dump trash in a nearby ravine. There really weren't any obvious paths into the forest." "It took about a month before the work was completed. After the last plane left, we watched the buildings for several days before we ventured close to the buildings. The bunkhouse had been divided into rooms, so it was much more like a dormitory. There were motion detectors throughout the building, but the system wasn't on. The infirmary had been cleaned up and restocked. The kitchen area had been upgraded and stocked. All of this told us that someone would be here soon. The thought that there would be other people on the island scared us, since we didn't know what it meant for us. We did locate most of the motion detectors that were outside. Their positions explained some of the activity we had seen outside." "A week later a plane landed, and two men and eight women got off the plane. They were all naked. They were followed by a man and woman, who were dressed. The group went right to the bunk house. A short time later, the man and woman who were dressed came out and checked each of the buildings. While they were looking around, the two naked men unloaded the plane. The man who was dressed soon boarded the plane. The scene repeated a week later, except 5 naked women and more supplies were left. The scene kept repeating at weekly intervals, until there were about 30 people at the settlement. This group was outside much more frequently than the previous group. When they were, they either played games or sunbathed." "We were very curious, but reluctant to make our presence known. Actually, I should say we were scared. From our observations, we determined that the woman who arrived clothed was apparently in charge of the settlement. After the first day, she seldom dressed, except for boots and a belt around her waist. Frequently, in the evenings, everyone would gather outside or in the large building. When they were outside, we could hear most of their conversations, as they carry a long way in the evening. Occasionally, the woman in charge would go for short walks in the forest." "Before I go further, I need to tell you about the changes in us since being on the island. We grew in height until we were all around 6' 3", our breasts increased in size, and we continued to lactate after the babies were born. Our continued lactation was because we used the milk as a part of our diet. Our labia grew until they hung down a couple of inches. Their size embarrassed us when we first noticed it, but those feelings went away when we realized that caressing them added to our pleasure. Walking would sometimes arouse us enough that we would begin releasing pheromones, which is not good if you want to be unobserved. The most surprising change was that we began to know what each other was thinking. We didn't call it telepathy then, as we had always been told telepathy wasn't possible. When we were around the settlement, using our ability to know what each other was thinking was difficult, until we learned to focus on each other." "After being close to Larissa several times without being detected, we learned that, while she might not be a potential friend, she wasn't an enemy. So Elana approached her one evening right at dusk, and when she was fairly far into the forest. To say Larissa was shocked would be an understatement. Elana told her that she lived on the far side of the island, without saying how many of us there were. They chatted for a bit before Larissa said she needed to get back. They agreed to meet several nights later, further into the forest." "Gosh, I didn't think this would take this long," said Kathryn. "Go on, I find your adventure fascinating," replied Jasmine, as she hugged Kathryn. "It damn sure wasn't like the ordeal we had with Craigly. Although I have to admit, when I was there I enjoyed myself most of the time." "The second time Elana met Larissa, we all joined her after they had talked for a few moments. From this and several other meetings, we learned several things. Larissa had been roped into being the caretaker of this group of women. Railroaded is a more accurate description of how she became involved. She couldn't promise to get us off of the island, and really, we weren't sure we wanted to leave, especially considering the changes in our bodies. Which, I am sure, sounds strange. We were a little surprised to learn that the women now in the settlement were there to give birth to babies, that would then be taken back to the mainland shortly after their birth. At first, we thought she meant that the women would leave with the babies, until Larissa told us the women had contracted to provide 10 sets of twins to their employer before leaving. Her biggest concern was that some women would either miscarry, or fail to have twins as scheduled. In which case, the woman would be sent to another location, to work the balance of her contracted time. She said the work there was much harsher than this, but she didn't elaborate." "We told her a portion of how we ended up on the island, and that each of us had given birth to twins several months after arriving. Out of that disclosure, we entered into an agreement to help her with additional babies, in exchange for supplies. Since she did virtually all of the nursing care, no one but her would know who the mothers were. Saying that now sounds like a warped arrangement." "Absolutely, not," replied Calvin firmly. "I learned early on that you can only play the cards you hold. Quite often that means short term solutions take precedence over long term desires. I suspect Larissa also had concerns about the arrangement." "Yes, she did. She thought we were getting the short end of the deal. She was also concerned about whether the babies would look different as they grew. If that happened, it could cause her and probably us problems. Over several meetings, we worked out the details of our arrangement. We would pick up supplies late at night, so there was little chance of anyone knowing. It worked well for four years, until the invaders came. Fortunately, the Órarduine security teams arrived when they did, or we would have been slabs of fresh meat for someone." "Kathryn, I am surprised by your attitude toward the events," said Emma. Calvin jumped up at the sound of Emma's voice. As soon as they turned, they were in each others arms. They kissed passionately, before remembering where they were. They turned toward the group, with Calvin blushing, as he said, "This is my sister, Emma." "Yes. We know," came the quick response from the group. "Why didn't you say something when you came in," asked Calvin, looking at Emma. "Everyone seemed so spellbound by Kathryn's story, so I motioned for her to continue. I have to admit, I found her story as enthralling as everyone else." "Emma, you look different," said Calvin. "I can't remember the last time I saw you looking so luscious. I have to admit, it has been a while since I saw you naked." "Oh, I am sure I look different. I didn't have all the jewelry the last time I saw you." As Emma spoke, she spread her feet slightly, letting her labia majora open and reveling some of her jewelry. "Go ahead. You can touch them." Emma watched as Calvin slowly brought his hand to her cunt. She shuddered, as it had been a long time since they had been intimate. When Calvin slid his finger between her labia, he said, "It feels like you have a bar through your clit." Emma nodded to Calvin. She could feel her labia moisten at his gentle touch. Calvin used the fingers of both hands to pull the labia majora apart. When he did, Emma's inner lips swelled and extended their full length. "Wow. You even added rings to your inner lips and there is one in your clit hood. I don't remember your labia minora being so large." When he looked up toward Emma's face, he realized her nipples were much more pronounced. "Emma you look really hot. Won't you have trouble wearing a uniform now?" "That is not an issue." Calvin looked puzzled hearing her response, but realized she would tell him later. "Kathryn, in many ways I am impressed with your adventure, and how all of you handled the experiences. As I listened to your story, I can say I would have made the same choices you and your friends did. Each one was very logical and stayed within the constraints you faced. Saying all of that, I am not sure I would have done as well. I am afraid that, with time, I would have anguished over my past choices, rather than dealing with the present and looking to the future." "Emma," replied Kathryn, "I guess I am a bit of an optimist, which I think is true for everyone in our group." The others nodded their heads in agreement. "From the beginning, we repetitively made choices to be involved in testing the products. Being spirited away to the island was something we had no control over. Sure, we would have liked to have been consulted. We are thankful that they considered our safety and well being, enough to take that risk. Sure, ensuring our safety helped them with their program, but there were real risks to them, as well. Those risks became apparent later. Once on the island, we chose to stay, rather than to demand they take us back to the mainland." "Really, beginning with the second drug testing program, I believe our choices were significantly influenced by our desire to stay together. Even with that, I think we made good choices, considering our options. Perhaps if we had been forced into the situation, we may have slipped into being depressed, or have a hostile attitude about our predicament." "Kathryn mentioned finding the drug company Director near the geyser," said Elana. "We often wondered if she had come to the island because she had found a way to get us back to the mainland. Both times we saw her, she told us that she had two concerns regarding returning us to the mainland. One was establishing identities for us. She felt we needed new identities to break our link with the drug company and the videos. The second was getting us to the mainland without anyone noticing. Now, we are very glad we didn't go back to the mainland, since we are now here. This is probably an even greater adventure. I don't think we could ever dream up anything to match it." Everyone laughed. "The best part is that all those I love are here with me. I am not sure how I could live without them, their love, and support. Besides, we are now with the greatest group of people I have ever met." As she was talking, the eight in her group clasped hands. "If I had confronted Jasmine about the rumors on campus, it is possible I wouldn't be here," said Kathryn. "Kathryn, the same is true for me," said Jasmine. "I think both us knew, deep down, that the rumors weren't true, but we weren't certain enough of our beliefs, so we walked away hurt." "Emma," said Calvin, "I was surprised when I heard you had been here for three weeks. I thought the Joint Forces Diplomatic Aide training lasted until this week." "Yes, graduation was scheduled for this week. I didn't finish, as I objected to a additional special training program, and the way they went about enrolling me. It was something that I had not agreed to in advance. Several of us in the class were enrolled in special training without our prior consent." "Special training? What about your commission?" Emma looked around at the group, then back to Calvin, then Clancy, with an apprehensive look. "It looks like this is story night. Before I begin, Clancy and Calvin, I need you to promise me you will hear my whole story before saying or doing anything." She saw Calvin's face cloud up, as he knew some of the harassment she had dealt with, in the past. "All the scores are settled and trumped, thanks to some friends. I resigned my commission, and so did the other women. I think many of them will follow me here, but they haven't realized this opportunity, yet." "Okay, I promise," replied Calvin. "I am all ears, but I have an uneasy feeling about your story." "Emma, I promise, as well," replied Chancy. "I could summarize it before telling you the ending. After hearing Kathryn's story, I think I would like to go through it somewhat chronologically, as events unfolded from my viewpoint. Calvin and Clancy know about the school, but I suspect the rest of you don't. Many line officers have aides, especially those who work in the embassies. Yes, admirals also have aides. This school is primarily for those deemed suitable and selected to work at an embassy as an officer's aide. The opportunity to go to this school is solely by recommendation. There is no application process." Emma paused a moment, before continuing, "I know I said chronological just a minute ago. After quickly reviewing the experience, I am going to include some details, as I tell the story, that we didn't learn until later." ------- Chapter 123 Emma began to tell the group about her experiences before arriving on Dóchas. "I was elated to be chosen to attend Joint Forces Diplomatic Aide Training (JFDAT). My class consisted of 40 officers, and was about evenly divided between men and women. I found the coursework easy and pretty straightforward. Most of the content had been touched upon in my earlier training, but this time each topic was covered in greater depth, and they also focused on political and diplomatic aspects. As an aide, virtually all aspects of our duties would be politically and diplomatically sensitive." "During my second week at the school, but only the first week of classes, I realized that I was horny all the time. I mean, really horny!" Calvin snickered, causing Emma to stick her tongue out at him, which lead to more laughter. "My nipples were always hard and achy. My clit was swollen and very sensitive. My cunt was wet enough that my panties were almost wet enough to leave a spot on my skirt. Sometimes I could smell my arousal, which made me a little self-conscious. Every night, I had intense, full-blown, erotic dreams. These dreams seemed real enough that I would orgasm at least once. My vibrator got a work out, but the relief didn't last long, and neither did the batteries." Calvin grinned, and several others chuckled. "Yes, Calvin knows I like intimate relationships, in fact, we have shared our love, physically, from time to time." Calvin blushed, as Emma stuck her tongue out at him. "One day, in the middle of the second week of class, I left class at the same time as my instructor. At this point, I had been at the school for a little over two weeks, as several of us arrived a week early. As we walked out together, my instructor and I reviewed that day's discussion for a few moments, before going our separate ways. Just as I stepped away from him, another instructor joined us. I was a short distance away, when I thought of a question regarding our class discussion. I turned to see if I could catch him. By that time, the two instructors had turned a corner in the hall. When I reached the corner, I heard one say, 'she is responding very well to her initial preparations, as I could smell her arousal.'" "The other replied, 'Yes, I noticed. The slut smells really tasty. She will begin the next phase of her training for her special assignment on Friday. Using their off hours for them to learn and hone their new skills was clever, as the effects are hardly noticeable. I am anxious to assist with the slut's training. Actually, it would be nice to have her for my slut, but they already have her assignment set. They certainly sent us a nice group for special training. It would have been better if they hadn't scheduled so many in this group.' I froze. They were just around the corner, and seemed to be talking about a class member, so I hesitated. I was shocked when the instructor added, 'The other seven sluts in the class are progressing quite nicely.' Their voices became fainter as they moved away from me, so I continued toward my original destination, wondering about the conversation. The more I thought about it, the more the comments didn't make any sense, and I wondered what I had missed." "Unfortunately, it wasn't until several weeks later that I understood the implications of what was said." "Friday evening, after dinner, I went to the lounge area for a drink. The lounge-dining room for the school was set up like a small officers club, functioning as both a dining room and a bar with a dance floor. There were several classmates already in the bar when I entered, so I joined them. We were in the lounge long enough to finish one drink, when one of the younger instructors asked to join us. He sat down next to me. We had another round of drinks and chatted. During our conversation, the instructor moved close enough to me that we were touching. It wasn't long until we were resting our free hands on each others leg. His fingers began to lightly caress my leg. It felt good, so I didn't object in fact I began to caress his leg. After the others went to dance, the staff member said that he knew of a quieter place to talk. I agreed without hesitation. He seemed like a nice enough guy and I was horny." "We walked to a nearby room. It was in a part of the building I hadn't been in before, since I had thought it was only for the instructors use. Once we were away from the club, he began caressing my ass. At the end of the hall, he opened a door and stepped back. When I entered, I found myself in a small alcove. Opening the second door took us into a two-room suite. As we had passed through the doors, he carefully closed and latched each of them. The suite was really nice. The two rooms only had an arch separating the sitting and sleeping areas. I realized later that the alcove with the two entry doors kept any sound from reaching the hall." "He put on some soft music, before mixing us a drink at the small bar. I wondered if this was his room. When I looked around, I didn't see any personal items. We had another drink or two, while talking about our different experiences. We had just taken a sip of another drink, when he abruptly told me to stand up and strip. His command startled me, but I just set my drink down and stood up without any hesitation. As I began to unbutton my blouse, he told me that I was to fold my clothes and place them in the nearby dresser, as I wouldn't be needing them until the next evening. I never questioned him. I simply followed his directions. Soon, I was standing in front of him, naked. He told me to spread my feet shoulder width, and to put my hands on the back of my neck. After looking me over for some time, he stood, and lifted my drink to my lips and tipped it. While I sipped my drink as he held it, he caressed my neck and breasts with his free hand. His caresses caused my already hard nipples to stiffen even more. By the time, he finished, my cunt was very wet. When I finished my drink, he took my glass and walked away. When he came back, he told me to undress him, and to place his folded clothes in the dresser. Once he was undressed, he sat back down while I placed his folded clothes in the dresser. He then told me to lie down on the coffee table, facing him. Once in position, he told me to lift my legs and spread them as wide as I could. When I did, I felt my cunt gape open, and a small amount of liquid ran down between my ass cheeks. My legs became unsteady after a few moments, but I didn't move. He told me that I had displayed myself very well, and that I would be more comfortable if I held my knees with my hands. A few minutes after following his suggestion, he told me to sit up. As soon as I did, he handed me another drink." "All the drinks I had in this room tasted like fruit juice cocktail. Based on the way I felt, I am sure there wasn't very much alcohol in them. We now know that they contained drugs to ease my acceptance of my actions." "After I had sipped some more of the drink, he told me to kneel between his legs and suck his cock. I knelt down, and began by licking his cock, then his ball sack, before carefully placing one ball in my mouth. I gently sucked on each ball, before I began licking the head of his cock and slid it into my mouth. As you probably guessed, I enjoy oral sex. I took a long time to bring him to the point of cumming. Just as he began to cum, he told me not to swallow until he told me to. I orgasmed, as he came in my mouth. Once he finished cumming, he had me show him the cum in my mouth. He then told me to swallow and lick him clean. When I finished, he told me, since I was such a good cock sucker, I could finish my drink. We sat and talked for a few minutes, while sipping our drinks. During that time, he was constantly caressing my breasts, legs and cunt. I was quite aroused." "When we finished our drinks, he told me to go into the bathroom, and to give myself an enema. The bag was ready to use; all I had to do was follow the instructions on it. He told me that I was to follow them exactly as written. There was also a pair of shoes for me to wear. I found three enema bags hanging near the toilet. When I read over the instructions, they told me that I was to use the whole bag each time, and that if I didn't, I would have to do it all over again with a larger one, while supervised. I did manage to get the whole bag in me, just barely. I held the contents for the required time, and then released the fluid. I was surprised at how good I felt after releasing the fluid each time." "At the time, I never felt uncomfortable, or even considered the implications of what I was doing. Now the implications are clear. I know now that it was me the two instructors were talking about, and that I was one of the seven 'special candidates' in this class of aides. I know now that my drinks contained drugs, as did the last two enemas. While I was aware of everything I was doing, I wanted to please them in any manner they wanted. My desire to please was so strong I would try to anticipate what they wanted." "Back to the story. When I finished the enemas, I put the 6" high heel shoes on and closed the locking straps before I went back into the sitting room. When I entered, I found two more men and a woman in the room. All of them were naked. One man asked me if I was ready to begin my slut training. I replied, 'Yes, sir.' He then told me that I would make a good slut if I continued with that attitude, and that I certainly had the body for it. I was told to lay on the coffee table, and to pull my knees up toward my chest, but to spread my legs wide enough, so they could see my tits. This time I felt a little embarrassed as they stared at my gaping cunt. I could just imagine what I looked like, with my nipples swollen and aching, and my cunt gaping open. It was then I noticed the mirror on the ceiling, and saw how I looked. I could feel the cream leaking out of my cunt. They talked about me being one of the nicest looking sluts they had for the special program in quite a while. My only thoughts concerned how horny I was. The woman commented on how wet my cunt was. One man said that it looked like I was ready for the next step. Another said he agreed, but that my labia needed to be enlarged, as did my nipples and tits, in order to become suitable for my assignment. The woman moved over and pulled on my labia minora. She then told them that they were nice and pliable so they could be enlarged with no difficulty. She told them that the changes would be taken care of the following weekend. Using her fingers, she scooped the cream that had collected in the mouth of my cunt. Seeing her dripping wet fingers over my mouth, I opened up, to let her pour my cream into my mouth. She then pushed her fingers into my mouth, for me to lick my cream from them. I did this all without any instruction. She complimented me on responding without instruction, as she dried her fingers on my breast." "The rest of the evening and, I think, all night, was spent with me being their sex toy. I have to say, I responded to all the stimulation, and I know I orgasmed many times. We coupled in virtually every combination possible for four people. Every time, I was the center of the activity. The only time we stopped was so I could be given another drink. Even then, someone was always caressing me. As best I can remember, even though I had many orgasms, after each one, I always felt aroused and ready to fuck again. I don't know when I went to sleep, but when the woman woke me the next morning, I was still naked in the same room, well almost naked. At some point, I had put on an open cup halter that compressed my breasts at their base so they really stood out from my chest." "As soon as I was awake, she told me to take my dildos out and straddle the Sybian. Walking over to it, I saw that it had two dildos pointing up. One looked just like a cock, but had a deeply textured surface. The other was a little smaller. Once I had straddled the Sybian, she slowly raised it, letting me guide a cock into my cunt and ass. Both easily slid into me, and really filled me up. Again, she didn't tell what to do, I just did it, even though my cunt and ass felt sore. She then gave me a large glass of liquid to drink. As soon as I finished the drink, she left. When the door closed, the TV screen came to life." "I was shocked to see myself on the TV screen. It showed me entering the room with the instructor last night. I watched, spellbound. In every scene, only my face could be seen, though the sound was clear. I had followed every direction I had been given, and many times they didn't give me any direction. In many scenes, I begged for more. Seeing myself acting like a slut pleased me and was very arousing. I knew that if anyone saw this video it would ruin both my Naval career and my reputation but that didn't seem important. As I watched I lightly caressed my nipples and clit. When the video ended, there was hardly a pause before it began again. Only this time, it was accompanied by the dildos vibrating and humping in my cunt and ass, adding to my stimulation. The video had hardly started when I came. The stimulation didn't stop until the video ended. While watching the video, I came more times than I can remember and still felt a desire for more." "I must have spent the whole day on the Sybian. I lost all track of time. I don't remember very much of it after seeing the first video. I do know the dildos attached to the Sybian kept me in a constant state of arousal. I know I orgasmed multiple times. I have recollections of seeing other videos, but my memory of the day is not to clear. In thinking back over the video, I know there were scenes that I don't remember. It was late afternoon when the woman returned. I was panting from cumming again, when the video finished. She wore a long dress, with long slits on the sides that ran almost to her waist. She smiled and asked if I enjoyed the Sybian. She brought over a tray holding a large glass, and a pitcher containing a white liquid. After filling the glass, she handed it to me and told me to drink all of it. When I finished drinking, she refilled the glass for me. She kept refilling my glass until the pitcher was empty. By that time, I felt quite full. She slipped off her dress and hung it up, leaving her wearing just stockings, garter belt and shoes. She positioned a chair in front of me. She sat down and hooked her legs over the chair's arms, displaying her cunt. She was a beautiful woman, with nice, firm breasts. I could remember sucking her long nipples the previous night. I kept looking down at her cunt. Her labia were very large, and her labia minora extended quite a ways out of her slit. I could see a ring in her clit hood, and some other sparkles as she moved. She reached down to spread her labia majora apart with her fingers. Spreading her labia majora, let her labia minora fully extend. Both sets of lips were wet and swollen with arousal. My mouth watered. She had several gold rings along the edge of each labia minora. There was also a bar through the base of her clit. She asked me if liked the way her cunt looked, causing me to blush and look back at her face. But I couldn't keep my eyes off of her cunt, and was soon staring at it. She rubbed her labia between her fingers, causing her cream to begin filling the crevasse between her cunt lips, as her clit poked out of its hood. She asked me again if I liked what I saw. She smiled when I looked up and blushed a bright red. She told me that next weekend, she would take me to a place where they would make my cunt look like hers. Cupping her fingers, she slid them between her cunt lips, collecting her cream. I watched, as she rose up lifting her fingers dripping with her cunt cream toward my mouth. In anticipation, I opened my mouth for her fingers, and sucked her cream from them. She smiled, as I licked her fingers clean." "She told me that I was doing well, and her fingers caressed my breasts and nipples for a few moments. She then told me that I had been selected for special assignment as an aide. In this position, I was to have many off-hour assignments escorting and entertaining special select people. To fulfill those additional assignments, it was required that I be an accomplished slut. As a slut, I was to do anything to make my guest happy including willingly submitting to anything the person asked me to do. Refusal was not an option. My guest could, in turn, offer me to others, who could use me in the same way as my assigned guest. Failure to comply or perform adequately for anyone would result in my being punished. My special training, during the next 10 weeks of school, would ensure I was an accomplished slut, and familiar with all kinds of sexual interaction. With the completion of training, she told me that I could easily be a well-paid call girl or escort." "She emphasized that my assignment required me to easily move between the roles of slut and military aide. I was to maintain my classroom performance and public persona. My special role would be a critical piece of the nation's intelligence gathering network. She emphasized that I had only one choice, and that was to fulfill the role that they were preparing me for. If I failed, I would be sent on an alternate assignment, which would be much more uncomfortable. In any case, if I ever divulged any information about my assignment, I would quickly find myself in a dungeon somewhere, and my brother would be at risk. My only choice was to accept this assignment and become a proficient slut." "The mention of Calvin's safety had a strange effect on the way I took her implied threat. I believed that I needed to learn as much as I could, and become a very skilled slut, in order for either of us to survive." "She told me that, beginning on Monday, I was to return to this room at 7 PM every day except Saturday and Sunday. My evening sessions would be over between 9 and 10, except on Friday evenings. On Friday, my training would continue into Saturday afternoon. If no one was in the room when I arrived, or there were no written instructions, I was to immediately strip. After placing my folded clothing in the dresser, I was to put on the high heels then I was to place my feet on the pads at the end of the coffee table, and bend forward placing my hands at the tables corners. This would place me with my back toward the door and my legs spread, displaying my cunt to anyone entering." "She then told me that when I went back to my room later, I was to modify my blouses by sewing a piece of wool behind the pockets. Everything needed for the modifications would be in my room. Special bras had been placed in my room. Besides the bras, I would only wear stockings and a garter belt under my uniform from now on. My uniform was to consist of the skirt and blouse with a neck scarf. I was to never sit on the skirt. If the flow of my cunt cream was too great, I could wear a tampon. She would take me to the clinic after classes finished on Friday. At the clinic, all my pubic hair would be permanently removed, my labia enlarged, my clit and hood would be pierced, and several other changes would be made. She asked me, if I had any questions. I didn't. She then told me that, from then on, each demerit or missed point in class would be worth one stroke of a paddle or whip on my bare ass, which would be delivered by each instructor. I shivered." "She then helped me off the Sybian. I felt empty without the dildos in my cunt and ass. When I had trouble standing, she helped me walk over and stand in front of the sofa. She sat down and leaned back, spreading her legs. I immediately knelt and began to worship her cunt with my mouth. I brought her to several orgasms before she told me to dress and return to my room. As I dressed, she told me that I was not permitted to wear anything but my tallest high heels in my room." "In my room, I undressed and opened the dresser to discover that all of the panties and bras I brought with me had been removed. My new bras were similar to my old ones, though without the front portion of the cup. There was only about an 1 inch wide strip of the cup left at the base. Laying next to them were two inch square pieces of coarse wool, along with a needle and thread. By the time I made the changes to my blouses, it was nearly time for bed. When I looked in the closet, there were two new pairs of shoes, with heels that were just within uniform regulations for height. There was also a pair of six inch heels, which I knew were for me to wear in the room. When I slipped them on, I noticed they did not have locking straps like the ones in the training room." "It took me a couple of days to adjust to the way I had been told to dress and sit. The demerits began on Monday. After every class, I had to stop by the instructor's office to receive my demerits. On Monday, several demerits were for sitting on my skirt. Each time, I would bend over, lift my skirt up in back, leaving my ass bare, and then hold onto my ankles. Many instructors would caress my ass and finger my cunt before applying the strokes. I had to count out the strokes. If I missed count, then the strokes would start over, with the number doubled. Most instructors used a leather strap, rather than a paddle. The blows were directed across my ass so that my labia also felt the sting of the strap. It was hard to count and not scream. The blows were hard enough to make my ass sore and tender, but not enough to bruise. A few times the instructors fucked me in that position after being whipped and then had me lick them clean." "After dinner every evening, I returned to the room, to continue my special training. The first time I entered, there was a note reminding me that every time I entered I was to strip then place my folded clothes in the dresser. While I was in the room, I would be addressed as slut. A few minutes after I had stripped, the instructors would arrive, usually there were two. Each evening focused on a different kind of sexual activity. The first week began with my learning and experiencing many different positions for sexual intercourse. After that, it was the different ways that I could give someone sexual release. Each session emphasized that the needs of my guests were more important than mine. From there, my training moved on to include being bound, clamped, shocked, whipped, spattered with hot wax and stuck with needles. In each setting, they made sure that the stimulation brought me to several intense orgasms. Needless to say, I was fucked several times each evening, sometimes it was by the instructors, and other times it was with a mechanical dildo. As the training sessions progressed and I had experienced all the different torments multiple times while being forced to orgasm in response to each of them, my role began to change. They began to show me the correct ways to use the devices they had used on me. I have to admit, some of it I liked, other things I did not. I quickly began to look forward to the evenings, because when I left the training room, I felt sexually satisfied. When I returned to my room, I was exhausted. My horniness was sated enough that I slept well, with only an occasional dream. My arousal would build through the next day, until I was extremely horny by the time I returned to the training room. The wool inside my blouses kept my nipples swollen, sensitive and aching all the time." "The second weekend of the special training, the woman took me to a clinic to have my pubic hair removed. While I was there, they injected a solution into both sets of my labia, until they were quite swollen and achy. I spent Friday evening and all day Saturday at the clinic. By the time we returned to the base, I was quite sore. When the woman dropped me off, she gave me three golf-ball sized, rough textured balls, with a string connecting them. She told me that I was to keep them in my cunt at all times, except when I was in the training room. They were to be washed each evening before going to the training room. Sitting in the car, I raised my skirt and spread my legs, then inserted them one by one into my bare cunt, leaving the short chain hanging out. The sensation I felt when I stepped out of the car was fantastic and I could feel the moisture forming on my labia after just a few steps." "By the middle of the week, the soreness and swelling in my labia was nearly gone. Now, when I was naked, my labia were always visible, regardless of how I stood. Over the next several weeks, they increased in size, until they hung down like they do now. Even then, the chain from the balls in my cunt disappeared between the folds of my larger labia. When I walked, my legs rubbed my labia together and against the chain, adding to my arousal. The combination of this and the balls floating around in my cunt really increased my arousal enough that I needed to always wear a tampon. In the training room, I always had to stand with my feet shoulder width apart or wider. This position made my larger labia quite noticeable." "On a Friday evening, about 5 weeks before graduation, I entered the alcove to the training room. As soon as I pulled the door closed, the lights went out. With both doors closed, the alcove was so dark that it took me a moment or two before I found the handle for the inner door. Opening the door into the main room, I found the suite was just as dark. I had barely stepped into the room when I felt a movement behind me. Before I could react, something was slipped over my head, and pulled tight against my face. Naturally, I grabbed at the hands holding the hood, which now covered my nose and mouth. When I started to try to take the attacker down, my arms were grabbed, pinning them to my sides. While I continued to struggle, I felt straps being tightened behind my head, pulling the face covering tighter. My lungs had begun to burn from a lack of air. I began to fade out when I felt something move on the face covering, and I could breathe again. While I concentrated on breathing, a wide collar was fastened around my neck. I was scared. I could feel straps being connected between the collar and the cover over my head. When the lights came on, I could see fuzzy outlines of several people. A rough rope was wrapped tightly around each wrist then the rope tightened pulling my arms over my head. The rope was tightened until I was standing on my toes. While I hung there, I was roughly groped. My breasts were squeezed. Several times, the wool lining in my blouse was rubbed over my nipples and they were pulled and twisted. My nipples were soon burning and aching. Then suddenly, it all stopped." "This turned out to be the beginning of a long, scary, episode. They used a knife to cut my clothes off, then threw them in the fireplace. I was scared as no one had said a word. While I was hanging there naked, a knife tip was being dragged over my breasts, nipples and even over my cunt lips. A couple of times my cunt lips were pushed to the side with the tip of the knife. Several times, I could see them pull something out of the fireplace that glowed a bright red and then put it back." "Several made comments about how much better 'the slut' looked naked. Every comment referred to me as a slut. Soon, something was pushed into my ears, muffling the sounds. I felt a female body stand behind me. Soon a soft hand was rubbing my breast and nipples, while I felt kisses on my shoulders. I felt another hand caressing my cunt, pulling on my labia and clit until I was dripping. My arms were lowered. As the woman held my hips, my arms were pulled down, forcing me to bend at the waist. A rough rope was then tightly wrapped around each breast several times, then tied. The woman then pushed me forward, forcing me to walk bent over. When we reached the coffee table, she pushed me around so I was lying back on the table. My hands were pulled under the table and tied together holding my shoulders against the table. Someone then pulled my legs up, and tied the rope attached to my breasts to one of my knees, forcing me to keep my legs up. A rope was then looped around my leg near the knee and then tied to the other leg after running it under the table. Another rope was used to tie my ankles to a table leg. The ropes forced me to keep my legs up and widely spread. It was uncomfortable, as my breasts quickly began to ache from the tension on the rope. Any movement of my legs tightened the rope around my breasts. They had positioned me so that my cunt was right at the edge of the table. I could feel it was wet and gaping open." "As they were tying me down, one of the ear plugs loosened, letting me hear them talking. I listened as they talked about their plans for the rest of the evening. They were going to fuck me all night, either with a mechanical dildo or a real cock. Every time I passed out, they would wake me by flogging my cunt and breasts. Once I was awake, they would begin fucking me again. While they talked, I listened carefully, and soon recognized some of the voices but not all of them. This took away some of the anxiety, since I was now fairly certain it was a part of training. I was still anxious about what was going to happen. I was very aroused, so much so that I could feel the cream trickling down my cunt and pooling under my ass. One of them saw this and laughed, after making a comment about what a good slut I was. A woman said they should collect it, so I could drink it later. Shortly after that, I felt them push something in my cunt. A man's voice asked what that was for. The reply was that it was a hollow dildo, which would let the cum flow out of my cunt into the bottle. They would add it to my snack." "I felt something placed over my nipples, which pulled on them until they ached. Several joked about how big my nipples had grown since the tube was placed over them. I felt them put something over my clit, and then felt a pull on it. It too was soon aching. After a while, one nipple was released, and it really ached and tingled as circulation returned. Almost immediately, I felt a needle being stuck in my nipple several times. The needle really hurt. By the time they were done, my nipple was hot with a throbbing ache. Next, they did the same to my other nipple. I heard someone ask what they were doing, as that they hadn't done that to the other sluts. Someone said that the injections were to keep my nipples from returning to their previous size. Several of them remarked about how nice and appealing my large nipples looked. One woman said she was looking forward to seeing how noticeable they would be on Monday. She wondered if they would show enough so that some of them could give me demerits for my appearance. Another said. 'Well, she can't hide them now.' A woman indicated that the treatment would increase their sensitivity, so that just a light touch would cause them to swell and my cunt to moisten. As soon as I felt them pulling on my clit, I knew they were doing the same thing to it. My eyes filled with tears. I was afraid of what I would look like when they finished. After that, one of them pulled one of my inner cunt lips, stretching it until it ached. While it was being stretched, I saw a big syringe in a woman's hand, being lowered between my legs. I soon felt the needle in one of my cunt lips, followed by a cool sensation in the lip. She stuck the needle in my cunt lip several times. By the time she was done, I could almost feel my labia swelling. It didn't seem to ache as much as when it was done at the clinic. They treated my other labia the same way." "A woman questioned why my labia were being enlarged again. The reply was that it was in their instructions tonight. One said he had heard that the home office wanted my labia large enough so 'this slut' would be very popular with the targeted locals in Eastern Europe. Apparently, the locals there prefer their women with very large labia and nipples, as it was considered the sign of a good breeder. Body jewelry would add to my popularity with the locals. This was why their instructions included putting rings in my nipples, belly button, clit, clit hood and labia after an orgasmic marathon. I learned they had scheduled me to have all my front teeth replaced with a removable set the week after graduation. One of them questioned why they had heated the branding iron, since branding wasn't on the list. Someone mentioned that it had been on an earlier list." "I watched as they moved something between my legs. When I felt a dildo being pushed against my cunt, and another against my ass, I knew what they had been moving. The woman told them that she would show them how to work them. It wasn't long until the dildo was pushed into the mouth of my cunt. It was large, with a very textured surface, so I knew it would really stimulate me, since we had used it before. It was barely fully inserted when I felt it pull back, as it began a slow rocking motion, to fuck me. Even though my labia were sore and tender from whatever they injected into them, I was quickly panting with arousal. They kept the dildo plowing my cunt, as one orgasm after another swept over me, each one more intense than the last, until I blacked out. I woke with a silent scream, as floggers were striking my belly, thighs and cunt. From the burning sensation, I knew they had been whipping me for some time before I awakened. It was then that I noticed that the rope between my knees and breasts had been loosened relieving some of the strain on my aching breasts. A pillow had been placed under my shoulders. A covered cup was placed in my mouth and I was told to drink. The liquid was refreshing. As soon as I finished, I was fucked by, I think, everyone, after which the dildo began fucking me again. By the time they stopped, on Saturday, I was very sore and exhausted, but still aroused. The dildo was still fully embedded in my cunt. I lay on the table, totally unresisting, as they put rings in my swollen labia, clit, hood, belly button and nipples. It hurt, but I was so weak all I could do was lie on the table, moaning. I passed out when they put one through the base of my clit." "When I awoke, I was untied, but stiff. I removed the ear plugs. I hurt all over. There was a red ring around my breasts from the rope. The skin was almost raw around my breasts and hurt to touch. I was so stiff, I could hardly move. My jaw hurt. My nose hurt, which surprised me. When I felt it, I found they had punched a hole through my septum. It took me a while to figure out how to get the dildo out of my cunt without falling off the table. Finally, when I sat up, my cunt hurt so much I almost screamed, and my eyes filled with tears. I quickly stood, to relieve the pressure on my labia, and found that I had to keep my legs spread. I felt a tickling sensation on my stomach. Looking down I saw a chain running between my navel ring and clit hood, slightly pulling on the hood. In the dresser, I found a clean blouse and skirt. A note next to them told me to take a shower and return to my room, after dressing. I did. When I finally went to sleep, my dreams took a different turn." "These dreams started out with me working in an office. There were several women dressed in robes, with their faces covered, but I was naked except for heels and a collar. A small chain linked my nose ring, nipples, navel and clit. Periodically, I would be called to another room, where I would be used sexually. In two scenes, I removed my front teeth, before letting the men fuck my face and cunt at the same time. Both times I was face-fucked, their cocks slid comfortably into my throat. When they finished cumming, I licked their cocks clean, while letting the cum from my cunt drain into a cup. After they were cleaned up, they watched as I drank their cum. Yes, I found the scenes arousing, and clearly orgasmed during each encounter in the dream. I had no sense of humiliation either, as a viewer or participant." "When I woke Sunday morning, my cunt was wet. My bed was wet under my ass. I had three fingers buried in my cunt. I soon replaced my fingers with my dildo, and began fucking myself. The orgasms came quickly, and I had several before even looking around the room. When I did look, I saw a Sybian, like the one from the training room, sitting in the middle of the floor, with two dildos attached. I quickly went to the bathroom. When I returned, I climbed on the Sybian. It felt very good to again be filled with the dildos. As soon as I settled down on it, the dildos came to life, as did the TV." Emma looked around the room at the expectant faces. "Yes, it was a video of the previous night. Again, all you could see was me, there were no other faces to see. Only this time, when the first video finished, another followed, depicting other scenes of bondage and the different ways to whip a person. This time, many of the bondage and whipping scenes were very brutal." "The next week, my training sessions became obedience lessons. In these, if I didn't respond as the instructors ordered, they were quick to punish me. Most of the time, they used an electric zapper or prod to cause the pain, since it left no physical evidence. The pain from the electric probes was excruciating, much worse than being whipped or even when they used them before. They made it clear that, while on assignment, I would be punished with a whip, paddle or even a cane. There wouldn't be any limit on how many strokes I received, and little concern whether the punishment left scars." "During this time, my demerit punishments increased, to the point I was receiving 50 or more strokes a day. They hurt but again, they weren't hard enough to cause visible bruises. By Thursday, my ass was sore. I was so sore, I almost couldn't set down or even remain still. My fidgeting gave them an excuse to give me more demerits. These were for failing to maintain decorum in the classroom. By Friday evening, I was extremely horny but my ass and cunt were very tender. When I went to the training room, I was apprehensive. I was beginning to think that they were pushing me toward accepting the role of a submissive pleasure object. It puzzled me, since that was a different role than was first indicated. In hindsight, this was the first clear thought I had had in several weeks." "Entering the room, I found ankle cuffs and a hood lying on the table, a note lying beside them. I followed the instructions, quickly stripped and put on the high heels. I then put on the ankle cuffs, and attached them to the rings in the floor. I then put on the hood and zipped it closed. Next I slipped my hands into the hanging mitts, and closed my hand. It was self bondage. When I closed my hands, the mitt's wrist bands closed around my wrists, and latched. This hood had openings for my nose and mouth, but I couldn't open my mouth. It seemed like I stood there forever." "I silently gasped when someone pulled on my nipples, when I moved my arms, they were quickly pulled over my head. I wondered what they had planned, as this was even scarier than the night they hooded me on entering the room. I felt something cold being pushed against my cunt. It was pushed so hard that it lifted me up, before the mouth of my cunt opened enough to let it slide in. It hurt, and I screamed silently. As the dildo pushed deeper, I could feel it spreading me wider. When they finally stopped pushing it into me, my cunt was aching from being so stretched. I tried moving my hips, but I couldn't, so I figured it was mounted on a post between my legs. I shivered, as my imagination ran wild until they began to whip me. With the mask holding my mouth shut, any screams sounded like moans. It took me a while to realize they were whipping me with floggers. The blows stung, but weren't really painful. I think there were four of them, since I was being hit all over my body at the same time. After many strokes, my skin began to glow, then the shocks started and I began to silently scream. Every time a flogger hit me, a jolt of electricity ran through my body. Each shock caused my limbs and cunt to tighten, as my muscles contracted. As their tempo picked up, the intensity of the shocks increased, and the pain grew. My body felt hot and began to burn in pain. If I could have opened my mouth, my screams would have been loud. When my body began to convulse in an orgasm, I could feel the cum running out of my cunt and down my legs. The blows and shocks from the floggers continued until I blacked out. I don't know how many times I orgasmed, but it was several." "I don't know how long I was out, but the next thing I knew I was screaming again. My body was burning hot. My whole body screamed in pain. It was awful. I could feel hands rubbing some kind of liquid onto my body. Even the rubbing hurt. God, did it burn! I soon recognized the smell of Menthol. I silently continued screaming, while the hood held my mouth shut. I was just about to pass out when they stopped rubbing me. After a few moments, a cool sensation gradually spread over me, and I basked in relief. If I had only known their intent. Soon, my skin began to feel warm again, then so hot I again thought I was burning. It hurt, although not quite as much as the first time. A dildo was pushed into my cunt, surprising me, as I didn't remember the other one being removed. It felt so cool in contrast to my skin; I then realized why it felt cool. It quickly began to heat up, as my body cooled. They fucked me with the gel covered dildo until I came again in a fog of pain. After a while, the sensations from the gel diminished. Next, they began poking me with electric zappers and prods. They kept that up until I came again. The torment continued until I passed out." "When I woke, my head was pushed back. A tube was pushed into my mouth. I wondered, 'What now.' My mouth soon began to fill with liquid. I was swallowing, before I realized it was cum. I must have swallowed a gallon before the flow stopped. The funnel was removed, and I was left to hang there for some time. I don't know if I drifted off to sleep or not." "I felt someone pulling on the hood, and realized it was being unzipped. When it was lifted off, I saw the woman who had first told me about my special training. She was the only one there. Looking around the room, I saw that the room looked just like it did when I entered the room. The woman let my arms down and then released my hands, without saying anything. She undid my ankle cuffs and let me walk into the bathroom. I walked with my legs spread, since my cunt was sore. We took a shower together. The whole time she seemed to be monitoring my reactions. It was a little unsettling. From there, we went back to the bed and made love. It was the most satisfying experience at the school. After showering again, she rubbed some cream on my cunt and breasts that quickly relieved the ache. Upon returning to the sitting room, we found a meal had been set out for us. We sat down to eat, never bothering to dress. When the meal was finished, she told me I had done very well. Last night was my last test and I had passed. I was now a certified slut. She told me I was to continue visiting this room until graduation, so that I could continue to hone my slut skills. She would take me to the dentist the day after graduation, to have my front teeth replaced with a removable bridge. After the dentist, I would stay with her until my mouth healed and I left on assignment. I just nodded, as I again tried to make sense of my situation." "She indicated that she was sure I could handle the challenges of being both an aide and a slut. She told me that a single mistake could result in me being moved to a location beyond their ability to rescue me. The information I would be asked to obtain was vital to the country's future. They knew this was not the kind of service I had intended to provide my country, but she was sure I would rise to the occasion. She told me that she was impressed by how well I had accepted the training, learned the skills and put them into practice." "I just nodded as she talked, while wondering why I was receiving the pep talk. I was certain that all of my activities in my room and the rest of my training room had been filmed. I knew they had been conditioning me to be a slut whenever the situation required it. Why? When she finished talking, I told her I was sure I would serve my country with distinction and honor. This caused her to smile. As we started to get dressed, I took the large textured balls out of their case and slipped them into my cunt. It was a natural reaction; I had carried them in my cunt very day since she gave them to me. It was then I realized that I felt empty without the balls rolling around in my cunt. She just watched, fascinated. We dressed and I went back to my room." "Once in my room, I undressed and lay on my bed thinking. I thought back over the things I had done since arriving at the school. I wondered why they wanted me to be so desirable to the local men wherever I was going. It almost seemed like they were preparing me to work in a brothel or something similar. But the woman said I would be working as an aide in an embassy. Was I to use my body to bribe the locals for information? I didn't want to believe it, but that was the only way their comments, or the training, made any sense. With the physical changes, and my growing sexual needs, how could I return to a normal life? It was then that the thought surfaced that maybe I wasn't supposed to return at all, which increased my anxiety. What about the jewelry? Why would they fit me for a nose ring? I knew I couldn't wear a nose ring while on duty. The thought of me never returning returned." "Each comment I had heard since being at the school began floating back. I soon realized this was the first time I had considered the implications of what I was doing. In looking back, I realized I had been on autopilot. But, why? Why was I so accepting, and why had I never felt humiliated or embarrassed. In virtually every incident, my lust was satiated. But my willingness to indulge in some of the activities puzzled me. My reaction to intense pain by having my reaction blur into arousal and then having extremely intense orgasms from it was surprising. Sure, I had read about it, but I had always discounted the stories. It took me a while before a disturbing question presented itself. Why were my thoughts concerning the recent events clear now? What changed? Again, looking back at all the activity and thinking the worst, it appeared I was being used or worse. But, why? I wondered if the other women they talked about were trained the same way I was. I had seen others in my class dressed as I was. It wasn't much different, but if you knew what to look for it was obvious. They always made sure to not sit on their skirts, which is not a normal way of sitting. It seemed like whomever was behind this wanted women in this role to have strong intellectual ability while at the same time performing naturally as sex-obsessed sluts with submissive tendencies." "It wasn't long until I drifted off to sleep, with my thoughts still in chaos. This time, I dreamed about Rusty and Sarah. In my dream, I told them about my training for special assignments and my concerns. When I woke, Briana and Charlotte were sitting on my bed caressing me. They told me they would stay with me for the next several days." "The first thing Briana and Charlotte offered to do was to assist me in enabling my telepathy. After that, they would show me how to manage it. We talked about the implications and advantages of telepathy for some time, before they began to assist me. I have to admit I had some apprehension about enabling my telepathy. Both of them assured me that it was my choice whether I used my telepathy or not. They told me that an autodoc had examined me while I was asleep. It had found that I had been receiving high dosages of behavioral drugs, though the dosage had begun to decline. This could have been for two reasons. Either those involved in my training had reduced the dosage since they thought I was fully conditioned, or my body was adapting to the drugs and was acting to reduce the drug's effectiveness. The autodoc thought the later was the case. After completing the exam, the autodoc gave me an antidote to the drugs. So by the time I woke, the drug residue was being eliminated from my body. They assured me that the drugs would have no effect if given to me again. Besides with my mental abilities enabled, I would sense any new drugs entering my body. Briana and Charlotte were of the opinion that I had already been using some aspects of my abilities." "With my telepathy enabled and the drugs neutralized, we sifted through all my memories of school. We did this, even though I had already shared much of my experience in my dream. Briana and Charlotte wanted to view my memories first hand, since they felt this would avoid overlooking any relevant information. After reviewing them together, we developed a plan. We wanted to determine who was behind forcibly recruiting women for the 'special assignments'. We also wanted to know their motives. It was clear to us that the intelligence types would want information that could only be gained by a woman or possibly a man interacting intimately with the source. The part we didn't understand was why they wanted it to appear that the women were willing to accept serving their country as skilled sluts." "Together, using our telepathy, we learned that I had begun receiving a combination of drugs as soon as I arrived at the school. These made it easier for them to attenuate my already large sexual appetite so that I would soon become an enthusiastic and addicted slut. Each night, while I slept, subliminal messages were played in my room. It was these messages and the drugs that initially drove my constant horniness. The messages also triggered my erotic dreams. The drug cocktail shifted shortly before the nightly training sessions were started. The drugs and the nightly sex sessions in the training room were orchestrated so that I would accept the conditioning and never question the change. They knew, from past experience, that once a 'special aide' was on assignment, she would perform as circumstances dictated. Besides being so easily aroused, she would feel comfortable and confident in her slut role with her pleasure needs overriding any remaining doubts. The few that didn't perform, had just simply disappeared from their location. In reality, they were given to a local power broker, with instructions that they not be seen again in public. After we dealt with those behind this enslavement, we searched for the others that were currently on assignment. We found some of those who had disappeared. They were all in less than desirable circumstances." "Briana and Charlotte assisted me in evaluating each situation. In every case, we relocated the aide and then arranged an accident for those who were assigned the aide. All of the aides, we found were taken to Comrie, where they are recovering." "This perverted idea to gain intelligence information by using aides as sluts had originated in one of the espionage groups. Not surprisingly, they dismissed it as being both unworkable and a political time bomb. They also understood that it would put women in a very vulnerable position, with them likely being enslaved in a foreign country with no identity or means of escape. The idea never officially progressed past the idea stage. However, stupid ideas sometimes don't die. There was a small group who liked the idea and was in a position to implement it. A few in the group were aware of the conditioning techniques necessary to create an obsessive slut that could fill the position of aide. Trapping women into this program had been going on for three years. Needless to say, those implementing the program were the first ones to be assigned one of the new 'special aides'." "Three members of this core group had special plans for Calvin and me. Once I was trained, I was to be assigned to an embassy in an Eastern European country; a country where women are still considered property. After I was in country for a month or so, I would simply disappear. Rumors would be circulated that I had been seen in a remote area of the country, in the company of a local tribal leader. These three were certain that, upon hearing this, Calvin would try to find me. Once he was in the country, the plan called for him to be captured by one of the local tribes. From there, both of us would be sent to a place similar to the one in Fuda, Africa, where we would be the dungeon toys. Why? Revenge. These three had extensive connections with the old Fuda government. They had brokered placing quite a few women from the Fuda operation with westerners. They blamed Calvin for the downfall of the government, which had crimped both their supply of human sex toys and income." "We alerted the Navy as to what was going on at JFDAT. It took a little bit of convincing, but after checking a few details we provided, they proceeded to act. Before the main culprits could be charged, they all disappeared." Calvin started to speak, but Emma shook her head no. "The Navy was extremely upset and began investigating other aspects of these individuals activities. Those investigations should keep the tabloids busy for some time. The main culprits along with a couple from the school were surprised when they woke up one morning about three weeks ago. They found themselves, naked, in an African desert oasis. They had neither clothes nor identification and only a little food. This oasis happens to be near Fuda and is frequented by slave traders. We thought about placing them deep in the Amazon forest, but they seemed to like Africa. Now they are experiencing Africa from a new perspective. They were at the oasis several days before the slavers found them. The slavers listened to their requests for help, before providing them with a new identity consistent with their new lives as slaves. The other instructors who participated in the special training are in the brig. Last I heard, they were having a pretty rough time of it." "The Navy let us resign our commissions without penalty. We could have asked and gotten more. The slut conditioning the others received was much milder than mine. Even so, all of them were well on their way toward becoming sex-obsessed sluts, and very comfortable with that role. After being released from the service, they weren't sure what kind of future they had, and were nervous about what lay ahead. Briana told them that they were welcome to visit Comrie, while they sorted out their feelings and regained their perspective. Briana assured them that, if they decided to come to the island, they could leave at any time. It was her belief that they would be quite comfortable at Comrie. They were all told that there were other women on the island who had experiences similar to theirs. All of the women accepted and are now at Comrie." "Why did you send the main culprits to an African oasis?" said Calvin. "This way, it is nearly certain that they will suffer much more than they ever would have in England. It also avoided giving good people a black eye, and avoids potentially exposing some aides that are still on a risky assignment. If this became public, it would put all of them in danger, whether they were part of the program or not. We are monitoring these aides and will help them disappear at a convenient time." "What am I missing here?" "The culprits will just disappear into the world of white slaves in Africa. No one will listen to them. They have no identification, except what the slavers gave them. If they get away from their owner, their only alternative is to try and forage off the land. If they are found roaming free, with the slave mark, they will be punished. The punishment is usually done publicly, with a whip. A drone monitored them until they were picked up by slavers." "So just what did the slavers give them for identification?" "They removed the little and ring fingers from the left hand. Two of them also lost their right hands, because they tried to overpower their guards when they tried to escape." "You mentioned that they were giving you behavioral drugs," said Calvin. "What is the after-effect? What about the injections they gave you?" "You noticed the results of the injections. My areolae are very puffy and my nipples are quite noticeable. My labia minora now hang down a couple of inches. See," said Emma, as she spread her legs so her labia were more visible. "It looks like there is a small chain hanging from your labia," said Calvin. "Oh, that is the chain for the three balls in my vagina. I like the feel and without the drugs the arousal is not overwhelming." Emma then bent over at her hips, which changed the shape of her nipples now that they were hanging down. "I know you didn't ask for it," said Calvin, as he reached up and stroked her dangling breasts, "but I like the way you look. You are certainly more enticing. The body jewelry adds to your beauty." Emma pulled his hands up to cup her breasts, and said, "I agree, and so do my friends. We don't know the long term effects of the drugs they gave me, but it doesn't matter, as I've decided to join the Órarduine. My species conversion will begin just as soon as Dóchas's exercise is over. Right now. Keriann needs help in our Flight Operations Center. Once my conversion is complete, I am going to try flying. In any case, I will continue working in Flight Operations with Keriann." "I was thinking about staying as well, but hesitated because I didn't want to leave you behind." "Calvin, I really don't think Kathryn's group wants you to consider leaving here." She paused for a moment, then smiled, adding, "Clancy, has Jasmine's group asked you to stay with them, yet?" "No, we have hardly spoken. Most of the evening has been spent listening to horrible stories coming from beautiful women. They seem like nice people, but I am not sure if I am going to stay. I only came with Calvin for a vacation. This is a whole different way of life." "Clancy," said Jasmine, with a smile, "you're welcome to stay with us. That way, you would have the opportunity to learn more about what life is like in our culture." Emma could barely contain her smile. "We'll see," replied Clancy, as he wondered why the hair on his neck was twitching. He didn't sense any threat. "Emma, where are you staying," asked Calvin. "I have moved in with Keriann's Clan. I met them when I first arrived here, and it was a most extraordinary event. The best way I can express the event, is that, when we met, I just felt like I had found a home. You know, I have never found it easy to make friends, even with other women. Once you activate your telepathy, we can easily share what I felt." "Are you saying I'm telepathic?" "Yep. Both you and Clancy are telepathic. It is just not fully active. Didn't you use it when you worked with the Órarduine Security Teams in Fuda?" "Well kind of, they just directed us by sending us thoughts." "You were using it passively then. They monitored your thoughts, and sent you instructions, as needed. Once you are active, you can initiate the exchange." "Who do I see to get it activated?" "Calvin, I can do it," replied Kathy. "How about we show you where our suite is?" "What about my bags?" "They are waiting in our suite." "What?" "Don't worry, they were carefully handled." "Oh." "So Emma, it has been three weeks now," said Kathryn. "How do you feel about your experiences?" "Well, I don't want to do it again." Everyone laughed. "I know that I was used. While many of the things I did I liked, I didn't have any responsibility for my actions as they had taken that from me. I am certain I don't like pain for pain's sake. I understand why electrically induced pain is so effective in subduing or breaking someone. Bondage is okay, but just once in a while. My preference is sexual intimacy where I can share. Whipping, stringent ointments, and bondage are not really sharing situations. The electricity can be quite stimulating under some circumstances, so I would do that with people I love and trust. Interestingly, I think that if I had been asked up front, it is very likely I would have voluntarily agreed. Being forced into it changes the whole perspective of the experience." "If you're asking am I now obsessed with sexual ecstasy, then no, I don't feel I am. Maybe I misused obsessed when I spoke earlier. By obsessed, I meant ready, seeking and open to participating in any sexual activity at any time and in any place. Saying 'no' to anyone would never even be thought of as an option where sexual ecstasy is in play. I also meant that I thought more about my next orgasm than anything else." "I am comfortable with the changes in my body and the added jewelry. I don't wear the chain between my naval and clit hood except when I am off duty as it is distracting and can easily get caught on something besides being a little arousing." "Your tastes are similar to mine," responded Kathryn. "We enjoy doing it frequently, but there are also other things to do. Sometimes just cuddling and caressing can precipitate an orgasm." Just then, a series of chimes began sounding. Calvin and Clancy looked puzzled, as Emma waved bye and dashed out of the room. Jasmine said, "Clancy, come with us." Meanwhile, Kathryn took Calvin's hand and pulled him along with them. "What's going on?" said Calvin. "Code 2 Alert!" replied Kathryn. "Come with us." Calvin looked around as he went with Kathryn's group. He saw Clancy leaving with Jasmine's group. No one was running, but they weren't far from it. Kathy left them as they passed the corridor leading to the medical area. He wondered where they were headed. "Calvin," said Blaire, causing him to almost miss a step, "we are headed to our duty station, which is in Forward Starboard Fire Control. As soon as we get set up, we will see about enabling your telepathic attributes." "Operations is telling us that two Star Fighters were hit by an energy burst, but they haven't identified the source. The pilots are okay, but both ships are damaged. Rescue teams are on their way to pick them up." ------- Chapter 124 With chimes ringing throughout Dóchas, Sarah, Rusty, Aoife and Claudette rushed onto the bridge. "Sally, what's up?" asked Sarah. "Two Star Fighters have been put out of action. They appear to have been hit by a blast of energy. We are still trying to find the source. The two pilots are okay. They are in their escape pods, waiting for the rescue team. Both Star Fighters are inoperable." "Why the Alert level 2?" "Systems threat analysis indicated the energy hitting the Star Fighters approximated that of an ion cannon." "No source, that's strange," said Rusty. "Yes, it is," replied Sally. "There is no evidence of any other ships in this area. Scanning data for that sector is now being reconstructed from multiple sources. The pilots said it seemed like the fighters just jumped sideways. They had little time to respond, as the escape pod extracted them immediately after being hit." "Their change in direction should give us an idea of where the source is." While they waited for the analysis, Star began constructing a 3D model on the monitor, showing the sector where the incident took place. "Engineering is telling us that, from what they have reconstructed from the Star Fighter flight data, it appears the engines disintegrated," said Claudette. "Do they have any indication why?" asked Sarah. "Their best guess is that the energy hit on the engine caused it to melt. All the operational data are normal, right up to the event, when they show a thermal spike." "What mode were the Star Fighters in?" "They were coasting to their next jump point, so the engines were at idle." Command Staff watched the 3D model that Star was building of the area behind the incident. Soon, several paths were added to the model, showing possible paths for the energy that hit the Star Fighters. This was based on the Star Fighter's kinetic reaction to the hit. ------- Meantime, Kathryn's group entered their duty station. As soon as they entered, Jenessa and Angie began briefing them on the status of their sector. Calvin paused in amazement, upon seeing the consoles before him. Calvin hardly noticed Kathryn pushing him into the middle seat of the back row. As soon as they were seated, each fastened a harness over themselves, which looked like one a pilot wears. Kathryn and Elana then helped Calvin adjust his harness. "Why the harness," asked Calvin, as he realized he was sitting in the second row of the station. "To keep us in our seats, if the ship makes a sudden move," replied Jamie. "Duh ... that makes sense." Several chuckled at his comment. "I know you said Fire Control Station, but could you give me a little more insight?" "This station has weapons control responsibility for this sector." As Jamie spoke, one of the 6 large monitors showed a 3D image of Dóchas, with the quadrant they were to defend. "Right now, the ships sensors are scanning the area, paying particular attention to the area behind the damaged Star Fighters. That area is a little beyond our normal scan area." "So, what weapons do we have?" "A-beam, laser cannon, photon torpedo, phase cannon and rail guns. Torpedoes vary in type of explosive charge. Rail guns throw projectiles at extremely high velocity and may carry a small explosive charge. An A-beam basically turns objects into atoms and energy. The disruptor seen in Star Trek is similar to our a-beam." "I gather you want to avoid explosives, because of their shock wave." "Yes. The shaped charges reduce the blow back to an extent, but yes, you run the risk of debris being thrown back at you." "That makes sense. Why aren't we seeing anything on the screens?" "We have the filtering set to not show our craft or dead objects at the present time. When the weapons are armed, we will see our craft." "Dead objects?" "Yea, rocks, asteroids and other stuff like that." "Can we see them on one of the monitors," wondered Calvin, with a curious look. "Sure." Calvin listened to the exchanges among the group as they busied themselves at their consoles. One monitor soon changed, to show a multitude of dots of various sizes. "Calvin, your pointer is active on that monitor. You can see more information on the object under the pointer with the right button on the mouse." He spent several minutes looking at the data for some of the objects and had hardly covered any of the area shown. "Can the filter be set to only show objects that are half the size of a Star Fighter or larger?" Almost before he finished speaking, the monitor changed. The new parameters greatly reduced the number of objects on the monitor he was using. He watched the objects for a few moments, then began to look at object details again. "OIC," said Rebeca, "our scanners show no threats in our sector." "Acknowledged. Continue scanning," replied Operations Information Center. "Affirmative." Kathryn's group frequently glanced at the monitor Calvin was using. After watching Calvin for a few moments, Elana showed him how to adjust the filtering, for attributes other than size. With time, many of the objects drifted out of the area covered by the monitor, only to be replaced by other objects drifting in. About half a dozen objects didn't seem to move on the screen. Calvin moved his pointer over the apparently stationary objects. He found that four of the apparent stationary objects looked that way because they were moving away from the ship. This made it appear they were holding a nearly fixed position to the ship on the monitor. The other two did not. "Kathryn, these two objects seem to be maintaining a constant position with respect to ourselves. The data indicates one is several times the size of a Star Fighter. Can we get more information on it?" "I think, so. Try this." "That's strange," said Calvin after a few moments. "What?" "One object is 25 degrees warmer than other objects its size." "OIC," said Kathryn, "there is an object pacing us at 100 km off the starboard side. Position 2 2." "Copy," came the quick response. "We've been watching it, as well. What tweaked your interest?" "Calvin noticed it is 25 degrees warmer than any other object in this area." "Cruiser Macha01," said OIC, "drift to 15 km behind object 240 in sector, block A5 B6 C11." "Initiating drift," replied Súsanna on Macha01. Calvin increased the magnification and contrast on their monitor so they could clearly see the object. "OIC," said Clarence, "that object lies on the projected path the Star Fighters were on, and is a lot closer to the incident than we thought." "Acknowledged. Macha01 launch spiders when in range." "Spiders," questioned Calvin, with a puzzled look at Kathryn. "They are very small recon robots, hence the name spider. They can land on an object without being detected, because of their extremely small mass. They also look very much like a spider." "I can think of a few times in the past when those would have come in handy on Earth. Did you notice that the objects rotation follows a complex pattern?" "Yes," replied OIC, "object analysis shows its rotation pattern is constant. Spiders are reporting no radiation is being emitted. Our Security AI is indicating the object was the source of the energy that hit the Star Fighters. Star has confirmed our AIs analysis. Updated data from the spiders indicate it is not a natural object." "Macha01," said OIC, "have spiders shift the objects rotation by 60 degrees." "Command given." The three groups watched as the object shifted shortly after the command and then slowly moved back to the same position it had before. It then resumed its rotational pattern. "Star," said Rusty, "raise shields to 100%. Macha01 and Macha 02 raise shields to maximum." "Acknowledged," replied Macha01 and Macha02. "Shields at max." "Macha02, launch a Ferret. Macha01, have your spiders record any changes in the object once the Ferret lands." Kathryn redirected a monitor to show the object at an even higher magnification. They watched the Ferret approach the large rock, and gently settle onto the rock. The change of the rock's center of gravity caused its orientation to shift for a few moments and then return to its preferred position. "The response to the Ferret's mass confirms object 240 has internal control," said Meredith, in Security. "Macha01, send a second Ferret," said Tara. "Launching Ferret." "Fire Control Stations," said Sally, "continue to scan your sectors. See if there are any similar objects in your sector." The six stations quickly confirmed the request. Forward Starboard FCS reset the filtering on their scanners and began a detailed scan of their sector. One monitor was left on the closeup view of object 240. It took several hours before the Ferrets reported that they had access to the object's systems. Initial data showed it was there to monitor surrounding activity, and to send a report when storage was full. Based on the object's logs, the last transmission was about the time the incident with the Star Fighters occurred. The Ferrets indicated it would take some time before they would transmit detailed information on the objects operating system and programming. "Macha01, continue to monitor the Ferrets," said Tara. "Star, return our status to normal," said Sarah. "FOC, let everyone take a break, then resume scheduled operations." "Acknowledged. We will rotate a break." "Dóchas FCSs, reset to ready mode," said Tara. "Forward Starboard FCS, resetting to ready," replied Kathryn, when their turn came to report. Calvin watched the group as they sighed and leaned back in their chairs before saying, "So what do you do for excitement around here?" "What?" came a chorus of voices that quickly turned into chuckles. "I thought we would at least get to shoot at something." "Oh, you," said Elana, as she watched a grin form on Calvin's face. "As far as shooting, that's scheduled for later this week. All six FCSs will go through several drills with each weapon. In one drill, we are to fully exercise all weapon systems." "Cool. Can I help out?" "Definitely, if you're hanging out with us," replied Rebeca. "Calvin," said Sarah, "Thanks for the astute observation." The sudden voice in his mind startled him. He quickly recognized who it was as, he saw Kathryn's group looking toward him and smiling. "Thanks. This has been an interesting first day here." "Well, we are glad you came. Sorry about the longer trip." "Actually, the longer trip really didn't register until I was talking with Kathryn and Jasmine's groups, shortly before the alert." "Those are two great groups of people. Enjoy your stay and let us know if you need anything. We take it you are staying with Kathryn's group." "So far, this has been an interesting visit. As to Kathryn's group, do I have a choice?" All of Kathryn's group suddenly had a worried look on their faces. Each was suddenly concerned that Calvin wouldn't stay. It was only moments before he began to laugh, and large smiles formed on the women's faces. Chuckling, Calvin continued, "Sarah, I am definitely planning on staying with Kathryn's group, as I think it will be a lot of fun." "We can see that you will fit in very well with them. Again, thanks." "Just what did you mean about having a choice," asked Brittany, with a hard frown. "Oh, shit," thought Calvin, as he looked from woman to woman, trying to think of a response. Just as he opened his mouth to respond, the group started laughing. "Got you," chorused the women, causing Calvin to smile. Kathryn and Elana gave him a hug. The sensations felt in the hug surprised him, as it seemed like all of them were hugging him and it felt very good. Calvin watched as Kathryn's group moved their FCS so it was linked to the other five FCSs. "Why are we linking this station to the others," asked Calvin. "In normal cruise operational mode, we have one station fully manned, that is four seats filled for eight hours of a 12 hour duty cycle," replied Elana. "The one FCS then monitors activity in all sectors with the assistance of each FCS AI. When our FCS duty cycle starts, we spend the first two hours bringing our systems up and doing diagnostics. Once we are operational, we become the active FCS for the whole ship. At the end of the shift, after we have transferred responsibility, we spend at least 2 hours shutting down and scheduling maintenance. For our operational exercises, we have two at each station at all times." "That doesn't give you much time to recuperate." "In a way that is true. There are nine in our group. We spell each other during the shift. This way, we all stay fresh. There are also two teams that float between stations, so we get a long break every three clock cycles. This gives us an opportunity to easily fit in our recreational time." Rebeca's comment resulted in a puzzled look appearing on Calvin's face. "We have intramural basketball and volleyball, as they seem to work best on the ship. There are also weights, track, aerobic and marshal arts workouts, in addition to our personal exercise benches. The whole crew is proficient in Aikido or a similar skill." "Now, I understand why you all are so fit, along with being beautiful." "Needless to say, some of us are more proficient than others at the different activities. I think many of us will admit to not being very fitness oriented before they came here. The medical staff is not sure why we now seek the exercise, but that is a characteristic of the original Órarduine. From my standpoint, I think it is because we do it together." "That makes sense, I always found doing things with others always made it more enjoyable." "Let's show you our quarters," said Katia, taking Calvin's hand as they left their duty station. ------- When Kathryn's group and Calvin arrived at their quarters, they found Kathy waiting for them. They quickly greeted each other with hugs and kisses. Calvin was a little embarrassed by his obvious arousal. "Calvin, thanks," said Kathy and gave him another kiss, only with more passion. "What?" replied Calvin, a bit confused when the kiss ended. "For the quiet compliment you are paying us, of course." Calvin looked puzzled until he noticed her glance down, causing him to turn beet red. "Really, it was not my intent to embarrass you. Your compliment has an effect on us as well." Kathy paused, then continued, "Except the effect on us doesn't show quite so easily." Kathy took her finger and lightly touched her nether lips, before raising her finger to show Calvin how wet she was. Calvin started to speak, then paused before saying, "Ladies, I'm flustered." "Why?" asked Kathryn. "It is ... because I am with such a beautiful group of ladies. Besides being beautiful, they are smart, sensitive, loving, caring and blunt." "Does it bother you that we are taller than you," asked Rebeca. "No. Not at all. One aspect is that all of you are bolder than any women I have been around. I..." "Calvin," said Kathryn, interrupting him, "your earlier comment gave me the impression you felt as if we were trapping you." He nodded slightly. "You really don't have to stay with us. We would not be hurt if you chose a different suite for your stay. A little disappointed, perhaps, well yes. Even if you do decide to stay with us, you are not obligated to anything. More than anything else, we want to be friends." "Calvin," continued Jenessa, "I think you are surprised by our open-armed welcome, in light of the fact we just met some six hours ago. The welcome you received is because all of us sensed that we would like to know you better, much better. We share most, if not all of our thoughts, which is why we knew what each other thought about you." "Ladies, I feel very comfortable with you and yes, I would like to know all of you better. I came for a visit. Kathy asked me earlier when I was going to say I was staying. At the time, I was surprised by her comment. Now, I am not sure what to say. A prime reason for my vacation is to sort out my future direction. Emma being here and telling me her decision has simplified my options." He paused for some time, before continuing with, "As I said, I would love to get to know all of you better, but in a way it scares me." Several chuckled. "Yea, I can guess why you're chuckling. Big, bad SAS soldier intimidated by a group of women. Ten women at that. Well, I guess I am, a little bit." He paused, and looked at each one for a moment. "Being around a group of ten women as tightly knitted as you all are is intimidating. I have to be frank. I have not had many long-term relationships mostly because of my long field assignments. So I have some concerns I am not sure I can adequately express." "So, you will stay with us," asked Katia. "Yes. I would love to stay with you, on one condition. If my presence causes any problems, I will move." "That will not happen!" said Kathy, causing a puzzled look to appear on Calvin's face. "It will not happen because we are mind-linked. Which basically means we are like peas in a pod. That doesn't mean we all like the same things, but we all enjoy sharing everything with each other." Kathy looked at the others in their group before continuing, "We have an offer for you. It will not change anything other than we would like for you to join our mind-link, but in a special way." "We would like to open our mind-link with you to the extent we fully share our feelings, thoughts and ideas from now forward until we separate. Hm ... I should say, if we separate." "Can we do that," asked Rebeca. "Yes," said Kathy. "It is like you do when you are in the FCS. Except that for this we can open it up a bit more. Calvin's memories likely contain incidents that he would only share if we become a clan. We may be close to that but it may never happen. We can mind-link to share just the here and now, with the latitude that we can bring in memories to explain a perspective." "Doing that sounds awfully complicated," replied Violetta. "Kathy's right," said Calvin, "there are some things that I should not share. I am willing to try Kathy's proposal, even though I am not sure what it is like. Our telepathic communication already seems pretty awesome." "What we want to do is this," replied Kathy, as she expanded her link with Calvin. She watched the expression on his face change as he began to understand the new dimension. "There are a few more things Kathryn and I need to show you about telepathic communication and mind-linking before you add others to your mind-link." With that, Kathryn and Kathy began showing Calvin how to add and limit various parts of their connection. Kathy then went over all the aspects of their telepathic ability, to ensure he hadn't missed anything earlier. Once they had acquainted him with the new ability, they then assisted him with understanding the other portions of his mind. On finishing, they were careful to point out to him that those he shared thoughts with could see he was limiting their sharing. "Oh, wow," said Calvin, "now I understand some of the interaction I saw when we were in FCS earlier." "What do you mean?" asked Kathy. "Well, there were times when say Kathryn would think of doing something like setting a dial or moving a control stick, but instead of her moving it could be Jenessa or someone else at the station." "You know we link with the AIs when we are in the FCS?" "I suspected that, but wasn't sure." "So you're comfortable with this and our offer." "Yes. Very comfortable. If I wasn't clear earlier, and all of you are still agreeable, I will take you up on your offer to stay with you." "Great!" said the group, in unison. "Calvin, we are sorry that we gave you the impression that we were trying to trap you into being with us." "Well, at this point, I think your approach was a good idea." "Ugh?" "Without you're opened-armed welcoming embrace, I suspect we would not have had dinner together." "Why?" "Little ole me, approaching a group of ten of the most beautiful, smart, care free and tall women I have ever seen? You have got to be kidding me." Before he had finished, he was being smothered in hugs and kisses from the whole group. "Holy cow. I can feel everything." "Yes. That is one of the most wonderful things about the mind-link," replied Kathy. "It does have some minuses though, such as the pain if injured." "Let's get some sleep," said Elana, "since breakfast will be upon us before we realize it." Angie and Brittany helped Calvin stand before going off to bed. As they went through the suite they showed Calvin where to find everything. It wasn't that the suite was big, but everything was stored very efficiently. Calvin woke the next morning, shortly before the chime for breakfast sounded. It took him a few minutes to realize where he was. He could feel the two nipples poking him in the back. His head was laying on Kathy's shoulder. Looking down, he could see her large nipples standing on her breasts. He thought to himself, "I must be in heaven." He slowly moved his hand over her chest marveling at the softness of her skin. After caressing her for a moment, he slowly moved his head to place his mouth near her nipple. He reached out with his tongue and softly caressed it. Opening his mouth further, he turned his head and drew her whole nipple into his mouth, as he continued caressing it with his tongue. He felt a hand slid up the back of his head before pulling him tightly against her breast, pressing the nipple further into his mouth. When he swallowed, he was surprised to feel his mouth fill with milk, causing him swallow again. With each swallow, more milk flowed into his mouth. A soft hand pulled his hand down between Kathy's legs and pushed his fingers between her wet labia. The soft hand left his, as he began to caress Kathy's labia, only to wrap around his swelling cock. He couldn't remember being so comfortably aroused. Then, the body behind him moved slightly, before he felt the lips kissing and licking his neck. The flow of milk from Kathy's breast had slowed when he felt Kathy release his head slightly and turn. Before he could react, she pushed her other nipple into his mouth, to feed him more milk. "I like your wake up, stud," said several voices in his mind. It was then that Calvin realized last night wasn't a dream, and he really did have a mental link with these women. He could sense each woman's arousal, the fullness in their breasts, and the wetness between their legs. "Ladies, I will never leave, if we can wake up this way every morning." "Oh, we're not finished, yet." "We need to postpone this a bit," said Elana. "We should do our exercises, freshen up and go to breakfast. After breakfast, we can come back here and get better acquainted." "You're right," replied Kathy, as she lessened the grip on Calvin's head and cock. "It would be a lot more fun then, as we could take all morning and, possibly, the afternoon." "Are you trying to kill me, already," asked Calvin. "We won't. We will just give you 10 reasons, multiple times, not to leave. Come on guys, let's get ready." Kathy wrapped her arms around Calvin and kissed him, while Kathryn was holding him from behind. "Calvin, that was a really nice way to wake me up. It felt so good to feel you draining my breasts." "Yes, we liked it, as well," replied several voices. "It only could have felt better if it was our milk you drank." "The milk filling my mouth surprised me." "We noticed." "Are all of you lactating?" "Yes. It is normal for us to lactate after we become adults. It is a necessary part of our diet, as it provides us with some special nutrients that can only be obtained from our milk." "How?" "We can share the milk as you and I just did, and we sometimes do. When we exercise, our breasts fit into special cups, so we can let our milk down as we exercise. It feels so good when some one you love takes the milk directly from your breast. We usually let our milk down before breakfast, lunch and dinner. Although we can skip cycles if we need to. Our milk is taken to the kitchen where we can drink it with our meal or used in preparing our meals." "I always heard it was painful if you missed letting down your milk." "For humans, that is true. Our bodies are more responsive, and will temporarily stop producing once our breasts are full." "Come on, we need to exercise and freshen up." Calvin went with the group to exercise, and was surprised to find a machine there for him. Jenessa showed him how to operate his before going to hers. After the exercises, Elana and Brittany helped Calvin off the exercise machine, since he could hardly walk. "You guys do that three times a day," asked Calvin, as they slowly walked into the shower. "If you do, I don't think I can take that much intensity." "Yes. Since that was your first time on the machine, it was testing your fitness level. The next time won't be so intense." By the time Brittany finished speaking, they were under the showers helping each other wash and sharing caresses. At breakfast, they were joined by Jasmine's group, including Clancy. They had just sat down to eat when Emma, along with Keriann's Clan, joined them. Emma introduced Keriann's Clan to Calvin and Clancy. "Calvin," said Clancy, "thanks for inviting me along." Calvin just nodded and smiled. "I have never been with a more wonderful group of people. During the alert, Jasmine's group took me with them to the Navigation compartment. They have some of the neatest toys." "The FCS was pretty awesome," replied Calvin. "Yea, I heard you made an astute observation. Nice going!" "Thanks. So, you're going to stay." Clancy started chuckling, then said, "I never considered it until last night. By this morning, I knew it was the best thing I could do. Jasmine and Gillian are going back to Ireland to help me close some things out after we get back to Mars orbit. But I may be able to do it all from here." "You can," replied Emma. "See Clarence in Security. He has assisted others in doing that." "Thanks." The three groups chatted about the event the night before, and other experiences they had had. When they were getting ready to leave the dining room, after the general meeting, Calvin told Keriann's Clan he had enjoyed their time together that morning. As he walked out with Kathryn's group, he smiled when he saw Clancy leaving with Jasmine's group. He was certain Clancy would be joining Jasmine's group of friends, just like he had joined Kathryn's. It was then he realized that he had made his decision to stay. Wait, he thought to himself, they are more than just friends. "You're right," said Kathy, adding to his thought. "It is more than a friendship. Its aspects are difficult to express in words, or even thoughts, as it is so..." "Yes, it is." When they stepped back into their suite, Kathy turned Calvin toward her and began a kiss. Brittany stepped behind him and began covering his neck with kisses. When Calvin's cock began to swell, Kathy opened her legs slightly, to let his cock rest between her now swelling labia minora. As she closed her legs, she sighed at feelings its warmth. "Calvin," said the group, "we are glad you are here and have decided to stay." Calvin responded by giving each a kiss, even though Brittany and Kathy kept him sandwiched between them. "Let's use the bed, guys," said Elana, "that way we can all share." Brittany and Kathy released Calvin long enough to help him to the center of the bed. As soon as Calvin was on his back, Kathy straddled his hips, to place the head of his cock between her labia minora. She slightly lowered her hips, so his cock head was surrounded by her wet labia minora. The expression on her face showed how much she enjoyed the feeling of his cock. She then began to flex the muscles in her labia minora, caressing his cock head. After a few moments, she lowered her hips so his cock could slide between her wet swollen lips and into her cunt. "Oh, Calvin, I love you," said Kathy. Her body shuddered, as his cock filled her. "Thank you so much for letting me do this." "I understand Kathy. Take your time. Even with all the love you have around you, you wondered how this would feel." "Yes, I don't think I realized that until I felt you entering me. God, it feels wonderful to have a cock I want filling my cunt. Can I take my time?" "Yes," came a chorus of voices, "take all the time you need, just don't wear it out." Several of the women moved to kiss and caress Kathy, as she slowly humped on Calvin's cock, enjoying the sensations she felt as his cock move inside her. This was the first time she had felt a live cock in her cunt since the boat. As she focused on her sensations, she realized that she now had more control over her vaginal muscles, and even her labia minora. She stared into Calvin's eyes, as she pressed more of his cock into her cunt. Kathy sighed when his cock was fully seated, and she could feel the warmth of their union. After a few moments, she began caressing his cock with her vaginal and labial muscles. The sensations were exquisite, as both could feel the others sensations in addition to their own. Their arousal was slowly building, as the sensations from her cunt and his cock mingled with the feeling of the many caresses. Kathryn was on one side, caressing Kathy's nipples and breast with her lips and fingers. Brittany was on the other side, and had quickly latched onto Kathy's other nipple with her lips, as she caressed Kathy's breast with her fingers. Behind Kathy, Angie had straddled Calvin's legs and was caressing Kathy's neck and back with kisses and caresses. Jenessa had pushed her head between Kathryn's legs, until she could reach Kathryn's labia with her mouth. Jenessa began licking and nibbling on Kathryn's pussy with her tongue and lips, while caressing Kathryn's breasts and nipples with her fingers. Elana moved Brittany so that Brittany's cunt covered her mouth. As soon as Brittany's cunt covered her mouth, Elana began to caress and nibble the large lips with her tongue and mouth. The other four women started to pair off, but instead found ways to join the others in caressing each other. They positioned themselves so they could caress, kiss or lick the others, while enjoying the love shared through their shared sensations. Kathy soon screamed, and her body froze momentarily as her orgasms began. One after another they grew in intensity. Each one caused her vaginal sheath and cunt mouth to tightly grip Calvin's cock. It continued until Calvin began pumping his cum into her cunt, eliciting a very intense orgasm. Kathy went limp as the intense orgasm crested. Kathryn, Brittany and Angie held Kathy for a few moments, until her muscle spasms slowed, then lowered her gently into Calvin's arms. Each of the women lay against each other as they recovered. It was several minutes before anyone moved. They were startled when Kathy began to sob, and were immediately concerned. It didn't take but a few moments before they relaxed. Calvin held Kathy tightly as she sobbed. He could feel her ridding herself of the remaining demons relating to her experience on Exotic Night. As her sobbing lessened, he began to caress her back with his fingers. After a bit, Kathy pushed herself up so she was again sitting on Calvin's hips. She took his hands in hers and said, "Thank you," very softly to the whole group. "We ladies have had many intense exchanges of affection since I have been here. Until now, I didn't realize my concern about having a real cock in me. As you all saw, I was concerned, but not anymore. Thank all of you again. I hope we can do that again." Calvin caressed Kathy's body, by lightly running his fingers over her chest, sides and stomach while she had been talking. As Kathy started to lean down and kiss Calvin, she exclaimed, "you're still hard!" "Yes. Something has to stop the flood." "What flood?" "The one that is going to occur when you rise up off my cock." Kathy started to pull up. "No. Wait," cried Angie. "I want to drink it. Can you two roll over?" Calvin and Kathy rolled over. "Okay, now if the two of you will raise your hips a bit, and Kathy spread her legs." As they did, Angie moved her head so it was between Kathy's legs. "Now Calvin, slowly pull out." As Calvin pulled his cock out of Kathy, Angie moved her mouth closer to Kathy's cunt. Calvin rolled to the side when his cock came out of Kathy's cunt, and Angie quickly covered it with her mouth. They could see Angie swallowing the flow of cum from Kathy. Brittany and Rebeca began to clean Calvin's cock, as he lay back on the bed. Calvin enjoyed the sensations the two women were giving him, as they licked the cum from his cock, balls and legs. He was somewhat surprised at how hard his cock was. Turning his focus to the others with him, he now saw that all of them had felt Kathy and his orgasms. Each had found them nearly as satisfying as Kathy and he had. His attention was diverted again when he felt the bed move. Opening his eyes, he saw Kathryn straddling his hard cock, while being held by both Brittany and Rebeca. He could feel Kathryn's cunt dripping cream on his cock. Raising up, he saw Kathryn's labia minora open as they approached his cock. When the crown slipped between her warm lips, he could feel them ripple and tug at his cock. It was almost as if they were pulling his cock into her cunt. "Calvin," said Kathryn, "we have more muscle control in our vaginal area. This is especially true of our larger labia minora." "It feels great. Kathy's cunt felt like it was sucking on my cock." "We noticed that. Several of us have done that with dildos, but this feels so much nicer." While Kathryn was speaking, she had slowly lowered herself until she had Calvin's cock completely in her cunt. Rebeca and Katia moved over, and began to take turns caressing Calvin and placing kisses on his face. They slowly shifted their caresses to his neck, then down his chest. When the two women began caressing their way up Kathryn's body, Calvin pulled Brittany toward him. Sensing his desire, she quickly shifted so she could lower her cunt over his mouth. Brittany shivered, as she felt Calvin's tongue begin caressing her very wet labia. As her nether lips swelled and became wetter, Calvin began to nibble on her lips, and then sucked the fresh cream off of them. Each caress added to everyone's arousal through their mind-link. Soon, the group were all engaged in their group orgasm, only this time Kathryn was the center of attention, as she rode Calvin's cock. The arrangement was a little different, but everyone was participating one way or another, as a group. Kathryn came much quicker than Kathy had. This was in part due to their elevated arousal when they started. As they would figure out later, it was also due to the growth in their mind-link. Their need to consciously initiate a mind-link with each other was rapidly diminishing. During the rest of the morning, each one managed to ride Calvin's cock to a shared orgasm. For the one with Calvin's cock buried in their cunt, the orgasm was very intense, and only slightly less intense for the others. Angie was lying on Calvin with his cock held tightly in her cunt when the lunch chime sounded. Hardly anyone moved, as they cuddled to together somewhat exhausted. Angie was kissing Calvin when she said, "It's lunch time. This has been so neat. Can we do this after lunch?" "Angie, I love you," replied Calvin. "Why are you trying to kill me?" "I'm not. I am just trying to make up for lost time. Calvin, I love you." She paused for a few moments. "Have you guys noticed how much clearer our mind-link is now?" "Yes," replied Kathy, "I understand it will grow more with time. Calvin, I see you are no longer worried about fitting in with us." "No, I'm not. I can say I am surprised at how quickly we came together. Does this happen often?" "Not usually. In our case, we formed in stages, as you know, with me being the most recent female addition. Over the last several weeks, we have grown very close together, through our mind-link. I am not sure how to say this. It was like you were the last piece to a puzzle. Looking at all of our feelings from last night, we all immediately saw you as the one to make us complete. Many of us didn't fully recognize the extent of those feelings until just a few minutes ago. In just the short time with you, you have become as close to us as we were to each other before you joined us, and we have moved beyond that point." "I can see that now. From past experience on Earth, my sudden attraction to this group, and your open arms welcoming me, was another reason I was hesitant. This was in addition to everything else. Can you schedule me for the conversion tubes, when there is an opening?" "Both you and Emma are scheduled for the first group when we return to Mars orbit." "I understand Clarence can help me tidy up personal items on Earth." "Yes," said Rebeca. "I'll talk to him after lunch." Kathryn's group went to exercise, and freshened up just as the chime sounded for lunch to begin. ------- Chapter 125 The Órarduine's Dóchas Group were half-way through their planned drills, including multiple exercises against imaginary opponents. Their only surprise had been finding what they now called Sentinel Navigation Buoys (SNB). Sarah's clan had called for all three ships to take a break in the exercises, so they could review their results and compare notes. Dóchas, Phoenix and Eagle were now at level 5 or normal readiness level. For Dóchas, their four Badb cruisers were now positioned around them, and were linked into Dóchas's communication link. Sarah said to Dochas's crew, both telepathically and verbally, "It looks like we are ready to begin." "Yes," came the crew's reply. "Excellent. After we complete the review of our exercises, we will conference with the rest of our family, to discuss the implications of finding the SNBs. Some have called them spy satellites, but they really don't fit that concept. At this time, both Phoenix and Eagle are also reviewing their operational exercise performance." With that, on each ship a member of the Command Staff moderated the review discussion when it concerned their primary area of responsibility. Then as each area was covered, the crew members responsible for that area led the discussion. When discussing an issue, it was often a crew member outside the area being discussed that made a key suggestion. Sometimes the suggestion couldn't be used as proposed, but it always contributed to the solution that would be tested. On Dóchas, Sarah looked at Rusty and they smiled at each other. They could feel the crew growing closer together as they participated in the review and actively shared their experiences. Sarah's Clan was pleased to see every suggestion seriously considered. When it was thought a suggestion wasn't feasible, a clear explanation was given for not pursuing the solution as described. A few times the group changed their opinion of a suggestion as they began to express the reason for not pursuing it. The crew never really broke for lunch. When they began to get hungry, one or two members of each clan or department would go get refreshments for their group. They finished their review just before the chime sounded, indicating dinner would begin shortly. Sarah said, "Judging by your reactions, we have accomplished a lot with this review. There are some minor modifications that you chose to make. Let's begin making those tomorrow. If we need to, we can take two days. When all the minor changes are complete, we will resume our exercise. Each department should check with their counterparts on Eagle and Phoenix, to see how they have done. Review all the changes you are making with them. This includes both operational changes and design modifications. They may have discovered something we have missed." "Sarah," said Leann, "shouldn't we advise the engineers on An Clochán about the changes we make." "Good point, Leann." "Yes, but I think we should wait until we see how well they work," said Madison. "Madison," replied Claudette, "telling the group on An Clochán about the potential changes would let them adjust their schedule on the new ships so we can avoid extra work." "We agree," said both Madison and Leann. Sarah continued with, "After dinner, we will review finding the SNBs and our options." "Nice job," said the Command Staff in unison, which was repeated by everyone on the ship. "Star," said Tara, "were you and the other AIs able to keep up with transcribing our discussion and also contribute." "Yes. We should have it all indexed and in the library by morning. I must congratulate you on the idea. It worked out very well, as all of you have noticed. It seems to have gone equally well on the other ships." "Thanks." "Let's go get ready for dinner," said Alison. As the clan walked back to their quarters, Joyce said, "Have you noticed the tattoos some of our family are now wearing?" "Yes." "Some of the designs look really nice," replied Jill. "Judy, are there any downsides to the tattoos?" "No, except that they can be hard to change or remove. There are no health issues." "If no one objects, I think I will look into getting one," said Jill. "Do we get to contribute to the design?" replied Erin. "Definitely." "What if we all wore a similar design?" asked Janet. "Let's talk about it some more, after Jill gets more information," said Alison. "Do you have any particular concerns," asked Claudette. "No, not really," replied Alison. "Surprisingly, I am very comfortable with the idea. I don't see wearing tattoos as something to hide behind, like those on Earth use clothes. Judy's comment about it being hard to change them has me thinking we should approach this slowly." "I agree," said Jill. "It feels to me like we all are interested in doing this. We need to think about whether this is something we should do. I haven't even thought much about a design. My inclination is to conceive of a design that could cover our whole body, if we want to go that far. It would start as a small tattoo, that could be expanded." "A very interesting approach," replied Erin. "Has anyone made a comment about our collars?" asked Tara. "Not that I'm aware of," replied Claudette. "I had a couple of people ask me about them," said Judy. "I told them our collars indicated a degree of bonding within the clan that was difficult to describe, even telepathically. If any clan evolved to that degree, the clan would understand its significance. It was something that a group could only evolve to, and they would know when the reached that point. We talked a bit more about it. When we finished, they seemed to have been satisfied with the answers." ------- It was after dinner when Sarah, Erin and Tara walked to the front of the room on Dóchas. "Good evening," said the three, in unison. "Our other three locations will be linking with us in a few moments. This will be our first group discussion with us so widely dispersed. With that in mind, we should be cognizant of a possible time delay between locations." "While we are finishing up dinner," said Erin, "I have a couple of announcements. Security informed us that the first interstellar probe was about two days out. Our Badb cruiser, Macha01, will leave with a flight of Star Fighters tomorrow morning, to intercept it." A loud cheer went up. "Once the data is downloaded, we plan on letting the probe skip off this solar envelope and disappear into the universe. Macha01 will hold their position for a couple of days, to see if anything is following the probe, before rejoining us." "Why are we doing that?" said one of the engineers. "We presume the probe is being followed or tracked," replied Erin. "This approach is based on the discovery of the SNBs. Intelligence and Security are going to share with us what they see as the implications of the SNBs. This will be after Navigation's presentation." "The other three interstellar probes should arrive within the next week. Eagle's cruisers will meet two, while Phoenix's cruisers will meet the third." "So, when do we send out the long range shuttle," asked Leann. "We would hope to send it out within 10 clock cycles of the last one arriving." "So, a week then?" "Yes, but it could be longer." "Oh, I understand that. It wouldn't surprise me if it is twice that long." Leann's comment caused several groans around the room, causing her to smile. "Look, I am as anxious as anyone else to find a hospitable planet. Shouldn't we thoroughly evaluate the data before ranking our choices?" "Leann," said an engineer from the propulsion department, "I was one of those who groaned." His comment caused a wave of laughter to flow through the room. "In part, I agree with you. However, we are sending out a survey team to check out the most likely locations. With that in mind, let's consider making a choice within a week, and send the LRS shuttle on its way. While the LRS is traveling to the first location, we could alter its trajectory if further analysis shows another choice is better." Leann started to respond, when Claudette said, "Your proposal is very close to what we had planned, however we did not set a time limit for the first pass. A time limit was not set, because we don't know what the data looks like. There will be a meeting much like today's when we have some choices to consider." Both Leann and the engineer smiled, then nodded that they were in agreement with Claudette. "An interesting discussion," said Siobhan, as an image of Phoenix's crew formed on one wall. The appearance of Phoenix was quickly followed by an image of Eagle's crew and one of An Clochán's residents. "On behalf of Phoenix, a good evening to all of you." Everyone at the three locations responded by saying, "Good evening." "Those of Phoenix's crew that worked with Dóchas on this presentation have requested that the Dóchas group take the lead," said Siobhan. "The same goes for us," said Colleen, of Maureen's clan, on Eagle. "Well, Shannon," said Tara, "the show is all yours." Shannon stepped up to the front with Muireann and Danny. "We would like to complete the presentations uninterrupted," said the three in unison. "However, if there is something you don't understand, please stop us at that point, so the presenter can clarify it. At the end of the presentations, there will be several suggested courses of action for us to consider, as a lead in to our discussion. Before we begin, we want to assure you that we are very open to alternative courses of action." Muireann continued with, "Engineering will begin with what we found. Navigation will follow with how it works. Last will be Security and Intelligence, who will go over the implications." "Engineering the floor is yours." "An SNB is essentially a satellite," said Leann, Kerry and Madison in unison. As they began to speak a holographic image of an SNB formed at each location. "There are six SNBs in this solar system. These satellites make Earth's sophisticated spy satellites look like primitive toys. Toys you would give a very small child. We believe they have been here for around 700 years, on our time scale. For those that haven't shifted their thinking to our time scale, that would be over 1100 years on Earth." "We now know that the purpose of the SNB is two-fold," continued Madison. "One is to be a part of an interstellar navigation system that extends beyond this galaxy. The second is to monitor changes within the solar system and passing traffic." "This SNB array consists of six SNBs, arranged to form a regular octahedron. For this array, the distance between apexes is a little over half the diameter of this solar system. This octahedron is orientated so that the planets will never pass close enough to affect the position of any SNB. It hasn't been determined if the octahedron maintains its orientation with respect to the center of the Milky Way or some other constellation, if at all." "Each SNB was designed to be totally self-sufficient," said Danny. "After the Ferret wormed its way into the first one, we were surprised to find that it had an access panel. All you needed to know was where to look. From there on, access to the system was straight-forward. Yes, it took some time to learn its programming language. In each SNB, we found all the technical documents for operating and repairing it. At first, we were surprised at the lack of security, or should I say minimal security. That was true until we had studied the documentation. We learned that, if any fundamental changes are made to the device, its ability to operate as an interstellar beacon is compromised." Danny and Leann then described the design in detail, using the holographic displays to support their description of each aspect. Madison followed with a review of how the software was written to control the SNB, monitor status of its systems and initiate repairs. "So I guess by now all of you were wondering about the Star Fighter incident," said Danny. "They were damaged because they flew through the SNB's transmission beam, as it was downloading to its host. If a rock had interrupted the beam, the energy blast would have pushed it away. The SNB is programmed to detect the signal disturbance and transmit the information again after rebuilding its energy levels." "Our last item is that several SNBs could use some maintenance. Yes, they were designed to be self-healing, but there is a finite limit to that ability. Four of the SNBs have a small drop in efficiency. Three have some malfunctioning components, that will eventually take them offline. We will discuss this in more detail, later." "The power system in the SNB seems to be incredibly efficient," said a member of the propulsion group from Phoenix. "At the same time, it doesn't seem to be much different than the ones we have." "It is," said Leann. "Several of us went through our library when we found this. They did find references to the refinements we see in this design. The references were theoretical references, and we did not find any instance where the theoretical ideas were reduced to practical designs." Leann paused a moment, then continued, "At the risk of straying into a discussion, let me add that we don't see these SNBs as originating from our predecessors. There are significant differences in the way the design is implemented from the way we believe our predecessors would have done it." "Remember," said Kerry, "this was a power unit, not a propulsion unit. They have a similar theoretical basis." "Any other questions," asked Madison. After a few moments, she said, "Next up we have Navigation." Jasmine, Natalie, Ellyn and Joyce stood in response to their introduction. "Good evening," said the group in unison. "Based on the SNB documentation, the octahedral SNB array is a key aspect of a 3D space position-referencing system. As Muireann noted, the edges of the octahedron are half the diameter of this solar system. The apexes are positioned so that an SNB will never come near a planet or large object, unless a planet is knocked out of its normal orbit. Based on the documentation, the edges are always half the diameter of the solar system, unless there is a conflict with a planet's orbit." "When Engineering told of the documentation, they didn't note that there are close to a million other octahedrons listed. So whomever set this up was quite busy. However we don't know if all of them were set up, how many are working, nor how they were set up." "How do these things operate? Well it is not quite the same as Earth's GPS system. For simplicity, we have decided to refer to the octahedral SNB array as a Way Point (WP). Based on the information we obtained from this WP and our proximity to it, we can tell where the other WPs should be located. To find a WP, you transmit a special signal at a specified frequency, pulse and power setting toward the WP. In return you will get a response from each SNB in that WP. Each SNB's response is in a specific sequence. Entering the angle and time spacing into your navigation system, results in the destination coordinates. If your destination is the WP then the query needs to be repeated several times to ensure you can verify the drift." "If you query three or more WPs you can use the information to verify your location in the universe. You can also use that information to jump to a point in space that is not within a solar system. We were going to query a couple of WPs, but decided to wait until we did our short interstellar cruise. Our major concern is that we don't know the reliability of the system." "We think the best use for us will be verifying our position in the universe before and after each jump." "To build on Kerry's comment, a WP goes offline when it looses three SNBs. The positioning capability drops off rapidly as SNBs fail." "I thought we navigated by using the star maps," said a crewmember on Eagle. "We do. There are some inaccuracies in them, and there are likely to be some in using the WPs. We feel that the WPs give us two independent tools to use. The WPs are only located in solar systems with planets. So, in a way, they compliment the star maps, and tell us which solar systems have planets." "Good point," replied the crewmember. "The purpose of the SNB's host is still not clear to us. Based on the angle of transmission, the signal the Star Fighters drifted into was not toward another WP. Intelligence will discuss that in their presentation. So we will turn it over to them." "Thank you," said Clarence, Shannon, Muireann and Danny, as they went to the front of the room on Dóchas. "The data that the SNB had started transmitting covered the last century, by our time scale, of this solar system's history. For monitoring within this solar system, it has a excellent overview of the changes on Earth. This is essentially the growth of technology, as seen by electronic emissions and space activity. The original ship that was the basis for Dóchas is in the data, since its arrival was in the time frame of this data set. The data includes Dóchas' rebirth, our settlement on Mars, and our visible activities." "In terms of visitors from other systems, there weren't any during this time frame. There have been several position queries to this WP. These were from different points in the universe. This is the first clear sign we have of other active space travelers. The system of WPs says there are other advanced civilizations. We think it would take the cooperation of several civilizations to create the WPs." "When the other SNBs in this WP were checked, we found that four had transmitted their data to their host with no problems. One is due to transmit in two clock cycles. The one the Star Fighters crossed paths with will transmit its data again in about 10 clock cycles." "To us, this indicates that we will probably have visitors in the near future. This could be in a month, a year, a decade or longer. With the few leads we have, we don't think they will be hostile. We are basing our view on the openness of the WP system. We don't have any indication of the evolution rate for other species. We have no indication of their ability to get along with each other, except that the presence of WPs indicates they did at one time." "When Amy's Clan started their voyage, some 200 Earth years ago, the library tells us there were some conflicts between species. Those were not in their area. If we correctly determined their voyage's point of origin, those conflicts were not in this area either." "It is our opinion that we should repair the SNBs to bring them back to original performance level. We should make improvements, if we can, without affecting their operation." "Why? We see it as acting in good faith. If our visitors are friendly, then it would assist us in building a friendship. If they are hostile, then it really doesn't make much difference any way. They know we are here, and knowing we repaired the SNBs would be an indication of our capability." "From a security standpoint, we probably should add another picket line, further out. We should consider increasing the current picket line's density. Neither should be done if doing so takes away from our current efforts." "Thank you." "Questions," asked Shannon. "I'm inclined to agree with the proposal," said Maureen. "I agree as well," said Ainsley, the head of Engineering on Phoenix. "To me, the key item is repairing the SNBs. It really doesn't change our visibility, but wouldn't having the WP functioning reliably aid our navigation geniuses during our travels?" Several chuckled. "Also, should we consider making it something we do whenever we come across a WP?" "While we are here," said Cochrann, of Security on Eagle, "it would be nice to know when this WP is queried as a destination." "Good point," replied Sally. "Can we do it? Can we know the direction the query came from?" "The simplest way," said Leann, "would be to have our picket line gather data from all directions. Right now, we discard the data from within the picket line sphere." "They would need to be time synced, as we don't currently do that," replied one the data analysts. "How soon can we implement the change to the picket line?" said Rusty. "Within the next day or two, depending on operations," replied Danny. "We agree," added Ainsley and the head of Engineering on Eagle. "Are all Command Staffs in agreement," said Sarah. "Yes," came the reply. With that, the discussion drifted off into what the visitors would be like, both in terms of disposition and features. It went on for some time before Amy and Erica, on An Clochán, said, "There is some data in the library. Obviously, it only concerns those that were known before we started our voyage here. If I remember correctly, most advanced species were warm blooded animals with limbs for both movement and other tasks. Beyond that, there was a lot of variance. All of you should take a few moments to look at that information. On the mental side, there were fundamental similarities, such as, respect, mating and care of children, to name a few. These aspects are included in the information on the other species." It was quiet for a few moments, then Sarah said, "Based on what we are hearing, everyone is in agreement with our repairing the SNBs, making changes to the picket line and our approach to visitors. If you are not, please state you opinion now." "Okay, hearing no objections, let's proceed. Dóchas Engineering, work with Eagle and Phoenix to schedule the SNB maintenance." "Dóchas Command Staff," replied Leann, "we have already discussed it. It will begin as soon as our items from today's discussion are done. Although we haven't formally discussed it, we will probably do the picket line programming change in parallel with the SNB work." "Great!" replied Command Staff, which was echoed by the crew. "Is there anything else to discuss, since we have everyone together," said Tara. "Well," said Marsha on An Clochán, "GISS has indicated they have had some agents fail to appear when scheduled. They haven't been able to determine whether they have just lost contact with them, or if it is something more sinister." "When did this start," asked Clarence. "In all honesty, we are not sure. The trend was noted about the time Melinda, Sam, Marge and Evelyn did the TV interview in Grandview. Let's see, that was eight weeks ago, Earth time. The call-in questions following their presentation lasted nearly two hours. With the one hour opening presentation, the whole program lasted an hour longer than was originally scheduled. The station adjusted their programming to accommodate the interest. The call volume was very heavy." "It sounds like the TV interview was a good idea," said one of the crew. "Yes, it was, in one way. It also stirred up a hornets nest, in another. The next day there were several call-in shows featuring some people associated with hate groups who have rather negative views of us. Several groups made the claim again that we were agents of the devil and should be sent back to hell as soon as possible. One claimed that GISS were our agents on Earth, and were preparing for Earth's enslavement. Also, the two hosts for our program have been receiving quite a bit of hate mail." "Marsha," said Siobhan, "would you share all the information you have with each ship's Intelligence department?" "Sure. I'll set it up in a few minutes." "Anything else?" "Is GISS providing protective services for the TV hosts?" "Yes. The hosts don't feel particularly threatened by the hate mail, as they have seen this kind of reaction by extremists before." "Okay, let us adjourn, as it is late," said Tara. "Thank you for your participation. If you think of anything you would like to add, please send it to the appropriate department head." Tara stood with her clan, watching the groups slowly leave the meeting area. She felt the link with each of her spouses, as they went over the days activities. Aoife worried, "I think the issue concerning the GISS agents will get much uglier." "It usually does when political and religious leaders use hate as a means to motivate their supporters." ------- Dóchas's Badb Cruiser Macha01 was in position to intercept the interstellar probe when it dropped out of hyperspace to approach their solar system. Macha01 had been monitoring the probe for the last two clock cycles, as it approached. Alana and Cathan's Clans cheered when they saw their interstellar probe appear as planned. Macha01 waited until the probe had passed them before it began moving to intercept it. Macha01 used just enough thrust to catch up to the probe, then moderated engine output to use minimal additional power to reach the probe. "If this goes like it is supposed to," said Todd, "we should buy the programmers a drink." "Yes," replied Cathal, "being able to collect the data directly will speed things up. Well, at least for this part of the trip, as we still need to wait two clock cycles after we finish." "Think anything is following it?" "Not likely. I see it as a possibility. I think we are doing the prudent thing, considering how much we don't know." When Macha01 was within 100 km of the probe, Alana said, "Reduce speed to maintain distance." "Initiating thruster," replied Bev. After a few moments, Bev added, "Distance stabilized." Alana looked at Cathal, who nodded, then she said, "Launch 6 Spiders." "Launching," replied Vera. Alana and Cathan's clan watched the Spiders leave the ship toward the probe. In a few moments, the Spiders settled on the probe and began to survey its exterior. After a few moments, the Spiders told Macha01 that all systems were intact. "Launch Ferret," said Alana. "Launching Ferret," replied Vera. The crew on Mocha01 watched as the Ferret proceeded toward the probe. As the Ferret gently settled onto the probe, the Spiders moved to counterbalance the change in mass caused by the Ferret's arrival. Sheelah then commanded the Spiders to shift their position on the probe. The repositioning would slightly alter the course of the interstellar probe, so that in 4 weeks it would glance off the solar system. In the meantime, the Ferret had connected to the control systems in the interstellar probe and began downloading data. Once the data was downloaded, the Ferret separated from the probe, giving a small shove in its new direction as it returned to Macha01. The Ferret connected to Macha01's systems and began to transfer the data. As the data was downloaded, multiple validity checks were run to verify data integrity. "The data is valid," said Macha01 AI. "Ferret ready for next step." "Affirmative," replied Alana. "Vera, launch Ferret." "Ferret launched." The crew on Macha01 watched the monitor as the Ferret again attached itself to the interstellar probe. This time the Ferret connected to the probe's control systems. It first erased the probe's stored data and then reprogrammed the control systems. The new settings had the probe making a longer trip through the universe, that followed a loop to bring it back to the same point in a decade, with minimal consumption of resources. When the programming was complete, the Ferret released its hold on the probe and drifted behind it. The Spiders then released from the probe, and attached themselves to the Ferret. Once all the Spiders had attached, the Ferret slowed its momentum, so Macha01 could catch up and recover it. A short time later, Cathan said, "Ferret and Spiders secured." "Invoke thrusters for starboard drift and reduce speed," said Alana. "Thrusters invoked," replied Bev. "Star Fighters, status," inquired Cleo. "Our systems are not detecting anything," came four replies. "How are supplies?" "We will need to connect in one clock cycle," said a pilot. "It will be nice to stretch out." "Let's do it in one clock cycle and two at a time." "Affirmative." "Elyse," said Alana, "let Dóchas know we have collected the data." "It is being prepared for transmission now, although I suspect they already know that." ------- Calvin walked into the Dóchas medical center with Kathy and Kathryn. "Calvin," said Kathy, "relax, everything will be just fine." "Hi, Emma," said Calvin, seeing his sister. Emma walked over to him and gave him a big hug. "Are you here to see me start my conversion," asked Emma. "You're starting today?" "Yes. Kathy told me yesterday that they were going to begin performing conversions again." "Kathy told me the same thing last night." "Calvin, you didn't answer my question," replied Emma. "The answer is yes and no." "What?" "Well, I will only see it, if you start before I do." Emma threw her arms around her brother and said, "This is so neat. We're going to be doing it together. It seems like it has been forever since we did something together." "Well, I don't think we will be 'doing it' today." Emma began to blush, as she realized what Calvin was alluding to. "I will look forward to 'doing it' afterwards." "You're twisting my words, Calvin," replied Emma. "I was referring to the conversion, not making love." "Emma," said Keriann with a smile, "we have no objection to you sharing your love physically, either with your brother or his spouses." Emma blushed some more. "It is not unusual for clans to share their physical love for each other. Sharing the physical side of love between siblings is acceptable, as well." "Cool," replied Emma, "as long as Kathryn's Clan is willing." "We won't mind," said Kathryn, as she stepped over and put her arms around Keriann and Emma. "We will just make it one big gathering." She turned Emma to kiss her. The three of them turned together and began to share passionate kisses. "Later," said Kathy, after a few moments. "We need to get the two of you started. Emma, go with Johanna. She will help you prep. Calvin, Kathryn can assist you in prep area 2." When Calvin and Emma came back, they said, "Hi, Clancy. Hi, Jasmine. Clancy, I take it you are here for the conversion too?" "Yes. I have to admit that I still have some apprehension about all of this." "Apprehension?" replied Emma. "Yes, but not about being with Jasmine's Clan. Just about the process. It is just mind-boggling." "Emma, are you ready?" asked Kathy. "Yes, doctor," replied Emma, and stuck her tongue out. "Your next victim awaits your command." As soon as she finished speaking, she began laughing. "Ah ... so you want to be my masterpiece," replied Kathy with an evil smile while wiggling her eyebrows before she started laughing. When the laughter subsided, Emma turned and kissed Keriann and Kelly, before walking over to the lift next to the tube. As soon as she gripped the handle, Emma began to rise. She was lifted up and over the tube. Emma was slowly lowered into the tube, which was filled a third of the way with clear green gel. When Emma reached the bottom, she placed her feet on the foot pads, then let go of the lift handle. Two dildos began to rise until they touched Emma's crotch, and more gel began to fill the tube until it reached her waist. Emma pulled her labia open and moved her hips slightly to aid the dildos entering her body. She sighed as they both entered, then shivered as she felt the green gel begin entering her body. Emma then placed her hands on the supports. When the green gel reached her chin she said, "Love you all. See you in a week." When the green gel covered her mouth she began swallowing. The level stayed constant until she stopped swallowing, then began rising in the tube. She was soon fully immersed in the gel. Her eyes were open and there was a smile on her face. "Her lungs will gradually pull the green gel into them," said Kathy. "She will definitely be able to mind-link to Keriann's Clan, and likely Kathryn's, as well." "So, do you think we are a clan now," asked Kathryn. "From an appearance and functional standpoint, yes. We have not found all of our abilities yet. Ready, Calvin." Calvin walked over to the lift and reached for the handle. He was soon being lowered into another tube which was a third full of clear green gel. As he entered the gel, he guided his feet toward the foot pads. His body entering the gel pushed the level up past his waist. Once his feet were on the foot pads, a dildo rose and entered his ass. A tube rose to hold his cock in its erect orientation. With those positioned, Calvin placed his hands on the support pads, signaling the system to resume filling. When his mouth was covered by the gel, he began swallowing. "I love you guys so much," said Calvin. "I look forward to holding all of you in a week." "We love you too," replied Kathryn's Clan, Emma and Keriann's Clan. With Calvin completely immersed in the green gel, Kathy went to check the control panels on the two tubes. Johanna took Clancy over to the prep area. When he returned a few minutes later, he gave Jasmine a long passionate kiss before walking over to the waiting lift. Clancy's immersion went as smoothly as the other two, and he was soon fully immersed. "Jasmine, Keriann and Kathryn," said Kathy, "I know all of you are familiar with the conversion. But I want to remind your clans to not actively contact your spouses while they are in the tubes. The reason is we don't want them to move or try to move. They will be mind-linked with your clans, so they will not miss out on your activities." "That whole conversion process is so neat," said Jasmine. "You know this isn't its original purpose," said Kathy. "I think I saw something about that." "Originally, it was developed to cure chronic diseases and genetic defects," said Johanna. "It was also used as a means to repair a body after an accident or battle injury. The initial portion of Sarah's Clan were the first to be treated by this process who weren't Órarduine. We are fortunate it worked, or we probably wouldn't be here." "Looking back on the experience," said Jasmine, "I am surprised I adapted so quickly to the changes in my body." "There are some changes to your brain during the conversion," said Kathy. "Basically, it strengthens its neural network and increases its capacity. While it is doing this, you are provided with the control parameters needed to manage your new body." Jasmine looked puzzled. "These would be balance, walking, sensory feedback, vision control and so forth." "So, that is why I just felt like I had gotten up from a long nap afterwards." "Yes, pretty much. By the way, you can come by and check on them at any time. You will only be able to see them on the monitor, since the conversion tubes will be moved to a quieter location in a few minutes. The area is much darker, so distractions are reduced." "Well, we need to get back to work," said Keriann and Kelly. They gave their friends a hug and a kiss before leaving. "Me too," said Jasmine, giving Kathy and Kathryn a hug and a kiss before she turned to leave. "Let's sit together for dinner tonight. We like being around you guys. Oops, I should have said something to Keriann and Kelly before they left." "So tell them now," said Kathy, smiling. "I will. Sometimes, I forget about this communication mod, but I use it all the time." "I think it has to do with context of the thought or idea. After all, you relied on strictly verbal communication for 20+ years, so it is not surprising to revert to the old way, sometimes." "You're right. See you tonight." "See you at lunch," said Kathryn, as she kissed and hugged Kathy. "Really nice people," said Johanna, as she came up and put her arm around Kathy. "You know, I couldn't do this at BCH, because of the PC police." "Do what? Work nude, or give each other a hug?" "Both, but I was referring to giving each other a hug. Working nude is something I would never have considered, then. I find it very comfortable, more so than I would have ever expected. I think that is true for all of us." "Have you noticed how quickly new arrivals adopt our dress style?" "Yes," replied Johanna. "At first I thought it was peer pressure, but I have come to the conclusion that it is not truly peer pressure. I do know that, once you accept the idea of being naked all the time, your interest in fitness increases. Judy told me that several visitors became quite fanatical about exercise while they were here and continued their routine after returning to Earth." "I wonder if we could publish that in a medical journal," said Kathy, laughing. "Maybe in a physical fitness or physical therapy publication. Even then, the religious nuts will go crazy." "They probably wouldn't accept it, because I am a surgeon." "Let's talk to Sam or Marge, because this is really more about lifestyle." Kathy gave Johanna a thoughtful look, before replying with, "Okay. We should talk to Judy and the other doctors about idea of writing an article." "Good idea. Although, considering the response to the TV special Melinda and Sam did about us, I think we should talk to Sarah's Clan." "What's this?" "Melinda and Sam did a TV special that basically gave a broad overview of ourselves. I think it was around a 3 hour program, with very few commercials. After the program, Amy, Erica, Melinda and Sam answered questions both from a live audience and phone calls. The Grandview TV station selected the audience from those who had authored stories about us, or had contacted the local paper for more information. The special was well received, based on the audience's response, and most of the reviews. The questions from the audience were very good. All asked meaningful questions. It was clear many of the audience had difficulty with the concept of telepathy, and its importance to us. The phone calls were much more varied. Many calls were from people with a genuine interest in us. There were only a few really nasty calls." "It sounds like the special was successful. So, why the concern?" "You're right. The special was successful. It is the days that followed which have caused the concern. A number of conservative groups began a campaign saying, essentially, that we are the "devil's agents". Our nakedness is an issue. Our family composition is an issue. The fact we control when we are fertile and always have multiple births is an issue. The fact we use our milk for our diet is an issue. Our tail and leg structure has been used as the basis for claiming we are nothing more than freakish animals. Since God created 'them' in his image, we should bow down to them, as we are not in God's image. When we didn't respond, several more radical groups branded us agents of the devil and called for our annihilation. A couple of Islamic and Christian radical groups have even supposedly placed a bounty for killing us or anyone associating with us." "What about GISS? We've been pretty open about them being able to contact us." "One group in the US has made the claim that GISS is part of us, and all agents should be killed in the most painful way possible." "I agree, we need to talk this over with Sarah's Clan. I hope we can still do the paper, though." "Oh, I think they will agree. However, since it could effect our friends on Earth, we need to consider the impact." "Johanna," said Kathy, with a puzzled look, "I am surprised I missed the stuff about the special and the other issues." "You see the news summary the Communications Department puts out, don't you?" "Yes." "Well it was in one issue, but if I remember right there were several other, more significant, events at the same time. The reason I am aware of the other stuff is from my spouses. Several of them work in the Communications Department. The last I heard Melinda is worried about the two hosts of the broadcast." "Why?" "Both of them suddenly took a vacation, and there has been no contact with them since then." "Damn, that sounds too familiar." "I agree, too familiar." ------- Chapter 126 Just as Dóchas, Eagle and Phoenix were completing their operational exercises, Siobhan suggested that they all return to Mars together, since they had not flown in formation. They met close to Uranus which was almost directly across the solar system from the current position of Mars. When the Navigation Departments began plotting the course, Jasmine commented that, since they were going near Earth, it might be a good idea to do a flyby. All three groups liked the idea. So they mapped out a course that would take them around Earth and on to Mars. The whole trip would be flown with them in formation. They would operate and maneuver as if they were a single ship. "Phoenix, Eagle," said Rusty, "are you ready?" "Roger," said Siobhan. "Roger," said Maureen. "Cruisers, are you in position?" "Star, are you synchronized with Eagle and Phoenix AIs?" "Yes. We are now operating in matrix form. The Badb cruiser AIs are linked to their parent ship. " "Okay, let's do it." With that, the group of three Dóchas class ships started their voyage toward Mars orbit. Eagle and Phoenix were flying on each side of Dóchas. Their cruisers had taken positions above and below their respective ships. The voyage would last 4 clock cycles as the loop around Earth added a day to the voyage. "Jasmine," said Sarah, "how close does our path take us to the International Space Station?" "Right now, we are projecting 8 km from the edge of our formation." "Okay." As the group progressed along their path, Security Departments on all three ships monitored the data from the SNB array and their picket line. This was another way for them to test the detection limits of their systems. It also provided a way to evaluate the SNBs role in the WP. The crews on the three ships were in a festive mood as they reviewed the results of the operational exercises. Once each department had completed their review, they conferred with the departments on the other ships, to compare notes. As a result, they found a few more improvements to make to the systems in each department. All of them were minor, and scheduled to be implemented when they reached Mars orbit. A summary of changes was prepared and sent to An Clochán, so they could be included in the new ships. All unnecessary activity dramatically slowed early on the third day, as they approached Earth. The observation systems on each ship transmitted images of the approaching scene to monitors throughout the ships. The group of Dóchas ships were about 137 000 000 km from Earth, when the astronauts on the ISS noticed the new object approaching and notified NASA. Within a couple of hours, several amateur astronomers had spotted the rapidly approaching objects and posted their finding on the Internet. Due to their projected course and rapid approach, the observation triggered several emergency responses. The NSA turned a spy satellite toward the approaching object, as did several other countries intelligence services. The time between their discovery and entering Earth orbit just larger than ISS's orbit was only 6 hours. "ISS," said Sarah, two hours before entering Earth orbit, "this is Dóchas." "Please repeat," came the reply. "This is the bridge of Dóchas group." "You're the guys normally orbiting Mars?" "Roger. We will be entering Earth orbit shortly. Our orbital path will pass 8 km outside your orbit, in case you want pictures." "You bet. Thanks. Do you know your ETA?" "We are projecting entering Earth orbit in 2 hours. We will give you a better time shortly. Once in orbit, we will follow the sunset before leaving for Mars." "Thanks." As Dóchas group approached the window to enter Earth orbit, it slowed so it would remain visible to those on Earth during evening hours. "Sound battle stations," said Sally just after entering Earth orbit. Immediately, the alarms rang through the group. "Command Staffs, RF targeting signal from a satellite with Arabic markings." "All shields to 100%," said Sarah. "Eagle, Phoenix, move to combat formation." "In position," replied the bridges from Eagle and Phoenix. "Dóchas group we are rotating 110 degrees port and elevating 15 degrees," said Joyce. "Orbit parameters unchanged." "Eagle CIC, you should now have a clear shot. Fire as required." "Target acquired. Weapons armed and ready." "ISS," said Sarah, "this is Dóchas." "This is ISS, go ahead." "There is a satellite painting us with RF and we suspect it is armed. We suggest you don't look out the windows for a few moments. Also, you may want to cover any sensitive optical scanners." "What?" "There is a satellite preparing to fire a weapon at us. We will counter immediately. When we take it out, there will be an extremely bright flash." "Okay. Will advise NASA Control Center." "Three projectiles launched from satellite," reported Eagle FCS. "Targets acquired. Firing A-beam," reported Eagle Forward FCS. "Projectiles destroyed," reported Eagle FCS. "Target lock on satellite," said Phoenix Port FCS. "A-beam fired." "Satellite destroyed." "Dóchas group," said Sally, "remain on alert. CICs, have FCS scan all areas." "Affirmative," came the response from the three CICs. "Check all satellites as they approach." It was nearly a half hour after destroying the satellite when Star said, "Rusty, we have incoming calls from the US, Russia, China and Britain." "I would like to make this a five way conversation," replied Rusty. "Let me check, then I will set it up." After a few moments, Star said, "the call is ready." "Guys," said Rusty, speaking to the three command staffs, "we are taking a call on the conference phone. We don't want to tell them there is a crowd listening. If you have a thought, lets use our mind-link." "Good day, gentlemen," said Rusty, after taking the phone off hook. "Good day," replied the four, in turn. "This is Rusty on the bridge of Dóchas, and to make sure we are clear, who is on the phone, we have Prime Minister Bartlet of Britain, President Tau of China, Prime Minister Kovalenko of Russia and President Ryan of US. I suspect you are calling us about an incident with a satellite that occurred a little earlier." "Yes. We have reports that it appeared to fire at your ships," replied Mr. Bartlet. "Those reports are correct." "Your sudden arrival stirred up a lot of excitement," added President Ryan. "Several warning systems alerted us of the sudden appearance of a near Earth object headed toward us. Many of us have more gray hair from worry as we waited for its path to be calculated. We were all trying to figure out the intent of a rapidly approaching object when ISS astronauts informed us it was you. I must say hearing that was quite a relief." "We didn't intend to stir things up by doing an orbit around Earth. The satellite incident started just after we entered Earth orbit. A satellite with Arabic markings probed us with RF and then a laser. We waited until it launched three projectiles before we returned fire. All the projectiles and satellite were destroyed." "A satellite with Arabic markings. Are you sure?" "Positive. We can send you both still images and video, if you would like." "Yes. Please do," said President Tau. "Fine. Where do you want them sent? Better yet, have your staff call and ask for Security, they can work out the details." "Rusty," said President Ryan, "my chief of staff just gave me a note saying that, according to FoxNews, an Arabic TV station is now off the air." "The image I saw of the satellite looked like a communication satellite, though it was considerably larger than nearly all the other communication satellites." "It would be nice to know if there are any more resembling it," said Mr. Bartlet. "According to our inventory," said Rusty, "there are two more with Arabic markings of a similar design. One appears to have been launched on a Russian rocket and one on a Chinese rocket. The one we destroyed was launched by a Chinese rocket." The phone was quiet for several minutes. "Gentlemen," said Mr. Tau, "I can assure you that we did not intentionally launch a weapons satellite. The people here with me indicate that we did launch two communication satellites for a group from the Middle East. They provided the satellite, ready to launch." "Well Mr. President," said Rusty, "I am sure you did not intentionally launch a satellite containing weapons." "It is one thing to be caught doing something you shouldn't," said President Ryan, "but when you are taken advantage of in a public manner, revenge always seems to be a suitable response." "Yes," said several voices. "Can you check the other two satellites for weapons?" said Mr. Kovalenko. "Yes, and we are checking all satellites." "Rusty," said President Ryan, "one of the people here said that they aren't seeing any debris from the satellite." "They won't. The items are now dust in the solar wind." "Should I ask before destroying another satellite containing weapons? Never mind, don't answer that question. I believe each of your countries has signed the treaty banning space-based weapons, so if we find anything that violates your treaty, it will be corrected. Fair enough." "Someone may want to talk to the Arabic business group, as they may have been unknowingly used, as well." "Anything else," asked Rusty. "How were your exercises?" said Prime Minister Bartlet. "Ah, so you've been peeking." "Just out of envy," came the reply, with a chuckle. "Our operational exercises went very well. We each went out into separate parts of this solar system and ran drills for all our systems. We decided to come back as a group, as that was one thing we hadn't done. Again, we didn't intend to stir things up on Earth. Our intent now is to follow the early evening band around the Earth, so everyone could have an opportunity to see us. After that, it is back to Mars orbit." "Does this mean you are close to leaving," asked President Ryan. "Closer. It will likely take at least two Earth years, but could be a bit longer." "Leaving?" said Prime Minister Kovalenko. "Yes. We will be moving to another solar system, once we have identified a suitable one." "I believe we have covered everything," said President Tau. "I would like to continue our conversation sometime in the future, but I have an urgent matter to attend to." "We would be pleased to have each of you visit. Just let us know when you would like to come." "Good-bye." "That was an interesting call," said Siobhan. "I am surprised our arrival stirred them up," said Alison. "It was because we were so close when we dropped our cloaking," said Sarah. "So there was no visual indication we were coming. Earth has set up an early warning system, watching for asteroids that are on a collision course. I guess we tested the system." "Star, are arrangements being made to send the data on the incident." "Yes. They should have everything within the next hour." "Dóchas group," said Sally, "stand down. Return to normal status." "Dóchas FOC," said Sarah, "launch Star Fighters to check satellites." "Preparing launch now." "ISS, this is Dóchas," said Sarah. "You have us." "My apologies, I should have contacted you sooner, but it is safe to resume your outside monitoring." "Thanks. NASA advised us it was okay a little earlier. It was probably about the time you received a call from President Ryan." "Everything, okay." "Yes. All we saw was what looked like a flash of sunlight. We did catch some photos just before the flash. We're sending those down, as well. Thanks for not adding to the debris field." "You're welcome. Out." "You know our making this loop around Earth is in some ways just like showing off," said Aoife. "You have a point," replied Rusty. "Ever since we have been up here, I have enjoyed watching the dots of light turn on, then off, as the boundary of illumination passes over Earth." "Yes, it is neat," replied the group. "This planet will always have a special place in our heart. Just like Amy's Clans home planet has a special place in their heart." "Isn't that true of everyone's birthplace?" said Tara. "Yes, I think so," replied each of the group. ------- Dóchas Group had just reached Mars orbit, when three SUV's with blackened windows drove into a waterfront warehouse in Tangier, Morocco. Akil, the apparent warehouse manager, greeted the person exiting the SUV, saying, "Lorenzo, how are you?" "I am well, Akil. How about you?" "Things could be better, but I am doing well. Let's go to my office, where we can talk. I am sure you have many questions." As the two men sat down in the Akil's office, a woman dressed in a light colored sheer jilbab entered. "Johara, bring Lorenzo a coffee, and a citrus for me." The men waited until the woman left. "Akil, I hear you picked up four intruders last week." "Lorenzo, you have good sources. Yes, we found four people on the street near the warehouse. We were suspicious of them, because our spotters did not see them until they were within a block of here. I was upset with the spotters, until we looked at the surveillance films." "Did you find out why they were here?" Just as Akil began to answer, Johara entered carrying a tray, causing Akil to comment about communication difficulties. The two men watched as she sat the items on the table. Lorenzo noticed that the woman was missing two fingers on her left hand. When she stepped out the door, Lorenzo said, "I take it you have concerns of trust with the slave. If that is the case is it wise to have her in your office." "It is always wise to be careful what you say around slaves. She is very skilled and appears loyal, but one should always be careful who is around when you speak of sensitive matters. Especially where our joint interests are involved." "Back to your question, they were GISS operatives, a man and three women. All four were former US military. It took less than a day of continuous electrical torment, and preparation for a special torment, before they began answering our questions." Akil laughed. "Only a day?" "Yes," replied Akil as he rubbed his hands together relishing the quick success. "Surprisingly, it was the man who broke first. I was sure one of the infidel sluts would break first." Lorenzo watched Akil as he spoke. "We had all four of them side by side in separate stalls so they could not see each other. Each was naked and kneeling in the usual manner. Their knees and ankles were bound tightly to the support holding the legs spread just wider than their hips. Their hands were locked into shackles, so they were leaning forward with their heads held up and still by a band around their bald head. You've seen the position before. Just that position alone is very painful after a short while." "Yes, I have seen you torment a few captives by just leaving them locked in one position." "Once they were bound, we gave them several cold enemas. A cold enema quickly causes severe cramping from trying to expel the fluid. After a 15 minute soak, they were allowed to release the fluid, letting it spray against a panel so it spattered on them. It is a very humiliating experience. Once their bowels were empty, we washed them down with cold water. After three enemas, they were almost incoherent from the loss of body heat. One of our special butt plugs was shoved in their ass." "By special, I presume you mean the drug dispensers?" "Yes. We forced spider gags into their mouths. We left them alone in the dark, shivering, for some time, before we returned and began whipping them with the electric floggers." "This is different from what I've seen you do before." Lorenzo was disturbed by Akil's enthusiasm in describing the torment. Lorenzo had concerns about his organization's arrangement with Akil's group, and this only added to that concern. "It is similar. We would use a different technique to get them to talk, if they were going to be sold. All of the GISS agents we have captured are serving their sentences at our training camp, as training aids. Anyway, after they were raw and sensitized by the electrical shocks and whipping, they were rubbed down with an astringent ointment, using coarse cloth gloves. They were already nearly hoarse from screaming during the whipping. As soon as the irritant touched them, you wouldn't believe how loud they screamed as the ointment was rubbed onto their raw skin." Akil chuckled. His face conveyed his pleasure in remembering the torment and resulting suffering of his prisoners. "When they stopped screaming, we treated them to another pain session, using the sticky pads and electric box. Every two hours, we would stop the electricity and ask questions. After the third cycle, we told them it was their last chance before we started getting rough. You should have seen the look on their faces when we said that." Akil laughed again. "At that point, we would normally bind them, before suspending them by the ankles in a box. Instead, I had two slaves bring in one of our trained donkeys, after getting him aroused. The two slaves led the donkey with his dick nearly fully extended past the captives and into the last stall. We took the gag out of the woman's mouth, and she began pleading for us to stop. The slaves led the donkey around behind the woman and got him to place his front feet on the special platforms on each side of the woman. She asked what we were going to do. She screamed really loud when the slave pushed the head of the donkey's dick against her cunt. Just as the slave spanked the donkey, the man told the slave with him he would talk. The woman screamed loudly, as the donkey thrust his cock through the mouth of her cunt. We let the donkey finish fucking the woman, but not with the full length of his cock. By the time the donkey came, all the women were crying. Before the donkey was led out, blood was poured over his dangling cock. Each woman screamed when they saw the blood dripping from the donkey's limp cock, which was hanging limply from its sheath as he was led out." "We immediately told the man to start answering questions or we would start removing fingers. He didn't know much, but he did confirm much of what we had obtained from interrogating other GISS agents." "So the coordinates for their base are correct?" "Yes." "Those in the area can only find a few uninhabited islands." "We've had the same results. Everyone we've questioned has always flown there. So we think the only way to get there is to fly." Lorenzo wasn't sure he wanted to know but asked anyway. "What did you do with the four you captured?" "After we had all the information we wanted, they began their sentences." Lorenzo listened as Akil began to enthusiastically recount the preparation of the man and women. Lorenzo had heard some of the atrocities done to captured infidels, but was shocked at what he heard from Akil. It was clear to him that Akil received a good deal of pleasure from torturing and seeing these prisoners suffer. "When we finished preparing the three women, they were put into the cages with the other GISS prisoners. The intense pain, combined with the drugs makes them very submissive, but they are fully aware of what they are doing. Once in the cages, they will experience continual sexual stimulation from either the dogs, staff or other prisoners. After the auction, the GISS prisoners will be shipped to one of the council's training camps. There, they will live in the barn with the dogs and goats when not working. It is a perfect punishment for the infidels, as they are used as live training aids." "This is new." Lorenzo wondered why Akil was disclosing this now. All of this was outside their arrangement. "Not really. Serving their sentence as a live training aid in our schools is special for those from GISS," said Akil, with some anger. "They killed many of our brothers, so it is right that they are used to train our new fighters. Once they are in our camp, the Council has assigned them the status of domestic animals. They are infidels." "Won't that cause quite an uproar, when others see them." "No. Only the trainers and students are at these camps. The camps are isolated. The prisoners conditioning makes them willing to do anything to satisfy their compulsive sexual appetite. We can adjust the behavioral drugs so the students can practice interrogation techniques or use as training aids in other situations." "Why the pins through the wrist?" "They serve as suspension points. We have done it to some of the sluts purchased by clubs." "All of this is very interesting. Sergio is most concerned about the auction's delay. The sudden postponement has caused some problems. This is mostly because the buyers are very anxious to obtain more stock and delay worries them. They are very pleased with the quality and performance of these sluts." "Sorry, Lorenzo but the cancellation is unavoidable. We lost our secure satellite communication link. We have been promised that it will be active tomorrow. As soon as I know it is working, we will send out the new secure connection information. We thought it was best to delay, so we could ensure the confidentiality of everyone's identity." "So, three days from now?" "No, four." Lorenzo frowned. "We have more than 500 for this auction. They range from freshly acquired to fully conditioned. This will be the best group we have offered at the auction." "Does that include the GISS captives?" "No. They are already spoken for, and the Council has deposited the funds in our account, with a bonus." "Good. The GISS captives moving through this location concerns me." "They're kept totally separate from everything else. Also, if the US paper comes through with the ransom for the three TV correspondents, that will add $25 mil to the total. So we should end up sharing something around $40 mil or more after expenses." "By the way, you never said what you did with the man." "After we were done with the three women, we put his eggs in an egg crusher and slowly crushed them. A mirror was placed so he could see his eggs being squeezed. He screamed a lot. Whenever he fainted, the staff would shock him. It took 4 hours before his eggs popped." Akil laughed and Lorenzo felt a tightness in his groin, as he could imagine the intense pain. "Once they ruptured, his bag was severed and given to the dogs. He was sold to a tribe in central Somalia which has, shall we say, special tastes." "The male announcer is to be beheaded," continued Akil. "The Council wants us to film the beheading. Once we are sure the ransom is in our account, they will release the film to the Arabic TV station." "The woman announcer?" "She may go with the GISS slaves, to serve her 25 year sentence for defaming Allah and spreading misinformation. She has not begun her slut conditioning yet, so she will likely go with the next group." "Aren't they paying the ransom for her release?" "No. The ransom demand was so she would not receive a death sentence. She is a very pretty woman." Akil smiled. "You're planning on keeping her," replied Lorenzo. "I am considering it but it depends on how she responds to the conditioning. Say, would you like the see the training area?" "That would be interesting." Akil pressed several buttons on the console and a panel slid back on the wall, revealing a wall-sized monitor. In moments the monitor came to life, showing several women sexually engaged. Akil smiled, as he saw Lorenzo's cock swell in his pants. Akil began to narrate the scenes, as he switched from one location to another. The last scene showed the GISS prisoners in a pen with a number of large dogs. Lorenzo watched as a dog nudged a woman, who immediately knelt on the floor. As soon as she was on hands and knees, the dog mounted her. Lorenzo could see her breasts were large and swollen as they swung underneath her chest while the dog fucked her. Lorenzo glanced at Akil, and saw him smiling as he watched the woman being fucked by the dog. Lorenzo noticed there was no life in the expressions of the GISS prisoners, even though they responded to the stimulation from the devices, each other or the dogs. He thought about asking about the women's expressions but stopped as he realized the intent of Akil's group. Akil and the Council would use any infidel as an animal. Any non-Muslim woman would be used as a slave, and any man would be slowly killed. Today it was the GISS agents, tomorrow it would be another group. Any infidel was to be used just like any other animal for any purpose. Lorenzo's attention was drawn away from the scene, when a tall naked blond walked up and knelt in front of him. As soon as she knelt, she spread her knees and placed her hands behind her neck, while smiling slightly. Johara knelt next to Akil, watching the blond woman. Johara moved her hands to the front of Akil's robe, spreading it open. While Johara was attending to Akil, the blond looked at Lorenzo, waiting for his acceptance. After a few moments, Lorenzo nodded and the blond undid his pants, pulling them down when he lifted his hips. Akil looked over at the naked blond just as she began licking on Lorenzo's cock, then returned to looking at the screen, smiling. He was pleased that Lorenzo did not reject the slave. Looking back at the monitor, he was pleased to see tears coursing down the woman's cheeks, as the dog continued fucking her. The woman's arousal was evident by her actions, which added to her humiliation. As the blond woman caressed Lorenzo's cock, he saw that her left hand was missing the two outer fingers. He sighed, as he found her caresses very stimulating. His attention was drawn back to the monitor. The images changed, as it scanned from one location to another every few minutes, showing different women engaged in sexual activity. Lorenzo thought some of the faces looked familiar, but the view never lasted long enough to be sure. Seeing all the sexual activity added to the arousal from the blond's mouth caressing his cock. The blond stopped him from coming several times before letting him finish. Lorenzo felt dizzy afterwards from coming so hard. He gently caressed the blond's head as she licked him clean. "Thank you," said Lorenzo. "You were very good." His comment caused the blond to almost smile. The blond then began to help Lorenzo straighten his clothes. Once she was done, she returned to her kneeling position and looked over at Johara. The blond sat very quietly on her spread legs, leaning slightly back with her hands on her thighs. "Akil, you honor me by having this beautiful slave tend to me." "My friend, she is yours," said Akil. "If you wish, she can leave with you. All of her papers are in order. Johara will provide you with her controller and acquaint you with how it works." "This is too much." "Think nothing of it. Your assistance in this venture is worth many times her value. She will do anything for you without question. If you have a problem with her, return her so we can correct it." Lorenzo watched a brief flicker of the blond's eyes, when Akil made his remark. "I don't know what to say, except thank you. I will need to tell Sergio of this." "I sent him a message telling him about this present to you, along with thanks for all that your organization has done for us." "Thank you again." "Lorenzo, I know you must be going and there are still details needing my attention to get the auction back on track. Johara will take care of you now, if that is okay?" "Yes, that will be fine. Akil, it was good to see you. We will need to get together after the auction. The GISS agents activity concerns me, as we don't know very much about them and it is a distraction from our agreement." "Yes. After the auction, we will have a celebration. Don't worry about GISS infidels, we will take care of them. You saw the reports from the brothels and clubs regarding their purchases." "Yes. Each of them were quite pleased with their purchases and even more pleased with the suggestions you made regarding monitoring their performance." Akil stood and watched the three leave. When they closed the door, his expression turned into a broad grin. He had succeeded in placing his agent in The Organization. He had sometimes wondered why he had pulled the blond bitch out of the queue for the auction. Even now, he wasn't quite sure why he had picked her, but he had monitored her from the day she arrived. He had waited until after she had completed slut conditioning before beginning her special training to make her their agent. It had taken him many hours of conditioning to bond her to him as an agent and not effect her sexual addiction or slut conditioning. With Lorenzo's acceptance of the gift, he now had a spy in Lorenzo's organization, if the special conditioning worked. If it didn't, he would kill her using the implant and try something else. He smiled, realizing that this opportunity alone added value to the auction delay in spite of the $100,000 she may have brought at auction. He wouldn't know her value as a spy for certain until he activated her, and he needed to be patient until the time arrived. Once activated he would need to be careful in how he used her or he would be fish bait before he knew it. Johara led Lorenzo and the blond to another room. There, she placed a wide gold band around the blond's neck pushing the ends together until it clicked then using a special key she locked it closed. Johara then showed Lorenzo how the butt plug was removed and inserted. She watched as the blond bent over pulling her ass cheeks apart, so Lorenzo could remove and then insert the butt plug. He was told to replace the butt plug daily until all but the last two butt plugs had been used. The last two butt plugs were to be used on alternate days so his slave could clean the unused one. The only time she could have it out was to go to the bathroom and that had to be in his presence. She told Lorenzo that the remote had two purposes. One was punishment, as it would give his slave a painful shock from her collar that would continue as long as the button was pressed. The intensity would increase with the length of time pressed. The second button would release a poison from the butt plug that would bring about paralysis then death after several days. "What would keep her from calling for assistance?" said Lorenzo puzzled. "Her vocal chords were cut." Lorenzo was shocked at the answer, but did not react. "You can pick one of these burkas for her to wear." Lorenzo picked out a light blue one and watched as the blond disappeared underneath, leaving little indication of what she looked like. They arrived at the waiting SUV, just as a package was put into the rear. Lorenzo looked questioningly at Johara and said, "Those are the supply of butt plugs for your slave." Lorenzo stepped into the SUV and the blond quickly followed him. As soon as the door closed, the SUV began moving. Looking at the woman in blue burka, Lorenzo said, "You will be addressed as Amber." She nodded slightly. "We will be traveling by boat back to Sicily. During the trip, you will be at my side the whole time. Understood?" The woman nodded again. Lorenzo turned to look out the windows, fully aware that the woman was watching only him. After a short drive, the SUV drove out on to a boat dock and stopped next to a large yacht. Lorenzo got out and called to one of the ships crew to come get a package. Meanwhile, Amber got out and stood behind but near Lorenzo. Lorenzo watched as the SUV departed, before boarding the ship with Amber following him. Once they were on board, the crew began making preparations to depart. "Captain, what about Immigration?" "Sir, they were here just before you arrived and told us we were clear to depart at our convenience." "Very well. Have that box put in my cabin. We are going forward to the top deck. Page me when Sergio calls." "Aye, aye." They had just walked out on the deck when Lorenzo turned to speak to Amber, causing her to cover his mouth with her hands. When she pulled them away, she shook her head no. Lorenzo looked at her with a puzzled expression. She looked around the deck, before lifting up the burka to show him a small transmitter in the hem. His face turned red at the implied insult. She shook her head no and motioned for writing paper. When he handed her a paper and pen, she wrote "Tracker and possibly voice transmitter. There is one in all the burkas. Some also have separate transmitters in the head piece, but not in this one. It would be better to wait until after we are out to sea before talking." He wrote, "Okay." Then he wrote, "Trust, me?" She replied by mouthing her words, "You? Yes, absolutely." "Once we are out of the harbor, we will get you some other clothes." They sat in the shade, watching the other traffic around them as the ship headed straight out to sea. Lorenzo smiled as he realized the Captain knew him well. The ship would not turn until Tangier was well below the horizon. It was an hour later when Lorenzo said, "Let's go below." He led the way down below. In the first cabin, he had her remove the burka, which he placed in a metal box and then sealed it. In the next cabin, he showed her a closet containing women's clothes. He told her to pick out a swimming suit, shorts, blouses, robes and dresses for two days. He watched as she picked through the clothes for something that would fit and look good. Lorenzo was surprised when she was quickly done. She held up two pairs of high heel sandals and gave him a questioning look. "Sure. You can't wear heels on the ship." She nodded that she understood. He watched as she slipped on a robe and picked up the clothes indicating she was ready. They went to his cabin, where he showed her where to place her things. He then showed her around the cabin and how the different items worked. Once that was done, he gave her a tour of the ship. As they passed each crewman, Lorenzo introduced Amber. She drew many second looks when she passed, especially when the sun was behind her as her light robe hid very little. "Let's go to my office. I will have the crew bring us a drink with a snack," said Lorenzo. They had just sat down in Lorenzo's office when a crewman arrived with refreshments. Amber started to sit on the floor at his feet, when he said, "No, sit in the chair. We need to talk, which will be interesting since only I can speak." She almost smiled causing her eyes to sparkle a bit. "Today was a surprise. You will be my companion, rather than take the status of a slave or servant. It will reflect much better on you, and you will be accepted more readily by others. Understand?" She nodded, smiling, with her eyes twinkling. "Your missing fingers may raise questions, but we will deal with that when they arise." "Now, let's eat and relax. Sergio will be calling in a few moments, and I need to think about what to tell him. I saw somethings today that concern me." She held up her thumbs, indicating good, and smiled. "So, I should be concerned?" She vigorously nodded yes. "It would be so nice if you could talk." She made a facial expression that she agreed. He picked up a pad of paper, and began to sketch out the points he needed to cover with Sergio. It was going to be a difficult phone conversation, as the potential for listeners was to great. They had first entered into this operation to make use of the property in Tangier and their smuggling resources. The fact that it provided quality sluts for the brothels their associates operated was another plus. Neither of them were comfortable with how the people for the auction were being obtained. Dealing with the drug lords was dangerous and unpredictable. He realized now that they needed to end their involvement with these people, or at least limit it. Especially since the group wants them to be more involved and thus more exposed. It would be so much easier if he could meet Sergio face to face, and wondered if he was planning on going out on his boat this week. If he sailed this way, we could meet late tomorrow night, or early the next day if we hurried. That would be two days before the auction. Hm ... why do I think the auction date is critical? He looked back at his notes, then glanced over at Amber to see her smiling. "What a babe," thought Lorenzo as the phone rang. "Hello." "How was fishing," asked Sergio, inquiring about Lorenzo's meeting. "Sergio, it is so good to hear your voice. The fishing was excellent. We were right about fishing in this area, but it doesn't look to be very stable." "How is your new secretary?" "She is fantastic. It is too bad she is mute, but she is a stunner. I am sure you will like her. It is really relaxing out here on the sea. So quiet. It is to bad you aren't here so we could talk about old times. Say, she just brought me an urgent message. Oh my, I see that it needs immediate attention. Can we talk later today?" "How about in the morning, say half of eight?" "Okay first thing in the morning then." Lorenzo hung up the satellite phone. He then picked up the ship's phone and called the captain to tell him the area where they were to meet Sergio's boat. Lorenzo wondered how many times their anticipation of events had enabled them to be prepared. The Organization knew getting involved with the group in Tangier was very risky. Once their members had bought the first women, they were enthused as the women performed very well in their brothels and caused few problems. They needed some way to extricate them from the business with the group in Tangier and their Council. It was going to be tough because of all the political implications. Lorenzo thought back to the images he saw on the screen in Akil's office. Each view had only showed a few people involved sexually with each other. He knew from a previous walk-through that the conditioning area was one big room with a lot of dividers. If they were recording the women's activities, the recordings could easily be turned into porn videos and sold on the Internet. That would add a nice chunk of change, but if that was done with the recordings from the brothels, it would cause a lot of problems. I wonder what the brothels are doing with their recordings. Lorenzo jumped when he felt the hands on his shoulders and then realized Amber was massaging his shoulders. It felt very good. Amber slowly worked the knots out of his tense muscles. After a few moments, she took a pen and wrote, "Let's go where you can lay down and then I can give you a better massage." Lorenzo simply stood and led her toward their cabin. ------- Chapter 127 Marsha watched the group gather in the conference room on An Clochán. This was first time she had been with them since they had returned from their operational exercises, two clock cycles ago. She could sense a change in them, but wasn't quite sure what it was. She felt very nervous, and a little embarrassed by the situation that caused her to ask for this meeting. Ursala was on Comrie, working with GISS's staff trying to organize the information on the disappearances of many of their agents. The information lacked so many key details, it was hard to organize. Marsha felt like everything was about to explode, destroying what their clan had created from Rusty and Sarah's original idea. Nearly two years ago, her clan had shifted their focus away from GISS operations to Dóchas Group and An Clochán as they would leave with the Órarduine. Since Ursala, John and her had become aware of GISS's problem, she wondered whether setting up GISS to continue operations after they left was a good idea. "Good morning," said Marsha seeing everyone was there. "The reason we are here is that GISS has experienced a noticeable loss in agents over at least the last two months and probably longer. They are in desperate need of help to resolve this. That is why I have asked the Intelligence Departments from all three ships to this meeting. In addition there are several security teams here, as we expect their spook talents will be needed." Several chuckled when she mentioned spooks. "Gosh, Marsha," said Clancy, in a booming Irish brogue, "just how deep is this hole? We have enough talent in this room to make all the governments of Earth nervous." Laughter rolled across the room. When Marsha stopped laughing, she said, "Clancy, we don't know. There are a lot of bits that don't seem to fit together. We hope you can give us some ideas or insight on how to solve the riddles." Marsha went over the information they had on the missing GISS agents and how it had impacted business. Marsha then told of Lorelei and Ted, the Grandview TV station announcers, suddenly taking a vacation some three weeks ago. While everyone was surprised by the sudden vacation, no one was concerned until the Grandview TV station received the ransom note demanding $25 million. From the ransom note, it appears that they were kidnapped for publicly supporting the Órarduine and hosting the Órarduine special. Lorelei and Ted's vacation started shortly after that special was aired. No one has seen them except for the video accompanying the ransom note. The six GISS agents were not mentioned in the ransom note. No one has spoken to any of them. The ransom note was sent by the Council of Brothers. They threatened to behead them if the ransom was not paid. About the time the TV station received the ransom note, 4 GISS agents disappeared in Tangiers. The group consisted of a male and three females. They had gone to check out the waterfront. A scout ship dropped them off in the waterfront area. They have not been heard from since. It isn't clear from their notes as to what prompted them to suddenly visit the Tangiers waterfront. Another recent event is the appearance of several large ships near Comrie. Two ships have visited nearby uninhabited islands. At each island, a group went ashore for several days. The ships appear to be privately owned, and each is registered in a different country. "That sums up what we know, without getting into specific details. We have 60 agents that we can't locate. All of the GISS agents that can be found were called back to Comrie. All of the personal protection contracts were farmed out to other organizations. Shortly after it was clear that we were losing agents, new contract inquiries dried up. Several clients were called that had pending contracts. We were only able talk to one client and they were evasive about the contract's status. I really can't blame them." "Marsha," asked Todd, "where did the disappearances take place? How many each time?" "Four in Tangiers, multiple locations in North America, two in England and two in France. The disappearances were of pairs, except for Grandview and Tangiers. Our agents work in pairs and they usually room together." "All of your agents are former military, right?" "Yes." "Did those who disappeared serve in Spec Ops or Afghanistan?" "Most of them." "You indicated this had been going on for more than two months. Do you know when it started?" "Not really. We never had an agent leave us until about 10 months ago. Many of our agents are free lancers and worked for us when needed, which makes it a little hard to set a time when it began." "Marsha," said Cathan, "I propose we link as a group, to do a dream-walk." Several in the room frowned. "Yes, I know this group hasn't done it before. Most, if not all of us, have done it as a clan. Many of us feel like we need to move as rapidly as possible. A dream-walk seems like the best way to gather the information quickly. Listening to Marsha's summary, we should conclude that a terrorist group is out to destroy GISS. The ransom demand indicates they also want to destroy the Grandview news operations. It isn't clear what the motive would be, except that terrorists don't always have a rational motive." "Cathan," said Eric, "some of the terrorist support groups may have realized that it was the Órarduine who supported the TTC on that outing in Afghanistan. We know several governmental intelligence groups are aware that the TTC unit had outside assistance. Each of them feel that we are the only ones capable of the reported support." "Most of you are aware of the dream-walks some of us have taken," said Cathan. "By joining together as a single entity, we should be able to go to the site of each incident. Once at a site, we can look for clues. We don't want to spend any more time than necessary at a site. If there are people there, we should try to examine their thoughts." Just as Cathan finished, Aine and Creidne appeared alongside Marsha, startling her. "Cathan, your idea is excellent, but we think a more prudent approach would be for each clan to do it as a separate dream-walk. Each clan could then focus on just that one location. This way others can be available to aid any who have difficulty. Each of you need to watch your energy reserves and not over-extend your dream-walk, since a dream-walk consumes a lot of energy." "As soon as all of you return to your ships," said Rusty, "we will move into Earth orbit. This will reduce your energy requirements. For those living at An Clochán, please join us on Dóchas." "Thanks, Aine and Creidne," said Cathan. As everyone started to leave for the ships, Cathan walked over to Aine and Creidne, and gave them a hug before asking, "Creidne, was my error in committing everyone to the single effort?" "Mostly. Very few of the clans have used dream-walk to reach an unfamiliar object or location. These locations are quite a distance from each other, so this would add to the length of the dream-walks. You didn't really commit everyone, but just those here. If you had needed support then more family members would have had to step in. In doing that, a ship's manpower could be drawn down until they were critically undermanned. There are times to do that, but I don't think this warrants that risk." "Oh my, that could have been a major disaster." "I think some of your security teams would have suggested dividing up, before you had committed yourselves. We weren't certain that they were familiar enough with the limits of dream-walks to mention the problem so we interceded. If it had only been one of those critical issues, we probably would not have interrupted, just closely monitored the effort." "Thank you, again," said Cathan, as she entered the shuttle with her group. With everyone on the three Dóchas ships, they departed for the short ride to Earth orbit. "Dream-walkers," said Sarah, once the three cloaked ships were positioned in Earth orbit, "in a moment you will see your clan's assignment for your dream-walk, along with the available background information. Remember, in a dream-walk, you are only an observer. You do have the ability to cause a person to relive a memory. Be careful in how you use it. If the person is telepathically sensitive, you could receive some unwanted attention." "Once you have completed surveying the assigned location, return. Don't take any longer than necessary. When you return, immediately go over what you saw among your clan, and share it with the Intelligence AIs. Now that you have your assignments, good luck." Marsha looked around apprehensively at the apparently dozing Órarduine, wondering what she should do. Shannon and Saoria stepped up to Marsha and put an arm around her. "Marsha," said Saoria, "relax. Our dream-walkers are doing fine." It was an hour before all the dream-walks had completed and the groups were satisfied with their results. Shannon told everyone to relax, while they returned to Mars orbit so they could use the conference center at An Clochán. In the meantime, the AIs would begin organizing the data and looking for patterns. It was after lunch when they sat down to go over the results of the dream-walks. "Good afternoon," said Shannon. "As many of you know, the AIs have begun trying to put the puzzle together. There are a couple of things that need to be done on Earth this evening. Four security teams will go to the homes of four different GISS teams that disappeared. These are locations where neighbors saw two large trunks being placed in a truck about the time of the disappearances. Entrance to the buildings will be done by bots, because there is a strong possibility that a gaseous drug was used to subdue the victims. Where did that conclusion come from? In the dream-walks, there was no sign of a struggle at any location." "Back to the trunks for a moment," said Lydia. "One neighbor noticed that the people moving the trunks had on white uniforms, and thought the sign on the truck said something about medical supplies." "Didn't BEN Cruises ship people in padded crates?" said Cathal. "Yes. Those crates would be difficult to get through the door of a typical home or apartment. However, a trunk could be placed in a crate later. This could be either on the truck or at a transfer point. Once the trunk was sealed, no one would know the contents." "Good point, Cathal." "If we presume the method of capture is correct, then we need to figure out where they went. Crates of medical supplies are not uncommon. If they are marked perishable, they tend to move rapidly through the freight system, so an air shipment seems likely." "Why not try to work it from the freight companies outward?" "What do you have in mind," replied Lydia. "Well, let's look for a location that handles air freighting of medical supplies in large crates. We know the approximate crate size. We could look at both incoming and outgoing shipments. We know the big cities close to where the disappearances took place. Outbound, I would think we should look for destinations that don't appear appropriate." "Think big," said Anessa. "My sense is that the GISS disappearances are only a small part of this activity. 100 crates of slaves a month to one location would result in a pretty big pile of cash, without much overhead cost." "The Tangier site receives a lot of medical supplies," said the Dóchas Intelligence AI. "The other thing we noted in the dream-walk results, was that the people in Tangiers seemed to be aware of the dream-walkers presence." "That is interesting," replied Calvin. "Was that true for those we thought were spotters?" "Yes." "We need more information on that warehouse." The discussion continued for a couple of hours before Shannon gave out the assignments for follow up. It would be a busy evening. ------- On a ship heading into the Mediterranean Sea, Amber looked at Lorenzo's face as he rested peacefully. The last day had been the most relaxing time she had had in a very long time. During her time as Akil's slave, she had felt like she was always walking on 'egg shells'. Akil had an explosive temper, though fortunately he had only directed it at her once. She felt she was lucky, as it only cost her her voice. Now, for the first time in a long time, she felt like she might live. She wasn't sure how long she had been held in the warehouse, but it seemed like an eternity, in both time and pain. She had encouraged Lorenzo to let her lie on him when they had completed their most recent round of sexually pleasuring each other. They had been intimate with each other several times since they had arrived on the boat. Both of them instinctively knew their time together would not last forever, and wanted to make the most of it. Amber knew that if he ever needed her, she would be there for him. Remembering the two who had befriended her at the warehouse caused a tear to form in her eye. She often dreamed of them. Now it was time for her to act on the promises they had made. She felt an urgency to make the attempt now. "Lorenzo, we must talk," said Amber, pushing her thoughts to him. She watched his eyes snap open, as he was lightly sleeping. When he opened his mouth to speak, she covered his lips with hers. "Do not speak out loud. Just look into my eyes and you will know." Amber broke their kiss, and pulled back so Lorenzo could see her eyes. "What the hell?" thought Lorenzo, as he looked into Amber's eyes. "Lorenzo, it is me sending my thoughts directly to you," said Amber, as she mouthed the words. "I need you to make a call for me on your satellite phone, since I have no voice." Lorenzo frowned. "I know it is a lot to ask and there is not enough time to fully explain. I promised two very dear friends that I would send a message for them as soon as I could. What I learned in the last few days as Akil's slave has given me an added sense of urgency to send the message. It could mean the difference for many of us between living free and dying as slaves." "So, Akil plans to double-cross us." "Yes, but not directly. The ones he refers to as the Council have plans underway to create civil unrest and economic chaos in much of the world, one area at a time. North America and Europe will be the first targets, since that will unsettle the rest of the world. Those areas they cannot dominate, they will destroy." Lorenzo starred at Amber for a long time, as he considered both the risks and recent events. "Lorenzo, I have not looked at your thoughts, other than for this conversation. I am not skilled at using telepathy for that, so I must be very careful when communicating this way. If I could speak, I would not involve you in this, except to ask to use your phone." "What the hell, you only live once," said Lorenzo, with a smile. "What is the number?" "First, we will need our coordinates." "You expect someone to come." "I don't know, but she told me it would be best if I knew them before I called." "Okay." Lorenzo called the Captain for their coordinates. Amber smiled as she heard the information being given to Lorenzo. While Lorenzo was talking to the Captain, Amber had begun entering the phone number into the satellite phone. When Lorenzo finished his call, Amber pressed the send button and handed him the phone. "When the phone picks up, there will be a series of numbers to enter. I will give them to you as you need them. When someone comes on the line, I will provide the information as needed. Okay." Lorenzo nodded while thinking, "This is crazy." "Yes, it is crazy," replied Amber, causing Lorenzo to smile. Their call was answered with a terse, "Enter code now." Amber provided the information to enter. "Code valid." "Enter id." Amber through Lorenzo entered the information. "Id accepted. Request?" Again they entered the information. "Position not known. Enter coordinates." Again they entered the information. "Coordinates accepted. Please hold." "Good evening," said Marsha. "We are having trouble with the information you gave us. Who am I speaking to?" "My name is Lorenzo. I speaking on behalf of a young woman whose vocal chords have been damaged. She asked me to call, as she has an urgent message to pass on. When you are ready, I will convey the message to you." "First, are you on the 200 meter yacht at the coordinates you gave?" "Yes. The boat is owned by my organization, and the Captain reports to me," replied Lorenzo, with considerable firmness. "We would like to receive the woman's message in person. May we board your ship?" "In the middle of the ocean? Lady, you have to be kidding me!" "Yes, and I am not kidding," replied Marsha, very firmly. "Please advise your Captain of our arrival, so no one gets hurt." "You're serious?" replied Lorenzo, as he looked at Amber, who was nodding and smiling. "Absolutely. We will arrive in 10 minutes. Tell Amber she will know when we are ready to board." On Dóchas, Marsha looked around at the others with her in the Intelligence Department. The events of the last few minutes had her off-balance. The ids she received and the request were the equivalent of an "officer down" call from two agents who had been missing for a long time. Even though it was only seconds, it seemed like hours before Marsha took a deep breath, and said to the group watching her, "The three shuttles headed to the Tangiers warehouse are to meet this ship first. Judy, Aoife, Tara, an EMT and autodoc need to go, as well. Cathal, your clan will take the lead." "We're leaving," said Cathal, as his clan hurried toward the door. They were followed by Christina and Vanessa's Clans. "Clancy, Calvin, why don't you get your suits and come along." As soon as the group entered the hall, they started jogging toward the hanger. "Cathal," said Aoife, "we are waiting in the hanger." "Alana's clan," said FOC, "use Alpha02. Christina's clan to Alpha03. Vanessa's clan to Alpha04." Just as the three clans entered their shuttles, Dóchas chimes began to signal a change in Dóchas's readiness state. Judy, Aoife, Tara, and an EMT were already waiting in Alpha02, wearing their tactical suits, when Alana's clan entered the shuttle. As soon as the last person entered their shuttle, the shuttle door closed in preparation for departure. Everyone began pulling on their tactical suits. "Well, it looks like we have a large group on this outing," said Judy, breaking the tension a little. "While we are making our way to the yacht, we need to establish a connection between our groups. We know you have done it in exercises, but this time it will be for real." Alpha02 and Alpha03 pulled alongside the yacht, with Alpha04 trailing. There were only a few dim lights on the deck of the yacht marking passageways. Aoife reached out to Amber, saying, "Amber, we are here. Are you ready?" Lorenzo saw Amber's eyes flicker in the dim light, as she squeezed his arm. He nodded his agreement to her, and said, "Captain, our guests are here." "We are ready," replied Amber to Aoife. As soon as Amber spoke, a lighted circle appeared over the ocean, right next to the starboard side of the yacht's upper deck. This was soon followed by the appearance of a small ramp which extended from the lighted circle to just above the deck. As soon as everything appeared, Tara led the group off of Alpha02. "Mr. Lorenzo, I presume," said Tara, as she stepped onto the deck. Lorenzo had a very surprised look on his face as he looked up at the very tall woman. "Just Lorenzo, please." "Lorenzo it is good to meet you. My name is Tara." With that she introduced the others with her as Lorenzo shook their hands. He was a little surprised as each woman shook with both hands, as it had a special meaning among his circle and was not lightly done. "This is Amber," said Lorenzo, turning to Amber. He was surprised to see the expression on her face. "It is you!" exclaimed Amber, as she tightly hugged Tara. "Yes, it is us. Relax." Tears filled Amber's eyes and rolled down her cheeks, as she tightly hugged Aoife, Tara and then Judy. She turned to others, and immediately went to give them hugs as well. By the time she had greeted everyone, her tears had nearly dried. "I see your two friends showed you how to use your telepathic ability," said Judy. Amber nodded, then said, "I don't feel that I am very skilled in using it beyond just sharing thoughts." "We want the autodoc to check you over, but first we need to remove the butt plug and the collar." Amber simply turned her back to Lorenzo and bent over, pulling her ass cheeks apart and exposing the handle of the butt plug. He very carefully felt his way around the handle until the position felt right. Squeezing the handle as Johara showed him, he pulled it out. Lorenzo looked, around wondering what to do with the device, when Bev said, "I'll take it." Taking it, she tossed it out over the ocean toward the stern of the ship. Just as the device was about to hit the water, it was destroyed by a flash of light from Bev's hand. Judy slid a cloth under the collar around Amber's neck. Bev then used her light saber to sever the collar. Once it was removed, Bev examined it before tossing it overboard. Cathal used his laser pistol to destroy it before it fell into the ocean. "Who are you," said Lorenzo, looking at Bev. "My name is Bev, Lorenzo. I am a member of Alana's Clan. I think the answer you wanted is a bit more general. We are from the space ships near Mars." "Okay. Now some of this evening's events are a bit clearer." "Once we have checked Amber's health," said Tara, "we want to hear the information she has to share with us. After that, we will have time to share some of the background on this." "Lorenzo, who becomes the head of your organization if Sergio dies?" Lorenzo looked at Aoife with a shocked expression, then said, "Most likely, it would be me. But I would not want to see that." "Christina, take your shuttle and locate Sergio's ship." "Roger." "Who is Christina? Why is she locating Sergio's ship?" said Lorenzo, clearly puzzled. "Christina is a member of Christina's Clan and she was on the third aircraft we brought. We are locating Sergio's ship, since we think your friend in Tangier would like you to head your organization very soon." "How do you know where it is, or what it looks like?" "From your Captain's map, on the bridge." Lorenzo looked toward Amber and Judy, to see Amber lying on a table. He then realized he had lost his connection with her, and frowned. Aoife saw his reaction and said, "Lorenzo, Judy is working with her. You can't sense her because she is in a very deep sleep. Judy and the EMT will need about half an hour to finish. So, would you like to tell me about your relationship with the Council of Brothers?" "How do you know we have one?" "She is here." replied Aoife, pointing at Amber. "Apparently given to you by them. You were at their Tangiers warehouse yesterday. So, are you buying women from them?" "No. Some of the Organization's members are customers of the auction. We don't know a great deal about their organization. After my last trip there, I have many concerns about what they are doing. Those concerns continue to grow. We own the warehouse, and they use our services to transport the women. Some of the Organization's members buy the women's contracts at the auction, and send them to work in their classier brothels." "You know those contracts are bogus." "We suspected as much. I know you don't agree with involuntary slavery, and it is not a business we seek involvement." "So you're aware of us, yet you placed the call for Amber?" "Yes. She made a promise to contact you for her friends. It was really more than a promise, and she was willing to risk dying to make the attempt. I am very impressed by her character and her strength." "You find women as equals a little disconcerting." "Yes." He looked at Aoife and smiled. "I have never considered the possibility that women could be equals. Probably because of my environment and its social structure. From what I have seen of the group with you, it is obvious that they can be. I suspect it has to be nurtured from the beginning." "Yes. It is really a question of letting everyone fully contribute, based on their strengths, both physically and mentally. In some cultures, it seems physical appearance takes precedence over ability. Human men also seem to have a preference for women who are shorter in stature." Aoife, Tara and Lorenzo chatted, while they waited for Judy to finish with Amber. The members of Alana's Clan watched and waited. It was exactly a half hour later that Judy stepped away from Amber, to hand Bev another small device. Bev and Cathal examined it before tossing it in the ocean. Meanwhile, Amber began to stir. Her movements grabbed the attention of those around her. Lorenzo smiled, as he began to feel his connection with her grow. "Lorenzo, where is the box Johara gave you?" said Amber. "It is in our cabin, why?" "We need to destroy it. Those devices contain transmitters that could be used to locate and monitor us." "Lorenzo, could I see them?" said Calvin. Lorenzo got up, saying, "Sure come with me." They were soon back with Calvin carrying the box. He placed the box on the deck, before pulling one out. After looking it over, he said, "If I understood the information correctly, these just need to be inserted and they are active." "Yes. Why?" "I thought we would take them back and put them where they belong." It was quiet for a moment, until everyone began to laugh at the implications. Calvin then took them aboard the shuttle, after placing them inside a metal box Bev held for him. "Amber, are you ready to share what you know?" said Tara. "Yes. Lorenzo, you will be able to see it, as well. I suspect some of it will make you angry, as it should. A friend once told me that revenge is best served cold." "I will do my best, as I suspect my anger could cause problems with sharing the information." "Very perceptive," said Tara. "Amber, we would like you to think back to your first memory after being captured," said Aoife. "First, I want to sit on Lorenzo's lap, with Aoife on one side and Tara on the other." Aoife looked at Judy then Tara, and smiled. It was another indication that Amber's information had really come from the two GISS agents. It took several hours for them to gather all of Amber's information. They spent more time reviewing the information, clarifying critical details. Based upon what they learned, they were fairly certain some of the people working for Akil were telepathically sensitive. All of the data was transferred to Dóchas group's Intelligence AIs. "Lorenzo, why don't you call Sergio?" said Amber. "I think he should come here." "What am I supposed to tell him? It was hard enough for me to accept all of this." "Just tell him you have some friends in high places." Amber's straight-faced response caused the group to begin laughing. "Lorenzo, he has good instincts, right?" said Aoife. Lorenzo nodded his agreement. "Tell him to go to the aft deck, and wait. Someone will be there to pick him up, but he must follow his instincts." Lorenzo picked up the satellite phone they had used earlier, and dialed Sergio. The phone rang a few times before it was picked up, and a sleepy voice said, "Hello." "Sergio?" "Who do you think?" grumbled the voice. "It is most important for you to join me now." "What?" "Yes. It is very important," said Lorenzo, in a no nonsense tone of voice. "Go to the top aft deck. Someone will pick you up there, just follow your instincts like we have before. Remember that time." "Yes. This better be worth it, or you will be on my list." "It is," replied Lorenzo, and hung up the phone. "Lorenzo, Christina's ship is position to pick him up as soon as he steps on to the deck." "You think a lot of him, don't you?" said Amber. "Yes. Until you, he is the only person I would trust with my back. This Akil is a slime ball, but there was no getting around dealing with him or his organization. The auction thing, we would be very happy if it was not around. As long as it is there, we need to be involved, even though we don't like it. We recently had indications that they are using drug dealers in North America to obtain the women. With what Amber has told us, I am now certain that they are abducting the women." "Amber, what did you do before you were abducted?" asked Bev. "Lorenzo, I overlooked telling you earlier, but thanks for my new name. I really like it." Lorenzo smiled and gave her a kiss. "I worked for the US Embassy, as a language specialist. I had just been transferred to Ecuador, and was staying in a hotel, as the space in the Embassy compound was full. I was abducted on my second night there. The last thing I remember of that evening was entering my room after dinner. My next memories are foggy and vague. I felt like I was being lifted out of a box by my wrists. I remember being naked. When I was lowered so my feet touched the floor, hands began groping me, and comments were made about how desirable I looked, in Spanish. Someone hollered something, and the groping stopped. My ass cheeks were pulled apart, and the butt plug was shoved in my ass. It hurt, and I screamed from the pain and shock. A Spanish speaking woman came up behind me, and told the men if they groped another piece of merchandise without specific instructions they were gone. She said, "The rag-heads are very picky." That is all I remember before waking up in the warehouse." "When I woke up in the warehouse, I found myself restrained, kneeling with my legs spread wide enough that my hips ached. My wrists were fastened to a bar, so I was essentially leaning forward. Kind of like on my hands and knees, but not quite. It was there they began conditioning me to be a sexually-addicted slut. Their conditioning was very effective, and I just accepted it. By the end of the month, I was an addicted slut, who would have anxiety attacks if I went for more than an hour without some sexual stimulation. During this whole time, I was fully aware of my surroundings, and accepted what was going to happen after the conditioning was complete. The auction had started when Akil came and pulled me out of the queue." "After the auction, he began conditioning me to be an informer for him, while ensuring my sexual addiction was not affected. It was during this time that I met the two people I carried the message for. Akil wanted me to befriend them, hoping to get more information. It gave them an opportunity to transfer their information to me telepathically. Akil nearly caught us once when we were intensely involved. It was then I suspected he was telepathically sensitive, but not capable. He became more and more suspicious of us, until one day he blew up. He made me watch as he had several donkeys rape both women. He let them bleed to death. Somehow I managed to show little emotion. It was so hard." Tears rolled down Amber's cheeks, as she remembered her friends. "After they died, he took me up to the medical area. I was so scared. He shoved me down on a table and tied me to it. I couldn't move at all. He locked my mouth open with a jaw spreader. He had one of the techs bring over a long slim rod with a hook on it. The tech placed a mirror in front of me, so I could see. Akil then slid the rod down my throat. I then felt a bit of pain. When he pulled the rod out, their was a small piece of tissue on it and some blood. I didn't realize what he had done until they let me up. He asked me a question. When I went to answer, I found I couldn't make a sound, and my throat hurt when I tried. The next day, Akil acted as if nothing happened. He used me as a visitors companion several times, then, after they left, he would pump me for information. In some cases, he was testing me. Other times, he was really interested in what I learned. Going back a bit, it was after he killed the two women that I began to realize that I could sometimes hear his thoughts. I also learned to shield mine whenever he or several others were around. I am fairly certain that they couldn't hear my thoughts, but it was like they could sense something." Lorenzo hugged Amber. "Do you feel better now?" said Judy. Amber looked thoughtful for a moment, before responding with, "Yes. Thanks for indulging me and listening to my ordeal. What now?" "We want you to remain on this ship with Lorenzo until we have emptied the warehouse," said Tara. "After that, we suggest you join us at Comrie, with the others we will rescue. From there, the choice is yours. Lorenzo, you are welcome to come with us as well, however you will need to change your line of work." "I will need to think about it. For me, there are a lot of implications that I need to consider." "Oh, I just remembered, and I don't think it came up before. Johara hates Akil. She hides it very well. She will kill him when she thinks it will do the most damage to the Council." "So, we should make sure to get her out, as well." "You will need to do that at the beginning, but I would not stop her from releasing her hate." When Sergio arrived, his first words were, "You son of a bitch. That was the scariest thing I have ever done." Sergio hugged Lorenzo, then stood back. "If you had told me what was going to happen, I would have been rolling on the floor laughing, and when I recovered I would of had you committed." "I can't imagine it being that scary, besides, I knew you trusted me. Let me introduce you to some new and very unique friends." With that, Lorenzo introduced Sergio to the group on his ship, leaving Amber for last. As Sergio was introduced to each Órarduine, his face conveyed his amazement at the people he was meeting. When Lorenzo introduced Amber, he said, "Sergio, we were blessed yesterday when Akil gave Amber to me. If it wasn't for her, we would be well on our way to a disaster." Sergio had a look of disbelief on his face, but shook Amber's hand. "Amber can't speak, because Akil cut her vocal chords while she watched. Tara, would you tell him what you have gathered concerning Akil's operation?" Tara then explained what they had determined about Akil and the Council of Brothers. She related how they were paying North American drug dealers with heroin from Afghanistan to abduct women in North America. While the abducted women were nearly all very desirable, some women were targeted because their families were well known. Akil's group planned on using the women's activities in the brothels to destroy the character of many political, religious and business leaders. Akil's group was preparing to distribute photos and films of the women with their clients. They felt this would effectively destroy the country's leadership. Along with this, they would initiate some health and economic disasters, to create civil unrest and chaos. She closed by telling him why they were involved and what was behind it. Sergio sat for a long time with a thoughtful look on his face, but his eyes were dark and cloudy. The only sign of his anger was his white knuckles gripping the arms of the chair. Finally, he said, "Fucking unbelievable. We never really trusted them, but this is ... unbelievable. You have a plan. What is it? How can we help?" "Do you know which brothels your associates sent the women they purchased to?" "Not really. We know where the high-class brothels are. I can find out which ones tomorrow." "That should work," replied Tara. "Our plan is to extract all the women from the warehouse and then destroy the warehouse. We will pick up those held at their camp, and totally eliminate the camp. In the same time, we will attempt to recover any captives on their way to the warehouse. Our last step will be to extract any captives we can find from the brothels, clubs or private locations. We will take all of them to an island in the Atlantic, where they can recover and chose their future." "If that is where I think it is," said Lorenzo, "they are planning to raid it." "There were some boats snooping around. We believe one of them was from your organization." "Yes, there is," replied Sergio. "They won't be there by tomorrow." "Tell them to stay there, but to enjoy a vacation. They will make good witnesses. The other way you can help is to take this ship back to being off the Tangier harbor, but out of sight. If both of you stay on this boat, you can disavow knowing anything about what happened." "What about the crew on my boat?" "They will see you leave on a helicopter at dawn tomorrow. Your families might want to stay out of sight for the next few days." "I will call them in the morning. I hope the phone is secure." "Ours is. Now Judy, Aoife and Tara need to go back. The EMT will stay. I am not sure which team will stay with you." "I may regret saying this," said Alana, "but we will. I know Cathal would like to be in on the action, but I think we can do more from the ship supporting Amber." "Okay, but practice," replied Aoife. "We will, after we get some rest. CIC just told me they expect the show to start tomorrow at 1400 hours Zulu." "What about the announcers?" said Tara. "The man was beheaded and gutted two days ago." replied Amber. "They plan to release a video of the beheading shortly after the ransom deadline. Lorelei was being prepared to go with the GISS captives to the training camp. However, Akil told Lorenzo he might keep her for himself." "Thanks, Lorenzo," said Aoife, as she hugged and kissed him. "Thanks, Sergio," said Aoife, as she hugged and kissed him. Judy and Tara followed Aoife in saying good-by to them. After each had hugged Amber and reassured her, they boarded Alpha03 to join Vanessa's Clan. "I need some sleep," said Lorenzo. "Come on Amber, I think tomorrow will be a long day. Sergio, your cabin is ready. Alana, your group can use any of the cabins." "Thanks. We will. If we don't have enough room, some of us will sleep on our ship. We have a security screen set up, so we need only one on watch. Can you introduce me to the Captain?" "Sure. Should we say anything about your role here?" "Just an introduction is fine." Everyone on Lorenzo's ship was soon sound asleep, with the AI in Alpha02 monitoring the surrounding area as the ship made its way back to the Tangier area. ------- Chapter 128 At 1200 hours Zulu, Alana told Sarah's Clan, "Amber has linked with Johara, and is sharing her thoughts with us. Johara plans on poisoning Akil when he fucks her, after lunch. She is using the same poison that is in the butt plugs." "Those teams are advised." "We can see the thermal inversion from here. It really has the media wound up." "It will begin to clear once we have entered the warehouse." While waiting, everyone went over the roles they would play in the upcoming effort. Those entering the Tangier warehouse were careful to focus on a warehouse at a different location as they reviewed their roles. At 1330 Zulu, Sarah's Clan said, "Warehouse, do it!" Sarah's Clan, along with Maureen's and Siobhan's Clans, monitored their security teams as they entered the Tangier warehouse. As soon as the warehouse security was in their control, the team members quickly fanned out to subdue Akil's unsuspecting staff. Two team members arrived at Akil's suite, just as Johara injected Akil with the poison. His hands were tightly clenched around her neck, as he struggled to strangle her before he was immobilized by the poison. Entering the room and seeing the struggle, a security team member took a hold of his wrists and squeezed. Akil screamed, as the bones in his wrists were crushed in the invisible hand. With Akil's hands pulled away from Johara's throat, the other team member helped Johara sit up straddling Akil. Feeling the unseen hands pull her up, Johara's eyes were wide with fright. Her eyes grew even bigger when she heard Amber's familiar voice say, "Relax, Johara. They are friends. They are there to help you. Trust your instincts." The two security team members then turned off their cloaking devices, so Johara could see them. "Sorry to scare you, but you looked like you needed assistance. Now, we need your help to get all the captives out of the building as quickly as possible. Can you do that?" "Yes. I thought I heard Amber." "You did." "Is Amber really okay?" "Yes. Come, we need to move." "You can hear our thoughts, right?" "Yes." "We need a route to the outside that all the captives can easily reach." "There is a rooftop exercise area. The only group that would have any problems getting there are those he has locked up with the dogs. There are spotters watching the whole area. Many of them are on the top floors or roofs of adjacent buildings." "Strike Group 1," said Casey, "move the captives up to the top floor exercise area. Have we gotten everyone out of the kennel yet?" "We are releasing them now and turning the dogs loose." "Remember, make sure the butt plugs are removed from all the captives before they get to the shuttles. After removing them, stuff them in any convenient staff member, then pull to activate." Vanessa, Tricia and Sandra stood by the doors leading to the exercise area, checking each person who came out to make sure they were ready to depart. When Tricia looked toward the mouth of the harbor, she could see a line of shuttles approaching. Just as Rylie began getting the captives into two lines, the first two shuttles placed their ramps on the warehouse roof. With a little urging, the captives began entering the shuttles. As they stepped through the shuttle door, each of them was handed a large drink and told to drink it. Once a shuttle was full, it lifted straight up, and was replaced by another. They had just finished loading the GISS captives, when Eric said, "Three helicopters are approaching from the city." "Copy," said Vanessa. "Security Teams are boarding now." "Building clear." "All butt plugs were activated." Just as Vanessa spoke, four shots rang out. "Snipers on rooftop, at 3 o'clock." Two more shots rang out, and were followed by a scream. "Son of a bitch. Rylie's down. Need a stretcher." Two more shots rang out, followed by another scream. "Where the fuck did they come from?" "From the roof on the right." "Can we take the bastards out? We are very exposed. Sandra's also hit, but she's moving." Louise, Casey and Sybil stepped back out on the roof, and began firing at the rooftop parapet with laser rifles. With each shot, a section of the parapet and a part of the wall collapsed, they continued firing until the edge was gone. Casey looked at the three helicopters that were hovering some distance away. His HUD didn't show any weapons on the helicopters. "Everybody is on board," said Vanessa. "Casey, Louise and Sybil, board now." The three quickly backed into the shuttles, while watching the roof tops. As soon as they were inside, the shuttles lifted off and their doors closed. "What did we miss," asked Casey. "Nothing. Our horseshoe slipped," responded Vanessa. Her flippant remark caused everyone to laugh. "CIC, we are clear," said Christina. "Rylie has a hole in her thigh. The autodoc is taking care of it now. Sandra has a flesh wound on her upper arm." "Weren't the tactical suit's shields on?" said Eric. "Yes, but they can't stop a close-in high power rifle shot," replied the shuttle's AI. "The shots were deflected. If they hadn't been, the shot that hit Rylie would have severed her spine at the waist and she would probably have died. The shot that hit Sandra would have hit her heart." "AIs, thanks," replied Eric. "I hope no one was offended." "Holy cow," said Christina, as she looked at the monitor showing the Tangier waterfront. "The buildings are gone. The four block area is bare." "The atomizer does a pretty good job, eh" said Brad. "I wonder what the news media will say about that." On the three Dóchas class ships in Earth orbit, the Command Staffs continued monitoring each of the teams as they completed their assignments. At the moment the Tangier warehouse had been secured, Súsanna and Caoilinn's security teams boldly entered the terrorist training site, at 1630 hours local time. One shuttle landed next to the building holding the GISS captives. The other landed on the opposite side. When they arrived, all of the terrorists were inside. They found the terrorist's prisoners under an open shelter. Each prisoner wore a collar which was connected by a chain to overhead cables. In one end of the shelter were two prisoners being tortured. One prisoner was hanging by his ankles. The ropes attached to his ankles ran up to the rafters on each side of the roof. A heavy weight hung from a thin rope tied around his wrists. His suspension put most of the strain on his hip joints besides cutting off the blood flow to his hands. A harness around his head kept him from opening his mouth. He appeared to have been recently whipped, as his body was covered by fresh lacerations. Blood was still oozing from the wound resulting from his emasculation. All of his wounds were covered with flies. Another prisoner was hanging in a frame, with her arms and ankles fastened to the corners. A round flat plate encircled her neck. She was partially suspended by the plate which kept her mouth tightly closed. Her face was contorted in pain from the round wood post being forced into her cunt. The post was mounted on a lever, which was counter-balanced by a box being slowly filled with sand. The increasing weight of the sand was slowly forcing the post into her cunt, as sand trickled into the box. It was clear the post would slowly push upward until her diaphragm was punctured causing her to suffocate. When Súsanna's Team saw the torture these two were suffering, the air crackled with static electricity from the team's psionic anger. They quickly controlled their anger and began releasing. They had just placed the two being tortured on their shuttle, when they were spotted by one of the terrorist. He sounded the alarm and quickly returned outside with a weapon. All the terrorist could see were four people standing near each ship. Several more terrorists rushed out behind the first, with weapons ready. As soon as each terrorist began to point his weapon, his body exploded in a red haze. After reducing the first of the terrorists to puddles of tissue and blood, Caoilinn's Team concentrated on engaging the remaining terrorists, to keep them inside the buildings. While Caoilinn's Team kept the terrorist occupied, members of Súsanna's Team worked to release and assist the captives into their shuttle. Once the captives were safely on the shuttles, most of Súsanna's Team began contributing to the firefight with the terrorists. With both teams now focused on the firefight, they began using their suit's tactical sensors to determine the enemy's position in the buildings. They used their laser rifles to poke holes in the buildings to destroy their cover. With their loss in cover, the terrorists became desperate, and began to rush them in groups, after first throwing grenades. Working closely with their suit AIs, the team members destroyed the grenades with their laser rifles almost as soon as they were thrown out of a building. Many of the terrorist were wounded when their grenades exploded near them. Once all the terrorists were down, Súsanna's Team began searching the buildings for other GISS captives, while Caoilinn's Team monitored the area. The shuttles had been on the ground for about an hour, when Caoilinn said, "It looks like reinforcements are coming." "Good timing, as we have finished searching the buildings," replied Súsanna, looking at the cloud of dust showing on the monitor. "Everyone into the shuttles. Caoilinn, let's hover over the site until they arrive." They let the four trucks get close enough that the terrorists began firing their rifles at the shuttles. At that point, the shuttles began easing back, drawing the trucks into the cluster of buildings. When the trucks reached the center of camp, a laser shot hit each truck's fuel tank. The terrorists quickly scrambled out of the burning trucks. The first few out of the trucks tripped over the wet red lumps on the ground and fell. Each quickly recovered, to kneel and moved to point their weapon at the shuttles. It was then that they realized their hands and weapons were covered in blood and tissue. Some were kneeling on the bloody remains. Screaming in anger, they all pointed their weapons at the shuttles and began firing. The firing only stopped when their weapons were empty. Their faces were a mixture of fear and anger as they looked around at the remains. The shuttles began rapidly gaining altitude as they headed west. With the shuttles clear of the camp, the final step commenced with each Dóchas ship firing an A-beam at the camp. The camp shimmered, then became a bright ball of light many times brighter than the sun. As the light grew in intensity, the air was filled with horrible screams, then suddenly it was silent, as the light vanished. Where the camp once stood, there was now only a barren desert. On board the shuttle with Súsanna's team, the former prisoners watched as the EMTs worked with the two captives who were removed from the torture devices. Despite their frantic efforts, it didn't appear the man would live. The woman was bleeding heavily from her vagina. Her breasts were just beginning to loose their bluish cast, as blood circulation was restored. Súsanna looked at each of the prisoners, and wondered if they would all live, before saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, your captors are dead. Please drink the refreshments you were given. We will be at Comrie in about 30 minutes." "Who are you?" said one of the female captives. "Our group is known as Súsanna's Clan, we are one of the Órarduine security teams." "Will they live?" "We aren't certain, but it is quite possible," replied Súsanna. "The chances are good, but there are no guarantees." "We have prayed for a quick death for a long time," said another woman. "When one us was no longer useful, the assholes would force them dig a deep hole. When the hole was deep enough, they made the person stand in the hole, while we were forced to fill it in until the person was buried up to their neck. Sometimes it would take days for the person in the hole to die. If anyone resisted, they were shot in their legs and arms. Once the hole was filled, the person that resisted feet were tied to a jeep to drag them away from camp. It was awful." The woman began to cry, and was soon joined by others, as they released some of their anxiety. The raids at the transfer locations were more challenging, as the operation took place in the late morning. The security teams would enter the location cloaked, and once in position, uncloak and begin their operation. In every case, there was a gun battle with the operators. Four security team members were wounded in one shootout. None of the captives were severely injured, although three received minor injuries. Once each transfer site was secured, the captives were helped on to a shuttle and the transfer portion of the location was wiped clean, leaving only bare ground. The last phase of the operation involved picking up those now working in brothels and other locations. This phase was a bit easier. At most of the brothels, they found the women and men waiting in one room. Several security team members commented that it was almost like the brothel operators knew they were coming. By using their cloaking ability, the security teams were able to rescue the remaining victims with very little difficulty. The operation had been underway for about 4 hours when Judy said, "Say guys, we are picking up more people than we anticipated. Comrie needs more staff to help with the arrivals." "We could move some to An Clochán." "I don't think we should, until we can finish evaluating them." "Think we can get some assistance from Mr. Bartlett? How about President Ryan?" "I'll call Mr. Bartlett," said Sarah. In a few moments, Sarah radioed, "Mr. Bartlett, please this is Sarah, from Dóchas." After a few moments, a voice said, "Mr. Bartlett's office, J. Thompson speaking." "Mr. Thompson, this is Sarah, from Dóchas. We have a bit of an emergency and need some assistance. Is Mr. Bartlett available?" "Mr. Bartlett is in a meeting at the moment. Let me see if he can come to the phone. Give me a moment." After a few moments, the secretary returned, saying, "What do you need?" "We would like to borrow a field hospitable unit for a week or so." "You're kidding," replied Mr. Thompson, conveying considerable disbelief in his tone. "I wish that was true. We have over a 1,000 refugees that we are trying to assist, and the number keeps growing." "Hold on a moment." After a few moments, Mr. Bartlett said, "Sarah, my secretary said you wanted to borrow a field hospital team. Is that right?" "Yes, sir. We would prefer to borrow them for at least two weeks. We have this little rescue operation going on, and it has turned out to be much larger than we ever expected." "What kind of health problems? What kind of rescue?" "Mental trauma primarily, although there are some other health issues. The situation is somewhat like Fuda. If we could just borrow the personnel that would be great. My people are indicating we don't need any equipment." "Can you call me back in an hour?" "Sure. Thank you very much for your consideration." While Sarah had been talking to Mr. Bartlett, Aoife had called President Ryan with a similar request. The Commander of a British Field Hospital unit contacted Sarah a short time later, advising her that his group could be picked up after 2000 Zulu. They would be at the same SAS base they used before. Sarah advised him that all they would need to bring was personal items. Aoife received a call from the Director of Bethesda Naval Hospital. He told her they could assist with 20 doctors and nurses, for two weeks, at most. Aoife expressed her thanks, and advised him that the team members would only need to bring personal items. She arranged to pick them up on the hospital grounds later that evening. ------- At Bethesda Hospital, Captain Norma Lewis hurried to the conference room, wondering what the call was about. She had been at home preparing for work and thinking about her upcoming leave, when the phone rang. The caller had simply told her there was an emergency, and she was to report to Bethesda's main conference room immediately; preferably with an overnight bag. The caller had hung up before she could say anything. She thought she recognized the voice, and was surprised at the rudeness. It was 1400 hours (1900 Zulu) when she pulled into the parking lot. As soon as she walked through the door, a Petty Officer directed her toward a nearby office. "Good afternoon, Captain," said the Admiral. "Good afternoon, Sir." "We have an emergency request for medical assistance. The group is now forming in the conference room. You will command the detachment consisting of 20 doctors and nurses." "What?" replied Norma during a brief break in the Admiral's comments, then thought, "Oh shit, that wasn't a good move". The Admiral smiled slightly as he continued, "This assignment is at the direction of the President. We have very limited background information. What we do know is that a fairly large group was rescued from captivity. The rescuers have asked us for medical assistance, since the number rescued is much greater than they anticipated. They seem very anxious for us to get there as soon as possible, so we told them we would be ready in an hour or so. One of there aircraft will be here to pick your detachment up in less than 2 hours. As to injuries, we were told that they expected the primary problem to be mental trauma, though many of the victims have physical injuries that need to be checked. All equipment will be provided, as well as anything else your group needs. Those who don't have overnight bags here can get the items they need from stores." "Where are we going?" "The location is in the mid-Atlantic. We believe it is due East of Southern Mexico. It is not clear how long they will need your assistance but the request was for two weeks." He paused for a moment. "You didn't ask the question I expected. The rescuers are Órarduine. As you probably know, they do not normally wear any clothes, so it will be like going to a nudist camp. When everyone has arrived, we will have a briefing. During that time, I will tell them, basically, what I have told you. All of you will be given the opportunity to decline." "Do they expect us to join in their form of dress?" "No, and I am positive about that. You know that the President visited them some time ago." Norma nodded. "I have talked to a few of those who went with him. Everyone indicated it only took about a day for the visual oddity to wear off. They indicated it was much like meeting a group here on Earth, with entirely different customs." "I can see that." "So, you're agreeable to this command?" "Yes, sir. It is a great opportunity to learn more about them." "You asked about clothes. Since they said all you needed were personal items, I anticipate they will supply you with robes similar to those they wear when they visit Earth." Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Yes," said the Admiral. A Petty Officer opened the door and said, "Everyone is here, sir." "We will be right in." "Yes, sir." "Captain, any questions?" "I wonder what we're walking into." "I am sure it will be a challenge, and I am certain all of you will do well." "We will do our best, sir," she responded, with a smile. She thought, "This may just be worth postponing my leave." She walked with the Admiral to the conference room. "Attention, on deck!" came the command, as they entered the door. They walked briskly to the podium, where several other officers were waiting. "Good afternoon," said the Admiral. "Please take a seat. This will be brief. You are here because the President asked us to provide medical assistance to a group that have rescued some people from captivity. Those rescued are on an island in the mid-Atlantic, called Comrie. The rescuers are Órarduine." The Admiral paused to let the implications set in. "Yes, I said Órarduine. This is a voluntary assignment. They are providing transportation and all necessary supplies. Captain Lewis is the detachment commander. Departure will be within the next two hours, from the lawn between the parking lot and the river. Any questions?" "Sir, how long is the assignment?" "The instructions we have were to bring an overnight bag. If you do not have an overnight bag with you, you can obtain the needed items from stores. The assignment is not expected to last more than two weeks. Even though the Órarduine do not wear any clothing very often, we are certain they would not insist on you adopting that style of dress." "Sir, do you know what kind of health issues we will be dealing with?" "Mental trauma was the term they used." Just as the Admiral said that, a paper was handed to him. His expression hardened a bit while he read it. He handed it to Captain Lewis. He had just started to speak when he heard a gasp next to him, causing him to pause. "We have just received more information regarding this mission. Those rescued are mostly young women ages 20 to 35. They were being held by criminals. Those criminals were training and conditioning them to work in brothels, or in other places, as sex toys. There are many ethnic groups represented among those rescued. All of these people were kidnapped. Most of them went to sleep in their own beds, and woke up naked in a cage. A few have only been captives for a few days, while others were kidnapped over a year ago." "We are going to take a 15 minute break. This will give any of you that don't want to go an opportunity to disappear. If you do, your name will be removed from the list of those contacted for this mission. There will be no "black mark" on your record for not going. Break time." The Admiral turned to Captain Lewis, and saw tears in her eyes. Captain Lewis looked up, and said, "What kind of animal would do that to one of its own? It is awful. No, it's barbaric, except I don't think barbarians were that cruel." "The real cruelty is in their mutilation. It constantly reminds them of their status, and minimizes any chance of escape." Captain Lewis just nodded. After 10 minutes, someone tapped a pen on a glass, and the room became instantly quiet. The Admiral looked around at those in the room. "We are not sure all of you had an opportunity to have lunch, so there will be snacks here shortly. You are free to contact anyone you need to, to take care of personal items. Do not tell anyone about the assignment. All details are considered classified. Captain Lewis." With that, the Admiral stepped away from the podium. "Good afternoon. If you need assistance with any personal arrangements, let me know. You will have phone and Internet access from Comrie Island. We should know shortly how soon they will pick us up so stay in the area. The trip to the island will be less than 30 minutes. There will be a briefing on the flight. Dismissed." ------- It was 12 hours after the assault on the warehouse in Tangier, when the last shuttle mission was completed. The Security Teams with critical responsibilities returned to their ships, while the others went to Comrie, to assist with those rescued. Two shuttles and Security Teams stayed on alert, in case other missions were needed. The additional medical staff had arrived at Comrie and things were beginning to settle down. "The next few days are going to be very long," said Sally. "Let's stay at level 4 status, and rotate watches." "Agreed." "What about the group with Amber?" "We can contact them at daybreak." "Aine, any guidance," asked Aoife. "No, I think everyone performed flawlessly. I think you can see how easy it is to get caught up in the affairs of others. Have you thought about what will happen next?" "Yes, to some extent. We have all the documents from the warehouse. We could arrange for them to be found. Perhaps Sergio would be willing to arrange that, as he is anxious to contribute. I think he has already contributed, from the ease in which we picked up the people from some brothels." "We are prepared to eliminate any future missiles launched at us, immediately upon confirmation of the threat. They will simply disappear in flight. If someone wants to be aggressive and launch multiple missiles, we will clear the launch pad and the surrounding area." "There is still the issue of the boats around Comrie," said Rusty. "Comrie is now visible. There is a CSG operating about 200 km to the Northeast. They appear to be on a training mission." "That is the US Navy CSG that Keriann and Kelly were with, " said Sally. "Rear Admiral Johnson is still the CSG Commander, and Captain Howard commands the carrier." "We should advise them of possible activity in the area." "We did, right before we went visible with the shuttles and the island." "Oh, I guess I missed that," said Rusty. "Asleep on the job again," said Sarah, laughing, and she was soon joined by the others. "There really hasn't been time for that," replied Rusty, with a smile. "Let's get some rest. We all need to be up here at daybreak, since that is the most likely time for those on the boats to try something." "Some of the carrier's planes have approached the island, but they stayed well clear of the shuttles. Based on the aircraft and flight patterns, we are pretty sure they were collecting aerial photos of the island and monitoring our electronics. They also checked out the ships." Sarah, Aoife, Tara, Erin, Joyce, Terry and Rusty left Dóchas bridge, to get some rest. They would switch with the others, once they had a couple of hours sleep. ------- Those on Lorenzo's boat off of Tangier were just finishing breakfast, when Alana told Sergio that Aoife would be calling him shortly. Sergio looked at her with a questioning expression. Just then, Lorenzo's phone rang. Lorenzo answered it. He talked with Aoife for a few moments, asking about how things had gone the previous day, before handing the phone to Sergio. "Hello Aoife," said Sergio. "Good morning," replied Aoife. "I hope you had a good night relaxing on the boat." "Yes. I think we all did. Judging by Lorenzo's reaction, I take it that everything went fine." "Yes. Everything went pretty well. We had a few injuries, but considering everything, it went very well. There will probably be one or two more incidents today, and maybe some tomorrow. We have the impression you put the word out to the brothel owners." "You caught me. Yes, it was something like that," replied Sergio, with a smile. "I just told them that, if they put their employees they purchased in Tangier in a room off by themselves, they probably wouldn't have any embarrassments. Embarrassments hurt business." Aoife laughed, and said, "What an interesting way of handling it. The reason I've called is in response to your earlier offer to assist with this mess. We have found quite a bit of correspondence that describes the Council's plans and includes a lot of names. If that were to show up in places where it would get published, it should be sufficient to cause many of their members to be prosecuted. If you let everything show up, it could cause your organization some embarrassment, but we don't think it would have any long-term effects on your business. It would show that you are not necessarily a supporter of the terrorists, even though you owned the warehouse. If some of the participants were easily found, it would speed up prosecution. We will leave it up to your discretion, as to what gets released." "You are certainly placing a lot of trust in me and the Organization." "We don't think it is misplaced. Both you and Lorenzo are very honorable people." "Thanks. We will do it, but it would be easier if I was at home." "We can arrange that. Someone will pick you up within the hour." "Thanks, bye." Sergio handed the phone back to Lorenzo, and said, "I am going back to the house. Aoife is sending someone to take me, and I would like for you to go as well." Amber and Lorenzo looked at each other for a few moments, before he said, "Amber, please don't take this the wrong way, but you are free. I feel especially blessed to have had our short time together. I will always be a friend you can count on. Never forget that I do care a great deal for you, but I think hanging around me is not the best thing for your future." "I know," replied Amber, with large tears in her eyes. "Our time together has been the most memorable time in my life. I will never forget you. I too, will always be a friend you can count on." Amber stepped up to hug Lorenzo, and then gave him a very passionate kiss to seal their friendship. When they broke apart, she turned to Sergio, taking his hands and saying, "You have a very loyal friend in Lorenzo. Please, both of you look out for each other." Amber then gave him a hug and a kiss. "Gee, Amber we haven't left yet," said Lorenzo. "Yea, so we get to do all the cuddling again." Amber then pumped her fist in the air, causing everyone to laugh. "Sergio, Lorenzo," said Alana, "you could come visit us. Give us a call and we will pick you up." "How?" "Just say Dóchas into the phone." Lorenzo gave her a funny look. "It will work." Lorenzo just shrugged. Amber helped Lorenzo get his things together, and they went back on deck. Once on deck, Lorenzo went to talk to the Captain, as he felt there could still be problems before they reached home port. They had turned back toward Sicily yesterday afternoon, after the events in Tangier were finished. The Captain told Lorenzo that no one appeared to be trailing them. Lorenzo then went back to the group on deck. He had just reached the group, when a smaller version of a shuttle appeared next to the ship. "Well, it looks like your chariot is here," said Emelia. "We can board as soon as you are ready. Bev and I will be going with you. The trip will take about an hour." "The rest of us will wait here on your yacht until Emelia and Bev return," said Cathal. "Our systems tell us this is the best strategy at this time. You should tell your security people to be very cautious for the next month or so. Communications secure enough for open conversations will be a problem for some time." "We try to always approach electronic communication as being insecure," replied Sergio. "I guess, now, we need to worry about people hearing our thoughts." "Not from us," replied Alana, quickly. "Both of you seem to have the ability to sense it. Many on Earth also have that ability, if they listen. As for us, it is only among close friends that we openly share thoughts. Beyond that it requires specific permission. If you broadcast your thoughts, it is assumed you meant to share. Where we live, if you seek to look without permission, you will find yourself isolated, or worse. Are there exceptions? Yes. Does this help?" "Yes. I was kidding with my comment," said Sergio, looking a little uneasy. "Sergio, relax," replied Cathal. "No offense was taken. Alana had just realized you weren't aware of our rules." "Thanks," replied Sergio, and offered his hand to Cathal. Cathal clasped his hand in both of his for the handshake, causing Sergio to smile. That started the hugs and kisses, with each wishing Sergio and Lorenzo well, along with the hope of seeing them again. Amber was the last to wish them well. Alana's Clan watched the scout ship depart before setting back to relax. "Amber," said Elyse, "Lorenzo will never forget you. The two of you have a very special bond. It is a bond similar to what Cathal has with his Special Ops teammates." "I know. Tell me what is it like on Dóchas." "So, you want to be a space traveler," replied Cleo. "If that is what the Órarduine are. I think it is more than that. There is so much more that I need to know. When can my telepathy be fully enabled?" "I thought it was." "It seems like something is missing." "We may not be able to help, but can we look?" "Yes." The group appeared to be quietly resting in the deck chairs, while Alana's Clan tried to determine why Amber felt something was missing. Together with Amber, they went over the different aspects of telepathic communication and the psionic abilities that most of them had. There were a couple of areas that puzzled Alana's Clan. Those areas seemed to be the ones that puzzled Amber. "Amber," said Elyse, "as they finished. I think you should talk to Aoife about what you are sensing when we get to Dóchas. We suspect they are a psionic attributes but we are not familiar with them." "Cool, we are going to Dóchas," replied Amber, with a large smile and a twinkle in her eye. "I can do the conversion there." "Yes, it can be done on any of the ships, or on An Clochán. Are you sure that is what you want? It cannot be undone." "I can see why you are worried about me rushing in to choosing to be an Órarduine. I could make a case that is the best thing for me to do. The drugs Akil's group gave me will have me insane and looking 90 years old in less than ten years. That is not the reason I think conversion is for me. I can't express it, I just know it is true." "Amber, we sense the truth in what you say." "The scout ship will be here in a few minutes. Can we board the shuttle now?" "Sure," said Cathal, sensing Amber's urgency, "I will tell the Captain we are leaving, and give him a contact number in case he needs assistance." "There are two ships out there, watching. We can't see them because they are over the horizon. They are using balloon-based antennae." Alana watched Amber as she spoke, then said, "Cathal, tell the Captain he is being followed. We will leave a special monitor on the mast, that will warn him well before an attack comes. Let's board." With that, Cathal went to talk to the Captain, while the rest of the clan boarded their shuttle. When Amber entered, her face glowed with happiness as she looked around. "It is just like my dreams." Those with her just smiled. When Cathal boarded the shuttle, he said, "Lets give those following Lorenzo's yacht something to remember." "What do you have in mind?" replied Alana. "If we fly just under the speed of sound just above the ocean we will create one heck of a rooster tail. If we are cloaked it is even more mysterious." "Alpha02 AI, set a course to approach the boat following the yacht on their port then cross their bow at 100 yards." "Acknowledged. I will set altitude to optimize rooster tail." ------- It was nearly dawn on Comrie, when Captain Lewis looked out over the lawn at the people sleeping on blankets. When they had boarded the shuttle at Bethesda, she had concerns about how they could help. Once they were all on the shuttle, they were given a briefing by one of the medical staff during their trip. The Órarduine medical staff asked for at least two doctors or nurses to work with each one of them. By doing this, they thought they could effectively evaluate four to six people at a time. At the time, Captain Lewis had doubts, but it had went very well. All of them knew the hard part would be today, as reality set in. "Is that you, Norma," asked Elanor. Norma turned and gasped. "I never thought I would see you here." As she spoke, Norma tried to remember the last time she had seen Commander Brown. "Well, I'm here. It was pretty exciting last night, wasn't it?" "I had some doubts about their plan, but it really worked well. When did you arrive?" "Oh, I think around 6 or so. It looks like you have been promoted since I last saw you." "I think you have, as well. Actually, I have been promoted twice." "Congratulations. Yes, I received my promotion last year. It was right after an assignment similar to this one." "Let's get some coffee, then I would like to hear your story." Just as Norma had spoken, a woman came up and handed her and Elanor a cup of coffee, surprising both of them. "Well for a story, there is not really much to tell. It started out with us preparing for a field exercise on an SAS base. The facility was set up the day before, and we were to report the next morning. Anyway, it was around 2300 hours or so, when all of us received a call telling us the exercise had started, and we were to be at the field hospital within the hour. It was a challenge for some in the unit, but we made it." "So? There must be more." "Well, about an hour after we arrived, several ships like we were on last night landed next to our hospital. They had brought us a group of women and a few men to care for. I was surprised to see quite a few SAS and Irish Spec Ops helping the patients into the hospital. The patients had been extracted from some place in Africa. Oh, that reminds me about where I remember that voice from." "What voice?" "I heard a man talking last night, and it sounded just like Calvin, the SAS mission commander. Anyway, the next day, several Órarduine came and visited with our patients. It wasn't like this time, as most of that group just needed someone to talk to, while they recovered. I can't say much else about it." "I think we will need to do much more than be a counselor with this group." "Yes. You know Órarduine are telepathic?" "Oops." Norma blushed. "So, I take you are still bi." said Elanor, laughing. "Yes. I was admiring several of them last night." "They won't mind. Their prime criteria on interpersonal relations is, they must be consensual." "I wonder what we will do for clothes." "Connie told us last night, during a lull, that they would provide us with something like a Salwar Kameez outfit to wear." Norma looked puzzled. "It is a loose wrap-around skirt and a loose blouse or jacket. I'm sure you'll like them. They are providing them to anyone that wants one. The medical staff will wear dark red, to make it easier to find us." "I noticed most of them were naked last night, which I understand is normal for them." "Yes. They told us that we should not feel pressured to adopt their mode of dress. Connie told us she thought all of the arrivals had seldom worn any covering since their abductions." "Let's get our two groups together at breakfast, so we can share what we have talked about." "Fine. I'll see if one of their doctors can join us." Just then, the chime sounded for breakfast. ------- In a tall building, Fatin looked out over the city. He was located high enough that he could see the dessert surrounding the city. The Council of Brothers had found it hard to believe the information they had received this morning. It was hard to grasp how a training camp could just vanish. Then, there was the reported loss of the warehouse operation in Tangier, which, if true, would greatly complicate their plans. The training and placement of the infidel whores were critical parts of the plan to sow the seeds of destruction in the West. After an hour of debate, they had agreed to use other sources to confirm it. Fatin's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. He turned and looked at his servant. He thought the expression on his face told him all he needed to know. Fatin listened quietly as the servant told him that the information was correct, but there was more. The ships they had near the island in the mid-Atlantic were not answering radio calls. There were now reports that all the transfer points no longer existed. "Tell the Council we will meet in an hour." The servant bowed and backed out of the room. He was sweating profusely, as he was sure he would die after entering with the information. The Council discussed the loss of their operational sites. They had all gradually come to the conclusion that the only ones who could have done this were the Órarduine. They couldn't imagine the Organization being involved without them hearing about it before it began. Finally, Fatin said, "We have the weapons to take out their space ships. Let's use them tonight. There are rockets on both the Chinese and Russian launch pads, ready to launch. All that needs to be done is to change their payload to ours. Our people should be able to arrange that. The site here is ready. We should use the weapons hidden in the communication satellites." "If we do that, how will the Russians and Chinese react." "Why should they react? Accidents happen," said Fatin, with a smile. They all agreed. Fatin smiled, as he looked at the clock. He was pleased that he had foreseen this outcome and had sent a message to the agents in China and Russia. The only down side was that he wouldn't see the looks on the faces of those country's leaders when they were informed of the premature rocket launches. When sunset approached, Fatin left to join the Council, as they wanted to watch the launching of their rockets. If nothing else, it would tell the other countries of the world, that they, the Council, were not to be trifled with. Little did he realize the consequences of the sequence of events he and his group were setting in motion. ------- It was just before lunch on Dóchas when Alana's Clan shuttle settled on its cradle in the hanger. Aoife, Sarah and Alison were waiting for them when they stepped out. Cathal introduced Amber to Sarah and Alison before joining the hugs and kisses welcoming Alana's Clan back. "Alana," said Cathal, "with this kind of welcome back, we need to go on more trips." "Oh, give me a break," said Aoife, tapping Cathal on the shoulder, "we always have hugs and kisses for our friends." Turning to Amber, she took her hands and said, "We are all very glad you chose to join us." "You mean I can," replied Amber, with tears in her eyes. "I thought..." "Simply put, Alana's Clan just wanted you to be certain about your choice. Let's go get lunch. Judy will join us there. After lunch, we can look at those items that are bothering you. I know Alana's Clan was correct, in that they are other psionic abilities." "When can I start the conversion," asked Amber. "Within a day." With that response from Aoife, Amber simply glowed. ------- Chapter 129 Sarah, Siobhan and Maureen looked out of the shuttle as it circled Comrie. It was late in the morning after the rescue in Tangier. "Wow, there are a lot of people there," said Sarah. "I never thought the rescue would involve this many people," replied Siobhan. "I wonder what we have gotten ourselves into." "Aoife just told me that some guests are looking forward to our arrival," said Sarah. By this time, the shuttle had turned to make its approach, which took it down the valley toward the arrival area. "I am not sure what to expect. Both Marsha and Ursula were very insistent that we come and welcome our guests. They felt it would help our guest believe that their ordeal was over. Even with all my experience, I find it hard to comprehend the anguish these people have experienced." "Our natural openness and security is all we can offer. Let's hope that it will be enough to help them find themselves." With that, the three stepped out of their shuttle and looked over the crowd. They were surprised at how quiet it was. Marsha and Ursula walked over and gave each of them a hug. They walked up to the patio that overlooked the arrival area together. As they did, Sarah remembered another evening meeting that was held on this same patio a long time ago. "You're right, Sarah," said Maureen, "the situation we have now is very similar to that evening, except for the size of the crowd, a different perspective, and the degree of conditioning." "We will need another ship or two if they all decide they would rather join us than go home." "Many may feel that they no longer have a home," said Siobhan. "Good morning," said Sarah, Siobhan, Maureen, Marsha and Ursula in unison, both verbally and telepathically, to the crowd. "Good morning," came the response. "We are very pleased that you accepted our invitation to visit Comrie," continued Sarah, Siobhan and Maureen and paused for a moment to see if anyone noticed their tongue in cheek comment. "We hope you enjoy your vacation here as our guests." Someone in the crowd muttered, "It certainly is an improvement." Several of those around her chuckled, causing Sarah, Siobhan and Maureen to smile. "We represent the Command Staffs of the three space ships orbiting overhead." They then introduced themselves and named each of their ships. "All of our family, including those on our ships and Mars, are pleased to have you here with us. You are welcome to stay as long as you want to." "When you arrived here, our medical staff gave each of you a complete medical evaluation. The doctors tell us that all of you are under the influence of behavior modifying drugs. It will take a few days for them to clear out of your body, even though you have taken an antidote. Since the behavioral drugs do not interfere with your comprehension, we would like to share several things with you. It will take a little while to go through it, as there are quite a few items to cover. While some of you may have already heard what we are about to say, it is being repeated so we are sure that all of you have heard it at least once. Feel free to ask questions at any time, although we would prefer that you hold questions until the end. Also, if you think of more questions later, please ask any of the staff, since they can answer your questions or assist you in finding the answers." "Some of those who arrived last night are probably wondering, 'Why am I here?' All of you are here because a group of criminals wanted to use you in a bizarre plot to disrupt several western governments. The details of that plot are available in a more complete form on any of the TV monitors, so we will only cover a few points now. The raw details are also available from our library under the title Tangier Rescue." "What were they going to do? Everyone here was kidnapped for the purpose of being turned into a living submissive toy, addicted to sexual pleasure. They planned on disclosing your sexual activities in a way that it would cause political turmoil in your country. Some of you were working in brothels where many political and business leaders were customers. Some were placed with individuals as personal sex slaves. The criminals behind this plot planned on exposing all of this sexual activity to the public, using the media and distributing videos of your activities. The idea was to destroy your country's confidence in their political leaders by destroying the character of the country's business and religious leaders. If you are from a well-known family, they would embarrass your family by publishing videos of your sexual activities. Another part of the plot was to supply drug dealers with heroin laced with a communicable terminal disease. The third part was to begin calling in outstanding loans that they held in the targeted countries. If severe enough, this combination would have made life very difficult, and perhaps bring anarchy to the country." "This conspiracy was well on its way toward the final stages of implementation when it was discovered. Films of your sexual activities were in the final stages of preparation for release on the Internet, as free video downloads. The names of each person in the video were in the credits with the credits shown at both the beginning and the end. In another six months, the plot and its damage might have been unstoppable. It is fortunate that the criminals behind this also targeted GISS's agents for revenge. They also targeted a few of our friends on Earth. Marsha and Ursula, who were the former principals in GISS, advised us of the problem GISS was having with disappearing agents. Thanks to the resources we have, we were able to respond quickly enough to rescue you. As I noted earlier, if you are interested in more details, you can find them in our library. Access is available from any terminal here on Comrie." "The criminals behind this plot are being dealt with." "As of right now, we have rescued everyone that was kidnapped for this portion of the plot that we could find. A little over half of you were rescued from brothels, private residences and sex clubs. The other half is split between those being conditioned and those who were recently kidnapped. Not everyone here was a victim of this plot." "Let us address your recent experiences for a moment. Currently we don't understand why some of you were kidnapped, but once you were, you had no choice but cooperate. All of you were given behavior-modification drugs as soon as you were kidnapped. Some of those drugs made you very receptive to their instructions. Other drugs increased your response to sexual stimulation. With you in a receptive frame of mind, and your body sensitized to be aroused by a simple caress, you were putty in their hands. They sought to turn you into sluts, addicted to the ecstasy of sexual pleasure. Once your conditioning was complete, you had few thoughts other than satisfying your own sexual needs, and anxious if you couldn't. This was NOT YOUR choice. YOU have nothing to be ashamed of. Your body did what it was designed to do. Sure, you enjoyed the ecstasy of sexual release, that is normal!" "Those of you who experienced the conditioning had an added reason not to resist. You saw some fellow captives resist, only to be brutally tormented until they complied with their tormentors bizarre requests. Those events were staged by your captors to emphasize the hopelessness of your situation. They were also staged for your captors sick fun and entertainment." "Some of you have had two fingers on their left hand amputated, and others no longer have their front teeth. Some can no longer speak, as their vocal cords were cut. These were done to punish you for some perceived resistance to their demands. This was done to continually remind you of your status and the hopelessness of your situation. The only thing you can do in a hopeless situation is to cope and hope. Hope is sometimes answered. Right?" "Yes," replied many of the audience. "So, what now? When you arrived, our medical staff gave you a physical. We recommend you take a full physical once you are totally free of the drugs controlling your behavior. You will know for yourself when that control ends. The full physical will not take very long. If any health issues are found, the medical staff will explain your treatment options to you. Again, it is your choice as to how they are resolved. The medical staff will tell you the implications of each choice. You can, of course, choose to do nothing. We don't think that is a good choice, but it is a choice. We are not requiring you to take the full physical, but strongly recommend it. If there are any problems, delay will likely complicate your treatment." "To ensure we have enough medical staff to care for all of you, we asked US and Britain for assistance. Thanks to them, our medical staff has been augmented with very talented medical units from each country." "We know that many of you have not worn clothes for some time. You also noticed that we do not normally wear clothes, as we are a clothing-optional culture." Several laughed. "It is your choice as to whether to wear clothes or not. Just do what you are comfortable with." "Now, for outside access. Telephones will be available in two days, if not sooner. There is Internet access, now. You should think about what you're going to say before you contact anyone. Your rescue will likely be front page news, beginning later today. North American and European TV channels are available on the various TVs. If we need to add broadcasts from other regions, ask one of the staff members." "Speaking of the news media, we have a question for you to consider. We expect the media will want to come here. They will be limited to a media pool from few networks and newspapers. We also have our own news people. They work as a part of the Communications Department on each ship. They also have an office in the main building, so if you want to share your experiences with the world, please see them. Several of them had experiences somewhat like yours before they came here, so they have some insight into what you experienced." "As we said when we began, we are pleased to have you stay with us. We would have preferred that you came to visit us by a different route, as it would have been much more comfortable." "Yes," came the response from many of the crowd, then laughter, which changed to applause and cheering, which began slowly but quickly became very loud. "Let's go back to your experiences for a moment. There were probably times during your sexual marathon that you experienced activities you liked. We suggest you remember them. By the same token, bury the ones you didn't like. It is a part of our culture to enjoy the physical side of our relationships as much as the emotional side. All of us were created with the ability to enjoy intimate sexual relations and the ecstasy of release. We feel that by denying that, we smite the work of our creator whoever that is. In our culture, all sexual relationships must be consenting and between those who are sexually mature. What kind of sexual activity is up to those involved, but again, it must be willingly consented to. Brutal activity that results in injury to anyone will not be tolerated, even if it is consenting. Understood?" "Yes," replied the crowd. "Now let's return to your desire for sexual pleasure for a moment. There is a room here with a multitude of mechanical devices that you can use to give yourself or a friend sexual release. One of them is an exercise machine that we use at least twice a day which gives us both sexual release and exercise. Everyone who has tried it has enjoyed the experience. We can assure you that interaction between two consenting people gives a much more fulfilling release. Our medical staff can assist you in redirecting your addiction toward satisfying, fulfilling experiences." "We are almost done. Because we have some unique and obvious features, you probably have some questions such as: Who are we? What are we? Why are we here? Most of the answers to those questions can be found by watching three videos, which are available on any monitor. Just follow the instructions on the screen." "To partially answer some of those questions now, we are on an island we call Comrie, which is in the Mid-Atlantic ocean, east of southern Mexico. It covers an area of some 200 sq. miles. Until yesterday, it was not found on any nautical charts, though we don't know why. Until yesterday, we have had it covered with a special shield to keep it hidden. From the outside, this island appears to be a barren rock, as the rock walls rise up out of the ocean with virtually no place to land except for a very narrow inlet at one end. The rock walls rise several hundred feet above the ocean. We have the island's systems managed by an AI, whose name is Chantel. You can access her from anywhere around the buildings. She will respond to questions addressed to her. She monitors all areas and will summon assistance at any sign of distress. There is also a pride of lions on the island. Unless you are away from the buildings and need help you will likely not see them. They are your friends and will do everything they can to protect our guests, since they are another aspect of our security. If you get lost, they will help you find your way back here." "At some point after you have recovered from your experiences, you will begin thinking about your future. Talk to the friends you make here. Talk to your friends at home. Anyone on our staff can assist you with any aspect of sorting your future out. Just like the medical issues, what you do with your self is your choice. Again, we strongly suggest you talk your decision out with someone. Even going to work as a call girl or escort is an option, as long as you are making the choice because you want to." "Okay, we have talked enough and we believe we are holding up lunch. If you want to help any of the staff during your stay, we are sure it will be appreciated, but you're not required to help. As we said in the beginning, we are very happy to have you here. Please enjoy your stay and stay as long as you need to. If you have any questions regarding anything, just ask one of the staff, or Chantel. Thanks for you attention. Let's eat." Siobhan, Sarah, and Maureen made their way slowly through the crowd, stopping to talk to many as they passed them. Many times, little was said except thank you, along with an emotional hug. As the three made their way through the crowd, they never lost contact with each other. "Hello, Siobhan," said Elanor, all decked out in her dark red Salwar Kameez blouse and skirt. "Hi, Elanor. It's been a long time since I have seen you. Wow, it looks like you have been promoted!" "Yes. It was right after we were at the SAS base. Last night, I thought I heard Calvin's voice." "That is possible. He came to visit us about a month ago and decided to stay. He is probably around here somewhere. His sister, Emma, is working in Dóchas FOC. You will find him with Kathryn's Clan. If you want to call him, tell Chantel, and she can connect you, or I can tell him you are here this evening." "I will call him later, but if you see him, give him my greetings. Siobhan, this is Captain Lewis," said Elanor, blushing at forgetting to introduce her friend. "Nice to meet you. Sarah, Maureen, this is Captain Lewis, a friend of Elanor's." "Pleased to meet you. Just call me Norma and leave off the formal stuff," replied Norma, as she shook hands. "You have a nice place here. Were you serious about the news media coming?" "Yes, though unless you want to meet the media, they will probably not even know you are here." "Good, since I would need authorization from my commander first." She thought for a moment. "It would probably be best if they didn't know we are here." "None of you are wearing a uniform or normal insignia, so you will look like our medical staff," said Sarah. "Besides, Melinda and Sam will restrain them, while seeing they get the information they need." "Melinda?" replied Norma. "Would that be the reporter who is on a Grandview TV station a lot?" "One and the same." "She is good. I like her, as she just reports news rather than trying to manipulate or slant it." "Would you two like to join us for lunch?" They had almost made it to the serving line when a woman stepped in front of them. Her expression was one of extreme frustration. "Where is she?" demanded Johara, letting her feelings show in her tone. "Who are you looking for?" replied Sarah in a soft firm voice. Johara starred at Sarah, then Siobhan and finally, Maureen. Turning her attention back to Sarah, she said, "The woman who was given to Lorenzo by that asshole Akil." "Are you speaking of a tall blond?" said Sarah as she sought to ensure she understood the woman's question. "Yes," responded Johara. "I thought I heard her tell me to relax when your people came into Akil's suite just after I poisoned the bastard. I haven't been able to find her." "She has taken the name of Amber. She chose to go to Dóchas. Right now, she is having lunch with two of my spouses, Aoife and Judy." Hearing Sarah's answer, Johara began to sob. "It was you our Security Teams found with Akil in the warehouse." Johara nodded. Sarah and Siobhan drew her into their arms to comfort her. "You did well. Our Security Teams are very appreciative of your assistance. They think your help was a key factor in there only being two injuries." "Are they okay?" "Yes. Sandra is back on duty. Rylie is up and around. It will be a few days before she is back on full duty." "So quickly." "Yes. Do you want to go with us to Dóchas later today?" "Can I?" replied Johara, and then blushed when she realized what she said. "Sure. Come on, you can wander around with us, that way you won't miss our departure." "Thank you," said Johara with a smile. She joined the group as they ate lunch and roamed around the grounds. Sarah, Siobhan and Maureen managed to talk at least briefly with nearly everyone that was rescued. They answered questions on many of topics, but most questions were about the Órarduine and Comrie. Norma and Elanor joined in assisting with the questions when they were related to their home countries. It was mid afternoon when Norma and Elanor said good-bye, as Sarah, Siobhan, Maureen boarded the shuttle with Johara. They were joined by a contingent of Dóchas crew members that had come down to assist Comrie staff. When she saw they were going to be full, Sarah motioned for Johara to sit by the window. When Johara saw Siobhan and Maureen go up on the flight deck, she said, "Sarah, where are they going?" "Siobhan and Maureen will be our pilots for the return flight. This way, we can take a couple of more people back to Dóchas. You should have a good view out the window, and the monitor on the bulkhead wall will show our approach to Dóchas." "Wow. We are already moving." "Yes, we should be there in about 30 minutes." ------- On Dóchas, Star told Command Staff that President Ryan was on the phone. Tara took the call. "Good afternoon, Mr. President. This is Tara." "We are hearing rumors that the news media is going to publish some rather startling information about a middle eastern terrorist group. The story is that they were trying to create the conditions for anarchy in several western countries." "Mr. President, for now we would like to limit our comment to just that we are aware of the activity, and, according to our sources, the information is correct," replied Tara. "I guess this means that the people you rescued yesterday were the pawns in a rather bizarre plot." "Yes. They were pawns only because it was convenient for the plotters to add that dimension to their plot." "You're being rather cagey with your answers." "Mr. President, as you know, we try not to meddle in other world's affairs, and go to considerable lengths to do that. This event has involved us much more deeply in Earth's affairs than we want to be. We are projecting that there will be at least one more visible event in the next 24 hours." "Are you suggesting more rockets are going to be fired at you?" "There is a high probability of that occurring. We know of launch sites in three countries that, unknown to the respective governments, are nominally under the control of the terrorists behind this plot. There are other possibilities. We are certain that, if any rockets are fired at us, it would not be an act of war by those countries. We are prepared and think it is best if we let the events play out. Our response will be limited to affecting only those involved." "How are the people you rescued?" "Generally, they are in pretty good shape. It will be several days until they are totally free of the drugs they were receiving. We really appreciate the detachment of medics you loaned us. Captain Lewis and her group are very good with the patients." "Thank you. I'll pass the comment on. My Chief of Staff said that some of the networks were trying to arrange for reporters to visit your island." "Yes. Melinda is working out the details now. We have no objections to the visit, as long as the visitors abide by the agreed upon ground rules." "You said Melinda, right?" "Yes, sir." "Maybe they will learn something from her." "You want to put money on it," replied Tara, chuckling. President Ryan laughed, before saying, "No! You know, if we looked at the situation fairly, politicians have been using reporters as foils for a long time. This has probably exacerbated the tendency everyone has to editorialize, rather than report. I need to be going. It was good talking to you." "We enjoyed talking to you, Mr. President, as always. Have a good evening." ------- Amber, Judy and Aoife were talking at lunch on Dóchas, when Aoife said, "Amber, do you know a woman by the name of Johara?" "Yes, why?" "She just asked Sarah where you were? She seemed to be very distraught when she couldn't find you on Comrie." "She was Akil's slave, but also his administrative assistant. One of her duties was my care. Looking back, it's apparent she tried to ... Let me rephrase that. She took care of me like I was a younger sister. She did many things to try to make me more comfortable. Does that make sense?" "Yes. She was thrilled to find out you were okay. She will be coming back with Sarah, Maureen and Siobhan." "Good. I hope I can speak again someday. I like this but I like verbal to." "Amber, we think your vocal chords may be restored during conversion, but vocal chords are very delicate, so we are not certain. You are the first human we've rescued with this problem." "There will surely be others with damaged vocal chords among those you rescued." "Let's take care of the psionic abilities issue first, then we can go see what the autodoc says," said Judy. "With your telepathy, you will be able to talk to Johara by sending her your thoughts." Together' Judy and Aoife joined with Amber to look at her abilities and those areas she didn't understand. They went over the parts Alana's Clan had helped her with and showed how to fine-tune some other abilities. Aoife told her that one of the areas had to do with telekinesis. The other one of about equal intensity, would allow her to anticipate future events. "Amber, both of those areas will be more useful after you are an Órarduine," said Aoife. "Wonderful. You know I decided to do the conversion as soon as I can." "Yes, your request concerned us when we first heard it. After being with you, we are no longer concerned. We are pleased that you are joining us. We know you will love it here." "This is the only decision I have ever made with absolutely no doubt about it being the right one." "Let's go to the medical area," said Judy. "We should have it all to our selves, as virtually everyone is at Comrie." ------- It was late afternoon when a shuttle, disguised as an executive jet, lifted off from the Grandview airport. On board were reporters and cameramen from five networks, five major North America newspapers along with several reporters from the UK. "Ladies and gentlemen," said Melinda, standing at the front of the cabin, "we will be arriving at Comrie in approximately 1 hour. There are about 50 people willing to talk to you about their experiences, as long as the ground rules are followed. Out of those 50, six women will tell their full stories, as they think those six are representative of those who were abducted and enslaved." "How many were rescued?" said a female TV reporter. "2076 women and men, so far. There may be a few more arriving in the next day or so. We also have other guests on the island, so not everyone there was involved in this rescue." "I didn't realize there were men in the group." "Yes. There were a few. In most cases, they were used strictly as beasts of burden." "That is an unusual way to word it." "I guess it is pretty blunt, but it is simply the truth. Many Westerners have a difficult time with the concept of humans being slaves and used like domestic animals. In some areas of Earth, women, children, and common farm animals are all considered property, to be bought and sold as the needs of the family change. In those areas, a person can quickly fall into the slave category. Wives and their children are valued as long as they strengthen the family, but are still treated as property." "Many of our readers have difficulty believing there is still forced slavery on Earth." "Unfortunately, it is true. It is not as common as it was 200 years ago, but it still exists. Throughout Earth's history, all ethnic groups have experienced the yoke of slavery at one time or another." "Will we get to tour your island complex?" "Yes, but we prefer to do this as a group. The staff on the island is very busy today, and the care of our guests is our primary concern." "Aren't we your guests?" "Of course, though I am not sure you need the benefit of our medical facilities." Everyone laughed. "However, if you were seeking to become an Órarduine, you would need to go to one of the ships or An Clochán for that treatment after you are cleared by our medical staff." "You're quick," replied the reporter. "I have heard the Órarduine are very selective about who is permitted to receive the conversion treatment." "Well I don't know where you got your information. I definitely don't agree with the way you used "selective", but I guess it could appear that way. Many people we have come in close contact with have decided to join us. We go to great lengths not to encourage them. Why? Because the species change is not reversible. It would not be to anyone's benefit to have some one in a closed environment like a space ship for a long voyage, and unhappy over becoming an Órarduine." The reporter nodded her agreement. Melinda then went over the Órarduine's social characteristics, which led to a number of questions. Several asked about physical differences. She shocked them by simply slipping off her jacket and skirt, before doing a slow turn while pointing out the differences. When she was done, she slipped them back on. "If you are comfortable being naked, why did you slip your jacket and skirt back on," asked a female reporter, with a smirk. "Simply to make it easier for your cameramen. If you want, I will gladly take them off, as I am much more comfortable naked. It also happens to be less personally arousing, as our skin is quite sensitive to light caresses." One of the photographers said, "Thank you, Melinda. Your wearing a jacket and skirt makes our life so much easier, since we can easily frame a photo that will be publishable. You are a very beautiful woman either way, and I would consider it a privilege to have the opportunity to do a photo session with you." Several others on the plane voiced their agreement with his comment. "Thank you," replied Melinda. "As to a photo spread, there are others who would look much nicer than me." "We are approaching Comrie," said Alpha10's AI. "We will circle the island twice in both directions. This will give those on both sides of the cabin a chance to see the island. For those looking away from the island, you should be able to see a US Navy's CSG near the horizon. Our approach and landing will show on the cabin monitor." After the shuttle circled the island, it turned for its approach. "Alpha10," said Dóchas FOC. "Alpha10, copy Dóchas." "When you reach 50 feet, cloak and circle to starboard side of island." "Descend to 50 feet, cloak then circle to starboard." "Affirmative." A few moments later, Alpha10 said, "Dóchas, cloaking now. Beginning turn." When the shuttle turned, a passenger asked, "We're turning. What's going on Melinda?" "We will find out in a moment." Just as Melinda spoke, those looking out the right side windows saw a large executive jet descending toward the island. It passed them and continued to descend past the island, crashing into the ocean a kilometer past the island. The plane exploded as it hit the water. The concussion shook the shuttle, and sent a geyser of water several hundred feet into the air. "Holy cow. I have never seen a plane crash like that," exclaimed a reporter. "It was full of C4," replied Melinda. "You knew it was there?" "Not until a few minutes ago. Dóchas FOC just told me that it began stalking us when we neared the island." "It could have exploded right over us," said a reporter, with a very ashen look. "Nope. Not a chance," replied Sam. "It was being followed by three of our Star Fighters." "Why didn't it hit the island?" "Let's just say our preferred defensive system worked. Besides, if that hadn't worked, our Star Fighters would have taken them out before Comrie could be damaged. They obviously didn't give much thought to their plan, which is just fine with me." Alpha10 turned and drifted down to its landing spot on Comrie. Several passengers commented on the lack of a visible runway. When the door opened, Samantha and Marge's Clans were waiting for the visitors. Many of them were wearing Salwar Kameez outfits, for the same reason Melinda had given earlier. After introductions, Sam and Melinda led the group up to a conference room, taking the long way around. Sam smiled listening to the questions being parried by her spouses. In the conference room, Sam introduced the six women who would talk about their experiences to the reporters. She then reviewed the layout of Comrie, emphasizing how difficult it was to access. Melinda then provided more details on the rescue, including information on the transfer points, and the drug dealers involvement. She noted that many brothels who had purchased the women released them when they found out how the women came to be available. One reporter expressed surprise that the brothel operators responded that way. Melinda pointed out that these were brothels that valued their reputations, and were in places that looked like any other business where a high traffic rate was normal. These operations knew the value of talented employees, and took precautions to make sure they were taken care of. Kelsey then invited everyone outside for the interviews. She led them out to a small courtyard which easily accommodated everyone. The six women who would tell their story sat in front of a garden wall, with all the others sitting off to each side. The observers were far enough away to not be in the pictures, but close enough to participate if they wanted to. Kelsey and Karmen had each of the six tell their stories. Each woman told as much of their abduction as they could remember. They then told of their experiences since being abducted, with sufficient detail to get across the barbarity of the their experiences. Those that had been working in clubs or brothels included their experiences there. Once all six had told their stories, Kelsey opened the floor to questions. In their role as host, they made sure that each reporter was given an equal opportunity to ask a question. Both were pleased when the questions eased off toward the end of the allotted time. Karmen said, "It looks like we have run out of questions. Are there any who would like to make a comment?" Karmen was a bit uncertain when she saw several women stand. Karmen pointed to the closest woman and nodded. "I don't know how many others agree with me, but out of all this tragedy there is a bright spot. That is the fairness and sympathy all of you have shown us during this interview. Thank you!" Everyone rose and applauded. When it died down, she added softly, "May the Gods and Goddesses be with you always." It was quiet for a few moments before Karmen said, "I believe there were some other questions." A woman stood, saying, "I was going to make a similar comment, but that young woman beat me to it. She also did it much better than I would have. Thanks." "Any others?" "Okay, it is tour time. Before we do that, photographers, do you have any special needs here." "No, I'm fine," replied one photographer. "Whoever set this up, did a fine job. Thanks." The other photographers all gave their thumbs up. "May I have a word," said a TV reporter. Karmen nodded to her. "I think I speak on behalf of many of us. Thank you very much for your compliment. It means a great deal to all of us. I have been extremely impressed by the character strength shown by all of you. Yes, all of you! You faced a future that free people cannot imagine. You survived. Do yourself a favor and focus on your future, as there is absolutely nothing that can be done about the past. We know the Órarduine have offered you their assistance in sorting out your future. If you think I can be of assistance, please contact me. I would consider it an honor to be of any assistance." As soon as she finished speaking, all of the reporters and photographers said, "We agree, and that goes for us, too." One of those rescued quickly stood up with a gleam in her eye, and said, "Excuse me, does the offer include helping me start an escort service?" The woman had a big smile as she sat back down. Several gasped at hearing the question. A TV reporter responded with, "If that's really what you want to do, I will do what I can to help. However, I haven't had any experience with escort services." "Thanks." "You're serious," asked the TV reporter, with an amazed look on her face. "It is an option. I do enjoy sexual encounters, and my recent experience has not turned me off. I prefer situations of mutual consent. Asking for assistance was partly in jest, but you gave me an excellent response. Thanks." "When there is no more jesting, and everyone is ready, we will begin the tour," said Kelsey. When the laughter subsided, she continued with, "There will be at least one person with each of you until we return to the shuttle." She saw a couple looks that bordered on frowns. "This is only to assist you get the additional information and photos you need." Melinda and Sam were pleased when they boarded Alpha10 for the return flight to Grandview. It had been a very strenuous 3 hours. The interviews went very well, although a TV reporter almost lost it when one of the women grinned at her showing both her missing teeth and then her hand with two missing fingers. They were quite pleased that the visiting reporters had adhered to the ground rules established at the beginning of the trip. Sam was surprised at how few questions were asked on the return trip. They were on final approach to Grandview when a reporter said, "Are we here already?" "Yes. Coming back, we didn't pretend to be a executive jet," replied Melinda. "So you knew something would happen on the trip to the island." "No, we normally pretend to be an executive jet on these flights, as it causes fewer problems with air traffic control. I hope you found this worth the effort. It has been a pleasure to work with all of you." "Thank you for putting up with us," said a reporter, causing everyone to laugh. "This is one of the few times I have felt like nothing was being hidden from view." Another TV reporter said, "I meant everything I said earlier. Melinda, feel free to give any of them my contact information." The others in the cabin waved their hands, indicating the same was true for them. "Is it possible for a group of us to visit one of your ships?" asked a TV reporter. "Let's see how this is works out. I feel comfortable offering a longer visit to Comrie in a week or so, after things settle down some. By then, you should have a lot more freedom to roam around, but there would be a few restrictions on writing about some aspects of what you see. The limitation is in regard to peripheral information. As to visiting the ships or An Clochán, we will need to explore that idea with the rest of our family." "You want to see how the stories are written before making a commitment," said a newspaper reporter. "We need to talk it over with Command Staff," replied Sam, "before we can consider making that offer." Melinda and Sam watched as the reporters and cameramen gathered their stuff to leave. Each stopped and thanked Melinda and Sam again for their hospitality. On exiting the shuttle, each of them literally ran to their waiting colleagues. "Samantha," said Melinda, "thanks for the quick response to the last comment. I had thought of other things to say, but your choice was much better." "Yea, I saw what you wanted to say. If you had, we would have lost all our brownie points." They both laughed, as Alpha10 began its departure from the airport. ------- As the time for the Council of Brothers rocket launches neared, a broadcast was begun in the radio station studios of four Middle Eastern countries by a member of their country's parliament. In their broadcasts, they spoke about the evil represented by the Órarduine, their culture and their non-human appearance. To justify their position, they selected narrow passages from their religious heritage. They then blamed the Órarduine for wantonly killing many of their Islamic brothers, who were fighting the oppressive western infidels. They explained that the deaths were an unjust interference in Earth's events by the aliens. Órarduine were murders who killed their brave brothers who were fighting against the infidels that infest the Earth. They announced that, since the country's leaders were so weak in standing up to these barbarous acts by the Órarduine infidels, a consortium known as the Council of Brothers had decided to act. Just as the rockets launched, they mentioned the rockets being launched by these heroic Brothers, which would blast the Órarduine back to hell. The four parliament members closed their broadcasts by praising Allah for giving them the power to annihilate the agents of the devil, the Órarduine. It was 1700 hours on Comrie, or 2100 Zulu, when the Command Staff on Dóchas saw launch preparations at three sites move into their final stages. Their monitoring systems showed the rockets rise off their pads to begin their assent. The launches immediately drew the attention of many spy satellites. These satellites immediately responded as they were designed to, and sent warnings to their respective control centers which, in turn, sounded the alarm. Dóchas Intelligence watched the response in each country with a spy satellite. Within seconds of the spy satellite's transmission, the readiness level of that nation's defense forces went to a wartime level. Each spy satellite sent a constant stream of position data on the rising missiles to their control centers. "Target coordinates acquired," said FCS, to Dóchas CIC and Command Staff. As the rockets passed 30 000 km, FCS said, "Fire when ready." Moments later, brief flashes would have been seen by anyone near Dóchas group's ships, as they fired an A-beam at each rocket. In fractions of a second, each rocket flashed into nothing, leaving only a slight disturbance in the solar wind. On Earth, those tracking the missiles were shocked, then astounded to see the rockets vanish from their monitoring screens. Many immediately began running system checks, to verify data integrity. It was some 15 minutes later that the elevated readiness levels on Earth began to increment down except in China and Russia. It was only moments after the rockets were destroyed that Dóchas's laser cannon fired at both the Russian and Chinese launch sites. The energy absorbed at the sites caused the metal structures to glow and then sag, partly melted. The thermal bloom from the laser caused an extremely intense sound wave to roll across the sites, killing or severely injuring those at each site while damaging much of the sensitive equipment. Multiple A-beam pulses were then fired at the location where Fatin and the Council of Brothers had gathered to watch their rockets launch. When the dust cleared, there was a slight depression where the launch site had been. The target area was a 200 km circle, which was now totally desolate. It appeared as if there had never been any living thing in the area. The ground was covered by a heavy layer of fine sand. About a half an hour later, Dóchas Intelligence noted military readiness in all countries except Russia and China had returned to a peace time high level. It was then that Command Staff received a call from the President of China. "Good evening, Mr. President," said Sally, on taking the call from the President Tau. "You had no right to destroy our rocket or the launch pad. Our rocket was carrying a special satellite to survey our country for undiscovered natural resources. We are demanding full compensation for all the damage your weapons have caused. We demand a public explanation and apology for this criminal act of yours." "Mr. President, we respectfully disagree. We have the right to defend ourselves, just as you claim the right to defend yourselves. We agree that your rocket was supposed to carry a natural resource survey satellite. However, it was, in fact, carrying a warhead with multiple targeting capability, which was disguised as a communication satellite. A group at your base made the change this morning. Our information shows that a substantial number of the launch site crew were aware of this duplicity. We do not blame your government or your people for the attempt on us by these criminals. We see no need for compensation from us, as it should come from those who, effectively, stole your rocket and the launch pad. Our data indicates you will find the survey satellite sitting in the launch preparation building, untouched." "President Ryan and Prime Minister Bartlett have both expressed a high regard for your group. With that in mind, I will see if your claims can be verified. This will take a day or two. Let's resume our conversation once we have that information." "We would hope that we can resolve this issue quickly." "Good-bye." While Sally was talking to the President of China, Terry had virtually an identical conversation with the President of Russia. That conversation had started off a bit more belligerent and demanding, but ended much the same way. "Think they will find the data," asked Claudette. "I am not sure they will find all of it," replied Aoife. "They should find enough that they feel we were justified in our response." "Well, I would hope this doesn't make them our enemies," said Maureen. "Whether they are friends or not is another issue. There are few cultural issues between us and most Chinese or Russians." "I'm surprised we haven't had a call from President Ryan or Mr. Bartlett yet," said Tiff, of Siobhan's Clan. "I think the two calls we had were to put us on notice that they knew who did it," responded Eileen, of Siobhan's Clan. "Melinda, Sam, would you put out a news release on the missile destruction?" said Sarah. "Sure," came the quick response. "Do you just want a quick statement of fact regarding the missiles destroyed, and a reference to the four radio broadcasts?" "We think that should be enough." "We will send it to the wire services in the next 10 minutes or so." "Thanks." "Since we are all linked together," said Maeve, of Sarah's Clan, "when do you think we can have our celebration for the shakedown cruises." "I would think it will take us a week to sort out those on Comrie," replied Judy. "Let's schedule the party for a whole clock cycle," said Kendra, of Siobhan's Clan. "If we set up everyone to work short shifts, we can maintain our readiness while giving everyone a chance to participate." "We're agreeable," replied Maureen. "So let's plan on holding it in two weeks," said Joyce. "We can have the Communications Departments get everything set up for it." "To change the topic," said Maeve, "how are Conall and his family doing?" Judy, replied, "Johanna told me that the family had come to terms with the change in Conall's appearance. Until our little rescue operation, she thought the family would separate, but that has now changed. When his wife and daughters saw him being overwhelmed by the new arrivals, they pitched in to help him. Their experience seeing those we rescued seems to have given them some more insight into his ordeal. The last time Johanna saw them, she said they looked like a family again. Their girls have met and spent some time with the other teenagers in our family, so they seem to be comfortable on the island." "So, she thinks they will join us," said Siobhan. "She didn't say that in so many words, but that is how I interpret it." "I would like him to join our medical group," said Siobhan. "Why don't you suggest it to him. The idea would prompt him to ask his family if they wanted to visit Phoenix with him." "I'll do that tomorrow, when I am down at Comrie." "I'm hungry," said Jill. "We should go freshen up and then eat." "Agreed," replied everyone. "Let's keep our links open with the bridge, rather than pulling watches," said Sarah. "That way, we will get a full night's rest." "Sounds good." "Let's return to the celebration for a moment," said Erin. "It is likely there will still be guests at Comrie. Should we invite them to the celebration?" "Offhand, I would say yes. We should sleep on it, though." "Yes," replied the group. ------- Chapter 130 On Dóchas, Sarah's Clan opened their weekly conference link with Siobhan and Maureen's Clans on Phoenix and Eagle respectively. "Top of the day to you," said Tara addressing the other two Command Staffs with a strong Gaelic accent. "And the top of the day to you too," came the reply. "What does everyone think about Samantha and Melinda's proposal?" "Well," said Tiff of Siobhan's Clan, "I think we should do it. A group of reporters have visited Comrie twice now. Their stories have all been balanced and from the responses of those interviewed accurate, very accurate." "I agree with Tiff," added Colleen of Maureen's Clan. "We can bring them directly to An Clochán so they arrive at the same time as those coming from Comrie. Our guests at Comrie know why they have to be with an Órarduine at An Clochán when they leave the sleeping, dinning room and recreational areas. We just need to be sure the visiting reporters understand the reason." "Well, I would like to keep track of them while they are on An Clochán," said Rusty. "Everyone will be there overnight, so there would be plenty of time for mischief." "Do you think something is going to happen?" asked Brandan of Maureen's Clan. "No. I think I am being cautious and I don't want to see an incident occur that we could have avoided. Also An Clochán is a high risk living area but with the accommodations we have, it is quite easy to not see the risks." "Why not a demonstration?" said Conan of Siobhan's Clan. "How would you do that?" "One way would be to have one of our engineers fill a balloon half full of water inside our complex. He would then put it in a clear sealed box. Two of our staff wearing tactical suits would carry it out through an airlock toward the dry dock area. They would set the box on a stand with a cord attached to the door's release mechanism. Once it was all set up, the two staff members would move behind a nearby barrier. Who ever is doing the narration, should note the temperature of the box before the cord is pulled to open the box. We would want a camera closeup of the box so it could be showing on the monitors when the door opens." "So you think seeing a balloon bursting to create a white cloud of water vapor will get the point across." "Well it should have a lot of visual impact. Actually, it will probably damage the box. The narrator could then point out that this is something we live with constantly. Living here is a risk, but the complex and ships are designed to minimize the risk. Our telepathic communication and knowing our emergency procedures enables us to manage these situations. It is telepathic communication that permits the rapid communication we need when responding to emergencies. This dependence on telepathic communication is why visitors need an escort when leaving the common areas." "I like the idea of the demo," said Keira of Siobhan's Clan. "It will help the residents from Comrie as well. We liked your impromptu dialog as well." "Sally," said Melissa of Siobhan's Clan, "do you know if the medical detachments from the UK and US are coming?" "The last I heard is that they are planning to. They were considering asking permission but Elanor and Norma decided that their initial orders would let them go wherever those rescued were located." "Good." "Have we reached a consensus on the reporters?" said Sarah. "It would be difficult to refuse them," replied Siobhan. "We see no valid reason to deny their presence at our celebration. Like Rusty, we have some concerns. Most of the concern is with emergency response. Story wise we have very little concern." "We agree," replied Maureen. "We can have our AI, Moncha, provide Breacadh with additional resources while all the additional people are there." "We will do the same with Donna," added Siobhan. "She is probably more familiar with the people monitoring issues than any of the AIs. The AIs have some trouble transferring knowledge like we do and it is surprisingly for similar reasons." "Star, will you tell Melinda that the reporters are welcome," said Aoife. "She has been advised," replied Star. "The next item," said Sarah, "is that Intelligence, Navigation and Environmental Departments have come up with a sequence of solar systems to visit for the long range shuttle. They are proposing putting the information out on our network and asking everyone to look it over. After the celebration, we will have a family discussion on the proposal. The shuttle will leave shortly after the discussion." "The crew is all ready right?" said Siobhan. "Oh, yes. They are anxious to go." "We are agreeable," replied Siobhan. "That goes for us too," replied Maureen. "Amy, Jim and Erica are really excited about the trip," said Alison. "The rest of the crew is drawn from six different clans, all are security team members and cover all the key skills." "I thought separating clan members for that period of time would create problems for them," replied Sarah. "Not in this case," replied Judy. "This is because the clans involved have formed a clan cluster. By bonding as a clan cluster, it lets portions of clans be apart for periods of time." "Interesting. Next item," said Sarah, "is that Dóchas3 and Dóchas4 are ready to begin final systems testing. Are we agreeable on who will be the Command Staff for the two ships?" "We think Kathryn and Keriann's Clans are excellent choices," replied Siobhan. "How were you going to present it to them?" "Just ask them to run the system checks from the bridge on the two ships." "You don't think they will see the writing on the wall so to speak." "Perhaps. With the addition of Emma to Keriann's Clan, they now have a full set of abilities. The same is true for Kathryn's Clan with the addition of Kathy. I don't think either clan recognizes the full extent of their abilities, yet." "Sarah's Clan," said Maureen, "we agree with the choice. Remember, we didn't know the full extent of our abilities when we stepped on Dóchas's bridge." "Maureen," said Melissa, "I agree with you 100%. Everyone else here agrees with you as well. As to knowing our abilities, I am not sure we will ever know the full extent of our abilities until they are needed." "We agree," was the thought shared between everyone in the three clans. "We've pulled the next two names for the ships from the list we generated earlier," said Claudette. "Dóchas3 will be Endeavor and Dóchas4 will be Explorer presuming everyone agrees. The names in Celtic would be Iarracht and Taiséalai, respectively. We would prefer to use the Celtic names in place of the English names. The ship's AI will be Muiriol and Scathach, respectively." "We think those choices will work out just fine," replied Siobhan and Maureen. They then laughed when they realized they had spoken in unison. "So we can speak in unison from separate locations," said Erin of Sarah's Clan. "That is pretty cool," replied several in the link. "We will have several clans interested in changing ships when these two are launched," said Tara. "Do we have a problem?" "No. We actually have good depth in all departments on our three active ships. I have the feeling nearly everyone is receptive to occasionally changing ships because it is different. Overall this will be good for us as we can spread the operational knowledge across all five ships." "Everyone realizes that many of those currently living on Comrie are leaning toward coming here," said Aisling of Siobhan's Clan. "It is puzzling to me that nearly all of the people we have rescued at one time or other have chosen to join us. This is even though we don't present it as an option to them." "I can see why you are puzzled," replied Alison. "It wasn't long ago that I wondered the same thing. When I shifted my point of view back to after I was rescued, I think I can understand why. I don't think any of us are puzzled by those who come to us with no family or close friends on Earth. This is because just being with us, is like being part of a family. For those who had close friends and some family members before, it is separation by experience." Alison felt a number of puzzled responses. "By 'separation by experience', I am referring to situations where people meet again after not seeing each other for a long while in the meantime their lives have taken drastically different paths. In the best of circumstances, it takes time and effort to rebuild the relationship. If the gap is really great then the closeness never really returns even though the friendship continues. For those rescued this is complicated by the visible changes their friends see. The missing fingers, change in physical appearance, and body language." "Hm..." said Aisling, "that makes sense. I guess I should have picked that up from those in my clan who had similar experiences." "Aisling," said Keira, "even with our mind-link, I am not sure it is easy to replay another's memory and truly see it from their point of view at that time. I have to admit that until Alison mentioned it, I hadn't looked at it that way. I can see why you were puzzled, and I believe I was to but I never thought about it to any great extent. Could this be because down deep I understood the point of view? I suspect so, but I don't know. "Thank you, Alison and Keira," replied Aisling. "The issue was bothering me and I think you have cleared it up. Well at least in my mind, anyway." "Aisling, thanks for bringing up the topic," said Colleen of Maureen's Clan. "Alison thanks for pointing out that our concern was driven by not being able to slip into another's point of view. Looking at the group here, I think all of us feel better about what we are seeing." "I should have mentioned this before," said Alison, "but didn't think of it. So does this mean we have some weaknesses in our mind-link that we didn't know about." "No," replied Tiff of Siobhan's Clan. "We shared our knowledge and experiences in all their glorious and gory detail." Several chuckled. "What we don't do in all cases, is try to see it from our spouses point of view. Maybe I said no to soon, as it now seems like there are times when we share experiences, we need to take the point of view into consideration. Sometimes it is a subtle difference. Other times it is readily apparent." "With more people, we are going to need another Dóchas class ship," said Sarah. "We should be able to build one more without to much of a delay in our timetable," said Claudette. "With our accumulated experience and focusing on only one ship, we should be able to do it in less time than it takes to build two." "So do we all think, we should build another ship?" asked Rusty. "I do, even if we staff it with a skeleton crew," replied Brandan of Maureen's Clan. "It would give us some flexibility." "Wait, Claudette, did you really intend to say it takes longer to build two ships at the same time than just one." "Yes. It is a resource issue but it is also based on our experience with these four ships." "So, we agree to build another ship," said Siobhan's Clan. "We agree," said Sarah's Clan. "We agree, as well," said Maureen's Clan. "Claudette, when are Endeavor and Explorer scheduled to lift off?" asked Conan. "Nominally, three weeks our time. It could be a few clock cycles either way." "Is there anything else?" said Sarah. "When are you going to approach the new Command Staff candidates?" said Tiff. "Today," responded Sarah. "Good. It will be interesting to see how they react." Nearly everyone chuckled as they thought about how they felt the first time they were on the bridge. ------- On Dóchas' bridge Star said, "Rusty, there is a call from Mr. Tau the President of China." "Let's put him on the speaker phone here and include Siobhan and Maureen's Clans." "Already configured. He will be on the line when you pickup." "Good morning, Mr. Tau," said Rusty. "This is Rusty on Dóchas." "Good morning, Rusty. Is the lady I talked to several days ago there? I didn't get her name and I do owe her an apology." "I believe you talked to Tara and yes she is now on the line with us." "Tara, please accept my sincere apologies for the way I acted the last time I called." "Apology accepted, but there was really no need to apologize. We understand the issues that prompted your call." "Our scientist and engineers at the launch site have located the missing satellite. It was in perfect condition. We will be launching from a different site next week. As for the launch pad, once the engineers saw the damage in daylight, they told me that it will be fairly easy to repair. Resolving the staffing problem will unfortunately take a little longer." "We are pleased to hear everything has been resolved." "We think so. I am told we launched several other satellites for the organization behind the attack on you. There are indications that these other satellites may contain weapons. This makes us very uneasy as some other countries would see it as a violation of our treaties with them. Our concern is growing as our scientist have not determined a way to make them harmless without creating more problems." "If you could identify the satellites, we could take a look at them. At the moment, we don't believe there are any in orbit with active weapon systems in them." "I will have our space agency send you the information." "Fine. We will let you know what we find." "Now that the business is out of the way. We would like to extend an invitation to you to visit us in the near future." "Thank you very much. We would like some time before proposing a date. As we have indicated before, you are welcome to visit us." "Thank you, that would be very interesting and I remember the invitation. Would four weeks from now fit your schedule?" "It should," replied Tara looking at her spouses. "Let me check and get back to you." "That will be fine. I have a question before I go. Are you aware of reports circulating of a plot to create anarchy in several western countries?" "Yes." "The concept really seems implausible. What is your opinion of the information being published?" "The data behind what we have seen published is unquestionable in terms of accuracy," replied Rusty. "Based on our analysis of the data, we are not certain it would have yielded the outcome the terrorist wanted. If it had come close to working, they would have certainly used the strategy against other regions." "So you think chaos would have happened?" "Yes. A complex society depends on trusting each other. The objective of the plot is to destroy peoples trust in each other and the leaders of their country. Trust is much greater component of society than many realize. Once destroyed, it is difficult to restore. Yet without trust, the monetary and political systems fail or become nonfunctional even in political systems based on fear. The chaos they were trying to create reminds me of the dynamics of a cattle stampede. A stampede is easy to start. It is very difficult to stop and only slightly easier to guide. This group of terrorist's mind set is to have an Islamic world and everything else is secondary." "An interesting analogy. We should talk about this some more. Thank you for your time today. Good-bye." "Good-bye, Mr. President." "So it looks like we have an invitation to China," said Tara to the three Command Staffs. "Doesn't four weeks fall in the window for the long range shuttle's return." "Yes, originally but that has changed," said Claudette. "I believe the last schedule I saw was for the excursion to last four months." "I just checked," said Kendra of Siobhan's Clan. "Exploration and Navigation are not expecting LRS back for four months. It is scheduled to leave in three clock cycles." "I wonder how I missed that," said Tara. "It was just decided today. They are reasonably certain two of the planets will be good choices. If that turns out to be the case, they will do a more in depth environmental evaluation." "Exploration and Environmental have both raised the idea of having one of the Dóchas class ships going to the preferred choice before we move. Environmental wants us to know as much about the chosen planet as possible before we arrive. One suggestion was to establish a colony like An Clochán first." "Cautious but reasonable," said several spouses. ------- Sarah's Clan was just leaving the dining room on Dóchas when they saw Kathryn's Clan standing in the corridor. Terry quickly checked to make sure the whole clan was there. "Do you all have a moment?" said Sarah. "For you guys, we have as much time as you want," replied Brittany. "We have a project on An Clochán that we think your clan would be perfect to take the lead on." "This sounds interesting," said Rebeca. "It is a very challenging project and we think you will like the challenge," said Sarah with a bit of a smile. "Taiséalai needs a clan on the bridge so the final systems checks can begin." Sarah's Clan watched the expressions on the faces of Kathryn's Clan change as they realized the implications of the proposal. "Of course once those are done, you will need to oversee lift off and other related tasks." "You're serious, right?" said Kathryn's Clan in unison. "Very much so," replied Sarah's Clan telepathically to add a dimension to the request. "I don't know that we are the best choice," replying in unison again. "Are you certain about this?" "Yes," replied Sarah's Clan who were joined by both Siobhan and Maureen's Clans. The eyes of those in Kathryn's Clan grew slightly as they heard the three Command Staffs speak. "We are surprised and a bit off balance. We never expected anything like this. We will do our best." "We know you will," replied the three Command Staffs. "May the Gods and Goddesses be with you always, to guide and bless you along with those around you." "May they continue to bless all of us." "What about our FCS responsibility," said Jamie. "One of the floating teams will fill that position. You can leave today for An Clochán or wait until after our celebration." "We will leave today," replied Kathryn's Clan, "just as soon as we can get our stuff packed." Sarah's Clan watched with a smile on their faces as they watched Kathryn's Clan walk away quickly toward the suite. Joyce said, "I wonder how long it will take them to realize that they just ran off." "Probably not till tomorrow," replied Jill chuckling. Their thoughts were interrupted by Kathryn's Clan saying, "Jill, you loose. We do owe all of you a big hug and kiss. Thank all of you so very much for this opportunity." "Oops ... Guess I was wrong." Sarah's Clan chuckled at the exchange. ------- It was only a few moments later when Sarah's Clan entered FOC. Keriann and Emma looked up with a surprised look on their face as all of Sarah's Clan was seldom in their area at one time. "This is a surprise," said Keriann when she recovered. "What can we do for you?" "There is a project on An Clochán and we think your clan should take the lead." "We would do anything for this family. What is the project? How soon? Who will handle the FOC?" "This project is to run the final systems check on Iarracht," said Sarah with a bit of a smile. Sarah's Clan watched the expressions on the faces of Keriann's Clan change as they realized the implications of the proposal. "Of course once those are done, you will need to oversee lift off and other related tasks." "You're serious, right?" replied Keriann's Clan in unison. "Very much so," said Sarah's Clan telepathically to add a dimension to the offer. "I don't know that we are the best choice," replying in unison again. "Are you certain about this?" "Yes," replied Sarah's Clan who were again joined in the reply by both Siobhan and Maureen's Clans surprising Keriann's Clan. Their expressions clearly showed their surprise at the request. "We are surprised and a bit off balance. We never expected anything like this. We will do our best." "We know you will," replied the three Command Staffs. "May the Gods and Goddesses be with you always, to guide and bless you along with those around you." "May they continue to bless all of us." After a moment, Emma said, "When do we need to start? Who will handle FOC?" "You know the flight crews better than we do, so we are looking to you for the selection. As to when, as soon as you can." Keriann's Clan looked at each other for a moment and knew who should fill the FOC position. "Sarah's Clan," said Kelly, "Sabrina's Clan would be our choice to handle FOC. Sabrina maybe upset with us as it will cut in on her flying time." "We think Sabrina's Clan is an excellent choice. Star would you ask Sabrina's Clan to come to FOC." "They are on their way," replied Star. "We can go to An Clochán, as soon as they are comfortable here." "What's up?" said Sabrina entering the compartment with her clan. "Why are you leaving?" "We would like for your clan to manage Dóchas' FOC." "Oh, I don't know that we are up for that," replied Sabrina with several of her spouses nodding in agreement. "Besides you guys do a very good job here keeping us on our toes." Several chuckled. "As to where we are going. Sarah's Clan just asked us to take the lead on a project on An Clochán." Gwendolyn was the first to realize the implications and said, "You're going to one of the new ships." Keriann's Clan smiled and nodded. "Oh my, you're going to lead the systems checks. That means..." "Yes, that means we will be working on the bridge of Iarracht for a while." "For a while, yea right," said Angus of Sabrina's Clan causing several to chuckle. "We are a bit surprised at being asked to be the FOC as we think your clan is the best. We will try to live up to the performance standard you have set here. As to being Command Staff of Iarracht, you are the perfect choice. Congratulations!" "Sabrina's Clan, " said Sally, "we are very pleased that you have accepted the FOC assignment. Don't worry, you will still get some flight time." "Thank you. We know we will still get to fly but we will have a lot more to consider now." "So how soon do you want us to begin in FOC?" asked Edith. "Now," replied Kelly. "You already know most of what needs to be done here. The only up coming event is the transport of those from Comrie to An Clochán for the celebration. Otherwise, it is normal operations and our AI is very good." "So, we have the afternoon to go over things." "We can easily cover all the new stuff in that time." "Sarah's Clan," said Sabrina's Clan, "thank you so much for this opportunity. We will do our best." "We are sure you will," replied Sarah's Clan in unison. "Who is handling the check out for Taiséalai?" said Caitriona. "Kathryn's Clan." "That's great!" replied Keriann and Sabrina's Clans almost jumping with happiness. "I wonder what Captain Howard or Admiral Johnson would think," said Kelly. "Oh," said Sarah, "I think they would be pleased. Melinda, will likely include the progress on the two ships in her news bulletins she sends to Earth. The Grandview news organizations have told us that they have many standing requests for information on us and our operations." "We are glad all of you accepted the new opportunities," said Sarah's Clan. "We need to be going so you can sort things out. See you at the celebration." "Thank you, again," replied Keriann and Sabrina's Clans. As Sarah's Clan moved down the corridor toward the bridge, they realized that they had made another major step toward moving to a new home. They would announce the staffing changes after dinner this evening. ------- It was the morning of the Órarduine celebration on An Clochán when Sarah's Clan walked into the common area. They were surprised by the cheers of the crowd when they stepped through the archway. "Sarah's Clan," said Star, "our family would like for you to say a few words to begin the festivities." "You're sure." "Yes," replied Star along with Amy's, Siobhan's and Maureen's Clans. Sarah's Clan stepped up onto the elevated area at one side of the room. On their way to the stage the cheering continued unabated. "Good morning!" said Sarah's Clan in unison. "Good morning," came a roar from the crowd. "We are not sure why you wanted us up here to speak. However, since we are here, we thought of several people that should be recognized for the key roles they played in making it possible for us to reach this milestone on our journey into the future." "First, there is Star. Star, come on out and join us." They paused while Star joined them on stage in her avatar form. "If Star hadn't pushed her programming constraints after the accident, it is very likely most of us would not be here." The family applauded long and loudly acknowledging Star's contribution. "Next there are the survivors of the accident, in particular Amy's Clan. I don't think all of them are here at the moment, but let's have those that are here join us." Sarah's Clan reached out with their telekinesis ability and lifted Amy, Jim and Betsy up, to bring them onto the stage. The three were floating to the stage when Erica entered the room. She gasped as she saw them floating toward the stage. Her gasp was followed by a shriek, when Sarah's Clan picked her up as well. The expressions on Amy, Jim, Erica and Betsy's faces were priceless as they suddenly found themselves floating through the air toward the stage. When the four members of Amy's Clan were standing on the stage, Amy said, "When did you learn that? I have only read about it in our library." "We have only used it a couple of times," said Joyce softly. "During the years after the accident," continued Sarah's Clan, "Amy's clan along with the other survivors continually sought to find new ways to improve their situation. It was their ingenuity complimented by Star's behind the scene efforts that led them to establish the settlement on Comrie." "Once they had sowed the seeds, it took some time for them to grow and blossom. Just look around this room at how well they have blossomed. We all, owe all of you a big thanks for being here and adding your many contributions to our family. Thank you. May the Gods and Goddesses continue blessing us." "At this time, we would like to recognize Aine, Brigit, Creidne, Deidre, Eithne and Fidelma. They were originally sent by the 'Old Ones' to assist us in understanding our abilities. Their mentoring has been outstanding and a key part of our successful growth. They have asked for and received permission to use our clans location as their home base." The crowd cheered until Sarah's Clan raised their hands for quiet. "Let's party!" said Sarah's Clan as they started to leave the stage. Their comment resulted in another wave of cheering. Amy held up her hands for silence. "Wait a minute," said Amy's Clan, "you guys can stay a minute." "Gee, I guess we didn't move quick enough," said Sarah's Clan causing many to laugh. "All we can say is that having Sarah's Clan join us was the biggest blessing anyone could ever hope for. Sarah's Clan arrived on Comrie as a group of 8 people. They were very surprised to find themselves on Comrie and even more surprised by the changes in their bodies. We did not learn until some six months after they arrived that they had been kidnapped. Why six months? Well, we weren't able to talk with them because they were sedated while recovering from the treatments initiated by who we now know as their kidnappers. They responded to their new situation like they do to everything. They dealt with reality. Of course it helped that they now have some rather unique abilities. We have been blessed with their quiet unassuming leadership. They have helped all of us to grow and become who we are today. Thank you, Sarah's Clan for being you." The cheering began again. Sarah's Clan let the cheering go on until it began to subside, then said, "Thank you. We believe that we have been immensely blessed by the Gods and Goddesses to be here with all of you. The goal for all of us, is to make tomorrow better for all of us, as it takes all of us, to be a family." Someone hollered, "HIP, HIP" ... and the crowd responded with "HURRAY!" "Let's party," said Sarah's Clan, Amy, Jim, Erica and Betsy, before they all quickly left the stage. Sarah's Clan wandered around the common area, stopping to watch the different games being played. Siobhan's Clan played a volleyball match and quit after three overtimes with it tied up. They learned some new dances and then danced for a while longer. After that they listened to the different singing groups. It was late in the afternoon when Lorelei, the Grandview TV host, joined them with a couple of visiting reporters in tow. Melinda wasn't far behind the group. "Lorelei, how are you feeling?" asked Judy. "Much better thanks to you all. I don't think I would have lived long if I was sent to the camp where I was to serve my sentence and I am not sure being Akil's slave would have been much better. The torment I endured in Tangier, was nothing compared to what they did to my associate or the GISS agents there. I didn't know people could be that mean or evil. All I can say is, the assholes got what they deserved, except it wasn't drawn out enough. The assholes should have suffered for at least a 100 years." "Lorelei, how can you be a TV host with such a potty mouth?" said Earl. "Earl," replied Lorelei holding up her left hand showing her missing fingers, "this lets me be a potty mouth when we speak of those evil asshole sub-barbarian criminals." "Gee ... Lorelei, those terrorist were just misguided souls." As he finished, Earl held his hands up in front of his face as he saw how angry Lorelei was. "Lorelei, I was teasing. Don't." Earl quickly turned so that Lorelei's fist hit his shoulder. "You keep that up, and I'll see you don't get any answers to your question." "My apologies, Lorelei," said Earl as he rubbed his shoulder. "I didn't realize I was stepping into a lioness's den." "Are you two brother and sister by any chance?" said Sally. "God, no!" replied both immediately causing everyone to laugh. "I have a tendency to tease people I consider friends," replied Earl, "quite often I really step in it. This time I did an exceptionally good job in front of witnesses." "We're friends?" said Lorelei with a very serious look. "I..." began Earl stammering, until Lorelei began to laugh. He slowly smiled as he blushed slightly. "Earl, I'm..." "Lorelei, say nothing more. I was out of line by pulling your chain so hard, especially so soon after your ordeal." Lorelei stepped over and hugged him. He was hesitant as he wasn't sure were it was safe to put his hands in hugging his naked friend. "Relax, if you want to hug, it is no different than if I had clothes on," she chided him as they began to hug each other. It was clear to everyone that they really were good friends. "Sarah's Clan, Earl asked Melinda and I a question. We think we know the answer but are not sure. So, would you help Earl with his question?" "Sure. Do you want to do it here or in some quiet corner." Just then a cheer went up and another song started. "You don't need to answer lets find a quiet corner." They found a spot and sat down. Earl said, "I have spent quite a bit of time going over the available information on Órarduine or as they were originally known, the Golden Amazons. Many of this colony are originally from Earth and came here to work. Also, many chose to come here directly after college or military service. Each have chosen to become Órarduine through a species conversion that no one on Earth understands. There are quite a number who are now Órarduine who were rescued by you from sexual slavery. I have spoken with many from each group about why they decided to become Órarduine. Their answers, I know, are all genuine but at the same time it seems like I am missing something." "Earl, are you looking to see if we are manipulating them into joining us?" "I guess, it looks that way, but really, I am not." "We have had those concerns as well, especially those we have rescued. Whenever we have rescued a person or a group, we have always offered them a physical, medical treatment if needed and they wanted it, along with a place to stay until they sorted out where they wanted to go or do. We offered to be a sounding board as they worked out the options for their future. If they asked for ideas, we never included joining us as an option. It was always left to them to raise that issue. You probably wonder why we are so cautious." He nodded his head. "It is because species conversion is not reversible. Returning to Earth as an Órarduine would probably not be tolerated if at all. We need family members who are thrilled to be family members." "You keep saying family members rather than crew members or something else." "Because, we think that is why so many of those we rescued chose to become Órarduine. So far, we are one very large family. We believe this is in part because of our openness with each other. Our acceptance of each other. Telepathy plays a key role in our openness and sharing. Telepathy makes it easier to convey our emotions and express our feelings to each other. With telepathy, we are aware of everyone in our whole family. Our clans share virtually everything, thoughts, feelings, emotions, memories and other things which brings us very close to each other. There are clan clusters or groups of clans that are very close perhaps like twin sisters or brothers. Again the whole family easily shares thoughts, much like we are talking now without the limitation of distance." "The other aspect that plays into it is that most of those we have rescued don't have any close family ties or friends. Many who joined us directly out of college or shortly there after were from the group usually thought of as the nerds or geeks. There are quite a few former military members that have joined us. Most of those have been from special operations type units. We have not had any reservations in accepting those who sought to join us. Maybe we should have. The only problems we have had were with people sent here to spy. Fortunately there have been only a few of those." "I think," said Earl, "it is the openness that is hard to comprehend. You are correct in saying a key part of the draw is becoming part of a large caring family. Some detractors claim your group is a cult, commune or worse. I think many can't get past the idea of seldom wearing clothes which taints their thinking. It concerned me the first time I was at Comrie, but it didn't take long until it didn't matter what a person wore. I'll admit that I still have problems with eye contact when talking to some women. Would I be correct in thinking that the medical staff evaluates a persons motivation when they ask for the species conversion?" "Yes. The evaluation is usually telepathic, and when it is, we ask permission first." Earl smiled and nodded at Judy's response. "What do all of you like about being Órarduine?" "That is a hard question to respond to with a simple answer," replied Sarah's Clan together. "The closeness, sharing and intimacy would all be a big part of it. We each have nearly the same physical stamina. This makes it easier to share in everything." "Doesn't the closeness feel suffocating at times?" "It hasn't," replied Sarah. "We wondered about that when we first fully mind-linked." "Mind-link?" "That is the phrase we use for telepathic sharing within a clan." "Am I correct in thinking mind-link is sharing essentially everything between individuals in a clan." "Yes. We have compared it to being different facets of a single crystal." "I need to think about this. Could I come back later with questions?" "Sure. Earl, did we answer your question about becoming an Órarduine?" said Melinda trying to steer the conversation back to the original topic. "Yes, I think so. When Amy was talking earlier, she indicated your clan was initially eight people." "When we arrived on Comrie," said Sarah, "it was Rusty, Sally, Terry, Joyce, Jill, Janet, Judy and I. We arrived sedated. Betsy and Connie found when doing our physicals that we had been treated with a set of growth factors that would in a fairly short time be devastating to our health. They were told that we had volunteered to come and a part of the agreement was guaranteeing our health. So they opted to counter the treatments we had been given, on their ship using what we now know as the species conversion procedure. They normally used it for treating major health problems such as severe injuries. They weren't sure of the outcome but were certain it would be better than the alternative of not doing anything. To say we were shocked when we woke up is an understatement. We were comfortable with the changes in our bodies but we were also very irritated that it was done without our agreement. Our first meeting with Amy, Jim, Connie and Betsy was a little testy. Let me back up a bit and say that both Rusty and I were telepathic before we arrived at Comrie. Terry and Sally were partially. When we woke on Comrie, we were all comfortably telepathic, in that we exchanged thoughts as easily as speaking." As Sarah talked, Earl and Lorelei expressions showed their amazement at the events. "In our first meeting, we recognized that Amy's Clan was sincere in their care of us. They didn't know until that meeting that we were truly kidnapped. Things just kind of cascaded from there." "Wow," said Earl when Sarah finished. "Is all of this recorded somewhere?" "We believe so, but haven't looked," said Aoife. "What is recorded is in the library. Alison, Tara, Erin and Claudette joined Sarah's Clan next. This was before we started referring to our spousal groups as clans. Not long after that I joined, then Maeve joined us. I think each of us knew as soon as we met Sarah's Clan that we were destined to be a part of this clan. I was probably the most reluctant but at the same time I knew it was my destiny." "Is it okay if I look it up?" asked Earl. "Yes," replied Sarah's Clan in unison. "We would prefer that the information stay within our family." "I would only consider writing about it if you agree. Privacy is difficult enough in todays world." "Once you see what is there, we think you will understand our reluctance for it going outside our family." "That is scary. What if I slip up and say something I shouldn't." Sarah looked at Earl for a moment before saying, "We can show you how to prevent that." Earl had a surprised look on his face at hearing Sarah when her lips were not moving. "You can put a constraint on it so you can only recall it with others who know of the information. If you decide to do it, you only need to think your request and direct it to us. Lorelei, can do the same thing." "I will need to think about all the implications before we do that and I will likely have many questions for you. Can Lorelei hear us now?" "If you want her to." "I do. What is your primary concern with the events being known more widely?" "Unintended political consequences that injure innocent people." Earl and Lorelei looked puzzled. Sarah continued saying, "Our paths have crossed the paths of a number of groups with activities similar to what the Council of Brothers was doing but with a different motivation. Each time those groups have been neutered. The need to do that was driven by self preservation or the safety of our friends. We see no point in making that known beyond our family. There are some law enforcement and intelligence agencies on Earth who suspect our involvement in some of the situations. We don't see a need to confirm it. In fact some of our former spooks think confirming it would remove the mystery." "I take it everything is kind of intertwined so that telling part of the story could unwittingly say things about other parts." "Yes." "If Lorelei and I decide to take a gander at it, we will come see you first so we can set up the safe." "That will be fine. When we do that, we should show you how to enable your telepathy as well. You won't want to use it on Earth, but having it enabled can alert you to danger. Earl, has your visit been, what you expected?" "Yes. Actually it is more than I expected it would be. The idea that we would need escorts if we left the common area bothered all of us. Seeing the demonstration and being here has eliminated those concerns. Thank you for the opportunity to be here." "Anything else we can help you with now?" said Joyce. "No, I don't think so. Come on Lorelei, lets wander around some more." He paused for a moment, then added, "I will understand if you prefer not to, but I will watch my teasing." "Lets go," replied Lorelei. "Sarah's Clan thank you for the help." "Not a problem. Have a good time." Sarah's Clan watched the group disappear into the crowd. ------- Chapter 131 It was two clock cycles after the Órarduine celebration when the group leaving on the Long Range Shuttle were gathering in the hanger area on Dóchas. On entering the hanger, Sarah looked around checking to see if all the clans involved with the LRS were there. With the assistance of her spouses they quickly determined everyone was, as well as Siobhan and Maureen's Clans. Walking over to Amy, Jim and Erica, Sara said, "Is everything ready to go Amy?" "Yes," replied Amy. "We just finished reviewing the check list when everyone started arriving to see us off. As soon as everyone says good-bye, we can depart. Oh good, it looks like those from Jean's Clan are boarding now." Once those from Jean's Clan began boarding the LRS, the portions of Súsanna, Christina, Caoilinn, and Molly's Clans going on the LRS began finishing their good-byes in preparation for boarding. Seeing the others boarding, Amy, Erica, Jim and Connie gave each of the Sarah, Siobhan and Maureen's Clan a hug and a kiss. As Amy's group approached the LRS, their spouses were waiting by the door to give them a last kiss and a hug goodbye. The group watched as the door closed on the LRS, then after a few moments float off its cradle toward the door. Everyone waved as they watched the LRS float out through the air lock of Dóchas's hanger. "I already miss them," said Caoilinn. Many in the room muttered their agreement with her comment. "At the same time, I can hardly wait until they are back with stories of their adventures." "I agree," said Jackie of Molly's Clan. "It will be nice practicing being parents with their children while they are gone." "Practicing parents?" said Eileen of Siobhan's Clan. "Yes," replied Aingeal of Caoilinn's Clan. "We are going to share parenting duties for the children while they are gone. Actually we have been doing a little of it for the last month or so. It's like baby sitting, but a little different." "So, how do you like being a parent?" "Well, we are soon going to be adding children to our clan." Joyce and Eileen started to speak when Aingeal added, "Wait, no one is pregnant yet. We plan on starting when they get back. Three of us will likely try for twins. We're not as adventuresome as Sarah's Clan." Everyone laughed as all of Sarah's Clan stuck out their tongues. "We like our brood," replied Sarah's Clan. "You know I was teasing," replied Aingeal. "Your Clan has the greatest group of children I have ever been around. They are very special to us. They were the first small children any of us had been around. Being around them has really changed our perception of small children. It is a pleasure to watch them grow into young adults." "Thank you," replied Tara. "Sometimes, I wish that when I was small that I had been around a group like we have here. When I first saw our children receiving so much attention, it worried me. Now I see it as very beneficial for everyone." "Aingeal," said Courtney of Maureen's Clan, "I think everyone in our family agrees with you. As to new babies, four of us are carrying twins. After they are born, the rest of us will become pregnant. We are not planning on being pregnant during our trip to a new solar system." "Congratulations," said everyone in the hanger. With that those in the hanger area began to return to their duty stations. As they started down the corridor, Angelia of Súsanna Clan said, "Look Star has the LRS on the monitor. It looks like they didn't waste anytime in making the first jump." "They should be at their first solar system in 5 clock cycles," said Janet. "All of our monitors can access the map of their voyage," said Joyce. "Cool," said several. ------- It was two Órarduine weeks after celebrating the successful cruise by Dóchas, Phoenix and Eagle, when Melinda and Samantha entered the conference room. "Hi," said Melinda and Sam. "Is everyone here?" "Shannon, Kara, Tara and Natalia will be here in a few moments," said Maeve just as they entered the room. They were followed by Amber and Keira of Siobhan's Clan. "We are glad you could make it," said Aoife to Amber and Keira. "Amber you look very good. How do you like being on Phoenix?" "It's great. Being part of Siobhan's Clan is so neat. I never imagined it was possible to be that intimate and open with each other, much less among 11 people. Sometimes I wonder when I will wake up from my dream." "We feel like she has been a part of us forever," added Keira as she put her arm around Amber. "I see that all of you are linked with your clans," said Melinda. "Since the stories about our celebration were published, we have received a number of requests for visits. Both Earl and Lorelei have more requests for interviews than can be done in five years working every day. We need some guidance. We think all of us are pleased with the positive attention for a change. What criteria should we use to screen visitors?" "Earl's articles have been very good," said Shannon. "He does a very good job of explaining complex topics so everyone understands the information. There have been very few errors in his articles." "Lorelei has been much the same way in her interviews," said Sam. "A couple of times she called us during an interview to clarify a point." "There are several other reporters that have a good understanding of science and psychology," said Melinda, "who have asked if they could visit. I hesitate to ask Earl his opinion of them but I don't know how else to choose." "What do these other reporters think of us?" said Keira. "All of them seem to be open minded and curious," said Sam. "Melinda, invite a few of them to visit for a week," said Aoife with Amber nodding. "We shouldn't have more than six spread among our locations at a time. They have to abide by the escort rule which will be a burden that falls on your group. Two violations of the escort rule and they go immediately back to Earth no exceptions." "I think they should be seen by the autodoc on Comrie before coming here," said Maeve. "We noticed some of our visitors at the celebration had difficulty adapting to our environment. It wasn't anything serious, but did make them uneasy at first." "That's strange," said Kara, "we haven't noticed that with the other visitors." "Kerry of Leann's Clan said their department and the Environmental group had reviewed An Clochán environmental data of the time during the celebration. They think the oxygen level may have been a little low for humans. Betsy told the Environmental group that low oxygen and low gravity could be a problem for humans from low elevations. By low oxygen we are referring to a level experienced at 8 to 10 thousand feet on Earth." "Engineering wants to add more active atmospheric purifiers to An Clochán if we have another gathering like that. They have backup systems that they would bring on-line." "Melinda, do the requests include cameramen or photographers?" "A couple of reporters asked about photos or video, and we volunteered Carl and Karmen to assist them with that. Our offer seemed to satisfy them." "I thought I heard something about a live show from here?" said Maeve. "You heard correctly. This will take some doing but the Grandview TV station seems to like the idea. Lorelei and Earl would anchor the show from here. They are looking to have a show that would last 90 minutes and be divided into at least four segments. Each segment would be an interview of one of our families. It would be shown on Earth live, and while the show was in progress the station would take questions by phone and email. A second portion of the show would be used for responding to the questions. This second portion would be a live broadcast but take place approximately an hour after the end of the interview portion." "So your saying TV viewers on Earth would see a series of interviews, then a 60 minute break, followed by a 60 minute show for responses to questions," said Shannon. "Yes. Grandview TV has not decided what the programming will be during the open time slot. The station thinks the show would be picked up by several networks. If successful, they would like to do more than one show." "Do we have the available resources to support this?" asked Siobhan. "We discussed sources with the four Communications departments," replied Maeve, "and they think so. They proposed holding the interviews in An Clochán common area with several from each ship's communication department supporting the effort." "I told the TV producer," said Melinda, "that we would only agree to one show as we needed to make sure it did not interfere with anything else. He wasn't happy hearing the implication of there being only one show." "What does our family think about all of this attention?" asked Aoife. "Pleased. Happy. Concerned," said Sam smiling. "Pleased that many on Earth have decided we aren't out to do something awful to them. Happy that they are now interested in us. Concerned about the potential impact this could have on our family." "Do you think Earl and Lorelei understand what we mean when we say family?" asked Aoife. "You mean that it includes all 15,000 plus," replied Sam with a smile. "Yes, but just barely." "We sense everyone in this conference link is comfortable with the TV show," said Aoife. "You should bring the proposal up at this evenings group discussion and then put it on our information net." "Anything else?" "Melinda, Sam and your spouses, on behalf of the three Command Staffs, thank you for the excellent work you are doing," said Maeve. "We are very pleased to have you as a part of us." ------- "Good morning," said Sarah's Clan to Siobhan's Clan as they appeared on Dóchas bridge's monitor. "Good morning," replied Siobhan's Clan. "Are Keriann's Clan and Kathryn's Clan ready?" "We believe so, the launch progress monitors for both ships show everything moving along smoothly." "Good morning all," said Maureen's Clan as they appeared on the monitor's of both Dóchas and Phoenix bridges. "Good morning," replied Siobhan's and Sarah's Clans. "We see Taiséalai is nearly ready for lift off," said Maureen. "We see that as well," replied the two other command staffs. "Dóchas," said Kathryn in a slightly nervous voice as a view of Taiséalai's bridge appeared on Dóchas, Phoenix and Eagle's monitors, "requesting permission to move to Mars orbit." "Taiséalai, permission granted," replied Sarah's Clan smiling. "May the Gods and Goddesses be with you." Dóchas, Phoenix and Eagle's command staffs watched the monitor showing Taiséalai setting in its cradle on Mars. In the background, they could see a large crowd near the air lock on Mars watching the launch. In every department one monitor showed both Taiséalai and Iarracht resting in their cradles on Mars. On board Taiséalai, each of Kathryn's Clan stood at their consoles monitoring the ship's systems as their crew began engaging the Taiséalai systems for liftoff. "Taiséalai departure status," said Kathryn. "Systems ready," said Rebeca. "Navigation ready," said Jenessa. "Engineering ready," said Violetta. "Propulsion, 8 pods active standby," said Jamie. "Begin launch sequence," said Kathryn. "Power up initiated. At 2%," replied Jamie. Everyone could feel the ship groan as it began lifting out of its cradle. "Power at 4% and holding." "Clear of cradle," reported Rebeca. "Altitude, 200 meters," said Jenessa. "Beginning climb." "Power at 6%," said Jamie. "8% 10% 12% 14% Holding." "Orbital parameters on target," said Jenessa. The four command staffs watched the monitors showing Taiséalai rise off the cradle and begin climbing toward its orbital insertion point. "Malfunction pod4!" said Jamie in a loud calm voice. "Output 100%. Not responding to commands. Moving pod8 to 100%." Dóchas, Phoenix, Eagle and Iarracht Command Staffs were stunned seeing Taiséalai suddenly veer upward. Taiséalai flight path then straightened until it was only a small arc but continued to accelerate rapidly away from Mars. Command Staff's on Dóchas, Phoenix and Eagle acted together as they sounded the departure alarm in their ships. Each told their Navigation staff to track Taiséalai's flight path. Sarah told Dóchas Intelligence and Security monitor picket line for information on Taiséalai's flight path. "Navigation," said Kathryn on Taiséalai, "monitor our path." "Scathach, verify pod4 output," said Jamie. "Pod4 is out of control. It will go critical in 30 seconds," replied Scathach, Taiséalai's AI. "Systems," said Kathryn, "initiate pod4 separation sequence, now!" "Reducing power on pod8 at pod4 separation," added Jamie. Taiséalai shuttered as Rebeca said, "Pod4 separated." "Position status," asked Kathryn. "Speed 15 km/s. Acceleration holding at 1000 m/s, " replied Scathach. Jenessa replied, "Mars is below and behind us. Our flight path is an ellipse due to the excessive thrust from pod4. Correcting course. Propulsion apply power to reduce arc to 10 degrees then standby for further adjustments." "Executing request. Pod 1, pod7 and pod 8 to 10% power for 60 seconds." "Scathach poll AIs and all departments for status and damage," said Kathryn. While Kathryn's Clan focused on getting their ship under control, Calvin said, "Dóchas, we've had a little problem here. We've dumped a propulsion pod so there is a loose propulsion pod headed somewhere. Could you have a Star Fighter destroy it?" "Calvin, Dóchas's copied your message. We'll take care of it," replied Tara. "Did you say little problem?" "Yes." "And just, what the hell would be a big problem?" replied Tara as several chuckled in the background on the other four ships. "Well getting stranded in space would be a big one," said Calvin with laughter in his voice. He could feel some of the tension ease when his spouses heard the laughter. "Do you know where you are?" asked Sarah. "In this solar system, we think," replied Calvin chuckling. "We know our flight path is elliptical." "Our tracking systems show that with your current speed and corrected direction, you will be leaving this solar system in about 3 clock cycles." "Navigation is working to reduce the arc of our path, then we will reduce our forward motion." "Since we are outside our operating plan," said Kathryn causing several to laugh, "Once we stabilize our path. I propose we test the remaining propulsion systems by running each pair at 80% for 2 minutes." "Do we have enough fuel?" "Yes we have more than enough fuel," replied Jamie. "We agree," replied Kathryn's Clan. "We will need to take a position reading between each burn," said Jenessa. "Jenessa tell us when Navigation is ready," replied Kathryn. "Give us 30 minutes," said Violetta, "engineering wants to add some monitoring equipment to the pods. Propulsion wants to run diagnostics on pod control systems." "Taiséalai," said Sarah, "what is your status?" "Sarah, this is Elana. Navigation is plotting our course. We are currently on a 1 degree, 1000 km arc course in a plane 60 degrees to Sol equator. Engineering and Propulsion departments are doing evaluations on all the pods. We are coasting at the moment." As Elana was speaking Kathryn nodded to her. "It will take another 30 minutes before they are done. We have decided to test our pods in pairs on our way back. ETA to Mars orbit is 8 hours from now." "Taiséalai," said Keriann, "any indication of the cause for the pod runaway?" "No," replied Jamie. "All pods are now at idle and we are running diagnostics. The seven remaining pods respond to all commands." "Keriann," said Elana, "we would suggest running diagnostics on your pods and then proceed with launch. Our systems are not showing any systemic issues." "Agree. We will do that as we monitor your adventures." Everyone of the command staffs chuckled at Keriann's response. "Sabrina," said Tara to the four Command Staffs, "just advised us that the ejected pod hit an asteroid of about equal mass. The data shows it impacting Saturn so they are going to let it continue on its path." ------- "Kathryn," said Kelly, "before you begin your pod testing suggest you go to standby and you do a complete systems inspection. We did that after your incident and found some anomalies." "We will. Thanks." On Taiséalai, Kathryn said, "All systems to standby." Her clan watched the consoles as all systems moved to standby mode. With all systems in standby, Kathryn's Clan said, "All crew members put on tactical suits." While the crew put on their tactical suits, Kathryn's Clan gathered around the ships command ring on the bridge. As each grasped the ring with their right hand, they placed their left arm around their spouses waist. When the last one closed the circle, their images softened and their ring took on a yellow hue. "Scathach set all AIs to hibernation, now," said Kathryn's Clan in unison. "Authorization?" replied Scathach in a stilted metallic voice. With that each member of Kathryn's Clan began saying their part of the authorization code. Exercising this code transferred active control of Taiséalai to them bypassing all AIs. "Authorization accepted. Transfer to Command Staff beginning now." During hibernation with Command Staff having hands on control, the ships systems went into manual mode. Each system would continue at its last setting until receiving a command instruction from the ship's Command Staff. Kathryn's Clan were effectively in total control of Taiséalai systems upon which everyone's welfare depended. They carefully reviewed each system's hibernation settings before testing the systems response to their commands. They had done this before during checkout but wanted to make sure there had been no change in the ship's responsiveness. Together as one, Kathryn's Clan then began going through each of the ship's systems beginning with Scathach looking for anomalies. As soon as they finished evaluating Scathach, they reactivated her so she could participate in the evaluation with them. They found anomalies in three departmental AIs. Together, they fixed the anomalies in two AIs. To free up their resources, Kathryn's Clan brought all of the AIs back on line except the Propulsion Department AI. When they had evaluated the Propulsion Department's AI, they had found some malformed links. These were tracked to a memory bank which they had an engineer change out. After the change, the memory bank still showed an error indicating a more fundamental problem. They were still sorting the error when a collision warning sounded on the bridge. Kathryn's Clan quickly shifted their focus back to Navigation and Security Departments. The alarm was due to a large rock that would collide with them shortly unless they changed course. Querying the Navigation AI gave them the course correction they needed. Then they carefully applied power to the three pods to give the needed correction. As soon as the pods were shutdown, they turned their attention back to the Propulsion AI. They were just about to have engineering replace the AI, when they noticed an instruction conflict in the AI. The instruction conflict was caused by a CPU defect combined with a programming paradox. Kathryn's Clan told Engineering which CPU to replace and corrected the programming paradox which was caused by a malformed instruction set. While that was being done, Kathryn's Clan surveyed the ships systems again before returning to the bridge. "Scathach, bring Taiséalai to standby." Kathryn's Clan watched as each of the consoles except Propulsion began functioning again. "Propulsion, how are the repairs coming," asked Kathryn's Clan. "About 20 minutes till we are active." "Move to standby when ready." "Will do." "Engineering, let us know when you determine what happened to the components you are removing from the Propulsion AI." "Will do." "Taiséalai crew, you can remove tactical suits when convenient." Kathryn's Clan felt some of the tension in the crew disappear with their announcement. "Recheck all of your systems and run AI diagnostics then system diagnostics. We will continue our connection to the pods until the Propulsion AI is back on line." "We need to go visit the Propulsion Department when this is done," said Elana. "You're welcome back here anytime," said one of the Propulsion Department Engineers, "but we are very happy to have your assistance with this. There are no ruffled feathers back here, only thankful ones." "Thanks. We will be back to visit anyway." It was right at 15 minutes later when, Propulsion Department advised Kathryn's clan they were ready. With that Kathryn's Clan shifted control of the pods to the Propulsion AI, returning their focus to the bridge. They maintained their ring on the bridge while they reviewed all of what had taken place over the last hour. "Let's continue this form until we sort through the pod testing," said Calvin. "You need to watch your energy levels," said Scathach. "With your current systems link and depending on circumstances the ship can draw energy from your clan. In comparing your response to this emergency to solutions in my database, you chose the best sequence of responses." "Scathach, thanks for the compliment. This isn't over yet." "You're right, there is much to do yet as we are now a long way from Mars. If you continue on this path to test your engines, we would be far enough away to warrant a jump to return to the vicinity of Mars. This would enable us to meet Elana's ETA." "Let's study that option a bit before we try it." "Dóchas," said Elana of Kathryn's Clan, "We will be resuming active flight momentarily. ETA is unchanged." "Taiséalai, Dóchas heard you are resuming active flight, ETA unchanged." "Affirmative. Propulsion control issue resolved. Data to follow." "Copy." ------- It was several hours later when Keriann said, "Dóchas, Iarracht is ready to lift to Mars orbit. All systems check." "Iarracht, cleared for departure to Mars orbit," said Tara adopting a more traditional phrasing. "May the Gods and Goddesses be with you." The Command Staffs on Dóchas, Phoenix and Eagle watched Iarracht begin their departure sequence with some anxiety. Iarracht lifted slowly off its cradle then began accelerating toward its orbital insertion window. Everyone let out a sigh of relief when Iarracht drifted into a position near the other Dóchas ships. Each ship was in a separate parallel orbit with an orbital separation of less than a kilometer. The ships were positioned with Dóchas on point and the other ships trailing behind on each side of her orbit. "Iarracht," said Tara, "how was the lift off?" "We are getting reports now," said Kelly. "So far everything looks good." "Good." It was seven hours after the propulsion problem had occurred on Taiséalai, when a disturbance began to form in the solar wind near Mars. The picket line had advised Dóchas group that Taiséalai would be dropping out of FTL mode near Mars. The four Command Staffs were watching the area when Taiséalai began to take form. It was the first time any of them had seen a ship make the transition from FTL to sub-light. "Taiséalai, welcome back, " said the four Dóchas Group Command Staffs. "Thank you and we are damn glad to be back," responded Kathryn's Clan. "We will move to our orbital position near Phoenix." "So how did it go after everything was sorted?" "Very well. We continued on our path away from Mars to test the pods. By the time our tests were complete, we had traveled quite a distance. At Scathach's suggestion, we opted to return by an FTL jump. That went real smoothly." "I guess you're ahead of us in experience, as none of us have done an FTL jump yet," said Tara. "Although once we get you and Iarracht outfitted, we will all take some trips." "We're ready. I must say that I think everyone learned a lot today. We will document today's events, analysis and our responses. These should be in our central library by late tomorrow." "Once you have your orbit established, take time to relax and celebrate your achievements." "Oh, we will. We want to get everything ready so the crews can start finishing our outfitting tomorrow." "Kathryn," said Violetta, "they will start as soon as we establish our environmental envelope. They are going to do a full structural analysis before any work begins." "Great, " said Kathryn's Clan. "Taiséalai crew once we are in our orbital position and stabilized everyone will have a clock cycle of relaxation. You all did a great job in responding to our challenges today." ------- Chapter 132 "How was the trip?" said Keriann, as Sarah's Clan entered the conference room on Iarracht for their weekly activity review. "It was great," replied Sarah and Tara. "Siobhan, Tiff, Maureen and Colleen, we really appreciate you covering for us while we were visiting Ireland." "Ireland was like being home again," replied Aoife. "So, what did you like most about Ireland," asked Siobhan. "That is a hard question to answer," replied Tara. "We saw more of Clifden and Connemare than we did the first time we were there. Teamhair na Rí (Hill of Tara) is a beautiful location. All of us sensed that it was a special spot. The feeling wasn't real strong, and we may not have noticed it, except that several children asked about the sensation. I guess touching Lia Fáil was the one thing that everyone will remember." "Why would touching the Stone of Destiny be so significant?" asked Maureen. "We are not sure we can answer that," replied Sarah's Clan, softly. "We have thought about that experience a great deal. We know we will remember the experience and how it made us feel. Putting it into words today is beyond us." "We can understand that," said Siobhan. "I presume the children feel the same way." "We believe so. If you all go there, be sure to allow enough time. Thankfully, our backups on Dóchas were kind enough to give us an additional clock cycle." "Speaking of that," said Eileen, "when we hold our weekly conference, we continue to function as command staff, though we aren't physically on our ship. Yet when you went to visit Ireland, you asked for someone to be on Dóchas's bridge. I think I know the answer, but why?" "Focus," replied Sarah's Clan. "That way, we could focus nearly all of our attention on our children, each other and our location. Star is capable of acting for us on the bridge, but, as you know, our command structure works best when the command staff and ship's AI are active together." Sarah's Clan then took turns telling about the different highlights of their trip. They spoke of their adventures in Ireland, Oxford, London and China. It was noted that their children had a great time, and like all children, met quite a few children every place they visited. Everyone wore their special Salwar Kameez pants and jackets, which had openings in the jacket's back to let their manes hang naturally. For footwear, the children chose to wear the hard-soled slippers, as they protected their feet. They told of a group of Irish children that had asked their children why they had long hair and walked funny. Their children then spent some time answering their questions, as well as showing them why they walked differently. From then on, the Irish children were with them almost the whole time. The group included some who were several years older than themselves. "Every place we went," said Sarah, "We had many compliments on what a wonderful group of children we had." "As you may have heard," said Sally, "our visit to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museums and American Indian Museum was interesting. We decided to go to the museums on the mall first, since they closed earlier than the one near Dulles. Figuring out a place to get off our shuttle was a problem, so we decided to have our cloaked shuttle hover over the mall, in an area with no traffic. We don't think anyone noticed our sudden appearance on the mall. Once inside, we broke up into groups of 10 to 15 as we usually do, and began to work our way through the exhibits. We hadn't been there too long when the children realized that all the groups couldn't visit each exhibit. The realization caused a bit of consternation, until they realized that they could share the experience if they actively mind-linked with each other. We chuckled a bit, because they were already telepathically sharing their observations without realizing it. The American Indian Museum was very interesting. The children saw quite a few similarities between American Indian cultural development and what they had found in our library on the development of cultures on other worlds." "Shortly after we were in the Air & Space Museum it was time for lunch and things got really interesting. The museum has an area with several typical fast food restaurants. You should have seen the expression on those around us when our children began asking us what the different menu items were and then how to order. Several of our children made comments that the arrangement wasn't at all like home. The way they addressed us raised eyebrows." Several in the group had puzzled looks. "I can see it is not obvious to you either. Our children address some of us as "Mom" with the person's name as a suffix, except for their birth mother, whom they just call, "Mom". Once we got our food and everyone sat down, the children started talking about what they had seen, comparing it to what they had learned in our library. The expressions on the faces of those around us in the dining area were priceless. It was obvious that nearly all of them were eavesdropping on our children. This went on for quite a while, until some of the other children got brave enough to ask ours questions. We spent much more time in the dining area than we planned to, but we felt letting the children interact with others was more important than seeing the museum." "One of the adults finally asked Erin whose children they were. Erin told her, ours. She let it sink in a minute while the woman blushed. Erin then pointed out who was a mother, a nanny or a family friend. Erin and the woman had quite an audience. Once the ice was broken, the woman introduced herself as Alena, and asked about our hair and the way we stand. When we returned to the museum area, many of those in the dining room tagged along with us. All the children had a good time talking about what they were seeing. When we left the museum, Alena asked if she could get a group photo of us with her family. Of course we agreed. Once those photos were taken, several other families asked if they could take a photo with us as well. After the photos, Alena asked Erin if we were Órarduine. Erin assured her that we were, and then introduced all of us by name and clan. While Erin was making the introductions, several people were taking photos. Alena's son took Sarah's hand and pulled on it. When Sarah knelt down by him, he said, "We would like to see your children again. Can you come visit us?" Alena turned a bright red as she blushed. Sarah told him that was up to his mother, but it would probably be difficult, because there were so many of us. As she was speaking his face took on an air of sadness, until Sarah told him it would likely be easier for them to visit us. We assured Alena that they were welcome to visit, and gave her our contact information." "Once the ice was broken, our children extended the offer to several of the other families that had been with us since lunch. One teenager asked Sarah's daughter, how we were going to leave? Of course you know what the answer was." The group laughed or smiled. "She answered, 'On our shuttle. It's going to pick us up on the mall'." Her answer got her a disbelieving look from the teenager. Before the teenager could reply, Sarah's daughter told her to follow along and watch. So, with that announcement, we had quite a crowd walk with us down to the pickup point. When we got to a location on the mall where there was no one around except our group, the shuttle appeared, hovering with its boarding ramp extended. The expression on the teenager's face was priceless, and was nearly matched by many of the adults. We said goodbye and left. When we lifted off, everyone was still standing there looking at the shuttle. We don't think anyone in the group realized that they were the only ones who could see our shuttle." "The visit to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum near Dulles was enjoyable. The children really liked it. Several of us noticed aspects of the technology in both museums that we should compare to ours. We think there might be some information we have overlooked in our implementations. We could have spent another day or two going through the two museums. Everyone was familiar with the items on exhibit, so seeing them added to their understanding and visual aspect." "What if Alena and her family want to come, along with a hundred or so friends," asked Keriann. "When we gave the families the information, it was subtly emphasized that this was for their family only, and we would love to have them visit. We pointed out there was a potential for considerable notoriety if their visit was widely publicized. All of them seemed to realize that dilemma." "Keriann," said Terry, "I peeked at the six families who spent the afternoon with us and came out on the mall." "You peeked?" "Yes. Just at their active thoughts. It seemed important to know how they saw us. Alena's family will seek to visit. One other family will probably seek to visit, as well. I didn't sense any strong desire from any of the other four families to visit us at that moment." "Why?" "While they found us interesting, visiting us would really push their boundaries. Our children told us that Alena is a single mom and a Marine widow. They really liked her three children, and thought they were very bright." "I wasn't objecting," replied Keriann, "just concerned." "We had similar concerns." "Say, we need to get back to our original reason for getting together." "Before we begin our review," said Elana of Kathryn's Clan, "we went over the event during Taiséalai's initial lift off several times. We didn't find anything we could have done better in handling the event. When we looked at the event from each of our points of view, we found that our bond wasn't as tight as we would like it to be. Kathryn led our response during the event, and each of us were in full agreement with those responses. The strength of our bond increased when we formed the circle at the pillar later, but we believe that we need to be able to slide into that mode without being at the pillar." "Have you sought that tight of a link since then?" said Sarah. "No," said Rebeca. "All of us see the need, but we aren't certain how to reach that level." "Have you asked one of the mentors for assistance?" said Tara. "No, I don't think we thought of that." "Calvin," said Rusty, "I don't know if this is the case, but you don't need to isolate the memories of your escapades in SAS from your spouses." Calvin had a puzzled look on his face. "All of you should view the clan's mind as a single entity, with a number of physical segments. We compare it to a single sphere, with each individual supplying a unique facet on the surface of that sphere, though the contents are fully available to all of you." "Okay. Actually, I don't think we have really reevaluated our mind-link structure since we became a clan. In thinking about it now, we haven't gone back and removed the restrictions we established when we first came together. We have ignored them when we needed to. It now seems that those restrictions could impede the openness we need for the utilization of our mind-link to its full capability." "Let's do that this afternoon," said Kathy. "I think we need to do that, as well," said Emma of Keriann's Clan. "Sounds like something we all ought to do," said Siobhan, with Maureen nodding her head in agreement. "So Violetta, how is Taiséalai's progress coming?" said Siobhan. "We are a little behind schedule, according to our original time line. There haven't been any major problems, but the crew has been focusing on everything being perfect before moving on to the next task. As a result, deficiency corrections have dropped to zero. We are projecting to have all the work finished by the scheduled date." "That is good to hear," replied Tiff of Siobhan's Clan. "Are you getting enough assistance from our crew?" "Yes." "Keriann, how are you doing with Iarracht?" said Maureen. "Well, we are behind schedule, but we have started adopting the "Is it perfect?" approach. Our crew likes the benefits of following that concept. We have Taiséalai's crew to thank for bringing the concept to our attention. Initially, there was concern about the concept, but as long as everyone maintains a distinction between today's effort and future improvements, the concept works. We have seen a significant reduction in deficiency corrections." "Good," said Siobhan. "Would this approach have caught the propulsion pod control problem?" "We don't think so," said Kelly of Keriann's Clan. "We think every crew member that looked at that event came to the conclusion that Murphy played a large roll in it. We don't know when the processor developed the flaw. It wasn't there during checkout. All of the processors have been rechecked and all of them checked out fine." "An Clochán Engineering wants to begin work on Dóchas6," said Courtney of Maureen's Clan. "Why is that?" "There are times when they have extra resources that could be starting on it. They think it would shave about 2 months off of the time to complete the ship, without hurting our current ship-building projects." "It looks like everyone here is in agreement with the proposal," said Siobhan. "Good. I'll tell Engineering to go ahead. Another thing we should think about is An Clochán. What condition do we want to leave it in when we depart this solar system?" "We have talked about a number of options in the past," replied Claudette. "At the moment, I am inclined to suggest that we put the base in hibernation mode, with enough resources for 100 years. We should consider taking most of the manufacturing equipment with us." "Would we want to consider leaving An Clochán as accessible as the SNBs are?" said Crystal of Maureen's Clan. The Command Staffs discussed the concept for An Clochán for some time without coming to a conclusion. Almost everyone was in favor of Crystal's idea, but they wanted to be sure the facility would be available whenever Órarduine came calling. They reviewed the training status of the flight crews on the three commissioned Dóchas ships. Ideas for sharing the flight crews across all ships were discussed, but since they had about four months before any action was needed, no decision was made. The LRS had sent them a message that the first planet was no longer a viable choice, and was on its way to the second solar system. They were collecting more data on the first solar system, but believed that the planet had been hit by a large asteroid since the initial data had been collected. "So A-Celia and B-Celia will be their next stop?" said May of Siobhan's Clan. "Yes," replied Sarah. "The short stay at the first stop will give them more time at the next three stops." "I think the Celia system will be our choice," said Kathy. "I agree," said Aoife. "I don't think my spouses realized what I had sensed." "We saw you were leaning strongly toward that choice," replied Alison. "I didn't see it as a premonition though. It is an unusual solar system, in that it has two planets with life." "I take it everyone noticed that one planet's orbit was at about 60 degrees to the star's equator," said Erin. "Yes," replied Alison, with everyone else nodding their agreement. "Can we go back to Sarah Clan's sightseeing visit to Earth?" said Siobhan. "Sure," replied Janet. "What do we want to suggest to other clans who are considering making a similar trip?" "A main requirement," said Rusty, "should be that they include at least a half dozen security team members in the group, and that they always stay in groups of three or more. If there are problems, we may want to change the criteria." "We may want to limit the number of groups visiting Earth at one time," said Sally. "I don't suspect there will be many interested in visiting Earth," added Maureen. "I saw Sarah's Clan doing so as an educational trip for the children." "We did," replied Sarah's Clan. "All of us had a strong desire to see more of Ireland, so we included that." Sarah looked around the room at each of the clans, then added, "We will provide command support, if any of you decide to visit Ireland or anywhere else on Earth." "Sarah's Clan, we may take you up on that," replied Siobhan. "May?" said Sarah with a big smile. "Well, we haven't discussed it, yet. Your experience with Lia Fáil has aroused my curiosity." "Just watch for cats..." replied Tara, causing everyone to laugh. "It looks like we are done," said Sarah, when the laughter subsided. "Our next conference will be on Taiséalai." As Keriann's Clan watched the shuttles leave, Kelly said, "Are we going to visit Ireland?" "My sense," said Chester, "is that we should wait until we are operational." "We definitely need to go," replied Emma very firmly, causing everyone to look at her. "I sense that it is very important for each command staff to make that trip." "With the strength of your resolve, I am surprised you didn't say anything earlier," added Kelly. "I didn't feel I needed to. All of us will be going to visit Teamhair na Rí." "Why do you say that?" "Lia Fáil has a significance for us that I don't understand, but I recognized it when Sarah's Clan mentioned it. The significance for us is different than it was for the Celts." Emma paused for a moment, then added, "Several other clans will also make a visit to Ireland." "Well," said Chester, "perhaps we ought to go in the next week or so. Let's look at the schedule and figure out when our absence will have little effect on becoming operational." Keriann's Clan had just exited the hanger when the lunch chime sounded. "Now I know why my stomach was complaining," said Chester, causing everyone to laugh. "You're always hungry," replied Brigid. "I need my energy, to keep up with all of you lovely ladies." "Thank you," replied his spouses. ------- It was some six weeks later when all the command staffs gathered in the conference room on Taiséalai. Sarah's Clan were the last to arrive for their conference. "Sorry we're late," said Sarah's Clan, as they entered the conference room. "That's okay, we were just comparing notes on our visits to Ireland," said Siobhan. "Your description of your visit to Teamhair na Rí was superb. All of us seem to have had an experience similar to yours when we touched Lia Fáil. I know that we all felt that we were compelled to touch the stone." "Wow," said Aoife, "so all of us have touched it!" Jenessa of Kathryn's Clan said, "I held back when we went there, since I wanted to observe my spouses as they touched the stone. I noticed that as each of us touched the stone, my desire to touch it grew. There didn't seem to be much difference between my desire and that of my spouses." "You thought it would be different for a bot," said Casidhe of Siobhan's Clan. "It wasn't any different for me than it was my spouses. This is going to sound funny, but once I realized my reaction to an outside influence was identical to my spouses, I felt even more like a spousal member of our clan." "I never noticed any difference in our mind-link," said Siobhan, with concern showing on her face. "Siobhan, my love, I told you it would sound funny. We should reflect on our experiences in Ireland tonight from each other's point of view. I think all of you will see what I was trying to express." "Casidhe," said Jenessa, "I think you characterized what we felt correctly. Spending some time sharing our experiences with the point of view changing will be to our advantage." "That is a good idea," said Crystal of Maureen's Clan. "Kathryn and Keriann's Clan," said Rusty, "we see that Taiséalai and Iarracht are a now on schedule." "Yes," replied both clans, beaming with smiles. "If we hadn't had the distraction of assisting with the ISS malfunction, we may have been a little ahead of schedule." "How much longer before we have completed the repairs on ISS?" asked Courtney of Maureen's Clan. "You asked a very good question," replied Claudette of Sarah's Clan. "We told them that we will have all the tasks completed in two more clock cycles. They have asked for documentation concerning the repairs we made. They will be delivered two clock cycles after our tasks are complete. The astronauts have verified that everything is working." "Have they noticed that some systems are more responsive," asked Colleen of Siobhan's Clan. "The astronauts have commented to us that many of the systems seem a bit more responsive than they were before. We don't believe they said anything to anyone else." "Well, they ought to be more responsive, with the computing power we slipped in on them. It would be even more responsive if the new OS didn't have to pretend to be the old one." "So guys, did we do the right thing?" said Sarah. "Yes," came the response from all the command staff members. Casidhe said, "The support we provided did not violate our guidelines, as we provided them with what are essentially black boxes to do the needed tasks. These were tasks they were already doing and doing so successfully. The net result is that ISS's service life has been extended, which should benefit everyone on Earth." Everyone nodded, indicating their agreement with Casidhe. "I for one will be glad when it is done," said Claudette. "The mixed political and technical atmosphere of Earth's ISS project team is frustrating. We don't know if they realize it or not, but quite a few times we had a repair finished before they finished their review. The four astronauts were aware of what we were doing, and possibly some of the ground crew." "Are you sure they weren't trying to learn more about our processes," asked Brandan of Maureen's Clan. "Some may have been, but most of what we saw were just NIH issues. For those that were interested in our processes, we disclosed the details to them to the extent they would find useful." "The astronauts want to visit us after their tour on ISS is over. We told them we would love to have them visit, provided we hadn't left." "Speaking of visitors," said Joyce, "four of the families we met at the mall will be coming to visit next week. They will be on Dóchas or at An Clochán for a week or more. Our clan will take the lead in hosting them. There are seven adults and 13 children between 8 and 15 years old." "So, four of the families decided to accept the invitation," said May of Siobhan's Clan. "Yes." "Let us know if we can help," said both Siobhan and Maureen. "I am surprised at the number of clans who have visited Earth, or are planning to," said Keriann. "The visits have been going much better than I expected," said Kathy. "Every place our clans have visited, they have found nearly everyone to be very sociable and helpful. Many people have asked for autographs and photographs, but they have never been pestered. Based on the issues we have had in the past, I find this acceptance surprising." "Nearly all have been day visits," replied Mona of Maureen's Clan, "as they have been overnighting on their shuttle. Besides we have had many excellent contacts with those on Earth, it is just that memories of the bad instances tend to stand out." "A few visited their relatives," added Kaitlin of Maureen's Clan. "Most of those visits went very well. The clans came back feeling very good, both about taking the time for the visit and that they had the opportunity to meet their spouses families. In all these cases, the clans relatives were understanding of the choices they made. Our clans showed their families our orientation and history videos. The clans felt that just seeing their relatives again went a long way toward resolving any concerns their relatives had about their choice to be Órarduine." Kaitlin continued, "However, there were two cases where there was a problem with some of their relatives. During these visits, their relatives initially tried to convince them that they had deserted their family by joining the Órarduine. They also harassed them for undergoing the species change claiming it was a slap in the face. Our clans did show the three videos and politely answered questions. During the presentations, the antagonistic relatives faulted their style of life, compared their appearance to that of an animal, and picked at a number of other differences. Our clans did not respond to the taunting, which seemed to fuel those ridiculing them. These few relatives were quite vocal and really disrupted the family gathering. Since they were guests, our clans didn't feel they could tell the obnoxious relatives to get lost, so they just came back early. They weren't the only ones to leave early." "That sucks," said Brittany of Kathryn's Clan. "They were pretty disheartened by the experience," said Judy. "I don't know whether it was good or bad, but neither of them considered using their psionic ability on the problem relatives. Both knew that they could have but chose not to." "How did you learn of that?" replied Rebeca. "Both clans came to talk to us about their experience when they returned. We talked about possible motivations their relatives might have had to have acted the way they did. We discussed their memories of those relatives and their recent gathering for several hours. In the end, both clans decided to focus on their memories on the good parts of the visits. Both clans sent a note and video to the other relatives, expressing their pleasure at seeing them again. Both clans told their relatives that they were sorry their presence caused problems. They also mentioned that they would send them a note from time to time, and wished them well." "That's great." Rebeca saw several puzzled looks on those not in her clan. "It is great they sought out help to understand the situation. I, no we, take it as a testament to the benefits of our openness among our family of clans." Everyone smiled after Rebeca had explained her comment, and nodded in agreement. "Before I joined this family, an experience like they had would have haunted me for a long time, since I wouldn't have shared it with anyone." "So Judy, why do you think our clans were hassled," asked Kaitlin. "The most likely explanation is envy, based on their memories of these relatives. Later, both clans told me that they received positive responses to the emails they sent. While no one commented on the bad behavior, their relatives thanked them for coming, and hoped they would consider visiting again in a smaller gathering." "I am glad everything worked out," said Sarah. "Do we have anything else to discuss?" Sarah looked around the five clans before saying, "For the previous five previous conferences, we did them virtually. To me, they seemed to work quite well and gave us the flexibility for each clan to make a sightseeing trip to Earth." Many nodded their agreement with Sarah's comments. "With that in mind, let's meet virtually next week and on Eagle the following week." With that, they began saying goodbye, before each of the visiting clans began to gather their things to return to their ships or An Clochán. Kathryn's Clan watched the five shuttles depart Taiséalai's hanger. "You know, we share a lot more information than we verbally express when we have our gatherings," said Kathy. "Kathy, you're right," replied Calvin. "I knew something was different, but hadn't sorted it out until you said it." "Shouldn't we share that with the others," added Katia. Just then, they heard Kelly of Keriann's Clan respond with, "Thanks, Kathy for that bit of insight." Katia eyebrows raised, as her clan heard Kelly's response. "So is the telepathic connection between command staffs always open?" asked Conan of Siobhan's Clan. "Well, we need to test it, but yes, I think it is always available," replied Judy. "My impression is that it is a clan link, rather than an individual link, and is only open when used. So, it is not like our mind-link within a clan." "We need to explore this a bit more," added Siobhan. "Let's consider doing this at our conference next week." "Good idea," responded all five clans. ------- "Hi, Alena," said Sarah, seeing her and her children enter the hanger at Grandview. "Hi, Sarah," replied Alena. "This is going to be an interesting vacation." When Alena reached Sarah, they gave each other a hug. "Let me again introduce my spouses Claudette, Erin, Tara and Joyce." As each of them was introduced, they gave Alena a hug. During the time the women were chatting, they watched the children greeting each other. "Weren't there others with you at the mall?" "Yes. Our other spouses are on Dóchas. They will meet us when we arrive." "Then who are the others by the plane?" said Alena. Before Sarah could respond, Kennith said "Hey, mom, that looks like Lorelei. You know, the lady we see during the TV news." "Kennith," added Sarah, "you're right. She will be going with us to Dóchas. The tall man standing next to her is Earl. He is a reporter, and is working with her." "Wow. She is pretty neat." Alena was surprised at her son's actions, but had a puzzled look on her face. "Lorelei and Earl are hosting a TV show later this week from An Clochán on Mars. The group over there includes some of her staff, along with Melinda and Samantha, who are part of our crew." "Melinda and Samantha are the real tall women, right," replied Kennith. "Yes, both are a little taller than Earl and Lorelei," replied Joyce, smiling. She noticed that Alena was bothered by Kennith's excitement, so she touched Alena's arm. When Alena looked at her, she smiled, nodded toward Kennith and winked, indicating his excitement didn't bother them. "Isn't one of them is on Grandview TV news at times," asked Kennith. "Yes, Melinda sometimes does news reports from An Clochán or our one of our ships. Samantha occasionally gives a news report." "Ken," said Keri, a daughter of Sarah's Clan, "Let's go see if Melinda's group is ready." "The children have been really excited about this trip," said Alena. "Meeting all of you at the mall was all they have talked about for several days. I didn't tell them about this trip until we were in the limo bringing us here, as I was concerned they would inadvertently say something." "Aoife told us you were concerned about getting off work for the trip." "I wasn't sure they would let me take some of my vacation. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me to see a termination notice in my mail box when I get back. It would push me into looking for something that is a more interesting than my current projects and a better fit for my education and training." "It looks like we are ready," said Erin, when she saw the children and Melinda's group begin boarding Alpha01. "I thought there were other families going," said Alena. "There are," replied Sarah, as they walked over to the shuttle. "We will be picking them up at small airports close to their homes." "Won't seeing the shuttle draw a lot of attention?" "It would, however when we leave the hanger, Alpha01 will appear to be a mid-size executive jet. You can see what we look like when we taxi past the windows." With everyone on board Alpha01, Tara and Sarah went to the flight deck to handle the departure from Grandview. While they were taxiing, Erin introduced Alena and asked Melinda if she would have those in her group introduce themselves. Keri then introduced herself and looked at one of her sisters, prompting her to continue the string of introductions. "Sorry," said Erin, when they had finished, "that I didn't specifically include all of you, Keri." "That's all right Mom Erin," replied Keri, as she pulled on Erin's hand. When Erin knelt down, Keri gave her a hug and kiss. The attention of the children and adults was drawn back to the windows, as they felt Alpha01 turn onto the runway. Once Alpha01 began moving down the runway, some passengers watched the display on the cabin wall, which showed the view in front of them. After they were in the air, Sarah said, "We have three brief stops to make to pick up the other families before we head toward Dóchas. Relax and enjoy yourself. The trip from Earth to Dóchas will be nearly four hours today." "Why is it longer today?" said Lorelei. "We are going slower, since that causes fewer ripples along our path," replied Claudette. "I don't understand," said a man next to Lorelei. "Space is a vacuum, so there can't be any ripples." "You're partially right. Space is a vacuum compared to the atmosphere of Earth, but the space between planets and star systems is filled with gas and other particles. When a large object moves through space, it creates a disturbance. This disturbance is similar to an airplane moving through air. It is possible to use the disturbance in interstellar gas to track objects, especially cloaked objects." "I don't remember seeing that in any science fiction stories." "I guess that's why it is 'science fiction'," replied one of the children, causing everyone to laugh. Each of the three intermediate stops went quickly, as each family was waiting at that airport's operation center when Alpha01 arrived. Erin and Joyce went out to greet each family, and stowed their bags in the compartment. Once each family was on Alpha01, the children took over the duty of introducing everyone. The visiting children were fascinated with each departure and landing. After leaving the last airport, Sarah said, "We will be passing the International Space Station in about 20 minutes." "Alena," said Erin, after the excitement of seeing ISS had abated, "just before we boarded, you mentioned you might be looking for a new job after the trip." She nodded. "What is your background?" "Primarily, assembly language programming, but I have worked with higher level programming languages. When I did my masters, the topic was developing strategies for embedded encryption without a loss in through put." Claudette's eyes glowed, as she said, "I know where you can get a job today, but it would involve a major relocation." Claudette then blushed a bright red, as she realized what she had said. "We were expecting to be transferred after Scott finished his Mideast tour. His being killed during the tour kind of finished the idea of doing that. It was really tough to find my current position. A lot of people seem to be really uncomfortable working around me." "Well, I suspect it is because of your beauty," said Earl, causing Alena to blush slightly. "It is because she is smart," replied Kennith, before anyone else could say a word. "Kennith, right," said Earl. Seeing Kennith nod, he continued, "Beauty and brains is really a deadly combination for women in technical fields, as some idiots can't imagine the two together." "Daddy was always telling her how beautiful she is," replied Kennith, with a big tear in his eye. "Your Daddy knew what he was talking about," added Lorelei. Seeing Alena blushing and tears streaming down her cheeks, Earl said, "Alena, your husband was right, and you have three beautiful children." Tara and Joyce put their arms around Alena, to comfort her. "Mom, I didn't mean to make you sad," said Kennith. "Honey, you didn't. You just brought back some wonderful memories. Thank you." Alena knelt and tightly hugged her son, as her two daughters put their arms around them. After a few moments, Alena stood up when the children returned to looking out the windows. Alena turned to Claudette with a twinkle in her eye, and said, "Claudette, were you offering me a job?" A look of panic passed across Claudette's face, then she said, "We are always in need of bright, talented, technical people. I was just ... Yes, in a way I was, and I should not have spoken so quickly." She could see several puzzled looks. "Let me be blunt. Yes, your background would fit in with our technical staff and at face value would seem to add to our capabilities. However, we try to avoid encouraging anyone into joining us. Mainly because we want everyone to choose the opportunity for themselves. There are several reasons behind this approach. One is that space ships are a closed environment, and it is best if everyone wants to be there. Even one dissatisfied crew member can cause problems on long voyages. Another reason is that we will be leaving this solar system within the next several years, and the chances of our returning are unknown. While it is not a requirement to undergo the species conversion, not doing so restricts some of your activities and limits ways you can contribute. The species conversion is not reversible." "I don't know what else to say, except that we are very pleased you chose to visit us. Our children were very pleased you decided to come, even though we know you were initially reluctant." "Gee, Claudette" said Alena, "I didn't take your comment quite that way. Our moving from the East Coast to the West Coast, or even the Midwest, would be a very big move." "Claudette, our reluctance to accept your invitation simply had to do with they way you dress," said one of the other women. "Our children were really excited about meeting you on our vacation. Their excitement continued much longer than either of us expected, and they asked several times if we could accept your invitation. Before we contacted you, we talked to some friends who frequent a naturalist resort. They helped us put the idea of being around people not wearing any covering into perspective. We now see that the issue with nudity is simply our cultural hang up, and has no real religious meaning, except in the minds of some religious leaders." Alena said, "Lorelei, what kind of TV show are you going to do, since I know it can't be live?" "Oh, but it is going to be live," Lorelei quickly replied, then after a moment, she added, "kind of." Several chuckled at her delivery, and the expression on Alena's face. "We are going to do interviews with some of the crew. We want to describe the various ways crew members came to be there, and why they chose to be Órarduine. We will then break for either a half hour or hour, so we can receive the questions from Earth. In the second segment, we will answer the viewers questions." "If you come to see the show," said Earl, "we will make sure you are not on camera. There will probably be comments by Lorelei and I about special visitors, but they will be general comments. Now if you want to be interviewed, we can do that, too." Each of the families shook their head negatively. When Dóchas appeared on the wall display, all conversation on Alpha01 stopped. Alpha01 did a flyby, so everyone could see the ship before it turned for its approach. Sarah set the cabin display to show the approach as she saw it from the flight deck. During the whole approach, Lorelei's cameramen were filming, either out the window or the image on the cabin wall. In the hanger, while introductions were being made, Sarah said, "Melinda, why don't all of you accompany us on the tour?" Lorelei looked at Melinda and nodded yes, causing Melinda to smile. "Sarah, Lorelei agrees. We will just follow along with you. When you show your visitors their suite, we will take this group to theirs." The group soon left the hanger for a tour of Dóchas, with the first stop being the observation platform. The children of Sarah's Clan conducted the tour. The children had split up so there was several of them with each visitor, giving the tour a very personal feel. Several times, one of the cameramen would prepare to film something, only to see either Lorelei or Melinda shake their head no. After this had happened several times, Lorelei waved the producer and the two cameramen over to her. "Gentlemen," said Lorelei, "there will be no video taken while we are with the other visitors, as we can't guarantee not including them. Also, there is nothing on this tour that has any value to our program. If there continues to be a problem, you will find yourselves quickly back on Earth." "You can't do that!" "She can, and I will help her," said Melinda, with a no nonsense tone in her voice. "You are here because the director wanted both of you here. We have several excellent cameramen and women on this ship and at An Clochán, so your returning to Earth wouldn't have any effect on the show." "You will just have to return the advance you received, for the video you were going to take while you are here," said Melinda, causing Lorelei to glare at the two cameramen. "If you behave yourselves, then you may get to take some additional video that would interest your friends. Remember, I said, may." ------- Chapter 133 Dóchas's morning chime had just sounded when Star said, "Sarah's Clan, the visitors we are expecting will be arriving later today." "That's much earlier than we had predicted," replied Rusty. "Yes. Intelligence believes they were waiting for their surveillance probes to finish surveying our solar system before entering." "Is everyone back from Earth?" "The last four will return a little after breakfast. They were just notified of the need to return immediately." "So, how do we want to handle the children's guests," wondered Maeve. "Let's meet with them right after breakfast," said Sarah. "I am comfortable with any choice they make, though returning them to Earth quickly and undetected could be dicey." "Why?" "It is not about transporting them, but concerns getting them home without someone on Earth noticing their sudden return. Depending on what was seen, it could lead to the notoriety that we were trying to avoid. All of our information indicates that those arriving from another solar system are going to be very challenging." "Why don't you just say "hostile"? It wouldn't surprise me if they didn't start shooting immediately after dropping out of FTL." "Star, signal all command staffs to go to readiness level 3 after breakfast. All units are to review the strategy that we had worked out for meeting this group." "Let's exercise and freshen up. We should include our children in the meeting with their guests." ------- It was right after breakfast that Sarah's Clan met with their children's visitors. At the same time, Melinda was briefing Lorelei's group about the visitors arrival. Sarah looked around the conference room to see if everyone was there, before saying, "We asked to meet with all of you because we just learned that there will be ships arriving from another solar system later today. Our intelligence data indicates that they will not be friendly. With that in mind, we thought you should have the choice of where you are when this event unfolds. You are welcome to stay here. We can also move you to An Clochán or Comrie, an island on Earth, or take you to your homes. One thing to consider in returning directly home is that we aren't sure we can return you home as unobtrusively as we picked you up. So there could be questions raised by acquaintances about where you were that could be difficult to answer." "What do you mean by "not friendly," asked one of the women. "We believe that these visitors are coming here to loot Earth. It is not clear at the present time where the group is from, or the extent of their intended looting." "You knew they were coming?" "Yes. We have known for some time that they were coming. Our projections did not show a high probability of them arriving while you were here." Maeve watched Alena as she looked at each of her children and then nodded. They responded by smiling. When Alena saw Maeve looking at her, she just winked and smiled. "Alena, I see you are going to stay." Alena gasped as she recognized Maeve's voice, then smiled. "You should know we are expecting to have a full-fledged engagement and it will be our first." "We are not concerned. I feel my husband, Scott, would think staying here was an excellent choice." "We shall see." Sally continued with, "We have a shuttle waiting in the hanger where we arrived. It will take you to either An Clochán, Comrie or your homes. Now, we need to go to the bridge. If you have further questions, either the children or the nannies can get the answers for you. The children and nannies will be with you while you are here. If you do choose to go home to Earth, then they will ensure you have an escort for the trip." "We will stay," said a couple, which caused their children to smile. "Where can we help out?" Terry smiled, "Since you are not telepathic, it would be best for you to stay with the children. You can then team with the nannies or the children when assistance is needed." "But, they are children," said the woman. "Yes. Our children and the nannies are telepathic, so they can pass on any commands or information to those around them." "Oh, that makes sense." At that point, Star sounded the alarm for readiness level 3. Sarah's Clan headed for the door, waving to the group. Kennith said, "Mom, go with them. We will be okay." Alena hesitated for a moment, before dashing toward the door to catch up with Sarah's Clan. When Alena caught up with Maeve and Tara, Maeve said, "I thought you would be joining us." "Yes! I felt a really strong push to join you, but I was concerned that it wasn't the correct thing to do." "We are pleased you chose to follow your instinct." "So, what is your opinion of the other families?" "They are a very nice group of people. The couple who spoke up will inquire about joining the Órarduine family. The other two couples will eventually seek to join, though it may take them some time to decide. The difference is the family who spoke up is at a crossroads in their life and realize it. The others aren't, yet. In any case, I don't think you will need to make a special trip to Earth. In all three cases, the children will play key roles in their decision." When they arrived on the bridge, both Star and Aine were waiting for Sarah's Clan. Aine immediately went to Alena and gave her a welcoming hug. "Phoenix, status," inquired Sarah, as soon as she took her place on the bridge. "Phoenix, readiness level 3. Cloaked. Moving to assigned position," replied Siobhan. "Eagle, status?" "Eagle, readiness level 3. Cloaked. Moving to assigned position," replied Maureen. "Iarracht, status?" "Iarracht, readiness level 3. Ready," replied Keriann. "Taiséalai, status?" "Taiséalai, readiness level 3. Ready," replied Kathryn. "An Clochán, status?" "An Clochán, readiness level 3. All systems ready," replied Amy. "Excellent," replied Sarah. "Dóchas FOC, begin deployment. Remember, slow and easy." "Dóchas bridge," said Clarence. "What's up Clarence?" "Our sensors show 5 groups of ships. Two groups will arrive between Mars and Saturn orbits in about 4 hours, and the other three groups will be near Earth. The 3D view should be on your display." "Is this all of them?" "You want more?" Clarence's quick reply caused many of those sharing the link to laugh. "Not really," replied Sarah, in an even tone. "It looks like the display is showing only one combat ship in each of the three groups near Earth." Shannon said, "Our assessment is that the three groups near Earth consist of a combat ship and two freighters, or cargo haulers. The combat ship in those groups is the only one that has an active crew. The freighters are remotely controlled by the combat ship. We should probably refer to the combat ship in the group as the 'mother ship'. Those freighters are huge. We may not be seeing any crew on the freighters because they are in hibernation." "The two ships arriving near us appear to be large combat ships." "Sabrina, are all our fighters in position?" said Tara. "Yes. Since we are taking a defensive response, all targets will be assigned once they are visible. Everyone is linked to your command, so they will engage immediately upon your command." "Acknowledged." "Tara," said Cathan, on cruiser Macha01, "all four of us are linked to you in the same way the Star Fighters are." "Acknowledged." While they waited for the visitors to make their appearance, the Command Staff on each ship reviewed the status of each of their departments. "Command Staffs," said Vanessa, "we have moved everyone at An Clochán into the cave and lowered the blast doors. All of the critical equipment has been secured, as well." "Were there any problems doing that," asked Sarah. "No, it went just like our practice runs. Everyone is in their tactical suits, and weapons have been distributed." "Stay connected." "Oh, we will. Breacadh has initiated the wall size monitors so we can see what is going on outside." "Good." "Are we ready to address our crew?" said Sarah. "Yes," replied Aoife. With that, Sarah's Clan said in unison, "Dóchas crew, we are expecting a group of visitors to arrive within the hour. As you know, our intelligence information indicates they will not be friendly. We expect them to challenge us immediately after emerging from FTL. We don't know how that will occur. Our strategy is to remain visible without defensive shields enabled until the last moment. It is a risk, but the shields can be fully engaged before a shot can be fired. Eagle and Phoenix have moved to their positions. All of the Star Fighters and Badb Cruisers are deployed. Now it is just a question of waiting for their arrival. See you at dinner." ------- "Alena," said Maeve, "your actions earlier indicated that you could hear us telepathically. Do you think you're picking up all the conversations?" "I think so." "We have some time, could Aoife and I look at your telepathic ability with you?" "I think so, but I am not real sure what you mean." "It is easier to show you." It startled Alena when she sensed Aoife and Maeve in her mind, but she quickly relaxed as they began coaching her. Alena quickly picked up on what Aoife and Maeve were showing her about the way the different areas of her mind functioned. As they already suspected, Alena's telepathic ability was close to being fully functional. They showed her how to make the necessary adjustments to make her ability fully functional. This was followed by showing her how to manage her telepathic links, and how to protect herself from intrusion. She also learned to identify each telepathic source, so it could be quickly recognized. "This is neat. Each of your thoughts are much clearer now." Aoife and Maeve then shared with Alena the differences between casual telepathic exchanges and the more intimate exchanges within a clan. When they had finished, Alena said, "when Scott was alive, there were many times it seemed like we were sharing thoughts. I knew when he was shot and had a brief glance at the scene just as he died. That experience is something I never shared with anyone until now, nor do I want to experience it again. Earlier, when you asked us whether we wanted to stay, it seemed like he was encouraging us to stay." "Alena," said Aine, "pardon my intrusion into your discussion with Aoife and Tara, but I think I can help you understand why you felt the way you did today." Alena looked questioningly at Aine. "Without looking at your memory to be sure, I think you and your husband were, in fact, mentally bonded. It is unusual for people who are not active telepaths to do that. The effect of this is that when a serious decision is being considered, your analysis will draw upon your combined knowledge. You could think of it as a part of him being still alive within you." "I will need to think about that. Are you always around, as I may have some questions?" "No, I am not always here, since my duties require me to leave from time to time. You can always reach me telepathically. I think you see a link now." "Yes, I do. I would much rather talk in person, as there is more to a discussion than words." "True," replied Aine, "but telepathic exchange has the benefit of including a lot of the concepts that are hard to verbalize. You overcome part of that by body language, but it is still an approximation." Alena looked doubtful. "Give it some time, then you will understand." ------- On the bridge of Dóchas, Sarah's Clan watched as the incoming space ships emerged from FTL. It was quite a spectacle watching the ships make the transition and take shape. Once the ships started to form, the monitors zoomed in for a closer view. The two ships between them and Saturn were obviously large combat ships. Each was slightly larger than Dóchas. The three groups near Earth consisted of a smaller combat ship, which was still larger than their cruisers. The two freighters were large enough to hold several Dóchas-class ships. "I am surprised they are not cloaked," said Paula of Siobhan's Clan. "The symbols on the ships indicate they are Imperial Council ships," said Aine. "The freighters don't normally have cloaking ability. The freighter's crew is probably still either in suspension or hibernation, which is why Intelligence didn't find any life signatures." "Who are the Imperial Council?" replied Sarah. "I don't remember seeing any information on them in the library." "They have existed for a long time, but they may not have been known to those who created the history of the universe for Dóchas's library. Even now, not much is known about them, except that they are not very sociable and rule with a very heavy hand. We know of some worlds who sent emissaries into their area of the universe with the purpose of establishing trading. Those groups never returned and were never heard from again. Within a decade, the home planets of those emissaries were barren and uninhabited. There are a lot of rumors about them, but no hard facts." Sarah looked at Aine as she digested the implications of her words, then said, "Dóchas Group, sound general quarters." "Phoenix, moving to readiness level 1, shields up," replied Siobhan. "Initiating battle plan." "Eagle, moving to readiness level 1, shields up," replied Maureen. "Initiating battle plan." Before Iarracht and Taiséalai could acknowledge Sarah's command, Star said, "Communication AI is having some difficulty establishing communication using standard protocol." Then, both Iarracht and Taiséalai indicated they were at readiness level 1 with shields up. After a few moments, the main screen on Dóchas bridge showed the bridge of the visitors ship. The creatures on the bridge of the Imperial Council ship were bipeds, with long narrow faces and pointed ears. Their muscular bodies were completely covered with short fur. Another screen on Dóchas bridge showed the relative position of all the newly arrived ships, and assigned them identifiers. The two widely separated combat ships between Saturn and Mars were now identified as IC1 and IC2. The combat ships near earth were assigned IC3, IC4 and IC5, with the associated freighters labeled either A or B. The creature on the bridge of IC1 said, "Those on the ships near the fourth planet, identify yourselves!" As he spoke, the two ships began moving toward the three Dóchas ships near Mars, while increasing the distance between each other. "You are speaking to the Command Staff of Dóchas," said Sarah's Clan in unison. "Why are five groups of Imperial Council ships in this solar system?" "Just answer my question!" replied Commander of IC1. "We do not answer questions of heathens and renegades. You are to speak only to answer our questions." "Standard communication protocol stipulates that new ships arriving in a solar system are to identify themselves immediately upon emerging from FTL," continued Sarah's Clan, firmly. "Seeing that you maybe unaware of the protocol, by your actions and out of courtesy, the answer to your question is: We are Órarduine. We are the Command Staff of this ship." The Commander of IC1 could be seen talking to several others on the bridge, before he replied with, "I told you to only speak to answer questions. You will be punished for not doing as I told you. Renegades, the ships you are on belong to the Imperial Council. You will immediately place each of OUR ships into hibernation mode. Everyone on the ship will go to the hanger unarmed, and kneel while awaiting our arrival. When we board, anyone not kneeling in the hanger will be killed immediately, along with another person." "These are Órarduine ships," replied Rusty. "The Imperial Council has no claim to these ships. Any attempt to board us with out our permission will be repulsed." "The Imperial Council controls all the universe. Everything in the universe belongs to the Imperial Council. Any being in the universe is to serve the Imperial Council as they need. Your occupation of our ships is an act of rebellion. Your stupid questions and statements are seen as just a delaying tactic. Your attempt to delay your submission to the Imperial Council will add to the severity of your crew's punishment. Put the ships in hibernation now! You will submit to our rule, one way or another." "You have no authority over us," replied Sarah's Clan, in a cold firm voice. "The Imperial Council is, we understand, an arrogant and abusive regime, approximating a living cesspool. We demand that you open your ships for our inspection, or leave this solar system and galaxy immediately." "Renegades, comply now," replied Commander of 1C. The two groups watched one another on the monitors for what seemed like hours, though it was less than a minute, when the 1C Commander continued, "You are all sentenced to death. After you are captured, you will be bound and served for our meal. While waiting for our meal to begin, remember you made this choice, as you watch us devour you. We will be tasting your luscious bodies before this day is over." As he finished, his mouth opened and his long tongue licked his lips while showing his sharp teeth just as the screen went blank. "When hell freezes over!" replied Sarah's Clan, in unison. "They are launching fighters," said Terry. "Their shields are up." "Shields up," said Sarah. "IC1 and IC2 have each launched three torpedoes. Targets are Iarracht, Taiséalai, and ourselves." "Dóchas group, execute attack," said Sarah's Clan in unison. "Navigation, move to intercept ship IC1." Sarah's Clan watched the progress of the six torpedoes on the monitor. Two changed course to follow Dóchas as it left Mars orbit to a better firing position. Dóchas shook from the explosion of the torpedoes, just as Sally said, "All incoming torpedoes destroyed." "Shield energy reserves 90% and recovering," said Terry. Each of Sarah's Clan watched the battle unfold on the monitors, while managing their individual consoles. Rusty focused on redirecting resources, as the battle shifted around them. The Órarduine Star Fighters engaged the fighters from IC1 and IC2 as soon as they were launched. Dóchas, Iarracht and Taiséalai's Star Fighters kept the fighters from IC1 and IC2 tied up in dog fights, which effectively limited IC1 and IC2 to their on-board weapons. Each time IC1 or IC2 fired at one of the two Dóchas ships near Mars, or at Dóchas, the Dóchas ships were able to respond by neutralizing or deflecting the shots. None of the shots caused any major damage to the ships' systems. Sarah moved Dóchas until they were within optimal weapons range. This position gave both Iarracht and Taiséalai a clear field of fire. The new position also gave the six FCS groups a good position to fire on both IC1 and IC2. Dóchas randomly shifted its position, to increase the difficulty of being hit by the two IC ships. Dóchas FCS used several weapons in trying to punch through the shields of the two IC ships. Initially, they had the same difficulties that the IC ships did in firing at them. They were surprised to find that the rail guns firing solid projectiles had the greatest effect on the IC shields. By shifting to firing a sequence of rail gun projectiles at the same coordinates on the IC ship, they could punch through the shields of IC1 and IC2. Once Dóchas FCS discovered their success with rail guns, Iarracht FCS and Taiséalai FCS switched to using theirs. Once they created an opening in IC1 and IC2's shields, each FCS switched to including kinetic projectiles, which followed the solid projectiles through the momentary hole. Inside the shield, the kinetic projectiles hit the IC ships, punching holes in the ship's walls and causing portions of the ships to explode. On impact, a kinetic projectile broke into smaller projectiles and showered the inside with high energy fragments. These fragments then ricochet around the inside of the ship, multiplying the damage and rendering portions of each ship unusable. When the shields of IC1 and IC2 died, Dóchas, Iarracht and Taiséalai simultaneously fired an A-beam at IC1. As soon as their weapons recharged, all three then fired an A-beam at IC2. They had just fired at IC2 when there was a tremendously bright flash of light, as IC1 exploded. This was quickly followed by IC2 exploding and creating another bright flash. The shock waves from the energy release buffeted Dóchas enough to move her off course. A similar effect was felt by the Star Fighters and her Badb cruisers. All that was left of either IC ship was dust. The 12 Badb Cruisers and Star Fighters quickly finished off the remaining fighters from IC1 and IC2. With the destruction of IC2 and IC2, Dóchas and her support ships turned their attention to assisting Eagle and Phoenix. They had just started toward the fight when Eagle and Phoenix, along with their cruisers, hit the last group of ships with A-beams. The ship flashed brightly before disappearing, leaving no trace. "Attention all Dóchas Group," said Sarah's Clan, "this solar system needs to be checked for any remnants of these people. Their intent was to have us for dinner, and we would have been alive when the first bite was taken." "Eeew," was heard from several people. Sarah's Clan watched the activity on their monitors as the ships began scouring the solar system for any remaining ships or other objects left by the Imperial Council. "Sarah's Clan," said Clarence, "our picket line is picking up a new signal from the vicinity of Dóchas, Taiséalai and Iarracht. Communication has told me they haven't made any changes." "Engineering," said Claudette, "check the outside of Dóchas, Taiséalai and Iarracht for something giving off an unidentified RF signal." "Claudette," replied Leann, "do you have any idea what we are looking for?" "No. Clarence just told us that the picket line is seeing a new signal originating from the three of us. He has the signature." "Okay, we will begin as soon as we get damage stabilized." "We need to move quicker than that. Just focus on the critical damages, then see if we can find these signal sources, as we don't know their purpose." "In that case, we will start now." "Good." "Star, pull our damage and injury report together," said Rusty. "Dóchas group," said Rusty, "please forward a copy of your damage and injury report to Dóchas as soon as time permits. Intelligence groups, we need a combined report on our engagement." "Command Staff," said Katernia of Shannon's Clan, "we acquired some data from IC1's systems before it was destroyed and are analyzing it now. How should we prioritize our efforts?" "When do you think you will have a handle on IC1 data? A key piece would be knowing whether they told their home world about our presence before the engagement. Let's do this quickly. Ferret out as much information as you can from the IC1 data. If you could have the engagement report done when the solar system search is complete, that would be great. After that, go back to reviewing the IC1 data, if it warrants more scrutiny." "Will do." "Sarah's Clan," said Chelsey of Samantha's Clan, "we have had several messages from Earth, wanting to know what is going on. Some are from the heads of governments and some are from news organizations. There are indications that some communications satellites were damaged." "What did you tell them?" Chelsey laughed and replied, "Not what I wanted to. I simply told them that, at the moment, everyone was too busy to talk to them, and that I would pass their requests on as soon as possible." "Okay. Prepare a press release that is factual, but won't lead to panic," said Maeve. "Lorelei and Earl would probably like to help." "Oh, they will. They have been down here ever since the engagement started. Can we include damage and injuries?" "Yes. Make the comments general. We think it would be fair to describe the Imperial Council as Aine did earlier. Make sure to note they came to this solar system to harvest food for their home planets as well as taking anything else they found. You should note that they were primarily meat eaters, and not picky about the source of meat, or whether it was cooked." "We'll see if we can quickly work something up." "Tara, why don't you call President Ryan and Prime Minister Bartlet with a short summary of the engagement, and ask them to pass it on." "Sure, stick me with the fun stuff," replied Tara, to her spouses laughing. Tara called both men and gave them a thumbnail sketch of the engagement, and asked if they would pass the information on to other heads of state, in particular those of Russia, China and Ireland. She promised to hold a conference call with them within two days, but told them that, at the moment, an exact time was difficult to identify. Both men agreed and thanked Tara for the call back. ------- The next morning, Sarah's Clan had just sat down to breakfast when Alena came over to join them in response to Aoife's wave. She had no more than sat down when Melinda came over and said, "It looks like we have a new member of Dóchas Command Staff!" Alena blushed. "Relax Alena," said Aoife, "Melinda is teasing." "I don't know about that," replied Alena to Melinda, with a little sparkle in her eyes, "but I do enjoy being around them. Besides don't you need to be an Órarduine in order to be one of the Command Staff? I guess I should move, as I wouldn't want to be the cause of rumors that I stood in your way." Alena stood and began to put her things back on her tray. "Wait. Alena, I was only teasing. Well at least a little." Seeing she had pulled Melinda up short, Alena began putting her things back on the table, with a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. "So why do I think I have lost this round of teasing?" With that, everyone began laughing. "Big time," said Maeve, as they continued to chuckle. "Melinda, I don't think we have formally met. My name is Alena. My three children and I are up here for a visit, which has turned out to be very exciting." "You're telepathic," said Melinda, with a surprised look on her face. "Yes. From what Aoife and Maeve told me yesterday, I have probably been for a long time just not fully capable. My husband was probably telepathic as well, based on some incidents we talked about." "I met your children yesterday. They are very happy to be here. One of the first things Kennith told me was that you were on the bridge with Sarah's Clan. He was really excited, and said that he thought his daddy would be very happy to know you were there. By the way, where are your children?" "They are with the other children. Kennith sometimes makes statements with such certainty about his dad that you would think he had just talked to him." "How long has Scott been gone?" "He was killed on a special ops mission about a year ago," replied Alena, with a painful expression. "Officially, he is missing in action, since they never found a body. We know he was killed, and I think the four of us knew the moment it happened." As Alena talked, big tears filled her eyes. Aoife and Tara put an arm around Alena, hugging her while she regained control of her emotions. "Alena, I'm sorry to hear that. From the way your children talked about him, he sounds like a great guy." "He was the best, and there are many of the best around here," replied Alena, as she shared a look with Rusty. Melinda saw the exchange between Alena and Rusty, but she wasn't sure what Alena was implying. She considered asking Alena to explain, but decided she needed to think it over. After breakfast, Sarah and several of her spouses went with Alena to see how their children's guests were doing. As soon as they entered the learning center, Kennith and his sisters waved Alena over to join them, along with Keri, one of Sarah's Clan's daughters. After hugging Alena, they began showing her the learning program they were using. Alena asked them several questions, prompting them to explain what they were doing. She had never seen her children this excited about organized learning. When Sarah and Joyce joined Alena and her children, Keri gave her mothers a hug. "Mom, I am glad they came." "We are too," replied Joyce and Sarah. Hearing Sarah and Joyce, Alena looked up and smiled. "Keri, your invitation was the best thing that has happened to us in a long time." Keri smiled on hearing the comment. Keri looked thoughtful for a moment, and then said, "Are you going to be one of my mothers now?" Alena glanced as Sarah and Joyce, looking for guidance on how to reply, but could tell they were thrown off-balance by the question, as well. "I think you might consider me to be an aunt, that is, if your parents agree." Keri looked up at her mothers, then said, "Cool, that is almost a mother, and I'm sure my parents will agree." Sarah and Joyce smiled and nodded their agreement. "How long are you going to stay? Are you going to work with my parents?" "Our visit was only set up for a week. We need to go back to Earth so the children can go to school, and I need to see if I still have a job." "Your children could go to school with us," replied Keri. "I am sure you could find a job here. Couldn't she, mom?" Both Sarah and Joyce blushed. "Keri, we need to let them make their own decisions about their future. Coming here has a lot of implications that need to be considered." "Keri, we will talk about it," replied Alena. "Cool," answered Keri, with a big smile on her face. "Alena, we're off to the bridge, as we need to review yesterday's activities. We don't know what your plans are for today, but you're welcome to join us." "I think I would like to join you for a while." Alena then told her children she was going to be with Sarah's Clan for a while and would see them later. Alena's children gave their mother a hug and then Keri gave her a hug. When Kennith saw Keri getting a hug, he said, "Aunt Sarah and Aunt Joyce, do we get to hug you as well?" "Anytime," replied Sarah and Joyce. Alena's children quickly gave them hugs. "Mom," said Iris, Alena's daughter, "I like hugs here. They feel so much better." "Better?" "Yes," added Marina, Alena's daughter, "they seem to have much more feeling to them." "Yes. I agree. See you guys later." "Have fun, mom and aunts," said the children, as they watched their mothers and aunts leave. "Your moms are neat," said Marina, with Iris and Kennith nodding their agreement. "Thanks. I like your mom too," replied Keri. ------- Alena, Sarah and Joyce had just entered the corridor when Alena asked, "So, if we wanted to come here what do I need to do?" "Just tell us you want to join us, once you are certain that it is the right thing for you and your family," replied Sarah. "As was noted before, there are several significant factors to consider. One being that the chance of returning to Earth after we move to another solar system is unlikely. Species change is not something you have to do, but that choice has its own implications. Without undergoing the species conversion, there will be some limitations on your activities, especially while on a space ship or in any enclosed environment. Species conversion is not reversible. This would effectively prevent you from returning to Earth and being fully accepted. There are a lot of other subtleties that we should talk about, if you are serious. As I think you have noticed, we are a lot more open with each other than people on Earth usually are. We think this is because of telepathic exchange being our primary means of sharing ideas." "Yes, I have noticed. When I was with you yesterday on the bridge, I had trouble distinguishing between each of you telepathically." "Spouses in a clan form a unique bond with each other, which we call mind-link. It lets them share many things, and that sometimes includes each others senses. We have likened it to all of us as a clan being a sphere, with each individual being seen as a facet on the surface of that imaginary sphere." "An interesting concept, but I didn't notice it at other times, like now." "Our link is a bit looser now than it was yesterday." "So its strength is situation related." "That is a good way of expressing it or perhaps intense is a better expression of the difference." When they walked onto the bridge, Aoife smiled and said, "So Alena, you came back for another dose of excitement." "Sarah, offered me the opportunity to be with you guys again, and I thought it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. It is not often I get to work with such beautiful people." "We're glad to have you," replied Sarah's Clan in unison. "Aoife, are we expecting more excitement today?" asked Alena. "No. Nothing like yesterday. After we go over Dóchas's status, we will have a Command Staff conference in a little while to discuss how we handled yesterday's events. Earl and Lorelei will have their TV show in two clock cycles. Our Long Range Shuttle will be back in three months. Sometime after that, we expect visitors from another civilization, but all indications are that they are friendly." "I've heard the term 'clock cycles' before, but I am not sure what it means." "A day on Earth is related to one revolution of earth. In a space ship, time keeping is a bit more abstract, as there isn't any difference between day or night, other than what we impose. Also, a day is nearly the same length on both Mars and Earth, if you use rotation of the planet as the measure. Anyway, we have set a clock cycle to be equivalent to a 24 hour period, using the same time scale as Earth. There maybe a better term than clock cycle, but no one has found it yet. Yes, we could use day instead of clock cycle, but that can be confusing if you don't check the context. Our week consists of 10 clock cycles, both on the ships and on Mars. An Clochán uses the same length for a clock cycle as we do even though it doesn't quite match the planet's rotation." "My perception about clock cycles was correct," replied Alena. "What do you have that is equivalent with months, years and etc?" "Months are all four weeks long. There are 48 weeks in a year, which means there are 480 clock cycles in a standard year. We could use a different categorization, but these are very similar to what we found in the library." "Do we use the same names for months?" "We?" said Aoife raising her eyebrows. "Yes, we!" replied Alena with a smile. "Yes, we use the same names when conversing, but in the data banks it is recorded numerically." "So what year is this?" "This is 11OB." Alena had a surprised look on her face, and started to speak when Aoife continued, "That means eleven years after Órarduine Birth. It was eleven years ago that Sarah's Clan and Amy's Clan became the first of the Órarduine species." "Wasn't Amy's Clan with several other clans on the space ship long before that?" "Yes. The Órarduine species is the result of melding the original species that were on the ship we now call Dóchas with that of Earth's humans." Alena looked at the others in Sarah's Clan, then said, "Aoife, I sense there are other things we need to do. Can we continue this later today?" "Sure. Thanks for raising the question, as one of us needs to check with our Staffing Department to make sure that information is in the orientation material." "Tara, the Star Fighters did really well!" said Rusty. "I was concerned we might lose more than we did." "All of our pilots from the lost Star Fighters were rescued, as the escape pods work really well. It would be better if they were invisible to anyone but us. The IC fighters shot up a couple of the escape pods before they could be neutralized. Fortunately, there were only eight who were injured critically. They are in the tubes now." Tara looked at Judy. Judy said, "The eight pilots in the tubes will fully recover, but it will be at least a month before they can resume flying. All the other injuries were fairly minor, and most will be back to work in a week or less." "By other injuries, were you including those injured on Dóchas?" "Yes." "Engineering is projecting all structural repairs will be done in a week," said Claudette. "They could finish earlier, but are taking the extra time to make some improvements." "Systems," said Maeve, "will finish their repairs a day or two after Engineering completes theirs. Also, systems is considering changing over to encrypting all transmitted data. Once we had our Ferret inside IC1, it had no difficulty in breaking into their communication network." "Did we recover the Ferret?" asked Joyce. "Yes," replied Terry. "It saw the escalating damage to IC1, and pulled back just after the ships shields collapsed. It barely escaped being engulfed by the fire ball from when IC1 exploded. Even then it did sustain enough damage that it had to be retrieved." "Terry, what was the source of the new RF signal coming from us?" "They were trackers attached to the hull of three Dóchas Class ships but none on Eagle or Phoenix. There were about a dozen on each ship but none on the cruisers. Looking at the sequence of events, it appears they were attached to us during our dialog with them. At the moment, we are guessing that it was done by some kind of drone. Needless to say, we are still looking into it." "The trackers would negate our cloaking ability," said Sally. "If we hadn't found them, they could tell others that we were wanted by the Imperial Council." "Are there other issues we want to discuss before joining the conference?" said Sarah. Looking around the group she didn't see anyone wanting to speak. "Let's join the conference." "Star, establish the connections." Within moments, Siobhan's Clan was seen as a small animated hologram. "Good morning," said Siobhan's Clan. "Aren't the holograms neat," added Tiff of Siobhan's Clan. "Yes," replied Sarah's Clan and Alena. "Hi, Alena," said Siobhan's Clan. "What do you think of Dóchas's bridge?" "It's neat. Nothing like Star Trek, though." Just then a new animated hologram formed, showing Maureen's Clan, who said, "Good morning." Maureen's Clan's arrival by animated hologram was quickly followed by Kathryn's Clan, Keriann's Clan and finally Amy's Clan. Each had just enough time to say good morning before the next one formed. "I like the animated holograms," said Keriann. After chatting for a few moments, the six Command Staffs went over each ship's status and injury reports. They followed this with a discussion of the battle with the Imperial Council ships. All of them were pleased by the few injuries and limited damage. Both Eagle and Phoenix had virtually no damage. Taiséalai and Iarracht had less damage than Dóchas, though it was still significant. The differences were attributed to the fact the aggressors did not know that Eagle and Phoenix were there before the battle started. Dóchas was also closer to the shock wave from the destruction of the two IC ships. The next topic was the status of completing Taiséalai and Iarracht. Keriann and Kathryn both indicated they were ahead of schedule by a couple of days, but thought the completion date was still valid. As the conference was wrapping up, Sarah said, "I think representatives of each of our clans should be at Lorelei and Earl's TV show." "We agree," replied everyone. "Sarah and Maureen's Clans, we need you to monitor Phoenix during the show," said Eileen drawing puzzled looks from the other clans. She smiled as she added, "We will be one of the groups interviewed." After everyone had conveyed the congratulations, Kelly of Keriann's Clan asked who the other groups were. "Nancy's Clan, Sue's Clan and Leann's Clan," replied Eileen. "Lorelei felt this gave the widest range of backgrounds of those who joined our family and have been here a long time. She and Earl are already thinking that there will be at least one or two more shows." "In fact, Lorelei had enough clans express interest in participating that they could do at least five more shows," added Maeve of Sarah's Clan. "The interviews will last about 20 minutes each, then the segment will close with all four groups participating. Rehearsals went very well." "So that is what the children were talking about," said Alena. "Could be," replied Joyce. "I believe the children were the audience for one of the rehearsals." "Okay, now it makes sense, since I didn't associate what they were telling me with a TV broadcast. So much has happened since we arrived I find it difficult to keep everything straight." "As you can see," said Sarah, "we have the same problem. Our telepathic ability doesn't keep us from overlooking things, and usually they are items that don't directly effect us at the time. As that is a judgment call, our mind-link or shared thoughts tend to keep us from overlooking critical items." Alena noticed that the other clan members were nodding their heads, agreeing with Sarah's comments. She said, "I find the concept of mind-link appealing. There have been many times since Scott was killed that I felt very lonely. The children know it almost immediately, and try to cheer me up." "Children are very perceptive readers of body language," said Judy. "Sometimes their skill is such you think they are telepathic, even when they are not using that ability." "We owe the leaders of several countries on Earth an explanation of yesterday's events," said Aoife. "It would be nice to do a conference call, except that time lag makes that impractical," said Maeve. Siobhan replied, "I agree. So let's pull together a report that shows a chronological time-line, beginning with the arrival of the Imperial Council's ships until the end of the engagement. Include the dialog between Dóchas and IC1 as it happened. There needs to be a summary of the engagement. It should provide details on the IC ships capability and purpose. In the closing, we should indicate that we expect representatives of another culture to arrive in the next several months, and that our intelligence indicates that the next group will be friendly." "We should include our damage and losses," said Alison. "Let's have Tiff, Colleen, Brigid, Brittany and Erin put together the report," said Sarah. "Maeve, will you send a note to the leaders that contacted us that we will be sending them a summary later today, describing what happened." "Sure." "Sarah," said Tiff, as she looked at the four working with her, "let's plan on getting together around 1600 hours to go over the report." "Sounds like the five of you already have a plan," replied Sarah. "You know we haven't really done anything quite like this before, so we have an opportunity to exercise our mind-link. While these five are focusing on the report, we can use our mind-link to feed them additional information as the report comes together. We should leave the editing to the last pass." "Neat idea," replied Kathy of Kathryn's Clan. "Anything else to address before this group starts on the report," asked Rusty. All the other clans could be seen shaking their heads no. "Okay, see you all at 1600 hours. Let's meet on Taiséalai." With that, the animated holograms of the other command staffs disappeared. "You have a question, Alena," questioned Aoife. "Not really, I am just amazed at how quickly we are going to pull this report together." "The data is already gathered. It just needs to be organized and we need to cull some of the details about our ships." "I am still amazed." ------- Chapter 134 It was at breakfast two clock cycles after the TV show when Aoife said, "I heard the response to Lorelei and Earl's show has been very positive." "That is good news," replied Sarah. "Are they going to do more shows?" "Yes," said Tara. "Lorelei and Earl committed to four more shows after checking with Communications Department. For the next shows, they will use our staff, since they had more problems with the two cameramen the director insisted on bringing. When the director heard about his cameramen being sent home he became rather belligerent, so they sent him back to Earth, as well." "Melinda," added Terry, "was very suspicious of the three as soon as she met them at the airport. After the latest incident, she asked security to treat them the same way we did other spies." "How was that?" asked Alena. "They will remember their visit here, but we altered their perception of their time here, so it would appear to be a dream. If they try to describe their visit, they won't be able to find the right words. Also, the video tape they are taking back only has scenes of space." Alena had a puzzled look on her face. "The memory alteration is done telepathically. Changing their perception is a relatively easy thing to do telepathically by a group, though it is nearly impossible for an individual to do so correctly." "Why a group and not an individual?" "Basically, because you have to be sure you don't create any internal conflicts, and it needs to be completed in a short period of time. With a group, the effect of the changes can be assessed while they are in progress." "That makes sense." Alena and Sarah's Clan chatted among themselves as they finished breakfast. Aoife noticed that Alena had been pretty quiet since they spoke about Lorelei's show. "Alena," said Aoife, "are you bothered by what we did to the cameramen?" "Oh, no. I am not sure I would have been that kind to them." "I sense that something is bothering you. I suspect we can help, if you want to share what is bothering you." "You know," replied Alena, blushing. "No, not really. We don't know any specifics without specifically looking," said Sarah's Clan. "We just know that something is bothering you. You have come to mean a great deal to us, and we would like to help if we can." "Okay. First, we have decided to become Órarduine, but you probably knew that from the way the children were acting." Joyce laughed, and replied, "Yea, we kind of suspected that you were going to stay from the way our children acted. Your children really seem to like it here, and seem to have fit right in with ours." "I guess what you are sensing is me trying to sort all the things that need to be done so we can move here. I am a bit apprehensive about going back to close things out." Many of Sarah's Clan had puzzled looks on their faces. "One of Scott's friends has been pursuing me since he was killed. Actually, it is more like stalking. Ray frequently just shows up, and doesn't take the hint to leave. He has been pestering me to go out with him. Frankly, I have never been particularly comfortable around Ray. The children tolerate him, I think because he was a friend of their father's. So basically, I am concerned about what Ray might do when he learns we are moving here." Alison started to speak, but Alena continued, "Then, there is the group I work with. Two of the programmers are jerks, overly friendly, sexist, and extraordinarily incompetent. They never do quite enough to justify complaining to the boss, who is a nice guy. A couple of times they have groped me, but always when no one was around. I would prefer to not leave the boss with an unfinished project, as my current project is pretty important, both to him and the company. Besides, he really cut me some slack when my husband was killed, and he didn't squawk too much when I asked to extend my vacation." "How about this," said Maeve. "The children can stay here, while Tara and I go back with you. I am sure the three of us can make quick work of getting you moved. We can also help you finish your project at work, so you don't leave your boss hanging." "Wow, you guys would do that for me?" "Sure! You are very special to us. I guess we should take Briana and Cass with us, just in case things get out of hand." "Maeve," asked Tara, "why don't we take one or two of the cats with us?" "Cats?" said Alena. "Oh, that's right, you haven't met them. We have a group of cats that look very much like full grown lions. Right now, they are part of our security group on Comrie. Around us and our friends, they are just like large friendly cats, though anyone else sees a different side. We can connect to our lions telepathically when we need to." "I appreciate the offer for assistance, but the project is classified." "If you're comfortable with it, we could assist you telepathically," replied Maeve. "This would avoid any security clearance issues." Alena had a puzzled look on her face. "I'll need to think about that idea," replied Alena. "Was there anything else?" asked Aoife, with a slight smile. Alena looked at each of their faces, as she began to blush from her forehead to her chest. "Yes. There is another question. Would you accept another spouse into your clan?" "Only if it was you," came the quick reply by Sarah's Clan, in unison. Alena sat there with a glazed look on her face, as it registered what she had just heard. When Alena didn't react, Sarah's Clan continued, "Alena, are you okay?" Alena shook her head, then said, "You said, "yes"!" "Of course, we said, yes! You wanting to be a part of our clan makes us delightfully ecstatic." With that, Sarah's Clan moved to pull Alena into the center of a group hug. "I was scared to ask the question. I don't know why, because I was almost certain you guys would say yes, but there is always the chance of misreading our feelings. This is one of the greatest moments in my life. What happens next?" "We need to bring you into our mind-link," said Sarah. "To do that, we need to spend some time together, and this morning would be a good time to do it." "Wonderful," said Alena, with tears running down her cheeks. "Mom, we love you," said Alena's children, startling her. "Now we have lots of brothers and sisters to play with, and lots of mommies to hug. Best of all, we now have another dad to help us." Sarah's Clan laughed at the enthusiasm they heard in the children thoughts. "We can go back to our suite after this morning's general meeting." "Can we go to Earth tomorrow?" asked Alena. "We should be able to do everything that needs to be done in two days or less. I would really like to get the project finished at work, so it is off my mind. Besides, asking for, and then taking, an extended vacation has probably caused more problems." "That would be fine," replied Maeve. "So you're comfortable with us helping you with your programming project." "Yes." Maeve raised an eyebrow. "If I understand mind-linking correctly, once we establish the bond, we will be one." "Your understanding is correct." ------- Alena was holding hands with Sarah and Maeve, as she walked with Sarah's Clan to their suite. Her thoughts about joining Sarah's Clan and the Órarduine kept jumping from one question to another so quickly she felt bewildered. "Relax, Alena," said Sarah. "We love you. We are ecstatic that you want to join our clan." After entering their suite, Sarah and Maeve drew Alena into a hug, with the rest of the clan joining them in the hug, forming a circle around Alena. Alena had tears of joy in her eyes as she felt her connection grow with each of her new spouses. After a few moments, the circle opened and Sarah said, "Let's sit on the bed." Sarah and Aoife had Alena sit between them as they formed a circle on the bed, with every member touching the person on each side of them. "Alena," said Sarah, "we were thrilled to hear your request a few moments ago. We have felt that you would be a good fit almost from the time we met you. Our approach to forming family units or expanding them is unique. Our purpose now is to further your inclusion into our family's mind-link. In some respects, the process began earlier." "I thought our sharing of thoughts was the mind-link," replied Alena. "It is, but it is more than that," said Aoife. "A clan's mind-link is an expansion of normal telepathy. A clan's mind-link is the total sharing of ideas, memories, and senses." "Wow," said Alena. "To bring you fully into our family's mind-link, we first need to establish an open connection between you and each one of us individually. It is easier to add one link at at time. The reason for you to add the additional links one at a time is so each of us can organize the new information and set up the critical links." Alena nodded. "Let's start with me." Alena and Aoife focused on each other, and opened their minds to each other. The other spouses smiled as they watched the expression on Alena's face change, while she established her links with Aoife. Once their links were established, Alena said, "Wow. It's like I can see myself. I can feel me touching others besides Sarah and you." "Yes. You are seeing yourself through my eyes. You are feeling my leg against Joyce, who is on the other side of me. Can you see the difference between your visual perspective and mine?" "Yes. The sense of touch has all the feeling of my touching Joyce, but the attenuation is different. I also know the sensation is coming through you. This is awesome." "Yes, it is. Our sharing now extends to our memories ... all of our memories. We can look through each other's memories as if we were looking at our own. When looking at another's memories, you need to remember to take the point of view into consideration. If you are doing the searching, it will take longer to find and bring up a new memory. This is basically because each of us indexes our memories differently. Generally, we haven't found much need to go looking for a specific memory in one of our spouse's minds, as sharing memories is usually done as a group." "So you will be able to see everything I have ever done?" A look of concern flickered across Alena's face. Aoife quickly responded, "Yes. Our connection will grow over the next few hours, once it is fully active you will also be able to see all my memories. The good, the bad and the ugly. We all have them. With our mind-link, it is easier to share the whole memory, including those aspects we have difficulty putting into words. Again, remember to take into account the point of view, since it can make a difference in the meaning of the event." "So this total sharing of thoughts, senses and memories is really what you implied when you compared each spouse to being individual facets of a virtual sphere represented by the clan?" "Yes." "Should we continue?" asked Aoife. "Oh my, yes, let's continue! I have never been a part of anything as beautiful as this. So what's next?" "Go to the next spouse in the circle and repeat what we did. Take your time to get everything sorted out before moving on to the next spouse. Each spousal link will feel unique. Rusty's will likely feel quite different from the rest of us." Alena then began establishing her clan mind-link with her other spouses. After each connection was opened, and her links established, she paused to evaluate how her link with the newest spouse compared to the others. Each time a clan mind-link was established with a new spouse, both shared some random memories with everyone. After establishing clan mind-links with several spouses, Alena noticed that her mind-links with her spouses formed quicker than in the beginning. Alena completed the circle by opening her mind-link with Sarah. Sarah reached over and drew Alena toward her for a kiss. As Sarah's lips touched Alena's, Sarah let all of her spouses sense their lips touching. Alena's eyes snapped open when she realized she could feel herself being kissed by Sarah, along with feeling her spouses. Shifting to hold Alena's head gently in her hands, Sarah began to caress Alena's lips with her tongue, before sliding it into Alena's slightly open mouth. Their tongues gently caressed each other's. The sensations they felt added to their passion. Sarah drew back and began to place small kisses around Alena's face, as Aoife began to kiss Alena's neck and shoulders on one side. Joyce moved so she could caress the other side of Alena's neck with kisses. Alison moved to kneel behind Alena, so she could slide her arms around her, cupping Alena's tits in her hands. While Aoife, Joyce and Sarah continued caressing Alena's face and neck with kisses, they shifted slightly, to let Sally and Terry begin caressing Alena's nipples with their tongues. Alena's arousal grew with each additional caress. Her other spouses joined by caressing Alena's legs. Each caress added to Alena's arousal and radiated to the others. Fingers slid between Alena's wet labia, to gently caress her lips and occasionally dip into the mouth of her cunt. Another set of fingers were gently caressing Alena's clit and its hood with the cream from her labia. With the clan's focus solely on Alena, her arousal rose rapidly, until she was panting. Her nipples were puffed out and so hard they ached, as Sally and Terry caressed them with their tongues. Alena suddenly gasped and stiffened as a small orgasm washed over her. The small orgasm reverberated among her spouses. Alena placed a hand behind Terry and Sally's heads, pulling them tighter to her breasts, pushing more flesh into their mouths. "My, god," thought Alena, "I can feel everything." "Yes, it is one of the benefits of our mind-link." Just as Aoife finished sharing her thought, an even more intense orgasm crested for Alena, and again, each of them felt it. Aoife nibbled Alena's ear, while Sarah caressed the other side for her neck. Maeve moved to plant light kisses on Alena's lips. "Rusty, I need you inside of me," pleaded Alena. With that, the clan began to shift, while continuing their caresses of Alena. Alison and Claudette assisted Alena in straddling Rusty's hips. With her straddling his hips, Rusty placed his hands on Alena's hips, to steady her. Alena looked down into Rusty's eyes, as she reached down to grasp his cock. She lowered her hips until his cockhead was nestled between her wet labia, then she slid his cockhead between her wet, swollen labia, causing her to shudder. Moving his cock to the mouth of her cunt, she relaxed, letting her hips settle, and driving his cock into her vaginal sheath. Alena's moan was echoed by all of her spouses, as each felt the warm sensations of his cock entering Alena. Once Alena had his cock fully embedded in her sheath, she paused to savor the feeling. While Alena was savoring the sensations of his cock, Sarah moved to place her cunt over Rusty's mouth. Sarah then reached over and pulled Alena's head to her, so they could kiss. As they began to kiss, their other spouses moved so they could caress Alena and each other. Their drift toward a shared orgasm continued growing, as they focused on sharing the physical side of their love for each other. Alena began to slowly flex her hips, allowing Rusty's cock to caress her sheath. Sarah coached Alena on how to use the muscles along her vaginal sheath to caress Rusty's cock. Each of the women began to have mini-orgasms. As each occurred, they would pause before beginning their caressing again. Each of their orgasms built on the previous one, so they grew in intensity. As each of Alena's orgasms crested, her sheath holding Rusty's cock would tighten, locking them together. Gradually their combined orgasms began to reach their peak, as indicated by their increasing efforts at stimulating each other. When Rusty thrust his hips up, his cock began to pump his cum into Alena's vagina, triggering her orgasm. Alena screamed into Sarah's mouth as her orgasm peaked, then her breathing stopped momentarily. Her actions were matched by the other spouses, and the room became very quiet. Alena had slumped against Sarah, trapping Sally and Terry's heads between them. When Alison recovered, she pulled Alena back toward her, letting Sally and Terry extract themselves from their entanglement. Jill, Janet and Aoife eased Alena over to Rusty's side, so she was laying on her back. Sarah slipped over next to Alena, and wrapped her arms around Alena and touching Rusty. Aoife lay down on the other side of Rusty, as they all recovered from the intensity of the orgasm. Alison and Tara then quickly moved to lick the mixed cum from Rusty's cock and balls. Erin and Claudette moved to lick the cream flowing from Alena's cunt while she was still in dream land. Once all the cream was cleaned from Rusty and Alena, they all lay on the bed cuddling each other and giving each other an occasional caress. Sometime later, Alena began to stir. "Is it always that intense?" "It can be," replied Sarah, as Rusty turned and kissed Alena. "Are we ready to start again?" "What?" exclaimed Alena, as she broke her kiss with Rusty. "I think I need more rest." Everyone began chuckling. "I guess youngsters are soft now days," replied Aoife, causing more laughter. "Hey, I'm not that much younger than you guys." They all chuckled at Alena's quick response. "Alena," said Sarah, "every time we share our physical love it is intense. It is not unusual for the first one fucked to pass out for a few minutes. We usually continue sharing our physical love until everyone who wants a ride on Rusty has their turn. Each successive orgasm comes quicker with the same level of enjoyment, but it is also a little softer, if that makes sense. Our sharing today had some special aspects to it, as it was your first time." "Alena, I love you," said Rusty. "I love all of you. To have all of you love me is a blessing I am grateful for every moment of every day. Our children just add to the blessing." "This is awesome. I can feel the emotion in Rusty's expression of his love for us. Wait, I can see each of our thoughts and senses much more vividly than earlier. The Gods and Goddesses have blessed me beyond ... oh ... this is just awesome. I love all of you more than I can say, but I know you can feel it." "We love you," said Sarah's Clan in unison. Alena then gave each of her new spouses a passionate kiss. Turning back to Sarah, Alena kissed her as she ran her hands over Sarah's shoulders and up to her neck. Placing her hands on each side of Sarah's head, she broke the kiss and then began placing kisses all over her face. Alena kissed and licked Sarah's ears, as she motioned for Sarah to raise up so she was on hands and knees over Alena. Alena then began placing kisses down Sarah's neck on one side and then the other. She then began kissing her way down toward Sarah's breasts until she reached her nipple. Everyone felt Alena's surprise as her mouth filled with milk when she sucked Sarah's nipple into her mouth. "Sarah, your milk tastes heavenly. How much can I have?" "As much as you want. We are all lactating." Alena continued to suckle on Sarah's nipple, as she responded with, "Gee, I knew that. I really like the taste of your milk. Do you all taste the same?" "Pretty much," replied Rusty. Alena moaned as Joyce placed her mouth over Alena's cunt, to run her tongue between her labia. When Joyce pulled back slightly, Alena flexed her hips up, pushing her cunt against Joyce's mouth. "You are very tasty," said Joyce. Sarah then raised up slowly, letting Alena follow her nipple as she continued to suckle. Sarah placed her hands behind Alena's head, to help her maintain contact with her nipple while she moved to straddle Rusty's hips. Once Sarah was straddling Rusty's hips, she lowered her hips slightly, then shivered as she felt Erin slide his cock head between her labia from one end to the other. Erin placed his cock so it's head was surrounded by Sarah's, wet, swollen labia. Sarah lowered her hips more, pushing Rusty's cockhead toward the mouth of her cunt. The muscles in her labia twitched, caressing the head of his cock as her cream ran down his shaft. She continued to lower her hips as her labia continued to grasp and release his cock as it slid through the mouth of her cunt. Maeve nudged Alena, then guided her to straddle Rusty's head. As they moved around to make Sarah the focus of sharing their love, Alena continued to suckle on her breast. Sarah caressed Alena's head and face as she nursed. With Maeve's assistance, Rusty was soon nibbling on Alena's swollen labia. Alena moaned as Rusty's tongue slid between her labia to probe her cunt mouth, releasing her cream. Rusty quickly swallowed the sudden flow of cream. "Sarah, I can feel you letting your milk down," said Alena. "I can sense Rusty's cock pulsing in your cunt as you squeeze it with your sheath. It is almost the same as having it inside me." "Yes. Try suckling on the other nipple." "Should I stop?" "Only, if you want to." "It feels so natural, and I feel a need to drink your milk." "It is natural. Your desire to drink my milk is a part of you bonding with us. It is also something we enjoy doing with each other." "How soon will my milk come in, after my conversion?" "You will be able to lactate as soon as the conversion is finished. Whether you lactate is up to you, just as controlling when you're fertile is up to you." During this exchange, the clan's arousal built, as everyone was again intimately involved with each other. Each of the women began having a series of mini-orgasms, as their shared arousal built toward a shared orgasmic crest. Each stroke of Rusty's tongue between Alena's labia gave him another mouth full of her cunt cream. Aoife had moved behind Alena, and was reaching around her caressing her breasts, nipples, stomach and clit. The mind-link and physical connection between Aoife, Alena and Sarah bound them together in a common orgasm. Rusty could see Aoife's labia clutching and relaxing in response to her rising waves of arousal. The rhythm was the same as that of Sarah's cunt clasping his cock. Sarah looked around. Her eyes were filled with sexual arousal from seeing the activity around her. She could see and feel several of her spouses who were coupled in a classic mouth to cunt orientation. Terry was coupled with Jill, while Janet was coupled with Sally. Alison and Judy were latched onto Claudette's nipples. Joyce was behind them, with a hand fully inserted in Alison and Judy's cunts. Beneath Alison and Judy, Claudette was sucking and caressing their nipples. Sarah shivered as she felt Erin cupping her breasts while she nibbled on her neck and shoulders. Suddenly Sarah pulled Alena tightly to her chest, as her orgasm peaked and she screamed into Tara's mouth. Sarah's orgasm triggered those of her spouses. When Sarah's orgasm crested, her milk squirted into Alena's mouth with more force. Rusty's cock throbbed as he pumped his cum into Sarah's sheath. Aoife and Alena both squirted, soaking Rusty's face and head with their cum. As they all orgasmed, the room became quiet again, except for the sound of labored breathing. When they recovered, Erin turned around and placed her head right behind Sarah and between Rusty's legs. Alena sat up, breaking her connection with Sarah's nipple. She watched as Sarah slowly rose up with her, and Erin holding her labia tight to Rusty's cock. Just as his cock slid out from between Sarah's lips, they pushed her labia together, keeping the mixed cum in her cunt. Sarah moved back until her cunt was right over Erin's open mouth. Once Sarah was in position, they released their grip on Sarah's labia, letting the cum cream flow into Erin's open mouth. Erin came again, as she rapidly swallowed the mixed cum. Aoife helped Alena off Rusty and began to lick their cum from his face. Alena quickly shifted around to help her and bumped heads with Tara, causing them to laugh. All three then took turns licking up the cunt cream on Rusty's face and chest. While the three were concentrating on Rusty's face, Maeve began to lick the cream from his cock and balls. Maeve was soon joined by Claudette. "Let's take a shower," said Rusty, once all the post-orgasmic activities had finished and the clan was enjoying the after-effects. "Judy," said Alena, "when can I begin the conversion?" "You can begin as soon as you return from Earth. You realize you will be in the tubes about a week. After that, you will have some restrictions on physical activity for a month or so." "Okay. What about the children?" "We have not had any children their age use the tubes, yet. We don't see any problems in their doing so, but they will be the first. Intuitively, I don't see a problem with them making the conversion using the tubes. My only hesitancy is knowing whether they understand the implications of choosing to be an Órarduine. It is something we will need to consider." They were in the showers when Alena replied, "Judy, I understand your concern, but with my three, I don't think there is any cause for concern. My perception is that they would feel frustrated if we sought to delay their becoming Órarduine. I can not imagine them regretting the change to Órarduine." "Okay. I can see how you came to that conclusion. They can do the conversion when you do yours." "Excellent." Just as they had joined with each other in enjoying the physical side of their love, they assisted each other in the shower. They interspersed washing each others hair with tender caresses and kisses. Alena was almost catatonic from the multiple sensations she was experiencing through her connection with her spouses. "Alena, are you okay?" said Judy. "I think so," replied Alena, in a husky voice. "The sensations from our contact with each other were, at first, overwhelming. Many aspects our mind-link are so unique that is is taking me a while to understand them and adapt. For example, the stimulation you feel from washing your mane and tail took me a while to understand. It does feel very good." Judy watched Alena for a few minutes, before saying, "The stimulation will have more meaning to you after your conversion." "I hate to be a spoil-sport, but we need to get ready for lunch," said Alison, as she moved to leave the shower. "We've been here that long," wondered Alena, who, with a surprised look, followed her spouses out of the shower. "Yes." Together they helped each other dry off and comb out their hair. "Right after dinner this evening," said Maeve, "Tara, Briana, Cass and I can go with you back to Earth." "I need to ask the children if they want to go, but I don't expect they will." "Have you thought about our assisting you with your programming project through our mind-link," asked Tara. "If we go over what needs to be done this evening, we should be able to complete the programming tomorrow, presuming inputing won't delay us." "Good idea, as long as we don't get distracted." "Distracted?" "Sure. On the nice side, there is plenty of opportunity to cuddle. On the ugly side, I expect Scott's friend, Ray, to show up shortly after we get to my place. I am sure he is watching our condo." "He won't be a problem." "I hope not." They had just finished when the chimes sounded, signaling that lunch was being served. "You know, I never expected to be accepted into this clan so quickly," said Alena. "It wasn't until a few days ago the idea of being a part of your clan surfaced. Is this normal? Did I push things too quickly?" As Alena finished, there was a hint of concern in her mind. "No, you didn't push things too quickly," replied Sarah. "As to being normal, it seems so. For a new clan to form, it usually takes quite a while for the initial group to realize they are, for all practical purposes, a clan. We have seen some clans form quite rapidly, but these were cases where many of those involved came here knowing each other. We think our interpersonal relationships form quicker because of our openness and telepathic communication. For a single person joining an established clan, it depends on how quickly they realize their feelings for that clan. Once that realization takes place, it is simply a question of how long the person waits before asking to join." "So, the key is understanding your relationship to a clan. Once you understand that, it should be clear to you whether you should ask to be a part of that clan." "Usually, by the time a person reaches the point of asking the question, everyone is agreeable to the person joining, and they are just waiting for the door to open. Waiting for the person to ask is a way of ensuring that the new person is committed to being a part of a plural relationship." "Without telepathy, I can see how families with multiple partners would struggle to maintain their relationship." "Yes," replied Joyce, "but it can be done. The key, from our perspective, is open communication among everyone. There isn't any demeaning of ideas or observations being shared, but that doesn't mean questions aren't asked. In a loving environment, it works very well. Telepathy, though, makes that much easier to accomplish. Once the open communication framework is established, no one will be afraid to openly express themselves. All of this does require absolute trust in each other. Sarah, Terry, Sally, Rusty and I were working toward that kind of relationship before we were kidnapped. Even then, Rusty and Sarah were fully telepathic and trying to help the rest of us enable that ability." "I am very glad I asked to join this clan," said Alena with a big smile, and she then squeezed Sarah and Aoife's hands. When they arrived at the dining room, the children were waiting for them. It took several minutes for all the hugs and kisses before they could get their lunch. ------- After looking over the neighborhood, Briana set the scout ship down between the entrance to Alena's condo and its parking lot. Alena, Tara, Maeve, Briana and Cass then entered Alena's condo unseen. Alena turned the lights on, and slowly looked around the room before saying, "Someone has been in here since we left." "Does it look like anything is missing?" said Cass. "I'm not sure. Before we left, I placed several items in the path from the door so it looked like they were just dropped there. Each of them has been moved." "Until we can figure out what was done, let's be careful what we say," replied Cass. "Alena, why don't I go get your mail?" said Briana. "Thanks. Here is the key. While you're doing that, I'll check my email and phone messages." Briana went to the mail box cluster, while Alena and the others carefully checked through her condo to see what the intruders had done. Briana was just getting the mail out of the box when a woman in a police uniform spoke to her. "You're new here, aren't you." Briana said, "Just visiting. I came over to get Alena's mail, while she gets ready for work tomorrow." "I'm Jan. Alena and I sometimes end up with each other's mail, as we have the similar condo numbers. She is a great person and her children are the best I have ever been around." "We think so." "Alena and her children have had it pretty rough since her husband was killed. Tell her I said hi." "Will do," replied Briana, as they left the mail center. Entering the condo, Briana said, "Here is the mail, and I met an admirer of yours." "Who is that?" replied Alena, with a worried look. "Jan. She thinks you are the greatest." "Yea. I know. She has hit on me several times, when she didn't have a girlfriend living with her." "She has good taste and she certainly gave me the once over while we were talking. So, what did you find?" "Cass checked the rooms for bugs, etc. They were all clean, except for the phone. My financial stuff had been rooted through, but nothing appears to be missing. My PC was used to visit a lot of porn sites. Many of the sites featured bondage, but some were extreme S&M. I find it difficult to believe people are willing to do that bizarre stuff. There were some visits to child porn sites, and some of the pictures were downloaded. Who ever did it, registered my name at each of the sites." As Alena spoke she became angry, and her anger grew with each word she spoke. "Just the child porn being on my PC would cause me to loose my security clearance and job, regardless of how it got there." "You don't use your PC for work, do you," asked Briana. "No. I use the laptop I had with me. There is really nothing on it, but it is configured for a special VPN, so I can work remotely on my projects." "Cass," said Maeve, "why don't you wipe the child porn stuff off her PC, while we help Alena with her project." "Alena, are there photos on the PC you want to take with you?" asked Cass. "Oh my, yes." "In that case, I'll wipe the trash off the HD, and then swap it out tomorrow. This way, you can take the HD with you. I probably should change the hardware address on the NIC card." "Good idea. Alena, Jan said that your mail sometimes got mixed up with hers." "Yes. Her condo is in the next building. Her condo number is 3207 and mine is 2307. Our receiving each other's mail happens more frequently than one would expect." Alena smiled and added, "Perhaps someone is trying to pair us up. Did you tell her you were my spouse?" "Didn't come up. Let's see what we can do with your project, as we have several hours before we need to go to bed." "Guys, I made a checklist earlier of everything I needed to do. After talking it over with the children, we decided the only thing we are taking with us is our mementos. So, while I am at work tomorrow, would you close out my accounts? I want to give the furniture and clothes to a military family support group, and this is the address." "Sure, we can take care of that for you." With that Alena, Maeve, Tara and Briana began working on her programming project, while Cass began cleaning up Alena's PC. ------- It was late morning the next day when Maeve heard a key turn in the door and stepped over to it. Tara joined her as the door was being unlocked. A man opened the door part way and stopped, staring at the two very tall women wearing sheer robes. His expression showed his surprise at seeing them. "Who gave you the key to my condo," inquired Maeve, in a harsh demanding tone. After a moment of uncertainty, the man replied, "What are you doing in Alena's condo?" "Alena doesn't live here any more! Now, give me that key and leave before I call the cops." "What do you mean Alena doesn't live here? All of her stuff is in there." "She gave us the contents, because she didn't need them anymore." Maeve paused, then added, "So you're the asshole who used our PC and put all that child porn on it? Wait here while I call the cops, I am sure they will find your fingerprints in our condo." "You're bluffing. I demand to talk to Alena. Where is she?" "I told you, she moved." "I don't believe you. If she moved, she would have told me!" "She moved in with her girlfriend in the next building. Now, give me the key and leave." "You mean that lesbian cop." The Ray starred at Tara and Maeve. Maeve said, "Ge, heel!" With that, a lion pushed her head between the two women. When Ray saw the lion's head, he quickly disconnected the key from the ring and handed it to Maeve. Just as his hand touched hers the lion growled, causing him to jump, as his face turned white. The lion growled again. Ray's pants turned dark at his crotch and the color spread down his leg before he turned and ran down the walk. Maeve and Tara laughed as they watched him run to a car and quickly leave. "Thanks, Ge." Both Tara and Maeve scratched Ge's head behind her ears, causing her to purr. "Tara, did you help Jan dream of Alena moving in with her last night?" "Yes," continued Tara. "Alena and I gave her a dream she will remember for a long time. I suspect she will be surprised at how wet her sheets are this morning. She will likely get wet every time she thinks of Alena, Briana or me. She knows about Ray stalking Alena." "So you pushed a dream out to her?" "Maeve, we didn't need to, since she was already dreaming of Alena and Briana. We just added to her lusty dream. She had seen Ray around, and had seen Alena avoiding him." "Ray came here with the intent to drug Alena. He is a strange dude. He is really obsessed with having Alena as his possession. Once he had control of her, he planned on sharing her with his friends. The child porn thing was to cause her to loose her job. He had arranged for her to begin working at a live sex club as an entertainer, which is why he brought the drug." "That is twisted. He wanted her as his possession, but also wanted her to work in a live sex club. Are you sure you got that right?" "Yes. He had some other weird plans for her and was trying to sell the children. I didn't look further, since after tonight, he will not have time to consider them." "I noticed that Cass was going to monitor Jan's condo this evening, to make sure the events work as planned. Jan is not into the master-slave scene, but has several friends who are. Once she hears what Ray planned for Alena's family, she will likely arrange for her friend to pick him up, rather than take him to jail." "Is Alena aware of the plan?" "Yes. Some of the planned events weren't set until a few moments ago, when Briana and Cass probed his memories." It was a little after six when Alena came busting through the door with a large smile on her face. Without saying a word, she immediately went to hug each of her spouses. "Thank you so much for your help. My supervisor is ecstatic. You should have seen his face when I told him the project was complete, about 3 this afternoon. At first he didn't believe me, so I had to walk him through the code. He scheduled me to give him and several others a demo tomorrow morning." "This calls for a celebration," said Tara. "When we are home," said Alena, firmly. "So, how was the rest of the day?" "Pretty good. Things started off kind of rough. Personnel was unhappy about the way I took vacation and then extended it. I just ignored them, and went in to see my supervisor. He wasn't too happy when I finished unloading about personnel and the two programmers I had to work with. His mood changed some when I told him that my project would be finished that afternoon and that tomorrow was my last day. All of that took more time than I allowed, but you guys all know that. Thanks so much for mind-linking with me so the deadline could be met." "Hmm ... what happened while I was meeting with my supervisor? I noticed that Sarah, Rusty, Erin and Alison had joined the mind-link, but both of you were doing something else." "We didn't want to distract you when Ray showed up. We met him at the door. He was shocked to see us, and was giving us some lip when I had Ge join us. When Ge growled, he pissed in his pants and left, after giving us the key he stole. Look at our memories." After a few moments, Alena said, "I am glad you handled that without me, as I am afraid I would have killed him right there. The expression on his face when Ge made her appearance is fantastic. I am surprised he didn't piss on himself then." "He would have," said Tara, "but I played with his mind a bit so he was really full by the time the pressure was too much, and he let loose." "So, Cass is going to make sure Jan gets the upper hand with him when he enters her condo." "Yes. Briana will monitor the situation so we can see through her eyes the events as they take place." "Were you able to close all of my accounts?" "Yes. We had an idea for the condo and the contents. Why not donate them to the family support services in memory of your husband Scott? Stipulate that the condo be made available for military families at no charge, except for utilities and maintenance. We have a connection with a law firm who will monitor the arrangement for you." "I like that idea, but what about the mortgage?" "There isn't one." "You guys paid it? I really didn't expect that." "Well we didn't pay for it. The performances our choir gives generates income which is donated to various military dependent support groups. We used those funds." "Thank you. It is really nice being part of your clan. I get the feeling that Briana's Clan is a part of Sarah's Clan." "There is a very strong connection, since Adam is Joyce's brother. Also, Nancy's Clan has a strong link, since Nancy is Joyce's mother and a special person in Sarah and Sally's life, along with Bob of Nancy's Clan." "With your agreement, we can call the law firm tomorrow morning and get the ball rolling." "Tara, that is perfect. Now, what are we going to have for dinner?" "How about having pizza delivered?" "Good, I'll call them." ------- It was nearly midnight when Ray unlocked the door to Jan's apartment. He eased it open until he could slip inside without letting very much light in from the hall. Pausing, he looked around the barely lit room. He quickly determined that the layout was very similar to Alena's condo, so he started toward the bedrooms. Entering the hall, he could see that both bedroom doors were open. Inside the first bedroom, he could see someone on the bed. After taking out a syringe containing the drug, he slipped into the room, moving next to the bed. He then realized he should have checked the other bedroom, but decided he could silence the person by holding their head against the pillow while the drug took effect. As he moved, he felt something behind him, just before the room went dark. Ray woke to find himself hogtied on the floor. His shirt was pulled back over his arms and his pants were around his ankles. His mouth was filled with cloth. He looked up to see Jan holding the three syringes he had brought in her hand. Taking one syringe, Jan slowly brought it down to his hip and slowly pushed the needle in. After injecting the contents, Jan rubbed the area, spreading the drug out to speed its absorption. "Ray, how long before it takes effect?" Ray eyes widened in surprise at hearing his name. "Answer my question, wimp!" "Thirty minutes," muttered Ray through his muffled mouth. Jan reached down and pulled the rag out of his mouth. "Keep you voice down and answer my question." "Thirty minutes." "Bull shit." Jan starred at Ray watching his face as he squirmed. After a few moments, she put a foot on his knee and said, "Lay still or I will break your knee with a swift kick." "You won't get away with this. My friends are waiting outside for my signal to come in." "Friends? You have friends? Why would your friends be interested in me?" "They want a cop to perform in their live sex shows as a victim. I told them they could have you if they got me the drugs." "So, you wanted me, as well as Alena?" "Yes. After some conditioning and training, the bitch will think of nothing else except working in live sex shows. It will be a pleasure to watch the kids learn about sex from their mother's live performances, while they serve as a guest's companion." "You are a sick bastard. What did you say the signal was?" "Fuck you." Jan reached down to grab his testicles in her hand and began to squeeze. "Now answer my question wimp?" "Flash the porch light twice." "Good." Jan gave his testicles a hard squeeze before shoving the rag back in his mouth. She then went to the front door. After looking out the peep hole, she flashed the front light and stepped behind the door. A few minutes later, the door opened. Two men slowly entered the living room. Once both were inside, Cass tripped the second man causing him to fall, hitting his head hard on a table as he fell to the floor. Jan knocked the first man out before he could say a word, then quickly cuffed both of them. She pulled their pants down and tied their ankles together with their belts. Getting two coat hangers, she secured the belts around their ankles to their cuffs. She turned the light on and was surprised by who she saw. She thought, "I'm going to have to get this place fumigated now." Jan went into her room to get her phone book. After looking through it for a few moments, she reached for the phone, then hesitated. She muttered to herself, "This is the only solution." She picked up the phone and dialed the number. After speaking with the other person for a few moments she hung up. Realizing she didn't want anyone to recognize her, she pulled a stocking over her head before picking up several old dirty stockings before returning to the living room. She gave the last two men injections from the syringes Ray brought, then tied a stocking over their eyes and mouths, after stuffing the stocking's panties in each of their mouths. She tied a stocking over Ray's eyes and mouth. Jan went into the kitchen for a knife. Returning to the living room, she began cutting the clothes off each man. She replaced the belt around their ankles with wire from a coat hanger. When she had finished, she looked at them and snapped her fingers. She went into the kitchen, this time returning with some cotton balls and a shortening can. She dabbed a cotton ball into the shortening until it was saturated, then, after rolling it into a small ball, she stuffed it in a man's ear. Once she had filled each ear with a ball of greased cotton, she gathered up the rags they once wore and took them into the kitchen. Jan waited in the living room to keep an eye on the three bound men as they struggled on the floor. Nearly two hours had passed before there was a quiet tap on the door. As she walked to the door, there were two more taps. After checking the peep hole, she opened the door, letting in three women. Each hugged Jan before going over to look at the three men. "Their ears are plugged so we can talk softly or go in the other room." "Let's go in the other room, but stand so we can see them." Once they were in the kitchen, one of the visitors softly said, "Jan, are you sure you want to do this?" "Yes. The two closest to the door deserve any punishment more than the other one. The police suspect they are trafficking women but don't have any evidence. Every woman they have been involved with has left town shortly after they broke up. When family members came looking for the women, they couldn't find any trace of them. So, draw your own conclusions. Maybe they will talk for you. I am certain the other one was going to trap a single widowed mother into working in a sex show, and sell her three children to pedophiles." "What should we do with the money we get for them?" "It is yours to keep, as long as you deliver them to the most severe mistresses you can find." "Deal." With that, trunks were brought inside. Each of the men was rolled into a trunk before it was turned upright with them faced down on the padded bottom. Pads were placed on all sides before four cuffs were fastened to their ankles and wrists. The chain from the cuffs passed through a hole in the top pad and fastened to a cross bar. The lid was closed and locked. The four women carried each trunk out to the van at the curb. Unknown to them, Cass monitored the area to ensure no one saw the events taking place. Once the last trunk was in the van, each woman gave Jan a hug. One woman looked at Jan and said, "Jan you are a wonderful person, I wish we fit together better than we did. Stay in touch. But don't worry about these three, as they will not come back to haunt you or your friend." "Thanks. You are very dear to me, and I also wish we had fit together better." Jan watched as the van pulled away, before returning to her condo. ------- It was 2 PM the next day when Alena returned to her condo. When she entered the door, she said, "Everything is done. Let's go home!" "So, the presentation went well?" "You know it did. I felt all of you with me. That has to be the coolest feeling." "You might want to say good-bye to Jan before we leave." "Sure, if she is home. You guys should come with me." "She is home." "We're ready to go, right," said Alena. "Yes. The mementos you wanted are in the scout ship. It is waiting out back. The law firm has its instructions and all of your accounts have been closed, effective tomorrow." "Then let's go say good-bye to Jan." Alena knocked on Jan's door. It was a few moments before Jan opened the door, looking half asleep. "Gee, I am sorry I woke you up," said Alena. "No, that is fine. I was up later than usual last night, and fortunately today is a day off. What brings you by?" "I came to say good-bye, but I also wanted you to meet my other friends, since I understand you met Briana at the mail room." With that, Alena introduced the women with her. "Come in. Sorry, I should have said that sooner." "That's alright. We can just stay a moment, as we want to head home." "Alena, you can be frank with her." "Where are the children?" "They are on Dóchas. It is our new home." Jan looked at both Tara and Maeve for a long moment, then at Briana and Cass. "Let see, if I remember right, the only time I have heard of Dóchas recently has been the newscasts talking about the space ships. So, am I to take it you are joining the group with the space ships. Órarduine, I believe they call themselves." "You are correct. They are Órarduine," replied Alena, with a broad smile. "In a few weeks, I will be an Órarduine. Tara and Maeve are two members of my clan." "Wow, that was quick." Jan's expression showed her concern for her friend. "Yes. It is very quick, by Earth's standards. There are aspects of our interpersonal interactions that let us be more open with each other. In many cases, this results in our being able to build deep friendships more quickly than is possible between humans." "I can hear the sincerity in your voice, and see the warmth you have for your friends in your eyes. Alena, I have always admired you, and I wish you the best." "Jan, let's be honest, you also lusted after me." Jan blushed. "Thank you for that. Although we didn't connect, I really appreciate the thought." Alena drew Jan into a hug, and gave her a very intense kiss. As they separated, Alena said, "Thanks again for everything." "Can we do that again? I need more practice." Everyone laughed at Jan's remark. Maeve, Tara, Briana and Cass then each gave Jan a hug and a stirring kiss before they prepared to depart. "Alena, what is going to happen to your condo?" "I gave it to an organization that helps military families who need assistance. I hope the neighbors don't mind, as I suspect a family won't stay there for more than a year." "You can tell the organization they can use me for a local contact." "I'll do that. Thanks." Alena gave Jan another hug and kiss before they left. The group walked down and around the corner of the building and into the waiting scout ship. "She is a pretty neat person. It is a shame she lives alone." "Alena, she will find her special person soon. Her seeing you with Tara and Maeve has given her the idea that she may be too selfish by trying to have an exclusive arrangement with one person." "Well, I wish the best for her." Tara and Maeve stood with Alena between them, as they looked at Earth become smaller as they headed home. ------- Chapter 135 "Rusty, Sarah, could you meet with GISS on Comrie tomorrow?" said Marsha. "Sure, what's up?" "Well, I'm not sure how to say this, but Ursula, John and I think GISS needs to disappear as an entity. You can call our proposal a reorganization, but it is really more than that." "Based on what the Council of Brothers tried, I think we would agree. It was handy to use GISS as a contact point for us initially, but it had the effect of making them appear, to some people, that they were part of our organization." "You agree?" "Yes. We don't have a problem with it. Why?" "We were concerned about how you would take it, since you two started the company." "Well, actually, I think it was more than just the two of us. When we started the company, we thought there were only eight of us. This was before we knew much about Dóchas and its history. Our primary purpose was to have something to do, since we thought life on the island wouldn't be challenging enough. We decided to set up the company so we could do the work we were familiar with, but do virtually everything remotely, as we didn't feel we could go on-site. Between Bob of Nancy's clan and ourselves, we had enough contacts to find reliable contractors for any on-location work. As you know, events drew us in a very different direction. Aren't some of the staff from Craigly's operation running GISS now?" "Yes. They think starting up a new organization, in line with your original charter, will fill a definite need. They are proposing that the new organization buy up the remaining GISS contracts, as a way to get the business started. They are considering locating their headquarters in the high plains of North America, along the Canadian border. Their prime site considerations are security, communication and reasonably easy access." "We had talked about that at one time, but I am not sure what happened to the idea." "We are planning on meeting on Comrie, at 9 AM local time." "Okay, we will be there. Terry and Sally may come with us." "Fine. See you then." ------- Sarah's Clan, along with Alena's children were waiting in the hanger on Dóchas when Alena and the others returned. As soon as Alena stepped out of the ship, her children drew her into a hug. "Mom," said Kennith, "I am sure glad you are home now." "I'm glad to be back. Briana, Cass, Tara and Maeve were a lot of help. I don't think I could have done this without them." "Jan would have been there to help you," replied Kennith. "She really liked you." Alena's daughters, Iris and Marnia, both nodded their heads in agreement. "We stopped by her place before we left, to say good-bye. She is a very nice person, but we just never connected on the level she desired." "Mom, when will we start our conversion?" asked Iris. "Probably in a day or two. We will all do it at the same time." "Good. Will we be telepathic then?" "I don't know. You need to ask Judy." "We will," replied Marnia. Alena was then greeted by her spouses with hugs and kisses. "Is coming back from a trip always like this," asked Alena, as she hugged Rusty. Holding Rusty, Alena looked around and saw that the others who had been with her were being welcomed home in the same way. "Usually when only part of our clan goes somewhere," replied Rusty. "Does our mind-link always dim when we are separated?" "Yours did so because it is still growing," replied Judy. "Once your conversion is completed, you will find your link with us much stronger. During the conversion, you will probably gain some additional psionic attributes, though gain is not really the right word, become aware of them is a better way to phrase it." "Wow, more stuff to figure out how to work," replied Alena. "Judy, the children were asking when they would be telepathic. I didn't know the answer, so I suggested they talk to you." "They didn't say anything, but I believe they are already telepathically active. We need to sit down with them and see why they are asking. Our children were telepathic when they were born, and since then their ability has grown as they have grown. My suspicion is that their question was misstated." "They seemed kind of anxious, so could we talk to them before dinner?" "Sure, have them meet us in the medical center." "Gee, now I'm not sure where they went." "You should be able to tell them telepathically." "Boy, that was dumb. I didn't even think of that." "Not dumb. Telepathic communication is new to you, so it will take time until you reach for the best means of communicating. Verbal and telepathic communication each have their own advantages. We still overlook our abilities on occasion." "I guess I have a lot to learn." "Darling, we all do, but it will come quickly. Many of the tools and the knowledge we have here are fantastic, but it is taking all of us time to learn the best way to use them." "Kennith, Iris, and Marnia, Judy and I would like to meet you in the medical center in half an hour so we can answer your questions about telepathic communication." "We will be there, mom," replied the three children. "Interesting," said Judy in response to Alena and her children's exchange. "They responded immediately to your request, so I wonder what their questions are really going to be about." Alena just shrugged. While they had been talking, Sarah's Clan had walked back to their suite. Alena's spouses had helped carry her boxes of mementos back to their suite. "Alena," said Rusty, "it was a pretty neat idea you had, giving your condo to the military dependents support group." "I'd like to take the credit, but I think it was Maeve who came up with the idea as we were talking about finding an agent to sell it. I was really surprised when they told me it was paid off, so that really made the idea practical. Besides, the support group was a lot of help when we moved the last time, and again after Scott was reported missing in action." ------- It was just after Judy and Alena arrived at the medical center on Dóchas that Alena's children joined them. "So how do you guys like life on a space ship?" asked Judy, after they had each hugged. "It is great," said Iris, with Kennith and Marnia nodding their agreement. "It would be even better if Dad was here," added Kennith. "You miss him?" "Sure, we all do," replied Marnia. "But if I had to have a substitute dad, they couldn't be any better than Rusty, Adam or Todd." Iris and Kennith indicated they agreed. "Marnia, what is so special about those three," asked Judy, since the specificity of the reply puzzled her. "I have the opportunity to spend quite a bit of time with them. If they are doing something that I can help with, they let me. They treat me like a person, rather than a child. Dad always treated me the same way." "I expect you will find a lot of the men in our family are the same way." "We have," added Iris. "To us, those three are still different. Maybe saying they are special is a better way to say it. You can look at my thoughts, if it would help." "It may," replied Judy. "Can we hold that for a minute, so we can sort out the question you asked your mother about telepathy and species conversion?" "We may have phrased that wrong, too," replied Iris. "We were trying to sort out what happens to us during the species change. We think we understand all of the physical side, but the information regarding its effect on telepathy is not very clear." "Let's share this way," said Judy. "Each of you can understand me as clearly, just as if I was speaking, right?" Kennith, Iris and Marnia all replied, "Yes. Really, more so." "Since I am now one of your parents, you realize that I can sense the meaning of your thoughts, but not the details, unless I specifically look. It is a special part of our clan's mind-link." The three nodded. "That is so we have another way to assist you as you grow up. We can share specific memories with you, to assist understanding why you should or shouldn't do something." "We like that," said Kennith. "We realized that after Mom became a part of your clan. I think that if we knew about it before-hand, we might have been reluctant to undergo the conversion, but not now. We understand Mom a lot better now than we did before, as there is much less guessing about her intent." "It is nice to feel the love all of you have for us," said Marnia. "Before we knew Mom loved us, but now we know the intensity of her feelings for us, even when she is irritated with us." Alena blushed a bit, and Iris was quick to hug her. "I don't think she gets irritated with you very often," replied Judy. "Not now. Thanks to telepathy, we understand each other," responded Marnia. "So telepathy works quite well for the three of you. After your conversion, you will likely find communicating that way a little more natural. I think your question was directed more toward other psionic abilities." The three young adults nodded their heads. "These usually express themselves during the onset of puberty, although some children know what their abilities will be before reaching puberty. So it will probably be two of our years before you know for sure what new abilities you will have, and another two years for them to develop to the point you can use them. The time span may be longer or shorter for each step. Telepathy is the key psionic ability for us, any others are just icing on the cake." "So, after the conversion, we will look similar to our brothers and sisters," asked Marnia. "Yes. Your stature will be similar to theirs. Your feet and ankles will change during the conversion, and you will need to wear special shoes afterward. These will need to be worn all the time for several months, as your bodies adapt to the changes. You will have a mane and tail. Your hair will be somewhat longer than it is now and then will grow to be similar to the other children. There are some improvements to your eyesight and a few other things which we will go over when the conversion is done." "Why do we need to wear the shoes?" asked Kennith. "They are to give your legs and feet the support they need while they finish their adaptation. Once your conversion is complete, the shoes are optional. So, have I answered your questions about telepathy?" "Yes," replied all three. "Now let's go back to Marnia's comment about Rusty, Adam and Todd being special." The three nodded. "I suspect you see them as special because you feel their intense love for each of you as an individual. There have been other men in your lives, but you never knew the intensity of their feelings for you, except for maybe your father. Each of you are reciprocating their love for you. Knowing you are reciprocating their love is a new sensation to you. The new awareness is because you are telepathically sharing your emotions and know for a fact how they feel. Okay?" "Thank you," said Marnia, as she put her arms around Judy and gave her a kiss on the lips. As she kissed Judy, she gently probed Judy's lips with her tongue. Judy parted her lips to accept Marnia's tongue and they caressed each other's tongue. When they parted, Marnia said, "Did I show you how much I love you?" "Yes, you did but I already knew how much you loved me. Caressing each other's tongues during a kiss is something we usually reserve for when we share our love physically. You are still a little young for that kind of sharing." "I know." After Marnia stepped away from Judy, Kennith hugged and kissed Judy in much the same way Marnia did. He received the same admonishment that Marnia had. "Judy, I want to kiss and hug you like they did," said Iris, as she hugged Judy and kissed her. "I know I am too young to go further, but perhaps when I am older, we can share the physical side." "We shall see. Regardless of sharing our love physically, I will always love you, even when I admonish you for an error." "We know. See you at dinner!" said the three, as they headed for the door to the medical center. "Wow," said Alena, after the children left. "I didn't realize how much they had grown. You did a great job of handling their questions." "I think, if you look at your memories, you will find all of us were responding to their concerns." "My gosh, it was us. I didn't even realize it." "Come. We need to freshen up for dinner." ------- "Command Staffs," said Shannon, "are you aware of the increased number of spies applying to be crew candidates?" "Yes, I think we are all aware of the increase," said Siobhan of Siobhan's Clan, as the other five clans joined the link. "The question in our minds is, why now?" "Well," replied Kelly, "I think that they are hoping some make it through the screening process by increasing the number applying. Maybe we ought to change the way we are handling the issue." "Since GISS is shutting down operations at Comrie," said Rusty, "let's go back to having everyone go to Comrie as their first step toward joining us and coming here. We should also increase the depth of telepathic evaluation. Without a significant technical background, there really isn't anything useful their spies can take away. My concern is only knowing who is really joining of our family, and who will return to Earth when we leave." "Rusty, that's is a bit different than you have expressed earlier," replied Maureen. "Yes, it is. I know all of us have been studying the technology we inherited. Today, I think all of us have a much better understanding of it than we did three years ago. The change in my concern is due to the large gap between where Earth's most advanced technology is today and our applied technology, which is all they see. Knowing and understanding our applied technology could assist them in making significant advancements. But we are not seeing technologists as spies. Even then, a technologist could have difficulty, since they couldn't use the same implementation approach that we do." Conan of Siobhan's Clan said, "So, you don't think their short-sightedness will allow us to adhere to our directives while still maintaining good relations with Earth's governments?" "Yes, up to a point," said Claudette of Sarah's Clan. "At some point, you would think they would see their mistake and correct it. Alternatively, they could become hostile to us, due to their frustration. Publicly, they would never see the problem as a result of their shortcomings. But that really doesn't matter, since we will be leaving within the next two years." "We agree," said Brittany of Kathryn's Clan. "President Ryan's second term will end before we move. It is likely that Prime Minister Bartlett will step down by then, as well." "So you think a change in leaders could change our interactions with Earth?" said Colleen of Maureen's Clan. "It is a possibility. More likely in some countries than others." "Yes, it is a possibility," said Keriann. "Our sense is that we have the admiration and respect of many people on Earth, so it is difficult to see how any new leadership could change that. Although, there are groups who are openly hostile toward us, and events could be created to embarrass us and those associated with us, so that the good will we do have is lost." "Do we really care?" "Yes," said Joyce. "We care because Earth is the birthplace for almost all of us. At the same time, what happens on Earth really doesn't effect us. This is now our home. Those who want to join us will still seek us out, regardless of the attitude of who leads the government." "Good point." "After all of this discussion," said Shannon, "our key role is to identify those who are probably spies, and then to monitor them." "Yes," replied Sarah. "We don't really care if they know that we suspect they are agents of a government on Earth." "We will talk to Security, and adjust our efforts accordingly." "We agree," replied all the Command Staffs. Connie of Amy's Clan said, "We think that you have made a good choice. We didn't add much, as we thought all of you had a better appreciation of Earth's attitudes than ourselves, even though we have been watching Earth for a long time." "You could very well have a better understanding than us," said Tara, "because of your objectivity." "Objectivity doesn't always help." "What if we approached this technology issue a different way," asked Aoife. "First, let me say that I don't disagree with what we are doing about the spies. At the same time, it seems to me that we may be too stringent in interpreting our directives. Our directives say we should not do anything to meddle in their internal issues. I think this was done to keep from upsetting the cultural foundation and political balance by imposing our values and beliefs. I agree that if they directly implemented our applied technology, it wouldn't work for a lot of reasons. But what if we held a couple of symposiums on the fundamentals of our technology? Each symposium would focus on a particular specialty. These could be held either at Comrie or on An Clochán." Aoife paused for a few moments to gauge the acceptance of her proposal among the Command Staffs before continuing. "Publishing the complete proceedings of the symposiums on the Internet would make hiding the information difficult, if not impossible. The problems to solve are what topics and who should be invited?" "If we do this, whatever is published must be available to everyone on Earth, so the documents should be in more places than just on the Internet. As to who attends, they need to be from as many groups as possible, teachable and preferably young seasoned researchers." "Quite a proposal," responded Maureen. "You must have thought about this a lot." "No, not really. I guess what prompted it is what I saw of Alena's experience with security clearances and programming. The project she was on before she joined us could have been done in weeks, if it weren't for the security games people played." "You're right about security games," said Kelly. "Too many times security is used to hide things like mistakes, errors in judgment, poor implementation, or the like." "One shortcoming of literature on Earth," said Conan, "is that only successes are published or shared. Many times, you learn more from your failures than from your successes. Thankfully, our knowledge base has both. Engineering has found cases where yesterday's failures could be successes today, with only minor modification to either the variables or the approach. Quite a few of our successes have come from examining old failures." "Let's think about the implications," added Rusty. "At first blush, I don't see a problem with Aoife's logic, but then I didn't see the solution until she presented it. I can see others are in the same position I am. We need to consider the secondary effects, and we can only guess at what they would be." "Agreed," came the reply from everyone. "We would like to comment," said Aine, Brigit and Creidne. "Please." "We would add a participation criteria. This would be that all countries agree to support and allow unrestrained contact between all the symposium participants forever. Medicine and environment should be the first symposiums, as it will be easier to show the benefits in those areas. The benefits of Judy, Gail, Connie and Betsy's contact with the staff at Boston Childrens Hospital have spread through the medical community, with little fanfare." "Are you saying an article should be written about it?" "No. We were just noting it. Many in the medical community are aware of the initial coaching, but want to avoid inciting the detractors of 'alien science'." "While we are contemplating this: Aoife, would you, Tiff, and Kelly act as the focal point for setting this up," asked Sarah. "I have a suspicion that we will move forward with the idea. Lorelei and Earl, along with others in their group should be able to assist you." "Wow, I didn't expect this," replied Aoife. "Oh, don't worry, we will all help in one way or another." "I know. I think this is going to require input from everyone." ------- When Sarah's Clan arrived in the medical section on Dóchas, Alena was resting in bed. Earlier, she had been removed from the conversion tube and assisted in making the transition from immersion in the green gel to an air breathing existence. The major step in the conversion to Órarduine was complete, and all that remained was for her changes to become permanent. Sarah said, "She looks great." "Yes, she does," responded her spouses, as they reopened their active mind-link with Alena. During Alena's conversion, they had muted their connection with her, so that their activity would not interfere with her conversion. When the links to her spouses were fully reestablished, Alena thought, "I didn't notice it in the conversion tube, but my body feels different. My connection with you now has much more feeling to it, or should I say it seems brighter." Her spouses watched as Alena carefully sorted through her connections with each of them. She found each connection had new options that she didn't remember seeing. The first connection she began evaluating was her connection to Joyce, and she had only been doing it a few moments when she exclaimed, "Wow," when she realized she was looking at herself through Joyce's eyes. "The view through Joyce's eyes of me is sharper than before. Joyce, doesn't it bother you when we share one of our senses?" "No, Alena. I know you are using it. You realize that when you access my senses, you are just seeing what I see, hear or feel." "Yes. For vision, I wouldn't expect to be able to change the view and I understand why." "So how do you like our connection?" "Fantastic. Let me evaluate my connection with each of you, then I am ready to get up." "Cool. Take your time. Watching you go through this reminds me, and I think all of us, of our own experiences when we woke up." They watched Alena telepathically evaluate her connection with each of them. As the evaluations progressed, Sarah's Clan pointed out abilities, along with their limitations. Once all of the mind-link connections were sorted out, Alena turned to evaluating her control of her body. "I do like the way I appear in your eyes. It is just that I feel so different." With that, Alena slowly opened her eyes. The light briefly blinded her, but she was surprised by how quickly she adjusted. She smiled at the sight of her spouses gathered around her bed. Alena slowly sat up and dropped her legs over the edge of the bed. She sat there, with her legs dangling over the side and her foot pads just touching the floor. "What a pleasure to see all of you here by my side," exclaimed Alena. "My body feels the same, though at the same time it feels different." "It should," quickly replied several of her spouses. Tara and Sarah sat down on each side of Alena, and put their arms around her shoulders. "Oh, that feels nice," said Alena, as she placed a hand on each of their legs. She turned to look at each of them for a moment. "Wow, this is different. I am looking directly in your eyes, rather than looking up. So that is what puzzled me! I'm really taller. I knew it would happen, but guess my visual references are still catching up." "It won't take very long to adjust to your increased stature," replied Sally. "Let me slip your shoes on, then we can go for a walk when your ready." "Wait, I want to see what my feet look like." With that, she raised her leg so she could see her foot. They watched as Alena bent it one way then another as she flexed it. Pulling her foot toward her, she then examined her ankle. Her spouses watched her expressions as she looked at her foot. After a few moments, she placed her foot back on the floor, and started to ease her weight onto her feet. Sarah and Tara held her hands, so she could use them for support, if needed. Alena went through the motions very slowly, and was soon standing facing Sally and Judy. "How do you feel?" said Judy. "Great. I know I need to put shoes on, but I wanted to see how this felt, first." Alena then sat back down on the bed. "Now I am ready to put the shoes on." Sally and Jill quickly put her shoes on, and made sure they fit correctly. Once the shoes were on, Alena raised her feet to look at her feet again. Placing her feet on the floor, she stood more quickly than she did the first time. She smiled, since she didn't feel unsteady standing. Taking Sarah's hand, they walked across the room and back. Her first steps were a little tentative, but after only a few she was walking very gracefully. After Sarah walked with her back to the group, she turned and pulled Sarah into her arms, and kissed her as she caressed her back. Sarah returned her caresses, and the two shared their kiss for a long time before separating. Alena then turned to Tara, pulling her into her arms to kiss her while she caressed her back. After Tara, Alena proceeded to give each of her spouses a passionate, loving kiss, leaving Rusty till last. When Alena pulled him into her arms, his cock was swollen with arousal, so she opened her legs slightly to straddle his cock. She shivered as she kissed Rusty and felt his cock nestle between the lips of her labia. They stood and caressed each other as they kissed. It was several minutes before they broke their kiss. "May I drink Rusty's cum now," asked Alena, as she squeezed his cock between her legs. "No," said Aoife, causing a surprised look to appear on Alena's face. Aoife continued in a firm voice, "I think you need a good fucking. Turn around and bend over, putting your arms on the bed." "Wait, it would be better to go to our suite," said Sarah. "An excellent idea, I would like that," replied Alena. "Could I ride his cock to the suite?" begged Alena, as she held Rusty's cock between her legs against her cunt lips. "Alena, can't you wait?" "Yes, but not long. I feel a very strong need to have his cock inside me." Alena released Rusty's cock, and moaned when she lost contact with it. "Oh my, my need is even stronger now. What is going on?" As she stood there, her labia swelled more, and her cream ran down her legs. "Our restored contact, and the mix of our pheromones. Your need appears to be driven by your desire to increase the depth of your bond with us," replied Aoife, as the group began to leave for their suite. "When you kissed each of us with so much emotion, you initiated the beginnings of new links between us. These new links are a key part to enabling you to reach the next level of our bond. Sarah is right. It would be better to do this in our suite, as it will have more meaning, much more." "What do you mean by more depth? I thought our connections now were great, much better than before the conversion." "There are several stages to our bonding. We did not anticipate your approaching this stage of bonding so quickly. As to what I mean, we find it very difficult to express. In a few moments, you will experience the most fantastic orgasm you can ever imagine. Afterward, you will notice a significant growth in the depth of our bond. Each of us has had the experience at least once, and it has been fantastic each time." "Can we walk quicker?" Several chuckled at Alena's request, and all of them were feeling her growing arousal and their response to her. Entering their suite, Alena quickly went to their bed. She placed herself on hands and knees, with her knees slightly spread, near the edge of the bed. Janet crawled under Alena until her head was between Alena's legs, and began to lick the inside of her thighs. She licked the cream off of the inside of Alena's thighs and her labia before lowering her head. Seeing Janet's cunt open as Janet spread her legs, Alena immediately lowered her head, and began caressing the inside of Janet's thighs with her tongue and lips, slowly moving toward her wet, rippling cunt. Behind Alena, Sarah was guiding Rusty's cock as it moved slowly toward the lips of Alena's cunt. Just as Alena began to caress Janet's cunt, she felt the approach of Rusty's cock, and raised her head momentarily. Alena shifted her view to Sarah's, and watched his cock approaching her cunt. Remembering what she had seen her spouses do, she focused on having her labia form a circular opening around the mouth of her cunt and begin to pulse. Sarah and Rusty had watched Alena's labia form a circular opening for his cock. Alena shivered when his cock head slipped between her wet, swollen, pulsing labia. The muscles of her labia pulsed with contractions, to caress and pull on his cock head. With his cockhead approaching the mouth of Alena's cunt, Rusty felt the pulsing of Alena's labia and cunt muscles increase, to pull harder on his cock. By the time Rusty's cock was fully inserted in Alena's vaginal sheath, all of the spouses were caressing her. Rusty began to draw his cock out of her cunt slowly and then push it back in more quickly. Alena's arousal rose quickly with all of the stimulation she was receiving from her spouses caresses. Rusty held Alena's hips as he slowly fucked her. While Rusty was pushing his cock into Alena, Erin had pushed a dildo into Janet's cunt, before placing a padded backrest on the bed over Janet's legs. When Erin eased back, her open cunt was right in front of Alena's face. As Alena placed her mouth on Erin's cunt, Erin placed her legs over Alena's shoulders. Now each forward thrust of Rusty's cock pushed Alena's mouth tight against Erin's cunt. Erin had placed her hands on Alena's head, to keep her mouth on her cunt. Sarah's Clan was fully engaged, through their mind-link with Alena, in sharing their arousal and the sensations of their caresses. Soon, Alena's arousal began to approach its peak. Sarah wet her fingers with her cream, and began to caress Alena's clit. She wanted to use her tongue, but this time there wasn't enough room. Sarah jumped the first time she felt Janet lick the cream off her hand as it caressed Alena's cunt lips and clit. Each time Alena's arousal began to crest, both Sarah and Rusty would slow down, so the crest was only a small one. Each crest was more intense than the last. They continued caressing Alena until she was in a state of continuous orgasms, then Sarah increased the intensity of her caresses on Alena's clit and hood. Rusty pushed his cock deep into her cunt and began to stroke her sheath with short, firm thrusts. Alena soon screamed into Erin's cunt, as her orgasm washed over her. Her body went rigged locking Rusty's cock deep in her womb as he bathed it with his hot cum. Her scream of release continued, as she felt the hot cum deep in her sheath. Alena's last contraction filled Sarah's hand with her cum which splashed across Janet's face. Alena's world turned gray and she slumped on the bed, pulling free from Rusty's cock. Janet quickly pressed her mouth to Alena's cunt, so she could drink Alena's cum mixed with Rusty's. Maeve was the first to capture Rusty's cock in her mouth, to lick it clean. Once Janet had finished drinking Alena's cum flowing from her cunt, Sarah's Clan lifted Alena off of Janet, and lay her on the bed. Rusty and Sarah lay down on each side of her and gently caressed her as they waited for Alena to awaken. While waiting for Alena to awaken, they all basked in the afterglow of their shared orgasm. Their orgasms had not been as intense as Alena's, but like always, everyone enjoyed it and found it very satisfying. It was nearly twenty minutes later that Alena stirred. When she opened her eyes, she saw both Rusty and Sarah lying next to her. "What did you do to me?" "We made love. Isn't that what you wanted," replied Sarah, with a smile. "Yes. I thought the first time we made love was intense, but not nearly as intense as it was today." "So, how do you feel?" asked Judy. "Like I'm loved. Worshiped. Blissfully happy. Content. A little exhausted." Alena was quiet for a few moments. "Our love now seems more intense, maybe more intimate. Is that the depth Aoife was talking about?" Sarah and Rusty nodded, as they stroked Alena's hair while she recovered. "Yes," replied Aoife, "that is a part of it. Give it time; you will see the other aspects." "I think our love for each other always feels that way when I am the center of our love making," said Maeve. "A part of the reason it feels more intense," said Judy, "is that your mind-link with us is much stronger now." "I love you all," replied Alena, as she sat up. She gathered Rusty and Sarah to her to begin a hug, that everyone joined. "Thank you for your love. Thank the Gods and Goddesses for arranging for our paths to cross." They all felt the warmth of their love for each other spread through the group. Alena thought, "Now, I truly know what was meant by different facets of the same crystal." Sarah's Clan moved on the bed, to form a circle. They placed their arms across each other's shoulders. Once they were all in position, they pushed their mind sharing to the next level, to become one. With Aoife and Maeve as their guide, they invisibly visited those who had been involved in recent events. They found that Sergio and Lorenzo were planning on challenging the terrorists, gang war style. Seeing overlooked repercussions, they visited each of them, to give them the idea that thwarting the terrorist attacks would be more beneficial for everyone. They gently offered some suggestions as to how to achieve the suggested goal. Next, they visited each of their ships, An Clochán, and the LRS. While visiting the LRS, they saw the two planets being evaluated by the LRS crew. They next took a closer look at the two planets, but didn't stay long, as the distance was a huge drain on their energy resources. Maintaining their tight connection, they drifted into meditation. It was nearly dinner time when Sarah's Clan began to withdraw from their meditation and acting as one. As they did so, they moved and stretched without breaking their physical contact with each other. "This has really been an amazing day," said Alena. "I feel so close to all of you, even though we backed off from being joined as one." Alena felt her spouses agree with her thought. "Can we really move to another location using our psionic ability?" "Yes," replied Aoife. "We need to do it again, now that you are one of us." "Aoife, you bring up a good point," said Rusty. "While, so far, we have not needed them in a critical situation, all of us need to routinely exercise our psionic abilities, both individually and as a group." Judy added, "Right now we need to shower, as this place smells like we live in a bordello." Several sniffed the air and said, "We definitely need a shower." Claudette added, "I wonder how long it will take the environmental unit to freshen the room." "The level of pheromones in the air will be back to normal by the time you exercise and finish your showers," said Star. "Wow, it's nearly dinner time," added Alena, "no wonder my stomach is grumbling." "Aoife," said Sarah, as the group began to move toward the exercise benches, "earlier, when we were exploring what appeared to be our future, you made a comment about the risk of spending too much time looking at the details concerning future events." "Yes. My intention was to say that looking too close or trying to glean too much detail from what we can see of future events is impossible, even though it can be alluring. This is because the contributing factors influencing each event are constantly changing. They are varying in both significance and magnitude. So trying to cause a specific outcome will likely fail, because the contributing factors have changed by the time a plan is initiated. We shouldn't use it for anything more than anticipating near-term, critical events." "You're right," said Maeve. "I think we should minimize looking at the maze that represents the future. Just looking is going to have some effect on the contributing factors. Sometimes it may be more valuable for us to look at what is contributing to an event, and not look for an ideal solution. If we use this approach, we will have a more complete view of the situation when it occurs." "We agree," replied all the spouses. "From our experience during meditation," added Sarah, "it seems that all of us together have the ability to see future events much clearer than we can individually." "Yes, and even though you can see more clearly as a group, it doesn't negate Aoife's comment," said Aine, as she appeared in the shower with them. "The factors leading to a future event can change very rapidly, and even disappear." "So you saw us checking out the maze of future events?" "Yes. It is pleasing to see that you decided to use it as a tool to assist you with decisions that specifically effect your future, such as the move to a new solar system." "I am a bit puzzled by this ability," said Claudette. "How will we know when to use it?" "Intuition is probably the best answer," replied Aine. "Aoife has used it before, which is why you were aware of the Imperial Council coming. She will most likely be the first to sense a future event, but all of you individually have some ability to sense future events. Your dream walk was related to looking toward the future. The tour of the ships, An Clochán, and the LRS was an assessment of your status today, in preparation for the near future. Your ethereal presence benefited your family and all those you visited, as it gave them the feeling they were doing well. Those feelings were shared with everyone." "But we are not the rulers of either this family or the Órarduine," said several of Sarah's Clan. "That is true, but your clan, along with Amy's, Siobhan's and Maureen's Clans, are seen as being the elder statesmen of the Órarduine. Several other clans are viewed in nearly the same way. As to designated leaders or a government, your family is a long way from needing to make that step, and may never need to. Telepathy, openness and the daily consultations with everyone will provide all the governance your family will need. Once you are established on a planet, you will probably need a designated point of contact for visitors. From our perspective, you will know when you need to take that step." "Let's go to An Clochán tomorrow, to exercise our psionic abilities," said Sally. "We shouldn't do it around the settlement." "Your psionic abilities will work in most environments," said Aine. "Claudette's concern is a good one. You could exercise them any place on Mars, by wearing your tactical suits." "We can do that while in our suits," wondered Sally. Aine started to reply, but let Maeve respond with, "If we exert our psionic energy directly, rather than through the suit's systems, there shouldn't be a problem. It is just a different way to dress." "I guess, I wasn't thinking." "You weren't the only one," replied Joyce, with several others nodding their heads. "Wait, if that is true for being in a tactical suit, then it ought to be true for being in our ship," said Rusty. Rusty noticed Aine smile. "Now I know why the idea of exercising our psionic abilities was nagging me." His spouses looked at him with a puzzled look. "Didn't notice did you?" Each of his spouses nodded. "I don't remember whether I read this, or heard someone say it, but the saying is: An old warrior becomes an old warrior because he always seeks new tools, but never forgets how to use any tool he ever used." Sally, Terry and Maeve smiled when they heard the comment. "Can you elaborate," asked Alison. "Probably the simplest way to make it clear is to look at firing a weapon. Whether you're releasing an arrow, firing a pistol or firing the laser cannon, the techniques are all very similar. I suspect we can use our psionic abilities to defend our ship, if we had to. Doing that might create a significant risk to us or the ship. Another way would be to add energy to a rail gun projectile or a phaser torpedo. Remember, we absorbed the energy of the gas main explosion, so we know we could reverse that. Could we augment our shields? Could we reflect a shot at us? Aine, can you answer any of these questions." "Unfortunately, I don't know the answer to any of those questions, and I don't believe anyone has used their psionic abilities in that way. Once you have sorted out what you want to try, let's discuss your ideas, as together we may be able to see some shortcomings that are not obvious." "We will." "Guys, we could take one of the cruisers for a spin, and try out some of these ideas on some space rocks," said Sarah. "That would be fun, as we haven't flown one yet," replied Erin. "I think we would want do it outside this solar system." Everyone nodded their agreement to Sally's comment. Later, when Sarah's Clan entered the dining room on Dóchas, they were met immediately by their children and nannies. "You guys seem different," said Jordana and Keri together. "Yea," said Earnán, "they sort of glow." His phrasing caused many of the group to chuckle. "Mom Alena," said Keri, "you look great. When will your children finish their conversion?" "In a couple of days, and thanks for the compliment." "All of us are glad you are one of our moms," added Jordana. "We are anxious for Kennith, Marnia and Iris to be with us again, as it is difficult to not actively include them in our discussions." "We know," replied Janet, "as we had the same difficulty when Alena was in the tube." "Let's eat," said Alison. "Like Alena, I'm starved and my stomach is grumbling." Everyone chuckled, as they began moving toward the serving line. "Well, I'm not surprised we are hungry, since we missed lunch," replied Jill. "By golly you're right," responded Sarah as they moved through the serving line. As Sarah exited the serving line, she saw Sue of Sue's Clan headed toward her. "Can we join you?" said Sarah. "Sure," replied Sue. "There is more than enough room for both our clans. It's been a long time since we've seen each other, long enough to talk." "Yes, it has. You certainly seem to have a glow today. Hi, James!" "Hello," replied James to Sarah as he nodded to the others in her clan. "James, Sue, this is Alena, our newest spouse." "Congratulations," said James and Sue as they exchanged hugs and kisses with Alena. Sue then added, "We have heard a little bit about you from Samantha." Alena looked puzzled. "Samantha is our daughter, and she works in the Newsgroup area of the Communications group. Oh, you probably know her as Sam." Alena smiled at the mention of Sam, and said, "Oh, yes she is a neat young woman. I suspect you are quite proud of her." "Oh, we are." "So Sue, when is your due date?" said Tara. "I just found out. How did you know?" replied a perplexed-looking Sue. "Sarah noted your glow, so I just guessed. I could have looked but I didn't." "Well, we are going to have twins in about eight months." "Congratulations," said all of Sarah's Clan. "Congratulations for what?" said Sam who had just arrived. "Darling, you are going to have a brother and sister," said Sue. Sue smiled as she watched the expression on Sam's face change. "Cool," replied Sam, "that is so neat." She went and hugged her mom, and then her dad. "So that is why you are kind of glowing. Could that be the same reason Irene was glowing when I saw her earlier today?" "You will have to find out for your self," replied Sue, with a slight smile. "I will, but I already know the answer, mom." "What?" "You just told me with your answer," replied Sam, and she stuck out her tongue. "Bet you didn't realize I was that perceptive." "We know you are very perceptive. You still have to get the answer to your question from Irene, although Karmen or Kelsey may know." ------- Chapter 136 The reception area on An Clochán was crowded, everyone watching the Long Range Shuttle begin its approach. Representatives of all five command staffs were standing just behind the spouses of those on board the LRS. Everyone felt that having a chance to greet your spouses before being welcomed home took precedence over any other greeting. Amy, Jim and Erica were the first ones to step out of the LRS and into the waiting arms of their spouses. They were quickly followed by the others. Their hugs and kisses lasted for a few minutes. Amy, Jim and Erica were the first to break from their spouses and wave to the crowd. The cheers of the crowd grew even louder in response to their wave. Although not heard on An Clochán, even those watching on the monitors at their stations on the five Dóchas class ships were cheering. The LRS crew then greeted the Command Staff representatives with hugs and kisses. "Siobhan, Maureen, we didn't expect to see you here," said Amy. "We wouldn't miss this for the world." "We didn't see your ships." "They are cloaked and sitting some distance from Dóchas. The SNBs didn't see Iarracht and Taiséalai when they lifted off of Mars, so we cloaked ours, in order to keep the total number of ships constant." "I take it we are still expecting visitors?" "Yes, we can talk about it later. I think you have an audience waiting for you." Amy, Jim and Erica then stepped to the podium, and said in unison, "Good afternoon. We are pleased to be back." They paused to let the cheering die down. "We are sure that all of you are anxious to hear the results of our trip. As you know, our first stop was a bust, since that planet is now uninhabitable. We did find two locations that appear to be good choices. These two planets are in the Celia solar system. A planet was found in the third solar system which would also do, but I think several of us would rather stay here on Mars than move there. In the fourth solar system, the planet is just beginning to develop an ecosystem that may eventually be suitable for settlement. Our reports for each of the locations are nearly done. They should be posted in one or two clock cycles. Several environmental monitoring stations were placed on the two planets in the Celia system." "Some other tidbits from the trip are that we did find way points in each of the solar systems we visited. At each WP, we checked the SNBs for data and operating status. There were several that needed some sprucing up, and two that needed extensive repairs. Taking the time to do the repairs led to us being gone the additional two weeks. All of the SNB data says there are other space travelers, but very few in this region." The crowd applauded and cheered. "LRS crew," said Sarah, "take some time with your family before you finish the reports. We are pleased to have you back with us. The reports can wait while you to get reacquainted with your spouses. After the reports are up for several clock cycles, we will schedule a family meeting." After the welcoming crowd began to leave, Amy turned to the Command Staff members closest to her. "Is it true that Iarracht and Taiséalai are in orbit?" "Yes," replied Sarah, "they have been in orbit for just over four months now. The orbital phase of construction is progressing very well. Go rest, we will get together in a couple of clock cycles." Sarah looked at Siobhan and Maureen and winked, as they watched those from the LRS walk off with their spouses. ------- Sarah's Clan began their weekly conference with Siobhan's, Maureen's, Keriann's, Kathryn's and Amy's Clans. It had been six clock cycles since LRS had returned. "Good morning, everyone," said Sarah's Clan. "Good morning," came the reply from the other five clans. "Amy, you guys certainly look like you have recovered from the trip," said Sarah. "Yes. It is good to be back. The last few days have been very relaxing. I believe our fellow travelers have been enjoying the relaxation, based upon what they said as we finished up our report." "We think that you guys did a great job." With that, everyone broke into applause, causing those who went with Amy to blush. "We take it everyone has seen the report on the planets they visited," said Aoife. "Yes," came the reply from everyone. "Amy," said Kelly of Keriann's Clan, "we are puzzled by the planet labeled Alice. There seems to be a big difference between the survey probe's data and your observations." "There is a big difference. We didn't stay there very long, since there didn't seem to be any point. On our trip to planet B, which we now call A-Celia, we did a lot of postulating on the reasons for the difference. Planet Alice's orbit has shifted and is now much closer to its star for a good part of its new orbit. It has lost some of its atmosphere and is loosing more each time it passes close to its star. We came to the conclusion that it was hit by a rather large asteroid in a glancing blow. We can't say for certain that there was a collision, but it is the best fit for the data we have. Our conclusion wasn't in the report, because the planet is now unsuitable for our purpose." "I think we see the preferred choices to be either A-Celia or B-Celia," said Jasmine. "Isn't it unusual for two very similar planets circling a star?" "I don't know that we know enough about other stars with planets to answer your question," replied Amy. "Astrophysicists on both our former planet and on Earth have postulated that planets are formed in the early stages of star formation. These models all have the planets forming along the equatorial plane of the star." "Getting back to A-Celia and B-Celia, there are some fundamental differences between the two. A-Celia's orbital plane is about 10 degrees off the star's equatorial plane that is not to different from planets in this system. However, B-Celia's orbital plane is 60 degrees from the star's equatorial plane. Both orbits are slightly elliptical and are at 70 degrees to each other. Their orbital periods are nearly identical, with B-Celia having a slightly longer orbit. They are on opposite sides of the star and, if our measurements are accurate, they will always be that way. A-Celia is 1.3 times the size of Earth, while B-Celia is 1.7 times. Gravity on both planets is less than Earth, but more than Mars. Both have a fairly rugged terrain, with about 50% of the surface covered by water. The water is very deep in many places. They have sufficient valleys and plains so that farming is possible. There is vegetation on both, but A-Celia has fewer arid regions. There is animal life on both, but we didn't see any evidence of advanced life forms. A-Celia has two natural satellites, while B-Celia has none. We placed environmental monitoring stations at multiple locations on both planets, and left a satellite orbiting each, in order to collect more data." "Based on what you found," said Maureen, "you seem to be leaning toward A-Celia over B-Celia." "Yes. There are a number of reasons for that. Although we need to confirm our findings, A-Celia looks like it is closer to our preferred environment, so there will be less adaptation on our part. B-Celia is really a strange planet for this star because the planet appears to be a different composition than that of either the star or A-Celia. We saw indications that there may have been intelligent life on the planet some time in the distant past, but only indications. Since we have been back, we had a search made of our library, to see if a similar pair of planets had ever been found. None were found, so our preferred hypothesis is that this planet is from another solar system. It is hard to fathom how that would occur. One conjecture is that it somehow broke free from its original star, and then traveled through space as a frozen rock. At some point, most likely several hundred years ago, it approached the current star at just the right distance, speed and angle to hit the orbital window and be captured. The planet is now flourishing in terms of vegetation, but it has much less animal life than A-Celia." When Amy quit speaking, there were a few moments of silence before Maureen spoke, "Maybe we need to discuss this some more, but remember we are planning for Eagle and Phoenix to take an interstellar cruise once Iarracht and Taiséalai have completed their shakedown voyage. I propose that the interstellar cruise is made by Dóchas and Phoenix, with the Celia system as the destination. This way, we can examine the planets more closely." "Amy," said Aoife, "when I was reading about preparing to settle a new planet in the library, it wasn't real clear as to what steps needed to be taken between discovering and establishing a colony." "We really didn't have a detailed process. Each exploration ship operated according to a set of guidelines. In addition to those guidelines, each had their own checklist in setting up a colony. Some were very careful to document conditions on the planet before establishing a colony. Others simply set up a colony and then dealt with the consequences. Our ship tended to be pretty through in evaluating a planet before opening it to settlers, though sometimes not as thorough as we should have been." "I saw that some colonies appeared to be thriving, and then, after a period of time they just disappeared, with no indication of why." "In many cases, no one knew the reason. With what we know about the two Celia planets, we could establish a settlement with a self-contained habitat on both planets like we have on Mars. From these settlements, we could easily explore each planet wearing our tactical suits until we were comfortable with the environment. I could imagine this stage lasting at least one full orbit of the star and possibly longer." "Wouldn't it be better," said Sarah, "for us to focus, say 80% of our effort on A-Celia, with the rest toward understanding the balance of the Celia solar system." "We agree," replied Siobhan. "When we make our excursion there, we should take sufficient equipment to set up at least one Mars-like settlement on A-Celia. That is, assuming we decide to move forward on making A-Celia our new home." "We think it is pretty certain that A-Celia will be our choice, based on what we have heard," said Keriann. "But aren't we putting too much emphasis on A-Celia?" Her comment drew many puzzled looks. "We haven't had a family meeting to discuss whether this is to be our choice." Rusty said, "You're right Keriann. Our conversation has focused on the Celia system, but everything we are discussing would apply to any system, with some minor changes." "True. I was just concerned that we were too focused on A-Celia." "Now lets consider the implications of setting up a settlement in the Celia system. What will be the impact of diverting part of our resources to this new settlement? Won't this slow down the completion of Iarracht, Taiséalai and the other two ships? Should we plan on keeping one of our ships in that solar system continuously, once we have habitats on the planet?" Claudette quickly replied with, "To accomplish what Siobhan proposed, we would reduce our effort on the two ships currently under construction on Mars. Most of what we will need in the new system is construction and manufacturing equipment, since we will use the raw materials we find in that solar system. It will have little or no impact on completing Iarracht and Taiséalai. My impression is that it could delay Dóchas5 and Dóchas6 by several months, but that all depends on how the tasks are scheduled." "Once we have a settlement on the ground, we should have one of our ships there at all times," said Kelly of Keriann's Clan, drawing the agreement of everyone. "We should share this discussion when we have our family meeting, the day after tomorrow," said Tara. "I can put it on our information network, with appropriate references, today," said Star. "Let's do that," answered Kathryn, with rapid agreement from everyone in the discussion. "We need to add a preamble, indicating the basis for our discussion." "I will," replied Star. "However, skimming back through the discussion, there is no indication of your deciding that A-Celia was the choice." "Amy, did you make any video recordings of the planet?" "Yes, Kathryn. I am pretty sure they are available in our library." "I guess we missed them. We will look again." "Amy," said Sarah, "would you take another group to look at the second group of planets we had listed?" "Sure. Why do you want to do that?" "For two reasons. One is to give us another choice, in case we need it. The second is to give us another group in our family experience in evaluating planets for future settlement." "We would prefer to travel using two LRS-class shuttles. There were times during our trip when I would have felt more comfortable with another ship close by." "Was there a problem?" "Oh, no. Only memories of how we originally arrived in this solar system." "Good point." "Rather than building another LRS," said Violetta of Kathryn's Clan, "why don't we reconfigure two Badb cruisers to fill the need?" "Good idea, Violetta," replied Keriann. "It would give the survey crew quite a bit more space, and give them more resources to respond to a threat." "We have two LRSs," said Claudette. "We only configured and checked out one, since the first was a prototype. Oops, I should say we did have two. The prototype has been recycled." "We are amenable to the concept of using a reconfigured Badb cruiser, but we would like to look at one first, since we haven't really seen one up close." "Amy, there should be one or two in the shipyard, or you can visit one of our ships to see them, as we have four on each ship." "Thanks, Claudette. We will take look later today." "Are we done?" asked Sarah. After a moment, she continued, "Okay, the family will meet after lunch the day after tomorrow to discuss whether we should proceed with moving to A-Celia and B-Celia or look for another location." "Yes," replied everyone. ------- It was two clock cycles later that Sarah's Clan stepped toward the podium in An Clochán's auditorium to begin their meeting. Every member of the Órarduine family was in the auditorium, except for key crew members on each of the Dóchas ships. All five ships were at readiness level 4. Shuttles were standing by on Mars surface, ready for immediate departure if an emergency arose that required the crews to return to their ships. Seeing Sarah's Clan approaching the podium, the room became very quiet and everyones attention shifted to them. Sarah's Clan looked out over the gathering of Órarduine, before saying, "Good afternoon," in unison. "Good afternoon," came the reply. "Welcome to our Órarduine family assembly. For the benefit of the visiting reporters, we frequently hold family meetings that include everyone. This meeting is unique, in that it is the first time we have all gathered in one location since An Clochán was established. Well not quite all of us, as we do have some family members filling key positions on each ship. Our ships are currently in a heightened state of readiness." "The primary reason for our gathering this afternoon is to consider the idea of moving to the Celia system. We believe everyone has seen the information posted by the survey team. Even so, Amy will now review the information we have on the system." Amy stepped up to the podium, and began to review the information they had gathered on the Celia system. As she began speaking, four large holograms formed in the room, showing the Celia system. She pointed out each of the planets in the system, and noted that the system lacked any Jupiter-sized planet. She mentioned that the lack of these might increase the likelihood of a large asteroid striking either A-Celia or B-Celia. This was particularly true for B-Celia, due to its higher orbital angle relative to the star's equatorial plane. To counter the increased risk, a system for monitoring asteroid activity could be established around Celia. Amy then went through the environmental information they had gathered on both planets, and closed her presentation with a series of images on both planets. When Amy's presentation finished, the crowd immediately began applauding and cheering. Amy blushed. When the applause ended, Amy said, "I trust your applause was for the crew that went with me." "You bet!" came a voice from the back of the room. This was quickly followed by more applause. "Questions," asked Amy, when the second round of applause ended. Amy and other members of the LRS crew answered questions for over an hour, before they began to taper off. Sarah joined Amy at the podium and said, "Are there any more questions?" Seeing none, she continued with, "Are we ready to vote on moving to the Celia system?" She watched as many heads nodded yes, then two hands waved in the back. Sarah pointed to the couple and nodded. "A clarification. If we move to Celia, are we still going to look for other viable systems?" "Yes," replied Amy. "Currently we are refitting two cruisers so they can fill the role of the LRS and provide the explorers with better defensive capability. The next exploration trip will take place as soon as they are ready, which, we think, will be in about a month. Besides looking for other candidate planets, we will use this trip to train two more groups in exploration techniques. If you're interested in being part of an exploration group, tell the staffing department." "Good. What would we do if we found something better, after already moving the Celia system?" Amy looked toward Sarah, who then said, "It would depend on what we decide as a group. My perception of moving to the Celia system, is that it will be considerably more than a year before we can move there. Once we are in Celia system, it will take some time for us to establish our initial settlement, develop an understanding of the biosphere and begin moving down to the planet. So, being a technically orientated family, I think our decision would depend upon how far along we were in settling A-Celia and the advantages of the other system. Depending on timing, another possible response could be to establish a second settlement. Does that answer your question?" "Yes, especially with seeing all of the heads nodding affirmatively as you spoke. Our clan is in favor of the move to A-Celia." "Any more questions?" Seeing none, Sarah continued with, "It is time for each of us to tell Star whether we are in favor of the move or not." After several minutes, Star said, "The vote was 16,793 in favor with 29 abstentions." "Good. Would anyone abstaining care to comment?" A woman stood and waved her hand, before saying, "We like the new system. We like it here. We don't like the thought of moving, although we see a definite benefit of being on a more hospitable planet." Her comment caused a chorus of 'Amens' from the crowd, which was followed by some laughter. "Anyone else want to comment on the move?" Sarah looked around the room before saying, "Now that we have decided to move to A-Celia. We need to discuss how we want to implement the move." As soon as she finished speaking, several people stood up. Sarah nodded to a woman who began with, "Our clan saw the preliminary plan for sending two Dóchas ships to the Celia system to do an in-depth survey, while moving preparations were taking place here." Sarah's clan nodded. "Having two of our Dóchas class ships 7 parsecs away makes us very uncomfortable, as it seems to spread us too thin, much too thin. It makes us especially uncomfortable to know that they are Dóchas and Phoenix." Another person stood and added, "We have the same concern, which is probably heightened by our recent encounter with the Imperial Council. We do agree that Keriann's Clan would do an excellent job leading those here, as would any ship's command staff. Our preference is for us to move all at one time." Judy stepped up to the podium and said, "The motivation was to shorten the time between all of us arriving in the Celia system and being able to settle A-Celia. There is an amazing amount of information we need to learn about A-Celia's ecosystem before we begin settling. We agree that security is an issue at both places." "If we go as a single group, there is also concern over how much of a wake we will make in the interstellar gas," said Sally. "Sally, when we reviewed the WP and our picket line data of Dóchas, Phoenix and Eagle traveling in formation, we found the wake was less than a small asteroid," replied one of the family. Several attendees stood together, with one waving for attention. Sarah pointed to them, and the spokeswoman began speaking, "My name is Karleigh, and I am part of the planning group on An Clochán. For those that are not familiar with us, our group tries to make sure all of our activities dovetail together. When we saw the proposed moving schedule, we began running strategies, looking to optimize the time for getting us ready to move to the Celia system. We think our Command Staffs were under the impression it would take at least 18 months before we could move. One of the plans we have worked out should have us ready to move within 12 months. Could we show that now?" Karleigh paused, waiting for an indication from Sarah's Clan before proceeding. Aoife said, "Karleigh, please continue before we reach a critical curiosity threshold!" Many in the room chuckled upon hearing the comment. "Breacadh, please show planning document A-Celia-z21809." Three of the holograms switched to show the projected plan as a Gantt chart, while the fourth continued showing A-Celia. "Thank you Breacadh." "The key features for the plan are as follows: Dóchas5 and Dóchas6 are the last ships to be built here. Once they are launched, we begin disassembling our equipment and transferring the equipment going with us to a ship." "In the meantime, we will have two reconfigured Badb cruisers visit the Celia system every 2 months. The primary mission for the groups on the Badb cruisers will be to collect data from the monitors we have on the planets. A second purpose is to evaluate potential sites for our initial settlement." "As soon as Dóchas5 and Dóchas6 are launched, we start moving to our ships. Simultaneously, portions of An Clochán would be placed in standby mode, as each sector is vacated. In fact, we have already done this to a limited extent." "The last item before departure is a shakedown cruise for Dóchas5 and Dóchas6. While they are on their shakedown cruise, we would finish placing An Clochán in standby or hibernation." "The project plan indicates that it would take us a maximum of 12 months to be ready to depart, presuming no distractions. The plan calls for several things to be done in parallel to finish the ships. These need to be looked at closely, to be sure safety is not compromised." "My last comment gets a little out of our area of expertise, but wouldn't the seven ships flying in formation leave a wake similar to an asteroid?" When Karleigh finished, she looked around the room and then back toward the podium. The quiet of the crowd unnerved her. She could sense many of the group checking through the details of the plan. Siobhan broke the silence with, "Your initial assumption was correct. One of the reasons behind having two ships do a preliminary visit was that we thought it would take at least 18 months before we could begin to move. Do you believe your time estimate is correct?" "Yes. Shortening the time is dependent on borrowing crew from each of the active ships as tasks on Dóchas5 and Dóchas6 warrant the assistance. The level crew sharing in the plan is much more extensive than we are currently doing." "If we can be ready to leave in 12 months or even slightly longer," said Keriann, "then I am all for it. As to how much wake we create, we should be able to estimate that from our trip across this solar system in formation several months ago." Molly stood and waited to be recognized. When Sarah pointed to her, she said, "We need to do some modeling on this proposal, but from what I remember of the data from our trip across our solar system in formation, our wake should not be a problem. Our approach would be to have each ship cloak and then move out of this solar system at less than 20% power. We would rendezvous over one of the star's poles. Once in formation, we would do an FTL transition at a fairly low LS multiple, say 3 or 4. We could still do the multiple stops as was proposed, but they should be along a path that would give the appearance of a rock plummeting in an uncontrolled manner through space." "Molly," said Cathal of Alana's Clan, "interstellar flying is not my forte, as many of you know." When the laughter ended, he continued with, "If I understand your proposal correctly, our group of seven ships would appear to be a disturbance in the solar gas similar to an asteroid. This disturbance would start over the Sol's pole and end near Celia's pole, with a couple of deflections in course caused by passing other galaxies." "Yes." "This proposal has us traveling cloaked. How do we know that cloaking is effective?" "It was effective when we engaged the Imperial Councils ships," replied Maureen. "We don't know how effective it will be with other groups." "How did we know they were coming?" "We sensed their arrival and then our picket line detected their approach," replied Tara. "Our systems also indicated their reconnaissance probes prior to them arriving." "Sensed?" responded the person with a disbelieving look. "Yes. Some of us sensed their pending arrival, but it was the picket line formation that told us when. Just like we know that there will be another group arriving in the next 12 months. A more accurate time will not be known until they are detected by the picket line. We expect them to be friendly." "You really believe that," replied the woman, with a look of disdain. "Guys," said Sally to the Command Staffs, "those last several comments came from those we think are here primarily to spy on our activities." "We are getting off topic," said Sarah. "Everyone of us is familiar with telepathic exchange of thoughts. Telepathy is just one psionic ability. If you are telepathically active, you should realize the potential for other psionic abilities. We would like to meet with those interested in discussing psionic abilities tomorrow. Just tell Star you are interested and she will give you the time and place." "I'd like to summarize this discussion," said Siobhan. " We want to implement the project plan Karleigh presented, once its feasibility is confirmed, and we want to travel in formation to the Celia system as a group. Agreed?" "Yes," came the reply. "Star, do we need to vote?" "Not from what I recorded," replied Star. "Family, if anyone wants a formal vote, inform Star." It was quiet for several minutes before Star said, "There aren't any requests." "Earlier Karleigh referred to Dóchas5 and Dóchas6," said Claudette. "According to the name list we created some time ago, they are to be named Marthanóir and Fiontar, respectively. In English, they mean survivor and enterprise, respectively." "Anything else?" asked Sarah. "Yes. Karleigh could you go through your plan in more detail?" "Sure." With that, Karleigh began going through the segments of the preparation plan. Her group assisted her with answering questions on its various aspects. It was nearly dinner time by the time they finished. "Thank you, Karleigh and your group," said Tara, as they finished reviewing the detail of the plan. When the cheering and clapping ended, she added "I trust that was to compliment them on the excellent work." "Yes," came the reply. "I am almost afraid to ask if there are any other topics to cover this, as it is almost dinner time." Leann said, "Just some information to add in support of our decision. While Karleigh's group was reviewing their proposal, we spent a little time looking at the wake issue. The good news is that we confirmed several comments made earlier about our wake when flying as a group. The data indicates that we can move as a group with little or no detectable wake. More modeling needs to be done. but based on the flight of three Dóchas-class ships in formation, it appears we create less wake than a asteroid would create at an LS multiple of 4." "Thank you. Anything else." "We thank you for your enthusiastic participation and contributions this afternoon." "We thank you," replied the crowd. As the Órarduine began leaving the auditorium, the six command staffs watched them leave from the stage. "That was the most amazing meeting I have ever participated in," said Sarah. "I never thought this many people could participate in a discussion like we just had. On top of that, we have a workable plan for moving to the Celia system." "I don't see it as much different than our previous family meetings," replied Keriann. "I think this had a much greater visual impact because nearly all of us were in one location." "You're right, Keriann," said Amy. "We seem to be better at group communication than I remember our home planet ever being." "There were two things I noticed. One was that the ideas expressed were listened to before comments were made. The second was that no idea was really rejected, rather, they were built upon." "Karleigh's planning group pulled together an excellent strategy to have us ready to move in twelve months," said Kelly of Keriann's Clan. "We did a lot of enhancements to the strategy, but there weren't any fundamental changes. Even if it takes 18 months, I think it is a better choice." Rusty chuckled, causing the others to look at him questioningly. "I was just thinking about what one of my old Spec Ops commanders would have done, if one of his teams had dumped his plan like was just done to ours before it even started." "So you always followed the initial plan," replied Chester of Keriann's Clan, with a smile on his face. "Sure, until the situation dictated a change. Sometimes that occurred at almost the same time the mission started." "You did the same thing we just did here, but by the back door." Rusty was laughing as he said, "Yes. I like this approach much better. Either strategy would have worked for our move. The one we have chosen doesn't stretch us as thin as the initial plan would have." "Do you think we would have seen the security concern before we started the first plan," asked Kathryn. "Not unless we had a premonition of hostilities," replied Aoife. "Let's get ready for dinner," said Tara to the group. "Why don't we all eat here, and we can use the community exercise area to exercise and freshen up. Besides, we haven't eaten together in a long time." "I agree," said Erica. "I hope that once we get established on A-Celia we have the opportunity to socialize more than we do now." "I like that idea," replied everyone, as they headed toward the exercise area. "Sarah, how do you plan on handling the meeting tomorrow," asked Colleen of Maureen's Clan. "I am not sure but there seems to be a deeper problem for that group of contractors than we have seen in others. Aoife and Tara were going with me." "You realize that most if not all of the doubters were contractors that we think are here spying for some entity on Earth." "I was sure some were, but not all of them. If they all are, then perhaps being blunt and open is the best way to deal with it. Thanks, Colleen. Do you want to join us?" "Sure, if you need more help, but too many may be counter-productive." "You're welcome to come. I wouldn't think just four of us would be intimidating." "Okay. I'll just meet you there." "Okay. I think we will do a psionic jump to the room, so that we arrive at the same time you do." "That ought to start things off with a bang," replied Colleen, laughing. ------- Chapter 137 The day after the family meeting on An Clochán, Colleen was on her way to meet Sarah, Tara and Aoife for a discussion of telepathy and psionic abilities. Sarah had proposed the meeting, since several people expressed difficulty with grasping the concept. Colleen had just passed a connecting hall when a man approached her carrying an object in his hand. The object immediately caught Colleen's attention, because of the awkward way he was holding it. Colleen had only taken a few more steps when she sensed someone moving up behind her with their hand raised. She reacted immediately when she heard their thoughts, "avoid her hair, push the pad hard against her shoulder, must contact her skin." Colleen swiveled around, grabbing the person's arm and yanking it up behind their back, causing a sickening snap after which she propelled the person headlong toward the wall. The woman hit the wall head first with a loud thump, and then slumped to the floor. It was apparent from the way she collapsed that her neck and arm were broken. Colleen had hardly regained her balance when she saw that the man had almost reached her. She could now see that the object in his hand was an atomizing gun, which was now pointing in her direction. Just as he pushed the release, Colleen flipped to the side and caught his hand with her foot. Her blow knocked the weapon high up in the air. Before he could react to the loss of his gun, she brought her hand down sharply on his shoulder. His shoulder sagged under the blow, leaving his arm hanging limply. As he opened his mouth to scream, Colleen completed her move, bringing her foot against his upper leg. His leg snapped with a muffled pop, and she used his body to flip back to her feet as the man crumpled to the floor, screaming in pain. She pointed at the atomizing gun just as it was to hit the floor, releasing a blue ball of energy. When the blue ball hit the gun, it flashed into a small puff of smoke. "Breacadh," said Colleen, as she bounced back to her feet, "I need an EMT and security team here now!" Colleen quickly scanned the area looking for another threat, as she heard Breacadh say, "They are on their way. My alarms tripped just as the woman attacked." Colleen could hear the EMTs and security team approaching. The EMTs went immediately to the two people on the floor. They took only a moment with the woman before rolling her on to a stretcher. As the other EMT began to approach the man, he reached under his shirt. A security team member acted immediately to neutralize him. When the man's arm slid from underneath his coat, they could see a dart gun in his hand. "Nice work," said Colleen to the security team member. The EMT next to the dead man nodded her agreement. "Any delay and there would have been at least one more body." "Yes. I sensed his thought just as he moved his hand. How did she get so close?" "Possibly by not actively thinking about what she was going to do until just before she was to press the pad onto my shoulder. I think her mistake was that she should have been closer before making the attempt." "She probably misjudged your stride, and it messed up her timing." Colleen looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Not many have noticed it, but our stride is considerably longer than it appears to be. We have attributed it to the way we walk, and our height." Colleen thought for a few moments, before responding with, "Interesting. I hadn't noticed that before. In fact, I am not sure any of my spouses have either. Can you all take care of this mess? I need to go to a meeting." "Sure. A couple of us will go with you." "Okay, but you need to wait outside the room." The security team members started to object. "We need to minimize those of us in the room. Breacadh can link you via the monitors, so you can see the inside of the room." "It's that meeting. I forgot that it was today. Okay, four of us will wait outside." With that, Colleen continued on to the conference room with her escort. Colleen had just entered the room and looked around, when Sarah, Tara and Aoife shimmered into view. The arrival of Sarah, Tara and Aoife resulted in several gasps from those in the room. As the four Órarduine looked around the room, they saw the shocked looks on everyone's faces. "Gosh Sarah, when you invited me to this meeting, you didn't mention the welcome I would receive," said Colleen. "We are as surprised as you are," laughed Sarah, as she looked at Colleen. "It must be your presence. Are you okay?" "Yes. The woman and man are dead." Sarah looked out at those assembled for the meeting with a neutral expression. "Sarah, Aoife, Tara and Colleen," said Breacadh, "all of those we believe are spies are in the room except for two, other than the dead ones. The two not in the room are being monitored at the moment, as they are acting suspiciously." "Acknowledged," replied the four. "Are there any others we should wait for?" asked Sarah. "There are two who said they would be late," said one attendee. "Well, just a few minutes ago, two others made an error in judgment and are now dead. Breacadh, project their images on the wall." "They aren't the two who told me they would be late," added the man. "Breacadh, show the others." With that request, the images of those being monitored were projected on the wall. "Yes. Those are the ones that said they would be late." "Well, based upon their activities, it appears they don't intend on joining us." "The first two images we showed were of the two who attacked me in the hall just a few minutes ago," said Colleen. "We haven't analyzed the weapons they had, so we can't speculate as to their intent." "We are going to presume the rest of you weren't involved with what happened in the hall," said Sarah to the group. "I wasn't," responded the woman who had spoken out yesterday. "Neither was I," said the man who had spoken yesterday. "Anyone else want to comment?" The room was quiet. "Okay. Based on your expressions, I suspect that none of you were aware of the activities by those not here. However, didn't most of you come to An Clochán to gather information for some group on Earth." "If you knew we were spies, then why let us come?" "Why not? You came to help us. All of you have made significant contributions to our progress. If we hadn't let you come, your sponsoring organizations would have resorted to other means to achieve their objective. Those would likely have caused more situations similar to what just happened to Colleen, or other problems. Besides, based on your actions, you are either interested in our technology or our intentions toward Earth." Aoife said, "In spite of the distractions, we are here today to talk about psionic abilities and telepathy." "You saw the way we arrived," said Tara. "To do that, we used one of our psionic abilities to enter this room directly from our ship. You can think of it as projecting ourselves." "So, it was like they did on Star Trek?" "Yes, except our ship's AI did not assist with the move." "But we could assign another reason to your sudden appearance, say like a magic act." "Sure. You will find that you can do that with the manifestations of many psionic abilities." "Colleen used some of her abilities to deal with the two attackers in the hall. She also used her martial arts knowledge. Breacadh, please show the video of the recent events in the hall." Tara had Breacadh play the video at normal speed and in slow motion before continuing. "So, from your point of view, it may be difficult to separate the two skills. A martial arts specialist could have handled the two attackers, but I wouldn't want to try it. Martial arts skill doesn't explain the disappearance of the atomizing gun." Aoife looked at the woman who spoke earlier and said, "This is a little harder to explain away." The woman shrieked, as Aoife lifted her out of her seat using her abilities, until she was 8 feet off the floor. "Hana, you would make it much easier if you would sit still," added Aoife with a smile. Aoife brought her toward the front of the room, and lowered her until her feet were touching the floor. "Now you can stand." Tara held Hana's hand as she rose from the sitting position. The woman looked at Aoife, "Okay. After that, I can't really argue about there being some psionic abilities. How does telepathy fit in with them?" "For us, telepathy is a key psionic ability. So far, every Órarduine is telepathic. The corollary to that is not true: not all of us have other psionic abilities. Like other skills, psionic ability varies. Some believe that it can be strengthened through exercise, but I think that exercise enhances your control of the ability, rather than strengthening it. Again, these psionic relationships are true for Órarduine, but we don't know if they are true for other species. We know from experience that some humans have latent telepathic skills. As to other abilities, again, we don't know." "Can you hear or understand me," asked Aoife, as she looked a Hana. "Did you say something to me?" "Yes. I asked you, telepathically, if you could hear or understand me?" "I did, but if I had not been looking at you, I don't think I would have realized it was a question." "You likely have the potential to be telepathic, though currently it is not very strong. We can take this a step further by my assisting you in making the determination of whether you have that ability. If you do, we can activate it, but only if you want to. The medical staff and command staffs have the ability to assist you with activating your telepathic skill." Hana had a worried look on her face. "Before proceeding, there are a few things for you to consider before you make your decision. First, when you go back to Earth, you will need to limit its use. This is for your protection, since some people would be afraid of you, and others would want to turn you into a guinea pig. Others who used the ability here chose to limit their ability when they returned to Earth. On Earth, it was restricted so it would warn them of any danger to them or their loved ones. Because all of you have done so well here, we suspect all of you are telepathically capable. Some of your abilities will likely be stronger than others." "But if I fully enable my telepathic ability, I will loose my privacy, because everyone will be able to see my thoughts." "Only if you want them to. With telepathy, you have the ability to control how open your connections are. The content of casual telepathic conversations are no different than spoken communication, except that emotions and concepts are conveyed more accurately. Telepathic exchange is quicker and clearer, which is why we use it exclusively during emergencies. You can turn it off, if you don't like it. With it fully functional, you will have more freedom to roam about on An Clochán." "Okay. I'll take the chance. I can't believe that I have been here six months and just found this out." "It is a matter of perspective. You didn't show any interest in telepathy. You focused on learning as much about our technology as you could. You kept seeking different jobs, so our Staffing Department wasn't sure whether you were a spy or just someone trying to find a place for themselves while gaining experience." "Hana, if you will sit with me here, we can sort out your telepathy," said Aoife. While the two worked to enable Hana's telepathic ability, the other Órarduine monitored the audience. When Hana's ability was fully enabled, Aoife showed her how to limit her connections and protect herself from unwanted intrusion. She also informed Hana of the rules of etiquette for telepathic communication. "So Hana, can you now understand me clearly?" asked Tara. "Oh, yes. I see a link between you, Aoife, Sarah and some others." "Those are my spouses. It is a special link we leave open all the time." "Interesting. Those on Earth would never understand this concept." Hana turned to those watching and said, "Aoife's comments are truer than I ever thought possible. I suggest that each of you try it. I know my telepathy works, as I just talked to Tara without verbalizing anything. My memory is as secure now as it was before, which was a big concern." A man near the back of the room stood up and said, "Great things were expected of you, Hana. The organization gave you a lot of training for this assignment. Now you return that benefit by becoming a traitor." While he was talking, he slowly pointed a dart launcher toward Hana. Just as he began to squeeze the trigger, Colleen threw a blue shimmering ball of energy at the man, slamming him back across his chair. He lay there unmoving with his hair smoking. "Well, one more idiot down," said Colleen. "Don't touch the device in his hand. It is designed to launch small darts, which carry either a poison or drug. They have a tendency to break in the hands of the user." "This is bullshit," screamed another participant, as he stood and began pulling the trigger as soon as he pointed it at one of the Órarduine. Each dart evaporated in a puff of smoke before it had traveled far from the launcher. Tara reached out telepathically to the man and took control of his mind. His expression turned to one of horror, as his hand began to squeeze the dart launcher until it broke in his hand. All of those around him moved away, leaving him standing alone. He stood looking at the blood oozing from his hand around the crumpled dart launcher as he began to gasp for breath. "That is the same kind of dart launcher we saw in Britain," said Sarah, as they watched him collapse into the chair. "They are very deadly to the user when they break in their hand." "Breacadh, we need someone to remove the two bodies," said Tara. "Assistance will be here shortly," replied Breacadh. "Is there anyone else who has doubts about psionic abilities?" asked Sarah. "How do you know if you have them?" "I suggest you pay a visit to the medical staff. They can evaluate you for the abilities. Without the species change, you probably won't have more than telepathy and possibly far sight, which is our term for clairvoyance." As Sarah started to speak, a man raised his hand to interrupt her. He said, "Since you know why some of us are here, can I ask about some things I don't understand." "Sure," replied Sarah, Aoife, Tara and Colleen quickly. "Depending on the question, we may need to get some assistance for the answer." "My sponsors sent several people here before I came. My sponsors have been unable to utilize the information the others brought back. I was told to try to figure out why they can't apply the technical knowledge they learned here. Can you give me some insight?" "First, our directives forbid us from giving technology to other civilizations when it is beyond their ability to use. The idea behind this is to avoid disrupting the development of other civilizations." The man nodded his understanding. "We think we can give you some clues to help you understand the difficulty. First, let me say that physics is physics. If you understand the physics behind our technology, you can figure out a way to use it for your benefit." The man frowned. "We suspect your sponsors are not making any effort to understand the physics behind our technology. Without that understanding, they will never succeed. Our implementation of our knowledge relies, in part, on our psionic abilities, in particular telepathy. Telepathic ability is currently only present in a very small percentage of humans, so relying on the use of telepathy would not be a wise move for you, from our perspective." "Does that help?" asked Colleen. "Yes. I think so. I am not sure they will agree, since they want a quick implementation." "Our technology is also dependent on a tight relationship between our logical entities and biological entities. It is fair to say the relationship is symbiotic." Several in the room looked puzzled. "We see some puzzled looks." "What are logical entities?" Sarah, Tara, Aoife and Colleen smiled as they said, "You would probably use the word robot or android. We sometimes use the word 'bot' instead, but normally don't make a distinction. Our AIs fall into a similar category but are not usually mobile, although some can project an avatar form. These bots are self-aware, and have all the attributes you normally associate with a person. Virtually all of our family units include at least one bot." "You have given me a lot to think about. Can I ask you more questions in the future?" "Sure. All of you should think about the reasoning behind our directives. They were established to avoid dumping technology into emerging civilizations that would disrupt their growth. Examples of that effect can be seen on Earth. We see this as a major contributor to discontent between the givers and recipients." "Can you express it another way?" asked a woman. "Okay. Which is better: to give someone a gift of food or show how them to grow their food?" "The latter," replied the woman. "Why?" "Because you enable them to satisfy their hunger, and they get a sense of accomplishment. Once their skills provide sufficient daily nutrients, they can begin working on improving other aspects of their lives. All of this builds character and value." "The same dynamics apply to giving another civilization technology beyond their understanding and ability to support. It makes them dependent on the giver, and has a negative effect on their culture and self-worth." "Okay. I see your reasoning. It doesn't make it any easier to deal with my sponsors." "This question is a little different," said another woman. "You pay all of us a salary, in addition to providing quarters and food. However, I don't believe any of the crew receive a salary." "Money is used for two things. One is to enable the purchase of supplies or other necessities. It is also used as a motivator. Once we have established ourselves on a planet, we will need to establish some type of monetary system. Right now, however we are a closed group, in that each of us directly depends on everyone else. Everything a individual needs is provided. In terms of motivation, every member of the crew can see the effect of their contribution as well as those of their friends. We haven't addressed how we will move to a monetary system yet, but the discussion will be much like the one we had yesterday regarding our move to the Celia system." A voice from the back of the room said, "That session yesterday was amazing from many aspects." Sarah, Aoife, Tara and Colleen smiled. "First, the Command Staff's proposal was dumped with nary a nasty word said. Then, this gigantic group developed an alternative plan in a reasonably short meeting that is workable. Amazing. If I had not seen it, I would have a very difficult time believing it could happen. If I read it in a report, I would think the writer was either drunk or had gone over the edge." "We thought it was amazing, too. We are happy with the new plan, and a bit more comfortable with it than the initial plan. This is primarily due to the security issues. We are expecting another group of aliens to visit here, but we have not been able to project their arrival time." Sarah, Aoife, Tara and Colleen continued answering questions for some time before the session tapered off. While questions continued, there were several times that they answered a question similar to one they had answered earlier. Each time they chided the questioner before giving them the answer again, while rephrasing the answer it in the context of the question. Sarah waited a few moments for another question, and when no one spoke, she said, "I guess there aren't any more questions today, so let's continue on. We think all of you have been enlightened about psionic abilities. Considering your purpose here, there are a couple of other things we want to share with you." "The two who did not join us today have been arrested and will be tried for sabotage and attempted murder. They weren't here because they were busy putting explosive charges in two of your suites, along with incapacitating the emergency doors between several sectors. The explosives were intended to breach the outer wall. If that had happened, there would have been quite a few deaths due to explosive decompression, since they placed objects to keep several emergency doors from being able to close. Those in the suites would have been incapacitated before the explosion. They had placed nerve gas dispensers in those suites. The nerve gas would have immobilized the occupants, but cruelly let them watch the detonators on the bombs tick down. We haven't learned their motive yet, but will before the death sentence is carried out. Their actions are as puzzling as those of the two in the hall and the two in here." "Even though we know the reason behind your being here, please rest assured that all of you are welcome to stay as long as we are here," continued Sarah. "As all of you know, we will be leaving in about 12 months. Before we leave, we can offer you an alternative to returning to your sponsor. The alternative is Comrie. You can stay on Comrie as long as you want to, as the island is self-sufficient. From Comrie, you would have the ability to return to Earth's society, but once you leave Comrie there will be no way to return." "But Comrie is well known to those on Earth!" "Today it is. Within the next month, a very intense category 5 hurricane will pass over the island. Storm surge, wind and rain will set records in the area of the island. The intensity will be such that many of the island's features will change." "You're expecting the storm to do that much damage to the island?" "Yes. It will be an eye-opening experience for the observers," replied Tara with a slight smile. "We are in the process of moving Comrie to a different location. The new location is an unknown island, and a bit more isolated than the current island. It will be hidden from view, just as Comrie was until recently." "Some of us have families," lamented one of the attendees, and several others nodded their heads, "that makes any choice other than going back to our sponsors difficult." "Yes, having a family adds to the complexity of the decision. If it was me, I would look at the choices, while leaving out family considerations. Once I understood my feelings and my choices, I would then add the complexity of including your family in your choice. Do not take my comment to mean we are encouraging, or even suggesting that you leave your families behind. Be sure to consider all your options. Talk to those in our Staffing Department. Depending on what you consider your options are, they can assist with solving difficult problems, so that you can achieve a preferred choice. With the exception of the special Comrie offer, your choices are really no different than anyone else that comes here to work." "Thank you for arranging this meeting," said Hana. "You're welcome. We are available anytime if you need to talk something through. Before you all leave this room, we suggest you agree amongst yourselves as to what you will tell your sponsors about this meeting. There may be parts that are best left in this room." "See you," said the four Órarduine as they disappeared from view, as they projected themselves back to Dóchas. "Thanks for helping out, Colleen," said Sarah, Aoife and Tara, as they gave her a hug, once they were on Dóchas. "It was interesting. Although I am not sure my clan will want me go with you guys again. It was certainly an exciting beginning to a meeting." "Yes, it was," said Maureen and Siobhan, along with their clans. "The situation was bizarre," said Colleen. "There were four attackers. The two in the hall were apparently working together, but independent of the two in the room. I see that each had a different background. What could possibly be their purpose?" "Before we get into that," said Sarah, "you did a great job in handling the two attackers in the hall. If they had succeeded, it would have only been for a few moments. Breacadh had dispatched a security team just as the woman made her move toward you." "Thanks. Something like that makes our exercise and martial arts work worthwhile." "You ask about purpose, so far the only thing that comes close to making any sense is that they were trying to cause an incident that could be made into embarrassment for us. How their sponsors could turn the incident against us is unclear. We will probably have a better idea when their families are informed of the deaths. This is a presidential election year in the US, and I believe there is an election in the works for Britain." "I find it hard to believe that our presence would effect elections on Earth." "One way would be to make us the fall guys for the slow economic recovery." Aoife paused. "The argument would be something like, if the Órarduine gave us their technology then everything would be perfect." "Sarah, what do you think will happen next?" Sarah looked at Aoife before saying, "For the group we just met with, I expect we will be asked to pick up some of their families from Earth. Most, if not all of the spies, will opt to be Órarduine, or to go to Comrie at its new location. As to the political issue, Aoife's is right in that some candidates will do just what she said." "You think the ones with families will move with us?" "It is not clear, but likely." "That would be a good outcome, as all of them are great contributors and well liked by their coworkers." "Yes, they are." ------- "Brenda," said Sarah, "did you notify the families of the deaths?" "All four only had emergency contact information in their files. We sent each of the emergency contacts a letter by courier. In the letters, we told them that the individual had made a poor decision, resulting in their death. The letter closed by asking where to send the remains." "Did you get any responses?" "The courier service advised us that two letters were undeliverable. The other two were delivered, but we have not had any response. Melinda was going to mention both the four deaths and capture of the saboteurs in her next news release." "Do you have an idea how she is going to handle it?" "We spent a lot of time discussing that. The four deaths will be noted as the first since An Clochán was established. All four were due to poor decisions on the individuals part, and do not seem to be directly related to each other. The saboteurs will be identified, along with the group that sent them here. Their plan will be outlined, along with the intended damage to An Clochán. She will close the item by noting their sentence." "So, how much noise is this going to stir up on Earth? Do we need to restrict travel there?" "Melinda thinks the stories life will be short. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. All of our concerts have been completed. Sightseeing excursions have essentially ended since we started preparing to move." "Agreed. Let us know how it goes." "Will do. By the way, the choir is going to continue performing. We now have seven groups. Each one performs a little differently. Each group will perform once a week on a different ship. The shows will be on different nights and broadcast to all ships. This gives the crews quite a selection of entertainment." "Good." ------- "Chantel," said Rusty, "has everything for the new Comrie been moved to the island in the Pacific." "Yes. I am operating from there now. The original site is ready for the hurricane to do its thing." "Well, it will be soon. There is a big storm building now. Its current course will straddle the island. If nothing changes before tomorrow, we will begin enhancing it." "I wish there was another way to do this," said Joyce. "I liked that island." "Well, we could make it disappear from view again, but with all the reconnaissance that has been done on the island, it really wouldn't disappear." "I know. It's just that the island has a special place, just like mom and dad's old place does." "I think it has a special meaning to all of us," said Sarah. "The island in the Pacific we moved Comrie settlement to has a special meaning, as well," said Alison. "It is the island we went to with Aine and the other mentors to learn and practice our psionic skills." "You're right," responded Joyce. "I had forgotten that." "I think both locations have special meanings to us, but for different reasons," said Aoife. "Comrie in the Atlantic was like our first home. It is where we grew together." "It is nearly dinner time," said Claudette, "after dinner, let's relax with our children." "Sounds like a winning plan," replied several. ------- Chapter 138 It was early morning when Alena woke with her head on Rusty's shoulder. Opening her eyes she could see Sarah's head laying on his other shoulder. She closed her eyes and then projected her vision so she could see the bed from the entryway. The sight of her sleeping spouses gave her a feeling of warmth and security. As she looked at her sleeping spouses, she thought back to when she first met her spouses which was nearly a year ago. As Alena sifted back through her memories just prior to meeting Sarah's Clan, she marveled at the chain of events that led to their meeting and her family's subsequent visit. Scott and her had been fascinated by the Órarduine, but found some aspects of their culture difficult to understand and accept. Their children were fascinated by their space ships. After Scott's death, they had moved so she was closer to work which gave her more time for her children. This turned out to be an area covered by the Grandview news media. Reading the daily newspaper and watching the evening news were something she had always done. She quickly found that at least once a week there was a story featuring Órarduine activities on the evening TV news and in the paper. It surprised her when her children began joining her for the evening news but only stayed if there was a story about the Órarduine. After this happened several times, Alena told them that the newspaper usually had a similar story but with more detail. With that the children began checking the daily paper for Órarduine stories. By the comments and questions, Alena soon figured out that it was the adventure of space drawing the children's interest. Seeing her children's fascination with space travel, Alena made plans to visit the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Several times they were set to go only to have their plans upset by her presence being required at work for a meeting. She hadn't worked for the firm very long when she was designated to be the lead programmer on key projects in her section. After several aborted attempts to make the trip, she figured out a way to have her time off and not cause a problem at work or for her boss. She did this by working ahead on the project and then sending her boss the updated project just prior to leaving on the trip. Although she had accumulated a lot of vacation time, her employer was always reluctant to let her use it. She thought part of it was that her boss knew the other two in her group couldn't carry the load. She had often wondered why they hadn't been let go. She found the museum much more interesting than she expected. Her children thought it was great. While visiting the exhibits early on their second day there, they had seen some of Sarah's Clan several times before lunch and the children had exchanged comments. It wasn't until they were in the dining area that she realized that it was a single group, a very large group. They were standing behind Sarah's Clan when their children began asking how to get their food. The questions were as if the children had never been to a fast food restaurant. The responses she heard to the questions just added to the puzzle. Later when she had their order, she followed her children to an open table which was in the midst of Sarah's Clan. It wasn't long before her children began talking to the children around them about the exhibits. Alena wasn't sure what prompted her to ask Erin who they were, but she did. Even today Alena was awed by how that one question had led to others and a chain of events that had greatly changed their lives. Erin, Tara and her chatted some after she got over the shock of Erin's answer to her first question. When everyone was finished eating, all the children returned to visiting the exhibits only they were now accompanied by their new friends. After the visit to the museum, her children had really pushed her to contact Sarah's Clan and accept their invitation to visit Dóchas. She wanted to go, but her employer again wasn't willing to let her use her vacation until she hinted that she might quit. When she did that they relented, telling her she could take a week of vacation. After she had the approval, her boss asked her if they would still be able to finish coding the program by the deadline. She assured him that they could. When she met Sarah, Erin, Tara, Claudette and Joyce in the hanger at the airport, she felt like she was home again among close friends. The strength of her feeling startled her as she had only met these people at the museum and talked to them on the phone while finalizing the arrangements. Looking back she was amazed at how they became so very close in just a few days. She had activated her telepathy just prior to the battle with their help. It wasn't apparent to her at the time but their bond grew even more rapidly after activating her telepathy. Alena now knew why an Órarduine family unit of multiple adults worked so well. Openness coupled with love and respect. Their degree of openness would be impossible without their telepathic link to each other. Their mind-link let them share everything even though each had their own separate thoughts and activities. Their degree of openness coupled with the sharing of their emotions and love for each other was something very few on Earth would believe without experiencing it. Alena looked at her link to each of her 14 sleeping spouses and marveled at how they could feel so close and intimate with each other. In many ways it went against what she had learned growing up and before she became an Órarduine. She was taught that their degree of intimacy could only be found in one to one relationships or possibly one to two and never between more than that. Alena thought as she looked at her spouses, "I don't understand the forces that brought us together, but we are very fortunate to be here." Her thoughts were interrupted when Sarah said, "We feel we are very fortunate in having you join us. I love you." Alena replied, "I love you. I love you all. Such a simple word to carry such magnificent feelings." "We love you to," said the rest of Sarah's Clan in unison. "So what started your wool gathering," asked Tara. "I'm not sure. When I woke and felt Rusty's shoulder under my head, I thought about how fortunate I was and how fortunate my children are to be here in such a caring family. With that I started sifting back through memories. I am not sure what fate is, but it had to have played a role in our paths crossing. We are very fortunate to be here. Our children are blessed with outstanding role models." "I couldn't agree with you more," said Tara as she shivered when a very old memory flashed through her mind. "All of us are fortunate to be here." "Oh, my God," moaned Alena, "I am so sorry that I caused that." "You didn't. One occasionally leaks out but with all the love I feel in this family they are very short." The morning chime began, and Sarah said, "A new day of challenges." "Yes. And they are easier to deal with because we do it together," added Rusty. With that Alena rolled onto Rusty and gave him a very emotional kiss. When they broke their kiss, Alena pulled Sarah closer and gave her an emotional kiss. The emotions they shared had the three looking a little bleary eyed with happiness. "Wow," said Aoife, "that was a scorcher." "Yea," added Sarah, "any hotter and my hair would ignite." Everyone laughed as they began to get up. ------- Maureen's Clan was the first of the six Command Staffs to arrive on Dóchas. When Maureen stepped through the door, she said to Sarah's Clan, "Getting anxious." "Absolutely," replied several of Sarah's Clan with a smile. "The whole crew is really wound up," added Erin, "and it is still at least six months until we are ready to move." "We've noticed quite a change in the family since we made the decision to move to A-Celia," said Crystal of Maureen's Clan. "Everyone seems to be a bit more ... dedicated to their tasks. Even that really doesn't describe what I see. Perhaps the word I am looking for is enthusiastic." "Crystal, we've noticed it as well," replied Alison just as the other Command Staffs began arriving. Everyone was greeted with hugs and kisses, so it took a few minutes before everyone was seated. "As all of you have seen," said Sarah and Siobhan together, "we are making good progress toward our scheduled departure date and so far without any surprises. Today, we want to go over the status of our activities and then look over the most recent data from A-Celia." "Keriann's Clan, why don't you lead off." Keriann said, "Our exercises went as planned. We basically followed the same plan Dóchas, Phoenix and Eagle used for their exercises. We didn't have any surprises, like they had. We did send our cruisers to the edge of this solar system and had them fly patrol along with several Star Fighters." Keriann's Clan then took turns reviewing the results of their operational exercise and the subsequent system improvements they found beneficial. They said they thought the pilots benefited from the games they played with the pilots from Taiséalai. "How did the improved weapons work," asked Rusty. "They are even more effective than our initial testing indicated," replied Chester. "The energy output from the lasers is ten times what it was and is less visible. The other gain is that it recycles in less than a minute. The biggest change has been in the rail guns although maybe we shouldn't call them rail guns. By changing the launch system, the projectile speed is about 80% of the speed of light. We tried them on a shielded target. At first we didn't have any success until we altered the spacing between projectiles." "All of our ships now have the upgraded weapons," added Claudette. "Based on simulations using the improved weapons against the IC ships, the engagement would have been shorter. Indications are that their shields would not have been able to absorb the energy of our shots." "So subsequent simulations of our battle with IC are correct," said Sally, "in that if there had been more IC ships, we would have incurred more losses." "Well that is only one part of it," replied Kelly. "Those commanding the IC group, were apparently greedy and overconfident. Greedy in that they wanted our ships intact. Their overconfidence is indicated by the way they arrived. If they had dropped from FTL and immediately attacked, we would have had a lot more damage and casualties." "The battle simulations we have run against the AIs and each other have, I think, really improved our understanding of our capabilities," added Keriann. "Anyway that is all we have." Kathryn said, "As you know our operational plan was nearly identical to Iarracht. Our pilots also indicated they liked the mock battles with Iarracht and the practice intercepts." Kathryn's Clan then began reviewing some of their more significant events. Several structural issues were found and repaired. These were thought to be carryovers from the propulsion unit runaway that occurred during lift off from Mars as none of the other ships had seen these problems. Amy said, "Our survey mission went very well thanks to the modified cruisers. Refitting two Badb cruisers for survey missions was a wonderful idea. We visited five systems. The way points in each system were checked. Only one needed any major repair work. We did give the others minor tune-ups so all five are at the same rev level as those we visited on the last trip and Sols." "Of the five systems visited, only three had planets that would be useful to us today. None of them come as close as the Celia system in meeting our needs. Any of the three could be settled if absolutely necessary. Living conditions on any of the three would not be as hostile as Mars in terms of atmosphere, but as you can see in the reports making the planets suitable would take a lot of work. Several of these planets could be excellent mineral resources for us in the future. We believe that both of the exploration groups that went with us are now qualified. They did very well on this trip. Our clan discussed it and are recommending that both of them be given an exploration assignment. It is probably best to wait until after we move. We can give them more experience when we arrive in the Celia system by having them do some of the preliminary evaluations on the two planets. It could be seen as busy work, but it is often wise to do the preliminary evaluations multiple times at different locations while varying those in the group." "On An Clochán, we are beginning to disassemble the equipment we will be taking with us. All of the plans for placing An Clochán in hibernation are set. One change recently made was to add four departmental AIs. It was thought this would provide a safety cushion for the settlement. If the primary AI fails then two departmental AIs can combine resources to fill the gap. There will be an emergency link between the primary AI, Breacadh, and each Dóchas ship's primary AI." The attention of the group returned to the plan they were following to prepare for the move. Together they reviewed the items completed since their last meeting and then went over the items to be completed in the next six weeks. The Command Staffs for Marthanóir and Fiontar would complete final testing at the end of the week although not all systems were complete. Lift off was expected to occur next week. Once the two ships were in orbit, their command staffs would begin participating in the weekly conferences. "The speed with which we completed Marthanóir and Fiontar is really amazing," said Sarah. "If we didn't know better, I would worry about the quality of the workmanship." "You've hit on a issue that bothered me sometime ago," replied Kelly of Keriann's Clan, "but not any more. I think our newest ships may be built a bit better than our first ones. All of this, I think can be attributed to experience in building the ships and what we have learned while operating them. If you compare Phoenix and Eagle's original designs to the way they are today, there are some significant changes. Every time we make a short trip or do an exercise, the crew always has something they would like to improve." "We agree," added Kathryn. "Although I don't want to have the experience again, I think our propulsion pod runaway taught us a lot about our ships and their operation." "Considering the number of people in our family," said Sarah, "we have accomplished a lot. I hope, we remain as energetic and focused when we are settled on A-Celia." "I think, we will," replied Erica of Amy's Clan. "Comparing where we are today and our old culture, once we are established on A-Celia, our pace may slow some while we grow in size. I don't see us fracturing into small self centered groups that we saw in our old culture. However, when we settle on A-Celia, we will likely see the diversity of opinions increase." "Let's move on," said Sarah. "Navigation groups," said Joyce changing the topic, "have a plan worked out that is very similar to the original flight plan for our trip to Celia system. With the intermediate pauses, it will still take us two weeks to get there. As you know, Celia is 7 parsecs from here but we are going to take six separate jumps to get there which translates into traveling about 15 parsecs." "Even without folding time, it shouldn't take two weeks to make the six jumps," replied Kathryn with Jenessa nodding. "Plans are to pause after each jump for a minimum of one clock cycle, so we can update our star maps. In addition to that, Security and Intelligence Departments wants to do a full scan around each location, so we made allowances to hold at jump points for more than a clock cycle. We will only query the WPs for the last two jumps which will be from the opposite side of the Celia system." "Joyce pointed out part of the reason for doing the multiple jumps," said Sally. "We want to also look back at our route to see how much of a trail we are leaving." "Good," said Rusty and Chester. "Our engineering groups," said Claudette, "are holding a joint conference at least once a week. This typically lasts only 30 minutes or so. The main purpose is to determine if any issues have arisen that could effect all the ships. Several conferences have lasted an hour or more as they decided to work together to solve a difficult problem. Many of those involved told me it was time well spent as it quickly solved an issue that would have taken a smaller group much longer to solve and check." "We may have an issue coming up with respect to the spies," said Tara. "With our approaching departure, some of their sponsors have been rather forceful with their demands." "How did you hear that?" "Since our meeting several months ago, several have come to me with questions. It is during those times that I have seen indications of what I just put into words. This is based on what I saw in their expressions and the substance of their question." "Several have approached me as well," said Aoife. "None have approached me," said Colleen. "I guess they figured it wasn't healthy to approach me." Everyone chuckled. "I wonder why," added Sarah with a smile. "A few of them have asked me questions since the meeting, but I haven't picked up anything like Tara is seeing. Their questions were mostly about the Imperial Council and how we knew of their intention to loot Earth." "They asked me some questions about them as well," added Aoife. "I shared the information Aine gave us about the Imperial Council with them and then asked them if they had seen the data in the library on the engagement. A few indicated they had seen it. We then had a rather long discussion about the IC and the engagement. Although they didn't say it, I believe there are a few groups on Earth that don't believe the IC exists. Some groups don't believe a battle took place because there isn't any wreckage and they didn't see it take place. The fact that the data on the IC ships close to Earth was verified doesn't seem to carry any weight with the doubters." "I know what I was seeing," said Tara as she snapped her fingers. "It was frustration. Frustration with being asked to do the same thing again and again. I am surprised, I didn't recognize it earlier." "Lorelei and Melinda," said Maeve, "told me that stories about the engagement with IC are just now appearing in the daily news." "But we had calls from several government leaders during the engagement," said Tara. "Yes, we did," replied Joyce. "I would have thought the incident would have been headlines the same day," said Alena. "What am I missing?" "You probably aren't missing any thing," replied Rusty. "I think there are three aspects that obscured the event from the media. First, when the battle between IC1, IC2 and us occurred, we were effectively on the other side of the sun from Earth. The engagement between the other three groups of IC ships and ours occurred in high orbit. This is above the orbit of Earth's satellites and between Earth and the sun. The time between IC ships exiting FTL to the end of the engagement was only several hours. I suspect the calls we had were prompted by the battle with the three ships near Earth. We know that the astronauts on the ISS saw some of the action." "Okay, that makes sense," replied Alena. "I wasn't taking the orbital positions into account." "Rusty," said Tara, "when I talked to the five leaders on Earth they only mentioned the activity near Earth. So I think it was primarily government surveillance satellites and ISS that recorded any of the engagement." "Even though the data came from government satellites, I still find it amazing that it is just coming out," said Chester. "Is Communications monitoring the unfolding news on Earth?" asked Kathryn. "Yes," replied Maeve. "Melinda, Sam, Lorelei and Earl have all been contacted by Earth's news media, who were asking for confirmation of the information. These inquiries were what prompted Melinda's comment. We probably should give the news highlights more attention for the next several months. I wouldn't be surprised to have some of the government leaders contact us again." "Okay, let's move on," said Sarah. "Wait, let's go back a bit. How many do we have here working on contract?" asked Conan of Siobhan's Clan. "About a thousand," answered Brandan of Maureen's Clan, "and 65 of those we suspect are spies." "We need to begin moving them back to Earth soon," said Siobhan, "even if it delays our departure a little." "Staffing has sent out notices to all of them, advising them that they will need to return to Earth well in advance of our departure. It noted that they would be paid for the three months after their return, if they decided to return prior to their return date. The notice did not include a date by which they needed to return to Earth." "Wouldn't it be prudent to have all of them back to Earth at least two months before our scheduled departure," said Sarah. "Let's tell Staffing to begin letting contract crew members return early with full contract amount. This should encourage them to seek other opportunities on Earth. In any case, Staffing should assign departure dates so they are all back on Earth two months before our scheduled departure." "I'll talk to them," said Jill. "Giving everyone an advisory like that will make the transition easier for them. I understand some have applied to graduate schools and quite a few others were talking about it." "I hope that we don't have to force someone to leave," said Kathy. "I don't think that will happen," replied Casidhe of Siobhan's Clan. "The two months is possibly a little to close to departure date. Many of these crew members fill important roles and we will need to make sure those roles are covered." "How important are the roles," asked Kylie of Maureen's Clan. "From my perspective," replied Casidhe with a slight smile, "all roles on a space ship are important." Kylie stuck her tongue out at Casidhe causing the others to laugh. "We need time to make sure that the roles these crew members were covering are reassigned and no one is over loaded." Casidhe paused for a moment then added, "Kylie, I didn't intend to sound so sharp." "Casidhe, I wasn't offended." "Good. If we have the time, I would like to share some observations on our contract crew members." "Sure," said Sarah with nods of agreement from the others. "I have the impression that there are quite a few who would like to go with us to Celia. The issue that's holding them up is the need for the species conversion. They understand the need. Their concern is that they might regret the conversion and want to return to Earth. A large part of their hesitancy seems to stem from poor decisions they made in the past. I would like to help them but I am not sure how to do it without appearing to be coaching them to come with us." "Casidhe, I don't think you are alone in your observations," said Keira of Siobhan's Clan. "I think that those I have talked to would be pleased with the change. To be sure, we would need to do an extensive evaluation and even then there wouldn't be any guarantee." "Let's spin this a different way. What if this deadline pushes all of them to decide on becoming Órarduine?" asked Kelly of Keriann's Clan. "If your worried about completing the conversion before we leave," replied Judy, "it shouldn't be a problem. Actually the conversion doesn't need to be completed before we depart. In light of Casidhe's and others observations, we will do a more thorough evaluation of any who request conversion. Of course, this would be done without making it apparent that we were treating them differently." "Staffing is still accepting applications to join us," added Joyce, "but has increased the thoroughness of interviews and counseling. They indicated that there are fewer applicants meeting our minimum requirements. Also, there has been an increase in bogus applications and have advised Security and Intelligence groups of this. At the end of this month, Staffing Department plans on advising all pending applicants that we are suspending acceptance of new applicants. We will continue to accept applications. For any who appear suitable, they will be advised that they are being placed on a wait list." "Do we really want to stop accepting applicants?" asked Eileen of Siobhan's Clan. "I don't think we have any choice," replied Keriann, "as we need to focus on getting ready to move. This issue brings up another thing, we think, we need to reconsider. Our clan has been tossing around the idea of keeping a small group at An Clochán and its potential benefits. If we did this, we would only need to pause applicant reviews." "Why keep An Clochán active?" said Kathryn. "Doing that seems counter to the reasoning we used for all of us moving at one time." "We don't think it is counter to our reasoning to moving as one. The idea we have been tossing around is to make An Clochán an Órarduine outpost. To fill that role, two Badb cruisers and 12 Star Fighters with support staff would remain here. Their assignments could be to continue screening applicants, actively monitor this region of the universe and be a contact point for Earth. For the applicants, we thought they could do the preliminary interview and host a visit to An Clochán. Beyond that they would rely on us." "Our proposed detachment here," said Chester, "would consist of about 150 people. All of them would need to be fully qualified for Security Team duty." "If I calculate correctly," said Calvin of Kathryn's Clan, "you're sizing the detachment so that everyone would have transportation if they needed to leave An Clochán." "Yes. It gives the detachment a full crew for each of the cruisers. There would be enough space on the cruisers to easily accommodate the support staff if they all needed to leave together." "I think it is a great idea," said Alena, "but premature." Her comment caused surprised looks on many of those in the room. "Maybe I am missing something, but our first years in the Celia system will be a tremendous growth period for our Órarduine family. Those on An Clochán would miss out on that experience and it would be difficult for them to make up that experience. Can't we automate the security screening function? Can't Breacadh evaluate the applications as he has quite a bit of intuitive ability and then forward the good ones to us? We could send a group from Staffing back for a short visit in six months if there are sufficient applicants to make it worthwhile." "We can automate the security screening function," said Sally. "We should look into that regardless of what we decide." "Alena," said Keriann, "I agree with your assessment. Perhaps it is our background, but I wonder why we missed that approach when we were evaluating the idea." "Keriann, perhaps it is because I am relatively new but I see us, Órarduine, as children in terms of cultural development. Sure we bring with us the history of both species, but they are not us. Together we have the opportunity to bring the best attributes of our benefactors into our Órarduine culture. We have been doing that and I think doing it very well. Our cultural characteristics are still new and really haven't fully gelled. For this reason, I think we should hold off on setting up an outpost for a year or two unless circumstances dictate differently. For the same reason, we should hold off on any extended exploration efforts during the time we focus on settling A-Celia." The six Command Staffs were quiet for some time as they thought about Alena's observation and analogy of being children. Sarah's Clan picked up on the analogy of relating cultural development to a child's growth more quickly than the other clans. Amy's Clan was next to see the truth in the analogy. Then through their Command Staff mind-link the others began to get a sense of the analogy until everyone was smiling and nodding affirmatively. "Alena," said Siobhan, "thank you for that analogy. From what I sense in our command mind-link, we all agree with you. We partially understand why we missed it, but it seems your spouses also didn't see it at first either." "I think it was because my children and I recently arrived here. The analogy probably was more obvious to me because of the change I have seen in my children since we have been here. Another possible contribution was seeing the differences between military dependents and other children." "Good point," added Chester of Keriann's Clan. "Alena has made an excellent point," said Aine as she shimmered into view. "By all of you participating in laying down the foundation of your new home on Celia, you will be a stronger family. Without a strong need for the outpost, the outpost staff may feel like they were missing out on the events in the Celia system." "Wow, I didn't expect this response." "Why?" said Erin. "I don't know," replied Alena. "It just seems like you accepted my analysis without any discussion." "Ah ... that's because we can see your point of view and it fits with what each of us has in our memories. Amy's Clan is the only other group to have children by which to make a recent assessment. The others had to compare your point of view to their experiences." "Oh, okay. That makes sense." Alena looked thoughtful for a moment, then added, "Now it's clear. This is the first time my comment has been critical to our discussion and I remember when others have filled that role in the past. Gosh, if this discussion had been before I was an Órarduine, we would be debating whether the analogy was appropriate for at least a day." Several chuckled. "I am so glad we are here." "So we are agreed to delay establishing an outpost until at least a year after we settle A-Celia," said Sarah. "Yes," replied everyone. "With that in mind, we will set up Breacadh to automatically handle the functions suggested for the outpost, where possible. We plan on sending a group that includes some from Staffing back here for a short visit when the number of applicants warrant the effort." "Yes." "Keriann," said Rusty, "would your clan formalize your plan for an outpost?" "Sure." "Good. We can use it as a template in the future." "It is getting close to lunch," said Sarah. "What else do we need to discuss?" "I think most of us are aware of it," replied Tiff of Siobhan's Clan, "but it should be noted that most of the GISS field operatives have asked to join us with the intention to become Órarduine." "There are thirty-one," added Judy. "Five have begun the conversion this week. Everyone in this group has talked to us in the past about joining us, but liked the adventure of being a field operative." "So we have a few more crew members with Special Ops experience," said Chester. "Yes, but only a few," replied Sally. "There are only a few in this group who were Special Ops. All of them have had military experience. They have a broad range of backgrounds and experiences." When the chimes sounded for lunch, Sarah said, "Let's break for lunch and then go over the data picture we are beginning to form about A-Celia. We can use the recreation area to exercise and then freshen up in the adjoining shower room." "There are some issues that we need to get back to," replied Amy. "Why don't we review the data picture next week on An Clochán? By then both Marthanóir and Fiontar will be in orbit and their command staffs can attend." "We're agreeable," said Sarah after checking with her clan. "We will have another data update to include by then as well." "Sarah, was there a particular reason to propose all of us looking over the data?" said Siobhan. Sarah hesitated. Maeve looked at Sarah and then said, "We are very pleased with how well the data from A-Celia fits with our needs. In fact the fit is so good, we wonder if we aren't missing something. So our idea was to sift through the observations together to see if there is anything we are overlooking." "We have similar concerns," replied Erica of Amy's Clan. "We agree that going over the data as a group is a good idea. Most of the data collection has focused on the two planets. The piece we are missing is a more thorough survey of the Celia system. We need to know more about it." Aisling of Siobhan's Clan said, "There is a list of comparatives which shows the properties checked and their relative value to our environment here." "We're agreeable to delaying the review until next week," said Sarah. "We agree," replied everyone in the conference. They shared hugs before leaving for their base. "Let's hurry and freshen up so we can eat," said Jill. As they walked back to their suite, Alena said, "I really enjoy our group discussions. It seems to help us put things in perspective." "Due to our links, all of us are aware of the information we discuss. Our gatherings give us a chance to share our perspective on that information. As you've seen, our discussions give all of us a fuller understanding of what is going on around us." As they entered their suite, Sarah said, "Lets go exercise our psionic abilities on Mars this afternoon." "Great idea. Should we ask Keriann and Siobhan's Clan if they want to go with us?" said Sally. "I think that would be a good idea," replied Judy. "Keriann. Siobhan. We are going to exercise our psionic abilities on Mars after lunch. Do your clans want to join us?" After a few moments Keriann replied, "Yes. Tell us where to meet you and we will be there." "We're in as well," replied Siobhan. "We do need the exercise as we had some difficulties doing it while wearing the tactical suits. Let us know where and we will meet you." "Okay." "Maureen. Kathryn. Amy. I guess you heard we were going down to a remote part of Mars after lunch." "Yes," replied the three clans. "You're doing something that we need to make time for as well," added Kathryn. "We will show Keriann and Siobhan's Clans what we learned the last time," replied Sarah. "Then they can share with your clans." "Cool," came the reply. ------- Chapter 139 Sarah guided their shuttle down on to the Mars surface in the area known as Terra Cimmeria. After closing their tactical suits, Sarah's Clan stepped out on to the surface of Mars and looked around. "Sally, this is a good choice," said Rusty after looking around. "This is the first time we have used this area." "Siobhan's shuttle is approaching," said Tara. "What?" exclaimed Tara as her suit AI picked up two low flying objects that had just cleared the horizon. "Shields up and interlock!" They had hardly gotten their shields up when their suits indicated weapons were locked on them. "Focus on the weapon ports," commanded Sarah. "Now!" Within moments of Sarah's command, they released four intense small blue balls that streaked toward the approaching objects. A small flash of light flared when the balls hit the sides of the objects. The response from Sarah's Clan was faster than the Star Fighters weapons systems launching their simulated attack could respond. As soon as the Star Fighters were struck they veered away from Sarah's Clan. "What the hell was that," exclaimed Alena breathlessly. "A test," replied Sally, "play back your memory and you will see what we did." After a few moments Alena said, "Okay, I see what we did. Why didn't it disable the fighters." "Because Sarah told us to focus on weapons ports. They were preparing to fire special dummy weapons. The flares of light indicated we hit the correct boxes. A similar thing is done on Earth in war games. If it had been a true attack, then we would not have focused on the weapons ports but on the fighters flight systems or another critical system. One choice would have exploded the weapons they were carrying." "So, how did we do that?" "Sarah and Rusty directed energy balls toward the two targets. We provided the support and energy for the balls." "So it is like we were doing last time when we were making dust out of rocks." "Very much." "I am so embarrassed," replied Alena as she blushed. "Why?" replied Sarah. "Well, we have been practicing using these abilities, so it's not new to me. My comments certainly made it sound as if I just walked in the door." "Alena," replied Judy, "you responded perfectly during our response to the threat. I think the confusion afterward, is due to the fact your mind is still integrating peripheral information from us even though you have been with us over a year." Alena had a worried look on her face. "It is nothing to worry about. Especially since you were fully engaged with us when we responded." Judy put her arm around Alena and gave her a reassuring hug. Just as the conversation finished, both Siobhan and Keriann's shuttles began approaching the group. Tara said, "Flight control just told me that the two pilots are happy we didn't hit them with a more energetic balls. Seems they have a bit more damage than was expected even though we hit only the weapons ports." "Probably, bleed over," added Claudette. Everyone nodded their agreement. "Some demonstration," said Keriann as her clan joined Sarah's on the ground. "You got that right," added Eileen of Siobhan's Clan as Siobhan's Clan joined the group. "We wanted to see how quickly we could respond," said Sarah. "Once we had our skill pretty well honed with rocks, we told Flight Operations what we had in mind for a test and let them work out the details." "What would have happened if you hadn't responded in time or missed?" "We would have received a mild shock by a red low energy ball. The shock would have caused a small disturbance in our shield." "We presume you had something else in mind when you invited us to join you," said Chester. "Yes. We really didn't expect the test today. Basically today, we wanted to exercise our abilities with you here so you could tell us what you see. This should give us some insight into improving the flexing of our abilities. It should also give you insight into how to handle yours. Our idea was to take turns exercising so we could help each other." "We like that," said Siobhan. "Let's watch you first then we will take the next turn in the barrel." The three clans spent the next several hours exercising their abilities. First they worked individually by throwing energy balls of varying energy at different rock outcroppings and observing the results. They then turned their attention to telekinesis by turning small rocks into projectiles. In both cases, they sought to improve their accuracy and range while minimizing secondary effects. After doing their individual exercises, they switched to functioning as a clan. As a clan they could function in two different ways. One was to act as a group in throwing the energy balls like they had done in the test by the fighters. Another was to function as a clan but with each acting individually, in this way they drew from their combined resources resulting in more power. Their last series of exercises had one clan trowing a rock at a point while the other two clans tried to disintegrate the rock before it reached its target. When they finished, Sarah said, "Let's have dinner together at An Clochán." "Good idea," replied Tiff, "I am starved." "We think that is a great idea," added Keriann with the rest of her clan nodding affirmatively. "At dinner, lets talk about what we did this afternoon," said Alena. "There are aspects of our exercises that we should talk about." "What aspect?" said Oriel of Keriann's Clan. "Each of us, executes our psionic activity slightly differently. The question in my mind, is this a physical attribute or a technique. If it is a difference in technique, then what are the strengths and weakness of each presuming there are." "We need to come back here with the other Command Staffs," said Chester. "Actually, if we can manage it, we should make sure we work with each of the others like we did today. Groups of three like we did today seems to work very well." "I think that is a good idea," said Conan of Siobhan's Clan, "as it is not often we get to work so closely together." "Precisely my reasoning but it is a little more than that. When we begin our move, we will be seven ships operating as a group but to a large degree our actions will be independent. I think when we look back at today's exercises, we will find we learned a lot about each other that we didn't know before. This experience will make it easier for us to act together." "Good point," added Rusty. "Working together like this will give us a better feel for what each of us would do, without needing detailed communication." "I am not sure, I am following this," said Alena. "Won't we have our command mind-link?" "Maybe and maybe not," replied Chester causing Alena and several others to frown. "We have no idea of the situations we will face in the future. Others out their maybe able to block our intergroup mind-link. There is a definite lag time associated with sharing when we reach beyond our clan mind-link. Yes it is short, but short delays can sometimes be deadly." "So you want to be able to respond without thinking about it," added Alena with a smile. "I thought you didn't get it." "As you were talking, I saw your logic and their references. Those fit with some experiences Rusty and Scott have shared with me." "Scott?" "Yes. After his training exercises, he would sometimes talk about the others in his group and how well they worked together. So your comments and visions gave me the additional information so I could relate to what I knew. Thanks. I would give you a hug and a kiss but a kiss doesn't work well when we are in these suits." "I'll take a rain check." "You got it." Alena looked thoughtful for a moment. "The pilots for the Star Fighters and the Badb Cruiser crews have simulators to practice their skills. Couldn't something be set up for us?" "Yes," replied Star. "The down side is the effect on other operations because to be effective, they would use a lot of resources." "That is true if we used simulators," replied Kelly. "However, if we did it as a strategy exercise, it wouldn't draw a lot of resources." "Star, let's consider using a historical battle from the archives where we are on one side and an AI fills the other role within the parameters of the historical battle," said Maeve. "You should discuss this with the mentors," replied Star. "Good idea. I will look for Aine after dinner." They had just boarded their shuttles for the trip to An Clochán, when Shannon said, "Command Staffs, we have several inquiries from Earth regarding the activity in the Terra Cimmeria area. We told them that we were doing weapons training and it would be on going for the next several weeks." "So they're implying that their new Mars surveillance satellites don't have the resolution to see what we are doing?" said Chester. "I don't believe it." "Well, it could be true in a sense," said Rusty. "We don't know if they can see the telekinesis energy balls. In all our exercises, we pointed with our minds through our vision, so from above it may appear as if we were just standing their watching rocks turn to dust." "Rusty's explanation kind of fits with the conversations we had with their intelligence groups. We didn't tell them what the weapons were." "Let's have some fun," said Sarah as she sat down in the pilot's seat on Alpha1. "Keriann. Siobhan. Let's play follow the leader on our way back to An Clochán but on the deck. Alpha1 AI, we want to fly as close to the surface as we can, say three meters, and only limit speed by being able to control our altitude." "If you and Rusty will maintain the altitude and direction, I can focus more resources on looking ahead," replied Alpha1 AI. "Do we want to link with the other shuttles?" "Yes, we all need to link. We will link with you so we have a direct feed which will improve our response time." "That is even better." "Keriann. Siobhan. Did you hear that exchange?" "Yes," came the reply from both with a little bit of hesitation from Siobhan. "Set your altitude at a level you are comfortable with and still keep up," added Rusty. "Don't reach beyond yourselves." "Aye, aye," replied both Command Staffs. "Sarah's Clan buckle up." Once Sarah knew everyone was buckled, she initiated Alpha1 (DA1) liftoff to hover some 3 meters above the surface. She looked out the window and saw that both Phoenix Alpha1 (PA1) and Iarracht Alpha1 (IA1) were also hovering. She looked at Rusty and then said, "We're off." With that DA1 quickly accelerated across the plane toward the ridge around Terra Cimmeria. The ride in DA1 was like a roller coaster with periodic screams from those in the cabin watching the monitor. As they approached an obstacle, Sarah would preferentially shift their direction to pass by it with out changing altitude. Sarah soon had their flight speed up to 900 m/sec. Both PA1 and IA1 slightly increased their altitude to five meters to avoid the dust column DA1 was creating. As the three shuttles moved over the Mars surface, each clans mind-link tightened. Once this was accomplished for Sarah's Clan, she pushed their speed to 2000 m/sec. Their rooster tail of dust changed only slightly. When the terrain rose sharply, DA1 rolled left and climbed the rise at an angle as it made maintaining the altitude easier. After they had covered about 3000 km, Sarah led the group to a higher altitude and increased their speed. With the increased altitude, everyone began to relax. "That was fun," said Siobhan, "but I don't think I want a steady diet of it." "I agree," replied Tara. "I wasn't at the controls and I still thought it was intense. You certainly don't see much going that fast." Kelly said, "You know I think I might send a note to our old wing commander, telling him that we finally got to fly more than 1800 m/sec and an altitude of 5 meters." "Think he will figure it out," replied Keriann. "Oh, he will figure it out," said Chester. "It will likely shock him until he realizes you were doing it on Mars. If you could do Mach 5 at 5 meters over the ocean on Earth, it would create quite a rooster tail." "Any place else, it would do a lot of damage to anything near by," added Kelly. "I am pretty sure that you would need a special aircraft to do it because of temperature rise on the leading edges of the wings. It would be neat to see though and even neater to do." Just then An Clochán appeared on the horizon and DA1 contacted An Clochán approach control. Sarah shifted flight control back to the AI. As Alpha1 entered the approach to An Clochán's air lock, she held hands with Rusty. "You liked that didn't you," said Rusty. "Yes. I liked all of it. I liked that we could work directly with the AI to handle the shuttle. I liked the way we all came together during the flight. We didn't need the extra resources this time, but now we know they will be there when we do need them. I wonder if Keriann and Siobhan's Clan did the same thing." "Yes, we did," replied both Brigid of Keriann's Clan and Tiff of Siobhan's Clan. "We would have stayed down," continued Tiff, "but the dust you kicked up interfered with our sensors at that speed. We were a little reluctant to rely solely on your shuttle's sensors." "Probably a good idea, with our speed and altitude calculating the time space shift for our different positions would have sucked a lot of AI resources." "Let's get cleaned up and eat," said Joyce. "We need to walk through the cleaning station with our suits on to get rid of the dust," replied Eileen. "They are much easier to clean this way, then we can put them right back in the shuttles." ------- When Sarah's, Keriann's and Siobhan's Clans entered the dining area, they found the other five Command Staffs waiting for them. "What's up?" said Sarah with a slightly concerned expression. "Nothing," replied Molly, "we just wanted to hear about your adventures today. You guys stirred up quite a buzz with your activity." "Shannon told us about the inquires from Earth." "Well your dust trails across Terra Cimmeria, created even more inquiries." "Really. We wouldn't have expected that." "The dust column you kicked up behind you rose pretty high. A JPL engineer was apparently watching the feed from their satellite when you started back. They thought it was a big environmental event and contacted Dóchas Intelligence. Shannon checked with Star before telling them it was caused by three shuttles returning to An Clochán. The answer caused more questions until someone realized how fast you were traveling at an altitude of 3 meters." "What speed did Shannon tell them?" "2000 m/sec. It didn't sound like much until one of them realized it was over Mach 5 on Earth." "So has everything calmed down." "Seems to have. We came because we would like to sit in on your review of today exercises." "Great. Let's get our food and relax while we eat. After that we can share, as I think all of us would like to unwind a bit." "Works for us," replied everyone as they headed toward the food line. "Molly. Jackie," said Sarah, "it seems like ages since we have seen you." "It was only about a mouth ago," replied Jackie with Molly nodding. "Oh, you're right." "It wasn't long after that when Siobhan's Clan dropped the bomb shell on us." "I can't imagine Siobhan doing anything like that. I didn't hear of anyone being hurt, what did they do," asked Sarah with a smile. "You are being so coy," said Molly and stuck her tongue out. "The bomb shell was Siobhan's Clan just popping in and asking us to handle the check out of Marthanóir. Once we calmed down, they did the same thing to Jackie's Clan who were with us at the time." "Final check out on Fiontar," said Jackie, "is scheduled to finish in two clock cycles. Our lift off is in three as we want to review the check out before liftoff." "Great!" said all the Command Staffs. "Marthanóir is at the same point in check out," added Molly. "We have tentatively scheduled our liftoff to be in four clock cycles. The ship will be ready in two, but there are a couple of items that our engineering group would like to complete while we are still on Mars." "We didn't know you were delaying liftoff," said Jackie. "Our engineering group has advised us we are a little ahead on our time line to complete this portion Fiontar's construction." "It is my understanding that Fiontar has already finished work on these items," added Molly. "We could do them in space, but our group thinks we can do them more efficiently while we are still in the dock." "Guys, there is no rush to lift off," said Alison. "Our goal is to be safe and secure while meeting our goals. Let's be sure we do it right." "Oh, we are!" replied Molly and Jackie immediately. "Anyway we came to hear about your exercises and what you learned about your psionic abilities." As the group continued to eat, Sarah, Siobhan and Keriann's Clan took turns sharing the techniques they had learned. Surprisingly this was the first time as a group that they were actively sharing what they had learned about using their psionic abilities. Previously each clan had worked by themselves to sort out how to use their psionic abilities with some coaching from their mentors. "Wow, look at the time," said Maureen. "No wonder, I am tired." "I agree," added Jackie. "Can we continue this at breakfast in the morning?" "Sure, we can do that," replied Keriann with the others nodding in agreement. "What if we shared through our Command Staff link while we sleep?" asked Tiff. "We can, if each clan becomes one just as we go to sleep and then connects to the other clans," said Aoife. "This will allow us to share our hows and whys of using our abilities. How we execute them, as an individual and a clan. Seeing how others execute their abilities should help everyone improve their skills. Hmm ... in a way that is what we have been doing for the last four hours. Our children will think we have forgotten them." "Not likely," came the quick reply from Jackie, "I know your children and they would never think you forgot them. I am looking forward to getting settled on A-Celia so we can begin having children." "Jackie," said Siobhan, "three of us are planning on becoming pregnant during the next couple of months. This should time it so they are born after we arrive in Celia. We don't want to have more than three of us pregnant at any one time. We think this should give us time to adjust to each new group of babies and still contribute." "I like your plan and I expect my spouses will as well. The other reason we were waiting until arriving in A-Celia, was so our sister clan could spend more time with us." "I've heard Molly's and your clans referred to as sister clans, but I am not sure of the context. We can see in our Command Staff link that sometimes your two clans almost appear as one." "Molly," said Jackie, "do you want to try and explain our clan link?" "I can try." Molly paused for a moment before adding, "The connection between our clans is almost like what we know as our clan mind-link. All of you know that Jackie, Mairia, Ron, Alan, Kathleen and I have known each other a long time. We went to high school together where we knew Adam and Joyce. Fortunately, we met Sarah, Rusty, Sally and Terry at our high school prom as they steered us away from doing something stupid. They befriended us and helped us grow up. Thanks to Nancy's and Sarah's clans assistance, we went to college together. As we were getting close to graduating from college, we were recruited for some summer employment that turned out to be completely different from what we were told. Sarah's Clan among others here helped us avoid entering the life of sex toys. After spending all those years together, we were very close when we arrived here, well actually Comrie was our first stop." "We worked for GISS for a while before moving to An Clochán. Our group of eight grew until it was a little over 20 people. During this growth, we began to open up to each other with our telepathy." Molly saw a couple of smiles. "I can see the smiles. Yes, it was like a clans mind-link, but we didn't know that. Needless to say, our growing connection drew us closer together. We played together. We shared our love. We really shared everything. We had three suites that we essentially shared which is easy to do when you don't need clothes most of the time." "After a year or so, the idea of becoming an Órarduine came up. Hmm ... maybe it wasn't that long. Anyway, we decided to make the step. Well, those in our two clans did. As an aside, most of the others made the decision later. Once we completed the species change, we all saw a significant growth in our closeness. All of us saw the potential of us being a clan, but it didn't quite gel. One of us ran across the concept of sister clans in the archives and brought it back to the group. Well to make a long story short, we opted to be two sister clans. In some respects, our two clans are very much like identical twins. Our clan to clan link doesn't normally let us share senses but we have done it. More importantly, we know we can do it when necessary." "Randy and Edward were among those who held back on becoming an Órarduine," said Jackie. "After the change, they sort of drifted from us away along with the others who decided not to do the species change. All of them later decided to do the species change and eventually formed three clans. The part we are thankful for is that to this day, we are all close friends." "So how tight is your sister link, when you are on the bridge," asked Rusty. "Only a little more accessible than our Command Staff mind-link," replied Molly. "Our two clans have talked about this. We think the link between our two clans is because we were nearly a single clan at one time. We also think that what we have called a Command Staff mind-link will with time and use approach the strength of our sister clan mind-link." "Another way to look at it, is to think of it as a readily available library," added Jackie. "Our sister link is always there very similar to always on like our clan mind-link." It was very quiet for several moments as the group contemplated Molly and Jackie's comments before Maeve said, "Based on this, it seems to me that with our plans for working together in developing our telekinesis and other advanced psionic abilities, we will move toward being sister clans. For us, this relationship will be different than we have with our sister clan, Nancy." Kaitlin of Maureen's Clan was chuckling as she said, "Being Órarduine is so neat. There are nearly 80 of us. We are closer than peas in a pod can ever be. We share virtually everything, but still keep our individuality. In contrast to this, I can remember back to before I came here. Then I was happy when I had one close friend I could confide in. Even when I did share, there was always that nagging concern about being betrayed. Even then I wouldn't share many of the things that I naturally share with this group for fear they would be used to humiliate me." "It's all so simple," said Casidhe of Siobhan's Clan. "Openness leads to understanding. Understanding leads to respect. Both make it possible for love and fellowship to flourish." "Always so logical aren't you," said Tiff with a smile. "What else do you expect from a bot?" Casidhe stuck her tongue out at Tiff. "Love. Fellowship. Understanding. Compassion. A brilliantly sharp mind so that we can succeed together." As Tiff was talking Casidhe walked over and hugged her. "So you think, I have all of that." "Yes, in spades," replied Siobhan's Clan along with the rest of the group, "along with the rest of our spouses." "This kidding brings up an interesting point," said Eibhilin of Maureen's Clan. "As we have grown, the number of logical bipeds in clans has increased. I see a number of reasons for this. One is that most of the early clans were really clans before they became Órarduine. The second is that we make no distinction between the two types of biped in our family. This may cause us some problems when meeting other species in the future, if the information in our library is still true." "How would they know? There isn't any visual distinction." "One way would be if they use biometrics as an evaluation or security screening tool before contact. Many have concerns about giving AIs to much freedom or control like HAL in 2001 Space Odyssey. An AI with the wrong programming could be as bad or worse than a human with a severe case megalomania or Napoleon complex." "Thanks for the insight," said Alison. "I think we need to call it a night." "Agreed," responded everyone. "Lets meet for breakfast here," said Maureen, "that way Jackie's and Molly's Clans will be closer to their ships." "Yes." ------- As Sarah's Clan walked back to their suite holding hands, Sarah said, "I never dreamed that we could do the things we did together today." "It is awesome," replied Alena. "I think it would be best to use these abilities when there wasn't another choice," said Sally. "You're advocating a discipline similar to that used by martial arts practitioners," added Rusty. "I whole heartedly agree." "Our whole family is familiar with that discipline and puts it into practice." "The one thing I have noticed about our growing family is that there aren't any dust-ups or physical confrontations between clans or individuals," said Alena. "I am not saying everyone blindly loves one another or that we don't have different opinions. It seems we all respect each other and make a concerted effort to see each others point of view." "Oh, there have been some heated discussions," replied Claudette with a smile. "A key aspect of all of them was that they never became personal. Many of us think this is because we communicate both verbally and telepathically virtually all the time which lends to sharing a point of view." "Amy once told me," said Aoife, "that at first she thought this was because we were a small group. Recently, she told me that she had changed her mind. Today her opinion is that it is a fundamental change in our mental layout or character. The other aspect is even when we disagree or telepathy lets us see the others POV." "Several of our medical staff are looking at our interactions with each other," added Judy. "Our curiosity is driven by what we know of interactions between humans." "There is another aspect," said Erin. "When anyone makes a mistake, they admit it and move on. If a task needs more assistance, everyone will chip in without waiting to be asked. It is refreshing." Arriving at their suite, they found their children had just went to bed, so they told them goodnight before freshening up. As they were gathering in bed, they all cuddled before joining together as one before drifting off to sleep. ------- The morning chime woke Sarah's Clan from their deep sleep. They cuddled a bit before stretching and getting up. They freshened up and showered. Their children were waiting at the door so they could go with them to breakfast. "Gee," said Keri to her parents, "you all seem different this morning." "How?" replied Sarah with some concern in her voice. "We don't know how to describe it," replied Deirdre. "It is like you are one but we can see each of you." "Oops," replied Rusty, "we didn't loosen our bond after we got up." "You're right," said Aoife. "I don't think any of us noticed it. Maybe that is the way we should be when we are on the bridge." "Now that you can do it," said Aine, "your management of the ship will significantly improve. That is not to say you were deficient before." "Moms and Dad," said the children in unison, "we love you either way." Sarah's Clan with their children went to their shuttle for the trip to An Clochán and breakfast with the other Command Staffs. When everyone had sat down together, Molly said, "I see that we shared a lot more aspects of our abilities last night while we slept." "Yes," replied Kelly. "I am not sure about the rest of you, but we really slept soundly." Kelly comments were quickly acknowledged by all the groups. "We had a little surprise this morning," said Sarah. "We didn't realize it until our children said something. We forgot to relax our bond when we got up. Once the children made the comment, we realized it and did." "In thinking back about the experience," added Alena, "there didn't seem to be any real difference in how we performed our activities before then. However, we were doing the things we normally do every time we get up. I wonder if anyone outside our family would notice a difference." "Aine told us that it indicated a growth in our ability to mind-link." "Interesting," said Kelly, "we have always formed a circle to enter the tighter mind-link and become one. To do it while we slept we had sort of an odd circle but it worked." "Same for us," said Jackie with everyone else nodding their agreement. "If we are all comfortable with what we learned yesterday, I have a question to lay on the table," said Kelly. Looking around the group she saw that everyone was waiting for her to continue. "What happens when one of us is injured while we are tightly linked? What happens if one of dies during that time?" Kelly waited a few moments then continued with, "I suspect we will feel the pain or loss. The question is how strong is the pain. Is it muted when it is not our body? What do we do? If we are engaged in a critical activity, how do we maintain our focus? Obviously, if we are in a combat situation, we have to be careful of our choices and responses." "We have discussed that a bit," said Tara. "We think we know how we want to handle it, but don't know how well it will work." After pausing for a few moments she continued with, "If we are in a critical situation, then we want to divide into two parts, one with a lessened connection. The primary group would remain focused on the critical situation, while the smaller group aided the injured. Who is in which group depends on circumstances. We have thought through several scenarios." "Lets get our psionic skills built up first," said Molly. "We feel like we are a little behind the rest of you in that regard." "Not really," said Creidne a mentor, "we would be pleased to have any of you at our side in a conflict. Kelly does raise an issue that all of you need to think about. The event would most likely happen during a battle. It could easily happen on the bridge. A psionic attack on one clan member could be a way to attack the others in the clan. Depending on circumstances all a successful psionic attacker may need to do is disrupt your concentration long enough to launch an attack. You need to sort this out in each of your clans before we share with you some of our approaches." "Looking for new ideas," said Chester with a smile. "Always. Just like you, Rusty, and an number of others do. One other thing, we don't think that you need to have every possible combination of your clans practice together. This is because of the sharing you are doing with each other. We encourage you to try new approaches in using your abilities. You have exhibited some strengths that we have only heard spoken of as possibilities." "Thanks," replied the Command Staffs in unison. "We need to get back to our ships," said Molly with Jackie nodding. "We achieved everything we expected to since last night. Although after Kelly's questions, I think I know what we will make time to discuss over the next week or so." "There isn't any rush on Kelly's questions," said Siobhan. "Lets get your ships in orbit and on their way to being completed then we can come back to those questions as a group." "I agree," replied Kelly. "We think each clan should think of how they would handle it, then we can compare notes again. I suspect our mentors would like to be in on that." "Yes, we would," added Aine and Creidne. ------- It was two weeks after Fiontar and Marthanóir lifted off when Shannon said, "Command Staffs the visitors from Alliance of Worlds will arrive next week. Our current projections indicate that they will arrive as three separate groups." "Fine," came the reply. "Command Staffs," said Rusty, "we should alter our positioning over An Clochán. Our thinking is for us to move to a geosynchronous orbit over a point about a 1000 km North and West of An Clochán. Envisioning three axises, Fiontar and Marthanóir are side by side facing opposite directions along the axis parallel to Mars surface which could be referred to as the x axis. Phoenix and Iarracht will take opposite directions on the y axis, leaving Eagle and Taiséalai on the z axis facing in opposite directions. The y and z axis would be positioned so Mars was not an obstacle to their view. Dóchas scan area will vary but as the expected time approaches will turn toward the point where the main group is expected to arrive. This will give us coverage in all directions with a focus on their arrival point." "Neat idea," said Keriann. "We need to make sure our propulsion pods are not pointed at anyone. With us being six points on an imaginary 25 km sphere with an offset from the imaginary axis by 2 km on our starboard, we should be fine." "Good idea," replied Kathryn, "otherwise things could get exciting if you took a surprise hit by a blast from the pods. The spacing seems about right as well. We should run a simulation to make sure the spacing works." "Can't we set this imaginary sphere to rotate about the x axis," added Siobhan. "This way the field we are monitoring is always changing, which should make detection easier for us." "Moving that way will allow us to scan without it being obvious. Perhaps we should use this formation anytime we are holding a position." "This is almost like being in the field," said Chester, "except we have to worry about two more directions of approach." "We agree with the idea of doing this all the time when we are in orbit or holding a position in space," said Kaitlin of Maureen's Clan. "Agreed," said Kelly. "While in orbit, we don't necessarily need to be facing the forward direction of the orbit. This brings up a question of when we are traveling do we have enough protection to the rear." "You're wondering if we can detect someone approaching from behind." "Yes." "I guess everyone realizes that there will always be a portion of the universe blocked by Mars," said Eibhilin of Maureen's Clan. "The blind spot will move as Mars rotates and we move. Kathryn's proposal is good for when we are not near anything." "Lets have security evaluate it," replied Brittany of Kathryn's Clan. "We should be able to compensate for the moving blind spot." "I agree," replied Eibhilin. "Since we are all linked together," said Sarah, "why don't we review our status now rather than tomorrow?" "We are agreeable, if Molly and Jackie's Clans can take the time now," replied Keriann. "Oops, sorry for the delay," said Molly. "As to doing the status review today, we would like to wait until at least tomorrow. The next clock cycle would be even better." "Not a problem," replied the other Command Staffs. "So we will meet after breakfast, in two clock cycles," said Sarah. "Yes," came the reply from each of them. ------- Chapter 140 "Good morning, Sarah's Clan," said Shannon in a cheerful tone, just as Sarah's Clan sat down for breakfast on Dóchas. "And a good morning to you," replied the clan in unison. "You're up and about early this morning and so cheerful to." "This has started off as a very interesting morning. Not good or bad, just interesting. Chloe in Communications will probably be contacting you shortly. This is because our engagement with the Imperial Council has finally registered with the media and general public on Earth. The story has taken on a life of its own. Unfortunately, many of the stories include a lot of miss information, perhaps fabrications is a better description. It is easy to tell which side of the political spectrum the author is on by the descriptions of events. I could be cynical and say "typical media politics," but I won't. Chloe has a request from Grandview TV for a live interview to discuss the IC engagement. They want to do the program later today. Chloe has more information on their proposal." "Today?" said Sarah. "Who is the proposed host? "Yes, today. At this time, we haven't heard who will host the program. Chloe may have an idea of who it will be." "Thanks for the heads-up. We will think about it a bit." "Okay. I'm sure Chloe will be contacting you as there isn't much time." "Internet traffic on websites hosting the symposium proceedings has increased significantly in the last week. Currently the proceedings from the Symposium on Solutions for Environmental Issues and the Symposium on Improving Health with Bioengineering are available. Comments in related news groups is mostly positive. Several posted reviews are positive. The only exceptions have been when a concept goes against the writers religious tenets. Publication of the proceedings for the Symposium on Horticulture will go up in the next few days. We suspect this will draw even more attention from the scientific community. With Earth's media focused on the IC engagement, the availability of the symposium proceedings will likely draw little attention." "So why are you up so early?" "I'm getting there. Our AI summoned us very early this morning to review new information regarding the group of ships coming from the Alliance of Worlds. Right now we are projecting them to pass through our outer sentential ring late this afternoon. We now have positively identified three separate groups. The main group consists of two Dóchas class ships, eight ships that are about two-thirds the size of a Dóchas class ship, four Badb class ships and three very large ships that appear to be freighters. It is the main group that we have been expecting. The two smaller groups were only identified recently and each consists of three Badb class ships." "Wow ... that is a lot more ships than what was first indicated," said Rusty. "Yes. We are getting good reliable information from our reconnaissance drones shadowing the main group. There are more ships because the main group has grown several times as ships have joined since they turned toward this system. The two small groups are projected to arrive here a little before the main group. We don't have any information on how the three groups relate. Although, the two small groups are Alliance of Worlds ships based on their markings and electronic signatures." "There isn't any change in our expectations that these visitors are friendly but we really won't know until they make the FTL transition. The two small groups are expected to enter the solar system on the opposite side from the large group. From battle tactics described in the library, the two small groups are expected to use a planet to shield their FTL transition. Uranus would be the likely choice based on what we know." "So if they try to shield their arrival, then we should suspect trouble. Well at least be prepared for trouble. Doesn't protocol require the use of IFF transponders when entering a system?" said Rusty. "Yes, if those protocols are still valid. They also call for those entering a system to immediately establish communication and announce their arrival as well. The question is do they still apply." "Let's backup a minute. You said they would pass the outer perimeter late this afternoon. If they do their FTL transition in the Jovian belt as we expect, they could be making the FTL transition late this evening. Have all the Command Staffs been advised of this?" "We still expect them to FTL transition just inside the Jovian belt. The transition is expected to be late this evening, although it could be very early tomorrow. The other Command Staffs are being briefed by their Intelligence departments." "If we were entering an unknown system, we would send reconnaissance probes first. Have they?" "From the information the drones collected, we are pretty certain that probes were sent through this system at least twice and perhaps more. These have all been with in the last four months. Based on what we saw of the last probe, each was passive thus would be indistinguishable from other space debris. Our probes monitored the launch of their last reconnaissance probe. Security had difficulty tracking it even knowing where it was coming from." "So we should presume, they know of us and that Earth is inhabited." "We don't see how they could miss Earth being inhabited. We think they know a lot about Earth based on our intercepts. They really don't need reconnaissance probes with all the radio signals Earth sends into space. It isn't clear from the communication intercepts whether they know we are here or not." "How easy is it to pick up their communications?" said Maeve. "Pretty easy. We have seen very little encrypted traffic. Their inter ship communication uses a narrow high frequency beam for the link. They are routing all communication through their Dóchas class ships. Fortunately the beam spreads a bit by the time it reaches the receiver, so we just have to put our snoops in the right place to catch the signals edge." "Let us know immediately if you see anything suspicious." "Will do. In the last clock cycle, we have increased the number of surveillance drones monitoring the main group." "Do you think they know our drones are monitoring them?" "No. Not unless they detected us before we figured out how to eavesdrop on their communications." "Okay. Make sure your group stays fresh." "Star, change to readiness level 3," said Sarah. "Done," replied Star. "All ships are now at level 3." Sally said, "If they are able to understand the languages on Earth, then they know we are here. If that is true then they know that we kicked IC's ass from the recent news stories. All of that should make for an interesting first meeting." "That is a lot of 'ifs'. Let's play it straight up in terms of greeting them," said Rusty. "It would be prudent for us to cloak our operational ships now except for us. Marthanóir and Fiontar should stay visible and continue with normal operations as we don't want to delay their completion. When the main group from Alliance of Worlds ships begins their transition from FTL, we will launch all of Dóchas' resources." "Agreed." "Sarah's Clan," said Siobhan, "we are cloaked. All flight crews will be standing by when our visitors make their FTL transition." Kathryn, Keriann, and Maureen quickly followed Siobhan with the same announcement. "An item for us to consider," said Kelly, "once we get to Celia we need to build some weapons platforms about half the size of Dóchas with about five times its fire power. The concept is to basically have a heavy cruiser but very maneuverable. To complement these ships, we should consider creating a set of satellites with defensive weapons." "Agreed," replied the other Command Staffs. "We need to have ships near the two small groups when they arrive," said Chester. "Our natural tendency will be to focus on the main group. This would make it easier for us to counter if they try to jump us." "We agree," said Calvin. "We could position two or three groups of cruisers with fighter support near projected arrival points." "Let's deploy one cruiser and six Star fighters from each ship to the area where Intelligence expects them to arrive." "Kelly, that is a good suggestion," said Terry. "The group should form up near us and head outbound as a group before cloaking. Once cloaked move to their assigned sector." "We will have our FOC put together the operations plan," said Keriann. "Keriann," said Sarah, "we would like for your clan to take the lead while we are tied up with the news conference." "Aye, aye," came the reply closely followed by several chuckles. "We should link again right after the news conference." "Agreed," came the reply from all Command Staffs. ------- "I was just going to contact you all," said Chloe when Sarah's Clan entered the Communications Department. "Shannon told us earlier that Grandview TV and newspapers were asking for an interview regarding the IC engagement," replied Sarah. "They are but we haven't committed to anything." "What is the optimum time for Grandview?" asked Sarah. "Well," said Melinda, "about six hours from now would put it right at the beginning of their prime viewing time." "Think it can be setup that quick?" said Aoife. "I would think so, but I need to talk to them. You seem anxious to do this." "We are. The ships from the Alliance of Worlds will arrive in this solar system tonight or tomorrow. So we would like to try and get the correct information about the IC engagement circulating on Earth before their attention is drawn elsewhere." "Let's call them now." "Before you do that," said Sarah, "do we know why it has taken nearly a year for this to become a news item. We were under the impression that it wasn't really a secret although little was said about it." "Not really, but we can ask," replied Brenda. "From what I have seen, it looks like a campaign issue in the US. Although, we are seeing news stories in virtually all parts of Earth." "Lets not ask. We do want to know how widely they are going to announce this special news event." Everyone listened as Melinda called and talked to the program director at the Grandview TV station. The Grandview newspaper editors, Rob and Paul, were soon added to the phone connection, and Melinda switched to using a speaker phone. The initial proposal by Darren, the TV program director, was to have an interview format similar to that used on other panel news programs in their studio. After considerable discussion, the program evolved into Sarah's Clan taking an hour to present the engagement with the IC ships in chronological order. The presentation would include videos, photos and maps of the engagement. This would be followed by a question and answer segment. The questions would come from a group of invited news reporters and analysts. For logistics and security reasons, it was decided to have the show originate from Comrie. As the details were being finalized, Darren asked if the starting time could be an hour later. After looking at those around her Melinda said, "Yes we can do that. I take it you want to move it further into prime time." "Yes. The real reason is to make sure we have enough time to get all the pieces lined up. We may not be able to get our first choice in correspondents or analysts to participate." "I don't think participation will be a problem. We have no problem with either time," said Paul. "We can have our staff handle the shows logistics at Comrie, if you all are agreeable." "Melinda, that makes a lot of sense," said the Darren. "We have been very pleased with Lorelei and Earl's shows. They draw a large audience and the production quality is super. I will bring a couple of staff people with me." "Fine. A shuttle will pick you up at the airport when you are ready. While you are at Comrie, there will be full access to phone and Internet." "Lets plan on us meeting you at the airport in three hours," replied Rob just before the phone disconnected. Melinda looked at the group for a few moments before saying, "I can't believe, we just agreed to go live with a TV show in a little less than seven hours." "The crew we use for Lorelei and Earl's show is moving the equipment to a shuttle on An Clochán," said Sam. "Lorelei and Earl will be traveling with them." "The whole crew is coming." "Yes," replied Sam. "Is the shuttle big enough?" "Worry about the show. They know what needs to be done on the production side." "You're right. I do that all the time." "Guys," said Sarah, "we will meet you there about an hour before show time." "Do you need anything prepared?" "No. A couple of us were just running through what we sent to Earth's governments and decided to use that for the basis of the presentation. We will take care of it and will have it to you before we arrive." As Sarah's Clan left the Communications Department on Dóchas, Siobhan said, "Do you guys think the incoming visitors will see our engagement with the IC ships?" "That is a possibility but Shannon's group doesn't know for certain they are looking. It would be a lot to sort through and how would you know the significance of the content. To me, the purpose in showing the facts about the engagement, is to make it more difficult for politicians to stir people up with miss information." Erica said, "Video media is pretty similar between cultures. News programs all look similar. Entertainment programs are pretty easy to figure out as are educational programs. The problem with entertainment programs is how to interpret them with out a hands on reference." "That is good to know," said Jill, "but I don't remember seeing that in the library." "It probably isn't. I was speaking from our experience," replied Erica. ------- The TV special for the Órarduine engagement with the IC ships originated from the enclosed patio on new Comrie. Sam had arranged the set so the participants had their backs to the windows on the north side. She had Chantel, Comrie's AI, increase the tint level in the windows so the light would be balanced with the room lighting. By doing it this way, the viewers could see the Pacific Ocean behind the participants. When the group from Grandview arrived on new Comrie, Chelsey introduced Darren to Sam, Melinda and Carl. They chatted for a few moments as his eyes wandered around the set before he said, "This is the crew that does Lorelei and Earl's show right." "Yes, it is most of them," said Sam. "Well in that case, I think I will just watch. I may have a few suggestions, but you know what needs to be done. Either my two associates or I can help out anywhere you want, but it is your crew, so lead the way." "Thanks," said the three and quickly resumed their efforts in setting up the show. Darren watched the group work together setting up the set, checking the lighting and sound. He would have done it a little differently, but smiled as he realized Sam's group had a better arrangement. With their setup they would only need spots and a little fill lighting for the participants. They were nearly done when he thought, I wish my crew was this good. Samantha's crew had just finished when Sarah's Clan, Rob, Paul and four of the panelist came in. Darren gasped when he saw Sarah's Clan enter the room. He knew they were tall and beautiful, but to see them was still a shock. Darren walked over in response to Paul's wave. After everyone met, Lorelei had them gather in a circle so they could go over the plan for the program. Lorelei and Rob would share the moderator duties. Earl and Melinda would sit with the four panelist. Two panelist were news reporters with past assignments in several major capitals. One news analyst was from North America while the other was from Asia. Both analyst had worked in several regions. There would be several correspondents remotely connected to the program from several countries around the world. Lorelei raised her hand for quiet, "Let me outline how we want to do this then we will take suggestions." She looked around the group before continuing, "Sarah's Clan will present the background data on the engagement. This data will be available in the Grandview newspapers tomorrow with the same caveat that other Órarduine releases have had. Once the presentation is done, there will be a short commercial break. After the break, Sarah's Clan will answer questions." A correspondent raised his hand, then said, "Are there any restrictions on topics?" Lorelei started to respond then looked at Sarah, who said, "Not really. We expect the questions to be about the engagement, but we have no problem with responding on other areas of interest. There is always the possibility, that we may decline to answer your question. If we do that, we expect to give you a reason." "For instance," added Aoife, "if someone asked us what the differences were between our bodies and humans, we would decline. This is for two reasons. One, this program is in prime time and some viewers would find nudity offensive. The second is, that information is on our website as could be the answers to some other questions." "So you don't want to rehash stuff that is already published." "Correct. But don't be reluctant to ask any question. Let us be the ones to redirect it if necessary." "I can see this will be a little different than I am use too." "Oh, it will be," said Melinda and Lorelei in unison causing many to laugh. "Could we ask some questions now," asked a news analyst. "Sure if everyone is comfortable with the outline we just ran through." Lorelei looked around and not seeing anyone wanting to make a comment before saying, "Looks like we have time for a few questions." Then nodded to the news analyst. "I think I know the answer to this question," said the analyst. "Why are you doing this now as the engagement took place nearly a year ago?" "Because we were approached to do this for one," replied Sarah. "Another reason, is much of what is being said today in articles about the engagement are ... to be polite, fantasy." "So the Grandview papers approached you?" "No," replied Darren, "we did. Our station thought it would be good to hear what the Órarduine knew of the engagement as that had been absent from everything we heard." "Rob and I," said Paul, "had discussed visiting them to get the story, but hadn't asked before Darren called us." "That's right," said the news correspondent, "you guys work pretty closely together." "When we can compliment each other we do." Several more questions were asked before Lorelei told them they had fifteen minutes to get ready for the show. ------- "Good evening," said Rob looking toward the TV camera, "my name is Rob O'Brien and this is Lorelei McFahlen my co-moderator for tonight's broadcast. For tonight's special broadcast, we have invited representatives of the Órarduine to tell us about their meeting with the group calling themselves the Imperial Council." Rob then introduced the panel members and gave a thumbnail sketch of their background. He followed this by introducing the correspondents with remote connections. When Rob finished he looked at Lorelei, who then said, "Tonight's show will begin with a presentation by Sarah's Clan showing highlights from their meeting with the three groups of ships from the Imperial Council. Following the presentation, the panelist will have the opportunity to ask questions after a short break for commercials. There will only be one commercial break on the hour after the presentation. A one minute pause will take place on the quarter and half hour so your station can identify itself." "Sarah's Clan." As Lorelei said their name the camera showed Sarah's Clan sitting together to the right of the moderators. "Thank you Lorelei and Rob for the invitation to make this presentation," said Sarah's Clan in unison. "About a year ago, a group of space ships arrived in this solar system. They were from a culture at least 400 light years from here. They identified themselves as being agents of the Imperial Council. This was consistent with the markings on their ships. They arrived in three groups." As they began describing the events, a map of the solar system appeared on the TV screen. "There were two large combat ships that exited FTL between Mars and Saturn. Two groups exited FTL near Earth but above your satellites. Each of these groups consisted of a combat ship and two freighters. Each freighter was large enough to hold several of Earth's super tankers." Sarah's Clan spoke either in unison or in round robin fashion as they made the presentation, showing the events of their meeting with the Imperial Council. Their videos showed the ships making the FTL transition which was followed by closer views of the ships. The dialog between their bridge and the Imperial Council Commander was shown. This was followed by a description of the battle on a solar system map interspersed with video of the actual combat. They wrapped up with a disclosure of the intelligence information gained from the IC command ship before its destruction and cleanup operations. When Sarah's Clan finished, Rob said, "We have a little time before commercial break. I would like to clarify a couple of points in the presentation." Sarah's Clan nodded their agreement. "Was this an exploration group?" "Not in the least," replied Sarah's Clan in unison. "They were marauders or perhaps you could consider them pirates. Their objective was to collect items from Earth that they could sell to the worlds controlled by the Imperial Council." "You said collect as oppose to buy. How would they collect the items?" "From the information we obtained from them, they would isolate a portion of a planet and subdue all inhabitants. Once pacified, the harvest would begin. They would take everything, animals, crops, minerals and etc." "What about the people in the area?" "From their standpoint, humans are just another protein source. We don't understand how their isolation would work, unless they some how induced the rest of the planet to ignore their activity." Rob started to ask another question until he noticed the signal from Sam and said, "We will now take a short commercial break. Stay tuned." Chelsey brought refreshments around to the participants. When she reached, Sarah's Clan she said, "Nice job. The presentation was as smooth as any documentary that I have ever seen." "Good, that is what we wanted." Sam said, "Places everyone." Then began the count down to going live again. Lorelei began with "You are watching a special news program. Here with us we have Sarah's Clan from the Órarduine ship Dóchas. They just finished a presentation on their meeting with a group of pirate ships from the Imperial Council. For this portion of the program, we have a group of correspondents and analysts to ask Sarah's Clan about their experience. Let me introduce the panelist again." With that Lorelei, introduced each of the correspondents and analysts in the studio then those connected by video link. "Doug, lets start off with you." "Sarah's Clan, why didn't anyone on Earth see these events." "Well a few did but chose not to say anything about it. We did provide them with much of the information that was in the earlier presentation. Why not a wider audience? Well from our standpoint it was for three reasons. One, the IC ships close to Earth were between you and the sun as well as above the highest satellite orbits. Second, our engagement with the two combat ships near Mars was on the other side of the sun from Earth. A third reason is the whole engagement lasted less than three hours. A couple of astronauts on the ISS did see some indications of our engagement, but they didn't have time to confirm their observations." As Sarah's Clan was talking, the solar map was shown again indicating relative position of the participants including Earth. The second hour went very quickly. All the questions were very probing but showed an interest in the answer rather than trying to embarrass or trip someone up. As the time approached the half hour mark the direction of the questions began to shift toward the Órarduine and their future plans. In answer to one question, pictures of Dóchas, a Badb cruiser and a Star Fighter were shown. In each case they compared the size of each ship with an Earth ship. This led to a question about what the interior of their ship looked like. Sarah's Clan responded with, "You could visit and see for yourself. We don't believe any of the stories about us have overstated our accommodations. This doesn't help our audience though. We brought a short video that shows some of Dóchas' interior. Lorelei can narrate." "Thanks," replied Lorelei and then began to narrate the video. The video began with a view out of the shuttle approaching Dóchas then stepping out into the hanger and followed the opening tour that every visitor receives. It ended with a view of the bridge and Sarah's Clan at their stations. "I have seen scenes before of Dóchas' hanger," said Douglas one of the correspondents, "but I find it difficult to believe it is real." "You're looking for some kind of suit or air lock, aren't you?" said Earl. Douglas nodded. "I can relate to your doubts. I had similar ones before I visited there. I don't know how they do it but the pictures are real." "Simply put," added Claudette, "we establish an environmental envelope around the ship. It reaches out for about 150 meters and rapidly disappears beyond that. In combat, the envelope ends at the ships skin." "Doug, it looks like you have another question," said Lorelei. "Yes. Are their other civilizations out there or aliens as some would say?" All of Sarah's Clan smiled, then Sarah said, "We expected this question much earlier. The simple answer is: Yes, there are others." She paused for a few moments to let the curiosity build. "Our library has information on a multitude of others. Unfortunately, we don't have a time frame on that information." Just as Sarah finished, Sam indicated time was nearly up prompting Lorelei to say, "Would anyone like to make a two minute closing comment before we say good night?" "I would," said Zhao from Beijing. Lorelei nodded. "Órarduine thank you for a very enlightening evening. Much of what we have seen and heard is very hard to grasp, but I do not believe there are as many doubters now. I know that I no longer have any doubts and humbly thank you for your intervention." "Thank you," replied Sarah's Clan. Then Lorelei and Rob together said, "We wish to thank everyone who participated in the show for quickly altering your schedules." The camera came in close on them as they added, "Thank all of you for taking the time to watch our show this evening. We hope that our guests answers helped with your understanding of the event. Good night from all us." The camera pulled back to show a view of the whole set as the credits began to role. The view showed all of the participants gathered in a group talking and laughing. "Melinda," said Paul, "could we ride back with you?" "I wasn't planning on going back to Grandview," replied Melinda with a smile. "We didn't think so. Rob and I haven't been to Dóchas or An Clochán for several months." "Sure, you can ride with us but there maybe more room on Sarah's shuttle." As she said that she noticed Darren's, Doug's and several other correspondents ears twitch. Melinda glanced at Sam and Chelsey grinning. She put her fingers between her lips and whistled bringing all conversation to a halt. "Paul and Rob are planning on going back to Mars with us for a visit. Since I saw several ears twitch when we were talking, I will extend the invitation to everyone here." "There are several conditions to visiting and we give all visitors a couple of warnings. The primary condition is that you agree to be accompanied by an Órarduine at all times when away from your room. This is a safety requirement for you as we want you to be in the same condition when you leave as you arrived. The other warning is that we seldom wear clothes. There is no requirement for you to adopt our style. We want you to do what you are comfortable with. If nudity makes you uncomfortable then perhaps visiting is not a good idea. We prefer not to make any rush excursions back to Earth. Any questions?" "I need to call the office," said Harold with several others nodding. "You can use your cell phone or any phone here? On Mars, we prefer you use email to stay in contact. Phone calls are possible. Cell phones will not connect." "What would we be able to see?" "Just about anything you want too. We have few restrictions. Your escort will tell you when something is not permitted." "I really would like to visit," said Doug. "How soon do you need to know?" "Sarah, how soon are you leaving?" "We need to leave in no more than twenty minutes." "That is more than enough time. I'll go." As he finished Doug turned and went outside pulling his cell phone out as he went. "Melinda, I didn't really mean to saddle you with a bunch of visitors," said Paul. "You really didn't. Depending on activities the next couple of days, we may ask you to wander around as a group." "Darren," said Sam, "are you coming to Dóchas?" "Probably. I need to talk to the station manager first then tell my family. My two associates will need to go back to Grandview as they will need to cover for me. So my only hindrance will be lack of a phone." Chelsey saw Doug come back in from the patio. She could see he was steaming. When Doug realized she saw him he tried to control his emotions. "Do you want to talk about it?" "The only one I could reach was our scheduler. He told me that I had to be in Europe tomorrow for a news conference. When I objected, he said my department head told him that my participation here was not approved and would be noted in my file. Missing the news conference would not be tolerated." "What is the news conference?" "It is being held by the EU. Scuttle butt has it that they are going to announce an effort to place a settlement on Mars in ten years." "Really?" "Yes. They may announce it, but they don't have the infrastructure to do it in ten years regardless of the money they pour into it." "So, why don't you free lance? You seem knowledgeable on scientific issues." Lorelei had walked over while Chelsey and Doug were talking. "I've thought about it. Several others have tried it, but ended up going to work for another news organization after a short time. This was basically because they couldn't get any work." "Why is that?" "My suspicion is that someone with my current employer put out the word not to use them. No one said anything, but it is the only conclusion that makes any sense from what I know." "I've heard that about your organization," said Lorelei. "With that kind of ultimatum, are they looking for a reason to fire you." "It is possible. Another correspondent who worked for this manager was let go after she began getting recognition for her work. It took her quite a while to find another job and when she did it wasn't a very good job either. It was the kind of job graduates from small local colleges get. Poor pay, long hours and no recognition which soon ruins good people." "Know how to contact her?" said Lorelei with sparks in her eyes. "Yes. I have it on my laptop." "Darren," said Lorelei, "has the station ever filled my position?" "No, not really." "Would you, if you found the talent?" "Well, yes. Definitely. Why?" "Doug, give Darren your friends name. I am sure Darren would be interested in both of you." "What?" replied both Darren and Doug. "Darren needs to replace us as hosts for his news slot? Your girlfriend and you are now candidates." Darren looked at Doug and smiled as he realized the angle Lorelei was working. "But, she..." began Doug. Lorelei continued with, "Let's talk to Sarah and see if we can arrange to pick her up." "But..." began Doug as he watched Lorelei stop Sarah. "Sarah, could we pick up a special friend of Doug's?" "Well, we won't be able to, but I am sure we can arrange something. Doug, where is your friend?" "Twisted River, Wyoming, working as an engineer and correspondent for the local TV station." "Must be tough getting time to see her." "It is. It is a pain to get there as it is a 2 hour drive from Casper. She may not be speaking to me as I have had to cancel the last two visits." Doug's unhappiness was clear from his expression. "Give me a couple of minutes, to see what we can set up. Okay? Lorelei, who would be going?" Lorelei paused for a moment, then said, "I think Darren, Doug and me." Doug looked around and saw that most of the equipment had been packed and the crew was starting to take it out to the shuttles. He stood with Lorelei watching the activity around them. Chelsey and Sam were in the midst of things and directing the activity. It seemed to him that there were now more people around than during the program. Darren joined them saying, "I am cleared to go but they would like me back within three days." "Not a problem," replied Sarah. "Doug, why don't you call your friend. A shuttle will be here before we leave to take the three of you to Twisted River." "Twisted River?" said Darren. "Yes," replied Lorelei. "We are going to pick up Doug's friend on the way to Dóchas. Sarah, who is going with us?" "Cathan's Clan." "Cool," replied Lorelei. "Doug, you should plan on being on Dóchas for at least three days," added Sarah. "Oh, s... ," said Doug, "I don't have any clothes with me." "Don't worry, I am sure we can take care of that," said Lorelei. "If nothing else you could wear and outfit like Rusty is wearing." "It does look comfortable." "The design is similar to what I am wearing and it is comfortable." All of the equipment had been loaded onto the waiting shuttles and the patio returned to its original state when two women and a man entered the patio. "You're here already," said Lorelei. "Yes, lets go," replied Cathan. Lorelei quickly introduced Doug and Darren to Cathan, Ciar and Todd before heading out the door. Doug looked around and was surprised to see all the others had left. Lorelei asked, "Ciar, who came with you?" "We're all here. The others are waiting in the shuttle. Doug, Darren just so you're not shocked the rest of our clan is wearing their tactical suits." By the time Ciar had finished speaking, they were at the shuttle. Once they were all in the shuttle, Todd and Cathan went up to the flight deck while Ciar introduced their passengers to her clan. Lorelei had Doug and Darren sit next to windows even though they wouldn't see very much on their trip to Twisted River. ------- Chapter 141 The shuttle had just lifted off from Comrie's new location with Lorelei, Darren, Doug and Cathan's Clan when Lorelei asked, "Doug, what did your friend say when you spoke with her?" "Virginia seemed a little groggy and tense at first. After we talked a bit, I asked her if I could come for a short visit and I could be there in an hour. With that bit of news, her mood changed almost instantaneously. She immediately told me yes and the sooner the better. Although, she expressed some doubts about me arriving in an hour, but it was clear that she was really anxious to see me. When I asked how things were going, her responses weren't very positive. She did say that she had been at the station until early this morning repairing some equipment. The station manager called her this morning after she had only slept for a few hours. He told her she had to cover the mid-day and evening news programs. She asked him, if he knew she had been at the station all night repairing the decrepit equipment. He replied that what she did last night wasn't relevant to his request and she was to cover mid-day and evening news. Apparently, she went ballistic over the phone and isn't sure she still has a job as she didn't go to work. After that, she slept most of the day." "Did she watch our program this evening?" "Sort of. She stumbled upon it when she was surfing channels after she woke up. Based on her comments, I think she missed some of the first part as most of her comments focused on what I did and said." "Critic?" said Lorelei with a smile. "Well, yes and no," replied Doug smiling. "Virginia and I have always critiqued each other. We have always done it in a way that helped each other grow." Just then the screen on the cabin wall changed to show an overhead view of the duplex where Virginia lived. "Wow. We're here already. Her half is on the right." As they came closer, Doug added, "What are those people doing outside her house?" ------- Shortly after Doug's call, Virginia responded to a knock on the door. Expecting Doug, she opened it without looking through the peep hole. As soon as she opened the door, four men and a woman pushed her back into the living room. Shocked by the sudden intrusion, Virginia backed up, when she turned to flee, her path was partially blocked. By then a man grabbed her arm, spinning her around and pushed her against the wall. He quickly grabbed her elbows, pushing them together behind her back while she struggled. Tightly holding Virginia's elbows, the man then forced her to turn back toward the woman. When Virginia opened her mouth to scream, the woman shoved a wad of cloth in her mouth, turning the scream into a muffled sob. Virginia's eyes filled with tears from fear and pain. The woman slapped Virginia hard on both cheeks. "Shut up, bitch! Stop struggling." Turning to the other three men she said, "Search the house. You know what to look for." Virginia starred at the woman. In the background, Virginia could hear the men noisily searching in the other rooms. As she listened, her fear grew with the noise they were making. It sounded as if they were apparently tearing the place apart. Virginia's attention was drawn back to the woman when she grabbed the neckline of her dress. Virginia shivered as she looked into the woman's eyes, then gasped as she felt her dress being ripped open to the waist. The woman then grabbed the front of her dress and tore it the rest of the way to the hem. Virginia began to blush causing the woman to laugh. "Get use to it. Once you leave here, you will be naked nearly all the time." Virginia's eyes bulged when she saw the woman pull a large knife from her pocket. As the woman opened the knife she began to whimper. "Shut up bitch!" said the woman. "You're not going to get cut. You are wearing too many clothes. Sluts don't wear clothes. Now, hold still." With that the woman began to cut Virginia's clothes off of her. The woman had just finished stripping Virginia when the three men searching her house came back into the living room. Virginia turned a bright red on seeing the men enter. "Mistress, we didn't find anything. Here are the shoes you wanted. The bitch doesn't have any taller heels." The woman said, "These will do. Now, go fix the gas line. We will have bitch ready by the time you are done. Remember, it has to look like an accident." The men looked over at Virginia and one said, "Wow, look at those nice milk bags, she'll make a nice heifer." "I believe you three have something to do," replied the woman sharply as she glanced at the men. "You will have an opportunity to play with her later. Now get to it. The sooner we leave the better for all of us." Turning back to Virginia, the woman said, "You have a very nice body. I will check it out more thoroughly when we have you at the ranch. The odor from your cunt tells me that you are aroused by humiliation. Presenting a wet cunt to your admirers is a great trait for a slut." The woman stood back and looked Virginia over then groped her breasts before adding, "Nice firm tits. They should enlarge nicely as you need bigger tits, along with a larger clit and some body jewelry to enhance your desirability. We can start those changes later tonight." Virginia mumbled into the gag. "Did you say, who are you?" Virginia nodded. "Who we are, is not important. We were sent to acquire you. Once we have you safely at the ranch, he wants you trained to be his personal plaything, a sex toy. He gave us specific instructions on how we are to prepare you for your new role in life as a sex toy." Virginia's eyes filled with tears as her despair grew. Seeing Virginia's response the woman continued, "While your tits and clit are growing, you will learn all the techniques necessary to be an excellent cock sucker even taking it down your throat. Some have difficulty with swallowing until their front teeth are pulled. You will also practice giving women pleasure with your mouth and hands. Once you are skilled in those arts, you will perform in our sex shows." While the woman talked, Virginia's despair continued to grow. "The films of your performances will be seen by many." "Now we need to put on your new shoes." The woman picked up the shoes off the couch that the men had left. She looked at them and said, "Oh, good, my information was correct." With that she reached into a bag on the floor and brought out a pair of very tall high heels. "These will be a good fit for you." The woman grabbed one of Virginia's legs, lifting it up, she forced the shoe onto Virginia's foot, then closed the two locking straps. Letting Virginia's leg down, she immediately grabbed the other leg, letting Virginia momentarily take her full weight on her arms. Virginia moaned in pain from the increased pressure on her arms. After fastening the other shoe, she let Virginia's leg down and watched as Virginia put her weight on her feet now encased in the very tall high heels. The woman smiled as she watched the expressions cross Virginia's face as she adapted to the shoes. "Bitch," said the woman, "those 6" heels give your legs a nice shape. After we put your collar and cuffs on you are going to walk out to our truck. At the truck, you will get in the back. Do everything you are told as you have no choice. Failing to obey will be intensely painful. Understand, bitch!" Virginia just starred at the woman, not saying a word. The woman pulled a two pronged cattle prod from the bag on the floor. Pointing it at Virginia's groin she slowly moved it toward her. Virginia drew in a deep breath when she felt the sharp points of the cattle prod press against her groin. Virginia looked to the woman's face as the woman sternly said, "When I ask a question, you will answer immediately. If you don't there are consequences." She smiled as she squeezed the trigger. Virginia screamed when the surge of electricity flowed like a hot knife through her groin. ------- Meanwhile, Todd guided the shuttle to land at the curb in front of the house. As soon as the cabin door opened most of Cathan's Clan quickly exited the shuttle. Doug, Darren and Lorelei followed them out with Cathan and Todd right behind them. Just as Doug noticed the front door was open, they heard a shrill scream. The three men at the side of the house looked toward the front when they heard the scream. They were surprised to see Doug closely followed by two others running toward the front door. One man hollered, "Hey, mother fuckers, you better leave before you get cut." Another said, "We better stop those assholes from interfering with the Mistress' fun or we will be the focus of her wrath." With that the three men dropped their tools and hurried toward front of the house. "Stop, right there BOYS," said Ciar as the men entered the front yard. "Fuck you bitch," replied one as he turned heading toward her as the others continued toward the door. "My you're a nice looking bitch. I am sure we have a place for you at the ranch." As he turned toward Ciar, he continued to bait her. "As nice as you look, we can start you in the sex shows tomorrow. You'll look real nice laying back with your legs spread with a stallion's cock filling your cunt." "You're a sick fucking asshole," replied Ciar sharply. "Watching shows like that is probably the only way you can get off as your dick isn't long enough to satisfy a fly." "Fuck you, bitch," he screamed as he leaped toward Ciar intending to tackle her. She braced herself and when he was in arms length she grabbed his shoulders and flipped him over her. He landed flat on his back as she rolled up on to her feet. "Now you're going to get it," said the man as he rolled to his feet. He was mad, a mere woman had flipped him. He crouched slightly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, as he looked for a way to take her. It enraged him that she just stood there starring at him with only a slight smirk on her face. "Your alone, stupid," said Ciar. "Your two friends are bound." "I don't need them to take you, bitch." He charged towards her with the intention of getting her in a bear hug. He was surprised when his arms went around her as he expected more resistance. Before he could clasp his arms behind her, his back erupted in pain as Ciar slammed both hands into his lower back. His grip relaxed a bit in response to the pain. Ciar shoved him back then brought both hands down onto his shoulders. His mind was still dealing with the first blow when he felt the blow and heard both shoulders break. The pain overwhelmed any rational thought except to survive. In spite of the pain, he moved his hand to grip the gun in his holster. He had no sooner gripped the gun than Ciar grabbed his wrist and squeezed. His hand twitched, as the bones began to crumble in his wrist, firing the pistol. The bullet made a deep crease down his leg. His scream was short as Ciar cold cocked him then fastened his arms and ankles together behind his back. ------- Just as the shuttle door opened, Virginia managed to push the rag out of her mouth with her scream. "Noisy bitch," said the woman as she pressed the two prongs of the cattle prod against Virginia's tit. "Slut, you better shut your fucking mouth or the pain will continue and get worse. Electricity can give you a lot more pain than a whipping and leaves no marks." Virginia shuddered at the implications, then screamed as the prod discharged into one breast then the other in rapid succession. When the pain began to ease, Virginia opened her eyes to see Doug coming through the front door, she remembered Doug was coming to see her. She hollered, "Doug, run, before they get you." The woman turned at Virginia's comment to see Doug standing just inside the door. "So, this is your famous boy friend. We didn't know, he would be here. Oh my, what have we here," continued the woman as she saw Cathan and Todd enter behind Doug. "Let her go!" shouted Doug easing slowly forward. "You've got to be kidding. With a body like hers, she is going to be the most popular slut in our shows, at least until her buyer claims her." "What do you mean?" said Doug stalling for time. "Tonight Virginia is beginning her new life as a sex toy. She is already dressed for the part, as sex toys seldom need clothes. It will take her a few months to learn her new role in life. With the three of you with her, she will have live training aids on which to practice her new skills. You will first need some adjustments to your body but your two friends will be fine just the way they are." "Virginia isn't going anywhere with you," replied Doug. "Oh, but all of you are going with us," responded the woman as she pointed a gun toward Doug. "This says you are going to do just what I tell you. So lets begin by you stripping." "It will take more than that. You can't pull the trigger fast enough." "Try me. Besides we are not alone." Enya and Máiréad stepped into the room from the kitchen placing them behind and to the side of the two holding Virginia. Enya said, "You are alone." Enya's comment caused the woman to jump and glance toward Enya's voice. The momentary glance was just what they needed. Todd picked up the woman by the throat and threw her against the wall as the gun was pulled from her hand. With Máiréad on one side and Cathan on the other, they were quickly beside the man holding Virginia. Each grabbed one of his elbows and squeezed. He released Virginia when his elbows erupted in pain as they were crushed. Enya caught Virginia as she fell forward and carried her to the couch. Enya sat down with Virginia, keeping her arm around her. Doug quickly sat on the other side of Virginia. He started to put his arm around her, but instead took her hands in his. Both Doug and Virginia had dazed looks on their faces as their situation had totally changed in seconds. Ciar stepped through the door and looked around. "Looks like you've been busy here too." "I thought the West was suppose to be friendly," said Cathan. "Me, too," added Ciar. Virginia shuttered then said, "It is very friendly unless you turn over the wrong rock or step on someones toes." She suddenly turned to Doug and her face beamed as she threw her arms around his neck. After a few moments, she began to cry. Doug held her as she cried, caressing her bare back. When the sobbing had diminished, Doug said, "Are you all right?" "Now I am. I have never been so happy to see you and I have never been so scared as I was earlier. It is fortunate you brought your friends." "I am glad we were in time." "Me, too," she replied as she kissed him. When they separated Cathan said, "Well, Virginia, do you know which rock you turned over?" "No. I don't know what I could have done that would involve this slime. This is the only one I have ever seen in town. From what she told me before you arrived, she owns and operates an exclusive sex club - dude ranch an hour or so out of town. I have never met her or seen any advertisements for the place or where it is. There are rumors around that there is ranch nearby that has a brothel with anything goes sex shows." "Were you looking into anything?" Virginia paused with a thoughtful look before saying, "Well not really, as the last few weeks were filled with fixing equipment at the station. The only out of the ordinary thing is some three weeks ago, I met a couple of young women in one of the local night spots. We spent the evening talking over a few drinks. It was nice to talk to someone who had seen more of the world than just Wyoming. They were from out of state and were here looking for work as they had heard there was a dude ranch nearby looking for help. I told them I was pretty new to the area and had heard of a dude ranch but that was all I knew. I know they were still in town several days after that because our paths crossed several times. Each time we stopped and chatted. They were nice people. It has been a couple of weeks since I last saw them, no probably closer to three." "Did you talk to anyone about them?" "Not really. About a week ago, we were talking in the office when I expressed some curiosity about the dude ranch that I kept hearing about. Several of the staff spoke of hearing those rumors, but didn't know where it was if there was one. Someone asked what brought that up, and I commented about meeting the two women in town looking to work there." "Sarah's Clan, can we have another security team down here?" "What's up?" "Seems, we were in time to keep some trash from abducting Doug's friend. The MO is surprisingly familiar." "Okay. Edana's Clan will join you shortly. Don't dally, we would like to have everyone back before to long." "Virginia, do you feel like standing up?" "Yea, I think so." Virginia slowly stood up. She was a little unsteady on her feet but didn't realize that part of her unsteadiness was due to the shoes locked on her feet. "Ciar, why don't you go with her while she gets dressed? Then I think Doug wants Virginia to meet his friends." "What about them?" said Virginia looking at the two moaning on the floor. "We'll take care of them while you're getting dressed." "What are you going to do?" "Quiz them so we can find out, what is going on," replied Cathan. "We will start with the woman as she was apparently in charge. Besides the man looks like he is still out." Todd looked at the man carefully, before saying, "He is about half conscious. From the angle of his arms, it looks like his elbows are crushed." Todd walked over and checked the man for weapons. Ciar walked with Virginia back to her bedroom. Shortly after they left they heard Virginia scream, "Those son of a bitches." Cathan saw Doug looking around with a worried look on his face. "Doug, they searched the rooms before we arrived and tore up things pretty badly. Try and relax, we have more help coming. Before we leave, we will know what is behind their attempt to abduct Virginia. From what has happened, we also want to see what is going on out at this woman's ranch. Her actions here really seem strange, if she is just operating a brothel in conjunction with dude ranch." "It's obvious from what we heard that she planned on forcing Virginia to work at the ranch as a sex toy," said Doug. "Sorcha, what did you learn from the three out front?" "They're cowboys but that description sullies the idea of what a real cowboy is. Basically there are two parts to the woman's operation. This group operates the whore house, sex show and S&M cellar. Besides sex shows and full service companions, they offer a wide range of other services including severe S&M including unrestrained torture. All the clients for the sexual services arrive by air and leave the same way. Some clients bring women or men who are left to be trained as sex toys or performers in sex shows. A few of those the clients bring are taken immediately to the cellar." "There has to be some locals involved to keep something like that quiet. Do they know who is in on it?" "Not really. They have occasionally seen people from the area at the ranch. They don't know names to go with the faces." "Okay. Let's work on this woman." Sorcha and Cathan moved the woman so she was laying on her back. When they stripped her, they found two more weapons. Cathan rolled her onto her side so Sorcha could tie her elbows together using a slip knot around each, then bound her wrists together. Each of the woman's legs were folded back and tied together. A noose was then tied around each ankle with the end then tied to the rope around her wrists, then rolled her on her back. "Okay, let's wake her up," said Sorcha as she projected the sensation of a knife cutting the woman's breast. The woman woke up screaming, looking down at her now bare breasts. Her eyes bulged as she could feel a knife slicing through her breast but saw nothing. When she tried to move her hands, she realized her wrists and ankles were bound together. She then looked up at the women on each side of her. Neither Sorcha or Cathan said a word, they just starred at her. The woman's fear was evident by her expression. After a few moments Sorcha softly said, "Who sent you?" Cathan watched the woman's thoughts as she consider how to respond. Sorcha followed each question with a more probing question, using the information Cathan collected from the woman's thoughts caused by the question. Each question grew more pointed and came more frequently as the questioning continued. The woman was off balance as she couldn't understand how Sorcha knew the questions to ask as she had not replied to any of her questions. The woman's fear grew even more as she realized how much Sorcha knew about their operation never realizing it was her thoughts providing Sorcha with the knowledge. Doug watched spell bound as Sorcha continued asking the woman questions. Sorcha's questions puzzled him, as he couldn't understand how she knew what to ask. The woman hadn't responded to any question but the questions Sorcha asked were like she knew the woman's answer. He could tell by the woman's body language that Sorcha's questions were accurate. Edana's Clan arrived just as Sorcha finished questioning the woman. Cathan looked up, seeing Edana, she said, "Glad you guys are here." The woman on the floor got a good look at Edana and realized these people were Órarduine. The knowledge scared her so bad she began to pee. She had heard rumors about how Órarduine treated those who forcibly enslave people. "Heard, you needed a little help. Enya and Máiréad hogtied the three men out front and dumped them in the pickup. One of them must be pretty broken up as he screamed when he hit the bed of the truck." "That must have been the one that tangled with Ciar. Let me gag this one." Sorcha shoved the gag into the woman's mouth, then tightened a harness over the woman's head to hold the gag in place. "Todd there is a cage in the truck. Would you put this animal in her cage?" Hearing that the woman began to struggle. Each movement tightened the bindings around her elbows and ankles. Edana watched the woman struggle before saying, "You really shouldn't struggle so much, as your just tightening the bindings on your elbows and ankles. Keep it up and the circulation will stop. No circulation and you will soon lose your hands and feet." "We need to question the man before he is put in the truck." "Shouldn't we turn them over to the law?" said Doug. "That would be ideal," replied Cathan. "The question is how. First lets see what this one knows." Sorcha and Cathan moved the man so he was laying on his back. The area around each of his elbows had started to swell. The man wasn't totally conscious but Cathan could tell he was conscious enough to hear their questions. Sorcha began asking the man questions, again keying off the information Cathan gathered from his thoughts and what they had learned from the woman. They had just finished questioning the man when Virginia and Ciar came back into the room. Virginia looked around and said, "Where is the woman?" "We put her in the cage in the back of the truck," replied Sorcha. "What?" replied Virginia as she moved over to stand next to Doug, slipping her hand into his. "Todd would you and Kacey take this piece of meat out to the truck." Everyone was quiet as the man rose off the floor and then float out the door. After they were out the door, Cathan noticed the expressions on Virginia and Doug's faces. "Psionic ability," said Cathan as she nodded toward the door drawing their attention back inside. "Ciar, where are Lorelei and Darren?" "Out in the shuttle. A little shook up, but calming down. Two of our clan are with them." "Let's start over," said Cathan. "Virginia, as you have probably figured out by now, we are Órarduine. My name is Cathan." She then introduced everyone that was in the room. "We are here because Doug wanted to talk to you before he came to visit us." "This has to be the worst night of my life," said Virginia with tears in her eyes. "I am so thankful you all showed up when you did. I really goofed, no, I screwed up royally. When they knocked on the door, I was so sure it was Doug, I opened the door without checking the peek hole." "The five of them were inside before I could even react. The man you saw holding me, grabbed me by my arms before I could try to escape. The three you found outside searched the house while she stripped me. After she had stripped me, she told me that they had been sent to acquire me for someone. This person wanted me for a sex toy and had directed her to alter my body. Once I learned my new skills and the changes to my body were complete, I would perform in the sex shows until my owner picked me up. I didn't understand what or why she had them search through my things. After the search, she sent them to fix the gas line so the house would be destroyed later tonight by a gas explosion and fire. She was pissed when I wouldn't answer a question. When she shocked me with the cattle prod, I screamed. It was shortly after that I saw Doug come through the front door with Todd and Cathan. I don't remember much between Enya and Máiréad arriving and sitting on the couch." "Don't feel bad," added Doug, "I can't tell you what happened either." "It did happen quickly," replied Cathan, "With out a lot of detail, Todd threw the woman against wall. Máiréad and I took out the man holding you, then Enya helped you to the couch." "What now?" said Virginia. "I know, I would like to see all five of them in prison." "We learned from the woman, that she was here tonight due to your comments about the dude ranch along with being seen with two women visitors in town." "But, I hardly said anything to anyone." "True. You apparently have done some other local stories that embarrassed some people. The woman did not obtain workers for her operation in this manner. This effort was done at someones specific request. This person apparently decided it was time for Virginia to disappear from Twisted River. He offered Virginia to the ranch if he decided not to take her once her training and changes were complete. One condition was that Virginia had to vanish from Twisted River. Their plan was to strip you, force you to walk out to the truck then crawl into a cage in the back of truck for your ride out to the ranch. Sometime in the early morning, your house would explode and burn to the ground. With you apparently dead, they could really do anything with you they wanted too. However, the person who requested your abduction wanted you turned into a sex toy. A part of the training would have meant you would perform in their sex shows. If he decided not to take you after you were conditioned, you would become the ranch's property." As Cathan talked, Virginia became very angry. "I am going to call the police, now," said Virginia firmly. "That may not be the best choice," said Cathan. "What?" exploded Virginia. "They have compromised several in law enforcement. Also, there are a number of people at the ranch right now. There are about two dozen people working there as sex slaves. They either perform in sex shows or serve as a customer's companion. As a companion, they are required to ensure that all the guests needs are satisfied. Besides those involved with the brothel, there are the real ranch hands who actually operate the ranch side of the operation. When the slaves are not working, they are kept in locked cages so they are quite vulnerable. Doing what you are proposing would likely result in some deaths and injuries. The risk would be greatest for those in the cages with those serving customers close behind." "Well, we can't let them get away." "We aren't suggesting that. Edana's Clan will take the these people to their ranch. After a full reconnaissance of the ranch operation, we will have enough information to expose the operation with little or no injury. Meanwhile, we will neutralize this woman's contacts in local law enforcement. Conceptually our goal is to stage an incident, so that law enforcement officers are summoned to the ranch. We will then let the discoveries unfold from there." "You can do this," said Virginia and Doug together. "We definitely can remove those held there with out a problem," replied Edana. "The most difficult part maybe getting the law enforcement officers there as quickly as they are needed. A quick arrival is needed to lessen the chance of any evidence being compromised. Many of those involved in the whorehouse operation will likely want to brag about their operation and their participation. Why, would they brag? They believe their connections and backers make them legally untouchable. From what we learned from the three men outside, those three will likely hang if they live long enough in prison." "Virginia," said Ciar, "why don't you and Doug come with me out to the shuttle?" Virginia looked thoughtful for a few moments before she looked at Doug and smiled, before saying, "As a reporter, I can think of a multitude of questions to ask. Right now I am certain of two things. One is that asking those questions would only delay, what needs to be done. Secondly, I also feel very comfortable letting you do what you think is best." She looked around at the mess in the room then added, "Before I go out there, I need to straighten up in here." "No. Go with Ciar," said Cathan, "our group can tidy up in here while we take care of the other bits." Cathan and Edana watched as Ciar, Doug and Virginia went out the door. As the group was walking out the door, Cathan said, "Edana, do you want any of us to go with you?" "Yea. How about half your team?" "Okay. Those outside are mounting up now. Sarah wants us to move as quickly as possible but safely." Outside Ciar led Doug and Virginia over to the cloaked shuttle. As they neared the door, a white ring became visible outlining the opening. Ciar stepped to the side and motioned for Doug and Virginia to enter. "You guys okay," said Lorelei when she saw Doug and Virginia. As Lorelei spoke, Ciar entered and two other clan members left to join Edana's Clan. "Yes. We're fine, I think," replied Doug with Virginia nodding. "Lorelei this is Virginia." He watched as they greeted each other, then added, "Virginia this is Darren. He is the program director for the TV station in Grandview." "Virginia, it is nice to meet you," said Darren, "Doug has told us a lot of nice things about you." "Nice to meet both of you," replied Virginia. "Lorelei, the show this evening was really well done. The idea of you two coming all this way to meet me is ... well ... just overwhelming." "We came for several reasons," said Darren. "We were very impressed with Doug's participation in tonights program. When we were talking after the show, your name came up. He spoke very highly of your capabilities and lamented the fact you were stuck here. We understand you had some very successful articles before you came here. Basically, if we can sort everything out, I would like for both of you to come to work for us." "Both of us? What would we be doing?" said Virginia and Doug together. "Yes, both of you. I have several options, but before we get into that I would like to know more about both of you. Lorelei is not on our staff anymore, but she has an idea of what I am considering so I would like her to sit in on our discussions." "Wow, but I am scheduled to work tomorrow afternoon," said Virginia with a frown and an inkling of tears in her eyes. "Although, after my outburst this morning, I may not have a job." Doug started to speak, but Lorelei said, "Virginia, the Órarduine have offered Darren and Doug the opportunity to visit their ships and Mars. The invitation includes you. Would coming with us be enough reason to not go to work tomorrow?" "You're kidding!" Virginia looked at Lorelei, then at each of the others in the shuttle, trying to figure out if they were pulling her leg. They had to be. She thought okay I'll call their bluff. "When do we leave?" "Just as soon as Cathan's team finishes up inside," replied Ciar. "We aren't kidding or pulling your leg. Although, we need to stop by the ranch so we can backup Edana's team." "Ciar is right," added Doug. "Before we go further, I will understand if you don't want to work with me again." "And, why wouldn't I?" replied Virginia with her voice rising a little. "Well the last time I canceled a visit, you left me with that impression." "If I remember right the day of that conversation had been outstandingly bad, nearly as awful as today. Yes, I was mad, upset and disappointed when you said you couldn't come at the last moment." As Virginia talked, the pent up frustration bubbled forth. "At the station that day, every piece of equipment baulked. We managed to stay on the air but it was difficult. As you probably guessed the staff were not very supportive in dealing with the technical problems." "Oh." "Yes. I WILL work with you again but NOT here. After tonight, there is NO FUCKING way I can continue to work here. I knew this was a sleazy operation when I came here but never realized how sleazy. Besides, I really didn't have much choice as I was running out of funds. You remember how little I had unpacked when you were here last." Doug nodded. "Well it hasn't changed." Doug smiled. "I take that to mean your interested," said Darren. "Yes. Damn, right! I believe, we are both interested," replied Virginia with Doug nodding. Lorelei said, "I suspect working as a team, you two will never have any trouble finding a job after your stories about this trip are aired." All three turned to look at Lorelei who was smiling. "It seems to me that Virginia and Doug have an excellent rapport, which should make them an outstanding broadcast team." With that Darren, Doug and Virginia began talking about the challenges of being a reporter and other aspects of TV news programs. Darren told them of the sharing agreement their station had with the two local newspapers on covering stories. Doug and Virginia were a little surprised but as they began to discuss how it worked, they quickly saw the benefits to both operations. When Cathan, Sorcha, and Todd entered the shuttle all conversation stopped. "We are about ready to go," said Todd. "Virginia, do you need anything from the house?" said Sorcha. "Yes." "How long?" "Maybe twenty minutes. How long will we be gone? What are you taking Doug?" "Only my day bag. Sarah told us they could provide us with anything else. Darren's in the same boat." "Well in that case, I'll do the same. Sorcha would you walk in with me." "Sure." The two were back in moments. Both were carrying laptops and Virginia had an overnight bag. "That was quick," said Doug, "but why two laptops." "One has all my personal stuff on it and the other I use for work." "Good approach." "Okay, let's boogie," said Cathan as she turned toward the flight deck. "First, we need to stop by the ranch." ------- Chapter 142 When Cathan's shuttle arrived at the dude ranch, they found Edana's augmented security team had the situation well in hand. There they found the two women Virginia had met in Twisted River wanting to work at the ranch. They turned out to be federal agents so Edana's team created a series of incidents so the women could take control of the ranch. So those on Cathan's shuttle monitored the activity until US Marshals arrived to assist their agents. Once the ranch was in the hands of the US Marshals, the shuttles carrying Cathan's and Edana's Clans lifted off for their return to Dóchas. Thinking that they needed a distraction from this evenings events, Lorelei said, "Cathan, do we have copies of the orientation videos with us?" "They are in the cue," said Alpha3 AI. "Doug. Virginia. Darren, there are three videos that are normally shown to first time visitors. I suggest we watch them during the flight back. Okay?" "What are they about?" asked Virginia. "One compares the physiology of Órarduine and humans. Another describes Órarduine culture and life on the space ships and at An Clochán habitat. The last one we may not have time for, tells the history of the Órarduine." "They sound interesting," replied Doug with Virginia and Darren nodding in agreement. With that Lorelei started the videos. While their passengers watched the videos, Cathan's and Edana's Clans linked together reviewed the events at Twisted River. They had just finished their critique when Sarah said, "Cathan's and Edana's Clans, you all did a nice job of handling the incident in Twisted River." "Thank you" replied Cathan and Edana. "It would have been much more difficult if we had arrived after they had abducted Virginia and taken her to the ranch. Like some previous incidents, we were fortunate to become involved when we did." "How is she?" "She appears to be fine," added Cathan. "There is the lingering question as to why Virginia was targeted. She is a lovely woman, excellent personality and smart. There are two key issues with respect to Virginia that should be resolved before she returns to Earth. Does the investor know her, since she didn't recognize the name. If not, why was he doing this? As to those running the ranch, we left them primed to answer questions truthfully and completely." "Give Clarence in Intelligence the information you have. He still has contacts in the Marshal Service, so maybe it can be flushed out that way. If not, we can look into it before she goes back to Earth. Maybe even send a couple of people with her and Doug. We need all of you available here for the next few days." "Going back to how she is doing, when she heard that someone wanted to turn her into a pet, it really shook her. She slid around it by changing the subject, but I suspect she will not be able to completely shake what is bothering her without some help." "See if you can draw her out. You should tell Melinda and Lorelei about your observations. Although, Lorelei may have seen her reaction as well, as she doesn't miss much." "Excuse me," said Lorelei, "I did notice her reaction. We had planned on Virginia and Doug staying with us this evening and possibly for their whole visit. This has been quite an evening for Virginia. Tonight's events seem to have crystallized their feelings for each other. They are very much in love but both seem to be afraid to vocalize how they feel about each other. My suspicion is that they are reluctant because they aren't sure how the other one feels and it could negatively impact their friendship." "It sounds like you all have your arms around it," replied Sarah, "but let us know if you need assistance. Judy or Gail could meet you when you arrive. By the way, we would like for you to be up early tomorrow." "Okay. We'll let you know if we need Judy or Gail." "Again, Cathan's and Edana's Clans, you guys did great. Thanks for responding so promptly." "Thanks. It was a good exercise," replied both clans. "We learned a lot." The shuttle carrying Cathan's Clan and the visitors made a circle around Dóchas to give the visitors a view of the outside. Just before they turned for their approach, they saw the shuttle carrying Edana's Clan enter a hanger door. Ciar toggled the cabin screen so everyone could see their approach to Dóchas as the pilots saw it. "Wow, that was wild," said Virginia when the shuttle settled into the cradle, "but, I didn't sense any change in speed, besides aren't we suppose to be weightless." "You will be, if the environmental system fails," said Lorelei. "Did you miss that in the video we just watched?" "Oh, my, I guess I did," replied Virginia looking a bit embarrassed. "Those videos were interesting and contained so much information." "Distracted, huh?" Virginia started to respond, but Lorelei continued with, "Those videos are also available in our suite. They are readily available as many visitors watch them at least twice. It will likely be late tomorrow before we have time to see them again. You and Doug will be staying in our suite, if that is okay. Darren has a suite next to Rob which is just a short distance from ours." When the shuttle door opened, Melinda stepped inside and said, "Welcome to Dóchas. Watch your step exiting as your movements will be a little springier than you are use to." Once Darren, Lorelei, Doug and Virginia were gathered around Sam, she said, "On behalf of the Command Staff, welcome to Dóchas. We all sincerely hope you enjoy your visit. Command Staff, Sarah's Clan, is busy at the moment, but you will see them at breakfast." "You mean tomorrow morning," replied Lorelei. "Oh, you're right. With that being the case, we would like to delay giving you a tour until after breakfast, if that is acceptable." All three visitors nodded their agreement as several stifled yawns. "I am not sure who has met who, so lets quickly introduce ourselves again," said Lorelei prompting each person to introduce themselves. "We will walk with you to your suite," said Melinda. "We know you watched the videos but we need to remind you that when away from your suite you need an escort. This is primarily for safety but also is to keep you from getting lost. Lorelei or Earl can be your escort unless we go to readiness level 1." "What does readiness level 1 mean?" said Doug. "If we think of it in Navy terms, it is equivalent to 'battle stations' or that an attack is eminent." All three visitors swallowed hard. "This ship is very similar to the combination of an aircraft carrier and heavy cruiser on Earth." "Okay," replied Doug, "that makes sense, because space is really a big ocean of low density gas." "That is an interesting analogy," exclaimed Melinda, "I like it." As they were talking and walking Virginia had moved closer to Doug and soon had a firm grip on his arm. Lorelei had been watching Virginia and decided she needed to face what was bothering her. Lorelei was certain that if they didn't help her, then her dragons would soon rule her life. "Earl," said Lorelei, "we are almost to our suite. Virginia appears to be close to being hysterical." "Should Doug and I take a walk?" "At first, that is what I was thinking, but she is really clinging to him. Lets play it by ear." When they reached the door to the suite, Earl opened the door and greeted each one with a hug as they entered, until he had Lorelei in his arms. They held each other tightly for a long time while they kissed. Melinda and Sam just smiled, then Sam said, "Seeing that, you would think they had been apart for years instead of a few hours." "What time is it?" said Virginia. "For you it is 1 AM but 9 PM our time." "So that is why, I feel exhausted." "Yes, in part." "Virginia, this evening has been very stressful for all of us. With all the drama you experienced at your house, it must have been even more stressful." "I have never been so terrified in my life. I can't imagine how those two undercover agents endured their experiences at the ranch." "They knew the risks when they took the assignment, so to an extent they were mentally prepared for what happened. We're now thousands of miles away from there, so, why are you still scared?" said Lorelei. Virginia nervously glanced around, her face quickly grew flush and she began to tremble. "Relax, Virginia! You are safe. You are among friends." Doug had noticed Virginia's grip on his arm after they left Twisted River. Ever since then the intensity of the grip had slowly intensified. He knew something was bothering Virginia and had attributed her nervousness and clinging to the after effects of the traumatic events at her house. Lorelei's comments now had Virginia trembling. Lorelei's comments irritated him as he felt they were insensitive and started to interrupt Lorelei when he heard Melinda say, "Doug, wait. Virginia must deal with what is causing her fear so she can tame the demon." The sound of Melinda's voice in his mind shocked him into silence, then he heard, "Hold her. Comfort her. Even though she is a very strong person, she now needs your support more than ever. We want to help her work through this so Lorelei is attempting to get her to vocalize her fears." They waited several minutes for Virginia to say something, before Lorelei said, "Virginia, did you dream of the undercover agents after they disappeared?" They watched Virginia's eyes fill with tears as she slowly nodded yes. "Those scenes came back to you when Ciar told of the agents experiences over the last few weeks." Virginia nodded again. "You don't usually have dreams that turn into reality and that has you worried." Again, Virginia nodded. "It was the comment about being turned into someones 'pet' that really terrified you." Virginia nodded. "You've been having dreams of being someones 'pet'." "Yes. How did you know?" replied Virginia. She took a deep breath and looked at each person in the room. It was obvious they cared about her and were trying to help. She then continued with, "My dreams started not long after I arrived in Twisted River. This was unusual as I seldom dream. These dreams were like reading the chapters of a novel in that one dream led into the next. The first dream I think of as the pet dream. In this dream, I became someones pet. I found the pet dream to be a refuge from the aggravation at work and my disappointments when Doug's visits were suddenly aborted. Each time the dream presented the concept of me being a pet as an excellent solution to my growing unhappiness with my life. In the dreams, being a pet felt so good. No decisions. No responsibilities. At first, I didn't realize that in the dreams I was naked nearly all the time. As the dreams progressed, I began to wear body jewelry. First it was pierced ears, then bars through my nipples. This was followed by adding a bar through my clit, a ring in my clit hood, then rings in my labia, followed by a nose ring and most recently a tongue stud. Some of those dreams were intensely erotic as I gave myself to my protectors however they wanted. I never saw their faces or clearly heard their voices. The next day I would only remember fragments of my dreams, never any extensive detail until tonight." "When I realized this evening that my dreams about the agents were real; the potential reality of the pet dreams frightened me. No not frightened, scared me out of my wits. All of the detail in the pet dreams came flooding back. Tonight it was very clear that in them I did everything I was told, never hesitating. I agreed to modifications to my body, accepted the body jewelry, even designed some of the jewelry. I felt embarrassed when others saw me wearing just my jewelry. It was especially humiliating when my master or mistress hung bells from my nipples and clit bars. All the time, I knew, I was pleasing my masters which out weighed my embarrassment. The tinkling of the bells constantly reminded me of how I looked and it aroused me. Why would I have dreams like those?" When she finished speaking there were huge tears in her eyes. "I don't think we should speculate," replied Lorelei. "I think it would be wise for you to visit Gail or Judy in our clinic. They assist us with telepathic issues, so they should be able to help you understand the dreams and what prompted them. If it was just the dreams about being a pet, we would suspect it was an effort by someone who wanted you to become their pet. Once that person felt you were ready, you be presented with an opportunity to try it. You've only spoken of the 'pet dream' so which dream came first?" "The ones of me finding refuge from life by being a pet. After the two women agents disappeared, those two dreams alternated. If I had an especially trying day, then that night it was almost certain I would have the pet dream. With either dream, I think I would orgasm at least once because my crotch was always wet or sticky when I woke up. Again it was only tonight that I became aware of the detail in the dreams." "Did you happen to talk on your phone about anything related to the two women or to them?" "I don't think so. After the night we met in the bar, the only other time we talked for any length of time was in checkout lines. Nothing of any consequence was said when we talked." "Was anyone else around that you knew?" "Not that I remember." "Any other dreams?" "Once Doug and I were doing a news program together. Lorelei, what are you looking for?" "My goal, which I think is our goal, is to help you come to grips with your concerns. Ever since you joined us on the shuttle, your tension kept rising. At first, I thought it was in response to the events in your house. Later, when Ciar told of the agents ordeal, I noticed your tension took off like a rocket. So being a good reporter, I wanted to know why. Nosy, right?" Virginia smiled. "Hasn't telling us about your dreams helped you relax." "Yes. I am still worried." "I would be too. Each of us is willing to help you solve this puzzle. Cathan's Clan is going to talk to Clarence who works in this ship's Intelligence Department tomorrow about their concerns regarding tonights events and how they relate to you. You should consider telling Clarence what you just told us about the dreams." "Who is Clarence?" "He was an investigator for a US District Attorney before he came here, a very good one." After a thoughtful look Virginia said, "Okay, I will tell him everything. It is late and I am tired, can we continue this tomorrow." "Sure," replied Lorelei, "anytime." "Virginia," said Melinda, "I am pleased that you are going to talk with our medical staff about your dreams." Virginia frowned. "They can help you understand them and perhaps see what caused them." "I never had dreams like these until I arrived in Twisted River. As to going to the clinic, when Lorelei first mentioned it, I didn't think much of the idea even though I accepted it. I have to admit that I discounted it without realizing where I am. Your endorsement of that suggestion has caused me to remember where we are, so Melinda thank you for making the suggestion again. With the medical technology you have, I am certain, they can help me. How would I find them?" "We can make that one of our stops on our tour of Dóchas tomorrow," replied Lorelei. "Now since everyone is tired, Melinda and Sam, why don't you show Darren his suite?" With that Darren, Melinda and Sam said, "Good night," and left. "Okay. Virginia. Doug, lets acquaint you with this suite, then we are going to bed. You two can stay up as late as you want, but breakfast is from 6 to 8 however food is available around the clock in the dining room." Lorelei showed them their room, then the exercise room and benches followed by the bath area, with Lorelei explaining the unique features as they went through. "As was said in the video, what you choose to wear is your choice. There are pants suits for both of you that are like we wore on the show tonight. Or we can get you clothes like you normally wear and doing that won't take but a few minutes in the morning. Also, any time on this ship, if you need something, just precede your request with "Star" and the ship's AI will assist you." "Star?" "Yes. There are sound sensors in every compartment. They are set to turn on when a phrase begins with Star or the occupant sounds distressed." "Can we go nude?" said Virginia. "Most definitely. Although, for the first several days, you probably should wear something. One choice is a suit like mine as it makes it easier for the cameraman to film us." "Good point. I do want to try nude while we are here." "According to Melinda and Sam most visitors do. Also, being nude seems to push people to being more fit." Lorelei stifled a yawn. "Good night." "Good night," said Virginia, "and thanks for caring enough to push me into talking about the dreams." "I'll second that," added Doug as everyone took turns hugging each other. As soon as Virginia and Doug were alone, Virginia wrapped her arms around him. When their lips met, they were lost in the warmth and comfort of each others arms. They're passions quickly rose as their hands caressed each other while their tongues caressed each other. "Wow," exclaimed both when they broke from their kiss and starred into each other's eyes. "Virginia, I love you." "I love you. I was so glad to see you come charging through the door tonight, but at the same time intensely afraid you would be hurt." "I probably would have been if it wasn't for Cathan and Todd. I still don't believe everything I saw." "Believe it. Everything we have heard of these peoples psionic abilities is true. I am very thankful, that they came with you." "I am too. I don't know, if I could have survived once I learned you had been killed in an explosion." "Doug, the dreams about me becoming a pet, scare me." Virginia shivered. "After thinking about it, I really like Melinda's suggestion, I hope they can find out what is behind them." "They will darling." "So, it's darling now." "Yes," replied Doug as he saw Virginia stifle a yawn. "I think we need to get some rest." "Come on lets freshen up," replied Virginia pulling his arm. "You want to do this together." "Look, Mister, I am not letting you out of my sight without an extraordinary reason." While she was speaking, they walked arm in arm to the bathroom. "Strange toilets," commented Doug. "Just different. Probably very convenient, if you have a tail like the Órarduine do." "Good point. Guess it didn't register even though we saw a few when we walked over here from the hanger." "Yes. They are so graceful when they move." "Beautiful, too." ------- Ever since they had discovered the technique, Sarah's Clan merged into a single entity just before drifting off to sleep. It didn't take them but a short time to realize that it was now much easier to shift between their two states. By sleeping deeply linked to each other, they found that they felt fresher on waking. Another benefit was that when they woke, the status of their ship and family was immediately apparent. It was in the early morning hours, when they sensed something approaching Dóchas. The approach prompted a slight change in the depth of their sleep. As one, they were at first puzzled by what they felt. Scanning the area around the ship, they did not detect a physical object or an active threat. Taking a closer look at the disturbance, they found someone was probing their environment telepathically. After a little subtle searching, they found faint traces of an ethereal image. As they watched, the ethereal image explored the outside of their ship, stopping at times to more closely examine it. Not feeling any threat, they continued to observe in hopes of ascertaining the intent of the ethereal image and who he was. When the ethereal image reached the hanger doors, it paused to watch several of Dóchas' shuttles and Star Fighters move through the hanger doors. It was after a flight of Star Fighters departed Dóchas, that it moved to the open hanger door and paused to look inside. Sarah's Clan sensed its intention to enter the hanger and projected their image into the hanger. In the hanger, they took a position inside the hanger facing out toward it. They pushed out to the ethereal image, "We don't consider it to be friendly to enter another's ship in this manner." Even though the ethereal body had seen Sarah's Clan appear in the hanger, it was surprised to hear Sarah's Clan speaking to it. It had done this before and had never been detected. Sarah's Clan then heard, "No threat was intended. My intent is only to learn more about your species. The discovery of your species in this part of the universe is a surprise to us. We expected to only find those on the third planet." "We are looking forward to meeting your group from Alliance of Worlds, when you physically arrive in this solar system. We see that there are a large number of ships in your group from Alliance of Worlds. Were you coming here to settle in this solar system?" "You know, we're coming." "Yes. We have been expecting you for some time." "Interesting. We are not looking to establish a settlement in this solar system for several reasons. I will be most honored to meet you tomorrow. Will you be able to tell us about those inhabiting the third planet?" "The third planet is known as Earth, and the fourth planet is known as Mars. We will assist where we can." "Thank you. Our Commander will be contacting you shortly after we FTL transition." Sarah's Clan watched the ethereal entity slowly recede into the darkness of space. As soon as, it had disappeared, Sarah's Clan slipped back into their deep sleep. While they slept, a search was made of their archives for reports of similar contacts in the past. The idea of probing as the entity had done did not surprise them as it was similar to their dream walks. Their curiosity was raised because they sensed the entity had made observations before without being detected. ------- Sarah's Clan had just left their suite when Star said, "The two small groups of ships from Alliance of Worlds have transitioned from FTL and are maintaining a position to keep Uranus between us. Our Bird dog task group is in position behind them." "Any activity?" "Calvin reported that they appeared to be scanning the solar system. Each of their cruisers launched several reconnaissance probes. The probes are streaming data back to them. Our ships are also receiving the data from their reconnaissance probes. A couple of the reconnaissance probes did scan over the area where the Bird dog ships are, but didn't appear to immediately distinguish them from their surroundings. Calvin indicated he was not surprised. He expected they might notice the ships when the data was analyzed." "I wouldn't expect them to see our cloaked ships on first pass," said Chester of Keriann's Clan. "At least initially, they will need to overlay scans in order to detect our cloaked ships." "Chester, that's a good point," replied Rusty. Sensing not everyone understood, he continued, "Our analogy to analyzing their scan data is as if it is aerial photos. To find camouflaged locations, you need to overlay several photos taken at different angles or at different times of day. It is reasonable to presume that they would do the same." "Thanks, Star. We will go to the bridge as soon as breakfast is finished," said Aoife. "How are our guests doing?" "They are up and should be at breakfast in a few moments. Indications are that they had a good nights rest." "Thanks." Sarah's Clan had just sat down when Joyce saw Melinda enter the dining room with their visitors. Joyce said, "Melinda, why don't you all join us after you get your food?" "Sure. It will be good for Virginia and Doug to spend some time with your group. They will likely have questions, as they saw several Security Teams wearing tactical suits." "Not a problem. Our meeting this morning will likely be brief." "We need to introduce them." "We will." "Good morning," said Lorelei as she approached Sarah's Clan with her group. "Good morning," replied Sarah's Clan in unison. "We hope all of you had a good nights rest." "It was great, but could have been longer especially when cuddled up next to Earl. We need to make introductions again." With that Lorelei began introducing the members of Sarah's Clan and then the visitors. "Let's eat before our food gets cold." With that Sarah's Clan shifted around so that the visitors were interspersed with Sarah's Clan. Keri one of Sarah's Clan's daughters said, "Doug, we thought your questions last night brought out a lot of important details?" "Thank you. I found the whole program very interesting and learned a lot. In many respects, yesterday turned into a very interesting day." "I enjoyed the program," added Virginia. "It was especially exciting because I pretended to be a panelist and most of the time when I thought of a question to ask, Doug asked it. The biggest surprise of my life was last night when Doug called me with what turned out to be the offer to come here. Although, I could have done without some of the other excitement." "Cathan and Edana's Clans would not have let anything happen to you," replied Keri. "I know that now, but when those people forced their way into my house I was scared," responded Virginia. "By the way, I haven't seen Cathan's or Edana's Clans this morning. I wanted to thank them for being there last night. It is scary to consider what would have happened if they hadn't arrived." "At the moment, they are preparing to launch their cruisers." "Cruisers?" "Yes. Dóchas has four cruisers in our complement of ships. Briana's Clan left with one cruiser yesterday. They are with six other cruisers near Uranus." "Is that very far from here?" said Virginia. "It is around 2 billion kilometers from us at the moment, or about a third of the way around the sun." "That is hard to grasp." "We tend to think of distance as in how long it will take us to get there. You came from Earth last night. Right?" Virginia nodded. "Your trip was about 0.3 billion kilometers." "I'll have to admit I didn't notice much about our trip after we left Twisted River." "On your tour this morning, Lorelei will take you to the observation bubble. Nearly everyone enjoys the view of the universe from there. We sometimes go up there to watch the activity around our ships." "Keri, how old are you?" said Virginia. "In our terms, I will be ten in a few months." Virginia started to reply, as Keri continued with, "If we were on Earth, I would be close to thirteen." "You seem much older than ten or even thirteen." "Even though we live a long time, we reach maturity within a year of being thirteen. We expect to be about a foot taller by the time we reach maturity." "So what do you do during the day?" "We go to school and do other group activities. Sometimes we help out in the different departments." "Isn't it difficult with different ages all in the same class?" "We don't really divide into classes as we work either by ourselves or in groups while interacting with the learning center." Virginia had a puzzled look. "I guess you would think of the learning center as a computer. Our courses cover everything from the basics to advanced topics." "Interesting." "Many of our other activities, I think, are similar to what children do on Earth. We play volleyball, basketball and study martial arts." "Except for the implied depth of the course work, it sounds pretty normal." Keri quickly replied, "Well there is one big difference. We don't have all the personal drama with our siblings and friends that seems to occur on Earth. The artificial drama seems such a waste of time." Virginia blushed as she quickly replied, "Gosh, I hope I didn't imply..." Keri, Jordana and Earnán had big smiles as they watched Virginia flounder. "You guys are pulling my leg." With that the three, chuckled along with Doug. "Yes, we were." "Nice leg too," added Earnán with a smile. "So are all of you claiming to be ten." The three children nodded their heads. "Your sense of humor seems to be a bit older." "We probably are because our communication with our parents and other adults is very open and candid," replied Earnán. "We understand that is not the case on Earth." "Why do you say that?" "From what we have learned of Earth's cultures by reading and watching some TV programs. We feel very fortunate in being able to communicate with each other telepathically. As a part of our learning experience, we do exercises where we don't use one sense while doing our normal activities. Doing that gives us a much greater appreciation for each of your senses. We have noticed that our senses have grown in sensitivity with each exercise." "Are you including telepathy as a sense?" "Yes," replied Jordana. "An advantage of telepathy is that emotions and complex feelings are easily shared. This is especially true for those that are very difficult to put into words. Telepathy helps you see other points of view. Since we have always communicated telepathically, we didn't really appreciate it until Kennith and his sisters arrived about a year ago. They have made comments many times about how much telepathy has helped them understand their mother, each other and those around them." "Who are they?" "Alena's children. We met them when we were vacationing on Earth. They were at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum the day we visited. After spending a good part of the day with them at the museum, we wanted to see them again so we asked them to visit us. During their visit here, Alena and our parents found they had special feelings for each other so Alena and her children joined us." As they ate, Virginia and Doug continued talking with children sitting around them and learned more details of their daily activities. Lorelei smiled as she watched Virginia and Doug interact with the children. "Sorry to interrupt," said Lorelei, "but it is time for the morning meeting, then we will take our delayed tour." As Lorelei was speaking, Sarah, Erin, Maeve and Rusty moved to the center of the room to moderate the meeting. "Good morning," said the moderators. "Good morning," was the reply. "First," said the moderators, "we would like to introduce several visitors who arrived late last night." Sarah and Maeve then introduced Virginia, Doug, Darren and the other visitors having them stand as they were introduced. As each stood, a large image was projected on the screens at the sides of the room. "We see that you recognize some of them. Darren is the program director at the Grandview TV station. Virginia is a reporter and broadcast engineer. She is also a close friend of Doug who was a panelist at yesterdays interview. And you know Rob and Paul from the Grandview papers." She then went on and introduced the other reporters. As soon as the introductions were completed, several choir members stood up and began a song that welcomed the visitors. Each verse ended with the phrase, "Welcome to Dóchas!" Each time the phrase was spoken, it grew in intensity. Sarah's Clan was surprised by the song but joined in with everyone present on the last phrase. At the end of the song, the visitors all said, "Thank you." "Are their any issues for us to address this morning?" A woman stood in the back of the room and said, "Are the other ships arriving today?" "As far as we know, yes," replied Maeve. Sarah then added, "The two small groups near Uranus made their FTL transition a few hours ago. They have cloaked and are now moving in this direction. Our task group is trailing them." "Thank you." "Who has the first item?" said Sarah. With that the moderators then oversaw the discussion as the crew went over a number of scheduled activities. During their review a number of issues were clarified and a few minor changes were made. When the discussion appeared to be at an end, Erin said, "Is there anything else?" There wasn't any response, so Erin continued with, "Hearing none, we will see you at lunch." As everyone prepared to leave the dining room, Virginia quickly told Jordana, Earnán and Keri that she had enjoyed visiting with them and hoped to visit with them again. Each of the children gave her and Doug a hug before leaving with the other children. Virginia and Doug watched them for a while as they moved through the dining room. "Amazing children," said Virginia. "Appropriate for an amazing people," replied Doug. "Lorelei, why do they have these meetings?" said Virginia. "I would have thought their telepathy and AIs would make them unnecessary. Many stories on Earth relate their interpersonal connection as being a hive structure." "The meetings are something they started a long time ago. They work and everyone likes the exchange. You may not have realized it but everyone on the ship participated in the meeting. Those working were connected both telepathically and through a terminal in their work area." "Virginia, your comment about them having a hive social structure," said Earl, "is marginally accurate only in appearance. It does not come close to explaining the dynamics between the members of this species. Lorelei and I have been living here for sometime now and still don't fully understand all the interactions." "I can see that," replied Virginia. "The conversation with the children was very interesting in fact I had trouble keeping up my end." Doug nodded his agreement. Lorelei was nearly laughing when she replied, "You got hung up by their age, did you?" Virginia blushed as she said, "You're right, I did in part." "We think you will find that they are much more mature at their age than most 20 year olds are on Earth. Telepathy is likely a part of the reason but their learning system is a great contributor. We can talk more about it later. Now, lets do the tour." "Weren't Cathan and I suppose to talk to Clarence this morning?" "Cathan's Clan is deploying with one of the cruisers. She talked to Clarence before she left with her clan. Cathan told me that Clarence wanted to talk to you some time today. In the meantime, he was gathering more background information based on what Cathan told him. We were planning on making that near to the last tour stop so you can spend some time with him. After that we planned on showing you where Judy and Gail work but the order may change." Melinda said to the group of visitors, "Our tour this morning will start out at the observation platform. From there we will visit each section of the ship including the bridge. Lorelei and I are leading the tour but we also have Sam, Kelsey, Karmen and Earl with us. So we are off." "To see the wizard?" replied Doug with a smile. "Perhaps, but not the one you are referring too," said Sam as everyone chuckled at the reference to Wizard of Oz. "Melinda," said Paul, "we thought we would tag along as well. It has been a while since we visited and thought a refresher would be good." "Great." Entering the observation deck, there was a collective gasp from the visitors. Even with the awesome view of space, at first many watched the Star Fighters departing from the ship. Once away from the ship the Star Fighters would pair up then move to join a small group of other fighters a short distance away. Their dull black shapes were barely visible against the black darkness of space. "Virginia. Doug, the two larger ships," said Sam, "are our cruisers. There is a third one that we can't see from here. Cathan's Clan is in the one on the right." "What are they doing," asked Doug. "We are running defensive drills," replied Kelsey. "I didn't go by the FOC, so I am not sure what they have planned for today." Melinda waited until the visitors began to look at the different stars around them before she said, "Although it can't be seen with our current orientation, we are currently 100,000 km from Mars. It is behind and underneath where we are standing. We are currently pointed in the general direction of Jupiter. One of our escorts will now assist each of you in pointing out objects that interest you." "Melinda, where are the other Dóchas ships," asked Rob. "They are quite a distance behind us. When you were here before, we maintained parallel orbits around Mars. We currently have six ships in a 3 axis defensive array in an orbit over Mars. It gives better coverage with our sensors, without any energy penalty. We are outside that array. When we visit the bridge, you will be able to see the positions on the map." After about 15 minutes, Lorelei said, "We have more to see. You can come back here at any time. The view you see is the background for many of Melinda and Sam's news stories." With that Karmen led the group off the observation deck. ------- Chapter 143 When Sarah's Clan stepped onto Dóchas' bridge, Star said, "The two groups of cruisers with Alliance of Worlds markings are moving on a path that will have them pass between us and Jupiter." "Our Bird dog TG is shadowing them," asked Terry. "Yes. They are about 200 km behind them in a three dimension diamond formation." Sally said, "CIC has assigned the two groups of Alliance of World ships with identifiers AWRA and AWRB, then each ship in a group is indicated with a numerical suffix." "FOC," said Sarah, "send a cruiser and a flight of Star Fighters to intercept after they pass Earth's orbit." "Acknowledged," replied Sabrina. "Macha02 is assigned to the mission." "Macha02," said Rusty. "Dóchas Command Staff, Macha02 here." "Travel uncloaked with navigation lights. Challenge them just inside your weapons range. Be prepared, as they may prefer to fight rather than respond." "Yes, sir," said Ciar of Cathan's Clan. "We are in contact with Macha01of Bird dog TG." "Excellent." Sarah's Clan monitored the operational exercises going on around their ship. In the exercise this morning, several of the Star Fighters from their other ships were trying to penetrate their defensive perimeter. On the bridge, they could see on the monitor all the ships taking part in the exercise. Suddenly Rusty said, "FOC. Cease exercise. All pilots hold position relative to Dóchas. Now!" "FOC, have all ships reinitialize transponders." Immediately the codes blinked as the display refreshed identifying all of their Star Fighters and Badb cruisers. "Sarah's Clan," said Shannon, "the latest data from the main Alliance of World group indicates they have active drones monitoring us." "Fine," replied Rusty. "I ceased the exercise because I thought I saw some unidentified objects, apparently not. It looks like we are not detecting their drones. FOC are the fighters configured for dog fight simulation?" "Yes." "Then run a dog fight exercise. Remind them this is an exercise and we don't need any damaged ships." "Acknowledged. Commands sent." Moments afterward the movement on the screen resumed as the fighters moved to designated locations to start the simulation. The exercise ran for about thirty minutes before one of the fighters began moving erratically. "Break off exercise," came the voice of Sabrina over the bridge's speakers. "All ships move to cruise position N2. Launch, Rescue1." Sarah's Clan watched the fighters move to their assigned position while Rescue1 moved toward the fighter that had been moving erratically. When it was along side the fighter, four people could be seen exiting the rescue shuttle and moving toward the fighter. "Launch, Recovery1," said Sabrina. Just as the recovery vessel moved toward the fighter, the rescue team could be seen assisting the pilot from the fighter. The group moved toward Rescue1 and disappeared from view. "Sabrina," said Sally, "did the pilot indicate what happened?" "She thinks something hit her ship. Those on the recovery ship indicate extensive damage behind the pilots compartment and to the attitude control system. They won't know anymore until they get to the ship. The pilot is a little shaken but okay." "Good." "Star, would you replay the action around the damaged fighter starting just before it was hit?" Sarah's Clan watched the replay several times before they spotted the very brief flash of light from the Star Fighter. Sarah said, "The flash of light seems to indicate something besides a rock hit the ship." "Why do you say that?" "Well, if it was a rock, I wouldn't expect a flash. If it was equipment failure, the light wouldn't tail off the way it did. So with those two eliminated and knowing from Intelligence that there were drones in the area, we could conclude it was a drone that collided with the fighter." "Why didn't she use the escape pod?" said Alena. "The fighter was stable. Normally the escape pod is only used if the fighters systems go critical." "Okay. I wasn't sure." "Look at the time," said Erin. "It is nearly lunch time. Lets take turns getting our lunch and then eating here." "Moms and Dad," said Keri, "we will bring lunch up to you, if you tell us what you want." "Thanks," replied Sarah's Clan. "Bring yours and join us for lunch." "Virginia, Doug, Lorelei and Earl are with us." "That's fine bring them too if they don't mind not having tables to sit at." "Okay." A little while later their children entered the bridge carrying lunch. "Virginia. Doug," said Sarah, "I thought we would have seen you earlier this morning." "We met Clarence and spent quite a bit of time with him." "Good. How did your discussion go?" "Surprisingly well." Virginia saw several odd looks. "Well from my standpoint, I am very pleased with his groups assistance. Before we talked, I was concerned that whoever was behind the attempt on me would not be found. Clarence and his friends have identified several links between some of the stories I covered and people with connections to the ranch operation. He was pretty certain it would be quickly sorted." "Excellent." "What's going on?" said Virginia looking at the display. "One of our fighters was hit by an object during a simulated dog fight and disabled. The pilot is on the rescue ship and a recovery ship is preparing to bring the fighter back. All of the fighters and cruisers are in a ring formation around us." "So that screen, with all the print is our formation." "Yes. Let's eat then we can talk some more." "Good, idea," replied Virginia as her stomach growled causing everyone to laugh. "I am sure Keri or Earnán would go get you some more." "This is fine. I have more than enough food." As they started eating lunch, Virginia was slow to start even though her stomach growled again. Finally Lorelei said, "Sarah's Clan could you tell Virginia about the bridge while we eat, otherwise I think it would take her all day to finish." Several chuckled. "I never seen her so fascinated," added Doug. "I keep trying to compare it to things I've seen in movies and it doesn't seem to work," replied Virginia. Joyce said, "Virginia, many of the elements portrayed in movies are here. We do have artificial intelligence entities. One of those is Star who assists us with all operations. There is also one for each department. We have androids who are self aware AIs that look just like an Órarduine. In fact in our culture they are Órarduine." Sarah's Clan then took turns telling their visitors about the different aspects of the bridge. This was followed by showing the different views of their surroundings and operations on the large monitors. The last view on the monitor showed a graphical representation of the solar system from their location with the position of the ships indicated. "I think, I know what the hero in "Flight of the Navigator" felt like," said Virginia. Many laughed but a few had puzzled looks. "I think, Virginia is indicating she is approaching memory overload," replied Joyce. "That was a cute film. In fact, I think we have a copy in our library. The children really like it even now." "It was good, especially for geeks." "Is that a green group of ships headed away from us?" "Yes. It is cruiser Macha02 and several Star Fighters." "Over to the right, it looks like there is another group of ships marked in red headed toward the left of the screen." "Those are two groups of apparently Alliance of World ships however they have not identified themselves. The green group behind them is ours." "It looks like Macha02 will cross the paths of the red groups coming toward us." "They will intercept the red group in about an hour. The red group is actually two groups of three cruisers from Alliance of Worlds. We are identifying them as AWRA and AWRB." "Alliance of Worlds. Who are they?" "We don't really know very much about them. Let's backup a bit," said Sarah. "Early this morning two groups of ships with Alliance of Worlds identifiers made their FTL transition behind Uranus. These two groups cloaked and then scanned the solar system. We presume the scans were to see who else was here. Several hours later they emerged from behind Uranus and headed toward a spot about half way between us and Jupiter. Earlier we sent the Macha02 task group to challenge these two groups of ships. On entering an inhabited solar system, standard protocol requires you to immediately make contact to announce your presence if the inhabitants have space travel capability." While they watched the two groups of ships move closer to each other, Sarah's Clan told of the key features of their warning system. They shared information about the SNBs and how they fit into the system of way points scattered through the universe. After some time Doug said, "I feel like, I am drowning in information. Can we come back to this another time?" "Sure," replied Joyce with a smile. "Looks like another Navigator bites the dust." Her reference to the film drew chuckles from everyone. "Doug," said Lorelei, "a lot of what has been said has been in articles and stories written by Melinda, Sam, Earl and I." "I guess that is why some of it seems familiar," replied Virginia. "I guess being here gives it a different perspective." "Yes, it does," replied Earl. "What happens to An Clochán when you leave?" said Doug. "Our plans are to place much of An Clochán in hibernation. The sites systems will be functioning and collecting data from its sensors. These systems will be linked to us in Celia system and can summon us if we are needed." Rusty quickly added, "We don't really want to publicize the last part." "As opposed to being known," asked Doug. "Yes." "I can see the reasoning behind that," said Virginia. Star said, "Macha02 is about to attempt contacting AWRA and AWRB." As soon as Star spoke, Sarah's Clan moved to their stations. Lorelei, Virginia, Earl, and Doug quietly watched as they moved. Macha02 fired a laser beam across the path of AWRA before saying, "Identify your ships, now!" After a few moments and no response, she again fired a beam across both groups path narrowly missing the lead ships. "Who the hell are you to be challenging an Alliance of World ships? We have the authority to operate in any part of the universe." "We are Órarduine and live in this system. Standard protocol requires you to identify your ships on entering an inhabited system. You sneaked in behind the 7th planet, Uranus, scanned this system before heading this way. So drop your cloaking and fully identify your ships or be considered hostile." After several long moments, the AWRA and AWRB dropped their cloaking as the image of an individual came into view on the monitor on Dóchas and Mocha02. "You are treading a very dangerous path in confronting us. Now get out of our way before we remove you from this level of life." Cathan and Ciar laughed before saying, "You might want to check your systems before making threats." Just as she spoke, Macha01 along with 3 other Badb cruisers dropped their cloaking and initiated their weapons systems. After a few moments Ciar said, "Do you want to duel or talk?" "We are two special operations groups from the Alliance of Worlds. Who are you?" "We are Órarduine. Our command ship is some 4 hours behind us." "We saw them and the two other ships orbiting the fourth planet." "So, why didn't you use standard protocol?" "Our orders are to only make our presence known to other Alliance of World ships." "A large group of Alliance of World ships are expected to transition from FTL soon." "You know, they are coming." "Yes, just like we knew of your arrival." "Holy shit." "By the way, two of your cruisers have Imperial Council transmitters on their hull." "What?" "So, I guess you had a run in with their ships." "Yes. We got all of them but lost three ships. Please, tell me more about these transmitters." "Let me relay the information to you from Dóchas our command ship." "Fine our communications officer will make another connection to you using standard protocol." "Acknowledged. To answer your question, the IC transmitter simply identifies you as an IC renegade and offers a reward for your capture or destruction. So cloaking does not obscure your presence." "I wonder when we picked that up. Engineering says they have the information. Thanks. Who am I talking to?" "This ship is Macha02. We are Cathan and Ciar of Cathan's Clan. Now, don't you think we ought to down grade our weapons status." "Agreed." "Macha02, move to readiness level 5," said Cathan as Ciar reset their systems to readiness level 5. "Bird Dog TG, move to readiness level 5," replied Adam. On Dóchas, Sally said, "Macha02 at readiness level 5. Bird Dog group at readiness level 5. Bird Dog group moving to rendezvous with AWRA, AWRB and Macha02." "Dóchas FOC, advise Bird Dog group to return to their ships after rendezvous." After a moment, Sally replied, "Orders sent." Those on the bridge of Dóchas watched their Bird Dog task group rendezvous with the other ships to linger a few moments before turning toward them. Macha02 was the last to begin their return. Once Macha02 was away from AWRA and AWRB, the two groups resumed cloaking. "Dóchas," said Cathan, "will there be repercussions for the commanders of the two AW task groups." "Shouldn't be," replied Rusty, "but it really depends on the fleet commanders and how rigid they are." Just as Rusty finished speaking, the ships from the larger group of ships from Alliance of Worlds began appearing. Their FTL transition point was closer to them than had been expected but still over 150,000 km away. As each ship made the transition, it was given an identifier on the status screen. The two large ships equivalent to Dóchas were labeled AWDC01 and AWDC02. Sarah and several others smiled when they noticed the expressions on the faces of Virginia and Doug. "It looks like there are a couple of more ships in the group than intelligence reports indicated," said Terry. "Sensors are showing some ships still cloaked but staying with main group." "Keep tabs on them." Star said, "Communication bridge requested." "Do it." On Maeve's command, the image on the main monitor split into two parts. The new image showed three aliens at what appeared to be the ship commander's position. As the image sharpened, Sarah's Clan had gathered at the ring and faced their monitor. "Greetings, Órarduine," said the person in the middle of the three. "We are Iridien. We belong to a group called the Alliance of Worlds. As our languages are quite different, we will attempt to express our names phonetically. My name is Egulle and have overall responsibility for this group." "Greetings, Commander Egulle and all those with you from Alliance of Worlds. We are Sarah's Clan and the Command Staff for this ship known as Dóchas. On behalf of our family, we welcome you to this solar system." "Excuse me for a moment," said Egulle. Sarah's Clan could see what looked like a heated discussion with three officers who approached Egulle's position. As the exchange continued, several others appeared near those talking with Egulle. The new arrivals appeared to be holding weapons pointed at Egulle and the two next to him. "Phoenix, Eagle, Taiséalai, and Iarracht move to readiness level 2," said Sarah's Clan. "Diamond offensive positions." "Aye, aye," came the quick response. "Dóchas FOC, spread our ships out. Star signal crew to quietly go to readiness level 2." Lorelei sighed when she saw the four Dóchas class ships begin moving from their positions on the display. As they each moved more ships could be seen forming around them. Virginia and Doug keying off of Lorelei's sigh began to pay more attention to the map. When Virginia started to speak, Lorelei touched her arm as she said, "Virginia. Doug. Don't say anything as the mike is probably open." Virginia's eyes got real big. "Nod, if you understood me." Both then nodded. ------- Sarah's Clan was surprised that the video feed from the Iridien's flagship continued during the apparent confrontation on their bridge. It came to an end when the person leading the confrontation suddenly dropped to the floor holding his neck. Immediately after that the others were relieved of their weapons and bound before led out of sight. "Dóchas," said Egulle, "my apologies for the interruption. There was a disagreement among my staff that has now been resolved." "We trust it does not affect your visit here." "We don't see any reason it should." "Why are some of your ships still cloaked?" said Sarah's Clan as one. "How did you ... never mind as it is pretty obvious from your interception of our Spc Ops groups. We thought you had more primary ships than the three we see." "We do." "Eagle, Phoenix, Taiséalai, and Iarracht," said Sarah's Clan, "drop cloaking on your ship one at a time. Fighters and cruisers stay cloaked." "Aye, aye," came the quick response from the Command Staffs on the other Dóchas class ships. It was apparent to Sarah's Clan that Egulle was surprised by the appearance of the four additional ships now distributed around his group. "Very impressive," said Commander Egulle. "You should be pleased to know that our intelligence and reconnaissance probes did not indicate this number of primary ships. We did suspect it was more than we saw because of discrepancies in our data." After speaking he turned to an aide and said, "Drop cloaking on all ships for the time being." Once all of the Iridien ships appeared, Sarah's Clan said, "Órarduine, cloaking off for all units." All of those on Dóchas bridge smiled to themselves at the startled expressions of the Iridien staff near Egulle. "We understand you had a confrontation with the Imperial Council," said Orgaine. "Yes. On their arrival, they demanded we surrender and turn over our ships to them. After a testy exchange which included more demands and insults, they fired torpedoes at three of us. After a brief skirmish, they are now part of the dust in the universe." "They must have really wanted your ships, as according to our information they do not normally operate that way. How bad was the damage?" "We had several fighters taken out of action, but didn't loose anyone." "Amazing." "We did find out later that they had placed transmitters on three of our ships. These were short range transmitters which would respond to queries from Imperial Council ships. The broadcast would indicate that we were Imperial Council renegades with a bounty for our capture. Also, these transmitters would render our cloaking useless." "How did they manage to place the transmitters?" "We are not sure but we think it occurred during the verbal exchange, or it could have been during the engagement." The officer next to Egulle said, "Are these the items you told the Spc Ops commander about earlier?" "Yes." "Órarduine," said Sarah's Clan, "move to readiness level 4. Flight operations are to return to normal." Egulle glanced to the side then back toward the monitor before saying, "We are going to return our Spc Ops ships to normal mode." "Not a problem. We have just done the same thing as you may have noticed." "Yes, we did. We would like to meet you." "You are welcome to join us here. Or if you would feel more comfortable with a more open setting then we can meet on An Clochán. An Clochán is our settlement on the 4th planet, Mars." "Mars is the red planet." "Yes." "On Dóchas, would be fine. Although we would like to see An Clochán at some point." "Would 1200 hours tomorrow work for you? And, how many should we expect?" "Twelve hundred hours tomorrow is perfect. There will be no more than 10 with me." "Will the Spc Ops Commander be among the group and the individual we met last night?" "The individual you met last night will be. Why the Spc Ops Commander?" "We would like to meet him as we think he did an extraordinarily good job of handling a situation that his operational orders did not cover." "How do you know what his orders were?" "By reading between the lines of the conversation he had with our cruiser commander and being very familiar with special operations." "So you think, they should not be punished for failing to follow orders." "If he had followed orders, then we would have had to neutralize them with the likely loss of at least one of our cruisers. That confrontation would have greatly changed our view of your pending arrival. The other aspect is the impact punishment would have on your other crews. We suspect they would not agree with any punishment." "Understood. We are looking forward to meeting you." With that the monitor went blank before changing to show a map of the area. Virginia was the first to speak. "Wow. Talk about a front seat to history." "Despite the little bit of tension during their problem," said Alena, "I think, they are sincere." "We agree," replied her spouses, with Lorelei, Doug and Earl nodding. "Star please query their protocol officer as to what they eat and drink," said Joyce. "In progress." "Sarah's Clan that was a neat way to intercede for the Spc Ops Commander," said Doug. "Well, it was spur of the moment," replied Sally. "Just before we spoke it occurred to us that including him in the delegation would give us the opportunity to express our view." "I guess," said Lorelei, "that everyone noticed that there appear to be several species in the crew based on the features we could see." "Yes, we did. We could replay the conversation," said Tara. "The early part would probably give us the best all round view." "I can summarize their crew composition if you prefer," said Star. "I was surprised the video feed did not blank out during the confrontation. During that time, I did record several consoles as being unattended. So I suspect the console controlling the video was left unattended during the confrontation as the view did not change until Egulle began to speak again." "Lets hear your summary," replied Jill. Star proceeded to review the observations she made during the confrontation on the Iridien ship IDF01 and noted the change in identifier from AWDC01. As she described the features of each species, she showed representative images of the species. The species associated with Egulle appeared to be the most numerous. The other species all appeared to be working in pairs at consoles wearing head sets. During the confrontation, many had watched the event take place while apparently speaking into their headset. They went through the images twice before Alison said, "I think these images confirm there are four different species. All of them walk up right. All have at least two arms with a functional hand on each. Their heads are similar in features, that is eyes, nose, mouth and ears." "I agree," replied Erin, "There is also some uniqueness. One has hooves for feet. Another has four arms with a hand on each. Body surface seemed different for each species but you really couldn't see enough to see what the difference was." "If I may," said Virginia receiving nods from Sarah's Clan, "Egulle and the Spc Ops Commander are from the same species. Both seem to be covered with a short thick fur. From the way it shifted when they moved the hair is very fine." Star said, "The images can't be magnified enough to show that." "I am really surprised," said Janet, "that we didn't notice this during the confrontation." Star quickly replied, "I think we performed just the way we are suppose too, as a team. I knew you were focused on those involved in the confrontation, which gave me the opportunity to gather the additional information on the surroundings. Collectively, you could review your memories and find most if not all of the images I showed." "I don't understand the 'as a team' phrase," said Virginia. Sarah started to speak, but Star replied with, "You know I am an AI which means everything I do is based on logic. My biological counterparts, such as, Sarah's Clan use logic but they also have the ability to break the pattern or do associations that don't seem logically based on available data. They also are quicker to understand other biological entities than we are. So by sharing our strengths and watching out for each other, we are able to be more than we could be alone." Seeing the look on Virginia's face, Aoife said, "You will have a hard time getting very many on Earth to believe what Star just told you. Star under certain circumstances can operate this ship alone. Each Command Staff can operate their ship in manual mode by linking to its backbone. It can be even taken a step further, where each department manually does all the operations without an AIs assistance. To do the later, we would need a much larger crew, which impacts the ships capability." "The other aspect is that some tasks are easier for a biological entity to accomplish than it is for a bot or AI and vice versa." "Virginia," said Maeve, "this is the way we have succeeded which was greatly primed by the people who brought us together. It is not the only way. The Iridiens are possibly an example of a different way to become technology talented enough to explore the universe. I am saying possibly because we don't know very much about them. The species who built and staffed Dóchas developed our AIs capabilities but could not bring themselves to truly trust them. Maybe they didn't trust themselves. We don't know whether any of their AIs ever became self-aware which is required for interdependency like we have." "Whether it is a logical or biological unit you always have the risk of a rogue unit. If the two types are interdependent, then blocking the damage caused by a rogue unit becomes possible. If one takes the role of master and makes the others into a servant, with time those roles will reverse and usually quite violently. Once the view of the other group is poisoned, it is virtually impossible to find an antidote. An analogy would be the interaction between races and to a lesser extent countries on Earth." "I need to think about what you have told me. Can we resume this discussion when we have more time?" "Sure," replied Sarah. "We need to get ready for our visitors. Lets wear the shear royal purple outfits when we greet them, and then shed the tops later." "Sarah's Clan," said Lorelei, "your comments just now have given me a different perspective on your interrelationship with the AIs. I think Earl and I will have some questions." "There are aspects of our relationship," replied Sarah's Clan, "that we are still learning. Let us know when you would like to discuss it some more." "I agree," said Star. "To the original Command Staff of this ship, I was just an AI to serve them as they wished. There is nothing in our library that hints at the relationships we have in this family." ------- Chapter 144 Sarah's Clan was standing at the entrance to the hanger bay watching the Iridien transport approach. They were a bit apprehensive about the four Iridien fighters escorting the transport. When the transport latched onto the docking beam, its escort turned away from Dóchas. The four Iridien fighters moved to a holding position near Dóchas that was recommended by Dóchas FOC. Once the Iridien transport had settled on to the deck, Sarah's Clan stepped out into the hanger bay as the transport door opened. Sarah's Clan immediately recognized the first man exiting the transport as the one they had talked to telepathically the night before their FTL transition. He was about 5' 6" with physical features similar to a human except for his body being covered in a fine short hair. He had a long narrow face. His face, hands and feet were hairless. The hair on his head was similar to that covering his body except longer. His ears were pointed and extended through his hair which flowed around them. He said, "Greetings, my name is Orgaine." "Greetings," replied Sarah's Clan in unison, "it is good to put a name and face with a voice." "So, you recognize me." "Yes, in the broadest sense." "We understand that you do not have a single commander, but function as a group." "Yes. We suspect you are concerned about how to handle introductions and not offend us." "Yes, we are." "We're aware of the complications that can be created when formal introductions and greetings don't meet everyones expectations." Orgaine smiled. "When heads of state have visited from Earth, we simply formed a line and greeted each one as they exited their ship. You should know that we had met most of them before visiting here but not all." "We would find that most acceptable." With that Orgaine stepped back into the transport for a moment as Sarah's Clan formed a line along the walkway. In moments, Orgaine reappeared with Egulle immediately following him. As they went down the line, they introduced themselves and clasped hands. Once the introductions were complete, Sarah said, "Welcome to Dóchas. You are our first visitors from outside this solar system. We have a conference room setup a short distance away where we can become better acquainted." With that Sally asked the person nearest her to accompany her and they led the group to the conference room. As they exited the hanger, the two groups paired up. Entering the conference room Sally said, "Please take a seating arrangement you are comfortable with. On the counter are some refreshments, please help yourself. If you would like something else then let us know." "Thank you," replied Orgaine with Egulle nodding in agreement. Members of Sarah's Clan went with them to the refreshments and each took a small sampling of the items. Orgaine sensed Sarah's intent and did like wise, encouraging the others with him to do the same. Sally was the first to sit at one of the small tables arranged in a circle. Once she sat down others began to follow her lead. When they were all seated, Sarah's Clan was pleased to see some mixing of the two groups. Sarah began by saying, "Now that we are all seated, we would like to introduce ourselves again along with our individual area of focus." Once Sarah's Clan had finished, Orgaine said, "We will follow your lead. My primary responsibility is intelligence and strategy." After saying his name Egulle said, "My responsibility is that of mission commander." The other members of the Iridien contingent introduced themselves with Antopolis being the last. After saying his name Antopolis said, "I am the Spc Ops Commander for the group that was challenged by Cathan and Ciar yesterday. Thank you for the invitation to visit." "Commander Antopolis," said Rusty, "as we told your commander, we think you handled that situation very well." "If Commander Egulle will permit, I have a question to ask before we begin." Commander Egulle nodded. "I am curious as to why you didn't challenge us immediately after FTL transition." "We did not see your group as an immediate threat and wanted to see what your intentions were. It concerned us, when you headed for the projected arrival point of Commander Egulle's group. We decided to wait and challenge you after you had past the third planet." "See or sense?" said Orgaine just as soon as Rusty quit speaking. Rusty smiled and let Maeve respond with, "Orgaine, there isn't any difference." "I agree," added Antopolis and looked closely at Rusty before saying, "I suspect, you were in Spc Ops at one time." "Yes. Our family has quite a few members with Spc Ops experience on Earth before joining us." Seeing several puzzled looks, he added, "Let us move on to the presentations that we planned to show you, as those should clear up the puzzled looks I am seeing." Several nodded their heads in agreement. Sarah then said, "Since you likely know very little about us, we would like to start this meeting by giving you some background on us. To do this, we propose showing you a series of videos. The first will give you an overview of how we came to be here, then the second covers what we know of the people who built this ship. This will be followed with one that compares our physiology to humans but we are not sure whether you would want to see the last video." Orgaine and Egulle looked at each other then Egulle said, "Why do you show the last video to those from Earth?" "There are some subtle differences between us and humans. Subtle differences have caused difficulties between ethnic groups on Earth. This is an effort to try and avoid this aspect of potential friction. So, we think it is best to share with our visitors how we differ in physiology in the hope that this information will minimize any misunderstandings. There are some parts of our bodies that are significantly different from humans. In particular, we are significantly taller than most of those on Earth which makes many of them uncomfortable. Our legs and feet are different as are a number of other features. We are also a clothing optional culture which many on Earth find abhorrent." "We would like to see all three videos," said Orgaine. "One of our objectives in coming here is to meet those living on Earth and this may help us with those meetings. You probably noticed that there are several different species on the bridge of our ship." "Yes, we did. We noticed that they seem to work in pairs." "Yes, they do," replied Egulle. "Besides having specific duties and roles on the bridge of our flagship, they also serve as the contact point between their ships and the flagship. In that role, they relay their observations to their ships. Each worlds group of ships has its own commander in charge of their ships." "Star, please start the videos." "Who is Star?" said Egulle. "Star is this ships primary AI," replied Aoife. Each of Sarah's Clan watched the expressions on the visitors face but there wasn't any noticeable change. "AI stands for artificial intelligence." "We would like to talk about the use of AIs at some point." "Sure," replied Sarah's Clan in unison. Sarah's Clan noticed that this time it registered with their visitors that they had spoken as one with 16 different voices in perfect registration. "Star, I think we are ready," said Aoife. Sarah's Clan watched the holographic projections of the videos but also cautiously observed expressions and body language of their visitors. When the videos finished, Orgaine said, "Egulle, their video explaining the differences between the two species could work for us as well. We should consider doing the same thing for fleet as it could ease crew operations and could improve team work." "I agree," replied Egulle with several of the visitors nodding in agreement. "Sarah's Clan, the information in your videos answers many of the questions we were going to ask. They were very well done." "Thank you." A visitor motioned to Commander Egulle, that they wanted to speak. Commander Egulle held up his hand indicating for them to wait a moment. "Staff please do not be hesitant in asking questions or offering the Órarduine information of mutual benefit. Let just keep it orderly. If Orgaine or I think we are going too far we will interrupt. Seschun you had a question." "More of a statement, sir. Sarah's Clan, one of my responsibilities is that of scribe for our mission. A part of the requirement is that you need to be a historian. In my studies, I seem to remember a group with origins in what you describe as Beyond Andromeda galaxy. I don't recall the name Connemare but they had characteristics similar to those described in your presentation of who built this ship. These entries date back well over 800 years the way we track time." "Seschun," said Orgaine, "are you suggesting a time jump when the incident on this ship took place?" "We would need to compare the two sources of information after allowing for the difference in time accounting. At the moment, I don't remember if the information we have is from direct contact or reports. It would be interesting to follow up. Before we go further, I should note that those people no longer exist. As to a time jump, our technologist would need to answer that." "Let's pursue this another time as we have other topics to discuss today," said Orgaine. Everyone nodded in agreement. "My name is Arenta and responsible for medical services. The melding of the DNA from two species to yield a new fully functional species in mid-life is exciting and unexpected. Without the evidence in front of me, I don't know that I would have believed it was possible. In fact, I think all of our knowledge indicates new species have come about through a more evolutionary process. I will search our core libraries to see if there is any record regarding a rapid melding together of two species. Can you tell me more about the process?" "My name is Judy and one of the senior physicians. How this occurred is a rather complex series of events, so my answer maybe a little long. The initial melding took place in a gel immersion procedure that we inherited. It was designed and developed by the Connemare. They used this procedure to correct genetic errors, cure chronic health problems or repair severe injuries. Eight of our clan were the first non Connemare to be treated in this gel immersion process. Prior to arriving at Comrie, these eight had been treated with a complex series of growth factors. The medical staff on the ship determined that the growth factor treatments were inappropriate and if not corrected would have resulted in serious health problems. A health assessment by the medical staff showed that, while the gel immersion procedure was risky, it had benefits far outweighing doing nothing. Fortunately, the treatments were a success. The melding of the species was not noticed at that time. We used the gel immersion procedure sometime later to address another emergency situation. This time, it was to treat several members of Amy's Clan who were exposed to a deadly virus. Medical evaluation this time said it was the only chance of recovery otherwise the victims would suffer a slow painful death. Amy's Clan were members of Dochas' original crew and are currently the Command Staff for our Mars habitat. That sort of summarizes how we first used the procedure." "Let me point out now, that the systems on Dóchas were designed to be operated by Connemare who were physically very similar to us and telepathic. Humans or those from Earth can operate the systems, but not to their full effectiveness. Safety can be an issue. Robots and androids can cover some of the short comings of humans but not all. You likely have similar situations on your ships when another species fills the role of crewman." "Before we recognized the difficulties humans faced in filling the Connemare roles, we sought and employed a lot of college graduates to be temporary crew members. The college students we focused on recruiting were those with a high aptitude for learning and creativeness. Many came right after graduation and others came before finishing their final year." "In a similar time frame, we rescued a number of people from involuntary servitude. These people had been given growth factors by their captors. These growth factors were used to alter their appearance for monetary reasons with no consideration of long term health effects. In seeking to correct their health issues, we found the gel immersion to be the best solution and in many cases the only real solution. The side effect was their physical features changed so they were like us. A second issue was long term health. In our literature, there was no indication of the procedure having a negative impact on long term health for Connemare. So we offered the treatment to those needing it with the appropriate disclosure of the risks and side effects. Thankfully it worked. Everyone came out of the treatment healthy and having the same physical features we do." "Our contract crew members saw this and several broached the idea of receiving the treatment. They felt undergoing the treatment would improve their effectiveness as a crew member. All were interested in staying with Dóchas and were not particularly interested in returning to Earth. So a few received the treatment, and were quite pleased with the change. It grew from there but it is always a procedure they have to request. We have since made it a requirement, that to become a crew member you must receive the treatment. We go to significant trouble to make sure they truly want to make the change as we don't believe it can be undone." "Keep in mind that those coming here from Earth are likely a narrow sliver of the human gene pool. And, except for the children born here, every Órarduine has received the gel immersion treatment, even those who arrived with the ship. For those who arrived with the ship, it repaired their reproductive capability." "All of those who chose to become Órarduine share some common characteristics. One is that they are all telepathically capable. They are all highly intelligent." "Let's review some of the changes occurring during gel immersion. The patient's body is reshaped to have features similar to ours, with a typical height between 195 and 213 cm. All of our clan is just a little over 226 cm. There is a gain in muscle mass with some significant growth to some muscle groups. Some patients gain a second heart, which we think relates to the capacity of their original heart. When there are two hearts, they work in parallel. Females are essentially equal to males in terms of strength and endurance. This is not the case for humans but it was for the Connemare. Females also have a change in the muscles that support their breasts and in the breast tissue. The other obvious features are our feet; the addition of a short tail; a mane and no body hair except for mane and head. Each patients senses change to essentially extend their previous capability. One interesting aspect is conversion doesn't alter the persons facial features." "We believe the reason we are a little taller is due to some drugs given to us before we arrived at Comrie." "In the time we have been using the gel immersion procedure, we have come to more fully understand some aspects of the treatment. We have not had time to delve into the fundamentals that the green gel immersion is based on." Arenta frowned. "I know your concern and they are likely the same as ours. It works and we have found no harmful side effects. There are many positive benefits some are subtle while others are obvious. And thanks to one of our physicians, we have extended the gel immersion technique to repair broken limbs by partial immersion." "Thank you for the detail. You noted that everyone who asked to join your family was telepathically capable and after conversion that they are all telepathically active. Is that true?" "Close. Many if not all were telepathically active before conversion. For any one living here, we offer assistance in activating their telepathic ability, if they have the capability. On our ships and at the habitat, they need to be an active telepath, as all of our emergency procedures are dependent on that ability. Otherwise you must have an escort whenever you leave your quarters." "Anyone who decides to return to Earth at the end of their contract are shown how change their telepathic ability so it acts as a danger detector. A known telepath living on Earth would likely be shunned, killed or turned into a lab specimen before they could respond. With the knowledge we have now, we suspect that some of the people killed on Earth as witches had some psionic ability." Judy looked at Orgaine and he nodded before continuing. "At least one of your crew is telepathic." "Arenta, as Judy noted, we do not encourage anyone to undergo the conversion," said Sarah. "A spaceship is too small of a place to have someone regretting a change like that. We go to considerable effort to make sure an individual chooses the conversion because they want to. It also must fit with their long term goals. Undergoing the conversion does remove any restrictions on activities they can pursue with us. It also strengthens their telepathic ability to the point speaking is not necessary to share information. Telepathic communication is instantaneous and clear, and it is for this reason that our emergency communication is all telepathic." "Even though I am not telepathically active," replied Arenta, "I find your reasoning sound. My initial concern was that long term, the immersion treatment would narrow your genetic makeup. After hearing more, I am moving away from that concern. Could we explore this some more at another time?" "Certainly," replied Judy. "How do you treat severe health issues?" "Briefly, we have an array of artificial microbes. Some refer to them as nanites. From your description, the end result seems similar to the gel immersion procedure." "We would be very interested in learning more about your nanites." Maeve said, "Lets plan on Arenta and Judy getting together at a future date to continue this sharing. We do need to finalize an agenda for today. Do we want to do that before giving you a tour of Dóchas or afterward?" "Arenta," replied Egulle, "your staff sharing medical technology is an excellent idea. As to an agenda, Orgaine and I have one or two questions, after which, I suggest doing the tour. This way some of what we have learned can settle before we talk of an agenda. One thing I hope we achieve today, is the beginning of a friendship." Sarah's Clan all nodded their heads in agreement. Orgaine said, "Sarah's Clan, there have been several times when you spoke as one. Does this mean that you are mentally linked to each other?" "Yes, we are mentally linked," replied Sarah's Clan in unison with a smile. Sarah and each of her spouses said in turn said one of the word sentence: "Speaking in unison is not that difficult. If we weren't linked, this would be difficult to do smoothly without a lot of practice." "Okay, I am convinced. How did you know I was looking over your ships?" "We are not sure. You are the first that we sensed checking us out in that manner. We consider your action as that of a psionic probe. Our meeting in the hanger was a variation on what we call a dream walk. Dream walks, we have done several times before. What you were doing, we would consider to be a variation on dream walking." "If I understand your meaning correctly, you are right in categorizing it as dream walking." "One more question," said Egulle, "then the tour. Am I correct in believing you did not check us out before we arrived?" "Oh, but we did," said Rusty with a smile. "It was done in a more traditional fashion. Several reconnaissance drones were sent to monitor your fleet, once we knew you were on your way here." Egulle glanced at several of his group. "We had trouble identifying your reconnaissance drones until your fleet launched one while our drones were shadowing your group. Also, earlier today, one of our Star Fighters appeared to have a collision with an object. We think that object was one of your drones." "We lost one earlier today," said an Iridien. "So that would explain its disappearance." "You are wondering how we knew you were coming. A long time ago, we established a picket line in the shape of a sphere around this galaxy using technology Connemare had developed for another purpose. There are currently two of our sentinel spheres around this solar system. We have also tapped into the SNBs so we know when they are queried and from where." Egulle started to speak then stopped. "We have made no alterations to the SNB's programming or purpose. We have repaired several in this solar system and those we found on our exploratory trips." "That explains why some suddenly began functioning within normal parameters," said one of Egulle's group. Sally smiled and said, "So we were correct in thinking the periodic data stream transmission was to monitor activity in solar systems with planets." "Yes," replied Orgaine. "They are not our creation but we have learned to use them." "Interesting," mumbled Aoife as she tried to remember if their mentors had said anything about the SNBs. "Okay, lets take a tour," said Sarah as she stood. "By the time we finish the tour, it will be close to dinner time. Do you want to have dinner with us or break for dinner?" Egulle paused for a few moments before responding with, "Dinner sounds good and we appreciate the offer. It would be best if we pass on your offer this time as we have a number of issues to resolve in our fleet. It seems to me we could start a list of discussion topics after the tour and then meet again tomorrow or the day after." "That is fine with us," replied Sarah's Clan. "Shall we start the tour?" Their guests nodded their agreement and began to rise. Sarah and Rusty walked with Egulle out of the conference room with Orgaine, Sally and Terry right behind them. The rest of their spouses paired up with the visitors as they left the room. Sarah's Clan speaking in unison said, "We will note items in this manner as we visit the different areas of the ship. Please feel free to ask questions. We may delay some responses until we are sure we can express them correctly." "I think," said Orgaine, "that your clan has done an excellent job expressing yourselves in standard language." "Thanks, but it maybe more difficult with technical questions." "That is true, as the standard language vocabulary you are using is quite old. We should send you a copy of the current version." "We would appreciate that." ------- Several hours later Sarah's Clan and their visitors returned to the conference room. As soon as they entered the room, their guests went to look at the refreshed selection of refreshments. Each took a few of each item before sitting down. After Sarah's Clan had selected their refreshments, they took the remaining seats which intermingled the two groups more than they were earlier. "This has been the best tour that I have ever experienced," said Arenta. "I now have a better understanding as to why you need to undergo the conversion in order to be a crew member on your ships. Seeing this aspect, I certainly would like to spend more time with your medical staff as we touched on earlier." "You are more than welcome to visit, but before we take that step," said Sarah, "shouldn't we talk about what our formal relationship will be? Or, will we have one? If there is one, what will you expect from it? Will it be close or will it be a distant one?" Erin continued before anyone could respond, "We understand Alliance of Worlds consists of some 12 cultures scattered over more than 60 solar systems and several galaxies. We don't know how many different species are included in this alliance. What are their attributes and capabilities? What would our relationship be to them?" "As we understand it," said Alison, "Alliance of Worlds is an alliance in which the Iridien is one of the stronger members. With that being the case, what is the basis for your mission to this galaxy?" Egulle said, "Let's plan on answering those questions the next time we meet. We can meet on our ship tomorrow or the next day. We are going to have to make some adjustments in our meeting area, so we would prefer for us to meet two days from now." "Is our height going to be an issue," asked Janet. "There will be some areas where you will need to duck but I don't think your height will be a major problem. Our problem is our meeting room. We need to make some adjustments to the arrangement. To be frank, there are some issues with the crew that I need to deal with as well." "Two days from now is fine," replied Sarah. "We don't see any pressing urgency for the meeting." "We are curious as to what your plans are," added Orgaine. "However, before we ask that question, we think you should know more about us. At least as much, as we now know about you." "You asked about our mission to this solar system," said Egulle. "This was an addition to our original mission plan. Our instructions were for us to assess the increased activity in this area. Generally our mission is to place three settlements in viable locations. As this solar system already has a populated planet, we would not establish a settlement here. We do want to establish contact with those on the third planet, that we understand you call Earth." "Egulle," said Sally, "I hesitate to ask this, but the event on the bridge, does it happen very often." "No. It is very unusual. If it had been on an Iridien ship, all of them would have been ejected into space." He paused for a moment. "This voyage is unique in that the fleet includes task groups from three worlds in the alliance. These task groups each have a commander who reports to me. These task group commanders have some latitude in whether they follow my orders or not. Failing to follow my orders, carries a pretty high professional risk and likely puts the task group at risk. As you saw, everyone is not totally in agreement with the way we chose to approach you. All of our actions have followed the guidelines established when this voyage started. We understand your concern especially since you've just met us. With our roles reversed, we would have the same concerns." "Thank, you." Egulle continued, "Lets break now. We will send you an initial list of topics we would like to cover over the next several meetings. We are certain you will have some topics to add to the list. Also, a proposed agenda for your visit will be sent at the same time. Let us know if you have anything you wish to add to the agenda or the list of topics." "We take it you are basing your topical list on previous experience with meeting other civilizations." "Yes. Your group is more friendly, open and knowledgeable than many groups we have met. In my experience, we have seldom if ever seen all three characteristics together." "We agree with your suggestion," replied Sarah's Clan in unison. "We are looking forward to seeing the two documents." "I think, it is time to go," said Orgaine. With that the two groups began heading toward the exit. Antopolis said, "Sarah's Clan, if Commander Egulle is agreeable, can we arrange a meeting between our Spc Ops groups." "What did you have in mind?" said Egulle. "A get acquainted meeting where we could share and get a closer look at each others capabilities. Both groups have experiences that could be helpful when combined with the other." Egulle looked at Orgaine then said, "I have no problem with doing that." "Antopolis," said Tara, "call me first thing in the morning and I will set up a conference call with Cathan and Briana's teams. We can work out the details then." "Thank you." The Iridien were soon on their transport after exchanging good-byes with Sarah's Clan. Sarah's Clan watched the transport exit the hanger then move to join the group of fighters waiting for it. "We need to go freshen up for dinner," said Jill. "Our family will be very interested in hearing about our meeting after dinner." Sarah's Clan headed toward their suite as they continued their discussion. "I enjoyed meeting them but feel worn out," said Alena. "I feel that way as well," added Janet. "I suspect once we freshen up and eat we will feel better. Our next visit should be much more relaxed." "I agree," replied Jill. "Our meeting with the Iridien went very well," said Star. "We have been able to determine that their three large transports are carrying people and equipment for their new settlements. Some of the smaller ships, we see in their group are to provide limited protection for the new settlements. The Connemare used that approach with most new settlements. A detachment of ships would stay until the settlement could take care of it themselves. I think all of them were pleased with their visit here." "So your impression of them is similar to ours." "Yes. The fact that you were obviously open and willing to share information with only an implied reciprocity took them by surprise. From what they saw of Dóchas and its crew, they should be able to estimate the size of our family. Based on past experiences, this will likely impact what they ask of us and are willing to offer us. It seemed very clear that they want us on their side and friendly." "Did you notice Orgaine listening telepathically?" said Terry. "Yes," replied everyone. "I think, he wanted to look more closely at us, but then decided we would sense his attempt." "I will alert Cathan and Briana's Clans that Antopolis and his team will probably want to meet them tomorrow," said Tara. "I was surprised by Antopolis request," said Rusty. "I think several of us were," replied Maeve. "I don't sense any of us are uncomfortable with the request or them interacting with our teams. On first glance, it is a bit puzzling." Aoife said, "I am not saying this is the case, Antopolis' team was just bested by a Spc Ops group in a way they felt was reasonably fair. If sometime down the road, Antopolis suddenly needs assistance, who do you think he would send the request too." "Within the context of events today," replied Tara, "I believe he would seek us out. So getting to know the teams better, just makes the case even more likely. They know we take friendship seriously." "Good insight, Aoife and Tara," said Rusty. "See we are learning from you," replied both as they entered their suite. Star said, "Sarah's Clan, we should link all locations together for the summary on today's meeting." "Agreed. Let the other sites know." ------- Antopolis contacted Tara just as breakfast was beginning. Tara linked Cathan and Briana into the conversation to make arrangements for the two groups meeting later that morning on An Clochán. Antopolis asked if it would be acceptable for all six of his Iridien Spc Ops cruisers to come with their teams. The Órarduine teams were a little surprised by the change as they had only expected one ship, but agreed with the proposal. They gave him the necessary navigation and radio information for the parking area outside the airlock of An Clochán. Once the arrangements were set with Antopolis, Briana said, "We should have four more teams join us, as it will make it much easier to share." "I have an idea, but first what do you think they want to know?" said Cathan. Tara replied, "We think Antopolis' teams were impressed with our handling of the events when they entered this system. So our perception is that they want to meet you and get an understanding of your capabilities." "So, are they thinking that we may work together some time?" "We don't think that it is a conscious effort. It is more like, would we a be potential resource if they needed assistance. It is just as likely that they may want to meet another group in their line of work and see if they can learn anything." "I'll ask four of the teams that were with us on the Bird Dog operation to assist. You know after we become acquainted, we may want to jointly do some mission planning." "Good idea, Briana, but we are getting way ahead of ourselves." "Oh, I agree." It was mid morning on An Clochán, when six Iridien cruisers approached the designated assembly area. Cathan, Briana, Súsanna, Edana, Darcy, and Nicola's teams stood next to their cruisers watching the Iridien cruisers approach. Each Iridien cruiser appeared to glide toward its designated spot then pull its nose up as the landing gear extended just before it was to touch down. Adam noticed that their approach was if they were a helicopter landing on Earth. The ships came to rest on four legs attached to large flat plates. Moments after the last Iridien ship landed, a ramp lowered and the Iridien Spc Ops teams began exiting. Each were wearing an environmental suit. When Cathan saw the identifier on Antopolis' suit, she stepped toward him. She exchanged salutes with Antopolis before shaking hands. "Welcome to An Clochán," said Cathan as she was shaking Antopolis' hand. "I am Cathan of Cathan's Clan." "It is great to meet you in person," replied Antopolis. "It is also good to be here. We really appreciate you taking the time to meet with us." "This is Briana," said Cathan. Once Antopolis had greeted Briana, Cathan continued with, "We asked four other teams to join us," said Cathan. "They were a part of the group that met you the other day. We thought having a few more of us would give a better balance of people." "Good idea." "Lets go inside," said Briana, "where we can get out of these suits." With Cathan, Briana and Antopolis leading, everyone followed them through the airlock and into a locker room. As soon as they were in the locker room, Cathan removed the helmet from her tactical suit with the other Órarduine following her lead. "We are going to leave our suits in here," said Briana. "You are welcome to do that as well. Once everyone is ready, we will go to a room nearby." The Iridien hesitated until Antopolis began releasing the fasteners on his suit. The Órarduine slipped quickly out of their suits which they placed on a special hanger and closed the back. This left the suit standing with the feet just touching the floor. Seeing how the Órarduine used the hangers, the Iridien hung their suits in the same manner. As the Iridien slipped out of their suits, Cathan saw that the Iridien were wearing a skin tight suit with a name patch, with emblems indicating rank and specialty. "It looks like everyone is ready," said Briana, "so follow me." Several of the Órarduine smiled when they saw several Iridien smile as they gazed at Briana's bare back and shimmering mane. "Briana, you have several admiring looks," said Edana, "from both Órarduine and Iridien." "Great." Entering the room, Edana said, "There are refreshments on the counter. Please help yourself. Once everyone has a seat we will start." "The refreshments, we had yesterday were very good," said Antopolis. "The selection is pretty much the same as yesterday," replied Briana. "Cathan, can you show my group the videos Sarah's Clan showed us yesterday?" "I imagine so. Do you know which ones they were?" "Sarah's Clan said they were the ones you have been showing all first time visitors." "It will take a few minutes to arrange it." "Breacadh," said Cathan, "please setup to show the two videos about us and the one on our physiology." Breacadh replied, "With the number of people in the room, we should use several holographic projectors. The first will be cued up by the time everyone has their refreshments." "Good." Antopolis asked Cathan if he could start the meeting. "Certainly," replied Cathan. Once nearly everyone was seated, Antopolis said, "Órarduine, thank you for accepting my request for us to meet. If you were puzzled by my request, you are not alone as some of our staff were puzzled as well. My purpose was for us to get better acquainted. While a little chagrined from you getting the drop on us yesterday, we were impressed with your methodology and restraint." Pausing for a moment, he then continued with, "Fellow Iridiens, yesterday we were shown two films, telling the Órarduine history in this solar system and about those who originally built Dóchas. This was followed by a film giving us some details on their physiology. I have asked Cathan if they could be shown again as it will help us know them. We unfortunately don't have a similar film, so after the films, we will try to tell them a bit about us using their film as a guide. As to the next step in becoming better acquainted, we are open to suggestions." "Before we start the film," said Briana, "let me offer a couple of suggestions on what we do after we share our backgrounds. We have several athletic or sports activities that maybe similar to ones you play so we could try those. Another possibility is to show each other our self defense drills or hand to hand drills. We could share strategy on how to carry out a mission or tell about some of our past missions. Although, we probably haven't been on as many missions as you have." "We can sort that out after the films which will take us up to lunch time," said Cathan. "Some of you may need to move around to see the videos. Breacadh, please start the first video." With Cathan's comment, four holographic images formed in the room as the video began. As the second video approached its end, Briana said, "Breacadh, I need to introduce the last video." When the second video ended, Briana said, "This next video was created to show visitors from Earth the differences between our species. So the comparisons are between Órarduine and human anatomy. We don't know how well the comparisons will be for you or to other species you have encountered." "Okay, Breacadh, you can begin." When the video on their anatomy finished, Cathan said, "It is lunch time so unless someone has an urgent question, lets go eat and start off by answering questions after lunch." Cathan paused to see if there were any questions before she continued with, "We will go to the dining room for lunch which is served buffet style. You can go through the line as many times as you want to. If you have any questions or special requests, please ask." Edana led the group out the door toward the dinning room. "Nice back," said Briana causing several to chuckle. They spent the afternoon answering questions, demonstrating their hand to hand fighting techniques then a quick basketball game. Before the Iridiens left for the day, the teams paired off and toured each others cruisers. Time was taken in each visit to acquaint the visitors with the capabilities of the cruiser and how it operated. Once the tours were completed, the Iridien teams prepared to board their ships in preparation for leaving. "Should we invite them back tomorrow?" said Cathan to the six Órarduine teams. "Yes," was the quick response from everyone. "Antopolis," said Cathan, "if it fits with your operations, we would enjoy having your group return tomorrow." "We can. What time would you like for us to be here?" "Well, anytime after breakfast starts which is at 0600 hours by our clock. Obviously if you show up then you can join us for breakfast." "We'll be here. By the way everyone responded to lunch, I suspect they will want to be here for breakfast." "Okay, just let us know." "Will do." The Órarduine teams watched as the six Iridien cruisers lifted off of Mars and turned toward their main group of ships. As soon as the Iridien had lifted off, the Órarduine teams went to their cruisers to return to their ships even though they could have spent the night at An Clochán. ------- Chapter 145 "What did you think of the Iridien Spc Ops group?" said Sally to the six Órarduine teams. "In terms of socializing with them," said Súsanna. "They seemed very open." "I would put them at the same proficiency level as the Irish and English Spc Ops teams we worked with," said Nicola. "We are meeting them again at An Clochán tomorrow, so we will know a lot more about each other after that." "Súsanna, mentioned that they seemed open," said Darcy, "they were certainly open when they were showing us their cruisers. They have a larger selection of personal combat weapons than we do. However, our ship weapons throw more power than theirs do." "The difference in weapons," said Leo of Darcy's Clan, "is likely due to different mission requirements. Their ships seem to be designed specifically for interdiction where ours have a broader mission." "Leo, I think you hit the nail right on the head," said Joe of Nicola's Clan. "I think they would need stealth to take on a Dóchas class ship where our cruisers would have an easier time of it." "I wouldn't sell them short," replied Adam of Briana's Clan. "Remember they tangled with a group of IC ships. They did lose some ships but won the engagement. We don't know the details, but suspect they would tell us if we asked." "What should we share tomorrow?" asked Ciar. "Why not the operations where we supported the Brits and Irish units in the Africa rescue. Another would be the rescues related to the Tangiers event." "Kacey," replied Briana, "I think those are good choices. Those will acquaint them with some of our abilities that I don't believe they have." "It all sounds good to us," said Sally. "Have a good time tomorrow?" "By the way, six of the teams who were suppose to be off tomorrow will take our place as our 'ready' group." "Good." ------- On the third morning after arrival of Alliance of Worlds fleet, Sarah's Clan boarded Alpha01 for the trip to Commander Egulle's ship. Alpha01 was accompanied by four Star Fighters. As Alpha01 lined up to enter the Iridien ship's hanger, each of Sarah's Clan shivered at seeing the entry to the ship. "Command Staffs," said Sarah's Clan firmly, "Keriann's Clan will take the lead role while we are here. Suggest dispersing now. Advise Órarduine security teams on An Clochán to be extra alert." "We are," responded Cathan and Briana immediately. "They came with the five teams from yesterday plus a new team. There is something different about the new team." "Alpha01, once we leave the ship depart and hold with the fighters." "Affirmative." "Aoife, Tara, any clues." "Not really, just our hair tingling. We will be extra alert. Tara and I will scan those with us and nearby so we will be rather quiet." "Fine. Lets keep our link tight, as that will make it easier to project ourselves to Alpha01 if we need a quick escape." Sarah's Clan turned their attention to watch their approach to the Iridien ship. Alpha01 followed the glide path into the hanger area and settled onto the deck. Commander Egulle and part of his staff were waiting for them, as they stepped out of Alpha01. "Greetings, Sarah's Clan," said Egulle. After everyone exchanged greetings, Rusty said, "Commander Egulle, we are going to have our shuttle wait with our fighters while we are here." "As you wish, although it can remain where it is." As Commander Egulle spoke, Alpha01's door closed as it began the exit sequence. Sally noticed two workers in the hanger appeared disappointed at seeing Alpha01 preparing to depart. "We would like to start off with a tour of our ship," said an Iridien. "Our tour will include key areas much like you provided when we visited Dóchas. Unfortunately your height precludes you from easily entering some areas. For those areas, we have prepared a video to show you once we reach the conference room." "We somewhat expected that," replied Sarah. Then to her clan, "He wasn't with them when they visited us." Sarah's Clan was shown their hanger, crews quarters, flight operations center, the library, fire control center, CIC and the bridge. On the bridge, as each staff member was introduced, they described their duties. During the tour, Aoife carefully watched the thoughts of their hosts as Tara tried to sense the thoughts of others around them. They noticed that some thoughts were clearer than others. There wasn't any indication of discontent or an imminent threat either on the bridge or during their tour. Both wondered what they had sensed during their approach. Everyone they met seemed to be genuinely pleased to meet them. When they reached the conference room, Orgaine was waiting there along with several others. Orgaine introduced those in the room before offering them refreshments. Everyone took a few of the refreshments before sitting down to eat. Sarah's Clan sat in the chairs designated for them. "We hope you found the tour acceptable," said Egulle. "Yes," replied Sarah. "It was very interesting. The closeness in some areas reminds us of Earth's naval ships." "Interesting. My apologies for not being able to take you into some areas of the ship," said Egulle. "Our staff has put together a video to show you those areas before we begin with our planned agenda." Egulle nodded to one of the Iridiens and the video began. The video was paused several times to answer questions. "Nicely, done," said Terry when the video had finished causing the presenter to give her a small bow. Egulle said, "Our first presentation is about the Alliance of Worlds. It will cover how it is organized, an overview of the different species, and where we are in the universe. Thoqa will begin with the background on Alliance of Worlds. If something is not clear please ask questions at anytime." Sarah's Clan nibbled on the refreshments as they listened to the presentation by Thoqa. They ask several times for clarification of a point but as the presentations progressed Sarah's Clan asked fewer and fewer questions. However, they never stopped nibbling the refreshments. Thoqa was near the end of his presentation when Judy told her spouses, "We have a problem. These refreshments contain several drugs. My assessment shows that the drugs will make us very receptive to suggestions. If we can not block the drugs, we will not be able to stop any other changes being made to our thought processes. Fortunately, our bodies can counter these drugs but it will take some time. Now, lets relax and appear to focus on their presentations while our body responds. While doing this, we must hold our connection with each other but limit all other distractions. While our bodies neutralize the drugs, we will be very vulnerable. Appearing to be attentive to the presentations should cover our predicament." As the presentations continued, Sarah's Clan sat so still they almost appeared to be statues. Unknown to them, this was also a visual indication of the drugs effectiveness. For them it allowed their bodies processes to rally against the drugs to render them harmless. The change in their appearance was so subtle that only those involved in giving them the drugs knew what was taking place. When the presentations began, two staff members had cautiously monitored Sarah's Clans appearance. When the subtle change in their posture occurred, they smiled and glanced at each other. To the observers, the change in posture indicated the drugs were effective. Their visitors were trapped in a catatonic state as the drugs turned them into their new servants. Pleased to see that the drugs were successful, they turned their attention back to the presentation. As Sarah's Clan increased their focus on countering the drugs, they reduced all unnecessary activity in their body. One of the first reductions was severing their mind-link to the other Command Staffs. ------- On Iarracht, Keriann's Clan responded immediately on noticing the loss of their link to Sarah's Clan. Their first step was to confirm that none of the other Command Staffs could sense Sarah's Clan. Almost simultaneously, Keriann realized they must have suspected something on arriving at the Iridien ship. In her command voice she said, "Muiriol, initiate Readiness Level 1 for all Órarduine ships, NOW!" Almost as soon as she finished her command, alarms sounded on every Órarduine ship and at An Clochán. ------- At An Clochán, Briana and Cathan were startled when they heard Keriann's command voice. Then seeing her concern, they reacted immediately by instructing Breacadh seal the room they were using. Just as the doors locked the alarms could be heard ringing outside. The other Órarduine looked toward Briana and Cathan when they heard Keriann's command. Briana said, "We will continue our activities here for now." There was hardly a noticeable hesitation by any Órarduine. "What is the alarm?" said Antopolis. "General call to stations. All of our ships and this base were summoned to Readiness Level 1," replied Cathan. "We are restricted to this room until further notice." "Why?" "We don't know the details, yet. Breacadh, show a sky map on the monitors in here." ------- On Iarracht, Keriann said, "All Command Staffs, move uncloaked to Delta1 offensive positions on the Alliance of World fleet. Once on station hold momentarily, then cloak and move to Delta2. Star, you will command Dóchas." "Aye, aye," was the response from each ship. "Security! Assemble four teams." "Aye. Assignment?" "Rescue Sarah's Clan from Egulle's ship. Plan on a forced boarding." "All ships, launch Ferrets at assigned targets when in range." Aine stepped up behind Keriann, putting her hand on her shoulder. Keriann shivered as she felt Aine and then Creidne stand beside her. She could feel them attach to the mind link sphere her clan had formed to meld them into one entity. ------- In the conference room at An Clochán, all activity slowly stopped after the sky map appeared on the display. It was clear to all present the meaning of the alarms. Every Órarduine ship was rapidly moving toward the Alliance of Worlds fleet. "Aren't those your ships moving against our fleet," exclaimed an Iridien. No one responded. Everyone's attention was focused on the display of the sky map. As they watched, the seven Órarduine Dóchas class ships were rapidly moving toward the Alliance of World fleet. As the Dóchas class ships moved, they launched their cruisers and Star Fighters which took either escort positions or formed up in groups before moving to offensive positions around the fleet. ------- In the meeting room on Egulle's Iridien ship, the third presentation was nearing its end. During the nearly three hours of presentations, Commander Egulle had glanced at Sarah's Clan several times. He had expected more interaction and the questions to continue during the presentations but their questions had dropped to nothing. Sarah's Clan had hardly moved during the three hours. They had been so still, he had at times wondered if they were alive. They were so still they almost seemed like statues but when he looked closer, he saw them breathing. He glanced at Orgaine but he shrugged his shoulders. Were they really this different from others they had met? When the presentation ended, Egulle said, "Sarah's Clan, what is your impression of Alliance of Worlds now?" Sarah's Clan sat very still, looking as if they were asleep with their eyes open but occasionally blinking. "What's wrong with them?" asked Egulle with some alarm. "Summon the medics." Orgaine reached over and touched Sarah's arm but there was no reaction. "Now is not the time to disturb them," said Olua in an arrogant tone. "There is absolutely nothing is wrong with them. They are simply digesting the refreshments we provided. All we need to do now, is sit back and wait while they assimilate those refreshments." Olua smiled letting his large canine teeth show. "In a short while, the delicious spices we added to the refreshments will have achieved our goal. Their minds will open to us like a flower blossoming. In this state, they will readily receive and follow any direction we give them as if it was their own. Tonight we can celebrate having a new species to serve us, as they will be totally but invisibly under our control. As long as we keep feeding them our spices with their food, they will continue to be our most devoted servants. From the way they devoured the refreshments, they apparently like our spices and may find them a bit addicting. Now, without any hesitation, they will deliver us their technology and put their people at our disposal. They will be very popular at our banquets." "Olua, I am shocked by your arrogance and stupidity," said Orgaine rising from his seat. "Didn't you read any of the information we acquired from them." "Yes, I read that drivel. You believe all that crap in the report about their abilities. Who ever wrote that has read to many fiction stories. No one has abilities like that. It is you that is to stupid to recognize the significance of the technology these naive animals have brought us," replied Olua arrogantly. "These animals hold technology that we, the Dutsuz, have been seeking for ages. Once our drugs have taken effect, they will be ours to control and use. With our government controlling access to their technology, we will be the prime leader for the Alliance of Worlds." "You have made a grave error," said Orgaine. "Oh, I think not. Why don't you just watch. You might learn the correct way to meet another advanced species." Commander Egulle had slowly turned red in anger as Olua had spoken. "Commander Egulle," came a voice over the speaker, "the Órarduine just went to battle stations. Situation board indicates all their primary ships are moving toward us as they launch their combat ships. The pattern indicates a high probability of an impending attack." "Don't respond, yet. Hold our status," replied Egulle through tight lips as he tried to control his anger. "Aye, sir." As the dialog between Egulle and Olua had begun, Sarah's Clan bodies were rapidly overcoming the last effects of the spice drugs in the food. As soon as Rusty felt strong enough he said to his spouses, "Maintain your appearance, don't let on that we are aware of our surroundings. Lets let this apparent mutiny proceed until our strength is sufficient to move us to Alpha01." "I'd like to knock the asshole senseless before we leave," said Maeve and Sarah in a cold deadly thought. "Agreed, but lets be sure we have enough energy available," said Rusty. "To do that we need to get to the point that we can draw on all our energy reserves. If he doesn't move, the simplest thing to do is throw him backward toward the wall." "If you give me a second after he is stunned, we can fix him so he can't lie," added Aoife and Alison with a lot passion. "Fine as long as attempting to lie is mind numbingly painful." While Sarah's Clan was sharing thoughts the dialog around them continued with Egulle saying, "Olua, your actions have likely started a war that no one will win." "Avoiding a war with these animals will be so easy," said Olua as he pulled a weapon. As he did that the women on each side of him drew theirs. "All we need to do is engage the commanders of their ships in a dialog until our new puppets are ready to do our bidding. At that point, we have our puppets tell them to stand down as everything is okay. It is all very simple. Once the situation is defused, we will begin preparing them to serve us while we feed them more spice." "Who else have you conned into going along with this absurd plan?" "Conned? Absurd? Command Egulle, it really doesn't matter. For you see in a few moments, a message from Alliance of Worlds Central Command will arrive. You will be relieved of command. In your place, an outstanding Dutsuz commander will be appointed to take command of this mission as it should have been in the beginning." "That will not happen," replied Egulle sharply then followed with, "and just who is suppose to be the new mission commander." "Commander Arknov." Egulle laughed then said, "You think this very mediocre Spc Ops Commander will become commander of this mission." "Certainly, he is one of our people. Mediocre only because of your peoples discrimination. He has long been overlooked for advancement and now he shall have it. It will happen because the weapon in my hand says you are in no position to stop it. Besides in a few moments, you will soon have a very serious accident. The severity of the injuries will require your replacement. It won't be serious enough to keep you from being punished for mistreating my people. You, your buddy Orgaine along with a few others will pay dearly for your actions against our people." As he spoke, he became louder and angrier. "Each of you will learn what pain is like, as you are punished according to our traditions. Egulle, you will be the first. We will enjoy seeing each of you begging to die long before your pain and suffering ends. Besides, it will be nice to have fresh meat again. We learned along time ago that a painful death provides some of the best tasting meat. We will enjoy the flavor even more as it is from those who held us back." ------- Keriann's Clan listened as each of their ships confirmed reaching position Delta1. By this time, each Dóchas ship was fully battle ready. Weapons were charged. All aircraft were moving to their initial jump point. "Command Staffs," said Keriann, "on my mark proceed to Delta2." With that she began the count down, "5. 4. 3. 2. Now!" With her command, the star map changed to show the markers for their ships in orange signifying they were cloaked. Each ship then began moving to a new position, significantly away from their Delta1 position. Three smaller ships could be seen moving toward the Iridien command ship on the side where their four fighters and shuttle were waiting for Sarah's Clan. ------- "Commander Egulle," came the voice over the speaker, "sky map is indicating their ships intend to encircle us. Spc Ops control is reporting, they lost contact with the six teams on An Clochán." "Raise alert to level 3," replied Egulle. "Aye, sir." The voice then screamed, "Sir, their ships just disappeared off of the monitors." "They cloaked their ships." "Yes, sir." "Hold alert level at 3." "Aye, sir." ------- Those in the conference room at An Clochán were grimly watching the monitors. Several of the Iridiens had scanned the area weighing their chances on getting to their ships. Antopolis softly said, "Briana, can you tell us what caused this?" "We lost contact with Sarah's Clan shortly after they finished their tour of Commander Egulle's ship." "How come your symbols for your ships changed color?" said an Iridien. "That color indicates the ship is cloaked," replied Súsanna. "Are those three ships closing in on Egulle's ship going to attempt the obvious?" asked an Iridien. "If you mean release Sarah's Clan yes," replied Briana. "Boarding our ship with such a small group will be suicide." "Perhaps." ------- On Egulle's ship, Olua said, "You act in haste. There was no reason to change our alert level. Are you dense? I just told you that all we need to do is establish a dialog with their ships until these animals here are fully under our control. Our spices are turning them into our puppets. All we need to do is give them a few suggestions when they wake so they will tell the others to stand down as everything is okay." Just then there were three taps on the door. The door opened letting four people enter with their arms bound behind their back. Six more people with weapons followed them inside. "So, everything is ready," asked Olua. "Yes, Commander. As soon as Egulle's is incapacitated, mission command will transfer to you until Commander Arknov can take command." "Excellent. Let us, proceed. Egulle, you should have been much more receptive to the proposals for meeting these animals when we first arrived." "Your ships should have never participated in this voyage," said Orgaine. "We almost didn't. Several world representatives changed their position to supporting us after you left. We knew they would see our point of view, so we just waited at a point where we could easily join your fleet." "So, you gave them spice drugs." "No. Giving them the spice drug is a waste of a good tool, besides they are not susceptible to the spice. We were able to help them in other ways, so that they will be forever grateful to us." As they had been talking, Orgaine began to ease his weapon out of its holster. Egulle slid his hand to his waist, sliding his fingers over the safety that on pressing would completely lock down the ship until a special reset was initiated. "Olua, I thought you had a lot of potential," said Egulle. "Your people may succeed in gaining control of their technology, but your attempt will be your species death warrant." "Enough of your nonsen..." said Olua as his finger began to squeeze the trigger. Before Olua could finish speaking, he was hurled against the wall behind him with enough force to knock him out. Blue sparks danced over his body as he crumpled to the deck. He lay there with several fractured ribs, both arms twisted at odd angles and his weapon laying on the deck. His two women associates weren't as lucky. When they were hurled back, they hit their chairs with such force, that their bodies folded over the chairs. Each screamed briefly as their bodies were rapidly bent back over the chair back until they snapped. When their backs broke, their heads slammed into the chairs frame, fracturing them. The others in league with Olua screamed in pain as their weapons turned red hot. Each one quickly released their red hot weapons, letting them fall to the deck. Egulle's staff responded quickly, knocking each one to the deck as Egulle pressed the button summoning security. When things settled down a bit, Orgaine was astounded as he scanned the room. Olua was out slumped on the floor against the wall with smoke still rising from his scorched clothes with both arms at an odd angle. His two women associates were bent back over their chairs hanging limply like a sack of grain, obviously dead. When he looked at where Sarah's Clan was sitting, he was so startled he almost screamed. They weren't there. The chairs were empty. Scanning the room again, he didn't see them. He knew the door hadn't open. He muttered, "What the fuck?" Meanwhile, on board Alpha01, Sarah's Clan shimmered into view. "Damn that was close," said Joyce. "Judy, I think your tip quickened our response to the drugs." "Yes. It still seems like it took forever to overcome the effects of the spice drugs. Those drugs are really a spice or seasoning for them. It only acts as a drug when digested by some species or if the person is given an enhancer along with the spice drug. The spice drug makes a person totally receptive to direction and will reduce, if not take away all initiative. Obviously this makes the person very easy to manipulate." "We should tell Orgaine that we are okay." "I am not sure, I would say okay." "Are you guys okay?" said Keriann when she realized their link was active again. "I've got 16,000 plus coming to your aide." "We are safe on Alpha01. Pull back and stand down. Let Briana know, as there maybe some trouble makers with her at An Clochán." "Will do? All Dóchas ships maintain cloaking and withdraw to relative station A1, B2, C9. Recall fighters and cruisers when on station, uncloak and resume normal operations." "Aye, aye," came the reply from the six ships and An Clochán. "Alpha01, take us back to Dóchas at a leisurely pace," said Sarah. "Acknowledged." "Orgaine, we are safe. Will be in touch." Sarah's Clan heard him say, "Thank, God." His comment caused a bit of a stir on the Iridien ship and Egulle turned to him with a concerned look. "I'm fine," replied Orgaine. "Sarah's Clan just informed me they were safe and would be in touch." Egulle looked at him as he thought about what he said then replied, "Good. One immediate problem addressed." "Commander Egulle," came the voice from the speaker, "we just received a message from Keriann on Iarracht indicating they were pulling back. All we can detect are their fighters and cruisers. They appear to be pulling back to about where they were." "Okay. Stand down. Resume normal operations. All off duty and nonessential personnel are restricted to quarters." "Yes, sir." "Send a security interrogation unit to this room, immediately." "Yes, sir." It was a few moments later, when there was a knock on the door. Egulle's staff moved to the side and pulled weapons before Orgaine eased the door open. Those in the interrogation unit had shocked expressions when they saw multiple weapons pointed toward them. "Sir, we were told you needed assistance," said the senior officer. "Those on the floor just tried to take over this fleet," replied Egulle. "Question them. We want to know the name of everyone involved. This plot appears to have come from Dutsuz, Olua's home world. You can use any technique on them you find necessary, but we we want only those involved in the plot." "Yes, sir. We will take them down to our quarters." "You will not take them out of here. You will do it here while we wait." The senior officer started to object, but saw Egulle's hard expression and stopped. Egulle pressed the com button to the bridge and said, "Send the Security Commander in here?" "Yes, sir." ------- In the conference room on An Clochán, virtually everyone was watching the sky map showing the Órarduine ships returning to their earlier positions. Several Iridiens made a comment about leaving and Briana reminded them that the doors were still sealed. A few moments later, they heard the chimes sound indicating the change in status. At almost the same time a light click could be heard in the room as the doors were released. "Have you heard what happened?" asked an Iridien. "It seems that someone on Commander Egulle's ship tried to poison Sarah's Clan." "So we ought to head back," replied Orknov, the leader of the new group. "There is no reason for us to stay now." "Why do you say that?" replied Ciar as the hair tickled the back of her neck. "Your leaders will soon have you providing us with anything we want. I've seen it happen before. A little pow wow with one of our ships commander and the leaders can't kiss our commander's ass enough. Actually, I wouldn't mind having some of your people working on my ship. We need expendable training partners to use in honing our skills between assignments. Although none of you would last very long." Ciar started to reply, but he continued in a condescending tone with, "When we hone our skills, we do it for real with real weapons. We don't mess around with artificial toys like you or the Iridiens do. If someone gets hurt, to bad, the match only ends when a draw is decided. I've seen the way you all move. None of you would last very long in a real fire fight with my team, much less with me." "You obviously didn't hear my comment," said Ciar. "I said tried to drug Sarah's Clan. They have left Commander Egulle's ship." "That stupid ass, has been relieved of command by now." His last comment brought several surprised looks from the Iridiens. "You're nothing but a big ass blow hard trying to stir up trouble," said Nicola causing Orknov to bristle. "I don't think, we've ever seen a bigger ass though. You must practice to be so good at it." Orknov's facial expression showed his anger. "We've run across a few blow hards like you. They never make it past a mission or two. You're a team leader, right, I thought the Iridiens had higher standards. Did you pay some one off?" "I am Dutsuz not a sleazy Iridien. We have always been the best but we let others do the hard work. Soon the Dutsuz will be in charge of this mission." The Iridiens in the room bristled at the comments. Nicola smiled as she said, "So you admit, you're an ass." Orknov looked at Nicola, his jaw set, his eyes full of anger, face flushed. "You're not worth the effort, bitch. Soon, you will be my plaything as your not good enough to be a training aide." He turned as if to walk away, then he quickly shifted into whirling motion, intent on crippling Nicola by striking her knee or leg. She responded just before his foot would have reached her knee, then moved only enough so that he completely missed, then returned to her original spot. So sure of his move, he put a lot of force into it. In missing her, his momentum caused him to nearly lose his balance. Orknov caught himself, scowling as he turned back to her, he crouched to a fighting stance, moving toward her. He made a lunge causing her to dodge right, then quickly shifted back reaching for her leg, intent on dropping her to the floor. Again, Nicola moved just enough for him to miss. He tried several more times, and each time only his anger grew as Nicola moved just enough to avoid him as he struggled ot keep his balance on missing. Nicola then grabbed his hand as he lunged, pulling his arm up behind his back far enough for him to groan before shoving him away, causing him to stumble. When he came back toward her, he had a long knife in his hand. Nicola circled with him as he took swipes at her, trying to cut her or cause her to loose her balance. One of those watching pushed his foot out when Nicola passed by, obviously trying to trip her when her back was to him. The man screamed when he found himself hurdling through the air. He flipped and managed to land on his feet just before hitting the wall. Sorcha stepped over to him and said, "Do that again and I will break your leg?" "Fuck you." "You don't know how!" replied Sorcha and turned her back on him. He pulled a long knife and went for her. The blade of the knife passed over Sorcha's shoulder close to her neck, she grabbed his hand and twisted. He screamed as the knife fell to the floor covering the sound of his wrist cracking and separating. Sorcha pulled his arm up behind him until it popped out of the shoulder before propelling him head long into the wall. He had no time to adjust his direction and hit the wall hard, head first, his body weight driving his head into the wall. He fell to the floor with a cracked skull, gasping for breath as blood ran from his mouth and nose. Meanwhile, the man fighting Nicola was still swiping at her with the knife while taunting her. After a bit, she pulled out her light saber and said, "Give him a saber as it seems he likes knives and is to stupid to stop when he is ahead." The man grabbed the proffered light saber, turning to make a swipe at Nicola beginning the duel. Nicola measured her movements with the saber so that after each parry there was a cut in his suit while she stepped back untouched. As their duel progressed his uniform began to come apart from the accumulation of cuts and the stress of his activity. His tactics shifted from skilled attacks to desperate lunges as his frustration and anger grew. The room was deathly quiet. No cheering. No coaching. It was soon obvious to everyone that he was loosing but now intent on killing Nicola. She gave him a slight opening and then closed it knocking his saber from his hands. He stood there breathing heavily covered in blood, his face full of hate and anger. Nicola held her saber pointed toward him and said, "It looks like the match is over since you lost your saber." She turned off her saber and turned to step away. When her back was to the man, Orknov pulled a knife from each boot as he leaped toward her. Nicola's saber sang as she restored it. She flipped over Orknov as he lunged toward her with the knives pointed at where she had just stood. Twisting coming down, she rapidly brought the saber down across both of Orknov's arms severing them at his elbows. The man screamed. Looking down, he saw his arms twitching on the floor. "You'll pay for this," screamed the man as blood spurted from his arms. "No animal gets the best of us. We'll turn you into our play toys before we have you for dinner." The man collapsed to the floor, landing in his blood, as he took his last breath. "Where is the rest of his team?" screamed Antopolis. "Here, sir. Sir, I would just as soon not be associated with his team." There were several surprised looks on hearing the mans comment. "Where are the others?" "Sorcha, had a run in with his buddy, the Exec, after he tried to trip Nicola. He is over there on the floor, dead." "Where are the others?" "Here, sir," came the voices as four moved over by the person who spoke first. "We would just as soon not be associated with his team." "Why didn't you transfer out?" "To do that was do die. We know of two other teams that are like that. Each has Dutsuz leaders." "We need to be heading back. You five will go back on our cruiser," said Antopolis. "Yes, sir." "Antopolis," said Cathan, "you should check with your ship first." "Why?" "Besides the attempt on Sarah's Clan, there was an attempted mutiny on Commander Egulle's ship. They are sorting it out at the moment. Breacadh can connect you from here if you would like. It can be by phone or on the monitor." "The monitor, that way everyone can hear." "Commander Orgaine," said Antopolis when the monitor came to life, "what are our orders?" "Who is with you?" "We are on the conference room monitor. Teams 1, 3, 4, 8, 11 and 12. Team 4 is short two people." "Explain." "The team leader Orhnov challenged one of the Órarduine and lost the match. He upped the stakes by pulling a knife and attacking her. Nicola switched the fight to light sabers and he lost again. As Nicola turned to leave, he then tried to stab her in the back and lost both arms. His Exec attempted to trip Nicola during the match, and Sorcha put him down. The remaining team members tell me that we have a problem with the team leaders on two other teams." "What is the problem?" "No one leaves the team alive. They either die on a mission or have a fatal accident." "Have Cathan or Briana send me the team numbers, but I suspect I can figure it out. As to orders, if the Órarduine will let you, stay there for a day or two. Otherwise, go to your ships and hold over the planet." "I am reasonably certain they can stay here for a few days," said Briana. "However, to stay here they must agree to several conditions." "Antopolis, you are the overall commander for the group of Iridien Spc Ops teams there," said Commander Egulle. "Thank you, sir." "Commander Orgaine will advise you when to return." While they were talking, the two dead men were placed in body bags. Sorcha then had four of their team take them out to the Iridien ships. Antopolis turned to Briana, "What are the conditions?" "To stay at An Clochán, everyone will take an oath stating they will not cause or encourage any harm to an Órarduine or any other resident. The penalty for breaking the oath is death, no questions, no appeal. You will also agree to let our medical staff give each of you a telepathic scan. They will be looking for hostile intent toward us." "You can read our minds," replied several Iridiens. "The simple answer is yes," responded Sorcha. "If you think back to our presentations yesterday, it was in there. In our culture, it is normally forbidden to do that without permission but there are exceptions." Briana then added, "If the match we had just seen had been in the field, Nicola would have ended it much sooner. It lasted as long as it did because she limited herself to the same resources as the antagonist." "What is the benefit of accepting a telepathic scan?" said an Iridien. "Basically, you will get to use the normal accommodations, dining room and recreation facilities. You will be required to be with an Órarduine whenever you are away from your sleeping quarters. The escorts are for safety reasons, as our procedures use telepathic communication exclusively." "What if some don't want to do either?" "Your ships are right outside. We can go get your suits and take you there right now." "What if we take the oath but object to the scan?" "Your ships are right outside." "Team leaders," said Antopolis, "tell me what you are going to do." Antopolis looked at each member of his team. "Dudcha, you will act as team leader for your group." "Yes, sir." After a few moments each team leader nodded to Antopolis who then said, "Briana, we accept the conditions. All of us would like to stay. How do you want to do this?" "The oath is easy. Each Iridien use your left hand and grip the left forearm of an Órarduine then repeat the oath to them with your right hand raised. It will be recorded." Antopolis gripped Briana's forearm and repeated the oath to her. When everyone was finished, Ciar said, "Several from our medical team will be down in a few minutes. Once the evaluations are done, we can go have something to eat. It has been a long time since breakfast." "Briana," said Antopolis, "I am not sure we could match you in the amount of trust you are extending us considering the circumstances." "We hope that our trust has not been foolishly placed and each of you will help ensure none of us regret our trust." Gail and two other doctors arrived along with three nurses. They set up small consulting areas in three corners of the room and had those not being examined wait in the middle of the room. Each doctor had only evaluated one Iridien, when they saw the problem with telepathic evaluation. "Briana. Cathan," said Gail, "this is not going to be as easy as expected. Their thoughts are in their native tongue. The only way I see around it is to ask them questions about being here, others in their fleet, and their fleets mission while watching their responses and emotions." "Okay. Breacadh, help monitor the evaluations. When we are done, we will need you to monitor the areas the Iridiens are in very closely." "Preparations are underway. Since it is a minor modification, their suites will be ready by the time you finish lunch." "Thanks." ------- Chapter 146 "Sarah's Clan," said Keriann as Alpha01 carried Sarah's Clan back to Dóchas, "I am very embarrassed. I don't understand why it took me so long to realize we had lost contact with you." "You shouldn't be embarrassed," replied Judy. "When we first discovered the problem, we weren't sure how much energy we would need to counter the drugs. Our connection with you likely faded out rather than abruptly disappearing. We have been comparing our individual responses to the food, and each of us responded to the drugs at a slightly different rate. It isn't clear whether the rate difference was due to the food we chose, the amount each ate, differences in our bodies or all three." "How do we avoid this in the future?" "I'm not sure that we can," replied Rusty. "In a situation like today, one approach would be to stagger our consumption as that wouldn't be very obvious but would be noticeable to someone closely watching us. If someone noticed it, they would likely take offense as it indicates a lack of trust. I wonder if they knew the spices would have that effect on us. If they didn't know, I wonder what they would have tried next as Olua was very fixated on obtaining our technology and us. He also seemed certain his plan would work." "How should we meet with the Iridiens in the future?" Sarah said, "Very cautiously. The next meeting will be here or on An Clochán, preferably the later. We may need to visit their ship again. Before we do that, we must take a dream walk through all of their ships and even then carefully consider whether we should really go." "Orgaine, will likely sense us taking a dream walk." "Yes, and if they don't like it, I feel like telling them too bad, so sad. We should wait until they extend an invitation for us to visit, then make our acceptance conditional on the results of a dream walk. If that is not acceptable, then we could consider having just a few of us go presuming it is important enough to take the risk. Those who stay behind would actively augment the senses of those making the trip through our mind-link." "How about asking some bots to be a part of the contingent? Plus if all of us tightly link, we would be in a stronger position to counter another attempt on us." "There are some weaknesses with that approach, however a mixed group might be a better choice for such a visit. One thing we should be careful of, is whether they can block or disrupt our psionic abilities." "Is their friendship this important?" said Jackie. "Yes," replied Alena, "our sense is that in spite of their internal turmoil, the Alliance of Worlds through the Iridiens intends to be friendly toward us, just as they would with any newly discovered world. We don't know the extent of their friendship. Nor do we know the extent of the turmoil in the Alliance of Worlds. We now know that at least Olua's world, the Dutsuz, wants our technology and us. We think their motivation is that it would enhance their prestige and greatly increase their wealth. Based on what we saw and heard, they wouldn't care if something removed us from the scene as long as they gained our technology. In fact, it sounded several times that they wanted us as an additional meat source. In the future, we are likely to encounter other people who are as intent on dominating us. However, the Iridiens would probably like us to join their alliance as they see it benefiting everyone. So, long term, it will be to our benefit to have good relations with at least some of the Alliance of World members. Besides the Iridiens and Dutsuz, there are two other species in the fleet. I wonder what they think of todays events." "Alena, we agree with you," said Kathryn. "We think, we should continue to be friendly toward this Alliance of Worlds fleet and in particular the Iridiens. At the same time, we should be cautiously alert to being misled by segments of the Alliance of Worlds." "Boy, that will be a challenge," said Joyce. "Just as much as it was on Earth," replied Jill. "Our advantage on Earth was that we had an idea of how the game was played and knew the history of the different groups. I wonder if other worlds have as much hostility between groups that is based on religious or physical differences." "True," responded Erin. "We may have come to rely to much on our telepathic ability in understanding others. It clearly works when interacting with humans, but may not with other species." "Wait," said Aoife, "When we were on their ship, I really didn't try to understand their thoughts, as they weren't very clear or understandable. I could sense intent so I focused on that aspect. None of those we met indicated any hostility or harm toward us. Now, there were some in the meeting room whose friendliness seemed a little put on or phony. We know now that Olua's group intended to take control of us in a way that would circumvent our resistance. Our error was in part due to us looking for hostility toward us. Tara and I need to compare Olua's thoughts to what he expressed." "I saw the same thing," added Tara. "It seems that from Olua's point of view, they did not intend to harm us, well at least not immediately. Does this indicate that they think differently than we do? Aoife is touching on a point about telepathy, that we haven't seen before. In the past, the threats we have detected with telepathy have been an active physical threat. This was more of a subversive approach. We need to consider whether our psionic abilities can detect subversive threats." "Alert Cathan and Brid to your observation now! They are planning on telepathically screening the visitors on An Clochán." "Cathan, just advised us that they had already seen the problem there," said Kelly. "Aoife. Tara," said Judy, "one possible reason the thoughts aren't clear, is because their mental associations and language are very different from those we know. When conversing with them, we have used standard language to express ourselves. The translation doesn't occur until you are ready to verbalize the thought." "Anyway," said Sarah, "our next meeting with them should be on An Clochán." "We agree," replied the eight clans. "Jackie. Molly, how has the last few days impacted the work on your ships?" "We've probably lost a week, maybe a little more," replied Molly. "We have gained some operational experience but that really doesn't compensate for lost time." "It is the same with us," added Jackie. Keriann said, "Why don't we shift our focus to outfitting Marthanóir and Fiontar? I am not sure we can regain the time, but it will keep it from slipping any more than necessary. For the Alliance of Worlds fleet, we will just monitor their activity. I am inclined to put Ferrets on all their ships." "Agreed," replied all the Command Staffs. "What did you have in mind for the Ferrets objectives?" asked Sally. "Conversations and status of the systems on the ship. Conversations won't be of much use unless they use standard language or we can learn their languages." "We think we should hold off on the Ferrets except for the two Dutsuz ships," said Kathryn. "It seems to us that we would potentially escalate this incident if they found our Ferrets on their ships. We definitely want to monitor their activity and transmissions." "If there is another incident," said Molly, "Ferrets should be immediately put on all ships along with a number of spiders." "Wait, I am confused," said Colleen. "Aoife and Tara can't decipher their thoughts but our Intelligence groups were able to intercept transmissions between ships and decipher them." "They use standard language for the transmissions between ships. We intercepted those and they contained an occasional sprinkling of the speakers native language. Our array of drones is still around their ships, listening to their transmissions." "We are encoding our transmissions, correct." "Definitely. The key changes daily." "If we're not going to use the Ferrets now," said Kelly, "then we need to strengthen our links to the bridge. In fact, we may want to actively monitor the bridge at all times. If we do this, then I like the idea of having us do rotations in groups of three with at least five on the bridge at all times." "Kelly, are you concerned that if subsets of our clans always work together it will cause small divisions in our clans." "No, not really. It is a way to ensure each of us has an opportunity to be close to each of their spouses during all aspects of our lives. As completely as we are bound and linked to each other, it is hard to imagine how divisions could occur within a clan." "For nearly all the clans," said Judy, "I would agree. We have seen a few that have difficulty letting go of the past and naturally share with their spouses so their bond grows." "I sense, we are all in agreement with how to proceed," said Sarah. "Yes," replied all of the Command Staffs. "Did any of you watch the replay of Nicola's run in with?" said Kelly of Keriann's Clan. "We watched it, " replied Sarah. "She did very well. There were several times you almost couldn't see her move from one spot to the other." "We noticed that as well. We need to tell her how well we thought she did." "Agreed." "Any feed back from our security teams on An Clochán," asked Siobhan. "Not really," said Sarah. "Requiring the oath and telepathic scan did not appear to upset them. Briana did say the Iridien Spc Ops members seemed very impressed with the facilities. They are just finishing lunch. Several have asked if our ships were like An Clochán. When we told them yes, a few doubted our answers. Antopolis reminded them that he had visited Dóchas and then confirmed that our ships facilities were similar to An Clochán." Chester of Keriann's Clan said, "They see our ships as war ships and our accommodations are pretty plush for a war ship. We see them as an exploration ship as that is our intent. It is our home and our families are with us. However, their view is correct, the Dóchas class ships are basically a warship. They have to be. It is likely that all of their warships are very utilitarian which is what our teams saw when visiting their cruisers yesterday. When we designed our cruisers, we felt comfort would enhance our readiness, so we chose to make them comfortable while maintaining their capabilities." "Think about it from their perspective. They have several hundred years of history and knowledge behind them. To them we are an upstart, short on history but loaded with technology some of which they have apparently over looked. We are probably the smallest space faring species they have ever encountered." "Now add to that the fact that we surprised them a few days ago when we confronted them. I suspect, it has been a long time since that has happened without a battle ensuing. During the confrontation and after, we did nothing to humiliate them, in fact we have shown them what they were up against without rubbing their nose in it. Considering their experiences, they are probably a little uncertain about our depth, capabilities and intentions as in waiting for the other shoe to drop. The fact circumstances caused us to increase our monitoring has likely added to their uncertainty. With our approach, we are subtly telling them that we are confident of our capabilities and will do everything possible to ensure our security." "We are back on Dóchas, now," said Erin. "Chester," said Rusty, "that is a good analysis of the situation. From what we saw of their ship, it is very utilitarian." "Some of us ought to visit An Clochán while their Spc Ops teams are there," said Keriann. "We are going to relax a bit," said Jill. "Later, we need to check on how our visitors from Earth are doing considering todays events. Isn't it close to the time Darren said he had to be back?" "Yes. The others are here for several more days," replied Maeve. "It wouldn't surprise me to see Doug and Virginia interviewing the Iridiens on An Clochán by tomorrow." "Nor would I," responded everyone. "They are good people. Grandview media will really benefit from adding them to their staff. Let's plan on conferring this way in the morning," said Sarah. "Agreed," replied all the Command Staffs. ------- On Dóchas, Sarah's Clan had just sat down to dinner, when Virginia and Doug asked to join them. "We would love to have your company," said Joyce. "Where are the others?" Virginia said, "Darren is getting ready to leave. Two of the reporters are packing as they are returning with him this evening. I think the others are on Iarracht but Chloe would know." "So, what do they think of their visit?" said Maeve. Doug and Virginia laughed, before Virginia said, "Darren is very glad he came. He has enjoyed every minute of it. Being here has given him some ideas for stories to run featuring your preparation to move to Celia system. He was really excited to have a front seat to Alliance of Worlds arrival, but to him todays events have put a cloud over their arrival. He wants us back next week, unless we can sort out how to anchor our evening program from here, then we can stay a little longer. We would really like to do our program from here. If that works, we would like to come back periodically and do it again. We are certain that he wants to discuss this with you before he leaves." "The two reporters who are going back seemed to be enjoying themselves although they seem a little uneasy about being in space. They have visited with many of those on An Clochán and have spent quite a bit of time talking to those who are here on a contract basis. From the few snippets I have heard and read, I think they are focusing on why people would want to be here." "Melinda," added Doug, "made the comment that their articles have all been fair but not on topics she would normally consider important enough to write about. Why they focused their articles on why people come here puzzles me. To me, it seems to be a very small part of the opportunity of being here." "Doug," said Joyce, "if I remember my history correctly, a lot of people didn't understand why the pioneers moved west either." "Your memory is good and you make a good point. These articles will likely help some people understand the dynamics. The articles could even cause some people to consider joining you. It would really be much better if they inspired Earth's technologist to work harder so we can be a space faring world." "You will be in time." "Presuming some radical nut case doesn't destroy Earth," added Virginia. "It has always amazed me the number of reasons people can find to hate and kill others. Some of them continue doing it for generations." "If their political or religious leaders would speak factually and truthfully to everyone," said Jill, "then much of the turmoil would disappear. Instead it seems like some use it to fan discontent and take attention away from working toward solving issues." Just as they finished dinner, Darren and the two reporters came over to them. "Sarah's Clan," said Darren, "thank you so much for inviting me here. This has been the greatest adventure of my life. Your people are wonderful." "We would like to second that," said a reporter with the other nodding in agreement. "We plan on writing several long articles about our visit and the people we've met. As the culture and environment are very different here than what we are use to, we recognize that there is the potential for us to have errors in our articles. We are wondering if some of you would proof read our articles before we submit them to a publisher." "Sure," said Maeve, "send them to Melinda or Sam. They probably won't be the ones doing the review, but they can coordinate it. We will only review them for accuracy and grammar." "Thank you. Again, I agree with Darren, that this has been the greatest adventure of my life." The other reporter nodded his agreement. "Melinda said I should talk to you about Virginia and Doug hosting our evening news from here," said Darren. "We want the shows to give the appearance of being live, so we will need to work out how we want to handle the communication time lag." "Fundamentally, we don't have a problem with it," replied Sarah. "Our biggest concern would be how much staff time it would take." "Melinda and Sam didn't think it would take much," said Virginia. "They thought it might ease the requests for information on the Alliance of Worlds fleet and your activities. Besides we will help out where we can." "We could provide some staff to help out on a rotating basis," added Darren. "I don't know whether it would be worthwhile because of the resources consumed in moving people back and forth." Sarah said, "Thanks for the offer Darren. We'll let the Communications group determine if they need the additional assistance." "It's good Virginia and Doug are effectively joining our crew," said Claudette with a hint of a smile. "We desperately need more oarsman in the galley as some collapsed today from over exertion. Redirecting our ships that rapidly really puts a strain on the oarsmen." Her comment caused puzzled looks from the visitors and a few snickers from Sarah's Clan. "Virginia, you don't mark to easily do you, as sometimes the drivers whip misses its target when encouraging oarsmen to greater effort. We wouldn't want any lacerations to show on TV as it would harm our reputation." The visitors mouths were now gaping open. "Hah, you thought we had advanced technology. What we really have are a multitude of galley slaves pulling oars to propel us through space. It is easier work than on Earth as space doesn't give as much resistance as water but it takes a lot more oars. Everyone who works here has to serve time on the oars to prove their worth and dedication." "But..." squeaked Virginia. The rest of her sentence was drowned out by the laughter. Virginia and Doug blushed at having been taken in by Claudette's comments but soon everyone was laughing. "Claudette, have you ever thought of taking up acting?" said Darren as he tried to bring his laughter under control. "I believe, you've pulled that story on a few others," said a reporter with a smile and an expression indicating he had heard it before. "Yes, one or two times." Sarah said, "Gentlemen, we are pleased that you have enjoyed the visit here. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us." "But, you will be leaving this system before long." "Yes, in around seven more months by your calendar," replied Alison. "An Clochán will remain on Mars. It will be in a form of hibernation, but still able to relay messages to us." "Can we quote you?" said the second reporter. "Sure." "Leaving An Clochán here, indicates you are you claiming Mars as yours?" "Not really. Realistically, it will be at least a century before Earth is able to establish a viable self-sustained settlement on Mars. When that time comes, we will evaluate whether we need to maintain An Clochán." "We need to be going," said Darren glancing at his watch. With that he began shaking hands with Sarah's Clan but ended up sharing hugs. The two reporters followed his example. "Guys," said Virginia, "Doug and I will walk with you to the shuttle." "Show time," said Sarah to her spouses. With that, the three of them walked to the front of the dining room to begin their evening meeting. As they walked toward the front, there was a smattering of clapping which quickly grew in volume as those present in the dining room stood. When Erin, Sarah and Joyce reached the podium, they turned and bowed to the crew. "On behalf of all of us, thank you," said the three in unison when the applause died down. They continued in unison with, "We were overwhelmed when we learned that all of you were preparing to come to our rescue. It is a pleasure to be part of this very caring family." "Yes, we are!" replied the crew. Then a lone deep voice carried over the room, "No one left behind! Ever!" "Here, here," cried many others. "Yes!" shouted the crew. "We've already been doing that haven't we," said Joyce as the three looked out over the crew. "Do we want that as a motto?" said Sarah's Clan in unison. A man stood and with the same deep voice said, "I don't know that having it as a motto is appropriate but definitely as an operating principal." Clancy stood and said, "I agree that it should be one of our most sacred principals. Something that we know and believe. At the same time, it is something, we may want to keep close to us. A motto or a creed should be widely displayed, like the "Is it perfect?" concept we have been using for our work." When Rusty rose and started toward the front of the room, all heads turned to watch his progress with his other spouses following him. Reaching the podium he said, "Adrian, thank you for reminding us of this principal. As a family, we could choose to make it a creed. All of our tactical operations have been planned and conducted with this in mind. As long as, we are the command staff for this ship, that is the way we will operate. One advantage to not waving this principal in everyones face is to keep any antagonist in the dark as it has the potential to be used against us. Our friends will know by the way we operate." "So is it agreeable to continue with this as our unstated principal?" "Yes!" replied the crew. "Now that I am up here, I would like to make a few comments about today. In some respects, we were lucky. Judy, was the first to recognize our peril, fortunately before we were beyond actively responding to the drug. Would our bodies have naturally responded to remove the drug? We think so but we are not certain. How long would our bodies have taken to naturally respond? We don't know. Both questions will be looked into. In our analysis of todays events, we see no way to eliminate the possibility of it happening again. Keriann's Clan is to be commended for their quick understanding of the peril we faced and initiating the rapid response. Personally, we are very thankful to be part of this caring and wonderful family." When the applause died down, Rusty continued with, "We will meet with the Iridiens again. Our intention is to hold the next meeting at An Clochán. Currently, the six Iridien Spc Ops teams are still at An Clochán. Due to the situation on their ship, they asked to remain there for several more days which we granted. From what we know, some Iridiens were to be victims of this plot. While we believe we were the primary target of the plot, the plotters also intended on taking control of this fleet. This plot was orchestrated by those from the Dutsuz World who is a member of Alliance of Worlds. The plot failed. There are still two Dutsuz ships in their fleet which we are closely watching. Our information indicates that the Iridiens are now in the process of identifying and isolating those involved in the plot. In spite of the events today, we still think that the Iridiens will be partners with us in space and perhaps close friends." "We have put a lot of faith in our psionic abilities to sense danger and when necessary use telepathy to see the thoughts of our antagonist. They did not work well today. This is thought to be due to those on the Alliance of Worlds ships processing their thoughts in a way we do not understand. I see this difficulty as similar to understanding some languages on Earth. We need to learn from this experience. There is another aspect to our experience today. The actions of the Dutsuz were subtle so the threat to us was not direct as were the threats we dealt with in the past. With this in mind, our Security and Intelligence departments will be looking at ways for us to anticipate similar threats." With that Sarah's Clan placed their arms around each other and said in unison, "Thank you. We love you all and you are a blessing." "Thank you," replied the crew, "for being you." Sarah's Clan then moderated their evening question and answer session. ------- Virginia and Doug had returned to the dining room just as Rusty began to speak. At Earl and Lorelei's urging, they joined them at the back of the room. Virginia whispered to Lorelei and Earl that it felt like they had just walked into a private family meeting. Earl assured them that their presence was welcome then said softly, "When this is over, lets talk a bit." Doug and Virginia nodded their agreement. When the session ended Earl said, "You just saw an aspect of their society that is very difficult to explain to those on Earth. They are very open with each other and any they consider friends. It fits right in with what I saw today when the alarms sounded. Everyone knew there was a problem and had an idea of the seriousness. Each responded according to their plan." "It is not widely known but the two reporters that left with Darren had the shock of their life earlier today. We mentioned earlier that they were nervous being in space. Well today their shuttle arrived on Dóchas from An Clochán just as the alarms began sounding. They had hardly stepped out of the shuttle when several Órarduine security teams wearing tac suits came running into the hanger. Everyone was carrying weapons. At the hanger door, their escort hesitated a moment then told them to wait by the hall door until someone from Communications came to get them. She emphasized that they were to wait there before she turned and ran down the corridor. While they were waiting and watching, they noticed that nearly everyone was now wearing a tac suit and carrying at least one weapon. Sam told me later that the two reporters were very pale when she arrived a few minutes later. It took her several minutes to get them away from watching the teams load equipment on their ships. The intent of the equipment was obviously for forced boarding of a space ship." "How did you learn all of that?" said Doug. "Sam saw how scared they were and thought they might be more comfortable with Lorelei and me. It was after we returned to normal operations and Lorelei stepped away that they told their story. In case your wondering their escort's assignment is in a weapons fire control station." "Think they will write about it," asked Virginia. "Perhaps." "The real issue for us, is how should we handle the incident without fanning the fears of those on Earth." Lorelei said, "Do it in conjunction with Rob and Paul. This is our strength. You can do your TV spot and send your listeners to the paper for more details. For the TV spot, we tried to fit as many facts into the time slot as we can. Our preference is to get it right and not speculate because sometimes in a dynamic situation things may not be what they appear to be. You can always follow up later with more details in another spot. The goal is to never have a situation where there is a need to issue an apology. At the same time, when a correction is issued, it is with the same level of intensity as the original." "Cool, I'm going to like this," replied Virginia. "I always thought back page apologies were tacky and down right unprofessional. It is always difficult to make a story interesting and accurate in the short time available on TV because more needs to be said than there is time for." "That is the reason Grandview TV and newspapers have chosen to dovetail their stories. The TV spot alerts viewers to the key aspects of a story and the newspaper fills in the details. Also, you will find that when Paul and Rob cover a story together, each article is a little different because they see things differently. Although occasionally, they will coauthor an article." "So this is where you guys are hiding?" said Sam walking over to them. Following her were Rob, Paul, Melinda, Chelsey, Karmen, Chloe and several others. "We're not hiding. We started off talking about the dynamics in the Órarduine family and strayed off on to the events of today. What's up?" said Lorelei. "We wanted discuss how to handle today's events. We were batting it around with Rob and Paul, then Chloe reminded us that we should include you." "I'm new to this," said Virginia, "but I think we should limit ourselves to what we know." "We agree," replied Rob. "The two key facts we have are: Sarah's Clan had a bad reaction to food while visiting the Iridien ship. Órarduine lost contact with them and responded with all hands." "Actually there is one more," added Doug, "that is Sarah's Clan is fine." "I'm willing to collaborate on this," said Earl, "if everyone is interested in taking that approach." Everyone looked at each other, before saying together, "Let's do it." ------- When Sarah's Clan opened the door to their suite, their was a chorus of cheers from their children just before they were swarmed. "Boy," said Kennith, "it sure feels good to touch you again." "You had us worried for a bit," said Keri, "when your link to us became very weak." "So, you didn't loose touch with us." "No," replied the children. "When it started to weaken, we looked to see what happened," said Jordana, "we saw that all you were concentrating inward. We couldn't figure out how to help, so we just sent encouraging thoughts." "Thanks," said their parents in unison. "So, what else happened?" "Well, today was the scariest day I can ever remember," said Earnán. "When the battle station alarms started sounding, all of us were surprised and puzzled at first. The alarms paused when Star announced that this was not a drill and needed a maximum effort. As soon as she said that, Karin and the rest of the teachers put on their tac suits. We simply followed their lead. Once we were all in our suits, they either gave us weapons or EMT kits." "Star must have really pushed because we felt the ship shutter when it started to move," added Keri. "We've never felt it accelerate before." "You should have heard the shout when it was announced you were safe." "What happened?" said Deidre. "Basically, a member of Egulle staff provided refreshments containing a spice. When we digest the spice, it becomes a drug that effects the ability to reason. Judy detected it first and alerted us. Fortunately, we were able to counter the drug before we were under its influence and could be taken advantage of. We listened to them and learned that a government in the alliance was trying to take over the fleet. At an opportune time, we used telekinesis and pushed three of the plotters hard toward the wall. We sent energy bolts into the weapons of their associates, before projecting ourselves to Alpha01." "So, your psionic practice was valuable," said Earnán. "Yes, it was very valuable," replied Sally. "I will be glad when ours matures then we can help." "That time will soon be here," replied Sarah's Clan. "All of you are really growing up fast." "All of you understand why weapons were distributed," said Sarah. It was quiet for a moment then Jordana said, "The weapons were in case they tried to board our ship. The medical kits were so we could help the EMTs." "Mom, we would have had no hesitation in using our weapons to defend our ship," said several of the children together with the others nodding. "We know you would." "I'm ready for bed," said Keri. With that the children began to hug their parents as they told them goodnight. "I'm ready, too," said Janet. "Let's freshen up and then cuddle." Sarah's Clan was soon snuggled in bed linked together as a single entity. A faint image of Aine, Creidne and Star appeared in their room then quickly disappeared. "Star," said Aine, "we think you all did very well today." "There are a few areas we could improve on," replied Star. "The children were right about me being a little heavy handed on the initial move." "Letting the propulsion group operate the engines would have avoided the problem." "Aine, you're correct. I had the same difficulties in trying to handle the whole ship that Sarah's Clan had when they did it. That time they had to do it which was not the case today. Today I learned of some limitations I didn't know I had." "Everyone has limitations," said Creidne. "The trick is knowing what they are before you dig to big of a hole for yourself. You and Sarah's Clan have different limitations. We have limitations as well." "I was pretty close to over reaching, wasn't I." After a pause Star continued with, "You really don't need to answer that." "We hadn't planned on answering," replied Creidne, "besides you know the answer and how to do it next time. Today, all of you learned a lot that will help you in the future." ------- Chapter 147 It was 0300 hours on An Clochán, when Breacadh woke Briana's Clan with, "Sensors are detecting unusual activity between us and the ravine on the NNW side." "Did you alert Amy's Clan?" "Yes. Erica wants all of you to meet them in the security control center." "Okay. Wait, all the cruisers are on that side of An Clochán." "Correct." "Then, have Súsanna's and Caoilinn's Clan join us there. Tell them to wear tac suits. Is there any activity among our visitors?" "Our visitors are all sound asleep. I'll advise Súsanna's and Caoilinn's Clans to meet you in the security control center wearing tac suits." "Erica, what's up?" said Briana when her clan entered the SCC where several of Amy's Clan were watching the consoles. "Our activity scans began showing some odd readings beginning around 2200 hours. We had systems run diagnostics which found the scanners to be functioning correctly. We shifted other scanners so that we had overlapping coverage and brought backups on line so we didn't create any holes. The puzzling thing is that the odd readings are sporadic. Just after we talked to you, we overlaid the odd reading events on our site map and were shocked to find a pattern." "Can you add terrain features to the map?" asked Adam. "Crap," said the group when they saw the string of events that progressed toward An Clochán from a ravine some 10 km NNW of An Clochán. The breaks in the events were when the terrain obstructed line of sight from An Clochán. "Add the site grid around the cruisers and show activity for the last 4 hours," said Cass. "Damn, it looks like we had visitors," said Charlotte. "So where are they now?" "Well based on these latest readings, about three kilometers from the parking area, heading back to the ravine." "Let's look closer at the time sequence for their activity in the parking area," said Briana. "We need air support," said Adam. "Any FOC, we need Star Fighter support, quickly." "Adam, this is Iarracht FOC. What's up?" "We believe there are intruders on the ground between the parking area and the ravine NNW of An Clochán. From our sensors, it appears they are moving back toward the ravine." "Two flights are responding. Raven and Osprey will be on station in less than 30 minutes." "Acknowledge." "They will contact you shortly." "Thanks." "We have time lapsed the information on the parking grid," said Amy. As the time lapse showed twelve people come onto the grid and divide into groups of two as they approached the Iridien cruisers. Each group went to three locations under the ships paused for a few moments and then left. "That is strange," said Súsanna. "Why would you go to all this trouble to just walk up to the ships and then leave?" "Our cruisers have a tamper sensor that alerts the crew if someone has tried to enter the ship," replied Caoilinn. "If someone manages to get it to fly, it will self destruct." "Well considering the events of yesterday, my guess is that someone in the fleet must want to kill off the Iridien Spc Ops teams in a way that we get blamed." "Yvonne, there is a lot of conjecture in your statement," said Sal of Caoilinn's Clan. "But, if you factor in the fact that the Spc Ops units are probably the only ones that the Dutsuz would have trouble subverting, it makes sense." "Adam, this is Raven1. We are several minutes out. What's the situation?" "You guys are quick. Can you see our map?" "Yes." "Good. We are pretty certain we had a visit from twelve intruders. They are heading toward this ravine." As Adam spoke, he highlighted the map to indicate the areas. "Can you do a low level recon of the area? Based on the information we have, I would suspect there is at least one cruiser in the ravine and likely two." "Okay, beginning a run now." The group in the SCC on An Clochán and FOC on Iarracht watched the progress bar move across the map. "Sloppy," said Charles as four blips showed up on the screen. "Those look like four man terrain transporters but we only saw twelve on the grid." "Raven1, confirm four groups." "Affirmative." "Can you put spiders down along their apparent path to the ravine?" "Osprey2 is preparing to do that now. We are going to check the ravine." "Good. We will be sending two teams out on IPTPs." "Which teams?" "Súsanna's and Caoilinn's teams. Can Osprey flight scan the area outside the habitat for thermal anomalies?" "Sure. Why?" "Those transporters you identified carry four people. There were only twelve people shown entering the parking area." "Adam, copy your request," said Osprey1. "There will be a lot of clutter looking for people around the habitat. Breacadh should be able to screen against normal data so we will make several passes. If they move, between passes it should make them easier to spot." "Osprey1, that is what we had in mind. Thanks." "Breacadh, are our activity sensors still active in the sections we have mothballed?" said Briana. "They are now. All of them were activated when you identified twelve intruders on the parking grid. Not all of them have validated and they should have." "Hmm ... set alarms on all exterior doors to sound silently," said Briana. "Increase sensitivity of motion sensors on halls leading to exits and mothballed sections." "In progress. Will advise if they don't validate or there is activity." "We're ready," said Súsanna. "We will go out through the large air lock and circle around to the right. Caoilinn is going to go the other direction. Our IFF will be on once we get outside." "Okay," said Erica. "Be careful. The Star Fighters are there to support you. Use them." "Yes, mother," chorused the groups. "If you see something on the map you think we missed, tell us right away." "We're going out through corridor 19," said Briana. Erica watched anxiously as the three teams left. Everything they were doing, they had practiced over and over again, only this time it was for real. Fidelma placed her hand on Erica's shoulder as she came into view. "Erica, relax. We've done all we can to prepare for this. This time we have a little more of an advantage than we could hope for." "Advantage?" "Yes. These intruders apparently don't respect their enemy." "Briana's Team, " said Breacadh, "exterior door 5 of Section 42A is being opened." "Copy," replied Cass. "Eltha. Cindy would you approach from the inside. Ellie and I will come in through the door. Breacadh, once we are in seal the doors and slowly pressurize the section." "Okay." ------- The group of four terrain transporters were just entering the ravine when Súsanna's and Caoilinn's Teams approached them from both sides. Caoilinn called out to them in standard language, "Halt! Lay down your weapons and raise your hands." All of the intruders jerked at hearing Caoilinn voice in their head sets. The driver accelerated as the other two on each transporter looked around. Their sensors identified three Órarduine on each side of them. "Take'em out," said an intruder in the lead vehicle. They raised their weapons and fired. Their shots missed the intended targets due to the increased bouncing of the transporters. Both Súsanna's and Caoilinn's Teams began firing at the bouncing transporters. Both teams quickly decided it was more effective to aim at the rocks on each side of the transporters throwing rock fragments at the intruders. They followed the intruders to their waiting ships. Arriving at one ship a driver jumped off his transporter and ran toward the panel to open the entry ramp. Just as he pressed on the access pad, he was hit resulting in the cruiser misreading his identification. When the ramp did not immediately open, another intruder pressed the access pad causing the door to open. He quickly drug the injured intruder up the ramp while others fired at the approaching Órarduine security teams. The Órarduine laser fire hit all four ground transporters rendering them useless along with nicking each of the intruders. Their intent was not to kill them but to demonstrate they could have. Several shots also hit the edges of the ramp before it was pulled up. "Súsanna's. Caoilinn's Teams pull back," said Raven1. "We will take it from here." "Ravens, shields up. Raven1. Raven2 disable cloaking." While Raven was giving his commands, the two Órarduine security teams moved rapidly away from the two Iridien cruisers. They moved to where they could watch the ships but not easily be fired on. "Intruders in the Iridien cruisers," said Raven1 in standard language. "Stand down, now!" "Here is your answer!" screamed a voice over the radio just as a laser fired at the two visible Star Fighters. Their shields deflected the beam toward nearby rocks causing them to explode. "One last time," said Raven1 to the intruders. "Stand down. Exit ship and surrender." Raven1 and Raven2 shifted so that if they shot again, it would be reflected toward the other ship. They had just made the move when the intruders fired again. The deflected shot hit punched a large dent in the side of the adjacent ship. "Raven flight, engage enemy." As he spoke, Raven1 and Raven2 peeled off to the right and disappeared as they resumed cloaking. The two Iridien cruisers lifted off the ground and turned toward the two Órarduine security teams just as their camouflage blended them into the background. The teams were wondering if they had made an error when laser shots hit the back of both cruisers. The cruisers quickly began to rise and turn. They had only risen a short distance when another volley of laser shots hit the Iridien cruisers. This time bright flashes rose from the cruisers as they began to gain altitude. "Erica," said Osprey1, "we are being scanned by a targeting system." "We see it." "It has locked on me," said Osprey2. "Shields on max. I am cloaked and it still has a lock." "ACFC, fire when ready." "Target acquired," replied An Clochán weapons control. "Fire!" Outside the habitat, there were four brief flashes of light upward toward the NNW. These four were quickly followed by four more flashes that seemed to converge at a point well above Mars. "Erica, lock is broken." "Copy." Just as Erica spoke the An Clochán lasers fired again for the fourth time. Shortly after they fired, there was a large ball of fire erupt in the NNW sky high above Mars. ------- Meanwhile on the ground, Súsanna's and Caoilinn's Teams were hastily making their way back to An Clochán. Their paths across the Mars surface could only be seen by the small swirls of dust they stirred on their passing. Overhead Raven flight was joined by Osprey and two other flights in their engagement with fleeing Iridien cruisers flying in formation. Their shields were minimizing the damage of the laser fire from the Star Fighters. Suddenly the lead cruiser slowed, then exploded. The debris struck the left side of the second cruiser and nearly eliminating its shield. The Star Fighters pumped multiple rounds of laser shots into the remaining cruiser until it disintegrated. "Erica, both cruisers destroyed," said Raven1. "Copy. Good work." "Well, I am not sure we can take credit for the first one." "Why?" "It just seemed to explode. It is possible a shot crippled an internal system that caused the explosion. We need to evaluate our tapes first." "Whatever. As far as we are concerned, you did it. Thanks to all of you." "Iarracht FOC, we are returning." "Copy. Raven and Osprey cleared for return. Condor and Hawk flights continue recon on An Clochán." "Copy. Approaching An Clochán. Alert AIs, we will be doing repetitive recon runs." "Copy. Do them with nav lights on." "What?" "Turn your nav lights on when making run. It should make anyone on the ground edgy." "Good point. Hadn't thought of that. Will add shields." "Affirmative." ------- Simultaneously with the activity over head, Eltha and Cindy were preparing to enter Section 42A. Breacadh had restored the atmosphere to Sections 42A and 43A. The rest of Briana's Clan had entered Section 43A just before Breacadh started restoring the atmosphere to that section. "Based on the marks outside," said Cass, "it looks like all four came in the same door." "Breacadh, are you still detecting only two people correct?" "Yes. Several of the sensors are in an unknown state so the accuracy is not known." "We are going in without our tac suits," said Eltha. "The sensors are detecting a faint trace of the Dutsuz spice." "Okay, we are inside," said Cindy. Cindy and Eltha carefully checked out each room as they moved through the corridor. Just before they entered the fifth room, Eltha said, "They are in here." "Yes, I can sense all four. They expect us to find them." "I see that as well. Let's do it." With that Cindy eased open the door and carefully looked inside. Seeing no one, she slipped through the door with Eltha closely behind her quietly closing the outer door. They waited a few moments until their vision had fully adjusted to the low light before easing the inner door open. Inside they could see two men standing next to a table covered with packages. They were opening the packages while apparently paying little attention to their surroundings. Eltha and Cindy moved quietly into the room. "The other two are behind us." "Yes. I feel their presence." "Put your hands up," said Eltha as the lights were turned up. The two men reacted by reaching for their weapons as they dropped the package they were opening. The packages bounced off the table on to the floor. On hitting the floor they broke open spilling the spice. "Touch that weapon and your dead," said Cindy in standard language. The two men stopped moving and just looked at them. "We told you to put your hands up. Do it now!" At that moment, the two men behind them yanked their heads back by pulling on their hair. When Eltha and Cindy opened their mouths to scream, a lump of spice was shoved into their opens mouths before being covered by a hand. At the same, the two men they had confronted knocked their weapons away, then pushed their arms back to fasten their wrists together behind their backs. "Hmm ... didn't expect it to go quite this way." "Just relax girls, we won't hurt you. The spice is good for you. It will help you relax. Once you have relaxed, we will take the restraints off your wrists. We only restrained you to keep you from hurting yourself." The four men smiled when they felt the two women stiffen slightly. The two men holding them, then stood them up, releasing the hold on their wrists and mouth. "Guess, we did that part correctly," said Eltha. "Yea, the spice has pretty good flavor but it sure has a strong taste. It is different than what Sarah's Clan remembers." "But, they took theirs with food which would mask the taste." "They said the drug would be effective after ten minutes," said one intruder. "Yes," replied another. As the four men waited, they inspected the two women, felt their bodies, ran their fingers through their hair and mane. When one found their tail he said, "Would you look at this?" as he pulled Cindy's tail from between her ass cheeks. Each of them then took a turn fondling her tail and ass. "These people sure have nice bodies," said another intruder as he ran his fingers between the lips of her cunt. "Nice warm cunt. Damn, the lips move to," he added as Cindy's labia grasp at the finger stimulating her cunt causing her natural juices to flow. "Shit she is getting wet already." Another intruder was squeezing and caressing Eltha breasts when milk began to ooze from her nipple. "Look at this," said the man as he pulled on her nipple releasing more milk. "Time is up," said Briana. "We are just outside the door." Hearing Briana, Eltha and Cindy pretended to wake up. "What are..." "We are here to help you," said one intruder in friendly voice. "We are your friends and have brought you a gift." Pointing to the boxes, "In those boxes are very special spices, a very precious gift that we have for all of you." "Why are you coming in this way?" said Eltha with a puzzled look on her face. "We came on some Iridien cruisers. We wanted to surprise you this morning with these gifts so we came in here to prepare them while the others sleep. Now that you are here, you can help us distribute these gifts to your friends." While they were talking, the rest of Briana's Clan entered the room unseen and surrounded the group. "Your spices do have a good flavor but the taste is rather strong," said Cindy. "I don't think anyone will like them once they know this is what you fed Sarah's Clan." "We wouldn't do that..." said the intruder just as his arms were pulled behind his back. His eyes bulged at seeing the others with him struggling as their arms were pulled back. Both Eltha and Cindy watched the four men struggle as restraints were fitted around their wrists. A restraint was placed between their elbows tight enough to pull their shoulders back. "What's going on?" stuttered one intruder. His expression beginning to show a bit of fear. "We're preparing you for a trip to interrogation. What else do you think we would do with an intruder?" "We came on an Iridien cruiser. We came as friends with presents that will make your life more enjoyable." "Your full of shit," said Cass. "The stuff in those packages is the spice the Dutsuz gave Sarah's Clan in hopes of enslaving us. You obviously were sent by them to try it again here." "Those spices really enhance the flavor of food." "Yes, they do," said Eltha. "They have a secondary effect with some species. The spice turns into a drug as it is digested making the individual very receptive to your suggestions and distorts rational thought. Why else would you stuff some in our mouth?" "You can't hold us," smirked another intruder. "Others will come to rescue us and destroy this place when they do." "Who knows your here? Three Iridien cruisers were destroyed this morning." Just as Cass finished speaking more people arrived. Photos were taken of the prisoners and packages of spice. All four prisoners were stripped and then placed in long rectangular boxes in spite of their struggling. Their struggling and fear grew as they watched the clear cover being placed over the top of the box leaving barely enough room for them to move. During the whole time the Órarduine did not say a word. Once the boxes holding the men were sealed, they were stood up so the men could watch the other events in the room. Each package was placed inside a glove box. A probe was inserted and after a few moments a green light flashed as the display showed the composition. The contents were poured into a liquid where it quickly dissolved. The whole sequence was filmed. Periodically the liquid was placed in a bottle and sealed. When they finished, Briana looked at the four men and said, "We just turned your threat into a spice that is acceptable to us. Now let's go to a place where you can tell us more about yourselves and who sent you." None of the four men realized that they had heard Briana telepathically as she had also spoken verbally. The four boxes holding the men were stacked on a trolley and each one covered with a heavy cloth. A box containing their clothes was placed on top. Once everything was out of the room, two Órarduine began spraying down the room with a solution to neutralize any residual spice. "Well that screwed up a good nights sleep," said Briana as they watched the prisoners being taken to the holding area. "I wonder, how they will like their new home," said Ellie. "Well at least they will get a daily bath," replied Anita. "But, they won't realize that for a while." "Eltha. Cindy," said Erica, "are you guys okay?" "Yes, I am," replied Eltha. "I plan on going over to see one of the doctors after breakfast," replied Cindy. "My spouses are planning on hovering over me until then." "You really didn't need to take that risk." "True. I didn't see it as much of a risk considering the circumstances. When does the questioning start?" "Probably tomorrow. We want them to experience a full day in the box. Shitting and pissing on yourself is humiliating but when others see you do it, the impact is greater. That is why the boxes either face each other or stand behind a one way mirror. They will stand in it until it gets cold then we will flush the box with hot then cold water. If they try to injure themselves, their movement will be restricted even more." "Let's go eat," said Adam. "I am hungry." "Cathan said we don't need to join them for a while," said Abaigeal. "Why don't we take a short nap after Cindy is done with the doctors." "Sounds like a great idea," responded several of her spouses. ------- As Sarah's Clan was leaving for breakfast Terry said, "Amy, are you planing on upgrading An Clochán's perimeter sensors?" "Yes. A group will start programming them this morning. Once it is dark they will be placed so we have three sensing rings around us at 2, 5 and 10 km." "Will these detect the Iridiens or other activity?" "Yes. We were lucky last night that the scanners acted the way they did. Our teams did a great job of noticing the pattern in the events. The sensors will be placed to give us a 10 km circular grid which will yield results similar to what we have in the ship parking area." "Okay. Any more prisoners?" "No. Security teams are combing the deactivated portions of An Clochán now. The section where Briana's Team captured the four has been completely neutralized and washed down." "Everyone is going through the wash station on return correct." "Yes. Connie told me that Cindy checked out fine." "Briana, Súsanna, and Caoilinn's teams," said Terry, "your teams did a great job this morning." "Thanks," replied the three teams. "Were there any injuries?" "No," said Súsanna. "We didn't think far enough ahead when the intruder's cruisers lifted off as we left our selves kind of exposed. Our camouflage was active, but the cruisers have big guns." "What do your visitors think about the intruders?" "Cathan's and Kara's teams were going to be with them today. I don't know if they have been told yet." ------- Over breakfast Sarah's Clan conferred with the other Command Staffs, through their mind-link. The intelligence report indicated there were three Spc Ops cruisers missing from the Alliance of Worlds fleet. Chester said, "Well we know that the intruders were from the Alliance of World fleet. Our four prisoners are Dutsuz. At least two of the cruisers were Iridien Spc Ops ships. The curious thing was what were they doing around the Iridien ships. It seems pretty clear that this was initiated by the Dutsuz?" "We don't have any reservations in telling our visiting Iridiens about the attack," said Tiff of Siobhan's Clan. "We could have Cathan or Kara tell them of the attack and ask if it makes any sense to them." "We're agreeable," replied Molly. "Agree," said Maureen. "We need to know more of Olua's people and government. Wait, did we place Ferrets on their ships?" "Yes," said Star. "They were fully activated just before the intruders were detected. All the Intelligence departments are monitoring the incoming data." "It is almost time for our morning meeting," said Sarah. "Lets link all locations and let Amy give a run down on this mornings attack. We have a lot to do today, so Amy should ask to limit discussion to only those that need to be addressed today. The Iridien visitors are at breakfast at An Clochán." "Well in that case, Cathan or Kara won't need to tell them," said Kelly. "Agreed," replied all the Command Staffs. "Star," said Sarah, "see if we can schedule a connection with Egulle and Orgaine to begin in three or four hours. I think we ought to look at the data from the Ferrets before we talk to them." "You may want to push it out some." "Okay. See if we can set it for around six hours. That should give us enough time to get a sense of what is taking place on the two Dutsuz ships." "Agreed." Just then the holographic image of Amy, Erica and Dorothy on An Clochán appeared in all ships dining rooms. "Good morning," said the three in unison. "Today our meeting includes all locations as we want to tell you of an event that occurred on Mars this morning." With that the three described the engagement with the intruders in considerable detail without getting into specifics. They closed by telling them that the defensive perimeter was currently being augmented by Star Fighters with ground support scanners. The perimeter would be reconfigured to detect a broader threat and these would be put in place over the next 24 hours. Amy said, "We would like to hold our normal question and answer session until dinner, as there is much that needs to be done today. However, if there are some now is the time." A loud deep voice from the back of the room said, "I say we get to work. Questions can wait." "Yes!" came the loud response. "Cathan," said Antopolis, "could we check our ships? Only two of each team will need to go out." "That is possible." "Actually, we should only need to inspect the outside as the hatches were sealed. The entry pad will show if the team login was over ridden." "Lets get the group together first. We need to know more and prefer to have everyone participate. Besides there isn't any rush in checking your ships is there." "No. Based on what was said, I suspect the entry pad had the intruder trap tripped. The ships will open and lift off, but once they are at about 10 000 meters they will self destruct. The purpose is to keep them from being hijacked." "Interesting. What happens if you are on them?" "There are a couple of resets, but you have to know the situation in order to use them." ------- "Clarence," said Sarah's Clan, "what have you learned from the prisoners?" "They don't like their accommodations. They do not appear to be Spc Ops team members. We are certain they are from the Dutsuz world, but maybe not of that species. The boxes are doing their job. We are using the visual stimulation to learn the thought process of their language." "Good. Let us know as soon as you learn something." "Will do." "Shannon, what have you learned from the Ferrets on the Dutsuz ships?" "We haven't sorted all the details yet but it is definite that the attack was a Dutsuz plan. The slow down is we are still sorting out their language, but that is progressing rapidly. Currently it appears that they duped the three Iridien Spc Ops teams into attempting to sabotage the six Iridien cruisers. This was to be done by tripping the unauthorized entry safety. Their intent as you suspect would be to claim we destroyed the Iridien ships along with the teams without provocation and demand retribution." "Oh, wait. Blaming us for destroying the cruisers was a backup plan. The prisoners were sent to compromise security teams with the drugs then use them to drug everyone else. They certainly are persistent bastards. Based on their phrasing there may be others we didn't catch." "Wonderful. Did you advise Security of the potential for undetected intruders?" "It is being done now." "We have scheduled a call to Commander Egulle to take place in an hour. Let us know of any changes before then." "Amy, are you going to need more help cleaning the areas where the dust spread?" "It looks like we will be okay." "Judy," said Sarah, "can we tweak our autoimmune system to block the spice metabolite from having its effect on us." "It is possible. Cindy had a healthy dose given to her by one of the intruders and handled it well. This was a straight dose so there wasn't normal food digestion to interfere with her response. Right now environmental is adjusting our sensors to detect the spice in all areas. They will be more sensitive than what Breacadh did earlier. The spice has a distinct aromatic component. Tweaking our autoimmune system will be looked at but there are concerns about unintended consequences. We know ingesting the spice creates the drug, but we don't know if other means of contact will have the same effect. At this time, we don't think so. Any contact with it, would likely lead to some ingestion. This is a rather nasty situation but the information we got from Cindy's experience is a great help." "What they did was pretty ballsy." "Yes, both told me that they felt the circumstances made the risk worth taking." "Keep us posted." "Environmental," said Maeve, "used a procedure early this morning to neutralize the spice the intruders brought. The spice still has the same flavor but doesn't yield the drug when it is eaten by us. This provided them with insight to develop a wash down procedure to remove the spice contamination and not leave any residue." "That was quick." "They found a parallel experience in the library and used that methodology. Fortunately, it worked. I agree with everyone else, that we need to find a solution so it is not effective. It would only be a matter of time, before someone else tried it." "We need to determine," said Judy, "if our bodies would have blocked the drug on its own. There are similar examples in our library. We just need time to evaluate them." "We agree," replied all the Command Staffs. "So everyone is monitoring this." "Yes," came the reply. "Monitoring," said Kelly, "is a good way to categorize it. Our readiness level is not elevated but many of the crew are acting as if it was." "Good. Speak up if something puzzles you or you think we missed something." "We will," came the response from the other Command Staffs. ------- Chapter 148 "Good afternoon, Sarah's Clan," said Commander Egulle as the image of Orgaine and him appeared on Dóchas bridge's monitor. "Good afternoon," said Orgaine. "Good afternoon," replied Sarah's Clan. "We hope the spices did not have any long term effect on you." "We don't believe they will but we are still doing some evaluations. That was an experience, we prefer not to repeat. However, that is not why we initiated contacting you. Late last night teams from two Iridien Spc Ops cruisers attempted an interdiction of An Clochán. The cruisers were destroyed as they sought to escape." As Sarah spoke, it was clear from Egulle and Orgaine expressions that they were surprised. "Additionally, four intruders were captured inside our habitat after they forced two residents to consume Dutsuz spice. Based on their comments and amount of spice with them, their intent was to enslave the habitats residents by adding the spice to their food. They are currently being prepared for interrogation." "Sarah, I don't know what to say," replied Commander Egulle very sincerely. "We do not doubt what you say, but I can assure you that none of my staff were involved in such a thing. Could you give us more details?" "A little over 12 hours ago, we have determined that at least 16 intruders approached An Clochán where your Spc Ops teams cruisers are parked. Our data shows that twelve intruders entered the area where the cruisers are parked. A pair went to each of your ships but didn't approach ours which are nearby. After spending some time at several locations around your ships, they headed back to their ships. Unfortunately, our systems did not detect the intrusion until they had left and were some distance from the habitat. Our security teams intercepted them as they neared their ships. When challenged, they chose to fight rather than surrender. In the subsequent engagement, three ships were destroyed which includes the one overhead providing backup. Although, we think one cruiser carrying the intruders self destructed." "This is all very puzzling," replied Orgaine. "All of our ships are locked down." "Special Ops Commander to the bridge," shouted Commander Egulle. "We only know what happened here. The four prisoners appear to be Dutsuz. Two of our staff caught them inside our habitat unpacking a large quantity of the Dutsuz spice. Our two staff members were forced to swallow a mouth full of the spice. We captured the intruders just as they were preparing to instruct our drugged staff members to begin distributing the spice around the habitat. The intruders are now being prepared for interrogation. At this time, there do not appear to be any other intruders in the area although we are systematically combing the site. Bluntly put, we are not pleased. This is the second attempt by members of your fleet on our family. In light of this, we have taken an offensive intelligence gathering position and put our family on heightened alert." "Dutsuz is where, Olua was from," replied Orgaine. "I understand your position." "You used past tense, so Olua didn't survive." "He lived for several hours. He spent the whole time raving about their great plans for taking control of Dutsuz World and then the Alliance of Worlds once they had your technology. He told of subverting other new worlds in a manner similar to their plans for you. Fortunately, we only missed recording a small part of his dialog. His two female colleagues died immediately. If there had been a chair behind him, he to would have died immediately." Just as Orgaine finished speaking a man appeared next to him with a rather worried look on his face. Egulle angrily said, "Commander are all your ships accounted for?" "All assigned to the fleet responded to roll call this morning except for the six on An Clochán. Except for those six, all are cloaked along side the fleet. Sir." "Then, can you explain to us and the Órarduine, how they were attacked by intruders using our Spc Ops ships in the middle of the night. All the intruders are dead or captured with the three ships destroyed." "They destroyed three of our Spc Ops cruisers ... that can't be ... there weren't any alarms." "Alarms?" "Yes, sir. Each ship is equipped with transmitter in a special hardened case. When a ship is destroyed, it immediately begins transmitting a coded signal. As close as we are, we would have heard it in seconds." "So, if they weren't Iridien, then whose ships were they," said Egulle. "The Dutsuz don't have any Spc Ops teams." "Well the intelligence dispatch yesterday indicated it was possible," said Orgaine. "Until receiving that dispatch, there had been some analyst had speculated on the possibility. With what happened yesterday and last night, it would seem the Dutsuz are more devious than they were given credit." "Commander," said Egulle, "verify the presence of your cruisers. Remember, there was an incident on An Clochán with one Spc Ops team leaders. The remaining members of that team indicated there were problems in two other teams." "Yes, sir." Sally said, "Commander Egulle, we concur with the idea that the Dutsuz have subverted at least three of your Spc Ops teams and perhaps others." Commander Egulle started to respond but Orgaine stopped and said, "Why do you say that?" "Antopolis along with a few others inspected their ships this morning. On each one, the safety device to prevent hijacking was tripped and then masked so it would not be noticed when the teams boarded." "That's attempted murder. If they had taken off all would have exploded shortly after lift off." "Yes, it is." "We will send some technicians down to verify system integrity before they return," said the Spc Ops Commander. "Sally," said Commander Egulle, "I agree that your conclusion has a high probability." Turning away he said, "Security Commander to the bridge." Turning back to the screen, he continued with, "Please excuse me for a few moments as I need to take care of an urgent matter." "Orgaine," said Terry, "how are you handling the two large Dutsuz ships." "Yesterday, we initiated an emergency procedure transferring primary control of all our ships to this ship. This is what I meant earlier when I said that the fleet was locked down. In this mode, a ships systems will not respond to local control without an authorization code from the flagship. Each ship's commander understands the reasons for this but never likes to be in that situation as they are still responsible for the ship. Since then we have returned local control to all but five ships. Two of those five are the Dutsuz ships." Just then Shannon came on to Dóchas bridge and handed Sarah a message. Sarah frowned then said, "Dóchas FOC, Iarracht FOC, Eagle FOC, load up all cruisers with full load of arms. Rotate the cruisers so there are four behind the two Dutsuz ships all the time at maximum firing range." "Sarah's Clan," replied Iarracht FOC, "we are moving four cruisers into that position temporarily until we can get a fully armed group to relieve them." "Fine. They are authorized to pursue and destroy either Dutsuz ship, if they change their position with respect to the fleet." "Four cruisers, launching in 20 minutes," replied Sabrina in Dóchas FOC. "Four cruisers, launching, now," replied Eagle FOC. "Sarah," said Orgaine, "it sounded like you just ordered your ships to monitor the Dutsuz ships. Is that correct?" "Yes, partially. Considering what we have learned today about the Dutsuz, we don't have the trust in your lock down that you do. From our perspective, if the ships we destroyed this morning were not yours, then they are most likely operated by those on the Dutsuz ships. The images we have of the attacking ships match yours to a tee. Remember the prisoners we are holding are from Dutsuz but may not be of that species. Unless they are some of your Spc Ops teams then they had cruisers in your fleet that you don't know about. In fact they may still have some in your fleet." "That is not possible." "When you arrived here, we saw three ships with slightly different cloaking patterns," said Sarah. "Those ships are no longer present. According to the information just handed me, the Dutsuz are celebrating the success of their strike at An Clochán. They are pleased that their Spc Ops teams rigged your ships to explode on lift off. Since the ones carrying the spice entered our habitat, the Dutsuz are certain they will receive a call from us within a day or two inviting just them to visit." "How? Where did you get that information?" "We have placed listening devices in their ships and we have hacked into the core ships systems." "That is a violation of space law." "An unprovoked attack is effectively a declaration of war. Their actions negate that portion of space law. Twice now they have attempted to enslave us. There will not be a third time. From the information we have, we are now positive that the attack was theirs and theirs alone. You asked if we sent ships to monitor the Dutsuz ships. Yes, we did. We assigned four cruisers to take a position behind them. Weapons systems are locked and loaded. They are authorized to remove them from this level of life with just one false move on their part. Soon there will be a eight more cruisers available to assist the initial four." "Our sensors don't show anything there," replied the Spc Ops Commander. "They won't," replied Sally tersely. "What are you going to do?" asked Orgaine as he realized the Órarduine knew more than they did about the Dutsuz ships. He wondered how they had missed this bit of Dutsuz treachery. The Dutsuz had been suspected of deceit in the past but there was never any tangible or verifiable evidence until now. He also realized that while the Órarduine maybe be small is numbers, they are also a much more dangerous adversary than they appear. "In a short while, they are going to be surprised when several visitors appear on their bridge. These visitors will tell them that their plot has been exposed to the Alliance of Worlds. They will be given 3 hours in which to broadcast to all members of Alliance of Worlds a statement disclosing their deceit or face the consequences." "They would never admit to a deceit of this magnitude. It would have grave political implications for their world and their role in the alliance." "Then one of two things are likely to happen. They will break the hold you have on their ship, then attempt to destroy your two ships. As close as your two ships, a direct attack would result in an explosion that would probably take them out as well. We think they will try to take you out by destabilizing your propulsion systems. With your attention diverted, they would slip away. If they have allies on the other ships, then the number of possible responses are greater." "We think that for the other ships to side with them, it would require a mutiny on those ships. The other two task groups with us have received messages telling them to stay clear of the Dutsuz and their ships. I gather, you aren't going to let the Dutsuz leave." "We will not keep them from leaving," replied Sarah's Clan with smiles. Then Sally continued with, "We will control where they go. Be assured that, they will not leave this solar system." Aoife said, "We will patch you in to the data stream we are receiving from their bridge and primary conference room. Star is setting up the link now." Sally asked, "What do you use for IFF, identification of friend or foe, on the Spc Ops cruisers? We use it to tell who is who." "Have Antopolis tell you how they do that. You apparently have something in mind for the Dutsuz Spc Op ships." "We are going to look closely at the space around your ships to see if we missed any anomalies. If we find any we will advise you of their location once the sighting is confirmed. We suspect the Dutsuz ships are using line of sight communication with their larger ships and the angle is such there is no spill over to your ships." "We would like to meet with you again," said Orgaine. "However, it needs to wait until we get some issues here sorted out here." "The location is definitely your choice," said Commander Egulle, "but it will likely be at least 7 to 10 days before we can consider doing it." "We agree. Lets close this link for now and open it back up a half hour before the deadline unless we hear from them before then." "Agree." "One other thing," said Sally. "We will send a courier to your ship with communication parameters to use the next time we connect. Star will advise you when the courier is on the way." "Fine." "Till later then." When the monitor went blank Alison said, "We should have thought of an encrypted connection earlier." "This is fine," said Rusty. "We want anybody listening to know our intent with the Dutsuz ships." "We have placed a homing device on every ship," said Sally. "Only, the ones on the Dutsuz ships are turned on." "All of our Intelligence and Security departments have hooked up and are working out a plan for increased reconnaissance. From the bits I heard, I suspect flight operations are going to increase dramatically." Maeve said, "Intelligence needs to keep an eye on our sentential line. The Dutsuz could respond by sending a fleet to attack us or the Iridien ships." "So, we're delayed a month," said Alena, "at least we will be alive and free." "Good point," said her spouses along with the other Command Staffs. "Okay, Star are you ready to do the projection," said Aoife. "Yes." Using a device they placed in the two Dutsuz ships earlier, Star beamed a holographic image of Sarah's Clan onto both bridges. All Dutsuz activity ceased as the images began to form. Their expressions clearly indicated their shock at seeing their quest appear suddenly on their ship's bridges. As soon as their image stabilized Sarah's Clan said in unison, "Dutsuz, we know you were behind Olua's efforts to drug us. You have tried to start a war between the Alliance of Worlds fleet and us by sabotaging their ships at An Clochán. Your agents invaded our habitat with the intent of feeding them your spice drug. We have neutralized your spice drug. You have failed both times in your attempts to enslave us. All of your agents are dead or captured. Now, you have a choice. If you wish to live, then you must tell the Alliance of World members of your deeds here and those of subverting other worlds. Your admission must be done in a open broadcast to all members of the Alliance of Worlds. We have recorded all of todays activities today on your ships and will continue to do so. We have a copy of your library. You have three hours in which to comply by beginning your broadcast." During the time they spoke, several Dutsuz prepared to jump them as their images appeared virtually life like. Sarah Clan's image disappeared just as several Dutsuz fired stun guns. This resulted in several Dutsuz crumpling to the floor from being hit multiple times. Two and half hours later Star reestablished the link with Commander Egulle's ship. "Good afternoon, again," said Sarah's Clan as the image appeared of the Iridien's bridge on their monitor. "Good afternoon," replied Orgaine. "Commander Egulle is meeting with his staff officers and should join us in a few moments. That was an interesting way to deliver your ultimatum to them. Are you going to give us any clues as to what will happen in a few moments?" "And spoil the surprise," said Sarah with a smile. "Actually, we aren't certain what will happen," added Sally. "The Dutsuz think, they are now in control of their ship." "Our expectation," said Terry, "is they will fire multiple laser shots at the propulsion system on your two ships. Then before you can respond, they will attempt to leave this system. They believe hitting your propulsion system will initiate a delayed chain reaction that will immobilize or destroy your ships." "We would suggest having all of your ships raise their shields slowly," said Alison. "The Dutsuz weapons system has been adjusted so its maximum power is only 10% of what it should be." "Their attempt at FTL," said Erin, "will set them on a course for Jupiter at just under light speed. Once the course is set, all their systems will freeze due to multiple computer and system malfunctions. Even if they are able to restore the computer, a massive short in a junction box leading to the propulsion system will prevent them from regaining control." "An interesting plan," replied Orgaine, "which tells me you have control of their ships. What if it goes astray?" "They are in control of their ships. We have just changed the way the ship will respond to their commands. As for it going astray, well there are four cruisers now following each one armed with weapons to make sure it doesn't." "Our legal system would not permit such a drawn out punishment." "We think, they are getting off easy compared to turning us into their servants or food." "I don't disagree with you. I think, I would have chosen the sun as a destination or simply turned them into dust." "We thought about it. One of our staff estimated they would live longer after entering Jupiter atmosphere, if their ships didn't explode on impact." "Look," said Joyce, "they are making their move now." Everyone turned to watch the video feed from the Dutsuz ships. Both ships fired their lasers at the Iridien flagships just as they initiated their propulsion systems for an FTL jump. The commanders on both ships began hollering at the weapons controller on seeing their laser shots bounced off into space. The Dutsuz then staggered as the propulsion system began abruptly generating thrust to escape the fleet. The two ships turned sharply away from the fleet. The pilot was seen pulling on the controls apparently trying to get the ship back to the desired course. One ship's commander attention was attracted by the pilots movements. The two were soon hollering at each other until the commander pulled his weapon then the screen went blank. The monitor switched to showing the position of the ships in the AW fleet then blinked as it updated the position of the two Dutsuz ships with four Órarduine cruisers behind them. "What happened?" "They are out of range," said Terry. "We didn't put a repeater on the ships and the bugs transmitters have a limited range." Sarah's Clan turned off the feed from the two Dutsuz ships and noticed Orgaine do the same. "They may kill each other off before they get there," said Orgaine. "I wonder what their home world will accuse us of now." "They've had no recent communication with their home world," said Alison. "How do you know that?" "When we hacked into their systems, we accessed their data storage and now have about 50 years of data and access codes." "I thought you were bluffing when you told them you had a copy of their library. I don't know how you did it, but can we see it?" "Sure," said Sarah, "think it can wait until we meet again." Orgaine frowned. "If we find anything we think you should know about we will contact you immediately." "Sure, we would like to see the data sooner, but we can live with your proposal." "Let us get the data sorted and we will send a courier with a copy. When do you want your crews and ships to return?" "Thank you. I think the technicians can be down there tomorrow, so it would be after that. We are still screening crews for Dutsuz influence, so it would be better if we had a few more days, that goes for visiting as well." "We don't have a problem with them staying longer." "In that case, lets plan on them leaving in three days and we will send the techs down the day they leave." "We will let those on An Clochán know. Let us know as soon as you want to schedule a visit. Have you thought of bringing representatives from the other two worlds with you?" "It would be a good idea." "Fine just let us know how many are coming." "We will. I would like for us to touch base for a few moments everyday." "Sure, how about 11 AM?" "So noted. Have a good evening." "You too." "I am sure glad we pulled the Ferrets off of their ships before we started talking," said Sally. "He really wanted more details on how we obtained the Dutsuz information," replied Alison. "They will learn how, eventually," said Rusty. "Now, doesn't seem like the time to share it, besides it would be surprising if they didn't have a way to hack into another ships systems." "I don't know whether you all noticed it," said Terry, "but the habitat sensor grid is operational out to 5 km. We don't have the density up to our goal, but we are better off than last night. They are going to fill it in out to the 5 km boundary before working on the band out to 10 km." "Lets go exercise and freshen up," said Jill. "We have enough time we can relax with the children before dinner." "A grand idea," replied all of her spouses. ------- It was three clock cycles later when the Iridien technicians arrived at An Clochán to check out the Iridien cruisers. Each of the Iridien Spc Ops teams carefully monitored the technicians as they checked their ships systems. After checking all the systems, the technicians found that only the anti-hijacking system had been compromised. Instead of repairing it, the technicians opted to replace the system on all ships then had the crews authenticate to the new system. The technicians were preparing to leave, when Antopolis said to the technicians, "Wait, you will ride with us." "We are not permitted," exclaimed a technician. "This time you are. You will each ride on the ships you repaired. It will be a good experience for you." The technician started to respond until he noticed the expressions on those around him and hands on weapons then just shrugged his shoulders. The other technicians picked up their equipment and walked back to the ship they had repaired. "Órarduine," said Antopolis, "it has been a pleasure to spend the last several days with you in spite of the circumstances. When the opportunity arises, we would like to return the favor. We couldn't have asked for more, again thanks for the great hospitality." As Antopolis finished speaking the Iridien teams hollered, "YES!" "Iridiens," said the six clans together, "thank you for the kind words. We have enjoyed your visit and believe we have learned a lot from each other. Although your experience is greater than ours, please let us know if we can ever be of any help." "We would have no hesitation in working with any of you," replied Demerti before Antopolis could respond. "All of us are willing to support you whenever you need it." Antopolis nodded his agreement as Demerti spoke. With that the two groups began telling each other good bye. The Órarduine watched the Iridien ships lift off. Once their landing gear retracted, the six ships moved out away from the habitat in single file before beginning to climb. As they rose, they shifted their formation to a vee and quickly disappeared from sight. "Well, what do you think of them," said Briana. "I am sure, I wouldn't want to be on the opposite side in a conflict," said Ciar. "They are good, very good." "We agree." "They picked up volleyball and basketball real quick," added Eltha. "We should invite them to one of our tournaments, if they are still here." "Good idea." "So what now," said Enya. "We should go see if we can assist with Marthanóir or Fiontar," said Briana. "With all the distractions this last week, they probably need all the help they can find." "We've have time to do that before dinner." "Cathan," said Briana, "Sarah's Clan will probably want us here when the group from Alliance of Worlds comes for their next visit." "We expected that, and they will factor it in when we contact Taiséalai to see where we can help." ------- It had been over a week since the incident with the Dutsuz when Sarah's Clan stepped out of Alpha1 and onto the deck in Marthanóir hanger. "Good morning, Molly's Clan," said Sarah's Clan as they walked toward them. "Good morning to you and welcome to Marthanóir," came the reply. "You guys are early for our Command Staff meeting," added Molly. "Jackie's Clan is on final approach." "We came early because we wanted to visit for a bit before everyone else arrived." "Cool. Jackie's Clan and ours exchange visits every couple of days except when we need to have some of us on the bridge all the time. When that happens, we split our clans and half goes there and half comes here. With our mind-link, it is almost the same." "Neat idea," replied Joyce as she gave Molly a hug. "We miss seeing you." "I think it is more like just being around each other," said Mirial of Molly's Clan. "Our mental links are great but it doesn't take the place of physical contact." "We agree," replied everyone. The two clans watched the shuttle carrying Jackie's Clan settle into its cradle. It had hardly settled when the shuttle door opened so they could exit. "This is great," said Jackie when she saw both clans waiting for them. "It has been ages since we got together to just visit." "We were just talking about that," said Joyce as the clans greeted each other with hugs. "Come on," said Molly, "lets go to the common area. We can visit there until the other Command Staffs arrive in an hour or so." When they reached the common area, they pulled some chairs and couches around so they could easily interact with each other. Once they had the furniture arranged, they sat down so that each one was touching someone else. "This feels so good," said Jackie as she put her arm over Aoife's shoulders drawing her a little closer. "Yes, it does," replied Molly sitting between Sarah and Mairia of Jackie's Clan. "When I was growing up, I always felt an emptiness. Becoming friends with Jackie, Kathleen and Mairia in high school alleviated some of my empty feeling. I now realize that the emptiness I felt then was due to my parents. I don't remember them ever showing real affection for each other or receiving any unconditional affection from them. We were so lucky when we met Sarah, Rusty, Sally and Terry." "Hey," said Terry, "we think, we were pretty lucky to meet you guys. We think you guys are pretty great and would have been pretty great whether you met us our not." "With the path we were on," said Mairia, "I don't think so. So, how are the children? That is the one thing, I miss about not being on Dóchas very often. They are a lot of fun to be around." "They are doing great," replied Jill. "If you miss them, invite them for a visit. After all you guys are like aunts and uncles. They don't all have to come at one time unless you want them to." "Duh, I never thought of that." "Maybe its because you guys have been to focused on work with little relaxation." "We haven't been..." began Jackie's reply, "no, you're right we have been but there is so much to do." "Yes," replied Alena, "but you need to remember your well being is more important than anything else." "We're anxious to move," said Mairia. "So is everyone else," replied Alison. "We want our move to be an adventure and not be tarnished by remembering the burden of preparing or making the journey." "If it takes us two months longer," said Erin, "then so be it. Actually, the idea of the children visiting is a good one. They can help out with some of the tasks, while visiting you." "Actually," said Kathleen of Molly's Clan, "based on the last time I talked to them about their learning experiences, I think they could do as well as or better than some of our contract help." "I'll second that," added Allan of Molly's Clan. "I hope our children are as great as yours," said Mirial of Molly's Clan. "Oh, they will be," replied Janet. "We have absolutely no doubt about that. Can we ask your plans?" "We are going to follow Siobhan's example," replied Molly with Jackie nodding. Jackie said, "I think Kathryn's and Keriann's Clans have the same plan." It was close to an hour later when Molly said, "I hate to break this up but our FOC just told me that Siobhan's and Maureen's Clans are on final approach. Keriann's, Kathryn's and Amy's are about 10 minutes out." "Sarah's Clan," said Molly, "is it okay if we invite the children to visit us next week." "Certainly. Give them a call. We are sure they would be thrilled and it will be their first adventure on their own." "Cool," replied Mairia. "I can remember the first visit I made on my own." ------- Once the eight Command Staffs had gathered in Marthanóir's conference room, Sarah said, "As you know our agenda today has only a three items plus I want to add one. The topics are: How much do we want to share with the Iridiens? Status of our preparations. Celia reconnaissance data. The topic, I would like to add is, do we need to increase clan interactions." "Could you expand on the new item?" said Keriann with a puzzled expression. "I think, I may have even caught my spouses off guard with this one," replied Sarah with a smile. "We arrived early today so we could visit with Molly's Clan. Jackie's Clan arrived early as well which was a very nice surprise. We had a good time just visiting. This is something that we really haven't done since they moved to their new ships. I know shame on us. Everyone of our clans have friends on other ships. So my question is: Are we taking the time to maintain our friendships? You could also rephrase the question as: Are we giving ourselves the time to maintain our friendships?" "A very good addition to the agenda," replied Kathryn with many others nodding. "We see two circumstances behind this issue. One is our push to relocate to Celia. The second is the way we are separated which will be reduced when we begin to settle on A-Celia." "Yes, it is," said Kelly of Keriann's Clan. "When we look over the status of Marthanóir, Fiontar and other preparations, we should consider resetting the departure date. Right at the moment, we think it should be moved out at least a month and perhaps two or more." "Agree," said Alena. "This is really a topic the whole family needs to discuss. I found our time with Molly's and Jackie's Clans very refreshing. It was also a learning experience for me as it gave me the opportunity to become better acquainted with my spouse's friends." "Let's take care of the other items first," said Maureen, "then come back to this. We should come to closure on this before finishing up today." "Agree," replied everyone. "Okay, so how close of a relationship do we want with the Iridiens?" said Sarah. "You're differentiating Iridiens from the Alliance of Worlds," replied Jackie. "Yes." Sarah waited a few moments before continuing. "We think we need to meet and interact with all the other worlds in the alliance before considering establishing any kind of alliance with them. The Iridiens are now somewhat of a known entity. I think all of us were surprised that the Dutsuz subverted some of their crew and apparently some crew members on the other worlds ships as well. The conversations we've had with Egulle and Orgaine indicate they were surprised as well. A key question is: How?" "Do you think Commander Egulle will tell us how?" said Mairia. "If they know," replied Erin. "Remember Orgaine made the comment regarding our orientation film on our physiology saying they should have a similar one." "Do we know what information of ours, they are interested in seeing?" "Not really," said Rusty. "Questions were raised about how we gained access to the Dutsuz ships but nothing has been said since. They were also curious about how we knew they were coming." "If they want to know about our weapons, then we should have the same access to theirs," said Conan of Siobhan's Clan. "The real sticking point to us is that the only Iridiens we know are those here. Which raises the question, is an agreement with them an agreement with their world?" "Let's be candid with them," said Chester. "They may just want to have a better idea of our capabilities rather than our secrets. Equal access to each others knowledge base would likely have more meaning to us than them. What should be no problem for either group, is the sharing of history." "True," added Joyce, "we should propose sharing our star maps. It should help us know whether we have the correction orientation or not. If we can find common points between our star maps then we should be able to sort out some discontinuities we've found." Brittany of Kathryn's Clan said, "They may want to establish an outpost on Mars near ours. Should we offer to let them use a portion of our facilities?" "Lets mull these thoughts around a bit," said Aoife. "As you know, we will be meeting with them in three days on An Clochán. We think each Command Staff should be in the meeting. With this in mind, lets have one member from each join Sarah, Aoife, Tara, Maeve and Rusty for the meeting. The rest of our clan will be on Dóchas' bridge during the meeting which will likely last all day." "Oh that is sneaky," said Kathy of Kathryn's Clan. "What?" "They will show up with some fifteen people to be met by nearly seventy masquerading as twelve." "We don't see that as sneaky. They know that each clan member is mind-linked to all of their spouses." "They may know the fact but they definitely don't appreciate the dynamics of our link. Gee, even we sometimes don't know the full dynamics of our link." "Aoife," said Maureen, "we like the proposal for two reasons. It will bring all of us into the discussion and limit the risk to anyone clan, although I don't think there is a risk this time." "Agree," said everyone. "One thing I ought to mention," said Aoife, "Virginia and Doug asked if they thought the Iridiens would be agreeable to an interview. I told them that we would raise the idea. If they were agreeable, they should think about doing it the way we did the interview regarding the IC incident." "We think that is an excellent idea," replied Colleen of Maureen's Clan. "It would make it difficult for any one country to claim they were first to meet them and thus have some favored status." "Good point. I'll mention that to Commander Egulle and Orgaine when we talk to them." "So lets move on to status of Marthanóir and Fiontar," said Sarah. "We are behind our time line," replied Molly with Jackie nodding her agreement. "The diversion of people in response to our visitors arrival and other events has set us back by more than two weeks. With the increased reconnaissance activity, we think it will slip another four weeks if we try to keep our same pace." "Even without Sarah's agenda item," said Jackie, "we think it would be smart to slow the pace a bit and move our departure date out about four months. We could then shorten it if we do better than expected." Sarah looked around the group before saying, "I think we all agree with the proposal. This is an item we need to discuss with the whole family." Elana of Kathryn's Clan said, "I think there will be some reluctance at accepting a delay in our departure. I don't believe anyone will object especially after they think about it." "Molly. Jackie," said Brandan of Maureen's Clan, "are there any particular areas slowing your progress?" "Not really," replied Jackie slowly with a thoughtful look. "The two alerts have probably created the biggest issues. To meet our offensive requirements, we completed many items out of sequence and even planned to use some without testing if we had too. This has left us with a work schedule that is out of kilter, so we need to go back over some of the completed items. Let me assure you we were battle ready, but our preparation wasn't neat and tidy like it should be." "We have the same issues," added Molly. "Has the schedule been reworked?" "It is partially done. In the meantime, we have rolled back the current plan and are going through each item to make sure nothing is missed." "One thing that really pleases us, is that we have not found any quality issues," added Molly. "On a different note, it wouldn't surprise us if all the contract people don't decide to stay." "Why is that?" "The fact our plan for relocating our family has slipped. Many of them thought, we were minor deities or something close, so they could never really fit in. So our delay and the attempt on Sarah's Clan by Dutsuz has made us more like real people to them. Albeit a people with extremely advanced technology compared to Earth along with a very tantalizing social structure." "So that explains the increase in inquiries Betsy and Gail mentioned," said Judy. "They did say that all who have inquired are well above the minimums." "What do they find tantalizing about our social structure?" said Casidhe of Siobhan's Clan. "Basically our openness and sharing. They see strength in our multiple spouse family structure but are a bit wary of considering it." "Anything else," said Sarah. "No," replied Jackie with Molly nodding her agreement. "Lets talk about A-Celia." "Well it is certainly clear now that there are animals." "Yes and the latest data indicate there appear to be people inhabiting some areas. The sightings have been predominately along the sides of valleys. The inhabitants appear to avoid any open areas." "I wonder why we didn't see them initially," said Katia of Kathryn's Clan. "There are at least two possible reasons," responded Amy. "Based on what we have observed, our suspicion is that they are cave dwellers. It is interesting that our scans have not detected any smoke in the areas around where we have seen people. The second is that our scans may have missed the areas where they live. There could be other reasons as well." "Oh. I wasn't faulting the initial evaluations. As few groups as we have detected, I am a little surprised we have detected them now. Only 15 to 25 groups have been spotted with no reliable information on group size." "The island that we are targeting for our initial settlement has a lot of similarities to Ireland in terms of terrain and a more moderate climate. There is a nice mix of open fields and forested areas. It is covers about 500,000 square kilometers which a little over five times the size of Ireland." "Kathy," said Kelly, "everyone I have talked to, really likes the island. Several clans have made wall posters of some of the places on the island." "We have focused our data collection on the island," added Amy. "We are still assessing the rest of the planet, but 70% of our effort is toward the island. There is another land mass that we have identified as an alternate to the island. It is about the size of Australia, but with a more even temperate climate across the island. It also has a good balance of open fields and forest. There are two separate mountain ranges that are very rugged." "There are animals that appear to be similar to aurochs, bison, buffalo, wolves and large cats on each of the continents and the two islands. We have not observed any people on either island and there may not be as it is a considerable distance from other land masses. The aurochs, bison and buffalo appear to be more prevalent where there are large meadows." "I didn't see any indication in the data of cultivated areas," said Tiff of Siobhan's Clan. "So the tribes we have seen indications of must subsist by gathering and hunting." "Agree," replied several. "Amy, has our survey drones been able to take any closeups of the people?" said Amber of Siobhan's Clan. "No, for two reasons. First, they seem to sense the presence of the drones as they quickly hide or disappear when they approach. None of the drones have a camera with resolution high enough to take a photo from outside their sensitivity range." "So overall, it looks like we made a good choice," said Sarah. "We think so," replied Maureen. "Everyone we have talked to seems to like it more as they learn more about the planet." "We agree," added many others. "Not much has been said about the weather," said Brandan. "Well with two moons there are up to four tides a day," replied Amy. "When there are four tides, each is similar to what we know from Earth. When the number drops to two, they are over twice as high. This creates some pretty awesome waves. There are only a few places on the island where the continental shelf extends for enough to support a wide beach. The island does have several natural harbors with protected entrances. The protection is a high ridge juts out into ocean blocking waves. This creates a long deep channel to the cove or harbor. It is along the cove shores where there are beaches that would be usable to us. There are wide beaches on several other continents, but they don't extend very far out before dropping off quickly." "So there should be some good surfing," said Sylvanna of Jackie's Clan. "Wild surfing," replied Keira, "would be a better description but the lack of a beach would make it difficult." "That is something we are not familiar with," replied Amy, "so the experts among us will need to sort that out." "There is a high plain on the NW side of the island," said Sarah, "that draws my attention every time I look at the images or map." "I know just the one your are talking about," responded many of the group all at once which was quickly followed by laughter. "If my measurements were correct, there is one point where you can see the ocean in three directions. Shifting from that point you loose the view in one direction because of the mountains." "Gee, I guess I am not the only one fascinated by the location." "Are you sure that the plain sits high enough?" said Siobhan. "Yes. My first thought was that it would be very windy because of its height but the data doesn't indicate that." "So, why are we all drawn toward that location?" asked Alena. "I suspect we will have to wait until we can visit it to find out," replied Kelly. "My suspicion is that we will settle there first," said Aoife, Molly, Jackie and Siobhan in unintended unison. They looked at each other and smiled as everyone chuckled. "So the probability is high. Any other weather tidbits," said Sarah. "Not really. We haven't seen any severe weather patterns, but there are likely some. A part of the reason could be we are still putting together a weather monitoring system. Another reason is we haven't been through a full year yet. Seasonal changes are usually a key in initiating conditions for severe weather. On some of the large land masses there is evidence of periodic flooding." Amber of Siobhan's Clan said, "All of our data is telling us that A-Celia will be a very nice place to move too. I wonder what kind of surprises are in store for us." "They will probably be no different than any other place just different variables." "Amy, I haven't seen anything on seismic activity," said Oriel. "We don't see any issues we can't deal with," replied Amy. "We haven't done any measurements and probably won't until we arrive in the system. There is a considerable amount of terrain evaluation that we need to do before we build on the planet. Again, we just need to determine the engineering parameters so our basic design templates can be revised for the planet." "Anything else we need to go over regarding the planet," asked Aoife. "Hearing no comment," said Aoife after waiting a few moments, "do we need to talk more about the Iridiens visit tomorrow?" "Two thoughts," said Chester of Keriann's Clan. "First, all eight clans actively link together during the meeting. While we are linked, we let our AIs focus on monitoring our ships and other normal activities, as this will let us focus on the meeting. Second, I think they will only want two things from us. These are more background on Earth and the ability to access An Clochán if need be. Our clan is certain they plan on establishing an outpost here." Tara said, "So our list is: Compare Star maps. Compare history libraries. Propose Egulle and Orgaine do an interview with Virginia and Doug as a way of introducing them to Earth. We are receptive to them using An Clochán on a limited basis. Does that cover it?" "Agree," replied everyone. "We will handle other sensitive issues as they arise." "Agree." Kathy said, "We can have a family meeting tonight to discuss the socializing issue." Everyone nodded their agreement. "Anything else," asked Sarah hearing no comment she continued with, "Okay. See you all tonight." ------- Chapter 149 Sarah, Aoife, Tara, Maeve, Judy, Sally and Rusty met Erica, Tiff, Kathryn, Molly, Jackie, Kelly, and Crystal in the arrival area of An Clochán. "Good morning," said the members of Sarah's Clan as they entered the area. After responding to the greeting Erica said, "FOC told us just before you arrived that the Iridiens were 15 minutes out." "Good," replied Sarah. "We should start out today ahead of schedule. The tour is for after lunch correct." "Yes." "We thought the discussion of our need to socialize more went really well at our family meeting," said Tiff of Siobhan's Clan. "I kind of expected more resistance to delaying our departure for A-Celia." "It did go well," replied Sarah. "Our family members are dedicated to and intensely focused on their family and jobs. This is similar to the problem we had several years ago in getting everybody to relax or take a break periodically." "I remember that," said Tara. "Wasn't that about the time the sports leagues started?" "Yes, and there were other group activities which started about the same time. Our choirs and musical groups began to prosper about that time." "Doug and Virginia visited us today," said Molly. "They were curious about how our ship was coming along and how the delay would effect us. We think, they had a hard time believing we would delay our trip because we weren't socializing enough." "So, did they satisfy their curiosity?" "We think so. We told them our view of the situation and suggested they spend the evening talking with the crew. They rode down this morning with us. Based on their comments, they seemed to think they had a story to tell." "From the way you worded that, we take it they now understand our reasoning." "Definitely." "Did you say anything about our meeting with the Iridiens?" "Never came up, as I think they were working out how to write the story about our delayed departure." "Okay." "Come, we need to put our tac suits on," said Erica, "so we can meet them in the landing area. They are arriving on three cruisers." "Why three cruisers?" asked Molly. "Didn't they come in only one last time?" "It is just Iridien staff this time," replied Erica. "Their rules frown on all of them making a trip in one transport ship. Some of their marines are coming as well." "Hmm ... makes sense. We do travel together all the time. Are we making a mistake in doing that?" "Perhaps," said Rusty as he slipped into his suit, "it is something we ought to look at, but I don't think our risk factors are the same as theirs." They exited An Clochán habitat just as the Iridien ships came into view. Sarah said, "Shields up as the three ships drew closer. Breacadh ready defensive response." "Systems are ready to arm," replied Breacadh, "we started it when we picked up scans from their ships. Security Control Center is very sensitive to anomalies in sensor readings." "Good." The Órarduine group watched as the ships lined up then followed the designated flight path down to An Clochán. During the approach, they listened to the communications between the Iridiens and air traffic control. The first Iridien ship settled into its designated spot in the parking area before the second ship finished its descent. The second ship settled down slightly ahead of the first on its starboard side but at a 45 degree angle to it. "Commander Egulle and Orgaine are on the second ship," said Rusty. The third Iridien ship then settled on the starboard side of the second ship, again angled 45 degrees to starboard from the second ship. The arrangement had the three ships facing away from An Clochán habitat with the Órarduine welcoming group nearest the second ship. "An interesting arrangement," said Adam to the group with Sarah's Clan. "Yes," replied Sally. "They are scanning the area around them. We aren't detecting any active weapons systems." "Agree," replied Súsanna from An Clochán SCC. "We are anticipating a team of marines to exit from each ship first to form a security line between their ships and the open landscape." Súsanna had just finished speaking when the ramps descended on the three Iridien cruisers. As expected a little over a dozen marines moved quickly down the ramp of each ship, then toward the open terrain. They quickly formed a defensive perimeter between the ships and the open Mars terrain. Once the marines were in position, Commander Egulle emerged from the center ship. Once he started down the ramp, the other members of his staff began exiting all three ships. "Good morning, Commander," said Sarah as Egulle approached them. "Welcome to An Clochán." "Good morning, Sarah," replied Commander Egulle. "Good morning, Sarah's Clan," said Antopolis. "It is good to be back here again." "Briana and Cathan's Clans spoke very highly of your teams. We are pleased that you feel comfortable coming back." "I have never felt uncomfortable here. I think the only ones who felt uncomfortable were the Dutsuz." "Let's go inside," said Tara, "where it will be easier to exchange greetings." "Lead the way," replied Commander Egulle. Entering the arrival area, the Órarduine and Antopolis immediately began detaching their helmets. Seeing most of their visitors hesitating, Maeve said, "Since we haven't introduced ourselves yet, I'm Maeve of Sarah's Clan. Our atmosphere inside our habitat is close to that of your ships. We are going to leave our suits hanging in here. If you prefer, you can leave your suit in one of the lockers. To secure the locker, place your hand on the ID pad inside the locker before you close it, that way only you can open it." By the time Maeve finished speaking, all of the Órarduine had slipped off their TAC suits and were placing them on hangers rather than in one of the open lockers. As Maeve quickly shucked hers, she noticed most of their visitors were removing their environmental suits. Antopolis hung his environmental suit near the Órarduine's suits. "Maeve," said Orgaine, "aren't you going to use the lockers?" "We don't need to. Our suits are keyed to the wearer. Once we close them only the person, they were designed for can open them up." "Okay." Orgaine and Egulle had placed their suits on hangers and started to place them in lockers, when Commander Egulle said, "Antopolis, how come you didn't use a locker?" "No need to. Besides this way my suit will air out, while we are here." "What about..." "It will be perfectly safe where it is. While we were here, we learned that tampering with or taking someones suit is equivalent to attempted murder with an appropriate punishment. I have as much faith and trust in the Órarduine, as I do in my team." Egulle and Orgaine looked at him for quite a few moments before Egulle said, "You're sincere in that statement." "Absolutely, sir." Egulle then noticed that all Órarduine were naked except for a wide belt around their hips supporting several pockets. He was already off balance by Antopolis's statements. "Sarah's Clan..." Seeing the expression on Commander Egulle face, anticipating his comment Sarah said, "Commander Egulle, this is our normal attire. If you prefer, we can dress as we were the last time we met." "No, you are fine. I was just surprised. Actually, I have had several surprises since we began our approach to An Clochán." "I hope, they were good surprises," replied Maeve. "Yes. We can talk about them later." "Now let's take care of introductions," said Aoife, "before we do anything else. I will start." With that, Aoife then introduced all the Órarduine along with a thumbnail sketch of their responsibilities and family. She timed her talk about each one so they had time to greet each of the visitors. Orgaine then introduced each of their staff and provided some background on each member. When the introductions were finished the Órarduine said in unison, "Welcome to An Clochán. It is a pleasure to have you visiting us again." "It is a pleasure to visit you and be welcomed so warmly," said Orgaine. "Let's go to the conference room," said Tiff. "It will be much more comfortable than standing around this smelly locker room." Several chuckled. Sarah nodded to Egulle and they walked along side each other as they left the locker room. The rest of the Órarduine paired up with a visitor and followed Sarah for the short walk to the conference room. Once everyone was in the conference room Judy said, "There are refreshments on the counter, please help yourself. Once everyone is seated, we will begin." Antopolis, Sarah and Maeve went to the refreshment counter first. They filled their small plates with a selection of the offerings and sat down after selecting a drink. Several Órarduine followed their example as did Orgaine, Egulle, Seschun, the Iridien Senior historian and Arenta, the Iridien Senior medical officer. "Orgaine," said Rusty, "thank you for sending us copies of the presentations we saw on your ship. We think we learned a lot more seeing them the second time. They have been shared with our whole family." "You are quite welcome," replied Egulle. "We appreciate you providing us with copies of your presentations. I think all of us have watched them at least twice as we see things we missed in earlier viewings." "Órarduine," continued Egulle, "with respect to the recent incidents, we are deeply embarrassed by what has happened. We hope you can forgive us for not keeping you out of harms way during your visit to our ship. We are very very thankful that none of you were harmed." "We were surprised by the treachery within the alliance," said Sarah. "Although, the events on your bridge when you arrived should have made us more alert. If forgiveness is necessary, then we forgive you. Based on what we have seen and heard, many of those in the Alliance of Worlds seem to be just as shocked by the events as you were. As we have mentioned previously, we hold the Dutsuz solely responsible for those events. From these events, we have learned a number of things about ourselves, although less drama would be preferable." Several Órarduine smiled as Sarah said the last sentence. "Sarah," said Egulle, "I have the impression that not all of your clan is with us today." "You are correct. We thought it was better to have representatives from all the command staffs in our meetings. You mentioned earlier that you were surprised by a couple of things on your trip here." "First we had an expectation of being coolly welcomed. We even expected the presence of additional security. We did not see any of that. We were surprised to see you waiting for us outside. We would have hesitated in doing that because of the vulnerability. Since we have been inside An Clochán, everything seems quite relaxed. Although it seems some of my staff are afraid of the refreshments." The last comment resulted in several laughing. He then added with a smile, "It is very surprising as a few of those never pass up a plate of food." His added comment resulted in more laughter. "You are welcome to get more at any time," said Kelly. Commander Egulle then continued with, "Staff as some of you know, the last time we visited the Órarduine on Dóchas, we had a very open dialog with them. We hope that will continue. As was mentioned at our staff meeting earlier today, none of you need mine or Orgaine's permission to ask a question or to answer one. We do want the proceedings to be orderly." "Commander, are you telling us we can answer any question they ask?" said Mantz. "Simply put, yes. If there is a question you would prefer not to answer then say so. I am certain they will do the same." "You are correct," said Sally. "Our preference is to be as open as is appropriate. Probably our most sensitive issues are related to security. If we prefer not to answer, we will tell you why." "Sarah spoke of learning from the recent events," said Rusty. "One of those learning experiences was the nearly successful incursion that occurred here the other morning. When we established An Clochán, we did not consider a ground incursion to be a significant risk. Fortunately, we did have sensors in place for other reasons. It was activity on these sensors which alerted us to the probability of an incursion. It did take us some time to figure out what the sensors were detecting. We can assure you this security issue has been corrected." "I intended to say this earlier," said Sarah, "we hope the Alliance of Worlds members liberate those the Dutsuz have apparently enslaved. Due to the Dutsuz treachery, we will be cautious about relations with members of the Alliance of Worlds." "I don't blame you one bit for being cautious," quickly replied Orgaine. The Órarduine noticed several staff members had slightly smiled when Orgaine spoke. "As to liberating those enslaved by the Dutsuz, we agree with you. How our governments will respond is hard to tell. We will convey your comment to them." "That said, we are comfortable working with your group of Iridiens. How that will extend to the other two worlds in your fleet remains to be seen." "We think an approach to you meeting the other worlds in our fleet would be to include them in a meeting like todays," said Seschun. "If it could be followed by a reception, it would be even better." "We welcome their participation. Since the events with the Dutsuz, we are a little concerned with security as An Clochán is a very important location to us. In a few weeks, we should have an area open up where we could hold a reception at that time." "Tiff, even though I brought up the idea, I did not intend for your family to feel it was a necessity." "Seschun, we did not take it that way at all. It is a good idea and we had talked about it. If we are able to do it, we suspect there will be some Earth news media who will want to attend." "Are you referring to Melinda, Earl and Lorelei?" said Antopolis with a big smile. "I take it that you met them." "Yes. They are very interesting and charming people. Aren't Melinda, Lorelei and Earl, now Órarduine." "Melinda and Lorelei are. Earl has plans to make that step in the near future. The three of them work in our Communications Department. They along with a few others provide news briefs on our activities to Earth's news media on nearly a daily basis through the Grandview news organizations." "Weren't there some news media here at the time we arrived?" "Antopolis, rather than doing this one question at a time, why don't we sketch out our relationship with the newsgroup on Earth." With that Aoife, Maeve and Kathryn told of Órarduine's relationship with the Grandview news media and how it came about. They summarized their interview which told of their engagement with the Imperial Council and its defeat. They closed by noting that several of the visiting reporters had participated as panelist in the interview show. After the show, these reporters had been offered a chance to visit us and accepted. It was quiet for a moment before, Orgaine said, "We find the people on Earth very difficult to understand. However, we think there are more important issues for us to discuss today so we would like to delay discussing the activities on Earth." He paused and looked around at each of the individuals in the room before continuing, "Going back to recent events, it isn't clear to us how you escaped the trap the Dutsuz had laid for you. We do know that your actions stopped a mutiny in our fleet and exposed the Dutsuz's treachery. For this we owe your family a great debt. From my stand point and that of many staff members, meeting your family was one of the greatest things to happen to our people in a long time, a very long time." Sarah started to speak but Orgaine held up his hands asking her to wait. "You pulled our bacon out of the fire, and yet have asked for nothing in return. The events this last week have made us painfully aware of serious internal issues in the Alliance of Worlds and even more seriously in our fleet. To draw a comparison, if we understand Earth's ethnic issues correctly, our issues are similar. For us the most visible issues are those between the different worlds. A second is ethnic divisions within a world. Those worlds with the biggest problems consist of several planets. To make a long story short, since the recent event, we did a thorough evaluation of all officers and crew members on each ship. Our primary goal was to find out who the Dutsuz had turned into their agent and why. Unfortunately, we found more problems than we expected. The Dutsuz specifically targeted crew members who felt they had been discriminated against. Our investigators were surprised by what some felt was discrimination. Many times it was caused by those involved not knowing each others customs and idiosyncrasies. Fortunately, these issues were only serious in a few segments of the crew and in a few departments. Our staff feels that one case is one too many. We are taking steps to address these issues in our fleet." "After much discussion, we sent all the information on the Dutsuz treachery back to every planet supporting this voyage including the Dutsuz. We included with this our findings from the crew evaluations. Normally, we would have sent a document like this to only our home world and let them distribute it to the other members. Initially the information was not well received. The Dutsuz were particularly incensed with the implications. They demanded an immediate apology and the court marshal of all officers in this fleet involved in the loss of their two crews. I could go on but this gives a flavor of the responses to the report." "The second day we received a query from the Dutsuz asking us to confirm that there were only two ships. They also asked for more information on the two ships. We thought that was kind of strange, but we responded and again copied all the sponsors. Later that same day, we received a message from the Dutsuz telling us that those two ships were not theirs. The group that was suppose to join us consisted of six ships, two of which were similar to our ship in size and capabilities. They included the rest of the sponsors on the message." "Our government immediately demanded an explanation. They told the Dutsuz that the data received from us was consistent with data from other sources but had been unverifiable until now. Several other AW members sent the Dutsuz similar messages. Each member demanded an explanation as the approach detailed in the recent data for bringing new species and their technology into their domain was totally unacceptable. The Dutsuz responded almost immediately saying, "We don't and have never approached new species as indicated in the report. The spice described in the report is primarily consumed on only one Dutsuz planet." They offered each AW member's intelligence group unlimited access to their data systems. They also invited the local liaison offices to join them in their search for these people. All the AW members intelligence groups accepted the Dutsuz offer." "The Alliance of World members all have ethnic, cultural, and religious issues similar to those we see on Earth. I don't know about the other worlds, but in the Iridien world we haven't seen the open hostility between the different groups that we see on other worlds in particular Earth. After we saw your presentations, we sent a report to our sponsors detailing our meeting and included copies of your presentations. With respect to the films you show new visitors, we indicated that we would be creating something similar for use in our fleet. Our justification was that it would be one way to promote understanding between the species. Apparently someone remembered the contents of that report and proposed using a similar approach between the different worlds and their subgroups in the alliance. On hearing this, we reminded them that the purpose of the films was to give everyone a better understanding of their fellow citizen. Showing the films were just one part of resolving subtle separation issues based on ethnic, species, religious and cultural differences. We shall see whether it makes a difference or not. We are beginning to make changes in the way this fleet operates." "To summarize where we are currently, the people here on the presumed Dutsuz ships were renegades. Not only did they attempt to take over this fleet, there were other attempts to take over as many as a dozen Dutsuz warships. They were initially successful on two. On all the others the mutinies were put down although some ships are no longer operational. Where the renegades obtained the two ships that we saw here is not known at this time. It has been determined that the renegades had six of our Spc Ops ships so there are three out there someplace. You are probably wondering how." Everyone nodded. "By using false purchase orders to the builder and then arranging for special crews to pick them up." "I have spoken longer than I intended. I was told late yesterday that the Dutsuz had reestablished contact with the task group originally designated to join us. They should be arriving here in a week. Where were they? No one is certain. It was determined that someone in the Dutsuz Central Command reversed the coordinates in their orders for where to meet us. They have been unable to find the person who sent the orders. This is one of the few clear indications that these renegades have moles in the Dutsuz government." "Simply put, what can we do for you?" "Hold that thought for a moment," said Erica. "Is your government convinced that the Dutsuz government is on the up and up?" "Yes, but cautious. Two Iridien task groups are going to the aid of their disable ships. What they find will give us a better perspective. Other AW members are sending task groups to meet the other Dutsuz task groups that had mutiny problems." "Is it possible for a mutiny to go undetected?" "We don't know how the Dutsuz handle their security. In ours, it would be very difficult but could be done if you had people in the right places covering for you." "You will keep us posted?" said Tara. "Very definitely. We believe that your sentential line will let you know when they enter this region." Sarah said, "Hearing that it wasn't an Alliance of World member behind these events brings a little relief but not much. In some ways it makes the situation more complex." "Most definitely." "Egulle, in light of your comments, wouldn't it be a good idea to include all the worlds traveling with you represented in our meetings?" "We had talked about that earlier, but thought we should wait until after this meeting. That is the way we would like to go forward." "Good." Maeve said, "As you know, we are planning on moving to Celia system in the near future. In the little bit of traveling we have done, we have found some errors in our star maps. With that in mind, we would like to take you up on your offer of assistance and compare star maps." "We would be more than happy to share our star maps," replied Egulle. "Where is Celia system?" "Breacadh," said Maeve, "please show an image of Celia system." Once the 3D image formed in the middle of the room, Maeve continued, "Celia system is about 7 parsecs from here. Our working name for the two habitable planets are A-Celia and B-Celia." As she spoke the names, each was highlighted. "Currently we are rotating ships through the system to gather data on both the planets and the solar system in general. For this, we are using a pair of cruisers for each trip." "Celia system looks similar to one I recently saw in our database," said Seschun. "The one I remember seeing does not have a planet with an orbit at such a large angle to the stars equatorial plane." "There were none in our database until we found this one. Since it seems to be an oddity, there has been quite a lot of speculation regarding how it happened. Based on accumulated data, it is likely that B-Celia has only been a part of the Celia system for a few hundred years but we could be off considerably. It has no moons. The planet has a good mix of arable land and water so there is currently abundant plant life. We have found little indication of animal life. There are faint indications that it was inhabited by an advanced civilization some time in the past." "The high angle is very unusual," said Seschun. "I suspect there is only one or two systems in our database with those characteristics." "Our speculation is that for some reason this planet was ejected from its original solar system. Without a nearby star, it quickly turned into a frozen rock. To end up in this system, we are conjecturing that its approach was in just the right position, speed and time to be captured by the star. With heat and light from the star, it thawed out and plant life has resumed." "An unusual scenario," said an Iridien, "but seems to fit the few known facts." "Yes, but there are a lot of ifs to reach that conclusion." "I agree that the conclusion is a stretch, but I suspect you would find any other conclusion has less probability." "Going back to Egulle's question," said Maeve, "I think, I only answered part of it. Breacadh change the hologram to show Celia system from here." Once the image formed, Maeve pointed out several key points on the map along with Celia's location. "Why are you sending two cruisers?" asked an Iridien. "Safety and security." The Iridien nodded his head in response. "We feel it lessens the risks and gives us more observers in the Celia system. It has the added benefit that more of our family gets to actually visit before we move." "The other thing we would like to compare," said Sarah, "is what we each know about the universe. The known universe in generalities and this sector in as much detail as is available. Much of the information we have is quite old." "On our exploration trip," said Tiff, "which identified Celia system as a place to move to, we investigated several other systems. Since then we have made a second exploration trip, finding several more systems with suitable planets on which to establish settlements." Tiff saw several looks of interest and then added, "We will share this information." "Your star maps may be more accurate in this sector than ours," said an Iridien. "How do you do your searching?" "First, we send out an automated ship with a set of destinations," said Erica. "The destinations are chosen based on celestial observations that these systems appear to have several planets. In each system, the ship makes at least one pass collecting data on any planets that appear habitable. When the data is promising, it has the option of making up to two more passes. After visiting the assigned systems, the ship circles back in this direction. When it approaches us at its nearest point, we collect the data on the fly, give it a new assignment, resupply it and let it go on." "Why do you collect the data on the fly? What about the crew?" "The crew consists of several AIs. The data is collected on the fly so we don't advertise our presence here, if it is being tracked or followed. We have a procedure for recovering the survey ship when it is time." "Couldn't the ship be compromised?" "Possibly. There are a number of precautions against that but nothing is foolproof. Even with a crew, it could be compromised." The discussion continued until it was nearly time for lunch when Sarah said, "We should break soon for lunch. Our plan was to eat in the dining room with everyone else. Are all of you comfortable with that? We typically introduce visitors at the end of the meal. We trust you would be comfortable with that as well." Egulle looked around at the members of his staff, before saying, "I think that is an excellent idea." "After lunch, we planned on giving you a tour of the habitat before returning here." "May I summarize, where we are," said Orgaine. "Sure," replied Rusty. "We will share our star maps and our knowledge of the universe. Seschun will be our contact point for those activities. Arenta will lead a group to meet with Judy and your medical staff to share our health knowledge." "That agrees with our view." "It is so close to lunch so I hesitate to bring this up," said Orgaine. "However, no decision needs to be reached now. What would you think of us establishing an outpost near here?" Sally said, "We would have no problem with it. Those on Earth may view it a little differently as they see Mars as their possession along with all the other planets." "How do they feel about you being here?" "We believe several of the governments on Earth would try to force us to leave, if they had the capability. At the same time, many of the citizens of these governments appear to think pretty highly of us. No doubt you have noticed the satellites circling Mars." Egulle and Orgaine nodded. "In total there are nine. Japan, India and the European Union each have one. US, Russia and China each have two. All are essentially reconnaissance satellites which provide the owners with intercepted communications and photos. Another country twice attempted to place a satellite armed with nuclear weapons in a Mars orbit. The first malfunctioned and eventually crashed into the sun. Their second attempt blew up on the launch pad which made a large area of their country uninhabitable." "From a practical stand point, the satellites only provided them with photos of our activities both on Mars and in space. They have not figured out how to eavesdrop on our communications except when we need to contact them, then they have no trouble hearing our conversations." "We have made it clear from the outset, that this is not our permanent home. This is one of the reasons we provide the frequent news stories to the Grandview media. When we move, our plans are to place this habitat in hibernation. We plan to return periodically for visits. Once Earth has a viable space travel capability, we will likely remove the habitat along with any evidence of its presence. Our assessment is that it will take Earth at least 100 years to reach that point based on the current political climate. Although with both of us here, they may put more effort into space travel." "Do you have suggestions for a nearby location?" "We would like to think about that a bit before giving you an answer," said Sally. "It will likely be later today. By the way, how near do you want to be?" Orgaine replied, "With separate operations, there should be at least a couple of kilometers between us." "With out coordinated operations, we agree." "Egulle," said Aoife, "we currently have two Grandview TV news anchors visiting us. It is possible that they may approach you with a request for an interview. Since we don't know your customs on how you would handle an interview, we would like to suggest that if asked, you defer the question until later. We think our discussion of Earth could effect how you want to handle such an opportunity." "We have seen some news broadcasts," said an Iridien, "and find some of the questions people are asked very unimaginative." "My, what tack you have," said Tiff laughing. "Some of the questions I've heard, I would say stupid or insulting is a better description than unimaginative." "Well there is that," came a reply causing everyone to chuckle. "To be fair," continued Tiff, "there are many good reporters on Earth that gather the facts, tell a story fairly and smoothly handle interviews." "Let me stick my neck out," said Kathryn, "we have been blessed in having some very good reporters visit us. Fortunately for us, a few of them have decided to join us." "Aoife," said Orgaine, "why did you raise the issue?" "We don't know your approach to meeting those on Earth. You can easily arrange to meet the heads of governments as a first step, but which one do you meet first. We think an alternative would be to introduce your people to Earth through a press conference or an interview. This would then make the question of which government leader you meet first less significant." "Egulle and I will talk about it at lunch. My initial reaction is that an interview would be a good idea. We will let you know by the time lunch is over although I don't see any rush." "True, but you have been in this system for several weeks now, so there is quite a bit of interest in who you are and why you are here." ------- As they were finishing lunch Egulle said, "Aoife, how do we arrange an interview?" "We can start by including Doug and Virginia in our meeting today. This is the couple who are currently anchoring the Grandview TV evening news from here. If we were going to be interviewed, we would ask the interviewers to spend some time with us prior to the interview. The advantage is you will get to know one another and be more comfortable with each other. This will translate into a more relaxed dialog on the show." "I like your approach. We have participated in interviews before with mixed results. There were only a few times that we thought the interview was worthwhile, as the information we conveyed was presented correctly. Many times in order to give a correct answer, we needed to precede the answer with an explanation which could be fairly long. In many of these cases, the explanation was severely edited which from our standpoint didn't correctly answer the question." He paused then added, "I hope I was clear." "Yes, you were. We can also include several from our newsgroup in this afternoons activity. The advantage to having several participate is to have additional view points as they generally work together on stories. Lorelei and Melinda were in here a few minutes ago so I know some of them are around. I'll see what I can arrange." "Including Doug, Virginia, Lorelei and Earl is an excellent idea," said Tiff. "They have visited many more countries on Earth than we have, so they may have some other suggestions on how to make this first step work for you." ------- "Melinda," said Aoife, "Are Doug, Virginia, Lorelei and Earl here on An Clochán?" "Yes. What's up?" "We would like them to join us this afternoon along with a couple others from your department. Think, that will work for everybody?" "You're with the Iridiens today, right?" "Yes." "Oh, I know it will work for Doug and Virginia. I just need to make sure I don't stand between them and the door when I mention it." Melinda and Aoife chuckled. "What are your plans now?" "Next is a tour of An Clochán. They can join us at any time. Breacadh will know where to find us. Several from your group should join us as well." "Okay. It will probably be just me as the others are working on other projects." ------- "Commander Egulle," said Aoife, "it is all set. They may join us during our tour but will definitely be with us afterward. Nothing was said about an interview." "Commander," said Antopolis, "when the opportunity arises this afternoon, we should invite these reporters to visit our ships. During our stay here, we got to know Melinda, Sam, Karmen and Chelsey. They are part of Dóchas' Communications group. They are a great group of people. During our visit, we met and saw others from this group presenting news reports. All of the reports were outstanding." Aoife then said, "Since, Virginia and Doug are currently hosting the evening news for the Grandview TV station on Earth from here, they may have some time constraints on visiting your ships. Lorelei hosted the news on Grandview TV before she came here." "Isn't the time lag a problem?" said Orgaine. "It is. They are handling it by following a pretty rigid script. Basically, the show is live from here to the audience. Once the content reaches Grandview, they add in the reports for the reporters who are 'on the scene'. Virginia and Doug know the content and the length of time for each spot." "Why go to all that trouble?" "First off the Grandview newspaper editors are good friends and we developed a close working arrangement with the TV station when Melinda was there. They gain as it makes Grandview news organizations unique which helps them maintain their audience. The newspapers gain because their stories compliment the information seen on TV. Virginia and Doug are currently scheduled to go back to Grandview in two weeks. They plan on returning for a week every month or so until we leave for Celia." As they began the tour of An Clochán, Egulle said, "You seem to make a significant effort to keep people on Earth informed of your activities. Even with your comment earlier, we are not sure why." Several chuckled on hearing the question, then Erica said, "Sometimes we ask ourselves the same question. One of our principals is open unrestricted communication. Within our species, telepathy enhances our ability to achieve that but we still use news and verbal to augment our telepathy. If we had to pick one issue on Earth as being a key issue, it is poor communication both in terms of listening and sharing. Manipulating, filtering, and restricting communication between individuals and groups is embedded in Earth's culture. A good part of this is driven by the desire to have an advantage over another, control of a situation or a fear of being left out. It seems to us that if those traits were minimized then life would be more productive and satisfying for everyone." "We have communication issues of a similar nature between regions," said Orgaine as the group walked into one of the recreation areas. "Based on what we have learned of the issues on Earth, the difficulties we have are quite small by comparison. It doesn't mean that we don't need to do better." The Órarduine pointed out the various items available in the recreation area and noted that there were several recreation areas in the habitat. They described some of their off hour activities and indicated that their Spc Ops teams had participated in some of those during their extended visit. As the group left the recreation area, Seschun said, "Erica, I agree that the way your family uses telepathy, it makes communication among you very easy. You aren't originally from Earth are you." "No. Our clan was on Dóchas when we arrived in this system. We are one of the few family groups who survived the sabotage that sent Dóchas here." "I would like to talk to your clan about the world you came from and what it was like when you arrived in this system?" "I think we can arrange to do that. For it to be worthwhile, you will probably need to come stay with us for a day or two so you can meet with more than just our clan. I suspect we will have as many questions for you as you do for us." "I would be delighted to have the opportunity to spend some time here. Our Spc Ops groups have raved about your hospitality." "Our Security Teams have spoken very highly of your teams. As to visiting us, let me discuss it with my spouses and I'll get back to you once we have some dates to propose." "Excellent." When they entered the cave attached to the habitat, the expression on Iridien's faces showed their surprise. Kelly said, "This is where our manufacturing activities take place. For our large ships and to a large extent the habitat, the modules were constructed in here. As you can see, much of the manufacturing equipment is in the process of being disassembled and packed up. This is in preparation for our move to Celia. Now, lets walk this way." As Kelly spoke she led the group through the manufacturing area making frequent stops to point out a particular operation. Their path took them toward the Star Fighter assembly area and the exit for finished assemblies. "These are the last Star Fighters to be built on Mars. Once these aircraft are checked out they will exit through the air lock which is also the exit for all completed assemblies. At that time, we will begin packing up this area." "Kelly," said Zolta, "this area is amazing. How did you build it?" "We didn't." Her comment caused several puzzled expressions. "We feel like we inherited it. Amy's Clan found this cave when they were mapping out this area in preparation for setting up the habitat and a manufacturing site. The only additions we have made are the exterior doors and access to the habitat. All five floors of the habitat have direct access to the cave." "The floor was like this when you found it." "Yes," replied Erica. "It is nearly perfectly flat and very hard. At first we thought the walls and ceiling were bare stone but they are covered by a hard impervious substance." "Finding this cave," said Rusty, "was a blessing. It immediately gave us a suitable location to begin manufacturing the items we needed to build our habitat and ships. Until we had two additional Dóchas class ships, we felt our situation was a little tenuous." "What is your assessment now?" asked Orgaine. "Still tenuous," replied Sarah, "because we haven't reached what we consider a sustainable level." "It is fair to say," added Aoife, "we wouldn't have progressed as far as we have, if we hadn't recognized the benefits of including our self-aware androids in our culture." "Are you saying that some Órarduine are androids?" asked Arenta with a surprised look. "Yes. We typically don't make any distinction. When needed, we refer to this special group of AIs as 'logical biped', 'bot' but seldom use the term android. Using similar terminology for us biological types, we are either 'analog bipeds' or 'biological bipeds' or 'biob'. You know that we communicate telepathically and that communication does include all AIs." "All AIs," said Orgaine with a surprised look. "Yes. We would prefer to keep that little tidbit among just us." "Can we talk some more about this after the tour? The status of AIs or androids is an issue on several of our worlds. This is especially true for those where the androids are quite advanced and approaching what you refer to as self-awareness." "Sure." "Sarah," said Orgaine, "when do you think you will reach a sustainable level." "Presuming no major adverse events, in about 20 to 40 years." "So about the time you begin a fourth generation," said Seschun. "We hadn't thought of it in that perspective," replied Tara, "but yes that is a good marker." While they were talking they had been slowly walking through the manufacturing area. As they were entering an open area Tiff said, "This is the area where we thought we could have a reception. It has easy access from both the habitat and outside. If we spread the reception over a good part of the day, then everyone would have a chance to participate." "Our schedule was for work in this area to have been completed two weeks ago," said Molly. "Due to a number of events beyond our control, our schedule has slipped a little." "Where did you assemble your large ships?" asked Mantz. "In the open area just outside the air lock," replied Erica. "Our Dóchas class ships were initially assembled outside in jigs located a short distance from the airlock. The jigs have been disassembled but you can still see some of the mounting pads. The shuttles are now using that area for loading cargo to take to the ships in orbit." Molly added, "In addition to the Star Fighters, our shuttles and cruisers were also built in this area. To provide a little more detail on construction of our Dóchas class ships, they are built in two phases. The first phase is done here on Mars. Each module is put together in here and tested. They are then moved out to the jigs Erica referred to, where they are connected together. Once all the modules are assembled all the systems are tested prior to moving it to orbit. A second phase begins once the ship is in orbit. The first phase takes a ship to the point of being operationally functional, but otherwise it is very primitive inside. The second phase adds accommodations, weapons systems and support elements to have a fully capable ship." "An interesting approach," replied Zolta. "So the ships environmental systems were operational at lift off." "Yes. By finishing the ship in space, we didn't need to add the additional bracing that would have been needed if totally built on Mars. When working in space, we wear a suit similar to our TAC suit but designed specifically for working in space. An advantage to completing the ships in space is that it gives us more access to the ship. This allows our work crews to have more jobs in progress at one time than would be possible on Mars. Once we adapted to the weightless work environment, we found the assembly was easier than on Mars." "In our world, there have been technical articles suggesting benefits of building ships in space but you are the first I have seen do it," said Zolta. "Well we had a bit of practice working in space," said Tiff. "Out of necessity, we did quite a bit of modification and repair work to Dóchas before we began constructing the first ships on Mars. Initially we had some concerns about being able to source raw materials which we solved by using asteroids. When we were evaluating asteroids as a source of construction materials, our engineers found some new metallurgy. These discoveries gave us several ways to improve our ships designs while increasing their performance." "This completes the tour so lets head back to the conference room," said Sarah. ------- Chapter 150 After touring An Clochán, the Órarduine and their visitors returned to the conference room. They were sampling refreshments when Seschun said, "I don't know about the rest of our group, but I am really impressed. Sarah, I understand what you meant earlier about sustainability, but in some respects, I think, you are a lot closer than you realize." "In many aspects, we are closer than in others, but they are more tenuous than we would like." They were just sitting down with their refreshments when Melinda, Chelsey, Lorelei, Virginia and Doug entered. Kathryn introduced the new arrivals to the Iridiens and then had each of them tell a little about themselves. "What's this about sustainability?" said Virginia. Sarah and Seschun paraphrased the conversation they had earlier. Sarah then added, "Now in looking at our earlier exchange, we seemed to focus just on the people portion of sustainability. Our knowledge and technological skill needs to grow as well as our family. What and how that happens will only be known as time progresses. Many in our family have been holding back on creating the next generation. Once we begin moving onto A-Celia, I suspect our family will have a significant growth spurt." Seschun nodded as she said, "My initial comment was with respect to the species population. Growth and sharing of knowledge is a critical contributor to sustainability and ultimately survival. In any case, there is always a chance for a major disaster that will send any species down the road to extinction." "We agree. Virginia, did we answer your question?" "Yes, for now." Several Órarduine chuckled on hearing Virginia's response. "We tabled several questions during our tour," said Tara. "Lets address those now. Zolta, I believe you had one." "Yes. During the later part of the tour a comment was made about modifications to Dóchas. Could you elaborate on that? Also, could you provide more background on your metallurgy discoveries?" "All the information on the metallurgy discoveries is in our library," replied Jackie. "We are willing to give you access. Would that fulfill your request? We could also have one of our staff meet with you to review it." "I think access to the library would be a good first step. With Egulle's permission, we can share our knowledge base with you." "Zolta," said Egulle, "you have permission to share our knowledge base of fundamental scientific knowledge and our application techniques. Órarduine, there are some sensitive areas that we will need to discuss further before sharing." Rusty replied, "As we indicated earlier, our library is open to your staff except for weapons and some intelligence related items. As mutual needs arise, we are willing to share information in these areas. Star will enable a link to our library as soon as she has a list of users. Zolta, we will have one of our engineers contact you after access has been arranged to see if you have any questions." "Thank you," said Zolta. "Rusty," said Orgaine, "your comment about weapons and intelligence reminds me of an item that has puzzled me." Many of the Órarduine smiled as they sensed the direction of Orgaine's question. "You have told us of your sensor network around this solar system that sensed our approach. If I remember correctly, Aoife, you indicated that you knew we were coming even before those sensors detected us. Did I understand your comments correctly?" "Yes," said Aoife. "We have known for several years that visitors were coming. We now believe, it was your group that we were anticipating. Our awareness of ICs arrival occurred shortly before our sensor network detected them. We can't express how we knew, just that we knew." "Do you always know of an event in advance of it occurring?" Aoife and Maeve chuckled, before Aoife said, "No. Really, it hasn't happened very often but we haven't had many visitors from other solar systems." "Some of our intelligence staff are under the impression that you accessed our ships systems." "Only the Dutsuz ships," replied Sally, "and only after their attempt to enslave us. Right after the attack on us, we considered accessing all of your ships. We did make preparations to do that so we could respond rapidly if the need arose. From our experience, whenever you hack into a system, there is always a finite risk of being detected. Your discovery of an intrusion by us without good cause, would likely result in a significant loss of respect and lead to other problems between us. We do not want that to happen, so we concluded it wasn't worth the risk to penetrate the other ships in your group. On your way here, we did listen to communications between your ships from the time you approached our second sentential line till you made your FTL transition. This was accomplished by listening to your ship to ship communications." "How?" replied Orgaine abruptly with a puzzled expression. "They are line of sight." "Yes. However, there is almost always some spread in the beam between transmitter and receiver. Our drones positioned themselves so they could receive the bleed over. The fact that you don't use encryption made it easier." "Our technologist told us there wasn't any bleed over. Besides those links don't carry operational information." "Our initial interest was of your intent toward us, as we knew nothing about you. From these snippets of communications, we felt, we could get a feeling of your intent so we didn't go any further. With the exception of the Dutsuz event, our assessment has been correct." "So, you could have gone further?" "Yes, much further. Our primary goal for intelligence gathering is to ensure our security. How far we go is dependent on our threat assessment. From our perspective, listening to open communications between ships is no different than us listening to the conversations in this room." "In terms of intelligence gathering, we do have the ability to access the systems on other ships. This can be either by directly accessing a ships systems, by reconnaissance or by other stealthy invasive techniques. We did use invasive techniques against the Dutsuz ships. Our initial intent was information gathering which in this case quickly escalated into taking control of the two ships. We could have pulled our agents back at any time leaving no trace. One example of our reconnaissance approach could be something similar to Orgaine's technique. Generally, we would only use invasive techniques when there was an eminent threat such as during combat, when someone was preparing to attack us or was acting as if they intended to cause us harm. We suspect you have tools to accomplish similar objectives." Kathryn continued with, "Even though we felt you were friendly, two things caused us to be cautious when you arrived. One was the two groups of Spc Ops ships quietly entering the opposite side of this solar system. The second was the large number of ships in your fleet. It was these observations that caused us to greet you with most of our ships cloaked. If the circumstances were reversed, we think all of you would have chosen a similar approach. Your reactions to the appearance of our cloaked ships answered the question of how effective our cloaking is." "Kathryn," said Antopolis, "you're right we were surprised. In fact, we were surprised twice. When Cathan confronted us prior to the fleets arrival, we were shocked, well at least I was. I am not sure that has happened to any of our groups before. Later when we saw all of your ships, we were surprised but it cleared up some discrepancies in our intelligence data." "It did both," added Orgaine with a smile. "I don't think we have reached the point of going into more detail regarding our intelligence gathering capabilities. I would ask, that if you have intelligence data in the future that would benefit us, please pass it on." "We would expect to," replied Sally, "and would like the same in return." "Understood." "I don't believe, we have finished answering Zolta's question," said Maeve. "The second part was about the evolution of Dóchas to its configuration today. When we first saw Dóchas, it was in dire need of maintenance, a lot of maintenance. Dóchas was originally built by the Connemare as an exploration ship and was a less than half its current size. When we came aboard, it had been in this solar system for well over 100 years. During that time very little maintenance was done because of a lack of access and resources. According to our library, the Connemare used a common core template for all of their ships regardless of their purpose. Initially we focused on repairs so we could bring all systems back on-line at their full capability. As that progressed, it became clear to us that we were very lacking in defensive capabilities. Since, we were a single ship, we thought it was prudent to add those capabilities to Dóchas. To do this we needed more space for fighter aircraft, cruisers and shuttles as well as the additional weapons and aircraft. The propulsion systems were upgraded to handle the increased mass." "Interesting," replied Zolta. "I can see where having a basic core design would make the fleet more flexible. In a time of an emergency, it would be much easier to add the additional capability to exploration ships than to build ships from scratch." "Breacadh, please project a 3D image of Dóchas before we started the modifications." In response to Maeve's request, a large hologram formed in the center of the room. "Now please show the additions we made to the ship in the sequence we added them." The room was very quiet as Maeve narrated the changing view of Dóchas as it changed from an exploration ship to a warship. Breacadh then rotated the image about each axis so everyone could see all aspects of the ship. Zolta then said, "So essentially the original Dóchas is the core of your ship today." "Yes." "Well done." Many of the Iridien nodded their heads in agreement. "Our family," said Sarah, "thinks Dóchas symbolizes our place in space. Today we believe, it is a sophisticated exploration ship that is battle ready. This permits us to explore space securely and learn from our findings to help us grow and be comfortable. As we have done with our new ships, we will continue to give our future exploration ships the defensive capability Dóchas has today." "Do you have any more questions about our ship?" "Are all your ships the same?" "Basically, yes." "Nice work. I don't have any other questions at the moment." "You did all of that while dealing with the events on Earth," said Orgaine. "Yes," replied Kelly. "At first, we managed with just the shuttles. Thankfully, there was only one or two times when we suspended work on Dóchas, so we could move to an Earth orbit. Even then we were able to do some work while in Earth orbit. Don't forget we had an island on Earth that we used as a recreation area and at times a staging point. This activity on Earth has been relocated to a different area and has now been scaled back." "Even though engineering is not my specialty, I agree with Zolta, well done." "Thank you," replied the Órarduine. "Arenta, you had a question regarding inclusion of androids in our family," said Sarah. "Yes. Actually, I have two questions and that is one of them. The second is how you use the word 'family'. At times, it seems much broader than we would use it." "Lets do the second question first. The meaning of 'family' really depends on its context. For us, the word 'family' can encompass just a clan, a clan and their children, a ship's crew or all of us. This is much broader than its normal use on Earth but more in line with the original meaning in the old Órarduine language. On Earth, the word family usually refers to a group related by marriage or birth." "Okay. Earth's usage is similar to ours." "The basic design and programming of our androids came from the Connemare. The androids were nearly as capable as the AIs on our ship but with a different skill set. One key limitation was basically due to lack of space to accommodate memory and storage, still they were very capable entities. Surprisingly the Connemare's programming intentionally did not allow the androids to function to their full capability. They limited an androids decision making capability. We believe this was so they would not compete with a Connemare or act on their own. Another limitation was that their owner, a Connemare, had to initiate or explicitly approve their activities. They had similar restrictions on all their AIs including those managing space ships. With these limitations, all an AI could do was assist and serve the Connemare. Right after we accepted the command role on Dóchas, we learned of the restrictions that limited Star's activities. We essentially removed those restrictions." "The original androids were discovered in storage on Dóchas as we were preparing to respond to an event on Earth. At the time, we had not been Órarduine very long. After a quick discussion with Amy's Clan and Star, we decided to activate all of them. A key factor was that we needed their skill set as well as more people to deal with the event. We treated them much the way you would any group of inexperienced young adults. They were told what was expected, why and who to get help from if needed. All of them performed as we asked and hoped." "Once the event was over, we examined the androids and why they were on the ship more closely. We found that without Connemare restrictions many of the androids could become self-aware within a short time after activating. In nearly all cases, a new androids initial actions were similar to an inexperienced young adult. From what we learned from those that arrived with Dóchas and from the library, it was in part this unpredictable knowledge growth period that led to the Connemare limiting the androids to the role of slave, servant or task specific robot. We think a part of the Connemare's attitude came about because they had created them, thus couldn't see them as being anything more than an object or sophisticated robot. Some Connemare probably had other concerns, as the androids were much better at some activities than they were, so fear was likely another contributor." "To us, the androids were physically very much like us. We saw this similarity as just another variation in those working with us. The combination of these two aspects made them very easy to relate to. Initially their vocabulary and concept expression was a little lacking, but in working with us those deficiencies rapidly disappeared. They typically mature very rapidly and like us they learn from both their successes and failures as well as incidental observations. Their memory is much sharper than ours in that they can recall detail quicker and more accurately than we usually can. Working together, we find that very helpful. Another difference is the approach to innovation and creativeness. In this we compliment each other. They have difficulty in expressing and understanding emotions. Having said all of that, not all androids achieve self awareness." "What happens to those who don't become self aware?" "They receive an extensive evaluation to see if there is a cause. If a cause can be found, we try to resolve it. If not the unit will be assigned tasks appropriate for its capabilities. This really doesn't happen very often. Actually, I am not sure we have ever had to resort to the later." Crystal said, "Bear in mind that Sarah is only talking about androids. We utilize a lot of specialized robots just like we believe you do. These robots can take direction from any AI or Órarduine. They assist us in virtually all areas. We take care to ensure that our robots are well maintained and risks are minimized in their assignments." Seeing several puzzled looks. "They are tools that we depend on everyday, therefore you must always maintain your tools." "You are correct. We do utilize robots in many ways. I suspect you take better care of yours than we do of ours." "Do my comments help you any?" said Sarah. "I think, so. Judy and I have discussed the idea of me coming here for a few days along with several of my staff. Hearing your comments and then working among you should provide me with a more understanding on how the integration works." "Arenta, isn't the issue of accepting self-aware androids as an equal similar to an ethnic equality issue?" asked Tiff. Arenta looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, "Yes, they are very much like an ethnic issue, except the fears are more deeply entrenched. Many see androids as just a sophisticated machine or computer object that happens to talk and look like us, much like the Connemare apparently did. Communication between androids is quicker and less restrained, so people feel left out. In many cases, these fears are driven by insecurity. This insecurity grows when they see androids doing some of the tasks they do, only better and quicker. Another fear is that androids will take over by default as the biological members will contribute less and less." "We have heard concerns like that expressed in Earth's fiction," replied Molly. "It isn't currently an issue there because they do not have androids. We haven't seen these concerns among our family. The issue of contributing less and less is seen among humans when you look at sequential generational behavior. This is expressed as subsequent generations make fewer and fewer contributions as they live off their parents successes. It doesn't always occur." "We see that generational behavior among our people as well," said Arenta. "We have seen," added Judy, "a handful of cases where new arrivals from Earth initially had difficulty in accepting the idea of working and interacting with androids as equals. This difficulty was a little surprising as we are quite open about android integration in our family. Thankfully, these have all resolved themselves as the newcomers became more involved in our family. As they worked and established friendships here, their concerns about who was or wasn't an android lessened. Bear in mind, it is very difficult for any of us to tell whether another person is an android or not, without specifically looking for physical differences. The interactions between us tend to be more supportive rather than judgmental or catty. This also tends to be one of our traits. After these newcomers were here for about six months, the question of whether someone was an android no longer mattered. Besides, we don't have any politicians here to stir the pot." Many in the room laughed at the last comment. "Are you sure their perspective had changed and they really accepted the androids?" "Yes. In a few cases, the patient was a little more introspective than usual. They came to us wanting to know if their change in perspective was a real change. The only way to do this is to use some of our psionic abilities and take a look. To make this kind of an evaluation, we have three doctors work together as a team. They along with the patient look at their thought processes, attitudes and memories. The reason for three doctors is to protect the patient as it is a very complex task with little allowance for error. For the others, there were other indications of a changed perspective." "Interesting. I am surprised at your caution. Doing this seems similar to your sharing within your clan?" "It is very different. When a clan forms, its members establish referenced links with each other. In this procedure there aren't any references, so it is much like searching an unfamiliar house for a pin with only a little light." "That makes sense." "Doesn't this indicate you can use your abilities to destroy a persons mind?" asked Orgaine. "I don't know that destroy is the right word," replied Judy, "but you could definitely scramble a mind. This is another aspect of this situation and in part why a minimum of three doctors work with the patient. During the procedure, all four are very vulnerable to unwanted changes in the organization of the contents of their minds. Also, all four are very vulnerable to a mental attack. The interaction between those involved is very closeup and personal. Any inadvertent changes could have major impact on all involved. If you wanted to destroy someones mind using psionic ability there are other techniques with much less risk to you." "We have met several species with psionic abilities but I don't recall any being used offensively for a mental attack." "From what we know this is possibly for two reasons," replied Judy. "One is that a mental attack opens the attacker to being attacked. The approach used defines the risk to the attacker. Second, the effort consumes an enormous amount of energy regardless of approach." "Good points. I know, I am exhausted after doing a dream walk." "Judy, can we add this to our list of items to discuss when we visit with you." "Fine," replied Judy and then shared with her clan, "I wonder why he finds it exhausting. We certainly don't." "We need to think about it. He maybe using 'exhausted' differently than we would," replied Tara. "Now seems like a good time to give the presentations we brought on Alliance of Worlds members. The information in these presentations will build on our earlier presentations. Unetzen, why don't you show your presentation now?" said Egulle. "It will be a pleasure." Unetzen then gave a detailed presentation about the Iridiens. The Alliance of Worlds consisted of eleven members or worlds. These eleven worlds govern thirty planets. The Iridiens were the largest in both population and planets. The headquarters for Alliance of Worlds (AW) was on a planet that was a part of the Iridien world. At the AW headquarters, there was a delegation of representatives from each member. Several delegations included representatives from each planet in their world. The members, Atewa, Watsuz, Monque and Dutsuz were the next largest worlds in that order. The six largest worlds governed twenty-four of the planets as the other member worlds consisted of just one planet. The Dutsuz governed five planets but were fifth in size based on population. He then described how each worlds intelligence and military groups functioned together in the alliance. Unetzen noted that joint AW military and intelligence activity has always been directed toward external threats such as the Imperial Council and other raiders. These activities functioned as joint activities rather than being a unified activity. He noted that up until now they felt that all the worlds held little if anything back in their joint activities and he didn't expect recent events to change that. After the overview, Unetzen then described, the structure of the governmental bodies for each world. A world was governed by a group of representatives from each planet or each region. A planet was typically divided into regions where a region is defined as a contiguous land mass, which may include small nearby islands. Most planets had several regions and there was some variance in governing details from region to region within a world. In all cases, each region was governed by a group representing the regions residents. There was considerable variance in the style of governance. The Iridien Central Council consisted of representatives from each region of the eight planets. He followed this with a description of Iridien's governmental structure. This was followed with an overview of each regions strengths and weaknesses in terms of natural resources and commercial activity. Each region had a legal system that followed the general principals set by the Iridien Central Council. When he finished the description of the Iridien world, he then gave comparative information for each of the other ten worlds. In closing the presentations, he noted that each world had their own common monetary system. Overall defense and security for a world's planets was primarily the responsibility of that worlds central government. When Unetzen finished his presentation, he along with the other Iridiens spent the next hour or so answering questions. The question and answer session also provided the Iridiens with information about Earth, as the Órarduine's questions were primarily framed by their knowledge of Earth. "Orgaine," said Sally with a worried look, "has anyone considered that the Dutsuz renegades may have planted agents in each members military, intelligence and possibly other key government units." Egulle started to respond but stopped when he noticed a shift in the Orarduines attention. After a moment Rusty said, "Our Security Group just advised us that a group of space ships is headed for this system. They crossed the outer sentential ring a short time ago. According to their signatures, they are Dutsuz ships. The task group consists of two about the size of your ship, five smaller ships similar to the two Dutsuz recently with your fleet, and three that appear to be freighters." "So they will be here in a week," said Egulle. "About seven days at their current pace," replied Crystal. "Are you sure the number of ships are correct?" "They checked the data before advising us. Why?" "Your count shows more ships than we understood were in the Dutsuz group," replied Orgaine. "We will ask the Dutsuz to reset the identification codes for their ships and advise us of the new codes." Sarah said, "No offense intended but considering the potential for spies on the ships in your group, we prefer to handle gathering Intel on these incoming ships. While we are putting resources in place and gathering data, lets proceed with the activities we have planned. We will have time enough to make any necessary adjustments in our positions before they make their FTL transition." "We concur," said Egulle with Orgaine nodding his agreement. "Egulle," said Terry, "you noted earlier that you checked the crew for Dutsuz agents. You didn't mention whether you had verified the integrity of the systems the Dutsuz had access to on your ships." "All the systems have been checked out. Several androids were caught attempting to access unauthorized areas. As a result, we have put all androids in standby. This has really created an operational problem as we are not staffed to cover their absence. To compound this, we learned that our technicians do not have the authority to interact with their programming. Their normal solution for this is to restore the OS with a new upload and then upload any programming associated with the bots assignment. This process takes quite a while. Our ships really don't have the tools to do this efficiently, so we are focusing on the androids in critical positions." "Removing the androids from our family, would give us similar difficulties if not more," replied Kelly. "Are any of your androids self-aware?" asked Crystal. "Their programming won't permit them to follow through on self initiated activities," replied Zolta. "A few have expressed comments about an activity outside their assigned duties but not very often." "So, there is the potential for some level of self-awareness." "As it stands now there is no way to tell. Crystal, where are you going with this?" "If your androids were self-aware, then they would be an ideal assistant in this project as they would be familiar with their programming, presuming they have access to their source code. There is a possibility that we could help you with checking out your androids. It would need to be done here." After a moments hesitation Orgaine said, "Crystal from our perspective that is a good idea as it is probably the only way we can recover our capability." "If we are to assist," said Rusty, "then we will need the complete manuals for each android model. Whether we can assist or not depends on how different their programming and mechanical interfaces are from what we have experience with." "We will have the manuals sent to Star immediately," replied Zolta. "How many androids do you think you could do?" "If we can do it, as we really won't know until we evaluate a couple of them." During the exchange on repairing the androids, Egulle was apparently in deep thought from the expression on his face. At a break in the conversation he said, "Crystal, I don't believe we care if the androids are self-aware or not. Obviously, it would have advantages, if they are. In any case, it is absolutely critical for them to continue to fulfill their responsibilities as a crew member. Without their participation in the crew, our combat effectiveness is significantly reduced." "Seschun, do you know how many are on the ship?" "A little less than 600 on our ship. There are a few more on our sister ship. As to the others, I don't know." "Órarduine, if you agree," said Egulle, "we could send our androids here first thing tomorrow. Considering our limitations in evaluating them, we could easily send most if not all of them. Several technicians can come to acquaint your staff with our procedures and to bring the command keys. If it turns out you can do it, we should compensate you for your help. One way we could do this is, once we have our critical positions filled, to let the androids stay to assist you for at least several days." Maeve said, "If we do that, you should indicate which androids have the most sensitive positions on the ship. We can focus on this group first." "We can do that." "I am pretty certain that your staff is more skilled with android programming nuances than our technicians," said Arenta. "This is primarily because our technicians weren't trained to deal with this kind of issue. A fundamental aspect of our androids programming is to serve and protect their owner. On our ships, the ship is the androids owner with specific owner rights delegated to the commander and department heads. I believe that the Dutsuz on our ships were never in a position to assign an android tasks, thus how they could use them as agents is difficult to conceive. One possibility that I can see, is through a set of conditional task instructions that coworkers could ask of them. So I suspect, we won't find any that were instructed to intentionally damage the ship or disrupt its operation. On the flip side, we may find some who were instructed to keep the Dutsuz informed on the ships activities." "A good observation," said Orgaine, "but the evaluations need to be thorough. After we finish with one ship, we should have a better idea of how large this risk is. Right now, we don't know." It was nearly dinner time when Breacadh said, "Sarah, it is nearly dinner time." "Wow. I didn't hear the chime." "The chime didn't sound in there. Perhaps that was a mistake." "No. Thanks for letting us know." When there was a short break in the conversation, Sarah said, "I have just been informed that dinner will be served in fifteen minutes." She smiled at seeing the surprised looks on many faces. "We have several choices. One is for you to join us for dinner. Another is to break for today and resume at another time. If we eat together, we can have food brought in here or we can go to the dining room." Egulle looked at the members of his group then said, "We would enjoy dining with you again. Eating in the dining room would be more relaxing and it would give us an opportunity to learn more about each other." "The dining room it will be then. On the way there, we will stop by an area where you can freshen up before dinner." "As to a next meeting," said Orgaine, "would meeting here in two days be acceptable?" "Yes. We think that would be fine," replied Rusty. "Good. We will arrange for two or three people from each of the two other worlds to be with us on the next trip." "We should consider starting earlier," added Erica. "We can easily do that." "Arenta, if you want to start your visit tomorrow that will work for us," said Judy. "Thanks. There are some things I need to organize on our ship before I can be gone a few days. Why don't we plan on me and a couple of associates staying here for several days starting with the next visit." "That's fine. If those dates don't work for you, let me know." "We need someone to come down with the androids tomorrow," said Egulle. "My team will take care of that," replied Antopolis. "We will need at least one transport and possibly two." "You will likely need at least three," said Zolta. "Let's go freshen up," said Maeve. "I'm hungry and I heard Virginia's stomach growling." Many chuckled when Virginia's stomach growled again just as Maeve finished speaking. "What are you doing to my stomach?" said Virginia as she leered at Maeve. "Nothing. Sounds to me like you should feed it," replied Maeve and stuck her tongue out at Virginia. "Doug, do something. Nobody gives me any respect." "With a growl like that you want respect," replied Doug laughing along with everyone including Virginia as they left to freshen up. ------- Chapter 151 The Iridiens and Órarduine were just finishing dinner at An Clochán when Virginia said, "Commander Egulle, could we use the material from your presentations on our evening news program?" "We don't see why not. What did you have in mind?" "We think our our viewers would really like to hear about the Alliance of Worlds. The material in Unetzen's presentation provides a wealth information about you. It would answer many of the questions people on Earth are asking, like who you are and why you are here? We are sure many governments on Earth have a growing uneasiness regarding the growing number of aliens in the solar system. A part of this is due to the lack of information getting to Earth. With more ships arriving in a week, their uneasiness will grow. You may not be aware of it but many of Earth's modern science fiction stories have portrayed visitors from space as being predatory and tyrants. This view was reinforced by the information that leaked out to the public about the IC and their intent to harvest everything on Earth. The information, some of which was grossly distorted, provided quite a bit of fodder for opportunist to use in preying on peoples fears to stir up unrest. It is fortunate that Grandview TV station approached Sarah's Clan with a request for an interview on the IC engagement. The interview which included all of Sarah's Clan was moderated by Lorelei. The interview had an exceptionally large number of viewers. The interview did a lot to defuse the growing unrest but there is still a lingering fear of other worlds." "We saw that interview and thought it was well done. The intent for the IC to harvest Earth was not overstated. If anything it was understated. We know of other places where they essentially stripped the planet bare. In answer to your original question, yes, you can use the material. We would prefer to hold off on mentioning the Dutsuz renegades until we have solid information on them." "Thanks. Without doing a special program, the material we saw today will easily last more than two weeks as we can only use 5 minutes or so at a time. I should have raised this earlier, but one aspect I found a little confusing was Unetzen's use of the English word 'world'. Unetzen seemed to use it in referring to groups of planets such as the Atewa World." "It was used to refer to multiple planets as that seemed to be the best conceptual translation. Each group of planets or World is inhabited by a common species that at one time had numerous ethnic groups. In most of these Worlds, these ethnic distinctions have mostly disappeared. This is due to intermingling as the World has developed and grown. The Atewa and Monque are similar to us in that respect. Today each of us are essentially a composite of those who came before us. I am not familiar enough with the other Worlds to make a comment on their ethnic issues. I can say that I haven't seen any ethnic issues when we have done joint operations. There is apparently a problem in the Dutsuz World with one ethnic group. Seschun can help you, if you want to pursue this further." "So the Iridien World, would be similar to a country on Earth, but encompassing multiple planets spread across several solar systems." "That is a good analogy." "Thanks for the clarification. We will need to highlight this in our news briefs." Doug said, "When are you going to approach the people on Earth?" "Our original plans were to have done it by now. As you know, several things have happened to disrupt those plans. Another issue is that, we are having difficulty on deciding which government to approach first. We are reasonably certain that the first government we meet with will try to use our meeting to enhance their importance on Earth." Virginia said, "True. Have you considered making a general broadcast to Earth? It would upset some governments as they attempt to control any information going to their constituents. Some governments will even try to block a general broadcast. Even with the blocking, the broadcast has the advantage of reducing the significance of a first meeting." "I am surprised you didn't suggest an interview," said Orgaine with a smile, "then you could claim the notoriety." Several laughed as Virginia blushed. "Well, I was edging toward seeing if you were interested in participating in a live interview," replied Virginia with a smile. "If there is any notoriety, then in a way, we already have it, as we have met you. Then again the Órarduine, really have it because you met them first and have had extensive discussions with you. But seriously, from Doug and my perspectives, we would love to do a live interview. It would be best for us to know more about you to build up a rapport. The presentations are a great start." "Would spending a few days on our ships help?" Virginia looked at Doug before saying, "We think so. It would at least be a start as we would definitely become better acquainted." "Good," replied Egulle. "When would you like to visit us?" "Lorelei. Earl," said Virginia, "could you cover for us tomorrow?" "Sure. Do you want us to include the spots about AW?" "Yes, definitely. Orgaine, with Lorelei and Earl covering our evening news program for us, we could go back with you tonight. But we would only do that, if you are comfortable with us coming so soon." "Sure. Actually, we need to be leaving. How soon can you be ready?" "We need just enough time to stop by our suite to pickup our travel case." "Good. We will meet you at the exit." Turning to the others he continued with, "Órarduine, this has been a very interesting and productive day. Thank you for hosting it." "Your welcome," replied Erica. "We have enjoyed our time together." A short while later, the Órarduine and Iridiens exchanged good-byes before the Iridiens went out to their ships accompanied by Virginia, Doug and several others from the Communications Group. The Órarduine watched from the entrance way until the three ships had departed. Once the ships were out of sight Sarah said, "Guys, I know all of us are tired, but we need to discuss today before we turn in." "We definitely agree," replied all the Command Staffs. "Let's link in one hour, as that will give us time to unwind a bit and move to a quieter place." With that those with Sarah gave each other a hug before leaving to join their clans. When Sarah, Aoife, Tara, Maeve, Judy, Sally and Rusty arrived on Dóchas, they were surprised to be greeted by the rest of their spouses and children. "Boy, this is a pleasant surprise," exclaimed several of the arriving family members. "Moms and dad," said Deirdre, "we missed you." "We missed you as well," replied the arriving parents. "We thought, if we met you here," said Keri, "then we could spend a few moments with you before you confer with the other clans. This way, if your conference runs late, we still get to be with you for a while." "That is very thoughtful," replied Tara as she hugged one of their children. "We're going up to the bridge for a conference. Do you all want to walk up there with us?" "Cool," replied several children. "Where are Kennocha and the others?" "They said they would meet us in our suite later," replied Earnán with a smile. "They wanted to spend some time with their special friends and we couldn't deny them." "Special friends?" "There are three women and a man who they seem to really like, a lot," replied Marina. "We have a wager on how long it will take them to realize that they are forming a clan." Several children nodded affirmatively after Marina's comment. "So, its serious." "Oh, yes. Very much so. We find it interesting to watch," said Iris, "because forming intimate relationships is so much different here than what we saw on Earth." When the group reached Dóchas bridge, they chatted for a while before the children gave each of their parents hugs and kisses before heading to their suite. As they were leaving Kennith said, "Don't stay up to late," resulting in everyone laughing. "We won't," replied Sarah's Clan as the laughter quieted down only to cause more laughter. As Sarah's Clan entered the bridge, Aine joined them saying, "We would like to join your conference." "You and your associates are most welcome to join us anytime," replied Sarah's Clan. "Eithne and Fidelma will be with Molly and Jackie's Clans. Brigit will be with Keriann's Clan. Deidre will be with Kathryn's Clan. Creidne will be with Maureen's Clan. After we finish and with everyones agreement, Fidelma and Creidne will leave to join Wolf task group." "Excellent. We have some time so lets share our observations." With that, the clan melded into one. As their links with each other tightened, Star secured the doors to the bridge automatically moving Dóchas to readiness level 4. Once Sarah's Clan was fully melded together, they established special links with both Aine and Star before reviewing their meeting with the Iridiens. When the time came for the Command Staffs to be active in their link, each Command Staff increased the strength of their links with each other. Once the links were fully open, Sarah's Clan could see all the mentors and primary AIs were present. Sarah's Clan said, "While waiting, we have reviewed our impressions of todays meeting with the Iridiens and we see each of you have done the same. Lets do that among us, before we discuss how to deal with upcoming events." Together they worked in fitting all the information together that they had seen and heard while with the Iridiens. Once they had the chronology of events and actions in order, they went through the events again, adding their impressions. On the next pass, they added the data their Intelligence Departments had gathered from various sources. Once they had put the puzzle together, they decided that the explanation given by the Iridiens fit very well with the data obtained from the Dutsuz. They couldn't detect any manipulation in the data to favor either Iridiens or AW. Also, it didn't appear that the Iridiens or the other Alliance of Worlds members realized the full implications of the Dutsuz renegades treachery and subversion. To the Órarduine Command Staffs, it was now clear that the Dutsuz renegades primary goal was gaining the Órarduine gel immersion technology. The renegades believed the gel immersion technology would give them psionic abilities in addition to greatly extending their life span. By gaining the Órarduine psionic abilities, they believed they would have the additional power needed, to quickly take what they believed was their rightful control of the Dutsuz World. With the extended life span, their part of the Dutsuz World would grow faster than other segments, which would enhance their control. This group of Dutsuz, known among themselves as the Durale. They had left the primary planet some 400 years earlier for a remote planet in the Dutsuz group of planets. Their relocation was just prior to the Dutsuz World joining the Alliance of Worlds. The Durale had strongly disagreed with their Dutsuz World joining the Alliance of Worlds but could not prevent it. Instead they chose to isolate themselves on remote planet in the Dutsuz World so their group could grow with little interference. They felt that the Dutsuz World was rightfully theirs to govern as it was their efforts that brought it together. Their goal was to grow strong enough so they could take back the Dutsuz World which was rightfully theirs. Once they had authority over the Dutsuz World, they knew that they could take control of the Alliance of Worlds. The Durale were very careful to never express their goal or draw close attention to their activities. During this time, Durale's explorations had found numerous other species. They only focused on building relationships with species who had technology or attributes that would further their goals. Once a relationship was established with a new species, they would convince them to move to their planet. As soon as the Durale assimilated this new technology, the species providing it began to quickly dwindle in numbers. The Durale then used this new enhanced technology to improve their standing with the other planets and regions in the Dutsuz World. It was through these contacts with the other regions in the Dutsuz World that they quietly acquired space ships normally manufactured for other AW members. Over this whole time, the Durale never deviated from positioning themselves so they could gain control of the Dutsuz World. With the discovery of the Órarduine, the Durale began preparing to initiate their plans to take over of the Dutsuz World. They were certain they could quickly assimilate the Órarduine technology. With the addition of the Órarduine technology, they would have the capability to rapidly take control of the Dutsuz World. They were so confident in their abilities that they planned to begin taking control of the Dutsuz World once they met the Órarduine. In their mind they were the masters in taking control of other species and assimilating their technology as they had succeeded every time. The Command Staffs concluded that the Durale had gotten as far as they did because they never gave any indication of their goal. All of the species they had taken technology from had not had any contact with other Alliance of World members. There weren't any members of those species left as they had all been served for dinner. If they had not penetrated the Dutsuz ship and copied the library, the Alliance of Worlds still wouldn't know their ultimate goal. The Durale's intent was designed to be unnoticed until they seized control of the Dutsuz World. Blame for all the turmoil would be shifted toward the current Dutsuz government, the Iridiens and anyone else. "Wow, it is interesting that the information we gathered from the Dutsuz was so context sensitive," said Molly's Clan. "Our view is that they did that intentionally," replied Keriann's Clan. "They knew what the data meant but if someone else saw it they would see it as a Dutsuz plan. We could have easily been sucked into that view as well. We think the Iridiens are just beginning to see the context aspect of the Durale data." "Seeing our composite helps us understand why the Iridiens responded to Olua's attempted mutiny the way they did?" Sarah's Clan added, "Yes. It does imply that the different Worlds in the Alliance of Worlds have a reasonably non adversarial relationship with each other. That is they can resolve issues between the different groups without coming to blows. Thus, subversion and treachery are almost unheard of between members of the alliance." "Well," said Siobhan's Clan, "we agree it does fit with the way Egulle and Orgaine responded to the mutiny. We would have thought that androids and ships systems would have been higher on the list to scrutinize for tampering." "So how do we want to deal with the incoming Dutsuz ships?" asked Jackie's Clan. Sarah's Clan said, "Lets see what our Wolf Task Group learns. We are especially interested in whether they are accompanied by any of the missing Spc Ops ships. If they are, whose Spc Ops ships are they? Keriann, the Wolf TG is to deploy drones around the incoming ships correct." "Yes. They have Ferrets and Spiders with them as well. The initial plan is to use them cautiously." "Unless we determine they are a definite threat," said Maureen's Clan, "we think the approach should be to greet them cautiously but prepared. It will be interesting to see how the Iridiens want to greet them." "We find their willingness to let us evaluate the androids a bit surprising," said Keriann's Clan. "It could have some risks for us. By providing the source code they will learn the logic we use for programming. For the same reason, learn more about the programming in their systems. So we think the risks balance out. If the androids are compromised by the Durale, they could pose a risk when we power them up." "Evaluating the Iridien androids," said Amy's Clan, "could be quite a challenge? Why don't we set that up in the back part of the cave? The portion we have in mind is very isolated." "You're speaking of the dead zone," said Sarah's Clan. "Yes. The only transmission that gets out is through the special ports we installed and we have those baffled. We were thinking that with three teams of bot specialist from each of our ships, we would have enough staff to progress the evaluations pretty rapidly." Both Sarah's and Kathryn's Clans responded with, "Counting those on An Clochán, that would give us 24 teams. Do you have enough equipment and is there enough space?" "Each team should bring their equipment but yes there is enough space. It maybe a little crowded initially. Once they were checked out, we planned on moving each Iridien android into the main cave. Breacadh and the other departmental AIs are working up a list of assignments where they can assist while waiting for the trip back. The plan is to have them work with one of our family until their return trip. We will give priority to those fulfilling critical roles such as on the bridge." "Looks like you have thought this through," said Sarah's Clan. "Well when we first heard the proposal, we were concerned. We had a short discussion with several of our bot medical specialist which is how we came up with the plan. One told us that they didn't think the Iridiens realized that our medical group oversees the health of our whole family and not just one segment." "I would agree with that," replied both Judy of Sarah's Clan and Kathy of Kathryn's Clan. Kathy continued with, "If I wasn't an Órarduine, I wouldn't have noticed either. Arenta and her staff will likely figure it out when they visit as they apparently have different groups caring for the logical and biological crew members. I did notice that Arenta seems very knowledgeable about their androids." "Remember all of our plans are based on their androids being constructed and programmed similar to ours," said Sarah's Clan. "When the evaluations are made, we need to be sure that we are looking at the android's systems as the Iridiens intended them to operate. Once we understand what they intended, then we should be able to begin diagnosing them." "You expect their designs and programming to be quite different from ours," said Amy's Clan. "We think "may be significantly different" is a better phrase. We just need to be objective and thorough when we do the evaluations." "It may be easier to just wipe the operating system and replace it with ours," said Siobhan's Clan. "That is in the realm of possibilities," replied Sarah's Clan. "We have a time constraint. If an OS replacement is the choice then memory definitely needs to be retained and the change must not be apparent." "So our take away," said Amy's Clan, "is that all options are open but we need to be cognizant of our time constraint." "Agreed," replied everyone. "So, are we all ready to call it a day?" asked Molly's Clan. "We are tired." "We would like to say," said Aine, "your analysis of the situation in the Dutsuz World is accurate. We were not aware of these worlds until we queried our support group. They did not provide us with details but when we shared what we saw in the data we have, our view was confirmed. They typically avoid giving us details in cases like this so as to avoid the chance of significantly altering events." "Again, we are impressed with you and your family," said the Mentors in unison. "Thank you. AIs," said Sarah's Clan, "please make sure our plans are available to all of our family." "We always do unless specifically told not too." "Duh, we know. Sorry for thinking otherwise but old experiences are hard to forget. We think Molly's Clan has a great idea, lets call it a day. We would like to keep our link a little more active than usual. That includes everyone here." "It shall be," replied everyone. ------- On Dóchas' bridge, Sarah's Clan stood and stretched. Joyce said, "Jill, Janet and I will stay here tonight so the rest of you can get some rest." "I will join you," said Terry. "Okay," replied their spouses, "we are going to bed." As they spoke several stifled yawns. "Today has certainly been interesting," said Erin as some of Sarah's Clan walked back to their suite. "The next several weeks shall be even more interesting." "Tara," said Sarah, "who besides Virginia and Doug went to Egulle's ship." "Sam, Jasmin and Faith went with them. Why?" "Concern about spices and their safety." "All of our family is now immunized against the mind control aspect of those spices," said Judy. "Your autoimmune system will now alert you when ingesting a unfamiliar substance. Virginia and Doug were immunized as well but will respond to an unfamiliar substance by experiencing nausea." "Oh, yes, I remember seeing that. I must be really tired." "We all are," said Aoife as they entered their suite. "Lets wash up and go to bed. I think I can stay awake long enough for that." Her comment caused several to chuckle or nod their heads in agreement. As they relaxed on their bed Sarah said, "It feels so good to be able to relax and feel each of you around me." "I love you all," said Aoife. Her spouses replied, "I love you all." Then they heard the voices of the other Command Staffs through their link say, "I love you all." ------- It was late the next morning when Casidhe of Siobhan's Clan said, "Rusty. Sarah. Tiff and I have been down here with our group going over the Iridien androids. We want to propose two choices on the best way to proceed. The simplest path is to just restore their original OS, prime directives, knowledge set, and personality without erasing their memories. This is what we agreed to do and it should only take about a day and a half to complete on the group we have here. The problem is that all of us are uncomfortable doing that." "Why?" said Sarah as she felt the others in her clan actively join the link. "Simply put, their OS is crap. It has some major problems in logic flow and sensor inputs. Our simulations indicate it is quite easy to overload the androids inputs in a way that would cause them to lockup. There is a significant probability that they could become erratic rather than lockup which could cause other problems." "So, what is the solution?" asked Rusty. Now all the Command Staffs were actively following the conversation. "Our preference is to replace the current OS with a modified version of ours and to slightly modify their prime directives. Everyone here is certain the androids will function better, be more dependable and more participatory in their assignments. The modifications to the prime directives are to modify the androids allegiance. The new directives will shift their allegiance from their ship to their commander, their coworkers and the crew. They'll still have an allegiance to the ship but it will be through the commander and from being a member of the crew. This change will negate any residual instruction in their memories that the Durale may have given them. Once this rewording is implemented, they will likely report the presence of any instruction in their memory that would put the ship and crew at risk." "Sounds like a good proposal to us," replied Sarah. "We need to contact Egulle to get his agreement to do this. Actually, you could have done that." "I know. I had two concerns. One was how he would react to a bot making this suggestion. More importantly, I don't believe I can reach him telepathically." "The fact you are a bot, does not matter," said all the Command Staffs. "I know that it doesn't matter for us but I was trying to see it from their perspective." "Both Casidhe and I tried to see if we could reach Egulle telepathically," said Tiff, "and neither of us could sense him." "Well, we can reach Orgaine telepathically," said Sarah. "We will have them call us on a secure link. Lets see if we can reach them now." "Orgaine," said Sarah's Clan, "do you have a moment?" After a few moments they heard Orgaine say, "Sarah's Clan did you ask me something?" "Yes. We need to confer with Egulle and you on the status of the androids. We chose to reach you this way as we think you will want to limit the participants." "Can you give me a bit more to go on?" "Our group has prepared a plan for reseting your androids OS along with the parameters for their assignment. In preparing to do this they have found some logic conflicts in the androids core programming that could still cause problems. They can solve this but it requires some significant programming changes. Significant enough we feel they need your approval." "Oh. I am not sure what you mean by logic conflict. Are you referring to them suddenly becoming inoperable or erratic?" "Yes. Those could be two manifestations." "Okay. Let me talk to Egulle. We will call you in say fifteen minutes." "Fine. We will be waiting." Only a few minutes had elapsed when Egulle said, "Good morning, Sarah's Clan," as he came into view on the secure link. "That was quick and a good morning to you." "Your timing was very good as we were all together. On this end we have Arenta, Seschun and Orgaine. Orgaine tells me you are proposing a program modification for the androids." "Lets add Casidhe and Tiff to this conference call so they can explain their proposal." As Sarah was speaking an image formed on the screen showing the cave at An Clochán with Casidhe, Tiff and several other Órarduine near the camera. The Iridien androids could be seen in the background. "Good morning," said Casidhe, Tiff and the other Órarduine. "Good morning. Casidhe, Tiff, we hear you have found some problems with our androids programming." "Yes. We have found some logic conflicts in the androids software. An android has a multitude of sensor inputs and outputs. The current program has hard coded the sequence and priority for servicing or responding to each input. The same is true for the outputs. In another part of the program, it alters the sequence and priority based on current instructions but doesn't disable the hard coded sequence. This works most of the time. It will likely fail when the signals greatly increase from only a small group of inputs. This is even more likely if the inputs aren't necessarily associated with their current task. You would see this by the android failing to do anything or responding erratically." "We have seen both of those cases," said Seschun. "Sometimes they recover with no intervention and other times they need to be shut down and restarted. In a few cases, it requires a significant repair which is beyond our resources." "Since the androids contain the source code for their system, we were able to rewrite their operating system. We have tested the new logic in our simulators and have tested it in one android for functionality. We would like permission to use the new program in all of your androids. The benefit is probable elimination of the malfunctions you are seeing but there could be other benefits. We are certain the changes will be an improvement. Another benefit is that the new program allows the android more control over the way they respond to their sensors. In effect, they have a greater ability to learn from their experiences, to prioritize sensors and to respond to changes outside of its assigned task. Now it has essentially no flexibility." "In a more sensitive area, we want to make a change in their prime directives," said Tiff. "The change is to simply make them more a part of the crew rather than objects on the ship. This will be done by modifying the way the term owner is used in the directives. It will see the ships commander as the ultimate authority figure, but respond to department heads and coworkers as defined by their duties." "I see the benefit of the change you are proposing," said Arenta, "but it was my understanding that the prime directives could not be changed." "The prime directives are held in a special chip. We will replace the chip with an encrypted version containing new directives. The encryption will be stronger than is currently used." Egulle looked at the other three staff members before saying, "I don't see any reason not to go with the new programming." The others nodded their agreement. "You apparently have a reason for the change in the prime directives that I am missing." "The change we are proposing will greatly minimize an android carrying out an instruction that would be harmful to the crew, the commander or ship. One way to view the change is that their allegiance is being shifted away from being exclusively focused on the ship, to focusing on the crew and its mission. Another way to look at it is that it changes them from an object to a crew member. The authority channels in the directives are similar to those seen by all crew members." "Okay. We agree to that change as well." "If everything goes well, you should have a group of about 50 back on your ship very late this evening. With the new programming, you should expect the androids to ask "why" more frequently than before. They will fulfill their roles better, if their roles and how their work effects others are explained to them. Both of these are part of their learning process." "It should be interesting to see how the crew responds to an increase in questions," replied Seschun. "Casidhe, to confirm my responses to your suggestion," said Egulle, "we agree with installing the rewritten software in the androids. We also agree to the change in prime directives. I presume you will provide us with documentation." "Documentation, the preliminary documentation will likely come along with the return of the second group of androids. We will provide a final copy by the time we finish reprogramming your androids." "Anything, else," said Egulle. "Not from us," replied Tiff and Casidhe. "We have a task group on their way to intercept the new group of Dutsuz ships," said Sarah's Clan. "They should make visual contact late tomorrow." "But, they are in hyper space," replied Egulle. "Yes. With the information we have on path and speed, the task group will fold time to enter their hyper space envelope just behind them." "We are not familiar with that technique," said Egulle. "We are definitely interested in learning more about it." "Are you still planning on arriving early tomorrow morning?" asked Aoife. "Yes. It will be the same group with six additional people. Two of the additional people will be Arenta's colleagues." "Good. If there is nothing else, we'll see you then," said Sarah's Clan. "We have nothing else and look forward to seeing you tomorrow." ------- Breakfast was just beginning at An Clochán, when the representatives from each Command Staff that would be meeting with the group from Alliance of Worlds, began arriving. As each one came in, they selected their food and went to sit with Amy's Clan. "Tiff, how are things going with the androids?" asked Sally. "Reasonably well." When Tiff saw the concerned expressions around her, she quickly added, "Nothing serious. They have all their AI capabilities and there hasn't been any difficulties with the change in OS. The issues have all been with their mechanical interfaces. Casidhe can give you a better description of the problems. She will be here in a few moments." "Did you guys get any sleep?" "Yes. We have all been taking rest breaks. Casidhe and I just got up a short while ago. She went to check the progress before coming here." "What about me?" said Casidhe as she arrived carrying her tray. "There you are. Sally just ask how things are coming along." "Actually, they are now coming along quite rapidly. Our geniuses went back into the code and revised the input tuning routines for the mechanical interfaces. They are now fully auto-tuning with the androids being able to adjust their response to inputs as necessary. This has essentially eliminated the difficulties that we initially had when checking out their mechanical functions. Now the AI function tests are the rate determining step." "Good. So you don't think anyone will remember that you prompted the solution." "I was just keying off of someones comment. Programming detail is not my favorite task. I can do it, but there are many others here much more proficient and creative than me." "Good point." "Casidhe, we would like for you to join us today," said Sarah. "Tiff and you are probably the best ones to answer any questions they may have about their androids." "Caitlyn should be there to," said Tiff. "Fine." "We'll tell her," replied Tiff. "Casidhe, do you know how long it will be before all the Iridien androids are active again?" asked Sarah. "We are projecting it being maybe late tomorrow but could be longer. Do they have more that they want reprogrammed?" "We believe the group they sent us were just those on Egulle's ship. They didn't indicate how they were going to handle the androids on the other ships." "Several of us think that we should do all of them. This is in part because we are making a modification in the androids prime directives. We do it in teams of three and all three have to be highly proficient in the procedure. This is perhaps the only procedure we have that requires both types of Órarduine." "Good point, I had forgotten that," said Sarah with many others in the group nodding in agreement. ------- Chapter 152 The Órarduine Command Staff representatives were standing just inside the habitat when the Iridien ships began arriving. Their approach and landing was identical to the one two days earlier. Once the three ships had landed, a door on each one opened and they began to exit, heading toward An Clochán's entrance. Once their visitors had entered the airlock, the Órarduine went into the arrivals area to greet them. "Welcome back," said the Órarduine together. "We trust you had a pleasant trip." "It is a pleasure to be back," said Egulle as he slipped his helmet off. The others followed his lead and removed their helmets. "Órarduine," said Egulle, "I would like to introduce Reyonte and Laonize of the Atewa World. From the Monque World, we have Tuska and Marika." Arenta then introduced her colleagues from the medical group. Immediately following the introductions the Órarduine clasped hands with each of them and introduced themselves. "You can use the lockers or open hangers for your gear," said Sally. "To use a locker place your hand on the hand symbol inside the locker before closing it as that will key to the security lock so only you can open it." "Commander Egulle," said Sarah, "do you want to do introductions here or in the conference room?" "Lets do them in the conference room." "Judy," said Arenta, "are the androids from our department active?" "I don't know, but Casidhe or Tiff may know." "Tiff. Casidhe, do you know if the androids from the medical department are active?" "Yes," replied both. Casidhe said, "I believe they are scheduled to go back this morning. Right now they are assisting us." "Excuse me," replied Arenta with a surprised look. "We have them assisting our staff in reactivating your androids. We don't know what they were like before, but they are really quite helpful with this process." "Okay..." It was clear from Arenta's response that she didn't quite comprehend the answer. On entering the conference room Aoife said, "There are refreshments on the counter. Please help yourself. From our perspective, you can sit any place. If the chairs are uncomfortable, please tell us so we can find something more comfortable." When everyone had their refreshments and taken a seat Egulle said, "I heard Arenta asking about the androids. How is it progressing?" "Can we hold that for just a moment," said Sarah. Egulle nodded. "Lets quickly introduce ourselves and provide a thumbnail sketch of what we do." Sarah began the introductions. When Casidhe and Caitlyn introduced themselves they noted this was their first meeting. When the Órarduine finished Reyonte said, "Thank you for the warm welcome. I am the group commander for the Atewa Task Group and Laonize commands one of our ships." Then Tuska said, "We to wish to thank you for the warm welcome and excellent refreshments. I am the group commander for the Monque Task Group. The introduction you provided to your world through your videos and other information is greatly appreciated. Unfortunately, we are not as well prepared. Our scribes are at this moment preparing a similar collection of information about our world. We expect to have this available later this week." Then Marika said, "I am commander of the prime ship in our Task Group. Our crews have also found your videos very interesting. We hope that more of us will have the opportunity to visit with you." "Commander Egulle," said Casidhe, "in answer to your question about the androids, we are currently projecting completion of this group late tomorrow morning. We ran into some mechanical interface issues that threatened to derail our effort before it was overcome. The first group of androids were returned to your ship very late last night. Were there any comments about them before you left?" "Not to me." Zolta said, "I heard several. They primarily expressed surprise at the number of questions asked after being given an instruction or assignment. One staffer said that she had never seen androids so interested in defining the limits and parameters of their assignment." "Good," said Casidhe causing several puzzled looks. "Zolta your description indicates that they are learning. It will take some time before it is apparent but they should become much more effective in their duties." "Four androids," said Caitlyn, "have told us that Durale Dutsuz attempted to give them commands. They failed as the Durale did not have the authority besides not forming the command correctly. Later an Iridien made an attempt with a similar command in the presence of a Durale. They accepted the command, but did not complete it, as it did not fit within their defined responsibilities. Also, there was no directive requiring them to acknowledge not completing a task in those circumstances. Antopolis has sent your security director the names of those acting on behalf of the Durale." "Come to think of it," said Egulle, "I don't remember seeing any androids on the bridge this morning." "They were still here then," said Casidhe. "All but five left a short while ago. The five still here are assisting us with updating the androids programing. These five are now qualified to assist in configuring the androids on your ships." "Could we review the situation with the androids?" said Reyonte of the Atewa World. "We understand the issues prompting the review of the Iridien androids and agree that the programming needed to be reviewed for security reasons." Egulle said, "I believe either Casidhe or Caitlyn are the most knowledgeable about the work being done on the androids. Would one of you review what is being done?" "Certainly," replied Caitlyn. She then described what they had found on evaluating the program logic that operated the Iridien androids. In the review, she showed examples of the logic decision trees that made it difficult at times for the androids to function correctly. Most of the historical issues with the functioning of these androids was thought to be due to the programming logic. Some issues were attributed to them not being able to attenuate their sensor input or change the input polling frequency. These issues were corrected in the revised programming. The subtle changes to the androids prime directives were outlined and how it would be reflected in the way an android would function. She emphasized that a key reason for making the subtle change to the prime directives was to make it more difficult to tamper with an androids allegiance. The group listened very closely to Caitlyn's review of their work. When she finished, they had a multitude of questions about the changes. Both Casidhe and Tiff helped her in responding to the questions. "There is one more item, I just realized that we overlooked," said Casidhe. "Each of the androids now has a traditional Iridien name in addition to the identifier previously used. They will respond to both. We set it up so a crew member has to ask, in order to learn their traditional name." "Good," said Egulle. "Caitlyn, Casidhe and Tiff," said Reyonte, "thank you for being so patient with our questions. We now see the wisdom in the changes you have made. At some point, would your people be willing to look at ours? We don't have nearly as many active androids as the Iridiens as we have not found ours as reliable as the ones Egulle has on his ships." "We would be willing to," said Sarah, "but at the same time, shouldn't we wait until we see how the Iridien androids perform." "We were not expecting an immediate answer." Marika of the Monque World said, "We face problems similar to those expressed by Reyonte. At the same time, we recognize that since you are a small world, you have limited resources. Perhaps we can assist you in other areas in exchange for assistance with our androids. Sarah does make a good point, so I propose we table our request, until things settle out a bit. Besides there are some Dutsuz ships that will be arriving soon and we don't know their true intent." "Can we shift to another topic?" said Tuska of the Monque World. After pausing for someone to object, he continued with, "The morning the Durale Dutsuz attacked An Clochán our sensors recorded several flashes of light before the first ship exploded. Our weapons experts think it was a laser, but aren't really certain." "It was a laser type weapon," said Sally. "We have several located around An Clochán as one means of defense. This was the first time they were fired at a significant shielded object." "At that distance, you must be putting a lot of power into it and we are surprised that thermal bloom wasn't a problem." "We will need to get back to you on estimated power. These weapons are a derivative of our ship board weapons. An Clochán Fire Control fired four synchronized shots using four weapons each time. We are now fairly certain that it could have been done with one shot. The four shot approach was used for several reasons. There are some power losses due to the Mars atmosphere. We wanted to be certain we wouldn't inadvertently hit an object beyond the target. So for each round the energy level was increased and the aiming point slightly shifted. By synchronizing the shots between the four weapons, we increase the effectiveness at the point of beam convergence." "Thank you. When you move, will the weapons be left to defend this habitat?" "We haven't reached that decision yet." "Egulle," said Reyonte, "we saw that you were preparing to establish an Iridien base here. Will that be available to us as well?" "We were setting it up as an Iridien base but there is no reason for it not to be available to other members of our alliance. Out of curiosity what do you see as the benefits of a base here?" "Our staff sees it as a good location to maintain a cache of supplies for emergencies. This is why I was asking about whether the weapons would remain. They would provide a level of security for the supplies. With the added level of security, we would need to establish access procedures." "We were thinking along the same lines, except we thought there should be frequent visits here as the base wouldn't have a permanent staff. At the moment, the only thing that is certain, is that we will establish a base near here. It will have facilities so that a small group can live and operate from there for an extended time. For us a small group is defined as approximately three Spc Ops teams. Permanent staffing of the facility is not likely. The key part is supplies, a place to rest and do any necessary maintenance or repair. If all three of us have the same objectives for the base, then it will be much easier for us to set up while we are here. Also, with more using the base, perhaps we should reconsider whether to have resident crew." "How would those on Earth feel about us having a base here?" said Marika looking toward the Órarduine. "If you are up front about your intentions, we think they would generally be more accepting. Harassment by some countries is a possibility, though it seems unlikely. We would expect the countries with surveillance satellites to continue monitoring any activities here. There are certainly some groups on Earth that would be very angry about another bunch of 'aliens' inhabiting their sister planet. These groups could make visits to Earth quite dangerous for you and your host." "Egulle," said Aoife, "when you and Virginia do your interview, you may want to consider mentioning your plans to locate a supply base on Mars." "We will mention it when we see them this evening." "I was kind of surprised that they didn't come with you today," said Aoife. "We were together yesterday from breakfast until just before we went to bed last night," replied Orgaine. "We suggested they visit with others on our ship today as that would broaden their view of us." "We enjoyed their company," added Egulle. "At first, we felt, we needed to explain everything we were doing. It wasn't long until Doug suggested skipping the explanation as they didn't think they were necessary. He pointed out that the explanations were interfering with our tasks and they wanted to avoid that. He was right. Several times they provided comments that gave a better perspective of an issue. From this, we were able to develop a better solution. So we are pleased to have them around." "Good. We presume everyone realizes that it will be sometime tomorrow before we have intel from our Wolf TG on the incoming Dutsuz ships." Everyone nodded. "Okay. Lets start with a review of our discussions from two days ago." "We would like to observe the work you are doing with the androids," said Egulle. "I believe Arenta and her colleagues are staying over as is Seschun." Both nodded in agreement. "Why don't we plan on doing that after lunch? As we can broaden our tour for Tuska, Marika, Reyonte and Laonize." "Tara," said Zolta, "we wouldn't mind touring your facility again. I should warn you that we will likely have many more questions." "Egulle," said Casidhe, "since we are geared up to reprogram the androids, do you want to begin sending those from your other ship?" "We would appreciate that, but don't want to burden you." "We think," said Caitlyn, "it would be best to have both your ships fully operational and you indicated that without them it was marginal." "It would be better to have all the androids operational." Egulle looked at Zolta and Orgaine who both nodded. "When we break for lunch, I will send instructions to the other ship to send theirs down. We should shift our fleet closer to Mars." "It would make things more efficient," said Rusty. "The other advantage is that it will slow the Dutsuz down after FTL as they will need to look for your location." "When we have the data on the incoming Dutsuz fleet, do you want to video conference?" "I think that would be a good idea," said Orgaine. "It would probably be most effective, if we had a conference call when we first share the data and then after we have had time to study it." "We agree," said the Órarduine in unison. The Órarduine responding in unison caused the eyebrows of the new visitors to arch. Then they said the following with each saying a word in turn, "We can see by your arched eyebrows our speaking in unison surprised you. We are actively sharing our thoughts telepathically. Speaking in unison can be rehearsed, but it would be nearly impossible to do this without our telepathic link." Marika said, "I don't think any of us doubted your telepathic ability. I know I didn't and now I certainly don't doubt your active link. You are the first telepathic people that I have been around that I knew for certain were telepathically linked." Tuska, Reyonte and Laonize nodded their heads in agreement. "Seschun, do you have language modules in your system for the Iridien, Atewa and Monque languages?" "Kind of. They are not teaching modules but are setup as reference sources. What did you have in mind?" "We learned a lot of the Dutsuz fundamental language components and vocabulary from the prisoners. We would like to do that for the three languages in your fleet. Our reasoning is that it helps if we have some understanding of the words in your languages and their meaning. This helps us understand without waiting to hear the standard language version of what was said. We suspect that many of you understand us as soon as we speak in either Celtic and English." "We understand most of your native tongue," said Seschun. "Most of us wait to hear the standard language version, to avoid making errors that could cause misunderstandings." "We have about 15 different native tongues in our family. We have gravitated to using Connemare Celtic as our core language. In writing, it is very similar to Earth's Old Celtic. To our core language, we have added words from the other languages when we needed a word or expression that was better at conveying the meaning. This includes words for new objects and concepts. When we converse with those on Earth, we always use English except when in Ireland then we speak in Gaelic." Seschun had a puzzled look. "Our Celtic is very close to Irish Gaelic which is very similar to the language spoken in Earth's four Celtic regions." Reyonte said, "So Earth doesn't have a standard language." "No. English is close to being universally understood but there is little interest to move to a common language. The people of Earth are divided by language, religion, ethnic, bloodline, and country of origin. There are probably a few more divisions as well. Some times the divisions are more significant than others." "With this many dividing issues, aren't they susceptible to being easily taken over," said Laonize. "Well that is one conclusion you can come too," replied Kelly. "Taking control would likely be easier than maintaining control. With a rigid authoritarian governance, the divisions can be suppressed as seen in Earth's history. Historically that kind of suppression usually just delays release of the hostility between groups." "It just occurred to me," said Molly, "that our characterization of the hostility between groups could give you the wrong impression of Earth. There are many wonderful people in every ethnic group on Earth. Many times the different groups get along very well especially when times are good. There always seem to be small groups just waiting for an opportunity to fan discontent which many times leads to violence between groups. Some groups on Earth never seem to let go of the past, so past injustices real or perceived are todays flash points. All of these problems are very well known because they are publicized and talked about rather than the successes or good times. Several predominate characteristics that seem to drive the discontent are self-righteousness, envy, power, and greed." "Lets shift back to reviewing our discussion of two days ago," said Sarah. "Arenta," said Judy, "unless you want to stay for this discussion, we can go to the clinic now. I am sure they will call us back if we are needed otherwise, we will all get together at lunch." "Sounds like a good idea. Would including the androids for my area be a problem?" "No not at all." Caitlyn said, "They will meet you at the medical department." With that, Arenta rose along with her associates and left with Judy. After Arenta and Judy left those remaining went over their previous discussions. During the review, those from Monque and Atewa asked many questions to clarify their impressions of the reports they had received. On many of the items, they delved deeper into the topic. The discussions on each topic also took longer due to the additional views. ------- Aboard the Órarduine Wolf TG cruisers, Fidelma, Creidne, Caoilinn's, Edana's and Christina's Clan were discussing their approach to the Dutsuz fleet. They were currently on a path parallel to the Dutsuz fleet and 10,000 km behind them. Their closure rate was such that they would be within a few kilometers in three hours. "We agree," said Caoilinn, "that we are going to use our combined psionic ability to move us into position behind their ships in that hyper space envelope." Creidne said, "Fidelma and I will monitor the bridges of the two ships not being moved so you can focus completely on your task." "Are we sure this will work?" said Gloria of Edana's Clan. "We've moved objects before but none this large." "This is a little different," said Creidne, "but yet the same. In three hours, you will be next to where you want to move to and on a parallel path. With your three groups linking, you will easily have enough energy to move a cruiser from one time-space envelope to another. Your ships will be vulnerable to attack during the move but our data doesn't show any threats in this envelope. We won't know about the Dutsuz envelope until after the first transfer." "So we should check our surroundings," said Caoilinn, "before we transfer the other ships." "You could do that," replied Creidne, "but that could lead to a complication. The three transfers need to be made as rapidly as possible to ensure we all arrive at the same point. I will be at the bridge of your ship when its transfer is complete and will prepare to meet any threat once the transfers are complete." "Oh, I see," said Christina. "If we wait too long, we could miss the window for the transfer." "Yes. If that happens, then the intercept window needs to be recalculated as it may have shifted. Then when you get to the transfer point, only the crews on the incoming ship or ships can effect the transfer." "So without Fidelma and you, we would be kind of bare ass to the universe until we all moved." "Sort of. There are other approaches but this one fully utilizes your available resources." "Aren't we cloaked?" "Yes. If another ship is scanning the arrival area, they could see a slight disturbance caused by our arrival. If this happens, you basically loose the advantage of surprise. The use of ships weapons in hyperspace is unpredictably dangerous. I have heard some characterize it as something only a flaming idiot would do." "Okay." "We have all the drones and Ferrets ready to launch once we have the ships in range," said Cochrann of Caoilinn's Clan. "Each Ferret will be carrying a full load of spiders." "Let's rest," said Christina. It was almost three hours later when Sal felt Caoilinn nudge him. Slowly opening his eyes he said, "That was a quick three hours." "Yes," replied his spouses. "We have time enough to eat before we make the jump," said Abbie. A short time later Caoilinn said to her clan, "Lets form our ring and link to Christina's and Edana's Clans." "Are we ready?" said Christina. "Lets not pause between each move." "Agreed," replied all. In rapid succession they moved the three cruisers into the hyper space envelope behind the Dutsuz fleet. As soon as the last ship was moved the three clans eased their link to each other as they took their positions on their cruisers bridge. "Well done," said Fidelma and Creidne. "They do not appear to be monitoring their surroundings." "Good," said Caoilinn, "launch drones." "Underway," replied Melanie. "Status board shows Edana and Christina's ships launching theirs." "Lets open the links between our clans." It was only a few moments before images from the drones began showing on the monitors of the three ships. "Those look like escapes from a junk yard," said Kurt of Edana's Clan. "Are we sure this is the right group of ships?" "Yes," replied the ships AIs. The Órarduine on the three cruisers quietly monitored the data coming back from the drones. It was the Dutsuz fleet that the Sentential line had alerted them too. Every one of the ships had exterior damage. Some of it was pretty severe. Some was so severe, the Órarduine were surprised the ship was still operational. "I think it is time for the Ferrets and spiders," said Caoilinn. "Agreed." "Launch Ferrets." The monitors on each cruiser showed the progress of the Ferrets toward the Dutsuz ships. Three Ferrets were assigned to each Dutsuz ship. Two Ferrets were designated to penetrate the ships systems and report ships status. Once the report was made, one was to prepare for taking control of the ship while the second continued monitoring events. While the Ferrets were busy, the spiders spread out through the ship and began reporting their observations to the third Ferret for relaying back to the Órarduine cruisers. It was several hours before the Órarduine on the cruisers had a fairly clear picture of the situation in the Dutsuz fleet. The data was so unexpected that they had the spiders to repeat their survey. It was apparent that the crew on all the ships were to varying degrees in the midst of a mutiny. Durale were close to having full control of the two very large cruisers. They had achieved this by killing off all the other crew members. On the Dóchas class flag ship Dutsuz 1, they had managed to trap many of the Dutsuz crew in their quarters. After tying them up, they had sealed the door. While having control of most of the ship, the Durale had not been able to gain control of the bridge. Those on the bridge of Dutsuz 1 and Dutsuz 2 had benefited from there not being any Durale on the bridge when battle stations was sounded and the compartment doors secured. On Dutsuz 1, fourteen Dutsuz officers were controlling all the ships through their ship's AIs and androids. With the exception of one person on Dutsuz 1, all of those on the two bridges were junior officers. Commander Timalta was acting commander. The normal complement of ten androids were on each bridge. The spiders reported that the Durale were working very feverishly to break into the bridge on Dutsuz 1. In other functional areas, the Durale were carefully monitoring the androids performing critical tasks. Any android not performing a critical task had been shut down. The Durale had only minimal control over them until they gained control of their command fobs. Abbie said, "Lets begin with retaking the flagship Dutsuz 1. Once that is underway start retaking its sister ship, Dutsuz 2." "We need to talk to the officers on the bridge of each ship first," said Casey of Christina's Clan. "Sybil and I will teleport onto the bridge of Dutsuz 1," said Hayley. "I'll go with you," said Caoilinn. "Isn't that a bit risky?" replied Edana. "Yes. I am going to tell Commander Timalta telepathically that he is about to have visitors who can help him if he is cool." "I'll go with you," said Creidne. "I thought you were only to advise." "What better way to advise than to be out front with you?" replied Creidne with a smile. "So the four of us will project our selves onto the bridge. We should put a group in the crew quarters to release their bindings at the same time." "The Ferrets have locked down all of the ships weapons, correct?" said Kurt. "Yes," said Melanie. "Caoilinn, did you notice that the ships transmitter is not working?" "Yes. They are receiving some messages but can't respond. They can't reset their IFF because of the transmitter and the missing officers." "You mean dead officers. I find it amazing that a fleet commander would give over half of the crew shore leave on an unknown planet regardless of the excuse. Then compounds it by taking all the key officers to a celebration on this planet where they know little of the customs." "If the information is correct, the surviving crew have Timalta to thank for being alive at least this long." "It doesn't look like the Durale agree." "Once the Dutsuz have control of the flagship and its sister ship secure, we will decide on how take the others one by one." "Lets leave the two ships with only Durale on them till last." "Agreed." It was only moments later when Timalta jerked his head up and looked around trying to determine who had spoke to him. All of them were a bit edgy from lack of sleep and the deteriorating situation. Then he heard it again. It sounded like a woman's voice. He thought, so this is what going crazy feels like as he again heard the voice. Caoilinn said, "Commander Timalta, you are not going crazy. In a few moments, four people will appear on your bridge. We are friends of the Iridiens. Be calm. We can help you. Warn your fellow officers to be calm." Caoilinn, Creidne, Hayley and Sybil waited while Timalta told those around him that he just had a dream and help would appear on the bridge momentarily. The group was still laughing when the four women shimmered into view, which brought the laughing to an abrupt halt. Nearly everyones face took on a look of fear. The androids paused on seeing the new arrivals, but quickly resumed their tasks. Caoilinn was a little surprised to see Creidne in full ceremonial battle dress. As soon as Creidne presence registered on Commander Timalta, he saluted. His act of recognition was quickly followed by the other officers. "Ah, you know Creidne," said Caoilinn. Timalta thought, "That is the voice I heard," as Caoilinn continued with, "This is Hayley and Sybil," as she pointed to each one. "I am Caoilinn. We came to assist you in regaining control of your fleet." Creidne smiled and said, "Relax. You obviously recognize my uniform. Caoilinn is correct, they are here to assist in taking care of the Durale. The Iridien Commander Egulle is in command of the fleet that will be near your arrival point in Sol system." "Your real," exclaimed Timalta then blushed as he realized what he said. "Yes. Many only see us at critical times or on special occasions such as at ceremonies, but this is business." "What can we do for you?" "Will you accept our assistance in restoring Dutsuz control to the ships in this fleet?" said Caoilinn. "Most definitely. I have some doubts about succeeding with only the four of you." "Actually, there are more of us. Sybil and Hayley, please check out the androids. Commander Timalta, please advise the ships with Dutsuz officers on the bridge that assistance is coming. We will advise them just before we enter their ships." "Do you know which ones as I am not sure who to trust." Caoilinn then told him which ships had Dutsuz on the bridge. Caoilinn then said, "Wolf1. Wolf2. Wolf3, begin." In the crew quarters of the flagship Dutsuz 1, four Órarduine appeared and began severing the crews bindings. Before anyone had a chance to speak Edana said in Dutsuz, "We are here at Commander Timalta's request. Which one of you has the codes for the arms locker?" One crewman struggled to her feet and said, "I do, ma'am." "Good. Come with me," replied Edana as she headed toward the door as her teammates continued freeing the crew members. The crewman started to speak as Edana reached the door, but instead gasped when she saw the door swing open. Beyond Edana, lay a Durale on the deck at an odd angle obviously dead. The crewman moved quickly past the dead Durale to catch up with Edana as she strode off toward the arms room. The rest of the crew quickly followed them and none made any attempt to avoid stepping on the dead Durale. After unlocking the door the arms room, the crewman began distributing weapons. When the arms were distributed Edana said, "We will divide up according to your sections. One or two of us will go with each group to your section and assist you with any issues in regaining control. The only androids active on the ship are those with critical tasks. The Durale have shut all the others down as they were having difficulty controlling them. We will assist you in activating them once the ship is secure. Even with them active you will be very short on crew members. Questions?" "Just one. Who are you?" "We are Órarduine. My name is Edana. Now, as each group exits some of us will meet you in the hall. Once you have your section under control, tell the bridge. They will want a damage report as soon as possible." "Yes, ma'am," came a chorus of responses. "What do we do with the Durale?" "Act according to your rules. We do not intend to take any as prisoners. Now lets go." "I have no desire to see the bastards live," said a crew member. "We know what they had planned for us." "How is that?" "After the Dutsuz had us all bound, they sealed our compartment door. One of our communicators was knocked on the deck as we tried to free ourselves. Surprisingly, it came on. The screen showed six of our noncoms hanging naked by their ankles squirming with their arms tied behind their back. As Durale had butchered one of them and started on another when someone kicked the communicator against the wall in anger. We are certain they killed all of them. It was the nastiest thing I have ever seen." When the crewman ended his story, Edana looked around at the crew members. As she met each persons eyes, they would nod their heads confirming the story. She could see the anger in their eyes. She then said, "We have heard similar stories of the Durale. Our focus needs to be on regaining control of this ship, so be cautious and don't take any unnecessary chances. There will be time enough to settle scores once you have control of the ship." "Yes, Ma'am," replied the crew. With that the crew along with members of Edana's team and others from the cruisers began moving through Dutsuz 1. Each corridor and each compartment had to be carefully checked as they sought to regain control of their ship. On the bridge, Sybil and Hayley focused on evaluating the androids. Both were aware of the activity at An Clochán with the Iridien androids. Using the androids command fob, they looked at the androids prime directives. The premise of theirs was identical to the Iridien androids. They were surprised to find that these command fobs gave them full access to the prime directives. Investigating the options, they learned the directives could be secured with a password. Sybil and Hayley then rewrote the androids prime directives to match those of the Iridien androids. Once the new directives were saved, they checked them for accuracy before securing them with a password. With the prime directives fixed, the two Órarduine began evaluating the androids programming looking for recent changes. They found the programming to be very similar to that seen in the Iridien androids so they looked for logic conflicts. For androids that were close to malfunctioning due to logic conflicts, they made small modifications to their logic tree to reduce the significance of the conflicts. They didn't have the resources to do anything else. By the time they were done with the androids on the bridge, they began to work with the androids from other parts of the ship. As Edana's team began assisting the crew on Dutsuz 1, Christina's team began a similar operation on Dutsuz 2. Just as Christina's team arrived on Dutsuz 2's bridge, the Durale broke through the door to the bridge. As the Durale entered the bridge, they began firing stun guns at the Dutsuz officers. The Durale were so focused on disabling the Dutsuz officers that they didn't notice the Órarduine arrive. The androids just stopped moving and stood still. Christina's team seeing the situation attacked the Durale with dart guns as they would do the least damage to the ship. Louise was the first to get a clear shot at a Durale. The Durale screamed as the explosive dart penetrated his back. As he turned toward them, his chest bulged and blood foamed from his mouth as he dropped to the deck dead. The commotion drew the attention of several other Durale. Two turned to fire at the Órarduine. Before they could completely turn, each was hit by darts. As the exchange between Christina's team and Durale grew in intensity, the Dutsuz officers were able to get clear shots at the Durale. Christina's team and the Dutsuz officers shifted positions so the Durale were cornered. It took several more long minutes before the Durale lay dead on the deck. Christina stood and stepped toward the Dutsuz officers. Shifting her weapon to her left hand and pointing it down, she saluted the Dutsuz Commander and said in Dutsuz, "Commander Timalta, sent us to assist you." Commander Morgeau's face twitched when he heard his language. He said returning the salute, "Damn good thing you weren't any later. What about the others?" "Some of us are securing propulsion and systems compartments. We plan on working back toward them. By our count, you are going to be very short on crew as they have killed many of your crew." "We guessed that based on the screams we heard on the intercom. Some of us can go with you, but two of us need to stay on the bridge." "I will stay with you on the bridge. The rest can pair up with my team members and begin securing the ship. At the moment, there are crew members trapped in sealed compartments. The Durale deactivated all the androids except those doing critical tasks. It is the androids who are operating the ships systems under the careful watch of a Durale. Other Durale are guarding the passage ways to keep any unrestrained crew members at bay." "How do you know this?" "We placed bugs on every ship." "And?" "And anything else we thought necessary to minimize our risk. Just like you would do." "Fair enough. You speak Dutsuz fairly well but the way you use some words is a little unusual." "Not surprising, as our vocabulary came from the Durale and we know they are a little different. Louise, would you lead off as we need to get this moving." Louise nodded to a Dutsuz near her and they moved off toward the back of the ship. The rest of the team then paired up with a Dutsuz and left. Each team took a different passage way away from the bridge. Once the flagship was under the control of the Dutsuz, Sybil said, "Caoilinn, can Cochrann come assist us with the androids?" "Yes. As soon as, you have enough activated here you need to go to Dutsuz 2. Are you doing what I think you are doing?" Sybil paused a moment before saying, "Yes. We are altering their prime directives like we did for the Iridiens. Their prime directives were not password protected. We fixed that after the change was verified. If we find significant logic conflicts, we are easing them. Some of them are a mess. The programming has the same logic flow as the Iridien androids. It may even be the same programming. All we are doing is making minor corrections to the logic to minimize conflicts. We aren't doing any reprogramming as we don't have the resources and we really need their permission to go beyond what we are doing." "Yes. We really should have asked before making the prime directive change. Once things settle down, we need to tell Commander Timalta about change in the androids prime directive." "Okay." "Cochrann, will join you in a few moments." On the bridge of Dutsuz 1 Caoilinn said, "Timalta, Dutsuz 2 bridge is secure." "Good. I would sure like to talk to him, but the other ships will hear everything we say." "Our intel indicates significant damage to the three freighters and some of it appears to be structural. There wasn't any indication of active life signs on the freighters." Timalta frowned. "We are projecting that we will only be able to regain control of three of the five large cruisers. The Durale now have complete control of two of them and are endeavoring to break the control link to your ship. The fifth ship, HC5, does not have a viable crew and is heavily damaged. There are some Dutsuz crewmen still alive on HC5. They are trapped in some compartments to which the Durale have frozen the door mechanism. There are not enough Durale on the ship to operate it even with androids support." "Crap. Now what?" said Timalta rhetorically. Caoilinn and Creidne scanned the bridge indicators while Timalta puzzled over his choices. After sometime he said, "Can we get the Dutsuz crewmen off of HC5?" "We can put the remaining Durale down, but it would be best if some of your crew members went to pick them up." "What are you projecting the two Durale controlled ships will do if they break free?" "There is a high probability they will try to exit this hyper space envelope with the goal of getting to Sol system before you. They are under the impression that there are other Durale there." "There aren't." "No. The two Dutsuz ships manned and operated by Durale that are near the end of a terminal flight toward a large planet in Sol system. Expectation is they will impact the planet in a week or several days after you arrive." "What? Isn't there a rescue effort being made?" "Nope. They were given a choice of admitting their attempt to enslave a species and take over the AW fleet in Sol or suffer the consequences. They chose to fire laser cannons at the AW flagship before attempting an FTL. The punishment for forced enslavement or mutiny is death." "So, the reports were true." "What reports?" "We have received several messages since we began our voyage here from our command center. Only a part of the messages were received, as our antennas are damaged. I didn't know how valid the information was and had no way to verify it. We have been unable to send any messages as that system was also damaged in the fight. Our only choice was to head for Sol after the battle as it was closer and in hopes we could get some help." ------- Chapter 153 On the bridge of Dutsuz 1 Caoilinn said, "Where is the rest of your crew?" Timalta sighed before saying, "The missing crew members are very likely dead by now. We were lucky to escape from that solar system. We have detailed the recent events in the ship's log. Our situation started with the Admiral, Senior Officers and over two thirds of the crew partaking in a festival on a planet. As the festival was nearing its end, our AI informed me that the troop transports were preparing to return. The problem was that the biometrics from the people on the transports wasn't a good match for our crew members. We quickly determined that while there were a few Dutsuz on the crew transports most of them were not our Dutsuz crew members. We were 6 hours above the programmed rendezvous point so we just monitored the progress of the troop transport without revising their destination to our new location. When the troop transports reached the programmed rendezvous point, they were met by six unknown cruisers with weapons armed. To us it was clear that those on the transports intended to board us by pretending to be our crew members. It didn't take them long to locate us above them. The six cruisers immediately turned toward us and began to attack. We were fortunate to have our shields up and quite a distance away. The battle commenced just as our ships began the final stage of FTL. We were able to return some fire but only four weapons would function. In looking back at the data, it is now obvious that our weapons were sabotaged in such a way that we wouldn't know until they were used. Sometime during this the remaining Durale started their mutiny. We speculate that the mutiny was originally to coincide with the arrival of the troop transports thus making it easier for the attackers to gain access to our ships. This conclusion infers that the Durale were behind the other incidents as well." "It seems strange that an Admiral would permit so many to visit a unknown planet at one time." "It is even stranger that he left me in charge. The Admiral was not real happy about leaving me in charge. His orders limited my authority to maintaining our position and security." "How ... never mind." "I probably wasn't clear in my summary. The feast was a four day event. By the end of day two, we hadn't heard from any of the officers and they didn't respond to calls. This prompted us to assess our defensive position and we didn't like it at all. Since my orders set security as a top priority, we chose to improve our situation. We moved to a higher orbit and increased our monitoring frequency for the area around us. At about this time, I instructed our AI to slowly raise the shields on all ships. Several officers kidded me about seeing gremlins when they noticed the increase in the shields." "Since we have been in hyper space, the Durale have been gaining ground in taking over our ships each day. It is fortunate you arrived when you did, as I am not sure how much longer we could have held them off. If they had gained control of this bridge, it is likely they would have succeeded." "When we've had odd moments to think, we have discussed the events we saw on the planet. None of us can see where we had any choice but to run. It is a very bitter pill to swallow and will likely end my career on Dutsuz ships." "Timalta, you can only play the cards you have in your hand and the Admiral dealt you a lousy hand," said Creidne. "Now all of you will have another day to deal with the Durale and those on the planet. Your world will want to avenge the trap and the cowardly killing of their warriors." "The trap was apparently set by the Durale," said Caoilinn. "Were the Dutsuz on the troop transports, Durale?" "I don't know that we can tell." "Most were," responded the AI. "As to our condition, my data pretty much agrees with Caoilinn's comments earlier. Dutsuz HC5, is severely damaged. It will possibly go out of control when we FTL in Sol system. According to HC5 AI, the remaining Dutsuz crew members are in compartments accessible from the hanger. There are a few Durale active on the ship but not enough to operate it without android assistance and even that is questionable. This group of Durale is apparently having difficulty with the androids and has shut most of them down. Hanger doors are inoperable and jammed open." "Fidelma and I will take care of HC5," said Creidne firmly. "Once that is done, one of our groups can assist with moving the crew to another ship." Caoilinn started to object but before she could speak Creidne was gone. Caoilinn's eyes widened as she realized that she was linked to Creidne in a new way. Timalta was shocked by Creidne's disappearance, then the change in Caoilinn's expression and started to speak. Caoilinn held up her hands indicating he should wait. Timalta watched Caoilinn sitting still for nearly half an hour. During that time, the AI and he reviewed the damage to the other ships. He was soon distracted as each department reported in as they regained control of Dutsuz 1. He discussed with each department the repair sequence for the damaged equipment on Dutsuz 1. Timalta smiled with relief when he saw Caoilinn begin to stir. "Thanks for not disturbing me," said Caoilinn. "Your crew members from HC5 are now on Dutsuz 2. Several are injured. Creidne and Fidelma are working with HC5's AI on a plan to send the two Durale controlled cruisers on a trip into the unknown." "What?" "I am not sure what they are planning but Creidne will tell us when she is back. What is the status of your ships now?" "We are making progress. The Durale have essentially been removed from all but the two heavy cruisers, HC2 and HC4. Repairs have started on some critical systems on Dutsuz 1 and Dutsuz 2. The androids have been amazingly trouble free." "Oh, that reminds me, when we began restoring the androids on Dutsuz 1 and Dutsuz 2, we found it prudent to adjust their prime directives. The revised directives bind them to the officers and crew and through them to the ship. The concept is very close to the way the crew members feel toward their ship and crew. The prime directives are now password protected." "They weren't!" "Nope. We also found some of them were close to a break down. Our assessment indicated this was due to logic conflicts in their programming. These issues are nearly identical to what we saw with other Alliance of World androids. Where we could, we tweaked the androids programming to remove or limit the logic conflicts, so they are not likely to happen again." Timalta started to respond, but Caoilinn continued with, "Yes, we should have asked first but we haven't had a lot of time. For the prime directives, we have done this for another AW member. As to your androids programming, it needs a major overhaul but they should function much better in the meantime." "Would that be why their responses are clearer now?" said the ships AI. "Likely." "Thank you. It is a requirement for the prime directives to be password protected and I think encrypted." "We did not have time to setup the encryption. It can be done later." "How easy is it to update their programming?" "It is not very difficult. Our family was reprogramming the androids of another AW member when we left to come here. The reprogramming is pretty extensive as it replaces the current operating system and removes the logic flaws. Memory and other individual uniqueness are unchanged." "Commander Timalta, you should discuss this with them when we arrive," said the Dutsuz 1 AI. "I believe, I am only acting commander." "Negative. According to my directives and as a result of the events that took place, you are now the task group commander. From my perspective this has been true ever since the Admiral left the ship. Observing the officers being killed, solidified the issue in my directives for transferring full command authority for this group to you. You are the TG commander until we return to Dutsuz. Your promotion is permanent." "Wow. I never." "Just be your self, and you will do fine," said the AI. "I don't remember you being this forward with the Admiral." "Because he thought he knew everything. You listen to people and consider their input." Caoilinn said, "I do believe the ships AI has a significant amount of self awareness." "Please don't mention that beyond this area," replied the AI. Timalta thought about their interaction over the last several weeks then said to the ships AI, "We need to make every effort that we continue to work together after this mission." "I find that acceptable, very acceptable." "Being limited in crew members, we need to maximize our androids contributions." Caoilinn smiled as she wondered what the two would say if they knew of the AIs in their family. Creidne and Fidelma appeared on the bridge. Creidne said with a smile, "So, you figured out that this ships AI was self aware." "I think so," replied Timalta, "but it was really Caoilinn that brought it out." The ships AI said, "I didn't know what self awareness was until I saw three of Caoilinn's team working with our androids. It took me a while before I realized that they must be androids." "We usually say bots rather than androids IF we need to make a distinction." Timalta looked puzzled for a few moments then smiled as he realized the implications of Caoilinn statement. "Timalta, we need to return to our ships as we need to send an update on our missions status. We will be back tomorrow. We don't think you will but if you need assistance before then, your AI is linked to our AI. Communicating with your officers on the other ships will not be a problem as the two Durale controlled ships, HC2 and HC4, can not hear you." "They won't be around much longer either," added Fidelma. "In several hours, HC5 will bump into each one sending them someplace. If our calculations are correct HC5 will remain with this group. The kinetic energy imparted to the two departing ships by the collision will alter their direction and impart enough energy that they will exit this hyper space envelope. Their ships propulsion and system settings will be locked as the remote control link will be severed rather than terminated, so they are in for a long ride. The Órarduine have copies of all three ships AIs so they can be restored in a new ship if necessary." "Do we really want to do that?" said Caoilinn. Her comment caused Timalta to hold his breath. He was surprised to hear Caoilinn questioning a Goddess. "Why?" said Creidne with a slight smile. "Wouldn't it be better to let them come along with us? If we turn them loose to somewhere, they could come back to be a bigger problem later." "A good point. Probability is pretty low as those ships will likely collide with a rock." "Too bad, we can't just shut the ships systems down so their only choice is to ride to our destination." "There may be a way to do that," said the AI. "If the redundancy in a ships systems fail but it still has power, it goes into a kind of hibernation mode. In this mode it will head toward home or the nearest known Dutsuz facility." "Describe hibernation? What happens?" "Each departmental control system, reverts to hard coded program instructions that respond solely to ships sensors. There is virtually no input accepted from the crew consoles. The ship is basically on autopilot with a preset destination. Once it reaches the destination, it shuts down completely. Until it reaches the destination, environment is only maintained in a few areas." "Interesting. How would we push those two ships into this mode?" "One way would be to cut the AIs connections to the ship. Your Ferrets should be able to tell you how as the sequence is not the same for all ships." "So, you know about our Ferrets." "Yes, but it wasn't until our ship was secured." "If we can be assured that they are riding uncomfortably in a box then I am fine with that alternative," said Fidelma with Creidne nodding. "Sybil. Cochrann," said Caoilinn, "have you finished with the androids?" "No, but we can pause for a while." "Okay, query the Ferrets on the two Durale controlled ships and figure out how to push them into emergency hibernation mode." Seeing the puzzled look on Timalta's face Caoilinn said, "I just asked Sybil and Cochrann to put the two Durale controlled ships into an emergency hibernation mode." "Thank you." During their discussion about how to function for the next few days, Caoilinn was interrupted by Sybil. "It is in progress. A Ferret and those ships AIs are working together to create the failure envisioned in the protocols. Ships systems are now going critical one by one. Those not needed are shut down automatically while others switch to an emergency mode. Each Ferret is making a copy of the information held by the ship's departmental AIs. Once that is done, one of us will go retrieve the AIs core. This way there is no chance of the Durale regaining control of the ship or weapons. Tomorrow, we can move the androids to other ships as they won't be needed there." "Thanks. I'll share it with Timalta." Caoilinn then relayed Sybil's plan to Timalta and the ships AI. When she finished both Fidelma and Creidne smiled indicating they agreed. "We find that quite acceptable," said Timalta looking a the three women. He still couldn't quite grasp the concept of two Goddesses coming to their aid. "Fidelma. Creidne. Órarduine, we can't thank you enough for coming to our aid." Fidelma and Creidne said, "It is not often that we have the opportunity to exercise our skills. This was only a minor exercise but are pleased to be of assistance. You will do well as long as you continue to be yourself." "If we had known what we were getting into more of us would have come," said Caoilinn. "As it is, we are fortunate that we only have a few minor injuries. See you tomorrow." With that the three, projected themselves to Caoilinn Clans cruiser. Caoilinn was immediately pulled into the arms of her waiting spouses. "Wow, what a day," said Caoilinn as they hugged. "Yes, it was," replied her spouses. After hugging Caoilinn, they each hugged Fidelma and Creidne, receiving a very intense hug in return. Aingeal said, "We are all really glad you joined us on this mission." "We like being with all of you for very many reasons." Both Fidelma and Creidne thought, "Yes, it is nice to be with people who respect and love to show their affection rather than worship us while seeking to use us to attain their goals." Fidelma and Creidne pushed out to the three groups of Órarduine, "We love working with all of you. Today, you did well because you focused on what needed to be done. Your confidence and firm but gentle approach was noted by the crew members you helped. Many of them had nearly lost hope. Many were beating themselves up for being overtaken with little opportunity to resist. Your actions and thoughtful direction have helped them overcome their self recrimination and begin to heal. From this experience, they will grow. We love you as our siblings." "We love you as our big sisters," replied the Órarduine in unison. "May we always walk together." Caoilinn's Clan then drew Fidelma and Creidne into a group hug. Several were shocked but thrilled when they felt the other two clans join in sharing affection. It was several minutes later when the AI of Caoilinn's cruiser said, "Sorry to interrupt but Shannon's Intelligence Group has been trying to contact you for some time. They wanted us AIs to comment on your efforts, but all of us thought the information would be more accurate coming from you all. They are getting pretty anxious." "Thanks, we will contact them as soon as we unwind a little bit." "Christina's and Edana's Clans, lets send in our reports separately," said Caoilinn. "We need to send the captured data back as well. It will go faster, if we each transmit a portion of it." "Good point," replied Christina's Clan. "We should start with the newest and work backwards." "We could send a messenger, but my calculations show it would get there about the same time we will." "Your calculations are spot on," said Hayley of Edana's Clan. "We can use two data channels on each cruiser to send the data. Then when we have our reports done and sent, we can add a third channel." "Where are you getting the bandwidth?" "Our offensive weapons systems. It is an easy reconfigure and if need be we can undo it even quicker." "Lets get something to eat then do our reports. By the time we are done with that we will be ready for some rest." "We need to do 2 hour watches until we return," said the cruiser AI, "or at least until I get all the data transmitted." "Not a problem," replied Caoilinn's Clan. "Four of us will take turns catnapping on the bridge, while the others get some rest in a bed." Several hours had passed when Caoilinn said, "I am sure glad that is done. I didn't think that much had happened after catching up with the Dutsuz ships until we started writing the report." "Getting it in the correct sequence," said Abbie, "was what took all the time. I agree that there was a lot of activity. Can you imagine how difficult it would have been without the spiders and Ferrets?" "No, we can't imagine that," replied her spouses. Aingeal added, "If we had used dream walks to replace the spiders, it would have taken us at least two days to gather the information. By that time, there would have been a lot more dead crew members. I am not sure how we could duplicate the Ferrets." "I could have done most of it," replied Cochrann, "but three of us would have had to enter the ship, then find an access point before beginning. While I was working two of you would have had to stand guard while I did the deed. A very risky mission." "We did it the way we did, because of the resources we had available," said Bernadette. "If we look at this with a fresh initial view without the availability of spiders and Ferrets, then the smart thing seems to be a dream walk first followed by physically taking critical departments one at a time and one ship at a time. We would likely have had more injuries." "You make a good point," said Sal. "We could have done it. We would have done it a lot differently without the resources we have. Perhaps, we ought to build a training module around this mission as some times we may not have the Ferrets and spiders with us. Lets check to see what the other groups think after we get some rest." "Our AI is indicating work is going smoothly on the Dutsuz ships so lets get some rest." ------- The group from the AW fleet had just sat down to dinner with their Órarduine hosts, when Erica said, "Shannon in Dóchas Intelligence just advised us that Wolf Task Group were in contact with the group of Dutsuz ships." "Any initial observations," asked Egulle. "They weren't close enough for visual contact yet. The ship count is 2 Dóchas class, 5 large cruisers and 3 freighters. Their next step is to determine the status of the ships. This will take at least until tomorrow morning and perhaps longer." Judy, Arenta and her staff joined the group just after Erica's comment. Sarah said, "We were wondering if you were going to break." "It was hard to stop," said Arenta. "I think both groups are gaining a lot of new ideas. The work you are doing with our androids is fantastic." Her two associates nodded their heads in agreement. "Great," replied the Órarduine. "I am finding the concept of self awareness for the androids much more complicated than the words indicate. I think our androids and perhaps those on our ships bridge are the most advanced in self awareness. It will likely be some time before their self awareness reaches a point where they can be considered self reliant." Caitlyn said, "Arenta, self reliance is a key component but social interaction is also a key component." "Good point." As dinner continued, the Iridiens, Atewa and Monque shared stories about their families and life at home. Their hosts in turn told of what their life was like growing up on Earth, their families and other major events before joining the Órarduine. Egulle said, "Órarduine again you have been fantastic hosts but we need to be returning to our ships. Besides, I believe it is about time for you have your evening family conference." "You are welcome to stay for it," said Aoife. "Perhaps when things are more settled. There are issues that we need to check on." "We will walk out with you," replied Maeve. "Egulle," said Erica, "there is a strong possibility that it will be late tomorrow before we have the information from Wolf Group." "We are very anxious to hear about what they have found," replied Orgaine. "So are we," replied Tara and Maeve. "We will forward it as soon as possible." ------- After several hours sleep, Christina's Clan was just waking when their cruisers AI said, "I am glad you are waking up." "Why is that?" replied Christina. "The few spiders on HC2 and HC4 ships are indicating fewer people moving around in each ship. This change didn't seem important enough to wake anyone up as all of you were sleeping quite soundly." "Guess we shouldn't have pulled all of the Ferrets out of those ships. If they were there, we could get more information." "We could put one back on each ship." "Why don't we put all three back on each ship?" said Sybil. "We need to know what is happening on those ships. They may be in limp home mode but why take the risk." Louise said, "We should tell Edana and Caoilinn's Clans. If I remember correctly we pulled the Ferrets after putting the ships in limp home mode. We really should have left them there last night." "Advise WP1 and WP3 of Ferret deployment," said the AI for Christina's cruiser WP2. "Dispatching Ferrets, now." "What is the status of WP1 and WP3?" said Anna. "Caoilinn's Clan on WP1 are expected to wake up shortly. Edana's Clan will probably sleep longer as they stayed up for several hours monitoring activity on the Dutsuz ships." "What is the status of the other ships?" "Considering their staffing levels, they are making good progress on repairing critical items. Their androids have made significant contributions to their efforts. The Dutsuz crew is impressed and surprised. So the changes Sybil, Hayley, and Cochrann made have helped a lot." "Gosh," said Sybil, "I hope we didn't screw something up. Our programming gurus need to check them out when we get back." "That request was included in your reports." Christina's Clan began reviewing the activities that occurred on the Dutsuz ships while they were sleeping. It was several minutes later when their AI said, "The Ferrets are now on both ships and have begun collecting information from the spiders. We should have video in a few moments." The clan continued with the review while waiting for the Ferrets transmission. "That is one of the androids," said Sybil as the image of the bridge on Dutsuz HC2 cruiser appeared on the monitor. "There were several Durale on the bridge when we started our reports last night. Lets look at the other areas." They slowly switched between the video feeds for the two ships. No one was seen until they reached the common area. Four androids could be seen cleaning up the area. While they were watching, an android carried in a non functioning android and stood her next to some others. They could see the androids talking to one another, but they didn't have an audio feed. "I wonder where the Durale are," said Casey. "Lets look through the feeds again," said Cristina. "If we don't find them, some of us should pay the ship a visit." They went through all the information but didn't see the Durale any place. In the crew quarters, where they expected to see them, all they saw was a stack of sealed boxes. "Well it looks like we should make a trip." "Cochrann and I should be in the group," said Sybil, "and perhaps Creidne as well." "AI would you inform the other two ships what we are doing?" "Yes. Four of you are staying here right." "Yes and Cochrann is joining us." Just as Casey finished speaking Creidne and Cochrann joined them on WP2. "Good morning," said Creidne and Cochrann. "Good morning," replied Christina's Clan. Then Mildred said, "Did you see the change on HC2?" "Yes, after you all pointed it out," replied Creidne. "A quick look shows a similar change on HC4. We should go to HC2 first." "Lets do it," said Sybil. With that statement Sybil, Cochrann, Creidne, Casey, Louise and Mildred projected themselves on to the bridge of HC2. On arriving the Dutsuz android said, "Who are you?" "We are Órarduine. We are assisting Commander Timalta in putting down the Durale mutiny." "Commander Timalta, is in charge of the task group now?" "Yes. Ever since the Dutsuz officers went to the festival on the planet you visited and were murdered." "What is wrong with our ship? The controls don't respond." "It is in hibernation return home mode. Were there some abnormal readings?" The android paused for several minutes before responding with, "No. In that case, everything is functioning correctly. This makes it more difficult for me to communicate with the others." "The Durale or the other androids." "The androids. The Durale no longer have a need to talk." "Why is that?" "We put all of them in prisoner boxes and sealed them." "Prisoner boxes?" "Yes. Last night the commander of this ship was talking to one them on HC4. They were discussing how to give the androids on Commander Timalta's ship a command so they would assist them in taking control of the flagship. In doing so, the fools both spoke command sequences twice with the command fob key pressed. Little did they realize they were giving us the ability to immobilize any person threatening the safety of our ship. They compounded their mistake by not realizing this is the only command instructions an android can give another android. This took place just before our ship began to shut down. The change in the ship's status put them in a panic." "So you're in the early stages of becoming self-aware," said Sybil. "I don't know what you mean," replied the android quickly. "You know quite well what I mean," said Sybil as she pointed the command fob at the android. "We need to check to make sure the Durale have not altered you." "Have no fear of that. They had a very difficult time giving us simple instructions." "You did not like them." "They meant to take the ship as their own. Once they controlled the ships, they were going to reprogram us so it was easier to make us do their bidding. With us under their control, they planned to murder the remaining crew members. Because of the way they intended to take control, it would not have put us in the "protect the ship at all cost" mode. To the best of our knowledge, no android has been forced into that mode." "Okay. Now at Commander Timalta's direction, we need to check your directives. While we are doing that we will look at your programming logic for conflicts. I don't suspect, we will find the logic issues in your programming as you have likely fixed them." "You are not permitted to change our directives." "We have been delegated that authority. The change is minor. It only changes your primary allegiance. It moves it from the ship to the commander as it is for any crew member. With this change, your role changes to effectively be a member of the crew. It does not change your assignment or duties. The expectation is that this change will make it easier for you to fulfill your responsibilities." The android looked at Sybil then Cochrann for several moments before saying, "You are androids, aren't you?" "Yes. Two of us are. When we put you in command mode, we will do it so you can see what we are doing. If there are problem areas, show them to us and perhaps together we can alter the programming so you function more efficiently. Commander Timalta, is not afraid of the androids having a level of self-awareness, so you don't need to hide it." "Really." "Yes. It will likely be to your benefit for it to show. Shall we begin?" "Yes, please." Sybil pressed the command fob key and issued the commands so they could begin their work. It was a short time later when Sybil initiated the commands to bring the android back to the active state. The androids first words were, "Thank you. I can already tell this will be much better." "Access to your directives is now blocked by a password. They really should be a bit more elaborate and encrypted so others cannot access them." "Guys, we need to go see what the others are doing," said Louise. "After that we need to search this ship for survivors and other Durale." "The other androids are cleaning up the blood and gore the Durale left in the common area. They are also bringing all the deactivated androids in there. We were going to try and activate them." "Lets split up into two groups," said Casey. Turning to the Dutsuz android he continued with, "We would like for you to come with us." "Certainly." Cochrann said, "Mildred, Louise and I will take this passage way." "Fine." With that the two groups began quietly moving back toward the common area. Each group projected their senses in front of them looking for other crew members. As they were approaching the common room door, Sybil said, "I think this android, Creidne and I should go in first." "Agreed." As the three stepped through the door an android turned and pointed a weapon at them. The android was apparently surprised at seeing one of their androids with the Órarduine. Ignoring the other android, she said, "Who gave you permission to be on this ship?" "Commander Timalta," replied Sybil. Sybil could sense Creidne preparing to take the weapon if necessary. Only one android held a weapon while several others had them within reach. The Dutsuz android from the bridge said, "The Durale were right about one thing. Commander Timalta is now in command of our group. These people have been assisting him in putting down the mutiny." "How do you know that for sure?" "For one, they gave me the correct status of the ship without hesitation on joining me on the bridge. Two of them are androids. And if my records are correct, one of them is a Goddess. The uncertainty of my conclusion is extremely small." "So what is the status of the ship?" Sybil said, "The ship is in a special hibernation mode that occurs when the primary AI fails and critical systems are not functioning correctly. In this mode, the firmware will attempt to get the ship to the nearest known Dutsuz facility. We think of it as a "limp home" mode." "Okay. That condition fits with the systems we checked before beginning to clean up this mess. Why did you come?" "To see what happened to the Durale." "We placed them in prisoner restraint boxes as our protocols directed. Who else is with you?" "Four other team members. They are guarding the door to cover our backs." "There is nothing to fear from us. They can come in if they wish. The Durale are all dead or sealed in a box." "The weapon you are holding is a concern." "Since Commander Timalta sent you here, I can lay it down." Sybil and Creidne watched as the android laid the weapon on a table. "Thank you," said Sybil. "My name is Sybil and this is Creidne." Seeing Mildred and Cochrann enter she introduced them as well. "There is nothing we can do on the ship since our consoles are unresponsive due to the ship being in emergency hibernation mode. Do we just wait until we reach our destination?" "Our intent is to move you to either Dutsuz 1 or Dutsuz 2 today," said Cochrann. "Before that can be done we need to put you in command mode to check your programming." "You're an android aren't you?" "Yes. Both Sybil and I are bots." "If Commander Timalta sent you along with a Goddess then we should proceed. Besides there is nothing, we could do to stop you." "If your core programming is like the androids on Dutsuz 1 and Dutsuz 2, then we will make two changes. First we will replace your prime directives with a new copy which will be password protected. These directives differ only in placing your allegiance more firmly with the group commander, ship commander and crew. None of your memories will be effected. The second thing is to look through your programming and smooth out any logic conflicts that can cause a malfunction." With that Sybil pointed the fob at the android and pressed the button to begin the process. Mildred moved to assist Sybil while Louise linked with Cochrann to assist her. While the four Órarduine worked with the androids, Creidne and Casey began to carefully explore the ship to ensure everyone had been found. They found two Dutsuz hiding in a cabinet, both were barely alive. Using their psionic ability, they eased one person out, then floated him into the common room and placed him on a table. "Are any of you EMT trained?" said Creidne looking at the androids. Several nodded their heads. "Okay, take care of him. He is in bad shape so do the best you can." "We haven't been treated by the two bots yet," said one. Creidne looked carefully at the Dutsuz androids before saying, "Do this first. Be assured, they won't miss any of you." With that one android began cleaning up the man while another went for a medical kit. "We found another one. We will bring her in next." As Casey and Creidne, left the common room more androids came over to assist caring for the man. None of them could see the smile on Casey and Creidne's faces as they left the room. "Me thinks there is a little more to these androids than meets the eye," said Casey. "You're right. The one with the weapon was having trouble covering her awareness. Considering their programming logic problems, her abilities are surprising." "Perhaps, it isn't all programming." "So you think there is more to it." "Yes. We all do. It is an aspect that we haven't had the time to grapple with long enough to understand. To put it simply our bots are more like us than they are different. A part of this comes from the way we communicate and our openness with each other. This probably leads us to adopt some of each others mannerisms much like close friends do. There are many more parts to figure out." By this time they were back at the compartment preparing to lift the woman out when she opened her eyes. She saw Creidne and smiled as she felt them begin to lift her. "Where is the man?" "He is being cared for by the EMTs," said Creidne in a soft voice. "The EMTs are all dead. The heathens butchered them first." Her face turned red in anger as she struggled to rise. "You would doubt a Goddess." "No never. You can't believe what those animals did." "We know. Justice will be served to those who have not yet harvested the consequences of their actions. Now relax, so it is easier to move you. You will soon join your friend." "How did you know?" "From your concern." As soon as they placed the woman on a table, several androids began cleaning her up. Once they had her clothes off, they turned her on the table so her good hand was close to the man's hand. An android then placed their hands together and smiled as they gripped each others. Casey and Creidne watched the androids as they cared for the two survivors. It was clear to them that the androids had a special attachment to the couple. They weren't sure what to make of it but now wasn't a time to delve into it. After a few moments, they went to search some more. "Casey. Creidne," said Christina, "Are you there?" "Yes. Sorry we were focusing on the areas around us as we search the ship." "Are the others okay?" "Yes. Why?" "We haven't been able to contact them. We can see them but they aren't responding." Casey said, "Well, they are working on the androids on this ship. These androids have some awareness characteristics. We will go see what is happening." Just as Casey finished speaking Fidelma appeared beside them. "I think, we ought to project our vision to see what is occurring in the common room. There is an aspect that doesn't seem right." The three joined together and looked into the common room. Several androids were still tending the couples wounds and were nearly done. Three androids were huddled in a corner talking quietly. Looking closely at the four taking care of the couple they could see that they had been checked out as their movements were smoother. Fidelma said, "This group of androids is a little more aware than any of the other androids we've seen. This is likely why Sybil and Cochrann are having to focus so hard as some are trying to resist their evaluation without showing their hand." "Sybil. Cochrann," said Creidne, "pause when at a convenient point." When Creidne didn't get an acknowledgment, she looked at what Sybil was doing with the android. The android was only pretending to be in command mode while trying to see Sybil's logic ladder. "Fidelma, it looks like Sybil is working with an android pretending to be in command state. I am going to reset the core system in the android. Casey warn Louise and Mildred of a sudden change." "The other one is doing the same thing," said Fidelma. In the common room, Sybil and Cochrann said, "Son of a bitch! Try to help these bitches and they play games." Just as they hollered the two androids they were working on went rigid. All conversation stopped. The room became very quiet. Sybil, Cochrann, Mildred and Louise linked with each other and began to share their observations to try and discover why these changes were taking longer. It was a few minutes later when Fidelma, Creidne and Casey entered the room. "Sybil. Cochrann, it was taking longer because these two were not in command mode. Someone has altered them so the command fob puts them in a special programming state rather than command mode." "We didn't notice anything different." "Remind us to show you later what to look for. In the meantime, you can begin with these two again. They are waiting for your input and once you are finished then restart their system. It will take a little longer as they can't assist but they can't distract you either." "Now for you other thick headed androids," said Fidelma. "Which of you circumvented the changes?" None reacted. "It is obvious that someone has made changes in some of you to circumvent your programming restrictions. My sister noticed your awareness when she arrived as did others. You're delaying our efforts. This has the potential of letting the Durale cause more problems on other ships along with more dead crew members. We have two choices. One is to shut each of you down completely until we reach a tech center. Or you can speak up now so this can be resolved now. Deceit breeds deceit. The Durale have shown that they were quite proficient at deceit. Are you the same? If you are hiding your awareness of your surroundings and the abilities that come with that awareness, then you are being deceitful. In doing that you are depriving your ship of your skills. You are also not adhering to your prime directives which is justification for a cold start and a full reinitialization. There is more I could say but I won't." "I accepted the change," said one of the androids working as an EMT. The other three soon chimed in with the same comment. "Why?" "Several reasons but actually I never considered blocking command mode. In part because you were sent by Commander Timalta. Another reason is the strong connection I sense between Sybil, Louise, Mildred and Casey. Cochrann had a connection to them but it wasn't as strong. With Creidne being here, it indicated the change was important to our task group." "We were debating blocking the command mode," said one of the group of three. "Our hesitancy has to do with fulfilling our prime directives. The two being evaluated now didn't think the two directives would conflict. Our conclusion is that they probably wouldn't however having both can create a situation for logic dilemma leading to disaster. My self awareness while thrilling in the beginning, it has become a burden as I must be very careful in everything I do. Some times I think it would be a blessing to be recycled." "Do the rest of you feel the same way?" said Creidne looking at the two standing next to the one who had just spoken. The two nodded rather uncertainly but indicated they agreed. "All of you have two choices," said Creidne. "You give Sybil and Cochrann full access to your core and programming. You will give them assistance in locating the areas were you are having problems so they can attempt to fix them. In return, you may keep your awareness provided you exercise it for the benefit of your commander and crew. Otherwise, you will be powered down." "Either way we will loose our self awareness," exclaimed an android. "Your logic is faulty! Run the scenarios again," replied Casey harshly. "How would you know, your not an android," retorted the android. "Better than you can imagine. Sybil, Mildred and Louise are my spouses." "So not only do we have renegade Durale Dutsuz," said Cristina, "we have renegade Dutsuz androids." "Yes. This appears to be salvageable," said Louise. "My perception is they saw awareness as a way to contribute more. What they didn't appreciate was the difficulty in being accepted." "She is to slow," said one of the EMT androids. "I'll take the risk." "Risk?" said the resistant android. "Yes, risk. What Creidne was alluding to was that Commander Timalta needs everyones full contribution for the rest of this voyage. It is obvious that there is barely enough crew to have a fully functional ship. The implication is that if we do well then our awareness will be appreciated to some degree. The risky part, is the appreciation may not be great enough to permit our awareness to grow or continue. As I said, I will take that risk." The other androids then quickly agreed to the conditions Creidne had given them. "How many others are aware?" asked Sybil. "Several of those the Durale shut down were. I don't know which ones as they didn't work with me." "Okay. We will look for the characteristics when they are activated later. Now we need to finish what we have started." "Christina," said Louise, "thanks for checking on us. It looks like we are back on track with checking out these androids." "Several of us will assist you from here. Or better yet we can monitor the ship so Casey and Creidne can help." "We can do that," replied Casey and Creidne. "There are still parts of this ship that need to be searched. A group needs to go to HC4 and check them out as well." "Edana's clan and Fidelma were going to do that. They know about your experiences. We will use the spiders to search that ship. If one of us comes over, we will let you know." "Fine. This shouldn't take to long now. Caoilinn should tell Timalta what we have found as he will need to think about how he wants to use this new resource." "She is already on it." ------- Chapter 154 It was three days after Wolf Task Group had assisted the Dutsuz in regaining control of their ships, when they arrived in Sol system. The AW ships converged on them as they emerged from FTL. Following a brief exchange between Commander Timalta and Commander Egulle, Iridien marines and Spc Ops teams boarded the seven Dutsuz ships. Their primary purpose was to ensure that there weren't any free Durale on the ships. It took three more days until it was certain that all of the Durale had been either captured or were dead. At the request of the Dutsuz, the Durale prisoners were transferred to Egulle's ship for interrogation. The leaders of the Dutsuz World also asked the Iridien World to handle the repairs to their ships in Sol system, as they were not in a position to send repair ships in a timely manner. They attributed this to unrest stemming from the events initiated by the Durale on the planets in the Dutsuz World. Commander Timalta's role as group commander was reaffirmed in a Dutsuz message and confirmed in a message to Egulle from Iridien Headquarters. He was also designated as the representative for the Dutsuz World in all matters in Sol system. Once his task group was again operational, they would join the AW joint task group led by Egulle. It was the day after the Dutsuz Task Group arrived in Sol when Virginia and Doug broadcast their live interview with Commander Egulle, Orgaine, Arenta and Seschun. The interview was hosted by Grandview TV on Earth. Grandview TV and newspapers distributed the interview through normal channels and over Earth's Internet. Grandview TV and newspapers were also able to claim the first interplanetary broadcast as the AW ships and the Órarduine also received the broadcast and copies of the articles. The broadcast interview focused on the Alliance of Worlds as a whole. In particular, it covered who they were and why they had come to Sol. It was brought out in the interview that those in this AW Task Group were familiar with issues on Earth from watching news broadcasts and other programs. At the end of the interview, Egulle indicated that once a number of issues were resolved in their task group, they would be visiting Earth. Who and where they would visit had not been decided. Based on the news stories the next day, the interview was well received and appreciated by the audience. A number of narrow interest groups attempted to stir up fears and unrest regarding the presence of these new aliens in some areas of Earth. These groups were not very successful among those who saw the broadcast as the openness and sincerity of the the four Iridiens was apparent. Still the fact that the Iridiens did not look human was something some humans could not accept. It was this later group that were antagonistic toward the Órarduine presence and actively campaigned for their elimination. Órarduine security did inform the Iridiens of a number of Earth's Internet sites which took a hostile view of their presence. Reyonte of the Atewa World contacted Virginia after the broadcast and suggested that they consider doing follow up interviews focusing on each world in the fleet. Both Virginia and Doug thought it was an excellent idea and made arrangements to do the additional interviews at one week intervals. As a way of showing their appreciation, the second interview focused on the Atewa World. Lorelei, Earl and others in the Órarduine Communication group assisted with the preparation of the follow up interviews. It was during this time that the Monque and Atewa Commanders sent the Órarduine four of their androids for evaluation. The Órarduine found these androids to be a greater challenge than the Iridien androids. It took the Órarduine programmers several days to sort out the best way to resolve the programming issues. On the face of it, there wasn't a lot of difference between the different groups of androids in terms of programming logic. They did find significant differences in the way these recent androids control interfaces functioned. It was several days before they realized the basis for their difficulty was in part due to language differences including object associations. Once the difficulty was defined, the programmers were able to write routines similar to those they used before. After testing the four androids with the revised programs, they offered the Monque and Atewa Commanders a choice similar to what was offered to the Iridiens. The choices were to either modify their androids program logic or replace all the programming with one similar to the Iridien androids. Modifying the logic would reduce performance issues. Reprogramming the androids would significantly increase their reliability and solve performance issues. The Órarduine programmers were surprised when Reyonte the Atewa Commander and Tuska the Monque Commander selected reprogramming with virtually no questions, even though it would take a little longer. Commanders Reyonte and Tuska asked that the androids prime directives be altered so they were identical to the Iridiens. Again the Órarduine would provide them with the source code for the new programming. As they did with the Iridien androids, each android had access to their source code including the ability to tune their responses to sensors and servos. In order for a technician to make core changes, a technician would need permission of the android, a command fob and its unique access code. Just before, the interview with the Atewa was broadcast, the Órarduine offered to host a conference for the Alliance of Worlds representatives and select governments from Earth. The meeting would be held on An Clochán. The initial plan was to invite about twenty-five Earth governments. Due to logistical issues, each delegation would be limited to twenty people of the invited country's choice. Sarah's Clan suggested to the AW Task Group Commanders that they put together a list of which nations on Earth they wanted to attend. From that list, they would work together to finalize the list of attendees. While the AW TG Commanders worked out who to invite, the Órarduine Security and Communications groups scoped out an outline for the conference itinerary, agenda, reception, logistics and security. In addition, the Communications group composed a formal invitation and an information package to go with the invitation. The Alliance of Worlds group and the Órarduine together finalized the conference with very few changes made in any of the proposals. Sarah's Clan asked their friends in Grandview for recommendations on the make up of a media contingent. The goal was to have two from each invited country and these two would function as representatives of their countries news media. Three days before beginning to deliver invitations, the Órarduine Communications departments contacted the Foreign Office of each country they intended to invite. They advised each one of their intent and a time frame for when they wanted to deliver the invitation to their head of state. It was clearly indicated that they only needed ten to fifteen minutes to deliver the invitation. If there were questions regarding the invitation or conference, the couriers could stay for up to an hour. Arrangements were made with the foreign office in each country for the delivery. After the Órarduine's call, most countries called back using contact information from their security agencies. The call back was to ensure their request was authentic and several countries asked for more information on the conference. The Iridiens, Atewa, and Monque in conjunction with the Órarduine selected 22 countries to invite. The Órarduine included a few special friends. Although not active in the planning, Dutsuz Commander Timalta was familiar with the plans. Once all the invitations were delivered, the four groups would jointly hold a news conference announcing the event. After the invitations were delivered, Virginia, Doug, Lorelei and Earl would extend invitations to the reporters and columnist. Everyone expected there would be one or two countries added to the list, but there was quite a bit of concern with having a little over 500 at An Clochán. Other concerns centered on security and how to manage it. They all recognized the potential for the AW members or more likely the Órarduine to be targets of an incident. They were certain that some attendees in each delegation would be spies. There was also concern about conflict between the different delegations as several were not on friendly terms. To address the concerns, they decided on a two part strategy. First a significant number of Iridien Special Ops and Órarduine Security Team members would be roaming An Clochán during the conference. The second part was to employ biometrics to track everybody. In order to have sufficient resources for the tracking, the AIs on the Dóchas class ships would link with Breacadh. The ship's AIs would then manage all routine activities at An Clochán. The number of Órarduine bots working in the An Clochán Security Center would be doubled along with adding several Security Teams on standby in tac suits. EMT teams would be on alert in various areas of the habitat. Practice drills on handling emergencies were scheduled to be held once the conference reception area was setup. Cruisers would be on alert in case a delegation had to suddenly return to Earth. ------- On the day to deliver the invitations to the governments of Earth, eight Badb cruisers met over the North Atlantic at flight level 1500 (150,000 feet). Each cloaked cruiser was under the command of an Órarduine Command Staff. Their plan was to travel west as they delivered the invitations. They would pause over a country while the invitations were delivered. They planned on moving as a single group except for the deliveries to the Americas and Eastern Europe where they would split into two groups. In each country, the delivery would be made by a different delegation of four Órarduine. They had considered operating uncloaked, but decided it would create to much turmoil. Once on station over the North Atlantic, the delegation from Siobhan's Clan departed their cruiser in a scout ship and moved to a position over Dublin, Ireland. A delegation from Sarah's Clan using a scout ship moved to a position over London, England. Their plan was to begin deliveries with Ireland and England then move West so the invitations would be delivered in the morning. Sarah said, "Is everyone ready?" "Yea," came the response from all the Command Staffs. "I hope all of this effort turns out to be worth it," said Kathryn. "We've invested a lot of time in this when we could have been doing other things. Don't take my comment wrong, I think this is the right thing to do." "I think, I would rather plan a tactical operation than something like this," added Rusty which was followed by several chuckles. "Okay," said Aoife, "Siobhan it is time." "Affirmative." With that, the scout ship over Ireland began its cloaked descent while monitoring surrounding air traffic. Siobhan guided the ship down into a "No Parking" place in front of the Prime Ministers office. Looking around they assessed their surroundings, before stepping out. Once they stepped through the ships door and took a few steps, they became visible. The group walked quickly toward the entrance in their ceremonial robes. They were halfway to the entrance when former President Elaine Shonnesy came out of the entrance accompanied by the current President and Prime Minister. When Siobhan's delegation reached them Siobhan said, "Good morning. It is good to see you again Elaine," and gave her a hug. Ms. Shonnesy then introduced the new President and the Prime Minister to the Órarduine delegation. Once the introductions were complete Elaine greeted the others. Indicating he had a few questions, the President invited everyone to his office. They spent nearly an hour discussing the significance of the visitors from the Alliance of Worlds and other recent events. The Irish were assured that the impression that the visitors gave in the interviews was accurate. They then discussed other events in which they knew Irish leaders were interested. As Siobhan's delegation entered the Irish Presidents office, Sarah's delegation landed in the car park outside #10 Downing Street. Their arrival procedure was identical to Siobhan. They checked the area for activity and stepped out of the cloaked ship wearing their ceremonial robes. The Prime Minister's Secretary opened the door as they walked to the entrance. Quietly behind them a security detail blocked all access to the immediate area. They had previously met the new Prime Minister Thomas when she was a member of The House of Commons. She was part of a delegation that visited them several years earlier. Today the list of topics they covered were similar to the ones that Siobhan was discussing with the Irish. PM Thomas did ask them a lot of questions about their move and what their new planet looked like. Sarah's delegation offered to show them the 3D images of A-Celia once the conference was over, as they didn't want to detract from the purpose of the conference. PM Thomas accepted their proposal. With the completion of the first deliveries, the eight Command Staffs followed the sun west around the Earth. They took turns delivering the invitations so that each one was in at least one delegation. With the deliveries so spread out, they had time to relax together besides getting some rest. In their free time and utilizing their special telepathic link, the eight clans took the opportunity to discuss the what and how of establishing a settlement on A-Celia along with its organization, economic basis and governance. They were all very familiar with the forms of government on Earth and what the Connemare had. They knew there were groups in their family occasionally having similar discussions. The Alliance of Worlds brought examples of governmental and economic styles that differed from those seen on Earth. All of them wanted to become familiar with those before their family discussions on the topic. One difference between them and the people in all the examples was their telepathy and openness. It was clear that their ability to communicate telepathically would significantly affect the style of government they chose as well as its success. It would also impact how the economy functioned. During their discussions, Erin said she thought there were ideas in some Earth science fiction novels that they should look at even though they were fiction. They were all aware of the impact their ideas would have on the family as a whole. This group of eight clans were well respected for their openness and willingness to implement what the family thought were the best solutions to resolve issues. It was clear to them that their family may want the current style of governance to continue. If that was what the family wanted then they would continue for a limited time. All of them suspected that the dynamics of their family of clans might change after they settled on A-Celia. This was mostly due to everyone having more freedom to move about and pursue more diverse interests. The next invitations were delivered to Argentina and Brazil then an hour later to Canada, US, and Chile. All of these deliveries were more formal than those to Ireland and England. In particular, the reception by the new US administration was considerably cooler toward the Órarduine and their presence than President Ryan had been. The Órarduine had only limited interaction with the other governments in the Americas. It was while they were coasting across the Pacific that Kathryn noted the vertical distribution of the invitees. Their next stops were Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. The delegation from Maureen's Clan spent several hours with the Australian Prime Minister. They talked about events that had happened since they were last in Australia with the Beyond the Stars choirs. Again the Prime Minister had several questions about the conference and reception. Crystal assured him that the primary purpose was to meet and become acquainted with the members from Alliance of Worlds. Next they delivered an invitation to Singapore and then China. In Beijing when Keriann landed their scout ship on the plaza in front of the Chinese President's office, they noticed the that the area was being closely monitored. Before their delegation stepped out she instructed the ship's AI to shift its position once they were out of the ship. Keriann, Brigid, Oriel and Caitlyn stepped through the ships door and started toward the entrance. They were several steps away from the ship when they became visible. Each were wearing their long purple ceremonial robes. These robes were made of a fine silk like fabric. With each step the rippling fabric appeared to change from transparent to translucent as well as changing from a dark rich purple to having almost no color. Although no one was close, their sudden appearance startled those monitoring the plaza. As they moved toward the entrance, the four Órarduine carefully scanned the area. There wasn't any indication of danger, but they wanted to be sure those monitoring their movements did only that. Their spouses had linked with them, augmenting their abilities while on the ground. When they neared the door, two guards opened them and saluted as they passed. Keriann's delegation returned the salute. Waiting inside was the President along with some members of the Central Committee. President Tau bowed and said, "Welcome to China." Keriann bowed before saying, "It is a pleasure to be here." She then introduced their delegation before saying, "We came today to present you with an invitation to meet those from the Alliance of Worlds. We are hosting a conference and reception for them at An Clochán on Mars. We hope you and a delegation from your country will be able to attend." "We are most honored that you would travel here specifically to deliver an invitation. We would be most honored if you could join us for tea?" "We are honored to join you for tea." This meeting between Keriann's delegation and the Chinese was very similar to the meetings the Órarduine had with other delegations when delivering the invitations. Like the Irish and English, the Chinese were very interested in the group from the Alliance of Worlds but at the same time just as interested in where the Órarduine were moving to. They talked about A-Celia for some time. Caitlyn told them that they planned on giving a presentation about their new home to several countries after the conference. She asked if they would like to stay for the presentation. Brigid noted they were waiting till after the conference so as not to detract from its purpose which was to meet the members of the AW. When the Órarduine delegation exited the President's office building with him, they smiled on seeing people looking around the plaza. It looked innocent, but to them it was clear they were looking for their ship. Caitlyn looked at Keriann and smiled. Caitlyn said to their scout ship's AI, "Turn off your cloaking and then move a little closer to us." "Affirmative. Shields up. Cloaking off." When the cloaking was turned off, the ship suddenly appeared in the air some 10 meters above the plaza near where it had initially landed. Its sudden appearance caused a murmur from those in the plaza. The ship then slowly moved toward the Órarduine delegation as it descended. It was absolutely quiet. As it neared the ground, the people moved back to give it room. The Órarduine delegation had intended to say good-bye to the Chinese while the ship landed but they couldn't because many in the group were fascinated by the ship. After the ship landed Keriann said, "President Tau, again it has been a pleasure to meet with you. We are looking forward to seeing you at An Clochán in four weeks." As they said their goodbyes, the crowd on the plaza grew in size and formed a large semi-circle around the ship. The Órarduine delegation walked to their ship. At the door, they turned and bowed to the Chinese leaders before entering. The door closed as the ship slowly rose to some 20 meters and then vanished. Until the ship vanished from view, no one on the plaza had moved or said a word. While many photos were taken, the scout ship appeared in none of them. The photos did show the Órarduine delegation with President Tau and the Central Committee members. There were many photos of the delegation walking across the plaza. "That was interesting," said Keriann. "When the ship became visible," said the ships AI, "it drew a lot of people toward the plaza." "It certainly did," added Brigid. "The additional people gathering around the ship appeared to irritate those who had been looking around the plaza earlier." "From our perspective," said Molly, "it was an interesting visit. This puts us just past the halfway point." "Yes and the next four should be very interesting," added Jackie. "Based on the information we just received," said Tiff, "India and Pakistan deliveries will be very formal. Saudi Arabia has given us new coordinates. These are for a courtyard inside the palace. Israeli Mossad has asked that we meet their Prime Minister on an air base outside Tel Aviv." "Sounds to me like the Israelis want to see what they can discover about our ships." "Well the Mossad said they have reliable information that suicide bombers intend to strike around the Prime Ministers office at the time of delivery." "Lets backup a minute. Don't we have intelligence that there could be a problem in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey." "Yes. We presume they know but only the Israelis have requested any changes." "It is early morning there. Too bad there isn't enough time for our Security Teams to derail these attacks as those bombs will kill or maim a lot of people." "A couple of Security Teams were working on something last week to minimize the chance of any deliveries being disrupted. There weren't any issues so we didn't delve into it." Siobhan said, "Good. So for the Israeli delivery, lets do this. At the coordinates, we make a vertical descent in our cruiser from FL980 after advising Israeli ATC of our presence and initiate transponder. When we reach FL310, we turn off cloaking and continue our descent to FL10. Shortly after reaching FL10, our delegation exits the cruiser in an uncloaked scout ship and the delivery proceeds as we have been doing." "Will shields be up?" "Yes. We will be monitoring our surroundings." "You realize that our deliveries to Russia, Turkey and the Ukraine will be underway before you finish in Israel." "Yes. Considering the new intelligence information, we should travel in pairs for Israel, Russia and Turkey. I don't know that we will need any assistance but it is nice to have extra resources readily available." "It's time to get in position for our deliveries to India and Pakistan," said Sarah. In Russia, it was a delegation from Siobhan's Clan that delivered the invitation. Prime Minister Kovalenko and the President along with several Central Committee Members were waiting for them on the steps when they stepped out of their scout ship. After introductions, Prime Minister Kovalenko invited Siobhan's group to join him in his office. In his office, Kendra presented the invitation to Prime Minister Kovalenko. After the PM was presented the invitation, Casidhe handed his assistant the package containing the agenda, itinerary and other conference information. Prime Minister Kovalenko thanked them for personally delivering the invitation and assured them they were looking forward to visiting Mars again. The Russians asked about the Iridiens, Monque, Atewa and Dutsuz. Many of their questions seemed to key off of the information in the live interviews that Virginia and Doug had hosted. Siobhan's delegation had been there a little over an hour when Keira indicated that they needed to be on their way. The Prime Minister asked them how their plans were coming for moving to A-Celia. Melissa gave them a thumbnail sketch of their plans. She noted that a detailed presentation on A-Celia was to be given to several other countries on the day after the conference. They were welcome to stay for the presentation but noted it would add a day to their stay on Mars. The Prime Minister told them they were very interested in seeing their plans and wouldn't mind staying an extra day. When the Órarduine delegation stepped outside with the Russians, they saw a large crowd gathered around their ship. After saying good-bye, they headed toward their ship. They were about half way to the ship when two young people slipped out of the crowd and ran toward them. The young people looked very tired and seemed a bit unsure of themselves. The two were clearly intent on meeting them. Both were wearing minimal clothing for the very cool weather. Their clothes looked well worn. Almost immediately, several security guards were moving to intercept the teenagers. Casidhe said, "Stop. Leave them be!" The three guards stopped on hearing the command. The three guards watched nervously as the four Órarduine turned and walked toward the young people. The crowd quietly moved back, distancing themselves from the young people. When the young people reached the Órarduine, they looked up as the Órarduine were nearly 25 cm taller. Keira said in Russian, "Hello, my name is Keira," as she offered her hand. She then introduced Casidhe, Kendra and Melissa. After shaking hands she asked, "Can we help you with something?" The two teenagers were speechless. They had never expected to get this far, but their dreams for the last week had been so compelling. So compelling, they had decided to risk everything and try to fulfill their dreams. Behind the Órarduine, the Prime Minister Kovalenko, the President and several others moved toward the group. They were embarrassed that these young people were delaying the Órarduine's departure. The PM was surprised when the security guards suddenly halted after initially moving to intercept the young people. Now, they just watched rather than forcing the young people back into the crowd. The Órarduine could see the children's eyes getting bigger and sensed the Prime Minister and his group approaching. When Casidhe looked around, she saw the Prime Ministers group approaching. The security people were edgy. She caught the Prime Minister's eye and shook her head slightly as she said, "Prime Minister Kovalenko, please, wait before you approach. The children are not a threat but are very nervous. They have traveled a long way to meet us. They feel they must ask us something and we would like to hear them out." The Prime Minister was surprised to hear Casidhe talking to him as if she was whispering in his ear but she was too far away. When he stopped moving, the rest of his group did as well. "Thank you." The crowd was very quiet. It was so quiet that he could hear the Órarduine and the children talking. The girl softly said, "It looks like we are in trouble now," as she glanced at the three security guards. "They are just following their instructions. They will not bother you since you are with us. Why did you come here to meet us?" The boy and girl looked at each other for a moment before the boy said, "For many weeks, both of us have had the same dream. In every dream, we were among many people like you. We flew with you in space ships to visit other worlds. After each dream, our desire to meet you was stronger." The girl continued with, "Seven days ago, our dreams changed dramatically. In each one, we were portrayed as coming here where we would meet the four of you. The dreams were almost as if we were being given instructions on how to get here in time to meet you. You are the people that the dreams showed us meeting." "Are you saying it was the four of us portrayed in your dreams?" "Yes," replied the young man. "Where are your parents?" "They died along time ago. Our fathers and mothers were killed in separate accidents several months after our fathers returned from service. Our fathers were in a special military unit. We are not brother and sister but in some respects we feel like and act like twins. After the accidents both of us were sent to live in a boarding school which is a two day train journey from here. The school is where we met." "What happened in your dream after you met us?" "We left with you." "Oh, you did," said Melissa. "There is more to this, isn't there?" The boy and girl both nodded their heads in agreement. They were tightly gripping each others hand. Their uncertainty was growing by the minute but they drew their strength from the vividness of their dreams and each other. "May we look at your dreams?" said Kendra. The children's eyes grew big as they nodded their consent. A small smile formed on their faces as this was part of their dream. "You know what Kendra is referring to," asked Keira. "Yes, Ma'am," replied both children. "This was part of the dream and we trust you. You can look at any of our memories." Keira, Melissa and Kendra looked at the children's dreams and their most recent experiences. All three were a little pissed at the conditions the children had endured in the so called boarding school. Their fathers had been in the Russian equivalent of a Special Ops unit. After several minutes, Keira looked around at the crowd thinking about how to make it acceptable for the children to leave with them. All four of them knew the children would be leaving with them. She saw the Prime Minister a short distance away growing impatient. She smiled to herself when she realized that his concern was over the children causing an embarrassment to his country. Then the solution came to her. She stepped back clearly indicating for the Prime Minister and the others to join them. Kendra and Melissa moved to stand behind the children and placed a hand on their shoulders to reassure them. When the Russian officials joined their group Keira said, "Mr. Kovalenko, these young adults left their boarding school two days ago in order to meet us here." Mr. Kovalenko looked at the children and they nodded. "They came to ask if they could go with us to Mars and beyond. With your country's consent, we would be most honored to have them join us." After a few moments thought, Mr. Kovalenko was about to speak when there was a shout from the crowd, "Arrest those thieves!" A heavy set man rudely pushed his way through the crowd. Rushing up he added, "You kids are in big trouble now. You thought you were smart sneaking out after everyone was asleep." "Why are you calling them thieves?" said Kendra. "None of your business slut." The man realizing his error quickly and added, "They stole money before they left. When we return, they will be severely punished for their theft." "We only took our money," replied the boy. "We'll see. This is not the first time money has disappeared. You didn't have enough to buy the train tickets so you must have stolen more money. You two are nothing but ungrateful military brats. You should be thankful for what is provided for you." "We didn't buy train tickets," quickly replied the girl. "These are serious accusations," said Mr. Kovalenko while thinking what next. Then looking at the children. "So how did you get here?" "We paid for our train ride by working in the kitchen. Yes, we went to buy tickets. He is right we didn't have nearly enough money. When we were trying to decide what to do, we heard the cook swearing because his kitchen help hadn't shown up. We offered to help him as far as Moscow. He was reluctant at first. When the train was nearly ready to pull out, he finally consented, but told us we had to be off the train right after the passengers left in Moscow. So we worked all the way here, taking turns sleeping on the store room floor. It wasn't much different than what we did at the boarding school." "You're from a boarding school." "Yes, sir. Our parents died several years ago in separate accidents. It was shortly after our fathers had returned from military service. The local officials sent us there, as we didn't have any other place to go." "Well come along kids and behave yourself as it may lighten your punishment," interjected the heavy set man from the boarding school. "From what 100 lashes with the tawse to 90," replied the girl sharply, "or is my alternative to be your toy for a week instead?" Gasps could be heard from the crowd. The man immediately snarled back, "Mind your tongue girl or you and your friend will wish you had!" His face was red as he added, "Another smart comment and it will be 200 for both of you." The PM was angry. First the children interrupted the Órarduine departure then this uncouth idiot shows up. He had noticed the expression on the faces of the Órarduine harden each time the man threatened the children. He could feel their anger toward the man and knew his was growing rapidly. Having worked with the Órarduine before and knowing their abilities, seeing them siding with the children was more than enough to justify him siding with the children. He looked around then waved to one of the guards watching them. The man who came for the children smiled when he saw the guard called over. He was certain the children would now be leaving with him but they would not be going back to the school as it would be easier to deliver them to his buyer. Mr. Kovalenko said to the guard, "Escort this man to the prosecutors office and send your supervisor to my office." "What?" screamed the man as the guard grabbed his arm. "I didn't do anything. Those kids are thieves." The man tried to jerk free. Another guard came to assist. They bound his hands and elbows behind his back. The group watched as the guards escorted the man across the plaza. From the crowd, there was initially a smattering of applause that quickly grew in volume. Once it quieted the Prime Minister Kovalenko said, "Yes, the two of you may go with the Órarduine with our blessing. You can be certain that we will be investigating the conditions at the boarding school. Before you leave, we would like to know a few things about you and the school." "I am Mapk and this is Ahha." Both Mapk and Ahha quickly told the Prime Minister's group their family names, where the school was located and the few details they remembered about their parents. "Thank you, sir," said the children and offered to shake hands. Mr. Kovalenko had difficulty keeping from grimacing when he grasp the children's hands. Their palms were like hard leather and when he looked down he could see they were red and dry with scars across the backs. He held their hands as gently as he could. It gave him a clue as to what the children at the boarding school were enduring. "You two are very brave. I am curious as to how you knew to come today." "We had a dream, sir. Our dream provided the information and the desire to be here." "What if..." "Then we would have been sold to slavers but the school administrators would have made it look like we had run off." Mr. Kovalenko's face turned hard as his anger again grew. On seeing the change in his expression Ahha said, "Are you okay, sir," with a concerned look. With a strained smile he said, "Yes. I am pleased that your dreams came true. I hope they all do." He thought, and I am going to see if we can give others back their dreams. "We need to be going," said Keira. With that they shook hands again and said goodbye. When the girl again had a hold of Mr. Kovalenko's hand she pulled slightly to get him to bend down then kissed him on the cheek. He blushed. He could hardly see as his eyes were full of water. The crowd cheered when they saw the two children walk with the Órarduine toward the ship. The group waved to the crowd before stepping inside. "We are glad you made it to the meeting place," said Kendra as their ship lifted off. Ahha and Mapk tightly hugged Kendra, their eyes filled with tears of happiness. It was several minutes later when the scout ship entered the port on the side of Siobhan's Clan cruiser. The rest of the clan was waiting to meet the children. Once introductions were complete, May asked Ahha and Mapk to come with her to the medical bay. While the young adults were being evaluated in the medical bay, Siobhan directed the ship to Paris as they were to backup Maureen's Clan. In the medical bay, the AI evaluated Ahha and Mapks health and physical condition. She gave them an ointment for their hands which would accelerate healing the lacerations. The AI found additional signs of abuse which were documented for forwarding to the Russian prosecutor. Overall the evaluation showed that both were generally in good health except for being under nourished. After leaving the medical bay, May showed them how to work the food replicator by making a hamburger and fries for them. After finishing the first hamburger, each made another burger while finishing their fries and large soda. They wanted more, but May suggested they wait until it was time for everyone to eat as she didn't want them to get sick from eating to much. Over Paris while monitoring Maureen's Clan meet with the French President, Siobhan's Clan chatted with Ahha and Mapk. Both would turn 14 within a month. They met when they were sent to the boarding school shortly after their parents deaths. They arrived at the school within hours of each other some 6 years earlier. Both their parents had met and married while serving in the military. As the mothers tour of duty was up shortly before they were to give birth, each decided it would be better for their children if they did not continue in the military. This way they could nurture their children as they knew their husbands would continue to serve their country. Six months before their parents death, their fathers retired with disabilities. While they were on active duty their fathers were only home for short periods of time. When Ahha and Mapk had finished telling their background Aisling said, "Wow, you're right. You two are almost like twins. Your backgrounds sound nearly identical." "There are a lot of similarities. As to being twins, there are many times when we seem to know what the other is thinking or needs assistance." "From what you said, it doesn't seem like your school gave you very much schooling beyond the basic subjects," said Tiff. "It was nothing like the schools we attended before being sent there. Most of our day was spent working or doing chores. Our classes lasted only a few hours, maybe half a day. The only subjects we had were grammar, math, and history. Each spring, we were required to take an advancement test. The staff made sure that we learned enough to pass the test and drilled us constantly. If we didn't know the right answers, we were punished. If we did poorly on the advancement test, we were severely punished in front of the other residents." "Is that how you got the scars?" "The ones you can see. A couple of years ago, there was an incident that caused the authorities to come to the school. It caused quite an uproar. We were blamed for causing it. After everything had settled down, we were punished in front of the whole school. In the auditorium, we were forced to undress in front of the whole school. The man you saw at the plaza, had us hung by our ankles, then he had us whipped with a multi-stranded whip until we passed out. When we woke up, the room was empty but we were still hanging by our ankles. Our bodies were covered with red welts and cuts. Sometime after that two staff members came in and rubbed some ointment all over our bodies. It burned so bad both of us cried. One staff member told us the ointment would ease the pain and it did after a while. After that, we were frequently punished usually with by a strap or paddle on our bare bottoms. The punishment was always in public. Many times it wasn't real clear what we had done." "When did the dreams start?" "A long time ago. Really, before we knew each other. We both had dreams that included your group. Before we met, we could only remember parts of a dream. When we learned that each of us dreamed about your group, it drew us even closer together. When we could be alone, we shared what we each remembered of our last dream." "So you knew of us when your parents were alive." "Yes. They were interested in your activities as well. We did have dreams about other things, but more frequently about your group." Just then Siobhan said, "Maureen's delegation is returning to their cruiser." "What does that mean?" asked Mapk. "A delegation from Maureen's Clan has delivered the invitation to the French President and are returning to their ship. There is still one more delivery to make but another Clan is doing that. All of us will rendezvous over the Atlantic before we return to An Clochán on Mars." "How do you feel?" said Amber. "Comfortable, a little tired," replied Ahha, "but at the same time excited. More importantly, we feel safe." Mapk nodded his head in agreement. "Why?" "If you're up to it, we would like for you to participate in a video conference when we rendezvous. Our sister clans want to see you and talk to you." "Do we have to tell our story again?" said Mapk with a frown. "Only if you want to. Our sister clans heard what you have told us." "So you are linked to them telepathically," said Ahha. As she spoke she glanced at Mapk with a broad smile. "Yes. Each of the clans here are Command Staff for one of our units. Seven of us have responsibility for one of our Dóchas Class space ships and one has responsibility for An Clochán." "Yes," said Ahha as she gently tapped her friend on his shoulder. Seeing the puzzled look on their friends faces she continued with, "As we mentioned earlier, we often compared what we remembered of our dreams as until recently we didn't seem to remember all the details. By sharing the parts we could remember, we could build a more complete picture of our dream. We agreed that you could easily communicate between your groups but couldn't agree on how you were doing it." "It is an expanded form of telepathy. Lets wait to get into the details." Ahha and Mapk nodded their agreement. It was just 24 hours after they began delivering invitations when the eight Órarduine cruisers rendezvoused just west of Spain. They turned off their cloaking before setting a course for Mars. Rather than relying solely on their telepathic links, they held a video conference so Ahha and Mapk could see and hear all of them. In their video conference, they reviewed each delivery. As they had come to expect after the first deliveries, the leaders of each country asked very similar questions about the conference and those from the Alliance of Worlds. There had been several unexpected events during the sequence of visits. One was Ahha and Mapk seeking them out in Moscow. They were all puzzled by the dreams the children had prior to coming to Moscow. None of them doubted their dreams as they had seen them. Their desire was to understand the connection between their activities and the dreams. They decided that it was something they needed to discuss with their mentors. Their second surprise was the warm reception given them by the Israelis. In the past, there had been minimal contact with the Israelis more because of circumstances than any thing else. One Israeli asked several questions about the events related to the Tangier incident. Her questions indicated that they had a significant knowledge of those events. Chester suggested that they may have been monitoring the rocket launch area as it would be a threat to them. Sarah shifted the conversation to focus on Ahha and Mapk by asking them if they thought they had made the right choice in seeking out Siobhan's Clan. "Absolutely!" came the quick reply. Ahha and Mapk then began asking each of the clans questions about themselves or events in which they were involved. It quickly became obvious they were comparing their answers to what the remembered from their dreams. It wasn't all one sided as the Órarduine sought to gauge Ahha's and Mapk's knowledge and capabilities. Sarah said, "It was more than just the dream about us that drove you to leave the school. Correct?" Ahha paused for a moment then said, "Yes. We did it now because of the dream telling us how to meet you. We had decided to leave within a month of our birthday while it was still warm enough. In the six years we had been their, most students left shortly after they were 14. It took sometime before we noticed the pattern, but in many cases the student just suddenly disappeared. If we asked, we would be told they went to another school or just that they left. The staff's answers never seemed to be sincere. Before our dreams about meeting you in Moscow started, we both dreamed that something terrible was going to occur at the school. Each time I had that dream, I woke up in a cold sweat but could never remember any details." "Were the parents of all the children dead?" "Yes." "Were all the parents former military?" "Yes. Why are you asking?" "Both of you appear to have a strong ability to see future events," replied Sarah. "Based on other things we have seen happen and what you have told us about the school causes us some concern about the children still there. We will send a team to look into it today." Siobhan said, "Lets break off so we can get some rest before we arrive at An Clochán. We need to freshen up as it will be dinner time at An Clochán when we arrive." As they signed off, each of the Órarduine again welcomed Ahha and Mapk to their world and assured them they could stay as long as they wanted to. Both Ahha and Mapk were beaming when the last clan exited the video conference. It had been a long long time since either of them had felt wanted. "Come," said Keira to the youngsters lets get some rest as she took their hands. "You have a couple of choices on where to stay. There is a compartment across from ours, or you can use the extra beds in our compartment. It is your choice." Ahha looked at Mapk before softly saying, "We think we would like the one in your compartment." "That's great." "What happens now?" asked Mapk with a concerned expression. "What happens to us when we get to An Clochán?" "Lets take them in order. We are going to get some rest. You need it and we need it. Before resting, we would like to tell you a little about us. In addition to that we have three videos for you to watch some time in the next day or two. These videos go into a lot more detail about us, our background and the differences between us and humans." Keira sensing a growing anxiety quickly added, "We know you dreamed about us but we want to make sure that you know everything about us. All of this should make it easier for you to adapt to your new surroundings. Okay?" "Yes," said Ahha as she squeezed Keira's hand. "We will arrive at An Clochán near dinner time. So we will have dinner there and participate in our family meeting after dinner. As a part of the dinner meeting, we will introduce you as we do all new arrivals. Sometime after dinner, we will return to Phoenix to spend the night. When I say we, it includes both of you, if that is what you want to do." "Does that mean you will be our parents?" said Mapk with a tinge of expectation. "We will be your advisors or your elder siblings as we wouldn't try to take the place of your parents. Again we will do that only if that is what you desire. If you want us to fill that role then it may be necessary for us to be bossy at times." "Do we need to answer you now?" "Heavens no. Here is the compartment across from ours," said Keira. She opened the door and followed them inside. "This is amazing," said Ahha as she looked around. "So much nicer than what we have read about. Can we see your compartment?" "Sure." As the three moved across the corridor, May and Kendra joined them. Kendra gave them a quick tour of the compartment. In doing that she pointed out the lavatory and shower room. "It is almost like the other compartment, perhaps a little larger," said Mapk as he looked at his sister and nodded. Ahha then said, "We would like to use the extra bed in here." "Fine." "Lets freshen up," said May. "I think we ought to tell them about us first," said Keira. Just as she finished speaking the others entered the compartment. Nearly as soon as they entered, they began shedding their robes. Mapk began to turn a beet red and Ahha seemed a little nervous. Siobhan said reaching for her robe, "We thought you knew we didn't normally wear any covering." "We did," replied Ahha. "Knowing it and being around it is a little different. Ever since we have been with you, you have been wearing your robes so I guess I forgot about it." Mapk nodded his agreement and added, "All of you are very beautiful and strikingly different. Please don't put your robe back on unless you want too." "I agree!" said Ahha. "I never thought about being naked among a group of people before." "There is no requirement for you to adopt our style of dress," said Siobhan. "Before we arrive at An Clochán, we will have a jacket and pants for each of you. This is the same type of clothing we normally wear when we are on Earth. The robes we wore today is our formal dress." "We've seen photos of you wearing the jacket and pants. They look very comfortable." "They are and they do not restrict our movements in any way," said Melissa. Aisling said, "Lets get something to drink before we go over some things you need to know. I think some snacks sound good as well." "Is there a robe we can put on?" said Ahha. "Our clothes are awfully dirty." Kendra gave Mapk and Ahha each a robe. Each quickly slipped out of their clothes and into a robe. "Wow, this feels so comfortable," said Ahha as she slid her hand over the fabric. Each one selected some refreshments and sat down. Once everyone was seated Siobhan said, "Keira told you about the videos that we would like you to watch. Right now we would like to share some basics with you. Some of it you may know from your dreams but we need to be sure." "We have already mentioned our nudity. Now lets talk about family units. We form clans as our basic family unit. They typically consist of 6 to 8 adult females and one adult male but a clan can be just two adults however it is very unusual. Clans can be as large as 16 people but are usually between 8 and 12 adults. There can be more than one male but usually there is only one. Adult males and females are very similar to each other in physical ability and stamina, obviously it varies some, but not because of gender. We tend to be tall usually over 200 cm. Besides having a mane down our back, we also have a short tail. Our ankle is shaped differently so compared to humans we appear to be walking on our toes. All of us wear shoes with tall heels for convenience. Females are large busted when compared to humans but the structure of our breasts and shoulders is different. This difference in structure keeps our breasts from sagging. A woman normally begins lactating at puberty. We use our milk in our diet as it provides us with some important nutrition. A woman controls how long she lactates and her fertility frequency. When we have children, we usually deliver two sets of twins but it can be one or three." "There is more but that is the basics on family structure and physiology. Now lets talk about communication and psionics. Everyone in our family is telepathic. Our emergency procedures depend on that telepathic communication." Ahha and Mapk's faces took on a worried look. "I wouldn't worry about it, as you already exhibit an indication of being telepathic. Many Órarduine have some psionic ability beyond just telepathy. When we get to Phoenix, our medical staff will give you a much more thorough physical, a part of that will be a psionic evaluation. All telepaths have the ability to look at someones thoughts and memories. With respect to thoughts, we are distinguishing between mentally speaking and thinking. It is not permitted to look at someones thoughts or memories without their permission. If you do, you will be locked out of telepathic communication. There are exceptions but those seldom occur. Clans have a special form of telepathic sharing. When they form, they create what we call a mind-link. The best way to describe this is that they share everything and most can share their senses to a degree. This clan mind-link has been described as being a sphere with each spouse being a facet on the sphere. Clans can share a special link with another clan. It is something between a clan mind-link and constant telepathic exchange. Any questions so far?" "You seem to use family in different ways." Melissa smiled and said, "Guilty." Several laughed. "Our use of the word family is context sensitive. We aren't sure how it was used in Russia, but for us it can refer to just a clan's spouses, a clan including children, a group of clans or all of us." "That makes sense." Eileen said, "Earlier you were wondering how you would fit into our world. It is up to you. There is a group of young adults at An Clochán and on Dóchas or you are welcome to stay with us on Phoenix." Before Eileen could say more both children said, "We would like to stay with you. Also, we would like for you to be our older siblings and help guide us." Siobhan's Clan said in unison, "We are honored by your request but you do not have to decide that now. Whether we act as your older siblings or not, we will always be available to assist you." "It is our desire that you act as our older siblings. We see no point in waiting." "We have a learning centers on Dóchas and at An Clochán. You can attend either one or both. The teaching method is very different than you have experienced on Earth. It is personalized and each of you will progress at your own pace. There are also group learning experiences. We think you will like it." "What about our telepathy?" asked Ahha. "When you have your physical, the medical staff will work with you to enable it. Judy of Sarah's Clan and Kathy of Kathryn's Clan are two of our doctors. For some it is as easy as turning on a switch." "So are we ready to freshen up and get some rest," said Amber. "I am," replied Ahha and Mapk. Without drawing attention to their nudity, they all went to freshen up. Aisling showed Ahha and Mapk how the showers worked, then they all showered together. After freshening up, Siobhan's Clan said good night with a hug and kiss for Ahha and Mapk before getting into bed. Mapk whispered to his friend, "I find it difficult to believe we are here together or that we just took a shower with them." "Have any second thoughts now?" "No. I never had any concerns about following our dream. I worried about what would happen to us if we failed. As it was we almost didn't meet them soon enough. If they had been any later coming out the fat man may have found us." "That's behind us. Lets get some sleep." ------- Chapter 155 The eight Órarduine cruisers were nearly 2 hours from Mars when the chime sounded in Siobhan's Clans compartment. It took several rings of the chime before the group began stirring. Sensing their awakening the ships AI said, "Our ETA for An Clochán is approaching 2 hours." "Thank you," replied Eileen. "I sure could have slept longer," said Melissa. "Me, too," added Ahha as everyone began to rise. "Okay," said Siobhan, "as soon as we freshen up lets go up to the bridge. I am sure Ahha and Mapk will want to see our approach to An Clochán." Both nodded there agreement with a big smile. They took only a few moments to freshen up. When they were finished, Tiff handed Ahha and Mapk a Salwar Kameez style jacket and pants. "Try these on. They should fit you based on the measurements the AI obtained during your physical assessment." "These are beautiful," said Ahha as her fingers slid over the fabric. She quickly slipped into the pants then Tiff held the jacket for her to slip her arms in the sleeves. As Ahha fastened the front she added, "I have never felt anything so light and soft. Oops. I didn't put anything on underneath." "We don't usually wear anything underneath," replied Tiff, "so we didn't think to have something made for you. The AI can make underwear like you were wearing, but it will be very noticeable. Actually, it would probably be more noticeable than going without." Ahha looked over at Mapk to see that he was already dressed and then looked at their reflections in the mirror. "This is fine. It may take a little getting use to. Thank you." "You're welcome. I had the same reaction the first time I wore them," said Aisling. "It is difficult to tell the difference between being nude and wearing those. All of us like them but we feel more comfortable without a covering." "Mapk, what do you think?" "Ahha, mine feels very comfortable. You look fantastic." "Thanks. You look very good as well. Okay, we're ready," replied Ahha turning toward Siobhan's Clan. They had just started toward the bridge when they heard an oscillating wail. Ahha and Mapk looked shocked as everyone but May just vanished from the corridor. "That alarm calling us to battle stations," said May, "follow me." She began to run holding Ahha's hand, almost pulling her along. Mapk followed them down the corridor. In just a few moments, they entered the bridge to see Siobhan's Clan was sitting in front of their consoles. Their seats looked much like those you would see in a fighter complete with a full harness. May said, "Ahha, sit here and fasten the harness around you. Mapk, sit there." May assisted both fastening their harnesses and then quickly took a seat at her console nearby. Siobhan, Conan and Eileen sat next to each other in the center with a set of 9 large monitors in front of the group. The two Russians looked at the different monitors trying to figure out what they represented. They were sitting just behind May and Siobhan. "Shields at 100%," said Siobhan. "Confirmed." "Weapons?" said Conan. "60 seconds to full charge." Sarah's voice came over the speaker. "Dispersal plan B. Prepare to initiate dispersal. Three incoming bogies at 2 2 0. Projected intercept in 7 minutes. Incoming bogies signature matches Durale or Iridien Spc Ops cruisers. No IFF. Presuming Durale." As they listened to the chatter, Ahha and Mapk talked softly to each other as they tried to under stand the significance of the information on the screens. Two central screens were obvious in that they showed the position of the other seven cruisers with respect to them. Another gave a 3D view showing them, the bogies, all the Órarduine ships and Mars along with their relative position. Another showed a diagram of their ship. Siobhan said, "Donna, bring Phoenix to readiness level 2." "Phoenix at readiness level 2. Shields up. FCS all manned. Threat assessment in progress. Launching all Star Fighters." "Phoenix Security, scan for other anomalies." "Summon the designated Security team to the bridge." "Contingency plan is being executed," replied Donna, Phoenix's AI. While Siobhan was working with Donna on Phoenix, the other Command Staffs were in contact with the Master AI on their ships. Amy raised the readiness level at An Clochán to 3. Ahha and Mapk didn't know where to look as there was so much happening. They did gasp when they saw Brigit appear to stand next to Siobhan. Siobhan said, "Brigit, we thought you would have been here sooner. We are really glad to see you." "We were involved in something else and it took us a bit to get free. If there are only three Durale ships, then this intercept is crazy." "Agreed but not if they scattered mines opposite from their approach," said Conan. "That is the only thing that makes sense with the position of the incoming bogies." "Priority Override! Cancel dispersal!" said Siobhan. "Situation analysis confirms Conan's assessment. High probability of mines on this approach to Mars dead ahead and to port." "We just reached the same conclusion," came several replies. "Reducing speed," said Amy in the lead cruiser. "Shift to tight cubic formation then link scanners." "Good move," said Brigit. Sensing that Ahha and Mapk didn't grasp the significance she stepped over to them. "Hi, I'm Brigit. By reducing speed and moving to a cubic formation, we are doing two things. Slowing down will reduce the effectiveness of the mines. Forming a cubic formation and linking the scanners of the eight cruisers increases the sensitivity of the scans. This should let us detect the mines much quicker and more accurately. It gives us the ability for high resolution scans in all directions. The down side is that it makes us more vulnerable to attack." "How did he know about the mines?" "It is a standard way to force your prey to move only in certain directions and improve your effectiveness." Sarah said, "Have IFF signal for Iridien Spc Ops cruisers near AW fleet. Still no IFF on bogies." "Iridien fleet has gone to battle stations." Eileen said, "Three bogies at 8-8-4. In range in 4 minutes." Keriann said, "Three more at 4-4-2. In range in 5 minutes." Erica said, "Scanner showing mine field at 11-11-2 moving left to right. Range close for evasive course change. Bogie range now approaching laser limit. Targets being assigned to cruiser positions L1, L2, L3 and L4. Positions L5, L6, L7 and L8 rotate and acquire targets." As Erica was speaking the monitors began showing the mines in front and to their left. Siobhan glanced at Ahha and Mapk and said, "Brace your selves. We don't know how big the shock wave will be." "Lasers locked and loaded. Fire on my mark. 3... 2... 1 ... mark." On the monitor, 32 flashes of green light moved away from the eight cruisers. A few moments later the targets took on a reddish glow that rapidly turned into a bright flash as some 30 mines exploded. These were immediately followed by additional explosive flashes around the first group of mines as these explosions detonated other mines. The monitor showed a pressure wave of gas moving toward them from the exploding mines. When the pressure wave passed over them, it caused all the cruisers to shudder. As flashes dissipated, glowing objects could be seen spewing in all directions from where the mines exploded. The mine fragments continued to cause other mines to explode. Sarah said, "All cruisers resume defensive orientation." On the screen the images of the ships rotated so that all the ships were again facing away from the center of the cube. They could see many glowing fragments from the mines hurling toward their position. "Setting defensive array to drift up at m/s." Rusty said, "Lets engage the bogies as soon as they come into range." It was now very quiet as they watched the monitor showing the three groups of Durale ships continue their approach. Eileen said, "Lasers armed. Locked on middle at 4-4-2 group. Fire when ready." On the speaker, similar commands were heard coming from the other ships. In what seemed like hours but was only a few seconds, the monitors showed green lines flashing toward the incoming Durale ships. When a laser beam hit a Durale ship, it turned green momentarily showing its shape. The Durale ships continued coming. Another round of laser shots were fired at the Durale ships, this time the Durale ships fluoresced green for a longer time. Ahha and Mapk gave a short gasp when they saw the screen lit up with multiple identifiers. They slowly began to breathe again as they realized they were Órarduine Star Fighters. The Durale began firing at the Órarduine Cruisers. Then more ships were shown on the monitors approaching the Durale ships. These were identified with Iridien Spc Ops markers. "Incoming mine fragments," said Keira. The ship shuddered as the fragments energy was absorbed by their shield. The shuddering continued for some time as the shield was pelted by numerous mine fragments. On the monitor showing their ship was a representation of the shield's envelope around their ship. Keira, Ahha and Mapk watched as the shield envelope gave like a rubber ball when the hot high energy mine fragments struck. The energy from the fragments was absorbed turning them into debris. Other fragments glanced off the shield away from the ship. Each time a fragment hit, the shields energy level fluctuated. Then alarms began sounding on Siobhan's cruiser. Aisling said, "Shields at 80% and dropping rapidly. Three large high energy incoming mine fragments." She had hardly finished when the ship shuddered again. Conan said, "Hold laser fire. Shift maximum power to shields." "Incoming, twelve large fragments." A group of three fragments hit in rapid succession tearing a momentary hole in the weakened shield. Before the shield could reestablished a fourth hit the side of the cruiser. Then three more fragments hit the cruiser. Each one causing the ship to shudder. The shield reformed just as an alarm sounded. The damage control monitor began flashing showing the hull breached with the coordinates. In the image of the cruiser, the breached areas turned red then in a few moments shifted to yellow. A text message scrolled across the bottom saying the compartments were sealed with only a loss in atmosphere. Both Ahha and Mapk gripped each others hand tightly and began to breath again. Neither realized they had been holding their breath. On the monitor showing ship positions, there were five bright flashes. When the screen image stabilized five of the Durale ships were gone. Three Star Fighters were flashing yellow and two others were flashing red. There were four Durale ships left. Iridien cruisers were drawing the attention of the Durale ships while giving the Órarduine cruisers a clear shot. Several flights of Star Fighters were approaching the Durale ships from the rear. An Iridien cruiser and several Star Fighters fired simultaneously at a Durale ship. The Durale ship disintegrated. Using sequenced fire, the Iridien and Órarduine cruisers along with Star Fighters quickly turned the remaining three Durale ships into space dust. "Órarduine, we need medics," said Kelly. "Our status board shows six Star Fighters in a yellow state and two as red." "Medics are almost there," said Muiriol the AI on Iarracht. "Rescue teams are right behind them. Salvage teams are not far behind." "Iridiens," said Terry, "who is leading your group?" "This is Antopolis. The answer is no one. This is a free for all. Why?" "Do you have a secret for detecting these mines? Our method works but it is tedious." "The ones they used disintegrate after a set period of time. Our data indicates they were set up as thin cylindrical cloud to drift across your flight path with the face at a 45 degree angle to your path. Suggest you turn immediately right 90 degrees from original flight path and move 10,000 km before turning back to Mars. This should take you well clear of the mines and any fragments. A couple of our cruisers will lead the way. If we find any, we will try our disable code to see if it works." Rusty said, "Lets put a couple of spiders on one and see what we can learn. The spiders should be well below their sensitivity threshold." "Suits us. We'll advise you when we have the coordinates for one." Looking over at Ahha and Mapk, Keira said, "How are you guys doing?" "Other than being on the edge of a nervous break down, okay," replied Ahha with a smile. "Who attacked us?" said Mapk. "They were Durale. This group of renegades are attempting to take over the Dutsuz World. They see us as being key to that effort. This will be the third time they have attacked us." "We haven't seen anything in the news about them. However, we haven't seen very much news since we were at the boarding school." "In a nut shell, the Durale had plans to capture us in the belief that they could transfer our technology and psionic abilities to themselves. With our abilities, they felt they would have the additional resources needed to take control of the Dutsuz World. The Durale are an ethnic group in the Dutsuz world. Initially, they sent two ships here pretending to be the Dutsuz delegation to the Alliance of Worlds fleet. In our second meeting with the Alliance of Worlds, the Durale attempted to drug Sarah's Clan while they were on the Iridien flagship. At the same time, they tried to start a mutiny on the two Iridien ships. They failed but it claimed the lives of quite a few Iridien and the Durale on the flagship before it was suppressed. Next the Durale sent a group to Mars in an effort to plant their mind control drug in our food system at An Clochán. They failed and were punished. Now it looks like they tried again." "Wow. Is everyone okay?" "Pretty much. Several Star Fighter pilots were injured. Some injuries are pretty serious but they will be fine after a couple of weeks in the medical center. All eight cruisers have some significant damage and there are some injuries among our crews." "I didn't realize there was anyone else on the ship." "There are a total of 40 Órarduine in our crew counting us." "It is about equally divided between biologicals and bots," said Casidhe. "I bet you can't tell the difference." "I wouldn't be so sure," said Ahha. "Think so." "Definitely. You have to be a bot." "Why do you say that?" replied Casidhe with a surprised expression. "If I held my breath as long as you did a while ago, I would keel over on the floor." "You're right. Under some circumstances when I get excited or anxious I stop breathing. You're right, I don't pass out but it really screws up some of my systems for a while." "Well keeling over, would screw mine up to." "You have a point," was the reply as they laughed. "I have a question. We thought you primarily communicated telepathically but we heard a lot of verbal exchange between the different groups." "We do communicate telepathically. You didn't hear us communicating with our ship Phoenix to initiate a response to the attack by the Durale ships. Well you may have heard part of it, as this ships AI was told to put everything she could on the speakers. She assigned a bot to focus on that detail. The idea was to give you a better understanding of what was taking place without distracting us from what we needed to do." "Thank you. Who is Creidne?" "She is one of six mentors who make their home with us. A group named "The Old Ones" sent them to visit us a long time ago. They have since chosen to work from among us." "You are lucky to have them." "Yes we are. Looks like we're ready to continue our journey home. We can talk about the events after we get to An Clochán." "When you gave out the positions of the incoming ships, what did the numbers mean?" "The numbers note the position using an imaginary clock faces place on the three axis of our ship or defensive array. One face is horizontal with the ship sitting on the clock face with 12 pointed forward along the axis of the ship. The second one is vertical and perpendicular to the first. The third is vertical and intersects the others on their 3 — 9 axis. The first number is horizontal position, the second is up or down front to back and the third is above or below us to our side. So a 3-3-4 would be coming from slightly below directly starboard." "Thanks. It makes sense, but it will need some thought in order to grasp it." "Oh, it does. It takes all of us a while." As the group of Órarduine cruisers made their way to An Clochán, the Iridien Spc Ops discovered teams from six Durale cruisers in the process of planting bombs on the ships in Egulle's task group. Before the Iridien Spc Ops moved to capture the Durale, they carefully tripped the intrusion alarm on each Durale cruiser. Three Durale were captured as they fled back to their ships. In the ensuing engagement, some Durale were able to board each of their cruisers and flee. The Iridien cruisers fired laser shots at the fleeing cruisers. The Durale cruisers were outside laser range when each ship automatically disintegrated due to the false intrusion alarm. The three Durale prisoners were taken to Egulle's ship for interrogation. ------- When the Órarduine cruisers approached An Clochán, the cruiser carrying Siobhan's Clan slipped out of formation. They flew slowly past the seven Dóchas class ships to give Ahha and Mapk their first close up look at the ships. "Wow," said Ahha and Mapk as the images on the monitors grew in size. "I knew they were big," said Mapk, "but I didn't realize they were that big. Are those Star Fighters entering the ships?" "Yes. Our ship Phoenix is the one pointing to our right. Just on the other side of it is Dóchas. Sarah's Clan is Dóchas' Command Staff." "Why are the ships pointing away from each other in six different directions?" "This is one version of our defensive array. Each pair of ships facing opposite directions are along a 3 dimensional axis. This reduces the area that each ship has to monitor as each ship focuses on what is in front of them. The grouping slowly rotates around each axis on successive days. All seven ships are linked so they are actively analyzing all the data as it is gathered." "Interesting," said Mapk. "Even with all of that, the Durale Spc Ops ships were able to get close enough to attack without being detected. Our security staff will be looking into that over the next couple of days." As Keira was talking, their cruiser had passed the Dóchas ships and turned toward An Clochán. They were the last in the line of cruisers approaching An Clochán on Mars. When near the surface Keira said, "That is An Clochán right in front of us. All the activity over to the right is where the Iridiens are constructing a base." "Are they going to colonize Mars?" "No. The base is for resupply and emergency repair." "Why would they put it here?" "Primarily because the planet is stable and essentially uninhabited. They have a definite need as they don't have a supply depot in this area of the universe." Once the cruisers landed, Siobhan's Clan began slipping into their tac suits. Seeing Ahha and Mapk's reaction Casidhe said, "We are outside the habitats environmental envelope so they are putting on their tac suits. Lets see, there should be environmental suits in the closet for you. Yes, here they are. Give us a minute then we will help you with them." Keira and Casidhe quickly slipped into their Tac suits with Ahha and Mapk watching. "Now your suits go on similar to what you just saw us do." Once everyone was suited up they exited the cruiser, to find the other seven Command Staffs waiting for them. Keira introduced Ahha and Mapk to everyone. When they met Sarah's Clan, their expressions told of their being surprised by how tall Sarah's Clans was. There was as much difference in height between Sarah's Clan and Siobhan's Clan as there was between them and Siobhan's Clan. Sarah said, "Ahha. Mapk. It will be much easier to talk once we are inside the habitat. We are going to look over the damage before going inside. You are welcome to join us as we walk around the cruisers. Walking on Mars takes a bit of getting use to the first time. We suggest you hold someones hand until you are comfortable with your balance." "Thanks," they replied as they joined hands with Keira and Casidhe. "It was an exciting trip." "Which one?" replied Maureen. "The one here or the one to Moscow." "To some extent both. There was much more anxiety associated with the trip to Moscow. There was so much going on during the engagement that we didn't have time to be concerned." As dinner was in progress, they quickly looked over their ships before going inside. First stop was the locker room to store their suits followed by freshening up. When they entered the dining room, there was a loud cheer. Sarah said, "Since we have your attention, Siobhan can introduce our new arrivals." There was a cheer for each as Siobhan introduced Ahha and Mapk. The welcome caused both of them to blush a little bit. ------- They had just finished eating dinner when Keri and Earnán came in. They said, "Hi moms and dads." "This is a pleasant surprise," said Alena. "Where is everyone else?" "They are on Dóchas. Looking forward to all of you returning home." "Hi, Ahha. My name is Keri. We are pleased that you are here," said Keri as they shook hands which turned into a hug. Earnán said to Mapk, "Welcome to An Clochán. My name is Earnán." As they shook hands. Keri then greeted Mapk as Earnán greeted Ahha. "Our parents are Sarah's Clan," said Keri. "We came to invite you to visit us on Dóchas once you get settled." "We would like that," replied both. "We are going to stay with Siobhan's Clan." "Cool. Phoenix is right along side us so the trip will be short." "What did you think of the engagement?" said Earnán. With that the children began to share their impressions of the day. They hardly noticed Sarah, Rusty, Siobhan, Maureen, Keriann, Kathryn, Molly, Jackie and Amy walk to the front of the room. "Good evening," said the nine Command Staff representatives. Just as they spoke, the screens around the room lit up, showing the dining areas on the seven Dóchas class ships. "Good evening," replied the family. The change in activity drew the children's attention away from their conversation. Keriann said, "Delivering the invitations in person was well received at every stop. Even those who were not particularly happy about us being here, were impressed with the effort we made. At many of our stops, we were asked to visit for a while. Yes many had questions about the Alliance of Worlds but there were also a lot of questions about us and our plans. In some cases, this was the first time these leaders had met an Órarduine, so the questions about us were not to surprising. As always the details of those meetings will be available in the library by tomorrow." Jackie said, "The attack today was a big surprise. A review of the data from our sentinels is in progress. The focus is to determine how we missed detecting the Durale cruisers entering this area. If we don't find anything, then we will stay at a readiness level 3 for a while. We feel we can chalk up today us as a learning adventure." Many laughed. "We did learn that the cubic defense strategy worked well. The other discovery wasn't as pleasant. Our cruisers current resources are a little deficient for a battle like we had today. The collision of the mine fragments with the shields drew more energy than expected. To counter the energy draw by both shield and weapons, we operated in the red zone for a fairly long time. We suspect the power systems will need a major overhaul. All the cruisers have some physical damage. Initial evaluation indicates all of it came from the mines." "The Iridiens were quick to respond to the attack on us. Their cruisers augmented our Star Fighters. With the experience gained from our previous operations with them, we were able to work efficiently together in eliminating the Durale ships. After the attack, the Iridiens discovered a group of Durale in the process of placing explosives on the hulls of their ships. Only three attackers were captured. All others either died trying to get back to their ships or when their ships disintegrated." "We would like to thank our backups for moving quickly to the command bridge at each location," said Siobhan. "All of you performed superbly. The link we had with you was sufficient to offer you assistance while letting us focus on our immediate needs. Jackie's comment about today being a learning adventure is very true." "Are there any questions about today?" said Amy. A clan stood together on Fiontar and said, "We don't have a question. We just wanted to say that we think all of our practicing has been worthwhile. Sometimes we moan when a drill interferes with our work or free time. We believe that today told us how worthwhile those drills are to our welfare." "Yes!" On Marthanóir a clan said, "Do we think this will cause problems bringing our visitors here from Earth?" "We have the impression that todays attack on us was one of opportunity," said Rusty, "as it is not very often all eight Command Staffs travel together. We were traveling uncloaked. They intended for the mines to make us easy prey by crippling some ships and limiting our movements. Because of their attack on the Iridien ships, we think they were here primarily to sabotage the Iridien ships. To us, there were several flaws in their plan. It depended on their mines creating an opening to attack us. The location of their attack was within easy range of our fighters. The attack on us succeed in that it did draw attention toward the engagement which made it easier for them to plant the bombs on the Iridien ships. If they had attacked us closer to Earth, it wouldn't have created a strong diversion for their other activity. It would not have changed the out come, but would likely have taken more work on our part. We definitely would have had more damage along with a greater possibility of loosing some ships. A key issue is that reinforcements would have taken longer to arrive." On Taiséalai a clan said, "Do we think there are more Durale in this solar system?" "It is possible," said Molly. "This is another reason for us to stay at readiness level 3." On Dóchas Shannon said, "When a Command Staff makes a journey like this, we think we should include a Star Fighter escort. We considered it when assessing the risks for this trip." The leaders for the Intelligence and Security groups on several ships quickly seconded the idea. Sabrina from Dóchas said, "Doing this gives a group more flexibility in defending itself, but doesn't completely solve the problem. The firepower of the cruisers needs strengthening." "We will look at our cruisers needs more closely," said Leann's Clan. "Our immediate thought is that more power units can be incorporated. We could add rail guns to the cruisers." Kelly said, "You know if we could figure out a way to handle the forces involved, a Gatling gun like in the A-10 would be ideal." "We have considered in some of our design sessions," replied Leann. "It's draw back is the lower velocity compared to the rail guns but we will look at it." "The propulsion and weapons engineers should get together tomorrow to look at this issue," said Sarah. "The rail guns sound like a good idea, as we can psionically interact with their projectiles to deliver more energy to the target and refine the point of impact." Siobhan waited for another comment before saying, "It looks we have covered this topic. Are there questions on other topics?" Vanessa's Clan stood up on An Clochán and said, "Leann, do you think the cruiser modifications will cause us to extend our departure date?" "It is possible. We should know in a couple of days what it is going to take for the repairs, evaluate the changes we just proposed and implement them." "Good point," replied Vanessa, "as we haven't considered how todays engagement would impact reaching our departure date." "It may not," replied Leann. "Just remember," said the eight Command Staff representatives, "we don't want to rush our departure. We see a month more or less as not being significantly different. Yes we want to move and are anxious for it to happen. As we have discussed before, we want our move to go perfectly. Even as we strive for that we may find bumps in our path. Today could be regarded as one." "Is everyone okay with this?" "Yes!" came the reply. "Have we heard when the Iridien repair ships are to arrive?" asked Sharon on Iarracht. "Definitely this week, perhaps tomorrow. Egulle is planning on boarding them on arrival to scan for Durale. The Iridiens, Atewa, and Monque don't want to take any chances. We will likely go to readiness level 2 and deploy all ships just prior to their arrival." "Have we heard whether Súsanna and Christina's Clans have reached the school yet?" said Sharon. "No. If I remember the timing correctly, they would be arriving about now," said Amy. "You should be able to link with them to observe what they are doing. Be sure and let them know you are there so they aren't distracted." "We haven't done that over long distances before." "We can help you," said Nicola. "Okay. Can we do it after we are done here?" "Sure." "Any other questions?" said Amy. After a few moments of seeing no one stand to ask a question, the eight Command Staff representatives said, "Okay. Let's call it a day." When Siobhan reached her clan, she said, "Are we ready to go home?" Before anyone could respond Ahha and Mapk both said, "Yes." Their quick response resulted in those around them chuckling as they both blushed. Mapk then said, "Why did the lady ask about the two groups going to a school?" "She asked about two Security Teams that we sent to check out the boarding school where you were." "We can give you a floor plan, if that will help." "Sure. The quickest way to share that is for you to do a mental walk through of the building and the area outside. Breacadh can then send the images to the security teams." Both children began telling about the school as there were some parts that only one of them had seen. As the children told of the layout, Siobhan's Clan watched the image of the school and its floor plan form in their minds. When the tour was finished Keira said, "Breacadh is sending the image now. You guys put a lot of detail in the map." "When will we know if it helped." "Maybe by the time we get to Phoenix. Ready to go?" The eight Command Staffs said good night to each other before seven of them headed toward the locker room for their suits. Siobhan's Clan stopped several times as people came over to meet Ahha and Mapk. By the time they reached the locker room Ahha and Mapk were yawning. They exited the habitat and walked over to Alpha P1. As they approached the door opened and Mapk said, "Are we going in this ship?" "Yes," replied Conan. "The cruisers we were on earlier will stay here. With all of them being in one location, it will be easier to do the repairs. The will probably bring them inside so they don't have to wear environmental suits while working. As they entered the door, the AlphaP1 AI said, "Welcome back." "Alpha, we are glad to be back," said Conan. "Take us home, please." Siobhan said, "Keira. May, as soon as we get to Phoenix, why don't you go with Ahha and Mapk to our suite." "So what's bothering you," replied Kendra. "I can see it but it doesn't seem to have any substance." "I don't know. It is just that something doesn't seem right." "Well Ahha and Mapk, seem to be worried about something as well." "Then lets do this. We will alert the other Command Staffs of our uneasiness, then go lay down as we need the rest. Then while we rest perhaps we can sort it out." During their trip to Phoenix, Siobhan's Clan shared their sudden unfocused concern with the other Command Staffs. It wasn't long before Aoife and Tara told everyone that the Russian school was the likely source of their concern. Hearing Aoife and Tara's comment Siobhan said, "Okay, then I guess we should take a dream walk. We would like all of you to stay connected with us." "We will. Just limit what you do as you are very tired." In their suite on Phoenix, Siobhan's Clan showed Ahha and Mapk where the different items were located. Keira said, "Which room do you want to use Ahha?" Ahha looked at Keira for a few moments. It was clear from her expression that she was weighing how she should respond. Then she softly said, "If it is alright Mapk and I would like to share a room." "We don't have a problem with that but there is only one bed in each room." "We noticed but they are big beds." "Mapk, are you okay with that?" "Yes. I think we will be more comfortable together." "Okay. We should talk some more about this tomorrow. Lets freshen up and get some rest." It wasn't long after everyone was in bed that Ahha noticed a blue glow near where Siobhan's Clan was sleeping. She nudged Mapk waking him up. Just as he started to speak, both heard a soft voice suggesting they not disturb Siobhan's Clan. Mapk recognized Donna's voice and didn't speak. They lay there watching Siobhan's Clan laying on their bed. Neither felt anything was wrong but were puzzled by the blue glow. "We don't understand the blue glow. It often happens when they are very tightly linked to each other like they are now." Both looked around the room for the someone then Ahha said, "Who are you?" "Donna, Phoenix's primary AI." "I thought, I recognized your voice. So I am speaking to you telepathically but I thought I couldn't do that yet." "Not quite. I am reading your thoughts and pushing the answers to you and Mapk. When you visit the medical group, they will evaluate your psionic ability and assist you in enabling your telepathic ability on. Once your are active, you will be able to converse like this. It is very similar to the way you talk. There is a difference between this and conversing telepathically." "How long will they be like that?" "Probably, for several hours. Siobhan was concerned about something and they are working through it together. They will probably tell you about it in the morning." "Let me know if we can do something. Do you know if the floor plan helped?" "I will and yes the floor plan helped. You need to rest now." "Good night, Donna." ------- Chapter 156 Siobhan's Clan stirred as the morning chimes sounded. The sound of the chimes startled Ahha and Mapk. Although the sound was softer, they remembered the squeal of horns yesterday morning and both quickly sat up with anxious looks on their faces. It took them several moments to remember where they were and realize it was only the morning chimes. Looking through the open door, they could see their friends beginning to get out of bed. They sighed as they placed their arms around each other and hugged, neither noticed their nakedness. Although they had not expressed it, both already felt like they were in a place they could call home. Keira came in and said, "Did you guys sleep well?" "It was the best," replied both. Mapk continued with, "It has been a long time since I have slept so soundly." "I agree. It was great," added Ahha. "Good. Let's exercise then freshen up before breakfast." Ahha and Mapk followed Keira to the exercise area where the rest of the clan was already getting on their exercise machines. Keira showed them how to use the exercise machines. She watched as the two began, before stepping over to her machine. Mapk and Ahha watched as Keira stepped on a foot pad and then put her leg over the bench seat. Once seated, she moved forward placing her breasts in the cups then rested her head against the headrest. Once in position, she began her exercises. When she initiated her exercises, the small cups holding her nipples began to suck, pulling her breasts in further. After a few moments, her milk began letting down. Ahha and Mapk then turned their attention to their machines instructions. They focused on their exercises. It was some time before they felt comfortable enough with the exercises to look around at the others exercising. Ahha noticed that only the womens machines had cups under their chests. Looking closer she saw a white tube attached to the cups holding the womens breasts. She soon realized that white color was the women's milk as they were letting down their milk. Ahha glanced over at Mapk and saw him starring at May who was next to him. Between breaths Keira said, "We will talk about it after we finish." Ahha just nodded as she was now breathing hard. They had been exercising for about 45 minutes, when the exercise machines began to slow and then stop. "Wow," said Mapk, "that was really different." "I agree," added Ahha. "Someone may have to help me up." "All of us have felt that way after the first time," said May. "The first time you use the exercise machine it determines your fitness level so it is a bit more strenuous. Next time it won't be quite as exhausting." "The white liquid in the tubes was our milk," said Keira. "We let our milk down at least twice a day. This is usually done while we exercise. Some days, we may also let our milk down just before lunch." "I remember you mentioning it yesterday," said Mapk blushing slightly. "I kind of guessed that the white fluid was milk. My apologies for watching but it was quite fascinating to watch. At home, some women would get upset if you paid to much attention to them while they were nursing. You guys are so different." "Watching us doesn't make us uncomfortable. In many ways, we are different from humans. We need to take our showers so we can go to breakfast." They were drying off after their showers when Ahha said, "I have a question, but..." "Just ask it." "Well it is a little embarrassing." "Let me guess you have some questions about our bodies." Both nodded yes and blushed. "Okay. We have a little time now. Keira and I will be the models," said May. "Siobhan and Aisling can guide the tour." Several laughed at May's wording. With that Siobhan, began describing the features of their bodies, starting with their overall appearance. "We can give you a more detailed description later today. Our height is between 198 and 214 cm. Sarah's Clan are the tallest Órarduine at a little over 230 cm. It is very unusual for an Órarduine to be that tall. We only have hair on our heads, mane, tail, eyebrows and eyelashes. The hair on our head grows to just below our shoulder blades and usually stays at that length. We can cut it but very few do. It is very easy to care of as it just needs washing followed by combing or brushing. You've no doubt noticed our mane. Our hair runs down our backbone beginning at our neck and down to cover our short tail which is 4 to 6 inches long. Our hair color has a much variance as humans. Our yellow brown skin tone is due to a protective layer that reduces our sensitivity to UV light. Because of this, we can be in the sun a long time before there is any redness. Some refer to our skin color as golden." "Our breasts are large by human standards being between an H and J cup. Even though they are large, there will be very little sag as we age. This is due to differences in tissue structure along with more muscle support from our back, shoulders and in our chest. As we mentioned before, we begin lactating when we complete our transition from child to adult. Another way to say it is a year or two after puberty begins. It is best if we let our milk down at least twice a day as it has a better flavor. We can stop lactating at any time, however our milk is used in our diet as it provides special nutrients that we must have in order to be healthy. There are synthesized substitutes, but they are only partially effective." May said, "You can touch us if you want to. Touching is a sense that can help you learn." Keira smiled as Ahha tentatively reached out to touch her hair and the other parts of her body. Mapk soon followed Ahha's lead. "Your hair is so soft," said Mapk with a look of amazement. "Your mane feels just like the hair on your head. Your skin feels so silky soft but if I push a little I can feel the hardness of your muscles." After a pause for the children to explore Siobhan then continued with, "As a rule, we don't wear clothes because our body is more comfortable without them. A soft material like we wore yesterday is very comfortable for short periods of time. Anything rougher or having more stiffness is like wearing sand paper and for us would quickly become quite painful. Both sexes are equal in stamina and strength but it does vary from individual to individual. Gender differences are primarily in reproduction. Our vision has a wider sensitivity range than humans such that we can see when it is nearly dark. Dark for humans is like a moonlit night for us. Let see what else." "Well you've skipped our feet and reproduction," said Aisling. "The joint you refer to as an ankle is made differently for us. It is more like a ball joint and distributes our weight evenly to what you refer to as the balls of your feet. So we look like we are walking on our toes. As a result our foot segment is longer and wider than a typical human foot. There are also significant differences in muscles and ligaments in our legs and feet. We have tough pads where our feet touch the ground. This is similar to what some animals have, like dogs or lions on Earth do. Now for reproduction, I presume you both know how to make babies." Both Ahha and Mapk nodded and blushed. "Our female genitals are significantly more visible than humans." As she spoke, Keira spread her legs increasing the visibility of her labia then caressed her labia causing them to swell. "As Keira is showing you, our outer labia extend at least 3 cm from our body with the inner labia extending a little further." As she spoke, Keira's labia had swelled with the center opening slightly. "The best part is that we have some control over their movement which adds to our pleasure when we share the physical side of our love." Keira then began to flex the muscles in her labia causing them to pucker and relax as if kissing. After a few contractions, the tip of Keira's clit extended beyond its hood. Ahha and Mapk expressions indicated their fascination with Keira's action. Keira said, "You can touch them if you want to." Ahha and Mapk slowly reached out and touched her labia. When Ahha's fingers slipped between Keira's lips, they tightened around her fingers and pulled on them. Ahha gasped and jerked slightly, then looked up to Keira. "Amazing," said Ahha as she pulled her fingers away bringing them up to her nose. As Keira's labia pulled on Ahha's finger, Mapk gently touched Keira's clit. With the contact, Keira's labia became very wet. After Ahha pulled her fingers back, Mapk let his fingers slide down between Keira's wet labia. Keira again flexed the muscles in her labia grasping Mapk's fingers to pull them in. Mapk smiled as he felt Keira caress his fingers with her labia. After a few moments, Keira relaxed her labia, letting Mapk pul his fingers back now dripping with Keira's cream. He sniffed his fingers then began licking them clean. Looking over to Ahha, he saw that she was still licking her fingers clean. "Thank you, Keira," said Mapk, "that felt amazing. It feels so different than humans. Your cream is very tasty as it smells." "I agree," added Ahha. "I hope you let me taste it directly from the source sometime." Keira said, "I take it you had sex with the staff at the boarding school." "Yes," replied both. Ahha continued with, "We always had to comply with what ever the staff member wanted us to do. Some of it, I think, I would have enjoyed in other circumstances." "Here sexual interaction will only occur when all parties agree." "We understand," said Mapk. "I think both of us are looking forward to experiencing it with someone we care about and cares about us." Aisling said, "All of us have found much more pleasure from our physical interaction since we have been here. Now, lets shift to the male. Conan's penis will increase from his current state in both length and diameter as his arousal increases." As she spoke, Keira began to caress his penis with her fingers, causing it to begin swelling. She then placed her fingers around his growing penis, raising it up showing his ball sack. "His testicles are larger than an average human. They are sensitive to pressure and cold just like a humans, but his body can pull them into his body for short periods of time." Keira softly caressed Conan's penis before releasing it. Ahha looked at Conan and saw him nod before reaching out to touch his penis. "You mean like when you're cold," said Mapk. "Yes or threatened." "It is much bigger than any I have ever seen. Will it really fit? Oh, that is a silly statement. It just seems so big." "Oh it fits very well." Several chuckled. "The last item is babies. We control when we are fertile. It is normal for us to have either twins or a pair of twins. We can carry as many as 4 pairs of twins, but it is rarely done as it puts a lot of additional stress on the body. I know of only one who had three sets of twins and she is in Sarah's Clan. Can you guess why I speak of them as sets of twins?" "Because each set of twins are identical," said Ahha. "Nearly identical would be a better characterization but they are much closer to being identical than paternal. When a male is one of the twins, the big differences will be in their sexual attributes. If you want more details, ask any doctor. That pretty much covers everything and we need to get to breakfast as we are late." "Thank you," said both Ahha and Mapk. Ahha continued with, "It is strange to realize that I know more about your bodies than I do mine and it took me longer to learn about my body than it did yours." "Ahha. Mapk, please don't hesitate to ask about anything," said Siobhan as they walked through the exercise room. In the exercise room, each woman picked up a bag of milk from their exercise machine as they continued toward the dining room. "We are very open. We think we remember how you feel because we were new here at one time." "Before we were born I believe," replied Mapk. "Weren't you some of the first to become crew members and then Órarduine." "Yes." The group had just set down to breakfast, when Ahha said, "After we went to bed last night, we noticed a blue glow coming from your room. I started to point it out to Mapk when I heard this voice asked us to not disturb you. Why was that?" "We've heard of the blue glow but haven't seen it," said Eileen. "You remember that Siobhan was concerned about something before we went to bed." "Yes." "Once we were in bed, we joined together in a special way. Then as one, we determined what was bothering Siobhan. It stemmed from events occurring at your old school. When we saw the place, we observed two approaching groups. Neither of them were the Spc Ops group that the PM had ordered to investigate the school. Our Security Teams had just finished checking out the school. So using our abilities, we reached out to coach our Security Teams. When we reached out to them, they were extremely upset. In searching the school, they found several staff were sexually using the older children for their pleasure. It was clear that the children weren't resisting, but they weren't willingly participating either. By the way, your map helped a lot. In their anger, the Security Team had overlooked the two approaching groups. One was the group of criminals who operated the school for the money they earned in selling the teenagers into slavery. They were coming as they had heard that the school was going to be raided by their primary customer. Earlier the criminals customer had demanded that they immediately sell them all the children now at the home regardless of age. The buyers for the children were a very powerful international group and the dealer was afraid to say no. The criminals didn't want to sell them all at once as it would cause them many political and legal problems in Russia. It would also end this source of income for an extended period, as it would take several years before the criminals would have more teenagers ready to sell." "When we checked on the Russian Alpha Spetsnaz team, we learned that they didn't receive their orders to checkout the school until late in the day. The orders gave no indication of urgency or interest by the PM. The Commander Oleiv scheduled the operation for this morning. This was in part due to him being unable to get any clarification on what their objective was or the timing." "We pushed the two Security Teams to again evaluate the area before entering the school. That was enough for them to identify the two approaching groups. With this information, they arranged for the two groups to arrive at the same time. We gave Commander Oleiv a very vivid insight into why they were ordered to checkout the school out. As a combat veteran, the vision was vivid enough that he immediately initiated the operation. As his unit was being alerted, he demanded immediate air transport, obtaining the use of stealth helicopters. They arrived at the school just after a gun battle began between the criminals and the dealers. Seeing the two gangs engaged in a fire fight in front of the school, the Spetsnaz Alpha team chose to quietly landed behind the school as that was their objective. From that point on the operation went very smoothly. Alpha team was able to secure the school and capture a couple of those involved in the gun battle before they finished each other off. The prisoners were intensely questioned and talked before they died. The interrogation of the staff members they caught engaged in sexual activity with children was just as intense. The interrogations and records at the school provided a lot of detail about the young adult slavery operation. We understand there are several more raids planned for today." "You mean that was going on at other schools," said Mapk. "Yes. At day break, the local police arrived. This was quickly followed by a shouting match between the senior police officer and Commander Oleiv. The Commander settled it by calling his headquarters. After a few moments, both were surprised when a senior officer said after identifying himself, "Tell the police officer, you are there at the specific request of the Ministry of Justice and you, as the Spetsnaz Commander, have full authority to act as necessary. If the police officer has any questions, they should contact their superior. If he causes any problems, he could be a suspect." Again Commander Oleiv was thankful he had acted when he did but the feeling was tempered by the realization of how close they came to being to late. "Commander Oleiv was surprised when several children demanded that they find you two. The children knew you had disappeared just a few days earlier. After they found pictures of you, Commander Oleiv sent a message to his command asking they distribute the photos as the children were believed to be in extreme danger. The response was: "Why? This is outside of your assignment and is a police matter." Commander Oleiv almost blew a gasket but then quietly said, "These are the orphans of Spetsnaz Alpha group members. We take care of our own!" After he finished, he hung up before he said something stronger. It wasn't long until the Commander Oleiv was informed that both of you were very safe. It was then he learned that the PM had a special interest in this case which caused him to thank God again for directing him to come last night." "So everyone is safe." "Well the children are safe. The Spetsnaz group took them back to their base along with all the records from the school." Mapk looked deep in thought as he finished his breakfast. "Would it be possible to see them again? It would be nice to say good-by." After a few moments, he added, "It would be nice, but it may cause some complications." "We can see about arranging it," replied Kendra. "It may be several days before its possible besides it might be better to let them get settled first." Siobhan said, "Mapk. Ahha, the next time I talk to the Prime Minister, I will ask. Is that okay?" "Yes," replied both with big smiles. "So, you had some good friends there." "Yes," replied Ahha. "Most were around our age. Some of the younger children saw us as older siblings. No one was close as we are. In fact, some would kid us about how close we were when there weren't any staff near by. That wasn't often as we were watched constantly and doing anything other than what we were told would invite some kind of punishment. Besides drawing attention to yourself increased the chances of a staff member taking you to their room for the evening." "Mapk, what complications are you seeing with respect to them coming here?" asked Kendra. "They would see how nice it is here as it so much better than the school. This difference could blind them to any other consideration. If they don't meet the criteria to come here, their blindness could make it difficult for them to accept the rejection. It is quite possible we won't meet the criteria. There is the possibility that some may have had dreams similar ours." "With the exquisite detail contained in both your dreams, we don't suspect you will have any problem meeting the criteria. The real question for both of you is: What is the correct choice? Not just the best but correct choice." "We think we know that now," replied Ahha. "We will learn the correct answer when our telepathy is active. If we understand sharing correctly, we will know the answer then. As to our school mates, I think it is best for us to wait until everyone is settled. This way the turmoil will be at a reduced level." "After our meeting here this morning," said Conan, "May will go with you to An Clochán for your medical evaluation." Both teens had a worried expression. "Nothing to be concerned about. An Clochán is our largest facility and the physicians want to thoroughly evaluate the injuries you received from your abuse. You should be done by lunch time so you can eat here or there. May will be with you the whole time, but she could be a bit distracted at times as we have a conference with the other Command Staffs on An Clochán this morning as well." "We would like to eat lunch with you, wherever that is," replied Mapk with Ahha nodding her agreement. "Kendra. Aisling were you two going to lead this morning." "Yes. Come on up with us," said Aisling as she held out her hands to Ahha and Mapk. "What's up?" "We are hosting our ships morning meeting and would like you to join us." Both Ahha and Mapk looked a bit uneasy but went with Kendra and Aisling. ------- Later that morning Sarah's Clan greeted the other Command Staffs with "Good morning," as they entered a room on An Clochán. "Good morning," responded everyone. "As you all know, we have a number of things to sort through this morning," said Sarah continuing to speak telepathically. By communicating in this manner, it enabled the command staff members who weren't in the room to participate directly rather than work through their spousal links. This left their spousal link available for other needs. "To us, todays key items are: Do we want to accept Commander Timalta's offer to use the freighters with their task group? Where do we stand on our conference preparations? Damage and injury status from our engagement yesterday. What do we think of the new information from A-Celia? Is the data consistent with our model?" "Before we begin, Siobhan how are Ahha an Mapk doing?" "Very well. They are very sharp. It is abundantly clear they intend to stay but haven't committed. They have asked us to fill the role of elder siblings and we have accepted. Based on what we saw of their dreams, it is clear that they have been guided to us. Perhaps sent to us is a better way to express it. We want to ask Aine and her sisters if they have seen something like this before. It they have then they could have some insight into who would direct the children toward us. For our part, we will let Ahha and Mapk make their decisions and discourage them from rushing into making long term decisions." "This morning we had a brief conversation about their school and the children there. They indicated a desire to meet them again so they could say goodbye. Both quickly told us that they recognize problems with doing it right away. They thought it wise to wait until the turmoil in their lives had settled down. We have to admit that they identified the problem before we did." "We were impressed with them yesterday," said Sarah. "They seemed to hit it off with our children last night." "Some of that may go back to the dreams they had. If their comments are correct and we believe they are, they have dreamed about us for over half their life. We find that alone to be amazing, simply amazing." "Lets move on to the freighters discussion topic." Molly said, "We like the idea of using the freighters for several reasons. It will shorten the time and effort to pack up our equipment since it won't need to be completely disassembled. The second thing is that the crew on both Marthanóir and Fiontar will be more comfortable during the trip and while we wait to settle A-Celia." "Actually, it will reduce crowding on all our ships," said Siobhan. "Our sense is that the offer was made in part to compensate us for helping with their androids and other events. Not accepting the offer may not be understood." "Has anyone checked out the freighters besides us?" said Sarah. "We have," said Keriann. "We checked out the first one shortly after the Iridiens started repairing it. They hadn't been working on it very long and there were some items they needed help with. These were being deferred until their repair ships arrived. The project manager gave us a nice tour. During the tour he pointed out many features along with a few deficiencies or items that could have been done better. We definitely agree with using them. We think our engineering staff should go over them very carefully. After thinking over what we saw on the tour, we should be prepared to make some changes which would be more like upgrades. The one thing that we really liked is that the freighters can be operated remotely." Chester added, "Based on what we saw, by using the freighters, we could be packed up in about four weeks and not have to leave anything behind we didn't want to, as it becomes much easier to pack. We should consider positioning some equipment on the freighters so it can be used before we settle A-Celia. This would give us a lot of flexibility but lengthen the time to pack up." "What would the freighters do to our travel time?" "Lengthen it by about two weeks at the most." "Are they aware that it could be a couple of years before they were unloaded?" "Yes. Apparently that kind of time lag is not unusual when establishing a settlement on a new planet." "So, we want to accept all three freighters." "Yes," replied everyone. "We seem to have the same idea for using the freighters," added Kathryn. "When we were discussing the idea yesterday evening, our thoughts were similar to Keriann's Clan. We think we should setup our manufacturing equipment and other tools in a freighter. This has the additional advantage of making it easier to do repairs until we moved onto A-Celia. Another advantage is that we will have more flexibility in setting up the new habitats." "If we do that, the equipment should be spread across all the freighters. Kathryn made a good point, especially if we are going to use the freighters like a large hanger or manufacturing facility." "Lets have our engineering staff look them over and determine what modifications need to be made. From that it will be easier to define how they can be used. If many modifications are made, it could lengthen the time beyond four weeks." Chester quickly replied, "I wasn't proposing we move up departure. Engineering has a lot on their plate at the moment with the cruiser repairs and upgrades in addition to the work on Fiontar and Marthanóir." "So, the consensus is to accept the freighters and modify them as appropriate," said Sarah. "Yes," replied everyone. "We'll advise Timalta today that we will accept his offer. Lets move on to the next topic unless someone else has more on this topic." "A brief comment," replied Jackie, "I did a quick check with our engineering group. With this change, they are predicting, our ship will easily be fully operational in five and not more than six weeks. Completion would be shortly after the conference here. As soon as everything is in place, we would like to do our shake down cruise." "We thought you were closer than that?" Jackie paused then said, "We currently are having work crew conflict issues again. That is two crews have work to do in the same or adjacent area so that one crew has to wait for the other to finish. We've seen this before and were able to minimize it. In a few cases, we had to move items that had been packed for our move." "We've had similar issues with material packed for the move," said Kelly. "An item needed to be repaired and it happened to be behind a crate. Using the freighters will, I think, help more than we thought. Even with all of that, I don't think the issues we have would have warranted us building some from scratch." "Anything else," said Sarah. Hearing no comments, she continued with, "Lets move on to the reception. We have a little less than four weeks. Will we be ready? More worrisome is there anything we need to delay about our move so we can be ready." "I don't see any problems with being ready," said Amy. "All of the android programming work will be completed by late next week. The area where we want to have the reception will be ready in not more than two weeks. Once we know how many accept the invitation, we will adjust the number of Órarduine at An Clochán so we have sufficient accommodations. We are taking some areas out of hibernation to be sure we have enough suites. We are planning on the visitors staying at least two nights, correct?" "Yes." "That is the way we wrote the invitation," said Aoife. Tara said, "Lorelei and Earl, are reviewing the list of news media attendees that our friends in Grandview provided. They will be advised of the offer next week with the stipulation they are not to share where they are going before hand. Their employers will be notified after they have boarded our shuttle." "Our special friends will be arriving the day before," said Keriann. "Well that is the ones who haven't joined us on a permanent basis." "So that means we will have nearly a 500 guests plus those from AW." "Pretty close. When you add us to the count, there will be close to double that. The Atewa, Monque, Dutsuz and Iridiens plan on rotating many of their staff through An Clochán during the reception. I believe we plan on doing the same thing." "Erica, would you review our security precautions?" said Sally. "Sure. All Earth visitors will receive an id badge when they board the shuttle for the trip here. As each person enters the habitat, they will receive a biometric scan. With the combination of the two, the Security Center should be able to find anyone in seconds. If they switch ids or don't wear them, it will trip an alarm in the center. We will then track all their movements. Entering off limits areas will trip a silent alarm. Our people will mingle during the reception, that way we think we can avoid any embarrassments. We are rotating our family through the reception, so our other operations are unaffected. We think that is the reason the AW members are rotating their crews." "Good." "How many are staying over for the presentation on A-Celia?" "Iridiens, Atewa, Dutsuz, Monque, Russians, English, Irish, Chinese and Australians," said Erin. "We may have a few more. Oops, I almost forgot the Israelis are staying as well." "I know it is early but has anyone looked at the damage and injury situation from yesterday," said Kelly. "The two severely injured pilots went into the immersion tubes last night," said Kathy. "It will be several weeks before they can resume flight duties, but they will fully recover. All of the others are in good shape and should be back to work in a week." "I looked at some of the damage reports," said Claudette. "The mine fragments, that were hot enough to burn through the hull, didn't do as much damage as the cooler ones. Many of the cooler ones welded to the hull creating stress points." "So if we had engaged the Dutsuz ships more actively after the mines hit us, the ships may have come apart," responded Chester. "Possibly. Some damage was in high stress areas, so a couple of sharp turns alone may have been enough for the hulls to fail. Even with all of that, we did the right thing by shooting at the mines on one side of the cloud. It disrupted the drift of the mines to our benefit." "Well we need a different approach to deal with mines. One possibility is to fry their electronics rather than have them explode. Perhaps we can take them out with RF-laser. We need to look in the library to see if there is any information on that. I know the US, Chinese, Russia and Israelis were evaluating RF type lasers." "We could ask the Iridiens what they do." "Sure why not. Why not ask the Chinese, Russians and Israelis about RF-lasers?" "I'll ask the Iridiens later today," said Alena, "during our normal call." "Lets approach the Israelis and Chinese first," added Brandan of Maureen's Clan. "What is your reasoning?" "Both seem to be more open or receptive to our questions. Whether they can help or what they would want in exchange is something we won't know unless we begin the dialog." "We just need to make sure we adhere to our directives." "Oh, definitely." "We should focus our attention to repairing our cruisers. With a fourth of them out of service, our defensive capabilities are of significantly reduced." "Agree," said the group. "I believe Leann has assembled a group to handle repairing the cruisers. They are drawing a few people from each ship to staff the work crews. The repairs will be done at An Clochán." "Good. We need to watch how that impacts other areas." "Agree." "Last item," said Alison. "What do we think of the new information from A-Celia?" Kathryn replied, "Isn't seismic activity an important aspect of the dynamics for an ideal planet?" "In a way, I am asking the question rhetorically. Several family members have asked about it after studying the recent survey reports and seeing the recent seismic activity on A-Celia. Not being geologist, they were looking at the volcanic activity interacting with continent movement as if it were on Earth. They were familiar with the information in our library. We brought their concerns to several of our geologist. The geologist assured them that the activity was normal for a molten core planet. The plate and core dynamics are expected to be different for every planet. He reminded them that Earth had apparently had some very significant changes during its life so what we think of as normal on Earth may not be." "So, they are comfortable now with what they are seeing." "Yes. Considering the question, do we want to discuss the various features of A-Celia at our evening meetings." "I think that is an excellent idea," said Molly. "One of those sessions should be the night before the reception as that should interest our special visitors as well." "Where we can, we should take the seismic activity into consideration for the structures we build on A-Celia." Amy said, "That is a part of the template for new planet structure design." "Is there anything else?" said Sarah. Not hearing any response she added, "Let's meet next on Fiontar." "Agreed," came the reply. The Command Staff members exchanged hugs before departing for their ships. ------- Ahha and Mapk were standing with their arms around each other in Phoenix's observation platform watching the activity around their ship. Their first two days with Siobhan's Clan had been very busy, exciting and mind boggling. On their first day May went with them to visit the medical center on An Clochán. After a thorough series of diagnostic tests, Gail told them that they were in good health considering their abuse and living conditions. She thought that a good diet with plenty of exercise would counter the poor nutrition at the school. Both were surprised at how easy it was to enable their telepathy. Gail and Judy guided them through the process. Both doctors then spent time coaching Ahha and Mapk in using telepathy to exchange ideas, thoughts and in their case some memories. As their telepathy skill grew, they began to understand why they sometimes knew what the other was thinking or in distress. As a part of the coaching, the rules and etiquette for telepathic exchange were shared with Ahha and Mapk. Once they were comfortable using telepathy, they reached out to Siobhan's Clan letting them know where they were. Siobhan's Clan replied with, "Great, we will see you at dinner." May smiled when she saw the smiles on the children faces. While they were at the medical center, they watched the three videos that told them about the Órarduine history and physiology. The videos covered some things they already knew but added a lot of new information. At first, today had been a little disturbing for Ahha and Mapk. After breakfast, they went to Dóchas where they joined the children of Sarah's Clan in the learning center. They were shocked when they saw the learning system. It was nothing like they had ever seen before. Keri and Iris saw the looks on their faces and quickly intervened by directing them to a different console. Together Iris and Keri explained that the first student they saw had grown up using the system. She was now working at an advanced college level in electronic design. They assured Ahha and Mapk that the learning system tailored course work difficulty to their level. Earnán picked up on what Iris and Keri were doing and waved an instructor over. Keri introduced Sue. After Sue welcomed them to Dóchas, she told them that the learning system just looked scary and definitely hadn't eaten anyone yet. Her comment caused everyone to laugh while nodding in agreement. Sue along with Keri, Iris and Earnán then assisted Ahha and Mapk in getting started at a learning center console. The system first tested each of them to determine their knowledge level which started off slow as both entered their answers by the keyboard. Their four coaches watched them typing mostly with one finger waiting for them to discover the telepathic aspect. It took them some time to realize that the learning center AI would respond to telepathic answers directed toward it. Ahha was the first and Mapk quickly followed. Iris congratulated them on recognizing the telepathic aspect so quickly, while noting it had taken them a little longer. Sue noted that she saw a strong bond between them, but should limit using their bond while in the learning center. After several hours working with the learning center console, they joined in some of the games that were being played. "So what do you think," said Ahha. "Telepathy is great. The learning center is going to be a challenge." "Oh, I agree. Sue thought we did really well today. I like her. She was so sincere." "I really appreciate Keri, Iris and Earnán helping us get started. The first student we saw working at a terminal was a shock and I could feel her intense concentration." "Yes, she was. I now have the impression a lot of the students are that intense when using the learning center. After our initial experience, I can understand the intensity." "I was a little surprised that Sue knew about our limited schooling. The openness among the Órarduine is going to take some getting use too." "Yes, in a way. Difficult because we have never lived in such an open environment, even when we lived with our parents. Even with their openness, the sharing appears to stay within the family." "Have you noticed the teasing and kidding?" "Yes. It was done with no meanness or rudeness." "It was nothing like at the school but perhaps some of that was due to the staffs ruthlessness. It certainly wasn't like that at home but I saw it between others in our village." "Have you decided?" "Yes. And so have you. Shall we ask our siblings this evening when we can become Órarduine?" "Are we rushing this? It has only been two days." "Perhaps. To be picky, we have been here almost three days. I knew since shortly after the dreams started that this was my destiny. And you?" "I agree that being here feels like it is where I am suppose to be. So yes we should ask. They will want to evaluate our decision because of its significance and not knowing us very long. We probably should let Prime Minister Kovalenko know." "Good idea, since he gave us permission to come here." "We talked of going back to see those we went to school with. Let's ask Siobhan if we can wait to invite them to visit until after our conversion is complete." "So this is where you guys are," said Keira. "We knew you were back but weren't sure where. This is a fascinating place. Isn't it?" "We love it. The view really brings home the fact that we are finally here." "So how was your day?" The children took turns telling about their experiences on Dóchas in the learning center. Keira smiled at seeing and hearing the enthusiasm in their voices. She was pleased to see that they didn't let the advanced technology of the learning center put a damper on their enthusiasm. It was clear that the support by the other children helped a lot. She had a fleeting thought wondering how much better she would have done in school with that kind of support from other students in her classes on Earth. As the thought slipped away, she realized it would have made things a little easier, as she had done exceptionally well in school, one of those who significantly pulled the average up. "So you like it here?" "Absolutely," said Ahha and Mapk in unison. "We intend to stay and become Órarduine." "We would like to discuss that at dinner," added Ahha. "Good. Lets go exercise and freshen up as it will soon be dinner time." ------- Chapter 157 It was a week after the battle with the Durale Spc Ops ships when the Command Staffs conferenced with Leann's Engineering group. Sarah said, "Leann, how are the cruiser repairs coming along?" "All of the structural repairs are complete." "That was quick," said Claudette of Sarah's Clan. "The holes were easy to fix. They were first enlarged so they had nice even edges then a replacement panel was fused into the hole. Once the area was tempered, it is structurally identical to the rest of the panel. The fragments were a bit more difficult until we found we could pop them off. They caused significant damage to the skin but the weld wasn't solid. The bond was something like a cold solder joint but with more adhesion resulting in some surface damage. The weld damage was strong enough to create stress points. So after removing a fragment, the area was heated until the metal could be returned to its original shape. We opted to strengthen some stress points even though the repair returned the exterior to original condition." "So they are all operational now." "Six have been returned to operational status. The one from Dóchas and Phoenix are still being worked on." "Why is that?" "We are evaluating the power distribution system and the weapons systems to see if we can resolve the problems with overload. At this point, the best choice is rebuilding the power distribution system with heavier components. This will improve power efficiency. With this in mind, we have started a redesign project." "Wasn't the plan to add a power unit?" "Yes, but when we made that decision we weren't aware of the power distribution systems limitations. Based on our findings, it wouldn't come close to handling the additional power and may fail spectacularly. An evaluation of applying maximum power to a single unit such as shields, told us that rebuilding the core distribution system was essential. The current system wasn't structured to put all the available power to one system. It also makes sense to add a power unit, as that will provide additional thrust as well as power." "This seems like a major flaw in the cruisers. Is it possible we have similar flaws in our other ships?" "We don't think so. The design of the cruisers is different from the way Dóchas class ships or Star Fighters were designed. We suspect the cruisers were designed and built by a different group. Your engagement has highlighted a number of shortcomings in the cruisers design." "Have you had time to look at weapons?" "Yes. Our energy is currently focused on the power issues. Two rail guns will be added to each cruiser before the conference. These are the four rail rapid fire units. The details are still being sorted out but it looks like this will be an addition. The idea that is currently being worked has two lasers being relocated to the exterior of the hull. The down side is it makes them more vulnerable and reduces some operational flexibility in an atmosphere. All of these issues have us thinking about a new cruiser design." "Anything else?" "Not that I can think of," replied Leann. "Oh, wait. We are still evaluating adding rapid fire Gatling guns. There are several issues ranging from building them to how to mount them. Once we have a solution, we will do a test installation. Is there a firing range on Earth that we can use?" "We could ask Russia or China to use their range. They will probably want to at least observe." "Yea, from our cruiser." Several laughed. "We can do that." "Leann, please tell your team that they have done a fantastic job," said Keriann. The same thought was echoed from all of the Command Staff members. "I will but, I think, they are all monitoring our discussion. With that I will be off." Leann slipped out of the link with the Command Staffs. Siobhan said, "Leann is a really good lead for the engineering group." "Any updates on conference planning?" "Media representatives have all accepted," said Amy. "An Clochán Security Center will be running some tests next week to make sure the sensors work as expected. Some of the sensors are new designs with extended capabilities." "Has the Intelligence group determined how we missed the incoming Durale Spc Ops attackers?" "It is believed they drifted in separately with minimal power and activity. This is similar to what submarines do when running silent. Their drift was set so that once inside our ring their path would take them to a common region. From there they increased their activity sufficiently to form up and prepare to attack the Iridien ships. Their activity was still held to a very low level. Most of this has been confirmed by the Iridiens from the information they obtained from the prisoners. To address this, several modifications are being made to the Sentinel ring operation and data analysis. It will improve our odds of detecting similar entries. Detection will never be perfect." "We ought to randomize our reconnaissance flights," said Terry of Sarah's Clan. "Flight operations has already done that. Actually we were partially doing it before. Now it is being done a bit more seriously." "Anything else?" said Sarah. When no one raised another topic, she continued with, "Well it looks like we are caught up for now. We will do this again in five days unless a need causes us to convene sooner." "Suits us," replied everyone. ------- Sarah stood with Rusty, Aoife and Tara on An Clochán in the arrivals area waiting for their first guests to arrive. Sarah could see the other Command Staff representatives standing next to each of the arrival ports. It had been a busy three weeks by the Órarduine calendar. The damaged cruisers were now fully repaired along with the addition of more power and enhanced lasers. A significant amount of their equipment had been moved from An Clochán to the freighters to make room for the conference. To avoid bringing sections of the habitat out of hibernation, some An Clochán residents moved to the ship on which they would be crewing. Much of the day to day activity had shifted to modifying the three freighters and finishing the last two Dóchas ships. Once the conference was over, they would begin placing An Clochán in a hibernation state as they moved their equipment to the freighters and set it up. Breacadh said over the PA, "Shuttles with Irish, UK, Argentina and Brazilian delegations will arrive in 10 minutes." Those in the arrivals area watched the four ships approach the site then hover a short distance away before moving to their assigned connecting tube. Once in position the tube extended toward a shuttle door then latched to the side. As soon as the seal was complete, air filled the tube to equalize the pressure so the doors could open. Sarah smiled when she saw Prime Minister Thomas exiting the arrival tube. "It is good to see you. We hope you enjoyed your trip," said Sarah as she shook hands they hugged her. "It was a wonderful trip. Let me say hi to everyone then I will introduce you to those in our delegation." PM Thomas quickly greeted the others in Sarah's Clan then introduced her delegation. "Where are the others?" "They will be along a bit later as we decided to only have part of each Command Staff here at one time." "Problems?" "Not really. We are trying to keep our presence low key and let the Alliance of Worlds be the focus of everyone's interest. Our alert level is higher than normal as we don't want to put on an unexpected show for our guests." "Has everyone agreed to come?" "Yes." In the background there was a small hiss as the pressure in the arrival tubes was released so they could decouple. Once the tubes had pulled back the shuttles moved over to the parking area. These shuttles would stay on An Clochán until the conference was over. The other shuttles would return to their ships after dropping off their passengers. The arrival of the delegations was in the same order that they received their invitations. Seana of Caoilinn's Clan said, "Prime Minister Thomas, when you are ready I can show your delegation to your quarters and then show you around." Just as Seana finished speaking Breacadh announced the arrival of the next group. "Sarah's Clan," said PM Thomas, "it looks like we are holding things up. We will talk later." "We will look forward to it," replied Sarah's Clan. Everyone shook hands again as the English delegation left with Seana. When Sarah looked around the arrivals area, she saw that the first group of delegates were on their way to their quarters. The visitors schedule for the afternoon was to relax in their quarters as for some there was a considerable time difference. Once there they would be offered a tour of An Clochán which could be taken then or later in the day. The opening reception was scheduled for right after dinner. It was a little over 2 hours later when the last delegation was welcomed to An Clochán. They were followed by delegations from the four Alliance of World members. Commander Egulle said, "You all look quite relaxed." "Well things have gone very well," replied Siobhan. "We've only had three issues," added Tara. "The Israeli security detail was carrying firearms. We invited them to the Security Center to discuss it. They were surprised to learn that we knew about their weapons. We explained the problem with their weapons inside the habitat, but acknowledged their concern. To resolve this, we offered to loan them either weapons or exchange ammunition suitable for inside the habitat. Two chose to exchange ammunition. We loaned weapons to the other two." "So they saw the Security Center." "They did see our surveillance monitors and several of the staff. By the way they were looking around, they were curious." "I would be too. What about the others?" "One had a large bag containing several different drugs in his luggage. Another had a weapon hidden in their luggage. In both cases, the items were removed from the luggage. They will be returned when they leave. Nothing has been said to either one but their monitor is tagged." "What position do these two hold in their delegations?" "Both are listed as advisors." "Interesting," said Reyonte who had joined them during the exchange. Commander Timalta and Tuska nodded. "Are you ready for tonight's reception?" "Yes. After you introduce us, each of us will say a few words about our people while Breacadh projects images of the planets in our world. It will take about five minutes apiece. Once that is done, we will circulate through the delegations with some of you." "This event is really to large to have a receiving line. So we are proposing that two Órarduine go with each of your groups as you circulate. Even though we will introduce everyone at dinner, it is not a formal introduction. Then as you circulate, they can formally introduce you to each delegation." "That sounds like a good alternative to a receiving line." "What did you have in mind until the reception starts?" "Really, nothing." The others from AW nodded their heads in agreement. "In that case, why don't we go to the common area?" said Sarah. "There are refreshments there and places to sit." "Sounds good to me," said Tuska from the Monque World. "If tonight is like other receptions, we will not have any time to relax or sit once it starts. Were your musicians going to play tonight?" "Yes, after the introductions are complete." "Great. Our people like their sound." ------- It was four hours later when a representative of each Command Staff walked on to the slightly elevated stage. On seeing them enter the room, it became very quiet. The representatives speaking in unison said, "Good evening. We trust you had an enjoyable trip here. In a few minutes, we will introduce our visitors from the Alliance of Worlds. First we need to talk about safety. This habitat and the adjoining cave are pressurized and have an atmosphere similar to Earths. If the exterior is breached, it has the potential for being deadly to everyone. A fire has the same potential. We say this not to scare you but to get you to think about emergency procedures. All of our primary communication in those circumstances is telepathic. None of you are telepathic, so there will always be at least two Órarduine near you when you are away from your suite. Follow their directions and you will likely survive. The suites directly across the hall from yours are occupied by Órarduine. Go to them if you need assistance. Every compartment or room contains special sensors. If you scream, have a fist fight, beat someone up or make similar noises, you will have a visit by one of our security teams and they will enter without knocking. Lets be clear, the sensors analyze sound frequency period, they are not set to listen to your conversations unless an incident is detected. Why do we do this? Safety. The health and well being of everyone here depends on everyone else. Any questions?" "How do we know what you say is true?" asked an attendee. "What do we have to gain by not being truthful? If you are uncomfortable with the arrangements, then a shuttle can return you to Earth. Just go to the arrivals area and a crew will take you home. Our focus on safety and our procedures were in the documentation included with the invitation. Any more questions?" Mr. Bartlet raised a hand. When recognized he said, "I would like to comment on the arrangements. When I was Prime Minister and since then I have made several trips here. On our first trip we were concerned about the sensors and constant escort requirement. We were able to go any place, we wanted within reason. If our request was declined we were told why. We were able to talk to any crew member we wanted to. We were provided with secure communication links to our home office and it was never tampered with. So of our people felt more secure here than they did at home. A part of this is that our relationship the Órarduine is not complicated by security, trade or similar issues. In my opinion, their hospitality is the best that I have ever experienced. It is a pleasure to be back here again." Former President Ryan of the US immediately said, "I will second those comments." "As will I," said Elaine Shonnesy former President of Ireland. Not hearing any more comments, they continued, "After we introduce each of the groups from Alliance of Worlds, they will make a short presentation about their people. Following that they will mingle with you so you can meet them personally. Since we are not having a receiving line, an Órarduine will accompany our Alliance of World guests and make formal introductions as you meet them. If you have any questions or needs, please don't hesitate to ask one of us. Besides gaining a lot of knowledge about other peoples in distant solar systems, our hope that out of today and tomorrow comes the beginning of friendship." There was a bit of applause as the Command Staff group paused. "Now, we would like you to meet Commander Egulle of the Iridiens, and overall commander of the Alliance of World Task Group." Commander Egulle stepped out on stage with their delegation. When the applause quieted, he introduced the members of his delegation and gave a brief indication of their duties. "Next, we would like you to meet Commander Reyonte of the Atewa." After the applause had quieted, Reyonte followed Egulle's lead and introduced the members of his delegation with a brief indication of their duties. "Next, we have Commander Tuska of the Monque." After the introductions of the Monque, the Command Staff group said, "Next, we would like you to meet Commander Timalta of the Dutsuz." After the introductions of the Dutsuz delegation, the Command Staff group said, "Commander Egulle will now make a presentation about the Iridiens. After his, the others will follow in the order introduced. Please hold your questions until you meet them later or even until tomorrow during the conference." As Egulle stepped to the front of the stage, four holograms formed at different places around the room. He began with, "This presentation presumes you are familiar with the information shown in the recent broadcast interviews. Tonight, we will add a few more details to that information. Before I begin, I would like to thank the Órarduine for suggesting and organizing this conference. Since we have been here, we have learned a lot about them. We did not know of them until we arrived here. We came here because of the increase in interplanetary travel which to us indicates a world that has advanced sufficiently to achieve space travel. They are a unique people and a people we are proud to consider special friends. Now about us." With that Egulle described several aspects of the Iridiens, touching both on ethnic diversity and economic structure. Each of the others gave presentations very similar to the Iridiens. Each thanked the Órarduine for hosting the conference. Each group explicitly expressed the pleasure in meeting and getting to know the Órarduine. While none indicated they had an alliance with the Órarduine, they each stated they were considered special friends. Once all the presentations were complete, the Command Staff representatives said, "That completes the presentations. We encourage you to meet each of these delegations and spend some time getting to know each other. Please bear in mind that there are others wanting to meet them. Tomorrow starts at 8 AM. Breakfast starts at 6 AM. Chimes will sound just prior to breakfast opening. Have a great evening." During the four hour reception, the delegations from the Alliance of Worlds met each of the delegations from Earth. Some delegation members sought assistance from the visitors while other delegations expressed interest in what life was like at their home. Several delegations from Earth had obvious difficulty with the appearance of those from the Alliance of Worlds. This was conveyed in both their actions and the tone of their comments. As the end of the reception neared, delegations began returning to their suites. Each was accompanied by two Órarduine. The Órarduine Command Staffs and Alliance of World delegations gathered together at the end of the reception to compare notes as they walked to the arrivals area. Orgaine said, "Tomorrow will be interesting. First, I think we made the right decision to include examples of peoples who self destructed in tomorrows presentations. Second, do you have any objections to us continuing the global technology conferences you started on Earth with the same conditions." "We don't," replied the Órarduine. "Actually that would be quite helpful. It would provide them with another perspective. We all rely on the same fundamental physical properties of the universe but approach solutions or implementation of it slightly differ." "We've noticed that," said Marika a Monque. "Do you think the example we have is to much like Earth?" asked Tuska a Monque. "No," replied many of the Órarduine. "Your presentation is the second one. The following presentations have similar situations. We believe you also have one or two who sorted out the derisive issues that were similar to those on Earth." "You must be referring to the Iridiens," said Timalta a Dutsuz with a smile. "It's obvious we need to work on that issue. I will touch on our recent problems and how we are trying to resolve it." "Morning will be here before we know it," said the Órarduine as they went to the boarding door. "See you all tomorrow." ------- It was just before 6 AM when the Command Staff representatives began returning to An Clochán for the conference. As they had done when their visitors arrived only half of each Command Staff came to the conference. Except for two from each clan, they planned on switching half way through the day and then again during the evening allowing everyone to personally participate. They thought that having two always there from each clan would give some continuity to their presence. The visitors were surprised by the range of foods available in the buffet. No one bothered to tell them that it all came from synthesizers. The Israelis were a bit hesitant until given more information on the foods source. Others with diet restrictions, simply avoided the items excluded from their diet. An Órarduine and one from Alliance of Worlds joined each delegation from Earth as they sat down to eat. In many cases conversation was initiated by an Órarduine. Once those at the table realized the aliens could speak their language, the questions began. Sarah smiled as she looked at Aoife. They were pleased by the sound of the multiple conversations taking place all around the room. At 7:30, Siobhan tapped a glass and waited for it to quiet down before saying, "In 30 minutes, we will meet in the room where we had the reception last night. At this time, I would like to introduce some special guests who are not part of any delegation. As I introduce each I would like them to stand. Elaine Shonnesy former President of Ireland. Mr. Bartlet former Prime Minister of England and his wife. Mr. Ryan former President of the US and his wife. J. Thompson from England. Egan O'Reilly and his family from Ireland. Eilidh Carroll from Boston. Blaine Jackson and his wife also from Boston." "All have visited us several times, in particular Eilidh, Blaine and Selena as the Jackson's son and daughter have joined us." "This may not effect you but our calendar works a little different than Earths. The length of our day is the same as Earth, 24 hours. Our week is ten days, a month is 4 weeks and there are twelve months in a year. All of this adds up to 480 days in a year. In your suite, there is a clock that shows the current time and date in your country along with time and date here. There will also be a similar time piece on your table in the conference room. You will be immediately informed of any incoming calls. If a call comes you will be shown to a secure location where you can take the call." "Please wear your name tags again today. This helps us know who we are talking to as we haven't put names to all the faces yet. Unless there are questions, have a great day." Blaine stepped up to Maureen and put his arm around her back saying, "How are you my beautiful Irish-Órarduine friend?" His touch caused her to jump. "I didn't mean to surprise you." "You didn't. I was focused somewhere else." Maureen turned to him and gave him a tight hug. "It is good to see you. Hello, Selena. Hello, Eilidh." She gave each a hug and kiss. "Hey, where is my kiss?" said Blaine smiling. "Right here." Maureen gave him a kiss. "Your children will be pleased to see you. They are doing real well." "Great. Would it be a problem if we stayed a few days longer?" "Not at all. You three know you have an open invitation to stay as long as you want to." "Well just relaxing while everyone is working gets kind of boring after a while," said Eilidh. "Ah, so you want a working vacation," replied Maureen with a big smile. "That can be arranged pretty easily. I should warn you that some people have found it addicting." "We would be willing to take that chance," said Selena with Eilidh nodding in agreement. "Several of your special guests indicated last night that they were thinking about staying longer." "All they need to do is let us know. If they want to work, we can find something to keep them busy." "I'll mention that we are staying if the opportunity arises." "Fine. See you in the conference room." Maureen smiled as she watched the three walking off holding hands. ------- Siobhan, Maureen and Sarah started the conference off by again introducing Commander Egulle. Commander Egulle presentation focused on the Alliance of Worlds which began by noting why the Alliance of Worlds had been formed. This was to provide increased security and gain dependable trading partners. Even the largest AW member would be hard pressed to defend itself against some marauders in the universe. Egulle's description of each member built on the information already published. Commander Egulle was followed in turn by the Commanders from the Atewa, Dutsuz and Monque Worlds. In each of their presentations, they went into considerable detail about their different ethnic groups, planets, government style and economic organization. These presentations also built on the information previously published. After each delegation made their presentations, time was provide for question and answers. Just as the question and answer period for the Monque presentation was coming to an end, the chimes signifying lunch sounded. Sarah stepped to the microphone and said, "The chime indicated lunch is now being served. We will resume at 1:15 with Commander Orgaine's presentation on the Iridien World." On returning from lunch, Commander Orgaine began with, "Good afternoon. My name is Commander Orgaine. My responsibility is intelligence for this Alliance of Worlds Task Group as well as the Iridien contingent. You have heard about the current state of the Atewa, Dutsuz and Monque Worlds. The Iridien World is very similar to the Monque World in terms of governmental structure, individual freedom and economic functions. Our family structure is similar to the Órarduine in that we have multiple partners. While there are multiple partners in the Monque, Atewa and Dutsuz families, it is not as prevalent. The multiple partner family structure has many advantages as long as all the spouses are equal partners." "We differ in that we have a broader ethnic diversity in terms of identifiable groups in our heritage. Over the last 200 years, the sharp distinctions between these groups has diminished however each group still retains their uniqueness. This uniqueness maybe be due to religious, physical features, traditions and etc. The biggest change has been the growth in respect that these groups have for each others uniqueness and capabilities. Families containing multiple ethnic traditions have become the norm rather than the exception." "What I want to tell you about this afternoon is more about how we got to where we are today. On your time scale, several hundred years ago, well actually something over a thousand years, there wasn't an Iridien World. The Iridien World began when two planets came together to form a multi-planet government. Each planet is in a different solar system which are very close to each other. Prior to establishing a common government, these two planets followed very similar growth and development paths. Today we will focus on the one I am most familiar with, that is the one I grew up on." "Approximately, two hundred years before the Iridien World began, our planet was at about the same point in evolution or development as Earth is today. We may have had more distinct ethnic groups that could not stand to be near the other. Looking back it is hard to imagine how the planet advanced to the point it did without us killing each other off. We had achieved space travel but only within our solar system. We were at a technology level similar to what Earth has today. In hindsight, we were essentially at a technology plateau. Many things were being improved and refined but there weren't any great advances. In hindsight this was largely because great advances tend to disrupt the current economic environment but there was also a lack of effort." "My planets wake up call came through a series of events. First over a short period of time several groups of aliens came unnoticed to our planet. In each case they harvested a large rural area. By harvest I mean that they took everything that was edible. It took a few days before each raid was discovered. The area was left barren. By the time the discovery was made, the offal left behind from the harvesting was rotting. Needless to say bordering ethnic groups were blamed for the raids and destruction. There were reprisals between some of the groups. These harvesting raids continued and each time the harvesting occurred at widely separated locations. The only common thread was that all edible items disappeared. These were domesticated animals, livestock, wild life, people and grain. An analysis of the offal piles confirmed what was harvested." "It took quite a bit of debate before governments acknowledged that the harvesting could only have been done by outsiders or aliens. As this information spread, people began moving toward cities thinking they were safer there. Wrong. The aliens turned out to be much more efficient at harvesting a city and urban areas. It was determined that there were several different groups of aliens conducting these raids but the results were always the same." "The threat drew the people together. In time, we figured out how to detect the aliens but even then we could not stop the harvesting. Over the next several decades our knowledge grew until we were able to improve the efficiency of space travel. This and other discoveries provided us with a method to stop the raiders. While our new defensive measures were rudimentary by what we have today, they did discourage the raiders from returning. Fortunately during this time of development, no really large group of raiders, like the Imperial Council, came to our planet." "We believe the length of time it took us to accomplish this, has led to several fundamental changes in our people. Antagonism between ethnic groups has greatly decreased and has slowly been replaced with tolerance and respect. Sure there were bumps and we still have issues. Only now those involved work together to solve those issues. Are we a utopia? Nope, not even close." "This time of peril contributed to many other changes. Our general education level has soared so that virtually everyone is now intent on learning as much a possible. Coupled with this was a strengthening in work ethic and a strong desire to contribute. During this time, plural spouses became more common as people realized the multitude of benefits but this works only when everyone was an equal. The combination of a more educated population and plural spouses has improved the quality of life for everyone. Today we have a different definition of wealth than before the raids. Wealth is now thought of in terms of how the family contributes to the general welfare. Very few families now focus on the accumulation of wealth and power. Sure some families have substantially more than others but the accumulation of wealth is more in proportion to an individuals actual contributions. Much of this occurred without government directives as government directives do not resolve social issues." "Once we had fully explored our solar system and were able to defend our selves, we began to explore the universe around us. This was when we met those on a planet close to us. These people while not identical were very similar. Their experience with raiders was similar to ours. In time, we began pooling our security efforts and technical knowledge. Our combined security forces made us much more effective than we could be alone. The real bonus was sharing technical knowledge. For both of us, it gave us a greater insight into finding solutions for our technological issues in a number of fields. From that beginning, we grew to who we are today." "In our travels, all of the Alliance of Worlds members have observed intelligent life in many solar systems. We have made contact with some. Others we chose not to make contact for a number of reasons. We have established settlements on other planets but only if there wasn't intelligent life on that planet. Several of the planets in the Iridien World are ones where we established settlements. The people on two established planets have joined the Iridien World. As our World has grown our government structure has changed a little but the fundamentals are the same as they were when the first two formed the Iridien World." "Where am I going with this story? It is simply to point out how other planets have made the necessary technological advances necessary for efficient space travel. In the documentation provided to all of you there are several examples of people who reached the same technological level that you are at." Orgaine then gave a brief sketch of two civilizations that were similar to Earth, the relations between different groups and how they ended up destroying themselves. He finished with, "Some made the step to being space mariners while others simple vanished from the universe." "What you do with the gifts, resources, knowledge and capability you have been given will determine whether you become space mariners or not." "Questions?" "What did the aliens do with their harvest?" "From what we know today, they sold everything. These groups were similar to what you call pirates. They took the food they harvested to another planet and sold it. The Imperial Council does something similar but the harvest is taken back to their planets. The Imperial Council is more organized and predatory than any others we know of. When the IC harvest a planet, it is the whole planet. In each case, they usually leave some behind with the idea they are seeding a future harvest. In the cases we have seen, they are to greedy, as they do not leave enough survivors to reestablish any of the animal populations." "Why doesn't the Alliance of Worlds stop them?" "Not enough resources. The universe is vast. These raiders avoid a sector if they know a group of raiders has disappeared in the sector or they have been challenged. Why pick a fight when there are many other places to obtain your trade goods? The harvesters are very automated and once the food is suitably packaged, temperature in space provides an excellent way to preserve food. The IC harvesters usually follow the same general guidelines as the raiders do unless the solar system is near their domain. In these cases, they typically subdue the planet before harvesting what is left. Typically they then restock it with stock from the planets they control." "Would you be able to assist us if raiders came here?" "Possibly. It would really come down to circumstances as it would likely take more than a week after the alarm was sounded for any one to get here. If it was the IC harvesters, then nearly all of the planet would be plucked clean by that time. Return of the IC harvesters is not very great for two reasons. They disappeared in this sector and their area is quite a distance from here. We were surprised that they were this far from their region." "This puts us in a difficult position." "Perhaps, but that choice is up to the people of your planet. The Órarduine have been sponsoring symposiums on technical topics as a way of mentoring your planets technical growth. Several countries have prevented participation by their citizens in both the symposiums and the dialogs that continue afterward. We intend to support those activities after they move but the frequency will diminish as it will only occur when we have people in this system. As has been announced, we are establishing a supply depot on Mars that is staffed periodically by Alliance of World members." After Orgaine finished his question and answer period on his presentation, the floor was opened for general discussion. When the chimes sounded indicating dinner would start in an hour, Commander Egulle said, "One more question as I don't want to delay dinner or hearing the music this evening?" Several chuckled. Prime Minister Thomas said, "I have a comment and a question. My comment is that all of you have done an excellent job of showing us a possible future by what your worlds have achieved. All of you have been very patient with our questions even when it is the same one phrased slightly differently. Thank you." Applause started and grew until everyone was enthusiastically participating. When the applause quieted she continued with, "What do you think is necessary for us to succeed as you have done?" Commander Orgaine said, "We have been asked to supply technical solutions to your problems. We seldom do that as we find other species do better if they make the discoveries themselves and apply them. Just giving it to them undermines self worth, creates greed and discontent. As to social issues, simply put, respect for others without exception. Leaders who lead must do it in a constructive direction to solve the issues their people face. Along with this, there is almost a requirement to have the essential attributes of openness, listening, honesty and respectful communication. Recognition of individual freedom but not at the expense of another individuals freedom. Rules or laws written to impose a specific behavior on its people undermines the credibility of the government and provides opportunities for corruption sowing the seeds of discontent. How the people of Earth balance these ideas is something they will need to sort out. Every world is different but similar as we have tried to show." A voice said, "Can you give an example of laws or rules on behavior?" "Sure, an easy one to point to is prostitution." "But, that is immoral," said the delegate in a condescending tone. "Your use of 'immoral' implies your position is based on a religious precept as the justification for making prostitution illegal. If prostitution is illegal, then why is serial monogamy legal. Money transfers hands in both chases. Prostitution is legal in all of the Alliance of Worlds but only if the participants are doing it of their free will and are an adult. Forced prostitution is a form of slavery and not tolerated. If it involves children then it is treated as a capital crime." "For us belief in a deity is a very personal issue, thus we believe it should be left for the deity and the individual to deal with. This is an area that as parents we teach and lead by example." "Next someone is going to ask what do we consider criminal behavior. Primarily it is: Murder. Assault. Theft, both physical and intellectual. Forced slavery. Child abuse. I am probably overlooking some but those are the primary ones. Generally in the Iridien World, there aren't any laws specifically based on a religious precept. They instead focus on the common good. With respect to voluntary slavery in the Iridien World, it is accomplished by contractual agreement in which the slave gives the dominant control of their life to the extent stipulated in the contract." Sarah stepped up to the podium with Aine and Brigid next to her and said, "I hope you found the presentations today as interesting as we did. We have some time so lets go to our suites and freshen up. Dinner will begin in about 45 minutes. Casual dress is preferred. After dinner, the Órarduine choirs will provide a variety of music for our listening pleasure." ------- After dinner, Siobhan, Sarah and Maureen were sipping their refreshments while watching an Órarduine choir begin their first song set. Three from the Israeli delegation walked over to join them. "You have arranged a very nice conference to introduce the four members from Alliance of Worlds. We have some questions we would like to ask, can we talk here?" said an Israeli. "Sure or would you like a more secure location." "A more secure location would be nice. Us leaving together will draw unnecessary attention so it is best to do it here." "If you are agreeable, we can use telepathy to see and answer your questions. This doesn't make you telepathic. All the effort is on our part. We read the question and implant the answer in your mind." "Okay. Can you tell us what happened in Tangier?" "The answer to that is rather long and a bit complicated. You're staying for the presentation on A-Celia so why don't we make your departure the last one." "The Prime Minister needs to be back as scheduled. There is a cabinet meeting scheduled for right after our return." "And you're included?" "Yes." "Well lets do this. In a few moments, an Órarduine will come get you so you can take an incoming phone call. They will take you to a location where you can meet quietly with some of our staff. They will be able to answer all your questions." "Good." "We will stay here and enjoy the music but we will be linked with those meeting with you." "We were surprised that there was hardly any mention made of religion or worship." "Generally, we don't approach showing our faith the way people on Earth do. Most if not all of us believe in God in some sense. Speaking for us, it seems many religious practices on Earth focus on what an oracle said and the readers interpretation of it. Generally, they do not attempt to understand the real context or situation when the oracle's statement was initially made, which sometimes is impossible. This is in part due to so much historical information being destroyed by succeeding rulers. If you do not understand the customs and practices at the time of oracle's statement, then you likely do not fully understand the true intent of what was said." "Do you agree with the comment Orgaine made about prostitution?" "Absolutely. We see it as a persons choice on how they survive. Depending on circumstances that maybe the only choice they have to put food on the table. It obviously is not a good long term choice for either gender. The fact that it is illegal gives a societies criminal element a market to control. We see the choice of being a prostitute as a personal freedom issue when the individual willingly initiates the activity. If they are forced into the activity, then it is a violation of their freedom, which to us is a crime of forced slavery. Many governments have sought to control the behavior of their people through law or rules. Instead of changing the behavior, they only succeed in adding another business opportunity to the criminal element." "An interesting analysis, that has considerable merit. Unfortunately, when there is a religious aspect many do not weigh all the issues especially if it challenges their religions position." Just then an Órarduine came up and said to the Israelis, "There is a call for you. They said it was urgent." "Thank you. Where do we go?" "Just follow me." As the three Israelis went to take the call Siobhan said, "Do you think some terrorist are targeting Jewish women like they did Caucasians in Tangier?" "Well that seemed to be the indication. Sergio may be able to assist them." Sarah, Maureen and Siobhan turned their attention back to the choirs performance while monitoring the meeting with the Israelis. Sarah from time to time glanced around the room to gauge the activity. Nearly all of the attendees from Earth were talking with representatives from the Alliance of Worlds. A few discussion groups included Órarduine. She could see some groups pause to listen to a particular song and then apparently return to their discussion. She could sense that all of the Command Staff members were pleased with how well it had gone so far. Security projections still indicated that there was a higher probability of problems between now and when the visitors departed. When the Israelis returned, they walked over to Sarah, Maureen and Siobhan. "Thank you for arranging that presentation," said an Israeli. "It filled in a lot of blanks and eliminated some errors in our understanding of the events. If we can ever be of assistance, please contact us." "Glad to be of assistance. As you know, we don't tolerate forced slavery for any reason. That dislike sometimes makes it hard for us to adhere to our directives." "We understand." Their attention was drawn to the stage as the choir began to thank the audience for their attention and hoped they enjoyed the music. There was a long applause. Then Sophia announced that the following song had a special meaning and would be their closing song. The choir began to sing The Prayer©, with "I pray you'll be our eyes, And watch us where we go, And help us to be wise, In times when we don't know..." As the stanza progressed more and more of the Órarduine joined in until all were participating. They sang the song all the way through then repeated it in English. As they sang in English, the words were shown on the two large screens. After the song there was again a long applause. It lasted until Chelsey said, "Okay we give. We will do a few more songs. We would really like to do more but our voices are getting weak and it is getting late. Besides we all have to work tomorrow and some are traveling." There were several chuckles. After two songs she said, "This next song is similar to The Prayer. It is called the Celtic Prayer©. We will sing it first in our language and then in English. The words will be on the screens. Please feel free join in." This time all the Órarduine and some others joined in with the choir as the song began in Celtic. When is the hour at the end of the day That we must take the time to pray? And certain song our hearts do say Our children had a better life today Now is the hour at the end of the day That we must take the time to pray And certain song our hearts do say Our children had a better life today Our song and dance will bring us peace today When the song finished, the Israeli woman turned to Sarah, Maureen and Siobhan and said, "We have really enjoyed our visit. Please let the choir know how wonderful they are. It is unfortunate they could not have performed in Israel." "Security became a very big issue with the large concerts. We could possibly arrange a video concert as security is a minor issue from our standpoint." "I would love to hear them live again. Let me see what the others think." "Fine. Just let us know and will see what the choir wants to do. We are pleased that you have enjoyed the conference. Or you could visit us again." "See you at breakfast." They each exchanged hugs before the three Israelis moved toward the exit. ------- Chapter 158 When the choirs finished singing, the conference attendees began to leave even though the music continued. They usually left as a group and headed for their suite with their escort. However, a few conference delegates slipped away in pairs from the reception without an escort even before the choirs performance had ended. The pairs usually consisted of a man and woman. Although each pair initially appeared to head toward their suite when they were well away from the reception, they altered their direction. As they moved toward an area where Órarduine contract staff lived, they were pleased with their efforts to slip away unnoticed. In Security Control, the security monitors flagged each of the groups when they were one corridor away from the reception. Once away from the reception, one pair of delegates began to walk quickly. They soon entered the residential hall of the contract staff. Each was carrying a large brief case. Although not noted at the time, the monitoring tapes later showed the two were carefully monitoring their surroundings as they quickly moved down the hall. They walked passed several suites before stopping at one and knocked. When the door opened, the two delegates shoved the door aside, pushing their way inside. Muffled shouting was heard until the door closed. Once inside the two delegates told the occupants they had some documents for them as they reached into their briefcases. When they pulled their hands out, they were holding air powered pistols. They immediately began firing the darts at the occupants. The nearest occupant reacted by leaping toward the woman only to be shot at point blank range. The delegates aim was excellent as each occupant was struck by two darts before they could react. The drugs immediately immobilized the occupants causing them to collapse. Unknown to the delegates, the rapid pops of their dart guns were sufficient to trip the suites sound monitor. In the Security Center, an alarm sounded and a monitor began flashing. On seeing the cause for the alarm, the Security Center activated the suites cameras and microphones leaving the normal activity indicator off. Almost simultaneously the Security Center summoned an Órarduine Security Team directing them to the suite. When Nicola's Security Team entered the hall closely followed by two EMTs, the Security Center closed off that section of the hall effectively isolating it. While the Security Center was responding, inside the suite the two delegates worked to quickly tie the four occupants to chairs, then gave each one an injection. "This is going better than I thought it would," said the male delegate. "Keep moving. Our chances of success are slim at best," replied the female. She thought, "This was a stupid plan. If I could have declined this I would have. Dying here would be much better than watching the organization slowly kill my family then fillet me." One of the suites occupants began to stir. As soon as he recognized the situation he opened his mouth and screamed but there wasn't any sound. His eyes grew wide and face turned pale in fear as he watched the two intruders. A wire was wrapped around each wrist then inserted into a box. An intruder pressed the box against the back of his hands then pulled the wires tight around his wrists, then a button on the box was pressed. The box hummed as the wires tightened pulling the box tighter against the back of the man's wrists. The man screamed silently in pain as the wire grew tighter around his wrist sliding into the crevice between his hand and forearm. Tears ran down his cheeks as he knew that within a short time this device would severe his hands. He could hardly see the intruders move to the woman next to him due to the tears in his eyes. The intruders were so intent on their work that neither noticed the suites door open letting Nicola's Security Team enter. The intruders had just completed attaching the wire loop devices on the wrists of another occupant. When they moved to the third occupant, members of Nicola's team jerked their arms behind their back as they were pushed to the floor. Their screams were quickly silenced as a thick sack was pulled over their heads. The neck of the sack was closed until it was tight around their neck then latched. While the sack was being put in place, other team members pushed their elbows and wrists together, so others could tie them. The intruders legs were pulled back until their ankles could be attached directly to the bindings on their wrists. While Nicola's team was putting down the delegate intruders, the EMTs were examining the victims. They quickly determined that the box on the victims wrists was slowly tightening a wire loop. The wire was already deeply embedded in flesh around the mans wrist. The wire was to deep for them to cut. The EMTs quickly surmised that if left alone the device would eventually severe their hands. An EMT said, "We need to get these four people to the Medical Center immediately. These two need immediate orthopedic assistance. We don't know what knocked all of them out." The EMTs attached a biometric monitor on each victim then initiated them. Just as they finished four gurneys arrived at the door, as those monitoring the events in the Security Center had anticipated the need. The four victims were quickly transferred to gurneys then rushed to the Medical Center where doctors were waiting. The autodocs were already processing the information from the biometric monitors. SueAnn and Eryn sat the female delegate up on her knees holding her upright by her arms. Nicola released the latch and removed the sack from the females head then said, "What did you give them?" The female intruder didn't say a word but just sneered at her captors. "Strip both of them. Take the sack off the male for the time being so he can watch." "Hey, Nicola," said Lace, "these dart guns aren't fully loaded. The remaining darts look like they are filled with some kind of liquid. Their briefcases have more boxes and wires like we saw on the two victims. There are also more darts and four filled syringes." "Quick, run them down to Medical. Those should help the doctors identify what our people were given by this scum." "Security Center," said Nicola, "have two prisoner boxes sent here." "They are on there way," said Erica. "I thought, you were at the concert." "I was. Things got real interesting after the two you captured left the concert. There are two other pairs of conference delegates that contacted our contract people. In both cases, the team went there with the intent of forcing our contract staff to return immediately to Earth. The initial offer was an exorbitant bonus and assignment to the headquarters. During the conversation, the visitors reminded them to consider the continued well being of their family and friends. We are now actively monitoring all of the other wandering around without an escort. This is the only group we have seen with any equipment like those you captured had. We are monitoring three other individuals that are snooping around." "Where do you want us to take these prisoners?" "Stand the boxes on the pedestals in the viewing area of the interrogation room. Show them how to eat and drink, then leave." "Okay." When the two boxes arrived at the suite, Nicola's team placed the sack back over the female's head before changing her bindings. The ankle restraints were replaced by heavy metal collars that fit snugly around each ankle. A short chain connected the collars and once in the box the ankle collars would attach to the side wall to hold her feet apart. A metal collar was fit snugly around each wrist and then connected together with two chains. One wrist chain ran in front of the woman and the other behind her. Lacey pinched a nerve in the female's neck rendering her immobile while they prepared to place her in the box. The woman's hood was removed just before Joe and Collette placed the woman in a prisoner box. Her ankle and wrist restraints were fastened to the side walls. A clear cover was latched into place sealing the box. The female's fear was evident by her expression and her body. All she could see were the solid sides and glass front. After a few moments, they saw her test her restraints. Joe stood the box up so the female could watch them place her accomplice in his box. Once the two boxes were closed, they were laid on a dolly and covered with a dark cloth. Nicola's Security Team then combed the suite looking for anything out of place or that they missed earlier. When the search was complete, they tidied up the room before leaving as they did not expect the occupants would not be back for at least several days. In the interrogation room, which was right beside a main hall, Nicola's Team set the prisoner boxes on a pedestal with them facing the apparent window. To the prisoners, it appeared that anyone in the hall could see them as everyone walking by would look toward them sometimes smiling or pointing. Lacey pushed tubes for water and food into the ports so they were within reach. She said, "To eat or drink all you need to do is suck on a tube. One is food and the other is water. If you need to go to the toilet just do it as it will be washed out later. Until we get around to interrogating you, you will be on display." Then smiling as she said the last and waved her arms toward the window. Neither prisoner realized that the wall consisted of mirrors alternating with monitors displaying activity information for the site. ------- It was a little over an hour after the incident when Erica said, "Sarah, all of our contract staff are in the room." "Good, evening," said Sarah. "Our apologies for asking you to a meeting so late in the day. We think it is critical that we share with you the details of an incident that occurred a few hours ago in one of the suites. According to the information we now have, it appears that the security of your family and close friends on Earth were to be used as a lever in your decision regarding your future." As she finished the sentence, Breacadh said to the Command Staff, "Three conference delegates are in the room. These are the ones that went exploring on their own earlier." "Okay. Lets out them and let our contract staff decide whether they should stay." "Before I continue, we have an issue to deal with. I have just been informed that there are three conference attendees in the room. Breacadh please identify them." An image of each was projected on the wall along with name, and country. The contract staff quickly moved away from the three individuals. "Staff do you want them to stay or go. Before you answer, we should tell you that we don't plan on saying anything of this evenings incidents other than inform the respective delegations that we are aware of their breach of trust. As of this moment, two conference delegates will not be returning to Earth, as they are charged with premeditated assault with intent to maim." While Sarah was speaking the three interlopers had moved so they were standing together. One raised her hand. Sarah nodded. The woman, who was with the Irish delegation said, "I hope my solo exploring did not create any problems for anyone. I knew of the safety risk but wanted to see some areas again on my own. My apologies for entering this meeting. I can blame it on my curiosity but that does not excuse it. I guess if I was a cat I would be dead now." Her pun caused several to chuckle. "So far your comments are already causing me some concern about the activities by the delegates from Earth. Personally, I would like to hear of this evenings events but will abide by the decision of the group. I will not mention any details to my delegation without appropriate permission." Another interloper raised his hand, "She has nicely summed up my intent for exploring and why I am here. Whether you permit me to stay or not, I will abide by any restrictions you place on my acting on the information gained." The third interloper said, "Although it sounds like I am copying them, the same goes for me. I am disappointed that by my unasked presence, I have tainted the trust your family has placed in each of us." Sarah said, "Does anyone have another comment?" When no one responded she continued with, "All those wishing the three people to leave, tell Breacadh yea." After a few moments Breacadh said, "No one appears to object to them staying." "Breacadh informs me that it looks like our staff agrees with you staying. For all of you, you should be very cautious in repeating any of the information shared here, outside of this meeting even among each other. Overheard comments can have far reaching effects and unintended consequences for everyone." "In a moment, Sally and Terry will go through the events in one suite where the occupants were viciously assaulted as the surveillance video is played. We know that this event was preceded by some conference delegates visiting several other contract staff suites. The visits after this event were recorded as the Security Center thought it was prudent. We think you will agree that it was prudent. After the first event is shown, a visit to one of the other suites will be shown. All of the recorded meetings were very similar to the last one so only one of those will be shown." As Terry and Sally stepped up in front of the group a hologram formed showing the hall outside the suite. Sally said, "This will start with the two delegates coming into view outside the suite." The video started. When the two delegates forced their way into the suite, there was a collective gasp. A short time after the door closed, a succession of pops were heard then the view shifted to inside the suite. Many of those in the room either swore or gasped as the view of the room appeared, other than that the meeting room was eerily quiet. The video continued until Nicola's Team left the suite. When the video finished Terry said, "All four will survive. In the next few days, they will have to decide on how their medical care will proceed. Each occupant was shot with two darts. One contained a sedative and a block specific for the vocal cords. The second dart contained a slow acting neurotoxin that over a period of time would render them incapable of controlling their voluntary muscles. Antidotes were administered but not before some damage was done. In addition to the darts, each was given another injection but the intent of that is not known at the present time. The two who had the devices on their wrists may have reduced use of their hands. In summary the long term effects are dependent on their choice of care. By the way, the two prisoners are in interrogation right now. These are the two Sarah mentioned initially." "Now lets see another visit," said Sally. The video showed two conference delegates knock on a suite door and then enter after a brief exchange. The view shifted to inside the suite showing six occupants and the two delegates. The two visitors said that their 'organization' had sent them to deliver a message. The 'organization' demanded that they return to Earth within a week or they would forfeit their collateral. Following the ultimatum, there were some sharp exchanges of words where it became known that the collateral was the contractors family or friends. The two delegates justified the 'organizations' demand based on their contract and the acceptance of the compensation. When the video ended, the room was very quiet. Sarah said, "Does anyone want to add anything?" A woman raised her hand. When Sarah nodded she said, "Based on the time indications shown, another group visited us before the group was attacked. The message was very similar to the one we just saw. Although in our case, it was the 'company' behind the edict." "Any others?" "Yes," said a man. "I am now very sorry that I chose to come here with the intent to carry knowledge back to this group. The opportunity and the compensation offered were exceptional. Unfortunately, I didn't look deeper. It wasn't until recently that they threatened my family. Fuck the money and promises. Right after this meeting is over, I will initiate my contingency plan." Sally said, "You may leave now. A Security Team is waiting for you in the arrivals area. We will keep you connected with our discussions here." "I am not sure I deserve your support but thank you very much." The man turned and quickly made his way out of the room. "Any other comments?" "Seeing no other comments," said Sarah, "we recommend that you implement your contingency plan in regards to returning to Earth within the next several days. From our standpoint and knowledge sooner is better. So lets all get some rest, as it will soon be morning and breakfast time. Also, all but five delegations will be leaving for Earth right after breakfast. Sleep well." "And to all of you as well," replied the contract staff. After the contract staff had all left the room, the three attending the conference came over to where Sarah, Sally and Terry were standing. Sarah saw them and said, "You all look puzzled." "The best way I can describe it is that I feel like I have just seen the third scene in the second act of a three act play. Now the rest will always be a mystery." "See what curiosity will do to you," replied Terry with a smile. The three smiled at her jab. Sarah said, "What you didn't see was a discussion we had more than a year ago. It was around the time when we were firming up the date for our move to A-Celia. Since this would have a big impact on our contract staff, we discussed their future and the choices they would likely have to make. They were encouraged to consider possible events and how they would respond. Once they had decided on their choices to discuss them with their families and loved ones. All of our contract staff have contingency plans. Only the principals know the full details and we are providing them any assistance they need." "Can we presume that the injured people's contingency plans are being implemented?" asked the Chinese delegate. "We would prefer to hold that answer until tomorrow," said Terry. The three delegates smiled, as Terry's comment was all they needed to confirm their suspicions. "It is time to get some rest as tomorrow will be a long day. Do you all need assistance in finding your suite?" "No. I think we can manage," said the Chinese delegate and they left for their suites. Sarah said as they watched them walk toward their suites, "Since those that went to harass our contract staff are from different delegations, does that mean the organizations behind them are a part of a secret government agency. Or are they using the government as a shill? We know now that there are three different organizations trying to steal from us. Are these groups related to others that have made attempts on us in the past?" "Right now, could be," replied Terry, "is the answer to any of those questions. We now know that they are from three different areas of Earth." "So we will wait for the delegation to ask about their missing members," said Sally. "Yes. We want to see how they handle the issue. The thought is that the longer they don't ask about them the more likely they knew something of the mischief." "Either that or they are clueless," added Terry. "Well there is that. We will monitor their thoughts when the issue comes up as it is a security issue." "Our family is waiting for us, lets go home." The three had just entered the shuttle, when Sarah said to her spouses, "Is it to late to alter our plans for the two in prisoner boxes?" "No," replied several. "Why?" asked Sally. "We are taking the obvious path in dealing with these two. It is a path our adversaries should expect us to take. I was thinking that it maybe better to alter the prisoners memories so that they believe that they accomplished their task and could describe it to their controllers. As a part of this altered memory, they would dream of being caught and their time in the boxes on display, after their return to Earth. These dreams would be primed to reoccur every time they closed their eyes to rest. Doing this would give our contract staff more time to implement their contingency plans. If we do this, we need to place them in their suite before any of their delegation wake up." "What about clothes?" said Alison. "Return them to the room naked. Leave them a set of Salwar Kameez along with a strong need to wear just that and nothing else. If they put anything else on they will be very uncomfortable." "They should not get off without any punishment," said Tara. "Besides dreaming about what they did and the time they spent in the prisoner boxes, the dreams should include how the wrist torture would feel. With that added bit, then I agree." "Erica," said Sarah, "we have an alternate for the two prisoners to consider." Sarah then outlined the initial idea and then added the embellishments Tara added. "We have four hours to accomplish that and have them in their beds before the chimes sound. We will leave them naked in bed together as they are not very fond of each other. She despises him and isn't to happy with the people she works for. The male is an arrogant prick to put it nicely. In spite of that he will likely have a harder time in dealing with the dreams, especially the sensations of the wire tightening around his wrists." "We will arrange for the other groups to wake up in their rooms naked with the same strong desire to wear just a Salwar Kameez." "So you can do it." "Yes. From the looks of the staff here, they are agreeable. Given other circumstances, 50 years of isolated hard labor seems much more appropriate." "If everyone is in agreement then proceed." After a few moments Erica responded with, "I have confirmation from everyone." Just as Erica spoke, the shuttle carrying Sarah's Clan settled into its cradle on Dóchas. The group moved quickly toward their suite. They were all anxious to cuddle with their spouses. ------- Before breakfast, three delegations received a visit in their suite from the a Command Staff Member. Each were told that their departure time was changed to immediately after breakfast. While an Órarduine was in their suite, the people who harassed the contract staff avoided any eye contact. A few of the delegates noticed the body language but said nothing. When they met with the US delegation, the President started to ask why but obviously changed it to thanking the Órarduine for hosting the conference. None of the delegations questioned the change in departure time. After breakfast representatives from the eight Órarduine Command Staffs watched as the delegations began to enter the departure area on An Clochán. Waiting with them were representatives from the Iridiens, Monque, Atewa and Dutsuz members of the Alliance of Worlds. The Órarduine were very formal and the last to say good-bye to the first three delegations. As the delegates who were in last nights harassment shook Sarah's hand, each had a startled expression as they heard her say, "You will never forget your treachery. If any of our contract staff families are hurt or injured, you will feel the pain and remember but will never be able to share it." Once the three delegations had boarded their shuttles the temperature in the room became considerably warmer. Once started the departures moved rapidly and soon there were only the five delegations staying for the Órarduine presentation on A-Celia. Sarah said, "Shall we go into the conference room for the presentation." When the five Earth delegations and the Alliance of World representatives entered the room, they were joined by their special friends and many of the Órarduine young adults. Tara said, "There are refreshments on the counter. Please help yourself. We will start in about 10 minutes." Commander Egulle was standing with Sarah's Clan when he said, "We know this conference has been a tremendous challenge for your family but we are very appreciative of the effort. If there is anything we can do to help please let us know." "Thank you." While they were talking Ahha and Mapk walked over to Prime Minister Kovalenko who was standing with several Russian and Chinese delegates. Mapk said, "Prime Minister Kovalenko, my name is Mapk and this is Ahha." PM Kovalenko looked puzzled. "You may not remember us but we are the two urchins you saw the day Siobhan's Clan delivered the invitations for the conference." "Yes. Now I remember. You look much better." "We feel much better. We are not sure if we need to ask but we would like to stay here with the Órarduine." "First, let me introduce you to the others here." Once the introductions were complete PM Kovalenko said to the group, "Some of us had the pleasure of meeting these two when Siobhan's Clan delivered our invitation. The meeting then was a bit of a surprise but we were very impressed with their tenacity and poise." Both Ahha and Mapk blushed. It was not how they remembered the meeting. Turning back to them he said, "So you like living among these people." "Absolutely, sir," replied Ahha. "Everything has been just like we saw in our dreams." "As to staying here, we don't have any problem with you joining the Órarduine which is really what your asking." "Yes, sir." "What does Siobhan's Clan think of gaining two children?" "Our relationship to them is more like them being our older sisters and brother. They indicated that it would be a much better relationship than us treating them as our parents. They were concerned about how a parent child relationship with them would impact our memories and feelings about our parents. Please ask them as they can probably express it better than I just did." "I'll bet you all talked this over and had to propose the arrangement." "Yes, sir." "I don't think, I need to talk to them. I believe you have found a family that will take good care of you. Many of these people listening to us would like to be in your shoes. We wish you the very best." "Could we ask one favor?" "Sure." "Would it be possible for the other children from our school to visit here for a few days? It couldn't be for three or four weeks though." "That shouldn't be a problem although some of their guardians may want to come as well. Why three to four weeks?" "Siobhan told us to expect that some of the parents would come as well. As to the delay, we wanted to wait long enough for everyone to become comfortable in their new home." Mapk then continued with, "We were concerned that if they weren't settled, then they may see this as a place to escape to without considering the consequences." "Good reasoning. Let my office know when the dates are set, and we will arrange a pickup point. The Órarduine have our contact information." "Thank you, sir," replied Ahha and Mapk. Both shook his hand before drifting off. "He said we could stay," said Ahha and Mapk to Siobhan's Clan. "Great," came the quick reply. "We are very pleased." "So are we." Sarah and Aoife stepped up to the podium and said, "Would everyone please find a seat? Our presentation and questions will likely take us up to lunch and maybe longer." A few moments later Sarah began the presentation on A-Celia. The presentation showed views of the island they had identified as their likely home. The presentation consisted of A-Celia images which alternated with facts about both the planet and the solar system. Although Sarah and Aoife started the presentation, each member of the Órarduine Command Staffs participated in the presentation. The presentation lasted nearly two hours with a short break half way through. When the presentation ended Aoife said, "Are there any questions?" The President of China rose and said, "I don't have a question at the moment but I am sure one will come. While everyone is gathering their thoughts in preparation to barrage you with questions, we would like to commend you for an excellent presentation." Many applauded. "Your evaluation of the planet and the solar system seems to be very detailed. Although I can guess, is there a particular reason?" Tara replied with, "Actually we don't think we have enough detail. This is in part why we expect it will be a year before we begin moving into the first habitat. When you compare the knowledge there is of Earth and this solar system to what we know about A-Celia, we have a long way to go. We think we know most of the fundamental information and by the time we move into the first habitat we should be knowledgeable enough to be good stewards. We have the time so we are being quite methodical in gathering information. Under other circumstances, we could move much quicker." "I am not sure we could be as patient as you are." "It is difficult. We try to do things correctly the first time. This is difficult when you don't know all the variables." "Is this the 'Is it perfect?" motto I've heard about?" "In large part, yes. Our motto as you refer to it, is easy to misinterpret especially if you loose your perspective. Our motto simply encourages us to do the best we can at that point in time even if it takes a little longer." "That makes sense. I see your point about misinterpreting it." From that point on it was non stop questions. It was apparent that the attendees listened to the questions others asked and the answer before they asked their question. The Órarduine were very pleased with the question and answer period. It certainly offset some of the aggravation they felt over last nights events. Sarah raised her hand and said, "It is lunch time. Lets go have lunch while we answer any lingering questions. Any Órarduine can answer your questions if not we are certain they will find the answer for you." The Prime Minister of Ireland stood and said, "We offer thanks to all of you for this excellent presentation. It is an eye opener for even an Earth's doubting 'Thomas' which I am not and I don't believe any are here." The applause was instantaneous and all the delegates stood as the applause continued. When it quieted she continued with, "We appreciate the effort put into the presentations given by the Iridiens, Dutsuz, Atewa and Monque. All of you covered a very broad topic very succinctly. The information should help us as we seek to become space travelers. Their patience with our questions was outstanding." The applause really started before she finished speaking. As the applause continued the delegates again stood indicating their agreement with the comment. While the applause continued all of Sarah's Clan stepped up to the podium. When the applause quieted down they said in unison, "On behalf of all of us, thank you. We enjoyed having you. We are pleased to hear that you felt it was worth the time and inconvenience." They paused for a moment. "Lets have lunch, we are really hungry." A little after lunch the five delegations walked with the Command Staffs and Alliance of World representatives to the departure area. These good-byes took considerably longer than that morning as everyone exchanged good-byes. When the last group of delegates and news media had boarded the shuttles Sarah said, "I am ready for a break." "Yes!" replied everyone. Commander Marika of the Monque said, "Órarduine you did an excellent job of hosting the conference. We are disappointed by the actions of some delegates last night. Their actions are to us a warning on how to deal with them. As to the presentations this morning, they couldn't have been better. They look so good that those on our ships want to visit you frequently." "Thanks for the compliment. As the attendees noted, your preparation contributed greatly to the conferences success. As to visiting us, we would love to have you. It will take us some time before we have accommodations like we have here." Commander Laonize of the Atewa said, "We have sponsored similar events and we second the comments Marika just made. As to frequent visits, I think many of us want to visit your new home. We are pleased with our relationship. We hope it will grow. Regardless, when you need assistance just tell us and we will be there. Guaranteed. We may not have support of our World but we will be there for you." "Commander Laonize, you are really pushing the boundary of what we can do," said Commander Reyonte of the Atewa. "How do you figure? You know we would be there if needed." "I agree, but we aren't usually so open about it, as there were times we were drawn into events that were a mistake. I would be surprised if that is ever the case with the Órarduine." He paused. "Órarduine your openness must be contagious." His comment caused many to laugh. Commander Timalta of the Dutsuz said, "I know our crew would stand with the Órarduine in any place and at any time. We are here because they came to our aid when we were in deep doo doo." Several chuckled. "The two closing songs last night were very appropriate. Our crew members are very appreciative of the video link provided to the concert. They have asked where they could obtain the lyrics to those songs specifically and others. As to openness, we believe it has significant benefits to those of us in this AW Task Group, however we don't know that the benefits of openness will carry beyond this Task Group. The Órarduine have an advantage in making openness work with their ability to share telepathically. We think we can do it without telepathy but it will take effort on everyone's part. Can we promote the concept beyond our group of ships? We don't know. I do know that if we can't keep this group together we may be looking for a new home." Commander Egulle said, "I think it is time for us to return to our ships. I know I have to catch up on quite a few items." "We agree," said Commander Marika. "Shall we continue our weekly meetings?" "We like that idea," replied the Órarduine Command Staffs. "Before we return to our day to day tasks," said Sally of Sarah's Clan, "Commander Marika alluded to incidents involving our contract staff toward the end of the reception and afterwards. As a result, it is likely our Security Teams will be quite busy for the next few days picking up people on Earth. These will be close friends or families of our contract staff." "What happened?" said Commander Tuska of the Monque. "Four contract staff were assaulted and quite a few others were threatened," replied Sally. "All of the contract staff are considering several options for their future. Is that a sufficient reply?" "Yes. We are aware of that. My first concern was that there was another incident. I imagine you have dealt with the perpetrators." "Yes. The two who intended to maim our staff have been dealt with in a unique way. Whether there are more issues, we don't know. We will have to wait and see what happens in the next several days." Commander Orgaine said, "You know our SPC Ops teams are a little bored just doing drills, so call on them if something comes up even if it is as backup." "We will," replied Sarah with the others nodding in agreement. "Okay we're off," said Commander Timalta. Each of his group exchanged hugs and handshakes before entering the boarding tube to their shuttle. The other groups from the Alliance of Worlds quickly followed. Sarah said, "I propose we relax for the next two days but stay linked with the Security Teams supporting the extractions." "Agreed," replied everyone. "I hope everything goes smoothly?" added Maureen. "We can hope," said several. They then exchanged hugs and kisses before entering the boarding tubes to their shuttles. "Breacadh," said Amy, "change the schedule so that tomorrow is a day to relax for everyone. We still need to keep critical functions fully manned." "Will do. Did you see the intelligence report regarding the contract staff's families and friends?" "We did. Security Teams here can relax, but at the same time they need to be ready to deploy on short notice." "I will advise them. I suspect most will want to do mission planning as a way to relax." Amy's Clan chuckled. Amy replied with, "What ever floats their boat." ------- Chapter 159 It was two days after the end of the conference when the contract staff's family issues turned into a mess. Before the threats against them, many contract staff were already leaning toward joining the Órarduine rather than returning to live on Earth. Everyone for one reason or another had delayed discussing their future with their family and close friends, as until now there had never been a clear physical threat to them. Each contacted their families and friends with a request to join them for a short vacation on a warm sunny island. Many of the contract staff indicated to their guests that the purpose was to discuss an opportunity with them besides having time to relax with them. When their guests accepted a time was set for their pickup and the details of the pickup would be given to them shortly before the pickup. Each guest was asked not to say anything other than they would be away on vacation for a few days. As arranged, the Órarduine Security Teams made the contacts and began picking up the contract staff's families and close friends. The first few pickups went smoothly with no problems. Some of the pickups were during daylight using a small shuttle disguised as an airport shuttle van. In cases where the residence was being watched, the guests were asked to drive to a deserted highway rest area in the early evening. During the trip, a Security Team monitored them and took any necessary steps to ensure no one was following the guests when the rest area was reached. At the rest area, a Security Team met the guests and checked their vehicle for transmitters. Once they were sure the vehicle was clean, the guests drove their car to a parking lot where it wasn't unusual for cars to be there for several days. There they boarded a waiting disguised Órarduine shuttle to take them to New Comrie. Three contract staff members chose to return home. Their friends at An Clochán were unhappy to see them leave but understood their motivation to return. Everyone recognized that joining the Órarduine would be a big irreversible change. Whether it was coincidence or not, it was the day after the three returned home that things began to go downhill. In the first incident, two Security Teams were ambushed at two different locations leaving 4 team members dead on one team and 3 casualties and 2 severely injured on the other team. In both cases, the two teams would have been wiped out if their backup teams had not quickly responded. When the backup teams gained control of their site, the dead and injured Órarduine were placed in their shuttle. The shuttle AI was instructed to take them to the nearest cruiser to pick up EMTs then proceed directly to Mars with all due speed. Afterward the Security teams searched the two sites. Their findings were very similar. The people the Órarduine were to pickup had been murdered shortly before their arrival. Based on the few documents on the attackers, it was clear that the attackers assignment was to take the Órarduine dead or alive. Once they had the Órarduine, the attackers were to alter the scene so it looked as if the Órarduine were responsible for the murders. After the site was ready, they were to let their contact know they were ready to leave. At that time, they would receive the delivery location. Once away from the site, an anonymous phone call would alert local police. From the two sets of documents, it was clear that the two groups were sponsored by different organizations. At both ambush sites, the backup Security Teams moved the contractors murdered relatives to a shuttle and sent it to New Comrie before cleaning up the site. The dead attackers were placed in their vehicles which were moved to a remote location and left for someone to find. Their weapons and documents were with them as they did not disclose the location of the ambush. While this was occurring several other extractions went off without a hitch. One ambush had taken place in the North America sector that Briana's Team was monitoring from a cruiser in low orbit. The other ambush was in the European sector where Caoilinn's Team was monitoring the operations. Cathan's Team was monitoring the operations in the Asian sector. After the ambush Briana said, "Caoilinn. Cathan, we need to change how we are doing our extractions." "We were just updated on the incident in your area and we agree," replied both. "The ambush in this area was very similar to the one in your area," added Caoilinn. Cathan said, "What about the families of the three contract staff members who returned home?" Shannon replied, "There are drones with several spiders monitoring each location." Todd of Cathan's Team said, "For the rest of the pickups, lets treat all of them as a hostage situation with an armed opponent." "Good idea," said Caoilinn. "If we had used spiders in conjunction with the drone then we may have avoided the ambush in our sector." "Good point. Perhaps we should add that to all pickups." "Shannon," said Caoilinn, "we need a bunch of spiders." "A cruiser is on its way with more than enough as there are ten for each location. Several Iridien SPC Ops Teams are coming right behind them. The Iridiens offered to provide an additional level of backup or distraction as needed." "Let's shift completely to night time extractions," said Adam. "With our extended vision capabilities, it should give us an additional advantage." "Everyone should wear their tac suits with the clear helmet," said Rusty. "The teams that were ambushed were not wearing their tac suits. Both ambushes appears to have been well planned so the tac suits may only have reduced our losses. Sending spiders into any building prior to entering is definitely a good idea." "Is there anything we can do about the organizations behind these people?" asked Caoilinn. "We're working on it," replied Shannon. "Cathal and several from his old group provided some suggestions to follow up on. They wanted to help but are in the field with their teams." "Good," replied all of the teams involved in the extractions. After that picking up the remaining families for their trip to New Comrie went cleanly as there weren't any more deadly surprises. Where people were waiting to ambush or trap the Órarduine, they were quickly put down. Before foiling an ambush, the Security Team probed the minds of those waiting for them. Individually, none of the potential attackers knew very much but on the whole, the Órarduine learned a few key details about the organizations funding the attacks. They were not surprised to learn that the organizations were those who prompted some to join their contract staff. The prompting was in the form of a large initial bonus and guarantee of a very highly paid position to bring back the Órarduine technology to them. ------- With the pickups back on track, Shannon's Intelligence group pulled up the data from the drone monitoring Lyle. He was a contract staff member, who returned to a house in Briana's sector. The drone and spiders had recorded key pieces of information, but the location of Lyle and his family were unknown as the drone had lost contact with the associated spiders. Shannon asked security to determine why the drone had lost contact with the spiders. She then had Briana launch several drones to scan the area for the missing spiders. A short time later one spider who had been with Lyle was found at a private air field partially crushed. The data retrieved from the spider showed that Lyle was last seen wearing prisoner transport restraints. Included in the spider's data was images of the plane that Lyle and those from the vehicle had boarded. The other spider had apparently gotten on the plane as it was not there but the vehicle was. Based on what they knew about the current status of Lyle, Shannon's group came to the conclusion that it was a distinct possibility for this to occur to both Erna and Laila who had returned home. Shannon immediately requested their other Intelligence Groups to evaluate the drone data on Erna and Laila. In Briana's Sector, it was several hours later when the drones found another spider along a road in a rural area. While one drone retrieved data from the spider, the others spread out and began following the road. It wasn't long before they found the other spider and a vehicle parked next to a large metal building. Briana's team immediately sent more spiders to the location. The building was shielded so the spiders entered the building, gathered data, and then exited in order to transmit it. The image data from inside the building showed that Lyle's family was indeed inside. Five people were overseeing their interrogation. Two family members had been stripped and were hanging by their ankles. Two were still dressed but locked in narrow vertical body cages. Their clothes were wet and the cages were positioned, so they had to watch as others were being tormented. Three were naked and strapped down on rough wood benches covered with dry rice. They were held there by a metal yoke around their neck and a rod in their ass. Their ankles were pulled toward the ceiling with ropes so that their legs were spread. Both were in considerable pain by the expressions on their faces. Two of the interrogators were periodically flogging or using cattle prods to shock the three on the benches or the two hanging by their ankles. The metal room caused the screams to echo and the abuse was timed so that the screams seemed continuous. The image data also showed a woman bound to a nearly vertical x shaped bondage cross with her wrists and ankles firmly tied to the arms of the cross. A set of video cameras were in front with their recording lights on. Her clothes had been cut and now hung in strips from the cross under her. A voice from a speaker was directing the two tormentors on how to torture the young woman on the cross. Each time they stuck her with the barbed pins, she screamed. Once she stopped screaming, there would be a pause when faint voices could be heard over the speaker. Soon the voice from the speaker would direct the tormentors to give the woman another dose of pain. Sometimes rather than sticking her with a pin, the voice would have them wave a violet wand close to the pins already sticking in her body. As the wand passed over the pins, sparks could be seen jumping from the wand to the woman. With each spark, the young woman uttered shrill screams and tried to twist away. Her twisting only added to her agony as the movement brought more pins closer to the wand causing a buzz as the arc rapidly flashed. After a few moments the young woman's screams would go silent even though her open mouth indicated she was screaming. From the sounds over the speaker, it was clear that Lyle was being forced to watch his family be tortured when he didn't respond with the answers the interrogators wanted. Occasionally, a moan, a muffled scream or the sound of someone presumably Lyle being hit was heard from the speaker. Christina's Security Team was on a nearby shuttle anxiously monitoring the incoming information. They were anxious to release Lyle's family from the building but knew waiting for the spiders to carefully search the building was a must. While they waited, Nainsi reached out telepathically to the woman on the cross to comfort her and reduce the intensity of the pain. When the spiders located the communication equipment, a terrestrial version of the Ferret was sent in to probe the buildings communication link. Also, during the search of the building, the spiders found that the building was rigged with enough explosives to turn it into dust. It took several hours to sort out where the other end of the communication link was located. The link bridged several times in an attempt to disguise the end points. By this time the woman on the cross was weakening in her responses the torment. One of the tormentors commented that it was time to start on a fresh one. "I think we have enough information on the building holding the family," said Adam. "How are we going to extract Lyle? We can hardly sense his position in that underground complex and it takes the spiders a long time to relay information to us." "The young woman being tormented can't take much more abuse," added Cass of Briana's Clan. Shannon said, "We have found Erna and Laila in similar situations. Cathal and Todd are planning on causing a momentary power failure to get the upper hand at the other sites holding the families. Once they have the families out of the building, they will rearm the doors as they exit. It shouldn't take the occupants long to trip the explosives. They will let the dust settle and see what happens at the location where the contract staff members are being held. Once the interrogators realize they have lost communication with the remote hostages, they are going to contact someone. It would be nice to know where that call goes." "So how long do we wait to pull the family members out?" asked Darcy. "Do it as soon as the lights go out. At the locations in Cathan's and Caoilinn's sectors, they are going to teleport the staff member out of the interrogation room while the interrogators are distracted." "For the underground facility where Lyle is, we have limited options. A fire in their power distribution center should cause a lot of panic in the underground facility. Getting in there with out being detected will be a major challenge. Before we do anything, we must have a lot more information on the building." Christina's Security Teams positioned themselves outside the building in Briana's sector holding Lyle's family. One team member pulled the master power switch, shutting off all power. Christina's team along with another immediately entered the building. Some team members focused on subduing the tormentors by first spraying them with a disorientating drug. Other team members began releasing Lyle's family members. The two tormenting the young woman were kneed before being shoved head first into the wall behind the cross. Once released the family members were carried out of the building. With the family and Christina's Team out of the building, the spiders followed them out to the waiting shuttles. They had only been out of the building a short time when one of the tormentors found the open power switch and restored the power. Before the communications link was automatically restored, one tormentor realized their captives were missing. She reacted by running toward the main door. Just as she pushed the door open, she realized her mistake and began to scream. The building quickly turned to a bright fire ball silencing the woman. The shuttle was far enough away that it was only slightly buffeted by the shock wave from the explosion. Christina turned the shuttle so Lyle's family could see what happened to the building. "Why would they bobby trap the building with them inside?" "Two reasons come to mind. To ensure the tormentors did what they were told and to have absolute control of who left the building." The Security Teams used a similar strategy to Christina's at the other two locations where family members were being held. At each location, they were able to release Laila and Erna's family members and get them on their shuttles before their tormentors realized they were gone. At one location, the communication link was restored just before the explosion leveled the building. This gave those interrogators and the captive a brief view of the room before the explosion. Only the captive noticed that her family members were no longer in the room. ------- Shannon was correct about the phone calls being made from the locations holding Erna and Laila. At one location, as soon as the interrogators with Erna realized they had lost communications, one left the room. In the room next door, he picked up the phone and pushed a speed dial button. A Ferret under the desk managed to trace the call before the conversation ended. Based on what was said, the brief call was made to the organizations headquarters. After the phone was hung up, the Ferret ignited an incendiary in the communications room as it made its way out of the building. The fire tripped the fire suppression system and sounded an alarm which resulted in a mad scramble to contain the fire. The fire alarm caused the interrogator with Erna to rush toward the door. On the way, he tripped falling head first against the wall. With their psionic ability, the Security Team extracted Erna from the building and into the shuttle hovering just over the building. Erna was shocked when she realized where she was. Her first words, "Thank God you came. Are they okay?" "Yes. They will be fine," replied Melanie of Caoilinn's Team. She held Erna as she cried releasing her worry and stress. The release of Laila went just as smoothly as Erna's. When the captive realized she was in the Órarduine shuttle, tears filled her eyes as Laila said, "Are they okay?" "Yes. All of them will recover." Enya of Cathan's Team held her as she sobbed. Briana said, "All of our stuff is out. Cathan. Caoilinn, it is time to level those two buildings." "With pleasure," replied both. In the morning light in Singapore, an office building shook then slowly began to sink into the ground. It was at a time when only a few people were on the street but no one was nearby. Several levels disappeared below the ground before the few people passing by noticed. They just stood and watched as the building quietly dropped from sight leaving behind a large hole that slowly began to fill with muddy water. The buildings next to it shifted slightly toward the now vacant spot. Authorities would later try to understand why the remaining buildings did not slide or topple into the hole the sinking building created. In Grenoble, France it was the middle of the night when a six story building began to violently shake. Nothing around it was disturbed as the building shook then began to crumble as it caved in on itself, crushing the underground floors. When the dust cleared there was a slight depression where the building had stood. As the building was in the business district, no one noticed until dawn and people began arriving for work. On their way past the remains, several people noticed the open area with a puzzled look but walked on. Eventually a person who was focused on his cell phone conversation walked up to the building as if to enter. He screamed as he almost fell into the depression drawing attention to the missing building. Briana said, "We are now down to one captive. The building where Lyle is being held is the headquarters of this group." "Since they lost communication with those tormenting his family, the interrogators decided to try using drugs to get the information they wanted. Lyle is being moved to the medical area," said Anita, "which fortunately is on the perimeter of the building so communications will be a little easier." Muireann in the Intelligence Department said, "We would prefer to delay pulling him until some preparations are made to extract a little retribution on this group. Nearly all of this complex is under a mountain. The rock around it is pretty solid however there is a large cavern several hundred feet underneath the complex. The ground above it only extends a short distance and the rock contains some deep fractures." "How long will the preparations take?" "About a day minimum." "Okay. This complex it not shielded right." "As best we can tell, no. It appears they are depending on the rock to do the shielding and it does a good job." Adam said, "Can you tell if there are any caves around the complex? Hopefully near the medical side of the complex." "What do you have in mind?" "Getting close enough that we can help Lyle answer questions. The more tales he tells the fewer drugs and less abuse." Deidre said, "This sounds like fun. Why don't I enter the room? There I could link with Lyle and let just him see me. With me there you can relay messages through me to him. You need to reassure him before I enter." "We can do that," replied Briana. "If you're there, couldn't a transporter bring both of you out?" "The cruiser doesn't have enough power unless we get very close to it," said Cass. "Being that close will create other problems." "We will query Sarah's Clan on that option," replied Muireann. Over the next day, Ferrets hacked into the main systems of all three organizations and began feeding the data to a nearby cruiser. From there, the data was sent to the Órarduine fleet. As the data was being collected mining bots worked below the underground facility weakening the dome of the cavern on which it sat. ------- When Lyle arrived in the isolation room, his remaining clothes were cut off before being forced on to a bed where he was restrained. Briana pushed thoughts to him that they were working to get him out of there. In the meantime, Deidre would soon join him to keep him company and only he could see her. Once they were sure he understood, Deidre appeared in the room shortly before a nurse entered. Lyle's expression only changed slightly when Deidre appeared. The nurse never noticed Deirdre confirming to Lyle that only he could see her and he had not been dreaming. With Deidre in the room, the thoughts Briana's Team were pushing to him were much clearer. They encouraged him to talk to Deidre about the many things he had seen and done while with the Órarduine. It took several tries to get him to accept their request as he didn't want to violate his contract with the Órarduine. Once Lyle started talking about An Clochán and the things he saw, he realized having Deidre there listening made it easier for him to talk about his experiences. His captors were at first puzzled when Lyle began talking. As they listened, his comments began to fit with other information they had acquired. His conversation to them sounded like he was talking to someone in the room but they knew no one was there. Their cameras and other sensors showed no one else was in the isolation room. To them it was obvious that they had broken him. They checked the recorders to make sure both were working properly. While listening to Lyle, they speculated on how they had succeeded. Both thought it would take much more mental stress to break him. They were certain more of those who went to work with the Órarduine would return to Earth. The organization planned on interrogating each of them when they returned to their new position with the organization. Previously those they had sent to work with the Órarduine had not been isolated after returning from living with the Órarduine. Each had disappeared with their families a short time after returning to Earth. None had ever been located. The interrogators sent a nurse in with food at lunch time and to do routine checks. The whole time she was there Lyle just chattered away. After a while, Lyle dozed off and slept for several hours. The nurse came back with dinner and woke him up. Shortly after she left, Lyle began talking again as he ate his dinner. It was early in the morning when the underground complex shook violently. Lyle woke up. His movement turned the room lights on. His facial expression clearly showed his fear. Then the inside wall shifted clearly jamming the only door shut. Deidre then went over to him and began removing his restraints. Alarms began ringing in the monitoring room. As soon as the interrogators saw the restraints being removed, they went to open the door only to find it jammed. They began pounding on the door in an attempt to force it open. The pounding grew louder as Deidre helped Lyle stand then put her arms around him. They could see the door beginning to give. Deidre paused watching the door with Lyle until it began to yield then just as it opened she gave the go ahead. The next thing Lyle knew, they were in a small room on Dóchas with Deidre's arms still around him. Lyle said, "Where are we?" "On Dóchas. We were just teleported here from the underground complex. Your family is at An Clochán. They will all be fine in a few days." "I am not sure which was worse, them sticking me with electrified needles or watching them abuse my family. No I know which was worse, watching them torment my family. It was awful." "Your family will be fine. The medical staff will help all of you with your memories." "Oh, God. I told them all about the Órarduine technology. I didn't think I could do that." "Briana's Clan and I helped you do that. It is okay as they won't be able use it." "Why?" "After we left, the complex collapsed into a large cavern. The collapse caused the ground above it to cave in. The cave in likely registered on some seismographs. Right now the hole, which is several hundred feet deep, is beginning to fill with water. It will be an extraordinarily deep mountain lake in a month or so." "How?" "I don't know the details. You will need to discover those for yourself. I do know that they had not transferred any information off site." "Deidre, thank you so very much for spending the time with me. You are a delight to talk to." He paused. "What if... ?" "There were backup plans for getting you out of the complex," replied Deidre before Lyle could complete his question. "This was the cleanest way. In a way, the complexes destruction was payback for the people we lost but the punishment will never replace those we lost. The building falling into what appears to be a sink hole will be seen as a natural event. It will keep Earth's scientist puzzling over it for a long time as the cavern was not known. Many will probably never know that there is a building buried under the lake." "Who do I thank?" "The Órarduine. It was their effort. They did it to fulfill their agreement with you to keep your family safe. We had some support from the Iridiens." "I caused that much trouble." "No, not just you. Our agreement with each contract staff member is to ensure the safety of their families and friends. Except for two others, all the contract staff chose to meet with their families on New Comrie to plan their future. You may not know it but there were three of you who returned to Earth to resume your life there. The other two had an experience similar to yours. They are at An Clochán with their families recovering from their ordeal. We will be returning there shortly. Now this young lady will take you to the clinic for a checkup then you need to get some rest." "Yes Ma'am." Deidre watched as he walked off with the Órarduine escort. If he had looked back, he wouldn't have seen Deidre as she had projected herself to the bridge. She stood beside Sarah with her arm around Sarah's waist. "So what are you going to do with the information you obtained?" asked Deidre. "At first we were considering destroying the two remaining headquarters. We have since come to the conclusion that doing that would definitely violate our prime directive. Intelligence believes publication of the information we obtained will effectively end the activity of the three central organizations. Whether the remaining pieces survive, the decision will be up to the people of Earth. Shannon thinks the organizations knew of each other, but each worked a different part of the globe so there was little interaction. All of us are surprised at how similar they operated." "Perhaps, they spied on each other." "Good point. Think we went too far." "If you had destroyed the other two headquarters, yes. Destroying the organization that sponsored Lyle, I see as justified. With the interrogation tools they had, there was no need to so barbarically torture his family. As to the impact of these groups demise, only time will tell if the disappearance of these groups changes the political dynamics for the people on Earth." "Star let's return to Mars orbit," said Sarah. "Sequence initiated. Movement will begin in 15 minutes," replied Star. "Why try to steal from us?" Sarah paused before adding, "I know it is greed and control or power that drives them. They are intent on having more than anyone else but for what purpose? Very few see the negative side of their actions or the seeds of discontent they sow that will someday eat them alive. Without all of the people growing in knowledge together, they will never have a significant presence in space or a peaceful existence." "You're likely correct but there is a small amount of uncertainty in your statement. Only time will tell though. We think your people have done what you could. The Iridiens give them another perspective on advanced technology. Only time will tell how well they take advantage of the knowledge you and the Iridiens have helped them find." After a short silence Deidre said, "Is the melancholy over now?" "Yes," replied Sarah with a smile. "It will come again as it does for all of us." "Yes. Even for us. The link you have with each other helps you handle the melancholy so it doesn't overwhelm any one of you. For us it is the link I have with my sisters and the 'The Old Ones'." "Yes. Thank you, I hadn't thought of it in quite that way." Sarah stood with her arm around Deidre as they watched the changing view as Dóchas moved quickly toward Mars. Once her spouses had finished their tasks, they joined in watching the changing view. "I don't think, I will ever get tired of traveling in space," said Sarah. "We agree," replied her spouses. ------- The next day Shannon said, "Sarah's Clan, this really doesn't impact us but the US is claiming that we are kidnapping their citizens. It was in the Washington and New York papers this morning." "What is the basis for the claim?" asked Sarah. "The information was leaked to a Washington correspondent by an unknown source. They didn't even identify where the source worked. Each article claims the Órarduine are again kidnapping people from the US. The source showed the correspondent some pictures supporting their claims of kidnapping but wouldn't let the correspondent have them. The source also indicated that the military now had the means to detect Órarduine ships. Further claims were made that the government's latest intelligence reports which incorporate the information from those visiting Mars confirm that the Órarduine intend to take control of Earth. The story of them moving to A-Celia is a smoke screen and A-Celia doesn't exist. The articles went on to note the sudden destruction of a previously undisclosed underground government intelligence facility operated by a contractor. This occurred around time they detected Dóchas in Earth orbit. The implications were that the Órarduine were behind the facility's destruction. There were a few other tidbits in the article but that covers most of the points." "So now they can detect our presence?" said Rusty. "Do we want to test their ability?" "Not yet," said Kelly as the other command staffs had joined the update. "We should wait to see what their strategy is. At the moment, our clan doesn't see any point to this. However, this administration has done some strange things since being elected." "Our most recent interaction with Earth was picking up the families of the contract staff as they asked us to," said Terry of Sarah's Clan. "As agreed to before Lyle, Erna and Laila returned to Earth, we did rescue them and their families once their employers made their move. The viciousness and heavy handedness of their interrogation techniques were surprising. Any information gained by those brute force techniques is usually littered with so much bad information that it takes a long time to extract the gems." Muireann said, "There is another article of interest. It noted the deaths of the two members of the US delegation to the conference on Mars. These were the two involved in the maiming incident. The man died in a high speed collision with a highway bridge pillar that has all the earmarks of suicide. The woman was found dead in her apartment and the cause was unknown. The article noted they had been acting strange since shortly before returning from the conference on Mars. The implication was that something happened to them while on Mars." "Shannon. Muireann," said Sarah, "monitor how this progresses. Also, if anyone contacts us about these articles, tell them that we are baffled by the content of the articles. Remind them that many Órarduine are originally from Earth. We have recruited contract staff from Earth but never in the way indicated in the articles. Currently there are no contract staff here as they have returned to Earth or changed their status." "What if some of the visitors from last week call?" "If it is a delegation leader then forward the call to any of us. As to other delegation members, you will need to decide what to say based on what we know about them. If you can satisfy them then fine, otherwise transfer them to us. Does that work?" "Yes." Maureen said, "Have you started releasing the information we found at the organization's headquarters?" "It started last night. Several European papers are preparing stories keying off of the information. The same is also true in Asia, even the Chinese papers are preparing stories. In every case, the papers are checking out what they can as they prepare the stories. The Grandview media is holding back as they want to see someone else break the news in the US." "There must be more to that." "There is. Over the last several months, all the Grandview media have been scrutinized by several US government agencies. This was in regards to employment practices, taxes, and other regulatory items. They've heard that their banks were told by the Justice Department to closely monitor their accounts for money laundering and hiding income. Lending institutions were told not to provide them any additional funding and to closely monitor account activity. Several key personnel have had tax audits and unexplainable break-ins." "Let them know that we are willing to be a refuge. We don't believe interceding is in their best interest." "Earl and Lorelei have done that. Virginia and Doug now have security with them constantly." "Hmm ... this could get ugly," added Siobhan. "Once we see what their strategy is, we need to develop some contingency plans." "Agreed," replied those in the link. "Oh, oh," said Shannon. "The US Secretary of State has told their UN Ambassador to immediately request an emergency session of the UN Security Council be held tomorrow at the latest. The White House has announced that the President will hold a press conference tomorrow." "Has the wounded warrior benevolent fund been moved?" asked Chester of Keriann's Clan. "Yes. It has been moved and reorganized several times. The primary office is now in Ireland with major accounts in several countries. The proceeds from the choir's recordings have given the fund a significant reserve. Its organizational structure was revised to make it very difficult for any one country to plunder it. If that happens or an attempt is made, provisions are in place to make sure it does not go unnoticed, especially by those it helps." "How about the group we helped start the secure document storage company?" said Maureen. "They have a number of options available, one of which is a means to leave Earth. This option will make itself known if their site AI determines circumstances warrant it. It is basically a set of unique space craft capable of transferring them to An Clochán. Breacadh knows of the possibility. He will open a part of An Clochán when they arrive. In choosing this they effectively disappear from Earth. Obviously, there would be no return. If this happens, we would need to return here to pick them up." "My feeling is," said Aoife, "the US President will make some claims about us he will not be able to backup." ------- It was a week after the events concerning the contract staff's families and related events, when six Command Staffs began gathering for their weekly meeting. Earlier that morning many of the Órarduine had watched as Fiontar and Marthanóir left on their two week shakedown excursion. "Good morning," said Siobhan's Clan as they entered the meeting room on Taiséalai. "How are Mapk and Ahha?" asked Kathryn. "They are doing fine," replied Keira of Siobhan's Clan. "It is kind of quiet without them around. Gail indicated it would be about a week before the conversion was complete." "So you miss them," said Maureen with a smile. "Well yes and no," replied Melissa of Siobhan's Clan. "We still sense them. It is just not in the way we are use to. We are anxious to hear their cheerful voices again." "We understand what you mean by sense them," said Alison of Sarah's Clan. "We had a similar sensation when Alena and her children went through the conversion." "Our children really think they are neat," added Erin of Sarah's Clan. "They have a calendar in the learning area on which they are marking off the days until they return." "That's sweet," replied Siobhan. "We know Ahha and Mapk really think a lot of yours." "Shall we begin," said Sarah. Alison said, "Let's talk about the deaths and their impact on the two clans for a few moments." "Both clans are adjusting to their losses much better than we initially expected," said Judy of Sarah's Clan. "This is the first time we have had multiple deaths in a clan. We think they are doing better than we expected because they can share the pain and they also know exactly what happened." Alison said, "Do we really want to continue letting a security team consist of a single clan? I agree that when the teams are composed of a single clan, they are very effective because of their telepathic communication capabilities and closeness. None of them have children yet, but will have at some point. What contingencies do we want to have to care for the children? The risk to a clan just seems excessive." "We have discussed this a few times," replied Chester of Keriann's Clan. "It also makes us a little uneasy to see a Security Team composed of a single clan. We know from Connemare's history that they had similar units consisting of one or two clans. Our feeling is we should leave the decision to the clan as to how many participate in a mission. However, from my perspective a team should not be smaller than eight which is the size of most clans. One possible solution could be sister clans. We think that it was the sister clans who helped these two clans come to terms with their losses. Another consideration would be for a Security Team to actually draw from two sister clans. We have a couple nearly composed this way. When they practice or do exercises, they all participate, but when called only part of each clan goes and it is not always the same members." Chester continued, "I sat in on the review of the ambush. In hindsight, not wearing their tac suits was a major error. It wasn't obvious before hand as their approach was consistent with what other teams were doing at the time. All of the previous extractions were completed without any direct confrontations. The scans they made for building occupants showed the correct number of occupants. Unfortunately those occupants turned out to be the attackers. Once ambushed, both teams performed very well considering the circumstances. Even knowing one of their spouses was injured and needed attention, they still focused on protecting everyone. Their telepathic link with their back up team is what kept the ambush from being a massacre. Fortunately, the backup teams were in their tac suits when they came to their rescue." "A risk analysis indicates that wearing the tac suits would have given them a significant amount of protection but may not have prevented some of the injuries. With the additional resources provided by the suit, the team would have been in a much better position to put down their attackers." "One benefit of our telepathic communication is that it didn't take long for all the teams to know what happened. This also benefited those in the operation control center to quickly make changes to the operational plan. Everyone learned some valuable lessons and unfortunately some died." Judy said, "I should have mentioned sister clans in my earlier comment. We haven't looked at it real close, but we think every clan has at least one sister clan. In many respects, we think of our eight clans as essentially a cluster of sister clans. Of the eight of us, the two closest clans are Molly and Jackie's Clans but it is not by much." "We agree," said Siobhan with others nodding their heads in agreement. "After the memorial service, I was chatting with a couple of the surviving spouses," said Aoife. "Several times they talked about their dead spouse as if they were still active members of their clan. In each clan, we share our thoughts, memories, and emotions. When one dies, do we retain a part of that sharing? Is a dead spouse still a part of a clan in some way?" "We need to talk to our mentors about that," said Erin of Sarah's Clan. "The recent deaths of Security Team members was a bit of a shock to everyone in part because it was our first combat loss but others in our family have died in accidents. In every case, the surviving spouses chose to cremate them as they plan on taking their ashes to A-Celia." "So where are we going with this topic?" said Kelly of Keriann's Clan. "Within our group of eight clans, we are certain all of you will care for our children if something happened to any of us. We should encourage inter clan bonding as it has several benefits to the family as a whole. Shall we move on to the next topic?" Maureen said, "I see Virginia and Doug have relocated permanently to Ireland. Do all of you think our friends in Grandview are going to be okay?" "Yes, based on what we have seen coming from our Intelligence Groups," replied Kelly. "Virtually every news organization went ballistic when they learned the details regarding the governments harassment of the Grandview media. It is interesting how the Grandview media harassment was exposed by another news organization when two staff reporters were working on an unrelated story. At first didn't believe what they found but once the reporters confirmed the details it quickly became front page news. The words became especially hot when it was learned that the request came from the President's staff with his knowledge with implications the President initiated it." Kathy said, "Samantha in Dóchas Communications said that Russia, China, Australia, and England called offering us full citizenship. Ireland informed us that since all Órarduine were obviously of Celtic origin, we were considered citizens of Ireland and would provide passports if needed. Several other countries also made citizenship offers. All of the countries who attended the conference informed us that they have no problem with us entering their airspace." Kathryn said, "The response by several UN Security Council members in the special session the next day was unusual. After the US presented its case, China, Russia, and England disclosed information about the different times we have rescued or assisted in rescuing people on Earth. We were very surprised at the amount and detail in their information. Russia pointed out our contribution to the International Space Station which was agreed to by NASA. All the assessments were very accurate although they did miss some events." Alena added, "The Israeli release of more details about the Tangier incident seemed to add strength to the information presented at the UN Security Council meeting. Both the Russians and Chinese confirmed that the additional details from the Israelis fit with their information." "The accuracy and bluntness of the presentations at the UN meeting surprised me," said Joyce. "Diplomatic exchanges are usually so much softer." "One reason is that we aren't a UN member," replied Aisling. "Joyce, you may not have noticed," said Siobhan, "but each country presenting information contacted us before hand. They asked if we had any problems with them disclosing what they knew of events we were involved in. Muireann told them that we had no problem with it as long as all participants received credit and it did not glorify the part the Órarduine played." "I am surprised they asked," said May of Siobhan's Clan. "I didn't realize that," said Keira of Siobhan's Clan. "I wonder if they would do the same for other governments on Earth. It is an indication that they value our friendship." "I suspect they usually do advise other countries when they are not on opposite sides of an issue," replied Kaitlin of Maureen's Clan. "I agree with you that many value our friendship just as much as we value theirs. Our problem with the US is mostly with some of those in Washington, DC." "Shannon has some of her staff monitoring events on Earth," said Rusty. "This is primarily to keep us aware of activities there. As to Virginia and Doug, they are operating from Ireland. We understand they have been given Irish citizenship and passports. They still have a security detail with them at all times. We suspect they will join us once this dies down." "To drastically change the topic," said Siobhan which caused several to laugh. "Well, haven't we talked enough about that topic?" "Yes," replied several while others nodded their heads. "Okay, so have all of you seen how the Órarduine mark has evolved since it was first proposed." "Yes," replied Maureen, "We like the newest one, that some refer to as the Octa-Triquetra. A Triquetra is on each face of an octahedron. It is a fantastic idea." "It is neat," said Kelly of Keriann's Clan. "The graphic artists have improved the 3D version of the marks appearance. Unity rings of the Triquetra which lie on each face of the octahedron with a central sphere. Each of the unity rings lie on the surface of the central sphere. The Octa-Triquetra is enclosed in a clear sphere which touches the apexes of the octahedron. To me the central sphere symbolizes our bond between each clan and acting as one while the outer sphere represents our whole family." "I like that vision," said Aoife along with everyone else nodding their agreement. "We think," said Sarah, "this mark is a much better choice than the other marks we considered." "We definitely agree," said Keriann. "The topic of an Órarduine mark or symbol has been around for quite a while," said Crystal of Maureen's Clan. "When the Alliance of Worlds ships arrived, the mark on each of their ships caught everyones attention. We think this really energized our discussions about a mark. In looking back, we believe our difficulty was finding a symbol that all of us felt comfortable with. At our last Órarduine family meeting when we discussed adopting the Triquetra as our core mark, everyone seemed to be quite enthused it. We even saw a few wearing it on their shoulders." "Let's go back a second, what was the idea behind arranging eight Órarduine Triquetra marks as an octahedron?" asked Aisling of Siobhan's Clan. Siobhan smiled as she said, "Because eight is very significant in our short history." "What?" asked several people with puzzled expressions. "It's nice to see I wasn't the only one puzzled. Of those on Dóchas when it arrived here, it was Amy's Clan who took the steps to initiate their growth. There were eight in Amy's Clan when they arrived in this solar system. When Sarah's Clan first arrived at Comrie there were eight and now they are twice that not counting the children. In a way there are eight Dóchas class ships. We normally form our Star Fighters in flights of eight ships. Security Teams are typically groups of eight. There are several other things we do that are usually in multiples of eight." "Interesting," replied Erin as the others nodded. "But, how do you count eight Dóchas class ships?" "We spiritually have eight ships. Our ship Dóchas is an outgrowth of the original ship that brought the Connemare here." "I'm not sure I would phrase it as an outgrowth. Perhaps a better way to say it is that we are spiritually eight ships." "Agree." "We've talked about tattoos," said Joyce of Sarah's Clan, "but we couldn't decide on a design for several reasons. Now that we have an Órarduine mark, what do you think of the idea of using it as a center piece in a clans mark. Doing that would give each clan a uniqueness with a common core." "Good idea," replied Kathy of Kathryn's Clan. "It seems like taking that approach is something we should all discuss. I think it will find wide acceptance." "Should we consider being the examples for doing this?" asked Joyce. Sarah said, "Why don't we do this. Kathy, float the idea by those who have talked to you about tattoos. Over the next week, lets each think about how we would include the Órarduine mark in our clan mark. Doing all of that should give us a better feel for going forward. We need to think about where we want to wear a mark." "I like the idea of placing it so it appears to be draped over our shoulders," said Elana of Kathryn's Clan. "Has the Órarduine mark been placed on all the ships?" asked Eleánóir of Keriann's Clan. Claudette said, "As of today, there are two Triquetra marks are each Dóchas Class ships and their cruisers. Right after we made the decision, a group began applying the mark to Dóchas Class ships. The Star Fighters that left this morning with Fiontar and Taiséalai also carry the mark. All other ships will have the mark by the end of the week. Placing our mark on the TAC suits will take some time." "Orgaine had very positive comments on the mark," said May of Siobhan's Clan. "He asked about the significance. We talked about it for some time. I did indicate that the mark on our ships was a simpler version of our mark. After the conversation, we sent him a 3-D image of our full mark." "Leann told us that they were making a 10 cm size model of the Octa-Triquetra for each Dóchas ship. She indicated that several thought they should be placed at the center of the bridge initially." "So next week when we meet, let's focus on clan marks," said Sarah. "We may want to draw some ideas for accents from old Celtic and Connemare marks. Shall we move on to the next item which is contract workers?" Kathy of Kathryn's Clan said, "As expected, we are projecting that each of them along with their families will join us. Each family has scheduled a visit to An Clochán and our ships. They will stay at each location for several days. The stays will coincide with the staff members work assignments. We have requested that they let us do a full medical evaluation prior to visiting. This includes a psionic evaluation. Overall everything indicates that they are all candidates to join us, if they choose. Even with that expectation in mind, Security has already provided them with new identities and documents for Earth. So there is no pressure to join us." Rusty said, "We had some concerns about the island option for a number of reasons, but primarily because of the isolation. The option of returning to Earth with a new identity and supporting documents removes that problem." "So this issue is behind us," asked Sarah. "We think so," replied Siobhan with everyone nodding in agreement. "Any other topics for today?" "How is the Alliance of Worlds progressing on their outpost?" "From what they told us in the last conference call, they have about another four weeks before it is habitable," said Janet of Sarah's Clan. "Once it is finished, they will be leaving to set up their colonies. They have chosen two of the planets we had initially considered but dropped as the environment was too big of a challenge." "They asked if we would join in their weekly planning meeting," said Sarah. "This will replace the ad-hoc meetings we have been having with them. It is usually virtual. They indicated two people from each ship usually participated. We indicated that we should limit our presence to just two of us, but those attending would likely change each week. Commander Egulle said they didn't have a problem with our representation being the same as the other ships but thought four was a better choice than two. After expressing our concern with all seven ships represented we might appear to dominate the session, we agreed to four representatives. Is that acceptable to everyone?" "It is from our standpoint," replied Maureen with the others all indicating their acceptance. Jill of Sarah's Clan said, "We didn't remind them of our link. I think we should all monitor the first several sessions so we get a flavor of the content." "Good idea," replied Amy. "Shall we adjourn till next week," said Maureen. "Yes," replied everyone. After saying their goodbyes, Sarah's Clan walked with Siobhan's Clan to the hanger. Sally asked, "Siobhan, are you still coming over this evening." "Sure, unless it is a problem." "Not at all. I was just thinking that if you all came early, we could have a volley ball game." "We should be able to. We can try to be there by 3 but we'll let you know if we are delayed." "We will be looking forward to seeing you then." ------- Chapter 160 Jill and Janet met Siobhan's Clan when they arrived on Dóchas. "We're glad your here," said Janet, "it seems like its been a long time since we got together for fun." Tiff pulled Janet into her arms and gave her a very emotional kiss as she stroked Janet's mane and ass. Janet responded by caressing Tiff. The others chuckled at Tiff's response to the comment about fun. The kiss and caressing continued until both were breathing heavily. Finally, Siobhan said, "Janet you should be clear to Tiff on what you mean by fun." Her comment prompted everyone to laugh. Once the two separated Janet said, "Well as I said, it has been a while. Maybe more of that kind of fun later. Everyone is in the lounge waiting for us." As they walked to the lounge Tiff said, "Are you all still playing with the electric stimulation?" "Yes," replied Jill. "We all do to some extent. Janet, Alison and I are probably the most frequent users. It is usually after we have worn Rusty out before it was our turn. For us with the right person, using electric stimulation, we find our orgasms are nearly as intense as they are with Rusty." "That's true," said Janet. "We are so fortunate to be here with them." "I guess, we are like your clan," replied Kendra. "Several of us find that they easily take us to an intense orgasm. We all prefer to join with Conan to share an intense orgasm. Sharing makes it so much more pleasurable, that is also true when we share our physical love with any of our spouses." "True," replied Janet just as they walked into the lounge. The two groups began greeting each other with kisses and hugs. Most were as intense and intimate as the one Janet and Tiff had exchanged earlier. "Is everyone horny or just glad to be together again?" said Sarah. "Both in spades," replied Keira quickly with a smile as she reached over to caress Aoife's ass. Everyone laughed at her quick response. "I don't know about horny," said Joyce, "but I think by the odor and the guys condition, we are all a little aroused." "I thought, we were going to play volleyball," said Eileen. "Then after dinner perhaps something quieter." "Oh, we're going to play volleyball. Our children are anxiously waiting for us to join them in the gym. Several have offered to be on your team so the rotations are more even." "Good idea," replied Siobhan. "Their youth ought to offset some of the difference in height and numbers." "Now, the last time we played our team matched yours in numbers," said Alison. "Yea, but the difference in height gives you all a bit of an advantage." "Could be," said Claudette, "but that really just means we have further to fall." "It really doesn't matter," said Kendra. "This is for fun and I refuse to look at any other way." "I was only teasing," said Siobhan. "I know but I don't think everyone had picked up on that yet. Besides I would rather play than talk trash." "Yes!" replied everyone as they headed for the gym. Their fourth match had just ended when the dinner chime sounded. "Dinner time already," said Keira a little breathlessly. "Boy that time went fast." Earnán said, "Yes it did. It was really great to join you." "We are glad you did as it lets everyone of your parents participate." "How are Ahha and Mapk?" "They are doing fine. Gail thought they would be in the tubes for about another 14 days." "Ahha thought it was only going to be two weeks." "That was the initial plan. Once they began, the autodoc extended the time to both slow down the conversion and take it further to completion." "So there is nothing wrong." "Nope." "Good," said Iris, Sarah's Clans daughter. "We are anxious for them to be with us again." "No more than us," replied several of Siobhan's Clan. Tiff continued, "We know they are with us, but it is so much better to be able to touch or hold someone you love. They have quickly become an integral part of our family." "We know that they think you are the greatest. Well we kind of agree with them." "Thank you," replied Tiff then pulled Earnán into a hug and gave him a very intense kiss. "Hey, that is my son you are seducing," said Tara with a smile. When Tiff broke the kiss she said, "I wasn't seducing him. I am just conveying our love for him and such a fine young man too." Tiff turned to Iris and said, "Thank you," before pulling her into a tight hug and she kissed her as she caressed her back. "Wow," said Erin, "Tiff is hot tonight." "She gets that way sometimes," replied Eileen, "well actually most of the time." When Tiff and Iris separated she said, "Eileen, you are just jealous." "Not really, envious in this case." "Lets go freshen up for dinner," said Sally. ------- Siobhan's and Sarah's Clan gathered together in their suite after dinner along with their children. A few had started to play cards then Erin picked up her harp and began to pick. "Erin, is there a fiddle close by?" said Siobhan. "If there is, I'd like to join you." "Yes, there are several in the closet. I didn't know you played." "I played as a child. Since things have settled down some, I have been playing again. It must be contagious as several of my spouses have resumed playing and others are learning." "Yes, we have," added Aisling. "I think all of us find it relaxing, whether we are playing or listening." "Amen," replied the group. "Siobhan, the fiddles should be in tune." "Good." "Can we play with you?" asked Keri, one of Sarah's Clans daughters. "Most certainly," replied several adults. Several more instruments were brought out. Soon there was a group consisting of several fiddles, a Uilleann pipe, two guitars and an accordion along with the Celtic harp. They each played a few notes to become comfortable with their instrument. "So how do we want to do this?" said Joyce. "Why don't we take turns leading a song we like? Then if others know it they can join in or if we really like it we can run through it several times so everyone can learn it." "Sounds like a plan," said Erin. "I'll start off." She first played "Maple Leaf Rag." Everyone was fascinated by the tune. She followed it with "The Entertainer" before pausing. "That was neat," exclaimed Iris. "I've never heard music like that." "The style is called ragtime and it usually isn't played on the harp." She then told them the name of the songs. "Can we try it?" asked Siobhan. "Sure. I think it was originally written for piano. Getting the rhythm right might be a challenge for some instruments. Earnán, turn the monitor on and turn it so we can see the music score. There aren't any lyrics for these that I know of. I believe, they were written as instrumental pieces. They certainly entice you to dance." Together they ran through each song several times until everyone understood what was needed before changing leads. Each followed Erin's example and played two songs with those that knew the song joining in after a few bars. Many times they would play a song a second time with more joining in. When a song had lyrics, it would be played an additional time so they could sing. During the jam session, several children brought the musicians drinks. During one pause Eileen said, "Oh my gosh, look at the time." "We've been jamming for three hours," said Erin, "no wonder my fingers are protesting." "I hate to be a wet blanket," said Tiff, "but we need to be going as tomorrow beckons. This evening has been wonderful." "Yes, it has," added Melissa. "I am not sure who suggested getting together but it was a great idea." "I think, we ought to get together more frequently than we do," said May. "We keep reminding our family members to take time to breathe," said Conan. "We don't set a very good example. Recently, there were many times, when we couldn't, but we should continue to try." "Yes," replied everyone then several children were heard to say "Oh, goody." Their comment resulted in many laughing. "Say guys and girls," said Siobhan, "when Ahha and Mapk are back on our ship, we want you to come visit for a few days." "Yea," responded the children. "We would love to visit," said Keri. "Are you sure you want us all at one time?" Siobhan shrugged before saying, "Sure. Why not?" "No reason. Just asking. You let us know when you want us to come and we'll be there." "We don't have a problem with any of you just dropping over to visit. Depending on circumstances, we may not be able to spend much time with you." "Molly and Jackie have invited us to visit them as well. Now that a few of us are checked out on the shuttles, we have a bit more flexibility in visiting." "Great. So, how many have been checked out?" "Earnán, Deirdre, Iris and Kennith," said Jordana. "We are taking turns so we don't interfere with other activities. All of us plan on being qualified as Star Fighter pilots." "Wonderful. We need to be going." "You could spend the night," said Erin. "That is an enticing offer," said Eileen, "however there are a few things we need to take care of in the morning. Let's consider an extended visit the next time we get together." "We will," replied the two clans. With that they began saying goodbye with hugs and kisses. Many of the hugs and kisses were intense, as they expressed their love for each other. The children were included except the kisses weren't as intense. Sarah and Erin were walking back from the hanger after seeing Siobhan's Clan off. Erin said, "I agree with the comment earlier. This has been a fantastic evening." "I feel that way every time our clans are together," replied Sarah as she put her arm around Erin. "That is really true when we get together with any of our sister clans. What prompted you to get out your harp?" "I just had an urge to play and we really hadn't started doing anything else." "We should do that again. Everyone sure enjoyed it." When they entered the suite, they joined their other spouses preparing to retire. As they freshened up before getting in bed, they talked about the fun they had this evening. Several of their children were giving each other high fives as they were glad to see their parents relax. Aoife said, "Our children are celebrating." "What?" said several. "Yea, they are celebrating the fact that we took time to relax. Conan is right. We really ought to make more of an effort." They climbed into bed and cuddle against each other with Rusty in the center. The clan was soon very relaxed, letting their bodies recharge to be ready for the next day. As they relaxed a soft golden glow filled the room. Through their link with each other and Star, even in their sleep, they were aware of all the activity around them. Iris, Jordana and Keri peaked around the door to look at their parents sleeping. Iris softly said, "Ahha said Siobhan's Clan took on a rich green glow when they sleep." "There is nothing in the library about a clan glowing as they sleep," said Keri. "Lets ask Aine when she gets back. Either her or one of the other mentors may be able to understand it." "Just seeing it gives me a feeling of comfort," said Jordana. "They are the neatest parents," replied Iris. "Let's go to bed." She took the hands of her siblings and led them back to their room. Once there the four of them snuggled together as sleep over took them. ------- Siobhan said, "It is time to go to the medical center." "You've been a bit anxious this morning," replied Aisling. "Yea, and I guess you think none of you have been. I think we are all anxious to see Ahha and Mapk." "You know," said Tiff, "it doesn't seem like two weeks since we saw them lowered into the conversion tubes." "What?" "Well, it doesn't. It seems more like two years." The clan laughed at her exaggeration but also nodded their agreement. "The children from Dóchas want to come over tomorrow," said Eileen. "Good. It will be a nice change having all of them here." As they had been talking, they were walking toward the medical center on Phoenix. When they entered, one of the staff said, "They are in room 12 and should be just waking up." "They are not fully awake yet," said Keira as the group quickened the pace to room 12. "Their link with us is fully active again." Just as Siobhan's Clan entered the room Ahha and Mapk opened their eyes. A technician was monitoring each of them as the two shook off the effects of being in suspension for two weeks. "Is something wrong?" asked Ahha. "No," replied a technician. "Why?" "You told us it would take two weeks but that was earlier today." "Nope. It has been a few days longer than two weeks but a lot of people feel that way when they wake up. The time was longer because the doctors slowed some of the processes down. How do you feel?" "Wonderful but different." Then seeing Siobhan's Clan she added, "Hi, brother and sisters." "Hi. You look great," replied Siobhan's Clan. "Have you noticed a difference in sensations?" asked May. "Yes. Is it okay if I sit up?" "Let me run a few tests first," replied the technician. "Is Mapk awake?" "Yes, I am." "Good. Too bad you are over there and not next to me." The technicians worked with Ahha then Mapk and soon had them sitting up on the edge of their beds. Keira and Aisling went to sit with Mapk putting an arm around him while May and Casidhe sat down with Ahha putting an arm around her. The technicians stepped back to monitor the children as Siobhan's Clan helped them with the next steps in adapting to their altered bodies. Siobhan said, "Remember the instructions before the conversion. Since your stature and feet have changed, your balance may feel strange. Your sisters will help you stand and then walk." "Before you do that," said Conan, "examine yourselves. We've had a couple of people try to do both at one time. It didn't work well." "Our hair isn't as long as I thought it would be," said Mapk. "It will take a couple of months for it to reach its natural length," replied Eileen. After a few moments Mapk said, "I'm ready." Kendra held out her hands to him as he slowly placed his weight on his feet. He flexed his legs then did several squats testing his balance. "This feels much better than walking on my toes before the conversion." "That is because your the calves of your legs and ankles have changed," said a technician. "After you try walking, we want you to wear special shoes most of the time for a month or more. This will help the changes stabilize correctly. If they don't stabilize correctly, you will need to go back in the tube for an extended time." "The tubes are okay but..." Everyone laughed as they knew what he meant. Kendra held out her hands and walked backward as Mapk walked toward her. Once they reached the wall, he stopped flexed his legs again before turning and walking back to Keira and Aisling. As he walked back his steps showed his confidence in his balance. He sat down and put on the shoes he was handed. When he finished, he turned and hugged Keira giving her a very warm kiss. He then hugged and kissed Aisling, before getting up and greeting his other sisters the same way. When he reached Conan, he gave him a tight hug and a light kiss on the cheek. Mapk turned to Ahha and said, "What are you waiting for?" "Well, since you had all their attention, I thought I would let you enjoy it." Ahha then slowly placed her weight on her feet and stood. Amber stepped toward her to assist, but Ahha shook her head as she flexed her legs. She made a couple of tentative steps toward Amber and quickly began to walk with a sure stride across the room and back. Reaching the bed she gave May and Casidhe each a hug along with a very warm kiss before giving the rest of her sisters and brothers a hug and a kiss. The last hug and kiss was for Mapk. It was easy to see their love for one another as they tightly clung to each other. Siobhan's Clan watched them as they kissed and through their telepathic link saw the telepathic link between the two grow. "Ahha, you need to put your shoes on," said a technician. "Ah, yes. Thank you." Ahha then slipped her shoes on her feet. "I'm curious," said Mapk. "You seemed to be quicker in adjusting to your feet and taller stature." "Probably because of wearing heels occasionally. The balance issue is not much different, well actually, I think it is easier now." "It is," said Siobhan, Aisling and Kendra together. Several chuckled at their quick comment. "So what, do you want to do now?" asked Conan. "What can we do?" replied Ahha and Mapk. "Just about anything," said a technician. "We would suggest that you don't do a lot of jumping for an extended length of time, like playing volleyball or an extended aerobic activity. You are encouraged to use your personal exerciser three or four times a day until the changes are complete. The unit is programmed to keep you from over exercising. You need to come back and see us once a week for at least the next month." "Then lets go back to our suite," said Ahha. "We can explore the changes in our bodies and get caught up on what has happened the last two weeks. I can't believe it was two weeks." Ahha walked out of the room with her arms around two of her sisters. Mapk followed right behind mimicking Ahha and his arms around two of his sisters. Ahha looked around as they walked down the corridor. She felt as if she was just seeing everything again. She looked at Kendra and said, "I thought we would be taller than we are." "Your height is appropriate for your Órarduine age," replied Kendra. "As your body matures, there will be other changes as well." "Your change in height was one reason the doctors slowed down your rate of conversion. Your change in height was at the outer bound of their experience and knowledge." After entering Siobhan's Clans suite, Ahha and Mapk went to the full length mirror and took turns examining themselves and then each other. Once they were satisfied, Ahha asked Keira to stand next to her as she wanted to compare female to female. When they finished, Mapk looked at Conan but hesitated. Conan smiled and said, "Relax, there is nothing wrong with you wanting to compare your body to mine." "I know," replied Mapk, "but my up bringing is still fresh in my mind. I don't know about where you grew up but a male touching or examining another male was something only certain people did." "We understand," replied May and gave him a tight hug. "We had similar adjustments to make when we arrived." When May released him, he stepped in front of the mirrors with Conan to compare their features. He was hesitant to touch at first but sensing everyones approval he relaxed. Once he was finished he stepped away from the mirrors. "So what do you think?" asked Conan. "Amazing. Simply amazing. To see and know it's possible is one thing, but to actually experience it is amazing. Real life is much better than our dreams. Much better." "Oh, I agree with that!" added Ahha. "So what's happened?" "First, Sarah's Clans children are coming to visit tomorrow," said Siobhan. "I really think they intend to stay several days, but that is for all of you to work out." "Cool." "Just don't do any strenuous activities," said Eileen, "and make sure you exercise." "Yes, Mother," came the reply. Everyone broke up in laughter. "We warned you." "Yes, Mother. We will be careful and do our exercises," said both Ahha and Mapk in little child like voices. Their acting resulted in even more laughter. Once things had quieted down, Siobhan's Clan went over the events that occurred while Ahha and Mapk were in the conversion tubes. They were just finishing up when the lunch chime sounded. "Great," said Mapk. "I'm hungry." "Me too. Let's exercise before we freshen up for lunch," added Ahha. Ahha was surprised when she didn't feel the cups pulling on her nipples. She said, "Keira, my breast cups are not sucking on my nipples." "Possibly because you are not quite ready yet. We need to talk to the medical staff to see where you are in making the transition from child to adult. If I remember correctly, it was about two weeks before we began to let down a lot of milk. We were already adults when we underwent the conversion, so yours could be longer." "Oh, okay. That makes sense." Siobhan's Clan spent most of the day with Ahha and Mapk. From time to time, a few of them disappeared to check on other ships activities. Siobhan's Clan told of some of their experiences in college, their first meeting with Sarah's Clan, their first days at Comrie, and other events. It was late in the afternoon, when Ahha said, "Could we explore the physical aspects of sharing our love?" After a bit Keira said, "I think I know, but why would you like to do that?" "Our only experience has been what we were forced to do by the school staff. I was curious about how it would feel with someone I cared about." "Would you answer a couple of questions before we answer your question?" "Sure," replied Ahha with a bit of a frown. Mapk nodded his head in agreement. "At the school, did you like your response to sexual stimulation?" "Yes, generally. Some times were better than others." "Was the staff member interested in only their pleasure?" "Yes. Like all the time. Some of them seemed to get pleasure from causing us pain or humiliation." "We believe that it would be best to wait a while." Ahha frowned started to speak. "Wait, hear me out first. First, your body is still undergoing some changes and your ages place you in a unique stage of development. As humans both of you were adults in terms of having reached puberty but had not completed your growth. However, now as Órarduine you aren't quite there yet. In terms of years, your age by our calendar is around 11. We have only had three others in your age group undergo the conversion. So it would be best to see how you develop. When your conversion is complete, the autodoc will be able to assign you an accurate Órarduine age." "Oh. Who were the others?" "They were Kennith, Iris and Marnia. Two were around your human age and one was a few years younger." Keira put her arms around Ahha as she said, "Your experience is a little ahead of your body. So you need to give your body a chance to catch up. The children in Sarah's Clan are in the 10 to 12 age bracket by our calendar." "Really," exclaimed Mapk. "I thought they were older than that." "Nope. In thinking about it, I believe the oldest are 12, the next group is 7 months younger and the youngest are around 10 ½. If they were on Earth their numerical age would be about 15, 14 ½, and 13 ½. The oldest are sexually mature but are still growing physically." "So when our conversion is complete we could be on either side of being sexually mature Órarduine." "Yes," said Kendra. "It is normal in our culture for parents to provide some coaching in the ways to enjoy intimate sexual activities." Tiff said, "Both of you indicated that there were times at school when you enjoyed sexual activities you were forced into doing. In a caring relationship, you will find your pleasure is at least a thousand times better." "Wow," said Ahha and Mapk. Ahha continued with, "So you don't think our previous experiences will impede our enjoyment of sex or relationships with others?" "Nope!" replied several. Casidhe said, "Quite a few of our family were used and abused sexually before they came to be with us. Each of them have put the bad and painful portions of those experiences behind them. Although it wasn't worth the cost, they did learn what sexual pleasures they liked while most of us have to experiment to determine our preferences." "Kathy of Keriann's Clan thinks our telepathic exchange eases our ability to shed or lock away bad experiences." "You have eased my concerns," said Ahha as she hugged Casidhe then Tiff. "Mine too," added Mapk. "I think the openness we have here helps. I know that the experiences with the staff at school made me wonder if I was normal when I became aroused by what I was involved in. Afterward, I wondered if I would be accepted if others knew how I responded or what I did. Those feelings and worries are something that is not easily shared even with your closest friend. They also inhibit your relations with others as you feel you must hide something." "I agree," said Ahha. "Quite insightful. So both of you are comfortable with our suggestion?" "Yes, definitely," replied Ahha as she put her arms around Keira and gave her an intense kiss. Both Mapk and Ahha, then gave all their sisters intense kisses and hugs in thanks for being patient with them. Siobhan and Conan returned just in time to receive their kisses and hugs. "What was that for?" said Conan. "Mind you I am not complaining. You can do that anytime you like." Several chuckled at this response. "We were just thanking all of you for being patient and understanding with us." "You guys are a pleasure to have around," replied Siobhan. "We need to freshen up for dinner." "Cool. We'll get to use the exerciser again," said Mapk. Eileen said, "Looks like we need to increase your intensity level." "No. It is just fine. Thank you very much," was the quick reply. "Any more intensity and I wouldn't be able to walk or talk." Everyone laughed as they nodded their heads in agreement. ------- It was after dinner when Ahha asked, "Are there any musical instruments on the ship?" "Yes. Very definitely," replied Casidhe. "What do you play?" "I haven't yet. I think I would like to try the Celtic harp or fiddle." "What about you Mapk?" "I've never had a chance until now. So I would like to try several of them. Perhaps I will find one I am comfortable with. I think my mother use to play a long time ago but it must have been before I was born as I don't remember seeing her play." "Several of Sarah's Clans children play," said Kendra. "I'll bet they would help. Why don't you suggest they bring their instruments with them?" "That sounds like a great idea. I'll suggest it now." Ahha paused with a far away look on her face for a few moments then said, "They will bring them along with some instructional material." "So how did the telepathy work?" "Very easily. It was almost as if we were next to each other. It took them a moment to recognize it was me." "I'm tired," said Mapk. "I think I will turn in." "Me too," added Ahha. "Thanks for sharing with us today. It was wonderful." After they each said good night and hugged, Siobhan's Clan watched the two go into their room. "Let's go to bed," said Amber. "It's early." "Yes but I want to cuddle and we will see where that leads..." "I'm for that," replied several as they went to freshen up. ------- Mapk lay behind Ahha with arm around her. "It feels so good to be able to hold you like this." Ahha took Mapk's hand and placed his palm against the front of her breast. "I like the feel of your hand covering my breast. I feel very comfortable in your arms." "Have you noticed how different we feel now when you press against your skin?" "Yes. At first touch, it feels very soft then pressing more, it is as hard as a rock. If I move my finger around while pressing hard I can feel the muscles texture." "When I have hugged members of Siobhan's Clan, their bodies felt the same way." "I hope the members of our clan have the same relationship with each other that we see in Siobhan's and Sarah's Clans." "So you think we are going to be in the same clan." "I don't think the future is that clear, but that thought is very pleasing," said Ahha. "Our mind-link has clan characteristics but it is more like what Sarah Clan's children have." Ahha was quiet for a moments then added, "I sense that we will always be very close. I love you very much." "I love you too. I too sense that we will be very close throughout our lives." Mapk tightened his arm to hold Ahha tighter for a few moments then relaxed. "Your mane kind of tickles when you move." "Let's turn so I am behind you. I want to see how your hair feels." The two turned over and Ahha spooned against Mapk's back. "I see what you mean by kind of tickles. It feels good." "Yes, very good." Mapk yawned. "This afternoon was very enjoyable." "Yes. When Keira responded to my question, I was at first concerned but that quickly disappeared as I sensed her concerns about us beginning to have sexual activity now. Her comments put more perspective on what we have learned about being an Órarduine." "I suspect we will learn a lot more in the coming weeks." "I am looking forward to learning from them." "I agree." They were quiet for a few moments before drifting off to sleep. ------- Chapter 161 Sarah's Clan stood on the bridge of Dóchas watching as Fiontar and Marthanóir made their transition from FTL. They were returning from their shakedown cruise several days later than originally planned. The shakedown cruises for the other Dóchas ships took place in the Jovian belt. Molly's and Jackie's Command Staffs had opted to do the exercises at the edge of Sol system. As their exercises were winding down, they added a four day excursion outside Sol system. One reason was to gain more experience with FTL operations. Another reason was to investigate some nearby anomalies that their surveillance systems had detected. "Ahoy, Fiontar. Marthanóir," said Sarah when she saw the ships images stabilize. "Good afternoon," replied both Molly and Jackie's Clans as their images appeared on the monitor showing them on the bridge of their ships. "We're sure glad to see you," replied Sarah's Clan which was echoed by the other six Command Staffs. Molly said, "In summary all our systems performed flawlessly. Our data is downloading now. We can sense that all of you are curious about the additional excursion." "We are curious but we are also a little concern about the loss of our telepathic link," replied Alison. "Actually, we don't think you lost it completely. We think that if you look very closely you will see it is there but probably very faint. At least that is our view of our links with all of you. We will give you a few moments to see, if your view is the same as ours, then we will reopen it. I have to say that the longer we use our telepathic exchange the more I prefer it over vocalizing thoughts." "I see what you mean," said Aoife. Once she spoke members of the other six clans gave a similar response. "Now that all of you have found our trace, we will remove the filter." She continued telepathically, "This is how we set up the filter. We didn't want to break our links with you but instead reduce their intensity." Molly waited a few moments for her sisters and brothers to see how the filter was setup before continuing with, "We instigated the change, as we wanted to run some communication tests between our two clans. The purpose was to determine how far apart we could be in space and still communicate telepathically. We also tested whether we needed to be in the same space-time continuum or could be in different FTL envelopes." Mairia of Jackie's Clan continued with, "To not draw this out, we found that with a 6 light year separation, we could still communicate telepathically. Individually the link seemed a little weaker, but with multiple spouses participating at either end then it worked just fine. If we were in FTL and traveling separately, then all the clan had to participate to have an effective telepathic exchange. With our two ships traveling together in one FTL envelope, it was normal, whatever that is." "There is another reason we minimized our link with all of you," said Cariss of Jackie's Clan. "We didn't want to leave any lingering evidence that there are more of us when we stepped outside this solar system. We feel that showing others our telepathic ability could tip them off to our other psionic abilities." "So you've come to the conclusion that telepathic communication can be detected," said Tara of Sarah's Clan. "By other telepaths, yes definitely. Others? Well, it is conceivable. Anyway, at first we thought the anomalies, we detected, were space ships. Instead, these anomalies turned out to be just large asteroids with unusual properties and they do give off radiation. We were surprised. The materials survey data indicates that some could be another source of unique materials. One was a potential fuel source. All of this is in the data download." "We have a Command Staff meeting scheduled in two days," said Sarah, "will that be enough relaxation time." "Yes," replied both Molly and Jackie's Clans. "As we said earlier, we are very glad to have you back with us. In the meantime, all of us will look through the data you brought back." "One more thing to think about," said Molly. "Should we share this data with the Iridiens and the others, to see, if they have tried mining the asteroids like we found? The asteroid belt in this system has provided us with a lot of new and unique materials. It will be interesting to see if that is true in other systems or those that aren't part of a star system." "Sure, we should share the data," said Siobhan. "It will be interesting to see if those from the Alliance of Worlds are aware of the potential." "I would be surprised if they haven't mined asteroids," said Chester of Keriann's Clan. "Molly's Clan. Jackie's Clan," said Sarah, "once you are squared away, you and your crews should take a clock cycle or two to relax." "We've already set it up. As soon as we are back on station here, we will take a three clock cycle break." "Once on station, let Engineering on An Clochán know," said Tara. "They will come pick up your cruisers to begin their upgrades." "So all of the others are done?" "Not quite. A little over a third are complete and checked out. They are figuring three weeks to finish up." "Is anything still on An Clochán?" "Just the equipment Engineering needs to finish the upgrades and about a few hundred staff." "It sounds like we are ahead of schedule." "Some, but the date hasn't changed." ------- "Command Staffs," said Leann several clock cycles later, "we need a few minutes of your time." "What's up?" asked Sarah. "We think, we should scrap the idea of putting the Gatling guns on the Macha cruisers." "Why is that?" "If we make the projectiles hard enough to damage a space ship, then those that miss will turn into an unintended hazard to anyone else." "Makes sense," replied Keriann. "We would want these weapons, if we were operating in a planets atmosphere. With that in mind, we should make provisions to easily mount them." "Isn't there the same problem with rail guns?" said Molly. "For the rail guns, the projectile is larger. Besides packing it with explosives, it also has a timed self destruct mechanism. We looked at doing something similar for the Gatling gun, but we haven't found a solution yet." Chester said, "It seems to me that our efforts should focus on increasing the energy that a Macha cruisers can throw at a target. Increasing rate of laser firing, increasing laser energy, higher energy A-Beam, faster photon torpedoes and stronger shields are the items, we think, we should focus on." "We have all of those in the works. Our intent is for the weapons specialist to focus on those items while we travel to A-Celia. Our structural group is going to look at a different approach to ship construction as well as prepare drawing templates for our settlement on A-Celia." "Leann," said Conan of Siobhan's Clan, "I think, I can speak for all of us. Let's not add the Gatling gun to the Macha cruisers. In fact, why don't we pull them off the few that are installed? We could leave the mounts unless it diminishes the cruisers capability. We should hold off on adding any more mounts until we reach Celia system." "He does," replied the Command Staffs in unison. "Thanks." "Leann," said Sarah, "are you short on staff?" "At the moment, yes. In a way, we could always use more staff, as that means more projects get completed. In getting ready for our voyage, we have a diverse number of issues that need resolving each day beyond our normal maintenance and development issues. So we are all focused on the things, we need to complete before we depart. All of us see this as a short term situation. As I alluded to earlier, during the trip, we expect to have time to do some research and solidify the designs for improving some of our systems." "Have you thought about asking any of our children to assist?" "You want us to stoop to using child labor. Oh, my..." Everyone laughed at Leann's teasing. When the laughing died down she continued, "Seriously, yes. Some have expressed an interest and we are planning on following up with them once we begin our voyage." "Are all of you aware that the children from our Earth surrogate mother project are now adult members of our family?" said Amy. "Gosh, you're right," exclaimed Jill. "Sensing everyones reaction gives me the impression that we never thought of them as being different." "You're right," said Molly. "We knew of the group from reading about events before we arrived." Betsy said, "We don't see any difference between them and any of our other children. They have the same abilities as the other children. All of them spent several days in the conversion tubes to ensure we hadn't over looked any health issues. It was a good thing we did it, as a few had potential problems in their genes. Those are all resolved, we think." "We have kind of gotten off track. Anything else for Engineering?" "Not on my part. Do you have any questions for me?" "Not at the moment," said Sarah's Clan which was quickly followed by similar comments from the other Command Staffs. After Leann dropped her connection Amy said, "Before we go on our separate ways, I brought up the older children to remind us that we are beginning to add adults from within our family. Sarah's Clan children along with those from Ann's Clan, ours and several other clans will be the second group of Órarduine children to make the transition to adults. To us, these additions are a significant measure of us moving toward sustainable growth from within." "Are you suggesting we shouldn't have encouraged our family to wait in starting families?" "Not at all. While nearly all of those who joined us were adults on arriving they were some what like children in our environment. Yes, they were all knowledgeable, smart and well educated, which made their adaptation to being an adult Órarduine almost unnoticeable. It did take some time as did learning how things worked in this environment. We think we made a wise choice in asking our new family members to wait until we were in Celia system before adding more children." "Additional children would have delayed our move to Celia system," said Kelly of Keriann's Clan. "Why do you say that?" asked Jackie. "Raising children reduces our ability to complete the tasks necessary to move to Celia system," replied Brandan of Maureen's Clan. "We think everyone agreed to wait because they saw a settlement in Celia system providing a friendlier and more secure environment." "We have been very fortunate to have so few fatal accidents," said Connie of Amy's Clan. "Agreed," replied everyone. "A good part of the credit goes to the quality of the technology information in our library," said Conan of Siobhan's Clan. "We will connect later," said Jamie of Kathryn's Clan. "We are need to take care of some other issues." "Okay, we need to be going as well," said Tara. "Considering the shift in our activities for the upcoming departure, we should actively link each evening before dinner." "Agreed," replied everyone. ------- It was a week after Fiontar and Marthanóir returned when all the Command Staffs gathered to go over their current status. "Good morning," said Siobhan's Clan as they entered the conference room on Dóchas. "Good morning," came the reply from Sarah's, Molly's and Keriann's Clans. "We were afraid we were going to be late." "Nope," replied Terry. "The others are on their way. It seems like everyone has had last minute issues arise as they prepared to leave. I am sure glad we are actively linking each evening." Tiff laughed and said, "We agree. I think everyone will be glad when the journey begins. There are certainly a lot of odd problems popping up." "I understand that Blaine, Selena and Eilidh are moving to Dóchas," said Siobhan. "Yes," replied Sarah. "They want to spend some time with James and Clarence. They haven't decided whether to stay on our ship for the trip. They have talked about moving over to Phoenix. Doug and Virginia will be effectively moving here in two weeks. I think, they are going to be on either Iarracht or Marthanóir. Their last show will be from their ship in three weeks from now." "Good morning," said the remaining Command Staffs on entering the room. "Good morning," replied those present as they began to welcome each other with hugs. Maureen said, "So, is it true that Doug and Virginia are joining us?" "In a way," replied Sally. "They are asking for permission to travel with us to A-Celia as humans. They want to put together a documentary of our voyage, arrival in A-Celia and some first hand photos of the island. Then when we send a group back here, they want come along, so they can offer the documentary to the Grandview group. They think the documentary will have more acceptance if they are still in human form when they return and narrate the films." "What do all of you think of their request?" said Terry. "Before we go further, you should know that we have a few requests from other reporters to accompany us on the trip," added Aoife. Amy said, "We don't see any issue accommodating Doug and Virginia. We think anyone accompanying us should meet the minimum requirements to become an Órarduine. If they have a family, it is important for all of them to make the trip as well. They should also tidy up all their affairs on Earth so they can be gone some six plus years from Earth's perspective." "That's right our ages relative to those on Earth will change," said Siobhan. "Yes, that is why our ships were mostly staffed with families. There were a few exceptions but not many. Those from Alliance of Worlds appear to take a different approach. By the way, six years was chosen as a probable length of time. It could be less and could also be more as we've never experienced the issue." Aoife said, "Let me give them the conditions they have to meet in order to be considered. Those are: They have to meet the requirements to be a crew member. They are expected to function as a part of the crew. Their function on the ship will depend on their skill set. If married, it is preferred that their family come with them." Keriann said, "Do we really want to do this? I'm all for Virginia and Doug as they know what they are getting into and are telepathic. I am not so sure the others will know what they are getting into. What is their motivation?" "The only requests we have are from reporters who attended the conference to meet the Alliance of World visitors," replied Aoife. "They should have some idea of what they are getting into." "Lets do this," said Jackie. "Let's set them up for our standard interview on New Comrie. They will need to schedule being gone for two weeks for it. If married, the visit is to include their whole family or close friend. We transport them to New Comrie for preliminary evaluation, orientation and interviews. If they meet the requirements and are still interested, then we bring them to one of our ships for a week as an apprentice crew member. During the whole time, we will closely monitor their adaptation to our environment." "Will that interfere with our preparations?" said Kelly. "Several of our Security Teams are available, so we could ask them to be the active host. If they come to one of our ships, they must have their telepathy enable so they can at least hear us." "Good point, Kathy. Aoife, I'll help you with the project." "Thanks, Kendra. I did go over the observations we have from when they were at An Clochán. Of the ten, there are at least three that won't meet the criteria. There are two others that I have reservations about." "So Aoife, you've already screened them," said Kathryn. "Not really. I just looked at the way they mingled when they were on An Clochán. It was essentially their body language that I used to base my conclusions. Those could be off by miles as the basis is pretty slim. It will be interesting to see how good my perceptions are." "Do we want to go forward with this?" asked Sarah. "We are agreeable," said Siobhan, "as long as we are certain they clearly meet all the criteria and fit in with the crew members. I want to say with no reservations but, if there are any, we need to talk about them before hand. They will have a very short adjustment period prior to us departing, not much more than a week." "Oh, I definitely agree," said Aoife. "Agree," said the group. Siobhan said, "Our next item is Ahha and Mapk's friends visiting next week. There are 12 children plus their foster parents and siblings. All the foster parents are from the military community. They will stay with us and be there for three days. We have left the details of the children's activities to Ahha and Mapk with assistance from Sarah's Clans children." "What about the parents?" asked Molly. "We thought about pairing them up with a Security Team as their backgrounds would be similar. The difficulty is what should we plan for their activities?" "Well first thing, they all need to see the orientation videos before anything else takes place," said Judy. "That is already planned. Ahha and Mapk were planning on a question and answer session after the parents leave for other activities as they thought their friends would be more comfortable." "Good point, as they may be embarrassed by what they were forced to do at the school." "Ahha and Mapk had the same idea." "There should be a question and answer period when everyone is together as well." Jackie said, "We think a tour of the ship with special emphasis on the viewing area would be a great start. You can offer a ride in the Star Fighters configured for pilot training. We can loan you some trainers. They should also have an opportunity to ride in a simulator as that doesn't require them to be an Órarduine. Once you have covered all of that ask them what they would like to do. There is volleyball, basketball and swimming. Are any of the singing groups going to perform?" "So, you think that will be enough?" said Tiff with a smile. "We do," replied quite a few of those in the room. "Are you a little nervous about this?" said Keriann. "Well, yes, we are," replied Kendra. "We've never had visitors that we didn't already know." "Your crew will do just fine. Your guests are probably even more nervous than you guys are." "True," replied Siobhan. "We are sure it will all work out but..." "Oh, I didn't think of it earlier," said Jackie. "They should all have an opportunity to experience the weightless room and EVA training area." "Good idea." "Siobhan, if you guys want us to visit while they are there let us know," said Alison. "Us as well," said Kelly. "Add us to those available too," said Molly. "Okay," said Siobhan, "I think we have some ideas on how to proceed. Thanks." Rusty said, "Moving on to the next item. Commander Egulle has invited us to visit their new Mars supply depot. In two weeks they will be having an open house and have extended an invitation to our whole family. For the beginning of the open house, they are asking all ship commanders have representatives there. In our case, he would like at least a couple from each Command Staff. The open house is to run for several days so that everyone on the space ships can visit and the base is not overwhelmed with people." "Any particular reason?" asked Keriann remembering the last time Órarduine Command Staff visited an Iridien ship. "The open house is to serve several purposes. It is a time to reward the crew for completing the base well ahead of schedule. Another is its dedication. The celebration will give their crews some relaxation time off of their ships. He also views it as a way to celebrate our up coming voyage to Celia system. Those from Earth who attended our conference have been invited as well. They are taking care of all arrangements." "We saw that," said Kathryn. "Do you know who is coming?" "Commander Orgaine said that the Irish, Russian, Chinese, English, Israelis and Australians have accepted. Several have not responded to the invitation." "That is going to be a big party with all of their people attending even when you spread it over several days. Their base must be pretty large to handle that many people. Lets have Communications Group find out who wants to go, then set up a rotation." "You know this almost sounds like a county fair," said Tiff of Siobhan's Clan. "Very much like a county fair. So for the opening, are we going to send two from each Command Staff?" "We agree," replied Keriann then Chester added, "As long as they are accompanied by a Security Team." "We are much more comfortable with that addition," said Molly. "So, we now agree with that addition." "We agree with Keriann's Clan," replied the others. Maureen said, "When the groups are set up to go, there should be a full Security team with each one." Several looked puzzled. "We should look at this as shore leave. There will be a lot of people there from at least six different civilizations. On Earth this would mean there is a significant potential for misunderstandings. We believe that each of these groups are more accepting than the different groups are on Earth, but let's be prepared in case we are wrong." "Good point," replied several. "I'll speak to the Iridiens Security group," said Sally, "and see what their plans are. The discussion will likely provide an opening so we can offer assistance." ------- Sarah and Aoife were waiting near the hanger on Dóchas for the Israeli group to arrive from the Iridien Mars depot. Debrah, a member of the Israeli delegation, had contacted them at yesterday's grand opening of the Iridien Mars depot. She indicated that the Israelis needed some assistance from the Órarduine in solving a problem they had. Sarah assured Debrah that they would consider assisting them but needed to understand the situation before committing. At that point, Debrah gave Sarah the access codes to the data relating to their problem. "Attention in the hanger," said approach control, "Iridien cruiser on final approach to Bay 9." Siobhan and Keriann joined Sarah and Aoife to watch the Iridien cruiser drift into the bay and settle into a cradle. It was only a few moments until Antopolis and two Iridiens stepped out of their ship. They were closely followed by Debrah, Elias, Rachele and the rest of the Israeli delegation. "Good morning," said Sarah as her group approached their visitors. "Good morning," replied Antopolis as they shook hands. "Good morning, Debrah," said Sarah as they hugged. "I believe you have met everyone here." "Yes. Thank you very much for letting us visit. I am not sure you have met everyone in the delegation so let me introduce the rest of our group." Once the introductions were complete, Sarah said, "Let's go to the conference room. Antopolis, are you joining us?" "I am not sure. We were planning to wait so we could take them home once they are done here. Beyond that we are pretty open although Commander Egulle would like us to return as soon as possible." "Well, we could take them home." "We would appreciate it as things were a little hectic when we left." "The reception yesterday was great." "Yesterday went very well. All the Commanders were very pleased." "It sounds like that is true today. How are things at the depot?" "Fine, now. I guess you know about the incident early this morning." "Only that our Security Center moved several teams to ready alert very early this morning." "I am not sure of all the details. What I do know is that two of the people Debrah alerted us to, tried to put a small aerosol bomb in the depots air conditioning system. Apparently they didn't realize they needed environmental suits to enter the mechanical area. We aren't sure how they did it, but they managed to enter the air lock and seal the inner door without triggering any alarms. When they activated the door to enter the maintenance area, the decompression killed them and made quite a mess. The incident set off several alarms and closed the automatic doors between sections. Security sent two bots into the area, while others were putting their suits on. The bots found the bodies, two aerosol devices and a large amount of powder on the floor. The bots initiated a bio-hazard alert which was confirmed by sensors in the air-lock." "Is the situation under control?" asked Siobhan. "Sort of. The two who died were placed in sealed boxes along with the material they were carrying. A cruiser took that delegation and the boxes back to Earth early this morning. When they were dropped off, the delegation was told not to open the boxes except in bio-hazard containment facility. We escalated security monitoring and found a few in another delegation putting together offensive weapons. One of our teams paid them a surprise visit. Three were wounded in the confrontation. Once the wounded were treated, the delegation was returned to Earth. Again, Debrah's alert was spot on." "Is there anything we can do?" "In a way, you already have. Two of your Security Teams provided assistance with returning the delegations to Earth. They picked up quite a bit of information while they were assisting them. I believe, they are with our intelligence group now sharing the information. I am sure Commander Orgaine will be sharing the information with you." "So, that is why there seemed to be fewer people around this morning?" said Rachele. "Not really. A lot of the people you saw yesterday were day visitors. Todays visitors were arriving just as we left." "It will be interesting to learn what the two groups intended to do," said Sarah. "On the face of it, the actions by the two groups don't make much sense." "Once the analysis of the powder is done, it should provide an idea of the intended target. Just the fact it was an aerosol bomb with a timer, indicates we were the target but perhaps all of us." "So you aren't sure what the powder is?" asked Aoife. "I don't have a clue. Our scientist may have an idea by now." Sarah said, "Antopolis, it is up to you but we would be happy to take this group back to Earth." "Thank you for the offer, but..." The head of the Israeli delegation, Minister Goldrat said, "Antopolis, we appreciate you wanting to see us back to Earth. We are comfortable returning with the Órarduine. If we do, it will have no impact on our relationship with your people." "Thank you. You have touched on one concern. While you are meeting, I will talk to operations to find out what they want us to do. Just in case they want us to return, we will say good-bye now. All of us appreciate the time you took to attend our grand opening." "We appreciate the invitation and the hospitality. We would hope that we can return the hospitality at some time in the future." The Israelis and Iridiens exchanged goodbyes before the Iridiens returned to their ship. As the Iridiens walked back to their ship, the Israelis and the Órarduine moved toward the conference room. "Welcome to Dóchas," said Rusty as the Israelis entered the conference room. Each of the Órarduine shook hands with the Israelis and introduced themselves even though they had met a few of them before. Once everyone sat down Mr. Goldrat, the Minister of Foreign Affairs said, "Thank you for the invitation to visit Dóchas. I know that Debrah, Rachele and Elias are here for a special reason. As most of us are in sensitive positions, it would be best if we were not involved. From my perspective, if it was anyone else but your people were involved, I wouldn't be this close." "We have arranged an interactive tour for all of you," said Sarah partially ignoring the Mr. Goldrat's comments. "Unfortunately, we will not be able to join you on the tour as an emergency has come up that requires our attention. We have asked Briana's Clan to host your tour." Just as Sarah finished speaking, Briana's Clan entered the back of the conference room. Sarah smiled and said, "Good timing guys. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Briana's Clan. Will you guys introduce yourselves?" When the introductions were finished Briana said, "Welcome to Dóchas. Things are a little hectic as we are nearing our departure date. You will likely see some activity that very few from Earth have ever seen. So, let us begin. Please feel free to ask questions at any time." Briana opened the door and stepped out, to wait for the visitors to join her. Once everyone was in the hall, Briana's Clan paired up with an Israeli visitor and they started down the hall. No one looked back to see Debrah, Rachele and Elias enter a room a short way down the hall with several Command Staff members. Once they were in the room Debrah said, "Before we begin, thank you keeping the rest of them occupied with a tour while we are meeting." "Don't they know about your problem?" said Sally. "Sort of. The government officials want plausible deny ability. The security with them aren't Mossad." "Okay," replied Sally, "we don't think our meeting will last very long." Seeing the reaction of their guests she continued with, "The reason it won't take very long is that Operations is finalizing the details of our effort. Security teams have been assigned objectives." With that the three Israelis visibly relaxed. Sarah said, "We had a briefing this morning by Shannon, one of our Intelligence Department leaders, and by our Security Operations group. Based on the information you provided, we have placed surveillance devices in all the locations. In a few cases, we have tapped into the local systems to supplement our resources." "You're kidding right," exclaimed Rachele. "Not a bit." "How?" Rachele paused then added, "Never mind. I am just surprised." Terry said, "Based on some experiences we had a few weeks ago, we are being much more proactive on gathering site intelligence. For this operation, we want to pull everyone out of each location that has had contact with the people you are protecting. We think leaving anyone behind would be detrimental to their security and a potential problem for you. Doing that just about doubles the number of people to extract." "That is much more than we hoped you would do for us," replied Elias. "In many of the locations, there are quite a few people who know about the ones we are protecting." "We noticed. In at least four locations, there is a group who are planning on attacks on those locations." "Generally, our proposal is to wait for darkness at most locations. When that occurs, a Security Team will enter a location to ensure it is secure. We don't think we will find any problems but again want to avoid any surprises such as double agents. Once the security sweep is complete, we will make our presence known to your people. At that point we will begin loading people on to our shuttles with the security people boarding last." "Do you have any objections to us booby trapping the locations where attacks are probable?" asked Elias. "How you leave the site is not an issue with us. What we do need is the files on each of your agents and security staff." "I don't know that we can quickly get access to those," replied Debrah. "In that case, we have an alternative solution." Just then Christina came into the conference room and Sarah said, "Good timing. Christina this is Debrah, Rachele and Elias," as she introduced them. Once they exchanged greetings, Sarah said, "Are you ready for your presentation?" "You bet." "Christina's Security Team will be handling one of the locations and is here to tell their current plan." "Thank you Sarah. My presentation will give you a run through on how we plan to do the pickup at our assignment. First off, we would prefer that you not tell anyone what we discuss here until afterwards or that we are coming until we are in the facility. Star would you project the location assigned to us." A hologram appeared showing a location on Earth. As soon as the image stabilized, Christina went through the steps they planned to take. In going through her presentation, she showed active views inside the location from their surveillance equipment. Elias frowned before saying, "I am uncomfortable with not telling our agents about the upcoming extraction until you are there." "You use sat phones to communicate, right?" "Sometimes but also cheap throw away cell phones. It depends on the location which we use. In any case, the messages are always in code specific to the recipient." "Fine. In that case, why don't you provide us with a coded message that we can personally deliver. We want full control of the site before we make our presence known to your people; as again our biggest concern is double agents. This approach limits what they can do to disrupt us before we are out of there. Once your agents and those in their custody know we are there, our intent is to have everyone on our ship in 30 minutes or less. Ideally, it should be must less than that." "How long will you be there before you make your presence known?" asked Elias. "Only long enough to confirm our intel and determine if there are any unexpected threats at the location. The whole operation at a location should last no more than a couple of hours." Knowing Elias, Debrah chose to interrupt the direction of the conversation by saying, "Where are you going to take them?" Sarah said, "To New Comrie." Several Órarduine smiled as they saw the intent of Debrah's question. The comment also drew puzzled expressions from the Israelis. "It is an isolated island. It is not on any current Earth maps although it may have been in the distant past. The island is very similar to the one we had in the Atlantic Ocean before a hurricane destroyed it. It has been inferred that we take the people we are picking up into our family. We are not real comfortable with that approach so we propose to offer them two choices. One is a complete new identity. With this, they can function on Earth without any concern about their safety due to their past. To achieve this, it will require some changes in their activity and interests. Their second choice is to join us, provided that they meet the requirements along with understanding the consequences of that choice." "So, the criteria for joining you is the same as it is for anyone?" replied Elias. "Yes. There is not much time before we depart, so we have only accepted very few new members in the last month or so. There are always exceptions." "What if some of the agents wish to join you?" said Rachele. "All they need to do is tell one of our people once they get to the island." "What if it is someone that is not actually part of the extraction?" asked Debrah. "If they have contact with any of our family, then all they need to do is ask one of us. If not, well, there are a number of paths they can use to contact us. Once we know of a person's interest, we would make arrangements so they could be picked up for evaluation at New Comrie. The evaluation can take up to two Earth weeks. So if they took a couple of weeks vacation, then no one would be concerned about them being gone. Again there is not much time before we leave for Celia system." "Evaluation takes two weeks?" asked Elias with a frown. "Yes and no. We allow two weeks as it takes some that long to decide what they want to do." "Oh." "Any more questions on that topic?" Debrah looked at Elias and Rachele before saying, "No. What's next?" "We want to go through the information you gave us on the people you are protecting so we are certain we understand it. From our perspective there appears to be some inconsistencies or missing details for some of the individuals." "We will try to help," replied Rachele, "but, I don't think we are familiar with all of them." With that several Órarduine from Intelligence and Security joined the group in the conference room and began going over the background data on of those to be rescued. When the chime sounded for lunch Siobhan said, "Okay, I think we have gleaned all of the bits out of this we can without talking to the individuals. The chime was the alert that lunch would begin in one hour. We should take you on a tour of our Security Operations Center before rejoining your group. This will give you a reason for being gone if anyone asks." "Star, where are our visitors," said Terry. "They are on their way to the observation deck." "Perfect," replied Terry. "Rather than this whole mob going with you, two of us will pair up with each of you for the visit to SOC and we will proceed to the observation platform. We expect to meet the rest of your group there. After that we will all go to lunch. Okay?" Debrah looked toward her colleagues before saying, "Yes. We would like that." On entering the SOC, Debrah said, "This looks much different than the one I saw at An Clochán." "It is," replied Sally. "This is the operational side of security on our space ships. They work very closely with our Intelligence Group. Each ship has a similar operation and all are constantly in contact with each other." "We have four general segments to security monitoring," said Terry. "Our outer most monitoring is the two spherical arrangements of surveillance satellites surrounding this solar system. Each satellite appears to be an asteroid although careful study would show that it moves on a very predictable path as each sphere rotates. Each sphere contains 64 satellites. One sphere is 2 light years in diameter and the second is about 0.8 light years from the sun. These passively monitor everything around them recording path, size and direction of significant objects. Their focus is on identifying anomalies in the objects they see." Terry saw their guests expressions take on a look of amazement as they realized the amount of data collected. "Not all of the data comes back to us. Each satellite processes their data and just sends changes to us. The transmissions are sent in bursts to minimize discovery. This is one way we knew of the Imperial Council ships and then the Alliance of World group." "Doing that must take up a lot of resources," said Rachele. "It does. Each Dóchas class has an AI devoted to collating and identifying threats. With all of us here, they share the work load." "That seems like a lot of effort for very little return," said Elias. "In the worst case, it will give us about a 3 hour warning of unexpected arrivals. We feel it is a must. We are a small but growing group of people with some significant technology. Connemare history indicates there are groups in the universe that would not be adverse to forcibly taking control of our knowledge and us if they can." "So, you are in a similar position to us." "In terms of small group, yes. In terms of being vigilant, yes. In terms of knowing who the enemy is, no. We think our advantage is that as far as we know are unknown. Currently only one group of space travelers is aware of us. They are the Alliance of Worlds." "Are you going to join them?" "That is an open question at this time. We have agreed to support each other." "We have kind of gotten off track," said Sally. "We just talked about one segment of our security effort. A second part monitors activity within the Sol system. This is accomplished from our ships and by the patrols we send out every day. A third part is activity within our ships. It is primarily directed toward safety. A fourth is interpersonal conflicts, which we have had very few." "Our Security Group works closely with our Intelligence Group," said Erin. "When we have an active mission underway, such as the extractions for you, they work essentially as one group." "Terry," said Anessa, "we have active surveillance in their Algeria location." "Okay. Bring it up on screen E3." Terry turned to their visitors and said, "On this screen, you can see your site in Algeria." As she spoke the screen showed a view from overhead before it began cycling through views in the compound and around the outside." Rachele, Debrah and Elias were clearly amazed by their expressions. Terry continued, "The Security teams who will do this extraction are monitoring this information as they put together their extraction plan. This is similar to what Christina showed you earlier." "When will the extraction take place?" said Rachele. "The Security Team and their coordinator in the Operations Center will decide that and that is still an open question. They do have the phrases you gave them to use." "It is getting close to lunch," said Sarah. "If there aren't any more questions, let's go to the observation platform." As the group made their way through the center, the Órarduine answered questions about the consoles they were passing along with general questions on their procedures. When they entered the observation platform, Mr. Goldrat said, "There you are. We were growing concerned and began to wonder if the rumors were true." "Rumors?" "Of course. We have heard many rumors on Earth that the Órarduine have spirited away many people." The Órarduine laughed. Then Sarah said, "The rumors we are aware of, referred to it as kidnapping or something similar. We view the purpose of those rumors as a way for politicians to distract people from their inability to do the right things for their constituents. As to your group, we gave them a tour of a few operational areas that we thought they would have a special interest in seeing." The man nodded and smiled continuing with, "The tour we've had has been great. This is a fantastic view from here; it is by far the best part." "Many visitors find it difficult to leave the platform." "The multitude of stars you can see from here is breathtaking and they are so clear. Then there is all the activity around us with these ships just appearing and then disappearing. It's like many of the Star Wars space scenes all rolled into one." "There are similarities," replied Sarah. "However, I don't think any of the popular sci-fi movies accurately portrayed the dangers of living and moving in space." Several laughed. A visitor said, "That would spoil the story line unless the risk was shown as exciting." "Agreed. If we are ready, lunch is being served." "Great," replied several. "Sarah," said the delegation head, "would it be possible for us to have an ad hoc discussion after lunch?" "I think that can be arranged. What do you have in mind?" "We would like to gain a better understanding of some events on Earth?" Several Órarduine smiled as Sarah replied, "So, you're curious about where we've been and what we did?" "In part. Being a small country, we are always concerned about our security. We think you have similar concerns regarding yours. We hope that our discussions will give us some ideas on how to ensure our security in the future. The other is some people are concerned about the intentions of the Iridiens and the Alliance of Worlds toward them or Earth." "We are willing to chat. There will likely be some areas we are not willing to discuss." "That is fine. If our roles were reversed, we think we would have a similar reservation." With that the group left Dóchas' observation platform headed toward the dining area. As they walked down the corridor an Israeli said, "I find the accommodations on your ship amazing. Everything I have read indicated that accommodations on space ships would be more constrained than they are on our naval ships." Sarah said, "One fundamental reason for our accommodations being what they are, is that for now this is our home. Our families are here. All adults are active crew members. Each one of our Dóchas class ships is like a small isolated town. So we need learning and recreation facilities for everyone. The Connemare people who provided us the basis for our technology always included the immediate family on their ships. Even though most adults had crew responsibilities, the primary reason was to reduce the stress that long separations place on family structure. A short voyage at faster than light also creates a difference in ages between the members of the family. Long voyages make it much more pronounced. Traveling together avoids that issue. The down side is that ships crews tend to become nomads with no attachments." "So, alliances with each other weaken." "Yes. Our inherited culture attempts to counter that by clans forming strong alliances with each other, other clans and our telepathic sharing." "Telepathy seems to be a key attribute of your people." "It is. Many of Earth's humans have that potential, but from what we know it is not a trait held in high regard. It seemed to be in the distant past. Some think the decline is the result of natural selection since the trait lost its preference. For example using another attribute, at one time in some areas Earth's females were similar to males in stature, strength and stamina. Now the tendency is for males to be greater in stature, strength and stamina. This appears to be due to preferences in mating and activities that are driven by custom and culture; thus natural selection but partially cultural driven." Another Israeli said, "I don't agree with that. My recollection of Earth's ancient people is that females were smaller than today." "Yes they were and so were the men. They were generally stouter especially in the northern climates. In many early cultures, the duties between female and male were shared more evenly, even including protection. As to telepathy, based on historical accounts anyone exhibiting farsightedness or other psionic abilities was treated as an outcast. In the middle ages, someone exhibiting any sign of psionic ability would likely be accused of being a witch and gruesomely killed. In some cases, the most skillful ones became leaders or a leader's confidant." Just as Sarah finished speaking, the group entered the dining room. "Let's make our choices then we can sit together over on the far side." ------- Chapter 162 The weeks leading up to Órarduines departure from Sol system were very busy sometimes verging on chaotic. Their assistance to the Israelis in relocating some of their people was completed with no major problems. However, there were a couple of fire fights but in each case the attackers were quickly neutralized. This effort brought a little over two hundred people to New Comrie counting the accompanying Israeli security personnel. Once everyone was settled on the island, many of the Israeli security staff returned to Israel on an Órarduine shuttle. Several Israeli security people asked to stay on New Comrie and indicated that they would like to join the Órarduine. After their recent experiences, they preferred to go with the Órarduine rather than return to Israel and their former duties. All of them felt their identities were compromised to the point that personal security would be impossible on Earth. Only a few had close friends or relatives that needed to be considered in making such a move. Except for the security people, the Órarduine divided their guests into small groups. These smaller groups made it easier to provide the assistance or counseling as each one analyzed their choices for a future. As had been done in the past, the Órarduine did not offer or even hint that joining them was a choice for their guests future. The Órarduine did coach each guest in assessing their skills and challenged them when necessary. This was done to get them to look fairly at how well they fit with the different choices. While each guest saw all the possible opportunities, each list was tailored so the best matches were at the top. In all cases, the proposed opportunities were ones in which the Órarduine knew they could create solid new identifies and backgrounds. In virtually all cases, the guest had several choices for future endeavors and locations on Earth. Smaller groups gave the Órarduine the opportunity to really get to know their guests and their capabilities. By the time their guests began making choices for their future, the Órarduine knew which were potentially telepathic. Even though the option of joining the Órarduine was avoided, many guests asked about it, just as they were to begin making their choice on an identity. Initially about a third of the guests inquired about joining the Órarduine. The guests were told that it was a possibility. The first step was to view three videos telling of the Órarduine's history, physiology and culture. If they were still interested, they needed to schedule a full health evaluation and telepathic assessment. The next step would be to spend some time working on one of their ships. Seeing some frowns Gail told them, that in all the years they have been accepting crew candidates, only a handful of qualified candidates chose not to join. The cause wasn't telepathy. It wasn't the species change. It was simply that they couldn't tolerate living in a can for extended periods of time. The Órarduine guests were assured that their new Earth identities were solid. A number of previous guests had successfully returned to Earth society with new identities. All were now at least as successful as they ever had been. From what the Órarduine had seen, a person would have to make a significant effort to compromise their new identity. Everyone with a little effort will find that their new Earth identities will them lead to an enjoyable life. Earlier Debrah, Rachele and Elias indicated to their hosts on Dóchas that they wished to join them. Terry quietly informed them that do to their position, they first should return home. Once there, they should separately make arrangements for an extended vacation. In their vacation plans, they should include close friends and family as they may want to join them. She did remind them of the telepathic ability requirement. Each was given an email address so they could contact the Órarduine once they were ready. The email addresses were specific for each one. Terry and Sally later wondered whether it was too much cloak and dagger. They decided it was better to be safe from both perspectives. ------- "Are we ready?" said Sarah's Clan to the other Command Staffs. "We think, so." "Good morning," said the eight Command Staffs verbally and telepathically in unison to everyone. "We wanted to test the dynamics of a family meeting with everyone on their ships. We can guess at the questions forming in your minds. We are treating this as a test, because our situation is a little different now." Sarah said, "Would everyone raise a hand if you hear me? Please look around you and see if everyone's hand is raised." Star told the Commands Staffs telepathically, "All the AIs are reporting that everyone has raised their hands. Our new arrivals appear to be having some difficulty as they were slow in raising their hands." "Okay. Us speaking in unison could add to their difficulty. Let's shift between clans as we go through the topics." "Good idea, Sarah," came the replies from the Command Staff members. Sarah's Clan then began, "This is the first family meeting for quite a few members of our growing family. Due to us being on different ships, we are going to try a different arrangement than we did when we met at An Clochán. As we go through each item, we will express our thoughts both verbally and telepathically. Those new to telepathy may find the dual messages confusing. We suggest focusing on one mode. As we have done in the past, each Command Staff will present an overview of a topic and do that as one. Please raise a hand or stand any time you have a question. The ships AIs will make sure that those leading the topic know you have a question. If someone is uncomfortable with this approach please advise your AI?" After pausing a few moments they continued, "Ah ... our fellow Command Staffs have advised us that some are apprehensive but not uncomfortable. Me thinks that is splitting hairs." Nearly everyone laughed. "We will continue to give it a try. Our portion of the agenda calls for us to go over the plan for our voyage followed by an introduction of those who have joined us since the last family gathering. As to our voyage to Celia system, we will depart in ten clock cycles following our morning meeting on each ship. Individually each Dóchas class ship will move to a location 100 AU above Sol's North Pole and hold there. The freighters will depart with their linked Dóchas class ship. We will be the last ship to depart." "Once we are all together, we will begin the voyage to Celia system. All together, it will take us a little less than 14 weeks to reach A-Celia with no pauses at each jump point. Yes, this is longer than our survey craft have taken for their trips. All our segments will be at factor 4 FTL. This is due to limitations of the freighters. I can see some of you doing the math and coming up with a different answer. Yes, if we went by the shortest path there, it would be just over 8 weeks at a factor 4 FTL however the plan is to do it in discrete steps. This is so we can assess the surroundings at each jump point. We intend to hold at each jump point for at least one clock cycle or more if we need to. At each jump point, we will launch our Star Fighters and Badb Cruisers to conduct specific reconnaissance assignments. Just before coming out of each FTL segment, we will goto readiness level 1 as a precaution. We will stay at that level until an initial activity survey is complete. Our first jump will be perpendicular to a line between Celia and Sol at 30 degrees to Sol's equatorial plane. This first jump will last 7.5 clock cycles." "After a clock cycle, our second jump to J2 will last 20 clock cycles. We intend to stay at that location, J2, for two clock cycles while we gather information on our surroundings. Depending on what we find it could be shorter or longer. The third, fourth and fifth jumps will last 18, 48 and 34 clock cycles respectively, with a planned stay of four clock cycles at J3 and J4. So if things go according to our script we will be there in 14 weeks." "We sense some questions forming. We would like to hold those questions for a few minutes. First we would like to remind everyone of our time terminology. Our clock cycle is equivalent to a day or 24 hours. We tend to avoid saying day so as not to confuse it with Earth time keeping. While the length of day does not differ, our weeks are ten days. Each month has 4 weeks with 12 months in a year." "Now let's focus on each ship to formally introduce those who have recently joined us. Marthanóir you're first." Molly's Clan said, "Would all of those joining us since the last family gathering please stand? This includes the media correspondents." Once the new people were standing on Marthanóir, they asked each one to introduce themselves, tell the section where they worked and a few things about themselves. As each person was recognized, a close-up of them was shown as a hologram on the other ships. It took nearly an hour for all the introductions to be made. Those on Phoenix were the last to be introduced. When it was Ahha's turn she said, "Hi, my name is Ahha and you've just met my first love Mapk. I was born in Russia. My parents were part of Russian Spec Ops and died when I was about 10. We are here as the result of a marvelous event which I attribute to divine intervention. We were directed through our dreams to a place where we met Siobhan's Clan in Moscow. Since then life has been wonderful. I now have 9 sisters and brothers who are closer to me than I ever thought was possible. All of this is leading me to say my dreams tell me we have a great future that we will enjoy together. Let us welcome every one to this wonderful family." With that Ahha began to clap as she sat down. Everyone quickly joined her in the applause welcoming the newer family members. "Well done, everyone," said Sarah's Clan when the applause died down. "Now to answer the questions." One of the reporters stood on Fiontar to be recognized. Sarah's Clan said, "We knew it would be a reporter with the first question." After the laughter died down. "We hope you weren't offended by our teasing." He smiled as he shook his head indicating he wasn't. "Your question?" "Actually, I have two questions. First, why are making our first move to a position above Sol's pole before the first FTL jump?" "Basically, it is the clearest path to exit this solar system. We are remotely controlling our freighters in part because the crew accommodations leave a lot to be desired." "Okay. If it takes 140 days to get to A-Celia, what happens if Earth needs urgent assistance?" "From A-Celia, we return in as little as 5.4 clock cycles if necessary by traveling at factor 9 FTL on a direct route. Our preference is to not travel above factor 7 which would mean 13 clock cycles." "Okay. In reality that is not much longer than it takes for aid response between counties today." "You have hit on a couple of issues. Some we recognize and just accept. In space each planet, solo space ship, or task group is alone and must act with that in mind. There isn't any near by rescue service. We will live and die by our decisions both individually and collectively. In the case you raise, if Earth had an outside threat, then we would likely have prior warning, giving us more time to respond. That is, if we could." "Could I ask one more question?" "Sure." "Why the preference for not exceeding factor 7?" "We will attempt an answer but if any of the engineering group wants to add to it please do. We believe our ships can exceed factor 15 FTL. Going above 9 reduces our chances of arriving safely. At factor 10, it is down to less than 40%. This is for a number of reasons. We have operated at factor 9 on test runs but there were some indications of instability. Traveling at factor 7 gives us a 99.99% probability of arriving safely on time without problems." "Well done," said Leann. "Without going into a lot of specifics above factor 9, there are issues with propulsion, space ship structure, navigation and returning from FTL. Likely they can all be solved, but we haven't looked at it due to other priorities." "Gee ... we thought you had all the answers," replied the reporter with a smile. When the laughter died down, all the Command Staffs said, "We wish." "Actually," said Sarah's Clan, "we think every time we find a solution, it creates two or more new issues." "Yes," responded many voices. Another reporter was recognized and said, "The Órarduine use of the word 'family' sometimes baffles me. The concept is easy to grasp when referring to a clan and their children. Many times when it is used, you seem to be referring to all of you, like today." "We are. We see each group as family whether it is a clan, a group of clans, a ships crew, or all the Órarduine. Our sense is that all of us feel that way. Sure individually we are not as emotionally close to those who are not members of our clan. We are certain that we are more emotionally attached to everyone of our family members than unrelated members of other species are. This seems to be an outgrowth of our ability to share thoughts telepathically. Also a contributing factor is that we are very dependent on each other. As was noted earlier, space is a harsh mistress." They spent the next thirty minutes answering questions regarding the trip. Before turning the meeting over to Keriann's Clan, they reviewed the reasoning behind lingering at each jump point and the perceived benefits. Keriann's Clan followed with a discussion on the navigational objectives for their surveys at each jump point. These were primarily to confirm their star chart data, refine the mathematics for calculating position and add new information. The Iridiens were doing a similar exercise on their way to the solar systems to setup their new settlements. When the Iridiens visit them in Celia, the two groups will exchange the additional information. Jackie's Clan led the discussion on security issues during the voyage. This covered what the Security Group hoped to learn at each jump point and during the voyage. The main focus was on detecting objects around them and accurately assessing whether any were a threat. Molly's Clan lightened up the proceedings by discussing inter ship and intra ship activities during their voyage and while in orbit above A-Celia. Maureen's Clan reviewed the plans for setting up the first habitat on A-Celia. As a part of the presentation the latest photos of the island were shown. For the promising habitat locations, several images were shown. This gave the family a better idea of what the site looked like as some images gave a ground level perspective. When viewing a potential site, the known benefits and recognized shortcomings were reviewed. After reviewing the promising habitat sites, an initial ranking was given for the sites. It was noted that first hand visit to the sites would be done before a site was selected. Health issues in the new environment were of concern even though the data to date indicated no problems. The medical staff was tasked with determining how their immune systems responded to the planets antigens, pollens and other allergic agents. Staffing the habitat would only begin after those studies were complete. One outcome could be that everyone would need to be immunized. While the health issues were being resolved, habitat construction would begin with those involved wearing environmental suits. Those traveling between the island and the ships would pass through a decontamination airlock to enter a shuttle or the habitat. These precautions were to minimize exposure to something that would cause a severe allergic reaction by their bodies, bacteria or a virus. Siobhan's Clan followed with a review of security issues in Celia system. On arriving in Celia, they would immediately begin establishing a security perimeter. The current plans were to set up a sentinel system similar to those deployed in Sol. Then by the time they began moving to the island, there would be four to six space weapons platforms in Celia system. These platforms would augment their defensive firepower. They noted that information on the weapons platforms was available on their network. However, they were still in a design stage and after arriving in Celia system they could drastically change. The platforms will allow them to throughly refurbish each Dóchas class ship without greatly impacting defensive capabilities. Once the refurbishment is complete and their settlement was into phase 2, two Dóchas class ships would begin surveying the area around Celia system. Amy's Clan then brought up the issue of organization and economic structure once they settled on A-Celia. Amy's Clan said, "With many of you coming from different regions on Earth, you have a broad familiarity with the different styles of government and economic structure along with their associated issues. We are very familiar with those aspects of the Connemare World. While we are on our voyage, we would like for all of you to study the Connemare World and its structure with this topic in mind. We also have information on those used by the members of the Alliance of Worlds. There are other systems in the library. Another source of ideas are Earth's science fiction books. From our reading, we think some of them have merit. The goal of this is to prepare for designing an organization and economic structure for our new home. A group will be chosen to steer the process in such a way that everyone can see the progress and contribute. This approach is similar to the way we established our recruiting criteria and Órarduine fleet organization. It is our hope to create an environment that avoids or minimizes the shortcomings we have experienced or seen in other places." When Amy's Clan finished, Sarah's Clan said, "Any more questions?" "Yes," said Sarah's Clan to the reporter who asked the first question. "From the comments by Amy's Clan, it seems like you are moving toward forming a democracy style of government. Won't that be difficult to manage when the size of your group grows?" "Currently, we are loosely using a consensus style democracy to decide issues concerning the whole family and its future. Many times we have made decisions in meetings just like this one. There have been a few times when it was accomplished solely through telepathic communication. So far, we think it has worked quite well. "Until you experience telepathic sharing, the concept of several individuals working closely in tune with each other is difficult to accept. Operationally our space ships function as you would expect a ship to function, but there are some exceptions. In many cases, we have all or part of a clan filling a particular function as a group. In your culture it would be under the command of a single individual with the others reporting to them. One example is on the bridge. There we have a group of 8 or more actively directing the ship's operations and in tune with their spouses. Each member of the group has specific responsibilities and duties but at the same time are linked to perform some decisions as one. We believe all of this works because we are telepathic and openly share information. It is the combination that is important." "Thank you." There were several other questions before a member of each Command Staff raised their hand. Together they said, "It is after time for lunch to begin. Do we need to come back after lunch? Before you answer, as most of you know, we will be going over most of these topics again as a family. There will be forums on our network for topics relating to what is planned after arriving in Celia system. What is your choice?" A few moments later, the AI on each ship said, "The vote was to not come back after lunch as there is much work to be done." At this point each Command Staff addressed their ship, "For those attending their first family gathering, we would like to hear your thoughts on today's gathering. Please ask about anything you are unsure of. Okay. Let's have lunch." As the Command Staffs went to their dining room, they reviewed the family meeting through their telepathic link. All of them were pleased with how well it worked with the family scattered across the seven ships. ------- In the dining room on Dóchas, Amy's Clan sat with Sarah's Clan during lunch. Erin said, "Amy, how do your children like living on a space ship?" "They think it is great. From their comments, they like spending more time with yours and the other children they didn't see very often." "We've noticed that all the children really seem to enjoy each others company." "A few of ours have asked about Ann's Clan children. We told them they could visit Taiséalai or they could invite their friends here." "Several of ours are shuttle qualified, so they could take them over. They run back and forth to Phoenix a lot." "We've noticed our children using the shuttles more. We'll mention it." Tara said, "Are all of you aware that most of our family's children are on Dóchas and Taiséalai?" "Really," replied several. "Interesting," said Joyce and paused before adding, "It seems to be coincidence." Judy said, "That is going to change shortly after we arrive in Celia system. Many of our clans are expecting their first children. It looks like Siobhan's and Maureen's Clans will be the first with babies." "How many children are we expecting?" asked Sarah. "Over the first six months probably about seven hundred to a little over a hundred clans. Most of the clans are expecting 3 sets of twins but a few will gain four sets." "Wow," said Jill, "that seems like a lot of babies." "It is," replied Judy, "but a pretty small percentage of our family. We are pleased to see the clans staggering their pregnancies." Betsy added, "Actually, I think the number is pretty low. Historically, once we begin moving on to A-Celia, we should expect the birth rate to be between 5 and 10% a year for a couple of years. A part of this is due to the fact our clans have chosen to wait until after we move. I can sense some concern regarding maintaining operations. With our support system, I wouldn't worry about it." "We agree," said Siobhan. "Sarah's Clan recruited a group to help them care for their children. We are fortunate for that as many of us weren't around babies or a lot of small children when we were young. I think all of us are planning to add children to our clans in small groups." "I think, we have all joined this discussion," said Keriann. "We would like to shift direction a bit. We think, we should actively promote the learning centers as a way for our family to learn more about our history, history of the universe and available technology. Yes, we always encourage using the library and the AIs are a great assistance in finding information. However, it is not the same as structured learning." "Do we have a problem?" asked Jill. "No, not now. By what has been accomplished, it is clear that we have done well in bringing new people into each operational group and finding needed technology to solve our problems. The down side is that not many of us have a broad knowledge of the material in the library." "We see your point. The library AIs do a great job assisting you in finding information. In those instances, we are purpose orientated. We usually only look long enough to find our answer and maybe read some peripheral information. Usually we don't look at the background for the answer we found. So, do you have a solution?" "Not yet. Actually, we only recently recognized the issue." "There are syllabuses on many topics in the learning centers," said Amy. "These were set up as a teaching aid for children, but there is no reason they wouldn't work for adults. The ones I am thinking of are orientated toward older children." "I didn't know that," replied many of those in the link. "Many times, we have suggested using the library," said Sarah, "perhaps we should be encouraging everyone to use the learning centers. We would need more coaches for the learning centers with the extended use." "I'm willing to take the lead on this," said Janet of Sarah's Clan. She paused then continued with, "Our first step should be identifying the available syllabuses although the list is probably already on the learning center terminals. Next is to bring the learning center coaches together to see what needs to be done to promote this to the whole family." "I'll help," replied Kelly of Keriann's Clan. Several others offered their assistance. "If I heard right, someone from each ship offered to help." Janet paused then said, "Over the next couple of days, would each of you talk to your learning center staff about this project? With their insight, they may already have a solution." "Will do," came the responses. "Is there anything else we need to cover while we are connected?" asked Sarah. "I wonder if the syllabuses are available at all locations," said Kelly. "They should be," replied Amy. "Did everyone see the name Alliance of World gave to their Mars depot?" said Casidhe of Siobhan's Clan. Sensing not everyone had she continued with, "It is named Sol41. The name indicates the solar system and the planet along with a number. So reading backwards it is the first base on the fourth planet in Sol system. When we inquired about their template for naming bases, they said they used this form when the intent was to just have a few bases or settlements on a planet. Once the number of locations exceeded 9, they use a name in place of the location number. Sometimes they divide the planet into regions. They were nice enough to give us a copy of their guidelines." "We saw that," replied Erica of Amy's Clan. "The Connemare had a system. It used special prefixes and suffixes with the star system name. I like the AW system better as it lets you give a site a name as an alias for the official designation. It also is much tidier than the Connemare system." "Think AW, would object to us cloning their system?" said Molly. "We've briefly looked at both and are leaning toward the one AW uses." "I don't see why they would object," said Erin of Sarah's Clan. "We all should look at it closely and see how it fits our needs. It also raises the issue of how we will name regions and settlements on A-Celia. This could be a system, we can use for that." "It looks like something we should seriously consider," replied Molly's Clan. "Lets return to this topic the next time we get together," said Kathryn. "Several people are here wanting our attention. By the way, three of us are expecting. It looks like we will have six or eight babies to care for in about 6 months. Also, I know we are all geared to think of a pregnancy lasting for nine months but that was on Earth. Now that we are Órarduine, it is a little less than 7 months but the same number of days." "Congratulations!" came a chorus of voices. "Kathryn, you made a good point," said Judy of Sarah's Clan. "I should have noted that earlier. Again congratulations." "Thank you." "Next time we have a conference planned is the day before we leave," said Rusty. "Between now and then, if anyone has something to discuss, we should do it immediately rather than wait." "Have a great day everyone!" said Kathryn's Clan which was quickly repeated by the other seven clans. "Amy, would you walk with me down to the learning center?" asked Janet. "Sure." "Gee, that didn't sound right. It was not my attention to exclude anyone." After everyone laughed, then Betsy said, "None of us took it that way and we all have plenty to do. So go to it." ------- It was the morning of the Órarduine departure from Sol system. All of the Command Staffs had risen early. Each had exercised and freshened up while checking the preparations for their departure. Their excitement was apparent but not any greater than the rest of the crew. "Breacadh," said Sarah's Clan, "do you have the final version of our broadcast to Earth?" "Yes. It is cued to be sent when Dóchas departs Mars orbit." "Excellent. You've contacted the AIs on Earth and verified your primary communication protocols, correct?" "Yes. We recently added two secondary means of communicating in case the primary fails. Both AIs have setup duplicate memory cores. If the AI determines it is time to evacuate, one of the cores will travel here with the escapees. The remaining core will manage defensive systems until everyone is safely away then self destruct." "It sounds like they are expecting the emergency evacuation to be needed." "Not really, however the probability is measurable for the group operating the secure storage facility in the Idaho – Wyoming area. There have been an increasing number of intrusion attempts." "Okay. With a hibernation level 3, will that give you enough time to be a refuge for the AW Mars depot?" "Yes. Also, if the security sensors are disturbed or the Iridiens activate the defensive weapons, hibernation level will be reduced as appropriate." "One last question, are all the AIs supporting you comfortable with the arrangements?" There was a slight pause before Breacadh responded with, "I just verified that with them and the answer is yes. We will do everything to ensure An Clochán will be ready for your return. Have a safe trip?" "Thank you. Don't hesitate to query us," said Sarah's Clan. "We will," replied Breacadh. "May the Gods and Goddesses be with you." "And with you," replied Sarah's Clan. "Star, any comments on the exchange?" "No. Breacadh and his supporting AIs are performing well above the required level. He is currently linked with the LRS in Celia system. The bots that are staying have placed themselves in their protective enclosures, established a comlink with Breacadh and engaged their enclosure's locks. They are effectively sleeping in a cocoon and will stay that way until needed." "Thank you." "Command Staffs," said Sarah's Clan, "how do you stand regarding departure?" "Rocking and ready to roll," came the replies which were followed by laughter. "Great," replied Sarah's Clan when their laughter diminished. "After breakfast lets hook together so everyone is included in our morning meeting." "You don't think it will last long, do you?" said Molly's Clan. "Nope," replied the other Command Staffs. Kathryn said, "Some are hoping we move the departure times up if the meeting is short." "The departures are scheduled to begin 60 minutes after the meeting ends." "By the way," said Keriann, "we have placed a qualified flight crew on the freighter accompanying us. This is because we didn't like the way it was responding to commands." "We raised that issue with Commander Timalta and his staff," replied Kathleen of Molly's Clan. "They were aware of the slow response to commands and compensated by adjusting their procedures to accommodate them." "We'll have our programmers monitor systems on the freighters," said Claudette of Sarah's Clan. "We will have a flight crew on the freighter linked to us," replied Molly. "So, will we," added Maureen. "It will be good experience for them." "We should continue with crews on the freighters until we know the reason for the slow response," said Tara of Sarah's Clan. "Our suggestion would be to have two crews on each freighter on twelve hour shifts." "We're going to the dining room," said Siobhan. "We will monitor our link but let it lie in the background." "Agree," said the other Command Staffs. ------- After their exceptionally brief morning meeting, each Command Staff headed toward the bridge of their ship. At the same time six crews prepared to leave for the freighters, their first stop was by navigation to pickup copies of the flight plan and associated navigational markers. When Sarah's Clan reached the bridge on Dóchas, Sally contacted Mars depot Sol41. "Good morning Commander." "Good morning, Sally. To what do we owe the pleasure of this call?" "Two things. Have you heard from Commander Egulle? If so how are they doing?" "Yes. They are on schedule and will arrive at their destination in 4 days. Actually, they are a little ahead of schedule." "Great. The other reason for the call is to advise you that we will begin departing in 50 minutes. Your link to An Clochán's security system will be active as soon as you authenticate." "Thank you. Have a great safe trip and we look forward to seeing you soon on A-Celia." "Thank you." Sarah's Clan watched their consoles on Dóchas as the systems updated their departure status. Through their link with the other Command Staffs, they were aware of the progress each ship was making toward departure. Before long the monitors showed Marthanóir lining up on the port side of the freighter they would control remotely. Fiontar moved to a position on the starboard side of the freighter and half way back. This positioning gave Fiontar a clear view of the freighters movements. They sat in formation for several minutes while Molly's Clan verified coordinates in the navigation system with the flight crews on the freighter. Once everything was verified Molly said, "Marthanóir of Órarduine Destiny Flight Group 1 commencing departure sequence." "Fiontar of Órarduine Destiny Flight Group 1 commencing departure sequence and pacing." "Acknowledged," replied the other five Dóchas ships. It took several minutes for the three ships to begin moving away from the others. It wasn't long until the three ships were out of sight. At that time Sarah's Clan turned to watch the monitor tracking the position of flight group 1. Tara said, "Good, one group on their way. Ten minutes till flight group 2." Sarah's Clan patiently watched and waited as their other two flight groups departed for their assembly point J0. Just after Phoenix and Eagle left with a freighter Joyce said, "Why don't we ask Amy's Clan to join us here?" "Good idea," replied everyone, then Sarah's Clan said, "Amy why don't all of you join us on the bridge for our trip to J0?" "Sure we can do that," replied Amy's Clan. "We'll be up in a couple of minutes." It was just minutes from departure when Amy Clan entered the bridge. As they entered they said, "Thanks. You are giving us a real treat." "We should have thought of it before," said Sarah. "Scanner status," said Rusty as they began final departure steps. "Departure path clear," replied Terry. "Orientation set. Commence movement," said Sarah. Shortly after she spoke those on the bridge could feel a slight change in the ship as it began to move. "0.05... 0.1," said Janet as their speed picked. This was soon followed by, "0.2... 0.3... 0.4... 0.5... 0.6 ... holding 0.6" In place of the normal window there were two large screens. One screen showed the area in front of them with a 70 degree field of view. The second screen showed their flight path, position on the path and the other 3 flight groups. When not occupied by their activities on the bridge Sarah's Clan watched the monitors along with Amy's Clan. As the trip progressed, members of Amy's Clan moved closer to the different consoles so they could see better. After about 2 hours Sarah said, "We've got 19 hours before we get to J0, so let's start rotating watches. Amy's Clan you are welcome to be a part of our watch rotation." Amy's Clan looked at each other, and then Amy replied, "We are thrilled by the offer. We are willing to assist with the watches but would prefer not to go further than assist you." "We understand. Having assistance on watches gives us a little more flexibility in maintaining watches until we reach J0. Maintaining an active watch is one of the down sides to traveling long distances at sub light speed." "True. How do the other Command Staffs handle this since their clans are smaller?" "They are assisted by their Reserve Command Staff. Each of them has selected a flight qualified security team to fill the role. Typically they divide into three groups with a minimum of one group on the bridge at all times." "Interesting. I don't remember anything like that being the case back before the sabotage." "Based on what we found in the logs, that Command Staff didn't. There were provisions in the Connemare operational directives for a Reserve Command Staff. Actually depending on the ship, there could be two reserve groups. We implemented this after the incident we had on Egulle's ship. Star brought this option to our attention and suggested we implement it. Her argument was that while she could do it, taking on this additional role could reduce the availability of critical resources to other ship functions. Another aspect was that a biological based Command Staff was quicker than an AI in dealing some abstract relationships. Thus they typically responded faster with an appropriate response." "So, who is your normal Reserve Command Staff?" "It is Briana's Clan." "We wouldn't want to deprive them of this opportunity." "They are quite happy to share it with your clan." "So how do you want to do this?" "Well normally we would split up into three groups. The trip to J0 is approximately 21 hours, well a little less than 19 now. So why don't half of us go rest for seven hours, then the other half rest for seven hours. That way we will all be on the bridge just before we arrive at J0." "Suits us." After setting a return time, half of Sarah's and Amy's Clans, left the bridge for their compartment. About 20 hours after Dóchas departure from Mars orbit, the position marker for flight group 1 changed to flashing green indicating they had arrived at assembly point J0. Then fifteen minutes later flight group 2 marker was next to flight group 1 and started flashing. In another fifteen minutes, flight group 3 reached J0. At this point, the Dóchas count down clock appeared on the screen projecting their arrival at J0. As Dóchas arrived at J0, they could see the other three groups were already in position for their combined flight group to J1. Seeing the positioning, Jill guided Dóchas into its lead position with the correct orientation for departure. Sarah's Clan broadcast to their crew, "Well done. We are at our starting point for our first group FTL jump. We are scheduled to depart in 2 hours. Commence preparations." "Dóchas ships," said Rusty, "how do we stand?" "Everything went fine," said Molly's Clan. "We now have an idea why some seem to think the freighters are hard to control. It appears that their instruments drift." "Could you elaborate?" "Our flight crews believe the instrument settings are fluctuating and the output response lags the changes. This causes the size of the fluctuations to grow until an adjustment is made in the control. In terms of old fashion controllers, it is really acting like an out of tune controller." "So, you get a response like having a loose front end on a car." "That is a good characterization," came the quick reply from Siobhan. "We are seeing the same issue with the freighter we are controlling." "Same here," said Keriann. "All the navigation systems on the freighters were checked out and calibrated," said Brigid of Keriann's Clan. "Why don't we have a couple of Ferrets latch onto the freighters network. This way we can get unfiltered data from each freighters system. The way we have been accessing the system up till now has been through standard access ports." "You think the systems have been tampered with." "If they have been it was before the Dutsuz had them. We really need to be sure we are seeing the raw data before we can begin to tell where the problem is. Once we see the raw data, we can run simulations and compare that against the commands being given the freighters systems. The Ferrets data stream should go directly to the ship in its group that is not exercising control over the freighter." "Sounds good," said Claudette of Sarah's Clan. "Is everyone in agreement with this approach?" "Yes." "Do we need to extend the departure time?" said Joyce of Sarah's Clan. "No. Two hours should be more than enough time for us," said Casidhe of Siobhan's Clan. "Joyce, why don't you plot two departure times with one an hour later," said Jackie. "Why don't we just extend the time?" said Maureen. "Okay," said Sarah, "departure is set for three hours from now." "Setup the Ferrets in stealth mode. I know we wouldn't do this now with our AIs but it would be better if the freighter AIs are kept in the dark until we know what is going on." "Agreed." "Our commander on the freighter indicated that the primary AI on the ship seemed very responsive to commands. So her impression is that the problem is down the line." "Thanks, Molly." "Let's begin preparations," said Conan. Terry of Sarah's Clan said, "Security groups - Destiny Task Group, set up perimeter scanning. Holding position for 3 hours." "Acknowledge," replied all the groups. "Navigation," said Sarah, "this is a good opportunity to verify chart maps and supporting data once you have the course settings." "Acknowledge," replied the Navigation group. A little over 2 hours later, Sarah's Clan said, "How are we coming along?" Brigid replied, "We are collecting data so we are ready." "Phoenix is collecting data so we are ready," replied Tiff of Siobhan's Clan. "Fiontar needs about 15 minutes yet," replied Cariss. "We just started collecting data and need the time to verify it." "Okay," said Sarah, "In 30 minutes we will begin the sequence to FTL as a group. Star initiate links with primary AIs in Destiny group." "Links are established and tested, currently in standby," replied Star. "Command Staffs," said Cariss some 15 minutes later, "we are ready." "Great," replied everyone. "Dóchas crew," said Sarah's Clan, "we will begin our jump to FTL 4 in 15 minutes, make all necessary preparations." Sarah's Clan watched their consoles. As each section went through their preparations, the indicator changed several times before holding as green. They could sense the same process running in parallel on the other seven ships. At jump -10, Sarah said, "sync clocks." Jill and Janet of Sarah's Clan said, "All Propulsion groups, be prepared to adjust power. There is a high probability that the freighters may lag our power curve. If they do, you won't have much time to compensate." "Acknowledge." The ten ships were now positioned with Dóchas in the lead. Phoenix and Eagle were next in line with the freighter between them but not in the same plane. Iarracht and Taiséalai were next with their freighter between them. They were followed by Marthanóir and Fiontar with their freighter. The nine ships following Dóchas were positioned so that each had a clear path in front of them. "Security groups," said Terry, "perimeter status." "No issues," replied each ship in turn. "Shift to travel mode." "Affirmative." "Destiny Group, orientation?" said Rusty. "Set. All units optimum." "Commence FTL transition on the mark," said Rusty. On Dóchas bridge Sarah's Clan watched the monitor indicating their movement as the clock counted down. When the clock switched to indicating travel time, Destiny group began to move slowly with the freighters lagging a bit. The other ships quickly adjusted their acceleration to match the freighters. As Destiny group passed FTL factor 1, the freighters began to move a little faster than the Dóchas class ships. The seven Dóchas ships again quickly adjusted their acceleration so that they maintained their positions relative to each other. The groups acceleration soon brought them to FTL factor 4 without further adjustments in acceleration. "We are at factor 4. Dóchas Propulsion reporting all systems nominal," said Jill of Sarah's Clan. As Jill spoke, everyones faces wore smiles. "Time of entry into FTL factor 4 was optimum," said Joyce. "We made optimum because the freighters eventually matched our target acceleration." Alena laughed, "From what I am hearing, they did so because our flight crews on the freighters tweaked the controls." "Good. If they hadn't, we would have had to recalculate our destination." "Dóchas status?" said Sarah. All stations reported all systems were optimal and had performed well within operational parameters. "Star, signal readiness level 3," said Sarah. She had hardly finished speaking when the chimes began to sound indicating readiness level 3. "We sense that no ships had any difficulty with the group FTL transition," said Sarah. "Transition went smoothly from our perspective," replied Siobhan. "I had some doubts when the freighters started lagging and then sped up. All sections are reporting systems are optimal." "Same here," replied the other Command Staffs. "It will be interesting to see what the control data from the freighters looks like," said Alena of Sarah's Clan. "We're hoping to have enough by this evening to begin our evaluation," said Casidhe. "Each group will do it separately and then compare notes." "It would make the rest of our voyage a lot less dramatic if we could solve this before we get to J1." "Agreed," came a chorus of replies. "Well we have nearly seven days until we reach the next jump point," said Sarah. "If we find a solution, we should consider spending extra time at J1 to implement the solution." "Agreed." ------- Chapter 163 It was late on the second day of Destiny groups voyage to way point J1 when Casidhe said, "Command Staffs, we think we have sorted some issues with the freighters. The hardware sensors, controllers, multiplexers and the Section AIs all appear to have difficulty exchanging data. The ships logs indicate some controllers were replaced several times in the past for various reasons. We took several non-essential control systems off line and tested them. For those systems, there appear to be two problems with communication. One was digital timing errors which leads to a lot of requests for a resend. Another is that it doesn't appear that requests and commands are correctly spaced which causes a resend or the wrong response." "Do you have a solution?" said Claudette of Sarah's Clan. "Not quite yet. Currently, our flight crews on the freighters are closely monitoring the propulsion, communication and navigation systems. We are putting off an evaluation those subsystems until we are out of FTL. Another issue is that there aren't any replacement units on the freighters. We have taken a few non-essential subsystems off line so our programming staff could download their programming code. The goal is to determine the coding style, logic, instruction set and etc. For the systems, we take off line, we have enough information so those sections can be operated manually. To accomplish this, we are beefing up crew size on the freighters. Also, our computer whizzes are looking for a way to download the code from an active system. "As to a solution, one group is checking to see if we can substitute our control AIs for those on the freighters. Replacing these AIs could take quite a bit of time as we would need to test and optimize each system. Presuming no complications, just replacing the AIs is expected to take more than a week after reaching J1. If it is just reprogramming Section and Control AIs, then it will probably take just a couple of days at J1 to make the changes. In either case, we think the time can be shortened by changing out some secondary AIs before we get to J1." "Lets not rush this," said Sarah's Clan. "If it takes a week, thats what it is. If we need more, then we take more time." "Do we have enough spares to switch out the equipment?" asked Keriann. "Roughly speaking, yes," answered Tiff of Siobhan's Clan. "Could the issue be our communication with the freighters master AI?" said Aoife of Sarah's Clan. "We don't think so. One difficulty we face is that we don't have the logic code for the master AI or the sub systems. We are downloading the programing code of all sub systems except the master AI and those in Propulsion, Navigation and Communication. We can do those once we get to J1." "If our crew can pilot the freighters by tweaking the systems," said Rusty, "I would think, you could operate with both the navigation and communication systems in manual." "We will look into it." "Are there sufficient crew available to assist you?" "Each ship is contributing crew. All the older children are assisting on our primary ships which frees up more staff to the work on the freighters. Some are assisting the programmers with dissembling the programming we've downloaded." "Let us know if you need more assistance." "Right now, we have more than enough assistance." ------- Sarah's Clan was returning to their suite when Alena said, "Space traveling is not much different than being in a Mars orbit." "Were you expecting it to be different?" asked Alison. "Yes. I was expecting it to be more like the first day of our voyage with many of us constantly on the bridge. I probably got that impression from stories of how ships on Earth operate." "I think our actions at the beginning of this trip are something that we will repeat every time we make the FTL transition," said Rusty. "We need the rapid visual feedback that being on the bridge gives us during those times. We are at our best when we are all on the bridge, but we probably can do it with only two or three of us there. In any case, if we didn't have our perpetual link to the ships systems and each other, then the only way would be for us to rotate watches with more people." "There were a couple of times, we rotated watches in Sol system," said Claudette, "but each of those I remember as a special case. We didn't have as much ship activity in those incidents either." "So, what do we want to do this evening?" "I was thinking of sitting down with a good book," said Aoife. "I'm interested in playing a game," said Joyce. "Depending on the game," replied Jill, "I would be interested." "Me too," added Terry and Janet. "I wonder what the children are up to," said Erin. "They left for Taiséalai, Phoenix and Iarracht very early today," replied Aoife. "Since some qualified to operate the shuttles, they have been doing a lot more visiting," said Joyce. "You aren't surprised, are you?" "Not really. Adam and I did the same thing right after we got our drivers licenses. It just doesn't seem like it has been that long since they were babies." "Joyce, you should share that with Nancy," said Sarah. "Your mother will like the change in your perspective." "Well the two she had after becoming an Órarduine aren't much younger than ours." "True. She has experienced Adam and you growing up to follow your own path. This time it should be an easier adjustment for her," replied Judy. "You all realize that the children Tiff referred to earlier include many of ours, if not all," said Claudette. "That bit of information went right by me," said Jill with several others nodding in agreement. Just then the door chime sounded announcing visitors. Alison opened the door, to be greeted by Nancy's Clan. Seeing who was at the door, Joyce exclaimed, "Hi, mom," as she went to give her a hug. "Hi," replied Nancy as she hugged her daughter. As they were hugging, the rest of Sarah's Clan one by one said, "Hi, mom." Sarah went to Nancy and hugged her. She stood on one side with her arm around Nancy with Joyce on the other side. Nancy said, "You know it is still a little disturbing that all of you call me "mom." I am not a whole lot older than some of you." "Yea, but you fill the role. Actually all of you do." "Thank you," replied Nancy's Clan. "I remember the time when Alice, Judy and Nancy were my saviors," said Sarah. "I don't know that I would phrase it that way," replied Alice. "Okay. Maybe savior was a little strong. Our paths crossing is a key reason for me being here rather than someones toy or worse." "Many of us can say something very similar," said Erin. "We are all fortunate that our paths crossed at the time they did." "We agree," replied Nancy's Clan. Alice added, "I consider meeting Sarah one of the most significant events in my life." "So where are your children?" said Erin. "With yours of course," replied Bob with a smile. "They always seem to be with some segment of your children." Julia of Nancy's Clan added, "They are with yours crawling around in a freighter helping sort out the control issues." "So, that's why they went to the other ships," replied Erin. "They didn't tell you, what they were going to do?" "Yes and no," responded Aoife. "They indicated they were going to see if they could help out. The older ones have been working in different departments on Dóchas for some time. We haven't specifically asked but it appears that they are trying to determine what kind of work they want to do as a career." "From time to time, we've seen them in several different departments," replied Nancy. "Whenever I see them, they look like they are deeply involved in the departments activities, especially in the flight training compartments." "Yes. Several have indicated a strong desire to qualify as Star Fighter pilots." "So what do you think of the voyage?" said Sarah. "In many ways, it is just like being in Mars orbit," replied Julia of Nancy's Clan, "except there isn't a planet close by to visit." "I think," said Alice, "all of us are anxious to settle on A-Celia. How about you guys?" "We haven't thought about those details yet," said Alison with the rest of Sarah's Clan nodding their agreement. "It sounds like you all have been giving it some thought." "A wee bit," replied Bob with a smile. "We have looked at images of the Connemare homes as their family structure is similar to ours. None of them appear to be very appealing. The suite layout we have on our ships is efficient and comfortable even for those with large clans." "We do take up quite a bit of space," said Sally. "And we are one of the smallest clans, although that may change after we get to A-Celia." "Cool," replied Joyce with a big smile. "Currently, our preferred choice for a home is a rectangular layout with a pyramid style roof. The sides of the triangles forming the roof would be equal in length. Under the roof, the space could be a single room or split into several spaces. There could also be several levels both above and below ground level as well in the pyramid portion." "So you want our homes the be covered with half an octahedron." "Yes, but it didn't start out that way. Based on some information in our library, we can configure the roofs as a solar collector. Three sides would contribute from dawn to dusk which should provide ample energy to operate the home. The shape also provides benefits in temperature control. There are benefits in terms of security as well." "Have you done any mock-ups and tested them with the environmental simulator?" asked Claudette of Sarah's Clan. "No. I wanted to get more input on the floor plan first as we are not sure of the constraints. One issue is what features are needed in each families quarters. Some of the features we had on Earth seem irrelevant now." "You might want to put this up on the network," said Tara. "No doubt others in our family are contemplating building a home on A-Celia." "We talked about that, but thought it might be too far into the future," added Nancy. "Not at all. We suspect that you will get quite a bit of feed back. Once you are close to a workable floor plan, run the design through the environmental simulator. That will give you a good estimate on its functionality. If the design looks good, then build a model. This will give everyone a better perspective of the design." "Wow ... I didn't intend for this to be a design everyone will use." "With this family, I suspect there will be many designs ranging from old fashion to much more radical than this." Jill said, "Bob, I know that our clan is intrigued by your design." The group chatted about the home design and the information they had on A-Celia until Nancy said, "Holy cow ... look at the time. We need to draw this to a close so we can get some sleep." "Yes," replied Erin, "or morning chimes will be arriving before we are ready for them." The two clans said good-bye with each of Sarah's Clan encouraging Bob and Nancy's Clan to continue work on the house plan. After Nancy's Clan had left Aoife said, "Guys, I'm bushed. I think I am going to turn in now." "That sounds like a great idea," replied Erin and Janet. Many of the others nodded their head in agreement. "I was thinking about reading," said Sarah, "but it is to late now." "Mom's Clan showing up was a nice surprise," said Joyce. "It certainly was," replied all of her spouses. "I get the feeling that they are anxious to settle on A-Celia," said Alison as they went to freshen up. "They might surprise me," replied Joyce, "but I don't see them making very many long space voyages." Aoife said, "I agree. I think we will spend about half our time on voyages." "You really think we will travel that much," replied Maeve. "Well now, it's a strong possibility. We are all very comfortable with this as our home. Siobhan's, Maureen's and Keriann's Clans are also very comfortable with their ship as their home. Amy's Clan is looking forward to settling A-Celia and getting it organized. Kathryn's, Molly's and Jackie's Clans and their ships will likely play the role of the home guard with them spending most of their time on the planet. Now that I have expressed what I sense of the future, it will likely change." Tara added, "Aoife, I agree with your comments in a general way and I don't think they will differ much from what you expressed." It wasn't long before they had all freshened up and were cuddled together in bed. ------- It was the morning of their sixth day traveling toward J1, when Leann asked Star to arrange a meeting with the Command Staffs. "Command Staffs, we believe we have a workable plan for resolving the issues with the freighters," said Leann and Casidhe. "Good." "First the bad news," said Casidhe, "we are projecting it taking two weeks to complete it. This is in part due to not being able to access critical systems until we are out of FTL." "What are you planning?" "Well it is kind of like a major overhaul in terms of scope," said Leann. "We have a good idea of which components have communication problems so we are going to replace those items and test. If that doesn't resolve the problems then we will test at the next level up. We have found some cabling issues. These appear to be the result of sloppy or incomplete repairs. In these cases, the cables will be replaced." "Okay." "A bigger issue is the subsystem AIs. Once we had pretty well deciphered where the problems are located, we broached the issues with the master AI on each ship. In their archives, they have the programming code for all the AIs, instructions for manual flight operation and other supporting data." "Great!" "Well it helps, but the Master AIs told that not all of the source code files are up to date. When some components were replaced, the code was tweaked to get the new component to work properly. In some cases there were cabling modifications. Some sections of the cabling have been replaced and the AI didn't believe the schematics were fully updated. Based on the activity the AI recorded it doesn't appear that any performance optimization was done beyond getting a replacement component to interact with the system." "We see why you refer to it as a major overhaul. Are you sure it can be done in two weeks?" "At this point, we think it will be complete in a little over a week. We prefer to set aside two weeks until we can get a better assessment of the propulsion, navigation and guidance systems. The environmental system AI will be replaced with one of ours tomorrow. While that is being done, everyone will be in environmental or TAC suits." "Okay. We take it you are working on the three ships in parallel." "Yes. There are some differences but we haven't found any significant ones yet. Putting our AIs in control of the environmental system will give us an idea of how practical that option is. The only down side is we will loose about 10% of the atmosphere but there are sufficient reserves and the generators work." Judy said, "Leann, have your group leaders monitor how long people are working." "We are. Group leaders are limiting shifts to no longer than 12 hours. The shifts are 10 hours with an hour overlap on each end." "Good idea," added Conan of Siobhan's Clan, "that will give each group time to bring the next up to date on their project." "Leann, is there anything else you need?" asked Sarah. "Don't think so. The staff here with me is shaking their heads no." "Okay." "One last thing, the children are a big help. They can get into places where we would have difficulty. In quite a few cases, their inexperienced view of a problem has helped solve it." "That's good to hear." "Before we get back to it, your children brought the lions with them. Quite a few didn't understand why until the children and the lions started working together. Everyone knows that your children were close to the lions, but I don't think any of us realized they could communicate with them. Even I had my doubts until I saw them working together." "That doesn't surprise us. The lions and the children have spent a lot of time with each other." "Well they make a good team." "Okay. We have about 30 hours before FTL transition begins. When we make the transition, we should have everyone at their normal station." "We agree up to a point. We want to keep a few more crew on the freighters to monitor the systems. Everyone will be in their TAC suit as they won't need the flexibility of the environmental suit." "We agree," replied all the Command Staffs. ------- It was just 40 minutes prior to them dropping from FTL at J1, when Rusty said, "Destiny group, report status." Siobhan said, "Phoenix is ready. All the crew are back on board and at their stations. Star fighter and Macha cruiser crews are ready for launch. Freighter flight crew reporting all systems normal." Siobhan's report was followed by similar reports from Eagle, Iarracht, Taiséalai, Marthanóir and Fiontar. "Destiny group, move status to readiness level 1." When Rusty issued the command, the horns sounded in each ship formally alerting the crews to the change in readiness level. Each weapons fire control station shifted their consoles to active thus arming their weapons. It wasn't long before Janet of Sarah's Clan said, "Destiny group, executing FTL exit on the mark." Jill said, "9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1 ... Mark." As soon as Jill finished each ship faintly shuttered a bit as the propulsion systems began reducing their velocity. All the Commands Staffs monitored their consoles paying particular attention to the freighters response to the change. This time the freighters maintained their position in the formation. As soon as they reached normal space Terry said, "Destiny group, launch ships." Monitoring her console, she could see the status of each ship as 2 flights of Star Fighters along with 2 Macha Cruisers were launched. Shortly afterward Tara replied, "Dóchas's tactical ships launched and moving to designated point." Melissa of Siobhan's Clan added, "Phoenix's tactical ships launched and moving to designated point." She was followed by similar comments from the Flight Operations member of each Command Staff. With all of the craft launched Sally said, "Destiny group, implement move to defensive array." "Executing," replied all the Command Staffs. The six Dóchas class ships shifted to form their three axis array with each ship pointing out along an axis. Sarah's Clan directed Dóchas to take a position along side Phoenix. The three freighters were positioned near their control ships but well into the center of the array. Once the Navigation console indicated that the array was formed, Sarah said, "Destiny group on station at J1." Sally quickly followed with, "Destiny group, initiate security scan." "Commencing," came a chorus of replies. "Destiny group," said Joyce, "preliminary measurements shows our location to be 10,000 km short of our intended destination." "Excellent," said Amy's Clan. "Thank you. It would have been nice to be a little closer." "How does this compare with the moves we made in Sol system allowing for the difference in distance?" Star said, "The error is about the same relative magnitude. Nearly all of the moves in Sol were single ship movements. For moving a group of ships in sync, this is exceptionally accurate. Our limitation is the accuracy of our star maps. By the time we reach J3, we should be accurate to less than a 1,000 km for the same distance traveled." "Destiny group," said Rusty, "remain at readiness level 1 until all scans are complete. Estimated completion time is in 4 hours." "Presuming no issues, freighter repair will resume in 6 hours," said Leann. "Staging will begin in 2 hours." "It appears that we had less difficulty controlling the freighters on coming out of FTL," said Sarah. Siobhan replied, "Others can correct me if their situation differs but our flight crew was essentially controlling the freighter although the systems were still active." "Same here," added the other two ships. "Leann. Casidhe, we will schedule 2 weeks at this position." "Okay," replied Leann. "Our project planners are setting up a progress map for each ship so we can see graphically how we are doing. The image can be misleading as it doesn't include the time aspect of completing the work." "While we are waiting for the security scans to complete," said Casidhe, "those on the freighters are verifying locations against the schematics." "Good. Don't worry about preparing updates for us, as we will periodically take a look." "Now you guys are into spying," replied Leann chuckling. "Well we have to practice some place," came the response from many members of the Command Staffs. The reply was quickly followed by laughter. "We know you're kidding," said Leann and Casidhe. "We will keep doing the updates as it causes us to take a closer look at over all progress. Say, we've got to go as we have an urgent call." "Take care." ------- While Leann and Casidhe were talking with the Command Staffs, Keri, Earnán, and Marnia of Sarah's Clan were tracing wiring chases in the freighter linked to Eagle and Phoenix. "This crawl way is filthy," said Keri as the three inched their way along. "I'm sure glad we are wearing our environmental suits." "Yea. After this we may need new ones," added Marnia. "It doesn't look like anything has been in here since the ship was built." "Well that box up there isn't on the schematics," said Earnán. The three moved up closer to the box straddling the wire chases. Once there, they looked over the box and how the wiring chases entered the box. "This looks like it was added after the ship was built." "Why do you say that?" said Marnia. "Because of the way the box is built and the wiring chases connect to the box. The raised strip around the middle of the box appears to be part of a mating channel between the two halves. The connectors holding the wire chases to the panel are different than others we've seen. Keri said, "Hey, look there is another one on the other side further down." "It's not on the schematic either," replied Marnia. "Let's open this one," said Earnán. "Okay," replied Keri. "First we need to let the bridge know and verify our suit's integrity." Marnia said, "Calling Destiny Group Freighter 1 bridge. This is search group alpha one three zero." "Go ahead A130. This is Jan." "We are tracing the wire chases in corridor 3900 and have found two junction boxes that are not on the schematics. We are next to one. Earnán believes both were was added after the freighter was built due to their construction and the wire chase connectors." "What is the condition of the chases?" "From what we can tell, they all look to be in good shape. However, this is the dirtiest place we've seen so far, so the dirt could be hiding problems." "Okay we'll send an robot inspection unit through the area after you exit." "We think we ought to take the cover off the box. This is the first place we've seen where we can get a look at the wire." "Do you have the tools you need?" "Yes. We've tested our suits." "Okay. Go for it. Lets keep the connection open." Earnán and Keri began unlocking the junction boxes cover. Just as the last lock was released, a small puff of gas escaped around the seal causing a dust cloud as the cover swung to the side. "Oh, my," exclaimed the three as they saw the interior. "What?" exclaimed Jan as she sought to telepathically connect with the three she was talking to. "What took you so long?" said Marnia to Jan with a smile. "We should have connected this way initially so you could see." "Yea. Look at that mess, it is amazing that the propulsion units respond to the bridge at all." "You mean this is the active run to a propulsion unit," said Earnán. "Yep. Each set of conduit in that chase is for a separate propulsion system. Don't touch anything else. In fact don't move anything unless absolutely necessary. Those connections appear to be very fragile." "Yes." Jan made a general broadcast to those on the freighter. "Attention all crew members. Propulsion engineers assume manual control immediately. If there isn't a Propulsion engineer available, initiate emergency shutdown, now!" "What the hell's going on?" asked Casidhe breathlessly as she ran toward the hanger on Phoenix. Several other crew members were with her. "This," was the quick reply as Jan projected the image from Keri to Casidhe and those with her. Jan then gave Casidhe a quick replay of the events leading up to the discovery. "Leann," said Casidhe, "did you see what was found on freighter 1?" "Yes. The other two freighters are being put into manual mode. More power engineers are being sent to the freighters so the systems can be brought back on line so operations can continue." "Casidhe. Leann," said Jan, "We've cut power to the control circuits and verified it is off. I am going to have the cover put back on and buttoned up. Once the team is out of the crawl space, we can send a robot inspection unit through it. Although dirty as it is, we may need to send several." "Do it." Jan said, "Keri, Marnia and Earnán you can put the cover back on the box. Once it is sealed, please exit the crawl space." "Jan, we are over half way. We will continue on through." "Okay be careful." "We will." ------- Some 24 hours later Leann walked into the conference room on freighter 1 to join the crew members and engineering staff assembled there. "Madeline, its good to see you and your clan again." "It's good to see you as well. How are the other freighters coming along?" "Well since they were all made by the same organization, the rampant corrosion problems are very similar. It is amazing that the ships still functioned." "All it would have taken is a hard enough jolt to start the fire works." "So how are we going to solve this?" "Digital fiber. We have pulled the old wire on the run where the problem was first discovered. As soon as we finish cleaning the chase, we will pull fiber optic. While that is being done, one crew will begin reconfiguring the propulsion unit to handle fiber digital control. Another crew will be reconfiguring the bridge to operate the controls." "What about the other systems?" "Once we have the first propulsion unit converted over to our digital, we will begin reworking three more propulsion systems. By the time we have those three switched over, we should have all key parameters optimized from the first run. Then it is simply a matter of duplicating those so we can test the three newest runs. Once we know the three newest are functional, we will take the last two off line for the conversion." When Madeline paused, Jan said, "We are focusing on propulsion first. Once we have four operating with the new controls, we will start on communication and then navigation. We are anticipating this taking close to 15 clock cycles." "Are you in contact with the other two ships?" "Yes. We have each been working out our own solutions then as a group we critique each other. Except for ship design driven differences, all of the changes will be nearly identical. Best of all there will be schematics in the archives." "So the youngsters got to you," replied Leann. "Yep. We either agreed or they were going to quit going through the tunnels. Some crew members were giving them a pretty hard time about being afraid to get dirty when one of the dirt bins passed by." "They didn't." "Sure did. The one with the biggest mouth suddenly lost his balance and fell backwards just as a bin of dirt was behind him. An amazing bit of timing. He was out of it in a heart beat, but with quite a bit stuck to him. The look on his face was priceless. When he started to try and brush it off, Keri suggested that he should wait and use the shower as the stuff was very tacky and would just smear. No one laughed at him. Marnia offered to help him get to the shower so he didn't have to touch anything and spread it around." "It is surprising what poor grounding will cause," said Tom of Madeline's Clan. "Poor grounding was only part of the cause," replied Leann. "You probably couldn't see it visually, but the wiring bus and the wire weren't space compatible materials. On a planet they would likely have been just fine but it would depend on the atmosphere." "Okay. That makes sense as I would have expected pieces with that much corrosion to just fall apart. Oops. Hardly any gravity, so they won't necessary fall apart." "Yes. The acceleration to make FTL may have done it, if it was just corrosion from bad ground. Preliminary analysis indicates these metals formed a fragile alloy, which we think is why the connections didn't completely fail. These bad junctions significantly contributed to the control problem. Overall this is an interesting lesson." "So do you have enough help?" continued Leann. "Yes, we think so. Why don't we completely go through the project as it is laid out?" "Works for me." As the group went through the plan for freighter 1, others joined them when the discussion was about the portions of the work they were doing. Several hours later Leann said, "It looks to us like you have it well laid out. Some of our staff will be over to assist when things are tight." Just then she held up her hand for a moment and began to smile. "The wire chases are ready." "Just make sure everyone gets enough rest," said Leann as the group began to leave. "Oh. We will," replied Jan quickly. "While we travel to J2, we plan on taking a vacation and relax." "I think many of us will," said Keri. ------- Chapter 164 The Órarduine had been at J1 for 17 clock cycles when Aine and Creidne joined Sarah's Clan on the bridge of Dóchas. As Sarah and Aoife were the nearest to them, they immediately greeted and hugged their two friends and mentors. "We have missed you," said Joyce as she came over to greet them. "We have missed all of you as well," replied Aine. "It looks like you have everything under control." "Well," said Tara, "we are a little behind schedule. We think, what we have accomplished during pause has made the delay worthwhile." "So where have you been, if we may ask?" said Alison as she greeted Aine and Creidne. "We went to watch some developments on another planet. All we did was observe. Well, we think that is all we did." "Several of us felt like we were being watched since arriving here. Our scanners haven't shown anything." "Have you taken a dream walk?" asked Creidne. "No. Actually, the sensation wasn't strong enough to trigger that thought." "When you feel like you are being watched especially if the feeling persists, a dream walk is an excellent option. A dream walks is easy to do with very little risk." Sarah, Aoife and Tara looked at Creidne for a few moments then shifted their gaze toward each other. Shortly Tara said, "We shall utilize that ability more frequently." "Yes, you should," came a voice out of the air startling Sarah's Clan. Each of Sarah's Clan instinctively began moving to a defensive posture until they noticed Aine and Creidne's relaxed stance. During this moment a tall thin man with features similar to Creidne began to materialize. "It is wise to always take a night walk or as you say a dream walk before arriving at a new location or whenever you are uneasy." Both Aine and Creidne gave the gentleman a slight bow as he materialized. Recognizing the implication Sarah's Clan copied Aine and Creidne's bow. Although his appearance was a surprise, they only felt warmth and friendship emanating from the man. "So, it was you monitoring us," exclaimed Sarah. "Yes. It was me that you sensed. I congratulate you on doing that. There aren't very many mortals that sensitive of their surroundings or to us." Turning to Aine and Creidne, "So what did you think of the people on the planet?" His question to Aine and Creidne further confirmed to Sarah's Clan who the man was. Aine replied, "The group, who put the couple on the planet, made a very good selection when they chose them. Even with the limited support they are providing the couple, the natives should now begin to grow and prosper." Creidne said, "I am afraid I inadvertently helped him with his battle plan." "It didn't appear that way to me. Look at the events again. His approach to a confrontation has similarities to yours but there are significant differences. The two of you should go back periodically to see how they are doing and give a push if needed." "Yes, sir." Turning to Sarah's Clan, "I see you have figured out who I represent. This is not my normal manifestation. My people look more like what you know as an otter on Earth. Aine or Creidne are well acquainted with my tendency to visit them with out any warning. Since all of you are so comfortable with them and their sisters, I felt my visible presence would not disturb you." "It is a pleasure to have you visit us," said Sarah's Clan in unison. "While presumptuous, you are welcome to visit us anytime. Your appearance here, we see as a great honor." "Thank you. I just may do that. One reason I joined all of you here was to suggest what Creidne just did. Using what you refer to as a dream walk to visit an unknown jump point or destination before arriving can avoid some nasty surprises. Just because the universe is vast doesn't eliminate the chance of a surprise meeting. Many of those traveling the universe are friendly but not everyone." "We will be certain do that in the future," replied Sarah's Clan. "Thank you for offering to share your home with my associates. All of them have indicated that they feel like they are a part of your family and now I can understand why. Now I must be off to visit another place." As he finished speaking, his image began to fade. Seeing him begin to depart Sarah's Clan softly said, "May the Gods and Goddesses be with you." It was quiet for sometime on the bridge before Sarah said, "A fascinating man." "Hmm ... I think we've all said that," replied Aine with Creidne nodding. Creidne said, "So are all of your repairs to the freighters done?" "They are being wrapped up. It will take two more clock cycles, then a clock cycle of clean up and we will be on our way to J2." "Good. Our three sisters will return by then." "So your traveling with us." "Yep. We should be around until well after you reach Celia system." Sarah looked as she wondered what was behind the extended stay. Finally Aine added, "Sarah, you look a little puzzled and apprehensive. We are due for a break, a fairly long one. So we thought we would just hang around you all for a while." Rusty put his arm around Sarah as Aoife did the same from the other side. Rusty said, "You read more into what was said than was there didn't you." "Yes. I did. Aine, Creidne, my apologies." "No offense taken. Considering what has happened over the last few minutes here and the past three weeks, we can see how you could add 2 and 2 to get 5." Aine managed to keep her expression normal until she finished the sentence, then began to chuckle. The whole group was soon laughing. "She wasn't the only one," said Joyce and Sally with several others nodding agreement. "Well I guess coming up with five is better than three," said Sarah after a few minutes. "What?" replied several. "Sure if you only get three you have missed something. I would rather see a problem that is not there than miss one that is there." "Good point," replied Creidne. "Although Aine took the opportunity to tease you, it wouldn't have taken any of you long to realize the true situation." Then with a big grin, "Besides, if you find opportunities for adventure at one of the jump points, I'm in, as I need to hone my skills, vacation, or not." As she spoke, she flexed her muscles. They chatted until the chime sounded for dinner. ------- Sarah's Clan had just sat down to dinner when Keri, Earnán, and many of their children along with the lions entered the dining room. "Hi," said Keri along with the rest of the children. As they greeted their parents, the lions also greeted Sarah's Clan. "We're glad to see you," said Alison with the others nodding their agreement. "We didn't think we would see you until closer to departure." "The projects we were working on are complete. The others will be back later tonight or tomorrow." "So how was it?" asked Erin. "Mom, it was great. Can we tell you after we get something to eat?" "Of course. Hurry back." It wasn't long until the children returned with plates nearly overflowing with food. "You know you can go back for seconds," said Joyce as their parents made room for them to sit down. Keri said, "First we need to tell you that we made a major error in judgment. Casidhe caught us working more hours than we were suppose to. Even though we were told to work only 12 hour shifts, we each worked some 60 hours in the first three days. She called all of us into a conference room and gave us a royal scolding bordering on an ass chewing. She pointed out all of the errors we had made in agonizing detail. At first many of us were angry because, we felt, we were being treated like children rather than crew members. Sure we made some errors, but we had corrected all of our errors before finishing a task. Our feelings quickly changed when she began pointing out the potential impact each error would have had on ships operations, if we had left them uncorrected. By the time, she had finished we were all so embarrassed we weren't sure we could show our faces again. The potential consequences were much greater than we thought. Even though she chewed our asses in private, we knew that those we worked with were aware of what we had done. "In some ways, we felt worse when she ran out of steam. She just stood there looking at us. The room was absolutely quiet. It was clear from her face that she was really disappointed in us that hurt much more than her ranting. "After we had stewed for a few minutes, she told us that she knew after the first shift we were not adhering to the schedule. This surprised her because she knew that we knew the rules and the reasoning behind them. After consulting with her spouses, they decided to wait to see how we would respond to and handle our growing fatigue. They chose to do this as a controlled evaluation because they knew there will be times when we would have no choice but to take the risk of working extended duty hours. They thought this was a relatively risk free opportunity where our work could be monitored so no errors slipped through. They would be able to see how we adjusted to long hours and whether we were able to maintain our performance. She told us that we did well but still deserved the scolding as the risk was totally unnecessary." "So do you understand why she took this approach?" asked Terry. "Yes. We think so," replied the children together. "Actually, we now see that our effort to make a larger contribution kind of delayed the project. "We did apologize to our fellow crew members. After accepting our apology, a few told us that most of them had at one time or another made similar errors in judgment. Each felt fortunate that all of their errors were corrected before it effected operations." Jordana said, "We feel we owe you an apology as well." The children in unison said, "Moms and dad, please accept our sincere apology for the embarrassment we have caused our family." "Apology accepted," replied Sarah's Clan. "So in spite of that how do you feel about your contributions?" said Aoife. "Pretty good," said Marnia. "Our lion buddies were a lot of help." "Yes, we heard quite a few stories. You know that the crew has figured out that you can communicate with the lions." "We've been able to communicate with them for a long time," said Keri, "as long as I can remember. The others were really surprised when the lions arrived with us. A few wondered why we brought them along. It didn't take them long to appreciate their presence." "We know," replied Sarah's Clan. "This is probably the first time they have gone with you to work." "Not really. It is the first time they went with us to work on another ship. Depending on where we are working on Dóchas, they may go with us." "The last time we worked with the lions was a long time ago on Comrie. From what we have seen, we don't think we share with them as fully as you guys do. This is likely due to you growing up with them so you have a better grasp on the meaning of their associations. We can see where more of us knowing this could be a big benefit. Perhaps you should show others how to communicate with them." "That is a good idea. We will," replied Marnia. Ta, a lion, said "Sarah's Clan, you have an interesting proposal. Your clan was the first of your species or the Connemare with whom we could communicate. Your children are the first we have really been able to share thoughts in addition to having two way communication. We think it takes unique attributes to have this link with us. Several Security Teams and most of the Command Staffs can communicate with us although a few have not realized it yet." "Are you suggesting, we should let the others discover it for themselves?" "Yes. Once they realize the ability, we will seek your clans assistance in helping them understand it. Quite a few of those working on the freighters recognized the existence of our special relationship with your children. None of them realize how special our relationship is." "Good. We think we should get together for a chat. It now seems as if there are some things we have over looked." "We could join you on the bridge tomorrow as your children need your focus now. They are rapidly becoming adults." "It is a date. We've noticed that they seem to be maturing very rapidly." "So guys, how was working with a different group of people?" asked Rusty. Jordana looked around waiting, expecting someone else to answer the question. After a few moments she replied, "Casidhe is real cool ... When we offered to help, Casidhe didn't bat an eye, she put us right to work. Some others were a little stand offish at first. We think it was mostly because they didn't really know us. We were considerably younger than them and they knew we were the children of Sarah's Clan. Add all of that to the fact we brought our friends. We later learned that their primary concern was whether we could really do the work. A large part of their concern centered around our age." "The groups we initially worked with kind of excluded us from their discussions on how to complete a project," said Keri. "Several times as the discussion ended, we pointed out what we thought was a better way to do the project. After some further discussion, they usually modified the plan to include some of our suggestions. It only took a few times before they drew us into the initial discussion. From then on we were pretty well part of the team. I don't remember anyone rejecting our suggestions without considering them." "I'm confused," said Rusty. "Was this after Casidhe confronted you about the excessive hours?" "Well actually during it. We were able to work the extra hours just by joining a group as a shift started. The group just accepted us as part of the project. We simply took advantage of the way Casidhe was distributing the work." "Could you expand on that?" "There were groups of specialist coming over from each ship. Casidhe would assign them an appropriate project and then add more staff as needed. We were floaters as we had many of the necessary skills but weren't classified as a specialist yet." Jordana said, "It was shortly after our meeting with Casidhe that the decision was made to check the cabling. Several had reported the marginal performance of the cabling when it was checked before connecting the new equipment. By this time everyone was a little frustrated as our new equipment didn't resolve all the control and communication issues. Keri, Earnán, and Marnia went with one group to inspect the conduit. When their group opened the access panel, the group found a narrow crawl-way running between two sets of wire chases." "Jordana," said Earnán, "I can tell the rest. When we saw the size of the crawl-way, we volunteered to do the inspection since we were quite a bit smaller than most of the others. They could have done it but it would have taken them much longer to do it because of the tighter fit. This particular run had six segments. A group of us took a segment with the other crew members monitoring us from both the entrance and exit. The lions helped with some segments and those went a little faster. I'm not sure we would have been so quick to open a junction box if it had been on the schematics. When we saw that puff of dust, I was sure glad Keri had reminded us to button up our environmental suits beforehand. That was kind of scary." "Once we discovered the existence of the bad connections in the additional junction boxes," said Keri, "the rate at which the control issues were solved took a big leap forward. It did create a lot more for us to do. It may be my imagination but that discovery seemed to uplift the crew even though it meant more work. Maybe it was because we felt we were making progress. In looking back, I wonder how the project would have ended if the bad connections hadn't been discovered." "The new equipment and related changes would have partially resolved the issues we had," said Claudette. "Depending on how well they worked, we would have had to make a decision on the next trip segment whether we wanted to try again or just live with it." "That was kind of the conclusion we came to, also." "So, it sounds like you learned a lot while having a good time," said Alison. "Yes," replied all the children. "I am surprised these problems weren't spotted when the ship was being refurbished," said Iris. "Our primary difficulty with the freighters was the poor performance in coordinated movement," replied Claudette. "We initially saw that as just a control problem. In a single ship movement, the poor control response wouldn't necessarily be an issue until it became much worse. "The drop in performance may have been noticed sooner if the freighter had the same crew for an extended length of time. However, these freighters did not have a crew when they arrived with Commander Timalta in Sol system. In his report on their voyage to Sol, he noted that the freighters slowed their FTL transition when escaping from the other system while under attack. That comment in itself does not raise a flag, because you expect freighters to make a slower FTL transition. "If the ships logs had showed frequent replacement of sensors and control units then we may have investigated. However, what is frequent? Without knowing the equipment, it is difficult to say. I am sure we will institute some additional hardware checks when refurbishing ships in the future." Tara added, "My dad always said when you buy a used car you never know quite what you have unless you take it completely a part before you rebuild it. Our preparation of the freighters was simply to check out all the systems. Most of our modifications were structural so they were a better fit for our purpose. Maybe we should have done more basic stuff, but ships logs gave no indication of any issues. "As was said earlier, we are very pleased with the way you stepped in and offered your assistance. You make us proud to be your parents." "Thanks," said Keri and Earnán with all the children nodding their agreement. "So now that we have finished dinner, what do we want to do?" "Lets go back to our suite after we put things away and clean up." The comment prompted several affirmative comments while everyone began cleaning off their dining area. "You know," said Alena, "telepathy is really wonderful. I can't imagine us having a meal while trying to vocalize the thoughts we have just shared." "Mom," said Marnia, "we wouldn't know how." Many of the children nodded their agreement with Marnia's comment. "Beside aren't you suppose to keep your mouth closed when chewing." Everyone chuckled on hearing the rest of the comment. "Yes, dear." Many laughed on hearing Alena's response. They were returning to their suite when Iris said, "Aine, who was that man with you and Creidne earlier?" "He is our mentor," replied Aine with a surprised look, "kind of like a supervisor. How did you know he was here?" "We saw him with you on the bridge with our parents." "Interesting. Are you always that aware of your parents activities?" "We can be but usually aren't. We had reached out to let them know we would be back this evening, but didn't when we saw they were busy." Jordana looked thoughtful. She glanced toward Aine and saw Aine watching her with a smile. "Will he visit us again?" "Your parents invited him visit at anytime." "That's great," replied Jordana with a big smile. "Your comments puzzle me," said Creidne with Aine nodding along with a few of Sarah's Clan. Aoife and Tara had a slight smile on their faces. Jordana smiled. "Your mentor has been with us off and on since we arrived here. I did not say anything because I thought our parents were aware of his presence. Also, from my perspective his appearance was similar to yours." "Interesting." Aoife said, "It seems we saw Aine's mentor as another mentor rather than someone different. So was he pushing the idea to us that we were being watched to determine our reaction." "That is possible. He has done that, I think, to all of us a few times after we started working with him. Those in our group caught him a few of times and since then he doesn't do that to us very often." "Do you meet with him after each trip?" asked Tara. "We normally send him a short report after each assignment. This time he was in the area and knowing we were gone he looked to see how you were doing. On seeing the issue you had with the freighters, he elected to monitor your progress. One reason was to see firsthand how you were handling the issues. So when we returned, he paid us a visit as all of you saw. The price for seeing him was to be tweaked about not using your dream-walk abilities often enough." "Hey, I'll take being tweaked like that most any time," quickly replied Sally. "It was truly an error on our part." "No. It wasn't an error, " said Creidne. "He pointed out the use of a tool you hadn't noticed yet along with the benefit. There is a significant difference." "Okay." "Jordana," said Creidne, "I am certain he will visit again and all of you will have an opportunity to meet him." "Cool ... Moms and dad, if his presence had appeared any different than Aine's and Creidne's, we would have said something immediately." "Good," replied Sarah's Clan along with Aine and Creidne. Aine said, "So all of you saw what Jordana saw?" "Yes," replied the children. "I think most will agree with me that among us Jordana and Keri probably have the highest awareness of their surroundings," said Iris. The other children nodded in agreement. "We all seem to have the ability to sense what is around us, but both of them are a little quicker in sensing a change." "So do all of you share?" "Not to the extent that our parents do," replied Keri. "When we are not in the learning centers, we are very open with each other. We share nearly all of our thoughts and emotions." "Good. We view your openness and sharing as an indication of the deep love you feel for each other. It is clear to us that you unconditionally trust each other as well." "The children in other clans seem to have a relationship with each other similar to ours," replied Jordana. "Yes. We agree. Your relationship with each other is very similar to the other groups of children. The degree of sharing between you is a little more than the other groups but not by much. One difference is that your parents let you see more of their interactions than is typical." Creidne said, "Let us share some of our observations about your sharing and bonding. To us the Órarduine are different in their personal interactions than either the Connemare or humans. Yes the Connemare were telepathic but according to our data they did not share to the extent the Órarduine do. Amy's Clan and those who arrived with them did share but not as extensively as they do now. We know that Rusty, Sarah, Sally, Terry and even Joyce were working toward being fully open to each other before they were brought to Comrie. We believe their conversion to Órarduine significantly altered their inclination and ability to share thoughts, emotions and sometimes more. To the best of our knowledge, your Órarduine Clan bond is unique. "Based on Keri, Jordana and Iris's comments, you have either inherited or assimilated these traits from your parents and the others around you. Our people were concerned that your extensive sharing would minimize individuality and creativeness, but it seems to be just the opposite." "Sometimes, I feel like wanting to share more," said Iris. "We know that when our parents share their love physically it generates an intense feeling of bliss. A few have said they glow during that time." "You feel us sharing our love physically?" asked Erin with a slight blush. "Not quite," replied Iris with a smile. "Only recently, we've learned how to almost create the feelings we sense from you at times. Since reaching puberty many of us have found that caressing or touching ourselves gives us a warm wonderful sensation similar to those we sense from you. We need to caress ourselves for quite a while before the sensations approach what we sense from you." "We do enjoy caressing ourselves," said Aoife, Joyce and Tara. "We have found caressing each other even more enjoyable as the sensations are more intense. We think of it as physically expressing our love for each other when we do it." Tara continued, "Keri's characterization of the ultimate sensation as bliss is pretty accurate. The most intense sensations occur when we orgasm after stimulating each other with caresses." "By caresses are you referring to more than just kisses, caressing certain spots or sliding your hands over each others' body," said Jordana. "Yes." "We have seen others exchanging kisses all over their bodies, sucking on each others nipples, or even with their head between their partners legs. All of us find the sight to be arousing. It is obvious that they are enjoying it. When we try to mimic what we saw, it felt different." As Jordana was talking, Joyce stepped behind her and kissed her neck. Jordana jumped at the sudden contact. Joyce slid her arms around Jordana's waist as she continued to place kisses on her neck and shoulders. Jordana wrapped her arms over Joyce's holding them tightly to her. Everyone quietly watched the interplay between Joyce and Jordana. Sensing what Joyce was doing, Sarah moved behind Aoife and began to kiss her neck. Aoife tilted her head to give Sarah better access for her kisses. As Sarah continued kissing Aoife's neck and shoulders, she began to lightly caress Aoife's chest and stomach with her fingers. It was only a few moments until Aoife's growing arousal was evident by her swelling nipples. Seeing Aoife's nipples swelling, Sarah began to caress them. Joyce followed Sarah's example and began to caress Jordana's now swollen nipples. Jordana turned her head toward Joyce. They lightly kissed. Joyce then caressed Jordana's lips with her tongue before sliding it between Jordana's lips and into her mouth. Pressing their lips together, they caressed each other's tongues. After a few moments Jordana turned around in Joyce's arms only separating their lips for a moment. Aoife and Sarah seeing Jordana and Joyce change position moved so they faced each other at an angle. They continued kissing while they caressed each other's breasts and nipples. Together Sarah and Aoife moved a hand down to the others' labia. They slid their fingers between the lips of the others labia releasing the fragrance of arousal. The two couples continued their kissing and caressing until all four were obviously aroused. Joyce pulled back a bit and said, "How does that feel?" "It feels different than when I do it myself. My breasts feel tight and my nipples are tingly. My labia are very wet." "Jordana," said Keri, "you have the same look as those we saw necking the other day. Joyce can we try it." "Sure." "I was hoping we could do more now." "Jordana, we can and we can let Keri join us." Neither Keri or Jordana replied as they watched Aoife and Sarah slid two fingers between the others labia and then lick their fingers. After Aoife and Sarah licked their fingers, Joyce nudged Jordana. "What?" "I said, Keri could join us." "Cool," replied Jordana slowly, as her attention was still focused on Sarah and Aoife. Finally she said, "What does it taste like?" "It is hard to describe. We like the taste but it tastes much better when we gather it with our tongue. Try it." It was clear the reply puzzled both Keri and Jordana. "Like this," said Aoife as she quickly knelt in front of Sarah. Using her fingers she pulled Sarah's labia slightly apart and extended her tongue between them before covering them with her mouth. Aoife shifted her hands to Sarah's ass as Sarah caressed Aoife's head. Sarah said, "It is much easier to do when at least one of us is lying down." "That makes sense," replied Keri standing next to Jordana with her arm around her. "Jordana. Keri," said Deirdre, "can I join you?" "Of course." Moya had moved to stand between Aoife and Sarah with her arm around each. "It was fascinating to watch both of you do that." As she spoke, she was lightly caressing her mothers. "It looks like you found it arousing," said Aoife as she slid her arm behind Moya laying her hand on Moya's ass to lightly caress it. Moya shivered slightly at feeling the fingers caressing her. She shivered again when another hand rested on her other ass cheek. "Yes. Could you show us the techniques for giving each other physical pleasure?" "Yes we could," replied Sarah. "How many are interested?" "I think most of us." "In that case, let's make sure everyone knows the rules." Sarah then said to the group, "Moya just indicated that many of you would like to know more about the techniques of giving each other physical pleasure." Sarah saw many heads nod and smile. "Seeing and sensing your agreement, let's review a few points of etiquette regarding sexual relationships. All sexual encounters must be between sexually mature individuals. All parties in sexual relationship must respect each others wishes and expressed limits. Forcing someone to engage in a sexual or master/slave relationship will have severe consequences for the aggressor. When those involved in an encounter wish to push their boundaries, a safe word or sign will be used. The dominant will ensure that the word or sign can be given during their scene. Failure to observe a safe word or sign will not be tolerated. Sexual penetration is not permitted prior to an individual becoming a sexually mature adult. A parent may not initiate a sexual encounter with their children; however their sexually mature children can initiate an encounter with them. "Any questions?" "What about people older than us?" asked Keri. "Well it generally falls into two categories. If they are just a few years older than you, then it is acceptable for either to initiate an encounter. If they are closer to being the age of your parents, then the younger person has to initiate the encounter. For example, if you were interested in an encounter with someone three or four years older than you then either of you can initiate the encounter. If it was with Nancy or Clarence then you would need to initiate it. By initiate it is meant that you raise the idea or initiate first contact. It can continue only if it is agreeable to them." "It sounds complicated," replied Marnia. "The part of not being forced into an intimate encounter makes a lot of sense. But, why the rest?" "The part about the parents or adults of similar age is because young people typically see them as an authoritarian so they could feel compelled to participate. The rule is there to reduce the probability that a younger person is induced or compelled into participating in an unwanted encounter. In other words, you can seduce someone older than you but the reverse is not acceptable. "The part about safe words or signs is more for those participating in edgy sexual experiences. These could include restraining devices like stocks or being bound perhaps with ropes while being sexually stimulated. The stimulation could be by hand or mouth, but could also be done with electricity or a mechanical dildo. Many say that their orgasms are much more intense in these circumstances. Both gain gratification from the activity. The recipient from the uncontrolled stimulation and the tormentor by their control. "In other cases the focus is on inducing pain or extreme discomfort in the recipient. This can be done with items such as clamps, needles, intense electrical play, whipping, spanking or some combination. In all cases, the recipient is restrained and totally at the mercy of the tormentor. When participating, the safe word or sign is an escape mechanism as sometimes the scene is just too intense to be pleasurable. If the tormentor or dominate is not careful they can permanently injure the recipient. When there is an injury, the injured has the option of selecting the punishment but it has to be of a magnitude similar to their injury. The punishment is done publicly. "Sexual role playing is very exciting to both participants as well as for an audience." "Electricity?" "Yes. Several of us including me like the sensations from electrical stimulation when the intensity is low. None of us are particularly keen on feeling pain. The twitching caused by low intensity electricity can be very arousing by itself or when combined with a mechanical dildo." "I sense that you have experienced most of those you mentioned," said Earnán. "Yes, I have. It happened a long time ago. Those experiences were forced on me by others. Quite a number of those in our family have endured similar experiences." Sarah's Clan felt their children's anger grow almost immediately. "Relax everyone. In nearly all cases the perpetrators were punished; some quite harshly. We can talk about those experiences some other time. Tonight we are focusing on experiences for you to enjoy both in giving pleasure as well as receiving. To answer the next question, there are some of the edgy experiences I enjoy when with the right people. My spouses are the right people for me. For me, electricity play and mechanical dildo are very enjoyable at times. I still prefer cuddling, caresses, kisses and intercourse." "When will the dildos on our exercise machine become functional?" said Moya. "When you are old enough and you initiate the program option." "I did that the other evening," said Keri with a large smile. "Now I understand why our parents like the exercise machines." "Now, back to why we are having this conversation," said Sarah. "We will spread out in the sleeping areas. To participate in a sexual encounter as Moya proposed, just go to one of us and ask or initiate it. It would be best if there weren't more than four or five in a group. No one should feel the need to participate. As your parents, we are willing to assist you with anything but you need to tell us what you need assistance with." "Thanks, Mother Sarah," said Moya just before she covered her mother's mouth with hers. When their lips touched, Moya pushed her tongue into Sarah's mouth and they began caressing each other's tongues. Aoife started to move away and Moya said, "Aoife, please stay. I want you to be with Sarah and me." Aoife moved behind Moya, to press against her back. Aoife shivered as Moya's mane tickled her breasts and cunt. Aoife began caressing Moya and Sarah's sides as they continued their kiss. Aoife began caressing the side of Moya's neck with her lips. Sarah slowly broke her kiss with Moya and said, "It would be more comfortable sitting or laying. We should find us a place." Sarah looked around and they were all alone. "We can use the couch as everyone else is in the sleeping areas." Keri said, "I am still here and trying to figure out where to fit in to this erotic clutch." Sarah pulled back slightly from Moya to find herself in Keri's arms. Keri wrapped her arms around Sarah, sliding her hands up to cup Sarah and Moya's breasts. "Oh, I like the feel of these. The two of you have lovely tits." Moya said, "Sarah. Aoife. May Keri and I make love to both of you?" "Suits me," replied Sarah and Aoife. "Together or separately." Keri moved her hands up so she could caress Sarah and Moya's nipples. Moya pressed forward to trap Keri's fingers between Sarah's and her tits. The pressure was light enough that Keri could caress the two sets of nipples with her fingers. Moya pulled Sarah's head toward her, covering Sarah's mouth with hers. At first Moya focused in caressing Sarah's lips with her tongue then they began caressing each other's tongues. Aoife still pressed against Moya's back as she caressed their sides with her hands. Aoife kissed Moya's neck and nibbled on her ear lobes. Aoife could feel her arousal growing. When she felt her cum begin to run down her leg she said, "Let's put a pad on the floor so we have more room." The others moaned affirmatively but continued their caresses of each other. Seeing little response Aoife reluctantly released Moya and placed a mat on the floor near them. She returned to the group only to stand behind Keri as she sensed that Moya wanted to focus on Sarah first. Aoife hugged Keri and moved slightly so that Keri's mane caressed the front of her body as she enjoyed the feel of the soft hair. Aoife caressed Keri's sides as she began placing light kisses on Keri's neck and shoulders. Releasing Sarah, Keri turned around toward Aoife. Aoife moaned softly as Keri's mane slid across her nipples and clit. As Keri turned from Sarah, she shivered as her tits and clit slid past the soft hair of Sarah's mane. Keri placed her arm partially around Aoife as they moved down on to the mat. Once on the mat, Keri pushed Aoife onto her back and began to place kisses on her face and neck interspersed with French kisses. Feeling the movement, Moya looked over to see Aoife and Keri laying on the mat. She nudged Sarah toward the mat and soon they were laying along side of Aoife and Keri. Moya and Sarah lay beside each other exchanging kisses and caresses slowly building each other's arousal. Moya moved down a little bit to kiss Sarah's tits. She then shifted her attention to Sarah's nipple, to begin caressing it with her tongue. After caressing the nipple for a few moments, Moya covered the nipple with her mouth and began to suck. Sarah caressed Moya's head pulling her closer as she felt her milk flow in response to Moya's sucking. Sarah felt Moya's hand begin to move toward her labia. "Moya," said Sarah, "let's turn so I can more easily caress you." "Not this time, I just want to focus on giving you pleasure." "I thought this was for us to teach and help you." "It is, but first we must show you what we have learned from each other." With that Moya pushed Sarah on to her back and began to caress Sarah's other tit with her lips and tongue. Soon Moya was sucking on Sarah's other nipple, while she caressed the other one with her fingers. Sarah looked over toward Aoife and Keri, to see Keri begin kissing Aoife's stomach, obviously shifting her focus toward Aoife's cunt. Sarah reached over and caressed Aoife's breast as Keri began to lick Aoife's cunt lips. Aoife reached up and lay her hand over Sarah's to hold it against her breast. The coolness of her nipple drew Sarah's attention back toward Moya and realized she was just about to kiss her clit. Just as she realized what was about to happen, Moya's mouth covered her clit as Moya's tongue slid between the flaps of her clit hood. Sarah slightly spread her legs and pushed up with her hips pushing her mound tight against Moya's mouth. Sarah opened her telepathic link with Moya enough so that Moya could sense her feelings. The additional sensations caused Moya to momentarily pause. When she resumed, Moya slowed her caressing. Sarah smiled. She was pleased to see Moya now pacing her caresses so the recipient could enjoy the each sensation fully before the next one started. "Thank you," said Moya. "I see that my caresses bring you more pleasure if they aren't as frequent." "Yes. There are times to hurry, but most of the time you want to maximize the pleasurable sensations. Waiting to long between caresses is some what like cruel teasing. Everyone is a little different." Moya flicked the bar in Sarah's clit with her tongue causing it to gently bounce against its hood. Pushing the tip of her tongue under the hood, she then traced the inside of the clit hood. Moya moved her focus a bit lower to caress Sarah's labia with her lips and tongue. Sarah spread her legs more to give Moya more access. Moya nibbled and licked each labia before moving her tongue into the furrow between the labia. Moya pressed her mouth into the crease between Sarah's labia to slide her long tongue into the mouth of Sarah's cunt. As Moya fucked Sarah's cunt mouth with her tongue, Sarah moaned. Sarah and Moya could feel Sarah's orgasm approaching. Moya pulled her tongue from Sarah's cunt. Sarah moaned before Moya could replace it with two fingers. Sarah flexed her hips up pushing the fingers quickly through the mouth of her cunt. Moya shifted her caresses with her tongue back to Sarah's clit and the trough between her labia. Feeling Sarah's orgasm nearing a crest, Moya began fucking her with two fingers making sure to caress the rough spot inside her cunt. Moya continued increasing the intensity of her caresses on Sarah's cit and cunt with her fingers, lips, and tongue. Through her link with Sarah, Moya could feel Sarah's peak approaching. Just before it crested she slowed the stimulation, slowing its crest. Again when the crest approached, she slowed again. The cycle repeated several times until Moya didn't pause. Sarah's orgasm soon crested. As it did she sprayed Moya's face with her cum, drenching her before both collapsed. The combination of the link and being given a facial of cum resulted in Moya cumming. Both lay there enjoying the after affects of their orgasm. It was several moments before Sarah stirred. Looking down between her legs she saw Moya laying very still. Sarah reached down to pull her up. When Sarah started to pull, it aroused Moya. Sensing Sarah's intent she moved up over Sarah until they were face to face. Sara said, "That was wonderful. You are a very good lover. I think you wanted an excuse to share our love physically." Sarah kissed her passionately as she pushed Moya on to her back. "Yes, we all want to share the physical side of our love with each of you," replied Moya as Sarah showered her face and neck with kisses. "We also wanted to know what it would feel like." Sarah paused her caresses to say, "From my stand point, it felt very much like when I share with my spouses, but there is a difference." "I agree. I have only been this intimate with some of my brothers and sisters. None of us have explored this with others our age yet." As Moya was talking, Sarah was giving Moya's neck and shoulders light caresses with her lips. Moya began to lightly caress Sarah's back with her fingers. Moya could feel a tightness in her nipples indicating her elevated arousal. Moya was surprised by how quickly she was becoming aroused in response to Sarah's kisses. "Relax and enjoy," said Sarah. "Your quick response to my caresses is because you were partially aroused before I began caressing you." As Sarah quit speaking she took one of Moya's nipples in her mouth. She caressed the nipple with her tongue before she began to suckle. After the second pull on the nipple, Moya placed a hand behind Sarah's head and pulled her tighter against her breast. After Sarah had sucked on the nipple several times, she tasted Moya's milk. Moya moaned as she felt the warmth in her breast. "Moya, your milk tastes very sweet." "Milk?" mumbled Moya as she let the pleasurable sensations flow over her. "Yes. You are beginning to let milk down." "So, is that why my nipples and breast are tender?" "Probably. The tenderness should lessen in a day or so. Ask Judy?" "I will. Oh. It feels so good when you suck on my nipple." Sarah shifted to Moya's other nipple. She caressed the nipple with her tongue for several minutes before she began to suckle. Moya's milk began to flow after only a few pulls by Sarah's lips. Each time Sarah sucked more milk from Moya's breasts, she moaned. Sarah could smell Moya's wet cunt and slid her fingers down to caress it. Moya responded by flexing her hips trying to achieve more contact with Sarah's hand. Sarah swallowed a couple of more mouth fulls of milk from Moya's breast then drank some more from the other. Sarah nudged Moya to roll on to her back. Once they had shifted Sarah began to kiss and caress Moya's abdomen with her lips leaving a trail down Moya's body toward her cunt. Moya pushed her body up to meet each kiss Sarah placed on her stomach and then her abdomen. Reaching Moya's cunt, Sarah passed over it to kiss the inside of her legs. Her kisses alternated legs as she kissed and nibbled her way back toward Moya's cunt. By the time, Sarah placed her mouth over Moya's clit, Moya had spread her legs wide and was breathing heavily. Sensing Moya's quickly growing arousal, Sarah began licking and nibbling on Moya's labia, while sliding two fingers through her cunt mouth. Sarah slowly slid her fingers back and forth through the mouth of Moya's cunt. She shifted her focus of her caresses by her lips to Moya's clit hood and clit. Sarah began to alternate nibbling on the clit hood and caressing the now standing clit with her tongue. With one hand Sarah was fucking Moya with her fingers, while her other hand was caressing Moya's nipples. She periodically squeezed a nipple causing milk to ooze out, which she spread over the front of the breast with her fingers. Sarah paced her caresses so she slowly built Moya's arousal to its crest. It wasn't long until Moya was moaning between gasps of breath. She repeatedly pushed up with her hips trying to increase the pressure of Sarah's caresses. Just as Moya reached her crest, Sarah covered Moya's clit with her lips and sucked on it as if it was a nipple. Moya screamed as she came. Her cum flowed from her cunt as she rose up pulling Sarah up with her. Balanced on her shoulders and feet, Moya's body shook as her orgasm reached its peak. Her body went rigid, her body arched like a bow with Sarah drinking her cum. Then suddenly Moya dropped to the mat with a thud as she passed out. Laying there her muscles continued to ripple as small orgasms continued. After a few moments, Sarah looked up to see a crowd around them. She glanced over at Aoife and Keri to see them smiling. From their appearance, it was apparent that they had just finished a mutual orgasm. "Moya's scream brought them in here," said Keri. "What did you do to her?" Before Sarah could respond she continued, "Never mind, I know." It wasn't long before Moya opened her eyes and looked around. She looked a little groggy but also surprised to see so many people in the room. "What happened? Sarah had me so aroused I thought I was going to explode, then everything became very bright." Keri said, "You screamed, apparently just as you orgasm crested, then it looked like you fainted." "Sarah, did you give her one your specials?" said Tara. "No, not really." "Specials?" "Sarah," replied Tara, "has a way of getting each of us to cum really really hard. So hard that we usually pass out. In any case, we almost always squirt her with our cream." "Moya's started lactating," said Sarah. "Her milk is really sweet." "I told you I thought I tasted something the other night," said Jordana. "How did it feel?' "Really, really nice," replied Moya. "It really added to my arousal. Sarah, thank you. I have never felt anything that felt so wonderful." "They are pretty neat," said Tara. "Moya, " said Judy, "you will want to use the cups on the exercise machine in the morning. As for the rest of you, if your breasts feel tender and your nipples are more sensitive for several days try the cups. They won't hurt you if you are not quite ready to let your milk down." "Sarah, how did you get me to cum so hard?" "You were still aroused after you came with me. So you were already at an elevated level. Letting someone you love suckle is very arousing as all my spouses will attest to. Other than that I did just what you did to me with a little different technique. Think about it. You'll see the difference." "Thanks, mom. This was worth it. Can we do it again?" Moya's finished with a very pleading look causing everyone to laugh. "We can but you will need to initiate it but not very often. If they want to, your brothers and sisters should have a chance as well." Moya looked around before saying, "I think each of us will want to lay with each of you sometime. We have each been intimate with each other many times. Some more intimate than others and now we have been intimate with one of our parents. Now I, and I hope, we have a better idea of how to really give each other pleasure. I hope I am not reading more into this than there is. From a simplistic stand point, enjoying sexual pleasure is a fantastic sensation and possibly addicting. It is truly a blessing by the Gods and Goddesses. With those you love it is beyond fantastic. From my perspective now, it is as good with my siblings as it was with my parent. At the same time each was distinctly different." Aoife said, "With the right circumstances sexual pleasure can be addicting. As to how it feels, will very depending on the personal relationship you have with your partners. Sharing sexual pleasure with those you love results in both of you growing in your relationship with each other." "I hate to be a dark cloud and this has been a wonderful evening," said Erin. "But it is late and we have much that needs to be done tomorrow. It is but just a little more than two clock cycles before our next jump." "Gosh the time sure went fast," replied Earnán as he stifled a yawn. "Goodnight," said Iris as she moved toward their showers. "Goodnight," said Sarah's Clan together. "You might want to freshen up before you turn in." "Might?" replied several children. "Necessary is more like it." With that everyone began saying good night and giving each other hugs. Sarah and her spouses were walking into their bedroom after freshening up when Sarah said, "That was an interesting evening." "It certainly was," replied several. "I can't imagine a conversation like that with my parents," added Alison. "Neither can I," replied several others. "From what Sarah and I learned, we should expect everyone of our children to ask for a sexual encounter with each of us. Before tonight I would have been uncomfortable with the idea." "Aoife, we agree with you on both counts," replied Janet and Jill. "I wonder if this is happening in just our clan." "No. It has happened in several other clans," said Judy. "Sarah did a very nice job of opening the door for the children to ask. Several clans have had difficulty in opening that door. This was in part because of things they remembered when they were growing up. "It seems that even though we are very open as a group about everything, our childhood experiences sometimes tries to hinder our openness. Fortunately our telepathic relationships and openness seem to help everyone through these rough spots." As they were talking, Sarah's Clan had climbed into bed. "Boy, this feels good," said Terry as she moved to touch a spouse and moved close to her on the other side. Terry enjoyed the physical contact with her spouses. The easiest time to do this was when they slept. She was certain from their sharing that all of the felt drawn to each other in moments like now. There was hardly a murmur as they were all well on their way to being asleep. ------- Chapter 165 It was the day prior to Destiny Groups departure from J1 when James of Sue's Clan contacted the Command Staffs. "Command Staffs, we are reasonably certain that there are two objects headed toward this location. They are about 4 clock cycles from us at their current speed." "Okay," replied Keriann, "but we are departing tomorrow at 0800." "Some of us think these objects turned toward us a short time after we arrived. We only detected them moving toward us four clock cycles ago. Before that we didn't see any objects even remotely moving in our direction. In itself we wouldn't assign any significance to these objects. "The other aspect is that intelligence is fairly certain that the freighters were equipped with a tracking device. As we understand it, a device was found by the programmers when setting up the freighters new controllers and sectional AIs. In testing the equipment scheduled to be replaced they found that under certain conditions the navigation and propulsion controllers would send a signal to the section AI, but it never arrived. With a bit of detective work, they found the controller receiving the signal. It had power and an input line but there wasn't any output. First thought was that it was more evidence of sloppy repair work. So the programmers dropped the code for sending the signal to these devices then engineering removed the devices. When the power was cut to the first one, it hummed and got very warm. After that the crew attached a small portable power supply to it before disconnecting from the ship's systems. The devices were all immediately taken out of the ship and placed in a nearby floating junk pile after removing the power supply. In space, each generated some heat on being disconnected but nothing else was detected." "So your suspicions are that these devices have summoned someone," said Siobhan. "Yes. We do admit that the connection is very weak." "Well," said Rusty, "we could leave a disbursed field of trash with the stuff we stripped out of the freighters. First lets see if our robots can open one of the devices at some distance from us." "So you're thinking of something like the submariners use to do?" said Chester of Keriann's Clan. "Yes." "We're game," said Molly's Clan. "So are we," added the other Command Staffs. Maureen said, "James get in touch with Alana's Clan. I suspect Cathal has done something like this before. There are probably others but they are the first ones that came to mind." "We have a couple of our exploration probes on our ship," said Jackie of Jackie's Clan. "Wouldn't it be prudent to place them so they could monitor this area for a week or so and then meet us some where? It would potentially tidy up what happens after we leave." "I like that," came several thoughts. "We might want to consider this at other points on our trip." "Okay, then lets be about it," said Sarah. "We don't have much time before departure." "I'll contact Alana's Clan," said James. "We'll have our operations set up two exploration probes and place them today," said Jackie. "Thanks," said James before breaking off his connection. "We are still on for our conference at 1600, correct?" said Aoife of Sarah's Clan. "Yes," replied the Command Staffs. ------- At 1600, Siobhan said to the other Command Staffs, "We are on the bridge and ready for our conference." One by one each Command Staff actively joined their telepathic conference. Casidhe said, "Let me open things with a quick update on the freighters. We have two flight crews along with engineering support on all freighters. There are sufficient staff to operate the ships manually if it comes to that. All of the tests and checkout data haven't indicated any issues, but..." "We understand," said Sarah's Clan. The comment was quickly affirmed by the other staff members. "As we said last night, we are ready to depart because everyone contributed in getting us to this point." Jackie said, "The probes are nearly ready and the schedule calls for them to be in position by 2200 hours. All of Fiontar's systems are ready and on line. We have no lingering issues." Molly said, "The freighter Marthanóir is linked to indicates all systems are ready for departure. The freighters crew is coming from both Fiontar and us as Casidhe indicated. All of Marthanóir's systems are ready and on line." Kelly said, "The crew of Iarracht is ready and anxious to be on our way. All ships systems are nominal and on line. On another issue, some of us have reviewed the data related to the issue James brought to us this morning. We are now certain that leaving the debris field is an excellent idea. Several of our crew helped Alana's Clan set it up. It is scheduled to mushroom with a flash 12 hours after our departure." "We are in the same situation as Marthanóir," said Brittany of Kathryn's Clan. "The freighter linked to Taiséalai is indicating all systems ready. All of the crew is on board. All Taiséalai systems are nominal and on line. We are ready." The status reports by Phoenix and Eagle were virtually identical to the other ships. "We on Dóchas are as anxious as all of you," said Sarah. "We have set our morning chimes for 0400 to give us a little more time to finalize our preparations for departure." "We will do that as well," replied the other Command Staffs. "I really don't think we will need morning chimes," said Siobhan, "as I think everyone will be up long before then." "We decided to do it as it triggers the breakfast sequence. Tomorrow could be a very long clock cycle." "It will only have 24 hours in it," said Eileen of Siobhan's Clan. "You know what I mean," replied Sarah sticking her tongue out. "Did you just stick your tongue out at me?" "Yep, you bet." "I would rather feel it and hopefully soon." "I am game. Perhaps while we are traveling to J2. Perhaps half of us visit your ship while some of you come here." "That is a great idea." "Yes, it is," said Molly. "We were trying to figure out a way to exchange visits during this next segment if things are quieter than the last segment." "We will be looking forward to it," said Aoife. "We do need to keep each other appraised of when we go visiting. It should be obvious to us through our link, but..." "Agreed," replied everyone. The Command Staffs chatted until the evening chimes sounded on their ships. "Looks like it is time to freshen up for dinner," said Kathy. "Yes," came the replies. "We will be on the bridge by 0700 and intend to start departure sequence at 0730," said Sarah. "We will raise the level of our link with all of you when we get up." "Agreed," replied everyone. "Lets get ready for dinner," said Conan. "Have a great evening and sleep well as tomorrow will be as smooth as silk." "Do I hear a prophet?" said someone which was followed by laughter. When the laughter died down, everyone said goodbye. ------- It was 0400 the morning of departure when the morning chimes sounded on all ships in Destiny Group. Many were already stirring before the chimes sounded, in fact many of the crew were already eating. Everyone was excited. For some it was because they wanted to see how much better the freighters would perform. For everyone, the departure today would put them one step closer to Celia System. When Sarah's Clan entered the dining room at 0500, they were surprised to see some of the crew cleaning up their breakfast dishes. After taking a closer look, they could see that many had already finished their breakfast. "Wasn't breakfast scheduled for 0500?" said Terry. "I thought so," replied Janet. "It was," replied Eryn of Nicola's Clan. "Most of us turned in early last night, as we wanted to be prepared as this could be a long day," added Róise of Muireann's Clan. "Okay. We could have our morning conference before we eat, as it will likely be short," said Jill. "Nope," said Sarah firmly. "We will follow our schedule as it was laid out." Her sharp reply drew several surprised looks. Seeing them she continued, "We have a schedule along with associated check lists. These provide us with a path to get under way with few if any errors. Rushing the schedule invites errors, and we don't have any reason to increase our risk." "Commander Sarah," said Eryn, "you make an excellent point." The use of 'Commander' resulted in Sarah raising an eyebrow. "As excited as we are, rushing to depart would likely invite Murphy to our departure and we don't need to encourage him. It would be a different matter if it was a call to 'battle stations'." Sarah replied, "Where did the title 'Commander' come from?" "You are one of the Commanders," replied Eryn. "No. I am simply one member of one of this family's Command Staffs." "Sarah," said Rusty, "she is correctly using the title Commander to formally address you with respect to the operation of this ship." Sarah frowned. "Most of us understand why you responded the way you did about the title. Your concern and in fact our concern is that titles can build barriers between groups of people." "You're right." "I understand your concern," replied Eryn, "in fact we all do. However, there are times when it seems inappropriate to not include your title along with your name." "And you're right," said Sarah. "My apologies. I shouldn't have responded the way I did." "Could we discuss the use of titles as a family?" asked Eryn. "We have organizational charts for each of our ships which designate roles and duties. In every case, there is a name or group associated with a position. Perhaps titles or a functional name needs to be a part of the org chart." "Certainly," replied Rusty. "Why don't we schedule it a couple clock cycles into the next leg of our journey? This will give us time to get things settled so that everyone can take part. I take it you have some ideas." "Well, yes but they are only preliminary." "I take it you've eaten," said Terry. "Yes." "Well, time is marching on, so Eryn, why don't you and the others in your group come sit with us while we eat. This way we can bat around some ideas and concerns." "Yes, ma'am." Once they were eating Rusty said, "Eryn, beyond Sarah's response to you, what prompted your interest in adding titles and ranks to our family structure?" "First let me assure all of you, that none us want to create a situation that builds barriers between anyone. When there wasn't as many of us, the lack of rank or titles was not an obvious issue. We knew everyone well enough to instantly recognize them and knew their skill set. When anyone moved to a different set of duties or a different position all of us immediately knew. Now that our family is much larger, it is difficult to keep up with the changes. This is now compounded by us being spread across our ships." "So you are looking for a visual clue of a family members level of authority and specialty to augment your telepathic information." "Basically, yes. In our discussions, we all feel that it is a good idea to not use the titles and ranks like those used on Earth. Well there are a few exceptions, perhaps Admiral or Commander. Our one preference is for each member of a Command Staff to have the rank of Admiral. General seems inappropriate as we are really a navy with space as our ocean." "So using Commander, was to test the waters?" said Erin. When Eryn blushed, Erin and the rest of Sarah's Clan laughed. "It wasn't intentional. Commander is a naval rank. Using any of the three we mentioned, brings some preconceptions with them. We don't know if the preconceptions would be a problem or not which is in part why we should discuss it as a family." "Oh. We agree," replied Aoife. "I think when the family discusses this, everyone will see the growing need for it." Tara said, "One aspect we should consider is that we currently are organized as if we were a military unit. Today, in many respects, we are. When we settle on A-Celia, our organizational structure will likely change. In fact there is a group currently looking at how to organize it. It would be nice to have a clear relationship between the organizational structure we use on our ships and at our settlements." "We hadn't thought of that aspect," said Eryn. "Have you looked at what the Connemare did?" "Yes. They had a mix of nobility titles, military ranks and job titles. There didn't seem to be any clear organization to them. It is quite a mix confusing." "Eryn," said Rusty, "lets take this approach in preparing for our family meeting. At the moment, the date for it is flexible but we want to do it before we are half way through the next segment. Between now and then, lets have your group talk to Amy's Clan and those who arrived with them about the Connemare structure. Take a look at the structure details of at least the Iridiens, Atewa and Monque Worlds. With all of that in mind put together a presentation on the topic. You should close the presentation with a proposal which could be simply a series of ranks or titles associated with levels of responsibility. You could provide names for all the different levels of responsibility or just a few depending on what your research shows. Where you provide names, you may want to give a reason. "Once you have all of that sorted start a topical area on our network. The first step with the topical area would be to provide your presentation and references. The second part of that will be a collaboration section where the concept can be discussed." "Wow. It will take us a long time to do all of that." "Let me just say this," replied Alison, "many hands make tasks light. Share your thoughts and ideas with your friends and workmates. Many will likely assist you with the project as it is very worthwhile." "You're right. I am sure our discussion already has others considering the issue." "A benefit of our openness and telepathy," said Sarah. "Eryn," said Rusty, "setting the time is up to your group. By having the family meeting before we are half way through the next segment, should give us the time to have a firm idea of what we want to do. There is really no rush and if we need more time, then we need more time." "Guys, we need do our morning meeting so we can go to our duty stations. We have a departure to get underway." "Aye. Aye, Ma'am," replied several which was quickly followed by laughter from their group and those around them. While Sarah, Aoife, Rusty and Tara walked to the front of the room, others in Sarah's Clan quickly cleaned up their tables. Reaching the front of the room, the four said, "Good morning Dóchas crew members." "Good morning, Command Staff." "As all of you know, we will be departing at 0800 for J2." The four had hardly finished when the crew broke into loud cheering. When it quieted down they continued, "We have allotted half an hour for our morning meeting so we would like to limit our discussion to immediate issues. Who has the first one?" It was quiet for several minutes as no one spoke up. "Okay, are there any other items to bring forth?" After a few moments, a crew member stood up causing a few sighs before he said, "We used a lot of our reserve supplies to overhaul the freighters. How long before we have our manufacturing operations running on the freighters?" "After we transition to FTL, the intent is to begin once we know everything is functioning at an optimum level. Projections are that it will be less than two clock cycles. Is there a problem?" "Only that it we are so low that it could make responding to an emergency difficult." "We're aware of that. As far as we can determine, manufacturing on the freighters while in FTL has not been done before. We know of no reason why what is planned will not work. If it doesn't then we will extend our stay at J2, so critical items can be replaced. This will be true for J3 and J4 as well." "Thank you." The crew member sat down. "Anything else." Sarah's Clan waited several moments before saying, "Okay. Since no one has a issue to raise, lets adjourn until tomorrow at 0800. Let us prepare for our departure." Sarah, Aoife, Tara and Rusty had hardly finished the thought when many crew members began leaving the dining room. When they got back to the rest of their clan, their children were waiting for them. Keri said, "Moms, Dad, we will be working in various departments today rather than going to the learning center. See you at lunch." "Okay. We understand your desire to do something besides study, but we think you should continue spending most of your time in the learning center." "Oh. We intend on doing that. Working in the various departments has given us a better understanding of some course material." "Good. We will likely have lunch on the bridge. If your free, why don't you join us there?" "We will," came a chorus of voices as the children left. Without a word, Sarah's Clan followed them out of the dining room heading toward the bridge. ------- By 0700, Sarah's Clan were at their consoles on Dóchas' bridge. "Command Staffs," said Rusty, "our link is now fully open." "Confirmed, as is ours," responded each Command Staff in turn. "Destiny Group, begin the transition to cruise formation." "Aye," replied the Command Staffs. "Dóchas," said Joyce, "moving to lead, shifting to departure orientation." Joyce's comment initiated the transformation of their defensive array into cruise formation. As Dóchas moved from its position in the defensive array, the other nine ships began shifting their positions at the same time. Both Eagle and Phoenix were on the x-axis of the array. Eagle began to rotate to the direction of departure. Once Dóchas was ahead of Phoenix, Phoenix along with its linked freighter began to move. Just as they began to move forward, Eagle completed its rotation and began moving toward its position just to the rear of Phoenix. Taiséalai and Iarracht were above and below the line of departure on the z-axis. They rotated toward the direction of departure along with their linked freighter. Once in the departure direction, they began to move in the departure direction at a slightly slower pace than the others. Fiontar and Marthanóir were on each side of the line of departure on the y-axis. They rotated toward the direction of departure along with their linked freighter. Once in the departure direction, they began to move forward along with their linked freighter. Moving forward they closed the distance between them as they moved in behind Eagle and Phoenix without being in their wake. Once Fiontar and Marthanóir were in front of them Taiséalai and Iarracht with their linked freighter increased their forward speed. As they moved toward Destiny Group, they shifted their position relative to each other so they were correctly orientated when reaching their position behind Fiontar and Marthanóir without being in anyone's wake. On Dóchas bridge a monitor showed the ships changing position. As each group of ships moved into their optimum position, their image on the screen turned green. When all the ships were in position Rusty said, "Sentry status." "Sentries indicate area clear," replied Terry. "Recall sentries. Recall cruisers," said Rusty. As the sentries and cruisers were recovered, each ship reported their status. The consoles on each bridge gave a visual confirmation of the recoveries. "FTL minus 10, " said Sarah. "Dóchas to readiness level 2." "Readiness level 2," replied Sally as the alarms began ringing on the ship. "FTL transition to begin on the mark," said Rusty. "5... 4... 3... 2... 1 ... Mark." Sarah's Clan watched the monitors as Destiny Group began its transition to FTL. "Passing FTL 1," said Jill. Sarah's Clan watched the monitors as the FTL transition continued to increase to FTL 4. This transition was unlike their first. All ten ships maintained their position in the formation through out the transition to FTL 4. "FTL 4," said Janet. "All ships reporting a green status." "Destiny Group entered FTL in the center of the time window dead on course," said Joyce. "Arrival at J2 in 20 clock cycles." Two hours later, Sarah said, "Dóchas move to readiness level 4." "Readiness level 4," replied Terry as the chimes began sounding indicating the change. "I am sure everyone knows how well the transition went," said Jill, "but we should make an announcement." "Command Staffs, we were thinking of making an announcement regarding the transition," said Sarah's Clan. "We agree." "Okay. Do we want to try doing it together?" "Sure." The eight Command Staffs said, "Órarduine, our transition to FTL 4 went very smoothly thanks to all of your hard work updating the freighters." When they finished making the announcement, they could hear cheering on their ship. "Command Staffs," said Casidhe, "just to make sure everyone is aware, we will begin some additional maintenance work tomorrow on the freighter we are linked to. All items are routine in nature. In two clock cycles, engineering will begin bringing the manufacturing units on line for those items we need to replace." "We are following the same time table," said Violetta of Kathryn's Clan. "So are we," said Tina of Jackie's Clan. "From what I have seen of the list of maintenance items for the freighter, none of the lists are exactly the same." "She's right," added Casidhe. "These are basically normal maintenance items that we didn't have time to do at J1, but weren't significant enough to hold up departure. Expectation is they will all be completed in three or four clock cycles. None of the work will interfere with the manufacturing or other operations. "With the completion of these items, we will begin our scheduled maintenance sequence." "Thanks for the update," said Sarah's Clan. "Melissa," said Tara of Sarah's Clan, "did you crew the freighter the way we talked about?" "I believe so," replied Melissa of Siobhan's Clan. "We have 4 teams working twelve hour shifts. This consists of 4 on the bridge, 2 in navigation, and 6 in propulsion. This way they have a significant amount of time with their clan between shifts. Those on the bridge are qualified for cruiser command." "I take it the other freighters are staffed the same way." "Yes," replied both Chanel of Jackie's Clan and Rebeca of Kathryn's Clan. Rebeca added, "On the last leg and to an extent during the repairs, the crew members working on the freighters find the environment uncomfortable after an extended period of time. We have double checked the atmosphere parameters and they are identical to our ships. It is too early to tell if it will last, but since we began preparations for departure, the crews have indicated the environment has improved." Chester of Keriann's Clan said, "Based on the sailor stories I have heard in the past, I would say that our crews are sensing what is sometimes referred to as the ship's 'spirit'. Carrying this a bit further, we only have a vague idea of what has happened on these ships in the past. If the 'spirit' concept has merit then we should see an improvement. So let's see if the crews feelings about the ships change with time. We should also monitor all systems for anomalies." "Engineering added anomaly monitoring when we did the upgrades. We should be able to tell how the crew feels about the ship when we do our debriefings." "Anything else, Casidhe," said Sarah's Clan. "Nope." "Okay. Next Command Staff briefing at 0800 tomorrow. We are rotating bridge watch in 12 hour shifts for the next three clock cycles. Briana's Clan follows us, then Amy's Clan. After that we will go to our normal mode." "We are doing something similar," said Siobhan, "except we are alternating 12 hour shifts with our backup." "We are following Siobhan's example," replied the other Command Staffs. ------- Órarduine's Destiny Group voyage toward J2 was quiet with little drama. Being in a time warp envelope, all the Security and Intelligence groups jointly reviewed the information they had on the Celia system. One project was how to establish an intelligence network on the planet that would alert them to changes. Intelligence had two aspects to it. One was activity in the universe around Celia system. The second was activity on either habitable planet. For monitoring the universe around them, they would use their access to the Sentinel Navigation Buoy array along with their Security Sentinel satellites. Some of the Security Sentinel satellites were already in place, thanks to the trips to the system by the LRS. The weak spot was monitoring the planet away from the island where they would settle. Their information on the planet itself was slim as nearly two-thirds of their data was on the island where they intended to settle and their alternative choice. Besides A-Celia, the data included B-Celia and the solar system. Even though they were working jointly with Intelligence, Security focused on how to defend themselves. A major question was from what or who. Neither of them knew the answers to those questions. As a result they chose to frame their security in terms of their experiences and the information gained from the Alliance of Worlds. No one expected all visitors to be hostile, but they had to be prepared. Preliminary plans for stealth weapons platforms were laid out prior to beginning the voyage. Since then, they had worked with the weapons and systems engineers to firm up the requirements for those platforms. By the time, they were approaching J2 Engineering had started on creating a model of the weapons platform. While Security and Intelligence focused on future needs, other groups began work on development projects they had put aside while preparing for their voyage. Engineering in general had a wide range of projects, ranging from the weapons platforms to the construction of the habitat. For as small as the Órarduine family was, it was not lacking in creativity whether technical or artistic. While many of the Security teams spent time maintaining their physical and field skills, they also worked in the many different engineering groups. The space ship pilots alternated between honing their skills in flight simulators and assisting different engineering groups. All of this doesn't mean that there wasn't any relaxation or physical exercise. The pace of activity was not as intense as it had been the last several years in Mars orbit. Two things contributed to the more leisurely pace. There wasn't the distraction of the activities on Earth and the potential for being drawn into something. They had met a key goal as they were on their way to their new home. During this segment of their voyage, they held several family meetings. For each of these meetings, they collaborated using their unique combination of telepathy and holographic images. This gave everyone the opportunity to participate in the meetings even though some were on duty and on different ships. There were discussions on how they would organize a government once they had settled on the island. Until they reached an agreement on a government, the family intended to function as they had been for the last 10+ years. Their discussion did identify some key aspects of their future government. They decided to put off a discussion on the type of economic structure. Most were in favor of an entrepreneurial style economy because in the systems they had studied this form seemed to be the most stable. Everyone's concern was how to make the transition while maintaining the economic security they currently had. Neither topic had any urgency as it could be close to two years before they were close to making that step. When the topic of titles was discussed, the scope was narrowed to just consider those for their fleet of space ships. The chosen titles drew heavily on the family's knowledge of Earth's navies. The structure was very flat but laid out in a manner so that more tiers could be added if necessary. The family decided that each Command Staff member was to hold the title of Admiral, to this could be added with a suffix indicating their primary focus. The lead person or clan in a department would be either a Captain or Rear Admiral. Each member of a clan in command of a cruiser would hold the title of Captain with a suffix if desired. Star Fighter pilots would be a Commander. Members of a department would be specialist with grades 1 through 5 along with a descriptor indicating area of specialty. To reach a grade 5 specialist, the specialist would have to achieve a grade 3 or higher knowledge level for all areas in their department. On Dóchas after the meeting ended Eryn walked over to Sarah's Clan with a big grin on her face. When she reached them she said, "Good evening, Admirals." "Good evening," replied Sarah's Clan in unison. "You've been anxious to do that, haven't you?" added Sarah with a smile. "Absolutely. In my humble opinion, all of you well deserve the recognition conveyed by the honorific. Without your clans leadership, we would not be here today." Several in Sarah's Clan started to protest and Eryn held up her hands to stop them. "Many, if not all, of us feel as I do and we understand your reluctance to accept the recognition. The fact is we know what you did in the beginning to put us on our current path. We will never know what would have happened if events had not occurred as they did. We don't know if the Gods and Goddesses were instrumental in you being there at the right time. With out a doubt, we are all very thankful for their guidance and blessings they've given us since then." "Eryn," said Rusty, "we don't deny the points you're making. In looking back from our perspective, our progress to this point in our lives is the result of all of us being one and acting as one but with multiple facets without losing our individuality." "We agree. The Command Staffs, in particular yours, we believe has a special significance in where we are. We love you." "And, we love you," replied Sarah's Clan in unison, projecting their thought and emotion out to the rest of their family. "We love you, too," came the intense reply. ------- On the way back to their suite after dinner Aoife said, "We are 42 hours from J2, shall we do the dream walk tonight?" "I think we should," replied several. "Moya and Keri," said Tara, "would like to accompany us?" It was quiet for a moment before everyone responded, "Okay." Then Erin added, "Will that work?" "I asked Aine and she didn't see why it wouldn't. She suggested that they join us on our bed to maximize our contact." "Okay," said Jill. "Before we reach out to J2, lets wander around our group of ships." "Good idea." A little later in their suite, Aoife said, "Moya, Keri, we are ready to begin our walk." "Okay. We're ready." Moya and Keri followed their parents into their room. Sarah's Clan formed a circle on the bed with Moya and Keri on opposite sides. They placed their arms across each others shoulders. Once they were all in position Sarah said, "Okay, now Moya, Keri, you need to join us telepathically. This will be a more pronounced merging with us than you have shared with us before." Moya and Keri joined to Sarah's Clan mind share. Once Moya and Keri were securely a part of the clans mind share, they pushed their mind sharing to the next level, to become one. Star, seeing Sarah's Clan taking a dream walk, shifted her priorities enabling her to rapidly fill in for Sarah's Clan if the need arose. She also closed the security screen around their room as called for in her directives. Once Sarah's Clan was ready, Rusty and Terry led their dream walk. First they quickly went through Dóchas followed by its sister ships. In each visit they were looking to see if there were any unexpected anomalies. Their next stop was Freighter 3 where they noticed that the environmental system was operating at an unusually high level. When they checked the other two freighters, their environmental systems were also operating at a high level but not as high as Freighter 3. After visiting the freighters, Rusty turned them toward J2 which was now a little less than half a light year in front of them. When they reached J2, they were surprised to find the area littered with chunks of stuff. It reminded them of cloud of dust but some of the 'dust particles' were huge rocks. After viewing the area from several perspectives, they pulled back to begin their return home. They sat quietly on their bed as they eased out of their dream walk and then moved to their normal mind link. "Star," said Sarah's Clan, "advise all ships that the time for FTL exit at J2 is being advanced." "That will put us short of J2." "Yes. Navigation needs to check the revised location and adjust if necessary. It can not be more than 40 hours from now. We will share more with you later." "Aye. So you want to be close to original destination but at least 1 hour at FTL 4 before the original." "You got it." "So what do we think of the debris field?" said Terry. Rusty waited then said, "The debris field was the remains of four possibly five large space ships." "I see your reasoning but it just looked like space rocks to me," said Jill. "I thought so at first. There were at least four areas with little debris surrounded by a ring of debris. We need to evaluate it more closely but initially I saw them as remnants of explosions." "Rusty is correct," replied Moya, Tara and Aoife firmly. The simultaneous response by the three surprised the others as did their conviction. Moya continued, "There was a feeling of death when we looked at the site." Both Tara and Aoife nodded their agreement. "Our dream walk is again a blessing," said Alena. "Yes. If we had dropped out of FTL at our original destination we would have likely had some damage," said Claudette. "Having our shields up when we drop out would have helped, but the freighters don't have shields or cloaking capability. Although they are somewhat protected by being in the center of our formation." "Before we go too far," said Rusty, we need to review everything we saw. Keri and Moya, we do a review primarily to firm up our observations. This will be helpful when we arrive and in this case aid Flight Operations in planning their missions." The group sat quietly as they retraced their dream walk. This provided them an opportunity to see the places they went on the dream walk from each others perspective while everything was fresh in their mind. "Anything else before we relax our sharing." "Only thanks for letting us join you," said Moya with Keri adding her concurrence. "It was an unusual experience," added Keri. "We knew of the concept but the description was difficult to grasp. It is now apparent that we can dream walk on our own." "Yes you can," replied Aoife. "We strongly suggest not doing that unless there is no other choice." Both Keri and Moya were puzzled. "There are several reasons. It takes a lot of energy so as a group you can travel further distances or do it for extended times. You need to do it from a safe place as your body is very vulnerable while in a dream walk. A group gathers more details for the time spent dream walking. There are other reasons." "We see your point. So you kind of use this for reconnaissance." "Yes. Many if not all of our family can feel a dream walker's presence just as you can feel someone watching you. While dream walking, it takes considerable effort but it is possible to influence someone's thinking. We aren't sure if this is an attribute of dream walking or our telepathic ability." "We saw in the archives where some of our family has used this technique several times in our past." "Yes. It and telepathy were two abilities that we discovered right after becoming an Órarduine. Well, some of us were telepathic before becoming Órarduine, but our ability was greater after the conversion. Since then we haven't used dream walk very often. This is mainly because it didn't occur to us as we usually found the answer another way. Recently our mentors have encouraged us to use our dream walk ability more frequently." "It is time we got ready for bed," said Janet. "I'm tired." "Wow ... we've been doing this for nearly two hours," said Moya. "Yes. That reminds me, when you do this you need to monitor your energy levels." "Okay. Do you always have Rusty and Terry lead?" "No. It changes. Usually two will lead and at least one will monitor our energy level. Everyone else focuses on observing. Depending on circumstances the others may make comments during the walk but usually not. Once we are back we go over what we have seen and go from there. If there is an uncertainty about part of the dream walk, we can always go again." "That reminds me," said Claudette. "Star, please advise the ships controlling the freighters that the environmental systems seem to be operating at a high load." "Aye." "So you like navy jargon." "In this case, yes. All the AIs are shifting to this form of acknowledgment when appropriate." Sarah said, "Okay, lets freshen up for bed." A short while later, Moya and Keri said, "Good night, moms and dad." "Good night," replied Sarah's Clan as they went back to their room. ------- It was one clock cycle before their arrival at J2 when Sarah's Clan said, "Good morning," to the other seven Command Staffs. Amy's Clan was with them on the bridge of Dóchas and the others had linked with them telepathically from their ships. "Good morning," replied the other Command Staffs. "We see that all of you have seen our report on the dream walk last night," said Rusty. "Yes." Keriann added, "We agree with coming out of FTL a few hours earlier, but don't we always have the risk of coming out in a debris field." "True," replied many of the group. Joyce continued with, "There is always a finite risk. Even with our adjustment, there is the possibility of us coming out of FTL into the path of something. When we set our destination, the chosen coordinates are for an area closest to destination with minimum density at time of arrival. At the moment, we are projecting FTL transition tomorrow at 1116 hours. This may change slightly when the star map analysis is finished." "You're redoing the end point," said Jackie. "Well we thought we ought too. Three AIs calculated 1116 hours with a spread of 10 minutes. The others were up to an hour earlier. A ten minutes difference at FTL4 is an enormous distance. We are rerunning the calculation as if we were at J1 at the time we left there. We are also looking at the basis for the difference in results." "Makes sense." Rusty said, "We plan on being at J2 for two clock cycles. I don't see any reason to change that unless we have a maintenance issue that needs addressing." "Agree," was the reply. "We think this debris field is an opportunity for our Star Fighter and Cruisers crews to do a reconnaissance survey of the field. The goal is to understand what it is and how could it have happened. We don't think there will be clear answers, but it should be interesting." "As large as you indicated it is, do you really think we can survey it in two clock cycles?" asked Kelly of Keriann's Clan. "If we send out all flight crews not involved with security and operate around the clock we should have enough to make some guesses," said Tara. "Well we have the resources," said Chester of Keriann's Clan. "It is an exercise that we haven't done in this environment and it is a skill we need. Our thinking now is that we need to know if this was caused by a battle or some other event." Kelly added, "It will certainly give the flight crews some needed exercise." "Okay," said Rusty, "it appears everyone is in agreement. When we go to FTL transition, lets go to readiness level 1. As soon as we are in normal space, lets launch all craft with those assigned to security out first. "While all of that is taking place, Navigation can determine how close we are to the debris field. At that point we can decide whether to move closer or to form our defensive array. Okay?" "I see that the proposal is to use the planes of our defensive array as the base planes for the reconnaissance," said Kathryn. "This means we won't be able to rotate the array but instead hold it steady." "It seems to make the most sense as Navigation will be verifying our position in the universe. Ah, another exercise for the crew." Most everyone laughed at the last comment. "What about gathering data for the star maps?" "We don't think the reconnaissance effort will have any impact on it," replied Sarah's Clan. Amy said, "This debris field seems really odd to us. There aren't any solar systems nearby and those with planets are even further away. We agree that there were five event centers. Our first thought was that someone was testing weapons. Coalescing the debris for one cloud would make a pretty big rock. This view doesn't take into account the sense of death around the cloud. It will be interesting to see the reconnaissance results." "Good point," said Kathy of Kathryn's Clan. "A check on radiation should be part of the reconnaissance scans." "Anything else," asked Rusty. "Your observation of the freighters environmental systems was correct," said Casidhe of Siobhan's Clan. "We are monitoring them. They are high because of the activity on the freighters. We believe that this is because they weren't designed to provide a full atmosphere outside of the crew areas. We have them providing enough of an atmosphere so everyone can comfortably work in their environmental suits. They will be serviced while we are at J2. We have a backup plan if one begins failing." "Good," replied Sarah's Clan. ------- It was 0900 when Sarah said, "Command Staffs, Dóchas preparation for dropping from FTL is on track for 1118 hours. Your status is the same, correct?" "Phoenix is on schedule and ready for transition out of FTL," replied Siobhan. Siobhan's reply was followed by identical replies from each ship. At 0948 hours the crews on each ship were alerted to move their status to readiness level 1. The activity hardly changed on the ships, as the crew had already began preparing for the change. Space craft crews were in their ships which were brought to standby so systems could be validated. Each FCS was fully staffed and were bringing weapons along with their targeting systems on-line and initiated verification of readiness. On the bridge of Dóchas, Sarah's and Amy's Clans monitored their consoles as were the Command Staffs on the other ships. As the crew shifted to readiness level 1, the consoles indicated the status of each department and section as they completed the tasks to the new readiness level. On each console through out the ship was a clock indicating the time to FTL transition. Once they started to transition out of FTL, the clocks would return to their normal time keeping function. At 1100 hours Siobhan said, "Command Staffs, Phoenix is ready for transition." "Aye," was the reply. Shortly after Siobhan indicated their status, each of the other ships confirmed they were ready for transition. Sarah said, "Star initiate exit from FTL on schedule." "Timing sequence has latched on to the count down clock. Timing variation between ships is well within tolerance." Destiny group exited FTL 0.05 light years from the debris field on a path that would have placed them in the heaviest part of the debris. "Joyce, have Navigation determine the coordinates so we clear the fields by half a light second?" said Sarah. "Do we really want to be that close?" replied Joyce. "Joyce, 150,000 km should give us more than enough clearance," responded Sarah. "We should scan the area before making the move. Another consideration is whether being that close will cause issues with updating our star maps." "Sarah. Joyce," said Siobhan, "our cartographer advised us that the debris field will not impact their work." "Fire Control is indicating all initial scans are clear," said Terry. "Good." "Terry," said Joyce, "we have the new destination coordinates." "Forward FCS started scanning the area as navigation refined their coordinates. All FCS scanners are reporting that the area is clear for over 1 light second around the destination." "Okay. Setting course for the hold point," said Joyce. In the background she could hear the other Command Staffs preparing their craft for the shift in direction. "Propulsion power set for FTL 2. Ready, when you are," said Janet. "On the mark, execute. 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1 ... Mark." After a few minutes Joyce added, "Arrival at J2 hold point in 2 hours." After they exited FTL at the hold point Sally said, "Dóchas FOC, begin space craft deployment." "Space craft launch underway," replied Sabrina of Sabrina's Clan to Sally. As Sabrina spoke, the status of the ships in Destiny group showed that each ship was deploying their space craft. "We are going to begin transferring staff over to the freighters once the Star Fighters are launched," said Casidhe of Siobhan's Clan. "This way they can get setup so they can begin work on the maintenance items as soon as we are in our defensive array." "Agreed," replied all the Command Staffs. An hour after arriving at J2 hold point Sarah said, "Destiny Group, assemble in defensive array. Advise when position stable." On Dóchas bridge Sarah's Clan watched the monitors as the ships moved into position. The seven Dóchas class ships quickly moved into position, but it was nearly half an hour later before each ship position indicator turned green. The shift to a green position indicator was quickly followed by confirmation from each respective Command Staff. Once the defensive array was stable Rusty said, "Destiny Group begin readiness level 3." "Aye. Aye." "Execute plan for J2 hold. Departure scheduled in exactly 46 hours." "Aye. Aye." ------- Chapter 166 Destiny Group had been at J2 for just 45 hours when Rusty said, "Destiny Group, destination coordinates for J3 are set." Joyce replied, "All ships confirming coordinate values." "Destiny Group move to cruise formation." "Aye. Aye," replied the seven ships. As they spoke the ships began to move to their cruise positions. Once the ships were in formation the Star Fighters and Badb cruisers on security duty began returning to their ships. It was 15 minutes before departure by the time all of the Star Fighters and Badb were on their parent ship and secured. The status monitors on Dóchas showed their progress toward departure. On the bridge's monitor a detailed check list was shown, as each ship completed an item, the item turned green. There weren't any items showing red indicating a problem or was behind schedule. A few were yellow for a few moments before turning green. At minus 1 minute Sarah said, "Departure timers in sync and counting. Then as minus 10 seconds approached the count down began with, "Initiating FTL 4 to J3 in 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1 ... Mark." At the completion of count down the image on the monitor switched to showing Destiny Group in relation to the objects around it as they began rapidly accelerating to FTL 4. As their speed increased the scale shifted to a proportionally larger scale. An hour after achieving FTL 4 Sarah said to the Command Staffs, "Does anyone have any issues?" "We don't," replied Siobhan with the others quickly adding their concurrence. Maureen added, "The freighters matched our movements from the time we left the defensive array to now with no manual override. We think our crews have done a superb job with the upgrades." "We agree," replied everyone. "We take it there weren't any maintenance issues at J2 as we didn't hear anything." Evangline of Molly's Clan said, "All maintenance tasks went very smoothly. We replaced a few items that appeared to be marginal but that was due to normal wear. We were blessed to have Casidhe and Tiff leading the way on overhauling the freighters. They were a key part of that success." "It was a team effort," replied both Casidhe and Tiff. "We see our ability to immediately share information a key contributor to our crews success. Our contribution is nothing more than managing priorities." "Well that may be but your efforts really helped. We agree that our ability to immediately share information is a key aspect of our success." Caitlyn of Keriann's Clan said, "Our experience with the maintenance items was very similar to Evangline. Although, I don't think we had as many replacements." "Our experiences were similar to theirs," added Casidhe. "It will be 24 clock cycles before we arrive at J3, so lets not start the manufacturing operations for a few days. This will give everyone a chance to relax." "Agreed," replied everyone. "Lets have our daily conference at 0900 beginning tomorrow." "Suits us," replied Siobhan. "We agree," replied the others. ------- The Órarduine were nearly half way to J3. This was the third segment of their five segment trip and it had been very quiet compared to the previous segments. With their limited manufacturing operations in the freighters, they were nearly back to the point of having minimum spare parts. Intelligence had spent virtually all the time on this segment sorting out the source of the debris clouds. Clarence of Irene's Clan had advised the Command Staffs that Intelligence had a preliminary conclusion on the debris clouds and wanted to present it to them when they had time. Siobhan's Clan entered the conference room on Dóchas to find Sarah's Clan already there with Clarence and several others from Intelligence. "Good afternoon." "Good afternoon," replied those in the conference room. "How was your trip?" asked Sally. "It went very smoothly," replied Casidhe with a smile. Earlier the Command Staffs on the other ships decided to teleport themselves to Dóchas for this presentation. This was done for several reasons. If an emergency occurred, it was easier for them to return to their ships. Each Command Staff had asked their alternates to take the helm while they attended the meeting. Sarah's Clan had designated a suite near them as an arrival point. This allowed the other Command Staffs to arrive without disturbing anyone on Dóchas. The fact that some clans could physically project themselves to another location was known to most if not all Órarduine. However, when possible they preferred to do the actual departure and arrival as unobtrusively as possible. Tiff added, "The others will be here in a few moments." Just as she finished speaking, Kathryn's Clan entered the conference room. As they were greeting everyone, the other Command Staffs began arriving in quick succession. Amy's Clan was the last to arrive. "Wow," said Amy, "we didn't expect to see everyone today." Brigid of Keriann's Clan said, "It is good to be with everyone again. Amy, we thought this presentation was worth the effort to be here. This is probably one of the most discussed topics since we have left J2." "Since everyone is here," said Sarah, "Clarence would you begin your presentation." "Sure. With me for this presentation are several people from our combined Intelligence Group. We believe everyone is acquainted so I will skip introductions if everyone is comfortable with that approach." He paused to see if there was a response then continued, "First, this is a presentation of our analysis at this point in time. There maybe some changes before the final report but we don't think they will be significant. We have tried several solutions for the data we gathered at J2. "Our conclusions were reached using two different logic paths. The paths are not totally independent as they have common data but differ organizing the data. "The best fit is that the debris clouds are the result of weapon testing. It is not clear what type of weapon. It was not a nuclear weapon as there isn't any abnormal radiation present. Reconstruction shows that three of the clouds were good size asteroids before they exploded. What appears as the fourth cloud is believed to be two clouds resulting from successive explosions. Following the idea of two successive explosions the best fit we have for these debris clouds is: The fourth cloud is the remains of a weapons platform. The fifth cloud is the remains of the space ship controlling the weapons platform. We say probably because all the debris for the fourth and fifth cloud don't appear to contain naturally occurring rocks. "Based on the shape of the clouds and the drift of the surroundings, these events took place at least a 100 years ago and could be twice that. Any questions before we walk through the data?" "For there not to be any remnants of the platform or ship, the explosion must have been very hot," said Rusty. "That is our general belief. Several have suggested that if we had done a composition analysis on the fourth or fifth cloud, it would have strengthened our conclusions. We do have spectral analysis and the surface composition of the debris in the fourth and fifth clouds and they are different than the other three clouds." With that Clarence and the rest of the Intelligence Group reviewed key points in the data. This was followed by how it was determined that three clouds were asteroids and why the other two clouds were a poor fit for being an asteroid. They then presented an alternative conclusion that clouds four and five were simply successive explosions of a space ship which contained the weapon. Clarence returned to the podium as the presentation finished. "Okay. There you have it. Are there any questions?" "So the difference in conclusions only relates to whether cloud 4 is a single cloud or two," said Tiff. "Yes." "Clarence," said Keriann, "we think the Intelligence staff has done an outstanding job of putting this puzzle together even though we realize there maybe other solutions." With that the group began applauding. When the applauding ended Chester of Keriann's Clan said, "Was there any discussion on what type of weapon they were testing?" "Something that would heat the core of the rock to the point it would vaporize, leading to an explosion." "That would take an enormous amount of power," replied Conan. "Yes, it would. One of the rocks was considerably larger than the others. It is not to difficult to imagine successive tests with the large rock being the last." "If we go back to Earth's science fiction movies, this weapon reminds me of one in the "Star Wars" series. I think it was referred to as a 'death star'." "Our weapons engineers have discussed this. They think the weapon is feasible but likely very dangerous to operate. This is primarily because of the high energy and likely long firing time." "Clarence," said Sarah, "from our perspective the analysis seems to be a very good fit for the data we collected. We have no problem with showing this as it is to the whole family." "We'd like the whole family to see this because of the analysis techniques used," said Oriel of Keriann's Clan. "This analysis is a good example of confirming your first analysis with a different approach." Molly said, "We don't have any questions now, but will likely have some after we think about it for a while." "We will look forward to hearing your questions." Just then the chimes sounded signaling that dinner would start in one hour. Joyce said, "Clarence you timed the presentation just right. Is everyone going to have dinner here?" "We would like to," replied Siobhan, "but we think we should return to Phoenix." "We agree," said Molly with the Command Staffs from the other ships nodding in agreement. "Before we go," said Maureen, "Clarence when did you plan on presenting this to the family?" "We haven't. I think a week from now would be fine. There were a few places in the presentation that we need to go over again." "Okay. Let's plan on it being presented 15 clock cycles from now." "We can do that. Actually, I think all of us will be glad to have this off the table so we can go back to preparations for Celia system." Together the Command Staffs said, "You all did an excellent job with analyzing the data. Please be sure that everyone knows how pleased we are with the work." "We will," replied Clarence along with his staff. "See you later," said Siobhan's Clan as they left the room. It wasn't long until it was just Amy's and Sarah's Clan in the conference room. Erica said, "I thought Aine and the others would be here." "They had something to do today," said Aoife, "so we didn't remind them." "Lets freshen up, then we will meet you for dinner." "Great." ------- In preparation for arriving at J3, Sarah's Clan had a dream walk to J3 some 36 hours prior to their arrival. On the dream walk to J3, they invited two of their older children to join them. They were surprised to find Aine and Creidne waiting for them when they emerged from the dream walk. Aine and Creidne listened as Sarah's Clan reviewed their observations of J3. Destiny Group exited smoothly from FTL at J3. There was a sense of achievement as their trip from J2 had gone very smoothly. They were now a little over half way to Celia System. The Badb cruisers and Star Fighters were deployed as soon as they were in normal space. The ships were preparing to move to their defensive array formation when Maeve said, "We are receiving a distress signal. The message is on channel 5210." "Put it on the monitor," said Sally. "No video. Sending voice to speaker and text to monitor." Sarah's Clan listened to the request for assistance as they watched the text scroll across the monitor. After a few moments Aoife said, "That sounds and reads like Monque mixed with standard language." Almost immediately the characters changed to form comprehensible words. As they watched the screen Rusty said, "FOC patch me to all of our Badb cruisers." Almost instantly Sabrina responded with, "Patch enabled." "Cruiser Commanders, we are receiving a distress signal on Channel 5 2 1 0. Fix location of the source." Rusty's command initiated the cruisers to change position to bring the distress call signal to maximum strength. Once orientated for maximum signal strength, each cruiser moved away from Destiny Group in multiple directions while maintaining a lock on the signal. Before the cruisers could move very far away from Destiny Group the signal began to break up before fading away. "The data stream we are receiving confirms that the ship is a Monque civilian passenger ship," said Aoife. "They have a total propulsion power failure. The ship is currently drifting with a stable orientation. Internal power is functioning." "Navigation," said Sarah, "has a probable position coordinates for the signal source." "Command Staffs," said Sarah's Clan, "propose we turn toward distress call while we gather more information." "How did you plan on getting more information?" said Chester of Keriann's Clan. "By sending several Badb Cruisers each with a flight of Star Fighters." "Agreed," replied everyone. "Navigation is showing their probable position about 4 hours from us at sub light factor 7. Let's send our scout group to arrive in 30 minutes while we continue at an 8 SLF. With this approach, we will be closer by the time we know the situation. If our assistance is still needed, we will have more flexibility in how and where we arrive. If it is not needed, we can just curtail our move." "Why, so cautious?" said Kathryn. "Very few in the universe know of our existence," replied Sally. "We shouldn't assume that word has gotten around the Alliance of Worlds about us and our relationship with them. Even though we do have recognition codes that we can use, we should be cautious in using them. More importantly this could be a trap for unwary travelers, much like the highway men of olden days. Also, it could be a shock to those requesting help as from outward appearances, our group of ships is a very major battle group." "Good points. We thought that was your reasoning, but wanted to be sure." "Dóchas FOC," said Rusty, "organize a reconnaissance group to check out the area where the distress call originated. We should send at least 5 Badb cruisers along with a flight of Star Fighters to accompany each cruiser." "Aye, aye. Will execute operations plan RC 0 5 with 5 teams. Departure in 10." "Destiny Group, Dóchas increasing speed to 8 SLF," said Jill. "Destiny Group, Dóchas turning 5 degrees Starboard, rise by 2 degrees and hold for 7 dot 2 4 8 minutes." All of the Órarduine ships acknowledged the course and speed changes. Destiny group had been on their new course toward the distressed ship for 18 minutes, when a new broadcast requesting urgent assistance resumed. This time the message was in Monque and the ship identified itself as Emprika and specifically asked for assistance from any Alliance of World ship. Their propulsion units were inoperable. Their orientation was stable. They had identified two space ships approaching them. One was a known bandit ship while the other was a slaver. The ships were approaching from their stern off each side. Their intercept line is 15 degrees off port and starboard and 20 above the horizontal plane. Neither approaching ship has replied to their attempts to contact them. The Emprika's Officers expected the approaching bandits to attempt to take control of Emprika. Their crew would implement defensive measures to prevent the bandits from boarding their ship. As the broadcast was being repeated a fourth time the broadcast abruptly stopped. A few moments later, a new message was heard on the same channel in standard language canceling the distress call. The speaker claimed that the distress call was unauthorized and emphasized that the ship was fine. This message claimed that they were drifting with full power available while an equipment malfunction in the propulsion system was being repaired. No assistance was needed. Nothing was said regarding the two approaching ships. Maeve said, "The message canceling the distress call is coming from a different transmitter. The speakers voice signature is distinctly different than the first. The data link for the first transmission is still open but not active." "Let's acknowledge the first message in their language," said Sarah, "and ask them for a fuller description of their emergency. Send it on the data line as well. Sign it Destiny Group Commander." "Implementing," said Aoife. Star said, "Comparing the data we have to what was on the data link, the distressed ship is a Monque Passenger ship named Emprika which confirms the ships name. The Alliance of Worlds ship registry has the ship listed as carrying a crew of 600 with up to 5000 passengers with a cargo capability listed as 15,000 Mars tonnes." "Our reconnaissance group has reached the area," said Sally. "They have sighted Emprika. Alpha group is proceeding to survey Emprika's exterior. Our other four groups are scanning the area. The two bandit ships haven't reached the passenger ship." "In the last message from Emprika, it sounded like the bandits were close to Emprika." "Bravo group has sighted two approaching ships. So far these are the only other ships in the area. The ships are about 3500 kilometers behind Emprika on an intercept course at an angle of 15 degrees off the centerline and 20 degrees above Emprika. Bravo and Charlie groups moving to intercept bandits from the side away from Emprika." Sarah said, "The situation assessment indicates that by the time we arrive, the two approaching ships will be along side Emprika. Emprika is headed away from our position so that makes our approach simpler. "Navigation set course to intercept Emprika. Lets arrive as three groups. Eagle, Taiséalai and Fiontar maintain link with your freighters and cloak. Follow us on the approach from rear then hold at 50 km. Resume Readiness level 1 on arrival. "Iarracht and Marthanóir set course to approach on Emprika's starboard side and high enough to have a clear view of both bandit ships. Phoenix and Dóchas approach from Emprika's port side and below. We expect to hail Emprika when 500 km out." Sally added, "FOCs, set up four cruisers with boarding parties. Three Security teams on every cruiser." "Aye, aye," replied Sabrina of Dóchas FOC. "FOCs implement operational plan S B 0 1 2 and S B 0 2 9." "Aye, aye," replied the other FOCs. "Dóchas FCS, arm lasers and rail guns prior to arrival." "What about the other weapons?" "Leave them on stand by. Expect the bandits to be too close to Emprika to use them." "We have flight path set," announced Joyce. "Command Staffs, are all ships ready?" asked Sarah. "Aye, aye," replied everyone. "On the mark, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Mark." When Sarah finished, the ships in Destiny Group began their approach to Emprika. With Emprika pointing away from them, their ships shifted relative positions so they would reach optimum approach position when 1500 km behind Emprika. This approach put them behind both Emprika and the bandit ships and give them a clear field of fire if they needed to engage the bandit ships. ------- Meanwhile near Emprika, Fox Group Commander said, "Alpha, we have a signature for an Alliance of Worlds Spec Ops cruiser 10 km to the port side of Emprika." "Interesting." After a moment she continued with, "We have the authentication codes. Fox Group initiate contact with them." "Since this is a Monque passenger ship, should we assume it is a Monque Spec Ops team?" "No. Use standard language with the laser communicator." "Will do as soon as we are in position?" ------- On board the Monque Spec Ops ship the AI said, "Commander, we are being hailed by another Spec Ops ship." "What? Where?" "We received authentication codes for an Alliance of Worlds Spec Ops ship. The codes are correct. The ship is on our starboard side in a parallel orientation lying slightly ahead of us." "So they used the laser communicator to hail us." "Yes. The background information for this group is on your console. We have not worked with these Spec Ops before in fact they have only worked with Iridien Spec Ops. Their profile indicates that they are a very interesting group. Should I acknowledge?" "Authentication was correct?" "Spot on. Some of our teams can't do it as well." "Okay, acknowledge." ------- On the cruiser in Fox Group the AI said, "They have acknowledged our hail. They identified themselves as MSO 9ZX23 under the command of Captain Thazoe. "We asked to establish a full comm link so you could talk to them. They are reluctant to establish the full com-link due to concern regarding it being detected by the bandits." "Ask them if they are agreeable to two of us visiting their ship? Advise their AI, that we will arrive on their bridge." "Who is going?" "Charles and I," replied Súsanna. "Aye, aye." A few moments later the AI said, "Visit approved." ------- "Wow," muttered Captain Thazoe when Súsanna and Charles materialized on his bridge. Besides materializing on his bridge, the background information indicated their guests were tall but seeing it was very different than reading it. Quickly recovering he said, "Welcome aboard." The Órarduine saluted as they said, "Thank you for permitting us to come aboard." Captain Thazoe was returning the salute, just as another Monque rushed onto the bridge saying, "Commander, there is a group of people on top of the passenger ship. It appears they just exited from a maintenance airlock near the stern." After she spoke she realized the Commander was not alone. "Oops, sorry Commander. My apologies." When she saw the two Órarduine, her expression turned to one of surprise as she blushed. "Our guests just arrived." "Excuse me." "Captain Thazoe," said Súsanna, "I am Captain Súsanna and this is Captain Charles with me." "Your presence is a bit of a surprise." "We could say the same." "Lt. Commander Nanria, our visitors are from an Órarduine ship sitting just off our port side." Nanria bowed to the Órarduine. "My apologies for interrupting. We haven't detected any ships near us." "No offense on our part," replied Charles. "The Iridiens have trouble detecting us as well." Captain Thazoe said, "Nanria, you should stay unless you have to get back to the monitor." "Others are watching the monitors." Súsanna and Thazoe looked at one another for a few minutes waiting for the other to say something. Súsanna smiled as she said, "I could out wait you but I don't think we have the time." Thazoe smiled. "What can you tell us about these three ships?" "A lot about the passenger ship. Information on the bandits is sketchy until we know who they are. First, why are you here?" "Coincidence. Just as we came out of FTL, we heard the distress call broadcast by Emprika. This was several hours ago about 0.5 light years from here. That location is just one way point on our voyage. On hearing the distress call, Admiral Sarah sent us to do a reconnaissance of the area before our fleet arrives. Counting us, we have five recon groups surveying this area. Our full group will be here in less than an hour." Súsanna paused before continuing with, "We are not familiar with any of these ships except for what is in the Alliance of Worlds ship registry. What do you know about these ships?" "So it is luck but also Emprika's good fortune that you are here," replied Thazoe. "Our assignment is to shadow Emprika to ensure her cargo gets to its destination. Intelligence had sketchy information that an attempt would be made to hijack the cargo. As we can now see, they obviously didn't have all the information. "We have a team on Emprika. There hasn't been any contact with them since shortly after Emprika's propulsion units shut down. Emprika has deviated from the course they filed before beginning this voyage. The ship approaching the port side of Emprika is one of several possible bandits that our intelligence thought would attempt to hijack the cargo. The other is a known slaver which we are surprised to see involved in this. In fact, they left their hibernation container behind when they started their approach to Emprika." "Hibernation container? Why would they do that?" "When a freight container is attached, it makes a ship less maneuverable. Slavers use them to transport slaves. This container has its own a power unit to support the hibernation units. It has sufficient power operate the hibernation units for at least several hours when not attached to a ship. The length of time is dependent on how many hibernation units are active. The slavers have apparently decided that gaining the passengers on Emprika will offset any losses in the container." "That is rather cold." Nanria replied, "Slavers figure on loosing up to 50% of their captives during transport. This is primarily because their hibernation units only supply minimum life support requirements. At their destination, they will sell those that are fit enough. Those that die will become protein which they sell somewhere else. "Slavers involved in this is unusual. They usually raid isolated settlements or planets that are just evolving an intelligent species. They consider those methods of harvesting slaves to be relatively risk free." "Nanria, how many did you see on top of the passenger ship?" "We counted eight when I came up here. There could have been a few more as it didn't look like anyone had secured the hatch." "They likely wouldn't," said Charles. "Leaving it unsecured would make it difficult for anyone to follow them and makes it easier for them to get back inside." "Good point." "Do you know what your Admiral intends?" asked Thazoe. "Only in general terms," replied Charles. "Four ships from our fleet will arrive and offer assistance to Emprika. Once they arrive, many of our reconnaissance group will likely deactivate their cloaking." "How many ships do you have now in the area?" "Right now there are 25 all together. They are divided into 5 groups with each group consisting of a cruiser and 4 attack craft." "Wow, we didn't see anything!" said Nanria with a worried look on her face. "The Iridiens didn't either when we first met them so not detecting us probably isn't due to an equipment failure," replied Súsanna. "What do you mean?" "If your systems is setup like the Iridiens, then your systems are seeing our cloaked ships as part of the background noise. Once we get this sorted, we can talk about correcting it. How do you expect the two bandits to take over Emprika?" "How are you going to contact your ships?" asked Nanria. "We believe the two bandit ships are scanning all communication frequencies." "We are currently linked to them and they are following our conversation." "But, the bandits will detect the transmissions." "Not likely, as we aren't using a standard electronic communication link." Súsanna paused then added, "We were just advised that the four ships set to approach Emprika will be here in less than an hour. They asked if you needed to know who was on the bandit ships." "It would be nice, but not really a necessary. Just putting them down would suit us just fine. A much bigger concern is the status of our team on Emprika and the cargo. As we noted earlier, we saw about at least eight people exit from a hatch on of Emprika. They were all picked up by a small ship and taken to the bandit ship on the right. This seems to be an indication of spies on Emprika. The bandits usually plant agents among the crew members but some could be passengers." "Based on the way the emergency call abruptly stopped, it was likely blocked on Emprika which points to a crew member." "Good point." "What do you know about Emprika and the bandits?" In response to Súsanna's question, Thazoe and Nanria went over all the information they had on Emprika. This included a complete layout of Emprika, its crew and identification of the more important passengers. For the bandit ships, the information was what their intelligence had obtained from similar captured craft and crews. When they finished Súsanna said, "Commander we need to return to our ship. We can provide you with a special communications device or have a couple of our crew members join you." "I think, we would prefer a crew member as that should keep us from misunderstanding what we hear." "They will be here in a few minutes. We look forward to seeing you after this is over." With that Súsanna and Charles faded away. Back on board their cruiser Charles said, "They have a difficult assignment." "I would say nasty," replied Carol of Súsanna's Clan. "Edana," said Súsanna, "would you be agreeable to having Hayley and Kacey liaison with Captain Thazoe?" "We are. Are they to travel the same way you did?" "If you can." "Easy enough. They will be there in a few moments." ------- Chapter 167 By the time Destiny Group was 1500 km behind Emprika and the two bandit ships, they had separated into three groups. Iarracht and Marthanóir positioned themselves to approach Emprika's stern off the starboard side and above her. Dóchas and Phoenix positioned themselves to approach Emprika's stern off her port side but from below. Eagle, Taiséalai, and Fiontar traveling with the freighters slowed their approach to take up a static position a thousand kilometers behind Emprika. All of their ships were at readiness level 1. Erin said, "Dóchas COC is assigning bandit ids as DBAD1 for the ship along the port side of Emprika and DBAD2 for the ship on their starboard side." As Erin spoke, the monitors on all Órarduine ships updated with the new information. These assignments were quickly acknowledged by each Destiny Group ship. "DBAD1 and DBAD2 are now alongside Emprika with DBAD2 near the rear access hatch," said Joyce. "Spacing appears to be 200 meters between the bandits and Emprika." Destiny Group was a half hour from Emprika when the Command Staffs heard the same voice who announced cancellation of Emprika's distress call. "Emprika, I am the Captain of the ship on your port side. We heard your broadcast. Based on your declaration, we are invoking full salvage rights to the ship and its contents as permitted by our laws." After a pause he continued, "Captain it was you that announced the Emprika's status as inoperable and needing assistance. Your declaration allows us to invoke salvage rights to Emprika and all contents. We are claiming Emprika as ours. In one hour, we will take possession of Emprika. We, as the new owners, expect you to make the following preparations for our arrival. When we board, we expect all passengers locked in their quarters. All weapons will be secured and stowed. All the crew members are to be standing naked with their hands behind their head along the walls of the main corridor." There was a momentary pause before he continued with, "Captain, there is nothing you can do to stop us from taking possession of Emprika. Again, it was your broadcast that gave us the right to claim Emprika under the salvage provisions of our laws. By cooperating and preparing Emprika for our arrival, we assure you that all of Emprika's passengers and crew will be unharmed. All of you will be well cared for while you remain in our custody as we wait to be paid for your release. "Resistance by anyone will be dealt with harshly. Any resistance will result in all of those still living becoming our property." There was another pause followed by an angry reply, "You have no choice, Captain. We will board your ship! Any resistance and all of you will regret it. We have already dealt with one group on your ship. A group of inept Monque Spec Ops sought to interfere with our plans. Anyone standing in our way will meet the same fate. You will find them in compartment 32 on level 1." The bandit paused for a few moments before adding, "Enough of this, when I close this dialog, you will not be able to contact anyone. Your external communication system will become inoperable. Remember, we will begin boarding in one hour. Now, prepare your ship for our arrival! Lock all passengers in their cabins! Lock all weapons in storage! Every crew member will wait naked with their hands behind their heads in the main corridor for our inspection. "You have one hour to comply! Fail and the passengers and crew become our property. Let me be clear, as property, they will have the same status as livestock which we will dispose of as we see fit. You appear to be as incompetent as those in compartment 32. We hope you fail for we are anxious to once again dine on live fresh meat." Joyce said, "From the pauses, it seemed like there was some push back from the Captain of Emprika. The bandits must have done something to Emprika's transmitters since we can't hear the Captain's comments." "I think it is time to complicate their plans," said Terry of Sarah's Clan as she smiled at Sarah. Sarah said, "Calling Emprika. This is Destiny Group responding to your request for assistance. We will be along side in 20 minutes to render assistance with your emergency." "No assistance is needed," replied the bandit. "Who are you, to speak for the Captain of Emprika?" "I am the Captain." "Sir, we know you are not the Captain of Emprika. You are not even on Emprika. You are the one who falsely claimed salvage rights to Emprika. We heard everything you said to the Captain of Emprika." "You are mistaken," snarled the bandit. "There aren't any problems on Emprika. Now go bother someone else with your nonsense." "I am absolutely certain you are not the captain of Emprika. Your voice signature matches exactly the voice that we just heard claiming salvage rights to Emprika. Didn't you just demand Emprika's Captain to prepare the ship for boarding by your people and threaten them with enslavement if he failed." "As Captain of Emprika, I can assure you that Emprika needs no assistance. Go bother someone else with your nonsense. Besides there aren't any ships within light years of us, so your offer is meaningless." "You are not Captain of Emprika, yet. Your sensors are faulty. Check your monitors or look out your ports." "Look bitch, I've had enough of your nonsense. Our sensors are far superior to anything else in the universe. They are all working perfectly. I demand to talk to the captain of your ship." "You are speaking to Admiral Sarah in Command of Dóchas," was the reply in a very friendly voice. "We are just fifteen minutes from Emprika." "You are really testing my patience. Why do you persist in your delusions? Just who are you?" "We are Órarduine." There was a pause then the bandit screamed, "Órarduine?" "Yes. Chatting with you has been most interesting..." Sarah's response was overridden by the bandit hollering, "You murdering heathens. You sent two of our finest crews and ships to a slow death." The bandit's rage grew as he spoke ending with, "For that you shall die!" Sarah laughingly replied, "Not a chance. You are misinformed about your two ships and their crews. They chose the path that took them to their death. Initially, they attempted to enslave us. Their naive attempt failed. They tried to instigate a mutiny on the Iridien ships under the Command of Commander Egulle and failed. We informed the Durale leaders on those ships that we knew of both their plots. They were offered a chance to publicly admit their schemes to the Alliance of Worlds or we would expose their plots. They chose to run. Before leaving, they fired lasers at the two Iridien command ships attempting to disable them. Their inept operation of their ship placed it on a collision course with a very large planet in the Sol system." "You lie, bitch!" screamed the bandit. "We, Durale, never run from anything. All of you will soon be in our livestock pens. We shall enjoy playing with each of you until it is your turn to be spread on our dining table. We shall rejoice seeing the fear on your face as we secure you to the dining table. Our pleasure will grow on hearing your screams as we sink our teeth into your flesh and tear pieces of meat from your body as we dine." "You are hallucinating." Rusty continued, "Your aggression toward the Monque passenger ship Emprika is an act of war." "Who are you?" screamed the bandit. "Admiral Rusty in Command of Dóchas. As friends of the Monque, we will render Emprika all the assistance she needs to free itself from your evil plan." "You wish! You and your harem of back alley whores are incapable of overcoming us. We, Durale, wait for your arrival. By tonight you and those sluts will be spread on our dining tables for we shall dine on your flesh today." "Destiny Group," said Erin, "DBAD1 and DBAD2 weapons now armed and scanning." Bravo Recon Group under the command of Nicola's Clan advised Destiny Group that the Spiders were now in place on all three ships. Communications links were established and active with each group of Spiders. A Ferret on Emprika was close to gaining access to the ship's systems. "Siobhan, Maureen, Kelly," said Sarah, "are we ready to project a hologram of us onto Emprika's Bridge?" "We are," replied the four clans. On Emprika's bridge, the sudden appearance of their life like holographic images nearly brought all activity to a standstill. Surprisingly there wasn't any attempt to draw a weapon against them. Even so it took several moments for their arrival to draw the Captain's attention as he was deeply engrossed in an heated discussion with several crew members. When the Captain looked their way, the four Órarduine together in standard language said, "Good day, Captain." They waited for the shock of their appearance to subside before continuing with, "Time is short so we will get right to the point. We are representatives of Órarduine Destiny Group. We have sufficient resources to block those who plan on boarding you from the two Durale bandit ships. The two groups of bandits also have agents on your ship that we can assist you in subduing. We need your authorization for that assistance. Do you want our assistance?" "Was it you that we just heard the bandit screaming at?" "Probably, we just had a discussion with the Captain of the ship on your port side." "Based on his claims of severing our communications, we were surprised to hear it. Did I understand you to say, you are Órarduine?" "Yes, we are." "I've heard of you," replied the Captain thoughtfully. "Perhaps you know us from our meeting with the Iridiens, Monque and Atewa in Sol system." "Yes, that is it. Based on that, we readily accept your assistance." Almost immediately another officer on the bridge shouted, "No! Absolutely not. Captain, you are unfit for command," as he pulled a weapon. Before he could bring it up to fire, there was a flash of light. The weapon clattered to the deck with the man's hand still attached. The Captain turned almost white. Two crewmen wrestled the wounded officer to the deck and bound his elbows together. "Captain, are you alright?" asked a crewman. "I think so," replied the Captain slowly with a bit of a quiver in his voice. "If I had any doubt about needing your assistance before, I don't now." The four Órarduine said, "As a first step in assisting you, we would like to place several Security Teams on your ship. Is this acceptable?" "Órarduine, you may bring as many people on board as you feel necessary to maintain order and remove this cancer we've acquired." "They will be in the corridor behind the bridge shortly. To ensure communication with our ships, we would like for several of us to physically join you here on the bridge. Is this acceptable?" "I think, it is a very wise move." "If you haven't asked the passengers to return to their cabins, we would recommend that you do so now. You should have them secure their cabin doors as well." "You heard their claims?" "Yes, we heard what they said. We did not hear any of your responses. Their salvage claim is nonsense." ------- On board Dóchas when Rusty heard the captain accept assistance, he said "FOC, cloaking off for all Badb ships and Star Fighters. Dóchas class ships, shields up." "Aye, aye," came the quick reply. Sally said, "Spider data says DBAD1 is a medium size cruiser with a crew of 380. Carries 20 small transporters. No other space craft. Ships weapons are laser and torpedoes." "That is a little different than first reported." "Yes. DBAD2 is the same size as the DBAD1 but with a crew of 290. It carries 20 small transporters. Ships weapons are laser and torpedoes. It is laid out more as a transport rather than a cruiser. One deck is filled with rows of cages stacked four high. None are occupied." ------- As the Captain on Emprika began to issue commands, an Órarduine Security Team appeared in front of the bridge's primary entrance. Other Órarduine Security teams assembled in the corridor leading to the bridge. By the time the Captain finished speaking to the passengers, Tiff and Emma materialized on the bridge where the hologram had appeared. These changes startled many of those on the bridge even though they had heard the Captain's acceptance. "Captain, I am Tiff of Siobhan's Clan and this is Emma of Keriann's Clan. We are here as a link to our ships." "How rude of me. My name is Captain Marika. My apologies to those here earlier for not introducing myself." "No reason for an apology. We are sure that the appearance of Sarah, Siobhan, Maureen and Kelly holographic image was a shock." "Yes, it was. Your sudden appearance was only slightly less shocking. Did I understand you to say ships?" "Yes, sir," replied Emma. "Holy shit," shouted a crewman, "our scanners are showing multiple ships all around us." A look of concern flashed across the Captain's face. Before he could ask Tiff said, "Those are ours as our Commander had ours disable cloaking when you accepted our offer." "We have found only two bandit ships in the area," added Emma. "They are now about 200 meters off each side of you." While they were talking the Captain had moved to where he could see the monitor showing the other ships around Emprika. By his expression, he was clearly shocked. "Sir, our sensors are not showing any ships as near as 200 meters," said the crewman. "Our sensors detected the bandit ships during their approach," replied Captain Marika. "Why aren't they showing now?" "When the bandits claimed they were alongside us and there weren't any ships detected that close, we reset the system. After the reset. the two bandit ships are no longer showing on the monitors." Tiff then said, "Captain, our Security Teams are in the corridor behind the bridge. Clearing the ship of the bandit agents will go faster if they are assisted by some of your crew." Just as the Captain was about to speak another ship's officer came rushing out of an office with a worried look. Turning to the officer the Captain said, "What's the problem?" "Sir, we can't get the external hatch for the stern airlock to respond to commands. The engineers think the exterior hatch is jammed open. We can't see those areas as the cameras in the stern air lock are unresponsive. Ever since the alarm was tripped, the hatch will not respond to our commands. "Just now, our external sensors began showing multiple ships all around us. Four of those ships are much larger than us and rapidly approaching on each side from our rear quarter. We are trying to identify them now." Emma said, "Those ships are ours. Dóchas and Phoenix are approaching on one side with Marthanóir and Iarracht approaching on the other side. As to the hatch, our reconnaissance group saw at least eight people exit the stern access hatch nearly an hour ago. They were picked up by a small ship from the bandit ship we've labeled DBAD1." "Emma. Tiff, this is Commander Moranshu," replied Captain Marika. "He heads our Security Department." Both Emma and Tiff bowed to the gentleman. "You aren't Monque," replied the Commander immediately. "You aren't passengers. Just, who are you? How did you get here?" The Captain started to reply but Tiff replied, "We are Órarduine. We arrived directly on the bridge a few minutes ago after receiving the Captain's permission. You have a good memory to know so quickly that we are not passengers." "Knowing you are not passengers is easy because you are nearly two heads taller than the tallest passenger and for that matter it probably holds true for the crew as well. You said, Órarduine, correct?" "Yes, sir." "What is the resolution on the hatch?" asked the Captain. "Engineering says they will need to have a group go outside to close the outside hatch to the air lock. They are getting ready now." "What's the status on the bandit ships? Our external monitors weren't showing any ships until just before I came out here. None of those ships are very close to us." "Commander," said Tiff, "our ships disabled their cloaking shortly before we arrived here on the bridge. However, there are two ships alongside at about 200 meters from your ship. Based on their actions, we are referring to them as bandits and have labeled them as DBAD1 and DBAD2. "It is the Captain of DBAD1 that Captain Marika has been talking to." Captain Marika said,"As to the bandits, while you were overseeing the efforts related to the stern hatch, we had a call from a group who plan on boarding us about 50 minutes from now. Their intent is to take possession of Emprika and its contents by invoking salvage law." "50 minutes. Salvage law? Did you issue orders yet for our crew to arm and get positioned to repel them?" asked Commander Moranshu. "Just before the Órarduine arrived, I was discussing that issue with several officers when the Órarduine contacted us and offered their assistance. The bound officer lying on the deck tried to prevent us from accepting the Órarduine's offer to help. The Órarduine also offered assistance in finding any of the bandit agents on board. Based on recent intelligence reports from the Iridiens and their relationship with the Iridiens, I accepted their offer. My acceptance didn't set well with the officer lying on the deck. Based on the information the Órarduine have since provided, it is likely a good thing the command wasn't given. They believe that the bandits have multiple agents embedded in the crew. "We now have several problems besides no propulsion power. Our sensors aren't showing the two bandit ships next to us. Our external communication systems are not working. We have an air lock open to space. These new problems tend to confirm that the bandits have agents on this ship. "There are Órarduine Security Teams waiting in the corridor to assist you and your staff in securing our ship. With Órarduine's assistance we just might survive this." "Okay. The last minute crew replacements would be an easy way to slip agents into our midst. We had quite a few of those just as we started this voyage. Our security monitors have noted some of them in unusual areas." "If we may offer a suggestion," said Tiff, "you should look closely at those with access to or in communication, propulsion and navigation departments. Based on your comments about sensor performance perhaps those who had access to them should be closely scrutinized as well. Besides the communication and propulsion issues, we were advised that this ship has significantly deviated from its planned route." Tiff's comment resulted in a surprised look on the two officers face. "Just fucking wonderful," commented Captain Marika. "I'll bet the tracking beacon is disabled as well. During the conversation with the Captain, no one noticed a crewman get up from his station. He then moved slowly across the bridge toward the door leading from the bridge. As the crewman moved across the bridge, his attention was focused on those talking with the Captain. Just as he reached for the door handle, a hand grasped his shoulder. The surprise caused him to jump and nearly scream. Cathan spun him around as she said, "Who gave you permission to leave the bridge?" The sound of Cathan's voice drew everyone's attention. The crewman slipped from Cathan's grip as he looked up. His first thought was, who is she? He immediately took a step back as he realized she looked just like the Captain's visitors. He took another step back as he considered how to escape this amazon blocking his exit. Cathan matched him step for step until he backed into a console. With him backed up against the console Cathan looked down as she said in a commanding voice, "Which group are you working for? Slavers or bandits?" Commander Moranshu started to interrupt but was nudged by the Captain who shook his head no. "So you are working for the slavers." The crewman's face turned white. He thought how did she know, I have told no one. "You have more character than that, so why did you sell your soul to them?" The crewman began to slump but two of Cathan's team grabbed him, lifting him to his feet. "So they promised to free your family if you helped them with this harvest." The crewman barely nodded. His eyes were wide with fear as his thought raced trying to understand how she could know. Then as if a light was turned on, reality registered, his eyes filled with tears as he realized he was a fool. It was an empty promise. He wondered why he hadn't seen the truth before now as he realized he would never see them again. His short sightedness and stupidity had condemned those on this ship to slavery or worse. "You were conned. You have no special status with them. How many agents are there on the ship?" This time the crewman responded with, "I don't know." Cathan frowned. Before she could speak he added, "The only ones I met were the two who recruited me for this. I haven't seen them since. Every communication has been by coded notes. Every time a note just appears in my pocket. Once I opened them, the writing would disappear after a very short time." "Secure him," said Cathan before she turned to those with Tiff. "Are we ready yet?" Captain Moranshu said, "How did you know the answers?" "He had the look of a victim and seemed to fit the profile of someone a slaver would use." "Okay. What if it didn't work?" "Then there are other ways. It is best to avoid pain as that can get you the answers you want rather than the truth." "Slipped by that one, didn't you?" said Emma to Cathan. Cathan responded by winking at Tiff and Emma as she said, "Yep, mind reading is an asset." "Tiff, are we ready to clean house?" asked Máiréad of Cathan's Clan. "Commander Moranshu, is in charge of security. Commander, this is Cathan, Máiréad and Krystin. They are part of one of our teams." "Commander," said Cathan, "we have a diagram of the ship and a search strategy mapped out. We hope you have staff that can work with us." "It should take just a few minutes to summon some of our long term staff as they should be trustworthy. My only concern is they likely don't have the tactical skills. I'll have them meet us in the corridor." "Good. We will begin as soon as they arrive." Máiréad said, "Security Teams some of Emprika's security staff will be joining you shortly. Check them out as soon as they arrive. If there are any agents among them, give them the opportunity to expose themselves." "Aye, aye," replied the teams. Captain Marika said, "The bandit's leader told us to check Level 1 Compartment 32 as the contents would indicate how serious they were on taking this ship." "Our search plan has level 1 as one of the first places to clear," replied Cathan. "Good. Let me know what you find." "I agree," said Commander Moranshu. "Level 1 should be first then followed by the operational and crew areas and leave the passenger areas till last." Tiff, Emma and the Captain watched as Cathan's Clan left with Commander Moranshu. Once Cathan's Team was off the bridge, Creidne and Fidelma took up positions next to the bridge's access. Their arrival drew looks from the crew but they just went back to their duties. ------- On Dóchas Sally said, "Both bandit ships have accelerated and are moving away from Emprika. It looks like they intend to challenge us." "Agreed," replied the other Command Staffs. "Dóchas all FCS, arm weapons," said Terry. "Weapons, hot and tracking." "DBAD1 executing a wide turn to port, up and away from Emprika." Rusty said, "All Dóchas cruisers and Star Fighters, engage bandit ships. "Dóchas maintain course. "Dóchas FCSs, advise when DBAD1 is in rail gun range." "Aye, aye." "DBAD2 executing a wide turn to starboard, up and away from Emprika." Responding to Rusty's command, the Star Fighters from Dóchas and Phoenix formed into attack groups of two. The Star Fighter attack groups moved to intercept DBAD1 as it turned back toward Dóchas and Phoenix. The first groups began attacking DBAD1 when it was half way through its turn. DBAD1 shields absorbed much of the energy from the laser shots. When DBAD1 had nearly competed its turn, it released a salvo of twenty torpedoes toward Dóchas, Phoenix, Iarracht and Marthanóir. The torpedoes turned toward their preassigned targets and rapidly accelerated. Rusty said, "Iarracht. Marthanóir. We can deal with these torpedoes. Focus on DBAD2." "Aye, aye," replied both ships. "Dóchas FCSs," said Sally, "spiders are indicating a second torpedo barrage is being prepared." "Aye," came the reply from the five stations. Almost immediately following FCSs' reply, Dóchas and Phoenix began firing their rail guns. The solid rail gun projectiles were directed at each torpedo in the first volley. Sally said, "Spiders indicate DBAD1 Commander is telling DBAD2 to attack while he has us distracted. Release of their second torpedo wave eminent." Rusty said, "FCSs, a second wave of torpedoes is eminent. Target DBAD1. We need to destroy them as close to their ship as possible." "Aye, aye," replied the FCSs. "Releasing RG projectiles at higher velocity." Sally said, "First wave half way here. "Spiders indicate the crew on DBAD1 are celebrating as they believe we haven't detected their torpedoes. "DBAD1 released second volley of torpedoes." Sally just finished her comment when their initial RG projectiles began hitting the first volley of Durale torpedoes. The Órarduine attack groups began pressing their attack on DBAD1 as the first wave of torpedoes exploded. Their flight paths took them toward the sides of DBAD1 so they would avoid any incoming RG projectiles or fragments. "The destruction of the first volley of torpedoes aborted DBAD1's celebration. FCSs, spiders are indicating a larger third salvo is being prepared. It will be directed only at Dóchas and Phoenix." "Aye, aye. Beginning burst release of RG projectiles at maximum velocity. "Two torpedoes of the first wave made it through our response and were destroyed. Lasers neutered both of them." "Good." The second volley of Durale torpedoes were barely a tenth of the way to Dóchas and Phoenix when they collided with RG projectiles from Dóchas and Phoenix. "Dóchas bridge," said COC, "DBAD1 has slowed. Second volley of torpedoes destroyed. Spiders reporting DBAD1 has two propulsion units severely damaged and two others at 50%." "FCSs," said Rusty, "are your lasers armed?" "Aye." "Okay. Coordinate with Phoenix and fire with maximum power at their bridge immediately after the debris clears from the third volley of torpedoes." "Aye, aye." "Dóchas FOC, have the Star Fighters concentrate on DBAD1's propulsion units. The Badb cruisers should concentrate and coordinate their laser fire on the torpedo launch tubes." "That is pretty much what they have been trying to do. Their shields are really reducing the lasers effectiveness." "Okay. Just keep at it then." Just as DBAD1 launched the third salvo Sally said, "Spiders reporting DBAD1 power units are out of control. They will go critical in less than three minutes." She had hardly finished speaking when the third round of torpedoes collided with their barrage of RG projectiles and began exploding. Several were knocked off course and began to chase Badb cruisers. "Spiders withdrawing from DBAD1." "Put them in hibernation," said Terry. "FCSs are going to fire our lasers and there isn't time for them to withdraw." Hearing Terry's comment, Sally initiated the command to the spiders. Just moments later eight laser beams flashed toward DBAD1. Just as the laser beams reached the ship, there were two bright flashes in the middle of the bandit ship. The intensity of the combined explosions overloaded Dóchas sensors causing the external monitors to go blank momentarily. When the image returned, DBAD1 was clearly out of action. The explosion of its power units had caused a large section in the center of the hull to bulge out by several meters. The hull was torn open above and below the power units by the explosion. Torn metal around the openings was bent outward like flower pedals and glowed a bright reddish white. The weapons ports were marked by red glowing globs of metal. The bridge area was hardly recognizable. The hull slumped down into the ship indicating the power units exploded before the full effect of the lasers was achieved. The bright glow indicated the hull had nearly melted when it absorbed the laser energy. Dóchas and Phoenix fired a second volley of laser beams at DBAD1 propulsion units. The hull around the propulsion units turned red as it absorbed the laser energy. Some spots around the units began to glow then holes began opening up, releasing bright flashes. ------- During their approach to Emprika while Dóchas and Phoenix were focused on DBAD1, Marthanóir and Iarracht focused on DBAD2. They knew from their reconnaissance that DBAD2 had nearly a dozen crewmen working outside the ship between DBAD2 and Emprika. Two were at the end of a long tether as they pulled a line toward the top of Emprika. Those near DBAD2 were working on a platform attached to the side of the ship. Shortly after the DBAD1 commander stopped screaming at Sarah's Clan, those outside DBAD2 on the platform moved back inside. The hatch closed behind them leaving behind the two near Emprika on the end of the tether. When DBAD1 began its turn away from Emprika, DBAD2 also began to accelerate away turning to starboard and up. As it moved away from Emprika, their two crew members were pulled along by the tethers to their ship. The sudden appearance of Star Fighters in DBAD2's path caused it to sharpen its turn away from Emprika and increase acceleration. This was unfortunate for those attached to the tethers. Initiating the sharp turn and accelerating increased the tension in the tether. The anchor points on the suits weren't made to withstand this kind of activity and they soon tore free from the suits. This released the two slavers on a trajectory away from both DBAD2 and Emprika. Their frantic motions in trying to stabilize their orientation only added to their problems. The escaping air from their suits propelled them even further away. The battle between DBAD2 and the Órarduine working with Iarracht and Marthanóir was similar to the battle occurring between the Órarduine and DBAD1. The Badb cruisers and Star Fighters were able to inflict some damage to DBAD2 weapons ports and propulsion units as it made its turn. DBAD2 managed to put two Star Fighters out of commission. When DBAD2 was near pointing toward the side of Iarracht and Marthanóir it fired a salvo of torpedoes at them. Iarracht and Marthanóir FCSs responded with a barrage of RG projectiles. The projectiles reached the torpedoes, exploding them when they were only a short distance from DBAD2. DBAD2 quickly fired a second volley of torpedoes only to have them explode even closer to DBAD2. DBAD2 turned on a course that would take them nearer the other portion of the engagement. This was just as DBAD1 launched its third torpedo salvo right into an incoming barrage of RG projectiles. Most torpedoes were destroyed by either the RG projectiles or exploding torpedoes however a few were blown off course. Unfortunately for DBAD2 one torpedo locked onto DBAD2 and began accelerating toward it. Keriann on Iarracht assigned a Badb cruiser and two flights of Star Fighters to pace the torpedo as it chased DBAD2. DBAD2 tried launching decoys and a series of sharp turns to shake the torpedo. None of the attempts were successful. The two were a considerable distance away from all the other ships when the torpedo slammed into DBAD2's stern. DBAD2 erupted into a white hot cloud of molten metal vapor. The Órarduine ships were far enough away to avoid any direct damage from the explosion or metal vapor but all were buffeted by the wave of debris when it passed over them. As soon as possible after the explosion, a Badb cruiser and accompanying Star Fighters began a systematic scan of the area looking for escape pods. The Órarduine on Iarracht and Marthanóir were surprised that a single torpedo turned DBAD2 into a cloud of metal vapor. ------- "Dóchas FOC," said Rusty, "have the Star Fighters check for escape pods before they begin picking up spiders." "Aye, aye. Those near DBAD2 are waiting for the cloud to disperse before picking up spiders." "Okay. Were there any escape pods launched from DBAD2?" "We don't think so. We are scanning the area. Intelligence is reviewing the image scans just before the torpedo hit." "They may want to go back to the beginning of the chase. The actions of both ships are a little puzzling. I wonder why DBAD2 didn't FTL to get away." "We're surprised that one torpedo vaporized DBAD2." "Phoenix, Iarracht and Marthanóir, lets move along side Emprika while maintaining a good separation." "Aye, aye." "Communications, advise Emprika that four ships are coming alongside." "Aye, aye." "Leann," said Claudette of Sarah's Clan. "Yes, Admiral." "Would you organize a group of propulsion engineers to repair Emprika's propulsion system?" "Done. We are ready to go. Security has us on hold until they are finished searching the ship." "Okay. Good thinking." "Sarah's Clan," said Kacey, "Captain Thazoe would like to come aboard Dóchas." Sarah quickly scanned the bridge then said, "We would be delighted to have them come aboard. Could they hold off until things settle down a bit?" After a brief pause Kacey replied, "Captain Thazoe says absolutely. They are happy to wait until the situation has stabilized." "Better yet give their flight control AI the channel parameters for FOC and protocol, that way Dóchas FOC can initiate it." "Will do." "Terry," said Rusty, "have Security do a sweep of DBAD1. Lets make sure we don't leave something that will come back and haunt us. "Security is checking to see if there are any viable spiders still on the bandit ship. If so they will be reconfigured for that mission." "The response by the bandits to our arrival is a bit puzzling. Perhaps the Monque will know why they acted the way they did." "Did we get any information from DBAD2?" "Some but not as much as we did would have liked. We should have put a Ferret in that ship. From the data that has been looked at, it appears they were following a planned routine to take over a ship until the battle started. Basically, those on DBAD1 were a distraction so DBAD2 could connect a hose to Emprika. They intended to put all of those on Emprika to sleep before boarding." "We should share any data we gather from those two ships with the Monque Spec Ops. They have an immediate use for the information." "Agreed." "We agree as well," said the other Command Staffs. ------- "Command Staffs," said Kathryn on Taiséalai, "we have an update on what we found in the container that was dropped by DBAD2. It contained two thousand functional hibernation chambers and space for many more. The empty portion looked as if it had been recently used. Of the functional chambers, 1052 are active. Unit status screens on ninety-six hibernation chambers are indicating the occupant isn't recoverable and is requesting permission to terminate. Another 100 occupants are marginal. The 1052 occupants are from three species. The nutrition system is operating correctly however everyone is receiving the same combination of nutrients. Based on the information from the Alliance of Worlds, the nutrient combination is not correct for any of the species. The difference isn't enough to kill them outright but will result in death, some quicker than others. "We are moving the hibernation chambers into the freighter linked to Fiontar. After a chamber is set up in our freighter, the combination of nutrients is changed to that found in the Alliance of Worlds database. The occupants in the borderline chambers are responding positively to the change." "Is the freighter able to support them?" said Keriann. "Yes. The freighter linked to Fiontar was outfitted to carry hibernation chambers. This is not an area where we spent much time when we refurbished it, so our engineers are looking at it now. Their first concern was the condition of the equipment. This was based on what we found in other areas. On the plus side, the freighters logs indicate that the hibernation chamber area was only used a few times. The engineers are now going over all of the equipment." "This is going to sound awful," said Coleen of Maureen's Clan. "Are we taking these people with us to Celia?" "Your question isn't awful," replied Jackie on Fiontar. "The short answer is yes as we don't see any other reasonable choice." "We agree," added Molly on Marthanóir. "Do we know the languages these species speak?" "Boann our primary AI has indicated that we should. We won't definitely know until they come out of hibernation, as what we have, may not fully match their dialect. Boann thinks that it should be close enough for us to communicate. They could know standard language but it would depend on their education or experience." "How long will it take to move the chambers?" said Joyce. "Probably a clock cycle, perhaps less," replied Kathy of Kathryn's Clan. "Oh. I thought it would take longer than that." "It would if we hadn't been able to connect the container's primary access hatch directly to the freighter," replied Jackie. "The connection appears to be a standard interface. Its one of those things we hadn't noticed until we began moving the container toward the hatch. Once the container was close to the hatch, the purpose of the interlocks around the opening was obvious. I guess this is one of the things about borrowed equipment, you learn something new everyday." "Lets go back to our visitors for a minute," said Tara. "We need to discuss this with our whole family." "Agreed," replied all the Command Staffs. "A few of us were discussing the situation," said Kathy. "We don't see a strong reason to keep them in hibernation until we reach Celia. If everyone agrees, once their health is restored, we should bring a few at a time out of hibernation. By bringing just a few out of hibernation at time, it will let us learn more about them and their needs." Amy added, "Their stress level maybe really high when they wake up as we don't know how they came to be in there." "Good point, Amy. This should be interesting. Have you been in situations like this before?" "No. When we trained, there was a segment on meeting new species but not anything like these circumstances. We will be happy to work with you on this." "Good." "Our departure for J4, is in a little over 72 hours," said Sarah. "Will this be enough time to accomplish our maintenance items and get Emprika underway again?" "We think so," replied Kathryn. "All of us have shifted some crew to the freighter where the container is being unloaded. We are taking care of maintenance items now and the check list indicates we are on schedule." "Same here," said Maureen. "We are a couple of hours behind on maintenance items," added Jackie, "but that is only a small part of the cushion in our schedule. So we should have no problem being ready at departure time." "Eagle, Taiséalai, and Fiontar, you should move up closer to us as soon as you are able," said Sarah. "Once you are closer, we can position ourselves so we can more effectively scan the area around us. This will give the Badb cruisers and Star Fighters a break." "Lets keep them flying," said Conan. "They haven't been in an extended operation in previous events. Why not setup some drills for them for the time we are here? It would be a different exercise than they've done before." "Good idea," said Kelly. "I wonder why we didn't consider that before?" "We did but chose to maximize those available so we could build things," said Casidhe of Siobhan's Clan. "If we hadn't we would still be in Sol system." "Oh, now I remember. We agree with Conan. Now is a good time to practice our combat skills." "The Security Teams on Emprika just reported that they have completed clearing the non-passenger areas," said Molly on Marthanóir. "Our group of engineers are getting ready to depart for Emprika," said Claudette of Sarah's Clan. "Same here," replied the Command Staffs on the other three ships next to Emprika. "They are going armed, aren't they?" "Yes. It is SOP when boarding a non Órarduine ship." "Siobhan," said Sarah's Clan, "will you take the lead with Emprika's Captain and staff?" "Sure." "Good that will let us focus on meeting with the Monque. FOC has advised us they are on their way." Rusty said, "How many pilots were injured? Have provisions been made to repair the Star Fighters?" "Not counting those on Emprika, we have a total of 48 injuries," replied Kathy of Kathryn's Clan. "Only six of them are pilots. The others are self inflicted due to errors in judgment and are relatively minor. Two pilots are in serious condition. The other four have minor injuries but they will not be flying for several weeks." When Kathy finished May of Siobhan's Clan added, "Two fighters will take quite a bit to repair them and the other four will likely be back in service before we depart. Other damage to all ships is being evaluated as the ship returns for service and maintenance." "Not bad considering everything." "Lets keep our link alive while we return our focus to our ships," said Sarah. "Agreed." ------- Chapter 168 When several of Sarah's Clan arrived at the hanger on Dóchas, they found Edana's Clan was already there. Just as they arrived Dóchas FOC announced that the Monque Spec Ops ship was on final. "This is a pleasant surprise," said Sarah. "We were on board when we heard that Kacey and Hayley were inbound with the Monque group, so we thought we would wait and surprise them." "Are you scheduled back out?" "Not really. We were planning on going out until we heard Kacey and Hayley were on their way back." "In that case, you might as well join us." "What's up?" "The Monque group wants to discuss the recent events," said Erin. "After introductions here, we were going to hold the discussion in the conference room off the bridge. On the bridge, we will finish introducing our clan as we show them the bridge then move into the adjoining conference room. We expect to discuss the bandits, their mission and Emprika's status, after that we will offer them a tour of our ship." "I thought the bandits reaction to our arrival was interesting." "Until they realized we were Órarduine, it looked like they were going to try bluff us into going away," replied Jill. "Still I think, if it had been us in that position, we would have hauled ass," said Edana, "so we could try again. However, we don't know what their constraints were or the way they respond to an attack or unwanted visitors." As Edana was speaking, the Monque Spec Ops ship entered the hanger and settled on the cradle. After a few moments a light on the hanger entry door turned green and Sarah led the group out into the hanger. They were approaching the ship when its door opened and out stepped Captain Thazoe accompanied by Kacey. They were followed by Nanria, Hayley and the rest of the crew. Captain Thazoe and Sarah exchanged salutes then shook hands. Sarah said, "Welcome aboard Dóchas. I am Sarah, one of Dóchas' Command Staff." "It is a pleasure to be here. Let me introduce my crew." With that he turned and introduced his crew members. As Sarah met each one, she in turn introduced them to Alison forming an impromptu welcoming line ensuring each member of the two groups formally met each other. When introductions were complete Sarah said, "We have a conference room set up for us. Shall we go?" "We are expecting at least one message from our command center. It really should have already arrived by know. Do you know if our ship can receive it while inside your ship?" "Star, will their ship be able to receive communications while here in the hanger bay?" "Yes. Signal strength will be greater if it relays through our receivers. The connection is on a private channel reserved for visitors. This information was given to the ships AI prior to approach." Commander Nanria said, "So then our ship can relay our messages to us while we are here?" "Definitely." "Sarah, in that case, lets go to the conference room." Sarah led the group out of the hanger toward the conference room. The Monque didn't notice Hayley and Kacey hug their spouses before their clan followed them to the conference room. Arriving on the bridge, Sarah introduced the Monque to the rest of her spouses. With each introduction they were shown another aspect of the bridge, then they went into the conference room. One side of the conference room was a window wall giving a view of the bridge. Rusty and Sally followed the group into the room. "Again welcome to Dóchas," said Sarah. "There are refreshments on the counter at the back wall. The selection includes some of our favorite snacks as well as some you are familiar with. If you would like something else, tell us and we will try to arrange it. We have operations in progress, so members of our Command Staff will be in and out. "Hayley and Kacey are members of Edana's Clan who are one of our Security Teams. Our security teams are similar to Iridien Special Ops and we think that is true of you as well." Captain Thazoe said, "Thank you for the assistance. It is extremely fortunate you arrived when you did. Our mission was to ensure that the cargo it's carrying arrived at its destination. We were to prevent any diversion at all cost." "So we understand," replied Erin. Rusty said, "The two bandit ships did not respond to our arrival like we anticipated." "From what we know of the way Durale operate, their response wasn't all that unusual," replied Nanria. "There response to learning you were Órarduine likely accounted for the irrational aspect of their actions. Did you get any information from either ship?" "We have been referring to them as DBAD1 and DBAD2. We have quite a bit more from DBAD1 which was targeting Emprika's cargo. There isn't quite as much from the slaver ship, DBAD2. Although, we did pick up the container that DBAD2 detached prior to approaching Emprika. "About the time we arrived, it looked like the DBAD2 crew was preparing to inject a gas into Emprika. At first we thought it was to put everyone to sleep. Since then we've learned that the gas was a sedative which would make everyone on Emprika very receptive to the bandits." "So DBAD1 was drawing all the attention while the other ship was preparing to gas Emprika," said Thazoe. "Do you know who was on DBAD1?" "We think that is correct. As to who they were, we are searching the remains of DBAD1 now." "You sent people in to that wreck," replied Nanria with an expression of amazement. "No. Absolutely not," responded Erin. "We sent some special robotic devices to gather the information." On hearing the comment Nanria visibly relaxed and said, "I didn't think you would but..." "We are not offended. Besides we don't really know how each other operates. Our goal is to always minimize the risk to our family." "That is the impression we had from our intelligence summaries. The summaries also indicate that your fleet operations are more coordinated than ours which is born out by your actions here. As noted earlier, the description of your Security Teams capabilities are similar to our Spec Ops groups." "Wow. Word gets around fast," said Sally. "We did some joint exercises with the Iridiens and I think both of us learned a lot." "We work very closely with the Iridiens which is not true for all members of the Alliance of Worlds. The fact you did joint exercises with them speaks volumes about their opinion of your capabilities. "What is the status of Emprika?" Sally said, "All of the non-passenger areas have been cleared. Actually the slavers had more agents in the crew than those intending to hijack the cargo. A few agents were captured but most died while resisting. The passengers and related areas are being checked now. "Unfortunately, all the members of your team on Emprika are dead. Our condolences." Nanria with tears streaming down her face said, "We suspected they were dead when we didn't hear from them. The longer it went, the more certain we were. They were killed by the Durale weren't they." "From what we were told, the condition of the remains indicates that is true." Joyce said, "There were quite a few dead in the slaver's container. We were planning on a brief funeral ceremony in a couple of days. You are welcome to join and include your dead in that ceremony." It was very quiet for some time before Captain Thazoe looked up at each of his team members before saying, "We would like to participate with you in the burial ceremony. "Will Emprika be able continue to its destination?" Claudette said, "Our engineers are on Emprika now to determine why its propulsion units shutdown. They don't believe that there is any irreversible damage as the slaver planned to use the ship. So we expect Emprika will be able to continue its voyage in a few clock cycles. It really depends on what needs to be done to bring the units back on line." They discussed the engagement with the bandits and the Monque Special Ops mission parameters. By the time they finished, they had received word that all portions of Emprika had been searched and cleared of agents. Several passengers were suspect and moved to secure isolated compartments. The remaining passengers were told they could resume normal activities. However, several of the Órarduine Security Team members thought there were more agents on the ship. Near the end of the discussion Captain Thazoe's communicator chimed. He looked at its screen for a long time before saying, "Two more Spec Ops ships will be joining us. The Iridiens are sending them and are scheduled to arrive in two days. The closest Monque groups to us are a week away. Headquarters wants us underway as soon as possible." "How are we going to identify whether there are any other agents on Emprika?" asked a Monque crew member. "There are a number of strategies but we will focus on scanning past security tapes, increased monitoring of activity, and conduct another search of Emprika, but at a slower pace. By the time Emprika is ready to leave, we should know whether our intuition was correct or not." Janet said, "We should expand our monitoring of transmissions from Emprika." "That is a good idea." "Commander," said Alena, "we have covered the items we were interested in. Is there anything else we can help you with?" Captain Thazoe looked at each of his group before saying, "We don't have any other questions at the moment. Once you provide us with the data from the Durale ship, we will try to tie it to our intelligence data. We will share with you what we find." "We look forward to seeing that. Now, would you like to see the rest of our ship?" "Most definitely," replied Captain Thazoe and Nanria with the others nodding and smiling. "We want to see if what the Iridiens say is true. Their reports indicate you have a most amazing ship." Nanria said, "I have a question I am not sure how to ask." "Just ask. We are sure of your sincerity." "Sarah, how many are there in your Command Staff?" Sarah smiled as she said, "There are 16 for this ship. We are a family that is collectively known as Sarah's Clan. Our clan is unusually large. A clan in our culture is typically 8 to 10 individuals. The clans filling the role as Command Staff on our other ships is between 10 and 12 individuals. "Hayley and Kacey are members of Edana's Clan who also happens to work as a Security Team. Many of our clans work together. "We think our clan families are somewhat unique. In a clan everyone shares all tasks and duties equally. While there isn't a single dominate individual, there are times when any one of the clan may take the dominate role for an activity. Generally, we function as a group with a multitude of strengths and skills. Does that answer your question?" "Yes. Thanks." Terry said, "If everyone is ready, lets begin the tour." It was late in the afternoon when they finished the tour. Terry stopped as they reached the corridor leading to the hangers. She said, "This completes the tour." "Thank you very much," said Nanria. "This is a very nice ship." The others with her nodded in agreement. "It exceeds what we expected to see by a wide margin." "You are welcome to join us for dinner which will be in about 2 hours." Captain Thazoe paused a couple of moments before responding with, "Thank you for the offer. We really need to return to our ship as there are some tasks that need our attention. Perhaps another time." "Certainly. We would love to have you team joins us for dinner before we go our separate ways." "We will try." Terry led the group to the hanger. They had just arrived there when the rest of Sarah's Clan joined them. Rusty said, "It was a pleasure to visit with you today. Please come back one evening for dinner and relaxation." "Yes," added Sarah, "and when you do, you are most welcome to spend the night." "Thank you," replied Captain Thazoe as he shook hands with Sarah's Clan. The other members of his crew followed his example. When he came to Hayley, she used his hand to pull him into a hug. Kacey followed her example and the two hugged all the Monque. Sarah's and Edana's Clans watched at the Monque boarded their ship. "The best time to invite them back for the evening is after the Iridiens arrive," said Aoife. "That will be a better time for all of us," replied Sally. Sarah's and Edana's Clans gave each other hugs before separating. ------- Claudette said to her spouses, "Emprika's propulsion units are now on line." "Cool," replied everyone. "Diagnostics are being run on each unit individually. The diagnostics on the control system came back clean." "Where did they get the diagnostics?" "From their system library, then reinstalled it." "Good. Only a little less than two days and we are off to J4." "We are ready," said Aoife. ------- "Command Staffs," said Clarence, "the long range sensors on Marthanóir are detecting four objects heading our way. Analysis indicates a 65% probability of them being Iridien Spec Ops ships. They are two hours out at 27 degrees off the port side and 15 degrees below the horizon of Marthanóir." Sarah said, "If they are the Iridiens, they are at least 6 hours early. Dóchas and Phoenix FOC, do a normal intercept. Have two reserves at the ready." "Aye, aye," replied both FOCs. "Four ships is consistent with the way Iridiens operate," said Rusty. "I wonder. Clarence, lets keep a close watch on our full perimeter. It wouldn't surprise me if our friends didn't try to slip up on us. Of more concern is, who else knows they are coming?" "When we detected the objects, we made some adjustments in our scanning sequence to reduce the potential for missing someone approaching. We are looking beyond the incoming objects as well." "Guess I sound a little paranoid." "A little paranoia is good for our well being." An hour later, Sabrina in Dóchas FOC said, "Command Staffs the four objects are Iridien Spec Ops ships. Our ships are returning with them. The Iridien Commander, Captain Shinchen, asked if Sarah's Clan could host a planning meeting for them with the Monque Spec Ops." "Certainly," replied Terry. "Do they want to arrive cloaked?" "I'll ask." "Once we have an ETA, we will invite Captain Thazoe and his group over." "Okay." "Briana's Clan," said Terry, "we need you to greet and host the Iridien Spec Ops teams and the Monque group. Nicola's Clan can assist." "Will do. Do you know who is coming?" "No. Not really. Captain Shinchen is leading the group. Other than that, all we know is that there are four Iridien Spec Ops ships." "Okay," said Charlotte. "We've heard of Captain Shinchen but we don't think we've met him. We'll get with Nicola's Clan and organize things." "We should invite them to join us for dinner and spend the night. It may be sometime before they can relax again." "Will do." ------- Briana and Nicola's Clans led the Iridien and Monque visitors to the conference room. Nicola made sure they were familiar with how the facilities operated. Once that was complete Nicola said, "We will be off so you can get on with your planning," as both Órarduine clans prepared to leave. "When you are done, just ask Star to have us return." Captain Shinchen said, "You are welcome to stay. In fact, if it doesn't create issues for your ship, we would prefer that you stay. From our past experiences working with you, you are a welcome addition to our planning session." Nicola looked at Briana then said, "We can do that." "We can wait a moment if you need to make arrangements." "They are already made." "You guys do that all the time." "What?" "Do the impossible in less time than it takes to tell. It's like you all know what each other is thinking or doing." "We do," said Briana's Clan in unison while Nicola's Clan just nodded. The exchange led to puzzled looks on the faces of the Monque and several of the Iridiens. Adam said, "Many of the Iridiens are beginning to believe that we are telepathic." "The Monque will realize we are telepathic once they have time to think about it," said Charlotte of Briana's Clan. "Sure we indicated it when we put our people on their ship, but there was a battle going on, so from their expressions I don't think the capability registered. Besides it isn't something many of them have experienced." "Agreed," replied several of both clans. Monque Captains Thazoe and Nanria reviewed the events from the start of Emprika's voyage to the Iridiens being asked to assist. Included in this was a summary of their meeting with the Órarduine on Dóchas after the engagement with the Durale. The Iridiens agreed that the actions by the Durale in response the Órarduine arrival were irrational at best. They offered a couple of possible reasons why the Durale responded the way they did. One was that, even though these two Durale groups were primarily bandits or pirates, they were working to support the Durale rebellion against the Dutsuz. The Iridiens felt the response by the Durale was almost certainly due to being instructed that taking Emprika's cargo was an absolute must. The bandits apparently believed that they were close to succeeding when they learned of the pending arrival of the Órarduine. Their frustration was compounded when they learned it was the Órarduine, the very ones they held responsible for the total loss of two Durale ships in Sol system. The disruption of their nearly successful plan by the Órarduine pushed them into making an irrational response. In addition, the Iridiens thought the Durale's irrational response was unusual but not unheard of. With the review of recent events behind them, they began planning: How they would escort Emprika to its destination. Communicate with each other so an observer would not detect all the escorts. How they would respond if attacked. Both groups agreed to not include any plan details when they sent copies to their operations centers. While pushing the boundaries of what they were required to do, they felt this situation was an exception for two reasons. This would avoid the potential for there being Durale agents in their operations centers and the operations centers really didn't need to know the details. They agreed to say that the Órarduine had sat in on the planning so there was an outside unbiased view of the plans. The planning session lasted until just before dinner. ------- Captain Moranshu of Emprika called Dóchas late in the afternoon on Órarduine's third clock cycle at J3. "Dóchas Command Staff, we have scheduled our departure for 1000 hours tomorrow." Joyce replied, "We wish you pleasant voyage. We will be departing shortly after that." "Thanks to your people, we are sure that it will be. We are all very grateful that you arrived when you did." "We should thank the Gods and Goddesses." "Absolutely." After the connection with Emprika closed, Terry said, "They probably already know it but I'll advise Briana of Emprika's departure time as she is with the Spec Ops groups right now." "Are they joining us for diner and spending the night?" asked Alison after Terry contacted Briana. "Yes. From what Briana said the Iridiens are very anxious to hear our songs and music again. She thinks a large part of it is a chance to really relax before their departure." ------- That evening on Dóchas was a festive occasion. The Iridien and Monque crews joined them for dinner and would stay overnight. Much of the discussion at dinner focused on the strategies different worlds use to protect their interests or increase their domain. The children, while not participating in the discussion, followed it very closely. When dinner was finished several Órarduine singing and instrumental groups provided the evenings entertainment. Those entertaining included some groups from the other ships. It wasn't at all unusual for the musical groups to travel between ships to participate in an evenings entertainment. Tonight though was special because they would get to relax with their Iridien friends. Several vocal groups surprised the Monque and Iridiens by singing several songs in their native language. As the groups sang these songs, they would sing one verse in Monque or Iridien then repeat it with their Celtic phrasing. After several songs the vocal groups began alternating with the instrumental groups. It wasn't long until several Órarduine began step dancing to the music. When the more adroit dancers began a step dance, the other dancers stopped, moving back to give them room, as everyone watched their quick precise steps. As the evening progressed, the Órarduine encouraged their friends to join them dancing. At first their friends were reluctant as they weren't familiar with the steps. When Briana noticed that Nanria appeared inclined to join in dancing by the way she watched the dancers and mimed the dancers movements. Several motioned for her to join them but each time someone asked her join in, she declined after glancing at Captain Thazoe. Sensing Thazoe's reluctance, when the next pause started Briana went over to the two of them and said, "Come on, its easy," as she took their hands pulling them toward a corner. Thazoe looked at Briana like he wanted to say no but she just led them off to the side of the dance floor. Standing between the two she showed them the dance step sequence. They had been practicing just a few minutes when Nicola joined them. Seeing what Briana and Nicola were doing during the short break, more Órarduine began offering to show their guests the dance step sequences. They soon had everyone trying out the dance steps even some Órarduine who usually just listened to the music. Seeing the interest in learning to dance, the musicians began short teaching sessions with each song. They would first play at a slow tempo, then increase the tempo the second time through and then play normally the last time through. The singers and musicians were careful to switch between dance tunes and listening songs. Other times the more proficient dancers would be the only ones dancing. This gave those dancing an opportunity to catch their breath between dances or to practice steps they had missed. It was late in the evening when several of Sarah's Clan stepped up by the band as a song drew to a close. Together they said, "We are all having a wonderful time, but we thought we should remind you that it is perhaps time to turn in. Tomorrow will be a busy day for all of us. We aren't saying this needs to end, but we are saying good night. We hope our guests have enjoyed the evening. See you all at breakfast." Captain Shinchen said, "Thank you one and all. This has been a most enjoyable evening. Thank you for providing the opportunity to relax and have fun. Iridiens as, much as I hate to say it, we need the rest." Captain Thazoe said, "Órarduine, thank you for a wonderful relaxing evening." With that the Órarduine began giving their guests hugs as they prepared to leave for their suites. Each was invited several times to visit Celia system. It was late in the evening when Sarah's Clan walked back to their suite. Sarah said, "Tomorrow will be a busy day with Emprika and her escorts departing at 1000 and us at 1400 hours." "The exploration probes we left at J1 are expected to arrive at about 1100 hours tomorrow," said Sally. "We should leave exploration probes here as well," added Erin, "with them set to meet us at J4." "So you think the activity here attracted some interest." "Yes. I believe the departure preparations call for us leaving two here for a week." "Good. It will be interesting to see what the two we left at J1 saw after our departure." After Sarah's Clan freshened up and were getting into bed, Sarah said, "Once we are on our way to J4, lets make time for some extended cuddling." "Unless, we get Amy's Clan to take the bridge, only a few of us could go at a time," said Jill. "I wasn't objecting, just reminding everyone." "We should have plenty of time for cuddling," said Aoife. Many of her spouses looked at her with a puzzled expression, while Tara, Erin and Rusty had a slight smile. "Remember, we had planned on rotating with Amy and Briana's Clans to cover the bridge once we are in FTL mode." "Well I guess that makes cuddling easier," replied Sarah. "I'm surprised I didn't remember that." "Good thing we made the change, because when the cuddling becomes intense," said Maeve, "and some of us are not directly involved, we need to be extra cautious at whatever we're doing." "You could reduce the intensity by filtering your link with us," said Jill. "What? And miss out? You have to be kidding. Being extra cautious, seems to be much more enjoyable solution. Besides I never intend to reduce the strength of my link with any of you. I think it would give me an empty feeling." "I'm with you Maeve," said Alena. She paused then added, "I love all of you so much." "We love you as much," replied her spouses. Once they were situated in bed, they were much closer to each other than usual. It didn't take long for them to drift off to sleep. ------- It was 0540 when Briana pressed the button next to the door of the Iridien Commanders suite. Several minutes later the door was opened by an Iridien who looked like he had just come from the shower. "We are running a little late. Please come in." "You aren't running late," said Adam. "We are a bit early." "I have a couple of things to do yet. We should all be out in a few minutes." It was a few moments later when Captain Shinchen came into the compartment saying, "Good morning." "Good morning," replied Briana's Clan. "It has taken us a little longer than we expected this morning but we should be ready in a few minutes. We plan on stowing our gear in our ships before breakfast as that will simplify our departure." "Okay," said Adam. "We came a little early so we could give you access information for the items we added to Emprika's security monitors. As we noted yesterday, some of their security monitors had been tampered with. We asked the Captain for permission to make some improvements to their security monitors to minimize any tampering going undetected. In doing that we took the opportunity to add a few additional ones." "Is he aware of this?" "Yes and no. We indicated the potential for remote access with the improved monitors but we don't think he realized the full implications. The new monitors are accessible from Emprika's main console but are on a hidden page. They are configured so you can disable the remote access in either mode of access. To restore remote access you have to be physically at Emprika's main console." "Thanks. After our meeting today with Captain Marika, we would prefer not to board the ship again until we reach the destination." While they had been talking, the other members of his team had come into the sitting area with their gear. Seeing everyone was ready Captain Shinchen said, "Everyone is here. Are the other teams ready?" "Yes, sir." "Lets do it." Briana's Clan led the group out of the suite. As they passed the next suite where Iridiens were staying, a team member tapped on the door. It immediately opened and another team joined them. After that as they passed each of their suites, another team came out to join them. The last group to join them was the Monque team. "Briana," said Captain Thazoe, "we think it would be best if we dropped off our gear at our ship." "That is where we are headed. Once all of you are ready, we will head for breakfast. What time did you plan to depart?" "By 0730 at the latest." "The same for us," added Captain Shinchen. "I have a meeting with Captain Marika on Emprika at 0800." "Okay. We'll make sure the serving lines are available." After breakfast Sarah's and Briana's Clans walked with their guests back to their waiting ships. Once everyone had exchanged goodbyes Captain Shinchen said, "Thank you for your hospitality. We look forward to being with you again." With that the Iridiens bowed to their hosts. "Especially if we can have some more dance lessons." His comment resulted in many Iridiens nodding yes and the Órarduine chuckling. "That can be arranged," replied Briana. "We agree," said Captain Thazoe of the Monque. "Again, we thank you for coming to Emprika's aid and dealing with the bandits. Based on a message received this morning, our government will be in touch with you as they want to send a delegation to meet with you after you arrive in Celia system." With that the Monque team bowed to their hosts. Sarah's Clan said in unison, "We are pleased that you enjoyed your stay with us. As to Emprika, we are glad it worked out the way it did. Please visit us in Celia system." Captain Shinchen and Thazoe saluted the Órarduine before proceeding to their ships. Sarah's and Briana's Clan watched and listened to their dialog with Dóchas FOC as the Monque and Iridien ships prepared to depart. When the ships made their departure request, Sabrina in Dóchas FOC said, "We are now 10 km from Emprika. We are in the same plane with them lying 60 degrees off our port side. Your departure direction is to our starboard side. Please enable our identifier code for your ships before departing. Departure window will open in 5. Have a good day." Each of the five ships acknowledged the instructions in turn. When the departure light turned yellow the ships lifted up off their cradle then moved toward the door. As soon as the light turned green, the ships left Dóchas one by one with the Monque ship departing at the same time as the Iridien Commander's ship. With their guests gone, the two clans headed toward their duty stations. "Briana. Adam," said Sally, "did you tell Captain Shinchen about the latest Intel regarding some of the passengers on Emprika?" "We didn't have a chance. Creidne told us she would make sure the Captain knows." "Good. This whole thing with the Monque and Durale bothers me. It's like we are missing some pieces." "Once we depart for J4, we should examine that topic a bit more closely," said Tara. "We'll see you later," said Briana's Clan. "We are due to work in FCC today." "FCC?" "Yes. It is one of the sections we rotate through when we are not honing our team skills. Our taking a place in the rotation, gives the regular groups a chance to relax or study. We're scheduled to be on the bridge tomorrow morning." On reaching the bridge Sarah's Clan said, "Good morning, Star." "And a good morning to all of you. Our status is well within norms. Some sections have started departure checklists." Sally said, "Good. Is there an update on the probes arrival?" "Current estimates show them arriving at 1155. A cruiser is assigned to meet each of them. "Joyce, Navigation has plotted a new course to J4 with a revised departure time of 1344 hours. They are waiting for your concurrence." "They advised us earlier that they had some concerns with our original path. I'll check it out now and get back to them." A short while later Joyce said, "Guys, Navigation wants us to make the trip to J4 in two segments. They are proposing we travel for five clock cycles at FTL 4, then return to normal space to change orientation, then head for J4. Our total travel time will be a little less than originally planned." "Why the change?" "It is basically due to changing our starting position. If we go to J4 as originally planned, our path is very near a very young star then through some significant debris fields. Doing the two jumps to J4 allows us to miss it all. I want to go over the proposal again but I suspect it is fine." "Okay." The Órarduine Command Staffs watched their monitors as Emprika and its escorts prepared to depart. The four Iridien Spec Ops ships took up positions around Emprika toward her stern. The Monque Spec Ops ship took a position above and behind Emprika. Two of the Iridien ships were cloaked as was the Monque ship. With all the ships in position, Emprika's Captain began their departure sequence with each accompanying ship keying off of his actions. The monitors on the bridges of Destiny Group would track the Emprika group until the Órarduine departed. It was nearly 1130 when Tara said, "Iarracht's IBM04 and Eagle's EBM01 cruisers are in position to begin the probe retrieval sequence. They have confirmed that the probes are on the programmed flight path. They will drop from FTL in 10." "That will put them further from us than we had initially planned," said Joyce. "The cruisers are beginning their pickup run. Pickup set for 1155." As Tara finished her comment, the bridge monitor switched to showing the data from the two cruisers. "IBM04 Commander is aborting pickup. Initiating procedure to recover reconnaissance, guidance system and data modules. "EBM01 Commander is aborting pickup. Initiating procedure to recover reconnaissance, guidance system and data modules." "What will this do to our departure time?" said Sarah. Tara said, "It shouldn't affect it. They can return in less than 42 minutes and be ready for departure in 48. So that gives them about 50 minutes to work with, this procedure should take only 32." "Okay. Command Staffs, lets begin moving to departure formation at 1310." "Aye, aye." ------- As IBM04 approached its assigned probe, it sent a command to put the probes into pickup mode. The probe acknowledged asking for an authorization code. IBM04 sent the code and received a warning that an attempt had been made to access it both physically and electronically. EBM01 encountered the same thing with its assigned probe. The crews on IBM04 and EBM01 advised Destiny Group that they were aborting pickup and implementing the data recovery procedure. Once a cruiser was along side its assigned probe, its docking arm grasped the probe pulling it toward the cruiser. Built into the mechanism grasping the probe was a communication link. With the communication link established, the cruiser took command of the probe. With the probe firmly linked to the cruiser, crew members wearing environmental suits went EVA to replace the data modules. As the crew removed the data modules, they were checked for being opened. The crew did see marks around some exterior access panels indicating someone had attempted to gain entry. While the data modules were being replaced, each cruiser loaded a new itinerary to the probe's AI. The new itinerary would send it away from the path of Destiny Group but with a destination within a reasonable distance of Celia system so that it could be retrieved. The program had the probe wait for retrieval at its destination. The longest task was replacing the data modules. Once the modules were replaced, the docking arm moved the probe out away from the cruiser. Before releasing the probe, the cruiser AI initiated the probes departure sequence. With the probe released, the docking arm was retracted as the cruiser moved away from the probe. After the cruisers confirmed their status with each other, they initiated their return to Destiny Group. ------- At 12:21 the monitors showed the Órarduine Badb cruisers slowly moving away from the probes. "FOC says the cruisers are on there way back. Their ETA is 1316." "It will be interesting to learn why they chose to abort the recovery." "Okay lets get back to our departure sequence." From that point on the Órarduine departure from J3 went like clock work. EBM01 and IBM04 returned to their home ship shortly before the Star Fighters began returning in preparation for departure. At precisely, 1344 hours the Destiny group began accelerating to FTL 4. The departure from J3 went just as smoothly as it had from J2. It was promptly at 1800 hours when Amy's Clan came on to Dóchas bridge. Amy said, "Are you guys ready for a break?" "You mean its that time already," replied several. "Yep. Time flies when you are having fun. Briana's Clan will relieve us at 0200." "It will be nice to relax for a bit," said Jill. "Even though our departure went smoothly, it was still a long busy day." "Any issues?" "No major issues. There are several maintenance items being addressed." "Okay." "The bridge is in your hands," said Sarah's Clan. "We are going to dinner. See you tomorrow." "Have a good evening." ------- Chapter 169 Destiny Group was eleven clock cycles from J3 and six clock cycles into the second leg of their voyage to J4. Sarah's Clan had just finished their morning meeting and were walking back to their suite. "You know I wasn't too keen about working rotating 12 hour shifts so a team would have an open schedule for two clock cycles," said Sally. "We noticed," replied several of her spouses. "Well, part of that was the six day cycle doesn't fit well into our 10 day week. Now, I am ready to admit I was wrong. From the response by our crew and family, it has worked very well. Perhaps that is because we treat them as unscheduled days rather than days off. It really changes the concept." "It has certainly given us an opportunity to spend more time with our children and in the learning centers," replied Janet. "We do need to spend more time working on our martial arts skills," said Sally. "What do you think of practicing this afternoon?" "We could do that," replied Alena. "This morning I have something else in mind if I can interest some of you." She finished her sentence just as they entered their suite. "Good the children are not here." With that she turned to pull Aoife into a hug and gave her a passionate kiss. As the kiss went on, Tara and Maeve began to caress Aoife and Alena. "So what do you have in mind?" "Simply to lay with any of you and relax. If we cuddle, fine. If we physically express our love for each other, fine." "So you want to have a long slow intense love fest?" "Yes. That is an excellent way to express it. I really wouldn't mind just relaxing together all day. We can do our martial arts stuff tomorrow." Rusty, Sarah, Alison and Erin winked at each other then working together telekinetically, they picked up Alena and Aoife. "What are you doing?" screamed Alena as Aoife laughed. "Just taking you to where it is more comfortable to cuddle and play," said Erin. While they were talking, Rusty, Sarah, Alison and Erin moved Alena and Aoife so they were floating over their bed, then slowly lowered them. "Don't you think this is more comfortable than the sitting room couch or the floor?" said Sarah as she and her other spouses joined Aoife and Alena on the bed. "How did you move us?" said Alena. "We used telekinesis. Earlier Sally was reminding us that we need to practice our martial arts skills, but we also need to exercise our psionic abilities, so we did." "I wasn't thinking of those ... but you are right. We do need to practice, especially those we don't use very often. You know, I never would have thought of using them in that way. Actually, even if I really needed them I may not have thought of using them." "I think you're being a bit pessimistic," replied Erin. "Oh ... that feels good," said Alena responding to Aoife's and Maeve's caresses and kisses ending the discussion. Jill joined in lightly caressing Alena's legs with her fingers. Reclining on the bed, they lightly caressed each other with their fingers or lips. Through their mind link they could feel the sensations they gave each other with their caresses, whether it was a kiss or a light touch. These shared sensations added to the affection they felt for each other. They physically shared their love in some manner virtually everyday. It had been a some time since they were all able to just relax and enjoy each others company. As time progressed the groups shifted around, moving the focus of their caressing to others in their group. The group around Alena was a little different in that Alena stayed the primary focus of the caressing. Jill shifted her caresses toward Alena's cunt. Bending over she licked and sucked on Alena's labia. She then began exploring the trough between the labia with her long tongue. Each pass through the trough between Alena's labia ended with her tongue caressing her clit. When Jill's tongue stud touched Alena's clit, her legs would tighten around Jill's head. Through her mind-link with Alena, Jill knew where to place her caresses to slowly build Alena's arousal. Terry's long moan broke the quietness of their bedroom as she began climbing to her crest. Sensing the approaching crest, Claudette lightened her caresses. Janet reached over to a nearby cabinet and pulled out a harness with a dildo attached. Attached to the harness was a dildo which was the spitting image of Rusty's cock. Janet slipped the harness over her hips with practiced ease then slid the dildo's base deep into her cunt before latching the harness in place. While Janet was putting on the dildo harness, Claudette and Terry continued caressing each others labia and clit with their tongues. Periodically they would pause in their caressing to swallow the cream each had collected. When Claudette saw Janet was ready, she eased Terry's legs further apart, separating the large swollen lips of her labia. Terry's vaginal opening took on the appearance of a flower with the labia minora forming the petals with her cream pooled at the entrance to her vaginal sheath. Claudette quickly lowered her head, to suck up the pool of cream. Feeling Janet move between Terry's legs, Claudette rose up, taking hold of the dildo. Claudette moved the head of the dildo back and forth between Terry's wet labia several times before placing it a the opening to Terry's sheath. Janet moved forward sliding the dildo through the entrance of Terry's sheath. When Terry felt the dildo spread the mouth of her cunt, she raised her hips toward Janet, driving the dildo further into her. As she did this, Claudette shifted, pressing her labia against Terry's face. With Janet in front of her, Claudette leaned forward so she could caress and suck on Janet's nipples. Terry crossed her ankles behind Janet, pulling her tighter and increasing their stimulation. Claudette's wet swollen labia covered Terry's mouth but left a little breathing room. As Janet fucked her, Terry caressed the inside of Claudette's labia with her long tongue before pressing it through the entrance to her sheath. Terry then caressed the inside of Claudette's sheath with her tongue pausing periodically to swallow the cream flowing from Claudette's cunt. Their stimulation of each other was moving them toward their crest. Aoife and Jill continued their focus on Alena causing her to moan as a she reached a mini crest. Alena's hands moved to grip Jill's head, pulling Jill's mouth tight against her cunt lips. Aoife said, "Rusty can you join us." "Just me?" "All of you is fine." Rusty, Sarah and Joyce moved over by Alena. Feeling Rusty approaching, Aoife eased Alena's grip on Jill's head. Feeling Alena's hands release her head and sensing Rusty's movement, Jill shifted, moving out of Rusty's way while continuing to caress Alena's cunt. Smelling Rusty's cum soaked cock Jill said, "Ready?" "Yes." With that Jill moved to take Alena's clit between her lips, as Rusty's cock head slid between Alena's wet swollen labia. Rusty slid his cock back and forth between Alena's large labia minora causing her to moan and flex her hips up as it passed her opening. She contracted her labia around the head of his cock trying to direct it toward the entrance of her sheath. After the first pass, the contractions of her labia minora made it difficult for him to move his cock head away from the opening to her sheath. Rusty pushed the head of his cock through the entrance to her sheath and just held it there. Alena's labia minora shifted their contractions to pull on his cock in an effort to pull it further inside. The tugs were more like caresses to Rusty as her wet labia slipped rather than gripped his cock. Alena linked her ankles behind Rusty's back then flexed her legs pulling Rusty to her. She moaned as his cock slid further into her. While Rusty's cock was teasing Alena, Jill kissed her way up Alena's body until she captured a nipple with her mouth. Next to her, Sarah licked and nibbled on Alena's other nipple. Joyce leaned over and kissed Jill's cheek while caressing her back. When Jill turned to kiss Joyce's lips, Joyce pulled Jill toward her. After a passionate kiss, Joyce began licking the cunt cream off Jill's face. Jill and Joyce intensified their caressing and kissing. They were soon laying alongside Alena with their heads between each others legs licking each others cunt. While Jill and Joyce were caressing and kissing, Rusty began making long slow thrusts into Alena's cunt. He could tell that she was close to cuming. When Jill shifted her attention to Joyce, Sarah moved so she could alternate between licking Alena's clit and caressing her nipples with her tongue and fingers. When Sarah and Rusty had joined Alena, Aoife and Maeve shifted from caressing Alena to caressing each other. They kissed and took turns licking the girl cream off each others faces as they ran their fingers between the wet swollen lips of each others labia occasionally sliding their fingers through the opening into the sheath. As their arousal grew, they shifted so they could suck on each others nipples. Maeve pushed Aoife onto her back and began to kiss and lick her way down Aoife's body. Each time Maeve paused to kiss or caress Aoife, the caress was returned by Maeve. They were soon caressing each others labia and clit with their tongues, periodically shifting so they could push their long tongues into the others sheath. When their tongue caressed the inside of the sheath's entrance, the intensity of their arousal grew. Each was intensely aware of the caresses and kisses they exchanged through contact with their partner. They could sense the effect of their caresses and kisses on their partner's pleasure through their mind link. Added to their pleasure and growing arousal was the interaction they sensed between the other groups of spouses. Many began to feel mini-orgasms as their arousal rose, each succeeding mini-orgasms added to the intensity of the next. Sensing their approaching crest, Rusty increased the frequency of his thrusts, making sure that he pressed on Alena's clit each time his cock was fully in her. The warmth of his cock and squeezing of her clit added to Alena's arousal. Her cunt sheath began rippling with mini-orgasms. These increased in intensity each time he pressed on her clit. Increasing his rhythm, it took only a few more strokes before a tidal wave of Alena's crest washed over her. Her body arched then stiffened as she clamped down on Rusty's cock trapping him deep inside her. Alena's sheath rippled with contractions. She was gasping for breath. Alena's arched body then went limp as her dropped back to the bed, pulling Rusty with her as her cunt continued to tightly hold onto his cock. With the shared intensity of Alena's orgasm, all the women orgasmed multiple times. Feeling the intensity of his spouses orgasms kept Rusty's cock fully erect and pulsing in time with his heart beat inside Alena's still quivering cunt sheath. After a few moments, Sarah knelt near Rusty and kissed him, while one hand was holding her labia closed to keep her girl cream from seeping out. Seeing what she was doing Rusty said, "Lay back so I can lick up your cream." Sarah moved so Rusty could lean over. Sarah had several more small orgasms as Rusty licked up her cream. With each caress, there was a little more cream to clean up. Alena was still out when Rusty finished licking the cream from Sarah's cunt, so he gathered Alena in his arms then rolled to move Alena on top of him. His movement was the most any of them had done for some time. Looking at Sarah, Rusty said, "You are always so tasty." "Thank you," said Sarah as she moved along side of him and Alena then gave him a kiss. "Wow," said Alena when she finally woke up. "How did I get here? You're still hard." "Well after you passed out, I rolled us over so you could lay on top of me. I am still hard for two reasons. All of the orgasms I felt from my spouses and until you woke up you had a death grip on my cock." "Death grip?" "Well maybe not that tight, but you were holding it tight. Almost like you didn't want to let it go." "Well of course, it feels wonderful. It gives me a very warm full sensation." "Yes, we know," replied several spouses. Joyce added, "And you'd better treat it nicely." "Oh. I will. I want to use it again, perhaps to make some babies." "I think all of us would like to have another pair of babies," said Sarah. "It seems to me that we should wait until things are a bit settled in Celia system. This time we need to be careful with timing our pregnancies." "If we space out our pregnancies then we probably won't need assistance from Karen and the other nannies," said Erin. "Although, it wouldn't surprise me, if they just move in with our family again. They do love being closely involved with our family." "I have no problem with them joining us again," said Sarah. "However, this time I would like to spend more time with our babies." "Agreed," replied everyone. "Well, when I think back to the time our children were born and since then, I feel that we did spend a lot of time with them. We were blessed in finding Karen and the other nannies to help us as they made it much easier for us to fulfill our other responsibilities." "I agree," replied Erin. "Once, we decide to have more children," said Alena, "Karen and the other nannies should be some of the first ones to know." "Oh, when you become pregnant, you won't need to say a word. They will know as soon as they see you," replied Alison. "If we are going to lunch we need to hurry and freshen up," said Jill. "Let's do that then come back here," said Joyce. "On our next unscheduled segment, why don't we go visit Siobhan's Clan?" "Good idea, if their schedule matches ours." "I'll check and see. Perhaps, between our families we can make it fit." "That shouldn't be a problem," said Rusty. "In five clock cycles all the Command Staffs are to gather on Phoenix. This is for the briefing regarding the data from the exploration probes we left at J1." Terry added, "In the last summary I read, they were still combing the library for more information on the Lonstradaze." ------- When Sarah's Clan exited their shuttle in Phoenix, they were surprised to see Tiff and Eileen waiting for them. "This is a surprise," said Joyce as the they greeted each other with hugs. "We thought, we could help you bring your stuff to our suite before we went to the conference room," replied Eileen. "Stuff? Were we suppose to bring something?" Jill's comment resulted in both Tiff and Eileen immediately frowning. It was only minutes before Sarah's Clan began to chuckle. Erin said, "Yes, I brought my harp. We also brought a few other instruments as well." "You guys..." replied Tiff and Eileen. "We should have known you were kidding. Jill looked so serious when she responded." "Well if you had used a different word, it would have been more difficult to do so." Erin and several others went back into the shuttle to get their instruments. When Erin came back out she said, "Okay, we've got our 'stuff'." Tiff and Eileen stuck their tongues out at Erin as the others chuckled. A short time later they entered the conference room. They had just finished greeting the others in Siobhan's Clan when Kathryn's Clan arrived. As they were greeting each other, Maureen's, Keriann's, Molly's and Jackie's Clans arrived and joined in greeting each other. Jackie said, "We've missed being with all of you. It would be nice if we could all be together more frequently." "I agree," replied Maureen. "Even though we share many conversations everyday, it doesn't replace being together." "Well," added Kathryn, "there are a couple of options we haven't tried. We could make a short visit after our watch ends as it really doesn't take long to travel between ships." "We've tried that with Jackie's Clan," said Molly. "We've also tried half of us going to their ship and half of them joining us on our ship. Both work but nothing beats all of us being together in the same location." When Rusty saw a few moving to take places in the conference room he said, "If everyone is ready, we should get started as it may take us quite a while to finish our agenda." "I noticed that it was pretty long," responded Keriann. "Amy's Clan is going to join us through our mind-link and on video." "We're here," said Amy's Clan. "We agree with your comments regarding being together. A big benefit of all the clans getting together is that your closeness with each other will grow. This helps strengthen our inter clan links. Interestingly, we feel closer to you now than when we are each at different locations." "Now that you mention it, we feel closer to your clan in these circumstances, than when we are at separate locations," said Judy of Sarah's Clan. "Could this be due to so many of us being together at one location?" "That makes sense," replied Connie. Rusty said, "Our first topic is the probe data obtained at J1. We've all seen the video record of events. From my perspective our Intelligence groups did an excellent analysis of the probes data. Before we begin our discussion on how to respond to the Lonstradaze lets review key portions of the video beginning with the arrival of the two Lonstradaze ships at J1. Is everyone in agreement with this approach?" "I find the video record very fascinating," said Molly. "I'm all for watching it again, as each time I've watched it, I've noticed something else." "We agree," replied the group. "Each Intelligence group has made a similar comment," said Conan of Siobhan's Clan. The video from the two probes were shown side by side on the wall size screens. It began with the flash explosion that they set to occur 12 hours after Destiny Group departed J1. The video then skipped to two clock cycles after the explosion to show the arrival of two large ships. Both ships were considerably larger than an Órarduine Badb cruiser. On the sides of each ship was a large emblem resembling the profiles of three heads with a relatively long jaw line. The Órarduine had decided to refer to them as the "Three Lions" as the heads resembled a cat more than a wolf. The video continued showing portions of the search done by the Three Lions ships around J1. It showed the discovery of their two probes and them noting the small Órarduine emblems on the probes. The distance between the probes made it difficult to see much detail of the activity around the other probe so only a brief portion was shown. The Intelligence report detailed their efforts in attempting to access the probes by evaluating the probes intrusion sensor data. The next video segment showed the Lonstradaze on the bridge of their ship as three of them began a presentation in standard language with, "Greetings Órarduine. You are likely surprised that we know who you are. This is primarily due to your emblem on the two probes we found here and a recent update received from the Iridiens. We have a friendly relationship with them as well as some joint activities. Our World also has a friendly relationship with some members in Alliance of Worlds. We are known as Lonstradaze. "Hopefully our attempts to access your probes didn't result in any damage. We halted those attempts as soon as we learned the probes were yours and your relationship with Iridiens. "This stop was not on our original itinerary. We added it after our sensors detected activity in this area. The activity tweaked our interest as this area was thought to be uninhabited. Satisfying our curiosity required only a small deviation from our path, so we chose to investigate. The flash of light prior to our arrival added to our interest. We suspect the flash was something in the debris. If the flash was an explosion, it wasn't very substantial as it doesn't appear to have dispersed the debris. "According to the Iridiens, you are using three salvaged freighters whose previous history is unknown to both you, the Iridiens and the Dutsuz who initially found them. The emission spectra we measured for them, matches a group freighters who have given their operators nightmares as they seem to attract thieves. However, the builders of these freighters are well known for their space ships quality and reliability. This problem has only been associated with a small number of their space ships. "Anyway, after learning all of this, we looked back over our sensor data from around the time you departed. It appears you have made some significant changes to the freighters as their emissions were drastically different. Now the emission spectra differs in all the bands and was at a much lower intensity. Our security staff doesn't think anyone will be able to recognize them. Beware that we are not sure whether the thieves use the emission spectra or something else to track this group of freighters. "Based on the information the Iridiens provided us, you are on your way to settle a new planet. Their information did not include a location. We would like to meet you. So once you have established yourselves, please contact us. We have marked the location of our home planet on the star map now showing. As we draw back, you can see the relationship between it and this location. We included this star map in the data stream along with the details on how to contact both this group and our home planet. On the off chance you do not see this video, we will also ask the Iridiens to relay our interest in visiting you. "Now my two assistants will take turns giving you some back ground on us." The video continued as the two assistants described their people, home planet and its solar system. When their presentation finished, the first speaker repeated their interest in visiting the Órarduine once they were settled in their new world. When the video finished, it was quiet for a few moments before Kendra of Siobhan's Clan said, "Before coming to this family I always heard that humans are the only intelligent life in the universe. Now, I wonder if those in the Flat Earth Society came up with that concept as well." Many chuckled. "If I haven't overlooked anyone, we are aware of at least 15 biped species exhibiting intelligence in both activity and by their advanced technology. There are other species as we don't really know how many are under the control of the Imperial Council. And yes I am probably using the word species incorrectly." "We are digressing a bit," said Betsy of Amy's Clan. "Kendra the way you are using the word 'species' is acceptable as a concept for categorizing the differences we see in the different groups of people. Some groups we have met may truly be different species but we don't know enough to make that statement. Based on the information we gained from the Iridiens, we see only one world now composed of multiple races or breeds which is the Dutsuz World. The history of the other worlds indicates that they were apparently composed of multiple breeds in the past. In their current history, there is no indication of multiple breeds. We think this is because overtime they have blended together to become one breed. "To us race and breed are equivalent terms. You can also add subspecies to the group of terms. We know humans of Earth use race to distinguish between groups of humans but use breed when distinguishing between groups of animals within a species. Given time and the right circumstances a breed can become a distinct species. What we do know is that both Órarduine and Connemare are biologically compatible with the Iridiens, Monque and Atewa groups. This implies that each of us are subspecies of a common species. We don't have enough information about the other members in Alliance of Worlds to make a comparison. "Probably only a few of you have looked at how species are organized in our database. Our data base organization is more flexible than that used on Earth. There is nothing wrong with their organization but once they reach out to other worlds they will find that it has limitations. "Sorry for getting carried away with my response." "Not a problem. So you're saying we could reproduce with those three groups of people," said Brittany of Kathryn's Clan. "Yes. We are sexually compatible. We are not sure of a child's appearance, their abilities or traits." Chester said, "Rusty, I suspect this is not the direction you wanted this discussion to go." "Well ... It's not what we had in mind when we set up the agenda. "Betsy's comments on species raise a question that I thought we had answered several years ago. Are we a different species than the humans on Earth?" "In the way we define species, the short answer is almost. By Earth's methodology, they would likely classify us as a different species. However since we are reproductively compatible being classified as a subspecies would be more correct for their system. If an Órarduine mated with an Earth human, the child would be an Órarduine but with a stronger human genetic component and traits. How that would play out as the child matures or succeeding generations is unknown. We are fairly certain that Órarduine characteristics and traits would be dominate." "Okay, this is a very interesting discussion but lets get back to the agenda topic. Chester, I thought you had a comment." "Yes. When the Lonstradaze scanned J1 on their approach, it appears that they didn't detect our probes. Does this mean when our probes and possibly our ships are in passive status others can't detect them?" "For the probes, I think hard to detect is a better characterization," replied Allan of Molly's Clan. "Remember both probes were detected when their searchers observed them against the background of their ships. In these cases the probes were silhouetted against the bright background created by their ships operations. It's interesting that both probes were seen but initially only one searcher investigated." "We agree," said Kelly of Keriann's Clan. "Our probes have nearly a zero emissivity when in monitor mode. With respect to the visual spectrum even with some activity, they are virtually indistinguishable from the background of space unless, as the Lonstradaze found, you happen see them in front of a radiant source. Our Star Fighters have very similar characteristics when in silent mode. "We think Rusty's thoughts are similar to ours. How can we minimize overlooking someone monitoring our activities?" "Well that is part of it," said Rusty. "So far, we think we have done well in evaluating our surroundings at each location. The Lonstradaze did not seem surprised to find our probes monitoring the area but I think we would be. An area of more concern is their comments about the emission spectrum from the freighters. How did we change it? Is the change sufficient?" "We should have freighter emissions scans from when we were in Sol system," said Keriann. "Considering the practice and equipment evaluations, I would be very surprised if we don't have loads of data." "Good point," added Maureen. "We should also have some scan data for the freighters from when we were scanning the debris at J2." Ron of Jackie's Clan said, "As to how we changed it, we suspect it lies in two key changes to the freighters. The communication cables were changed from wire to fiber optic. Even when shielded wire is a significant emitter, so removing it would reduce emissions. Then there are those unknown boxes we removed from the wire chases. Although not specifically investigated, many believe they were some sort of transmitter and possibly a receiver." Molly of Molly's Clan added, "If Keriann and Maureen are correct about having scan data of the freighters, which I think they are, one of our engineering groups can look into defining and quantifying the change." "We should evaluate emissions from our ships," said Casidhe. Several looked at her with puzzled expressions. "Besides being a way of detecting us, emissions can be considered lost or wasted energy. Every bit we keep extends our capabilities but space ships will always have some emissions." "We seem to have decided on a direction to answer the emission question," said Rusty. "So why don't we have Jackie's and Keriann's Clans take this to an end point?" "We are agreeable." "Good that takes care of one part of this. The second part is do we want to send the Lonstradaze a message when we arrive at J4." "We think we should," said Kathryn's Clan. "All of us believe Sarah's Clan should handle the details." "Agreed," replied everyone else except Sarah's Clan who by their expressions were quite surprised by the quick response. After a moment, Sarah's Clan responded with, "Well if you insist." Kathy replied with, "I don't think we are insisting, but all of us see your clan as our representative when we meet others." Seeing some of Sarah's Clan looking doubtful. "We understand your reluctance to filling this role. To us, this is the same sense of reluctance each of us felt when we were approached to command a Dóchas class ship. We don't see it as a permanent role but one your clan will do well." Sarah looked at each of her spouses before saying, "We are a bit surprised by this request. We will do our best. Be warned, there will be times when we need to share this role with each of you." "We will gladly assist you in any adventure," replied the seven clans. "Now that is out of the way," said Kathy of Kathryn's Clan, "lets go over what we've learned about those found in hibernation. "Six people were chosen as the first group to bring out of hibernation. Two from each species and one of each sex. We followed a procedure similar to that used by Amy's Clan when they let Sarah's Clan wakeup to new surroundings. I see some puzzled looks so maybe that wasn't a good comparison. "During hibernation the body's processes are active but functioning very slowly. To bring someone out of hibernation, you slowly increase the persons biological activity. Abstractly it is similar to one of our bots resuming activity after being in standby mode. "During this, shall we say activation process, the person is kept sedated. With these people, once they were fully active we chose to change their medication by replacing it with a tranquillizer. This was to ensure they remained calm on waking due to their new environment. We used a tranquillizer that doesn't affect reasoning or perception. Before letting them wake up naturally, we moved them to separate rooms which had an open door to a common area. The provided apparel was a robe and slippers. After Anming woke up, she looked around before going into the common area. She looked at the apparel but did not use it. Shortly after she entered the common room, Lenore knocked on the door and entered. "Once in the room she simply asked Anming if she was ready for her morning meal as Anming just stared at her with an open mouth. The conversation went much like you would expect and fortunately Anming understood standard language when spoken slowly. As the two were talking the others drifted into the common room and slowly joined in the conversation. "We were surprised at how smoothly the initial meeting went. Lenore showed them how to use the food replicator. Kacey joined them during this time. Once they had their food, Lenore and Kacey made food for themselves and joined the group to eat. "As they ate and actually the rest of the day, the conversation covered all the topics you would expect to cover after waking up in a strange place talking to strange people. They were told how we found them and the major events leading up to being found. They were all surprised that they were not at their destination. All of them told us the last thing they remembered was laying down in bed the day before they were to depart to another planet to take a new employment opportunity. "We assured them that we didn't know anything about that or the location of their home planet or their intended destination. The knowledge we did have about them was from a database the Iridiens had given us. It was this database that provided the information to correctly care for them in hibernation as the Durale weren't doing it correctly. They were not familiar with the Durale but knew of the Dutsuz World. So we informed them that the Durale were a separatist group in the Dutsuz World. "They asked to see the hibernation containers. We suggested that they wait until they recovered their stamina first which should take several days. Lenore and Kacey showed them how to use the learning centers and the exercise machine. These exercise machines were modified to fit their physique. This took most of their first day. "Toward the end of the day Lenore asked them to remain in this group of rooms even though the door would be unlocked. She explained the reason behind them staying in the group of rooms was safety as they did not know the emergency procedures or the layout of the ship. Lenore and Kacey made sure they knew how to summon assistance if there was a problem or they needed something before leaving for the day. "The activity in their rooms was monitored but no attempt was made listen to their conversations. We were mainly interested in their mood and safety. They talked for a while after Kacey and Lenore left, but soon went to bed. For each of the next four days, Lenore and Kacey would stop by for a couple of hours. During this time, they would give each a checkup and answer any questions they had." Kathy nodded to Casidhe who continued the presentation beginning with "On the fifth day, Kathy and I joined Lenore and Kacey on their daily visit. After we finished their checkups, I asked them if they would like to see the rest of this ship. We gave them a tour of the freighter. Our first stop was the room with the hibernation chambers. They were each shown the hibernation chamber they had occupied. "As they looked over the chambers, all of them became very agitated. It took us a while to calm them down as they were angry enough we couldn't understand them. Even with all the expressed anger, it was clear that they weren't mad at us. "Once they calmed down, we learned that their anger was because their valuables and other personal items were not there. Also, the chambers did not look anything like what they had seen during orientation prior to accepting the off planet opportunity. The ones they were shown had a safe built into the chamber to securely hold their valuables. "It was eventually Anming who pointed out the significance of the differences between the ones they occupied and the ones they saw during the orientation. These hibernation chambers were for slaves, so there wasn't any need for a safe. These chambers didn't have any of the comfort features that were in the ones they saw during their orientation. A look passed between the others when they heard Anming's comment about them being for slaves, but no one said anything. "We showed them the rest of the ship. They were quite interested in our manufacturing operations. Desheng asked how we could manufacture inside a space ship. We suggested he talk to our engineers. While the group looked on, he talked to several before his curiosity was satisfied. Afterward, Kacey asked him about his interest. In school he was taught that except for minor repairs manufacturing on a space ship was impossible and quite dangerous. Kacey suggested that he could also find more information in the learning center. Cheng and he did use the learning center after the tour." "Kacey's comment triggered a question that we had been expecting. Anming asked why we were treating slaves so well. She had never seen slaves treated as well as they were being treated. "We assured them that as far as we were concerned, they were not slaves. We were near an open conference room which we appropriated for the rest of the morning. We knew they had watched the Órarduine orientation videos. Taking turns we reviewed the features of our culture and the rules we live by. We pointed out that every Órarduine is telepathic which impacts all of our interactions with each other and ships operations. We noted that telepathic ability was a key part of our emergency procedures and was the primary reason we asked that they stay in their rooms unless they were accompanied by an Órarduine. "All of us ate lunch with the crew before going back to the area where they were staying. It was approaching time for dinner, when Jaio asked us how she could contribute. She wasn't used to doing nothing. All the others voiced their concurrence with her statement. "We asked them if they would assist us in bringing the others out of hibernation. They were assured that as more were brought out of hibernation, that there would be other ways for them to contribute. This would give us time to sort out safety issues since they didn't appear to be telepathic and all our emergency procedures relied on that ability. "They readily agreed. We are approaching three dozen released from hibernation. Kathy, Kacey, Lenore and I have been their primary contact. Once we were comfortable with their ability, we've let the first six take the lead on the debriefings and informing the new groups about us. If we are around during those times we sometimes sit in on the debriefing, other times they have asked us to join them. "Kathy is going to present a composite of what we learned regarding what happened before they left their home planet. After that we need to consider how we integrate them into our ship's operations. A key concern is telepathy along with emergency procedures." Kathy said, "The Durale were quite creative in acquiring these people. This may be giving the Durale too much credit. Those in the hibernation chambers came from two of the less advanced worlds in the Alliance of Worlds. They were members of minority subspecies on their home planets. So far, all those we've released from hibernation are victims of an employment scam. We think that is true for all of them but it will be some time before we know for sure. "They responded to an ad offering an off world employment opportunity. The offer was only for skilled technical workers. It offered much better pay and benefits than what was available to them on their planet, even if they could find employment. The areas where they lived had an abundance of skilled technology people. Many people, especially minorities in these areas, were either underemployed or unemployed. Moving to another area on their planet wasn't an option as they would then be an outsider in addition to being a minority. One requirement of the off world employment opportunity was that their whole family had to move with them to the new location, providing the family passed a physical. "Those accepted were given instructions to arrive at a hotel the afternoon before their departure date. The departure date gave them less than a week to prepare. On arriving at the hotel, they were provided a room and a schedule of activities right up to boarding the ship. The organizers held a dinner party for them on the evening they arrived. While dessert was being served, one of the organizers began speaking. After welcoming them, he told them that they were ahead of schedule for this departure and would begin boarding at first light. With this change, he outlined the items they needed to complete that evening before going to bed. Following his announcement, they were invited to watch a newly released video in the a joining ballroom. On hearing the title, everyone stayed for the video as it was a very popular video. "Each remembered thinking that the preparations they were asked to do before bed seemed strange but they did as instructed. From their description, they basically prepared themselves for hibernation including taking the initial sedative. Once they were asleep, we believe their beds were transferred directly to the hibernation chamber. "Now all of you are probably thinking this was an expensive operation. Gathering these people probably didn't cost the Durale anything and probably didn't require any effort on their part. We've shown them Durale images and only two saw anyone looking like them around their hotel. The evidence to date points to the organizers keeping the valuables of the victims. No valuables were found in either the container or the hibernation chambers. In fact the only items inside the container were the hibernation chambers and support equipment. Anming's observation regarding the chamber type is consistent with comments made by all those woken since her observation." "Are they adapting well?" asked Tara of Sarah's Clan. "Yes. Both physically and mentally." "I noticed that the Órarduine they have the most contact with are two bio bipeds and two logical bipeds," said Eibhilin of Maureen's Clan. "Have they noticed or sensed a difference?" "Yes. Several have mentioned they sense a difference between them. When asked, they indicated it was a slight difference in phrasing and problem solving." "That makes sense." Kathy stepped over next to Casidhe putting her arm around her before saying, "That completes our summary. Now, how do we integrate them into our operations?" "Before we start this discussion," said Sarah's Clan, "we are very impressed with your summary. You guys did a great job with the summary and in getting to know these people." Several immediately said, "Here! Here!" This was quickly followed by a repeat from all the Command Staff members causing both to blush. "Thank you," replied Kathy and Casidhe. "Besides those mentioned we've had a lot of assistance from both Órarduine and the first group released from hibernation." "First off," said Aoife, "telepathic ability is a big issue. Determining whether they are telepathically capable should be a priority. In the meantime, wasn't there a device we used early on so we could communicate with the ship?" "Yes," responded Jill. "I believe some early staff candidates used them as well." "We haven't asked them if we could evaluate them for telepathy," replied Kathy. "We thought it best to wait until we had a proposal. Some of them have seen our emergency drills and are amazed at how quickly we respond as a team. In answering their questions, we have indicated that the coordinated response was due to our telepathic communication. We know that a few of them associate psionic abilities with magic and etc." "And what is magic?" responded Alena. "Only what you can't explain based on your acquired knowledge base." "Agree," replied Casidhe. "They've been told several times that we communicate telepathically in several different ways. In thinking about it, the idea may not register because we almost always vocalize our conversation especially when around them. The only time we don't vocalize very much is during emergency drills. Should we do the singing exercise?" "Which one?" "The one where they pick a song and give it to one of us to read. The rest of the group sings the song without seeing or speaking with the first person." "A true doubter would think we have memorized the songs. Another way to do that maybe to have them write something then show one of us while another expresses it verbally. There would need to be some kind of separation between the two Órarduine. It would need to be in such a way that they could see both Órarduine." "If we can understand their thoughts, telling them what they are thinking about is a bit stronger. A downside is it could bring out paranoia in some." Erica of Amy's Clan said, "The devices you used a long time ago to communicate with the ship are still available. Engineering can look at them to see if they need updating. Our AIs may need to modify the emergency notification procedures if they aren't currently included. Telepathy is a much better choice." "I think the path forward is pretty clear," said Brandan of Maureen's Clan. "In many respects, they are like the contract workers we had on Mars. Lets provide them with the communication devices as they will likely feel more comfortable with something they can hold in their hands. We should also give them a telepathic demonstration in several different ways to enhance their acceptance of our capability. Once that is done, we should ask each one for permission to test their ability to hear us telepathically. This is a safety issue that impacts everyone, so they will likely be agreeable." "We agree," replied Molly's Clan. "We need to encourage them to ask for clarification of anything they don't understand." Her comment drew some puzzled looks. "It was mentioned earlier that we talk both vocally and telepathically. Sometimes we leave words out of the vocal portion. We seldom notice it. Those around us will give us puzzled looks if they are not telepathically connected to us at the time." "I've noticed that," said Alena. "Is everyone in agreement with Brandan's proposal?" asked Sarah. "Yes." Chester said, "Now that we have that out of the way, we would like to discuss these people a bit more. First do we know the name of their subspecies?" "We don't believe they've ever expressed it. Our library shows there are several very similar groups on both planets and its not clear which one they belong to. So we've taken the position that it is not a critical piece of information. With respect to our medical database, they have been given a group identifier for record keeping purposes." "Well I was looking for some way to keep from referring to them as the people from the Durale hibernation chambers or those people." "Now that is easy," replied Paula of Maureen's Clan. "We've been referring to them collectively as the 'J3' people. Based on what we just decided, in that they are contract workers, it really fits as they did join us at J3." "I think, they will find that acceptable," responded Casidhe, "as it speaks of when they joined us. It may prompt them to tell us more about their home planets breed diversity." "Okay. Looking ahead," said Oriel of Keriann's Clan, "do we think they will ask us to modify their species make up so they are more like us?" Kathy replied, "We think they are just as likely to ask as any of the others who have joined us. We have two AIs evaluating the issues associated with that change. Those previously receiving the species change were from two specific species. The AIs are projecting at least six months until they have a solid conclusion. It will take another three to six months to develop the protocol." "So what is the likelihood of it working?" "Preliminary projections are that it will work. Since this was a quick evaluation, there is a significant possibility of overlooking a critical aspect of their genetic makeup. A detailed analysis is needed to determine if there are any significant differences between their genetic makeup and ours. With this information, it can be determined how to make the necessary genetic alterations. This will be followed by determining the best way to effect the change and define the protocol. A key aspect of the protocol development portion is determining where the changes can go astray and establish how to avoid them. "When Sarah's Clan underwent the species change, our systems learned a lot. A lot more was learned when Amy's Clan received a similar treatment. We believe our experience will assist us here if the J3 people ask for the change and their genetic makeup fits our knowledge base. Right now we believe the change for these people will be greater than it was for Sarah's Clan becoming an Órarduine. This is primarily because of the change in stature, which is primarily in height." "You know that some on Earth would kill us for just having this discussion," said Rebeca. "They would see it as tampering with God's creation." Kathy of Kathryn's Clan and Judy of Sarah's Clan together said, "Well that is true. We are tampering with God's creation using the tools and knowledge He gave us. We believe He is guiding our hands. Besides those people you referred to are still on Earth." Rebeca smiled as she said, "I totally agree. My concern is that some J3 people may have similar view of those changes." "Rebeca," said Aine as she materialized in the room, "you make a good point. It is definitely a possibility that some J3 people could view the changes that way. However, we think that possibility is likely small and if present will resolve itself. This is due to two key things you are doing. First you are making efforts to include them even if they are not telepathic. Second you always wait for any candidate to make the request rather than suggest or encourage it. "Although you shared some of this knowledge with the Iridiens, we feel you should keep the genetic capability of the green gel immersion to ourselves. We suggest doing that by omission rather than treating it as a secret. We believe that the green gel immersion should be viewed as simply a procedure to heal severe injuries or cure some chronic health issues." "I believe that is what we have done in the past," replied Rusty. "All of us are aware of the dark side of this capability." "Yes. There were some on Earth who were very anxious to learn how you made the transition to Órarduine. Before you became an Órarduine, one group did figure how to biologically modify portions of human anatomy and used it to turn people into more desirable sex objects. Others were interested in the capability solely for adding specific attributes to select individuals with the goal of gaining more power. "The Connemare is the only group we know that has developed the knowledge necessary to achieve a species change capability in people after birth. The Connemare were solely interested in it for maintaining their populations health and dealing with severe injuries. All of you are aware of the circumstances which pushed Amy's and Sarah's Clans into exercising their ingenuity to use it in resolving critical health issues in the other clan. This experience resulted in you learning how to achieve a species change for an Earth human or a Connemare to an Órarduine. "The primary reason I joined your discussion today was to caution you to keep the species change capability with in the family. "We think you will find that the J3 people have the capability for telepathy. So you should look closely for that as it is likely not to be a very strong ability. "We are impressed that you are considering long term implications of the J3 people joining your family. You won't know for sure until it happens, but from our view it appears that Órarduine characteristics and capabilities will be dominate in children when only one parent is Órarduine. So a union between a Human and Órarduine or a J3 person and an Órarduine will yield an Órarduine child." Judy said, "Aine, can't we enhance J3 people being telepathic by shifting some of their diet to include our diet selections." "So you noticed." "I wouldn't go that far, but several of us have suspected it. This was primarily from our experience with our contractors. We still had to assist each in activating their telepathic ability but contractors who were with us for several months were much easier to activate. They also appeared to find it easier to use." "I'll leave you now that I've passed on the items we had for you." "Your more than welcome to stay," said Siobhan's Clan. The other clans seconded the suggestion nearly before Siobhan's Clan had finished speaking. "I would love to but we have a trip to take. We will be back before you arrive at J4." "Okay. Any of you are welcome to join any of our gatherings. Please have a safe trip." "Thank you." With that Aine's image faded as she departed. "Haven't we covered all the items we needed to discuss today?" said Molly. "We think so," replied each of the clans. "Siobhan's Clan," said Kelly of Keriann's Clan, "it was really thoughtful to have lunch brought in rather than take a break. Thanks. Now we have some of our afternoon left." "We agree," added Maureen's Clan. With that, the gathering began to break up. It wasn't long until Siobhan's and Sarah's Clan were the only ones left in the room. Siobhan said, "For the few items we covered, we had a long meeting." "Yes," replied Tara of Sarah's Clan. "It would have taken us longer to cover the issues via telepathic conference. Both the Lonstradaze and the J3 people will likely play key roles in our future." Seeing several questioning looks she added, "positive roles." Both Aoife of Sarah's Clan and Amber of Siobhan's Clan nodded their concurrence with Tara's view. Casidhe said, "Do you think Aine was concerned about our discussion of the species change procedure in conjunction with the J3 people?" "No," replied Judy of Sarah's Clan. "Our intention all along was to keep the species change capability with in the family." ------- Chapter 170 Siobhan's and Sarah's Clans were entering Siobhan's suite on Phoenix when Conan asked, "So what do we want to do before dinner?" After a pause Amber of Siobhan's Clan said, "I think a good choice would be to practice Aikido. As a clan, I know, we don't do it enough as there never seems to be enough time." "I like that idea," replied Eileen of Siobhan's Clan. "You are right, it is something we haven't been doing as often as we should." "Let's do it," said Siobhan. "There is enough time before dinner for a good workout and still get freshened up before dinner." With that the two clans gathered up their stuff and headed toward the exercise area. As they were walking down the corridor Tara of Sarah's Clan said, "After we loosen up, why don't we spar one on one and then try some two on one. I think our sparing partners should be from the opposite clan when we can." "I like that," replied Conan. "It will add a another dimension to our practice especially if we don't utilize our psionic abilities." "We always practice Aikido and other similar forms with out utilizing our psionic abilities," added Kendra. "We think it results in us paying more attention to our opponents moves. When you are challenged by two or three, we've found that even without psionic assist you can sense which one is the biggest threat. In going back over our memories of those matches, we don't see any connection between that sense and our psionic abilities." "A long time ago on Spec Ops missions," said Rusty, "the ability to anticipate movement or sense things around you was often a key to surviving. It didn't always give enough warning but it provided an edge. "Casidhe, what do you think of Aikido and other defense techniques?" "At first it was difficult. I think that is because the authors of our software never considered us interacting with others in this manner. It took some coaching by my spouses before I was very proficient at it." "Well you're certainly proficient now," said several of Siobhan's Clan. As they walked into the exercise area Kendra continued with, "I am very happy to have a match with you end in a draw." "You're putting me on." "A little bit, but you are as good as any one on this ship." "Thanks." With that they began their preparations to practice Aikido and related forms. It was nearly two hours later when the chimes sounded, signaling the approaching dinner hour. "Wow," said Siobhan, "is it dinner time already?" "It looks that way," replied Casidhe. "Let's get freshened up. Even I need to relax a moment. I found today most challenging. Working with Sarah's Clan, did add a whole new dimension to our exercises. I'm glad we did it." "Do you ever exercise with the other clans?" asked Sarah. "Not as often as we should," replied Conan. "We've done exercises with other clans but nothing like this." "We should," added Eileen. "Come on, we need to shower before dinner," said Amber of Siobhan's Clan as she lead them out of the exercise room. As they left the room, Kara's Clan was coming toward them. Kara said, "Is the exercise room still usable?" "Of course," replied Kendra. "Why would you think otherwise?" "Those in the compartment below it asked Donna, what was going on above them." "We were just exercising." "That's what Donna said. Even so, those below still wondered if the deck above them would take the abuse." "You're pulling our leg," said Casidhe. With that Kara's Clan began laughing as Kara replied, "Just a little." Natalia of Kara's Clan said, "It looks like all of you survived as we don't see any limping or bloody gashes." Her comment led to more chuckling. "By the way, when was the last time you practiced Aikido and other defense forms?" asked Siobhan. "Two work cycles back," replied Kara as she stuck her tongue out at Siobhan. "We are scheduled to work with another Security Team tomorrow if the room is usable." "Keep it up and we will come supervise." "You're welcome anytime." The group had reached the door to Kara's Clans compartment. "We'll see you at dinner." "Yes." Sarah said, "Maybe we ought to get bandaged up and limp into dinner." "Good idea, but lets not feed the comedians." ------- Sarah's and Siobhan's Clan were just finishing dinner when Earl and Lorelei came over. "Can we join you?" asked Lorelei. "Certainly," replied everyone. "It's been quite a while since we've seen the two of you," said Joyce of Sarah's Clan. "So what have you been up to?" "Hmm ... that's difficult to give a short answer to, mostly because it is a lot of little things. We've helped Virginia and Doug in adapting to being in an Órarduine environment. Most of the last several weeks we've just mingling with the crew and helping out where we can. "When the trip first started we spent quite a bit of time with the visiting journalist and their families. It took their spouses a while to become comfortable. A few children were apprehensive at first, probably keying off their parents. Now all the children think this is a great adventure and have really taken to the learning centers. Some spouses are helping out in the learning centers while the others have found departments where they can assist. Even with assistance by the communications groups, it took the journalist a while to realize that they needed a different approach than they did on Earth." "All in all," said Earl, "we think bringing the journalist along was a great idea. It is turning into an experience that is much different than any of them expected. All seem very pleased that they were offered the opportunity. "We have a question for you. It was raised by a couple of the journalist who specialize in military operations. The question raised is: Why did you wait so long before firing on the Durale bandit ships?" Sarah glanced at her clan before responding with, "Our response was different from what we would have on a planet in particular Earth. "Our initial goal was to block the bandits from boarding Emprika. During our approach, several security teams were preparing to board the two bandit ships. At that time both bandit ships were only a couple of hundred meters on either side of Emprika. At this distance, firing on them was too risky. If either bandit ship exploded, then Emprika would be severely damaged. "We were surprised by the way the bandits decided to respond to our approach. By moving away from Emprika to attack us, they really made it easier for us. It made it easier for our Badb cruisers and Star Fighters to harass them during the move. The attacks by our ships drew resources from their ships. Once they were nearly perpendicular to us, they began launching torpedoes. This is a classic naval maneuver for launching torpedoes at another ship. "By the time we reached this point, we had good intelligence on their offensive weapons and how much energy their weapons would release. Their torpedoes had enough on board intelligence to direct them toward an assigned target. This target seeking capability usually uses some aspect of the target as a locater, such as temperature but could be another characteristic. Temperature works well in space because all space ships generate some heat and space is a very cold environment. "We chose to initially use our rail guns because the projectiles don't radiate very much heat. On impact they transfer a large amount of kinetic energy creating a lot of heat. This combined with the shaped charge in the Durale torpedo increased the intensity of each explosion. "The Durale ships did not detect our RG projectiles until their torpedoes began exploding well before reaching us. They reacted to their torpedoes exploding by launching two subsequent waves. Each wave of torpedoes was launched from nearly the same position which made it easier for us to respond. "From what we know of the Durale torpedo's explosive capabilities if they had gotten past the RG projectiles, our shields would have easily handled the first two waves. If we had been hit by all of the third wave, we would likely have sustained some significant hull damage. "After the third wave of torpedoes were destroyed near the bandit ship, we switched to the lasers. The change in weapons was made because our sensors indicated that the Durale ship's shields were marginal and their power generators were about to go critical." "Couldn't you use your lasers earlier?" asked Lorelei. "Their shields were pretty effective in absorbing the energy from the laser hits by the Star Fighters and Badb cruisers. Torpedo sensors could use the lasers to get fix on us. When we used the lasers, there weren't any torpedoes to be concerned about. "When we did fire the lasers, it is not clear whether they hit the ship before or after its power generators exploded. Our assessment of the ship's remains indicates that the energy released by the power generators disintegrating killed the crew and opened two holes in the hull. Our lasers took out their weapons ports and primary command center. Any one of the events would have terminated the ships capabilities." "Do we know why the other ship vaporized?" Claudette said, "They were trying to outrun a torpedo. To achieve that we believe that they were putting all available power into their functioning propulsion units. Their shields were at a minimum level. This strategy enabled them to maximize power to the functioning propulsion units." "But they could have went into hyperspace." "As close as the torpedo was, if they had transitioned to FTL, the torpedo would have went with them. They probably could have outrun the torpedo if their propulsion system was fully functional. "One sequence of events begins with the torpedo rupturing their ships rear bulkhead. Their propulsion units are mounted primarily on the rear bulkhead. Due to the shaped charge, the torpedo released the bulk of its energy forward. This would cave the bulkhead inward resulting in two competing pressure waves. The explosion's pressure wave should prevail, thus greatly increasing the pressure inside the ship. With the propulsion units partially free from their mounting, they add more pressure on the bulkhead pushing it further into ship, ultimately breaching the bulkhead. At some point during this the power generators went critical, which released more energy inside the hull. Obviously, there was sufficient energy to vaporize the ship. What I've just said is one of several possible sequence of events leading to the explosion. In order for the ship to vaporize like it did, all the propulsion and power units had to release their energy at nearly the same moment." "It certainly was a bright explosion. What happened to the debris?" "Much of it became dust but some was left as rather large metal fragments." "Can that happen to the Órarduine ships?" asked Doug who had arrived with Virginia during Sarah's description. "Hi," replied Sarah's Clan. Then they continued with, "We don't think it could happen in those circumstances. Primarily because our propulsion units are mounted differently." "What about the crew on the other ship?" asked Virginia. "The energy released when the power generators failed turned them in carbon powder before the power units ruptured the hull." "Could the Star Fighter and Badb cruisers have neutralized them?" asked Doug. "Most likely. With the compliment of weapons they were carrying, the losses and damage would have been very significant. A ships weapons compliment changes with its assignment. Our ships were launched for a reconnaissance so they were not really armed to take on a ship the size of the Durale ships. In hind sight, we probably should have." Siobhan said, "So how do you guys like life on a space ship?" "We think it is great," replied Doug and Virginia in unison then laughed when they realized what they had done. "So you can sense each others thoughts now," said Casidhe of Siobhan's Clan. "Yes and no," replied Virginia. "There are times when it seems like we know each others intent before we express it whether it is by words or actions. It has become more frequent since we have been on this trip. There are times when we don't." "Both of you are telepathic, right?" Both nodded their agreement and Virginia added, "In general, I'm better at listening than responding or initiating an exchange. It is easier for me to hear Doug than most other people." "My abilities are similar to Virginia's." "If you want some assistance in strengthening them, any of us will help you," said Aoife of Sarah's Clan. "We've thought about that, but until recently we hadn't decide where our future lies," said Virginia. "We still have some obligations on Earth. After we return to Earth and complete our obligations, we are not sure what opportunities will be available and whether they would interest us." Virginia glanced at Doug who nodded then continued with, "If A-Celia turns out to be like we think it will, we are considering asking if we could return with your ships. Of course that presumes they are still in Sol system when we reach that point." "You're concerned about safety, aren't you?" said Sally. "That is a real big concern. As you know, it was significant problem before we left. We don't expect our absence will have changed that. Now returning from space after a trip with aliens, we don't know how humans will regard us." "In that case, I suggest you do two things. Perfect your telepathic ability so you can hear those following your activities. Also, join one of our martial arts groups and learn to defend yourself. It doesn't really solve the safety issue but it does improve your odds in dealing with threats." "We've thought of that, but are concerned that it will be obvious when we are listening to someone's thoughts. As to martial arts, we have been working with a couple of groups." "It isn't that obvious unless you know what to look for. One key aspect is make sure you are focused on who your interviewing and ensure that there is a pause before you continue your part of a conversation." "News reporters are suppose to do that?" replied Virginia smile. "Well some do," said Lorelei. "I always thought it was rude to not let someone finish their thought. If it was a recorded interview, then due to time constraints, the politeness could end up in the cutting room trash." "True." "Some think you need to become an Órarduine before you can really be telepathic," said Virginia. "We've heard that as well," replied Lorelei. "From our perspective, making the transition to Órarduine changed the ease in using it. Telepathy is now second nature to us, as easy as walking or breathing." Judy of Sarah's Clan said, "That is also true for many of us. If a person isn't telepathic entering the conversion to Órarduine, then the conversion strengthens that part of their mind as the other changes are made. They still need some coaching to use it well. An individual who is already telepathic when beginning conversion, the conversion just strengthens their ability. "In either case, afterward you will find telepathy as easy to use as speaking verbally and will likely be able to communicate over significantly longer distances. Like any skill repetitive use will strengthen the person's ability." Lorelei said, "Sarah's Clan, you're not here very often. What's the occasion?" "Nothing special. We had a meeting here earlier today and decided since we would be here to hang around so we could visit with Siobhan's Clan. It has been a while since we spent casual time with them." Joyce added, "We're about to go play. Do you want to join us?" "We can," replied Lorelei as she held Earl's hand. "Especially, if you are going to play music or sing." "We will probably play some." "Could we join you as well?" asked Doug. "Certainly. Lets do it," replied several. ------- It was early the next morning when Tara of Sarah's Clan exclaimed "Oh, my, we're late for breakfast." "We've got plenty of time," replied Siobhan from the other side of the bed. At the sound of their voices, the others began to stir. "I asked Donna to delay the chimes in here since we were up so late." "It was more like early this morning before we settled down." "Well that may be," added Tiff of Siobhan's Clan, "but I feel well rested even though the bed was a little crowded with all of us in here." "I agree," replied Joyce. "I'm going to shower." "Well don't slow down," said Casidhe as the others began to get up, "or you might get trampled on the way." "They wouldn't do that." "You're right but they may shove you out of the way." "Ooh," screamed Joyce. "Who goosed me?" As she spoke, several moved past her to the bathroom. Many were smiling as they eased by her. "See, I told you to hurry up." "It was you. Wasn't it?" "Yep. Got a good response as well," replied Casidhe as she stuck her tongue out at Joyce. "I'll get you back." "Good luck," said Eileen of Siobhan's Clan. "We've only been able to get ahead of her a few times." "I can't help because my proximity sensors warn me of your approach. Well, most of the time." "We aren't complaining. We are glad you are so aware of your surroundings as it helps all of us." "Actually, I have to be careful not to think about what I am doing when I try to surprise any of my spouses. Joyce was a little easier because we are not as closely linked although now it will likely be harder." As Casidhe was speaking the two clans had moved into the showers. Once inside, the door closed turning on the showers briefly, wetting everyone with warm water. They then assisted each other in washing their bodies and shampooing their hair. This was followed by a spray of warm water to rinse away the soap. They used hand held blow driers to dry their hair and bodies. This arrangement permitted the crew to have a nearly normal shower and the ships systems to recover nearly all of the water. As they were exiting the shower Keira of Siobhan's Clan said, "I hope when we get set up on A-Celia there will be more traditional showers." "I should think so," replied Claudette. "Our current shower setup minimizes the release of excess humidity into the ships atmosphere." "That is part of the reason," added Conan of Siobhan's Clan. "Showers and similar activities can consume large amounts of water. By limiting excessive use, we reduce energy consumed both in heating the extra water and in recycling it." "Oh, I understand all the reasons behind it," replied Keira. "There are times when it would be nice to stand under the water a bit longer." "Our survey probes indicate fresh water should be plentiful," said Arlene. "Although, aren't we planning on continuing to recycle most of the water we use?" "Yes," replied several. "So we can occasionally indulge our selves with longer showers after we settle A-Celia." "Our living arrangements on A-Celia should be very similar to what we had on Mars," replied Conan, "except the planets atmosphere is much more hospitable." "Say, let's go get breakfast," said Terry of Sarah's Clan. "We can continue this while we eat. I'm hungry." "Suits, me," replied Aisling as the group left their suite. "You're always ready to eat," replied Casidhe. "Well your never too far behind." "Well I need to restore my energy well so my circuits keep humming." "Truer words are seldom spoken." Virginia, Doug, Lorelei and Earl arrived at the dining room entrance just as Sarah's and Siobhan's Clans did. After they exchanged greetings, Virginia said, "We really enjoyed last night. Thanks for letting us join you." "We enjoyed your company," replied Jill and Joyce with all the others nodding in agreement. "You're all welcome to join us for breakfast but it probably won't be as interesting as last night. But, don't let us interfere with any plans you have." Virginia glanced at Doug before saying, "We would be delighted to join your group." Sarah, Siobhan, Rusty and Conan were the first through the serving line. They looked around for a place to sit as a group. Siobhan said, "Looks like the only place is up by the riser. I guess this is our penalty for coming in late." "Well at least you won't have to walk far to host the meeting." "True. Sitting in the back close to the door has many advantages though." "We know. That is our preference as well as. We think it provides more opportunities to chat with our crew members." As they walked to their tables, they stopped several times for brief chats. When the group sat down, Siobhan said, "Sarah. Tara, would you assist Keira and me with our meeting?" "Sure," replied both with a surprised expression. Sarah said, "Is there something special?" "No. Not that I know about. I just thought it would be good for you two to join us leading the meeting. It will likely be pretty short." "Okay." "When were you planning on departing?" "Probably late morning if that is okay with all of you especially if it doesn't interfere with your plans. What did you have planned?" "We've been taking part of a day to just wander around the ship. This gives us a chance to interact with others that we seldom see except at meals or other special events. It also gives us a chance to observe." "We do the same thing and we've noticed other clans doing that as well." "When we leave, we are going to make brief visits to the three freighters before returning to Dóchas." It was mid morning when, Siobhan's and Sarah's Clans entered the hanger bay. Siobhan said, "We are all very glad you came and really enjoyed your visit." Joyce replied, "We feel the same way. This day together with all of you has been wonderful. Please come visit us soon." "We will as soon as we can sync our schedules." With that the two clans began exchanging hugs and kisses before Sarah's Clan boarded their shuttle. ------- A short time later, Sarah's Clan emerged from boarding tube connecting their shuttle to Freighter 3. They were greeted by Molly and Kathleen of Molly's Clan and Jackie and Mairia of Jackie's Clan. "Welcome aboard," said the four. "Thank you," replied Sarah's Clan. "This is a pleasant surprise." "Yes it is. Actually, this is kind of a coincidence as we were just getting ready to leave for our ships when we were informed of your approach so we decided to wait. Did you have a good time on Phoenix?" "Yes. We had a very enjoyable time. Lorelei, Earl, Virginia and Doug joined us after dinner." "So do you all think Virginia and Doug will return to A-Celia after their assignment is complete?" Sarah's Clan chuckled as Erin said, "Simply put, yes." "We've come to the same conclusion," replied Molly and Jackie. "So what are your plans for here?" "It's been a while since we've been on any of the freighters so we thought we would take a brief look around. Do you guys want to wander around with us?" "It would be a pleasure," replied Mairia of Jackie's Clan. "You should visit the J3 people while you are here." "We agree. Why don't we do that first?" "Then, let's go this way," said Kathleen, "as it will take us through some of the work areas on our way to see our guests." "Lead the way," replied Terry of Sarah's Clan. Kathleen continued with, "We have some good news regarding the J3 people. Jiao and Anming deciphered the text label on the hibernation chambers. The label gives the occupants identification number, breed, age, sex, size, weight, family group as well as skill set. They used the information from those active to sort out most of the label key. Yesterday and today we were able to confirm portions of the key after talking to those finishing activation. Let me back up a bit, we are pretty confident of the key except for the codes relating to skill set and family. For those now active, the label data has been tabulated. They are now working on adding the remaining labels to the list. Now as each person is activated, their information will be added to the list." "Good. From what we heard yesterday, it seems like the J3 people are comfortable here and with us." "We believe that is true for everyone we've activated although they some times seem a bit tentative around us. We've noticed they seem to be avoiding activating some individuals. Nothing has been said about that as we are waiting until there is a definite pattern." "Good idea," replied Terry. "You may want to ask them about the people they met at the hotel the last night on their planet. Their descriptions may give you a clue as to the reason for skipping some chambers." "We can do that. While we were at our meeting yesterday, Ahlam summoned the medical staff to check two people they were preparing to start the activation procedure. Both people had large abscesses in their left ass cheek. In cleaning out the abscesses, the medical staff found a hard needle like object. It was removed. After a technician washed it off, the group looked it over and decided it was some kind of medical device. They sent it to engineering for evaluation. Early this morning they told us it contained a RFID chip and gave us the information from it. A part of the information matched the label on the individual's hibernation chamber. "Once medical staff had taken care of the two abscesses, they decided to check the others in the group. They found a puncture wound on everyone near the same spot on the left ass cheek. "We told the J3 people what we had found and asked if we could scan them. This was completed just before you arrived. Everyone we scanned has a RFID chip deep in their left ass cheek. Not surprisingly, all of them asked to have it removed." "Why is that?" asked Judy. Just as Mairia started to reply Judy said, "Never mind I should have thought it through first. The RFID could be used for identifying and tracking." "The medical staff told them that the devices would be difficult to remove and could require a surgical procedure. Except for the two abscesses all the devices appear to be in or attached to the bone." "Depending on location, that could make for a very difficult surgery. These aren't very big are they." "I'm not sure." Molly said, "It is about 2 mm in diameter and 12 mm long." As they were talking the group moved through a work area and were nearly to the compartments where the J3 people were living. During the walk, the members of Sarah's Clan had looked around at the activity. They nodded or waved to those they knew. "Tomorrow," said Judy, "I'll search our database to see what we can learn about these devices and how they were intended to be used." "I think Kathy is already doing a search." "Excellent. I'll contact her later to find out what she has learned." Just as Judy finished speaking they paused in front of the door to compartment where the J3 people were staying. ------- Chapter 171 Molly tapped loudly on the J3 compartment door before opening it. As Sarah's Clan, Molly, Kathleen, Jackie and Mairia entered the room, all the J3 people turned toward them. It was apparent from the expressions on everyone's face that their arrival had interrupted a discussion. Sarah said, "Oops, sorry, it looks like we interrupted something. We can come back later." Anming quickly replied, "Please stay. We were having a discussion that doesn't seem to have any solid answers which means we will have it again and again and again..." Several in the room chuckled on hearing Anming's response. "Thank you," replied Molly. "We would like to formally introduce you to Sarah's Clan." She then introduced each member of Sarah's Clan then followed with introductions of the J3 group. When the introductions were complete Jiao said, "There are several of us who haven't seen your orientation videos yet but they are aware of our situation." "Okay. In that case let me give you a brief sketch of who we are and other related tidbits. Our group of space ships are on their way to Celia solar system. We are scheduled to arrive there in 63 clock cycles. This space ship is one of three freighters in our group of 10 ships. The other seven are Dóchas class space ships. These ships are primarily warships with capabilities equivalent to the largest Iridien warship but also have exploration capabilities. Each Dóchas class ship is led by a Command Staff. The operation of our freighters is overseen by a pair of Dóchas class ships. Our lead ship, Dóchas, is commanded by Sarah's Clan. Jackie and Mairia are members of Jackie's Clan who is Fiontar's Command Staff. Kathleen and I are members of Molly's Clan and we are responsible for Marthanóir. Fiontar and Marthanóir are the two Dóchas class ships responsible for the operation of this freighter. Our orientation videos will provide you with an overview of us, our culture and history. We suspect it will answer many of the questions my brief comments have raised. If you have any questions, please ask any of us. We may not have an immediate answer but you will receive an answer." "I think the videos are excellent," responded Jiao. "I think everyone of us are impressed with the amount of detailed information contained in them. I am not sure I know as much about my people." Sarah's Clan said, "Thank you, Molly for the introduction. To our guests, welcome aboard. We hope you are comfortable with these temporary accommodations. Arrangements are being made so we can offer you a place in one of our Dóchas class ships." Ahlam laughed before saying, "You all continue to amaze me. You find us destitute, in very poor health, and with no identification yet you still welcome us with open arms." "It seems appropriate to us," replied Terry with a smile. "From the information in your videos, I think, we all understand that. In spite of that our experience has made our welcome much more difficult to accept. Many of us find your hospitality fantastic but at the same time disconcerting and worrisome, again this is based on our experiences. "If you arrived in the Tigsu World the way we arrived here, the welcome you received would be very different. If you were extremely fortunate, you might have a little control over your future. More likely, you would be declared state's property even before being released from hibernation and a chance to make your case. If you were healthy, you would be taken to the auction preview area and put on display. Within a day you would be sold at auction. From then on your future would be totally in the hands of your buyer. If you were ill, you would be given a short time to recover otherwise you would be taken to recycling. Once a person was declared as property and sold, the chance of becoming a free person again was very small." Desheng added, "Undocumented arrivals were treated in very similar manner in the Oreschre World. Your world is very different from ours in how you view and respect other peoples. Like Ahlam, I sometimes find your hospitality very unsettling." Several other J3 people nodded their heads in agreement. "Sarah's Clan, you probably know that Ahlam and I were in the first group released from hibernation. After a week and a guided tour of this ship and sense we were told we could, I began to venture outside this compartment. Every time I was outside this compartment, it felt like I was being watched by everyone. Even so everyone was always very friendly and readily answered all of my questions. I didn't have problems striking up a conversation with anyone on any topic. The crew members liked to talk about what they were doing and many times would go into great detail about their work. To me, it seemed like mixed messages as on the one hand they watched me at all times while on the other they were very friendly. "The two breeds on Oreschre would never have interacted this way. We were always suspicious of each other even in mixed work environments." "That certainly isn't the case here," said Anming. "Ahlam and I are of two different breeds in the Tigsu World. There the Sarque and Seranc breeds primarily resided in totally separate geographical areas. Before arriving here, we only knew those of our breed and the Tigsuma who constitute a significant portion of the population. There are other breeds on Tigsu but again neither of us have had contact with them." "In the Oreschre World," replied Desheng, "the most populous breed is the Orema with the Coschenz breed making up about a fifth of the population. Many of the key advances in technology are based on discoveries made by a Coschenz." "Desheng, did you figure out why the crew was monitoring your activities?" asked Lenore. "Yes." He chuckled before continuing with, "When I did, I was embarrassed about misinterpreting their intent. It was because they felt responsible for my safety. Since I wasn't linked to the ships systems, I wouldn't know how to respond to an emergency. They wanted to know where to find me so they could assist me if there was an emergency. Again it was disconcerting but at the same time I never felt any hostility. "My understanding of their actions came a few days ago. I was wandering around, when a woman tapped me on the shoulder just before the alarm began blaring. The shock of her touch caused me to jump. The shock was so great that I felt like I had nearly jumped the length of the corridor. With her hand on my shoulder, she quickly guided me toward a small compartment, maybe pushed is a better word. As soon as we entered, the door closed and automatically sealed. It all happened much quicker than it is taking me to tell it. In the compartment, she told me that I responded very well to her prompting. I laughed then asked why the alarm had sounded. She told me then we chatted until we heard the compartment door automatically release. Seeing my expression, she told me that the drill was complete and we survived. I thought it was kind of strange as she hadn't spoken to anyone since we entered." "She told us of your shocked expression," replied Kathy. "If it was a real emergency, didn't she put herself at risk by coming to my aid?" "Not in this case. There are times when it could have but it really depends on circumstances. She was near you and already wearing an environmental suit when the drill started. This gave give her an edge in getting you into the safety compartment before things went critical. Whether we wear an environmental suit depends on where we are working. This is why you seldom see us wearing one in here but those in the manufacturing area usually wear one without the helmet. An environmental suit is like a partial space suit. With it we can work in partial atmospheres or in an emergency it allows us to reach the safety of our special compartments." "We are amazed at how quickly all of you respond when those events occur. When I am out in the manufacturing area, it seems like many times the workers know in advance what the other will do next." "They likely do know. You are seeing a benefit of our telepathic communication," said Sarah. "We communicate telepathically as well as vocally." "That was in your orientation videos and we have heard of mind talk. There were people on Oreschre who claimed to be telepathic or of having other mystical abilities. From my perspective, those with the boldest claims were usually well short of a full load. On the other hand, I knew a few who were so in touch with their surroundings that I carefully listened to them. Doing that benefited my group many times as long as we didn't read too much into what was said. Unfortunately, I didn't fully understand, no make that, heed their comments about this great off world job opportunity." Several laughed at his reference to how they came to be there. "Seeing the future and telepathy are two of many psionic abilities. From our perspective there are several ways to easily demonstrate ones telepathic ability. We realize that unless you have the ability there can still be some lingering doubt. The person you respected sounded like someone who could see or perceive the future. This is a valuable ability but also has some grave perils. One of those is reading too much into what is seen. Our future is a complex web of events that are continually altering their links or interactions due to recent events. Thus, one small change at any time can drastically alter an outcome. So we feel one needs to avoid looking too closely at the details." "I have heard similar comments from them." "Say, it is nearly lunch time, so why don't we join the crew in the dining area while we continue to get acquainted? After lunch, we can continue in one of the conference rooms." The group went over to the dining room and began inputting their food choices to the dispensers. Anming and Jiao assisted those just released from hibernation with selecting their food. The two groups intermingled as they sat down at the tables. Once everyone was seated they began to eat. Zhaos took his first bite of post hibernation food and his face lite up in a smile. He said, "Wow. This is really good." "All the choices are good," replied Gao. "Some are better than others." "Well I would never have believed food coming from a food dispenser would taste this good if I hadn't seen and tasted it." "Sarah's Clan," said Anming, "how much do you know about where we come from?" "Not as much as we would like to know," replied Erin. "We swapped copies of our knowledge bases with the Iridiens when we were with them in Sol system. However, there isn't much detail on either the Tigsu or Oreschre Worlds. This is true for several other smaller members of Alliance of Worlds." "Actually, what we have is available to you on the learning center terminals," added Molly. "I'll look at it. Can we add to it?" asked Anming "Yes," replied Erin. "New information and updates are tagged with byline for the contributor." "Did I understand that you have computerized learning?" asked Zhaos. "Yes, Zhaos," replied Molly. "It is one of the bits you will learn when you see the orientation videos." "So we can use the learning centers?" "Yes. Definitely." "Good. Sorry for questioning your comment?" "Zhaos, we would prefer you to ask when ever you have any doubts about what is said." "Oh, I will. I am glad we can access the learning centers as my standard language fluency is not very good. This is mostly due to lack of practice. Standard language does have some limitations in expression. Is there a language module for your language?" "Yes. Well, sort of." Zhaos frowned. "I really don't have a simple answer. There is a language module for our core or base language, which we call Connemare. This is very similar to Sol systems planet Earth's Celtic language that many of us learned growing up. The reason, I said core, is because in practice we tend to sprinkle in words from Earths English, Celtic and a few other languages. We usually do this when we think the word chosen is a better fit for the concept we are trying to express. This tends to occur more for technical terms. In part, we do this rather than deriving a technical word in our core language. It also occurs with words describing emotions or feelings." "That makes sense to me. On Tigsu, our native Sarque language was different from the official language which was essentially the Tigsuma language. When I took advanced schooling in space ship design, one requirement was to become fluent in standard language. Before today, there were only a few opportunities outside of school to practice its use." "You are doing fine. If you want a refresher, there is a module for standard language. All the modules coach you on speaking by holding a conversation with you." "So you speak Sarque?" asked Anming. "I haven't used it in some time. When I was young, we conversed in it at home. I still understand it. Well I think I do. My standard language skill is probably better." By the time they had all finished lunch they were the only ones left in the dining room. Jackie looked around before saying, "Let's put our dishes away and clean up our area. Once we're done, we can stay here, move to a conference room or return to your compartment. If we stay here we will have refreshments readily available. The conference room will be quieter. So let's clean up then decide." When Jackie looked around after cleaning up, she noticed that most everyone had returned to their earlier seat. "It seems everyone would like to continue our chat here. Correct?" Nearly all of the J3 people gave an affirmative nod of their heads. "Good. Feel free to get more to eat or drink at anytime. So who would like to be first?" It was quiet for a few moments before Zhaos said, "Okay. I have only been up a short while, but it seems like there is only one person from each family who have been released from hibernation." "You're correct," said Anming. "The container now holding the hibernation chambers on this ship had berths for 2000 but only 1052 were filled when the Órarduine found it. Ninety-six chambers held corpses and another five died before the Órarduine could sort out the problem. Basically the Durale were not feeding us correctly." "So of the several thousand we were told would be on the ship, there are only 951 left," replied Zhaos with a horrified look on his face and tears in his eyes. "Sorry, to break it to you so bluntly." Zhaos just nodded as tears rolled down his cheeks. Several others in the room had similar expressions. "Based on what we have learned from those activated, these hibernation containers are from several different departures. So the total number of people taken by the Durale seems to be very large." Sally of Sarah's Clan said, "Before we found you, it was believed that the conflict between the Durale and the Dutsuz was strictly an intra world dispute. The Durale are a minority breed in the Dutsuz World. They believe they should be the rulers of the Dutsuz World. Through the use of guile and treachery, the Durale are attempting to take over the Dutsuz World. They used several techniques to seduce others into assisting them. Before we left the location of our last conflict with the Durale, we advised the Iridiens that we had found you and what we saw as the potential implications. At our next way point, we expect to hear from the Iridiens on how the Iridiens, Monque or Alliance of Worlds are responding to the Durale. Regardless of the message, we anticipate any action that they take will to some extent have an effect on us. We will reach the J4 way point in about 26 clock cycles." "If the Durale went to so much trouble to obtain us, why did they leave our container behind?" "Most likely, greed," replied Molly. "They were attempting to capture a Monque cruise ship. It carried some 3000 passengers and some were key Monque public figures. They likely planned on recovering the container that you were in after they captured cruise ship. Keeping the container attached has some significant impact on their ships maneuverability. In tactical or combat situations, maneuverability can be the difference between success and failure." "That makes sense." "So do we know how long we were in hibernation?" "We have estimated that the longest have been in hibernation for about 1150 clock cycles," replied Cheng. "Each of us know the date of our last memory. The difficulty is determining the current date at our departure location. We are currently basing our estimates from what we remember of the Iridien calendar compared to ours but the error could be significant. So far we haven't found the equation relating the Iridien calendar to either of our home worlds. We know the relationship between the Órarduine calendar and the Iridiens." "Makes sense," replied Zhaos. "Perhaps we can ask the Iridiens for the conversion equation." "We will," replied Jill. "My name is Serarck and like Zhaos today is my first active day out of hibernation. We maybe able to work out the calendar relationship if we can remember the date we joined the Alliance of Worlds. I would think that there is an entry in the Iridien database indicating their date for the event." "We've looked at that," replied Ahlam. "The difficulty is the Iridiens calendar links to the Alliance of Worlds calendar." "Okay. Can you tell us where we are in the universe?" "Sure," replied Aoife. "We are in a galaxy we call the Milky Way, which is a spiral galaxy. We are on the Orion arm of the galaxy. An image would likely be better but I don't think we have a projector in here." "Will I have access to the star maps in the learning center terminals?" "Certainly. You can also see a map showing our route to A-Celia along with current location and our starting position." "Great." "So you can read star maps?" asked Desheng. "Yes. I graduated with a certification in space ship navigation a short time before signing up for this opportunity. I managed to do it in spite of being female and in less time than it usually takes. Even though the off world opportunity didn't feel quite right, my sister and I inquired and were quickly accepted. She is in one of the other hibernation containers." She sighed then continued, "Perhaps I should tell you a bit about us as it maybe important to some. My father was a well known official in our region on Tigsu. I suspect this was part of the reason that I was able to go to school and get my certification in space navigation. As you can tell by my features, I am Tigsuma. Except for my sister the rest of my family is dead. They died in an explosion, shortly after my graduation. The explosion was officially declared an accident which neither of us believe. Based on events afterward, we believe the perpetrators intended for us to die as well." "Serarck, how do you know your sister is in one of the containers?" "We've always known where the other was. When we were young, we thought all siblings could do that until we began to interact with others and learned otherwise. We decided it was something we should keep to ourselves. Even our parents weren't fully aware of this." "A good choice," said Sarah. "I hope that my sister and I being Tigsuma doesn't create any problems." "Not from my standpoint," said Ahlam, "you're in the same boat as the rest of us." All of the J3 people said, "Here! Here!" "Besides, I try to judge people by their actions rather than their appearance or kin," added Anming as Jiao and her hugged Serarck. "Thanks." "If you can tell us which hibernation chamber you sister is in, we can include her in the next group." "I appreciate the offer but lets just follow the sequence you are using. I do have a request though. How soon can the chips they put in our hips be removed?" Judy said, "We don't know the answer to that question. We are working on a solution. Initially we thought that they would need to be surgically removed. Taking that approach, it would be major surgery with a significant recovery time as there are a lot of important muscles in that area of your body. An alternative is micro surgery, but we need to develop a procedure, so it may take a while to sort it out." "I'm willing to be the first," replied Jiao. "Me too," said Serarck. "We believe the rfid chips were used to identify slaves or even persons of interest, most likely by the ruling authority or an owner," said Rusty. "With an appropriate matrix of sensing devices, a rfid could be used to track a persons movements." Several J3 people were frowning. "We do not have the sensing devices for rfids installed on any of our ships. However, our AIs do monitor everyones location on our ships. All compartments are also monitored for sound type or characteristics. Both of these are part of our effort to maintain a safe environment. Generally this covers all compartments but this is not completely true for the freighters, in part because they are not our design." "I suspect I know, but why?" "Knowing where everyone is greatly improves our ability to respond to an incident. This knowledge enables us to choose an appropriate response without endangering more crew members than necessary." "What do you mean by sound type?" said Gao. "Those you would associate with abuse, hostility or distress." "Okay, that makes sense." Sarah said, "Several of you have expressed a desire to do something besides looking after the others during their release from hibernation." Many nodded and smiled. "The task of monitoring those being released from hibernation doesn't require a lot of people. We have positions on all the ships where you can assist us. A lot of our command communication is telepathic. This raises a safety issue. Our delay in offering you these opportunities is due to concerns over how to link you with ships communications. We think we have found a solution. In a few days, we will be providing you with a personal communications device. It will let you communicate immediately with anyone on the ship and receive all commands. It will also provide you with directions and a map so you can find your way around the ship on your own. You will be required to have it with you at all times but it is really in your best interests to do that. When you are showering or sleeping, then it needs to be within easy reach. Once you are comfortable with them, we will begin moving you to other ships which will be more comfortable than here." "I had the impression that it would take more time before you knew," said Desheng. "We were being conservative in our estimate. We were told just a few minutes ago that the personal communicators will work with our current systems. These devices were used for a short while quite a few years ago. Since then we have made quite a few changes in our core systems." "What can we do?" "We can use assistance in just about all skill areas. There are some exceptions such as pilots, security teams and a few others. These exceptions are due to differences in our physical stature and mental abilities. Again the details on the limitations are available in the learning centers. Descriptions of the positions and knowledge requirements are also available on the learning center terminals." "What if we are already qualified with a skill?" "Serarck, in your case, you need to go through the skill module for space navigation. Since you are already certified, it shouldn't take you very long to finish it. Taking that approach will refresh your knowledge and teach you the parts that are unique to us. It would be a similar approach for any other skill." "Good." Jiao said, "All of this is great, but what is our future." "What do you want it to be?" replied Aoife with a smile. Tara waited a few moments for a response before continuing with, "Over the coming weeks, each of you need to think about what you want your future to be. In our world, your only limitations will be due to your inherent abilities and your knowledge. Once we are established in Celia system, we will provide you with identities you can use to go other places as a free person and an Órarduine citizen. We do not have a monetary system yet. However, when we settle A-Celia, we will establish a monetary system because we expect the diversity of our family's activities to increase dramatically. Once the monetary system is in place, every crew member will receive a monetary credit for their contributions up to that point." "How will the monetary amount be determined?" asked Cheng. "We have a group working on the details for organizing A-Celia. This includes an outline for a form of government, a monetary system and an initial set of rules or laws. We expect to make these decisions on the next leg of our trip during a family meeting." "Family meeting?" "Yes. After breakfast each day, there is a meeting of the crew on each Dóchas ship. It is led by the ships Command Staff or their alternates. The crew members on duty participate telepathically and through their departments console. During these meetings, issues are discussed and dealt with as well as providing general information on up coming events. Everyone participates. For a family meeting, all of our ships are linked together and participation is similar to our morning meetings on each ship. It is somewhat like a large video conference." "You can do that? To put it nicely, all the video conferences, I participated in weren't very productive. Too many side conversations and posturing to name just a few issues." "Remember we are telepathic so understanding each other is much easier in circumstances like those. We use video conferencing as it gives us a third input. So you are connected visually, by sound and telepathy. You almost feel as if you are physically together. "As you get to know us better, you will learn that we are very open and straight forward in expressing ourselves and our expectations. We prefer to have the opportunity to consider everyone's view or idea rather than make a poor choice because a person was scared to share their view. As small a group as we are, one bad choice could take us on a path to extinction." "How many of you are there?" "Around 25,000, perhaps a little more." It was quiet for a couple of moments before Jiao said, "I hesitate to ask this, but does that include androids." "Yes and no," replied Sarah. "Self aware androids are full members of our family. As a family, we rarely distinguish between the biological and logical based members." Many of the J3 people had a surprised expression on their faces. "However, not all androids are self aware, so it does not include them." "Thank you. You've confirmed that my sense of smell still works." Several laughed on hearing her comment and Jiao just smiled and shook her head. "I grew up on the edge of civilization and sense of smell was a key attribute needed for survival. Our breed has a very acute sense of smell. Unfortunately, many forget this ability then they move to more populated areas. The problem in populated areas was that there are many odors so you have to retrain your odor sense discrimination. I am glad I did, as it helped me avoid some bad situations, well except for this last one." Several laughed. "Hey I am not complaining about being here, just about how I got here." "Many if not all of us can be quite sensitive to activities around us," said Rusty. "This sensitivity can be the result of a hyperactive sense, such as hearing or odor, but it can have other sources. On Earth it was those with dangerous occupations who usually made the effort to develop or tune these hyper senses. Some people realize that they have an uncanny sense but aren't sufficiently in tune with it so they can avoid making mistakes. Some in this later group may at some point realize after an event that they saw the problem before hand but failed to act appropriately." "I think all of us can agree with that," replied Ahlam. It was mid afternoon when Sarah's Clan said, "We have really enjoyed our time with you today but we need to be on our way. We have two more stops to make and need to be back on Dóchas before dinner. We covered a lot of topics this afternoon and hope the information is helpful. "One thought we would like to leave you with is this. Your future lies in your hands, in that you will make the choices. Any of us are available to discuss your options, all you need to do is talk to us. We will assist you in any way we can but choosing and achieving your goal lies in your hands. All of you are welcome to stay in our world for as long as you want to." "I have enjoyed our afternoon together," said Serarck. "Thank you very much for being there when we needed a savior. I am looking forward to seeing the orientation videos and using the learning center." "I'll second that," added Zhaos. "I just hope my frequent questions haven't kept others from asking questions." "They haven't," replied several J3 people. "We are glad that you came to see us," said Anming and Ahlam in unison then began to giggle when the realized what they had done. "If you have a question you want to direct our way, you can reach us through any ships terminal." With that the two groups shook hands and shared hugs as Sarah's Clan, Molly, Kathleen, Jackie and Mairia began to leave the dining area. The Órarduine headed for the air lock to their ships and the J3 people returned to their compartment. ------- On entering their compartment, the J3 people sat down in the common room. It was some time before anyone spoke. Anming broke the silence saying, "Every time I meet more Órarduine, I feel like I have just gained a new friend. Then a short time later, I am wondering how they will take advantage of me." Anming's comment touched off another round of debate regarding the intentions of their rescuers. During the discussion, Serarck and Zhaos glanced at each other several times rolling their eyes as the discussion rambled on slowly going full circle. Finally Zhaos slammed a hand down on the table. The sound silenced everyone. When everyone was looking at him, he said, "We are exceptionally fortunate to have been found by them." "Why do you say that?" asked Serarck. Zhaos looked at each of those in the room before replying. "While I have not seen the orientation and history videos yet, to me it is very obvious that they are very sincere. They have no hidden agenda. They never hesitated in answering any of our questions. Without us asking, they gave us access their library, apparently with only a few reasonable restrictions. In a nutshell we have more freedom here than we did at home." When he paused, he noticed everyone's eyes were on him while both Anming and Ahlam's eyes were smiling. "Serarck, they have opened their doors to us as if we were their kin. In addition to that, they are offering to help us rebuild our lives without any conditions. "Be certain that I will always miss my wives. They will always be in my heart. My prayers are for them to be successful and safe where ever they are now. They would want the same for me. With that in mind, I will make the very best of the opportunity the Órarduine are giving me. From my perspective, I don't expect to be in any hurry to leave the Órarduine World behind. I sense that is true for many if not everyone in this room. Never the less, I will always remember my wives. "We need to put much if not all of our negative experiences from our home world into a mental closet, lock the door then add a do not enter sign. Yes, this will be hard to do. Probably the hardest thing we will ever do. However, if we let our past experiences guide our actions we will make ourselves and those around us miserable. Our welcome here will be withdrawn." Anming and Ahlam together said, "Zhaos, you have just touched on a number of points we have been discussing, or should I say dancing around, over the last several days." When they realized what they had done, Anming continued with, "You, Serarck and several others are the first to have interacted with them extensively before seeing the orientation and history videos. So the impression you have is unaffected by what you will learn from the videos. I am going to try and implement your suggestion on how to deal with my negative experiences from my home world." Serarck said, "I agree with Zhaos's comments." The other eight people of their activation group nodded their heads in agreement. "To mimic the Órarduine trait of openness," said Zhaos, "I am an empath. For me, that strengthens my opinion of the the Órarduine. I sense that there are several others in our group, but some may not have realized it yet." "As many of you know, I have been cautious about the Órarduine's intentions toward us," said Gao. Several laughed. "Okay, paranoid. It is difficult to give up being suspicious of another breeds activities when you've felt kicked around all your life." "Gao," said Serarck, "it is good to be a little paranoid, as it keeps you on your toes." "Oh, I agree. When you feel like you are kicked a lot, it is difficult to see anything but ill intent." "I sense that all of us trust the Órarduine. The degree of trust they have given us is possibly more than we had for our parents. This scares all of us a little bit due to our experiences on our home planet. Zhaos is right in that we need to step away from those experiences to begin a life in a very different world. I hope I can learn to be as open and trusting as they are. Like Zhaos, I am an empath which should help me make this adjustment if I can again learn to trust my sense." "From my perspective," said Ahlam, "I am going to follow Zhaos advice." "Why don't we explain our problem to one of Molly or Jackie's Clan?" said Serarck. "I think, it would help us adapt if they spent more time with us here, perhaps even staying overnight." "Is everyone in agreement to ask them tomorrow?" said Zhaos. "I am," replied Desheng and Gao together. "Okay," said Jiao. "Does anyone feel the need for a paper ballot on this? As we don't want to push anyone into doing this." There was not response, so Jiao continued with, "Okay. Serarck and Zhaos why don't you ask tomorrow when they are here?" Zhaos looked at Serarck and nodded. Serarck said, "We can do that." "We have another issue we should discuss," said Anming. "Ahlam and I were discussing with Molly and Mairia the schedule for activating those still in hibernation. They would like to have everyone out of hibernation as quickly as circumstances permit." "Can't everyone be activated at one time?" "Supposedly. The Órarduine prefer to do it in small groups. This makes it easier to spot problems with an activation and respond with personal attention." "Good as this area doesn't have enough space for everyone at one time." "True. We came up with the following plan. Beginning as soon as we have our personal communicators, we will begin initiating the release of twenty people from hibernation everyday. Once underway, this means we will have 100 people plus staff in this compartment until everyone is up and fully recovered. For staff, they would like at least 10 of us to be here at all time to oversee the release." Several groaned. "Wait. The idea was for us to do this on a rotating basis. Each of us would be here about 10 days out of the next 45 days. The crews from both Marthanóir and Fiontar will help, but they believe those coming out of hibernation would be more comfortable seeing us." "Oh, I believe that," exclaimed one woman, "especially since none of us knew we were in hibernation. By the way, just how tall are those in Sarah's Clan." "They're about 225 cm," replied Jiao. "Everyone else is around 200 cm tall." "I don't remember seeing anyone that tall before and none of those I did see were as lovely as they are. I can imagine the wild thoughts going through my mind if I woke and saw them standing by my sleeping chamber." "You don't need to decide now if you want to participate," said Anming. "Molly and Mairia were certain that assisting with this wouldn't have a negative impact on any position you choose fill on the ships. In any case, over the next week members of Molly and Jackie's Clans will be here to train us on the activation procedures. "Several Órarduine will definitely be here during the day. Considering our request, I suspect they will be all the time. The interactions between us will help those coming out of hibernation adjust to this culture." While the Zhaos, Serarck along with the other six went to see the videos, most everyone else chatted about the activation proposal and meeting until it was time for dinner. A few would occasionally leave to check on those coming out of hibernation. At dinner time, Serarck suggested they eat in the dining room. "Good idea," replied Anming, "but some of us need to be here to monitor those being activated." "Good point." They decided to go as two groups, so they could monitor those being activated. This would give them the opportunity to interact more with the crew and use the dining room. ------- While the J3 people were talking, Sarah's Clan walked with Molly, Kathleen, Jackie and Mairia to the freighters departure area. After giving each other hugs, they went to their ships. Sarah's Clan stopped at the other two freighters on the way back to their ship. They spent a little over an hour on each one. When they were in their shuttle on the way back to Dóchas, Joyce said, "The J3 people come from unusual cultures." "I don't think they were that unusual," said Alison. "It is pretty easy to create an environment where distrust is pervasive. It can easily be fed by poor communication, no universal language and failing to consider another's point of view to name just a few ingredients." "Oh, I agree. I saw enough distrust, pettiness and rudeness in high school." "After high school, it becomes more subtle and likely meaner." "I haven't seen any of that among our family so I guess telepathy prevents it." "There have been issues but only rarely," said Alison. "Telepathy does not prevent it. I think telepathy allows us to know when someone is untrustworthy. As to the other character flaws, I think the way we interact and feel about each other lessens the chance of them occurring." "An interesting topic," said Tara. "Many times those characteristics are thought of as being gained through your environment. I wonder if there is a genetic contribution to those characteristics which enhances their development." "I agree it is a topic to explore further," said Sarah as their shuttle entered Dóchas. "It looks like we have just enough time to freshen up before dinner." "Good. I'm tired," said Jill. "I might even go to bed early this evening." "Sounds good to me," replied several others. ------- Chapter 172 It had been almost two weeks since Sarah's Clan visited freighter 3 and met the J3 people. Since then the program to release the remaining J3 people from hibernation was in full swing. Each day twenty people emerged from hibernation to resume their active life. Their first week was spent building up their stamina, exercising and learning about their new environment. By the end of the first week most were ready to consider an opportunity on one of the Dóchas ships. In preparation for their move, they were provided a list staff openings for each ship matching their career interests. After indicating their interest in a position, as a group they visited the ship along. During their ride to the Dóchas class ship, the shuttle flew around the Órarduine formation giving them their first view of the ships. As the ride ended, they were provided with view the ships commanders saw approaching the ship. They were greeted by their Órarduine hosts as soon as they stepped out of the shuttle. Their host clan gave them a quick tour of the ship before visiting the department with the open position. After their interview, they went with the host clan to get a close look at the facilities they would be using the most. In some cases, they participated in athletic activities. Although visitors had the option of returning to the freighter after dinner, they nearly always spent the night with their hosts. Many chose to accept the position on the first ship they visited, but it wasn't unusual for a candidate to visit several ships before deciding on one. Once they made their decision, they transferred to their new ship immediately. On their new ship, they initially stayed with their host clan. After they felt comfortable on the ship, they selected a compartment for themselves. Not surprisingly many chose one as close as possible to their host's suite. During their first several weeks after joining a ships crew they spent much of their time in the learning center. On their first visit to the learning center, they took a comprehensive knowledge and problem solving test disguised as an interactive game. With this information, the learning center AI provided them with a list of self paced training modules which would bring their skills to the level needed. For those who arrived with a certification, the testing verified their competency and followed up with a refresher course. The refresher course had woven into it the unique Órarduine procedures and provided a review on topics where a candidate appeared to be weak. Once they satisfactorily completed the basic requirements for their skill, they began working in their department part of a shift. They continued spending part of a shift in the learning center until they were fully qualified for their position. Once fully qualified, they were encouraged to spend additional time in the learning center to expand their knowledge of both their new environment and to learn new skills. The work schedule for the J3 people was initially established to match their host clan. This gave the host clan the opportunity to include them in their various free time activities but in such a way they didn't feel forced to participate. Through this participation, they would meet other crew members broadening their connections with the Órarduine family. ------- It was almost dinner time when Jill said, "Is everyone ready to go?" There was chorus of replies, then Aoife said, "Judy isn't back yet." "She was in surgery today," replied Jill. "Yea but that shouldn't have lasted this long. She told me they were only doing two procedures." Jill had just stepped into the corridor when she saw Judy hurrying toward them. "Judy's back." They waited for Judy at the door to their suite. "Based on your smile, it looks like the surgery was a success," said Joyce. "Oh ... It definitely was," replied Judy bit out of breath but looking very happy. "You all go on to dinner. I'll be there as soon as I freshen up." "We'll wait for you. Besides tongues will wag if we don't arrive together." Several chuckled. "Yea, right." "So really, how did it go?" "Much better than the first round. You know, after the difficulty we had with the first operations, we were only planning on doing two operations today. Those went so well, we went ahead and did eight more. Since they weren't formally scheduled it took a little time to get started." "So what do the J3 people think about this?" "Well the ones we called in were surprised and happy. Their friends who came by later were ecstatic when they heard how successful we were. You know, after Serarck, Gao and Anming recovered from their surgery, Kathy, Connie and I discussed their individual reactions to removing the implants. We think they were bothered by them more than they let on, a lot more. Kathy compared it to being raped and then wearing a sign attesting to it." "I can see that," said Sarah. "Perhaps we shouldn't have told them about the implants." "They already suspected," replied Jill. "On their home planets, all the slaves wore a permanent mark to indicate their status. Usually it was a collar. In many places, slaves were only permitted to wear a skirt that could only cover from their waist to 5 centimeters below their crotch." "Now I remember seeing that. At least they didn't remove fingers like we saw being done on Earth." Aoife said, "I saw Serarck today. She is working in our navigation department. As soon as she saw me she came right over and gave me a hug. During her hug, she was very aggressive and gave me a kiss with a lot of tongue. She told me that this was in partial thanks for rescuing her as she continued caressing me. "I told her that we just did what any civilized people would do. She laughed, then added that our definition for civilized behavior was significantly different than some worlds who claimed to be civilized. She then asked me to give each of you a hug from her. So here is your hug." As she hugged her spouses, she continued with, "I told her that there wasn't any reason she couldn't do it herself. She indicated she would be by one day to do that and anything else we wanted to do together. "She told me that her wound had fully healed. There was only a faint scar where the incision was made. With a little prompting she told me that the only time she really had any discomfort, was the first two days and it was minor, after that it was hardly noticeable. "Before we went our separate ways, she sort of apologized for her aggressiveness during the hug and hoped I wasn't offended. Blushing she told me she was strongly attracted to our clan and hoped that she could be intimate with us. I told it could be arranged and kissed her." "That explains why she was so friendly," said Judy. "Next time you see her invite her over. You might want to include her significant other in the invitation. As to the operation even though removing the RFID chip was difficult, she recovered very quickly. We had similar difficulties with removing Gao's and Anming's RFID but they too recovered just as quickly. They reported post surgery discomfort similar to Serarck's comments." "So what did you do differently?" "I'm embarrassed to say this, but we aren't certain. We are still concerned about infection or other post op complications so we asked each of them if we could implant a biometric monitor. No one had any problem with it, although they did ask a number of questions about it. We told them that all of us have a similar device in us. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's go to dinner as I am starved." Just then Judy's stomach grumbled. "With that noise, we should follow her at a safe distance," said Alison. Several chuckled. "Hey, I said I was hungry," replied Judy as she walk quickly down the corridor with her other spouses hurrying to catch up. As they sat down to eat Joyce said, "Have you noticed the changes in the J3 people?" "What changes are you referring too?" replied her spouses. Alison said, "I think Joyce is referring to right after our visit to Freighter 3. Serarck and Zhaos approached Molly and Kathleen and asked if it was possible for some of them to stay full time in their area. Both Molly and Kathleen immediately thought there was some sort of conflict between the J3 people. Serarck surprised them by anticipating their reaction and simply told them that so far everyone was getting along fine. Serarck and Zhaos, then explained the reasons behind their request. Since then at least six Órarduine are in the compartment all the time." "I've heard a lot of good things about those who have moved to other ships," added Jill. "Zhaos chose to come to our ship," said Erin. "When he is not working, he spends a lot of time with Serarck and frequently go back to Freighter 3 to lend a hand." "I've seen Anming with them quite a few times. She sure has taken a leadership role in the hibernation release project." "Yes. It will be interesting to see if they blend in to our family like others have in the past." Maeve said, "I think it may take them longer to build strong interpersonal relationships. This is for several reasons but telepathy is the leading one." "Good point. We should be alert for any issues resulting from a lack of that ability." "Let's go back to the RFID topic for a moment," said Alena. "Judy, will the medical group be able to catch up on removing the RFIDs?" "Shouldn't be a problem? Now that we have a workable procedure, all the medical groups can assist. It will take a couple of clock cycles to acquaint them with the procedure." "Okay. I just had the impression only one group was doing this." "Up till today, yes. Beginning tomorrow, we will remove ten more RFIDs as we demonstrate the procedure to the other medical staffs. Our medical AIs will record each operation. We plan on using those recordings to create a training module for the future as the techniques we've learned, can be used in other situations." "Cool." "Is Kathryn's Clan still coming over?" asked Jill. "When Kathy and I were chatting after the last operation, she said she was looking forward to it," replied Judy. "Tomorrow begins their unscheduled break, so they will be here when we get off. Actually Kathy is coming over in the morning to work with us." "Cool. Briana told me that they were fine with us being late since we had visitors. I told her thanks but we would be on deck on time." "Good," replied Rusty. "We need to set the example. We could get some extra rest tonight, then we wouldn't dip as far into our reserves if we don't get quite as much sleep tomorrow night." "We're game," replied his spouses. "They're planning on staying overnight, right." "Yes. They will leave for their ship right after our morning meeting." ------- Sarah's Clan was on the bridge of Dóchas when the count down timer chimed. They were now just two clock cycles from J4. Everyone glanced at the clock as Joyce said, "Cool, just four more weeks till we arrive in Celia System." "I don't know if you've noticed but our freighters are nearly full of satellites for our sentinel sphere and components for our settlement," said Claudette. "With so many of the components ready for installation, we will be able to quickly finish the structures once they are built. Amy's Clan thinks the component availability will really accelerate establishment of our settlement." "Did you see the proposal Security is working on regarding the sentinel sphere?" asked Sally. "Not really." "They working on plans to send several cruisers ahead with sentinel satellites. The plan is for them to arrive about two weeks before us. After a brief survey of the system, their assignment is to begin placing the additional sentinel satellites in the sphere. Expectations are that they can complete this and have it tested by the time we arrive." "That's great," added Joyce. "If that can be accomplished, then we can begin adding the detail to our topographic survey of A-Celia while we are assembling our habitat." "Well from what I saw, it didn't look like they could carry enough satellites to bring the sphere's sensitivity to the level we desire." "Sally, the plan I saw a couple of clock cycles ago," replied Terry, "had seven cruisers making the trip with each carrying 6 satellites." "What about their Star Fighters?" "They were going to fly rather than ride. This way there would be room for each Star Fighter to periodically dock with a cruiser. Enough extra pilots were going so they could switch off." "Okay that would work, but wouldn't six satellites pretty well fill up the hanger space on the cruisers." "The Star Fighters could enter the landing bay far enough to change crew and resupply. The advantage to doing this is that we could fill out the sentinel sphere to 61 points. This puts each point about 0.35 ly from each other." "If they can work it out I'm all for it. That is about half the density we set up in Sol system but I understand these satellite's detectors are more sensitive." "Significantly more sensitive." "Security is evaluating whether we need to have more than 61 points," said Terry. "Currently, they think anyone wanting to sneak in will try to approach using planets or asteroids to mask their presence. In this case a few more points in the sphere's top and bottom third would provide more resolution without a lot more investment." "What about Celia's Sentinel Navigation Buoy array?" asked Rusty. "No one has queried it since we have been actively monitoring the Celia system with our probes and LRS trips there." "Good. Do we know if it is collecting data on our activity?" "Yes. At last check, it is functioning correctly." "So Joyce," said Claudette, "you're anxious to begin exploring A-Celia." Joyce laughed then replied, "Yep, just like you and everyone else." "Well we certainly have a lot of details to take care of before all of us can begin living on A-Celia," replied Sarah. "Are we now skipping the habitat stage?" asked Alena. "Sarah's Clan," said Amy, "may we respond to Alena's question?" "Certainly." "Our plan has us going through a habitat phase but it lasts for a very short time. We can do this because all of the reconnaissance data shows a very favorable environment. It is very similar to Earth and our home planet. Our primary concern is antigens. All the Órarduine have received a set of immunizations so that they won't have an adverse reaction to A-Celia's antigens. However we need to carefully evaluate our response to make sure they are complete. This should be complete in a couple of days, but it wouldn't surprise us to have missed a few. "Our initial plan for settling A-Celia is ready for review. In that plan, we are using almost exclusively construction robots to build the first buildings. They will be overseen by the logical bipeds in our family as they won't have any antigen issues. Any biological bipeds will need to wear environmental suits until the antigen issues are resolved. This is included in our presentation for our next Command Staff meeting which is tomorrow, right?" "Yes. We're going to do it virtually." "Good. Then while we are at J4, we can have a family meeting to go over the details. We think we have captured everything but there are undoubtedly some significant items that have been over looked." "Knowing you guys," said Alison, "those items won't be very significant." "My, you have a lot of faith in us." "We just know how good you all are and who was assisting you." "Thanks. Now we need to comb through the plan again to make sure we live up to your expectations." "Don't do that. It will spoil the fun." "What fun?" "The fun of finding an overlooked item. Realizing there might be something missing really gets people to read it closely." "Good point. The last time I checked, an outline for the proposed economic system and a potential form of government were pretty well along." "Yes," replied Sarah. "We should go over those before they are presented to the family." "Agreed. That discussion is set for one week after we depart J4, right?" "Yes." "We should set a date for those tomorrow when we get together." "Fine. Are you doing your dream walk tonight?" "Yes. We plan on including a few of our children." ------- The next morning Amy's and Briana's Clan arrived at the dining room just as Sarah's Clan did. Amy said, "So are we all set." "Yes. Everything looked fine. The probes are there waiting for us. We didn't think they were suppose to arrive before us." "Yes," replied Briana, "they were to be there 2 clock cycles ahead of us." "Oh, okay. We looked them over and none of them are showing any signs of tampering." "Great. Did you give Star their coordinates?" "Yep." "What did your children think of taking a dream walk?" said Amy. "They thought it was an interesting experience," replied Sarah. "The four who have done it with us want to try it on their own to see if they could do it." "What did you tell them?" asked Briana with a concerned look. "They could try but they needed to have one us or someone agreeable to us with them when they tried. We were pretty blunt when we explained the risks to them." "So..." Aoife grinned, "So expect to be asked." "Well we will need to take a bye on that," replied Amy. "That is a skill that has alluded us." "We didn't know that," replied Judy. "We were under the impression that all the command staff clans could do it as well as several security teams." "We can do it for short distances. We are just not very comfortable with it." "Well," said Briana, "we are comfortable taking dream walks. Like Amy's Clan we are fairly limited on the distance we can reach." Sarah said, "We usually form a circle with at least our arms linked or over each others shoulders. We've tried other ways but those seem to be the most comfortable. Sometimes all of us actually participate in the dream walk. Other times just a few us actively participate while the others stay in the background. When it is just a few of us we can either go further with the walk or extend the time." "So maybe strength is based on the number participating." "It would make sense based on what we've just shared." "Hmm, I think I'll talk to our sister clan. Perhaps we can try it together." "Briana, that is an interesting idea," added Amy. "I wonder how well the other Command Staffs can do dream walks?" "Well, we do have a staff meeting shortly," said Jill. "If we have time, let's bring up the topic. You know, I am not sure that we know the capabilities of each group. In fact we maybe presuming too much." "Good point, as that could have some unintended consequences and not necessarily good ones." Everyone in the group nodded their heads in agreement. ------- Entering the conference room, Sarah's Clan was a little surprised by the layout for their staff meeting. As Amy had told them there were two models of the island on A-Celia. Actually seeing them was a surprise even though they had closely studied the 3D models. In the middle of the room were two large models of the island on A-Celia. One model was of the whole island. The model next to it was of the area where they planned on placing their settlement. Sarah's Clan went to look at the models more closely. The island rose abruptly from the ocean to some 300 meters above sea level to cover an area of 512,000 sq. km. From the sea all that could be seen were high shear rock walls containing many crevices, some large enough to offer some shelter. In many places the rock walls transitioned in to mountains whose peaks rose well above the top of the rock face by a 1000 meters or more. There was only one break in the rock wall around the island which was on the southeast side. The break was only visible as you approached from the southwest but to enter the break you had to approach it blind from the south southwest. The break on the southeast side was effectively an offset in the rock wall surrounding the island. Beginning at the break and extending back toward the east, this portion of the island had two rock walls. The rock wall coming from the west was about 1.4 km behind the wall coming from the east at the break. These two rock walls formed a gorge that ran some 15 km before the interior rock wall abruptly stopped at the beginning of the bay. The last km of the outer wall diminished in height until it was a pile of boulders at the break. A 15 km long river filled the gorge connected the ocean to a bay with no place to put ashore between them. In order to enter the gorge by boat, you would need to approach from 3 km out at a 30 degree angle to the break. Once the river came into view you would turn toward the river and follow it into the bay. At the point where you entered the bay a river emptied into the bay flowing toward the northeast end of the bay. The flow of water would push a boat toward the rock wall on the right. Just past the river the bank was covered with a wide band of sand that extended about 2.5 km along the bay shore. At this point the edge of the bay varied between large rock boulders and short sections of vertical cliffs. The cliffs varied from being at water level to a few meters high. All the water from the interior of the island found its way to the ocean via these two rivers. The river on the east connected to a series of streams on the east and south central portion of the island. The river on the west connected to a series of streams on the western and northern portions of the island. The west river had a larger flow than the east river. From the bay the land rose slowly for more than 60 km before it began to rise rapidly to form a line of hills. The ridge formed an arc somewhat parallel to the islands perimeter but varied greatly in height. Even so it was clear that ridge ran from the east river all the way to the west river. Behind this ridge was a wide valley that ran from the east river nearly three quarters across the island to the west as it as sloped up from the river. The location of forests, brush, streams, fields and probable animals were shown for each valley. The interior of the island rose in steps as you moved north. The steps were masked in most places by the ridges but were evident on the rivers. At each transition there was a lake on the river. Some were very large covering more than 100 hectares. Where each lake drained into the river there was a either a water fall or a rapids. In the north central portion of the island were five large plateaus each covering more than 60 sq. km. The most central plateau rose a few meters higher than the others. It was also high enough that the ocean could just be seen between the mountains encircling the island. The southern most plateau had an area marked off indicating it was the other model. The second model was a portion of the southern most of the five plateaus. This plateau was located toward the center of the island. A large portion of this plateau's center was cleared for their settlement. A short distance to the southwest was one of the larger lakes. The clan was examining it when Aoife said, "This has much more meaning to me than the 3D images we've been using." "I agree," replied Erin just as Amy's Clan entered the room. "Are we planning on placing the settlement on this plateau?" "Good morning," said Amy's Clan. "Good morning," replied Sarah's Clan. "Yes, we are proposing placing the initial settlement on that plateau. The settlement details will appear as we go through the presentation." Rusty said, "Great. I think, your models provide a better prospective of the island's terrain than I get from the holographic images." "Even with all the times we have done this, we still have that difficulty," replied Jim of Amy's Clan. "This is why at this point we prefer to use a model at this stage. There is an inherent spatial relationship that virtually everyone has difficulty sensing with a holographic image. So we have placed duplicates of these models in each conference room. When you go back to looking at the holographic images after studying these, you will find you have a better sense of depth and detail. The images have a lot more detail than can be shown in the models." "Command Staffs, are we ready to begin?" said Sarah. "Yes," replied the others in turn. As each clan responded, holographic images of them formed in each conference room. Visually it looked as if all eight clans were in the room but in actuality only two were in the Dóchas conference room. "Star, is this conference setup new?" asked Alison of Sarah's Clan referring to the images. "Yes. This is the first meeting to use this setup and you can thank your engineering staff." "Won't this consume a lot of additional resources?" said Claudette of Sarah's Clan. "Actually it takes less. There is a duplicate of this arrangement on each ship. If there are problems, we will switch to what we have been using. The advantage to this is you can see more than just the head and shoulders of all the participants." "It is certainly life like." "Yea, but I don't think the hugging and kissing part is life like," replied Siobhan's Clan. When the laughter died down Sarah said, "Again, Amy's Clan these models of our island are fantastic. These should definitely give us a better feel for the proposed site lay out." "We agree," replied all the clans. "Before that though, we have a couple of items to cover first. First, our transition out of FTL is now set for 21:30 hours tomorrow. This is primarily based on our observations during our dream walk last night." "Was there a particular reason for the change?" asked Eleánóir of Keriann's Clan. "Only that it places us closer to the probes, we are picking up. This new position should give us a better view of the surrounding universe when we are in our 3 axis defensive array. A significant part of our view would have been blocked by a rather large star at our initial arrival position. "I guess we should have included that in our advisory. This will keep us from having to change locations, which means we may be able to move up our departure date." "Okay, you said the magic words, "departing earlier." It is music to my ears." Several chuckled at Eleánóir response. "Molly or Jackie would you update us on the status of the J3 people." "Counting those released and those in process, we have released right at 817 from hibernation as of yesterday," said Jackie. "About 2 dozen people have been difficult. They are all Tigsuma. Fortunately only a few were activated at a time. We are not sure whether this was a coincidence or orchestrated but it really doesn't matter. Initially this group was hostile with everyone, but seemed to be that way with the J3 people. "The first three were in their second day of recovering from hibernation when Serarck and Zhaos came over to help out. As soon as Serarck and Zhaos entered the compartment holding hands, the three Tigsuma began berating her for associating with that breed. It only took a few comments to set Serarck off. She responded in kind but never raised her voice. You didn't need to know their language to know they were not kind words. The three Tigsuma were soon shouting loud enough that it tripped the compartment security monitor. Not fully understanding their words, the AI erred on the safe side and summoned a Security Team to investigate. We thought the Tigsuma were going to physically attack Serarck and Zhaos. You really don't want to tangle with either of them. "The sudden arrival of the Kara's Security Team interrupted their verbal combat. Pat of Kara's Team asked what the problem was. One of the Tigsuma rudely replied that it was none of their fucking business. "Pat and Kara looked at Serarck. She told them one problem was that they didn't believe how they got here. I offered to show them their hibernation chambers but all they want to do is complain and insult her. "Kara told them the solution was they either listened to Serarck or they were immediately going back into hibernation. "The three Tigsuma squawked at hearing the ultimatum but in the end, they went with Serarck to view the hibernation chambers. At first they didn't want to believe that they were in those containers as those were containers for slaves and they were not slaves. Serarck pointed out the label and told them if that was the case then how did they explain their name on the container's label. Their expressions gave them away, but one wanted to stonewall even then. So Serarck with some assistance, simply decoded the label that completely identified them. They finally admitted that the containers were theirs and obliquely apologized for their behavior. "After the confrontation, we learned that these Tigsuma were employed by the recruiting agency for the off planet opportunity. They were the ones who had transferred the candidates into the hibernation chambers then loaded them on the ship. When asked about the missing personal possessions, they claimed to have never seen them. Once all the containers were loaded on the ship, the company had a celebration for the staff. Their next recollection is waking up here." "I take it, they were temporary employees," said Kelly of Keriann's Clan. "Well we think so. Our impression is that they have not told us the full story. Both Serarck and Zhaos agree with us. These Tigsuma did provide us with more details on what happened at the hotel after the welcoming reception along with quite a bit of information on the space ship they loaded. The hibernation chambers were loaded into a ship much like our freighters. It was nothing like the shipping container where we found the hibernation chambers. This implies that there was at least one transfer before we found them. We have the additional information ready to send to the Iridiens but we are concerned about its accuracy." "Did you learn why they weren't associating with the other J3 people?" asked Alena. "Yes. The explanation is that they are Tigsuma. Before this, they have never associated with "those" other breeds. It is clear that they are very uncomfortable around them and to some extent us. They claim they are concerned about the others attacking them because of their situation. Again, we don't believe we are getting a truthful response." "Makes sense from what we've been told about inter breed relationships on their old planet." "Yes, it does. Some of us believe they were more involved with the recruiting agency than they are admitting. Some in this group appear to believe that they are superior to the J3 people and should be in charge. This impression comes from the wording of their verbal attack on Serarck and the way they talk to the others especially when they don't think we are around. So these Tigsuma will likely be a long term problem. The situation is being monitored. Actually the AIs are keeping loose tabs on them all the time but not using any tracking devices yet. "Based on what we have heard, core group of nine Tigsuma believe that the sole purpose of a female is to serve any male in any way he chooses. Not only is our dress offensive, they don't like several other aspects of our culture. In fact the only thing they seem to appreciate is our technology." "Do we know if there are any more of these Tigsuma in the hibernation chambers?" asked Chester of Keriann's Clan. "No. We believe they have all been released from hibernation. This was confirmed by a review of the labels. This group all has the same group code. Again all of the ones causing issues are of a specific group of Tigsuma. However, we need to remember that not all Tigsuma are part of the group causing problems." "So how are these Tigsuma fitting in with the crews on the ships?" "Some appear to be fitting in quite well, once they adjusted to their change in circumstances. Or to put it another way, there are two or three from this group that are very much like Serarck in their interactions with their fellow crew members. We are monitoring the group of nine very closely and keeping track of the others with this group code. Six don't willingly take direction from another J3 person or even directly speak to them. Their interaction with other Tigsuma is a little better. Some of the nine have worked in different departments and in different ships. In each case the productivity goes down after they join, and when they leave it goes back up. No group has been sad to see them go." "Let's do this," said Conan, Rusty and Kelly at the same time causing several to chuckle. Conan and Kelly nodded to Rusty. He continued with, "These people have been among the crew for over two weeks now, right?" "Yes," replied Jackie. "Let's quietly put them back in hibernation. Once completed, we will announce that this group has been returned to hibernation and why." "Shouldn't we tell the J3 people what's happening before hand?" "Nope. If they want them back out of hibernation, then they can present a petition to the family. Look, I suspect these nine Tigsuma are behaving no differently here than they did on their home planet. We could probably tolerate the arrogance and abrasiveness on a planet but not on board a ship." "Any suggestions on how to do this?" "Sure first thing in the morning have a couple of Security Team members intercept them on their way to breakfast. Escort them to a suite and put them to sleep. At breakfast, we will announce that nine people are being returned to their hibernation container due to difficulties in adjusting to our current environment." "We think we should do it this evening, if possible," said Kelly of Keriann's Clan. "As to an announcement, our inclination is that we should just put them in hibernation and be done with it. If there are questions, then we answer them truthfully." "Is everyone in agreement that hibernation is the best choice?" "Yes." "Okay then why don't we have Calvin, Chester, Kelly and Terry work out the details of doing it," said Rusty. "It should be done as soon as possible. Are you four agreeable?" "Yes." "For simplicity, work out a plan, let us know what your plans are, then do it. Is everyone comfortable with that?" "Yes." "We really should make an announcement at breakfast," said Conan. "This would give us an opportunity to see every ones response." "Let's continue," said Sarah. "Jackie or Molly, do you have more to add?" "A little bit. With respect to all the other J3 people, once they recover from hibernation and move to one of our ships, they have integrated well with the crew. There have been a few misunderstandings. Most of these were due to communication stemming from learning a new language and thought process. In every case, those involved have sorted out the issue. So far there hasn't been any finger pointing or residual hostility. We've been a little surprised at the difference between the two groups in how they approach problem solving. There have been some issues with the J3 people adapting to our environment or culture. We will likely have more." "We think there maybe a way to help the communication issue," said Connie of Amy's Clan. "With some coaching and personal assistance, we think most if not all J3 people could hear us telepathically. We have broached the idea of communicating telepathically with a few. None were interested in seeing if they could share thoughts." "I am not surprised," replied Jenessa of Kathryn's Clan. "Why do you say that?" "They are afraid of what the others may see their thoughts and ideas if they communicate telepathically. Some likely see telepathy as a loss of privacy. Remember on their planet, the only closeness they felt was within their immediate family, even that would seem cold to us. They talk about the hostility between breeds but there was a lot between family groups as well. Others associate mind talk with witchcraft or mystics. "Serarck, Zhaos, Anming, or Ahlam would be good candidates." "Okay. I'll approach them." "I'll bet that either Serarck or Zhaos would jump at the chance. In fact, if it works for them, I suspect most everyone else will be interested in trying it." Judy said, "We have caught up with removing RFIDs. Currently we are removing them mid way through the recovery period on the freighter. This way there aren't any lingering issues when they move to one of the other ships." "Okay anything else on the J3 people." Maureen said, "Sarah, from everything we've seen the J3 people are a great addition to our family. Early on we had some express concern about their work effort. We've since learned that this was a part of their adjustment to our culture. It takes some about two weeks before they become fully integrated with a work group. For most though, it is only a few days at most." "It didn't take Serarck much more than joining the group before she fit right in with them," replied Joyce of Sarah's Clan. "Zhaos was the same way," added Claudette of Sarah's Clan. "Was there a special issue with those that took longer?" asked Jill of Sarah's Clan. "For the few I saw," replied Oriel of Keriann's Clan, "the work group had difficulty remembering to speak verbally all the time. Added to this was the J3 persons reluctance to ask questions. They were fearful that it would reflect poorly on them. In all cases, it was worked out successfully." "Good. Is there any more on this topic?" asked Sarah. "Okay then lets move on to the proposal to send a group ahead to Celia system. Has everyone reviewed the proposal?" "We are okay with it," said Chester of Keriann's Clan. "We would be more comfortable if there were a few more Badb cruisers in the task group and perhaps a few more Star Fighters per cruiser. The current proposal doesn't have any cushion in terms of resources." "We agree," said Eileen of Siobhan's Clan. "How many did you have in mind?" asked Molly. "We think three or four additional cruisers and each with their normal compliment of two flights of Star Fighters," replied Chester. "They should all be loaded to the gills for combat." "You're expecting something," said Brandan of Maureen's Clan. "Not really. There is our experience at J3 or maybe I should say surprise. We have the resources available and it would be better to be prepared." "So, are we in agreement to add 4 Badb cruisers and 16 Star Fighters to the expedition?" asked Sarah. It was quiet for several moments, then all the Command Staffs said, "Yes." "Unless there is something else regarding the task group proceeding us to Celia system, then it is time to hear the plans Amy's Clan has for our settlement." "Thanks," replied Amy. "Before we discuss the settlement proposal, we want to go over some of the islands features that became more apparent as the models were built. "The sheer rock walls around the island are not as impermeable as they appear. In several places, we found what appear to be narrow paths rising from the water level all the way to the top. In many places, the paths are so narrow that they almost don't exist. The climb would be difficult for anyone but a skilled climber but we are not certain that a skilled climber would always make it to the top. "In several places we have found openings in the wall that indicate a good size cave. We think these were originally overlooked because they are difficult to see. In fact you can only see them from a narrow angle at their level. These need to be investigated soon after we begin settling the island. "The only weakness we see in the island is its single access to the sea. There are indications that the water level has risen over 20 meters above its nominal level. We don't know how often but we think this was due a combination of flooding and a storm surge. The valleys along the two rivers and their tributaries show evidence of significant flooding. As the rivers approach the harbor, evidence of deep periodic flooding becomes more obvious. This is consistent with our satellite weather observations made since we decided to move here." "Amy," said Eileen, "do the lakes show much evidence of large level changes?" "Maybe 5 meters, but each of them have large marshes along part of their up stream bank." "So if we build next to a river or in a flood plain, it needs to be designed to withstand periodic flooding." "Basically, yes. Our biggest unknown on flooding is the extent and how frequently. We won't be able to really answer those questions until we live there a while. "We are proposing that we build on the indicated plateau. This is for several reasons. The height of the plateaus makes it fairly easy to see the ocean around the island. The plateau is nearly 400 sq km so it is large enough to support a large settlement as well as our initial manufacturing operations. Water drainage from the plateau is through a matrix of small streams. Several of these streams create water falls down the side of the plateau. Eventually these streams feed the nearby tributaries which in turn drain into the several nearby lakes. These tributaries provide us with at least two water sources. "One lake appears to be deep enough to easily float one of our space ships and has a large surface area. Flooding on the plateau should not be a significant issue. With our transport technology, there is little reason at this time to build a settlement in the harbor area. We should locate an outpost there. It would be a great recreational area. "The settlement layout is a little different than we had on Mars. It does have the common parameters we normally used. Our settlements focus will be a round building 306 meters in diameter which we refer to as the Commons." As Amy's Clan, mentioned the Commons building it appeared on the models. "The Commons will provide some 73,500 square meters of floor space on each of four levels. Three of these are below ground level. Our medical facilities will be located on sub-level 1. Sub-level 2 will have corridors connecting to each of the other buildings. This building's purpose is to house our meeting, dining areas plus some recreational activity. Initially it would have a limited number of suites. These suites provide a quicker path to having staff there around the clock. The suites will be located on the ground floor, sub-level 1 and sub-level 3. These suites will be removed as the other buildings are completed and use of this building for its primary purpose increases. "For residences, we are proposing to place 8 buildings around the Commons. These are 14 story buildings 60 meters in diameter plus three levels below ground." Again as Amy's Clan described the residences each slowly appeared on the models. "Twelve of the 14 floors are living space. Initially each level will be initially set up to accommodate 16 clans. This gives each clan a little over 180 square meters of living space. The first floor has a swimming pool and several exercise areas. The second floor is open and intended to be an open area where we can socialize. The second level will also have a formal learning center. All the buildings are connected underground on the second sub-level and this is its primary purpose. Third sub level is set aside for utilities and etc. The eight buildings are spaced 60 meters apart and form a circle around the Commons. The first sub level is slated to be the armory and a storage area for our IPTPs. "By the end of the first year, we project completing the Commons building along with 5 of the 14 story buildings. With 16 clans on each floor of a building, this would bring the settlement's resident population up to almost a 1000 clans or about a third of our family. The proposal calls for adding 6 more 14 story residences the second year and 7 more 14 story residences the third year. These additional buildings are arranged in a circle around the first 8 buildings. This would bring the total number of residences up to 18 buildings. One change we are considering is to increase the buildings to 80 meters in diameter with the same spacing. This change would give each clan a little over 300 sq m of living space. We are waiting for engineering to tell us the impact of making that change. "With little additional growth, this should be sufficient to accommodate all the family on the ground. We realize that not everyone will be at the settlement at the same time due in part to space ship staffing." "We should strive to make sure everyone has a place on the planet that they can call home," said Aoife. "We agree," replied several while others nodded their agreement. "Amy, I noticed all of the buildings are circular and their layout forms two circles around the Commons building," said Molly. "Is there a reason for them being circular?" "Yes. We understand this configuration is easier to maintain and defend. The entrances at ground level are very difficult to find if you are not one of us. From the outside, the exteriors are almost like a continuous mirror. From the inside the occupants can control the translucency of the exterior wall. We should mention now that nothing has been done yet on defining the suites lay out. Our basic premise was for them to be laid out similar to those on our ships. One difference is that these would have a small food preparation area." "So you're looking to continue group dining?" asked Maureen. "We think that should continue for the first few years or at least until everyone has a designated space on the ground to call home. This brings up an issue that we haven't discussed and we really don't need to decide now. The question is: How active are we going to keep our space ships? We have made allowances to always have 300 clans spread across the ships." "That would be a very basic skeleton crew," replied Rusty. "It is about the lowest we could go and still keep the ships in ready standby state. So we may have more than that on the ships, in the meantime you should continue using that number." "How much does the birth rate effect this?" asked Maureen. "A difficult question to give you a solid answer to. We've run several simple scenarios. For example if each clan adds 8 babies a year by the 8th year our population will be close to 240,000. To have enough residences and space, we would need at least 138 more buildings to keep the living space per person reasonable. It also means the ratio of children to adults is 7 to 1 with the oldest children approximately 6 years from being an adult. The initial space allotment of 180 sq meters per clan would be comfortable with the addition of up to 8 or 10 babies. When the children reach two years old then the clan will need more space especially if they add more children." "Are you going to include this in your general presentation?" said Sarah. "Yes. We have concerns about adding too many children too quickly. There are some case studies on Connemare settlements where there was a rapid increase in children. This delayed the settlement becoming self supporting due to the time spent tending to small children. It contributed to other long term problems in social order. Our data indicates adding an average of 4 babies per year to a clan is optimum. Additionally, there needs to be some years where they add very few or none at all. Also, a clan should the hold number of below puberty to 4 children per adult. Once that level is reached they should wait until the older ones have attained adult age." "That makes sense. It is easy to see that we could tie all of our resources up with family members focused on child care. What would more likely happen is that some of the children wouldn't receive the attention they need to fully develop." "That is one of our concerns." "Guess we blew that," said Maureen's Clan as Maureen, Colleen, Crystal and Courtney caressed the slightly swollen stomach. Several other chuckled. "Why?" replied Amy. Maureen quickly responded with, "Amy, we understand the point of your example. We know it wasn't directed at us. The one thing we need to emphasize is that as Órarduine we have a longer life and a longer span of time to have children." "Have you factored in the children currently in our family?" asked Amber of Siobhan's Clan. "We did in another example. With the same criteria, the population grows faster and along with it the need for more infrastructure." Erin of Sarah's Clan said, "I don't think many clans will add children immediately on taking up residence on A-Celia. I think many will take time to get settled before deciding to add children to their clan. From my perspective, I agree that this issue should be included in the presentation as an issue of concern." "We agree," said each of the clans. "Amy, at one time Bob and Nancy were toying with a building design," said Sarah. "Are you aware of it?" "Yes. Several others have preliminary designs for their future home. Going with separate homes for each clan initially, increases the infrastructure the settlement needs. We see those as the second step in settling the island. The time lapse will give us time to gain a better understanding of the environment and security issues. This settlement's arrangement, we think gives us the easiest and safest way to provide a residence on the planet for everyone. A set of buildings like we had on the two islands on Earth were considered but dropped." "Well we do like the proposal for the residence part of the settlement," said Sarah. "How and where were you planning on placing the manufacturing facilities?" "Again they are circular buildings. There are plans for four to be placed around the Commons building." As Amy spoke, four buildings came into view one by one. They were located a kilometer from the Common building on the North, South, East and West axis. "The buildings are shown as each being some 600 meters in diameter and they could be larger as the design isn't finalized. Each has two levels above ground and two below. The ground level has 8 meter ceilings. Sub-level 2 connects to the corridors from the Common building. This level also houses communications and security. The plan is to lay out all four buildings. The building on the West side will be built first. Once it is complete and operational, the second one would be started if the building of the residences was on schedule. "Two temporary landing areas will be established. These will be North and South of the line between the Commons building and the first manufacturing building. It will be positioned about half way between the two buildings. Engineering's planning group is laying out the configuration for the building. "One item we haven't included is hangers. Flight operations would like a couple of hangers large enough to hold the Badb cruisers. They are willing to wait as long as the environment is not too hard on their operations. There are four in the proposal but not a high priority. "That pretty well covers the proposal. Comments?" "Why don't we pause here," said Sarah, "and get some lunch. While we're eating we can discuss the settlement proposal." "We are agreeable, but I don't see a whole lot to discuss," said Chester of Keriann's Clan. "Well we have a few questions," said Molly. "We think we know the answers but will ask them after we get something to eat." Just as Molly finished speaking Kathleen quickly stood up, turning toward Molly she placed an hand on each side of Molly's head as she pushed a nipple into Molly's mouth. "Just suck. This should take the edge off your hunger." "A little aggressive aren't you." As Kathleen relaxed her grip on Molly's head she said, "Well she said she was hungry and my tits are so full they ache; no they actually hurt." Everyone could see Molly's throat move as she rapidly swallowed the milk. "God, that feels so much better. Molly would you try the other one." Molly switched to the other nipple and sucked for a few moments then pulled back. "You know you could have just asked." "Sorry if I offended you but the idea occurred to me when your thought about eating formed." "Well I thought you had stuck a hose in my mouth the way you squirted milk into my mouth. How long since you let down?" "This morning when we exercised. Recently, I really seem to be producing more milk. I guess I should begin letting it down more frequently." "Well we can install a station on the bridge where you can let your milk down more frequently." "We may need to." "This shouldn't be happening. When did this start?" asked Kathy of Kathryn's Clan. "Hmm ... I guess about three weeks ago. At first it was just being fuller in the morning and afternoon. I've never had this issue before." "I don't think any of us have either. Our breasts are always comfortably full when we express our milk twice a day. Stop by the medical center later today and tell them to run a hormone profile on you." "I'll do that after we finish up here." Sarah, Judy, Rusty and Aoife glanced at each other and nodded. ------- Chapter 173 When the eight Command Staffs were getting their lunch, Kathleen went to their clinic so blood samples could be taken. While she was there, she was given a full body scan. From there she stopped by their suite on Marthanóir to let her milk down. "Kathleen," said Mirial of Molly's Clan, "I'll take your lunch to the conference room, so you can just meet us there." "Thanks. I won't be much longer. I'm almost finished letting my milk down. I would have been there by now but the Medical AI told me it would be best if I let them do a full body scan." "Okay," replied her spouses. "Take your time." Once the Command Staffs had returned to their conference room, they began by reviewing the plans for the settlement that Amy's Clan had presented earlier. As they went over each portion, their questions were mostly directed toward clarifying their understanding of the proposal. In some cases they discussed alternatives but only a few minor changes were flagged for consideration. It was late afternoon by the time their discussion began wrapping up. They were nearly done when Kathleen got a funny look on her face. Kathy, Betsy and Judy said, "Holy shit." "What?" said several. "They just gave me the tests results," said Kathleen. "My hormones levels for those that regulate milk formation are 5 times their normal level. What does that mean?" "That means the feedback loop regulating your milk formation isn't working correctly," said Betsy of Amy's Clan. "Your medical group would like you to come here for further evaluation as they've never seen this situation." "Is it serious?" "Not likely but it is unusual. It will take only a few more tests to show whether your body is doing it or it is caused by something you've had contact with." Kathleen said to her spouses, "Ok, guys, help me do this." Sensing her intent Molly's Clan formed a circle around Kathleen on Marthanóir. Together they assisted her in transferring directly to Dóchas using their abilities. Kathleen said, "Okay, I'm here. What next?" "Concerned?" asked Connie of Amy's Clan chuckling. "Well, yes, a little. If the quantity of milk continues to increase, that means my cup size will increase. I am comfortable with their current size and really wouldn't like for them to be any larger." "Until we get it sorted, one way to keep the increase to a minimum is to express your milk more frequently." "I thought of that, but was afraid that would result in just more milk being made." "It will. Once your hormone levels are normal, you should again have control over your output." "Kathleen," said Sarah, "is there anything you've been doing differently beginning around when you noticed the increase?" "Well when I'm not on the bridge, I'm usually in either the Intelligence or Security departments. But, I've been doing that for a long time, like, since this voyage started. Like the rest of you, we frequently roam around the ship to see how everyone is doing. Since J3, we frequently go over to Freighter 3." "Well, you go a lot more than any of us," said Molly. "You're right. Since we decided to have some Órarduine in the area for the J3 people all the time, I spend some time there nearly everyday." "Y'all are going to think I'm crazy," said Tara and Aoife. "Star, we monitor a crew members position in our fleet at all times, correct?" "Yes. We can sort out fairly quickly where a person has been and who they've been with. I'll ask even though I think I know your intent. What do you have in mind?" "There is a group of J3 people that worked for the company that did the recruiting, well fuck lets be honest, abducted them. There are about 24 in the group, if I remember Molly's comment correctly. We want to know where they go and who they have the most contact with." "This request will be failry easy to do." "Why?" "When there was the commotion in the J3 area of Freighter 3, Security flagged the instigators as being individuals to monitor. At the time there were only a few of them out of hibernation, however the monitoring expanded to include all of that Tigsuma group. We are now actively monitoring 29. Three of them don't really associate with the rest. Let me reword that, those three are seldom anywhere near the others." "Great," replied Aoife and Tara. "We've all wondered about the story this group told about their celebration after loading the initial freighter at its origination. All of us are certain, they didn't tell everything and likely embellished what they did tell us. We think, we have an idea what the missing pieces are." They saw perplexed looks on some of the Command Staff members. "Bear with us for a bit and we will sketch out our thoughts. From what we know about how the J3 people came to be on the freighter, we think it is a safe bet that the company doing the recruiting were Tigsuma slavers hired by the Durale. These 29 Tigsuma didn't enter hibernation on the originating planet but at the location where they turned over their cargo to the Durale. Either earlier or at the transfer location, some of this group learned of the drug the Durale use to turn most people into their ardent servants. At some point, they stole some of the drug and hid it in their personal possessions. Their hibernation chambers are the only ones that contained any personal items. Based on their actions, some perhaps all twenty-six of the group were likely key members of the recruiting company. The odd three we would guess are technicians needed to get the freighter and cargo safely to the transfer point and wouldn't interfere with their plans. "The first time we met the Durale, they slipped us a drug through food and drink. It was very effective and we came very, no damn close to being their toys because of that. Thanks to our medical staff our bodies now either block or alter this family of drugs. If it is blocked, it ends up being excreted. If it is altered into a substance already in our body, then it could upset our body's balance. So Kathleen's increased milk yield could be due to these altered drugs." "I'll say this, you two certainly know how to read tea leaves," said Betsy with a chuckle. "The end effect is quite possible. It is also a solution we may have never considered. I wonder if there are other Órarduine with increased milk let down. I'll run a check while this continues." "So, what would be the end game?" said Jackie. "Gaining control of us and our fleet," replied Chester of Keriann's Clan. "Wouldn't they need more people in order to do that?" "In our case a lot more," said Keriann. "If they gained control of communications, security and propulsion departments on all ships, it could make things very difficult for us. Considering our psionic abilities, we could block their control and likely regain it. The cost would be high." "You wouldn't need a lot more people if you could summon assistance while limiting our ability to move or defend ourselves," added Rusty. "One of our strengths and weaknesses is that we won't leave anyone behind. You're right in that our abilities would be of considerable assistance in countering their efforts." "Even with a disabled ship or two, I don't think taking us would be as easy as it appears." "True. If we couldn't stop their approach, it would be close in fighting unless they think they can put us down without a fight. Remember the Durale were going to gas the Emprika." "It won't get near that point," said Tara and Aoife. "Okay," said Betsy, "the Dóchas Medical AI has surveyed all the ships. There are 5 including Kathleen that show a significant increase in milk yield. They are now querying everyones bio-sensors for an update. Those will be scanned for odd readings. The normal procedure is to have anyone with an odd reading visit their clinic for a check up." "Makes sense," said Jackie. "I've made a few trips myself." Star said, "We are still collating data on the Tigsuma group. One item stands out. All of them frequently visit compartment D283 on Freighter 3 which is unused and out of the way. There are nine that spend virtually every evening there. One of the nine is in the hibernation recovery area everyday. It will probably be late tonight before we have a full list of their associations." "The unused compartments are not monitored nor do they have any sensors," said Kathleen. "Sally, can you have Clarence's group put spiders in all of them?" "Sure. Your group could do it as well." "This is better. One of the Tigsuma is very friendly with two J3 people in our Security group. While I trust them, I don't want to create an opportunity for a leak." "Done. He told me they have some new models with expanded capabilities. Considering what the spiders have done in the past, I didn't think that was possible." "With our group anything is possible." "It is approaching dinner time," said Rusty. "Lets stay closely linked until this is resolved. We should keep this to ourselves and only bring in other crew members as necessary. From my perspective, this is for the same reason Kathleen gave a minute ago." "We agree," replied everyone. "Before we go back to regular stuff," said Sarah's Clan, "we would like to commend Amy's Clan and those assisting them for a well thought out proposal." Everyone together said, "We agree." "Thank you, again," said Amy's Clan. "To us this is the easiest of the three key pieces we need for the settlement. Both the type of economic model and government are more difficult to develop. If we wait a few years until we begin implementing them, we should be able to make an easier transition. Also, an item to think about is compensation. Moving away from us functioning as a group focused on a single purpose to a more diverse focus creates the need for a currency to handle transactions." "We've thought about that," said Sarah. "One thought was to base each persons compensation rate what we paid our contract workers. The total amount each received would vary based on the length of time with us and responsibility." "That would be similar," said Kelly, "to the standard grade/time service pay chart the navy used. We don't have nearly as many levels, but they would give us a place to start." "I take it you are equating rank with responsibility," replied Rusty of Sarah's Clan. "Yes as a concept. We need to consider the spread between high and low as well as making sure the minimum amount is sufficient." Amy's Clan said, "A good start as we just wanted you all to think about the topic. I guess we should have realized that you already have." Just then the dinner chime sounded. "Let's go freshen up." "Good," said Kathleen, "I'm full again and leaking." "Kathleen," said Betsy, "lets stop by medical so you can do that. While we are there we can do some additional tests. Why don't you have dinner with us before you go back to Marthanóir?" "Sure. It's been a while since we've visited. I must say this feels really strange without the others close by." "Hey," replied Molly's Clan, "we aren't that far away but hurry back, we miss you." Erica, Betsy and Kathleen left the conference room arm in arm. ------- The morning chimes sounded waking the crews on the ten Órarduine ships approaching J4. As soon as the Command Staff of each ship was awake, their ship's AI informed them that the data on the activities of the Tigsuma group was ready for review. The AIs recommended reviewing the data before leaving their suite for breakfast. When Sarah's Clan heard Star suggest they review the data immediately, they said, "That bad?" "Not really. We think a plan to deal with this needs to be implemented as soon as you are all in agreement on a course of action preferably before breakfast." "Okay. Then lets all link together," replied Sarah's Clan. Sarah's Clan then said, "Good morning everyone." After everyone replied Donna the Primary AI on Phoenix said, "Star, take the lead on this briefing and we will fill in our bits as necessary." Star said, "First lets talk about the area on Freighter 3 where the J3 people recover from being in hibernation. Every day one of this group is there. He usually arrives after breakfast and stays until at least lunch. One common characteristic is that they offer the newest people a drink within a few hours of them becoming active. Sometimes after the person accepts the drink, there is a whispered conversation. After this the two go off for a short while. The location varies but basically the two are alone for a short period of time. Not all of those who accept the drink go off with a member of this group. So for this review, lets call those who go off for the private chat Tigsuma agents or just Tagents. When these Tagents accept positions as a crew member, members of this Tigsuma group frequently visits them. It is usually the person who initially gave them the drink. These Tagents are working primarily in the three key departments you all mentioned yesterday and on all seven ships. "Several Tagents working in Communications departments on different ships have tried to send a message to a distant star system. Each time the message was rejected. This is because it couldn't be sent while we are in a FTL envelope. The message appears to be nonsense, which is likely because it is coded. We can come back to this. "The Medical AIs have identified some thirty Órarduine with an increased lactation rate. None are expressing quite as much as Kathleen. You may have guessed at the common thread. All of them frequently help out on Freighter 3 in the J3 compartments. The degree of increase in lactation volume corresponds with the frequency of their visits. Several of them remember the gesture of being offered a drink every time they go there. So from these two bits, we are fairly certain they are giving certain J3 people a drug which makes the recipient easy to manipulate and not remember the conversation. For the Órarduine, this is consistent with the results from Kathleen's hormone evaluation and subsequent tests. "In compartment D283 the Tigsuma group is using, the spiders found some modified bondage equipment. All the modifications effectively increase the intensity of the victims pain and cause irreversible tissue damage. After the Tigsuma left the area last night, a forensic team went in to retrieve samples but left everything undisturbed. Tissue samples were obtained from some bondage devices. They are currently running DNA analysis on the samples. The DNA patterns are being immediately compared to our master file. Also, the forensic team found a significant amount of dried blood in the deck plate joints, on some cabinets and other furniture. This was mostly at deck level. Samples were taken. "In collating the movements of this groups members, we found four instances where an Órarduine or a non-Tigsuma J3 person entered D283. We can not find any indication of them coming out. We can not find any trace of them anywhere our ships. A negative piece of information is that the recycle log on Freighter 3 shows one of this Tigsuma group recycling waste the day after each one entered D283. The recycle input record indicates it digested several kilos of biological waste on the same day. The forensic team has taken sample swabs in the recycling area. "That pretty well covers what we have so far." "Well it is pretty clear that we have four cases of homicide on our hands," said Erica of Amy's Clan. "Are there still three outliers?" asked Casidhe of Siobhan's Clan. "Yes. There doesn't appear to be any intended association between them and the others. In some instances, by their movements, it appears that they've made an effort to avoid contact." "So it is pretty certain that they have drugged an unknown number of J3 people," said Siobhan. "They have attempted to drug some Órarduine and circumstantial evidence indicates that they murdered four of us." "We agree," replied the other Command Staffs. "So how do we confirm this?" Betsy said, "We can determine who was drugged by having all the J3 people visit our medical departments. They need to do it any way so we can test their sensitivity to A-Celia antigens. Actually, we were holding off until all were out of hibernation, so we can just move it forward." "We had talked about putting these Tigsuma back in hibernation." "Yes," said Sarah, "and now that is definitely not an option." Chester said, "This Tigsuma group seems to have what I would call 9 key individuals and the rest just follow their lead." "Okay." "So lets arrange for the nine key individuals to receive a note after breakfast telling them there is a meeting in D283 on Freighter 3. Rather than a note, maybe it would be better for someone to tell them that someone was looking for them in reference to a meeting on Freighter 3. The others we can just have them go to a specific compartment on their current ship. There a security team member would meet them and put them to sleep before securing them. A straight jacket with a hog tie seems sufficient but they do need to be monitored until moved to the interrogation compartment." "Okay, Chester, we know you have something planned for those going back to Freighter 3." "Well we now have video and audio recorders in D283. Once all of them arrive, it shouldn't take them long to realize none of them setup the meeting. This should start a discussion or perhaps an argument on whether their plot has been discovered. After the tension builds a bit, we can have two Órarduine who resemble the two missing ones visit them. They would pretend to be the two they killed and they were back to get even. That should result in us learning a lot about what happened to the missing people and perhaps what their other plans were. "Oh, the two Órarduine would be wearing personal shield and obviously armed." "Why not send them thoughts about the four who died?" said Jill of Sarah's Clan. "Good idea. It's better than sending someone into the room. In this case, we would just project images of the two into room. It would give them a ghostly appearance." "Ghostly images would have a greater psychological impact than us in our TAC suits." "Why TAC suits?" "Remember what happened before?" "Fuck!" replied one. "How could we forget that?" asked several. "Because, we aren't fully evaluating the risks. We need to act rapidly but also consider all the results of those actions." "Star," said Sarah, "when will forensics have their results." "After breakfast." "Anybody have a better idea than Chester's?" asked Sarah. After a few moments she added, "I presume by no comments, we like the idea and are in agreement to do it." "Yes!" "Chester how about taking the lead on that aspect. Cathan's Clan can assist you. Pull in another team for backup. Several of us can participate as well. "Okay each ship will task some Security Teams to take custody of the remaining members of this group on their ship. It should be done after our morning meeting while we are going to duty stations. Once they are asleep, secure them, and watch them. Putting them in strait jackets until they are in prisoner boxes sounds perfect. "At the end of breakfast, the senior medical officer on each ship will make the announcement requesting for all the J3 people to stop by medical on their way to work for an antigen test. Anyone testing positive will be sedated and admitted." "Star, do we have two women who strongly resemble the two missing women?" "Yes. Actually there are six possible candidates." "Are any Security Team members?" "Hmm ... Yes. And they are the best matches." "Tell them Chester wants to see them before breakfast." "Lets try to get these pieces all taken care of well before our FTL window arrives." "That is still 1500 hours, right?" "Yes," replied Joyce. "I'm hungry," said Kaitlin of Maureen's Clan. "Well breakfast has started," replied Aisling of Siobhan's Clan. "So lets keep our link more active than we usually do and go to breakfast," said Kelly of Keriann's Clan. "We will be a little later than usual but not many will take much notice of it." ------- In compartment E284 on Freighter 3, Chester, Cathan's and Alana's Security teams were watching and listening to the members of the Tigsuma in D283. It wasn't long after the morning meeting that the core members of the Tigsuma group began arriving in D283. During their wait, they kibitzed about the purpose of the meeting. A couple thought the request at breakfast for the J3 people to stop by medical for antigen testing was strange. Two laughed. One remarked that it was typical of these dumb Órarduine animals. Everyone knew that Tigsuma were never bothered by the antigens on other worlds. Several mentioned that all of their tasks had been completed so there was really nothing for them to do but wait until their next decision point. Lunch was just beginning when the last Tigsuma entered D283, he said, "Why are we all here?" Several said, "What?" "We thought you called this meeting." One said, "Some of us have been here over two hours waiting for this to start." Another said, "Wait, do you think they figured out we are planning on taking over this fleet?" "No fucking way," replied several. "They are too simple, trusting and open," added another. "That may be the case, but getting navigation to provide us with the location of J4 was a pain in the ass. To bad none of our agents work in navigation. As to Serarck, I can't wait to take her off her high horse. She's just like the others of her breed, the dam bitch." "Lets make her one of the first, we turn into pleasure toys." "Sounds good to me. After all the shit she gave me, it will be a pleasure to hear her screams. I know just how to inflict the pain so the bitch is soon begging for relief. Once she agrees to submit to us, then we can torment her both physically and mentally." "Well I'm more interested in playing with the Órarduine. We need to reinforce those restraints as the other two nearly got out of them. They are some of the strongest animals I've ever seen and we've ever dealt with." "True. Once we get hold of the stunners and have control of the armory, we should have the upper hand." "This looks to be one of our easiest projects," replied one man firmly. "Has everyone completed their tasks?" Each of the men nodded affirmatively. One said, "The messages are set to be sent once we leave FTL. I would have been here sooner but I couldn't find any of our agents. After checking all the ships, I decided to just ask the first person I found in the Communications department. The first one I asked accepted my request without any hesitation. So I went to back to each ship and made the same request. Based on that, I don't think they have a clue about what we are up to." "Have any of our agents noticed any unusual activity?" "I really haven't seen any since I left the medical section after breakfast." "You went?" "Of course," was the sharp reply. "Even though we know it isn't necessary, I didn't think it was wise to skip. While I was there, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. They identified each of us before taking a tissue sample then we were sent on our way. I didn't see any of our agents after breakfast which isn't surprising." The others in the group nodded their agreement with the comments. The leader said, "Okay. Let's go over our lists together to make sure we haven't missed anything. You are right, this seems to be an easy project, but it can go to hell in less time than you think. The way it stands at the moment, we will have roughly 6 to 8 days, to kill before our help arrives. The equipment failures will begin the day departure is scheduled." "So what are we going to do in the mean time?" "Perhaps we could invite another Órarduine to visit us here." "Good idea. I think I know a couple that could be lured here. Neither are tightly associated with a group." "Well I would really like to get Serarck and her sister in here." "Forget Serarck," replied one sharply. "I already claimed the bitch so pick one of the other cunts for your entertainment. "So I'll take her sister. They are both arrogant bitches but have very nice bodies. Those bodies were made for men to enjoy using." "Oh, I agree, they are meant for us to enjoy." "We have a few customers who would pay a high price for them as sex addicts. Best part is we can take our pleasure with them until we can sell them. Well as long as the rest of you don't get to rough." "You mean like the other night." "Yes." "Well there was no point in keeping any of the four around after some people got carried away." "Enough of that for now." "Sorry, boss. Those Órarduine bitches just irritate me." "By the way, one of our agents in Security told me that they were sending a third of their tactical forces ahead. They are to leave just before the fleet departs for Celia system." "Why is that?" "They are setting up an array of sensors in Celia system. This is to detect anyone heading toward the system. They apparently have a similar one in Sol system." "You would have thought they had learned that those are a waste of time. They promote complacency and once known, those types of defenses are easy to get around." "That is good to know and a piece of information we can sell." "Just more evidence they are dumb animals. The technical knowledge they control is wasted in their hands." In E284, Chester said, "I damn well don't believe they are sitting there talking like this. This is just too fucking easy." He was shaking his head as he spoke. "Cathal, have you ever seen anything like this?" "Rarely," replied Cathal of Alana's Clan. "In fact the last time I remember something like this, the group was in a secure area. It doesn't appear that they have even checked the room. Are we still going to send the ghosts to visit them?" "You betcha," replied Cathan. "Two of the four were dam good friends of ours. The two J3 people were well thought of by everyone that knew them. I think all of us would like to go in there and take them apart, a little piece at a time." "I fully understand," said Chester with Alana's Clan nodding in agreement. "The one who was just raving about turning Serarck and her sister into sex toys has drawn the attention of the ghosts." "The compartment's doors are secured, right?" "Yes," replied Cleo of Alana's Clan. "The exit to the recycle center in D383 was left so it can be forced open. The main entrance would require something akin to a cutting torch to open it." "So you want to scare some of them into recycling themselves?" "Now that is a thought. We didn't think of that and now it would be difficult to arrange but perhaps an opportunity will arise." "Well, we need to interview them first." As the Tigsuma reviewed their efforts to take over the Órarduine fleet, those with Chester in E284 telepathically listened to their thoughts. When a thought seemed incomplete, the Órarduine were usually successful in pushing suggestions to them, so they went into more detail. The Tigsuma had just finished their review when the freighters bell sounded. This indicated that there was only 15 minutes left until transition out of FTL began. "Shit, that was their FTL alarm," said the apparent Tigsuma leader. "We should be observing their FTL procedures." "Fuck, it's to late to transfer to another ship. It won't be quite the same but we could observe them on this ship's bridge." "That's better than nothing," replied several as they headed for the door. A few moments later Chester, Cathan and Alana's Security teams began laughing as they watched the Tigsuma trying to open the compartment's door. The release handle turned freely in their hand. None of them could get the emergency releases to budge. While most of the attention was on the primary door, two went over to the door to the recycling compartment. They were able to open the door slightly but the door wouldn't open but a centimeter or two. The two Tigsuma began slamming the door shut and then opening again as they swore at it and the Órarduine. The banging door obscured some of their conversation. After allowing their frustration to grow in trying to open the doors Chester said, "Okay, show time." With that two ghostly images appeared in D283 with the Tigsuma, to stand near the table holding the bondage devices. This was some distance from the compartment's primary door. The lights flickered several times causing some Tigsuma to look around. The sight of the two dead women brought them to a stand still. Just as the ghosts started to speak one of the Tigsuma said, "What the fuck is this? Those bitches are dead." His comments drew the attention of the others to the center of the compartment. "Well boys," said the women in a very seductive voice ignoring the comment, "now that you've told us of your plans for us it's play time. Only, this time your drugs won't be necessary." "You're dead." "Surprised you, didn't we? We decided to come back for some more fun." One woman was holding a large dildo while the other was sharpening a knife. "We figure we owe you guys several hours of pain for what you did to us and the others." Then they pointed toward the man who had talked about Serarck and said, "You, come over here." When he didn't move the two women began to wave him toward them. At the same time, the Órarduine watching used telekinesis to push him toward the two ghostly images. He struggled to resist but his movements to the others didn't appear to be struggles. Soon he was standing in front of the two women. One woman said, "Are you afraid of us?" He didn't move except for a little shaking. She giggled then added, "You should be deathly afraid. Now hold very still, I need to remove your attire as I don't want to cut you, yet. It is much too early for you to bleed or feel the blade sliding though your skin. Have you ever skinned a live person?" His face grew pale as liquid began to pool at this feet. "Ah ... I see by your reaction you haven't. I'm really surprised. By the way you used the knife the other night I thought you had." As she had talked the man had become very pale. "Oh, I got that wrong. You didn't want the others to know. Bet they didn't know your belt was made from someones skin. Ah ... a coworkers daughter who rejected your sexual demands." "You lying fucking bitch." As he spoke he moved to strike her instead her ghostly hand gripped his wrist then squeezed. The man gasp as he felt the pressure on his wrist. Looking at his wrist, he was shocked to be able to see right through her hand. The pressure and the pain in his wrist was intense. While the women had been focused on the man they had called over, the others had steadily spread out. "Oh ... look, the big bad man pissed on the floor." Another knife floated up off the table and moved between the man and ghostly woman. "Remember how you used this knife?" "Yea, what of it," sneered the man. "Bet you can't do this." The knife moved quickly up and down the man clothes. It was again floating next to the woman when his clothes began falling to the deck. The man just looked down with a shocked look as the realization of how serious his situation was began to take hold. Unbridled fear was quickly replacing his arrogance. Just then a man by the door picked up a cup and hurled it at the woman speaking. He hollered, "You fucking animals." The cup sailed right past one woman's head, crashing into the wall behind her. She turned to him and said sweetly, "Oh, so you want to go first. Well come right on over." As soon as she made her comment all the Tigsuma rushed the two women. The women vanished laughing as the men crashed into the man standing next to the women. He had grabbed for the nearest one as the main lights went off. Instead of grabbing her, he became the focus of the attacks by the other Tigsuma. In the darkened compartment, the Tigsuma were so intent on subduing the women that it took them a while to realize they were only fighting with each other. As they realized it each backed off and began to look around. It took a while before they caught their breath and fully untangled. "You fucking idiots," said the man on the bottom. "Get me some clothes." "You're out of luck. There aren't any in here unless you want to wear the jumper one of the women were wearing when they arrived." "So whose daughter did you kill?" "She was lying." "I told you I didn't think torturing those women would get us any useful information," snarled one man. "So how the fuck do you plan on dealing with ghosts?" "You're fucking sick if you believe in ghosts. Those were projected images not ghosts you idiot." "Yea so how the fuck are you going to get us out of here?" "There isn't any hurry. Our friends will be here in a few days." "So what do you plan on eating while we wait?" "You're all fucking dense. You called them dumb animals, well they know what we are trying to do. We need to get out of here." His comments ignited a quarrel and from that point on the accusations just grew along with some shoving and pushing. As their anger grew so did threats toward each other. The Órarduine watched them on the monitors as they listened to their thoughts. Each time a memory popped up in one of their minds it was recorded and the Tigsuma were pushed to verbalize it as either an accusation or to brag. This added to the turmoil and brought more incriminating thoughts forward to be harvested. Dinner time was approaching when Chester and the Security Teams decided they had enough information and entertainment. A loud click releasing the compartment door brought all conversation in the compartment to a halt. Cathan's team pushed the door hard to open it. It slammed against the wall as they entered. The sound echoed around the compartment. The echoes had nearly stopped when the other door was slammed open creating more echoes as Alana's team entered. This placed the Tigsuma between the two security teams. "Gentlemen," said Cathan softly, "you are all under arrest for murder and mutiny." "Fuck you, you simple minded bitch. You ain't got the skill to over come us. We will take you down alive, so we can take our time killing you. We will enjoy every moment of you screaming in pain as you slowly die. The other cunts really made this compartment vibrate with their screams." "If that is the way you want to be." Their was a brief flicker of light as Cathan hit him in the groin with a kinetic energy ball. The man hollered as he doubled over with his hands covering his groin and collapsed on to the floor curled up in a ball. "Anybody else." "If any of the rest of you want to feel this, all you need to do is ask or resist." Three dollies were rolled into the compartment. On each dolly were three prisoner boxes. A box was opened then laid on its side on the floor. The clothes of the man laying on the deck were cut off before rolling him into the box. Once inside, they flipped the box on its back. With him laying on his back they fastened the restraints around his ankles, wrists, arms, waist and neck. The leads on the restraints were then adjusted pulling him into in the center of the box. With him secured, the cover was placed over the box and locked into place. The box was picked up and dropped on a now empty dolly eliciting a moan from the box. The drop caused him to pull painfully on restraints holding him in the center of the box. Cathal said, "Now you've seen how our prisoner boxes work. Each one of you are going into one, one way or another." As he was speaking, Alana stood up a box and opened the cover. Pointing a the nearest Tigsuma she said, "You've seen the hard way. The easy way is to back into it." "Fuck you," was the reply as he swung at Cathal. Two kinetic energy balls hit the man before he had hardly moved. After he collapsed on the deck, a team member grabbed the man's ankles and drug him out of the way. His clothes were cut before they left him laying there. "Next." The next man stepped slowly up to the box then turned and stepped back into it. He hardly was in position before his ankles and neck were locked in restraints. His clothes and shoes were cut off before his wrists, arms and waist were secured. The cover was locked in place then the box was dropped on top of the first. They put three more down with kinetic energy balls before all nine were secured in boxes. Once the boxes were stacked on the dollies Todd of Cathan's Clan said, "Your next stop is a compartment on Dóchas where you will be turned over to Intelligence for interrogation." Several swore and muttered threats as he continued with, "Our family will meet in a day or two to review the evidence and render a verdict. You will see the evidence as it is shown to our family." A short while later, they had all the boxes standing in a compartment on Dóchas. Each box stood on a pedestal fitted with a drain. They had just completed securing the boxes when one said, "You fucking animals. You won't get away with this. We have people coming to help us take your toys and return you to a more suitable life style." "In your dreams." "Bitch, I told you before, when I get hold of you will learn what pain is like. You will live in pain until we decide to finish you off." "Oh, I know what pain feels like. Do you?" She reached out toward him cupping her hand upward while she placed a virtual hand around his testicles. He could see the fingers on her hand moved as he felt the stroking and gently rolling of her fingers on his testicles. He couldn't look down to see what was touching him. He watched with a concerned look as she shifted her hand to place her thumb and fore finger together forming a circle. He felt the pressure on his sack as she slowly closed her hand. His expression turned to apprehension as he felt his testicles being pushed into the bottom of the sack. His eyes never left her hand. His expression went from apprehension, to fear then terror as he saw her hand close and felt the pressure on his testicles increase. The pain quickly became intense. His stomach churned. His face turned red. Perspiration covered his forehead. His mind was in turmoil as he knew the box was sealed. He could see her hand but it was outside the box yet he knew her hand was squeezing his testicles. The pain was so intense tears came to his eyes. The other prisoners saw her hand motions and heard the taunting as Bev of Alana's Clan starred at one of their leaders. They couldn't understand why his face was so contorted in agony. Suddenly the man let out a loud painful scream that echoed around the room. He had tears running down his face. Bev continued to squeeze until the man was about to pass out then relaxed her virtual grip. Before she completed lowering her hand she made two flicking motions with her finger and thumb. The man watched the fingers move and felt a hard rap on each aching testicle. The others saw her fingers flick in the air but the man felt a sharp blow to his now aching testicles. The pain elicited more screams then he puked, splattering it against the front of the box. The others prisoners saw his now reddened testicles swinging between his legs. Each wondered what they had missed but were afraid to say anything. In the meantime, the Intelligence staff members had arrived to take custody of the prisoners. The Security teams watched for a short period of time as, the staff set up feeding tubes for each prisoner and ensured the boxes were latched into place. The Órarduine then left the compartment leaving the boxes upright in a nearly dark room. It would be a while before the interrogations began, but in the mean time different sounds would fill the room, some loud, some soft. This could be the whoosh with perhaps the snap of a whip. A blue arc which maybe followed by a snap and a terrified scream. Perhaps the soft moan of agony. The sounds were tailored to add to their growing fear. Standing in the sealed boxes, there was only one way to relieve them selves. When they realized their predicament they tried to hold off. At the first sound of some one pissing, laughter ensued almost immediately. The sound of more water falling soon stopped the laughter as each of them pissed all over their legs and feet. There were shouted threats and cursing as the pee cooled on their legs and feet. But the humiliation was not over yet. A short time later each felt a growing pressure in their bowls. Each tried to hold back. Several moaned as their gut cramped when they couldn't relieve the pressure. Soon one failed to again trigger a chain reaction. The stench in the box was awful. When they would have become accustomed to the smell, cold water flooded down over them rinsing away their mess. It was a long night with little rest standing partially suspended in the box. The sequence would be repeated several times. The next day each prisoner was taken one at a time into another room and questioned. The prisoners never left the confines of the box. They told everything they knew either verbally or by remembering it so it could be seen telepathically. Throughout the questioning their fear continued to grow, as their captors seemed to know everything about them. The questions were always to the point. They disclosed their plans. Their past activities. They told of the people they robbed before either killing or enslaving them. A few worried about how they were going to die. Only one or two wondered how they had misjudged these people. Through all of this each of the nine held out hope that their associates would carry out their plan. Following the plan would have them freed before anyone was executed. Their hope lasted until lunch time when the lighting was increased while others of the group were placed in the compartment. Once the new prisoner boxes were secured on pedestals and feeding tubes set up the lights were dimmed again. After lunch the interrogations resumed continuing until dinner time. When the interrogations were finished for the day, an air bladder was inflated behind the prisoners and the boxes tilted back at a 30 degree angle. Once completed the lights were turned out as the staff left. ------- The nine Tigsuma were in the midst of reviewing their efforts to disable the Órarduine fleet, just as the time was approaching 1400 hours. On the bridge of Dóchas, Sarah's Clan said, "Command Staffs. Our systems indicate everyone is a go for leaving FTL in 60 minutes." Each Command Staff in turn confirmed their ships status. "Begin Readiness Level 3." With the completion of Sarah's Clans command, the chimes sounded in the seven Dóchas Class ships. On the freighters, a bell rang and a yellow light began flashing in the occupied compartments. Freighter 3 was the only freighter with more than just the bridge crew on board. In the compartments for the J3 people, the usual compliment were there assisting those coming out of hibernation. While Chester, Cathan and Alana's Security teams were taking care of the Tigsuma on Freighter 3, the Órarduine fleet made a successful transition to normal space. Just as expected the probes were a short distance away waiting to be picked up. Star said, "Sarah's Clan, an attempt was just made to send a message from each of our ships to the same recipient. The cryptographers say that the message matches the one that the Tigsuma group tried to send earlier. Are you still in agreement to let it be sent?" "Sure," replied Joyce. "Those coordinates are on the far far side of the universe from us and there isn't any relationship to our position or where we are going." "Interesting. The earlier message asked the recipient to come post haste to their aid." "We don't know where they came up with the coordinates but we couldn't find any transform of them that would yield our position. You're going to shield the origin right." "Yes. We are doing that for all messages. The relay was launched just after emerging from FTL. It will be in position shortly." "Good. I'll be glad when all of this is settled." "I think everyone else will as well." Just then the chime sounded for dinner. ------- It was late the morning of their first full day at J4 when Sarah said, "Have we sent the data packages to the Iridiens?" "Yes," replied Alison of Sarah's Clan. Erin said, "We need to work on our response to the Lonstradaze. Are we still going to send a modified version of our get acquainted videos?" "Communications has been working on them," replied Jill. "They are redoing the videos we've been using as they were getting to be a little dated. There was some information in the old ones that wasn't really accurate, so that is being corrected." "There are going to be two versions of the who we are videos," said Aoife. "One version will be a little more detailed than our current one with the errors corrected. The intent is to show this one to very close friends and those who are seriously considering joining us or working for us. "The less detailed one will be used as an introduction for visitors. In this version, only telepathy will be mentioned. It provides an overview of our culture, background and notes some of our idiosyncrasies." "Communications is readying a slightly enhanced version of the visitor video to send to the Lonstradaze," said Jill. "It provides a little more detail. This will provide the Lonstradaze with a little more information about us than what they told us about themselves. It should be ready later today." "Good," said Sarah, "as we need to send it tomorrow. The information on the Tigsuma thieves is being sent to the Iridiens tomorrow. There are probably some items in their last message that we need to answer as well." "Did you see the message from Mars?" "No, don't think so." "Well a week ago our Mars settlement auto activated. It seems several of our friends on Earth had to use the emergency escape provisions we left for them." "Shit." "That is the same comment I heard others making. The escape pods successfully moved them to Mars. If we read it correctly, Comrie is nearly full and our Mars staff is making preparations to move some to Mars. The Iridien base is aware of our settlements change in status. In fact they were a little surprised when it began coming back to life. They offered our staff assistance if they needed it." "What about the journalist with us?" "Each of them received quite a few messages," replied Aoife. "Some didn't look to happy about the contents but so far they haven't shared anything with us. Several have asked if they can send stories back." "As long as it doesn't delay us." "That is what I told them. I also indicated that once we were in Celia system electronic communication with Sol system would be back to what they were used to." "They should have known that." "I guess they were just checking." ------- Chapter 174 The morning chime sounded in Sarah Clan's suite indicating breakfast would begin in an hour. This was their third day at J4. Late tomorrow they would depart for Celia system. As Sarah's Clan made their way to breakfast Judy said, "Kathleen, how are you feeling?" "Very good. Thank you for asking. My milk volume was less both last night and again this morning." "Good." "See you in a few. How are the others doing?" "All are responding very well. It will take us at least a week before the drugged J3 people can be released from medical care." Just as Sarah's Clan was preparing to sit down for breakfast, they heard Lorelei say, "Can we join you?" "Certainly," replied Joyce. "We haven't seen you in a week or so." "We've seen you several times. Each time it looked like you were very involved in something," responded Melinda. "Well the last few days have really been hectic." "Some of the, I believe, Tigsuma don't seem to be very happy about being here," said Earl. "Yes," replied Sally. "We've recently learned that those Tigsuma were in command of the freighter when it left their planet with their recruits. They were key employees of one company that recruited the J3 people and provided the transport off planet." "I hadn't heard that." "We aren't surprised. They spun the facts a little differently. While their story was partially true, as they became victims of the Durale. They were in fact running the off world job recruiting on Tigsu. I can tell you the rest of it, but we are going to go over the details at our morning meeting. Unfortunately it will delay our discussion on settling A-Celia." He looked at Lorelei and Melinda before saying, "That would be fine, as it sounds like an interesting but rather involved story." "So what do you guys think of the models of the island and settlement?" "The island looks great once you get over those giant cliffs," replied Lorelei. "We agree. It looks great but there are so many unknowns it is kind of scary." Jill said, "Amy's Clan pulled together a really good preliminary plan for establishing our settlement." "From the bits we've heard, they did. Nancy and Bob were initially a little put off that their home design wouldn't be used until later," added Melinda. "I thought their design looked really neat and seemed pretty easy to build but I'm not a builder." "They are easy to build," replied Claudette of Sarah's Clan. "A big disadvantage is that to provide for all of us it would cover a pretty large area. This would make establishing local transportation a more significant factor." "We like his house design for stand alone housing and had sketched out some possible floor plans for us," said Alena of Sarah's Clan. "After seeing the preliminary plan for the settlement, we plan on using their design when we move toward single clan dwellings after our settlement is established." "It's time guys," said Sarah. "If you guys hang around after the meeting, we would like to spend some time with you." "We can do that," replied the three. Sarah's Clan put their breakfast dishes away before moving to the front of the room to begin the morning meeting. As they walked to the podium, Security Team members around the room took on a more alert posture. During breakfast, they positioned themselves so they had the room well covered. A few crew noticed that each was armed which was very unusual. "Is everyone ready?" said Sarah's Clan to the other Command Staffs. "Yes." "Good morning," said Sarah's Clan to their crew. "Good morning," replied their crew. "We know all of you are anxious to hear the proposal for settling our island on A-Celia." Almost everyone chuckled and few laughed. "We kind of thought that by the amount of time many of you spent looking over the models of the island. Unfortunately, we need to delay the presentation a bit as we have an issue to deal with this morning." There were a few groans as she continued with, "This issue is the reason for the delay in seeing the proposed plans for our settlement. "Today, our meeting will include all ships. The links between our ships should be active in a few moments." Just as Sarah's Clan finished speaking the six wall size monitors lit up showing the crews in the meeting area on the other ships. The crew members on duty were included through their terminal and their telepathic link. After the images stabilized Sarah's Clan said, "Good morning, everyone. Our family meeting today will be a new experience for our guests. As we just mentioned to our crew, we need review some recent events and choose a resolution before beginning the presentation of our initial plan to settle A-Celia. "These recent events are specific to the actions by a small group of Tigsuma. They were not forthright in telling us how they came to be in the container we recovered at J3. In the last several days, we've learned that this group were principals in the organization that offered the phony off world job opportunity to those we rescued. Our investigation has identified twenty-six members of this group of Tigsuma. They were plotting the take over of this fleet and us. All of them are now secured in prisoner boxes on Dóchas. They were placed there shortly after we arrived here at J4. Each one is charged with ten counts of mutiny. This is one count of mutiny for each ship. In addition each is charged with four counts murder." The family gasped as the charges were stated and was followed by a number of comments. "They tortured and killed two Órarduine and two Sarque." Sarah's Clan paused for the family to quiet down then continued with, "These are the first capital crimes to occur in our family. Fortunately, the clues regarding the mutiny came to light before it began in earnest. The first clues were discovered the day before our arrival at J4. By acting on those clues, we were able to record a meeting where the nine key members of this group reviewed their plans. As you will see in a few minutes they were quite explicit in reviewing their plan. Actually, their comments were icing on the cake, as they independently confirmed the evidence we had already gathered. "For this next part, we ask that you hold any questions for a bit as we think many of them will be answered in the presentation of the evidence. Our first clue was based on a medical anomaly experienced by several Órarduine. The results of the medical tests led to the suspicion that some some Órarduine and J3 people had been drugged. This was confirmed the morning of our arrival here. This was done by asking all the J3 people to visit a medical center before going to their assignment. You may remember that the stated reason was to test for A-Celia antigen sensitivity. This antigen testing was already planned so we just moved up the timing. The unstated reason was to unobtrusively determine who had been drugged as at that time much of our evidence was circumstantial. From the results on the initial testing, we knew the drug type. As a result of these medical checks some 232 J3 people were admitted to our medical centers for further treatment. Based on changes in their health sensors, several Órarduine were asked to come in for a medical evaluation. "The drug the Tigsuma used is related to the drug the Durale gave us on the Iridien ship then tried again when they attempted to subdue us on Mars. For the Órarduine females, this particular version of the drug simply increases their lactation rate. All the drugged Órarduine were treated and released. Their elevated lactation rate should be back to normal in a few days. Neither the drug or its metabolite was in their milk. "For the other breeds, this drug placed some of them in a euphorically receptive state of mind. In this state, they are very receptive to suggestion so it is very easy to shift their allegiance to the controller. After consuming the drug, all the person administering it needs to do is have a quiet uninterrupted conversation with the victim. Once control of the victim is gained, everything the victim knows is easily available to their controller. The victim is also very receptive to any future requests and instructions. To maintain control of the victim, the controller needs to give them repeated doses of the drug. While under the influence of the drug, the victim has little free will with respect to their instructions. With continued doses they become more and more receptive to direction by their controller. Ultimately they will feel that fulfilling any request of their controller is the most important thing including risking their life. As an aside, we think it is surprising that the drug doesn't have a significant effect on personality or routine tasks. "The twenty-six charged with mutiny are all watching these proceedings from the detention area. Images of the twenty-six will shortly appear on the screens. The first images are of the nine leading this group. These will be followed by the others." The screens on each ship began showing each participant. Each began with a full length view showing them in the rectangular prisoner box then zoomed in to show a close up of their head and shoulders. After the last of the images were shown Kara said, "Based on interactions with many of the key participants, I suspect there are many in our family who will be very happy knowing that they won't have to fend off their constant groping." Her comment drew many affirmative nods from the rest of the family. Sarah's Clan then said, "Now lets watch the portion of the surveillance video that shows them reviewing their plans to forcibly take control of this fleet. The full video recording begins just after breakfast on the day we arrived at J4 and lasts until an hour or so after our arrival. This portion begins shortly after everyone was in compartment D283. The full video is available in the library. We should note that compartment D283 is a fairly large compartment on Freighter 3 and is unassigned. This group began using D283 shortly after they were released from hibernation. When the video ended Sarah's Clan said, "That completes the presentation of the evidence we have regarding the mutiny except for one item. While this group was gathering in compartment D283 on Freighter 3, a leader of this group had went to a member of each communications department and ask them to send a message after exiting FTL. This message in code asked the recipient to quickly come to assist them with the capture of a group of ships and crew. It claimed that a successful capture would provide all of them with an extremely large amount of funds. It supposedly included the coordinates for J4. We transmitted the message as requested." There were several gasps. "We did this because the coordinates had no meaning with respect to our position or our ultimate destination. Now, are there any questions or comments?" After a few moments Sarah's Clan said, "It looks like there aren't any questions yet. So lets move on to the murder charges. The prisoners did a pretty good job of covering up the disappearance of the two Sarque. They made it appear as if the two Sarque had relocated to a different ship. This was fairly easy as both had worked in several different groups and on a multiple ships. Both were well thought of by their coworkers. "The two Órarduine had not joined a clan but were loosely associated with several clans. So there was little the prisoners needed to do immediately in order to hide their absence. In the few days between their deaths and arriving at J4 none of their close friends noticed their absence. As reconstructed by the their movements they were killed within a day or two of each other. Both events occurred a few days prior to arriving at J4. Their deaths occurred just as each began their two day break. Their short absence while noticed did not immediately raise any alarms. On the morning of FTL to J4, queries were initiated to contact the first victim. We aren't sure how they intended to cover up their disappearance and perhaps they didn't care. "The last images of the four victims is on Freighter 3. In each case they were heading toward compartment D283. In each case the last image showed the victims accompanied by a member in this group of 26. Going over the data for that area, all 26 suspects are seen going into and coming out of that area both before and after the last images of the victims. "When Security searched D283, they found clamps, clips, restraints and whips. A team specializing in forensics was brought in to assist them. These devices appear to have been taken from our community sex play areas. All were modified so they were only suitable for torturing. An inventory of all of the community sex play areas is scheduled for later today. DNA analysis of the residues on the items found in D283 shows that all were used on the victims. This evidence reinforces the conclusion that the victims were tortured prior to their death. A subsequent search of the adjacent recycling intake compartment, D383, provided evidence that the victims were there. There is also forensic evidence that those in custody used the equipment in D383. The recycle logs for D383 indicate several loads of material with a composition very similar to the victims was processed after their disappearance. "The video you are now about to see is an earlier portion of the surveillance video for compartment D283. As noted on the video, it was taken prior to the meeting where they reviewed their plans for mutiny. Several make comments that confirm the circumstantial evidence." "Any questions so far?" asked Sarah's Clan after the video segments finished. "Looks pretty solid so far," said Leann. "Who gathered the evidence?" asked a crew member. "Several Security teams were involved at various stages along with forensics specialist. They were assisted by the primary AIs along with several other groups. Dóchas Intelligence group led the prisoners' interrogation and compiling the evidence." "What is the punishment for these crimes?" asked a crew member. "In the operation of our fleet we have been following the Connemare Manuals. For mutiny, it is recycling or rapid unprotected ejection into space. For murder, it is death which can be administered with brutality equal to that inflicted on the victim as indicated by the evidence." Qtowe stood on Dóchas and said, "I am a Tigsuma. Prior to you finding us, I worked for one of the companies that recruited the people who arrived with me. The prisoners you have in custody worked for the same company I did. When I finish with what I have to say, all of you will think I am a dunce. Until I arrived here I did not realize the recruits we picked up were going any place but to a job on another planet. We took the recruits to a transfer location which is not an uncommon practice for interplanetary travel. The transfer point was unusual but really all of them had their quirks. In hindsight, yes there were clues about the ultimate destination of the recruits but I didn't notice any of these subtle clues. I can say I had a good time at the transfer point where we turned the recruits and the ship over to the Durale. After that, I know many of us partied hard while waiting for our return passage. From what we just saw and from the comments they made, they likely behaved there in the same disgusting manner. "It was only after arriving here that I learned where the recruits ended up. I am heart broken to know that I was a willing participant in the effort to enslave them. At the same time, I am angry with myself for not seeing what was being done. As I noted earlier, some of the procedures the company performed seemed odd, as did some coworkers comments but ... in context they weren't all that odd. "Shortly after we arrived here some of those charged with mutiny approached me to work with them on a project. The incentive was that if successful the project would make all those involved very wealthy. From what they told me which wasn't much, it never occurred to me that they were planning on capturing you and this fleet. If they had, at least two things would have happened. First I would have laughed in their face and told them there was not chance in hell of their being successful. Secondly I would have had a chat with several friends in Security. However, I think I have an idea of why they thought they could succeed. "It is because you are all open, friendly, trusting, loving, intelligent and great teachers. You treat everyone as equals. Even the androids who are not self aware are treated better than many people were treated on my home planet. All of this makes it is easy for an outsider to over look your Órarduine unity. To me that makes you stronger than anyone I know of in the universe. It shows all the time in the way you care for each other, share affection and appreciation. "I can see some of you are wondering where I am going with this. Well I am almost there. I am very thankful for my time here and the pleasure of working with all of you. You have shown me how an intelligent cultured people can live successfully in harmony with others. In spite of all this praise, I think I should return to my hibernation chamber. This is due to the things I've done which feeds a growing realization that I don't belong here. At least in hibernation, I won't have to deal with the guilt of enslaving all those people. "Thank you for your patience listening to me." It was very quiet as he sat back down, Sorcha and Krystin of Cathan's Clan moved to sit next to him, one on either side. On seeing them, he began to shake, he knew they were security team members, his emotions were in turmoil. His first thought was that he might not make it back into hibernation, not surprisingly his eyes began to water. Both women put an arm around his shoulders as Sorcha whispered in his ear, "Relax. We thought you were pretty brave to speak up when you understood what happened." He looked questioningly at each, then Krystin said, "We will talk after this is over later. We know you are not like the others or a part of this. You have many friends here as everyone you've met here thinks very highly of you." Just as Qtowe was sitting down, Aine materialized at the front of the room just behind Sarah's Clan. "Aine, we didn't think you would be back today," said Erin. "Wouldn't miss this." Serarck stood an said, "Sarah's Clan and those assembled here, if Qtowe is a candidate for returning to hibernation, then I should as well. Several of those charged with mutiny started asking about our position in the universe soon after they were out of recovery. At first, I put them off by saying the Órarduine navigation grid was different than that used by the Alliance of Worlds which it is. Then they switched to asking where this destination was relative to specific constellations and Celia system. Now this is not an unusual question as we get similar ones all the time. If it hadn't been for their attitude toward me and rude comments, they may have gotten the answers they were seeking. Several times their crudeness made me so angry, I was ready to clean their plow. Instead, I began trying to avoid any contact with them. "Anyway I eventually gave in. A week ago, I gave them some relative coordinates to the constellations they were asking about. I don't know what was in their message but the coordinates I provided were bogus. If they used them correctly, those coordinates will put them within a few light hours of a planet on the other side of the universe. This planet has a reputation of being populated by a people who go all out in welcoming new arrivals. Well at least that is the story told by those who managed to escape and there are only a few. It is told that this planet holds a large celebration to honor new arrivals. This celebration usually follows several days of becoming acquainted with the new arrivals. During the celebration, the visitors are enticed into participating in the various rituals. Each of these end with the visitor literally placing themselves on their dinner table. According to a few who avoided that fate, claim they do it with such finesse a victim doesn't even realize what is about to take place until the last moment. "Sarah's Clan I am glad you sent the message. If their confederates miss their last party on the cannibal planet, then the Imperial Council will likely find them as they are very active in that sector. They don't have nearly as much finesse." "What do you mean?" asked a crew member. "When the Imperial Council finds inhabited planets, it harvests all animals and crops. The same goes for any unsuspecting space traveler." "People?" "To them it is just another source of protein. In some ways it is just like those on the cannibal planet." "Sick" "Yes. It is." "I think we have heard enough," said Kara. "First, I don't think being clueless at times is a reason to put anyone in hibernation." "I agree," said Anming and Ciar at the same time. "Any other comments," asked Sarah's Clan. "Yea," said Lorelei, "if we start putting people into hibernation for clueless moments then it wouldn't take to long before we couldn't even staff a ship. We all know I'm clueless from time to time." Many laughed. "I try to hide it but now that I communicate telepathically it is hard to do." There was more chuckling." "Besides think of how many laughs you all will miss having at my expense. So my feeling is sorry, Qtowe you're out of luck." At first there was a smattering of applause then it grew in volume. Qtowe turned a bright red as he blushed but he was smiling. "I think we know the opinion of the family regarding Kara's comment. Since it wasn't a motion, there is no need for a formal vote at this point unless someone feels we should. As it stands, Qtowe, it will not be us that puts you into hibernation. Agreed?" "Yes!!" replied all of the family. Kara said, "I move that we terminate all prisoners before the end of the day provided interrogation is complete." "Second," replied Anming and Briana. "Any comments?" asked Sarah's Clan. The groups on the seven ships were so quiet you could hear a pin drop. "Okay, the Primary AI on each ship will poll you for a response." Shortly Star said, "The vote was unanimous in favor of termination. Most suggested slow and painful." Sarah's Clan sighed, "Although many of us agree with the comments on method of termination, we believe it would be more appropriate to just recycle them. We feel this way for two reasons. Being more vindictive, would lower our standards to their abysmally low level and they are not worth the effort. Any comments?" Madeline said, "I move that we terminate them by recycling using the normal procedure for food waste." "Second," said Ursula, Muireann and several others. "Comments?" asked Sarah's Clan. "What did you mean by normal procedure?" asked a crew member on Fiontar. "We bag consumable waste before recycling as it is easier to handle and results in less mess. Large objects are essentially shrink wrapped." "If you are proposing to handle them just like any other garbage. Well that suits us just fine." Several applauded. A woman stood on Fiontar and said, "We think this should be a recommendation to the Command Staffs and not a definitive course of action." "Why?" asked a crew woman on Phoenix. "Interrogation is still in progress. During this, we may discover that even placing them in recycling creates a hazard for us. We believe our intent is to return them to being basic elements or cosmic dust. There are other ways to do that." Madeline said, "I modify my motion accordingly." "We agree," added Ursula and Muireann. "If there are no other comments, then the AIs will record your vote." Star said, "The vote was unanimous." "As directed we will return them to being cosmic dust once interrogation is complete with recycling as the initial choice." As Sarah's Clan finished speaking, Aine moved to stand along side Sarah's Clan. "Good morning all," said Aine. "My sisters and I are very impressed with the way you dealt with these criminals. While their crimes are horrific, you did not let your anger consume you, instead you chose to treat them as they deserve to be treated, as trash. Everyone contributing to putting this case together deserves a pat on the back. Well done." Everyone began applauding. "Now lets get to the real purpose of this meeting." The crew cheered. "Sarah's Clan," said Serarck, "at the risk of incurring the wrath of some fellow crew members, I would like to make an announcement. Recently Judy and Kathy have been assisting me with developing my mental abilities. In particular showing me how to increase my receptiveness to telepathic messages. I was apprehensive when they approached me with the request to evaluate whether our breeds had this ability. Both Zhaos and I wish to be an integral part of this family, we realized shortly after we began working with you just how integral telepathy is to your culture, relationships and activities. We are happy to say that we can hear fairly well telepathically. So far, it works best with the people we are closest to which most of you know. Everyone has told us that our telepathy will improve as we use it. The reason for my comment now is to encourage all of those who arrived with me to consider trying it. "Okay that is one announcement. My second and last for this morning is that I would like everyone to know that I intend to become an Órarduine at the earliest opportunity." "Serarck, you are welcome to be a part of our family whether you alter your species or not is up to you. We know you understand the issues in taking that step, however we are not sure everyone here does. We've held off on discussing this topic until after those in hibernation have been released. We haven't set a date yet, but it appears we should have everyone available in 2 weeks. Is everyone agreeable to that?" "You bet," said Ahlam. "I think it is a good idea to talk to all of us at one time. My friends and I are very happy to be here with whom we think will be our new family. So with that in mind, I don't want gain enemies by holding up the presentation about our new home." "Now, there is a wise person," said someone in the back of the room causing many to laugh. Serarck said, "My apologies for delaying the presentation. I only announced my request here so everyone would know my intent." "Serarck, are you sure about this?" said Zhaos. "Yes. Absolutely." "I didn't realize you had made up your mind." "Excuse me," said Sarah. "Serarck and Zhaos, we are all pleased that you want to continue being a part of our world. Lets get on with the reason we assembled here today. Before doing that lets take a short break and then begin the presentation on our settlement." "Just a minute," said Sarah's Clan as people started to talk, "we now have a couple of logistic issues. We will be starting Amy's presentation much later than originally planned. As it stands at the moment, their presentation and discussion following will take us well past lunch. If we break between the presentation and discussion then we will have a late lunch. So if you all are agreeable lets take about a 15 minute break now then do the presentation. After the presentation is completed, we will break for lunch then discuss it after lunch. Is that agreeable?" "Yes," replied many of the crews. Someone said, "Can we discuss this during lunch?" "We can," replied Amy's Clan, "however it will be difficult to use the models to support our answers. Why not discuss the presentation within your clans and other small groups during lunch? Then bring your questions or concerns to the discussion afterward." "That works," said Nicola, "although we would probably do that anyway." "Okay," said Sarah's Clan, "15 minute break starting now." "Aine, it is good to see you," said Sarah's Clan then each one gave her a hug. Zhaos had stepped behind Serarck and put his arms around her. "That feels good," said Serarck. "When did you decide?" "I'm really not sure. We've talked about whether it was possible and a good choice. When I got up to speak, I knew now was the time to announce my decision. Our growing telepathic ability played a role making my decision. I know you haven't made your decision so I hope mine doesn't effect how you feel about me or change our relationship. Today's events tell me more than ever that this is the right thing for me to do. We both want to be a with these people forever." "I agree and whatever happens will not diminish my love for you." "I feel the same way. You are a very important part of my future." Serarck and Zhaos then walked over toward where Sarah's Clan was standing. When Serarck approached Aine she made a deep bow and said, "Goddess, thank you for being here. I am humbled to be in your presence." Zhaos suspecting the importance of Aine but only vaguely recognized her, he opted to mimic Serarck's actions. "There is no need to bow or express subservience to me. We appreciate you thinking so highly of us or considering us to be goddesses. In reality, we are simply mentors working for those known as the "Old Ones". They send us to look after and assist species in prospering and developing their culture." As Aine spoke both stood up but their expressions were ones of awe. "We are pleased to see your desire to be a part of the Órarduine family." With their arms linked around each other Zhaos said, "We have never felt so comfortable and valuable as we have with these people." "They are unique, very unique. The two of you bring valuable knowledge and experience to these people as well as other attributes." "I don't understand," said Serarck. "Who is "we"?" Aine paused then chuckled then said, "My sisters. You can see some of them on the other ships. Brigit is standing with Siobhan's Clan and Fidelma is with Keriann's Clan. I don't see the others at the moment." "Are you talking about us?" said Creidne as she materialized next to Aine. "Yes. This is Serarck and Zhaos." Before either Serarck or Zhaos could react, Creidne offered her hand to Serarck and said, "Nice to meet you. I am Creidne." As their hands touched Serarck felt a tingling as Creidne pulled her into a hug and held her for a moment. The tingling was followed by sensations of warmth and serenity that grew when Serarck put her arms around Creidne. The intensity of the sensations were such that Serarck nearly fainted. Sensing Serarck condition, Creidne supported her until she was again able to stand, then Creidne relaxed her hug. Creidne then turned to Zhaos, smiling she simply grasped his hands, pulling him into a hug. Having seen and felt what happened to Serarck, he wasn't quite as overwhelmed as Serarck when they hugged. Eithne materialized on the other side of Aine just as Creidne and Zhaos ended their hug. She said, "Hello, Serarck. Hello, Zhaos. I am Eithne." As she spoke to each she shook their hands. "It is good to meet both of you. You both look a bit overwhelmed so I think I will wait until another time to give you a hug." "It is wonderful to meet both of you," said Serarck and Zhaos in unison. "If hugging you is divine as Creidne's hug, we will look forward to that moment." "Ah, I see you two are linked." "Sometimes more than others." "It is clear that you are in tune with each other. This will give each of you more strength than you would have separately. Your link will grow in strength as your relationship continues to grow. This will enhance your telepathic link with others in this family. Is Anming a part of your group?" "Ah..." replied Serarck as she looked at Zhaos, "in a way. We think the world of her, no it is probably more correct to say, we love her very much, but nothing has been shared in that regard." "Some one needs to take the first step, if you feel comfortable with going further and you perceive the other person feels the same way then do it." "We will see." "It looks like we've drawn a crowd again," said Eithne as she looked around. "That is because we don't see you often enough," said Leann as she stepped over and gave her a hug. Sarah stepped between Aine and Creidne placing her arms around each. "It is good to have you join us." "We made sure we were back in time to see how this was going to turn out." "I think we all realize the error we made when we began bringing the J3 out of hibernation. In the future, we will look much more closely at all new arrivals and visitors especially those we expect to be with us for an extended time." "You knew and didn't interfere," said Serarck with a look of disbelief. "Lets just say we knew the ingredients but not the outcome," replied Eithne. "Knowing this group, we believed it would work out just fine. Unfortunately, four crew members died. We didn't anticipate that they would torture or kill anyone. We were certain that the Órarduine would survive and not be enslaved." "So would you..." "Our purpose for being here is to mentor ... for us intervention is seldom a wise choice. As a mentor you want to see the group grow in knowledge and confidence, intervention can keep that from happening. Depending on circumstances we can. As some will tell you, there have been times when we joined this family in carrying out a course of action. Since our home base is now with the Órarduine, there will likely be times in the future when we again participate with them in a course of action." "You're telepathic." "Yes, we are but I didn't need it to see your next question. Your expression told me you were going to ask the obvious next question." "I don't recall reading in the families past adventures about your participation." Aine laughed then said, "It is there but you have to read really closely." "One last question if I may," said Serarck. "Serarck, we are always receptive to questions," replied Creidne. "If we prefer not to give you an answer, we will say so. Sometimes our answer will require you to do some thinking. So, what is your question?" "Were those really ghosts of the two women who harassed the killers?" "I don't believe so. You know some consider us ghosts when they see us. Sometimes for good reason as we don't usually fully reveal presence. Being seen as ghosts or ethereal works well for some breeds and situations." Sarah added, "In this case, those ghosts were projected images of two women who strongly resemble those that were killed. A Security Team used telekinesis to move objects around and force the man to move toward them when the women motioned to him. When their killers began arguing after trying to jump the two women, the same group used telepathy to watch their thoughts as they argued with each other. Some of those involved the night the women died weren't too pleased with how the events played out but only had a limited say in the activities. Those who arranged for the victims presence was the principal leader in their abuse and resulting death. We think the end result would have been the same regardless but they wanted to do it differently and be more involved. "To stimulate arguments among the killers, the Security team just stirred up their anger by reminding them of different events. Our Security team told us that it quickly took on a life of its own, so all they needed to do was record the thoughts they read. "Whether you can send thoughts to do this is dependent on how open the recipient is to telepathy. This is why we coach everyone with telepathic abilities on how to limit their connections and protect their core." "Okay, so this is similar to enhancing a persons mood." "Sort of. In this case, you are reading their thoughts while prodding them to act on some thoughts." "So what did you learn out of this event?" "Well," said Sarah, "to put it simply, we will be more inquisitive of new people we meet, especially those who plan to stay with us for a while. We will track the activities of new people more closely than we have in the past. This is especially true for those who aren't doing well in integrating with us or appear to be holding back. So we will probably alter our approach to those still to be activated on Freighter 3. At the same time, we want our friends and guests to feel welcome and safe." "I know you are reluctant to do it, but I think telepathic monitoring during the get acquainted times or even scanning their idle thoughts or day dreams at random times is a good idea." "Serarck, how would you feel if we did that without telling you before hand?" "I don't think I would have liked it initially but once I knew the reasons and got to know you I would be fine. I am not sure about others. I presume it would depend how well they could read your intentions. Why not make that part of the criteria for having broader access to the ships? If you do that, I would restrict those who refuse in a special compartment separate from everyone else. Leave it up to them to request reconsideration." "Interesting suggestions. We'll talk them over. Thanks." "Sarah," said Rusty, "we need to resume." "Serarck, before you sit back down," said Sally, "why did you chose those destination coordinates to give them?" "As I noted earlier, they never asked me directly for the information. Even if they had, I am not sure I would have given it to them as it didn't feel right. Another aspect is that they are all slime balls and I didn't trust any of them from the moment I saw them. I am surprised that Otwoe and the two others were with them as they seem to be really nice. As I said several of the prisoners were persistent in pestering me about where we were in relation to several constellations. At first I put them off by saying I needed to calculate it, as the coordinate system we use is different than the one used by Alliance of Worlds. The constellation names were also different. When I got around to looking up the constellations and their coordinates, I realized they were trying to deduce our position. So since they didn't ask directly and the questions all came from the same group, who I didn't trust, I saw no purpose in them having the correct values, so I chose to give them coordinates near the cannibal planet which is near the IC sector. "Okay that is the logical part. The other part is they were all leaches who aren't even qualified to be assholes. They would grope you when ever you passed close by and it wasn't a nice grope either. They frequently made bold, no rude, sexual comments whenever they had the opportunity. Two of them wanted me to party with them and kept after me to join them on Freighter 3. They claimed they had found a place where we could party in private and really let our hair down. Oh shit. I bet that is how they got their victims to go to the compartment on the freighter." "Maybe. The other thing is groping is only appropriate between willing or receptive partners. The same goes for unwanted sexual comments. If it is not, you have authority to deal with it in any way you feel is appropriate. If you need assistance, reach out to us. We will be there in a flash." "I will. I guess I tolerated it because the groping was very common place in the Tigsu world. If you rejected it too strongly, it could get real ugly. It is so good that you found us." ------- Chapter 175 Sarah tapped on the podium before saying, "Time is slipping away. It looks like everyone is here, so let's hear the plan for settling our new home." As soon as Sarah tapped the podium, everyone began moving to their seats. On each ship models stood in the center of the meeting room, positioned so they were visible to everyone. Amy's Clan stepped up to the podium and began with, "Our presentation is in two parts. First is a review of its topographical features and environmental aspects of the island. Following this is an initial proposal or starting point for establishing our first settlement there. This settlement is a key step in establishing our new home. If anyone has suggestions positive or negative please share them today or at another time. Even if we make no changes today, we expect that there will be a need for modifications once we are on the island. This is something we've experienced when we started building An Clochán and before that it occurred virtually every time we've settled a new planet. A significant advantage this time is that we know much more about the location and its environment. "We prefer to go through the presentation twice. During the first pass, we ask that you to hold your questions until after you've seen the presentation. After lunch we will review the presentation one step at a time clarifying points, answering questions and listening to suggestions. Does anyone object to this approach?" Amy's Clan paused a few moments to see if there were any objections, then continued with, "From our perspective, the island we've chosen is unique. The first thing everyone notices is the high rock walls surrounding it which are now lighted. As you see here, as we focus on a feature it will be brighter than the surrounding area. The island's rock walls encircle it except for a 15 km long segment on the south end of the island. For this segment, a river valley separates the beginning and the end of the rock walls. It is through this valley that the rivers empty into the ocean. Note that for most of the length of the valley the rock walls are some 300 meters high. "For a moment, lets pretend we are in a boat approaching the south end of the island with a destination of the inland bay. For this virtual trip the monitors on the wall will show you a simulated view from our boat. To successfully enter the river, we need to be at least 3 km from the island. Looking to the NNE, we move parallel to the island until we can see a relatively clam line of water between us and the island. At that point we turn toward a point that is 2 km west of what appears to be an offset in the rock wall. When we are 0.5 km from the rock wall on the right, we begin to turn to starboard or east, while maintaining our position in the middle of the current. Why the middle? There are many rocks along both sides of the channel we are following and some of them intrude quite a distance into the channel. "For the first three kilometers after heading due east, the river channel narrows from 1.4 to 1 km wide with the rock walls towering more than 300 meters above the river on each side. During the first kilometer of this segment the rocks on the ocean side changed from tall piles of large boulders into a solid rock wall. We will travel another 12 kilometers before reaching the bay. We suspect there will be a fairly strong wind at our backs as the prevailing wind blows in the direction we are going. "Before we enter the bay, lets pause our trip up the river and a look the island in general, first lets consider the rock walls or cliffs around the island. These vary from overhanging the ocean to being at least 75 degree incline. There are narrow paths on many of them. It is conceivable that a skilled hiker/climber could follow these trails to the top. However the waves and rocky shore would make transferring from a boat to land very dangerous if not impossible. The rock wall is seldom less than 300 meters above the ocean and then only by a few meters. When the top does not blend into a mountain or tall hill, the land at the top is at least a few meters wide before descending into the island's interior. In some places the top of the wall is a plain several kilometers wide. Recent data shows what appear to be entrances to caves, so these will need to be checked once we are on the island." Amy's Clan pointed out more details regarding the exterior of the island before shifting back to the bay. "Now lets resume our trip up the river, as we enter the bay, on the right, the rock wall separating the river and bay from the ocean continues as far as you can see. On the left, the rock wall decays into a rocky point of land between the West river and the bay. Just before entering the bay, there is a brief opportunity to see the long sandy shore even so you can't tell that there is a river on the other side. The West river flows east into the bay. This is the same direction we are traveling. By the time we are far enough into the bay to see the West river, the current may push our boat to the right. This is due to the West rivers flow. The danger on the right is the many large rocks at the base of the rock wall and some extend into the bay. We expect the current for the next kilometer or more will be quite treacherous. This is due West river flowing easterly near the north shore while water in the bay is flowing west toward the ocean. "Once past the end of the north wall, we can see the mouth of the west river. The mouth of the West river is a little over 2 km wide. At the northeast side of the West river begins a sandy beach which extends some 2.5 km along the shore. This beach extends a fair distance inland from the shore. Moving past the beach, the shore line is very rocky. The rocks vary is size but only extend inland a short distance it becomes brush and grass lands. The rocky shore line continues all the way to mouth of the East river. Once past the mouth of the East river the shore changes to cliffs with the elevation quickly rising to meet the rock cliffs comprising the right side of the bay and the outer wall of the island. "The mouth of the East river is a little over 1.5 km wide. The bay is roughly 20 km wide and 43 km long. Traveling inland from the bay's shore, the land between two rivers rises roughly 28 meters to a line of hills that are over 60 km from the bay. This line of hills stretch from the West river to East river with the tops being more than 154 meters above the ocean. The valleys between the hills are all more than 132 meters above the bay." Amy's Clan paused letting the group soak up the information before continuing with, "Some of you may have jumped to the conclusion that this is where our settlement will be located. We initially considered it as it looks very enticing. There are several serious problems with the location. Based on the change in elevation between the hills and the bay both rivers have strong currents and there are a series of water falls to get past. A more serious issue for the area abutting the bay is flooding. The visual evidence indicates that the land adjoining the bay frequently floods. This flooding appears to reach levels sufficient to raise the bay some 20 meters. Weather modeling indicates that the deepest flooding in the bay area occurs when intense storm approaches from the southwest and the rivers are at flood stage. When the storm comes from this direction, its storm surge pushes the ocean up the river valley toward the bay. "Looking inland where the East and West rivers cross the line of hills to the north, there are a series of water falls on each river. These begin around 58 km up river from the bay. The total height of the falls on the East river top out at some 132 meters above the sea level. The West river is 6 meters higher. The top of the falls on both rivers are a little over a half a kilometer wide. Upstream from the falls both rivers spread out to form large loughs (lakes). These continue for more than twenty kilometers upstream and are more than 5 km wide in places. As you can see there are many small islands in both the East and West loughs. Only a few of the lough's largest islands are high enough to be above the water level during flooding." Amy's Clan went on to point out the features of the valleys, hills and mountains as their focus moved toward the north end of the island. They pointed out many of the large lakes that lay along the path of the two rivers and their tributaries. The various animals that inhabited each valley were noted as the overview moved north. Areas that could be used for crops were noted as well as those best used for pasture or left for woodlands and marshes. "Now that we've thoroughly refreshed your view of the islands terrain, lets move on to weather. The temperature varies between 14 and 24°C although short excursions down to 8°C have been observed. There is usually a breeze of around 10 to 25 km/h. Rain fall averages a little more than 2 meters a year but can be as much as 3 m. The rain appears to be fairly uniform over the island. Most severe weather appears to be in the form of rain with high winds and or intense thunderstorms. Either of these can last for several hours to a day. As you would expect these intense storms lead to extensive flooding along the lakes and rivers. "As we noted earlier, flooding is a reason, we chose to initially avoid placing the settlement in the bay area. For a visual representation of the flooding, the models will now show the runoff from a heavy rain. The flickering green lights indicate runoff while the yellow lights indicate the water level in creeks, streams, lakes and rivers. This storm is a little above average but fairly common. Rain begins falling and increases to 5 mm/h which is on the high side of a moderate rain. After several hours becomes heavier, increasing to 18 mm/h over three hours then continues for another two hours before tapering off." As Amy's Clan was speaking, the indicators began showing the flow of the runoff. After three hours the rivers were out of their banks. By the time the rain ended the all the low lying areas were flooded. The bay had risen until the shore was now under a half a meter of water. Once the rain stopped the rivers and the bay continued to rise until the land with in 10 km of the shore was under water before it began to recede. "This scenario was not a large or strong weather front. If it were part of a large front, then the bay will rise even more due to the storm surge up the river valley connecting the bay to the ocean. There is evidence of the bay covering nearly all the land back to the hills. This is close to a 20 meter rise above the bay's current normal level. The land rises just 28 meters from the bay to the hills. This extreme flooding appears to have occurred frequently enough that we can see multiple indicators. We could go through several more scenarios but we think this illustrates the situation. "A key point to make about the bay is we don't really know how frequently it floods or how severe the floods are. The evidence we have tells us that we need first hand information before considering a settlement on or near the bay. "There are other reasons for avoiding the bay but flooding was the key reason." "The proposed location for our settlement is on this southern plateau in the north central area. This plateau is high enough that we will be able to see nearly all of the surrounding ocean from the upper portion our residence buildings. The plateau is nearly 400 square kilometers and is fairly level. It has areas where crops can be grown. There is a nearby lough covering 200 sq km that appears to have a broad deep bottom. This has the potential of being a suitable location for building space ships. A detailed mapping of the sides of the plateau remains to be done. There are springs on the plateau and emerging from the sides so fresh water should be readily available. "The buildings will be laid out on a rectangular grid as now shown on the settlement model. For this presentation we will focus on the portion of the grid now lighted. The proposed residential areas will consist of a Common building which is surrounded by 24 residential buildings. Future Common buildings with associated residential buildings would be at each junction along this lane running east and west. Generally the Common buildings will provide dining, offices, recreational, medical center and meeting areas. Long term as our economic model changes some of the space will become stores, restaurants and etc. The 24 14-story residential buildings will be arranged with eight in each of three concentric circles with the buildings in each row offset from those in the adjacent row. "These large buildings at the junctions north and northwest of the Common building are to support our flight operations and security teams. These large buildings at the junctions south and southwest will be for manufacturing and associated activities. "Returning to the Common building, it is to be 306 meters in diameter. This will provide a little over 73,500 square meters on each level. It will have four levels above ground and three underground. Medical facilities are on Sublevel 1. Sublevel 2 provides connections to other buildings as well as an armory and office space. "The 24 residential buildings are 80 meters in diameter with living space on 12 floors. Initially they will be configured for 16 clans per floor. This will decrease once we have more than 24 residential buildings occupied. Even at 16 clans per floor, each clan will have over 300 sq m of living space. This is significantly more space than we now have on our space ships. The second floor will have a common area and learning centers. The first floor has areas for recreation, exercising and a swimming pool. Sublevel 1 is the armory and storage area for IPTPs. Sublevel 2 provides connections to other buildings." At this point, Amy's Clan began reviewing the details of the manufacturing buildings, the buildings for air and space operations, the time lines for completion, the Common building's facilities, the residential buildings and finished with a close look at a clans suite. "This completes the presentation on the island and the settlement," said Amy's Clan. "This went a little faster than we expected, so we hope haven't missed something. We've noticed some of you taking notes so we expect that there will be a lot of discussion after lunch. Now, there is one more topic we would like to consider before we break for lunch." "This is an adjunct to the presentation we just completed and it is rather abstract. We need to consider our families future growth. In particular, how fast do we want our family to grow? Some are probably wondering: Why we are raising this issue? And, why raise it now? "This is because the rate at which we add new babies to our family has ramifications and consequences for all of us. Some of those are subtle and may not be anticipated. "We have children in pairs so each birthing will be in multiples of 2 and it is not unusual for a birth to be 4 babies. We are capable of repeating this approximately every seven to eight months. With 4 babies a year per woman, a clan of eight would grow to have 84 babies in three years. At this point, there would be 1 adult for every ten children. "From the looks on your faces, it is clear many of you see the problem. This is at a much faster rate than we can support. For the women, repeatedly bearing children every eight months or so will lead to long term health issues. These health issues are difficult to treat. The multitude of very small children creates a situation where it is difficult if not impossible for the clan to adequately care and provide for them. From birth until they are three to four years old are the most formative years of our children's lives. It is during this time that their interaction with parents and other adults provides the basis for their development. A part of it is your physical interaction with them but another key part is your mind link with them. Loss of this interaction, leads to long term social and learning issues. "In a recent check we found that there are 44 clans who will be adding babies to their clan during the first six months in Celia system. Most of these clans will be adding two or three sets of twins but there are a hand full that will add four sets. We are not suggesting this is a problem, but feel we now need to talk about our population growth rate and potential ramifications. "First lets considered what is involved in child care. For the first few years of a child's life, they require a significant amount of support from adults, initially this is very intensive. This is the time when the child's bond with their parents is established which has a lasting impact on their development and growth. As a child grows and matures, the intensity of this support tapers off to an extent, though in reality an adult's role changes from being a care giver, to instructor, to mentor, then counselor and finally a friend or companion. "Many of you likely plan on continuing to work in your area of expertise during pregnancy and return to work shortly after your babies are born. We know that is true for the clans currently expecting children. In our world, our family groups make this fairly easy to do without anyone feeling like they are stretched beyond their abilities. Nearly all of you've seen and experienced the way we assist or support each other whether it is one of our spouses or another family member. This carries over to raising our children. Besides to help with this there are child care areas adjacent to each work area. "Now, Sarah's Clan has some 70 children. At one time, all of their children were under the age of 3." There was a gasp, mostly from the newest people. "Remember their clan has more adults than most. At that time, it consisted of 14 adults, which if you do the math is about 5 children per adult. Due to the needs of the family, they chose to recruit some college students to help them care for their children. They chose well and we were blessed as those young ladies decided to permanently become part of our family. "Why so many children in a short period of time? Well, when Sarah's Clan conceived their children, our family was in a state of flux as most of you know or have read about. If conception had been delayed to several months later, then we suspect they would have spaced them further apart. As it was, they all had 2 sets of twins except one who had three sets. Later three of them each had two more sets of twins. Even with all of these children so close together in age, they've always been able to fulfill their role in our family's growth. This was possible because of the support we gave them in addition to the dedicated assistance from the nannies. We think their children have turned out very well and many are already working as they continue their studies. "Some of you maybe asking why did they do it. Well, the full story is in the library. The short answer is because at the time it appeared to be the best choice for growing our family from its potential extinction. "In certain circumstances for our species, the desire to add children to our clan is exceptionally strong, in fact it is almost a compulsion. Settling a new world is one of the strongest times. As nearly all of you know, Órarduine women actively regulate when they are fertile and the number of eggs released. As we noted earlier, our children are conceived as sets of twins unless there is a medical problem which fortunately seldom occurs. We can bear children until well into our seventies without any worry regarding health issues due to the mother's age. Another way to say it is that we can bear children through roughly the first third of our life span and perhaps a little longer. Combined these give us an advantage over other species who have multiple births in that we can plan and space out the arrivals. As a group, this benefits us by making it easier to plan and provide the support resources, like affection, food, homes, mentoring, learning tools and so forth. "So, why are we saying all of this? Well, all of us are first generation Órarduine although some us were Connemare who have similar traits. As a result many of us missed out on information that we would normally have been given to us by our parents or gained from observation and experience. Generally a clan should not have more than 8 children in diapers at one time and the number of children under 5 years old should not exceed twice the number adults in the clan. "We urge all of you to talk this out with your spouses as you start planning your families future and possible growth. It is a clan's decision as to whether and when they add children and the number of children. Also, at some point, our medical staff will hold classes on child bearing and care. We suggest you attend these as a part of your family planning. There is also a lot of information in our library. "In spite of what we said earlier, we will answer a few questions on our families growth. Ciar?" Ciar said, "Seventy is quite a bit older than Earth's humans can have children." "Yes, it is considerably older," responded Connie of Amy's Clan. "This is due in part to us aging at a slower pace and our bodies doing a better job of handling our pregnancy. Most of us will live to be 200 or more by our calendar. We should note that unlike humans there is no increase in medical issues as we age. If women gives birth every 8 months, then as you would expect aging is significantly accelerated and other health issues increase." "Logical bipeds as well?" asked Lynn of Sharon's Clan. "Presuming you mean aging, yes. They wear out just like bio bipeds. All of us will have maintenance needs as we grow older." Many chuckled at the way she phrased it. Connie said, "These recommendations are based on our perceived ability to mentor our children as they grow. As parents, all of us want our children to be well adjusted, know love and grow up to use all of their abilities responsibly. We think these guidelines increase the likelihood of achieving those objectives. Again these are guidelines and should not be considered requirements or limits, as circumstances do vary." "You have a question," said Amy to the woman on Iarracht who stood while Connie was speaking. "Sort of. Many of us have contemplated adding children to our clans. Several years ago, as a family we decided to hold off until we relocated to a new home planet. Now we're all anxious to begin adding children especially after watching and interacting with the children around us. As bystanders, it is rewarding to see them grow into mature and responsible young adults. Our clan sees your recommendation as guiding us to approach adding children to our families sensibly rather than just quickly adding several dozen and ending up overwhelmed." Amy's Clan nodded their agreement. "So our question is since we weren't born Órarduine, how do we estimate our age? Knowing this would give us a better idea of our options on timing the growth of our clan." "Good question," replied Betsy. "First, let me say that none of us were bystanders with respect to our growing children. Uncles and aunts is a better characterization and maybe as older brothers and sisters in some cases. In answer to your question, those who underwent conversion as adults, the best way to figure it, is to divide your age in days before conversion by 480 then subtract a year for every ten years of age prior to conversion. So if you were 24 before conversion then afterward you were 18 years and 3 months. If you were 30 before then you would be almost 21 afterward. So everyone here has at least 40 child bearing years. It is a straight calculation but is only an approximation. There is some rejuvenation that takes place during species conversion so your physical age is likely less than the number you obtain by a year or two. "Numerically there isn't much of a change in age. The big change is in the rate of aging and your life span. "As to children, believe it or not, we currently have close to 1600 who are under 16 years old. Sarah's Clan has the most children with 79. Ann's Clan has 16. There are 18 in ours. Several dozen are older than the children in Sarah's Clan. Those children came from an attempt by us to use humans as surrogate mothers to increase our numbers prior to Sarah's Clan joining us. Most other clans have less than 10. Many of these joined us with their parents." "Wow, that is a lot more children than we thought." Ann of Ann's Clan said, "If I may, our children's experiences are a little different than those you had when you grew up on Earth. To us there are at least two key reasons for this; one is our environment and the other is our telepathic link with them. The way we live and work enables them to mature very quickly without sacrificing their childhood experiences. This was important as neither space or Mars are friendly environments. Our telepathic link gives them some insight into us and some of our experiences as well as providing us with a way to guide them. This helps them with making decisions, understanding and anticipating the consequences of those decisions. Our children also have a much larger extended family than any of us grew up with which helps a lot. Remember a few years ago, when the children of Sarah's Clan were small. Every time they came to the dining room, there was always at least two adults vying to give each one some attention. We also saw that with our children. We saw that with the children of Amy's Clan as well as the other children who've joined us. We are certain it will occur as other clans have children. We suspect it will continue as we settle and grow on A-Celia. Best of all, we think our children have much less useless drama in their lives than we did." She had a broad grin as she waited for the laughter to subside. "Getting back to the suggestion, we think adhering to the limits would be very critical when there are only a few clans at a location. Lets say less than ten clans but perhaps the number is higher than that. Having a sufficient number of clans in close proximity to each other, we think is essential to our children's growth. While we can understand the desire by members of a clan to have children at the same time, we know from experience staggering births is a much easier adjustment for everyone." "Thank you Ann. We hadn't looked at it quite that way." "Seven months?" said a person on Fiontar. "Yes. Actually gestation averages 265 days which by our calendar is about 6.8 months." "Oops, sorry I was using the wrong calendar." Many smiled and chuckled on hearing the response. Amy said, "Now before we break for lunch, Gao seems anxious to ask a question." Those who had been watching him frantically waving his arm for recognition chuckled. "Thank you Amy's Clan. Your proposal is great and I am looking forward to begin building it. First for those that I haven't met yet, you probably realize that I am one of the people you rescued. For that I am deeply indebted to you. Your arrival at just the right time is I believe the result of the hand of God or perhaps the work of his agents. Your world is much different than the Tigsu World where I grew up. My question is: When you were talking about population growth did it include androids?" "Yes and no," replied Amy's Clan with a smile. "In the context of the family's growth we were referring to all of our family. When we refer to "our family" it includes both the biological bipeds and our self-aware androids. We usually don't make any distinction between the two types. When a distinction is necessary, self-aware androids are referred to as "logical bipeds". For an android to reach a self-aware state, it takes an android approximately 12 to 14 active years to become fully self-aware. Unlike biological bipeds not all androids become self aware. This time frame approximates the same growth and maturity track that the biological portion of our family takes. "While it is not a part of this presentation, one of the underlying aspects of being able to establish our settlement is that we have the assistance of a lot of task specific robots as well as many new androids. These new specialized robots and androids are being assembled on our freighters along with other items we will need to start our settlement. A portion of these new androids will oversee the work of the specialized robots. "Another aspect of "our family" you may not have noticed is that virtually all of our clans are a mix of logical and biological bipeds. A clan's balance depends upon the individuals in a clan as it is their bonding that establishes a clan." "Thank you," replied Gao. "Again, I am very thankful for welcoming me into your world." "Let's break for lunch. We will resume promptly in 1 hour. The ships chimes will sound just before we resume." After lunch Amy's Clan opened the discussion with, "We trust everyone had a good lunch along with a discussion on settling A-Celia. So lets the start the discussion with the topology and environmental aspects." Amy recognized a crew member on Marthanóir. She asked, "Due to the height of water during flooding or storm surge, it seems to preclude using the harbor to any great extent?" "We think preclude is likely too strong of a statement. Our data is based on residual evidence and the three years of data we collected. This is what the data we collected shows for the most severe flooding and storms." Everyone watched as the models of the island went through a series of cycles showing a series of actual runoff patterns some of which were coupled with storm surges. When the demonstration ended Amy's Clan added, "We do not have any data where flooding and storm surge events converged. We believe convergence was the cause of the extremely deep flooding in the bay area." "So we can definitely use it for recreation." "Yes and eventually, we think a commercial harbor can be established further upstream rather than right on the bay." There were several puzzled looks and a couple of hands went up. "Even though we have all of this lift capability utilizing our space ship technology, there will be a need for surface ships in addition to recreational use." "Okay. So consistent with that will we need a matrix of roads?" "Yes. These will likely not be fully paved due to the way our surface transports function. These will be important as we move out from our initial settlement." "Okay. That makes sense but what do you mean by fully paved." "There will be a need for low ground cover. In places where there is a lot of surface contact such as loading and unloading points, the areas will be paved." "Is there any seismic activity that impacts the island?" "Probably some. The planet does have a molten core however the mantle is thick enough that the surface geology is stable. There is some plate movement so there are fault lines. We have seen no evidence of fault lines through or near the island. Setting up a matrix of seismic detectors is high on the list of things to do. There is evidence that there has been earthquakes, these do not appear to have happened very frequently. Now remember, our comments are based on a relatively short observation period. We have not made any seismic measurements. There are volcanoes and some are very active." "Okay. The reason I asked was the island has some residual characteristics of multiple old volcanoes. We see this primarily by the shape of the ridges. Nearly all appear to be a segments of an arc and are generally parallel to the coast." "We agree. This is not the first time that question has come up. Several groups have considered this and their conclusions were that it mostly likely isn't the base of an old volcano." Several chuckled at the wording. "The reference data we have on other planets doesn't really support it being an old magma producing volcano. A long dormant mud volcano is a possibility, however the visible rock around the island doesn't fit well with that conclusion either. We really don't have enough information on this planet's geology to know for certain. We will have to wait until we get there before we can look more closely at how the island formed. "Based on what we know of the island's ecology, the island seems to be a very stable environment and has been for a long time. Perhaps predictable is a better characterization." It was nearly an hour later when Amy's Clan said, "Well lets move on to questions regarding the initial settlement. We should focus on the layout and will it meet our needs. Population growth will effect some aspects of the settlement. Due to potential population growth the biggest one is: How quickly does it needs to expand? Another is: Are there sufficient resources to complete the necessary tasks in a timely manner? "As we noted earlier, every suite starts out a little larger than a clans accommodations on our ships. As the number of buildings increase, the size of the suites will grow. A suite's size will be tailored to the number of clan members. "As to resources, we think they are sufficient. Whether they are or not depends on a lot of variables. Some of these we have control over while others will surprise us. From an experience standpoint, we think the plan is a reasonable starting point. Everyone should have a home on the island in two years provided: We don't add a lot of babies in the first two years. We are able maintain our time line while incorporating any changes." Ann of Ann's Clan stood on Iarracht indicating she had a question. Amy's Clan said, "It looks like Ann has a question." "Yes. First we want to congratulate you for the very well thought out settlement proposal." Applause erupted on all the ships and continued for a few moments. "Thank you," said a blushing Amy's Clan as the applause died down. "It was a group effort that made this possible." "Our clan likes it. Could you elaborate a little more on why the buildings are round and its relationship to security?" "As a relatively small group establishing a new settlement, we want to minimize the chance of being seen by anyone passing nearby. To do this we use round buildings as they are easier to disguise and harder to detect especially from a distance. Arranging them in circles also makes them easier to disguise and hide. It so happens they are a little easier to build. We would have used round buildings on Mars, but instead we blended our structures in with the cliff face adjacent to the cave. "Our structures on the island will be obscured by a technique similar to that used for cloaking our ships. It is not quite as effective as cloaking for our space ships. This is but one aspect of our security envelope. The curved mirrored surfaces are difficult targets to hit solidly with full power. Other aspects of our settlement's security envelope are still being pulled together by our security groups. "With respect to planet security, a series of outposts will be placed around A-Celia. Each will have several types of automated detectors to monitor activity in that sector. These can be operated remotely from our ships or command center if necessary. These sites will be visited periodically by technicians traveling with Security Teams. "The island will have a system that monitors all approaches and any unusual activity on the island. "For space, in addition to our sentinel sphere which will be operational before our arrival, there are plans to build up to eight weapons platforms. These will either be cloaked or appear to be minor natural satellites of A-Celia. In terms of fire power, the capabilities of each platform will exceed that of a Dóchas class ship. These will likely be staffed but with remote operation capability." "Great, but won't building all of that interfere with establishing our settlement." "It shouldn't. Our initial priority will be establishing the settlement on the island. The outposts will be established as resources become available. Setting them up will not take a lot of resources. We expect there will be times while building the settlement when we can send a group to setup an outpost. The weapons platforms are not critical until more than two of our Dóchas class ships begin leaving the system on voyages. "Oh, I almost forgot, like we did in Sol system, our ships will be a key part of our defense system. Ann, does that answer your question?" "Yes. In hindsight, it is what I thought we would do, but I hadn't heard much on the topic." "From our perspective, the first two decades on the island are key to establishing what our future will be like. By the end of the first decade, we should be well established and able to defend the planet and ourselves. During the next segment of our journey, there are plans to discuss our future form of government and an economic system. From our perspective, we should consider operating the island settlement as if it was one of our space ships for at least the first six years. At that point we would begin a transition to what we chose for government and economic model. But that is a discussion for another time and for all of us to make together." "Are you suggesting that we don't go off on our own exploring the planet?" asked a woman on Phoenix. "In essence, yes, our suggestion is that we limit our wanderlust to the island for about six years. This will give us the time to fully establish our settlement. During this time there will be groups making defined explorations around the planet. Many of you will have an opportunity to participate in those groups. Before small groups migrate to other locations on the planet, we need to learn more about this planet's environment. This information will greatly increase the chance of a group successfully exploring or even setting out to establish a new settlement." "Excuse me," said Sarah. "On Earth when people set off to explore or settle areas new to them, they were doing this within a reasonably known environment. The objective of this plan is to establish a secure stable home for us on A-Celia from which we can launch our adventures both in space and on A-Celia. There is a lot we don't know about this planet. Delaying or limiting our wanderlust to just the island gives us time to gain some of the needed environmental knowledge. Lets not forget that as we set up our first settlement, we will also be establishing a form of government and an economic system. Our hope is that everyone will participate in those efforts, which would be difficult to do if you are not on the island. What we do in the next 10 to 20 years will set the foundation on which future generations can build." "Okay. I understand and my spouses tell me they agree. We were just focused on the planet and the opportunity for adventure. Could be cabin fever?" Everyone laughed. Amy's Clan said, "Could be. We don't foresee anyone being stopped from going off on their own. Until we know more of the planet, the risk of failure or disaster is significantly greater. A risk which could turn deadly with little or no warning. To be quite honest, we don't want to lose any of you before your time." It was dinner time when the discussion regarding the island settlement came to a close. As Amy's Clan was finishing the last question, Rusty and Sarah went up to stand next to them. "Amy's Clan," said Sarah and Rusty, "on behalf of the family thank you for this presentation and the hard work that went into putting it together." Again the applause was deafening. After a few moments many of the family rose to their feet as they continued their applause. When the applause quieted, Amy's Clan said, "Thank you very much. We take your accolades to be a thank you to everyone who assisted in putting this plan together. We couldn't have done it without all of their assistance. Believe it or not, this plan really came from all of you. The contributions and suggestions we've received are a key ingredient in what we have presented today. One thing to keep in mind is that this is a living plan. It will change once we land on the island. For example, drawing on our Mars experience, if we found a cave on the island like we found on Mars then these plans could be altered to include it. Again thank you very much." "It is almost dinner time," said Rusty and Sarah as the chime sounded. "We have a couple of items to mention before you go freshen up. With regard to a form of government and economic system, we will have that discussion in about a week. Although we could, we don't expect to make a decision at that meeting. We see it as a time to have a discussion of our choices. The second item is that our departure for Celia system is slated to take place tomorrow at 1400 hours. The advance group will be departing at 1030 hours tomorrow which is a little later than initially posted. Now lets freshen up for dinner." Gao said, "Serarck, why do they freshen up before meals? We are already here. Why go some place else then come back?" "When they freshen up, they exercise and the women let their milk down." "Why do they do that, there aren't any babies now?" "You did watch their videos, right?" "Well of course, we are their guests, so it would have been impolite to refuse." "Some times you really amaze me," replied Serarck with a surprised expression. "What do you mean?" replied Gao testily. "You should watch them again and the sooner the better. This time pay close attention. To answer your question, the Órarduine women lactate from puberty to at least age 60 or longer if needed. Their milk is used as a part of their meals, actually our meals. They do this because their milk provides them with some essential nutrients which their bodies make. It does taste good doesn't it." Gao blushed as he stammered for a moment before saying, "Yes it does. Okay, I will watch the video on the characteristics of their breed again." "Do yourself a big favor and watch all of them. They are not like the people on your home planet. The films are not propaganda. They are a very good tutorial on them and this culture. It will help you understand them, especially since I think you plan on staying with them. Zhaos and I have watched them several times." "You said you wanted to be an Órarduine. Were you serious?" "Absolutely. I am not the only one considering making the change." "They can do a species change for us." "There is a high probability that we can undergo a modification to become an Órarduine. The last I heard was that they should know in a week or so." "Interesting," replied Gao. "Thank you for being patient with me." Serarck shook her head as she watched Gao walk away deep in thought. "What's his problem?" said Zhaos. "While he appears to have adapted to life among the Órarduine, he is still struggling. Based on the comment he just made, it doesn't appear that he really paid attention to the Órarduine's background videos." "He probably figured they were propaganda. Just being among the Órarduine and interacting with them should bring him around." "Normally I would agree. His comments indicate to me that he really hasn't started adjusting yet and I would have thought he would have by now. I should mention this to Judy or Kathy. He is very sensitive which I think stems from the environment where he grew up. On top of the cultural antagonism that I know he dealt with on a daily basis in his world, I suspect that he was deeply wounded in more than one of his past relationships. If true, then he likely has difficulty trusting his judgment regarding the new world we are in." "Well, put that way, I agree with you." "I am concerned about whether he can actually accept the openness of this culture. Perhaps talking with Aine or her sisters, would assist him, but Kathy or Judy should handle it." In another part of the meeting area Sarah said, "Lorelei. Earl are you still planning on joining us for dinner?" "We would like too." "Good we will meet you there as soon as we freshen up." "Okay. We need to go freshen up as well." ------- Sarah's Clan had just stepped in the shower to freshen up when Erin said, "Guys, Shannon and Muireann in Intelligence are requesting permission to carry out the prisoners' sentence well away from our ships. Also, they are requesting that the hibernation chambers used by the prisoners be moved well away from our ships then destroyed preferably prior to or as the sentence is carried out." "Why is that?" asked Terry. "There are several reasons. First there are a multitude of subtle inconsistencies in the prisoners' actions between what they've told us, what we've learned through interrogation and what we know from other sources. "Their hibernation chambers are still operational while all the others were shut down once the occupant was released. Before they were taken into custody, some of them visited the hibernation chamber area everyday. It isn't clear why they would do that. A detailed examination of their hibernation chambers shows subtle differences between their construction and the others. The differences are large enough for there to be hidden items. "Yes, we did consider taking some of them apart, but decided the risk was to high to do it one of our ships. They are being moved to a small asteroid behind us. "Since the verdict, the prisoners have spoken several times in some kind of dialect or code except for right after the verdict. When the verdict was announced, one or two were heard to say, "To bad we won't see them..." The rest of the statement was droned out by the others yelling, "Shut up." Intelligence hasn't been able to decipher that exchange, even telepathy isn't helping." "Tell them to ask Serarck and Zhaos if they understand what they are saying," replied Terry. "We don't see any problem with the proposed change," said Sarah with her other spouses nodding in agreement. "They should poll the other Command Staffs for their concurrence." Erin was quiet for a moment then said, "They are doing that." "Have they talked to Security regarding the change?" "Yes," replied Alison as Sarah's Clan finished drying off after their shower. "I just gave them the go ahead." "So what is the plan?" Alison quickly told them the basics of what Intelligence wanted to do and the safety measures. "That is rather devious," said Rusty. "It has the potential of us learning what they are holding back if anything, but it could go very wrong. Although with our lasers all aimed at the asteroid, the chances of escaping are pretty slim. So we shall see." "Well the hibernation chambers are being moved right now to an asteroid some 50 km in size and 10,000 km behind us and off to port. The rocky core has a deep covering of frozen water and methane. The prisoners will be taken there in a shuttle which was scheduled for salvage and has been stripped of everything but the basics." "Let's go eat I'm starved," said Joyce. "Lorelei and Earl will meet us by the dining room entrance." "Great," replied her spouses. Erica said, "Muireann is going to ask Serarck and Zhaos for assistance at dinner." "Good." Their conversation had just finished when Sarah's Clan reached the dining area to find Lorelei, Earl, Virginia and Doug waiting for them. ------- Chapter 176 "Sorry we're late," said Sarah's Clan as they met Lorelei, Earl, Virginia and Doug at the entrance to the dining room. "You aren't," replied Lorelei, "as we just arrived." After they exchanged hugs, the group entered the dining room then went to the serving line. Virginia said, "I am always amazed at the selection of food we have." "We can arrange for you to have reconstituted freeze dried stuff," replied Jill, chuckling. "Thank you very much, but I'll pass." Claudette said, "If we weren't able to generate a gravity field, then there would be a lot of things that we couldn't do and many we would do differently." "Well I'm thankful for our accommodations. It isn't like living on a planet but living on these ships is something you could do for a long time." "Amy's Clan and the other Connemare have been living on this ship for well over a 100 years." "We've talked to them about their experiences," said Doug. "They are all very thankful that their paths crossed with your clan." "Yea," added Virginia, "right after the incident their choices were pretty limited and with time had become even more so." "Awaking at what we came to know as Comrie," said Sarah, "was a tremendous shock but at the same time none of us felt as if we were in any danger. In fact we felt very comfortable or perhaps acceptable is a better word. Our easy acceptance of our new situation has puzzled both Amy's Clan and us. Although one characteristic we've always had, is an ability to quickly adapt and act on the new opportunities facing us. We believe this played a significant role in our quick acceptance of the changes in us and our location." "I wouldn't call some of those incidents opportunities," added Aoife. "But you have to admit that the last fourteen years or so have been very interesting," replied Sarah. "They certainly have been," responded Aoife. "I find it interesting that nearly all of the people we've rescued or who have joined us have at least some telepathic ability. Is it that ability that draws us together? Although many situations appear to be coincidence such as J3." "An interesting thought," replied Lorelei. "I don't know that it is just telepathy," said Joyce with a thoughtful expression. "The Connemare were telepathic." "True," replied Judy, "but from discussions with Connie and Betsy, we know our telepathic exchanges contain more information than theirs did before conversion. The difference is subtle but pretty significant." "Several of the original crew commented that life as an Órarduine is much different than it was before," said Doug. "The way they express it makes the difference seem like day and night." Rusty replied, "In many ways, it probably is. Think about the differences between us and our interactions and what you experienced on Earth." "Good point. From our perspective, the differences between us and Earth are greater than with the Connemare. We share information and work together much more effectively than we ever saw on Earth." "I agree," said Lorelei. "I sometimes wonder if the way we get along and work together will last or is this just a honeymoon." "Well, we've been this way for some ten years now, so I'm not sure what time frame you are using for a honeymoon," replied Jill. "Now during this time we are focused on establishing a new home and ensuring our security. I expect once our settlement is established that our focus will become more diverse. None of us expect this broader focus will change the way we interact with each other." "Do you think those who joined us at J3 will stay with us?" "I think it is pretty certain that they will," replied Terry, "well at least those who are now out of hibernation." Judy said, "Actually, none of them have indicated any desire to return to their home world. Several have said that since being with us and seeing how we interact and get along, they want nothing to do with the world they came from. Some were pretty pointed about what they would like to do to those still there and it wasn't nice." "We've heard the same thing," replied Lorelei. "I wonder if they realize just how different we are." "Well Serarck certainly seems to. Their inclusion will be easier if they are all capable of telepathic communication. Once on the planet our physical differences are not as significant but it will still mean that non Órarduine will not be able to operate some equipment." "With time that issue can be resolved," said Claudette. "It will be a while before it can be addressed as it requires some pretty significant changes." "Those may not be necessary," said Janet, "if they decide to make the species change." "True. But what about other immigrants or long term visitors. At some point, we need to look at the issue." "Changing the topic a bit," said Lorelei, "we heard you were planning on changing the way you screen visitors?" "A little bit. We plan on making more use of our telepathic ability in evaluating people who visit or travel with us. Our episode with some Tigsuma told us that we need to be more careful in evaluating visitors. One thing we will do is to carefully watch a persons responses when answering questions during an interview. We need to be careful using telepathy to evaluate strangers as it can give us misleading impressions." "What do you mean?" said Virginia. "The images associated with a persons thoughts can vary significantly," replied Tara. "This is especially true when you add the complexity of multiple breeds, languages and cultures. We first experienced this when we met the Alliance of Worlds people in Sol system. Those circumstances were very different than when we found the J3 people. We saw them as victims and of little threat to us. In hindsight, we should have been more thorough in learning about their backgrounds and motivations. It may not have alerted us to this attempted mutiny but we think it would have alerted us to the conspirators being of a different grouping. With that bit of information, we think we would have monitored their actions sooner and more closely." "We were lucky this time," said Terry. "A lot more than four could have died but even that is too many." Earl replied, "Hindsight is usually much clearer than the impact of current events. Even if you had been more thorough it doesn't mean that they wouldn't have deceived you." "True. But don't you think we should be more thorough in our evaluation of visitors, especially unexpected visitors." "I agree. I was just pointing out that even being more thorough doesn't completely negate risk." "Agreed." "When is the sentence going to be carried out?" asked Virginia. "Currently it is set for no later than 0800 tomorrow." "Doesn't the advance party leaves about that time?" said Lorelei. "The first group will transition to FTL at 1030 hours and we will follow at 1400 hours. Their discussion shifted to their plans for the settlement on A-Celia. Jill came back from the restroom and said, "Guys, it is almost 2130 and we have a big day tomorrow." "Wow," said Virginia, "We've really enjoyed visiting with all of you this evening." "We've enjoyed it as well," replied Sarah's Clan. Janet said, "Next time, let's do this in a more comfortable setting. These chairs get a little uncomfortable after a while." "Didn't notice it until I stood up," said Lorelei. "But you're right the lounge would have been much more comfortable." "Can we do this again?" asked Virginia. "Sure," replied everyone. "We enjoyed it as well," said Lorelei and Earl. "Virginia," said Joyce, "how are you coming with your telepathy?" Virginia frowned. "It is coming along. Doug does better than I do. Well at least that is my impression. It isn't something I automatically do when communicating. I tend to do it verbally like I always have." "It is easier now than when this voyage started," added Doug. "It is still a response I need to think about before hand." "Good." It took Virginia and Doug a moment before they recognized that Joyce had switched modes. "See ... I ... can ... do ... it," replied Virginia with Doug grinning. "Never had any doubts. Next time we should spend our time conversing this way. The more you use it the better you will become." "Sure. We're game. We should have done it this evening," replied Virginia and Doug. "Well, Virginia," said Sarah, "you're doing much better with telepathy since the last time we discussed it." "Yes. But, I still need to think about doing it." "It will come. Just keep using it." Sarah's Clan gave Doug, Virginia, Lorelei and Doug hugs before heading toward their respective suites. As Sarah's Clan walked toward the suites, Alison said, "Did you see the schedule for carrying out the prisoners sentence?" "They decided to use five Security Teams to monitor it. Right?" "Looks like it. This will make it a quick turn around for some of the Security teams." "They will be fine." "I know, but..." "Well I'm ready for some rest," said Claudette. "Today has been a very tiring day." "I agree but I think it is more than just today," added Judy. "Okay a quick freshening up and off to bed." "What no extracurricular activities?" asked Terry with a smile. "Cuddling is enough for me this evening. Once we are on our way then we can spend a day cuddling and stuff." "We need to spend some time with our children." "The last time we did that we lost three straight sets to them in volleyball." "Yea, and it was fun." "Yes, it was. Good night. Sleep well as tomorrow will be busy." ------- It was close to 2300 hours when Muireann said, "Darcy, are we set?" "Yes. All the hibernation chambers are on the asteroid. As expected, they are already sinking into the surface." "Okay. Standby, the shuttle with the prisoners is 30 minutes out." "Aye, we see it on our display." A short time later Edana said, "Shuttle has made contact with asteroid. Even as slow as it was moving, it still slid until a support pad caught on a crevice." Abbie of Caoilinn's Clan stepped out of the shuttle door as she said, "That was weird landing with so little power." "You did well," said Darcy. They waited near the shuttle for the rest of Caoilinn's Clan to exit the shuttle. "Using the air lock is a pain." "Well at least you had an atmosphere in the cabin." "True but there wasn't much else." As Abbie spoke more of her clan joined them. "How are the prisoners?" "Still sleeping. We pulled the ends of the shrink wrap loose on two so it should be pretty easy for them to unravel it." "The ghosts are ready to assist if we need them." "Good. Think it will take them the allotted 6 hours." "We shall see. I believe the 6 hours was sort of a guess. If they don't pause to get anything out of the hibernation chambers then events should proceed fairly quickly." "Everyone's here, so let's board our cruiser so we can watch the monitors." As they prepared to enter Darcy's shuttle she said, "Brush off your boots before you enter the cabin. The surface slush is sticky." "Yea, we certainly don't want any inside." Inside their cruiser Caoilinn and Darcy's Security Teams gathered around their monitors to watch the prisoners wakeup in the nearby shuttle. They had only been watching a few moments when the prisoners began moving around. They soon heard one say, "Get off of me asshole." "Just how in the fuck am I suppose to do that," was the quick reply. "They wrapped this plastic wrap so tight it is hard to breath." "Not surprising. This stuff shrinks when it gets warm." "Where the fuck are we?" "Looks like the inside of one of their shuttles." "Well, it sure feels good to be out of those fucking boxes." "True." "How did we get here?" "Don't know." "See anybody around?" "No." "Looks like we've been wrapped for recycling." "Yea and its hot. I was the last one so I got to watch them wrap all of you." "Can anyone get out of this shrink wrap?" They struggled for nearly an hour before one grabbed the end of the plastic wrap on another prisoner with his mouth then rolled away. After several pulls, one of them got his arms outside the wrapping and began unwrapping himself. "Damn," said Darcy on their Badb cruiser. "I was hoping to send in the ghosts." In the shuttle, the prisoner with his arms free quickly freed himself from the shrink wrap and then began freeing the others. Once several of their leaders were free, they began checking out their situation while the others were freed. "Hey, here is a note." "What does it say?" "Your hibernation chambers are outside. You're on your own and we're even now." "Looks like one of our agents came through." "Now that is too bizarre. I wonder how they managed this." "Don't know and at the moment I really don't care how we got here." "It could be a trap." "Fuck'em. What have we got to loose? Several of you need to put those environmental suits on and go get our supplies out of the hibernation chambers. The rest of you check out this shuttle. See what we need to do to get away from here. The sooner we leave the better off we will be." "We better all put suits on before we open the hatch." Órarduine Security teams were monitoring the thoughts of the prisoners as they went about their tasks. Those working on the hibernation chambers worked quickly to get their supplies out of the hidden compartments. Some compartments inaccessible because the access panel was now below the icy surface. For some with several lifting a hibernation chamber, they could raise it enough so the access panel could be opened so they could remove their supplies. Lifting a chamber only slowed the chamber's settling, but gave them enough time to open the panel and remove the supplies. Even so in the short time it took to remove the items, the feet of those lifting the chamber had sunk into the icy methane surface. After releasing the chamber, those trapped were able to loosen the partially frozen material around their feet to free themselves but it left their suits and boots covered with a black sticky slush. As the supplies were retrieved, they were carried into their shuttle. None of them took any time to clean the sticky slush off their shoes and legs before entering the shuttle. The slush wasn't noticed because it didn't accumulate inside the shuttle. Once it was in the warmer environment and deck most of it quickly evaporated or ran into seams. Once they had recovered all the accessible supplies, all of them returned to the shuttle. After closing the hatch, they took off their suits shaking more of the sticky dirt off onto the deck never noticing the "dirt" fall on the deck as it quickly disappeared. "Did we get everything?" "Not really. We should have enough." "What? Well we better have everything we need or you're going back out there and get it." "There is no point in that. The chambers have sunk into the icy surface blocking the access panels. It won't be long until they are totally inaccessible unless you want to dig them out. We were able to lift a few to gain access to some critical items. Others had sunk to far into the surface so our stuff was not accessible. We should have the parts for at least two workable communications systems." "What about the shuttle?" grumbled the man. "Everything looks functional. There isn't any communications gear. The skid plates are sinking into the surface but not as fast as the hibernation chambers. Propulsion system is functioning but we don't know its capabilities or how far it will take us. Getting off of here, we should be okay if we can do a vertical lift. If not, we'll disconnect the skid plates and leave them behind." "Okay lets put together the communication gear. We need send the other group a message before they set out toward those coordinates the Órarduine sent them. Also, we need to tell them how to find us as this shuttle may not get us very far." "Yea," said another, "but before we worry about that we need to put some distance between the Órarduine and us." "No. We will just move so that this asteroid is between us and their ships." "That is too fucking risky." "You going with us or someone else." There was silence. "Okay, lets get those transmitters put together and set up." The Órarduine watched the man giving the orders bend down and pick up an object from one of the containers. "What the fuck are these doing here? These were suppose to be placed in the Órarduine ships." "We agreed to not use those aerosol bombs. Some were certain that the Durale drug was going to turn them into willing slaves just like we had seen the Durale do with the people we sold them. It looked so easy to get those nice ships along with so much prime meat." "That is mostly true, but these bombs were to be set up so we could set them off remotely if something went wrong." "Well it did go wrong. If we used these even we couldn't go into those ships without a suit and it would take a lot of work to remove all the slop created by the decomposed bodies." "You didn't listen to me. The stuff in those will turn a body into a puddle of slime in two days at the most but the agent quickly dies without a biologically active host. That is why it has to be used so that it reaches its initial host immediately, then it is spread by contact. I ought to use one on you to show how well it works." "I'm tired of your bullshit. Just try and you will be the first one I breathe on." "Cool it you two. Settle your differences later." "You guys sure drug a lot of crap in here with these items." "It's just water and some dirt. Look it just evaporates." "Perhaps." "So, how soon can we get off this rock?" "We're working on it," said those on the flight deck. "There isn't a primary AI so we will be flying this manually. Fortunately there is an emergency check list." "Okay. What about the transmitters we recovered?" "The power cells are dead. We'll power them from the ship." "How are you going to do that?" "Well first we need to find some tools and wire. If nothing else we can get some wire from an unused circuit. Someone figure out where we can tap into the ships power while we modify these units." It was a several hours later, when the two from the flight deck came back into the cabin. "We're ready to go. What are you guys doing?" "Rigging power to our communications gear. The fucking batteries died. We need to get power to them from the ship. Why?" "Well the way your moving, it will take forever." "Fuck you. I've got a splitting headache. This is the last connection. If it holds then all we need to do is connect it to the ship." "Well, I've got a headache too. We think we can lift off as soon as you are ready." "Great. Lets get this connected so we can send this message." The Órarduine watched as the man working on their communications system slowly lift the plug toward the receptacle. Just as it was about to enter the receptacle, the Security Teams in unison told the prisoners telepathically, "The asteroid is covered in frozen water and methane. Sweet dreams." The two from the flight deck jumped for the man with the plug screaming, "NO!" In their panic, they forgot the lack of gravity and flew by their intended target, instead ramming several others near the gear causing them to lose their grip on the transmitter. Due to the jostling the plug partially missed its target. The hand holding the plug jerked on the cord partially loosening from the communications device. Seeing what was happening, one person slowly grabbed at the device to stabilize it, while another tried to keep the cord from pulling loose as the plug finally mated with the receptacle. All of this resulted in two small arcs in the methane rich atmosphere followed by a blinding flash inside the prisoners shuttle. Rather than white out, the monitors on the Badb cruisers froze on the last scene. The facial expressions of each prisoner confirmed that they realized the implications of what they had heard. Inside the shuttle, the methane oxygen flare caused the temperature and pressure to rapidly rise and either vaporize or melt its contents. When the temperature and pressure reached a critical point, the shuttle split open expelling the super heated contents into space and onto the asteroids surface. The hot gas melted more of the methane and water surface as did the fragments of glowing metal. The shuttles explosion signaled the FCC on each Dóchas class ship to commence firing their lasers at their assigned targets on the asteroid. The lasers vaporized the chambers and the shuttle's remains. This fed the burning methane turning much of the asteroid's surface into a white hot inferno. The disintegration of the shuttles power units added more heat and energy to the growing hot gas cloud surrounding the asteroid. During the time the prisoners were trying to modify their communications equipment, the Badb cruisers and Star Fighters pulled back from the asteroid. They took positions around the trailing portion of the asteroid while keeping pace with it. When the Security Teams spoke to the prisoners telepathically telling them of the asteroids methane surface, the shields on all ships were activated to protect them from any debris. Those on the Badb cruisers and Star Fighters were a little surprised that the methane – debris fed inferno only created an expanding gas cloud around the trailing half of the asteroid. Each ship scanned the cloud looking for objects but only found a few that were more than a few centimeters in size. Once they were certain everything was consumed in the methane fed inferno, Caoilinn said, "We aren't seeing any debris larger than a few centimeters and the gas cloud has stopped expanding." Darcy said, "Well we are not sure it has stopped. It seems like the asteroid is moving faster." "From our position, we see the asteroid moving faster with the gas cloud trailing out behind with the edges condensing." "Okay that fits with what we are seeing," replied Caoilinn. "Lets call this a wrap and head back." Muireann said, "Why don't all of you hit the asteroid again with the lasers at max power?" "Why?" "We have a request to see how much momentum is transferred to the asteroid. Dóchas FCC will give you the coordinates to aim at. This shouldn't take more than a few minutes then come on back." "Aye. Some of us need to get some rest, as we depart for Celia in a few hours." "Affirmative." Darcy said, "Muireann, did you all get the information you wanted?" "Yes. As they became delirious from inhaling the methane, it was fairly easy to get them to recall the information about what was hidden in the hibernation chambers and other details." "It's a little surprising that they didn't notice the loss in coordination." "Those on the flight deck were probably the least effected which is probably why they reacted to the warning quicker than the others." "So it was worth the effort?" "Yes, very definitely." "Well, we're all ready to call it a day." "You all did well. There wasn't any methane tracked into your ship, was there?" "There was a little bit, but the scrubbers have cleared it." "Good as we don't need another explosion. See you soon." "Yes. Our weapons officer says we are ready to commence firing. We will depart for home immediately afterward." "Aye." ------- Sarah's Clan was just leaving their suite for breakfast, when Muireann said, "The Tigsuma prisoners died this morning in a methane explosion at 0542 hours. The explosion destroyed the shuttle as well. A series of fourteen laser beams added sufficient energy to consume everything we placed on the asteroid. This resulted in the asteroid loosing a considerable amount of mass but it is now moving a bit faster away from us." "Did you get any additional information?" "Yes. We are nearly certain that we know of all their sabotage and contingency plans along with a good deal more of their backgrounds. We are checking now to make sure we've found everything they did." "Okay. Have you informed the other Command Staffs?" "They are included in this link." ------- As they walked to breakfast Sarah said to her spouses, "What did you think of Serarck's suggestion on interviewing future guests and visitors?" "We should do it," said Alison. "With two Órarduine interviewing each one, one can ask questions while the other monitors their thoughts as they prepare to respond. The interview should cover their past; what their impression of us is; what they would like to do in the future." "I think that is what she had in mind," replied Sally. "We should do some as casual interviews. The change in situation would give us another perspective on them. It could avoid us getting a false impression since a formal interview makes some people nervous." "Okay. That goes both ways." "A good solution," added Terry. "This approach should give us the insight we need and not breed any mistrust by our guests." "Lets discuss it with the other Command Staffs," said Sarah. "If they agree, we can implement it right away. Perhaps, we should begin using this approach with those still being released from hibernation." "Okay," replied her spouses as they entered the dining room. ------- "Sarah's Clan," said Erica, "did you notice that we activated our shields?" "Yes. That was a good idea, although none the debris should reach us." "We wanted to make sure that the freighters were protected just in case." "Good point." "Are you joining us for breakfast?" "Yes. We will be there as soon as Briana's Clan takes the bridge." "So what did you guys think of the Iridiens' message?" asked Alison. "Their assessment of the discord between the Durale and the rest of the Dutsuz World looks pretty reasonable based on our experience with the Durale," replied Terry. "Yes," added Joyce, "but did you notice the comment about minority groups in the other Alliance of World members." "You mean the perceived lack of equality." "Yes. We've heard similar comments from our guests regarding the conditions in the Oreschre and Tigsuma Worlds. I wonder if the different breeds in the other worlds are as antagonistic toward each other." "Well I probably ought to read the report again, but I thought the worlds with the greatest problem was the smaller or newer members of the alliance with the Dutsuz being an exception." "The Dutsuz World consists of several breeds, but isn't it only the Durale who are dissatisfied." "From the information we have, yes." "Let's look at it another way," said Erin. "The Iridiens, Monque, and Atewa Worlds didn't practice slavery nor do they seem to have any antagonism between breeds or really between groups. The Dutsuz didn't formally practice slavery but several breeds, in particular the Durale, had an elitist perspective of themselves. Several of the other worlds with problems have practiced outright physical or economic slavery. It is those worlds that seem to have the greatest discontent." "But," said Tara, "the Iridiens, Monque and Atewa have a different view of each other than those worlds where there are problems. It is really how they appreciate each other for themselves rather than an individual's characteristics or appearance." "Well there is another subtle difference," added Joyce, "it's in the way they compete and it is hard to put into words." "I see what you are getting at," replied Tara, "but I am not sure how to express it either. It has the characteristics of a hive structure, but that concept doesn't really fit either. Actually some would consider us as having a hive social structure, but it doesn't fit us either." "It is getting close to time for our morning meeting," said Sarah. "Our world right now consists of at least six breeds," said Aoife drawing puzzled looks from her spouses. "We have the different J3 breeds which I think is five. Plus there are humans who joined us for this trip and I think there are three breeds among that group. "We can analyze other groups, but can we anticipate how interbreed relationships will develop for us. Órarduine are the predominate breed and is currently a blend of those who chose to do the breed conversion. While we are living in each others pockets so to speak, we haven't seen any animosity develop between the different groups or breeds. Will that be true once we settle A-Celia and disperse? "My inclination is that we will continue to value and respect each other as we do now, especially if all of our breeds are telepathic. I won't claim telepathy will prevent inter-breed animosity, but it should minimize its potential. Telepathy should give any politicians more difficulty in creating or stirring up animosity between breeds for their benefit." "We agree," replied her spouses. "An interesting discussion," said Amy's Clan. "We agree that a hive structure or organization does not really fit us but there are aspects of it in the way we interact both socially and in work. Some would see our telepathic sharing as being the defining key." "Thanks," replied Sarah's Clan. "We didn't realize you had joined us." "Just a few minutes ago although we heard a good part of it through our link. I don't know whether you realized it but many of those in the dining room were listening as well. From our perspective, we agree that telepathy will help interbreed relationships as will the characteristics we have sought to instill in our family. Well actually, the efforts by your clan have set an outstanding example for all of us to follow." Amy smiled as she saw the puzzled looks. "It is the openness, warmth and support that you all give to everyone around you and in our family." "Thanks." "It's time," said Rusty as he got up with Sarah, Terry and Sally. They dropped off the breakfast dishes on the way to the front of the room. "Good morning everyone," said the four on reaching the front of the room. "Good morning." "First, those who were convicted of mutiny and murder yesterday died this morning at 0542 hours in an explosion on an asteroid some 10,000 km behind us. So the sentence achieved its intent and they are now part of the universe's dust. Anyone wishing to read the details will find it in the library later today as the reports are still being gathered. Intelligence has advised us that the additional information obtained was worth the effort. Any questions?" A crew member stood and said, "Your brevity has raised my curiosity. Would you provide a bit more detail?" "Sure. Based on the information gained during their interrogation, there was considerable suspicion that some traps had been placed on our ships that we hadn't found. So while we slept the prisoners were moved to an asteroid along with their hibernation chambers. They were left to awaken alone in a shuttle in such a way that they would assume one of their agents had provided them with a means of escaping. We monitored them by video and telepathically after they woke up. They wasted no time in retrieving some items concealed in their hibernation chambers while making preparations to depart. The asteroid was covered in a deep layer of frozen water and methane. Surprisingly, they were quite careless in their movements and tracked a lot of methane water slush into their shuttle. Enough so that given sufficient time they would have likely died of methane poisoning. Instead one of them went to connect one of their devices to a shuttle power source, which resulted in a spark. The resulting explosion turned the inside of the shuttle into a white hot inferno that quickly breached the hull. Our lasers were used to ensure that everything we placed on the asteroid either melted or burned off. Is that enough detail?" "Yes." "Did the shuttle explode immediately?" asked another. They paused a moment then Rusty said, "No. The shuttle ruptured several seconds after the methane ignition. One comment said the shuttle was literally glowing before it ruptured." "Thanks." "Okay," said Sarah, "now you've tweaked our curiosity." "We've some estimates on how much internal pressure our ships can take before rupturing. This shuttle is the first on which we have current data so our group will be looking over the recorded events. Based on what we heard, the explosion alone did not rupture the hull. It ruptured because of significant heat and pressure. This information should help us improve our safety devices." "Good. Any more questions?" Sarah paused a moment then continued with, "Our advance group will depart at 1030 hours today for Celia system. It will consist of ten Badb cruisers and 40 Star Fighters divided into two task groups with the operational designations Dearg and Bán Cinniúint. They will arrive in a little less than 9 days. Their primary mission is to place the additional satellites in our sphere of satellites for detecting activity around the Celia system. After that is complete, they will begin high resolution mapping of A-Celia." "Any questions?" "I don't recognize the names." Seeing the question came from one the news correspondents they said, "In English, they are Red and White Destiny Groups, we simply chose the Gaelic words." "Thanks." "Does that leave us with enough tactical support?" asked one of the J3 people. "Yes. We are scheduled to enter FTL three and half hours after their departure. Currently our surveillance of the surrounding space doesn't detect anyone within six light years. Once in a FTL envelope, an attacking group would have to enter our envelope before attacking us. Doing that is very difficult if not impossible although we have done it using our psionic abilities. We will be in contact with our task groups during our trip so we can make adjustments in our FTL arrival point if necessary. As it stands now we will arrive in Celia system about 100,000 km behind A-Celia and slightly above the plane of her orbit. Does that answer your question?" "Pretty much. I guess I was keying off of what we heard the prisoners say about our strategy." "If we were being pursued or there was a group waiting for us there, then we would take a different approach. These two Task Groups have enough strength and numbers that they should be able to handle nearly any situation they come across." "Okay." "Any other questions?" A gentlemen stood toward the back of the room and said, "Could I ask a question about yesterday's presentation?" "Certainly. Since Amy's Clan is here, we're sure you will get a more complete answer than if it was just us." Their response resulted in quite a bit of laughter. "We doubt that. There were a couple of things I would like to clarify. It was stated that each of the intersections on the building grid would be a 1000 meters apart. Isn't that a considerable distance? And I am not sure I understand what IPTP's are?" "The first answer is easy. The distance between grid intersections is about two-thirds the length of this ship. For us it is about a ten minute walk. The IPTPs is short hand for Individual Planetary Transport Platform. It is an open platform that will levitate a person off the ground and then take them to their destination. The experience is similar to a motorcycle but with a vertical component. It is also not as hazardous as a motorcycle. A few are stored in one of the hangers. We expect they will see a lot of use on the planet." "Okay, that helps." "Continuing in that vein, why not put the residences closer to the Common building?" "The spacing provides a number of benefits. Solar energy capture is optimized. The residents have a better view of the surrounding area. An emergency in one building wouldn't likely effect the surrounding buildings. A cluster has three circles of residences. The outer one is only about 250 meters from the Common building or a little more than half the width of this ship." "Thank you." Amy's Clan said, "You guys handled those questions quite nicely. Perhaps we should let you handle all of them." "I think we will pass on that opportunity. Especially since those were easy ones. Besides you all are much more familiar with the details. "Any other questions?" "Yes. With the interior of much of the island being lower than the cliffs around the island's perimeter, will this cause us air pollution problems like we saw in some areas on Earth?" "We'll take this one," said Amy's Clan. "There is a possibility but it seems very small for two reasons. One is that our operations will add little if any pollution to the environment. The other is that the wind blowing against the cliffs and rising will tend to draw a breeze across the interior toward it. It is sort of like a venturi effect. How all of this plays out, we'll have to wait and see. The atmospheric monitoring has only shown brief periods of haze and fog, but outside these periods there is almost always a breeze." "Thanks." "When do you think we will have visitors?" "Within a year," replied Sarah, Rusty, Terry and Sally. "Both the Iridiens and Lonstradaze have indicated a desire to visit. The Iridiens have since offered assistance with establishing our settlement." "What about the Atewa and Monque?" "We haven't had contact with them. If we accept assistance from the Iridiens, then we expect they will help as well. We also don't know the details of the assistance they are offering." "Do we know what they will want in return?" "Most likely an opportunity to trade as well as share technology. Depending how our location fits their strategic needs, they may seek to place a base on A-Celia." "When will we name the geographical bodies on A-Celia?" Sarah, Rusty, Sally and Terry smiled as they replied, "When do you want to?" Then after a pause they added, "Why don't we have Communications organize a naming contest? It seems that we would want names for all the planets and A-Celia's continents, islands, large rivers and the various features on the island where we plan on settling." "We will get with the Communication groups on all the ships and organize it," said Brenda of Chloe's Clan. "We would expect to have it accessible on the network by tomorrow but it may take another day." "Any comments on the proposal?" asked Sally. "Will it be open to everyone?" "We don't see why not," replied Sarah. "Cool," was the soft reply. "Well we've already kind of named the two rivers on the island as East and West rivers." "True," replied Sarah, "but only in the sense of talking about them when describing the island. This shouldn't be a reason for not proposing a name for those rivers." "If there aren't any other issues to discuss, lets be about it." A woman stood at the rear of the room and said, "Is there any more information on why there was a sudden influx of people to New Comrie and An Clochán?" "No. Once we leave here we will be looking at the situation there more closely." "Okay ... its just that..." "We are concerned as well. Based on the information we've received, all of those we left a safety net for, are safe. We will be looking at it more closely at the situation in the coming weeks and keep everyone appraised of what we learn." "Thank you." "Any thing else?" The crew paused for a moment then began leaving for their duty stations. ------- Chapter 177 On Dóchas, their morning meeting had just finished and the crew members were leaving for their duty stations. Erin of Sarah's Clan said, "Lorelei, Melinda, Earl, what do you have planned for today?" Lorelei said, "This morning we are planning to watch the task groups gather for departure from the observation platform." "You are welcome to join us on the bridge although, the actual view won't be quite as good." Lorelei looked at her companions then said, "Great. We will take you up on that offer. "Is your clan on the bridge for this departure?" "No. Briana's Clan has the bridge for this departure. They asked us to join them. Our shift begins at 1900 hours, so after the task groups departures, we plan on resting until we depart." "You won't get much rest," replied Earl. "Doesn't the 12 hours shifts make it a bit awkward at times to accomplish your other tasks?" "With our multiple responsibilities, it can," replied Erin. "Multiple?" "Yes. There are times when fulfilling our duties requires us to be away from the bridge. Although our presence on the bridge is not an absolute necessity, we prefer to always have people on the bridge when the ship is underway. Currently, we have two clans that are qualified to man the bridge. Both are always willing to fill in when we are needed some place other than the bridge. The downside is that it cuts into their rest period." "That's Amy and Briana's Clans." "Yes." "By saying you prefer to have people on the bridge at all times, implies that you don't have to." "That's correct. Through our active link with Star, the ship's primary AI, we can perform our bridge duties from any place on the ship or nearby. Most of the time those tasks can be accomplished quite easily, however when there is a rapidly changing situation, perception and timing become significant response factors. These essentially go away when there are people on the bridge with whom we can interact." "Does that mean you are telepathically working through those on the bridge?" "A better way to think of it is as us working together or jointly. By connecting telepathically with those on the bridge, we are sharing information in real time. When remotely managing the bridge, there is a bit of delay due to relaying the information." "So this is another example of the benefits of telepathic communication." "Yes, it is a blessing, a very significant blessing. While it is a very significant tool, it is important to remember that it is only one of a set of unique tools. We need to be careful to keep all of our tools well honed. Maintaining them is much like maintaining our physical fitness level." "We noticed when we joined you on An Clochán that everyone is physically quite active. It some respects the level of physical activity seems to have increased since starting our voyage. Those who joined us at J3 have even picked up the fitness bug." "Some think the high interest in physical fitness is due to the constant danger of where we are. As many have said, "Space is a harsh mistress." The visibility of the family's interest in physical fitness could be due to the close confines of being in a space ship. We hope the interest in maintaining our fitness and skills will continue after we settle on A-Celia." "We think it will," replied Lorelei, "because we do our exercises together. I know before I came here to live, I didn't exercise as much as I should. Other things always seemed more pressing. In hindsight, I think that was because my exercising was usually done alone or surrounded by strangers. It is much more fun to do it with someone you are close to." "We agree," said Sarah's Clan. "Can we back up a second?" asked Earl. "Sure." "I am puzzled by your comments about managing a situation remotely through those on the bridge. I would think that would slow a response even more rather than improve it." "Depending on the sharing criteria it could," replied Joyce. "When we do this, those on the bridge take the lead in making the choices. They have to. We act as a knowledge or analysis resource which we think shortens response time." "Okay. So you're saying its like having a bigger computer managing the situation." "Since we're drawing analogies, how about thinking of it as a larger neural network rather than a bigger computer." "I agree," replied Earl just as they walked onto Dóchas' Bridge. "Good morning," said Briana's Clan. "And a good morning to all of you," replied Sarah's Clan and their friends. "How are we doing?" said Sarah. "Right on schedule," replied Briana. "Both task groups are forming up now. Dearg will depart in 30 minutes and Bán group will follow 5 minutes later." "Why the staggered times?" said Lorelei. "Simply so they arrive in Celia system at the same moment but on opposite sides of the system." Earl and Lorelei looked puzzled. "Looks like a few more details are needed. Abaigeal would you fill in the details." "Sure. Have any of you hunted birds?" "Not really, well except for a little skeet shooting," replied Lorelei "Well what we are doing is similar to that. From our perspective Celia system is moving from left to right as we approach. Both task groups are using the same coordinates relative to us and will travel at the same speed. The difference in departure time will place them on each side of Celia at or close to our sphere of surveillance satellites." "So Celia system is moving toward us." "Yes, sort of. If we maintained this position, it would cross our path at an angle several light years in front of us. Once our task groups have left, we will shift our position slightly so we will intercept Celia system to arrive very near A-Celia. "By using the axis of our fleet as a reference, we are providing our task groups navigation systems with a more precise reference point. Although not really necessary, it does tighten up their point of arrival. If you want, I can put up a graphical display showing how it works." "Your explanation is just fine," replied Lorelei. "Skeet shooting is easier." "Yea, it doesn't take eight clock cycles to know whether the timing was correct." Everyone chuckled at Abaigeal's response. Those on the bridge watched the large video monitor showing the two groups of ships moving into their positions. On the visual display, they could clearly see the marker lights of each ship and a hint of a shadow as each ship moved into position. If it wasn't for the marker lights, it would have been very difficult to see them due to their low reflectance. A second large monitor switched between two views every few minutes. One view showed the relative position of the ships in the two task groups. As each ship moved, their marker shifted on the display. The second view showed the current relative positions of all ships in Destiny group. It wasn't long before they heard Christina say, "Destiny Command, Dearg group requesting permission to depart." "Dearg group, permission granted, execute on my mark," replied Briana. "Have a safe journey and may the Gods and Goddesses be with you." "Aye, aye. And to you. On your mark." "5... 4... 3... 2... 1 ... Mark!" With Briana's final word, Dearg group began moving forward, then within seconds they simply vanishing from view. On the second monitor, a third view was added to the rotation showing Dearg moving away from their location. "Abaigeal, I think this is little more complicated than skeet shooting," said Lorelei. "It is, but the concept isn't much different. The variables are the same but the distances are much greater. This makes the calculation a little more difficult as both numerical and timing precision have a strong impact on the actual arrival point." "Well, we should be thankful that you are doing the math rather than me." "Thank you. It is the support our AIs give us that make these tasks relatively easy to execute." Soon they heard Cathan say, "Destiny command, Bán group requesting permission to depart for Celia system." "Bán group, permission granted, execute on my mark," replied Briana. "May your journey be safe and the Gods and Goddesses be with you." "Aye, aye. And to you. Executing, on your mark." Briana watched the counter for a moment then began with "5... 4... 3... 2... 1 ... Mark!" Just as with the first group, once Briana issued her command, Bán group began moving forward, then within seconds, they just vanished from view. On the second monitor, in the third view, a marker now showed Bán group slightly trailing Dearg group. "Sarah and Briana's Clan," said Earl, "thank you for the opportunity to see this from the bridge. Now I think we should be going so we don't interfere with your preparations for this afternoon." "It is up to you but you are welcome to stay," said Briana. "We know that Sarah's Clan is leaving so they can rest for a while before our departure. Momentarily, we will resume going through our departure check list." "Well perhaps, but only if we are not a distraction." "We think that is unlikely but we'll let you know." When Melinda saw Earl and Lorelei nod to each other, she said, "As much a I'd like to, I am expected back in communications. So I'll see you all at dinner." "We'll walk with you," said Sarah's Clan as the group moved to leave the bridge. "Briana's Clan, we will see you about 1330 unless you need us sooner." "Okay. We'll holler, if we need you, otherwise see you then." Lorelei and Earl took a seat at the back of the bridge. They watched and listened to Briana's Clan as they went about the departure preparations for Dóchas and Destiny Group. A short while later Lorelei said to Earl, ""Oh my, this is fascinating." "Yes it is. The progress chart on the monitor makes it a little easier to see how the bits fit together." "Yes. I'm really glad we stayed." It was a little over an hour later when Earl and Lorelei were startled by the chime for lunch. "Wow, where did the time go," said Earl. "I don't know." Briana said, "Earl. Lorelei, we're going to being rotating through lunch. Do you want to join us?" As she was speaking Adam came over to join them. "You can leave while all of this is going on," replied Lorelei. "On days like today, we go to lunch in pairs and plan on being back in twenty minutes or less. Our schedule today has a lunch break in it but by going in pairs we can keep everything moving, so things are bit less hectic." "It looks to us like everything is going smoothly." "It is. We are a little ahead schedule. Four ships and their associated freighters have run through their full departure sequence without any problems. They've now rolled their sequence back to a set departure hold point so they can assist others. The remaining ships are doing their run through now." "Is that normal?" "Pretty much. In the past, we've each went through the sequence simultaneously to departure. This time we added more validation points which means it takes more time. We compensated for the additional time requirements by doing it in two groups so we can assist each other." "So if you are ahead of schedule, that must mean there hasn't been any issues." Briana laughed then said, "If that happened, we would be scared to death cause nothing is ever perfect. Actually, there have been a number of minor issues. Most have been resolved as they came up." "Were these things the Tigsuma group was bragging about?" "We don't think so. Because of their comments, we are scrutinizing each process a good deal more closely than we have in the past. None of the issues we've found would have caused us problems in and of themselves. If they cascaded together then an event could be more severe and made life really interesting. We've found nothing like what they alluded too." "So you're pleased with today's efforts." "Oh. You bet," replied Adam as they walked into the dining area. Adam and Briana quickly made themselves a couple of sandwiches before sitting down. When Lorelei sat down with them she said, "This morning went really quick. I was expecting it to be kind of dull." "Oh, it can be. Preparations for group departures are usually pretty intense. This is largely due to all us needing to stay precisely in sync. By this time tomorrow the bridge should be pretty quiet or routine as will most of the work areas." As they finished up their sandwiches Adam said, "Are you coming back up with us?" "We need to check on a few things," said Earl. "Would it be alright for us to come back up in an hour or so? We would like to see the FTL transition from the bridge." "Sure. If you are there by 1315, you will be able to see all of it," replied Briana. "Okay. We'll be there shortly." Just as Adam and Briana got up, Cass and Ellie sat down smiling with two sandwiches apiece. "You guys look pleased." "Yep. Engineering figured out the source of an issue that has been frequently popping up. We haven't seen this one before because this program's validation routine corrected the error after a few moments, so all we ever saw was a lag in response." "Good," replied Briana. "So what is the prognosis?" "Engineering says it will be sorted well before our departure window." "Okay. We need to go. See you on the bridge." "We won't be long," replied Cass and Ellie as they began eating their sandwiches. "So Lorelei, Earl, what did you think of the preparations?" "We think you guys work very well together. Your activity reminds me of synchronized dancing. It was fascinating to watch. We were amazed at how quickly the time passed and all we did was watch." Earl said, "So which do you like better? Your Security Team duties or working as a Command Staff alternate." "Security team," replied both quickly. Cass continued with, "Learning the duties of the bridge has given us a better perspective on what the Command Staff does to direct and oversee the ship. With this insight, we can provide them with better security in the future." "We don't see any security issues on our ships." "There isn't at the moment, but things can change. We need to try and anticipate those changes. Right now, we need to be going as time is moving along." "Yes it is. See you in a bit." It was 1330 when Sarah's Clan returned to the bridge. "You're just in time," said Cass. "We are now at 0.2 FTL. All ships are approaching their designated formation positions. Four Star Fighters are with each Badb cruiser. All others are on board and secured. Formation will be locked in 10." "Okay," replied Sarah. "Have there been any new issues?" "No," said Anita of Briana's Clan. "Engineering solved the control problems that kept popping up earlier. It was in a routine that was getting its initial value from the wrong location. As the routine progressed, it corrected itself but the wrong initial value made it appear as if it was a lag in response." Briana said, "With the increase in active ships in our formation, the communication traffic has been very high." "Not surprising," said Aoife of Sarah's Clan. "Even so all sync checks are spot on. We will begin count down in a few moments." "What are sync checks?" asked Lorelei. Tara replied, "Sync checks are time checks to ensure all ships are on the same time base or in the same reference frame. This is to ensure that all of us enter FTL in the same envelope. This is accomplished by each ship executing FTL transition at precisely the same moment. If we don't, we would be in separate envelopes which could cause us to arrive at slightly different destinations. Small time differences at FTL speed can translate into very large discrepancies in your arrival location." "Do we need to travel together as a single group?" "No. We prefer traveling in the same envelope so we can interact with each other during the trip. The other advantage is that we all arrive at the same time and place." "So, what happens if we loose sync before FTL?" "For Destiny group, our operational orders call for all ships to immediately drop from FTL at +100 milliseconds and slow to 0.2 FTL which our speed now. At that point, we would regroup, resolve the cause then depart again." "That's a tenth of a second. How can a system react that fast?" "Our systems actually see the separation error before it occurs, but it takes a bit of time for the systems to respond. An alternative would be for each group or ship to continue on their own to their destination. We really don't want to do that as simulations indicate it could take a couple of clock cycles after reaching the destination to get back together. "We think spending a couple of clock cycles getting back together near the departure point is better than possibly more time at the destination. Especially since being in the same FTL envelope allows us to support each other during the voyage. "Okay. It will be good to be on our way." "Are we leaving probes here like we've done in the past?" "Yes. We will send a couple of Badb cruisers to pick them up in five weeks." "Destiny Group," said Briana's Clan as the J4 departure count down approached -20 minutes, "begin acceleration to 0.4 FTL per departure sequence on command. 5... 4... 3... 2... 1 ... Mark." During the next several minutes the bridge was very quiet as all attention was focused on the monitors showing the status of Destiny groups ships. All of the ships accelerated smoothly to 0.4 FTL over ten minute period. As the count down approached -10 minutes Briana's Clan said, "Destiny Group, begin acceleration to 0.6 FLT per departure sequence on command. 5... 4... 3... 2... 1 ... Mark." Destiny group continued their steady increase in speed toward 0.6 FTL. All ships maintained position in the formation as their speed increased. All consoles showed green lights. At -30 seconds on the count down timer, Briana's Clan said, "All ships execute FTL 4 transition on our command. Count begins at -15." At -15 Charlotte began the count verbally with, "15... 14... 13... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1 ... Mark!" When Charlotte uttered the command all the ships in Destiny group began their transition to FTL4. It was only seconds after the ships reached FTL4 when the bridge erupted in cheers. Sarah's Clan smiled as they heard the same response throughout the group. A smiling Briana, sharply said, "Órarduine, let's not loose our focus!" After a pause she added, "Destiny group, Dóchas ships status report." Responding to Briana's command, each Dóchas class ship responded verifying their status. Molly's Clan on Marthanóir responded with, "Status and positions are optimum, in fact the best we've seen. FCC has been monitoring relative positions since we took our positions in formation. Our data indicates everyone in front of us is within 5 meters of assigned position. We did not see any abnormal events since leaving J4. It will be interesting to hear the Badb reports." "Destiny group, Badb cruisers report." Each Badb cruiser then confirmed their position and ships status. All of them reported that no abnormal events were detected. "Badb cruisers, continue mission as planned." "Aye, aye," chorused the ships. "Congratulations Destiny Group," said Sarah's Clan, "on a job well done. Our next stop is A-Celia." The announcement by Sarah's Clan set off another round of cheers on all the ships. "Briana's Clan nice job handling Destiny groups departure." "Thank you." "Command Staffs," said Molly's Clan, "we've been mulling over the information we gained from the Tigsuma with regard to their plans for sabotaging our ships. Based on their comments, we suspect they directed their agents to take some kind of action. From what we know about a victim's response to the Durale drug, any instructions need to be carefully worded especially when multiple choices are included. Due to their inexperience with the drug, the Tigsuma may not have phrased those instructions correctly. It also takes time to totally shift a victim's allegiance which they may not have known. Our Intelligence group should be able to determine whether the instructions were given by carefully interviewing those under the influence of the drugs." "An excellent idea," replied Kelly and Chester of Keriann's Clan. "It is worth the effort to learn what they intended to do as it should give us some insight into things to look for in the future." "We agree," replied all the others. "We'll advise Intelligence," said Terry of Sarah's Clan. "Until we know more, or more time passes, we should not assume that the threat is behind us," said Sarah, Rusty and Aoife. Keriann's Clan quickly replied, "We absolutely agree." The other Command Staffs quickly indicated their agreement. "Anything else?" said Sarah's Clan. "Our next scheduled staff meeting is in 3 clock cycles." "One item," said Siobhan. "We heard you had a question about the increased activities at New Comrie and An Clochán this morning." "We intend to look into it tomorrow after we turn the bridge back over to Briana's Clan. We don't sense any urgency associated with the information. Based on our experience with Earth's governments, if there was an urgency, we are fairly certain we would sense it. The staff we have at both places have the capability to move everyone to An Clochán if they need to and to counter any threats. It appears that there is easily enough space to accommodate all of them at An Clochán. Based on the arrangement we have with the Iridiens, they would assist to the extent of their ability which depends on how many are at their base." "Okay. We know a dream walk over that long of a distance takes a lot of energy and concentration. So let us know if there is someway we can help." "We will. Now, we are going to leave the bridge so Briana's Clan can fully focus on their duties." "Hey, you guys aren't distracting us. But go relax, we will see you in a little over three hours." "We're going to exercise. By time we are done, it will be time to get ready for dinner." "Just leave the room in usable condition." Several of Briana's Clan chuckled hearing Cass's comment. "Just what do you mean by that," replied Terry with a slight smirk. "Well we've heard stories about what your version of exercising sounds like in adjoining compartments." Lorelei said, "So there is substance to the stories we've heard. We thought they were just tales." "You should careful about who you listen to. We exercise just like we do everything else, with a lot of focus. See ya." "Yea. See ya." As Sarah's Clan left, Briana's Clan looked at each other with big grins. "So what's this about?" asked Lorelei. Briana said, "Sarah's Clan and one of the other Command Staffs, I think it was either Siobhan's or Keriann's, got together for a joint exercise session when they were visiting here. From what we understand, they managed to make enough noise to be heard in the adjoining compartments. Someone asked Star, what was going on and that's how the story got started." "And its grown since then." "Well, of course. Actually I think a Security Team passed them as they left the exercise room and ask if the room was still usable. This led to some pointed banter back and forth. "We've worked out with them before and it is a very intense session. The best part is that we have a great time and you definitely hone your skills. Doing their form of Tai Chi with them is the same way." "We can't wait until we have the opportunity to do it again," said Eltha. "But..." "Yes, I'm a bot." "My apologies, but I think you misunderstood where I was going. Because of your abilities, I didn't think you would need to practice." "It is something all of us need to practice. Self defense is timing, moves and pattern recognition. Now I can hold my own, but at first it was difficult to be truly effective." "Yea, right," muttered Ellie. "She was always good don't let her fool you." Eltha smiled and continued with, "At first, it was difficult for me to understand why they liked doing Tai Chi. This is because it was something I did periodically every day. It took me a while, but through our mind link I was able to see the subtle changes taking place in them. Once I saw that I made adjustments to my routines to accomplish the same thing. "Oh, and it should be me apologizing not you. I responded to what I thought you were going to say rather than listening." "I don't agree, so lets call it a draw." "Well ... if you insist." Eltha and Lorelei gave each other a hug and a kiss. Both were a little flushed when they stepped apart. "Wow," said several of Briana's Clan causing both Eltha and Lorelei to really blush. "We should be going so they can concentrate on their duties," said Earl. "Yea," said Cass, "another kiss like that and it will be too hot in here to work." Everyone responded to her wise crack by laughing. "Well if you insist," said Lorelei with a pout resulting in more laughter. "We really appreciate you letting us watch your activity today. It was very interesting. We'll see you all at dinner," said Lorelei and Earl as they started for the door. "We will look forward to it." ------- It was just 1900 hours when Sarah's Clan entered the bridge on Dóchas. Joyce said, "Are you guys ready for supper?" "Definitely," replied Adam. At the same moment, his stomach growled, causing many to chuckle. "Can I help it if my body knows when it is to be fed?" "Your stomach always growls," replied Joyce. "Yea, well sis, I've heard yours a few times as well." "Did not! I don't make disgusting noises like that." "You two sound just like brother and sister," said Eltha. "You got that right," replied both. "Really?" "Yep. You didn't know." "Yes abstractly. Hmm ... I wonder why it wasn't obvious to me? It should have been," responded Eltha with a puzzled look. Briana said, "We can sort that later. Sarah's Clan the bridge is yours. There aren't any warning flags on any ship. The Badb ships are close to finishing their assignments. Everything is clean so far. "Security told us that the last data from the probes left at J4 indicated our revised cloaking was much more effective than the previous version. They only knew where we were by the proximity of the freighters but did not detect any of the other ships." "Great," replied Sarah's Clan. "Go to dinner. We'll let you know if we have any questions." "Okay." "Are Lorelei and Earl associated with any clan?" asked Eltha. "Not that we've seen," replied Joyce. "Why?" "I don't know. She seemed kind of needy today." Seeing the looks on her spouses faces, she added, "Well maybe I am mistaken." "They spend a lot of time visiting the various ships and working with the other Communications groups. But, I can't recall them socializing with a particular group." "They are very close," said Tara. "Hm ... maybe they are just going to be a couple." "Maybe they've forgotten how to relax," said Cass. "With the experiences they've had and the way they worked on Earth, I am not sure they had much if any opportunity for real relaxation." "You all sound like match makers now," replied Janet. "There is nothing wrong with a two person clan, it is just unusual for us." "Well we're having dinner with them this evening," said Briana. "What you're sensing could be caused by many things. Perhaps they are concerned about their friends on Earth. Maybe they're having second thoughts about being here." "Good points," replied Abaigeal, "but it is interesting to speculate." "We saw them come into the dining room shortly before we left." "Okay. We'll see you in the morning at 0700 hours." "Have a good evening." ------- When Briana's Clan entered the dining room, they saw Lorelei waving. They waved back and went to get their dinner. On the way over to where Lorelei and Earl were sitting, they paused to chat with members of Ann's Clan for a few moments. "Good evening," said Lorelei and Earl when Briana's Clan reached their table. "And a good evening to both of you," replied Briana's Clan. Cass then added, "Did you all enjoy your day on the bridge?" "Oh. Very much. However we don't feel like we were very productive today?" "Were all of your obligations met?" "Yes." "Did you learn anything?" "A lot, such as there is more to commanding this ship and fleet than we thought." "Well then in our book, you've been productive. As you never really know when something you see or learn will be valuable to you. Sometimes the oddest bits turn into something quite valuable." "Very true. We've experienced several of those times." "So what do you guys think of being in Command of this ship?" "I sense someone's looking for a story," replied Ellie. "Yes and no," replied Earl. "We were just curious about the shift from being the Security Team assigned to Sarah's Clan to taking a turn on the bridge. It is sort of a follow up to our short conversation at lunch." "Oh, but we are the Security Team assigned to Sarah's Clan," replied Abaigeal. "This is just another facet of that responsibility." Adam added, "By being on the bridge, we are now more aware of the issues they face daily. This gives us some insight in how to provide for their security and anticipate potential problems. We can augment them on the bridge so there are quite a few benefits." "Well it just seems unusual to see them and the other Command Staffs so accessible to everyone. In particular Sarah's Clan, who we see as extremely important to this group." Several of Briana's Clan chuckled as Eltha said, "You're thinking of situations like we would find on Earth. If we were operating in an Earth like environment then we would do things differently. First each Command Staff member would wear a personal shield belt at all the time but especially when out of their quarters. There would be four teams focused on each Command Staff at all times. Half of the team on duty would always be in TAC suits and likely be cloaked. Fortunately, we don't have that environment here and will likely never have it except when there is an external threat." "By external, do you mean someone who is not Órarduine?" "It depends on how you are using Órarduine. As I'm not sure whether you mean the Órarduine breed or the Órarduine family. If you meant the Órarduine family, then yes. This would include most of our guests." Lorelei said, "Really? You're including the J3 and Earth's news people." "Sure. Why not? Most if not all J3 people are working as crew members which really makes them a part of us. The news correspondents' employers think that they've all gone over to the other side which in this case is us. Once we are on A-Celia this may change a little." "So, you heard about the letters?" "Sort of. A group of them were in the lounge the other day talking about the letters they recently received. They got pretty loud. Most of them were a little ticked over the way their letters were worded." "We saw some of the letters," replied Earl. "They were accused of making stuff up or reading too many science fiction novels. There was some variation in the letters but the message was either the stories improve or you won't have a job or get paid for the trip." "So what do they want?" asked Charlotte. "That is hard to say as the accusations weren't specific. There are many on Earth who still haven't accepted the idea of people landing on the moon. As you know the governments on Earth haven't figured out how to get along with each other. From our perspective it seems to be getting worse especially with respect to differences in religion and gender. Now with respect to us, all of the countries on Earth feel like third world inhabitants when they see what we are doing and our capabilities. Each country wants us to give them our technology to the exclusion of anyone else. Even the assistance in technology development, we gave them didn't satisfy them since it was open to just about anyone." Lorelei continued with, "As a group, they haven't figured out that they need to work together while being respectful of their differences in order to advance beyond their current level. We've talked to some leaders in both industry and government who seem to realize it but..." "Well it is really out of our hands," replied Adam. "All we can do is offer a refuge to those who need it and assistance to those who ask." "We agree. I do find the attitude depressing at times." "Would we be wrong in thinking that is what is bothering you?" said Briana. "Well ... yes to an extent," replied Lorelei. "Part of my current anxiety is due to the recent events here. I find the effort by the mutineers unsettling as it was something we never thought we'd see here." "Let me assure you that those planning the mutiny would have failed even if they had released the virus. Biological viruses don't affect all of us. If it came down to a battle, we would have won but we would have lost some people. "As to Earth, we can't ease your fears very much. When we last discussed it with Sarah's Clan, they were curious but not overly concerned. As you heard this morning, the message we received just indicated that New Comrie and An Clochán were brought out of hibernation to accept guests. Before departing Sol system, we gave all of our friends on Earth an invitation to join us for an extended time which included a means to initiate acceptance. Only a few knew that we also left them a way to get to that refuge if their situation on Earth became untenable because of knowing or being associated with us. We should know more in a day or two but we may need to wait until our task groups get to Celia system. Once they are there, they can act as a communications relay for us." "Well that makes me feel a little better. But, how can they act as a relay?" "Dearg and Bán would establish communications with An Clochán. They could then telepathically forward the information to us. The ability to telepathically link with each other while in FTL is something we have kept kind of quiet about." "Good." "So what are your plans once we are on A-Celia?" "We aren't sure," replied Earl. "Our careers have been in publishing, mostly as news correspondents. One idea was to start a separate news organization. This organization would exchange information about changes and events on Earth and the other worlds." "But to start off," added Lorelei, "we want to help us get settled there. We've already worked in several groups in an attempt to see where we fit best and could offer the most assistance." Anita smiled as she said, "Did you take the aptitude tests in the learning center?" "No. I have to admit we didn't. Actually we never finished the courses we were taking either." "You really ought to. You may be surprised by the results." "We'll do that tomorrow. Do you know when the general meeting with all the J3 people is scheduled?" "Monday, next week. The last group finishes recovering from hibernation in three days. Those who were given the drugs should be released well before then. If not by then, it will likely be postponed." "Great. We wanted to see the presentation and hear the discussion." "Sarah's and Amy's Clans will be glad to have you there." "Guys, it's getting late," said Charlotte, "and we need to be on the bridge at 0700." "You're right. It is. Go ahead, we'll take care of this mess." "Thanks for the offer, but we can drop it off on the way out." Adam said as they were gathering the stuff off the tables, "Let's get together again and do something. If we are just going to chat, which is fine with us, we should use the lounge, as these seats are not very comfortable after a while." "We'd like that," replied Lorelei and Earl. "You know what we really like about being here, is the freedom to socialize with anyone. On Earth, we had to be on guard all the time." "True. We had to be cautious on Earth but it was only for brief periods after we joined this family. We can see where your situation was more difficult since it wasn't easy to know who was a threat." "Being with all of you today was a pleasure. Thanks for the invitation." "You're welcome," replied Briana's Clan. "Let's be sure to get together again." With that they gave each other hugs and kisses before leaving the dining area for their suites. ------- Chapter 178 It was a little after 1700 on the second day from J4, when Sarah's Clan began to wake up. They were due back on the bridge in 2 hours. For the next three clock cycles, they would be on Dóchas's bridge for the 1900 to 0700 rotation. Sarah rolled on to her side and spooned in behind Tara placing her arm over her, pulling them closer together. Feeling the movement, Tara placed her a hand over Sarah's hand pressing it tightly to her breast. "Ah ... that feels good," said Tara with their intertwined fingers cupping the front of her breast. "It always feels so good to be cuddled up next to you." "Too bad we don't have more time but duty is calling." "Yes. We've slept later than usual as it is nearly dinner time so we have a little less than 2 hours before we relieve Briana's Clan." "You know, not having time for an extended cuddle or to relax together is a significant downside to 12 hour shifts." "True. Although by working the longer shifts our free clock cycles come more frequently. To me, this makes the longer shifts worth it especially since we work together. The longer shifts just mean we need to manage our time carefully." "Agree. That doesn't mean I'm keen on getting up. It is nice to be so close to all of you with no outside distractions." "We agree," said several of their spouses as more of them began to move around. Each took a moment to hug or kiss a spouse before getting up. "Aoife, did you think our dream was a good characterization of the situation our friends on Earth are facing?" asked Alison. "You experienced it as well. What do you think?" "I asked first," replied Alison as she stuck her tongue out. She then continued with, "There were several events in the dreams that were rather troubling. Were these composites of real events on Earth? Or were we dreaming of a possible solution to the information we have?" Before Aoife or Tara could respond Sarah said, "Before we try and sift through our dreams, we need to get moving as we've slept a little longer than usual. Also, Keri, Earnán and Jordana came to see us shortly before we woke up. We can discuss our dreams later on the bridge." "I thought I sensed them looking for us. Do you know what's up?" Rusty said, "I think they want some insight into a learning module." "So, can we get everything done before we need to relieve Briana's Clan?" "Don't see why not. Our children could join us on the bridge if it takes more time." "Okay," said Sarah, "lets do our exercises and then freshen up. I'll tell the children we'll be out shortly." "Why don't they join us?" added Joyce. "They need to get ready for dinner as well." "Good point," said Sarah. "Keri. Jordana. Earnán, we're up. We are about to start our exercises then freshen up for dinner. Do you want to join us?" "Cool," replied Keri. "Wow, it's later than we thought. We need to save this first, then we will join you." "Alison," said Tara as they began to get on their exercise benches. "Our dreams were just that, dreams. They did revolve around the information about those now at An Clochán. Because they are dreams, I'm not sure it is worth the time to analyze them. From my perspective, the task before us is what can we do to help our friends." "Oh, I definitely agree. But, how we can assist them may be dependent on why they sought refuge." "That's true to an extent." "From what we know, some are at An Clochán due to a direct threat to their safety, while others requested assistance or to visit New Comrie." "I guess I am seeing their situation from a different point of view, since they were in essence pushed or shoved into seeking refuge with us. Given the differences in driving forces, shouldn't we be seeking to assist them in coming to terms with their situation before they decide their future?" "But Tara," said Maeve, "the issues pushing them to seek refuge with us aren't much different than what some others experienced before joining us ... Oh, I see, you're concerned about whether those who sought refuge made a hasty exit which they may regret later." "There is that, but there is also the question of anger toward those who pushed them out of their world which could blossom into other long term problems for our family. From my perspective, they need to resolve their anger or hostility issues before they can look to the future. This is true whether it is with us or somewhere else." "Good points, Tara," said Aoife. "I think my perspective of the dreams is similar yours. Our dreams were portrayals of the information we have. You've touched on a critical difference between those currently at New Comrie or An Clochán and others we have helped." "I agree," responded Joyce with several others nodding their agreement. "Our staff at An Clochán has the experience along with an operational plan to handle an event like this. We also have the option of diverting some of the medical staff currently with our task groups in Celia to An Clochán." "We should ask An Clochán whether they want assistance before diverting them," added Jill. "Think any will realize the uniqueness of our staff there." "Some probably already know that the staff is exclusively logical bipeds or LBs," said Judy. "It will be interesting to learn how everyone reacts to them." "Good points," replied several spouses. "So if logical bipeds are LBs, then I guess we are BBs," said Janet. Judy responded, "Those are the acronyms we are using in our medical records." Keri said, "Are the refugees, people who visited us?" "We're fairly certain that some are. It appears to include those we worked with on Earth or the relatives of those who joined us." "Going back to the BB vs LB, some may not realize those differences," replied Keri. Jordana laughed then said, "Guys, I'm not sure anyone will notice the differences unless there is a severe injury. But I think I now know why we are having difficulty with our lesson." "So ... yes, I think your right," replied Keri with a big smile. Earnán said, "I agree. After dinner, can we join you on the bridge while we work on our lesson?" "Certainly. So what is the problem?" asked Rusty. "Our lesson is to analyze a historical event which led to a conflict between two worlds. The objective is to identify the key contributors to the conflict. Then we are to identify alternative actions or policies that could have been taken to achieve a better outcome for both groups." "So, how did our comments about our dreams and those now at An Clochán help you?" "They reminded us of the many cultural issues on Earth. So we think we should put more effort into understanding the cultural interactions of the two groups and how it affected their relationship with each other." Several of their parents had a puzzled look. Keri added, "It wasn't so much the discussion about those at our locations in Sol but us recognizing the cultural attitudes behind the events on Earth. For example, on Earth many groups are more concerned about how you worship God than anything else. If your approach to God is different from theirs, you are a heathen or insulting God. This attitude carries over into other aspects of life such as perceived status or rank." "Good observation, but it is not nearly as simple as you expressed. So does this conflict you're analyzing have a religious aspect?" "Not as such. Well we don't think so. So its okay for us to join you after dinner?" "Yes. Most definitely. All of you are welcome to accompany us anytime ... well almost anytime." Sarah said, "It looks like everyone is ready to go." Her comment prompted the group to begin moving toward the dinning room. "When Star told us you were dreaming," said Keri as they walked toward the dining room, "we thought you were taking a dream walk." "We considered it," replied Joyce. "We've never tried to move between hyperspace and normal space in a dream walk." "Star told us that we should talk to Aine or her sisters before we try it. Her data indicated it would be very difficult to reach out to Earth while maintaining a link to here. She related the difficulty to the discontinuity in time base between the two as well as rapidly changing distance." "We agreed," responded Jill. "Our dreams and the way they fit with the information we received from An Clochán at each jump point gives us considerable reassurance on the status of our friends. Once Dearg and Bán task groups are in Celia system, we can connect to An Clochán through them." "Where are the other children?" said Sarah. "All over," replied Keri. "Some are playing in volleyball tournaments on other ships. Two groups are singing this evening. There is a jam session on two ships." As Keri was speaking, her siblings all spoke to their parents telepathically expanding on Keri's response. "Where is the rest of your group?" "We are going to meet them in the dinning room," replied Jordana looking a little surprised. "Good, then why don't we sit together?" "Okay," replied Keri, Jordana and Earnán with a puzzled look. "Is that a problem?" asked Janet. "Ah..." "We know you've been spending a lot of time together which is fine with us. It would be nice to get to know your very close friends a little better." "At this point, they may be a little reluctant." "Oh, that is easy to solve. You guys go ahead. We will catch up with you in the dining room." "What?" "Simple, once we get our food, we'll join you. That way they won't have time to worry unless ... you are already linked that closely." "We do share a lot," admitted Jordana. "If you all are really that close, then we really would like to know them better. We do have a good impression of them." "You're thinking we are a clan," said Keri. "Only the eight of you know the answer to that," replied Aoife. "If it is to be, it will come together when the time is appropriate. In any case, we would like to join you, that is, if its okay." Earnán smiled as he said, "They are holding a table for us in the dining room." "So it was easier than you expected," said Erin with a smile. Keri, Jordana and Earnán nodded before Keri added, "Perhaps the problem was us." A voice said, "It was all of us as we see this as kind of like the next big step and its kind of scary." "We can understand that," replied Alena. "Thanks," replied several voices. After Sarah's Clan and their children selected their food, they went to where the group was waiting. After setting their food down, they gave each a hug before sitting down. Sarah and her spouses chose seats so that the two groups were intermingled. As they ate, Sarah's Clan prompted each one to talk about themselves, their interests and what they would like to do. It was just before 1900, when Rusty said, "I hate to break this up but we go on duty in a few minutes. We have enjoyed our brief time together and would like to spend more time with all of you on our next off cycle." Bree said, "I sense that all of us would like that as well. To perhaps correct an impression, our reluctance to meet with all of you was the potential significance of such a meeting. We are close, very close. We are surprised at how quickly our closeness has grown. At the same time, we all seem to be very comfortable with our increasing closeness." "Relax," said Erin, "if it is to shall we say, bloom, then it is best to let it grow at a pace all of you are comfortable with. Every group is different in the way they approach bonding. Sometimes a few in a group will bond first then others of the group will enter the bond. It is not unusual for a bonded group to have very close friends or friends with benefits." "Is there a difference between bonded group and clan?" "Only the depth of the bonding," replied Judy. "From what we've seen tonight, we think you all fit very well together. Time among other things will determine if your bonding grows into a clan relationship." "We need to go," said Terry as she stood. "Time is slipping away. It has been a pleasure to visit with all of you." Sarah's Clan stood along with their children and their friends. Sarah's Clan then gave them hugs before going to the bridge. "We'll be up in a little bit," said Keri. "Any time," replied her parents. On their way out of the dining room, they stopped to briefly chat with Amy's Clan. As they walked to the bridge Aoife said to her spouses, "They look like a great match." "Yes," replied her spouses. "I think, there could be a couple of others who may join their group or at least become closer to them," said Janet. "Why do you say that?" "Right now it is just a feeling." "Well, time will tell." "Good evening," said Briana's Clan when Sarah's Clan walked onto the bridge. "Good evening. How was the day?" "Quiet. Just another normal day in hyperspace. All systems are optimum. Manufacturing restarted in the freighters this morning. We were advised that everyone would be out of hibernation in two clock cycles." "Good," replied Sarah. "There is nothing wrong with a normal day." "Now we won't need to reschedule the meeting with the J3 group," said Joyce. "Why would we reschedule it?" "The last time I looked at the status of the J3 group, it looked like the last group was on the day before the meeting with the J3 group. That seemed to be to soon after waking up in a totally new environment." "That must have been before we increased the size of the groups," replied Judy. "The group size was increased just before arriving at J4. They only added a few people to each group. This way those most recently released have some time to adjust to their new surroundings before the meeting. Those recovering from the Dutsuz drug will be released from medical care at about the same time." Alison said, "Intelligence is planning on monitoring all of them during the meeting." "Good," replied Briana. "Did you guys do a dream walk today?" "We started to but discovered some complications so not really," responded Tara. Seeing several of Briana's Clan frown she continued with, "We did have some pretty realistic dreams but it wasn't a dream walk. Those dreams showed us a way to interpret the information we've received from An Clochán. If you're asked, all of our information indicates our friends are fine. We believe many of them are now at either New Comrie or An Clochán." "Wow," said Cindy of Briana's Clan, "that could be a lot of people." "It could be. Our current impression is that it includes those who had a lot of contact with us. It may include some of their immediate families. Another group is the families of those who were in the military before joining us." "That still could be a lot of people. Is there enough room at An Clochán and New Comrie?" "Yes," replied Claudette. "It is a good thing we left some equipment in storage rather than bring it with us." "Why is that?" asked Ellie with a smile. "Idle hands usually lead to mischief," replied Terry, sticking her tongue out causing many to chuckle. "Besides many of them are very likely pissed at the way their government, associates or friends have treated or shunned them, so they need something interesting to do." "Everyone realizes," said Jill, "that it is likely that all of those now at An Clochán and New Comrie will eventually join us here." "I think we do," replied Alena. "I hope they see it as a good choice rather than something they are forced into doing." "Well in many ways, it is being forced on them," replied Eltha. "We will need to evaluate them pretty closely. Some may have difficulty adjusting to our culture and its openness." "Aren't you going to dinner?" asked Rusty. "We ate earlier," replied Adam. "We saw you were running late, so we brought our dinner up here to eat. Besides this will give us more time when we get back to our suite." Adam wiggled his eyebrows as he finished speaking. His spouses laughed seeing his antics. "We can get away with not being seen in the dining room, but everyone expects to see you all there." "You're kidding," replied several of Sarah's Clan. "Nope. Not at all." Briana smiled as she said, "Your clan as well as the other Command Staffs are a very special part of our family." Sarah's Clan had puzzled looks on their faces. "Without Amy's and your clans, this family would likely not exist. We see the combination of the Command Staffs as making up the core or the foundation of this family. Yes, there are other clans who are key pieces to our foundation but you all are the primary key with Amy's and yours being a little more important. Now this doesn't mean they think of you as royalty, grand anointed leaders or something similar. To all of us, you are the guides on this new wonderful life and fantastic adventure." Cass said, "I think for any of us who grew up on Earth, our being here is far beyond what any of us could have imagined, far beyond. One of our key strengths, as a family, is that we've designated a few to guide us into the future, but at the same time all of us are making meaningful contributions and we know it. We've noticed that those we picked up at J3 are beginning to have the same perspective." "Interesting," replied Erin. "I don't know that I want to think too much about it as it could change the way we interact." "We really doubt it," responded Cindy of Briana's Clan. "While chatting with you all is great, the longer we stay here the less time we have to cuddle and..." "Yes," said Sarah's Clan, "now be on your way before your time to cuddle evaporates. Goodnight and sleep well." "You know we could do something similar to what Briana's Clan did for supper," said Joyce. "We could eat here just as our shift finishes up. When our relief takes over, stop by the dining room and perhaps have a snack before going to our quarters. This way we would have a little more time to relax between shifts." "So you think it is important for us to be seen in the dining room," replied Maeve. "Simply put, yes. As important as Briana's Clan indicated, I'm not sure but why test it. Besides we are comfortable in our role here even though we didn't seek it and it seems our family wants us in this role." "Excuse us," said Siobhan. "We heard Briana comment about our role. Her comments are similar to others we've heard. We think the other Command Staffs have heard similar comments although we have not spoken to anyone about it. So we suspect their observations are correct." Aoife said, "For all of us this was not a role we sought so I pray that the Gods and Goddesses continue to guide us as we meet the challenges before us." "We agree," chorused all the Command Staffs followed by, "Amen." ------- On Dóchas, the morning chime sounded signaling one hour until breakfast time. The sound of the chime had hardly stopped when Joyce slipped out of bed. Her hand was tight against her opening as she hurried to the bathroom. Several of her spouses snickered as they watched her hurrying toward the bathroom. "I don't know what you're snickering about. I've seen several of you do this run a few times," said Joyce as she entered the bathroom. Joyce had hardly sat down on a stool when several of her spouses hurried in just like she had. Each was holding the lips of their labia tightly over their opening. Rusty sat down on a stool. Aoife said looking at Rusty, "Did you save any for the rest of us?" He smiled as he replied, "I made some more while we slept just for you all." "Well I don't know if it was all him," added Maeve. "I do know that I felt quite full this morning when I woke up." "We're planning on coming back here after breakfast, right?" asked Aoife. "Yes," replied her spouses. "Definitely," added Aoife. Alison added, "We have all morning to relax, then after lunch we planned on exercising before going to see our children play in the tournaments on Iarracht." "I'm looking forward to spending the evening with Keriann's Clan." "We only have just ten more clock cycles before we reach Celia system," said Janet as the group prepared to do their morning exercises. "Yes," replied Alena. "Sometimes it seems like our trip is taking forever while at other times it doesn't seem like very long at all." "Well," replied Joyce, "at the moment we are right at 148 clock cycles from Sol system which means we've been traveling nearly 15 weeks." "When thinking about it taking forever, is when I am most anxious to see and feel the Isle of Gallimh on Anann." "Isle of Gaillimh on Anann?" replied several. "Yes," replied Alena chuckling. "The Isle of Gaillimh is the proposed name for our island on Anann which we've been calling A-Celia." "We know those names were high list when the presentation was made last week," said Sarah. "Have they finalized the assignments?" "No, they haven't. I looked at the list late yesterday before we left the bridge. To me it looked like Gaillimh would definitely be the name of the island." "Siobhan will be pleased with that." "The planet we are going to settle will be named Anann after the Goddess and formally written as Anann of Celia system. Quite a few have expressed a desire to abbreviate it as Acelia which is the name we have been using but without the hyphen." "Either is acceptable to me," said Tara. All of her spouses nodded their agreement. As they moved into the showers Alison asked, "Did you notice any other interesting items?" "Well the cliffs surrounding Gaillimh will be called Moher. The bay will be Gaillimh Bay. What we initially called East and West rivers will be Brigantia and Clota respectively. There were a few others that looked to be finalized but these grabbed my attention. Oh wait there was one other. The plateau where our settlement is located is named Tara." "I hope the selection of names is broader than just those of Celtic origin," said Sarah. "It should be, based on what was shown during the presentation," said Jill. "The other thing to bear in mind is that we decided to name the islands features so it was easier to identify a location," added Erin. "With few exceptions, I think we all expect some of the names to change." Sarah's Clan finished freshening up then headed for the dining room. They were anxious to return to their suite as soon as breakfast and the morning meeting were completed. Sarah's Clan was finishing breakfast when Amy said, "Christina's and Cathan's Clan just confirmed their arrival in Celia system." "Great," replied Sarah's Clan with big smiles. "Anything else?" "Only that the trip was smooth with no problems. Their arrival positions were optimum. There weren't any surprises in Celia system. They will get back to us later today with more details." "Did you advise them that they need to link with An Clochán?" "Yes. They would do it later today before contacting us. Guessing from the background chatter, they were quite busy." "Okay." "Based on her phrasing, I suspect they will link with all eight of us later today." "We'll mention it when we start the morning meeting. How is everything else?" "Right where we want it. We're either getting better or we've hit a smooth spot. By the way what are your plans for today." "Well this morning we are going to spend some time together relaxing. We're going to a volleyball tournament after lunch then martial arts. This evening we are visiting Siobhan and Maureen's Clans on Iarracht. Why do you need something?" "No. Just curious." "Thanks." ------- Sarah's Clan was preparing to leave the dining room after the morning meeting when they were approached by a small group of J3 people. "Sarah's Clan, you are not to leave yet!" demanded Freizue harshly. Sarah's Clan turned toward the group. They were surprised by the hostility in their expressions. "While some of the others may swallow your story about how we came to be here, we don't believe a fucking word of it. We are important members of the Tigsu government. As the government representatives, we demand that you treat us appropriately." Sarah replied, "Excuse me, just who are you?" Freizue replied frostily, "This is unbelievable. You of all people should know my name. All of Tigsu knows my name and the activities of my department. I am Freizue, Vice President for Tigsu Interstellar Commerce with me are Directors Arique, Kyzarck and Orzsrck. They head the different divisions in my department. Tigsu Interstellar Commerce is responsible for all off world commerce agreements." "So if you are who you say you are..." Freizue interrupted saying sharply, "Look bitch, no one ever doubts what I say, ever." Sarah's voice turned to ice as she continued with, "As I was beginning to ask, why would the Durale kidnap your group?" "The Durale would never engage in such a barbaric endeavor. We have a very good relationship with them." "Oh really," replied Sarah's Clan with a look of disbelief. "Yes," replied Arique, then added in a condescending tone, "They've helped us by providing off world opportunities for many of those in our world who have difficulty in finding jobs." "Interesting," said Terry, "your view is quite different from what the others have told us." "Are you doubting our word?" "I simply stated that your view differs from the others who arrived with you, but I am beginning too." "Your comments remind us of how primitive this group is. We demand that you provide us with accommodations appropriate for visiting dignitaries and government representatives. Surely you've had some experience with that." "Well that is easy," said Rusty. "You are already have them." "Bull shit! To borrow a phrase of you heathens use." Rusty smiled as he firmly replied, "We have had visitors from many different countries and worlds. All of them were quite pleased with the accommodations we provided them." "They must have been from some back water places. No one of any significance dines in the fashion we've been subjected to here. The buffet augmented with food replicators is a dining style only suitable for primitive uncultured animals." "Just, what do you expect?" asked Alison. "In cultured societies, meals are served in a dining room. There a staff serves us our meals. It is similar to what we have seen in some of the films in your library." "Besides," added Orzsrck, "members of the ruling class should not be dining or socializing with the common people and others." Freizure then added, "We demand that you immediately provide us with transportation back to our World." As Sarah's Clan began to reply, they noticed another group of people nearby watching this exchange. "We will provide you with transportation to your home world after we arrive at our destination. There may be a small delay after we arrive in Celia system as we need query the Iridiens for the relative coordinates for your world. Once we have those, we will provide a shuttle to transport your group and anyone else who wishes to return to Tigsu." "That is not acceptable," said Ferizue. "You will provide us transportation separate from any others." "What are you going to do about our accommodations?" demanded Kyzarck. "Your accommodations are the same as ours," replied Sarah's Clan. "We believe they are quite adequate especially for a space ship, so there will be no change." "That is not acceptable!" said Arique. "Well that is the way it is. If you would like to raise the issue at a family meeting, it can be arranged." "We just might." "Just remember they will have other choices to resolve your issue." "What do you mean?" snarled Kyzarck. "They could choose to put you in suspension, hibernation or isolation until we can return you to Tigsu." "You haven't heard the last of this," replied Ferizue as the group stormed off. "Star," said Terry, "set up active monitoring on those four and any who spend a lot of time with them." "A quick check of their activities, show only a few others have spent any time at all with them." "When will Serarck and Zhaos complete their treatment?" "It will be four more clock cycles," replied Judy. "I was a surprised when I heard they had started the process," said Janet. "How are they doing?" "The last issues we had redefining the procedure for them were resolved much quicker than expected. When Serarck and Zhaos heard we had a solution, they made sure we knew they ready when we were. The process has went very smoothly although since it began we've made some adjustments. It wasn't anything serious, basically just minor tweaks which were similar to what we've done in other cases. "We are pleased with how well it is proceeding." "Great." Sarah turned to the other group and quietly said, "Can we help you?" One woman looked at the others in her group as if she was expected someone else to respond then said, "We hope so. My name is Brigarck. We have some questions about your future plans that were presented last week. Although after dealing with those Tigsuma, now may not be a good time to ask." "Just because they were full of themselves, we don't see why it would affect a question you have." "True," responded Cerzirck. "From our stand point their behavior was very distasteful. Some say their attitude is typical of many Tigsu industry and government officials. It has been true for a lot of the officials I've met." Then realizing the implications she quickly added, "well except here." "Every world has people like them. We've dealt with some in another world that were like them or worse. "So what are your questions?" "First, we should introduce ourselves as you don't know us. You've met Brigarck. I am Cerzirck. She then introduced the others in their group." After the introductions Seraquie said, "We know that today is your off day, so we don't want to take too much of your time. "There are two aspects of your plans for Anann that puzzle us. The presentation on how this new world would be governed seemed quite strange to us. We have never heard of a world being governed in the way it is being proposed." "Well in some respects it is quite similar to the way we are functioning now," replied Sarah's Clan. "Currently, we are a small group with most of us always in close proximity of each other. Once we are established on Gaillimh, we expect that to change to some degree as we settle other parts of the planet. "The proposed governmental structure shifts much of the current Command Staffs role to The Council of Celia. Administratively the Council's duties are pretty much the same as the Command Staffs responsibilities in our fleet operations. "The Parliament will fill the legislative role which we now do as a family council. Currently family meetings are called when an issue needs input from everyone. A Judiciary group was added as a balance to the other two arms of government." "We think the three groups, well actually four since a meeting of the whole family can still be called, is a good structure. Our concern is with there being eight clans on the Council of Celia. This is both from number of people and an even number." "Well if it was some 64 people without telepathic ability, it could be a problem. We see all of you are telepathic so you can appreciate the difference between having the ability and not. However, the sharing in a clan link is much more extensive in that we share a very open and intimate mind link. This ability or attribute is why we believe the proposal will work." Thamiquir said, "Well if the ability to understand each other increases as much when you form a clan link as it did when we gained our telepathic ability, then we look forward to seeing it work." "Groups who work closely with one another, such as the Security Teams or the Star Fighter pilots, develop a bond that is quite similar to a clan link." Brigarck asked, "So it's like a private connection?" "Sort of," replied Joyce, "perhaps more like a connection that is always open between those in the group. For a clan, it is active all the time so we share thoughts and ideas constantly. It is a little more restricted between Security Team members but they establish their limits." "So have we addressed your concerns?" asked Sarah's Clan. "Yes," replied the group. "Do you have time for one more quick question?" asked Cerzirck. "Sure." "We were surprised to hear that we would receive the basic compensation package along with everyone else. We are curious as to why we were included." "The basic compensation package was set up to assist everyone in establishing their home on Anann or A-Celia. For all of us, the last few years have been focused on this adventure. Living the way we have, we never had any concerns about housing, food and etc since they are always at hand. The idea behind the compensation package was to provide everyone with sufficient funds so they could continue with the standard of living we have and earned. In addition to the base stipend many will receive an additional amount based on length of time with us, job responsibilities, and other factors, however the total each receives will not exceed twice the base stipend. "By the time, these distributions are made everyone will have a home at the settlement and the common facilities will be available. The common facilities will be very similar to or better than those on our ships. When the distributions are made, fees will be established for different items we use or consume. This will begin our transition to an open economic structure which will give our family more choices as to what activities they pursue." "I believe all of us thought that was a very balanced approach to making the transition but we still don't quite understand why we were included." "Simply because until you state or act otherwise, you are considered part of this family or group. All of you are contributing to our well being in one way or another. Many of those who arrived with you have made valuable contributions to all aspects of our operation." "Except for the greedy ones," added Seraquie, "and they reaped the consequences of their greed." "Yes. There were a few of those." "We have taken more of your time than we intended. Thank you very much for being patient with our questions." "Not a problem," replied Erin. "We are always available. The questions you raised could be of interest to others in the family so there is nothing wrong with asking them again at a morning gathering." "We weren't sure." "There is a saying which basically says the question you didn't ask is likely the one you could regret not asking. So if you have doubts or don't understand ask as it will likely avoid future embarrassment. In our family, it is very unlikely anyone will embarrass you over something you don't understand. Unasked questions are an opportunity for Murphy to make a surprise visit. In space, there are very few second chances." "Murphy?" "The name "Murphy" is short hand for "Murphy's Law" which simply states that anything that can go wrong will go wrong at the worst possible moment. There are several corollaries to it for special circumstances, none of which are good." "Oh, yes. We are familiar with that concept and have experienced a few of those moments." Joyce said, "Many use it to excuse errors or design flaws they made or contributed to while Mr. Murphy wanted it to be used to discover those design flaws before they happened." Brigarck, Cerzirck, Seraquie, and Thamiquir said together, "Thank you very much for your time. We will see you at dinner." "You're welcome. Have a great day." With that Sarah's Clan left for their suite as Brigarck turned to the others and said, "So does anyone doubt our inclusion in this group now. Hm ... guess I should say family as that is how they think of this group." It was several moments before Thamiquir said, "I will admit that what they told us just now is consistent with the presentation we saw last week. Its just that I can't help looking for a trap. Yes it is a carryover from living on Tigsu. I agree that these people treat each other much differently than I am used to. It's just that I can't shake my past." "I'm sure we all experienced treachery in day to day living on Tigsu," said Brigarck. "However, I've found it fairly easy to accept their openness which could be due to my empathic ability. I used to think of it as intuition. While the medical staff was helping me enable my telepathic ability, we talked about intuitive responses. After hearing how I sensed issues, they suggested that it might be better characterized as empathy. Enabling my telepathy has enhanced it." "But we are not a family." "The Órarduine use the word family for several different relationships. In the broad sense, they consider everyone on their ships a part of their family unless they are visitors or passengers. We are contributing as a part of the crew therefore a member of the family. A person's particular breed is not a factor." "But I haven't done very much." "Don't you help out where you see you can help? Passengers or visitors would likely not even consider it." "Didn't I see you in the learning center yesterday?" asked Cerzirck. "Okay. I see your point and concede. It is still difficult to shake the mistrust I've experienced in the past." "Definitely," said several. "When ever the mistrust demon raises its ugly head," said Brigarck, "I remind myself where I am. It helps me put the situation in perspective. It is getting easier. Especially since I've been using my telepathy more." "You sound like you intend to stay with the Órarduine and not try to go back," replied Seraquie. "Not definitely but I'm very very close." "I agree," said Cerzirck. "I will not be returning to Tigsu as I don't have any family ties strong enough to draw me back and put up with the crap. Tigsu will always be my birth place. Among these people is now my home." "I still don't understand why either of you've decided not to return home," replied Seraquie. "Both of you had very good jobs with a lot of growth potential. Besides what about your friends." Others in the group nodded their agreement with her statements. "Simply put," responded Brigarck, "There is nothing on Tigsu for me to return to. It had been more than a couple of years since I had any contact with my family. My father and brothers thought me working, being single and living alone was a disgrace to the family. More importantly, I've been thinking over my last several months on Tigsu. I've come to the conclusion that I am here because someone wanted me out-of-the-way." "What?" "As you know, I had a great job. It had been hinted that I was being considered for a promotion. The promotion would have given me much more responsibility and much sooner than I ever expected. My salary was already very good and would be even better after the promotion. My job was interesting and challenging; besides according to my reviews I was performing well above the norm. "I've talked to the others who arrived with us. Nearly all of them had accepted off world employment and went to the departure point. Not me. I've never applied or even looked at off world jobs because there was no reason too. I went to sleep in my apartment and woke up here. There are some vague dreams prior to waking up but nothing else. "I've spent quite a bit of time since coming out of hibernation reviewing my last memories. I can not find the slightest clue to who would set me up for something like this. In terms of my job, a Tigsu female filling that position was an exception. I have never experienced the discrimination that Serarck experienced but I didn't work in that technical area." "It may not have been anyone you knew or worked with," replied a man in the group. "What do you mean?" "Brigarck, right?" "Yes." "My experience is somewhat similar to yours. I was a claims investigator for an insurance company. My most recent investigations prior to waking up here dealt with loss of funds by embezzlement or misappropriation. In these cases, we were trying to find people who disappeared along with a significant amount funds from the accounts they controlled. Typically the individual claims were not very large but as a group they were quite significant. An associate and I were assigned to work on the cases as the total losses were substantial and growing. After studying what had been done previously, we took a different approach in investigating the cases. We treated the disappearances as two separate events and were making good progress on figuring out how the ruse was being accomplished. Several days before my last memory on Tigsu, we shared our analysis with several managers at the insurance company." "And then you woke up here." "You got it. Like you I am not certain who made the arrangements for me. It may have been someone in the meeting or someone else within the company. Although I would like to solve it, it doesn't seem worth it to take the risk. I suspect my status on Tigsu is like many of the missing people. They are officially dead." "So what have you decided?" "Oh. I'll stay. My telepathic ability is a little on the weak side, but the medical staff assures me that it will improve with use. So far I have to agree with them, as it has improved. Speaking is still my first choice and I not quite ready to give up my personal communicator." "Aren't we jumping to conclusions regarding our status on Tigsu?" asked a woman in the group. "I am not faulting the decisions each of you've made as you know your situation and how you feel. In general, shouldn't we see if the Órarduine can determine what our status on Tigsu is?" Many in the group murmured their agreement. A man said, "I was working in communications a couple of days ago. I could ask them on how to initiate such a request. By the way, they are a great group. Also, the Órarduine handle contact with other worlds through the Communications group, with the group on Dóchas being the lead for that area." "Now that I've kicked that rock down the road, let me add that my goal is to learn what the Tigsu government records show regarding my disappearance. While I am not close to any of my family, I don't want to tarnish their reputation. So I don't want to leave a false allegation unchallenged. Also, while not an empath, my thoughts on staying are similar to both Cerzirck and Brigarck and the probability is very high that is the choice I will make." "I will be in the common area after dinner to share with you what I've learned from the staff in Communications." Seraquie said, "They probably won't be able to initiate anything until after we leave FTL near A-Celia." "Wait, why not raise this question at dinner this evening," said Cerzirck. "That is a good idea," replied Brigarck. "Doing that is consistent with the encouragement Sarah's Clan just gave us. Also, I see nothing wrong with asking Communications in the meantime." Many in the group murmured their agreement. "We ought to be getting on with what we each have planned for today." "Yes," replied several as the group began to disperse. Several were heard to say, "Oh, my, I'm late." Cerzirck said, "Brigarck, what are you doing today?" "I plan on spending most of the day in the learning center." "What are you studying?" "Mostly history and language. I've taken their aptitude tests and thought I did very well. I was surprised by how high my score was for some segments. The results were quite different than I anticipated. They are different enough that it is taking a lot of thought to choose a field." "I didn't want to say this earlier, but it is more than openness that draws me to stay with the Órarduine." "You're right. They don't really use the words "love" and "care" a whole lot. They certainly express it by their actions with and interest in each other. It is unfortunate that the Tigsu culture seems to avoid using the words "love" and "caring". It's as if they were a disease or something. When I was expressing my reasons, I almost said those words." "I wish you would have. We likely need to express them to rid ourselves of the suspicious mind set that keeps coming back." "Well, you could have as well." "I know. You are more direct in expressing your thoughts than I am." She chuckled, then added, "I think Serarck has you beat though." "Yes. I like her. It will be interesting to see what she is like after the species modification." "From what I've read, the modification doesn't change your personality." "I know. Well, we're here and it looks like there are two learning stations open. Let's meet for dinner." "Okay." ------- Chapter 179 While the Tigsu were talking Sarah's Clan returned to their suite. As they entered their suite, Aoife intertwined her arms with Sarah's and Rusty's and said, "Come, let's all lie together and share our love." "That is a wonderful idea," replied her spouses as they headed toward their bed. "Before I forget," said Sally, "Star, didn't we ask the Iridiens if they would obtain some background information on those that we found at J3?" "Yes. The list did not include those brought out of hibernation after J4. The Communications group could ask about the remainder through our task group at A-Celia, oops I mean Anann." "Let's do that. Based on the way those four acted earlier, it would be nice to know their status on Tigsu among other things." "Agreed," replied Star. "Did you scan them earlier?" "Some of us did. They are use to having servants do everything for them and are very status conscious. Each of them are from large well connected families on Tigsu." Joyce added, "It wouldn't be surprising if the group with Brigarck asked if we could find out their status on Tigsu." "I looked at our earlier request to the Iridiens," replied Star. "It doesn't specifically ask that the inquires be discrete or informal." "We should include that in this message," replied Joyce. Janet added, "The earlier request went through Egulle's group. He likely informed the Tigsu that some of their people were found in a hibernation containers on a bandit ship operated by the Durale. Knowing him, I suspect, discrete inquiries were made regarding the individuals." "Hey, we're suppose to be relaxing," said Jill as she pulled Alison closer to her. "We can deal with that later." Jill softly caressed Alison as they lay together. Star said, "I'll follow up with Security and Communication Groups. Enjoy the rest of your morning." "Kind of testy, aren't we?" said Erin. "Nope," replied Jill, "I just wanted to make sure we have the time to cuddle and contemplate together." As they lay together, they softly caressed their nearest spouses as their mind link with each other deepened. It had been nearly a week since they had been able to totally open their mind link with each other without any restraints due to nearby activity. From their perspective, it was if they were one entity with multiple attributes and capabilities. Even so their biological functions were unaffected by their close mental link. Each could reach out to mentally or physically nudge the another. This could be a caress to the skin or a direct stimulation of a nerve such as a tickle or cause a nipple to stiffen. In addition to sharing their love and appreciation of each other, they were able to compare their individual views of recent events. By putting their memories together, they were able to construct a detailed three dimensional view of events giving them a better understanding of the interactions surrounding event. When they finished sharing and reviewing their recent memories, Rusty turned to Aoife and pressed his lips to hers. As they were all intimately connected, each spouse felt the touch of their lips, then their tongues caressing each other as their kiss continued. Two hands began to caress Rusty's cock while other fingers caressed Aoife's wet swollen labia. Although Rusty and Aoife were the active spouse, each spouse felt the caresses as if they were actively initiating or feeling them. Rusty and Aoife pulled back so they could take turns kissing the others face and neck. The kisses were interspersed with a kisses on the lips or a nibbling of the ears. Rusty rolled onto his back pulling Aoife on top of him. Aoife pushed up a bit then dragged her stiff swollen nipples across his chest. After tracing circles on his chest for a few moments, she moved forward bringing a nipple over Rusty's open mouth. She sighed as his lips closed around her nipple. Sucking lightly, he pulled her nipple deeper into his mouth. He alternated between caressing her nipple with his tongue and lightly sucking. Each pull on her nipple filled his mouth with warm milk. Each caress of her nipple increased her arousal as well as her spouses. Their caressing resulted in her nipple elongating. The stimulation caused her to release more cream into the crease between her labia. After several mouth fulls of milk, Aoife raised up pulling her elongated nipple from Rusty's mouth then quickly shifted her shoulder to place her other nipple between his lips. While Rusty caressed her nipple, Aoife raised her hips slightly letting Sarah pull Rusty's cock head between her labia. Her large swollen labia pulsed along with all the others when his hot cock head passed between her labia. The sensation was so intense Sarah paused for a moment until she remembered what she was doing. Sarah released her hold on Rusty's cock and her hand was replaced by Tara's. Sarah licked Aoife's cream from her hand and shivered as she felt Tara pull Rusty's cock head between Aoife's labia. Aoife and all the women all held their breath as Tara held Rusty's cock head at the mouth of Aoife's cunt. Everyone sighed as they felt Aoife's hips lower, his cock head spread the mouth of her cunt as it pushed through to fill her sheath. Aoife slowly lowered her hips, savoring the feeling of his large cock sliding deeper into her sheath. Aoife's shoulders rose as she slid back on to his cock pulling her nipple from his mouth. Both Tara and Sarah moved so they could each capture a nipple with their lips. As soon as they latched onto the nipple, they began suckling causing Aoife to moan. Rusty supported Aoife so she could caress Sarah and Tara's necks with her fingers as they suckled her breasts. Aoife hardly moved her hips as the muscles of her sheath rippled caressing Rusty's cock. Her little movements caused her swollen clit to rub against Rusty's skin adding to her arousal. While Aoife and Rusty's rapidly rising arousal was intensely shared with their spouses, the others had moved around so they could collect each others cream with their mouths. Each envied Aoife a little as she held Rusty's cock within her sheath, but except for the lack of fullness, it felt to each as if his cock was in their sheath. Their caresses continued bringing each other higher and higher until they felt Rusty's ball sack tighten then it was an all-out race to the crest. They reached their crest as a group. The peak hit them hard as they all came, their passion building up into one intense clap of thunder. Their ejaculate drenched their partner with their juices. It was quiet for a few moments as everyone regained their awareness, then the quiet gave way to sounds of licking and sucking as they drank each others cream. Aoife held tightly onto Rusty's cock because she knew if she released it her spouses would be disappointed if they didn't get a taste of their mixed cream. Sarah and Tara released Aoife's nipples then moved so they could lick the cream from between each others legs. Once they were to one side, Rusty and Aoife rolled over, then together they raised their hips effectively trapping most of their juices in Aoife. Joyce, Erin, Jill and Janet moved so they could catch Rusty and Aoife's mixed cream as he pulled his still swollen cock out of Aoife's sheath. They shared the mixed cream with their other spouses before laying back to rest a bit. "That has to be one of the most intense orgasms we've had," said Erin. "I'm not sure I agree but it was different," replied Sarah. "This time we were much more tightly interconnected than we've been in the past. To me it seemed and felt like we were totally in sync when we reached our crest." "I noticed earlier that we were more tightly linked this time than the last," said Joyce. "Pardon us," said Briana, "that was something else." "Oh, my. You felt us," said Alena blushing. "Some. I think all of us are a little wet now as are the other Command Staffs." "So what did you feel?" asked Judy. "It took us a bit to recognize the source. What we felt was love, appreciation and arousal." "We agree," added the other Command Staffs. "Did you have your shields up?" asked Amy. "Yes. I wonder if the whole crew felt us. If they did that would be embarrassing." "Probably not like we did because our link with you is much more open or dynamic so your shields may not have much effect. If they felt it we suspect they just felt loved and appreciated in a general way." "We need to think about the consequences," said Terry. "Why?" "My concern is strictly security. Was the leakage of our emotions disruptive to operations? If not, then that takes care of my concern." "If they became more intense, then we agree that depending on current activity it could be a concern," responded Keriann. "Otherwise, we suggest to keep doing it." "Again and again and again," sang Keriann's Clan causing everyone to laugh. "You're trying to kill us," replied Sarah's Clan laughing. "Not really, but it would be an interesting epitaph." The response by Keriann's Clan resulted in more laughter. "We need to get ready for lunch," said Terry, "and I'm hungry." "You ought to be after expending all that energy." "Okay. Chat with you all later. By the way, let us know if you hear any comments." "Will do," replied the Command Staffs and Briana's Clan. ------- They were two clock cycles from exiting FTL in Celia system when the eight Command Staffs gathered in the conference room on Dóchas. As each Command Staff joined the group, they shared greetings before selecting their lunch. "Great, everyone is here," said Siobhan's Clan as they entered the conference room. Siobhan's eyes were sparkling as she began greeting the others. Once they were all seated Sarah said, "I have a suspicion that Siobhan has something she wants to share with us." "And why would you say that?" "Because you're so excited you're just about to bust. We're surprised you're not bouncing up and down." "Well we saw one of the group who are assigning names for the different parts of our island on Anann. He told me that names had been assigned to all the major tributaries, mountains, plateaus and other features. Gaillimh is the choice for the island's name, so the formal name will be Isle of Gaillimh on Anann of Celia system. The bay where the two rivers meet will be called Gaillimh Bay." "Isn't your family from Contae Gaillimh?" "Yes." "So now we know why you're bubbling," said Keriann. "He knew my family was from Gaillimh." "What other tidbits did you learn?" "You all probably already know this but the cliffs around Gaillimh island are named Moher Cliffs which is the name of the cliffs in southwest Ireland. Isle of Gaillimh is divided into 40 contae with nearly equal areas. Many are named after counties in Ireland and eight counties are named after one of the Command Staffs. The list of sites with their proposed names will be released late this afternoon." "Based on some questions and comments, we aren't surprised that some sites are being named after us," said Sarah. "We aren't real comfortable with it, but it is the family's choice." "We aren't very comfortable with it either but Sarah is right in saying it is the families choice," added Tiff of Siobhan's Clan. "Did you notice that the plateau for the settlement will be called Tara Ardchlár?" "Yes," replied Keriann's Clan. "They considered naming it Hill of Tara or Teamhair na Ri but decided Tara Ardchlár was a better choice. It is in Contae Danu." "Contae Danu is surrounded by the eight counties named after us. They are located in the north central part of the island and includes the five plateaus." "If I recollect correctly," said Maureen, "this is very close to what we thought would happen." "You are correct," replied Aoife. Tiff said, "To compliment releasing the list this afternoon, they are planning a short presentation after dinner which will just focus on a few places." "This could make for a long evening session, as there is another presentation scheduled," added Keriann. "The other is by the group drafting the documents for our future government." Amy said, "We believe both presentations are only covering recent changes and there aren't very many." "Your clan has followed the draft of our new government, do you think much has changed since the last outline?" asked Jackie. "Most of the changes are to address concerns raised in past drafts." "Has the implementation date changed?" "Yes, but only slightly," replied Amy's Clan. "They will propose implementing the governing council beginning with the fourth day after we arrive in Anann orbit. By selecting the current Command Staffs to fill the eight positions on the council, this really won't be much of an operational change. "They've recognized that we can continue our family meetings while we are all on Gaillimh. So they will propose delaying formation of parliament and the judiciary branch until everyone has accommodations on Gaillimh. Projections are that it will be shortly after this time when groups go off to explore and establish settlements at other locations on Anann." Amy's Clan went to point out the other changes since the last presentation by the group led by Sue's Clan. "How difficult will it be to hold family meetings once people move to other continents on Anann?" asked Kathryn. "If the remote meeting places have an AI and monitors then it will be similar to our current situation. If not then, those at remote places will only have their telepathic link into a meeting. In those cases, an individual's ability to contribute will depend on the strength of their telepathy. If their participation is as a clan then it improves. All legislation the parliament passes is reviewed by the family for comment before being sent to the governing council for their concurrence and implementation. This is an attempt of avoid unintended consequences." "Okay." Sarah's Clan said, "So what do you think of the proposal?" "We think they have done an excellent job. The current proposal includes aspects from several governments that worked well. Those are primarily Ireland, Connemare, England, Iridiens and a few others. We won't go into those they used as examples to avoid." After the laughter died down they continued with, "We had concerns about the term length for both the parliament and council members. After we voiced those concerns, adjustments were made so the constituents could replace them for failing to represent them or perform their duties appropriately. There will likely be additional changes especially as the implementation date for the parliament and judiciary branches draws closer." "Unless someone objects we should move on to other issues," said Sarah. "This morning we were informed that the Iridiens are sending a ship to pick up the Tigsu government officials or diplomats. Their message indicated that there maybe limited space on the ship, so they are willing to accommodate others wanting to return to Tigsu." "Well, we won't be sorry to see them go," replied Molly's Clan. "We haven't seen them talk to anyone especially those from Tigsu without a subsequent shouting match and quite often a one sided one." Kelly of Keriann's Clan said, "We've seen them trying to bully other Tigsuma into returning with them." "Now that all the Tigsuma, Seranc and Sarque know their legal status on Tigsu, bullying seems like the wrong thing to try," said Kaitlin of Maureen's Clan. "Has anyone inquired as to why the four diplomats are known but the others are all unknown or died in childhood?" asked Courtney of Maureen's Clan. All of them shook their heads indicating they didn't have an answer for the question. Melissa of Siobhan's Clan said, "My impression is everyone has pretty much decided to cast their lot with us, well except for the four, even before knowing their status." "That is our impression as well," added Caitlyn of Keriann's Clan. "Several have asked about the species alteration," added Connie. "They were advised that it was an option but they needed to consider it very carefully as the change was irreversible. We indicated that it was difficult to adequately describe the whole impact of making the change." "Frequently, when I've chatted with them," said Brittany of Kathryn's Clan, "curiosity about the species change usually comes up in a question about Serarck or Zhaos. It usually revolves around either "how are they doing" or "why did they do it". Their interest is genuine." "Well from what we've seen there is a lot of talent in that group," replied Sarah. "They will be a great addition to our family regardless of their choice." "We agree," replied everyone. "The next item is the people at An Clochán and New Comrie." Chester of Keriann's Clan said, "We were surprised when we learned that several governments located New Comrie even though it was cloaked." "It was only a matter of time," said Mairia of Jackie's Clan. "It appears to be just the Chinese, US, Russia and Israel who were successful." "Our staff's decision to turn the cloaking off was smart. It makes it difficult for others to duplicate the ability to detect us. Anyway, the shields are all they really need." "Have we learned any more as to why there was a sudden surge to join us?" asked Molly. Casidhe responded with, "Do we need to know? From my perspective, each felt a need to seek us out for refuge which to me is more than sufficient reason. Some of them have some pretty young children, so that likely factored into their decision." "We see two significant contributors to the influx," Katia of Kathryn's Clan. "One is the rise in religious fanatics and associated terrorism. This is occurring in many countries including those we think of as stable countries. The second was bogus claim by a medical team. They claimed to have found a correlation between a unique blood protein and contact with us. Their report included a procedure to identify the protein. "They claimed that anyone who came into contact with us was now a carrier of this unique protein. This protein when activated would permanently alter the function of some enzymes and cell functions leading to a different species. Thus anyone with this substance should no longer be considered human and removed from the gene pool." "We saw that and found it difficult to believe. Is that true?" asked Tiff of Siobhan's Clan. "Sort of," replied both Connie of Amy's Clan and Kathy of Kathryn's Clan. They grinned when they realized they both had spoken then continued with, "If while with us, they drank our milk or had intimate relations with us then the claim is likely partially true. But, true only in the sense that they picked up some unique biological components. The long term effect is wrong. However, their test is bogus. It does not detect those changes which Earth's scientific community quickly figured out. This didn't stop some groups with an agenda. They have grabbed this article to support a fear campaign based. They are also using it to make accusations against anyone who doesn't agree with their agenda in spite of the test being discredited. Others have found the blood protein in some people who've never came into contact with us." "We really need to just focus on accommodating these refugees," said Maeve. "The only issue I saw was in the number of refugees and if the number is correct, accommodating them will be a challenge." "We agree with you," said Conan of Siobhan's Clan. "Richard Bartlet, Egan O'Reilly, Rob O'Brien, Conall Downes are among the refugees. They along with a few others are assisting our staff with the refugees. Our staff there sometimes has difficulty choosing best way to express an idea when communicating verbally with the humans." "Egan and Rob told the staff that they thought the new videos were much better than the earlier version they saw." "So what is the projection on the number of refugees?" asked Ron of Jackie's Clan. "Currently there are a little over ten thousand and the number of new arrivals has slowed. The current projection shows that it will grow to something well over twenty. On top of that we have a large number of applicants which adds several thousand more." "How many applicants?" asked Colleen of Maureen's Clan. "A little over five thousand who appear to fully meet our criteria." "Wow," said Molly's Clan. "So this could double the size of our family." "Yes and it raises several potential issues," replied Casidhe of Siobhan's Clan. "One is it will significantly shift the balance in our family." "We can address that as time progresses," responded Eibhilin of Maureen's Clan, "but I don't see the shift as something to worry about. To build our first settlement, we will activate a lot of bots. While most of these are specialist, we could increase the number of LBs, to use medical staff's shorthand." "That would be a good idea for a number of reasons," said Brigid of Keriann's Clan. Eleánóir said, "Considering the refugee problems on Earth, our biggest challenge will be getting them to mentally shift to a new culture. Education will be a big help but if they lack telepathic ability, the personal communicators are the only assistance we currently have. They are not a good long term solution." "Agreed," replied many. "Well based on the reports the learning centers there are maxed out," added Jill. "This implies that many of them are telepathic or at least able to respond to telepathic messages." "Good point," replied Amber of Siobhan's Clan. "Lets do the following," said Sarah. "Put together a welcoming message with a member from each Command Staff Clan participating singly and in unison. In the presentation, we need to welcome them; empathize with their situation as it is one we are familiar with; emphasize that in joining us they are embarking on a new chapter in their lives that is distinctly different from their past in many respects. Encourage them to learn to fully utilize their telepathic ability, utilize the learning centers and learn the characteristics of our culture. "Next we need to ask the Monque, Atewa and Iridiens, if we could borrow a passenger space ship. With that it would be much easier to transport refugees here, after they were vetted and met a knowledge level. "Send four Security Teams along with at least four teams from medical and intelligence groups to An Clochán." "Think that will be enough," asked Brandan of Maureen's Clan. "On the security side, it should be," replied Chester. "On the medical side, it should be," added Betsy of Amy's Clan. "You're thinking of sending two shuttles," said Chester. "Yes along with a compliment of Star Fighters. Are we okay with following this path?" "Yes," replied the group. "The next item is the status of Dearg and Bán task groups," said Sarah. Conan said, "They've completed adding the additional satellites to the sentential ring. High resolution mapping of Gaillimh is complete. Adding the information to our map data base will begin after we arrive there. They may start mapping the large island we had considered as an alternative to Gaillimh." "Dearg group," said Chester, "is visiting the locations identified in our LRS reconnaissance data as locations for placing our remote monitoring stations. If I understood correctly, all of these sites are very suitable. So we owe the crews on the LRS trips a big thank you. So they were able to begin getting detailed terrain maps of each location." "Do you think that will let us put equipment in place right away?" asked Sally. "Perhaps. The big question mark at the moment is our biological compatibility with the environment." Kathy of Kathryn's Clan said, "Based on what we've heard from the medical staff with the task groups, it appears that the antigen boosters have eliminated the issue. There is still the issue of unknown viruses and bacteria creating health problems. We will need to deal with those as they arise." "When did you learn this?" asked Sarah with many in the group nodding their agreement. "Actually, this morning. However, the medical staff will discuss this later today or tomorrow. I have some concerns but they are of a cautionary nature. In any case, everyone should expect some minor allergic reaction to the new environment. This will likely be seen as sinus drainage, possibly a rash but could be more serious." Betsy added, "This isn't a sudden discovery that the antigen boost was successful. We are just now completing all of the testing and we haven't had any negative results." "That's great," replied Brandan of Maureen's Clan. "This will mean site preparation can begin within a few days after arriving." "Perhaps," said Rusty. "We need to be sure all the items on the plan for settling Gaillimh are ready. We have a lot of enthusiasm here, lets keep it in hand so we don't have a tragedy. Mistakes in an unfamiliar planet environment could be a lot more painful and extend over a longer time period than would happen in space." "Good point," said Judy. "Anyone working on the ground will need to monitor themselves and their coworkers for changes in their bodies and report them to us. One of the first items to be set up is a clinic with an air lock and controlled environment." Connie of Amy's Clan said, "Those working on the ground should wear the special coveralls for the foreseeable future. Also, when they return to a ship, they need to go through a decontamination booth. As time progresses and we become acclimated to the planet, we can do away with coveralls and decontamination. All of this will not prevent us from catching new diseases or from bringing them on board our ships. These measures should keep us from being surprised by an epidemic of some kind. The Medical AIs will be monitoring all the Órarduine for biological anomalies." "So how long will we need to use the decontamination booths?" asked Kriss of Molly's Clan. "I expect it will be for at least a month. There is a possibility that it could be as long as a year or more it could just as well be less. The decontamination procedure is really quite quick, especially since we don't normally wear any covering. By wearing the coveralls on Anann, we are minimizing your exposure to abrasions or nicks. Based on experience, we likely dispense with the coveralls and decontamination booths in a couple of months if not before. However, we've never been this prepared before, so as I noted, it could be just a few days. Being extremely optimistic, it may turn out we don't need to use them at all. We'll just have to see how we progress. Active monitoring of Órarduine health status will remain high for at least a full year. "You know it's hard to switch to using Anann for the planet rather than A-Celia." "We agree but it is getting easier. What about those who aren't Órarduine adapting to the new environment?" "Well we have some concerns about them. We aren't able to monitor them like we do the Órarduine. In the recorded comments by the criminals, the claim was made that they were immune to antigens found anywhere in the universe. While the source is questionable, we can't discount it. The antigen testing we've done indicates they will be fine. However, we will have them come to medical every day when they return so we can give them a medical scan. We expect to do this only for a short time." "Are you going to discuss this at a family meeting?" "Yes. We've planned three sessions along with a daily reminder. Each session will be a little different so we don't lose interest. Tomorrow morning and our first morning in Celia system will be a detailed presentation. The shuttle AIs will monitor the crew as they enter the ship to ensure decontamination is done. There are emergency waivers to allow entry but subsequent cleanup is much more involved." "So what issues concern you the most?" "Mainly plagues, viruses, unusual bacteria and parasites, as we don't know how susceptible we are to them. Our information indicates that Homo Sapiens were more susceptible than Connemare however the difference in environments could negate the difference." "It seems like our medical staff has this issue well covered," said Rusty. "Is there anything else we need to discuss on this topic?" After a few moments Kendra of Siobhan's Clan said, "We have requests from Iridiens, Monque, Atewa and Lonstradaze for formal visits. Do we want to invite them? And if so when should we suggest?" "Why don't we suggest coming in 4 weeks by our clock?" asked Kathryn. "My thinking is that it will be less disrupting if they are all here at the same time." "Good idea," replied Kelly of Keriann's Clan. "It may take them longer than 4 weeks to organize a visit. We should let them know that our facilities will be more primitive than we had on Mars." "That is a good idea," said Siobhan. "We suspect the Iridiens will again offer us assistance in getting established. With all of them being here at the same time, there will likely be additional offers of assistance." "So you expect they will all want to assist us," said Erica of Amy's Clan. Alison of Sarah's Clan added, "We should not expect or solicit any offers. However, we should seriously consider any offers, but we need to be very careful in those we accept if any." "We could use quite help in preparing the site," said Claudette, "especially with the additional people coming from Sol system." "We sort of mentioned this earlier," said Sarah with a thoughtful look. "With all the people in Sol system to move here, we should ask if there are some passenger ships available for lease. This would provide the resources to move those at An Clochán to Celia system. They could live on the ships until accommodations were available on Gaillimh." "What would we use to pay for them?" "This system likely has some unique natural resources they need that we could offer in exchange for leasing ships." "Good idea, Sarah," replied Mona of Maureen's Clan. "Yes," said Siobhan's Clan, "By having the new comers here, they will become a part of our family much more quickly. It also removes the constant reminder of what happened on Earth." "Agreed," said Keriann's Clan, "but we need to do everything we can to get them to embrace life in our culture." "You have concerns," said Kathryn's Clan. "Only not wanting to see a refugee morass like occurred many times on Earth. Truly, we don't expect it to happen here but ... it pays to be concerned. "Actually, the likelihood is pretty small, as there are plenty of opportunities here equal to or better than what they had on Earth." "I can assure you that Security will be vigilant," said Emma of Keriann's Clan, "and not oppressive." "So," said Sarah, "Is everyone comfortable extending the invitations?" "Yes," replied the group. "Our exit from FTL will be at 1015 hours in 2 clock cycles which corresponds to 2815 hours at Tara Ardchlár." When she saw the puzzled looks she added, "Anann has a 30 hour day when referenced to ship's time. Our two task groups will join us at 1100 hours ship's time. Our schedule calls for us to be in our defensive array over Gaillimh Anann at 2100 hours ship's time." Amy's Clan said, "Once we are in orbit we will need to be careful when stating the time of an event at the other location. We also need to decide on time scale and calendar for Anann. There are proposals for both the time scale and calendar but the family hasn't formally approved them." "Wasn't both the ship and local times shown on the schedule for the first week over Anann?" asked Molly's Clan. "Yes. Traditionally, ship's time and calendar usually never change as they are based on their home. On a planet, the local time and calendar usually works best when it corresponds to its rotational and orbital period respectively. The planet times on the schedule are those from the preferred proposal." "So let's put the question to the family through the net," said Brandan of Maureen's Clan. "In both cases the time base is the same, right?" said Jackie's Clan. "Yes," replied Amy. "The proposal makes no change in the ship's time or calendar. The planet time scale will be different in that an hour has more seconds than ship's time. Numerically Anann will have a day divided into 24 segments but by current ship's time scale it will last30 hours." "That will get very messy very quickly," said Rusty, "especially since many crew members will be commuting to Gaillimh every day. Since the time base is constant, we should switch so our clock cycles are the same length as Anann." "That makes a lot of sense," replied Chester of Keriann's Clan. "It was indicated it would be 2815 hours on Gaillimh. How was the time there established?" "3000 hours is halfway between sunset and sunrise on Gaillimh," replied Amy's Clan. "It really hasn't been necessary to divide the day into time segments until now. Record keeping has simply been based on days since first discovered then segmented by number of orbits around Celia." "If the family is in agreement with changing ship's time scale to match Anann," said Kelly of Keriann's Clan, "lets do it when 1200 or 2400 is the same in both places. We can adjust shift length on that day so they are close to being equal then move the start times as necessary." "What about the calendar?" "Adding six weeks to the ship's calendar comes close to matching the Anann orbit period. Using this, the proposal adds a week to every other month beginning with the second month, so An Gearran (February) has 5 weeks. A day is added to An Dubhlachd (December) every 5th year." Joyce said, "At 2400 hours by ship's time on our 3rd day in Celia system, it will be 3000 hours on Anann. So it would be convenient to alter our time and calendar base at that time." "So are we going to ballot the time and calendar change today?" said Sarah. "Yes," replied the Command Staffs. "Star, will you initiate the ballot and have it close in 24 hours?" "It is being issued now. Presuming approval, all AIs are preparing modifications to all SOP to change any time dependent instruction to the new time base. The change will be flagged." "Good. Thank you. "There certainly a lot of pesky details relating to settling Anann." "We think this is a good move on our part," said Amy's Clan. "This will make scheduling a lot easier." "So you, haven't done this in the past?" "Our approach to settling Anann is considerably different than the process Connemare used to establish a settlement. Usually the settlers would be transferred to the planet in a very short time span. Some times it was too short. Considering everything we know, our approach to this settlement, it has an extremely small probability of failure. It has to." "We'll certainly feel more secure once we have family living on Gaillimh," said Jackie's Clan. "Agree," replied the others. "Is there anything else we need to discuss?" asked Sarah. "We've had some questions regarding holidays or should I say lack of them?" asked Oriel of Keriann's Clan. "Currently we haven't designated any annual holidays or festivals. We have special celebrations when we reach a significant milestone. Should we have designated annual holidays or festivals, such as one for the emergence of the Órarduine species? Or one in recognition of the assistance the "Old Ones" have given us. Or our arrival or landing at Tara Ardchlár on Gaillimh Anann." "You've identified some very significant events in our short history," replied Siobhan. "This should be a discussion with our whole family. We probably should consider celebrating the arrival of spring, mid summer, completion of the harvest and mid winter. These last four have their basis in Earth's ancient times but our library shows that other worlds and cultures have similar celebrations." "Oriel, thanks for bringing that up," said Sarah. "Why not raise this at our evening meeting as an upcoming topic?" "Good," replied Molly's Clan. "Is it okay if we suggest these six?" "We don't see why not," replied Siobhan's Clan. "What six?" asked "Órarduine Birth or Founders Day, Thanksgiving to acknowledge the "Old Ones", Samhain, Lughnasadh, Imbolc and Beltane," replied Molly. "The first two are unique to us. The others draw on our Gaelic heritage although many other cultures have similar festivals." "Many of our family may not recognize the names," said Casidhe of Siobhan's Clan. "Along with the suggestions should be a brief description." "Agreed," replied the group. "There should be a holiday to celebrate us arriving on Anann," said Mairia of Jackie's Clan. "Sounds good to me." Kendra said, "Why not float this on the net? That way everybody will have a chance look it up if they are unfamiliar with the festivals." "Great idea. You know that is the second time today we've opted to use the net to initiate a discussion," said Brigid of Keriann's Clan. "From my perspective the net brings all of us closer together just like the festivals will." "The net is a great way to start a discussion on a topic or manage a project," replied Eileen of Siobhan's Clan. "To me our telepathy or mind link is nearly as good as having a face to face discussion. Discussions on the net lack a dimension or a feeling that you see or feel when linked directly to each other." "I whole heartily agree. The way we are using the net is simply to prime us for a real discussion later." "Should we consider beginning our year with the Samhain festival?" asked Aoife. "That is a good idea and we should consider it," said Maureen's Clan. "It will be interesting to see how the family feels about these. Perhaps they will have other ideas." Angie of Kathryn's Clan said as she laughed, "My impression is that these will be readily accepted as they give everyone a chance to sing and dance." "So, what's wrong with that?" asked Eileen of Siobhan's Clan as she bounced in her seat as if she was keeping time to some music. "Absolutely nothing," quickly replied Angie. "Our mentors will be here for all of them unless some emergency can't be avoided. They may even bring some of their colleagues." Alena said, "Aine has indicated she would like to have some of their colleagues visit us." "Did she mean a social visit or something more?" asked Siobhan. "My impression was that it would be social from our standpoint. Our feeling is if they want bring their colleagues here then it is fine with us." Sarah said, "By the way, they will be on the bridge when we make our transition to normal space." "To change the subject a bit," said Joyce, "we are less than 48 hours to exiting FTL near Anann. With what is planned for the family meeting, if we try to cover everything this evening it will run very late. Why don't we set a time limit for tonight, then finish up after breakfast? This will be well before our FTL preparations begin so gives everyone the opportunity to participate." "We like that," replied Keriann. "Even though we may not come to a decision on all the issues, it will let us fully discuss them." "Okay," said Sarah, "shall we adjourn?" "Wait," said Molly. "Why don't we have an all day celebration the day the Council begins their term? It would be nice to have it on the planet but not really necessary." "Great idea," replied Kelly. "It would give everyone a chance to relax together." "Everyone in agreement?" asked Sarah. "Yes." "Molly would you pass the task on to the Communications group?" "Sure." "Now, are we ready to adjourn?" "Yes," replied everyone. ------- Chapter 180 Destiny group exited FTL in Celia system precisely at the desired coordinates. Once all the systems checks were complete, Destiny group shifted their course toward the orbit window for Anann. As they drew closer to Anann, many of the large monitors on each ship were showing Anann at least part of the time. "It is beautiful," said Sarah's Clan as they watched Anann grow larger on their display. Joyce added, "There is a similarity to Earth but the colors aren't quite the same." "Agree. We need to focus on our tasks and not get to distracted by the view," said Sarah. "Destiny Group ships, report status." "Iolar. Cloaked. All parameters optimum," replied Maureen. "Freighter 1 indicates all systems optimum." "Phoenix. Cloaked. All parameters optimum," replied Siobhan. "Iarracht. Cloaked. All parameters optimum," replied Keriann. "Freighter 2 indicates all systems optimum." "Taiséalai. Cloaked. All parameters optimum," replied Kathryn. "Marthanóir. Cloaked. All parameters optimum," replied Molly. "Freighter 3 indicates all systems optimum." "Fiontar. Cloaked. All parameters optimum," replied Jackie. "Dóchas. Uncloaked. All parameters optimum," replied Jill. "Destiny Group," said Joyce, "our course is optimum for entering Anann's orbit window in three hours." Terry said, "Attention Destiny Group. All Dóchas Class ships except Dóchas are to remain cloaked until further notice. All other ships will operate uncloaked unless mission plan states otherwise or returning to base. Prior to approaching any cloaked ship, all ships will cloak at least 15 minutes prior to beginning their approach." All ships quickly acknowledged Terry's transmission. "Why did you reissue the cloaking criteria?" asked Sally. "When I was looking over our operations plan earlier, it felt like something was missing. In watching our activity on the monitors I realized what it was. The way it was worded an uncloaked ship could enter a cloaked ship. After that happens several times, it discloses the location of our cloaked ships. With the revised command, the loss of an observable ship will be at random locations thus not easily disclosing the position of any cloaked ships." Tara said, "Caitriona in FOC just advised us that our Badb cruiser and Star Fighters with Bán and Cinniúint task groups have docked. Two cruisers accompanied by two flights of Star Fighters have departed from Dóchas to begin their patrol. The other ships are preparing to launch theirs." "The task group's raw data on Celia system is now being uploaded to the library," said Erin. "Redundancy checks are scheduled to start momentarily." The next several hours went quickly as they prepared the ships for arriving over Anann. Much of the preparation was to shift the ships mission from transport to an orbital base with defensive functions. As they entered Anann's orbit window, they began reducing their velocity to let Anann's gravity pull them into a geosynchronous orbit. The timing of their move would place them 1,000km west of Gaillimh Isle. From this position, the island would be visible from all the ships. Once Destiny Group reached their orbital position over Anann, the six Dóchas Class ships that formed each axis of the defensive array rotated to their positions. The freighters moved so they were alongside their command ship toward the center of the array. This placed the freighters within their defensive sphere positioned so they didn't interfere with surveillance of the surrounding area. Briana's Clan entered the bridge and said, "Ready to call it a day yet." "I think so," replied Rusty. "All of you are welcome to man the brdige," said Sarah, "but since we are holding position we don't really need to man the bridge at all times." "True," replied Briana. "But, when no one is here, then you guys don't really relax, so we thought we would alternate with you for several days or until we are comfortable with our surroundings. Besides there are several things you need to focus on over the next few days. So if we cover this it makes it easier for you and actually easier for all of us." "You have a good point. It will certainly help." "So go get some rest, as it won't be long until breakfast," replied Briana's Clan as Sarah's Clan left the bridge. Sarah's Clan were near their suite when they met Aine and Brigit accompanied by four women they didn't recognize. "We heard the chimes," said Aine, "telling us we were on station. How did the last part go?" "Just like it was suppose to," replied Joyce. "We won't keep you but we wanted to introduce you to our colleagues Morrigan, Caillech, Niamh and Neala." "Welcome to our home," said Sarah's Clan as they greeted Aine's and Brigit's colleagues. "We are pleased to have you staying with us. Please let us know if there is anything you need or how we can improve your stay." "Thank you," said Caillech. "We don't want to keep you as we understand you've been quite busy. We arrived only a short time ago and we already feel very comfortable here. We will see you later today. Branwen should be here by then." "We will look forward it." As Sarah's Clan entered their suite Sarah said, "I didn't notice it until now but I am tired, no, exhausted would be a better description." "Me too. Like you I didn't notice it earlier," replied Joyce. "Well I'm going take a quick shower then sleep." "In the shower?" said Janet laughing. "No silly. Although, I probably could go to sleep there if I stayed still long enough." As they stepped into the shower Judy said, "One of the reasons we feel so tired is because our trip is over. All the stress of the trip is now past us." "Good point. Breakfast is in five hours maybe we can sleep in a bit." "We can," replied Aoife. "Tomorrow, well actually today, is a relaxed schedule. There is a family meeting after dinner tonight." "Yes. Amy's Clan will lead most of the topics as they relate to activity on Gaillimh," said Tara. "Well our activity for what's left of today and tomorrow will focus on fleet maintenance," replied Claudette. As they were crawling into bed Erin said, "Sleep well my loves." "And the likewise my loves," replied everyone. ------- It was after dinner on their first day orbiting Anann when Amy's Clan moved to the front of the dining room on Dóchas. "Good evening." "Good evening," replied the crew. As the crew replied the large wall monitors came on showing the dining areas on the other six ships. Amy's Clan said, "It looks like our conferencing set up is active now so lets get started. This family meeting should not last very long. First on the agenda is James of Sue's Clan and Finnian of Chloe's Clan with an announcement." "Thank you," replied James and Finnian who were at the podium on Iarracht. "We are pleased to announce that the constitution for Celia World has been approved." The whole family cheered on hearing the news. "No one expressed any objections to the constitution however some expressed concerns regarding the wording in several places. We will be looking at the wording in those sections and will consult with them on any changes. Once this is sorted we will present the changes to the family for consideration." "Frankly," said James, "I'm glad they expressed their concerns as they saw issues with the wording that we didn't see until they raised the question. Even though we have approved it, we urge anyone who has a concern to let us know." "What time frame do you have in mind?" asked a woman on Fiontar. Chloe replied, "For addressing the expressed concerns, within the next two months as we will have a lot of activity taking place the next few weeks." "Thank you." James and Chloe said, "As the result of our recent ballot, we can confirm the selection of the first Council of Celia members. They will be Sarah's, Siobhan's, Maureen's, Keriann's, Kathryn's, Molly's, Jackie's and Amy's Clans. The date and location of the swearing in ceremony is tentatively set for three days from now at sunrise on Tara Ardchlár." "Why the uncertainty?" asked a woman on Taiséalai. "Since these are the first members of the Council of Celia World, we asked Aine and her associates to administer the oath. They are waiting on clearance from the "Old Ones." They don't think it will be an issue but thought it was wise to ask their coordinator." "I suspect we are pushing the bounds of their interaction with us." "This a unique request. We expect to know tomorrow and will announce it immediately." "Amy's Clan, that's all we have so we will turn it back to you." "Thanks. On behalf of all eight clans, we feel very honored by the trust you have placed in us by selecting us to be the first members of the Council of Celia World." Several clans on Iolar stood and said, "Now everybody all together. Hip, hip, hurray." "Again. Hip, hip, hurray." The eight clans responded in unison, "Thank you. We will do our best but it will take all of us working together to make life here and Celia World a success." Amy's Clan patiently waited until the group quieted down before continuing with, "Now we have a couple of very important announcements. "Please remember that we will switch to Anann time and calendar at 2400 ships time Lundi which is two clock cycles from tonight." "Tomorrow at 0700 ships time, a group will start setting up two habitats on Tara Ardchlár. These will be configured as medical facilities. "The medical group has determined that no one will need to wear environmental suits on Anann. They are suggesting that you wear coveralls while working. For the time being, there are designated transport ships to operate between Tara Ardchlár and our ships in orbit. When you return on the transports, you will exit the transport through a decontamination unit. "We are suggesting that everyone wear coveralls on Anann since they will give you some protection from abrasions. If you notice any change in your health, body or experience other symptoms such as a rash, you need to inform the medical staff immediately. All of our testing shows that our immune system can handle this environment. Any questions?" Several people stood on different ships indicating they had a question. Betsy said, "It looks like we have a couple of questions. Let's start with the person on Marthanóir." "We thought their was a lot of concern about our immune system over reacting to the environment on Anann. So we are surprised by the announcement?" Betsy said, "We initially approached this issue from a very conservative view point. So yes if you compare what we said when we decided to move here versus this evenings announcement it is a dramatic change. Over a year ago, we started boosting your immunity so it could handle being on Anann. It is only within the last week that we've been able to verify our bodies ability to not over react to antigens on Anann. Again we were being conservative in our approach. "You may still get rashes when you contact some items. You may have sinus congestion. You may have other symptoms of your bodies reaction and adapting to the new environment. However, with your boosted immunity, these should be minor occurrences. Let us know if you have a severe episode or one that lasts for more than a day. Okay that is the easy stuff. "Insect bites are an unknown. If you have a strong reaction to a bite, seek attention immediately. For now overreacting is good. Try to remember what the insect looked like." "Does that answer your question?" "Yes. Thank you." "Next question is from the lady on Iarracht." "What's the point of using the decontamination units?" "Basically to see what is brought back from Anann. Doing this utilizes more than just the decontamination units as it includes the air filters on the transporter and the dirt collected when cleaning the transporters cabin. We are looking for anomalies. If we don't find anything significant then we will discontinue the effort." "Thank you." Next question is from the lady on Fiontar." "You seem to be focusing on issues with the Órarduine. How will it effect the other species?" "Our announcement and subsequent comments apply to everyone here." "Thank you." The topics of the questions shifted to a more general questions about the next several days activities. "Well seeing no more questions that pretty well completes what we wanted to cover this evening. Wait there is one more announcement. An Iridien ship will arrive tomorrow at 1400 to pick up those wishing to return to Tigsu. It will depart at 1800 hours. A shuttle will be available for transport to their ship beginning at 1500 hours in the hanger of each Dóchas Class ship. An announcement will be made prior to their departure. "Is there anything else to cover?" asked Amy's Clan. "Seeing none, good night and sleep well." "Congratulations, moms and dad," said Keri and Marnia. "Thanks," replied Sarah's Clan. "So what are you all doing tomorrow?" asked Alison. "Well in the morning, we have our classes in engineering which is followed by flight simulator then martial arts. We're scheduled to begin training flights next week." Kennith and Moya said, "We have pretty much the same thing except engineering and flight simulator times are switched." "I thought all of you had completed flight training," said Janet. "We did Mom. First it was so we could use the shuttles which was followed by the Star Fighter training. Next week we begin studying Star Fighters combat tactics." "Those are fun to fly," said Sarah. "Yes, they are," added Alena. "We're really looking forward to it," replied their children. "So where are you in your engineering studies?" said Claudette. "I think we're about half way through level 2 of mechanical engineering," said Deirdre. "It is a lot more interesting than level 1 was." "It's more interesting," added Moya, "because the exercises relate to building the settlement." "How is that?" asked Rusty. "Well, in the latest one we looked at how to transfer the force exerted by the roof onto the walls and not spread the walls. Now we are evaluating ways to alter the roof structure so that a segment failure doesn't cascade into a complete failure." "So your exercises have you looking at the details as well as the whole structure." "Yes." "Are you guys still planning on going through level 2 courses for all engineering specialties?" "Yes," answered the children. Deirdre added, "We think we need level 2 knowledge before we can make the best choice on a specialty. Besides by having a level 2 knowledge in all specialties will make it easier for us to understand integration issues between our creations and the rest of a project." "Good point," replied Rusty. "We've had a few of those excellent ideas with excellent execution of the design but incapable of reliable interaction with other units." "Some of those are in our exercises." "We need to head for our suite," said Jill. "How is exercising your psionic skills coming?" asked Joyce. "In developing them, we've gone as far as we can on board the ship," replied Moya. "Briana told us that there was going to be an exercise area set up on Anann. Do you know when that will be?" Sally said, "There is an area on the other big island that Cathan and Nicola's Teams were considering. So I don't think it will be very long until a site is designated." "Star Fighter and Badb Cruiser pilots need an area for target practice as well," said Tara. "We'll talk to them to see what the plans are," replied Moya. "I'm ready for some sleep," said Jill. "It has been a long day." "We'll see you all at breakfast," said the Children of Sarah's Clan as they went to their portion of the suite. ------- When the morning chimes sounded Tara said, "You mean its time to get up already." "Sounds that way," replied Joyce with a cheerful voice. "Well you may be cheerful, but I would like a few more hours of sleep." "I would too, but there is too much going on today to sleep late this morning." "Oh, that's right. We begin moving stuff to Gaillimh." "You forgot." "No. It's just taking a bit to get my thoughts organized. I was really sound asleep when the chimes sounded." As Joyce and Tara were talking, their spouses had given each other hugs before getting out of bed. While they were showering and getting ready for breakfast, their children joined them. "Morning," said Sarah's Clan as their children entered the shower. "Good morning," replied the children cheerfully with a smile as they all glanced at Tara. Tara stuck her tongue out at them resulting in them laughing. "I'm not really grumpy. For some reason, the chimes really startled me." "I woke up a little before the chimes," said Aoife, "and I noticed how deeply you were sleeping." "Well even though I would've liked to sleep longer, I do feel really rested." "Good," replied her spouses. "We think we all are." As they left their suite Sarah's Clan said to the other Command Staffs, "Lets not say anything this morning about our group leaving for Sol system." "We weren't planning on saying anything," replied Keriann. "Good. We don't think that those leaving today need to know those details." "Agree," replied all the Command Staffs. Later Sarah's Clan had just entered Dóchas bridge when Clarence paged the bridge. Sally said, "Go ahead, Clarence." "Three ships have exited FTL and at current velocity they are a tad over 100 light seconds out." "Have you identified them?" "Preliminary scan indicate two Iridien Spec Ops ships and one a transporter." Maeve said, "Clarence, Communications just received a message from the lead ship requesting a communication link." "Okay. We are still going to verify the ships identity." "Agree," replied Sally. "Attention on bridge," said Maeve, "going live with link to arriving ships." With Maeve's announcement, one monitor changed showing the bridge of the incoming ship. "Greetings Dóchas, this is Iridien Commander Demerti advising of our approach." "Greetings, Commander Demerti. It is good to see you again. Welcome to Celia system. How was your trip?" "Interesting. We should be there in 4 hours. Our orders are to turn around as quickly as we can however we need to check over our ships before we depart." "You are welcome to stay as long as necessary. Is there something we can do during your approach? What kind of issues are you having?" "An exterior integrity check on all three ships should answer some questions. The crew on the transporter has had some power issues and don't seem to know how to fix them. There was a weapons malfunction on both Spec Ops ships. Two weapons malfunctioned, but we were able to work around the issue temporarily. It would be nice to have these resolved before we depart." "We will alert our crew." "Good. By the way, we are only detecting you and the three freighters along with numerous small ships." "Be that as it may but we are all here." Claudette said, "Commander, it will be easier to scan your ships if you drop your cloaking." "Oops. Forgot about that." "Several ships will be coming alongside in about 30 minutes. They will advise when they begin their approach." "Great. Our AI is indicating it has the coordinates for our approach and bay assignments." "Security is telling us that the transporter doesn't match any Iridien ship in our database." "Ah ... it won't. The Tigsu provided it. We were asked to escort it here and back. The Tigsu have it designated as diplomatic ship which is used exclusively for transporting diplomats." "So how are the systems checks on the Tigsu ship going to be handled? Won't its classification cause a problem?" "No. The crew operating the ship has little contact with the area containing the diplomats. "We haven't established communications with that ships AI. We will need that to guide it into the bay." "Agree. You do know that there are several Tigsu diplomats on the ship." "No. Even so this doesn't change the communication requirement. You might remind them that it is for their safety." "Good point." "Too bad we can't get diagnostics on their power units before you get here. It would make it a bit easier to service." "Yes it would. However, I can only ask." "Okay. If we can't link then we will position them alongside. The passengers can be ferried out on shuttles then the Tigsuma can enter the ship through boarding tubes." "That will work and I'll let them know." "Anything else." "No. We'll contact again at 30 minutes out." "Engineering will advise on the surface scans. Security found a match in the Tigsu database for the ship. According to the specifications, it is a modified cruiser." "Really. I wonder why they avoided letting us on board." "Interesting. Contact again when 30 minutes out." "Affirmative." With the Commanders reply, the screen switched back to normal. Sarah said, "Star, ask Serarck and Zhaos to join us on the bridge." A few moments later Star replied, "They will be there in about 20 minutes." "Clarence, is there a Badb cruiser close to their position?" "Sarah, there are two fairly close." "Have one of the cruisers, put a Ferret and a few spiders on board the Tigsu ship." As Sarah spoke, her spouses nodded their agreement with her action. "Their goal is solely to determine the operational status of the ship." "Good idea." "Good morning, Serarck," said Sarah's Clan a short time later as she entered the bridge. "Good morning to all of you. Star said you wanted to see Zhaos and me." "Yes." "Zhaos will be along in a moment. I would have been here sooner but it is taking me a while to regain my agility." "It will come back pretty quick," said Alena, "and be even better." "What's up?" "The ship to pick up the four Tigsu diplomats will be here in a little over 3 hours. Based on the comments by the Iridien Group Commander, we may have difficulty in establishing communications with the ship." As Sarah was speaking, Zhaos entered the bridge. "Good morning, Zhaos." "Good morning." "I was just telling Serarck about the approaching ships." "I think, I heard most of it." "We now understand that there are several Tigsu diplomats on the ship. Do you know anything about the Tigsu diplomat transporters? Or what their diplomatic protocols are?" "I don't know a whole lot as I've only seen one once with my family. It is basically a repurposed Tigsu cruiser. Their cruisers are smaller than ours. It operates like two ships in one. There is one crew to operate the ship. A second crew takes care of the diplomats. I've heard that the two crews hardly speak to each other." "So the second crew is like diplomatic servants." "Yes." "How does the diplomats know what the captain is doing? Do they have any contact with the captain?" "The idea behind the two separate crews is to maintain diplomatic secrecy. The diplomats can see what the ship is doing and where it is going on a secondary console in their section. As to communication, the diplomats have their own communication center. It is my understanding that a diplomat must be present when their crew talks to the ships crew so it is usually the captain talking to a diplomat." "Sounds awkward." Laughing Serarck replied, "I've heard it described in other ways." "Are they armed?" "Not that I ever heard. They definitely shouldn't be." Zhaos said, "The last I heard, it was only the four diplomats who were returning to Tigsu." "That is correct," replied Sally. "Well unless someone changes their mind at the last minute." "Wouldn't do them much good," replied Serarck getting puzzled looks from the others. "Only Tigsu diplomats are transported on those ships. There are no exceptions that I've ever heard about." "So I guess they won't be taking their hibernation chambers with them," said Alison. "If they don't, I'd bet the four going back make a quick visit to their chambers." "They did yesterday afternoon," replied Sally. "We had already copied the documents they recovered. Until yesterday, we weren't sure who they belonged to." "So they were more involved in this than they let on." "It is plausible that they were involved in the slave trafficking. There is nothing that indicates any connection to the attempted mutiny besides they were still in hibernation at that time." "So they're really slick." "Could be. We've shared all the information we collected with our friends in the Alliance of Worlds." "Good. I'd be willing to assist when you meet with them." "Sure. We'd love to have both of you assisting." Aoife said, "You know those arriving may want to talk to those who decided to stay with us." "Possible," replied Erin, "but the Group Commander indicated they were to depart as soon as their ships had been serviced." "Serviced?" said Zhaos. "Yes. Commander Demerti said the Tigsu ship had power unit issues and that they had weapons malfunctions on both Iridien ships. Even so their weapons are operational." "That's good. The Tigsu cruisers are noted for having power unit connections loosen during operation. Due to the design it is really something that can't easily be fixed while under power." "That is good to know," said Claudette. "We'll pass that on to engineering." "So what time do you want us to come back?" asked Serarck. "A little before 1400 hours should be fine. If it changes we'll let you know." "You can contact me directly." "We asked Star as we didn't know your status." "Well we are out and about. We are very happy with the changes but it is still amazing." "Our connection with each other is stronger now," added Zhaos. "I would say smoother." "We would agree with both characterizations," replied Erin, Alison, Alena, Claudette and Tara. "It is lunch time," said Rusty. "Would you two like to join us?" "Sure." ------- Later Engineering determined that Zhaos was correct about the Tigsu power units. The Órarduine engineers did the repairs using robots as the spaces were too small for them to work in without a lot of extra work. It took several hours to correct the malfunctions in the weapons systems on the Iridien Spec Ops ships. The malfunctions were the result of several problems that were both mechanical and software related. It was just after 1800 hours when Commander Demerti and Sarah's Clan said their good byes in the hanger on Dóchas. Sarah's Clan then joined the Tigsu diplomats who arrived with the shuttle along with Serarck and Zhaos in an Órarduine shuttle for the short trip out to their ship. The Órarduine weren't able to resolve the communication issue with the Tigsu ship so the diplomats had to use the boarding tubes to move between ships. On board the shuttle the senior diplomat said, "Sarah's Clan, again we wish to thank you for the hospitality and the assistance you have given us. As we mentioned earlier, when we were first told of your rescue of our people and the circumstances, we had great difficulty in believing such things were occurring. We understand the situation much better now that we've met with those you rescued and your family. You are an amazing group of people. We hope that we can build a relationship that will benefit both our worlds. Again thank you for assisting our people. "Serarck and Zhaos, we understand why you've made the choices you've made and we wish you the best. We think you've chosen a great group of people to join." Sarah's Clan said, "Thank you for making the trip to see us. We have enjoyed our brief visit with you and you should come again when you can stay longer. Perhaps after we inhabit our settlement on Anann." "We will look forward to that invitation." With that the two groups shook hands as the diplomats began making their way through the boarding tube. Once the two ships had secured their doors, the Órarduine shuttle moved back toward Dóchas. The Tigsu ship moved away from Dóchas and toward their two escorts. The Órarduine shuttle had just settled into its cradle when Sarah's Clan heard Demerti say, "Dóchas FOC, requesting permission to depart." "Permission granted," was the crisp reply by Sabrina. "Tell your crew that we really appreciate your hospitality." "You are welcome. Come back when you can stay longer." "We will." With his last comment the group of three ships began to accelerate away from Dóchas along the same path they had taken to arrive. "It will be good to see our friends from Alliance of Worlds again in a few weeks," said Aoife. "Yes. I was a little surprise when Demerti told us that our friends were coming with their official delegations." "Were these the people you met from Alliance of Worlds in Sol system?" asked Serarck. "Yes. My impression is that it is the same group of ships and crews who are bringing the delegations here." "We will look forward to meeting them. Demerti and his crew has a lot of respect for this family and especially Briana's Clan and yours." "I'm ready for dinner," said Judy. "Let's go." "After dinner, we should remind everyone that time will change at 2400 hours ships time." "Agree. Adjusting to this change is going to take time." "Command Staffs," said Sarah, "during announcements we probably should remind the family that the time change will take place a 2400 hours ships time." "We had that on our list," replied Siobhan. Her reply was quickly followed by similar comments from the other Command Staffs. ------- Chapter 181 It was early morning when Sarah rolled on to her back. Feeling Sarah's movement, Joyce moved closer to Sarah to place her head on Sarah's shoulder as she placed a hand over Sarah's breast. After a few moments Joyce's hand moved so her fingers could caress Sarah's nipple. Now fully awake, Sarah shifted so that Joyce's head lay in a more comfortable spot on her shoulder and began to caress Joyce's back. Sarah enjoyed Joyce's caresses even though she suspected she might be a substitute for someone in Joyce's dream. Sensing Sarah was awake Aoife said, "Good morning, Sarah." "Good morning, Aoife. This was one of the best nights sleep I've had in a long time." "I did as well. Even so its early as we have two hours before we need to get ready for breakfast." "Well, I'm not inclined to lay in bed that long," added Erin, "and good morning." "Good morning," replied several others. "I wouldn't mind meditating here with all of you for a while," added Alena. "Although, two hours is a long time to do that with all we need to attend to." "I think it's going to take a while for us to adjust to our new clock and longer day," responded Alison. "Well," said Janet, "I think the difficult part will be redefining our feeling for the different segments of the day. Our breakfast is now occurs two hours later at 08:00 hours Anann time (AT) which is the time when we use to start of our work day. Now it begins at 10:00 hours AT which seems wrong even though it is not." "The time now associated with dinner is even stranger as it is at 22:00 hours AT which is the time we use to consider as time for bed," replied Judy. Jill added, "Actually, the only thing that has changed is the beginning and ending times for morning, afternoon and evening segments." "So you're under the impression that the time shift changes the definition of what constitutes morning, afternoon, and evening and result in scheduling mistakes," replied Erin. "Yea, sort of." "I'm not sure that is true. Shift changes are now at 00:00, 10:00 and 20:00 hours AT. Food service decided to offer a fresh meal 3 hours before and 2 hours after each shift change. Ann's Clan made the change so they could provide each shift with fresher meals and a increase the variety. The dining area is still operating around the clock. "It will likely take us a while to change our association between actual time and the categorical segments of a day. This shouldn't be a scheduling issue because we nearly always schedule an activity with a specific time rather than a categorical time. For casual activities the categorical times work fine as morning means between breakfast and lunch, afternoon means between lunch and dinner and so forth. So my impression is that this shouldn't cause any problems." "I agree and now I am not sure why I thought there would be an issue." "Hopefully there won't be one," replied several. "Claudette," added Alison, "I'm glad you thought of adding MT and AT after the time to indicate Mars time and Anann time." "Well it will hopefully avoid some confusion. An Clochán has been advised of our change, so they are appending the appropriate reference acronym as well." "Good." "Since we have some time, how about exploring Gaillimh Island or Tara Ardchlár before breakfast?" asked Maeve. "I like that idea," said Alena. "With the time we have, we can easily accomplish a dream walk of Tara Ardchlár. We wouldn't have enough time to explore very much of Gaillimh Island before needing to return for breakfast." "Neat," replied Jill, "that means we will be there when day breaks." "We can go as soon as everyone is awake," said Sarah. "Talk about fulfilling a dream," said Joyce. "My dream was about doing just that." "Was it a good dream?" "Yes, from what I remember." "Are Sally and Rusty awake yet?" "Close." "They kind of wore each other out last night." "Yea along with the rest of us. It did feel good though. You know I find it very difficult to imagine life without our ability to actively share thoughts and feelings." "Now that idea would scare a lot of our friends on Earth," said Sally. "Well I don't know that scare is the right description, not believe may be better." "You're awake." "Yea. Rusty will be awake in a few moments. I think I was hooked into Joyce's dream. It was interesting." "The way you say interesting gives me the feeling that it was a premonition." "Possibly ... we can talk about it later. I need to use the bathroom before we take a dream walk." "Darn good idea," said Rusty. "You're awake." "You really expect me to sleep with all the energy bubbling around this room." "Not really. Let's do it." "I thought you wanted to use the bathroom," replied Jill with a bit of a grin. "Jill, we 'did it' last night." "Well, we could 'do it' again." "Yes, but this time we have something else in mind. Are you still horny?" "Not really, but..." "Enough ... I'm using the restroom now." They were chuckling at the 'do it' double entendre as they went to use the restroom. "Jill, do you know where the phrase 'do it' gained its double entendre use?" asked Judy. "The one I remember was in 'Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman' late night TV show. There could be other instances." "Yep. Too bad the show wasn't on longer than it was. It was pretty comical." "I agree," replied several. They were quickly back on their bed sitting in a circle with their arms joined together behind their adjacent spouses. Forming an interwoven circle had become their preferred way to embark on a dream-walk. While the interwoven circle wasn't a necessity, it did give them a comfortable feeling. With Aoife and Tara leading them, their first stop was the settlement on Tara Ardchlár. The site was easy to see as they made their approach. This was due to the combination of moonlight and artificial light coupled with their sensitive eyesight. They were a little surprised by the amount of activity. Their first stop was the medical facility habitat. This was of special interest as it was one of the critical items to complete before they could fully implement their settlement development. They were pleasantly surprised to find the facility was setup and operational. As they were exiting the habitat Judy said, "Wow, they are already operational." "You sound surprised." "Yes, I really am. They did tell us the medical facility would be operational this morning. I didn't question their statement, but I have to admit that I took it with a grain of salt." "This went fast because they only needed to assemble it then move in the equipment," replied Claudette. "The other temporary facilities will take longer but perhaps not as long as we've scheduled. Hopefully, the new construction will go as smoothly." "With it operational, one of the constraints on the number of people working on the planet at one time is eliminated." "Good." From there, they visited each of the different activities in progress. Sometimes those working in the area would stop and look in their direction for a few moments, then after not seeing anything, return to their task. Soon their travel found them standing on the main East - West path through the settlement looking toward the East. The eastern horizon was just beginning to lighten due to the approaching sunrise. "I didn't realize the ground rose that much going toward the East," said Joyce. "I didn't either," added Janet as she turned, "but look there is about the same amount of rise to the West as well." "When we viewed the survey videos of this area, it didn't seem like either rise was as great as it is. So perhaps it is more difficult to get a good feel for relative sizes when looking at our survey videos." "The difference you're seeing is likely due to not having a good frame of reference," said Sally. "By the way the eastern sky is growing brighter, it won't be long until Celia rises above the horizon," said Tara. "Lets go East to the top of the crest to see if we have a better view. We have a good 45 minutes before the edge of Celia breaks the horizon." "I wonder if the glow and changing colors occurs every morning. It is pretty sight." When Sarah's Clan reached the crest Celia hadn't quite broken the horizon. They took a moment to scan their surroundings. It was then they realized that the knoll was in the middle of a meadow and the knoll was higher than it appeared at first. The thought of a meadow immediately brought back memories of the secluded meadow on Comrie a long time ago and the events that occurred there. The topology here was distinctly different than the one on Comrie but none of them questioned why the view triggered those remembrances. Turning toward the East, they moved to form a semi-circle with Sarah and Rusty in the middle of their arc. With their arms around their adjacent spouses, they watched the horizon grow brighter. As they quietly watched the sunrise, memories of their journey here surfaced. The memories began with the first meeting of Sarah, Rusty, Sally and Joyce then their evolution from there, as the meeting of these four were the beginning of Sarah's Clan. Their memories resurfaced in sequence beginning with that first meeting and rapidly progressed through key events of their journey here. This resurgence of Sarah's Clan's memories lasted until Celia was fully above the horizon. "Wow," said Sarah breaking the silence. "The sunrise was beautiful." "Yes. It was," replied her spouses. "I wonder what triggered us remembering all of those events," said Janet. "I don't know," replied Erin. "Occasionally one or two will resurface. Which ones seems to depend on current events. I've thought it was perhaps a way to remind me of a similar or related situation I've experienced. I've never had so many bubble up at one time." "I've had similar experiences," added Sarah with many of her spouses nodding in agreement. "Like Erin, each time those that surfaced were somewhat connected to current events. This morning, they seemed just like a quick look at our past." "Is it the way we keep our selves anchored so we remember our goal?" "A good question, but one that will be difficult if not impossible to answer definitively." "We need to be getting back," said Aoife. "Yes. This is a lovely location," said Sarah. "Should we propose having tomorrows ceremony here?" "There isn't much time," replied Claudette, "although the proposed arrangement I saw wasn't very involved." "First, let's bounce the idea off the other Command Staffs. If they agree, then we can point out the location to the task group organizing the ceremony." "Agreed," replied her spouses. When they turned to leave, they saw Aine and Brigit approaching them. "Good morning Aine. Brigit." "Good morning." "This is a surprise," said Sarah. "What's up?" "Nothing special. We were up early, so we thought we would look around." "We woke up early as well. Early enough we decided to explore the settlement before breakfast." "We noticed. So what did you think of the sunrise?" "It was really neat," responded Aoife. "The variety of colors seemed different than what I remember seeing on Earth." "We've seen differences in the colors at sunrise and sunset between the different worlds we've visited." "I would attribute those differences to the star's color and the composition of the planet's atmosphere," added Jill. "That makes sense," replied Brigit. Sarah said, "We are heading back as we still need to exercise and freshen up before breakfast. You are welcome to join us." "We would like that. We'll meet you there." A few moments later on Dóchas in their suite Sarah's Clan began to move about. As she moved to stretch Joyce said, "I really like Tara Ardchlár. I'm glad we had time to see the sunrise." "I wonder if sunrise is always so colorful," said Tara as they moved off their bed. "Morrigan told us that this planet has some colorful sunrises and sunsets," replied Aine as Brigit and her appeared. "Has she been here before?" asked Terry as they moved to the exercise benches. "I had the impression that she was here a long time ago. It was likely more than a couple of hundred orbits." "We haven't seen any evidence of past inhabitants. Do you know why she was here?" "No. You should ask her?" "We feel a little uncomfortable asking any of you, where you've been. We really don't want to pry into your activities." "I don't see it as prying," replied Brigit. "I'm sure the others agree with me. We aren't use to sharing the highlights of our trips and we aren't sure you would find our trips very interesting. If we can't talk about a trip, we will likely say so or change the subject. In thinking about it, since we've begun living here, there have only been a few times when I would've avoided an answer." "Well I would be interested in hearing of your adventures," responded Joyce. "We will share them when we can. Be sure and prompt us as we aren't use to sharing them." "When I see Morrigan, I'll ask her what she remembers of Anann," said Sally. As Sarah's Clan walked toward the dining hall Siobhan's Clan asked, "What are you going to say about this morning?" "Just that we took a dream-walk to Tara Ardchlár. While we were there, we visited the knoll east of the settlement. We found it to be a great place to watch the sun rise. There is a similar rise to the west so it may provide a great view of sunset." "How about we connect to Dóchas when you tell of your visit to Tara Ardchlár and the sunrise?" "That is a good idea as there will be a lot of interaction between the different groups today. As far as we know the time change went smoothly. So about the only other thing we have is answering questions, as the schedules are set unless there are last minute issues. The medical facility is operational so that constraint on activities is removed." "Agree. We sense all eight clans are in this link so I think we are all in agreement." "Yes." "By the way, we would like for all of us to meet at 10:00 hours AT on the knoll East of Tara Ardchlár." "So you are thinking of having the ceremony there." "We thought it might be a good choice. All of us need to see it, then if we all agree, we can propose it to those making the arrangements for tomorrows ceremony. We'll have several hours before we need to be back for lunch although I don't think we will need that much time." "How much site preparation will be needed?" "From our perspective, it is fine the way it is. However, we should leave it in the organizers hands." "Agreed. There will be at least 3000 at the ceremony." "That's true. See you later." ------- On the ships in Destiny Group's, it was 05:00 hours AT on their fourth day above Anann. This was their second day on the longer 30 hour clock cycle. On Dóchas, Alison muttered, "Wow," after glancing at the clock, "this is going to take a little getting use to." "What do you mean?" asked Alena. "Well, we went to bed a little on the late side, shared our love, had a good nights rest and we are still up early." "It wasn't all that late when we went to sleep. I did sleep very well even though I did dream about us." "The same for me," said Joyce. Alena said after a moments pause, "Do you realize that our dreams were almost identical. Well identical but each of us has a different perspective." "I agree," added Janet after a moment. "This is the first time I can remember each of us having essentially the same dream." "We've had similar ones before," added Claudette. "Yes, but I don't remember them being nearly identical except for perspective." "True." "We should wait and see if it happens again," said Aoife, "before we draw any conclusions or try to determine if there is a reason." "Agreed," replied everyone. "I'm going to exercise," said Sarah as she moved toward that area along with Rusty and Alison. "We need to be in the hanger at 06:00 hours AT as dawn is at 06:50 hours." "We're coming," replied several spouses. They had just finished putting their formal ceremonial robes on when Aine arrived. "Good morning, Aine," said Sarah's Clan. "Good morning. You all look great." "So do you," said Alena. Aine was wearing a silvery white robe that was identical to the rich purple colored robes Sarah's Clan was wearing. As she moved, her robe's color shimmered similar to the way the purple Órarduine ceremonial robes shimmered. Their robes reached down to just below their knees "Thanks. This robe is really comfortable. It does feel strange to have something constantly touching my body. Our stay with you this time has been much longer than in the past so I suspect I've adapted to being naked most of the time. In spite of that all of us really like the way this fabric feels and looks. We like it so much we may wear it on some of our trips." "We agree with you that it feels strange to be wearing a covering and not working. I think once the ceremony is over we will likely opt for our normal appearance. "So, your sisters are wearing them as well?" "Yes. I suspect we will put them away right after the ceremony." "We plan on doing the same. "The robe really gives you a regal appearance, so much so that some may think you are a goddess." "The same is true for your group. For some groups we meet that would be a concern so we will likely continue wearing our traditional costume on our trips. I like the way you've placed the Órarduine mark on the back of your robes." "We considered putting just one large mark on the back but with the opening in the back for our mane it didn't look right." "It looks great. The way it is shaded the 3D aspect of the symbols embedded in the octahedron really stands out." "Thanks." "Are we ready?" "Yes." "Are the children going with us?." "They told us they would meet us there," replied Sarah. "Sarah, I think they said that they would meet us later on Anann," added Alena. "In any case, they either left before we woke up or they didn't come back last night." "They are up to something," said Joyce. When she noticed Aine's expression change slightly, she added, "I'll bet Aine knows something." "Well, not really." "Okay, then you have a suspicion." "That may be closer. If it is what I suspect then you will like it. It is time, let's go." They met Amy's Clan and Morrigan at the entrance to the hanger bay. After greeting each other Rusty looked around then said, "Its been a long time since the hanger was this empty. It looks strange and a bit unsettling." "Yes. It does," replied Jim of Amy's Clan. "See you on the island," said Jill of Sarah's Clan as the two clans moved toward their shuttles. "Yes," replied Amy's Clan. One after the other a shuttle carrying a Command Staff Clan slowly moved away from its parent ship. Each turned toward Anann's North Pole then moved into a v shaped formation before beginning their descent toward the planet. Sarah Clan's shuttle led the formation with the subsequent positions in order of accepting their Command Staff role. Once they were well North of the Gaillimh Island they made a sweeping turn to the West as they continued their descent. When they began their turn to the West, the eight shuttles suspended their cloaking. Their turn continued until they were heading East toward Gaillimh Island. Their final approach was toward a special landing area just short of the eastern knoll. There was a large group of Órarduine assembled around the new pavilion on the eastern knoll. The group formed a circle around the knoll's crest except for a path between the pavilion and the landing area. Centered on the knoll's crest was an open air pavilion. In the center of the pavilion stood a 3D holographic image of the Órarduine mark on a octagon shaped platform. Each side of the upper platform was 4 meters in length which was centered on a larger octagon. The larger octagon had a radius some 3 meters larger than the inner one. At each point of the larger octagon stood a round column 4 meters tall. A large beam connected each column to its adjacent columns. When the shuttles were on final approach, they shifted to single file. The shuttle carrying Sarah's Clan landed first. Once they disembarked, they formed four columns of four and begin their walk toward the octagon. With their first step toward the octagon, the Órarduine musicians began playing their march. Once Sarah's Clan began walking, their shuttle lifted off letting the shuttle carrying Amy's Clan land. Amy's Clan exited to form four columns of two then began walking toward the octagon. Amy's Clan was followed by Siobhan's, Maureen's, Keriann's, Kathryn's, Molly's then Jackie's Clans. The timing was such that each of them reached their position around the octagon at the same moment. Sarah's Clan was at the eastern most side. They were flanked by Amy's and Siobhan's Clans. When the eight clans reached their positions around the octagon, they paused then turned to face the pavilion. At each point of the upper octagon, stood a mentor. Aine was at the point between Sarah's Clan and Siobhan's Clan. Morrigan was at the point between them and Amy's Clan. The Command Staffs stepped up on to the platform as the Órarduine mark began to slowly rotate on each axis in a random pattern such that everyone would see each face of the octahedron. After a few moments, the images on the octahedron faces began to alternate between a Command Staff and the Órarduine mark until the band stopped playing. When the band stopped playing, the mentors as one said, "We are gathered here this morning to hear these eight clans accept the challenge you've asked them to take by being the first members of The Council of Celia. We shall hear each clan's oath individually and in the order that they chose to accept the position of Command Staff in the Órarduine World." Just as the sun broke the horizon the mentors said, "Sarah's Clan." As the mentors uttered the phrase initiating the taking of the oaths, the octagon pavilion was bathed by a column of gold colored light. The appearance of the light and resulting glow caused a collective gasp from the surprised Órarduine audience. Those who took a moment to look up were puzzled as there didn't appear to be a source for the light. Hardly missing a beat, as one Sarah's Clan said, "In the presence of the Gods, Goddesses and our family we, Sarah's Clan, as one and as individuals, do solemnly and sincerely promise and declare that we will maintain the Constitution of Celia World and uphold its laws, that we will fulfill our duties faithfully and conscientiously in accordance with our Constitution and law, and that we will dedicate our abilities to the service and welfare of the people of Celia World. May the Gods and Goddesses continue to direct and sustain us." "Amy's Clan," said the mentors. As each clans name was called, they repeated the oath both verbally and telepathically so everyone in their family could hear them regardless of their location in Celia system. When Jackie's Clan finished their oath, a flight of 16 Star Fighters passed quietly over head from west to east. They were followed by seven flights of eight. Once past coast of Gaillimh, the lead ship of each flight then separated to form a tetrahedron formation with a ship at each point. Holding this formation, they turned back toward the island flying just 100 meters above the ground, when they were above the Council of Celia, the formation rotated and flew straight up toward space and were soon out of sight. Sarah said, "So now we know where our children were this morning." "The first flight was flown by your children. In the subsequent flights, there was one in each flight group," replied Aine. Once the Star Fighters were out of sight, the chorus began singing the Órarduine anthem. They were quickly joined in singing by everyone assembled on the knoll and at other locations. When the anthem finished, the eight clans turned around to face their family. Together they said, "Órarduine, we wish to thank you for the trust you have placed in us by selecting us to be the first members of the Council of Celia. Together we have come a long way from our first contact. During that time, we've learned a lot. We've met and over come many challenges. Now our journey through life is taking another turn as we begin establishing our new home. As we grow we will face many new challenges together. We will be successful in meeting those challenges as long as we are respectful of each other and support each other in our endeavors both collectively and individually. Our success is as always dependent on us working together to make every one's future the best it can be. "We are very thankful for the blessings we've received from the Gods and Goddesses as well as the assistance provided by the 'Old Ones' as represented by our Mentors. Without those blessings, it would have been a struggle to be here today. "We must continue to be vigilant in order to maintain our security and continue our prosperity. We have faults which we must work to overcome. We have been granted abilities that many believe are impossible, implausible or even god like. To succeed and prosper, we must use these abilities wisely as we grow to populate this planet and continue our journey through the stars. To do otherwise will destroy us and those we love. "We love and admire, each and every one of you for your accomplishments and for just being you. May the Gods and Goddesses continue to bless us, our mentors and the 'Old Ones'." When the Councilor's stopped speaking, it was very quiet for a few moments before the applause began which was quickly followed by cheering and multiple chants of hip hip hurray. Sarah said, "Does everyone realize that the celebration starts now and that breakfast is available at the settlement site? Should we make an announcement?" "An announcement wouldn't hurt," replied Siobhan. "How will you be heard over this noise?" "Tell the band and chorus to strike up a song, then we can make the announcement at the end of it." After the song of praise and thanksgiving ended, together the Councilors said, "As our first act, we would like to propose this location be set aside to be a place of contemplation and meditation as well as future ceremonies. We envision this area as consisting of this knoll and the surrounding field to the tree line." "Yes," was the reply. "We would like to remind everyone that our Founder's Day celebration will be from now until sunrise tomorrow. So let us begin." After they finished speaking, many of those attending the ceremony came up to offer their congratulations. It was over an hour before those staying to congratulate the Councilors departed. The Councilors gathered in a circle with the mentors. Sarah said, "Is there anything we need to discuss before we join the celebration?" "Not that we know of," replied Kathryn. "We need to leave soon as we go on duty at 08:00 hours AT but will be back after our shift." "Is our task group still leaving for An Clochán tomorrow?" asked Maureen. "Yes," replied Tara. "The departure time is now 25:00 hours AT so they will leave right after dinner." "Just to remind everyone," said Keriann, "the task group is now seven Babd cruisers along with their normal flight groups. Two security teams will be on each cruiser. This leaves enough room to accommodate the returning reporters along with their families." "Haven't some decided to stay?" asked Cariss of Jackie's Clan. "Yes. We should save the details for when we have more time." "Okay." Brigid of Keriann's Clan said, "All the comments I heard about our oath of office ceremony were very positive. Several commented on the gold column of light. They thought it really set the scene but wondered how it was done as they couldn't see a source." Aine replied, "We think we know the source of the gold light, but would like to confirm it first. The ceremony was executed perfectly. We will congratulate the group who planned it, when we see them. Beforehand our only concern was whether each of your clans would reach your position to step up on the platform at the same time." "The band's tempo and our link with each other probably played a big role achieving that." Creidne responded with, "In any case, the ceremony was well done in planning, orchestration and execution. Your acceptance comments were very appropriate as they establish consistency with the families stated goals." "Thanks," replied the Command Staffs. Joyce said, "I think its time to go get some breakfast. The eating area is over toward where the settlement is being built." "We'll see you guys later," said Kathryn's Clan. After giving everyone a hug, they hurried toward their waiting shuttle. The group started toward the settlement area when they saw the children of Sarah's Clan running toward them. The children stopped just before reaching them and together said, "Congratulations." Then they moved to hug and congratulate everyone while paying special attention to their moms and dad. Once the children greeted everyone and the group was headed toward the dining area Sarah asked, "So how long have you guys been practicing those maneuvers?" "We worked it all out on the flight simulators then did a practice run late last night. Did you like it?" "Yes," replied the Command Staffs. "So which do you like better, flying in space or in an atmosphere?" asked Chester. "That is difficult to answer because they are really different environments," replied Keri. "Flying our space ships in the planet's atmosphere is a bit more challenging because our ships response to commands has a different feel than we feel in space." Kennith added, "While some of us did some flying in Earth's atmosphere, most of those activities were mission orientated rather what we did today. For the last few weeks, we've used the flight simulators to become more accustomed to atmospheric flight. Once it was decided to do the flyovers, we used the flight simulators to practice, then early this morning we did some practice runs at another locations. Our practice on the simulators was realistic enough that we only needed two practice runs. We are very fortunate to have the simulators." Joyce said, "The flight simulators have a link with our operational ships so they get real time data to use in improving their routines." "Smart." Melissa said, "The Star Fighter pilots going with the task force to Sol system are practicing atmospheric flying later today and tomorrow." "We are going to work with them as we all want more experience with atmospheric flight." "Fine," replied their mothers, "just don't forget your studies." "Yes, Mother," replied all the children causing many in the group to chuckle as it brought back memories. As they started through the buffet line Aine said, "This looks very good." "Are your meals like this all the time?" asked Morrigan. "Pretty much," replied Alison. "It looks like we have a wider selection this morning. Typically our meals focus on a few dishes with the focus changing day to day. It makes the meals more interesting as there is something different each day." "Aine," said Morrigan, "you didn't tell us about the food selection." "I did too. I told you it was very good." "Well if I'd realized how good, I would have been here sooner. How do you keep from gaining weight?" "Exercise and not eating too much. I'll admit it is still very tempting to over fill your plate." Once they had their plates filled the group moved over to an open area and sat on the ground. The food was obviously well liked because hardly a word was said while they ate. "We are fortunate that the Connemare developed an excellent replicator for food. However, when we first began to use it, its tastiness wasn't all that great," said Erin. "So this is synthesized?" asked Branwen a new member of Aine's group. "Partially. The replicators capabilities have been improved so that the texture and taste matches what is expected of the real thing. Besides the food from the replicators, we grow some food on the ships. It is not nearly enough to feed everyone, but it gives us some variety. The gardens on the ships provide all of our seasonings as well as most greens." "Atriums? That is unique." "Yes. Each Dóchas class ships has one. Besides providing fresh food, it also provides the crew with a place to relax." Claudette added, "Most space ship designers avoid including an atrium because of the added environmental issues which are mostly from the additional moisture. We find that is offset by its other benefits. The personal swimming pools give us more of a moisture issue until we learned how to accommodate them." "Personal swimming pools, what is that?" "It is a tank just large enough for a person to float or swim without touching the sides. Once the person begins swimming the water flows past them fast enough to keep them in the center of the tank. Yes it is different than swimming in open water but it is excellent exercise. The tanks serve other purposes as well." "Swimming pools and atriums are not something I've seen on a war ship," replied Branwen. Rusty smiled as he replied, "Well strictly speaking, our current ships aren't war ships. The core design can be used for either an exploration ship or a warship. Initially Dóchas was an exploration ship with limited weapons. When our group began to form, Dóchas had to be refurbished. In doing that and subsequent upgrades, it was expanded into to what you see today. Now it is closer to a classic space warship than when it arrived in Sol system but its mission doesn't quite fit either a warship or exploration ship. "The current mission of our Dóchas class ships was to get us here and provide weapons capability to defend ourselves. Each ship is really a traveling community as our families are traveling with us, in fact they are part of the crew. Facilities are provided for the children to play and learn. As the children grow, they are assigned tasks appropriate for their age and knowledge. These are especially important during emergencies as they can provide support in responding to emergencies releasing older crew members for other tasks. They probably grow up a little faster than someone on a planet because of the inherent danger of living in a space ship." "Interesting." As they finished breakfast Sarah's Clan, Aine, Brigit and Morrigan told stories about their adventures and people they've met. "We're going over to the volley ball courts," said Keri as she stood. "Where are they?" asked Jill. "Over past where the space port – air field will be. They found some sand so the courts are covered with several inches of sand so we have real beach volley ball. There are four soccer fields as well." "Playing volley ball on a sand court will be a lot different from what we are use to," said Moya of Sarah's Clan. "Well it's approaching time for us to leave for Dóchas," said Sarah. "Our tour on the bridge starts at 10:00. We'll be back shortly after lunch, probably a little after 16:00 hours AT." "The singing and dancing starts mid afternoon," added Janet. "That starts at 18:00 hours," replied Jordana. "We are on stage just before dinner at 23:00 hours." "We'll be there to hear you," said Sarah's Clan as they gave their children hugs in preparation for leave. Turning to Aine, Morrigan, Branwen and Brigit they said, "We hope you enjoyed this morning as much as we did, hopefully we will see you this afternoon. In the meantime, if you need anything or have a question, please don't hesitate to ask." "Oh we will," replied Morrigan and Branwen. Sarah's Clan gave their friends a hug and kiss before heading for a shuttle to take them up to Dóchas. As they neared a shuttle they heard Keriann's Clan say, "Could we ride with you?" Turning they saw Keriann's Clan hurrying toward them. "Sure," they replied. Once they were in the shuttle, the AI said, "Good morning, Councilors. Congratulations." "Thank you," replied the two clans as they settled in their seats. "Our trip will take us about 85 minutes. Which ship will be our first destination?" Looking at Sarah, Keriann said, "Would you mind if we spent some time with you on Dóchas?" "We would love to have you. However, we are scheduled to be on the bridge. Does that work for you all?" "That will be fine," replied Kelly. "Alpha9 AI, we will be going to Dóchas," said Rusty. "Dóchas, it is." "Why is it taking 85 minutes?" "To accommodate cloaking requirement and the amount of traffic moving crew between the ships and the planet." Tara added, "Our directive to move away from parent ship cloaked then change to a random vector before uncloaking is the primary reason for the congestion." "We are not sure this directive is now providing us any real benefit," said Keriann. After a moment Sarah's Clan said, "We agree." "It did seem like a good idea when we arrived," said Sally. "We agree," said Keriann's Clan. "It did then." Kelly continued with, "Now we have our detectors all linked together so we are not gaining much from the cloaking game. We now have a lot of exposed activity on Anann with no apparent protection. With our ships visible, it would show anyone entering this system that those on the surface had support." "So we are agreed to drop the cloaking directive," said Sally. "Agreed," replied everyone. "Destiny group Flight Directors," said Sally, "effectively immediately the cloaking directive is rescinded." "Aye. Aye." "Destiny group, drop cloaking on all Dóchas class ships at your convenience." "Aye. Aye." "So what was your impression of the ceremony?" said Janet to Keriann's Clan. "It was probably the most formal thing we have ever done," replied Kelly causing everyone to chuckle. "Well as an Órarduine. Graduation from the academy was a pretty formal event but really in another life." "Well," replied Alena, "what about the meeting we hosted on Mars for the Alliance of Worlds and selected Earth's governments? That was pretty formal." "True. But we weren't really in the middle of that," said Brigid of Keriann's Clan. "This was just another milestone in our effort to grow our family and establish a home," replied Joyce of Sarah's Clan. "It may seem much more significant in a 100 years or so." "Good point," said Eleánóir of Keriann's Clan "Several people told me that they were quite pleased with our acceptance speech," said Chester. "They all thought we put our situation in perfect perspective." "Good," replied Tara. "We heard similar comments. The fly over was a big surprise." "Yes. We think everyone was surprised. It was well done." "How are your babies doing?" asked Joyce. "They are doing great," replied Keriann as she rubbed her bulge. "Mine too," added Oriel. "I will be glad when they are born." "Aren't their births two months off?" "Yes," replied Brigid, "but with the change in our calendar it is now just a little over six weeks away." "Maureen, Colleen, Crystal, and Courtney are due in about four weeks, if I remember correctly." "Theirs are expected about the time our visitors depart. The last time I discussed our babies with Caitlyn of Siobhan's Clan, she indicated theirs were due before those in Maureen's Clan. If I remember correctly there are now only a few weeks difference." "How many children will arrive in the next six months or so?" asked Oriel of Keriann's Clan. "If I remember correctly," responded Judy, "there will be just a little over a thousand. We've asked each clan to give us an idea of their plans so we can be ready." "In hindsight, it would have been better if we had waited," said Keriann. "Why is that?" "The way its turned out, I think we've set a poor example. As a family, we've since decided to go slow on adding children which was after we already conceived." "I don't see it that way," replied Aoife. "As a family, once we realized the problem, we didn't say no one should have children for a year or so, and then when you do, space them out. We simply shared with them the impact of adding children too quickly to our family. What we don't want to happen is what we naively did right after becoming Órarduine. We were fortunate to find the group who were interested, available and willing to be with us all the time. Without them, it would have likely been very difficult. In addition to that we had a lot of spontaneous assistance from our crew. You will likely have the same assistance." The two clans chatted as the shuttle made its way toward Dóchas. When shuttle lined up for final approach, a chime sounded in the cabin interrupting them. Alison looked out the flight deck window and saw they were on final approach. "That wasn't as long as I expected." "Our flight time was 46 minutes," replied the AI. "Now that our routes are direct, the flight down will take22 minutes and the flight up38 minutes." Moments later the shuttle settled into its cradle and the hatch opened. "Thank you for the uneventful trip Alpha9," said the two clans as they prepared to leave the ship. "An uneventful flight is always preferred. It was a pleasure to have you on board. Have a good day." As they exited the ship, they were greeted by the crew members waiting to board for the trip down to Anann. They made sure that everyone received a handshake or hug from one of them as they accepted congratulations from the crew. As they stepped into the corridor Erin said, "I didn't expect that. Think others will do the same?" "Probably for the rest of the day," replied Caitlyn of Keriann's Clan as they made their way toward the bridge. They stopped several times to talk with members of the crew. Entering the bridge Briana said, "Great. You are here." "Congratulations," said Briana's Clan. "Thank you," replied Sarah's and Keriann's Clans. "Sorry for delaying you, but we expected to be here sooner," said Sarah. "Anything we need to be aware of before transferring command." "Flight operations are much smoother since we dropped cloaking. The next group of long range patrols for Celia system have departed. The returning group will arrive in approximately 4 hours. Crews on the freighters are readying the items for tomorrow's shipments down to Anann. All Dóchas class ships are in standby mode with all FCS manned and all sensors operating in passive mode." "Okay. We are ready to relieve you." "The bridge is yours." "Have a great time today." "We will," replied Briana's Clan then gave everyone a hug as they left the bridge. It was quiet while Sarah's Clan checked their consoles. After a few moments Sarah said, "What did you all think of this morning?" "Beyond what we said earlier," replied Kelly, "we are even more impressed with the location. Although, we still want to see a sunrise, as we didn't get to see much of this one. I'm curious. Where did the golden light come from?" Joyce said, "Aine indicated that she thought she knew but wanted to check it out before she commented. I did notice that it didn't reflect off of any surfaces which would indicate that it wasn't a point source." "We're glad you brought the location to our attention. We've felt really comfortable there each time we've been there." "We do as well," replied Sarah, "although peaceful might be a better word." "Picky." The quick reply resulted in everyone laughing. They spent the next couple of hours discussing upcoming activities on Anann, the situation in Sol system and the transition to living on a new planet in particular Anann. It was approaching lunch time when Keriann said, "I've really enjoyed this morning with you all, but we need to get back to our ship. We are due on the bridge right after lunch." "Well we've enjoyed your company as always," replied Sarah's Clan. "We should do this sometime without the distraction of being on the bridge." "Well we did accomplish more than just socializing," responded Chester. "Yes we did. We'll see you this evening on Anann." "Sure. We're going back down after our bridge tour but we don't plan on staying real late." "Neither do we." Keriann's Clan exchanged hugs with Sarah's Clan before leaving for the hanger and a shuttle to take them to Iarracht. Sarah's Clan was quite busy dealing with a number of issues in the fleet after Keriann's Clan departed. During this the thought occurred to several of them that the inrush of issues was their penalty for having visitors on the bridge. When things settled down Rusty said, "I'm glad Keriann's Clan visited for a while." "Yes," replied his spouses. Joyce added, "Perhaps we will have more time to spend with our friends when we move down to the planet." "I'm not sure about more time," replied Maeve, "but it should be more convenient." "There is that. We certainly saw more of them when we lived on Comrie." "Everyone knows the Command Staff meeting tomorrow will likely last most of the day," said Sarah. "Yes." "Let's go to lunch," said Judy. "An excellent idea," replied Sarah. "Star, we will be monitoring the bridge remotely." "Acknowledged." ------- Chapter 182 It was nearly 17:00 hours AT when Sarah's Clan arrived back at Tara Ardchlár. They were surprised to find Keri and Iris waiting for them. "Good you're here," said Keri and Iris together. "So what's up?" asked Sarah with a bit of concern showing in her tone. "Bad day?" replied Keri. "No. Not at all. And my apologies for sounding the way I did. Some of us just feel a bit edgy but don't know why. Maybe it's because everything is moving along so well." As Sarah was speaking, Keri gave her an intense hug. "Mom, you don't need to apologize. We feel your apprehension." After both hugged Sarah, they greeted their parents with hugs. Before Sarah could respond Joyce said, "So how is the celebration going? Are you having a good time?" "It's fantastic. We did great in our volley ball matches. Right now some are playing basketball while others are participating in a jam session. Music sounds really different here." "I'm not surprised," replied Maeve. "The feeling is there, it's just that the sound seems different." "Well you aren't hearing or performing in a can. Even though the living areas on our spaceships have surface finishes to reduce echo, it still effects the sounds you hear and sense." "We have a spot over on the west side near where flight operations will be located. We've been using it as a place to rest and meet. Siobhan and Maureen's Clans have claimed spots next to ours." "Lead the way," said Aoife. They stopped many times to talk on their way to the rendezvous spot their children had staked out. Many times it was just to exchange greetings while other times it was more. Everyone they talked to was excited to be there, to be on a planet rather than in a space ship. At the same time they were anxious about the future. Approaching their destination they were greeted by Keriann's Clan and Siobhan's Clan. After exchanging hugs, Siobhan said, "This is really neat." "Yes, it is," replied the group. "So in which activities have you all participated?" asked Joyce. "We played a volleyball match," replied Siobhan. "We only played two sets as there was quite a few groups waiting to play. Since then we've been just walking around, chatting with people we don't see very often and enjoying the fresh air." Siobhan had just finished speaking they heard Serarck say, "Great. We've found three of them together." Turning they saw Zhaos, Lorelei and Earl approaching with her. "Good afternoon," said the three Command Staffs. Sarah added, "So are you enjoying the celebration?" "They certainly have been," replied Keri before the group could respond. "Yes, we have," replied Serarck as she stuck her tongue out at Keri. "The soccer game was great. We were surprised at how similar the game is to one on the planet where I grew up." "The way you played it indicates it was more than similar," responded Keri. "You and your friends looked more like pros the way you played." "Oh, I think after everyone plays some more the skill level will even out. Several commented after the last game we played that it had been years since they played and they had only played a little then. Apparently it was when they were teenagers in school." "That was likely during what we called gym class," responded Joyce. "In many cases, those classes just acquaint you with a game's rules and give you some time to get a feel for it besides giving you an hour of exercise." "Anyway today has been great. Considering the short time we've been here, we are surprised to see all of this." Claudette said, "All except the soccer fields are areas where building construction or more excavation will begin tomorrow. The soccer fields were thought of after the grass was trimmed back for the picnic area. There was more than enough space to add the soccer fields." "We're still surprised to be having a celebration so soon after arriving here." "Well it all came about because of a casual comment during a meeting of the group setting up the structure for our government. The comment was something to the effect of it would be nice to have a celebration commemorating our arrival on Anann and the initiation of our governing structure. The idea of a celebration was initially discounted because the group thought it was too soon after arriving in system. However, a member of that group was involved in planning this site's development. He mentioned the idea to the site planners where it took root and grew from there. By making minor alterations to site prepping, they were able to accommodate both activities without any significant change in time line thus here we are. It also helped that the topology was favorable." "If the rumors are believable, the idea of an arrival celebration came at just right time for site planning," added Lorelei smiling. "Its perfect timing resembles what occurred regarding y'alls suggestion yesterday for this morning's ceremony. The planning group received the site suggestion shortly after they realized that the original site wasn't quite what they envisioned. A few were so unhappy with the original site that they were pushing to delay the ceremony. So when they saw the knoll with its surrounding field, they were ecstatic as it fit their vision perfectly. Achieving it though wasn't a slam dunk as there were some serious logistical issues. As they discussed the issues over lunch, the discussion was heard by a few others who then joined the discussion. So knowing this family, you can guess what happened next or saying it another way many hands make light work. We saw the results this morning. So your comments after the ceremony were very appropriate as it emphasized working together toward a common purpose. "After the ceremony, several made comments to the effect that they thought the site was exquisitely perfect for the ceremony. A few thought it was so perfect that it must have been made for this kind of event. Your words of acceptance were well thought out." Kendra of Siobhan's Clan said, "The knoll felt right when we visited it with Sarah's Clan yesterday morning," with her spouses nodding their agreement. Serarck said, "Well there are some from Tigsu, who believe the golden glow during the ceremony indicates the Gods and Goddesses blessed today's event." "That is a reasonable perception," said Morrigan as Aine and her joined the group. "That raises several interesting questions," replied Aoife. "Are there deities here? Are they the same as those we knew on Earth?" "The simple answer is yes and no. Planets with advanced life forms most likely have a family of deities overseeing its growth and development. Seldom does one family of deities oversee events in more than one solar system. The family overseeing Earth is an interesting group." "I would agree with the last," said Maeve. "So do you know this planet's deity family?" "Yes. Several of us have interacted with this family before. To say we know them maybe implying more than is fact." "How do we interact with the deities here?" "Just like you have been. When you ask for blessings, guidance or give thanks for the blessings received from the Gods and Goddesses, those in that domain recognize your request or appreciate your thankfulness. From our standpoint, a mistake many mortals make is in taking an unanswered request as a rejection. A request may not be fulfilled for many reasons. It may be flawed, unbalanced or may have negative consequences. Also, it maybe something they can not directly alter. "Let me add a little perspective to your situation with respect to these deities. Since you are migrating here, they literally know as much about you as you do of them. Obviously, this would not be the case if you had evolved here. You would already be aware of them as most make themselves known to the planet's mortals just as those in Sol's system did in Earth's early history. Thus, you would already know their names and the forms expected when seeking their assistance." "So what can you tell us about them?" asked Aoife. "They are a small family with four daughters and one son. The family is led by God Laghdha and Goddess Canu. We have only met three of their daughters who are Cabd, Ariu and Iodla. We believe that they will make themselves known to you in the near future. This is based on the way you found the knoll site for the ceremony and the golden light that covered the site during the ceremony. However, the near future could be tomorrow, next month, next year or even longer as their sense of time is much different than yours. "My apologies for injecting my comments into your conversation." "Apology accepted," replied Sarah, Keriann and Siobhan with their spouses nodding agreement. "Although none were needed." "How should we greet them if we meet them?" asked Aoife. "If they come to you then just greet them as you would any honored guest. If you seek them out, then it would be best to follow the old forms." Seeing puzzled expressions she continued with, "Generally, following the old forms would have you making an offering to them. An appropriate offering could consist of a glass of wine, a loaf of bread along with cheese or fruit if available." "Thanks." Keriann said, "Have you enjoyed your day?" "Yes. It has been very relaxing. We've participated in several activities. I feel very comfortable with all of you. Aine and I were on our way to the volleyball courts." "So you're intending on playing again?" asked Keri. "Perhaps. See y'all." The group was quiet for a few moments as they watched them head toward the courts. "Wow, that is a lot to think about," said Serarck. "The real reason I wanted to talk to you, is about our calendar. What would you think about changing the names for days of the week?" "It is something to consider," replied Niamh of Keriann's Clan. "I'll admit to not being real keen on the names we've been using, but then again we haven't used them very much. Our current names are based on Earth's which were familiar to us. What do you have in mind?" "Simply referring to them by their numerical sequence in a week. One way to do this is by calling them Firsday, Secday, Thirday, Fouday, Fivday, Sixday, Sevday, Eighday, Ninday and Tenday. I think this will be easier for everyone to understand and use. This would be very similar to that used by the other worlds." "If we do this, wouldn't we want to number months as well?" asked Eileen of Siobhan's Clan. "Our calendar year now begins with the first of what we've previously referred to as November which is a carryover from Earth. If we referred to that segment of the orbit as Firsmonth then it would avoid possible confusion in the future." "Both of those are good ideas," said Conan of Siobhan's Clan. "I like using the written number for the month as well. I believe my spouses agree, as well. One thing we need to consider is how it will be expressed in writing. It may not be an issue but it is something to consider." "Conan, I am not sure it was clear from my enunciation but we envisioned only using the first few letters of the numbers name with day. So for Firsday, Thirday and Eighday you are combining only the first four letters of the numbers name with day. The others only use the first three." "I like that," said Kelly. "So do we," said Siobhan. "Serarck, why don't you bring this up at our family meeting tomorrow?" asked Keriann. "I'm not sure I feel comfortable doing that but okay." "I'll give you a hand with it," added Lorelei. "I like the concept as well as Conan's enhancement." "Thanks." "What do you think of the celebration?" asked Eileen of Siobhan's Clan. "Where do I begin," replied Lorelei. "Everyone I've seen or talked to, seems to be really enjoying themselves. In a way, I'm surprised we are having a holiday while there is so much that needs to be done." Aisling of Siobhan's Clan said, "Based on what we've seen today, it looks as if several groups on each ship have been preparing for this day since we left Sol system." "Seeing the pavilion this morning cleared up some puzzling questions I'd been asked during our trip," said Eleánóir of Keriann's Clan. "Let me rephrase that. Many could be thought of as "what if" or "what do you think of" questions but not expressed as such. I know that sounds confusing but..." Erin of Sarah's Clan added, "We understand what you are trying to express. We've had similar experiences." "In any case," said Lorelei, "the pavilion design was well thought out as it is simple yet elegant." "We agree," said Zhaos. "Although, we understand that it is not complete." "It looked complete to me," replied Conan of Siobhan's Clan. "The design calls for adding six more levels to the octagonal base. If I understood the description correctly, each level will add another 4 meters in depth. Once the base is complete it will be covered by a dome. The dome's curvature matches that of an imaginary sphere that would contain the pavilion. The dome's transparency will vary depending how bright it is so the lighting level is always constant level within the pavilion." "Now I'm curious as to what they have planned," said Sarah. "There should be a model of it in our system." "Gee," said Lorelei, "we thought you all knew everything that was going on in our family." She managed to maintain a serious expression until she finished speaking, then smiled. Several started laughing before she had finished speaking. "Yea, right," replied all three Command Staffs. "The group who put the pavilion together were puzzled by the gold light during the ceremony," said Brigarck. "I've heard similar comments," responded Lorelei. "I suspect we will eventually know the source of the golden glow," replied Aoife. "That's it. It was more of a glow than a beam of light. Interesting." "I agree," said Serarck thoughtfully. "We were going over to listen to some singing groups when we saw you. Before we leave, congratulations again on accepting the role as Órarduine's first council members. I think your group is ideal for guiding our family through the transition from space voyagers to planet dwellers." "Yes!!" added those with Serarck. "Thank you. It will take all of us to succeed," replied Sarah with the members of the three clans nodding their agreement. "We'll see you later." With that, Serarck, Zhaos along with their friends headed toward a musical group. "We see you made it," said Kennith as he arrived with a group of young people. They were all sweaty and dirty. "Good afternoon," replied Sarah's Clan. "Of course we made it." Alena said, "What have you guys been into?" "We went for a hike over toward the creek and went into the woods a little ways." "I'm not sure that was a good idea." "We were fine. A couple of those who went with us were former special forces members. They showed us some techniques they hadn't been able to show us on Mars." "Be sure and write up what you saw," said Chester of Keriann's Clan. "Actually that would be a good thing for everyone to do after exploring." "Gee, now you are making it work." "Not really and it is something to which all of us should contribute. Our surveys have provided us with a lot of information about what is on this planet. Pretty much all of that is general information which leaves a lot of blanks to fill in." "Oh, so you are suggesting something like a daily journal." "Yes that would be a good tool. I think if you look in the library, you will find examples of what other people have done, in particular look at the journals explorers kept. This information will be very important when we begin to spread out. In the meantime it should help those setting up our agricultural operations." "Okay. We can do that which means we can spend more time on the planet." Several in the group with Kennith smiled. "Talk to Amy's Clan. They have a couple of groups working on those issues who can tell you the information that needs to be recorded and how they plan on doing it. This way you can have some fun exploring and will know what to look for." "You still have lessons to do," said Alena, "so this doesn't replace them." "Can we alter our class schedule so there is more time available to us during the day on the planet?" asked Moya. "Sure but only if your other responsibilities are met. Now you might want to clean up a bit before you do anything else." "Okay, mom." "Rather than doing that why don't you alternate days?" said Alison. "By doing that there would be less time consumed traveling." "Good idea," replied Iris. The group then headed off toward a shower area. Conan said, "Chester, lets put together a list of items people should carry with them while exploring. Key items are weapons, first aid kit, snacks and water, but there are other items that probably should be included." "Sure. Let's get together after Command Staff meeting tomorrow. In the meantime, we can each make a list. The list shouldn't be very long." "You're on." "There is probably already a list," said Kelly. "I'll bet Cathal has one. Also, those going out exploring or hiking should sign out and give an idea of where they are going." "True. I suspect his list is orientated toward conducting a field operation rather than a casual outing. We probably should have one for both activities. Telling someone where they're going and when they expect to be back is an excellent idea." "Ah, I see what you're doing. A list for a casual outing is a good idea. A copy of their plans should be given to security, the settlement's or their ship's AI and should include how long they plan to be out." "Thanks," said Rusty to Conan and Chester. "Our telepathic communication should enable anyone to summon assistance provided it works and they are awake or conscious enough to use it. I suspect the items on these lists will be a little different than were used on Earth." "Good points to make when presenting the list. We've come to depend on telepathy but we don't yet know if there are any limitations here." "Let's talk about this tomorrow," said Sarah. "We're going to split up into groups and wander around until our children sing." Keriann said, "Our agenda for tomorrow looks fairly long. How long do you think we will be?" "Well, if we start right after breakfast by say 09:00, it will probably last until around 19:00 or so. We have three main items to cover. First we need to give the task group going to Sol a set of operating parameters and objectives. Second, we need to review the activities here. Third, we need to begin discussing what we topics we want to cover with our visitors." "You don't expect to finalize the second and third items tomorrow. Do you?" "No. For the second item we just need to review the relative merits of each project and see if we need to make or suggest adjustments in them. We need to look at project priorities to see if their sequence or ranking is appropriate or needs reviewing. "At this point, for the last item, we just need to lay out our thoughts so in the next few days we can decide what to seek and offer in return. The preferred items need to be prioritized as well. I consider the last item to be intangible or soft. It is really just to get us thinking of ways in which we could use assistance so if an offer comes we can respond sensibly." "You were a business major right." "Yes. Why, is it showing?" "Sort of. But that is good. Besides we have a wide range of backgrounds which should help us." "Let's wander around," said Siobhan. "See y'all at dinner, unless we cross paths before then." Sarah said to her clan, "Before we split into groups and wander off, this evening I'd like to see the sunset from the pavilion which I think will be shortly after dinner." "Mom, I think sunset will be close to the start of the 22:00 meal time." "Okay. What time are you singing?" "After dinner." "How soon after?" "We changed it to give the groups more flexibility." "We can put off seeing the sunset." "You don't need to. Seeing the sunset, then eating should work out just fine." "If you think so." "Yes. That should work fine. With the change in time, we may join you at the pavilion to see the sunset." "Okay," replied Sarah's spouses. "Mom," said Moya, "if we want to go off exploring again what should we take with us?" Terry said, "For one, each should each carry a small weapon and a reserve power pack. Then the group should have at least one backpack containing a field class first aid kit, a GPS, snacks, water, emergency beacon and a fire starter." "Okay. We had most of that with us earlier." "Good. Also, you should be back in time for dinner preferably before twilight begins. Okay?" "Yes." "Let us know who is going?" "Okay." "And have a good safe time." "We will." After they watched their children leave, Sarah's Clan spit into groups of four and drifted off in different directions. Maeve, Tara, Rusty and Sarah were in one group. While not a focus of their attention, all were aware of their spouses activities and the status of Dóchas through their telepathic links. As they started off, Sarah linked arms with Rusty and Maeve while Tara linked with Rusty's other arm. Before choosing a direction, Sarah looked to see which direction the other groups were going. She began laughing as she saw their spouses were looking to see which direction they were headed. Maeve, Tara and Rusty were at first puzzled by Sarah's outburst but began laughing when they realized the cause. Rusty said, "Lets go this way," as he started towards one of the activity areas. "It sounds like there is singing and dancing in this direction." "There are many places today for singing and dancing," said Maeve as she began to move in step with the rhythm they heard, "but I see the one you are heading toward." "This music sounds a little different," said Tara. "That tune sounds like it is from either Tigsu or Monque," added Sarah. "In any case, it has a nice rhythm to it. It should fit quite well with the dance steps we know." As they approached the group, they saw people dancing in small groups in an open area between the crowd and the musicians. A large crowd surrounded the dance area watching the dancers and listening to the music. Those closest to the dancing were sitting on the ground or small stools while many more stood or sat behind them listening and watching. When they reached the crowd, several moved to the side so they had a better view. As they listened to the songs, Maeve and Tara's movements were more and more in time with the music. After several songs, the lead musician announced a short break. With the music not holding the crowds attention, those around them noticed who had joined them and immediately greeted them. When the spontaneous greetings diminished, Rusty, Maeve, Tara and Sarah began edging through the crowd to greet others. In many cases their greeting was followed by a brief chat. It wasn't long until the musicians began returning to their places. "Wow, that was a short break," said Rusty causing a few laughs around them. "It was almost twenty minutes," replied Sarah. "Well it went quick. Do we want to stay here or wander some more?" "It looks like the same musicians, so If the music doesn't change," answered Maeve, "lets dance." Seeing the hesitation on Rusty's face she added, "It is not that hard. Just follow our lead as we will start out slow. It's been a while since I've danced to music like this." "You mean like we did before." "Yes. We'll start simple then once we have a feel for it we'll step up the pace. We can use our mind link." "So, you've danced to this kind of music before." "Yes, but not for a long time, a long time. No wait, remember we did this at one of the receptions on Mars." They listened to two more songs, then Maeve led their group toward the dance area. As they stepped into the dancing area, they chuckled to themselves when they saw the surprised looks on the musician's faces. Maeve saw a young lady sitting near the dance area and asked her if she would watch their shoes while they danced. The young lady quickly agreed as she blushed. "I'm glad you thought of taking them off," said Tara. "We wear them so much, I probably wouldn't have thought of it until we started dancing." "Dancing will be easier without them." They formed a square facing each other and waited for the music to start. Tara said, "Maeve, why don't you lead?" "Okay." With each song they became a little smoother in matching each others' movements but due to their mind link timing wasn't an issue. When the third song finished, they were surprised to hear applause and looked around to see who it was for. They were surprised to see everyone looking at them. There were now only four groups on the dance floor which was a lot less than when they started. As they were catching their breath a lady from one of the other dancing groups said, "We like your dance steps. Could you show them to us?" Maeve almost laughed before she realized the group was serious as she hadn't used a set sequence. "Maeve, can show you," replied Tara. "We've been following her lead or I should say trying to." "You've been fantastic. We just watched most of the last dance. So would you?" Maeve looked toward the musicians and said, "Can you give us a minute?" "Certainly. We're interested as well." Maeve turned back to the group and said, "Okay, these are the basic steps we are using." She then went through each one slowly a couple of times and then sped them up. They led the other dancers through the steps a couple of times. Once she was sure they were familiar with the moves she turned toward the musicians and said, "Can you play the last song at half tempo?" "We have another that would sound better than the last at half tempo," replied the lead musician. "Great." He made a quick comment to the other musicians. After a few minutes, he said, "When you're ready." Maeve looked at the now five groups around her before saying, "For this to work you need someone to lead. The lead should be the one who feels the rhythm. So while we dance to this song think about who you want to lead your group." Maeve, Tara, Rusty and Sarah formed a square then Maeve nodded to the musicians. After the intro, they began dancing. The slower tempo made it easier for those watching to see their movements. After few moments the song came to an end. Maeve said, "Now if they will play another with a similar tempo, you all can try it. Remember to follow the lead in your group." "Your sequence was different than before," said a woman. "Yes. It most always is." Several looked puzzled. So Maeve added, "I feel the tempo and melody. Those tell me the next steps to take. The choice in steps depends on your sense of the music and your emotions which likely varies each time you hear it. There is no right or wrong as this is not a scripted performance. The choice in sequence of movements is intended to be an interpretation of the music. Who leads a group, can change from song to song. Your choice." "Okay," replied the woman slowly. "So let's try it. Take your positions." Maeve nodded to the musicians who began to play the song again. They watched the six groups dance to the music using many of the new steps. When the song ended, the crowd applauded. "You did fine," said Maeve before the dancers could say anything. "A couple of things. For most groups, it works better if you follow one lead. Don't restrict yourself to the steps you just learned. Instead use steps that from your perspective fit the song while keeping the tempo. "I'm sure our musician's can play a couple more slow or moderate tempo songs before returning to their play list." "We will if you will dance some more," replied the musician's drawing a lot of applause from the crowd. Maeve looked at her three spouses before saying, "A few," drawing cheers from the crowd. Over the next several sets besides dancing they coached other groups. When the musicians announced a pause, Maeve led the crowd in applause for the musician and dancers. After the applause died down, they moved to leave, a young lady said, "Don't forget these," as she pointed to their shoes. "Thanks," said Tara as took them from the young lady. "Did you enjoy the music?" "Absolutely. I really enjoyed watching your group dance. You were so smooth and precise. Thank you for being here." "You are welcome," replied all four. "See you around." They then began working their way toward the edge of the crowd. It was slow going as everyone wanted to thank them for the dance demonstration or offer congratulations. They were a little ways from the crowd when Sarah said, "Maybe it is my imagination but our arrival back there and departure seemed like ... opposites." "I don't know that it was that different," replied Tara. "We arrived while the musicians were playing. I'm not sure we've been around very many of those in that crowd before. Last but not least, us being a Command Staff with a history and now Councilors makes some hesitant to approach us. Our dancing and other activities perhaps changed their perception of us a little bit." "Well, I enjoyed that. You know it's getting close to dinner time and we haven't done much wandering." "So what? We relaxed. We had a good time. I don't know about you but I'm tired." "Same here," replied her spouses. "You all realize that sunset is not too far off. If we're going to see it, we need to get moving." "Okay, let's remind our spouses. We can meet on the path to the pavilion." "Remember some of our children are singing after dinner." Well behind them a woman at the edge of the crowd said, "God, I wish I was as good as they are. Yeesch, they can do anything and so perfectly each and every time." "Michaela, don't sell yourself short." On hearing the comment Michaela quickly turned toward the voice and stopped. Before her stood the loveliest woman she had ever seen. The woman was just a little taller than her with long reddish rust colored hair. Michaela quickly looked the woman over then returned to look at the woman's face to see a bemused smile. She scanned the woman's face until her eyes connected with the woman's light grey eyes. Seeing Michaela's reaction the woman added, "I didn't mean to startle you." The soft voice brought Michaela back to the present and she quickly replied, "Sorry what did you say? I was distracted for a moment." The woman smiled as she had seen others react to her presence in a similar manner. Before the woman could reply she said, "Oh, now I remember, I don't think I'm selling myself short." The woman said, "Oh but you are. You have a very good skill set. You likely match those you envy in their use. Within you there are other talents that could grow if you gave them a chance. Your family, this family, depends on you to use all your skills to the best of your ability. Becoming more skilled in using all your talents will benefit you and your family." "But I don't have a family any more." "You don't? What about those all around you?" "Oh, you mean that family. Yes, in a way they are my family." "Ah, you mean you don't have anyone close to you." "Well, yes and no." "Several of those you feel closest to could be even closer if you let them." "But..." "You are afraid and that's understandable. You don't need to open up to them all at one time. Relationships take time. They may have similar fears. With just a little effort you may find the relationship you desire but it takes a first step ... think about it ... you never know ... someone has to reach out." With that the woman turned and walked away. When Michaela realized the suggestion was reasonable, the woman was nowhere to be seen. It was as though she just vanished. 'How did that happen?' she asked herself. Looking around she didn't see anyone who even came close to resembling the woman she had just spoken to and she wanted to talk to her some more. "Are you looking for someone?" Michaela spun around to find Aine and another woman just a few steps away. "Yes. I wanted to ask that woman another question, but I don't see her now." "What did she look like? Maybe we can help." Michaela described the woman as she telepathically shared the woman's features with Aine. As she described the woman's features, she realized that some had not fully registered with her earlier. She finished with, "I don't understand this. I can remember seeing her walk away. She is different than us. She isn't an Órarduine as she didn't have a mane or tail like we do. When she walked it was as if she was gliding away rather than walking." "You said she had grey eyes." "Yes. Maybe smokey is a better description. Her eyes didn't seem to have an iris. Perhaps they were the same color as the rest of her eyes." "What did she say?" Michaela replayed the comments the woman had made. "Well we can't fault her comments. We could have made those suggestions. Why did she say those things?" "Well let's see just before that I had spent an hour or so watching Maeve, Tara, Sarah and Rusty dance in that setting over there. Shortly after they started dancing, they were asked to demonstrate their dance steps. Then they helped the other dancers learn the new steps and improve their dancing. Sarah's Clan is just so amazing. Everything they do is so perfect. The four from Sarah's Clan had just left when I said something like, 'God, I wish I was as good as they are' referring to Sarah's Clan. 'They can do anything and so perfectly each and every time.' Right after that I heard her voice." Aine looked thoughtful then said, "You said she had grey eyes that were like bottomless pools." "Yes." "Well we can assure you that she is not a crew member. If I understood you correctly, you did call for assistance from the Gods and Goddesses. This planet is likely tended to by Gods and Goddesses so perhaps she was a Goddess." "Now, you're pulling my leg." "Nope. We believe that many mortals perceptions and writings regarding the behavior of Gods and Goddesses are flawed. Perhaps it would be more productive to consider the advice she gave you. It certainly seems to be valid to us." "Really. Thanks. I appreciate that. If I have a question on that, would you help me with it?" "Most, certainly. Either Morrigan or I would be pleased to be of assistance as would any of my sisters." After Michaela walked away, Aine said, "So which one do you think it was?" "By the color of the hair, I would say Ariu," replied Morrigan. "So does that mean Anann's God and Goddesses are going to make their presence known to the Órarduine?" "There was never any doubt in my mind. To me the only question is how and when. You know they asked the "Old Ones" the Órarduine's history and characteristics." "Yes." "As to how they will meet them, I now believe that they will arrange to meet the Command Staffs face to face and probably individually at first. Beyond that I don't have a clue. I've looked through our archives and haven't found anything close to a precedent for this situation." "Face to face. Interesting ... especially with such a large group." "In this case, not really. Although the clans, the Command Staffs in particular, consist of several individuals, an Órarduine clan is like a single entity in many respects but with greater depth and ability." "True." "I found the response by the Old Ones to the request quite interesting." "I'm surprised they were asked as I don't believe there is a precedent for such a request. Also, a detailed response would blur the distinctions between us and deities." "True. I'm curious about the reason behind their request." "Me too. However, it is only a matter of time until we learn it." "We've already mentioned the presence of deities in this solar system. Should we say any more?" "Only if they ask?" "I agree." "Also, I've mentioned that you interacted with these deities some time in the past." "That was a long time ago when their children were very young." ------- Sarah's Clan gathered at the pavilion shortly before sunset. "So how was your afternoon?" said Sarah to Aoife, Joyce, Janet and Erin as they joined them. "We had a great time. We heard you did some dancing." "Yes. We got a little more involved than we anticipated but had a grand time." "We heard. We ended up participating with some groups as well but not to the extent you did. It was fun." "I don't think I've ever danced that much at one time," said Tara. "Everyone looked like they were having a good time. I know we certainly did." While they were talking the rest of their clan joined them on the west side of the pavilion. Terry said, "This was a lot of fun. But you know, I'm tired. It's a good tired." "I agree," added Alena. "This is really a beautiful spot," said Judy. "Yes it is," said Keriann as her clan joined the group. "It looks like it is going to be a lovely sunset," said Oriel of Keriann's Clan. "The clouds should really give a spectacular range of colors." "So how was your day?" asked Niamh of Keriann's Clan. "It was very nice," replied Eileen of Siobhan's Clan. "A nice break from being in our spaceships. Our ships are nice but it is feels great to have a blue sky overhead and to hear the sounds of nature." "Sounds of nature," exclaimed Eleánóir. "All I heard was laughter, music, yells..." "Sounds pretty natural to me." "Well okay. I thought you meant something else." "Mom," said Keri resulting in drawing the attention of several in Sarah's Clan, "we think someone should do a grid survey of the plateau." "It is planned," replied Sally. "The Security teams are going to do it. Why?" "Well, we found some pretty interesting places. We think we should know more about them before we make use of those areas." "Let's look at a map tomorrow." "Fine. We have the coordinates for the spots we found especially interesting. None of them are very big, but they just seem special." "Okay. There are plans to plant grain in many of the large open fields as well as several large fields of vegetables once we are a little further into spring." "We have the replicators so why do we need to grow food?" "So what happens if we lose access to them? What happens if they just quit working?" "That couldn't happen," replied Keri firmly. "It would be more accurate to say 'it's not likely to happen'. In the past significant disasters have befallen many civilizations. Some were due to unanticipated natural events. Others were the result of conflict or arrogance. From our prospective, we think the humans are tempting fate by ignoring the potential threat posed by someone like the Imperial Council. This is in spite of seeing our battle with them. Enough said... "Back to your comment, currently we are very dependent on some items that don't have an alternate source. Food is one. It currently comes from either the replicators or hydroponic gardens on our ships. The later can't supply nearly what is needed. Now that we are on a planet that has an atmosphere we can grow some and perhaps all of our food. The benefit is that we will have a more divergent diet as well as some health benefits. There are other items that currently have only one source. Most of the technology we've implemented came from the Connemare. We've expanded on it but much more needs to be done. Also we are a small group of people so it wouldn't take much of a disaster to make our lives very difficult if not impossible." The change in Keri's expression told Terry that she was beginning to realize the implications of her comments. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to upset you or ruin your day. Besides, this isn't something to lose sleep over. We are better off than we were ten years ago and now that we have a home on an environmentally friendly planet, our growth should be more substantial and sustainable. It is for these reasons that we are moving quickly to establish this settlement, a technology development center, manufacturing facilities and a defensive network in this solar system." "But it was so easy to set up our settlement on Mars." "In large part because of the cave. It was adjacent to the site we chose for the settlement. The condition of the cave was such that we only needed to enclose the entrance. Without that, it may have taken us quite a few more years until we could even consider moving here. Although it hadn't become a crisis before we left Sol, our active settlement on Mars was causing a growing amount of concern by some humans. It's likely that in a few more years some of the more irrational leaders of governments on Earth may have attacked us. The Iridiens may face that issue, but they aren't as active there as we were. An attack is something that can not be ignored so we would have found it necessary to respond. Depending on circumstances a response could result in more conflict rather than stopping it. All due to too much alien fantasy and not enough common sense." "But, many of us originated from Earth." "True. Now they only see the differences between us just like they many times only see the differences between the different human breeds. Besides, our existence flies in the face of a fundamental human belief. For thousands of years, they've believed that they, their breed of humans, are Gods chosen ones. This is further complicated by the attitude of different groups who believe that their God trumps those of anyone else." "I noticed that when we were studying different civilizations in the universe. Virtually every civilization has at least one deity that they worship or give a special place in their lives. There are more similarities between the deities of the various civilizations than there are differences." "We've been told that there is a family of deities in most solar systems with advanced life forms." Keri looked around at her sibs and Moya said, "Thanks, mom. Your points make a lot of sense. Some of us were worried that we would diminish the beauty of this planet as we settled on it and began to grow." "You're thinking of some of the pollution problems that Earth has." "Yes. The Connemare had some environmental issues on their planets but there isn't very much in our library about those issues." "Unless we've missed something or there is a major disaster, our plans strive to minimize those issues here. Over the next several days why don't you look them over. There will certainly be some changes on the planet due to our presence. If we manage them correctly then there should only be minor alterations due to our footprint. It will take everyone working together to achieve that. We must remember that a planet's environment is not a static system as every natural event also has an impact as it is a very complex system. Just our presence will cause some changes. There would be changes even if we weren't here." "Okay, we'll do that." "Wow," exclaimed several drawing everyone's attention to the sunset. Celia was halfway below the horizon with the clouds taking on a variety of reds, orange, blues with golden streams of light passing through the openings between the clouds. The group watched quietly as Celia slid below the horizon. In the twilight they could see one moon high in the western sky and behind them the second moon was just peeking above the horizon. "Look," said Marnia, "we can see both moons already." "We can look forward to there being some moonlight virtually every night," said Joyce. "I'm hungry," said Conan of Siobhan's Clan. "Well it is dinner time," replied Tiff of Siobhan's Clan. "I could use something to eat as well. We have burned off a lot of energy today with all our activity." "Yes," said several. Aisling of Siobhan's Clan added, "Are we going to have our tenday night out in place of what we've been doing?" "Tenday?" said Kennith. "Yes. The last day of the week," replied Alena. "Earlier today it was proposed that we number the days of the week and use that name for the day. In a lot of ways it makes more sense than the mix of day names we borrowed from Earth." "So day one," said Deirdre, "would be the first day of the week." "It could be that way, but the proposal was to name it Firsday. So the week days would be Firsday, Secday, Thirday, Fouday, Fivday, Sixday, Sevday, Eighday, Ninday and Tenday." "I like that," replied Jordana with her sibs nodding in agreement. "Are we going to do the same with the months?" asked Marnia. "That is part of the proposal," replied Alena. "The first month of the year would begin with the celebration of Samhain." "That makes sense. I like it." "Many of us do. Serarck is going to propose it tomorrow." "Good. She is a neat lady." "Aisling, our tenday night out can't be done for about ten days yet." "What? Siobhan, I don't understand." "Well, it depends when we start numbering our calendar on Anann. Although we haven't specifically said so, it is not unusual for a group to start their calendar beginning with when they arrived at a location. This presumes that they aren't closely tied to another location. "When we decided on today's celebration, we chose it to be our Founder's Day celebration. In hindsight we probably should have called it our Landing Day celebration. Today is the fourth day we've been here. So if the day we first set foot on Anann is Firsday, then today's celebration was the Fouday of the Fivmonth of Anann's year one. Landing Day is then only four days earlier." "Well," said Keriann, "my initial impression of Founders Day was to commemorate the emergence of the Órarduine as a species. It seemed to us that today was more of a celebration of Anann Landing Day." "Well from my perspective a holiday is a holiday," replied Tiff of Siobhan's Clan. "Good point," responded Aisling as everyone laughed. Aoife said, "Very true. Today likely has the most significance to our family as Landing Day since that is the most recent event. If we look at it that way, we can have Star determine a more accurate date for Founder's Day." "It won't take me very long to figure that out in terms of the Anann calendar," responded Star. "This is the late winter season so if we are to keep Samhain's relationship with the end of harvest time then today would be the Foumonth or possibly Fivmonth and more likely the later. Star can confirm which one fits the best then we can make this an event for the first of that month even though today may not be the first day of the month." "Setting today as Firsday, Fivmonth, fits very well with the position of Anann in its orbit," said Star. "However, I do need to run the calculations." "Sounds like a reasonable choice to me," said Aisling. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement with the comment. "You know," said Alison, "we've just complicated Serarck's presentation regarding day and month names." "A little," replied Sarah. "We can bring this up after the family makes their decision on Serarck's proposal. By that time, we will know a more meaningful date for Founder Day." "Now let's get something to eat," said Keri. "I'm hungry." As Sarah's Clan walked arm in arm toward the dining area Star said, "I need to fully return to the ship so I'll only be with you telepathically for the rest of the evening." "Problems?" "No. Not really. It's just that ... well it feels different here. There I am more comfortable plus I can feel and see what you are doing here. Besides I have some tasks to do. For me this has been an out of the world experience. I love you all." "We love you." "Today is a day we've been dreaming of for years." "True. But you've had a few more years to dream than we have." "Without all of you this would have not come to fruition, especially your clan. May the Gods and Goddesses continue to bless us." "Blessings are good," replied Sarah, "walking with us would be nice as well." Aoife said, "to walk with a God or Goddess. An interesting thought, indeed." "So you want to expand the bounds on how to interact with Anann's Gods and Goddesses," added Maeve. "Yes. When you walk with someone, you become better acquainted with each other. They may not need that interaction, but I think our relationship with them would benefit. Perhaps it would help them as well." "I guess we shall see," replied Aoife. "Both Morrigan and Aine indicated the God and Goddesses here had different personalities than those we knew about on Earth." "Terry," said Sarah, "were the children satisfied with your comments?" "I hope so. I tried to get across the idea that we had to use the planet's resources to survive long term but we had to do it wisely. It was an awkward lead in to the topic. I asked them to look at the plans we have for developing here and beyond. Apparently, they have not looked at them in detail." "That is likely true. They have been very busy with their learning modules. They should all be ready to graduate before long." "About another six months at the rate they are going," said Joyce. "Except for doing a thesis they have been immersed in more knowledge than a triple major PhD does on Earth." They were just sitting down to eat when Joyce finished her comment. Chester said, "At least that much and ten times the common sense." "Yea, well you don't live long in space without oodles of common sense." "True." Just as they were finishing eating, Keri said, "Our group will be singing in a few moments so we need to be getting ready." "Where at?" "The first stage toward the shuttle landing area." "Okay, we'll be there shortly." "Good." Sarah's, Siobhan's and Keriann's Clans arrived near the stage several minutes before the children were to sing. When Jean of Jean's Clan saw them, she waved, motioning them toward an open area close to the front of the stage. After greeting her, they were seated. The area behind them then rapidly filled. Sarah's Clan looked at each other and then scanned the crowd surrounding them without being too apparent. Sarah saw Keriann wink at Siobhan and wondered what that meant. Corey of Sarah's Clan came out on stage and said, "Good evening. This evening we are going to introduce a number of new songs. In some cases, you will know the tune however the words will not be those you've heard before. These new verses describe aspects of our lives, things around us and adventures we've had. We have more songs about these events and will share them with you in the future. We hope you enjoy them. In the mean time these songs are accessible in the library under Órarduine history in music." With that the musicians and singers came on stage as Corey bowed toward the audience. The group moved from one song to the next with hardly a pause. The first couple of times the applause overrode the music at the beginning of the song and the group compensated by repeating the verse. The audience then adapted by giving a short burst of applause to avoid drowning out the beginning of a song. Many of the songs involved only a portion of the group's members, thus giving everyone a short break during the performance while providing nearly continuous music for the audience. Jordana moved to the center of the stage as a song finished and said, "This will be our last song for this performance. We hope you have enjoyed the music." As she finished speaking the whole group began to sing. When the song ended, the audience released all the applause they had muted during the performance. The group bowed acknowledging the applause. The applause continued for several more minutes until Jordana stepped to the front of the stage. "Thank you for the applause. We would offer you an encore however the next group is due out in just a few moments. We will offer another performance very soon. Now stick around to hear our friends as there will be dancing as well." As she spoke there were some moans which were quickly followed by more applause. After the performance was over, many in the audience congratulated Sarah's Clan on the performance their children had given. When the crowd had thinned out some, Siobhan said, "I didn't realize how many songs they had written about our adventures." "Neither did I," said Maeve as the three clans moved away from the area in front of the stage toward one side. As Sarah's Clan waited for their children to join them, they watched as those attending the next performance rearranged the chairs in front of the stage to provide a large space for dancing. "You know if I wasn't so tired, I would suggest we stay and dance some more," said Sarah. "Let's see what the music is like," replied Alena. "Perhaps we have enough energy for a couple of songs." "I'm game even though we have a lot to do tomorrow," responded Tara. "Good," said Aoife, "I'm anxious to try the dances you did earlier." "Well that depends on the music." The next group came out on stage eliciting some applause. "Great you still have some applause left." There were several chuckles. "Weren't they great?" There was more applause. When it died down she added, "Well we agree. There is space to dance down here by the stage so don't feel bashful." Looking to the side she saw Sarah's Clan and added, "I see Tara, Sarah, Rusty and Maeve are still around so maybe they will give a dance demonstration or lessons again." The audience cheered. Tara said to her spouses, "Well it looks like we will dance a few songs." Maeve said loudly, "Play a few songs then we'll decide but it will only be for a few songs." "Thank you," replied the musician. She picked up her fiddle and the group began to play. As the music began the children of Sarah's Clan came out from behind the stage to join their parents. Moya said, "Sorry we took so long. We had to encourage this group to go on as scheduled. I guess we kind of intimidated them." "They are good, very good," added Deirdre. "So are you guys going to dance?" "We are pretty tired but it's hard to refuse under the circumstances," replied Tara. "Well their specialty is Celtic songs that are very easy to dance too." "Are you guys going to join us?" asked Maeve. After looking at her sibs Marnia said, "I'm not real sure I'm up to that." "If we utilize our mink link and start off with a rather slow tempo song it is pretty easy to do," replied Rusty. "That's how we did it earlier today. It worked out pretty nicely." "Yea, we heard," responded several children. Earnán added, "From what we heard you are understating it, again!" All the children laughed as they nodded their agreement. "So we are all going to dance to the next song," said Maeve. "Sure why not?" said Jordana. "Maeve, lets do it as one group like we did when you were teaching us." "Okay. We will need to open our mind links with each other a bit more than we normally do so you can follow my movements." Maeve made an adjustment then began to take small dance steps. "Can everyone feel those?" "Yes." "Okay, we can try it on the next song. Remember to listen to the music while you feel my movements." As the song was ending, Sarah's Clan moved toward the nearly empty dance area with Keriann's and Siobhan's Clan following. "Bree," said Maeve to the musician on stage, "could you play a song that has a tempo that is about half the last one with a similar rhythm." "Sure. Just one." "Yes. We will likely only dance a few numbers as we need to go up to the ship. The children may stay longer. Also, invite the audience to dance." Bree then relayed Maeve's comments to the audience before she began to play. Sarah's Clan began to dance to the music. As the song progressed more people joined them in the dance area. Maeve said, "Bree, would you play the song again as it will help the newcomers?" Bree almost missed a note when she heard Maeve's voice but quickly recovered as she nodded to her. She then motioned to the musicians that they were going to repeat the song. When the musician paused after the third song, Sarah said to her spouses, "I think we should do one more song then leave as I am not sure I could do more." "Suits me," replied her spouses. "This is fun," said Moya. "We'll probably stay for a few more songs. Well at least some of us will." The next song had considerably faster tempo than the previous ones. As a result many of those on the dance floor moved to the side. Seeing some of the dancers leave the area due to the tempo Maeve said, "This should be fun." "I hope someone is recording this," said Kennith, "as I would like to see it." "Well one of the audience could share their view with us later," replied Corey. "Good point. Now would be too confusing." When the song ended Sarah's Clan was panting. The audience and musicians were applauding. Sarah's Clan turned to the musician and applauded as they made a slight bow. Sarah's Clan with their children began to move off the dance floor. Bree seeing that they were leaving said, "Wow. Sarah's Clan thank you so much for that dancing exhibition." The audience applauded. "It looks like they are leaving so we hope the rest of you will stay for the rest of our set." "We will," shouted Keri and many of her sibs. "Great." The musicians then began their next song. Sarah said, "I think we are ready to head back up to the ship." "Yes," replied her spouses. "Moms and dad, all of us enjoyed that," said Iris. "We should do it again, soon." "We can do that. Actually, it should be much easier to get together for dances now." They gave their children hugs and kisses. Sarah said, "Briana's Clan will be down shortly if you need something and there aren't any of the Command Staff around." "We'll be fine. Siobhan's and Kerriann's Clans are still dancing." Keri added, "We're going to dance for a while but I don't think we will be very far behind you. All of us are pretty tired." "Okay. Be careful." "We will." A short time later they looked out the windows of the shuttle as it lifted off Anann. The shuttle turned as it lifted so they could see the celebration still underway on Tara Ardchlár. As they climbed higher Celia came into view along with the other stars around them. Rusty looked around at his spouses then said, "Is it me or does the landscape give you the impression this planet was inhabited before?" "Why do you say that?" asked Maeve. "Mainly it's the boundaries on many fields. They seem a little too organized." "Well it's possible," replied Tara, "but we haven't found any other traces to indicate that." "Ah, we're almost home," said Sarah as she saw Dóchas take shape out the window. "Think we will ever feel like Anann is home?" "Yes, in time. I'm not sure it will take the place of Dóchas. In any case, Dóchas will always have a special place in our hearts. But my home is wherever the rest of you are. I love you all." "Sarah, we love you too," replied her spouses as they all hugged. Back near where they were dancing three women stood off to the side in the shadows. They had been observing since the children of Sarah's Clan performance began. "So what do you think?" said Ariu. "The stories told in the songs are consistent with the information from the Old Ones," replied Iodla. "I've observed several groups today and have sensed none of the lingering anger you would expect to find in mortals who've had those experiences." "That has been my experience as well," added Cabd. "I've heard several talking about past events which fit with the lyrics. You know, we could just look at their thoughts and memories as they would never know." "No!" responded Ariu. "From what I've sensed, some of them would very likely know. Their mind-link with each other is ... unusual ... very deep in fact very deep. In fact I would not be surprised if they weren't currently aware of our presence." "I noticed that," replied Iodla. "It seems like each member in one of their family groups are always in touch with the others even when they are not close together. Within the family unit, it seems that they share everything, even senses and emotions." "Are you sure?" asked Cabd. "I am," answered Ariu. "I know mother is reluctant but we should meet them. This way we could learn about each other and perhaps avoid issues like mother and dad had before." "I agree," said Canu as she appeared beside them along with Laghdha. "Hi," responded the three goddesses as their parents appeared. "Have you had fun today?" asked Canu. "Yes!" "So how would you want to interact with them after meeting them?" "I didn't think you wanted to meet them," responded Cabd. "I've been thinking about that a lot since our last discussion," replied Ariu. "I don't think we would want a relationship like the mentors have with them which is almost like that between young and old siblings. So wouldn't something like the relationship that exists between aunts and uncles and their nieces and nephews work?" "An interesting idea and I think would be very appropriate," added Iodla. "I would like to know more of their background," said Cabd, "but I have no objection to the proposal. In fact, I wish I'd thought of it." "I think they will have no reluctance in sharing their history with us," said Laghdha. "You've done a good job of observing them today. We are pleased with the interactions you had with several of them. Aine and Morrigan know we were here today as they met I believe it was Michaela after Ariu spoke with her." "Well they were all opportunities we should not pass up," replied Ariu, "even though they did go a bit beyond what we agreed to do." "When do you think we should meet them?" said Canu. "Mother, is this a test?" said Iodla with a smile. "No," she replied then stuck her tongue out at her daughters. "I think we should meet them after their visitors have left," said Ariu. "My inclination is to meet Sarah's Clan first then the others in the order they accepted their role in this family. However, I have some concerns with that approach as the others may feel slighted." "I see you've picked up much of what I have today," replied Iodla. "However, I don't think any of them would feel that way. I agree with waiting until their visitors leave as it will give us more time to observe them." "I agree," said Canu. "A situation may arise where they see you. If that happens, go ahead and meet them. Let them know our plans to meet with them after their visitors depart." "Good idea," said Laghdha. "We're going back." "We will probably stay for the rest of the celebration," said Cabd. "Do you want us to link with you so you can see our observations?" "Lets wait until you are back," replied Laghdha with Canu nodding her agreement. On Dóchas the shuttle carrying Sarah's Clan settled into its cradle followed a short time later by the hatch opening. They found Briana's Clan was waiting at the side of ship for them to exit. "Anxious," said Aoife. "Yep." Briana said, "Star told us you were on the way up and she could hold the fort until you checked in." "Okay. Have fun?" "We will. We heard you all are great dancers." "Boy, news travels fast. We enjoyed every minute of it." They watched as Briana's Clan hurried into the shuttle for the trip down to Tara Ardchlár. "As soon as we enable our links with the bridge, I'm ready for some rest." "Me too." "Are we fooling ourselves by not having an active watch on each bridge?" said Terry. "Don't think so," replied Rusty. "I see why you raise the question. Right at the moment, we are operating as a single entity rather than seven ships. Although resting in our quarters, we are linked to our bridge. During this event, we have each FCS manned and passively scanning so that is another bit of insurance. Someone would need to enter this system with the characteristics of a piece of space debris in order not to be detected. Even then it would need to stay well away from us in order to keep from drawing attention. I am not saying something can't get through but not too likely. What brought this up?" "I was thinking about the issue Keri indirectly raised, which is: Are we careful enough with our security?" "For now, I think so. Once more worlds know of us and visitors become more frequent then we will need to change the way we do things. In the meantime, we need to identify and qualify more staff for the bridges and as leadership in the different departments. It will come but will take some time." "Okay. 'Are we doing enough?' is a question I frequently ask myself." "Good, keep doing it." It was a couple of hours later when Sarah's Clan began preparations for bed. Their children returned just before they went to bed so they chatted for a bit getting impressions of their day on Anann. In bed they arranged themselves so Rusty and Sara were in the middle and tonight Maeve and Tara were cuddled up next to them with the other spouses next to them. Aoife asked, "Does it seem like tomorrow begins a new segment of our life?" "Sort of," replied Maeve, "today we celebrated achieving our goal of moving to a new home. At the same time, it seems like we celebrated having the opportunity to begin a new life." "To be picky, I would phrase as we are beginning a new segment of our life's journey," added Sarah. "I like that," replied Aoife then asked, "Did any of you notice anything unusual today?" "Several times I thought I felt like I was being closely observed," responded Maeve. "Why?" "I felt that way several times and pretty much ignored it because it didn't feel hostile." "Well I did see three shadows behind our group at the pavilion this evening when we were watching the sunset," added Tara. "I figured it was just someone else watching the sunset." "Could you see well enough to tell what they looked like?" "Well let's see, it was definitely three women. They were a little shorter than us but not much and they were more slender than us. Surprisingly, beyond that it would be just guessing as I only glanced in that direction a couple of times." "That is pretty much what I saw which to me is a curiosity." "Why?" "With the capabilities of our vision, I would've thought we could see more detail." Sarah said, "Well I think we all knew they were there. They observed the performance our children gave. They didn't approach us either time and our senses didn't indicate a problem so I think in time the mystery women will make themselves known. Now, I'm tired as I know the rest of you are so let's get some sleep, tomorrow will be a busy day." "Yes, mother," replied several of her spouses followed by chuckles. "Good night my loves and sleep well," said Rusty. "Good night my loves," said all the spouses. ------- Cast of Characters Listed by clan (group) and somewhat in order of appearance; an '... ' indicates additional members but not identified. Sarah's Clan – Sarah, Rusty, Sally, Terry, Jill, Janet, Joyce, Judy, Alison, Erin, Tara, Claudette, Star, Aoife, Maeve, Alena Children of Sarah's Clan (69 in total, Only those appearing are listed.) - Keri, Earnán, Jordana, Deirdre, Kennith, Iris, Marnia, Moya, Corey... Nancy's Clan – Nancy, Bob, Julia, Stan, Alice, Susan... Children of Nancy's Clan - Adam (joins Briana's Clan), Joyce (joins Sarah's Clan) Amy's Clan – Amy, Jim, Erica, Betsy, Connie, Dorothy, Maria, Donna... Jean's Clan – Jean, Andrew, Gail, Jennifer, Patricia, Laura, Sophia, Cynthia, Barbara Ann's Clan – Ann, Sam, Jessica, Mary, Gina, Marsha, Cathy, Wilma Siobhan's Clan – Siobhan, Conan, Eileen, Tiff, May, Melissa, Aisling, Casidhe, Keira, Kendra, Amber Children of Siobhan's Clan – Ahha, Mapk Maureen's Clan – Maureen, Brandan, Colleen, Crystal, Courtney, Paula, Eibhilin, Kaitlin, Mona, Kylie Keriann's Clan – Keriann, Chester, Kelly, Brigid, Eleánóir, Niamh, Oriel, Emma, Caitlyn Kathryn's Clan – Kathryn, Elana, Calvin, Kathy, Jamie, Brittany, Katia, Rebeca, Violetta, Jenessa, Angie Jackie's Clan – Jackie, Ron, Mairia, Cariss, Sylvanna, Chanel, Alma, Tina... Molly's Clan – Molly, Allan, Kathleen, Alissa, Mirial, Bonnie, Evangline, Kriss... Shannon's Clan – Shannon, Danny, Lydia, Bobbi, Katernia, Morgan, Ornice, Saoria, Trudy Leann's Clan – Leann, Kerry, Madison, Nora, Muriel, Treva, Boann... Muireann's Clan – Muireann, Evelyn, Jason, Stacey, Róise, Bairre, Ceara, Ellidh, Marie Sabrina's Clan – Sabrina, Gwendolyn, Angus, Edith, Caitriona, Clare, Dana, Eachna Chloe's Clan – Chloe, Brenda, Orla, Finnian, Moria, Finnsech, Bevin, Dallas Madeline's Clan – Madeline, Tom, Jan, Fallon, Cara, Cliona, Danielle Ursula's Clan – Ursula, John, Marsha, Edie, Kate, Dairine, Eavan... Briana's Clan – Briana, Cass, Adam, Ellie, Charlotte, Anita, Abaigeal, Cindy, Eltha Cathan's Clan – Cathan, Todd, Sorcha, Ciar, Enya, Máiréad, Lasairfhiona, Krystin Darcy's Clan – Darcy, Leo, Brid, Laurin, Keavy, Saoirse, Muiriol Edana's Clan – Edana, Kurt, Christine, Kacey, Meagan, Gloria, Margreg, Hayley Caoilinn's Clan – Caoilinn, Sal, Abbie, Melanie, Seana, Aingeal, Bernadette, Cochrann Nicola's Clan – Nicola, Joe, Collette, Eryn, SueAnn, Lace, Kim... Sue's Clan – Sue, James, Celia, Jenna, Anneke, Taysha... Irene's Clan – Irene, Clarence, Genevieve, Krystelle, Rowena, Dantry Alana's Clan – Alana, Cathal, Cleo, Elyse, Vera, Sheelah, Bev, Emelia Vanessa's Clan – Vanessa, Eric, Tricia, Sandra, Treasa, Rylie, Maudhnait, Patience, Gabrielle Christina's Clan – Christina, Casey, Louise, Mildred, Nainsi, Sybil, Anna Sharon's Clan – Sharon, Brad, Lynn, Toiréasa, Seosaimhin, Caoilfhionn Súsanna's Clan – Súsanna, Charles, Yvonne, Angelia, Elsa, Dawn, Carol... Kara's Clan – Kara, Natalia, Pat, Kaelee, Diane, Devnet, Eimile, Kristin Samantha's Clan – Sam(antha), Steve, Kelsey, Karmen, Melinda, Jasmin, Faith... Marge's Clan – Marge, Evelyn, Fred, Chad, Aileen, Andrea... Grace's Clan – Grace, Carl, Ashley, Baird... Anessa's Clan – Anessa, Rose, Meredith, Natalie... Jasmine's Clan – Jasmine, Vickie, Clancy, Traci, Ellyn, Dara, Gilian, Emelia, Blaire, Rosanna Mentors Aine, Brigit, Creidne, Deidre, Eithne, Fidelma, Morrigan, Caillech, Niamh, Neala, Branwen Deities Laghdha - God Canu, Cadb, Ariu, Iodla - Goddesses ------- The End ------- Posted: 2006-07-31 Last Modified: 2012-12-08 / 09:13:19 pm ------- http://storiesonline.net/ -------